Coach Jackie Acana: Observations

Jackie is one of our most experienced and sucessful coaches. After returning with her athletes from Kona I asked her to give us her perspective.



I thought it may be beneficial to tri group members for me to list out what skills were most associated with the athletes I coach and who I have watched over the years who experience the most success. These athletes include not just “winners” of the race or their age group but the true ambassadors of the sport. I am sure you must have come across the athletes who exude excitement about our sport and perhaps even motivated you to give it a “tri”. This also includes those who have met their goals for their race or season. This most definitely includes those who decided to increase their exercise, give up a bad habit, improve their food choices and enjoy a more vibrant lifestyle no matter what their place was in the race. The athletes I have witnessed with the most success have shared the following traits:

Stick to the plan – Successful athletes do not make arbitrary changes to the plan of action that was established to support their goals. Naturally, any good coach or self coached athlete will make adjustments based on major schedule changes, injuries and illness. However, the most successful athletes do not change their minds about where they are headed. They do not second guess where they were going or why. They put their faith in the path that was set out and don’t waiver. I once met an athlete that thought nothing of changing direction mid-season and even during taper to follow what the latest article said or some tip picked up from a guy they met at a party. They ended the season frustrated with their results. Be a diligent goal setter so every step you take is getting you closer to your dream. You need to break it down into manageable pieces and start tackling them one by one.

Be consistent – The most successful athletes do most of their workouts most of the time. Sure, there are legitimate times you should miss a workout. For example, when you are sick you should skip it. However, most other reasons do not take the entire day and night. Most successful athletes find a way to be creative with their schedule so they can get it done. It may not be their favorite time or location. Perhaps they’d rather run outside in the morning but had to go into the office early. The creative athlete will run at lunch time on the treadmill or after the kids are in bed at night if they have to. They may not like the alternate workout as much but they will do what they have to do within reason to achieve their goals. This also means they are consistent on not just a weekly basis but on a daily basis. Missing 4 days and then doing all missed workouts in one day is not how the highly successful athletes do it.

Be realistic- Setting your sights high is a good thing....to a point. Expecting to be vastly improved in a short period of time will generally lead to disappointment. I know many of you as children were told you could be anything you set your minds to. Well, at 5’3” I am probably not going to play basketball at a competitive level no matter how bad I want it. Keep your goals high but achievable with some reaching. Keep in mind this includes a realistic time table. It may take years, not weeks to reach more difficult goals. In our society the desire to do nothing or the absolute minimum and get something for it quickly is widespread. I am not sure why since it does not work in the long run, ever. The athletes who are very successful do not follow this popular bandwagon. They do not expect it to be easy or without sacrifice.

Be Patient and Persistent – While this often ties into being realistic it is also about not giving up. Yes, it is hard sometimes. That is what makes it so rewarding. It may take years, not weeks to reach more difficult goals. Did it take you 20 years to gain that extra 20 pounds? Well it will probably take more than 20 days to lose it in a healthy way. Be patient with the process. It is easy to backslide into old habits. The important thing the most successful athletes know about pursuing difficult goals is that they will fall off at times. Their success comes from getting back up again over and over again.

Be Flexible- Anything can happen on race day. Things can go wrong and frequently do. Many things are beyond your control. If you enjoy the disciple and like seeing the results of your hard work, it really isn’t as important what happens on race day. Many talented athletes have lost my respect by having temper tantrums at the finish line because of this or that perceived unfairness. You need to be able to go from plan A to Plan B or even C or D. This is the best way to ensure your “success”. In advance I like to think of my best case goal. If everything is just right, what am I capable of achieving? Next, I have the “What is most likely to occur” goal. This is the one I will tell my friends and family about. I never tell them the best case goal so I can keep the pressure off myself. Next is the “what if things go wrong “ goal. This is the goal I go to if I have a mechanical or a stomach problem. It is the goal I can live with if things out of my control start to happen. Finally, the main goal I have had since I first started and is still very important to me which is simply to finish. Finishing is why we start. It is for the glory and bragging rights after the pain goes away. Finishing is the only goal I encourage my beginner to have. One caveat; I do not encourage anyone to try to finish if it would cause permanent damage. Bad injuries and illness fall into the category of “Let’s not be stupid, we can always do another race if we handle this problem now correctly”. Being able to move between these goals go a long way toward making you a successful athlete.

It is not just about the workouts – When I first started in this sport I thought if I just did all the workouts in my plan, I would be on the podium. It took some time to realize it takes so much more than that. The best athletes have dedicated themselves to a whole lifestyle approach which includes flexibility, nutrition, stress management and core strength. The athletes who stay in the longest also include rather than exclude their families and important non-athletes in their lives. These are all important aspects you should include if you want to stay in the game for more than a season or two.

Have Fun- In the final analysis, this is a hobby. It is supposed to be fun. The most successful athletes do not forget this. While they may have on their game face during the race, they are in it for the joy of the sport, the camaraderie and the lifestyle. Enjoy the journey. Granted, I do not enjoy every hill repeat on the bike, every minute of every long run and surely not every lap in the pool. Generally, however, I find it worthwhile and rewarding when I finish. Find joy in your training by sharing it with others or find serenity in training alone. Do what works for you but have some fun doing it.

Everything counts and it is all worth it.

jackie@xcellperformancegroup.com
702.376.0437
2033 Hobbyhorse Ave.Henderson, NV 89012

Quest for Kona: by Jay Watson

Quest For Kona, an Ironman Arizona Race Report
by J.A. Watson

As many of you have probably done, I started watching the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona on T.V. a couple of years ago. I was captivated by the Hoyts, Blazeman, the parade of nations, the underpants run,etc. and thought Kona would be a pretty cool thing to do. I've been doing Tri's for 3-4 years, did the bike portion of Silverman the first two years, and have been somewhat successful in OLy-1/2IM races. But I've never done a full ironman or even a marathon. So I figured I had an outside shot of qualifying for Kona when I aged up in 2009. My plan was to volunteer for the spring 2008 IMAZ and register for spring 2009. When they changed the date to fall 2009 and I could register online, I went ahead and signed up for this years fall race.

