IMTX 2016- The EN Crew
Hey all!! I hope you did your homework and got yourself ready to go as we approach the RACE PREP phase of your training!! This will be the place where we can share the ups and downs- the good the bad- the successes and challenges....SHARE IT ALL!! But before we head into next week- let's take a couple minutes to introduce ourselves! We did the roll call- but as you post- I wonder- where are you from? What do you do? Whats your story?? So if you have a minute this week- share out! Name, location, years in this crazy sport, occupation, family, goals for this year.....whatever else you got!
I'll start.....
Laura Becker from Manchester, Connecticut. Did my first sprint triathlon in June 2013....and was instantly hooked...joined EN that October which led me to successfully completing my first IM in Lake Placid 2014 (biking in a monsoon). LOVE EN and everyone who is part of this amazing team- words cannot even express!! I am a elementary school teacher by day. I have a loving, supportive husband, Steve, who is my rock... he does not do this crazy tri stuff, but does his own crazy stuff...power lifting. 
We have a giant Akita, Dante, who is my trusty companion and hates my bike trainer (smart dog....lol just kidding
). That's me in a nutshell!
WHO's IN OUR EN IMTX CREW???? ready...GO!
Comments
Hey everyone! Finally getting into race prep time! I am Brian Hagan from Brighton Michigan. My first triathlon was Texas 70.3 in Galveston in 2013. My mother-in-law lives in Houston and is my biggest fan. She is the main reason why I am doing IM Texas. Texas 70.3 was in earl April 2013 and I signed up in September 2012 with no swim background or idea of how to train. Luckily, I found a good masters program with a coach that is awesome at teaching adults to swim. I spent most of that winter learning to swim.
I have a long commute, and I listen to a lot of podcasts to make the time go by. I listened to EN for a while and really learned a lot from the podcast. I did IM Mont-Tremblant in 2014 and saw coach Patrick present the 4 keys and lots of great course tips. I did IM Muskoka in 2015, and after that I decided I wanted to join EN and go though the whole Outseason process. I am so glad I did!!! So far I love it and everyone I've met!! I am learning so much and enjoying sharing the journey with you all!
I work at Ford doing Supply Chain Management type things..... My wife, Lisa does not do triathlon, but is very supportive. I think I have banked enough SAPs to get me through the next 12 or 13 weeks. We have three dogs. One is a lab named Bert that loves to run.
I m looking forward to meeting some of you at the camp next month and all of you at the Woodlands in May!
My wife is also a triathlete, she has done IM Madison twice and is a veteran of EN. This is my first season with EN, in all previous Ironman years I have been self coaching myself together with some adapted training plans from Don Fink's books. And of course, some great advice from Mrs Cass.
I will not be able to make the camp in March as work commitments have me in Europe that week, however I am looking forward to returning to The Woodlands in May, and look forward to meeting everyone then.
I work for a Dutch company running their global commercial teams so that keeps me in a ton of airplanes around the world!
Wish everyone success with the training!
Outside of triathlon, I'm a wife to John DeVore, a Chiropractor here in Mckinney. I have 5 kids from age 15-8. Life's an adventure everyday!!
I am Frederick Guesneau. From Quebec Canada but been living in Kohler Wisconsin since 1999. I have switched from running marathons to triathlon in 2012. My first triathlon ever was Ironman St-Georges 2012 (what a crazy race) and became addicted right away! IMTX '16 will be my 6th IM. I did IMTX last year (was a hot race for a northen boy!). My wife, Caroline Fortin will also be competing this year. It will be her first IM. (famous ENer Jeremy Behler said: "you have created a monster!".). We rented a condo for the week and coming with our 4 kids. I am an engineer. I joined EN in November and really like it(its nice to know there's more crazy people!); The goal is to get to Kona (would be so unbelievable!) but Wisconsin is a tough place to train for a May IM!!!!! Good luck to everyone. Train hard and be safe! Also, thank you Laura for being the captain. Frederick and Caroline
Sorry I'm just now making this forum. Thanks again, Laura, for stepping up as Team Captain!! I'm Stephanie from Central Mississippi. This will be my 2nd IMTX (did it last year) and I'm super excited to get the opportunity to come back for a second go of it. My main goal for this race is a stronger bike ride that still sets up a good run. The main way I'm working to accomplish that is working on this darn swim technique (i'm the slowest swimmer in EN....hands down) and working to push intensity in my bike sessions. I don't like zone 5 at all....or zone 4. I've always been just a cruisy zone 2-3 gal. That's changing...slowly.
