2014 IM Texas Official Introductory Thread
Welcome to the IM Texas Sign In Thread!
Please use this thread to introduce yourself to your fellow teammates, telling us a little bit about you, your goals for the race, etc!
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Welcome to the IM Texas Sign In Thread!
Please use this thread to introduce yourself to your fellow teammates, telling us a little bit about you, your goals for the race, etc!
Comments
I'll go first. This will be my 13th Irondistance race. Coming off a PB at IMFL. Goal for IMTX is a marathon PB. (currently 4:50)
IMTX was my first IM back in 2012 and it took me 13:17 to complete. Not bad at that point for a non-EN ex rugby player looking for an alternative to get fitter without the hits of my former sport
Since then have done IMNY ('12) and IMCDA ('13), and got on board with EN last year (currently in wk 11 of Nov OS), so , this May I am coming back to TX to see how much I improved
IMTX '14 will be #4 for me. I followed ^^Gonzalo^^ into this sport back in 2010 and so far, we've raced (and finished) 3 IMs together with IMTX '12 as the first. Looking forward to the heat and humidity and seeing what two years of EN training and team mojo translates to on race day.
Cramps after the race:
This will be my first IM. Plan to do everything possible to manage the heat/humidity and keep running.
Hi Folks. John Stark here from Danville, California (45 minutes east of San Francisco - GO 9er's!). Married with an 11 year old son. Have been with EN since 2008 and was your EN Race Director through end of 2012. Then took a hiatus from EN for most of 2013.
IMTX will be my 4th IM.
I officially "retired" from IM after IMAZ in '11. Sold my tri bike, cleaned out the gear closet and basked in the glory of not training. However, was doing a Sufferfest trainer session with Tom Glynn in early October and after hearing him talk about Texas I said, "WTF!" So, here I am. It's all Tom's fault.
My goal for IMTX is to simply have fun. I am going to thank volunteers, cheers on you rock stars and enjoy the experience. Low stress.
That's it! Time to get busy.
Stark
So glad to have some good veteran company at IMTX this year. Last two IMs were IMCZ and IMLV........
Here is a Strava link I set up for IMTX club for those who also use Strava: http://www.strava.com/clubs/46766
I lead a Corp Finance organization in a Dallas Texas company during the day. I am 47, divorced and have 4 kids, 14,12,10,10 and spend my free time either with them or training for tri....
I am a slow swimmer, good biker and ok runner........
Hope to meet you all at camp!
After reading my original post, I realized that I did a pretty poor job at what most people would consider an introduction. So, take two...
I'm from Charlotte, NC and I'm 41. I'm a regular guy that struggles with balancing life with a wife, two daughters (13 and 8), owning a restaurant, training for an Ironman, while not having to completely give up all of my other hobbies. I dabbled in tri's close to 10 years ago, but gave it up when I got burned out of cycling in general. Full IM has always been a goal and I'm super pumped by the fitness gains that I've seen from participating in the Nov OS. I'm running faster than I did in high school and college right now. Ready to get the bike and the swim back on track and putting all the pieces together. Registered for the Texas training camp yesterday, and I look forward to meeting some of you there in March.
Shaun Simmons is doing IMTX this year with us? BOOM! The volume just got cranked to 11. Now it will be a PAR-TAY fo-sho!
I guess I have never introduced myself on this thread....
52 year old unprofessional athlete (Native of Rhode Island....Divorced, 2 boys 14-16...both running cross-country & track much to my joy & encouragement
) ...longtime runner who got away from sport for 10 years in my 30's....back into them in my 40's...I have been chasing my 20's ever since
This will be IM #4 for me...I did IMLou 2011 & 2012...liked the heat and humidity so much I chose IMTX in 2013....had a pretty decent race and liked the venue so much I wanted to take another run at it in 2014....I went 12:15 in the heat last year...and would like to break 11hrs...all stars perfectly aligned
(1:15-25 swim / 5:45-5Ot:55bike / 3:45-4:00run = 10:45-11:20 + transitions...11-11:35)
Other Races for the Year: Myrtle Beach Half Marathon (Feb.), USAT Age Group Nationals Oly distance (August)...IM70.3 Princeton...( I live about 15 miles from Princeton)......................Looking forward to training with & meeting everyone!
Since we're doing more formal introductions...