Looking at past results, I figured I would have to go 10:30 in M45-49 to have an outside shot. OK, that's doable: Swim 1:15, Bike 5:15, then run my first marathon in$;00 with transitions thrown in there somewhere! I've had issues with pulling calf and hamstring muscles when I run, and I only run with compression sleeves on my calves now.(even though they look hideously ugly!) I'm an Ob/Gyn doctor and have a 10yr old daughter and 8yr old son, so my training schedule is usually 2-3 swims, runs, and bike rides per week. Masters swimming at 5:30am for the past 2 years, longest run 16 miles, and longest bike 81 miles.

I tapered for 2-3 weeks and drove down to Tempe on Thursday night. Friday morning I did the Gatorade warm-up swim at Town Lake. 65 degrees, choppy, murky and swam for 35 minutes. I was surprised at how many foreigners were there and there wasn't a lot of body fat to be seen, so I was a little bit intimidated. I took advantage of the free massage and told the masseuse that I had problems with my calves and hamstrings. So he proceeded to give me an A.R.T.(active release technique?) massage, which left me feeling like I had charley horses in my calves! I spent all day icing and compressing my calves, and the next day heating and trying to massage and roll out the knots in my calves. NEVER try anything new on race day, or 2 days prior to race day for that matter! I felt much better by race day though.

Race Day: My day started at 3:30 with my typical pre-race banana and oatmeal breakfast, then drove from my sisters house in east Mesa to the race sight. Calf sleeves and trisuit, lots of chamois cream, got body marked, checked out my bike, loaded up aerobottle with accelerade and velcred 2 flasks of powergel and accelgel to my bike. Suntan lotion and then tried to relax till wetsuit time. Surprisingly I fely pretty relaxed at that time. I spoke with a guy who was doing hios 16th IM of the year!Don Hennesy? I want his job!!! I jumped in the water 14 minutes before the start, and set up about 2/3rd the way over to the bouys-away from shore. I started my watch when the pro's started 10 minutes before us and positioned myself about 5 people back from the front and waited for the cannon to go off. My swim going out was very uncrowded and I got bumped more coming back in, but also caught a good draft on the inward leg. I felt good the whole swim and checked my watch after my wetsuit was pealed off and was pleasantly surprised with a 1:05:35. (37/247 in AG) WOOHOO 10 minutes ahead of schedule!

I put on a TT suit over my trisuit for the bike and had a decent T1 of 5:49. I headed out on the bike and started reeling in the faster swimmers. I tried to keep my pace steady and not get overly excited, but I know the adrenalin was running high. I got passed by the first and only pack I saw about 10 miles into the bike, but they thinned out going up the hill to the turn around. I didn't see any penalties get handed out, but I did see a few people in the penalty tents. The marshalls did seem to be ever present on Beeline Hwy, but nowhere else that I saw. I was surprised there was a headwind going out on the first 2 loops, then it shifted to a tailwind for the 3rd loop. First loop
22.19MPH, 2nd 21.64MPH, and the last loop 22.09MPH. I didn't bother to pick up my special needs bag, since the volunteers were AWESOME! Every high speed handoff was like they'd been practicing all week long! The only glitch I had was when my TT suit zipper broke as I was trying to zip it down in the last mile. I ended up just tearing it open. I'm glad I started zipping it down well before T2. Bike:5:05:50.....SWEEEET! T2 1:14 and headed out to do my first marathon at
6:18:27.
I put on Desoto arm coolers on the fly and tried to take in water and
gatorade at each aid station. I kept telling myself to run the whole marathon-NO WALKING! First 2 miles I did at 7:30pace, but it felt like 8:30 and I thought the markers might be wrong. Probably oxygen debt! I knew I had a long way to go. I didn't know where I stood, but saw 1 guy pass me on the bike in my AG and 5 on the run. No muscle cramps or pulled muscles, maybe that ART was a good thing?! My pace started to drop on the second loop. I had to stop to use the facilities twice, so maybe I was drinking too much. I bonked slightly at 20-21 until I got
a gel at the next aid station. I kept pushing it and caught back up with 3 guys in my AG in the last 3-4 miles and pushed hard the last 2 miles as I was still unsure how I stood for Kona slots and didn't want anyone passing me coming in.

Finished at 10:12:43(run: 3:54:17). My race couldn't have gone better, but I knew qualifying times would be lower on such a perfect day. Turns out I was 13th in AG and only 7 Kona slots. I still had to go to the rolldown the next morning just to make sure. I felt bad for the guy who finished 8th in under 10 hours and still didn't get a spot. YOu actually had to be faster in M45-49 than M40-44.(9:53 vs 9:54) My time would have put me in 3rd M50-54 which would get me to Kona, but I've decided not to pursue that next year as family and finances take priority.(Maybe!) Maybe Silverman will be my Kona. No Kona spot for me this year, but I had fun trying! I'll just have to experience it vicariously through Michael Sullivan for now!

Las Vegas Tri Club wins Silverman Award!!

The LV Tri Club won the best aid station at this year's Silverman triathlon. The award was claimed at the banquet for the volunteers held on Sat, Nov 15 at 6pm, in downtown Henderson. Dinner was provided by the Outback Steak House who cooked us a fantasic array of steak, chicken, salads and wild rice.........

Nestled at mile marker #7 on the run course, Nich Ghallager and company went beyond the call of duty to provide every athlete with the proper hydration and nutritional needs required to finish such grueling event. Not only did they have all of the goodies but they were dressed as chefs and ran along side the athletes generating adrenaline to the weary runners. They even had a young lady singing and playing guitar just to make evryone that much more comfortable. When I went through, they overwhelmed me with cheers, encouragement and every possible nutritional need, needless to say, I was fully energized!!!
Congratulations to Nick's gang, they had tough competition from numerous aid stations but came out on top!!! I will mention again and again that without the dedication, hard work and countless hours these volunteers spend out there, we wouldn't be able to race.

I was honored to be a guest speaker in front of these wonderful folks who unselfishly dedicated their valuable time and effort so we can race. I also tip my helmet to the Henderson Police Department (it was great running red lights!!!) who did an splendid job holding traffic and making the roads safe for the racers. The City of Henderson and its officials who went all out to make this event possible, providing road closures and needed permits. The Henderson Multi Generational Complex where the expo and finish line took place. And last but not least, Frank and Megan Lowery and their fine staff who have worked so hard to bring us the finest full distance triathlon for the last four years.

