Ernesto's group (4th season) - Closed (Page 2)

Mae, Mike and Alexandre welcome to the group! I will respond to each one of you individually as soon as I get an opportunity, maybe that will be this evening or tomorrow. We are a cool bunch, and you will like it (being humble here...). We have seasoned veterans and newbies, and everything in between. What we do have in common is love for the sport.

To all the other "old timers" welcome back!

No accounting for taste, but I won't hold it against you. 

BTW, My family is originally from Tawas.  I raced the HIM up there a couple of years in a row.  It's a great venue.  Skipping it this year to do Cedar Pointe.

Dental class of 95. GO BLUE!!!

Figured you were a dentist from the dds in your name.  Live in the Ann Arbor area?

My heart will always be in Ann Arbor, but I live and work in the Port Huron area. Hope to be swimming under the Blue Water Bridge in the not too distant future.

NAME: Luis / Username: L-train0502

Story:  I am a 24 year old Paramedic in Jackson and Ann Arbor.  I started doing tris four years ago and have done one tri a year, I have continued to gain more weight in the off season than I could lose in season.  So here I sit with big tri ambitions and a big belly.  The goal is to complete an IM in 2014 with a HM in 2013.  This is my year!

Family Status: Married two years in Aug. 

Current Training: Training for my first Half Mary on May 6th.

2011 Races: Clark lake Sprint triathlon same on I have done since 2008.

2012 Races: Borgess run for Health Half Marathon, Clark Lake Sprint, He tri She Tri Sprint (Team tri you combine you age and your time, doing it with my wife), Ragnar Relay in DC,  Little Turtle Half Marathon on Mackinaw Island any I want to do an OLY but I don't know were I will have time between the races and up coming wedding not enough weekends.

Weight Loss: This is the key!  Want to move from my current 243 down to 200!

Why i will make a good mentee: Hunger to change my body and my general sunny out look.

Love to join if you still have room

Story:44yo, Former fairly athletic youth involved in baseball, wrestling and Soccer with the emphasis on soccer for about 12 years. Was also an ok swimmer as a kid, ended up being a lifeguard although you'd never know it now. Was in decent shape up until my kids arrived when i was 33, got real sedentary and ballooned up to 210lbs. Turning point was 3+ years ago when i was helping my kids ride their bikes and I felt like i was gonna drop dead after 100 yards. Started some running and biking and dropped down to 175 feeling much better.

Goal: As always, Consistency. Always strive for it never achieve it

2011Races: Half Marathon, Oly, coupla sprints and a DU

2012 Races: Various spints and OLY's, 5/10k's and Marine Corp Marathon in the fall.

Family:Happily married for 17 years with twin 10 yo daughters.

Current Training: Very spotty recently w/insane work commute recently(5+ hrs roundtrip). Things should be calming down now and I can get back to a "normal routine".

For anyone who is joining the group new, one of the things that I really enjoy about Ernesto's group is the challenges.  We have had a couple of different ones with different training focuses.  This month, for something a little different, those of us with some weight loss goals decided to have a weight loss challenge.

The way it works is that you post your starting weight (which was April 1st, but if you want to join in now and don't have it, just do your most recent weight).  We then have a "weigh in" day every Sunday when you post your current weight.  The person with the biggest % loss on 30th April wins the challenge (the prize is bragging rights and a healthy new physique).

I've transfered over the details from the old thread below.  If anyone wants to add themselves, please feel free to do so by copying the table and filling in your details.

If you're not sure, calculate your % change as ((starting weight - current weight)/starting weight)x100.

Our weather has been really freaky lately.  We've had beautiful summery weather for about 10 days, with temperatures up to 23C (mid 70sF).  And then today it snowed.  Horizontal, blowing snow that started around 1pm and hadn't stopped last time I looked outside (it's 10pm!).  I had planned a long run for tonight, but only managed 5 miles as it was absolutely miserable.

I'm going to try out putting some pictures in to demonstrate the drastic change.

This one is from our bike ride on Sunday:

And then this one is from my run today:

Will add myself to the list, will keep track of weight and bf%, that is what i really need to get lower. I have taken some nutritional advice from a professional nutritionist that focus on sport nutrition, if anyone need some tips, i can share from what she told me and with some info from my plan.

Had a 30" ride followed by a 30" run today. Easy training this week

Did you secretly move to Michigan when we weren't looking?  There is a saying here..."If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes...it will change".

