Baowolf's Mentor Group - Sorry Closed.

NAME: Kate

STORY: I read a book when I was a teen called "Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals" and it had a profound impact on me. For more than 10 years I held onto the dream of one day doing one. 3 years ago I found a sprint triathlon that was near my home.  After completing that sprint I talked my husband into buying me a decent road bike and I've been training ever since.

One thing about me is that I'm a very petite person.. just peeking over 5 feet.  I struggle a lot with keeping a decent running pace.

FAMILY STATUS: I'm married for to a very supportive husband who cycles, and I have a 10 year old son.

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm coming up on my 3rd season of doing tri's. I've competed in several sprints and completed my first olympic distance in October. I've signed up for my first 70.3 in March 2013, and am currently using a custom BT plan for training. 

2012 RACES:  3 sprints and an olympic  distance triathlon. 

WEIGHTLOSS: My weight has held pretty steady over the last 3 years but I'd really like to take 10 pounds off by April. 

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I am pretty consistent with my training and keep logs on BT. I'm very open to doing whatever might improve my race performance. 

Welcome Samantha.  Anyone signing up, if you could answer a few questions about yourself.  Mostly age, how long have you been training, what distances have you completed and what are your races/goals for this upcoming year. 

We will get more into what questions you have as we get people on board. 

For you Samanatha, when is Day 1 of your IM training plan starting?

Welcome Kate.  A HIM is a much different beast than an Oly.  We will need to get into nutrition later.  How many workouts s/b/r are you doing for your plan? 

I don't think your height is holding back your running speed.  My youngest sun is about 3 foot tall and can run an 8 minute mile (2nd grader). I am sure we can get some more run speed. At your current paces we are really talking about just running more miles.  You should gain 2 minutes per mile by gradualy building up to 35-45 miles per week.  Once you are steady at 30 miles per week for a couple months we can add in some harder efforts.  For now you should probably put in a mild tempo run once a week and call that good for speed work.  Really the main speed will come from getting in a better base. 

Yay, mentor group is live!  I'm in if Steve will have me again.

Kate, welcome! You're going to love it here.  Congrats on your sprints and first OLY, and signing up for that HIM.  Samantha did her first HIM recently, so betting she can also share some good advice.

Hey Samantha (waving crazily)!

So it's snowing here in Texas, and I'm thinking a run on this rare and beautiful white Christmas might be just the thing, so will post the bio later.

Merry Christmas to all!!

WooHoo, this is a great Christmas gift!  I communicated with Steve last week and said I wanted to join the group when it opened.  Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

NAME:  Pink Socks & Pam

LOCATION: Tallahassee, FL

FAMILY/DESCRIPTION:  happily married to another BT’er (KWDreamun), 50 years old, 14 y.o. son who loves baseball and is horribly embarrassed by his mother running around in tights and a sports bra, systems analyst, running for 3 years, newbie to biking, love swimming but not with anyone else swimming on top of me or too near me.  

STORY:  Pink Socks is my way of remembering why I began running.  I watched my son’s middle school cross country team wear pink socks in memory of the coach’s wife.  When coach asked the kids and parents to participate in a breast cancer marathon, HM, or marathon relay, in Brenda’s memory, I internally scoffed because I couldn’t do that.  But it went into my sub-con and soon I decided to walk the half.  I adopted the alter ego of Pink and began training. I later began running and when I finished the HM, I was hooked!  Three years later, I’m happier and healthier.  I didn’t realize that I had been depressed for some time; I was one of those women that lost me while working and raising a family.  Now I’m back to being me.

I felt like a poser when I began training.  Now I almost think of myself as a runner but never want to be a “purist” like I still occasionally encounter.  I am not fast and I will walk (or crawl) or whenever.  I have now completed 10 HM, 3 marathons, 2 ultras, and 1 sprint tri.  I’m Half Fanatic 553.  I have found that I don’t like marathons but I’m committed to one more in early Feb; I’m planning for it to be my last mary for a while.  I want to stick to either HMs or ultras when running.  I don’t want to jump into longer distance tris for a long time – if ever.  Right now, I’d like to see if I can do a few more sprints and then an oly.