It's been a great year for the Tri Club members, finishing the year with Silverman was a special treat. We've had a great time this season and it's time to relish in our results and take a well deserved break. Looking forward to the year-end party coming up soon where we can unwind a little and aknowledge the fruits of our efforts. 'Till then, take care and, thank you for reading....................Victor
I'm just lookin' for some TUSH............ZZ Top

Silverman Report 3: Stefanie

See Stefanies post on her sidebar blog

Silverman Report 2: Susan

this will read more like an adventure race than an honest-to-goodness ironman distance race. i guess i like to add all sorts of drama to my race day antics in order to get the most out of the experience...but here, i added too many. and man, do i regret it. well, really only that this was my race to lose.

i did the race and finished in 16:43 ish....but i missed the bike cut off by 9 minutes and they took my chip...... so i finished unofficially to NOT take 3rd place. i am totally hacked at myself and disappointed. and i totally totally loved loved loved the cool award...i so wanted one. wish they had a "she stuck it out like a fool" award.

but i am a warrior!!! if a foolish one.

Silverman race in Las Vegas is very difficult - i say this simply b/c it IS. every single finisher has my utmost respect.

the race claims it is the HARDEST ironman distance race...with 10,000-12,000 feet of climbing on the bike. it always challenges me. maybe cuz i am a Floridian, maybe b/c it is so late in the season, maybe b/c i do way too much athletically before i arrive in Las Vegas to tackle it...whatever, it just wears me out from start to finish. the whole thing.

and, as usual, conditions at the start were not cooperative....and my friend Barb who has been on Team USA with me every year was talking about not making cutoffs at World Championships this year as we made the bus ride over to the swim start....apparently for me, that was bad juju and of course, i failed to eat at my fave sushi restaurant like i do before all my other ironmans...! dang, i am good at compounding mistakes...but Barb also did not make the bike cut off...dang the foreboding.

but back to the race report...the swim started out nicely...however, the wind and rain were coming in and struck with about 1/3 - 1/2 of the swim to go...the 2-5 foot swells during the last 1/3 really took it out of me. i used literally any stroke i could to get in. the water really churned up and i struggled to make it back to T1...several folks gave up...but i didn't. i kept being blown off course and could not see the buoys as i would have to struggle to site...you would look up and take water straight in the face. i had to spin around several times to gag after taking in a breath of water...

i used up some time i would later determine i did not have.

and i feel really bad about this: i had CONNED my friend Blaine into doing the full race. he beat me out of the water by 1 minute, and even tho i had to really suit up for the cold weather and wind, i was thru transition faster than he was.

i had on a skull cap under my helmet, i borrowed some additional bike shorts from my friend victor (cuz i rented a bike to save myself some money on the flight charges for the bike and i knew this race would probably just be a survivor-athon).

the bike was a specialized but it was a road bike and the seat was really really really hard. victor gave me the bibs and since i have never used them, i put my jersey on then had to take it back off since i forgot to put the shorts over my tri shorts first :) and i had on a vest and arm warmers. i even shoved gloves into my back pocket.

i chose, as a neighborly gesture, to wait on Blaine after i came out of the T1 tent. this might have been another strategic error. i again lost some valuable time since he also took a bathroom break after we got past the timing mat.

...then we headed off - always 3 bike lengths apart - on a really hard bike course. in the beginning, i struggled in the wind and rain and cold weather. i am sure that having Blaine in my sites helped with the mental game of gutting out the bike. but he soon petered out and i went off and left him to struggle, thinking he would always have me in his sites. maybe i could return the favor for him.

i did not see him again until the turn around of the bike and he was about a mile back. i was coming undone on the false flats heading into special needs around mile 52. i really could not believe, in my fave sport of biking, that i could literally be going as slow as i was and still be upright. but i just could not get the bike to go any faster and i was starting to get dizzy and coming outside of myself. i kept lulling myself into continuing to go by saying, don't stop now and rest on the side of the road like you want to, but keep going to your McDonalds burger at special needs...

overall, i really don't think i could have gone faster on the bike. if i ever developed some energy to "attack" the climbs, it petered out pretty quickly as i climbed the next hill...check out the bike profile on www.silvermannv.com and understand that there is very little way to practice for this in pancake flat florida...

at special needs i came in and got some assistance getting off the bike and i immediately sat down to "get right with the world"..i was shaky/shivering and kinda dizzy. i ate my burger and drank my red bull and made my second drink of sustained energy. on the first 50 miles, i had had one bottle of that and 2 gus. i only had a green acai drink for breakfast. maybe another foolish mistake?

also, my nether regions were so sore on this bike. i had borrowed some aero clip on bars that were WAY TOO SHORT for me which changed up my whole posture. and the shifting on this bike was so different from mine...mine are bar end shifters. this road bike posture sat me on the seat differently so every angle of my sit bones were annoyed with me...thanks victor for the additional padding.

i also found that having to come out of the cramped aero position (altho it was windy so i was grateful that i had some other posture to reduce the head wind resistance) to push the brakes levers left or right or use my thumb to move the gears the other way. i think it took me (since i rented it the day before and only rode it around transition a bit before "checking it in") 10 miles of the race to figure out which way to move them to go easier or harder.

that couldn't have helped me with speed. and if i was down grasping the gears and went to shift, i would accidentally squeeze the brake lever as i shifted, slowing myself down accidentally. and of course, since it was not MY bike, the derailleurs were not working perfectly and i had to finagle the shifter every time i shifted - which on this course, is about every 15 seconds - to get it to move to the middle ring. altho i was extremely grateful for the third ring.

i did feel really badly as i had convinced Blaine to do the full and he was also sick with a head cold. with the conditions, it was not the year the course was forgiving. he struggled mightily. i saw him at the half way point and he was going to give up :) he later sagged in from the special needs area (stopping once as they passed me in the van to cheer me on)...i really needed that!

after my special needs short stop, i headed back out and felt much better...the rest of the course was difficult in that there were a lot of climbs...but all of them doable. i never set land speed records, but i thought i was consistent. i climbed out of the "bowl" and at mile 90 started to come undone again. i was racing to make the first bike cut off at the tunnel at 3:45 at mile 92. i made that by a half an hour and assumed i was home free...but here is my rookie mistake.

i had been biking with the thought that the total bike cut off time was 5:30 (like all ironmans - but this race started at 6:30 so i only had til 5 pm, even tho race director here gives folks til midnite, which allows a total of .5 hour over normal ironman times - but i needed the extra half hour on the bike) ...

