Fred D and Queen Zipp's SWIM, BIKE RUN consistency thread.... CLOSED

Hi, I am Judi Zimmerman, when I started on BT I was zippy and later changed to QueenZipp after winning the tiara in a weight war with a couple of other BT'ers.  Thanks, Fred for the gracious intro.

 I've been here on BT about as long as Fred and have stuck primarily to short distance races for a variety of reasons.  Biggest reasons for me are my aversion to swimming, and my propensity to injury.  I can manage a sprint or olympic distance swim (olympic does take more mental effort for me), HIM distance swim is not significantly longer in distance, but mentally it is a huge distance for me.  I did try to train for a HIM in 2010 and had a season filled with illness / injury.  So, for right now the shorter distances work for me.

Personal info:  Married, 2 daughters 18 and 17.  Hosting a foreign exchange student this year as well, also 17.   3 cats .

What makes me a good mentor:  I have been a co mentor in the past with a couple of other people.  I enjoy this process of learning with and from each other, as well as contributing to this site.  I spend a lot of time looking over friends logs and asking about their training.  If they are injured or having other issues that are impacting training the logs are a great place to see the trend.  I like a healthy discussion and value other's contributions.

2012 season: 3 sprint tris, a 10K, half century ride and a half marathon.  

2013 season:  Undecided what races I will do this year.  Probably my favorite 10K in April, I think I am committed to an Olympic late May in Williamsburg as I promised another BT'er if she came to do the HIM that weekend I would do the Oly and she is signed up.  Guess I need to sign up for the Rev 3 Oly in Williamsburg.  Not sure what else yet.  Probably 1 or 2  sprints and the half century in May, the Oly as promised and a November half marathon.

Current training: I am following the winter bike training plan again this year.  I have tried it several times, last year was the first time I actually completed the entire thing and I found a huge improvement in my cycling last season.  Unfortunately, when I went to a high run focus plan for my last half marathon I lost a lot of that bike fitness so I feel as if I am rebuilding from early stages.  I am still running 3 or more times per week, trying to become more purposeful in planning the workouts and not just "letting it happen".  I do attend a Master's style swim class and I like strength training.  I find that a bit of strength training is good in injury prevention/ rehab.  Having been injured a few times....yeah it's become a good thing for me.

Weight loss goals...In 2004 I was over 200 lbs.  I lost over 70 lbs prior to getting involved in this sport.  I have regained some of that weight, and am currently on a scale avoidance as my holiday eating has been horrible.  I do need to lose weight, about 20 pounds tops.  I believe in eating real food in moderate amounts.  I am not a supporter of any of the juice fasts or  diets that completely eliminate a food group for weight management.  It's one thing to not eat a food when there is a food allergy/ related illness as that is necessary.  Not healthy to eliminate a food group to lose weight.

Short Bio

Name: Jason

Story: Been doing tris about 3 years, but also do some bike racing.

2013 Races: Focusing on my 3rd HIM in June with a bunch of other shorter races.

What would make me a good member of this group:  I firmly believe in Fred's no nonsense approach to the mentor forums and that we can all learn from each other.  I don't plan to be a fully active member of this group, but more as a resource to chime in when possible. 

Hi Fred and Judi... I'd like to sneak in through the back door to get into your group before it fills (which it will do quickly once 'live'). 
I was a member of one of Freds groups in 2011 but had to bow out when life brought my triathlon ambitions to a screeching halt.  With the new year in sight it's time for me to get back on track and participating in this sport that I love is near the top of the list for 2013.

Will post a proper bio over the weekend, and looking forward to starting from nothing on the road to becoming a triathlete again.

Fred and Judi, I'd love to join!

Name: Jeremy Wang

Story: I live in Wayne, PA and work in intercollegiate athletics at Villanova University.  I got into multi--sport 6 years ago at the encouragement of a dear friend to 'get my act together' and proceeded to lose 50 lbs and embrace a new lifestyle.  While enjoying an active lifestyle, this is only my third year of what I would call "serious" training.

Family Status:  Married with a 2 year old son and a 7 year old beagle.

Current training: Unstructured but usually 5ish days a week.

