Dangremond's April 2009 Mentor TEAM - CLOSED (WE'RE BUSY WORKIN' IT!)

Jota - 2009-04-08 8:49 PM

Mitch,

I'd like to join your group.  I'm thirty-nine, married, three children (7,3,1)- all girls.  For the last ten years I put family, supporting my wife's career and my own before my health.  I'll spare the details, but my January doctor's visit wasn't pretty.  Since then, I've been jogging at night, 4 to 5 days a week, and I've brought my weight down from 260 in Jan to 220.  Need to get to the 170 range, and will do so by Fall.  I swam competitively in High School and college and played water polo as well.   Cycling is my weakness, especially since I don't have a working bike.  I've never done a triathlon, but plan on doing a couple local sprint races by the end of summer.  I'm also new to the website, so I'm in the process of getting my logs, etc. set up.
Look forward to hearing from you.

IceManScott - 2009-04-10 7:31 AM Hi,

I'm still a member of Todd's mentor group, which is continuing, but would like to join yours too, if I can.  I can use all the inspiration I can get, and I'm attracted by the fact you started as a cyclist.  Me too.  Most others seem to come by way of running - which is not my favorite thing.   Not that it matters totally, we all wind up in the same place, but I love bikes.  They saved my life.  

My name is Scott.  My friends call me IceMan.  I'm 57, a cancer survivor, and the outdoor recreation/travel editor at the local newspaper.  I'm approaching my one year anniversary to the woman of my dreams.  We went to high school together, but never meet until 3 years ago after she read about how I took up a bike in 2005 when my waist reached 
"50" in spring 2005.  That was more than 24,000 miles ago.  After I lost some girth, I went to a doctor for a long overdue physical.  No symptoms.  But, wham, cancer of the prostate.  I rode 17 miles the morning of my surgery to turn 3500 miles for the first half of 2006.  Ended that year with more than 7000.  Cancer does not have to stop you unless you let it.

As I kept losing weight, I started racing the bike leg of a tri-relay team for LiveSTRONG in 2007 and 2008.   I fell in love with the people.  They are so mutually inspiring.  Competitors, yes, but always pushing each other to do their best and celebrating with someone who does. What other sport do you find that?  Trick question.  The answer is none.

So after last year's race, I decided to try cross training to get out of a rut my body had fallen into.  If you keep asking it to do the same things, it will become quite efficient at it.   Mine did.  The weight loss slowed at a 40 inch waist.  

I knew running would be the limiter.  So I did a couch to 5K plan in 6 weeks and was running! I was on the swim team in high school many many years ago.  But I was a sprinter.  100 yards and done.  I joined Masters and the coach there is fantastic.  He had me swimming a mile in 6 weeks.   So now I have a bike coach through Robbie Ventura's Vision Quest, a Masters swimming coach and I joined the running club's intermediate coaching group and am now under 30 mins for 5K and running 7.5 miles. 

My waist is now at 36 inches, my original goal.  Still losing, still getting stronger.

Races this year are a sprint here near Bloomington, Ill. on June 6 and an oly on July 18 at the same venue.  After that, my bike coach wants me to do a couple of more Olys this year, and then we will consider a half IM in 2010 and maybe a full IM (if the legs hold up) in 2011, the year I turn 60.  I want the tattoo!  I'll work in a half marathon and full marathon sometime before.  

    

roch1009 - 2009-04-10 7:44 AM

Well, I guess I'm in too (Eeyore voice).

I've decided the silver lining is I'll REALLY be able to develop the bike over the next 8 weeks.

And maybe even the swim.

Heck, could even come out of this thing stronger.