so on the bike path with the "3 sister" short steep mountains of 20 percent grade at times, i biked 1.5 of them and walked the bike up the other ones to save my legs. this bike trail appears to me ALWAYS to be a false flat and the little downhills are short and quickly over. i just put my head down and gutted and gutted and gutted it out. but at mile 102 when i came off the path, i was just so undone and had no energy (i had only had one more gu and my sustained energy drink). i made a huge compounded mistake and i stopped to get some sustenance and sat in a chair eating broth with noodles and some nuts and some power bar...wonder how much time i lost then?

b/c then i got back on the bike and with more energy, pedaled faster. and there are a bunch of downhills on the way back into town except for a few quick climbs to the down hill and a long uphill into T2. you can really make up some time...but not when you are focusing on the WRONG time.

and here is where the story gets sad.

i was 9 minutes late getting back when i came into T2 and the race director Frank was waiting for me. he said that he was sorry but he couldn't let me go on. i have known Frank since i did the inaugural race 3 races ago and he knows i always struggle here. i really thought he was kidding.

i had worked so hard to get up the hills into transition and i just stared at him waiting on him to say, "just kidding, go girl and kick some course butt"..but he didn't. i just stood there. then i said "you are kidding, right?" and he said, "no". and i said, "but i made the cutoff" and he said, "no you didn't", and i said, "well, when was it?" and he said, "5". and my watch said it was 5:09.

i was absolutely devastated. i couldn't even respond, i could only stare at him. but he said he had to take my chip, so i grudgingly handed it over like it was a dream sequence. i have NEVER not made a cut off (altho i have always come close here) and i asked if i could go on to do the marathon since i was not thru and i KNEW i could do it in under 17 hours...i don't recall Frank's response, but i don't recall hearing NO. my friend Blaine said he had been fearing this as he waited and he wondered how i would handle it...guess i passed.

and to make matters worse, i had been chosen by the film crew to be interviewed for a show they are making for NBC on the silverman race to be aired later this year. i guess my race resume of pure-extreme-athletic-nuttiness made me stand out. and Spencer, my new friend, was there to capture MY FAILURE on the camera and i was so taken aback with the news that i teared up a bit since i literally could not believe this was happening and i was "interviewed" saying, thru tears, that "i came here to do 3 ironmans in 3 weeks and i was going to do it!" and so i, with my head still not wrapped around "this failure", headed off to the changing tent....

but in all my chaos, i grabbed the wrong bag (84 and not 64) and tried to go into the men's tent. i was directed into the right tent and came back out when i opened the bag and wondered why there were different clothes in it...so Spencer was right there and helped me find the right bag and back inside i went. i made the same "bib" mistake again as i took my jersey off and put some long sleeve underarmor on over my arm warmers cuz it was really cold out and then realized i had to take my shirt off again to get the bibs off since i did not want to run in them...and then put on my compression socks and shoes and put my vest back on and got ready to head out.

there was a young girl who walked in the tent when i was in there and she had tears on her face too. i asked what happened and she told me that she too had missed the bike cut off by 2 minutes. (Blaine later told me she was also devastated when she came in and threw her helmet down...guess i missed that option) i told her that she was still an ironman waiting to happen and to lace up and come out with me. i thought maybe she would, but i headed out and never saw her again.

Blaine was waiting and he was kind enuff to accompany me for the long hours ahead. i drank my red bull and was quite cold but just started running. i ran the down hills and the straight aways and then walked the uphills. it is a 2 looped course that i have done 3 other times - though always with positive results. i felt like a fraud out there since i had been "banished" from the race for the inability to do things in the time constraints...

but i knew i could do a sub 6 hour marathon to get in under 17, so that is just what i did. there were no heroic attempts to run up hills or run faster or pass people or anything. i just tired to remember why i loved ironmans and why i loved seeing new places, meeting new people and putting myself to athletic tests. and maybe learning something new about myself....and so i did.

i encouraged folks along the way, thanked the volunteers and tried not to feel too chagrined when others would encourage me - as i still felt like a silverman fraud -- even tho i had done it 3 other times successfully (which i had to keep reminding myself). i saw Spencer at the rock quarry on the course and tried to be upbeat Susan but i was still feeling sorry for myself a bit and still disappointed in what was clearly mine to have thrown away. he said he would see me at the finish and i knew he was a man of his word. therefore, i would be a woman of mine.

i ran when i could and walked really fast when i couldn't. i really appreciated Blaine's company and liked showing off the silverman course to him...esp. the views of the strip as you came back down the big long hill after the little quarry out and back.

we made the turn around and headed out to do the 2nd loop and there was Spencer waiting to cheer me on and get some good stories. we told him that i had passed 2 half iron athletes so i was making good time :) and we chatted a bit before sadly, i had to head on back out.

i was not too hungry so i had only a few gus and some liquids but i skipped many stations as i felt i was not working hard enuff to warrant food. i would finish later regretting this decision as i felt poorly starting at mile 20.

Blaine's hip started bothering him and so on 2 sections, i went it alone and it was one of those sections where i got a little teary again at just how foolish i had been. but i snapped out of it and ran with 2 women that i passed and cheered them on.

Blaine and i ran the little walking path back and ran right thru the finishing chute to make 16:43...and to complete my 3rd ironman distance race in 3 weeks. and i was so glad to see my friend Victor who was kind enuff to come back out near midnight to find his friend who has rocks for brains.

dang you, silverman!!! i shall return victorious!!! see ya next year!

Silverman Report 1: Victor R

The Silverman full and half distance triathlon took place on Nov 9 in the beautiful city of Henderson, NV. As always, race director Frank Lowery managed to put together the finest full and half distance event in Nevada and the southwest as well. This was the 4th year Frank has provided SoNev with such fine event.

There were upwards of 700 athletes from abroad and the states, topping the number from previous years. This year we were honored to have OPERATION REBOUND athletes participate in the event. O. R. is a group of military personell who have served this great nation in Iraq, Afghanistan and all over the Middle East. These brave soldiers came back home with life-long injuries, most of whom were injured on the line of duty. I got to meet most of the brave men and women of O. R. These folks, most of them amputees, are being helped by an organization called CAF, Challenged Athletes Foundation. I spoke with a young man who lost his right arm on a road-side bombing and asked him how he could swim with one arm. He replied by saying that he uses his left arm for propulsion and kicks his feet as rudders to proceed in a straight line, simply amazing!!! The other gentleman I spoke with lost his left leg below the knee in a similar fashion, I saw him pedal his bike and run with no trouble at all. These men and women refuse to let their misfortune slow them down, their will to succeed and spirit is unparalled. I feel very fortunate to have raced with these brave personel and hope to see more of them next year....................