2012 races: Ironaman CDA, Bassman HIM, Steelman Olympic, and a DNS at the Philly Marathon

2013 races: None on the calendar as of right now, still planning my 2013.  Will end up doing several tris and a marathon.

Weight loss:  I started tri six years ago at 215.  I raced IMCDA at 158 this year and would like to maintain weight in the high 160s.  I'm at high 170s right now.

Why I am interested in this group:  While a member of BT, I've admired Fred's no nonsense approach toward trying to help people in various forums.  I feel that I am at a crossroads in my endurance sport life where I don't have a BIG GOAL race for 2013 but I want to cement the daily training, diet, etc as a LIFESTYLE.  Consistency and frequency in training and continuing to refine my diet are my goals for 2013 such that they will be a constant in my life even in years where I'm not doing a ton of racing (which 2013 has the potential to be).  I've noticed that while I had a fantastic 2012 in prep for IMCDA, I had some serious burnout and some minor injury that really put the axe to consistent and regular training for the 2nd half of 2012. 

I'm also looking for 'more' in a sense of community.  I've been on the east coast for a year since moving from the northwest and I haven't been able to crack into a 'community' locally due to family and the demands of my job.  The community and friendships are a big reason I got into endurance sports and something that I hope to recapture both live and virtually in 2013.

Hi to Cathy, Jason and Jeremy!  Glad to have you guys aboard.

I used to live on Chester County, PA.....I know the Wayne area a little bit.  My in laws are in Dillsburg and we go there occasionally.  I don't know the tri community up there much, I know the club here in Richmond is huge and hard to feela real part of community in.

I'm off for a day of trying to buy a car and I'd really like to joing this group so I thought I might apply early, just in case the group is released while I am out. 

Name: Shawn Mroz

Story: (The short version)  I was a baseball player in college and tore the rotator cuff and labrum in my shoulder.  I finally had it fixed seven years later and then reinjured it playing tennis, thus ending any inclination I had to play ball based sports again.  A couple more years went by and I started swimming to help stabilize the shoulder so it wouldn’t bother me in everyday life.  It was at that point that I said, “if I enjoy biking as well, why don’t I try a triathlon?  I really need to do something!”  At 6’1” and 270, running was my nemesis but I lost 30 lbs, run/walked the last leg of my races and generally enjoyed them.

I did several sprint triathlons during 2009 and 2010 but then life distracted me – or should I say that I let it.  I injured my knee and achilles trying to do speed work in a triathlon class that I was taking (oh, so that's why they say building a strong base is important...).  Then I began having troubles at work, found a new job with a 90 minute commute, my wife became pregnant, my grandmother-in-law became terminally ill, we had our son, my grandmother-in-law passed, and we had to clean out almost 60 years of history from her house before we could sell it.  Most recently, I have switched jobs to one with a much better working atmosphere and commute.

I have come back because I want to be better for myself, my wife, and my son.  My father was overweight and couldn’t do things with me when I was a kid.  He tried and tried but it scares me that I might be following him down the same path, particularly since he was 7 years younger that I am when he had me.  I want my son to see me as a positive role model, not an example of what not to do.

Family Status: Married with a nearly 1 year old son.

Current training: Following a customized plan from BT with 3 workouts of each discipline a week.

2012 races: None

2013 races:  New York City Triathlon (2 deferrals so it has to be this year) and others, if I can prove how serious I am to my wife.  Ideally, I’m aiming for a supersprint in April and an Olympic at the beginning of June so I can gauge where I am at while still having time to make corrections before I race in NYC.

Weight loss:  I trained, I lost 30 lbs, I stopped, I ate, I gained 36 lbs again.  For me, the most important thing is to be active, followed closely by tracking what I eat.  I have an incredible sweet tooth and a mind that likes to forget what I ate, so tracking is a must for me. 

Why I am interested in this group:  I need to get back to two things, training consistently and losing weight.  I’ve always admired Judi’s story and remember when she was preparing for her half iron with someone who was in my very first mentor group (losta).  I can remember how supportive she was of their efforts.

On the other hand, I’ve gotten to know several very good people around BT and a few of them even now still support my efforts.  What I really need this year is to focus on my training and take a no-nonsense approach because I simply do not have the time to do anything else.  As such, the approach you have outlined for this group is really appealing to me and I hope that I be a worthwhile member, if you will have me.