Hello Ernesto and past groupmates!

Ernesto, you have been a really great coach and buddy and it will be great to be able to count with your support and valuable insights again in 2012!

My name is Gabriel and I'm from Guatemala.  After living for over 13 years abroad (2 in Chicago getting my MBA and the rest in SF/Bay Area and Pasadena, CA; where I enjoyed great road and mt bike riding), I'm now back in Guatemala City. I'm also married to a lovely Guatemalan woman and the proud father of two beautiful girls (and now one boy on the way)!

2011 was a year of firsts for me including my first sprint triathlon in March, my first 1/2 IM triathlon in August and my first Marathon in October (the Chicago Marathon).  I've learned a lot from Ernesto's coaching and members of his group and look forward to learning even more and becoming a stronger, healthier triathlete.

My main goals for 2012 are to complete my first full Ironman distance triathlon, IM Texas on May 19th, in 12:30 or better! I will also shoot to complete a Marathon towards the end of the year, in under 4 hrs.  Additionally, I plan to compete in a number of sprint, Oly and 1/2 IM distance tris, along with other running races. 

I'm looking for good sound advice, particularly on improving the structure of my trainings, as well as sharing good stories, recommendations and support messages with other on this group.

Cheers,

Gabriel

Adrian, Luis and Ted, welcome to the group!

I live in the Dallas area and maybe you've heard about the tornadoes today and the incredibly bad weather. I almost had a heart attack today while watching the sky spin right above e and hearing the sirens go off. Nothing happened though other than hellaciously big hail and a big scare.

Hi Ernesto,

I would like to join your group.  I will have to post my bio later, though, because I am late for my bike workout...LOL

-Owen

Just saw the news about the tornadoes in your area...glad to hear you are okay.  Does Jackie live nearby?  Logged on to check on you guys!

Scott will post later.  Just back from vacation and today was our first workout.  He will post his bio and share the 10k story as well!

I hoped to run under 56 minutes but ended up with a 1:01.  Not happy but...  My shoes are trashed and the burning from no support was very distracting but I knew that was going to be an issue.  Definitely more oxygen but the extreme heat and humidity proved to be to much.  we had to wait for over 1.5hours to get a bus to the start and once there I was so far back in the I couldn't even see the start.  Then because of the bus issue the race started 1.25hours late for my wave.  I started having to pee so bad, foot hurting, 72degrees and a head wind over 15mph.  Just to get around people I had to jump onto the sidewalk and zigzag so much I couldn't maintain a decent pace.  By the time I got to the top of the bridge I had to walk for a bit.  Race cleared a bit but I was to spent to maintain a good pace and then when the streets narrowed I had to almost stop to get around corners.  Scott was far enough up to have less people to deal with but....  Always next year!  I'll post a race report on it...  Just to remember the day!

I'll post my bio and today's training when we get back from boy scouts.  

WELCOME EVERYONE!!!!

Name: / username: Sharon/smrancourt

Story: I have been athletic most of my life - softball, volleyball and biking specifically.  During my last pregnancy I gained 80 pounds and thus began my life of lazy!  This past January, I finally made the decision to get back at it.  I have a wonderful hubby and a 3yr old and a very busy job - but some scheduling flexibility. I'm a total newbie to the tri-world.  

CURRENT TRAINING: I am at the gym 6 days a week.  I am going into this with a strong bike base, some running and a weak swim.  I've hired a swim coach and have been making some progress and am confident in the run - just need to log more hours.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: This year I've signed up for 3 sprints - the first is June 23rd.

WEIGHTLOSS: I've lost 22 pounds since mid-January and seem to average about 1.5#/week.  I'd like to see another 25 go.

I'm looking forward to having some guidance and learning from everyone.

Sharon

JoePetto - 2012-04-03 8:17 PM

Need some guidance here for my duathlon on Saturday. This is not a recovery week, but I have scaled down volume due to my race and the fact that I'm just beat down tired. Next week is a planned recovery so one missed workout is no big deal.The race is 5k/25k/5k. The biggest issue I am dealing with is clothing. Race temp will mid to low 40s. Plan on wearing tri shorts under running tights for legs one and two. If I am warm on leg 3, I can always ditch the tights. But, what do I do on the upper body and extremities? There are a series of rolling hills where downhill speeds will easily reach 35 mph so it will be quite cold. Warm gloves are must, but I see no way around cold feet, face and torso. Thoughts?Welcome all new members. Old friends, glad to see you back. This is a great group which is both knowledgeable and supportive.