If you live in SoNev, you know how the weather can be unpredictable from day to day. We were hoping for some good news from the weather service but no cigar, a storm is brewing in the Pacific and it's heading this way. The previous days were gorgeous, sunny and warm, no wind, just perfect. On race day, things were a bit different. At 6am it looked like we were going to get lucky and enjoy a fine day. The full athletes took off on their swim at 6:30am, things were calm until they were half way through their 2.4 mile splash. It suddenly became very windy causing the lake to churn up two-foot waves and white caps. Some of the kayakers were blown off course and had to be rescued buy boaters.

At this time, the half iron athletes were sitting in the water waiting to start. The wind was trecherous but everyone was anxious to begin. The park rangers, along with Frank, decided to delay the start, we sat in the water for 45 minutes waiting for the storm to pass. Eventually, we were asked to exit the pond and corrall inside the changing tent. The main concern wasn't the windy conditions, it was lightning!!! At around 9:10am, the storm had passed and we were allowed to start our swim. It was very interesting out there, you could hardly see the bouys, it was difficult to navigate. We all managed to make it through the "washing machine" and now it was time to deal with the wind.

The bike course was very hilly and cross winds played havoc with the riders. Fortunately, just about everyone made the time cut and by then, the weather had calmed down. The run course was hard as we all know but at least we didn't have to deal high winds and rain. After all was said and done, it was a great day of racing, many athletes achieved their goals and dreams of being an ironman, what a feeling!!!.....................

Silverman may not be the most famous or largest triathlon on the schedule but it certainly is the most down to earth. Frank Lowery and his fine staff always manage to engage that "Ma and Paw" atmosphere and everyone involved feels like they're at home. I've been to other events and the feeling is that you're a number racing from point A to B. This is my fourth year racing Silverman and I will keep on participating for as long as I'm able and Frank allows me to do so. Next year, Frank promises to provide us with another stellar event and I heard him clearly say that he guarantees perfect weather unlike what we experienced this year. Also, he promised to remove about 8 or 9 thousand feet of climbing from the bike course!!! Wow!!!................

There were numerous LV Tri club members as well as many SoNev locals racing Silverman, too numerous to mention so, please go to: www.silvermannv.com and click on results, there you will see your favorite athlete's number and placings. Again it's a pleasure bringing you a short romp of Silverman, thank you for reading and it's time to rest and recharge the batteries for a couple of weeks then, back to the grind!!!.............Victor

Kona Report:by Jackie Arcana

This year I had the pleasure of accompanying two athletes I coach to the World Championships in Kona. One, athlete, Melodie Cronenberg, qualified in her age group and the other, Sara Levin, won a lottery spot.

(Jackie at one of our mini-triathlons)

What is it like to coach someone to World Championships? It is the icing on the cake. It is an exciting finale to a long process. Getting an athlete ready for any event and watching them complete it after a long build up process, overcoming obstacles and staying focused is an incredibly rewarding endeavor. Getting an athlete to do an Ironman is a special challenge particularly when they weren’t an athlete before. Helping someone get to Kona is beyond special. This year I helped Melodie qualify in her age group just 3 weeks before World Championships.

World championships are truly a race like no other. For one it is held in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The climate is comfortably warm for the most part. It is everyone’s “A” race. The athletes are as uptight as the locals are relaxed. The fresh fish and local fruit are both bountiful and amazing. However, it is the Hawaiian culture that differentiates this race from all other triathlons. It is more of an experience than a race. There is something special about the history and spirituality that touches almost everyone who visits and most certainly all that race it.

Standing on the sea wall during the swim start in Kona, the native Hawaiian music drives high energy percussion into the wildly screaming crowd. All senses for fans and athletes alike are heightened to maximum. The energy stays that way all day long until the last athlete crosses the line and is given the last lei and the last finisher medal. Many times throughout the day I had to wipe tears away as I watched countless stories of courage, grit and determination. Watching the first wheelchair athlete finish and then seeing him behind the scenes in the athlete zone was very moving. He was completely spent unable to utter a single word. I watched a gentleman in his 60s finish with the 10 hour guys. He told me he was very tired in his French accent. Naturally, there were athletes from all over the world. Many had sacrificed much just to get to the starting line. Many gave much to get to the finish. Everyone gave just a little more than they thought was possible because this was Kona, World Championships. These athletes are the best of the best.

Both of the people I took had great races. Sara Levin who races in the 35-39 age group had an Ironman PR of 13:07. Melodie Cronenberg who is in the F 60-64 age group, pulled off a 15:35 three weeks after IMUK and with a bad case of plantar fasciitis to boot. These details are important but pale in comparison to what they symbolize. These athletes set high standards and achieved them. For myself, all the hard work, planning, structuring, training and advising were well worth the effort just to be a small part of these two athletes dream come true. For all who dream of some day going to this race, it is worth it. It is an incredible experience to be part of whether you ever race or not. To volunteer or otherwise participate and be part of the crowd are all great options.

Photos by Tapio and Tammy club members that make this a regular event

Looking Foward to 2009: Dave Carlson President

Hey Everyone it is your boy Dave over here,

It has been quite a year, the club adopted a new name, created a new mission statement (it is on the blog page), we redesigned our logo and club gear, we put on a series of new events, we redesigned our website for improved communication, we were at many events supporting our athletes, we brought on a lot of talent in the management group and our membership has grown and includes a lot of new and returning faces.

That was last year; in 2009 we plan to perfect our events, include more community building activities, hold 4 more mini-triathlons, put on a two day triathlon event May 2-3, we are working on putting together more event based training rides and perhaps a mentor program. That is a lot.

The reason that I believe we can make agenda listed above happen is that we have been able to attract many new people that have tremendous skills sets - like you and your friends. Our people have business or technical backgrounds in medicine, engineering, management, advertising, finance and graphic arts just to mention a few. We will need your assistance in the coming year.

This organization is about athletes helping athletes – in a supportive environment – having fun together and entering into enduring relationships. We are building a movement of inclusion. When I talk to people at the beach, or at the market in Blue Diamond or on a run, I treat them like members that haven't decided to sign up-yet. I guess I am a big believer in what we are delivering to our community. So get with your friends and join the movement! Tell your story, give us your ideas. The first words out my mouth when we get a new idea are "how can we incorporate that into what we are doing" which is why we have a Blog, a message board, a facebook site which is a work in progress and several other projects under development. Things will change; and this club will be a part of it!!