I'd love to join in here.  I joined BT back in 2009, was totally into it and did some tri's over 2009-2011 (all my races are in my logs), then fell off the athletic map last year.  I've gained back every pound I lost during those years, and am back to do it again. 

Personal info:  David Ladd, northern California (the other coast from most of you), 42yo, Married with two daughters (8 and 10) who are into every sport they can sign up for, and have also done a few kid tri's.  They keep me going for sure.  

What makes me a good mentee:  I've been in a few mentor groups before in years past, always enjoyed it.  I don't have a lot of support for the athletic lifestyle locally here in my life, it's nice to have some camaraderie and accountability from others who are doing it too.  I'm online at some point every day, and will probably post daily here.  Not sure how much knowledge I have to share, but I have done some pretty dumb things so far in my 'career' as a triathlete, lots of knowledge of how NOT to do it!

2012 season: pretty much a bust.  I did one short tri with my 10yo daughter (her first non-kids tri) that was a total blast!  It was a 400yd, 8mi, 2mi event and was the most fun tri I've ever done simply because it was together with my daughter.  I've ran off and on throughout the year, but didn't do any logging of workouts.  Rode my bike recreationally with the family, but no training.  

2013 season:  I'm going to do a few sprint tri's in the summer, maybe an olympic if I feel up for it, but most likely not.  My basic goal is to run a lot.  Bike a few times/week probably mostly on rollers, and swim just enough to remember how to do it.  I'm not a good swimmer, but the wetsuit seems to make up for my basic lack of positioning and I am decently fast enough in races to get by.

Current training: Starting over.

Weight loss goals...I was down to 175lb at my peak of fitness, and am now back up to 210.  180 is about where I'd like to be.  I know from past experience that my weight is 99% based on my dieting, and not really related to how much I work out.  In fact, I tend to gain a little as I ramp up my exercise.  Basically I know how to eat right and loose weight, I just have to DO IT!

alright, that's about it for me for now, 

david.

Welcome, David!
Doing the race with your daughter must have been really great!  Sometimes a drop back to doing things just for fun is something to help gain perspective and refocus the following season.  I spent most of 2010 injured or sick and the injury hung around most of 2011.  (tore the gastrocs)  Most of my events in 2011 were just fun things to fill my time.  I had a forced swim focus for a long period of time that did nothing to improve my swimming but it got me into a few open water swim races for fun. 

Good luck getting back in this with us.

went for a run today, first run in my new Christmas shoes.  Now they are soaked and stinky with mud...  It's a beautiful sunny 50 degree day, but the trails are still swamped from a weeks worth of rain.  It's been a while since I ran (well, run is an overstatement at my pace...), the first mile really really sucked.  My sides cramped, my back hurt, and my lungs were screaming.  By the 2 mile marker though, it started to settle in and feel normal again.  By the end (just under 3 miles today) I was feeling smooth and breathing well with no pains.  I was worried at the beginning, but I think it will come back to me pretty quickly.  Lots of stretching to do tonight, I can feel my body tightening up.

I'm worried about trying to get back into it too quickly, I'm hoping limiting my runs to 30 minutes for a few weeks will work, even if the frequency is nearly daily (which is my hope).  It's hard to do a slow build when you are building from zero, anything is a 100% increase...  We'll see.

I have, it's what I based my running on back when I was actually doing it...  When I started with tri's, I did the usual 2-3 runs/week, and never got my mileage up over 15 or so miles/week.  I switched it to running 6 days a week starting at 15 miles per week (lots of short runs) and slowly worked towards a 30/60/30/60/30/0/90 minutes per week goal (about 30 miles/week at my 10mm pace), though I don't think I ever actually got that high.  There was a good chunk of time a few years ago that I was averaging 20-25mpw, which felt about right.

At this point, I'm hoping I can maintain 30 minutes 6x/week for a while, maybe a bit shorter on some days depending on how I'm feeling when I wake up!  Once I've got that nailed, I'll keep the short runs at 30 minutes, and start increasing the longer ones until I get to that 3-2-1 ratio (or close to it).