I’ve done one tri and will be signing up for another sprint in March.  My biking is lousy because I just got a bike in July.  I wrecked so many times so I switched over to baby pedals and proudly rode that way in my tri.  I know that I’ve got to put on my big girl pants and move to clipless pedals.  BTW, we named my bike Bronco.  If I ever really learn to ride, I’ll consider renaming my bike to Elway.

CURRENT TRAINING:   I’ve been doing around 8 hours of training.  I need lots of work on biking and swimming and I give the group permission to push me away from running and push me toward the other disciplines that I so sorely lack.  

2012 RACES: 2 marathons, 2 ultras, 1 half marathon, and my first sprint tri in October.

2013 RACES:   Tallahassee Marathon in Feb, St Marks Duathalon, Red Hills Sprint Tri in March.  I’d like to work up to an OLY in Summer/Fall but we’ll have to see if I’ve ready.

WEIGHTLOSS: Fortunately it isn’t an issue for me now although it was post-baby and with middle age.

GOALS :  No matter what, I want to focus on health and fun.  I don’t see myself on any podiums and since AG is dependent on others, I don’t focus on it.  The only person I see as my competition is myself – and sometimes the clock.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: I have a lot to learn and I’m willing to do my homework.  I do not get offended easily and want anyone to out me if I’m not doing the work.  I’ll be here for the group and will do whatever I can.

Hey Steve, I'd love to be in your group again!!

NAME: Ironjim / Jim

STORY: I've been doing triathlons for many years! I did my first triathlon in 1995 and have been hooked ever since! I moved to Wash. State back in 1999 and for the next 8 years I seemed to put weight on every winter, then had to train my butt off all summer to get it back off.  In 2007 I went on a run in the snow and slipped on black ice and broke my leg and collarbone! We decided to move back to Cali. I put on over 50 lbs from a year of inactivity. Stopped training for about 3 years! At one point I found myself weighing over 300 lbs. Two years ago, I reconnected with an old friend of mine Mitch. Mitch had always wanted to do an Ironman and he challenged me to train with him to do a Full IM. We picked Vineman as our Full and trained for 10 months to get ready for it! Raceday was great, Mitch finished but I met my doom 16 miles in the marathon with severe foot issues. Last year I went after it again but did not make it to IM!

FAMILY STATUS:   I'm married with  2 children, 9 1/2 and 12 1/2.

CURRENT TRAINING: Currently I am just getting back on track with my training.  This year I want to train smarter, not just more! Last year I definitely put in the time and miles but my nutrition was lacking. This year I will really focus on my nutrition and staying healthy throughout the year! I am registered for the HITS Full IM in Lk Havasu in November 2013. I plan on a slow steady increase throughout the year!

Nice to see that this group finally opened up.  Like someone said above, I was in touch with Steve in hopes of joining his group too!

NAME:  Jay

LOCATION: Dartmouth, Ma.

FAMILY/DESCRIPTION:  I have been happily married to my wife (Kiley) for 12 years.  We have been blessed with two great kids; Braden 8, and Kaelyn 5.

STORY:  I'm not sure how far back you really want to hear.....I was a three sport athlete in high school (football/basketball/baseball) before I went on to play all three sports during my four years in college.  I made the decision as a young man to go to a smaller school to play two sports (even all three for one year) rather than go to a D1 school to play football or baseball.  A few years after college, my wife and I decided to get married....and thats when the comfort and weight increase happened.  I gained almost 100lbs from my college playing weight a few years into my marraige and didn't like it one bit.  Over the course of the next six months after seeing that weight on the scale, I got back into the gym and got within 20 lbs of my playing weight. (this happened back in 2003)  I have maintained that weight for the better part of 9 years now.  I have contemplated doing bodybuilding competitions in the past but I could never pull the trigger.

That leads me to the last few years.  I was given some marathon training books by my wife for XMAS 3 years ago as a gag gift.  I had always talked about doing the Boston Marathon so I took the present as a sign to start training for it.  Over time, I'll be happy to share stories of my running but I have complete 4 marathons since I got those books and many more half marathons.  This past year, I decided to take on the challenge of triathlon because HM/FM weren't challenging enough.  I've gotten my fitness level to the point where I can run an acceptable (for me) HM time without any training.  The next logical step was triathlon so this past March, I went to a TI workshop to learn how to swim.