Within two weeks we will begin accepting 2009 memberships. Last year we had 4 mini-events at the lake including 3 triathlons that were basically sprint distances - the cost per member for these was $0 thanks to our sponsors. Can you believe that! Think of families with kids who want to participate together what an unbelievable deal! We also had a picnic and socials about every other month among other things. That is our base line for this year – we are planning on delivering more, beginning with a 2009 season kickoff party in January.

Our membership director team, Julie and Robert Hosea, tell me that we will be offering next year’s memberships at last year’s prices until the first of January when there will be an increase of $5-$15 depending on whether it is an individual $40 or family membership $55.

See you in the coming year if not sooner!!

Dave Carlson
President Las Vegas Triathlon Club
2228 Timber Rose Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89134

Cell 702-406-4602
Home 702-309-8791citydave@cox.net

Sonya is up against it: by Asia

I recieved this invitation this morning, one of our local young athletes has been diagnosed with cancer. I am not sure how Sonya is going to deal with this but I personally believe that with her athletic backgound and the support of the community that she is in the best possible place to get on with her treatment.

Good Luck Sonya and thanks for organizing the event Asia.

Dave



Asia writes:

MY GOOD FRIEND, SONYA JOHNSON, HAS JUST BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER. I AM HOSTING A RIDE IN HER HONOR TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DISEASE AND TO RAISE A LITTLE MONEY

RIDE FOR A CURE NOVEMBER 2ND 2008 (SUNDAY ) 8AM
VALLEY OF FIRE EXIT 75 OFF I-15 NORTH PARKING LOT PAST THE GAS STATION

I WILL BE PROVIDING ALL THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND SAG SUPPORTNO DROP RIDERIDERS OF ALL ABILITIES ARE WELCOMED

RIDE: 50 MILE OPTION 65 MILE OPTION

RAFFLE, PRIZES, TONS OF FUN, LUNCH INCLUDED

IF YOU KNOW HER YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HER INFECTIOUS SMILE
IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF MEETING HER...YOU SHOULD

MY VERY FIRST THOUGHT AFTER SHE TOLD ME GET THE CYCLING COMMUNITY INVOLVED COME OUT AND SHOW YOUR LOVE

ALL MONEY RECEIVED ( RAFFLES - FOOD )WILL GO TO SONYA TO HELP WITH HER CO-PAYS

SHE HASN'T BEGUN HER TREATMENTS YET SHE IS STILL AWAITING AUTHORIZATION FROM HER INSURANCE COMPANY SONYA IS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON THE RIDE OF HER LIFE

IF YOU CANNOT MAKE THE RIDE BUT WOULD LIKE TO DONATE PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE W/O RIDING EMAIL MEPLEASE RSVP TO:

ASIA
NEWYORKGIRL777@AOL.COM

Spin with Victor one of our top Cyclists!!!

I just found out after the RTC Century ride that Victor instructs spin classes. Victor is one of our top cyclists and an amazing triathlete. While he routinely takes 1st place in his age group his strongest disapline is the bike.

We are always looking for opportunities to get together and train - here is a great one that will work well for those on the east side or Henderson. I asked Victor to tell me about his class...

Dave:

I've been a spin class instructur for about 3 and a half years. I work at the 24-Hour Fitness on Silverado and Maryland.

My schedule is: Mon and Wed, 9am. I also sub at the clubs on Wigwam and Pecos, Tropicana and Decatur, Green Valley and the one in Henderson, Basic Rd and Boulder Hwy.

My classes are very intense, basically simulate road racing situations, climbs, sprints, tempo and fast descends. I employ 90% classic rock with some blues, country and a bit of modern top 40 stuff. The average member burns about 1100 calories per session which last 1 hour. I average about 1300 to 1400 calories per hour, mind you that I have to talk during the session and that requires a bit more energy.

I'm proud to say that I have been selected as the top instructor in the last year and a half, something I'm proud of. Hopefully this coming spring, when the company holds its seminars, I will be leading a bike-fit class, another on how to properly ride a spin bike and maybe some nutritional information, we'll see. One of the reasons I've been succesful at spinning is that do in class exactly what I do on the road, many other instructors are not experienced in road racing and do carzy things on the bike that you would normally not do on the road. Well, that's about it...........Had a great time today chatting with you and others, it was a great day!!!...........See you later, Victor................................PS: Don't forget the time trial, I think it will go great!!!

Become a USA Triathlon Official!

Nick Gallagher our social director is the only USAT offical in our community. I am going to join in and get trained this time around. Come with me to the training and I will buy you a couple of beers after. Dave Carlson President LV Tri Club... I am going to check with Shelly and see if it is possible to work a specified number of hours during the race to recieve certification. You know I have to suppot our troups at the aid station

The Officials Certification Clinic consists of about three hours of classroom lecture and working the associated practicum race.

A USAT Officials' Clinic will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2008 in conjunction with the Silverman Triathlon held Sunday November 9, 2008. In order to complete the certification, you must be able to attend the lecture on Saturday and work the race on Sunday from 5am into the afternoon. This is generally a lot of fun combined with some work.


To become a USA Triathlon official, one must participate in one of the many clinics held around the country each year. There is no charge for attending a clinic. One must be a member of USA Triathlon and bring the membership card or join at the clinic. Clinics are held in conjunction with a sanctioned event, and will have USA Triathlon officials assigned to marshal the race. The Officials Certification Clinic consists of about three hours of classroom lecture and discussion and working the associated practicum race - in this case, Silverman Triathlon.

The next clinic in the SW Region will be held on Saturday, November 8-9, 2008 in conjunction with the Silverman Triathlon. Clinic participants are expected to work the Silverman Triathlon as their practicum event. You must be able to participate in both the lecture and the race in order to attend the clinic.

To sign up for the Silverman clinic, please email to me at: Lydon@peoplepc.com.

Thank you for your interest.