Joe, your issue on the bike is going to be the wind. Consider this Tights with tri shorts on top. Long sleeve tech shirt and tech sweat shirt. On the bike you will cool off a lot have a wind stopping jacket and gloves on the bike. Dump the wind breaker and gloves for the final 5 K. Put tape on the vents in bike shoes.

Ernesto- I just caught national news. I'm glad you are ok. Your pic on facebook was wild. Try and find more money falling from the sky and less ice.

SamyG- I didn't know you were from Venezuela. We have very close friend from there, there. The moved here from Tampa a couple of years ago he is urologist.

Scott- We've lived in Tawas for 18 years now. When I first moved here, rented space from Freels. I saw your reply to my 3D post. I love that ride. The out can be a grind, but the back is a blast.  My other bike route is an out and back from my house off Baldwin and North on 23. Its not as much fun, but is very efficient.

To all of the new people welcome. You will learn a lot, this a lively group and very supportive, and they get the stuff that make your spouses eyes gloss over. 

To the people returning, welcome back, it just wouldn't be right without you.  

Okay, here's my story:

Name: Owen / Username: ojscott05

Story:  2012 is the year… when I’m finally going from “talking about doing a triathlon some
day” to “giving it a TRI”…  SO… I bought a road bike in Dec and started training Jan 2012. 

Background:  Did some running in high school, including a marathon (for which I was ill-prepared). 
Starting about 6 years ago I got busy, started gaining weight and have done very limited regular exercise (just enough occasional running to pass my fitness test in the Air Force). 

My inspiration:  My brother who went from couch to sub-12 IM from 2008-2011, losing >130# in the process.

I just finished my first triathlon 2 days ago… a local sprint…. and had a blast!  I met my goals of 1) not drowning on the swim, and 2) finishing in a time of sub 1:30. Now I’m hooked… besides the other races this year (see below) I am already looking ahead at HIMs in 2013 and IM in 2014.

Family status:  Married, with a 4-year old son.  Like many of you, my goal is to work my triathlon training around my busy job and my wonderful family.  Triathlon will be my healthy outlet and my
path to health.

CURRENT TRAINING: Over the past 3 months I have worked to a base of biking 5 hrs/wk, running 14 mi/wk and swimming 3x/wk, +/- strength trng 2x/wk.  Swimming is my biggest weakness, still trying to figure out how I’m going to avoid drinking a gallon of water again during the next race.  Unfortunately, there are no swim groups where I live so I guess I’m kinda on my own for
improving my swim technique, but thanks to Total Immersion and swimsmooth.com, I think I am finally starting to learn how to not fight with the water so much. 

Now that I have a base for the 3 sports, I want to start adding intensity as well as continuing to build volume.  I also feel like I need to start adding more structure to my workouts now (i.e. intervals, etc).

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Oly x2 (May & Aug), Sprint x3 (Jun TX stampede, July Dallas Disco, Oct Monster Denton), August Hotter-than-hell 50-mi bike + 10k trail run, and the Ft Worth HM in Nov.  Also considering running Air Force HM in Sept.  My #1 “A race” will be the August Oly which I will be doing with my brothers and dad.

WEIGHTLOSS: Started Jan 2012 at 225#, just dropped below 200# as of yesterday. Race weight goal is 190#, hopefully by Oly at end of May.   Like Mitch said, I need to resist unhealthy foods and eat more fruits and veggies.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I’m a brand new triathlete, and I need help from those who have gone the road before me.  I’m very motivated to improve my endurance and speed and learn from the rest of you guys. Most importantly, I want to have a good time with this new-found
sport.  I really appreciate the sense of community at BT.

2012 GOALS: (1) Complete at least 5 triathlons in 2012.  (2) Goal for first Oly: sub 2:45. (3) Weight = 190#. (4) Start logging my workouts on BT. (5) Increase running mileage to 30+ mi/wk, remain injury free and maintain sub 8:00 pace on long-runs. (6) Increase avg bike race speed from 18.5mph to 22mph. (7) Continue to work on swim technique and endurance. (8) Start planning for HIMs in 2013 and IM 2014. (9) Long-term goal is sub-10hr IM to qualify for Kona, with the aim to be the top Air Force finisher at Kona.

Thanks for reading!

-Owen