CURRENT TRAINING:   I have been doing maintainance training while waiting for the New Year.  I spend most of my time swimming because that's the discipline I need the most work on.  However, I've been doing weight training as well as some running, etc.

2012 RACES: 3 half marathons, Boston Marathon, 2 sprint triathlons

2013 RACES:   Hyannis Half Marathon, New Bedford Half Marathon, Patriot Half Ironman, Check for Change triathlon (maybe more, we'll see)

WEIGHTLOSS: To be as competitive as I need to be, I need to drop at least 25lbs.  The reality is that I need to let go of the muscle I've worked many years to achieve to do it....and that's my challenge.  For those who have lifted, I was a hard gainer for many years...now I've got muscle and strength I've always wanted....

GOALS :  Complete the half ironman this year, do a full ironman next year.  Learn more about all aspects of the sport (equipment, training concepts, nutrition, etc) and be a supportive member of the group.

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: Honestly, I don't know.  I'm a hard worker who studies a lot on things I'm involved in.  I have read countless books on triathlon nutrition, training, and lots of things in between...in hopes of finding out ideas that I can apply to my regiment.  I'd like to think my past of being an athete allows me to be pretty open toward coaching/advice that is given to me by others.   

NAME: Mike_D/ Mike D (very original, huh?)

STORY: I'm 45, and just over 2 years off the couch. Lost 60 pounds since then. Got into tri's when asked to be the bike guy in a relay at the local sprint tri in June 2010. After doing it, I decided I had to do a race myself, and signed up for a race within a week. Could not run or swim, but learned fast . 2013 will be a big year and I hope to continue to build on what I've learned, and hopefully share it with the group. 

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 17 years, 2 kids - girls ages 13 + 9. .

CURRENT TRAINING: Have been in off-season mode lately, with irregular s/b/r. Have been doing 2x/week strength/core training and its helped my swim quite a bit. Need to get my butt moving again as HIM training starts in 3 weeks.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: In 2012 I ran my first HM, did 2 sprints, and a highly disappointing DNF in my first HIM in June (bike crash)

2013 RACES:  2 HIMs, 1 Oly, 1 sprint, a HM or two.

WEIGHTLOSS: down 60 pounds since I started this madness

WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR OR GOALS:  consistency, consistency, consistency. I am stepping it up this year, and knowing what it takes for HIM training, I plan to use that knowledge to make this years training more productive. assuming all goes well, 2014 will be aiming at my first full IM.

Hello 2013 group so far...very excited to share another year of training with like-minded folks!

My name is Samantha. I live in the beautiful Coeur D Alene, Idaho. I'm 35, single, no kids and work as a CNA.

I have been training for triathlons for two years now. My first year I completed a sprint and an Olympic. Second year, I did a 25mi bike fun ride, a 10k and 12k run and a HIM. All of these were great experiences for me and I learned so much during the training and the racing. This year I will complete my 7 year dream of finishing the Coeur D Alene Ironman.

Throughout my journey I have never focused on my weight. I knew I had weight to lose, but I also knew it would drop off if I was committed and consistent in my training. Since last year I've gone from a 37" waist to 33". If more comes off during my IM training I will not complain.

I have been part of Steve's mentor group since I began my training journey and am so excited to be part of it again. He's got so much to offer and so do all the other people who have been part of the groups. So as a member of the group I still have lots to learn that will help others and I have a personal perspective to share.

Carol, Jim and Mike - I look forward to our continued journey's and adventures together.

Jay, Pam and Kate (I hope I got those names right) - very glad to meet you!

Steve - I am thinking I will start between Jan. 4 and 7. I'm starting to ask myself what that will look like in terms of beginning distances. In the next few days I gonna get my training set up on BT and see what numbers they put out there and then get your thoughts. What are the max distances I want to get to before the taper on each discipline?

Today I got 1600 meters in at the pool. I did 800 yards with a focus on form and speed. 400 kicking with the board and another 400 as fast as I could (again, focus on form). Over the last year I've read the "Swim Smooth" book and tried to incorporate the techniques to streamline my crawl.