Shelly Lydon
USAT SW Regional Coordinator, Instructor
(707) 228-5289

I led a pretty normal life until three weeks ago: by Shawna Glasser

I led a pretty normal life until three weeks ago. When I was preliminarily diagnosed with MS I had the decision to sit around and feel sorry for myself and all the limitations I might have or to keep on living. I decided to keep on living. No time was like the present to check my goals off my life list. One of those goals was a half Ironman Triathlon. That is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. (They call this a “70.3” because that is the mileage count for the entire thing.) I had it all planned out for a six year span. I would do two years Sprint distance, two years Olympic, one year Half Ironman, and the next year the big one, a Full Ironman. The goal was to do better at each distance the second time around to show I was growing as an athlete. I did not want to do the distances too fast. I thought, “If I do a full Ironman Triathlon next year, what could I ever do to trump that?” It left open all the excitement and challenge the next stage of racing had to offer.

When I got the diagnosis I got a feeling of confusion. Since people progress differently and symptoms can happen suddenly, what could I experience? I decided while I’m young and am at the beginning, I would do a Half Ironman Triathlon before the doctor tells me “no.” I was scheduled for a race October 18th, but a specialist is being flown in to examine me and I can’t race and make my Dr’s appointment. My health comes first, so I bumped my race date to September 28th only a week and a half from the day I made the decision to do the Half Ironman.

Forrest Gump had a wise mother who said that famous, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” I also have a very wise mother. My mother’s wisdom still guides me to this day. Her words are, “Its mind over matter. If you don’t have a mind, it doesn’t matter.” Lets do this!

The only issue was being properly trained. You don’t go and run a half marathon when you can only run the distance of a 10K. You need to know what to expect from your body and your body needs to know what it can expect from you. Despite doing a marathon and century ride recently, it is a whole different experience putting them back to back.

I got out the old trisuit a weekend before my race. I had run 17 miles combined over two days and went out for a 30 mile bike ride. I had been 25 pounds heavier when I was last in that trisuit so it was interesting to see where the changes were. In the past I always thought I had a pear shape figure, but I’m turning into more of a boy shape. With this last weight loss I just lost my butt. There was just extra lose material where my rear end used to be! I guess we’ll call my shape “carrot.” I’ve got wide shoulders and everything narrows in from there. J

Much like the grief process there are the stages of Triathlons. First starts with excitement. You decide what race and distance you are interested on doing and you get to let your mind wonder how great it will be. Next comes planning. You have to figure out how to prepare yourself for race day to meet your goals. Remember a goal without a plan is a dream, not a goal. Next there is experience. You get to follow your plan and have fun playing with it. Something you thought would work well doesn’t, you adjust. You find your weaknesses and exploit them before your competitors do on race day! As your event arrives, usually 48 hours for me, dread sets in. I usually think, “Why did I sign up for this? Am I nuts?” 24 hours before my race I slide into “Let’s get this over with.” On race day, sheer panic! Triathletes are very compulsive people. They want everything to happen exactly as they have envisioned in their mind. That is no small task and it brings a lot of stress and doubt. Once the race starts you get “race vision” which I guess would be your acceptance phase. You are so focused on your goal, you have forgotten everything else.

I arrived at Boulder Beach which is at Lake Mead. It is a very common place for these Triathlons. I had never done a distance this long before so I have never been on the beach shortly after 5am. It was pitch black. Some of the participants had those head lamps on, mental note on a good idea if I ever do this again. I toted all of my stuff to the transition area to set up for this adventure. The guy on my left, wow. He was friendly and he was in great shape. He had a gorgeous face to go along with it. Of course he didn’t hold a candle to my husband, but I was just admiring all the work he put in to look like that.

During the swim I was reminding myself to keep my elbows up and the little technique things to swim properly. I had to laugh when I started thinking about that movie “Finding Nemo” where Dorothy starts singing to Marlin, “What do we do… We swim, swim, swim…..” Just like Marlin I said, “Oh great! Now I have that song stuck in my head!” The swim went well. I turned around the last bouy and headed for home. I kept my eye on a huge orange ball floating on the water but was trying to figure out my exit point. Using a great landmark for women, I locked my eyes on the bathrooms and decided it was time to turn up the heat. There was this guy next to me who decided to sprint it out with me. Poor guy ended up sucking my bubbles. It is common knowledge that most triathletes pee in the water right before getting out, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m struggling to get my daughter to not be so barbaric and pee in our back yard, so what kind of example would that be?

As I exited the water I saw a clock that read 38 minutes and change. I was pleasantly surprised because I was anticipating 50 minutes. I got out of the water and really did not know how hard to push myself in transition. In a long distance, like this one, those seconds you can save yourself in transition might not matter overall. I decided to take transitions ¾ of what I would normally do. Not waste time but not expend all my energy at full speed. I had counted how many slots it was to my bike and went right to it. I had stripped my wet suit to my waist and pulled it off my left leg no problem. The right leg I had a hang up with, but didn’t struggle for long. I grabbed the Hornet and off we went.

I was really proud of my effort on the bike. I was 15 miles from the finish and out of water. I had a powerbar, but without water I just couldn’t stomach it. My mind was wondering on how good that water from that water stand was going to be. As I came around the final loop to where the water would have been, I was thoroughly disappointed it was not there. I decided to keep on pushing and I would get some water on the run. As I approached the 49 mile mark my throat was so dry I could barely swallow. I didn’t have a drop of saliva in my mouth. By mile 51 I was still pushing hard but ready for the bike to be over. I had predicted a 3 hour 30 minute bike ride and I was dead on. While my torso was tucked over my thighs, peddling was bumping my bladder reminding me a potty break would be a good idea. I pulled into the transition area and told the person I had lost my chip. He said to keep going and let the race director know later. I got off my bike and felt a little sluggish, but that is to be expected. When you run after getting off a bike you feel like you are in slow motion because of the speed difference. I made eye contact with my husband and let him know I needed a pit stop.

My sisters and their friend Timera were standing by what I thought was my transition spot. Without hesitation I race to where they were and looked down to not recognize the stuff. A quick backup two rows did the trick and I switched into my run gear and grabbed my racing chip. I crossed the run mat and darted for the port-a-potties. As I came out several people were yelling at me to give them my chip. I yelled back, “I’m still racing! Mother of two, bladder has taken a beating!”