41 y/o physician, married, 5 kids (13, 13, 11, 9, 8), in San Antonio. On call every third week/weekend, which can make long bikes a logistical challenge! New to triathlon, finishing two HIM, an Oly and a sprint in the past 1 1/2 yrs. Road cycling only for 4 year prior to that, after putting up the golf clubs (too difficult!). Not an athlete. Will never win anything athletic....not butt-hurt to say that! Been with EN for over a year now, and already made big improvements. Can't believe I'm doing this. This will be my first IM, and is probably the worst one for me to choose.....I do not usually do well running in the heat. I'm hoping it's because I've never fueled and drank appropriately and didn't "respect the heat". But...5 hour driving distance to The Woodlands, so here I am. Planning to test my hydration/fueling perfectly on those RRs and long rides so I can just keep running....albeit slowly. Would like to go sub 13hr, but just finishing will be something I'd never have dreamed I could do a couple of years ago. Looking forward to meeting everyone and putting a name with a face.
howdy. this will be tenth iron to start and finish. again, hoping to make it home. at least close to home. You can see Maui from the climb up to Hawi.
second time doing Texas. Texas last year. Got dehydrated. Preceding illness may not have helped. but still had a fairly solid finish.
hoping to do a bit better on the wetsuitless swim. will be doing much better on the bike keeping up on hydration. hope to be about the best runner for age. am a big man (6-6. but only 183 lbs). haven't proven it yet but I think I have a good hot run in me.
have had a few months of good relative rest after two years of continuous ironmans. some imposed by mild illnesses. so body currently gearing up for a solid 3.5 months and feeling pretty good.
I have a couple of questions for the IMTX veterans and/or Houston locals:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good hotel nearby since the host hotel and the other close ones are booked?
Have any of you been to the training camp and what is your opinion of its value?
I'm lucky enough to train with Terry Knotts (my best friend's dad who pretty much introduced me to the sport and to EN,) and Mike Crosby (my other best friend's, husband.) Sorry guys, I'm calling you out. They put up with me, and I try to keep up with them.
I work closely with a local non-profit called RunningWorks which helps those who struggle with homelessness get back on their feet. What starts out as a simple jog with one of these individuals soon leads to counseling, life skill lessons, job opportunities, all with the end goal of permanent housing.
My goals for Texas are to swim around 1:20, bike around 5:50, and run around 4:15. These goals scare the crap out of me, but I know I'm putting in the hard work now to make them happen. I'm looking forward to camp in March.
Chris:
There are a TON of places up and down the main highway. I just booked a room here that is 3 miles from the IM Village. Close enough to the venue for EN meet-ups and far enough away to "stay out of the expo."
Free breakfast.
Hampton Inn Houston-The Woodlands
18484 Interstate 45, The Woodlands, TX 77384
http://goo.gl/maps/sW12l
Chris,
This will be my first IMTX, so I don't know for sure that this is a good place, but I'm staying here:
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/spring/wdltx/hoteldetail
I am doing the camp too....heard great things, and don't doubt it's true.
Thanks Jeff.
I'm sure the camp is great too. I plan on attending.
Chris,
I'm sure you found the best available accommodations. I searched pretty diligently a few months ago, and the closest I could find was the TownPlace Suites a mile N of Race HQ. Of course, everything I found came with the standard IDBO (Ironman Destination Bend Over) fare rules like 2x normal rate, pay in advance, no cancellation, etc. But just like the IM entry fee, I gladly pay the extra.
Emily, no need to fear your goal times. Ironically, I also did my first when I was 34, and I predicted times almost exactly like yours. And I only missed them by 5-6 minutes, mostly because of a flat tire and a detour off the run course at Mile 22 straight into the mouth of Hades, only to be rescued a few miles later by de-fizzed Coke and lukewarm chicken broth.
I'll also be at what's shaping up to be a well-attended camp in March.
Mike
If you're still interested in staying at the Hampton Inn Houston-The Woodlands, I could offer you my room reservation. I made reservations at The Hyatt Place just 1 mi closer to the venue, and just remembered that I never cancelled this reservation. I called them just now and they said that all you would need is my confirmation # and then you could make your payment. I have it reserved from Wed., May 14- Sun., May 18th. The price for those nights is $664.78.
The Hyatt Place- The Woodlands also had rooms available as of a couple of weeks ago, but it's $1,800 for the same time frame. Let me know if you'd like that confirmation #.
Linda