I'd like to do a run this morning too.. I need to study cadence running.

Happy day after Christmas everyone!!! I'm excited to be a part of this group.

And so happy to see a familiar face Pam :=)

Kate good job getting your swimming in.  I had wanted to get my swimming in this morning but failed; I'll get in tonight.

Mike, are you doing the Patriot as well?  How ironic if you are; being in the same mentoring group and participating in the same race!

Ugh, more to type but kids are not allowing me more than 2 minutes without being with them....must be post Christmas sugar effects!

Hi Steve,

I'd like to join up if you'll have me.  I was a little late with my usual group (sleeping in no doubt), but am excited to change things up a bit.  Here's some background info.

Name:  JuneApple / Stu

Stu's Story:  High school swimmer, biked a bunch in college, but never ran.  After leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle during my 30s and early 40s, I found myself at mid-life under a bunch of stress and 50 lbs overweight.  So I decided to change some priorities, starting with health and fitness.  I started running a bit (I was really slow) and worked my way up to a half-marathon and my first triathlon (sprint) 5 years ago.  Had two solid seasons in 2010 and 2011, including lots of personal bests (yes, even over age 50!), but slipped some in 2012.  Not a disaster, but fell short on most goals and didn't have the motivation I had in years past.  Running remains my challenge, especially coming at the end of the race.  However, I'm very thankful for the role triathlons have played in my day to day life, and like training for multiple disciplines.  I'm especially appreciative of BT and the mentor groups (also FYI, I mentored a group during 2011 and enjoyed it). 

Family Status:  Married for 30 years with daughter in college.  My wife is supportive of my tri habits, while not understanding its appeal :-)

Current Training:  Currently in regeneration mode after being sick for most of November.  Planning on starting up again in earnest Jan 10th.  Doing some weights for the first time in years as I've been feeling like lack of endurance strength and core weakness is part of my struggle on the run.  Otherwise, just one decent run and bike each week and haven't been in the pool since Nov 1st.

2012 Races:  1 sprint, 2 olympics and some local running races of various distances.  I'm generally a MoPer (middle of the packer), but every now and then have a good race with a less experienced field.  Accidents do happen.

2013 Races:  Plan to focus on Olympic length this year and try to figure out how not to implode on the run.  I've done a HIM and a marathon and I can't say I have any overwhelming drive to attempt an IM.  At age 53, I really would just like to remain relatively healthy and injury free, using triathlons as motivation to do so.

Weightloss:  2012 was not good on this front.  Am up to 206 right now which is about 20 lbs over race weight.  Main problem is that it has been a steady climb up from 190 over the course of the year.  This needs to be a priority for 2013.

What will make me a good member:  Every group needs an old MOPer :-)  Really looking forward to working with you all and many thanks for leading the group, Steve!

Hello all, looking forward to join if you'll have me.

NAME: fdulak / fred

STORY: started triathlon last year (2011) following an injury with my Achilles tendon. Bought my first road bike (entry level aluminium) and rode it three times before my first sprint, rented a wetsuit and due to a mix-up ended up with one size larger. Despite this and being ill-prepared, I had a blast and finished the season with 2 Oly and one HM. Completed HIM Tremblant this year (2012)  and realized what race management means (nutrition on the bike did not go as planned, with 3 gels in total and 1.5l of water, the run started like a death march until I could refuel gradually). Bike is my weakest sport and it should will be my priority in 2013. My AG is 35-39.

FAMILY STATUS:  married for 11 years to my very supportive wife who has completed 1 Olympic triathlon.  I have 4 children ranging from 4 to 8 and  1 cat.

CURRENT TRAINING: Unstructured so far and mostly interval-free, includes 3xswim and 3xrun per week now that the bike is in the basement on the trainer (I know....) . I am developing my 2013 plan based on the triathlon training bible. 

2012 RACES:  2 HM, 2 Oly, 2 HIM and.... my first 10k (so difficult!)

2012 RACES:  More or less same as last year  (which will be great to measure progress), plus my first marathon in September

WEIGHTLOSS: Not a goal (between 135 and 140 lbs for 5'4)

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: While I am an avid reader of triathlon-related books (including nutrition) and starting to grasp some of the concepts, I am still ramping-up and digesting.... and getting confused . Hopefully I can throw questions and get answers that may benefit the group.