I started triathlon mid-2011 and have just LOVED it ever since. I'm not fast...just an average middle of the pack gal (back of the pack swimmer....blah)....but I have fun and love the feeling of having a whole day of vacation running my body into the ground. My goal is to finish enough of these bad boys to qualify for the Legacy program and race in Hawaii one day. My dad has prostate cancer and i'm hoping to be able to do it while he's still healthy/around. When I was a kid my father was training for his first triathlon and got hit by a car while riding his bike. His triathlon goal was never realized. I love do triathlons for me....and yeah...for him too!! This will be my 10th officially sanctioned IM race and #11 full distance (Vineman in 2012 was my first). I hope one day to be a guide for handicap/special needs runners/triathletes....especially kids.
I'm most excited about being part of a team and knowing folks once I get to the Woodlands. There's no greater boost to the Mojo then walking into IM Athlete Village and seeing your peeps!! Knowing you've got teammates out there on the course working hard and friends & family cheering you on is the BEST!! I've had this at some races and NONE of that at others. This is my first time as part of an official triathlon team so I'm looking forward to wearing all my geeky gear too. haha!! I just want IMTX to be hard and FUN!! Note: I'm probably one of the most laid back members of EN....sorry. I work hard....but I don't take it too seriously.
My wife will be joining me for race week for sherpa support. I'm an anesthesiologist and looking forward to retirement in a few years so I can train full-time! (don't tell my wife!). I have 2 sons and 4 grandkids! Looking forward to the weeks of hard training ahead!
It's a great race and a fun place to spend an extended weekend. I'll be heading down Wednesday before the race with family in tow on Friday.
I'm aging up to the 55-59 group this year. Unfortunately as I grow older, everyone else grows faster!
Training is going well - I feel good!
Greetings and Salutations!
Excited to meet y'all (<-- see what I did there?) in Texas! This will be my 9th IM and I'm really looking forward to it. Training is going well and I'm super curious to see how I go on a flatter course after all my IMs to date have been HILLY!</p>
Random: I've been thinking about coming in a fair bit early (10 days?) to get acclimated and ride the course. I can work anywhere there is wi-fi so that's groovy but $400/night for 10 nights just is NOT groovy. Anyone have insights? I DO have a regular hotel reserved near the Woodlands for the few days around the race, just looking for other options.
Happy Training!
Cheers!
Thanks Tim. This one, right? I wonder why it doesn't come up on hotel searches - the extended stay thingy? Did you stay there through the race too? Seems too easy!
Extended Stay America - Houston - The Woodlands
150 Valley Wood Rd., Spring, TX 77380
next year will probably me IMTX for me ! but fear the inside training hah
@ Francis, It will be in April next year (about a month earlier). I hope they move some of the other ones to May/June. It seems like a big gap until Lake Placid or Boulder.
@ Jen, Tom Glynn , Tom Box, Stephanie, Frederick, Chris, Sheri, Julian, Coach P and Laura: I'm glad to hear you are doing Texas! So that is 11 of us (so far).
@Jen, I wish I could get down there earlier to acclimate, but I will be in Michigan until Tuesday May 10th. Hopefully I will bring some cooler weather to make it wetsuit legal.....
Hello Everyone!
Mark Cardinale here from Parker, Colorado. IMTX will be IM #5 for me and I’m looking forward to racing at a new venue after having done IM Boulder the last 2 years. I still plan to race Boulder for a 3rd time later this year in August as it’s just too hard not to race on the same roads where I do the majority of my training rides. IMTX is the earliest I have ever done an IM and I’m still trying to figure out how to adjust my training around the weather so I can get outside as much as possible. Luckily Colorado weather has been pretty cooperative so far this year.
I plan to be at the Texas camp in March so I can experience the course first hand and add in a big cycling weekend. I HATE biking in the cold so hopefully the Texas weather does not disappoint both at the camp and for the race. As far as I’m concerned, bring on the heat!!
I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and kicking off the 2016 US IM season with Team EN in Texas! Yee Haw!!!!!!