Welcome Carol glad to have you back.

Welcome Pam.  We can get you faster if you want that, but you will have to tell us about your ultra's.  Feel free to ask questions as we get started up here.  I am very happy that you have found exercise to be helpful in making you feel good about yourself.  I think a lot of folks walk around in a fog, not having any adventures.

Welcome Jim, glad to have you back.  It is the offseason so rest up get fat and then work it off for the rest of the year.  I think your IM will have lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of hills.  If I have the right area I did a HIM there and there wasn't a flat 100 yards on the entire course.  Heck it was a 7 percent grade coming out of transition.  Very beautifyl though.  It may be in a different location though.... Check out the course to adjust your training. 

Welcome Jay. Happy to have another Type A in the group.  We will work hard on slowing you down enough to stay healthy while helping you to make sense out of all the informtion in your head.  We will talk nutrition.  A HIM requires more calories than a Mary and an IM Demands it.  What was your Boston time?  Fun race, and no it is not all down hill after Heartbreak hills, they lied. 

 Mike, welcome, glad to have you back.  We will get ya through that race this year, you were totally ready for it. 

 Stu, welcome.  Gang we have our swim coach!  Glad to have you.  Don't worry about stepping on my toes giving folks information, we are all here to share what we know.  If you get the IM itch it can be done without injury, especially if you are not going for a really fast race.  You only have 8 years on me 8).  But yes my philosophy is lifelong fitness and Triathlons or other endurance events just focus our training and give us some adventures for good or bad to share as we get older and our sons surpas our run speed. 

Welcome Fred.  Glad to have you.  Yes HIM bike is 300-350 calories per hour and HIM/IM/Mary calories are 200-250 calories per hour on the run.  You can squeeky by on a marathon it is short enough, but a HIM or IM will destroy you if you do not have enough calories in.  We can help sort through your questions, triathlon makes one a bit aspergersish with all of the info.  It can be quite simple or quite complicated depending on what you like.   

Kate, don't overthink running just yet.  At this point you need to just go out there and get in the miles.  Like I said toss in a tempo run once a week and the rest just build distance slowly.  Add 1 mile to your long run each week, drop back for a recovery week every 3 or 4 weeks and build your weekly runs as well.  Your long run should not be more than half your weekly miles and better if it is closer to 1/3.  Pleanty of time to overthink running later.  It is the easiest of the 3 to get faster in.

I forget who said it above, but finishing a race strong means three things.  1) for longer races you need to stay cool (if hot out), hydrated (more important if hot out) and have your calories good, 2) you have put in the training time to support a strong race and 3) you did not go out to fast/pacing. 

I am horrible with names.  If you can put your name in a signature or anywhere in your post that will help me direct feedback to you specifically.  My last group would be all... I wonder if he was talking to me when he said that.  Which may work for you because advice is usually good for everyone... but if you want to be sure put your name somewhere so I don't have to go back to page 1 and remember it. 

Please post your miles /hours/ paces on BT.  I can look back over your training to help with determining race paces and see if you have enough consistency etc., based on your training record. 

Type A's help motivate the type B's, tybe B's try to keep the Type A's from signing up for a tripple IM their first year in the sport. 

Training basicaly goes like this, build up a base slowly and safely for months before starting speedwork.  Do not put too much speedwork in any given week.  I will post my general training program that I use based on everything I have read and learned without distances.  Then you just plug in your distances if you want to play with it.  However, if you do not have enough base, dont do these workouts. 

This is my Hill for hill repeats.  Half mile up hard, jog down.  Dont do this until you have a solid base.

This is my race fluid calorie system.  One chamber for Inifinit, 1 chamber for water.

Description: Patented Fast Fill
Technology • Amazing 50 oz. Capacity (27 & 23 oz. chambers) • Translucent
design to easily see fluid levels • Fits and mounts easily to most aero bars •
Full 1-year warranty • All parts are replaceable • Kit includes Aero bottle,
fast fill caps, straws, mouthpiece, straw clip and mounting straps, mounting
shims. FIT CRITERIA: Minimum 2-2.5 inch aero bar separation with a maximum aero
bar separation of 4 inches. RECOMMENDED BARS: PROFILE: Carbon X, Split Second,
Carbon Styrke; SYNTACE: C2, Streamliner, SLS; OVAL Concepts: All bars; VISION
TECH: All bars; TTT: Ahero. NON-RECOMMENDED BARS: PROFILE: Sonic Stryke, Air
Stryke, Century Alumin X (due to closed bar design or arm pad clearance).
Specifications: Weight 130g empty • Chamber #1 23 oz. Chamber #2 27oz.
PodiumQuest® was developed by Sue Robinson, a seasoned and competitive
triathlete. Her groundbreaking aerodynamic design made PodiumQuest® the ultimate
aero drink platform. It is the only dual chambers, hands free, fast fill
hydration system on the market today. Athletes will find the PodiumQuest® easy
to use and refill on the fly whether it be for competing in an Ironman, a
century ride or your weekly training. No need to choose between hydration and
fuel, you can have them both with this system.

Found it.  Here is my workout routine. I can explain it for those who don't speak workout eze yet.  It is a whole new language.

I would like to join your group

Name:  Brian

Story: I am very active with sports like wakeboarding and motocross and have been trying to get involved in triathlons for a couple of years. Unfortunatley those sports are hard on the body so the injury bug has bit me the last 2 years. Last year it was just a matter of "Old" knees (5 surgeries total, both Acl's and 3 other scopes) that held me back. I did a couple of early Olympics but once wakeboarding season started, triathlon took a back seat. This year I am going to move it up a notch and hopefully I can stay healthy. I have always been a person to go for a run or bike ride here and there. but nothing truely consistent.

Family Status:  Married for 13, two daughters 5 and 8. My wife is currently training for a HM so she is very supportive. We actually just converted a guest room into a workout room. We also have 1 cat, 2 dogs - one of the dogs was added to the family last week.

Current Training:  I am following the HIM beginner plan on this site. The last few weeks have not been the best with the holidays, family, and of all things missing workouts to work on a workout room

2012 Races: I did 2 olympics last season (well 1 was converted into a dualathlon due to water quality issues)

2013 Races:  Signed up for Oceanside HIM on March 30th - 94 days to race day! I have not signed up for any others, but will likely do another local HIM in the summer. Utilimately I want to do an IM but I need a year of staying healthy to make that commitment.

Weightloss:  Looking to drop 10 pounds by race day. I am sitting at 173 (pre-Christmas day) and I was at 185 beginning of October so making progress. I have not been below 170 in at least 10 years.

What will make me a good member: I will take all the help I can get. I keep up to date with all my logs and like to hear how others are progressing.

Welcome Brian.  What are you doing on the wakeboard to injur your knees.  I waterskiied in shows when I was 12 years old, backwards barefoot, slalom course, trick skies (the predisesor to the wakeboard), etc.  Ya I would take a 2 year approach to an IM and see how the build goes for the HIM.  Let me go look at your logs quick.

Alright you could do the HIM swim tomrrow, nice paces and distance.  Bike is really not so strong with a long of 30 and most rides 15-20 miles.  Meh long rides of 35, 45, 55, 35, 50, 60, 65, 40.... ya you will be alright on the bike if you follow your plan, not much room to slack though.  Your run is however, a problem.  Your long run of 6 miles with weeky miles of 12 ish is not close at all.  So long runs of 7, 8, 9, 6, 10, 11, 12, 9, 13, 14, 15, 8, 4 race.  Ok run is possible also, but you are gona be beat up getting in shape that quickly for your HIM.  If you are ok with some walk jog portion of the run then your odds of doing alright in it are much better.  We see how things go as you get closer.  You need to be not missing workout days from here on out though.  The last 2-3 weeks will be taper so you only really have just under 3 months to get in shape.  This will be a stretch to get you there.  Typically I like to see a longer build up for a HIM.  Do how many calories and in what form are you going to take them during your  HIM? 

Sorry if that was too much of hi and run you over with a truck.  I just dont like folks going into HIM or longer unprepared, is not pretty and can make someone want to give up on triathlons.