Since this was an open course, Richard was allowed to run with me. I figured he could give me some emotional support and try to push me if I needed it. At the beginning there was ice cold Gatoraid and water. It was like liquid heaven. I was so hot and thirsty. I felt like one of those ants I used to fry with the magnifying lens as a child. Maybe 50-100 yards in I was down to a walk. You have no idea how hard it is to cool down while you run. I walked for the first 2 or 3 miles. Richard would run ahead and get some water for me. We would dump one water on me and I would drink the other one. It was so frustrating. Mentally I wanted to run, but my body just didn’t want to. It is like coaching a player who doesn’t want to play! Nothing hurt, I was just tired and my legs were heavy. I decided to walk and run. We hit all the water stops and I drank like it was my last water stop. Sometimes it takes between 4-7 miles for me to warm up so I was hoping this would be the case. I saw a lot of runners struggling so I didn’t feel so bad. It was a lot hotter than expected and I hadn’t trained outside in the heat of the day, being that I didn’t expect to be doing this event. Part of the course was the historic “6 Tunnels” which was an old rail system hauling supplies to Hoover Dam in the early 30’s. It had amazing views of the lake. There was an unmanned water station with a bottle of Gatoraid behind it. I took a drink to realize it was concentrated and my stomach felt like it had been punched. I chased it with some water and hoped for the best. I started coming out of my slump and running longer portions. The last 4 and half miles I ran the majority of.

One of the mysteries of my symptoms is hearing loss. About 4 miles into the run I lost hearing in the left ear. I have now confirmed it is an exertion thing. Richard said something about, “You really don’t need to hear to run” but he was on my left side. My right started flickering too. Too bad I can’t turn it off and on at my convenience.
I was passed by race volunteers in a truck and offered ice cold water. Ice….Cold… Glorious…. Richard had caught up to me and he isn’t kidding with people calling him “Thunder.” The way his feet pound the pavement you have ample warning he is coming. We got closer and closer to the white tents which were by the finish line. I was tired and glad it was over. I just wanted to get into the shade and down some bottles of ice cold water.

As I crossed the finish line the first thing on my mind was about the racing chip. I mentioned it to the volunteer collecting them and she said, “Sorry, you only get credit for what the chip reads.” I went to find the race director because he could look at the computer on my bike as proof I went the distance and the time it took. I found one of the directors and was trying to fight back the tears when I was telling him what happened. So much was riding on this race counting. He assured me everything would be counted. He said he couldn’t imagine having me out there for 7 hours and not get credit for what I earned. He said it just wouldn’t give me my split times. (Meaning my transition times and my bike time wouldn’t be posted.)

At the end of the day I wanted to complete the Half Ironman in 7 hours or less, but I’ll accept 7:31:01.

I forgot to stretch after my event so my body let me know it was unhappy on the way home. I was having muscle spasms and stabbing pains in my muscles. I was screaming profanities like a woman with turrets for half of the ride home. I suddenly had a craving for pizza on the way home. I had no desire for whole wheat or anything fat free for some reason. After the big race Richard made ribs with Tony Roma’s Carolina Honey Sauce, mashed potatoes, and I made a chocolate cheesecake. I figure no matter what I ate on that day would ever amount to the calories I burned.

Half Ironman…. It hurt like hell….. It was awesome…. Anyone wanting to do a Full Ironman Triathlon needs to have their head examined because that is just crazy!

Mini- Tri Results

We want to thank all the volunteers:

Mark Dunaisky, Jeanne Clayton, Nick Savatgy, Curtis Ching, Sheila Garner, Dave Reichert, Todd Lynn, Julie Hosea, Victor Rodriguez, Robert Hosea, John Harrington, Dave Carlson, Chris Matlock

Have a good one!
Julie Hosea

Jeanne our announcer at the mini-tri media center

Robert took some excellent photos. These are available for you to look at or download in high quality format at our Snapfish site. Participants you should do this - he really did a great job - thanks Robert!!! Here is the link if you have difficulties let me know - I may have to put you into our Snapfish data base. http://www2.snapfish.com/groupview/groupid=2472910/groupownerid=126375277/t_=126375277

Longhorn 70.3: by Jayne Furman

Kim Watson, Julie Cutts, Lisa Locati and I met up with Shannon Cutting for Longhorn 70.3 in Austin TX. This trip was planned a few months ago when Locati, on a Tuesday McGhies bike ride, quietly worked her persuasive powers. "I’m going to Texas for a half ironman, so let me know when you’ve signed up". I answered the only way I knew how. "Leave me alone, no way I’m doing it". This went on for a few more weeks, Cutts and Watson signed up, and I caved. I really had no desire to train, but after I started riding and swimming again, I was glad to be back into the mix.

The excitement built as we got closer to departure. The trash talking had begun. When Lisa found out Shannon, Julie AND Kim were all in her age group, that Kim was running the loop strong every weekend, and Cutts was on a cycling tear, she expressed herself mildly. F*()*()*)*()*(*((*((*(*K !!!!!!!!

We had so much luggage – between the bikes, laptops, duffel bags, etc -- and for some reason, Cutts decided to stash a Viking oven in her Samsonite. The Ford 150 would come in handy!
You’ll notice in the airport photos that everyone was smiling a bit more on the front end than the return trip !!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites at Town Lake, went to packet pickup, and bumped into Shannon. We were invited to dinner at her unbelievably hospitable friends home located about 30 min outside of Austin on a gorgeous woodsy plot of land with a spectacular sunset view from their rooftop deck. Leslie is an accomplished musician, and an awesome cook. She played Big Bad Betty for us, a humorous song about an Athena she competed against. We were now race ready.
The day of bike check in we (ie, Jayne) wanted to drive the bike course. Shannon had driven it the day prior. Monkey See, Monkey Do …. and despite warnings from Shannon about unmarked streets and where they were located, the 4 of us still managed to get lost looking for Monkey Lane. This caused some major stress to our chauffeur Julie Cutts, who had a look of fear as if we were driving into enemy territory and would never find our way out alive. This apparently pumped her up so much she chewed up the bike course with a 2:33 bike split (10th fastest female).

Race day we were extremely lucky. Temperature was ok, plus we had cloud cover for a lot of the day, and the humidity wasn’t bad. The swim in Decker Lake was a little short. I didn’t shed any tears bout that !. We all swam without wetsuits, good advice from Shannon. Most wore them, but the water was a mild 78 degrees.

I never did get thru transition during visualization, which led to me putting my socks and cycling shoes over soaking wet muddied feet, and then heading for T1 exit without my helmet--- till someone in transition told me HEY, you need a helmet ! DUH !
Check out the socks. You’d think this was my first triathlon.

The bike leg was mostly rollers with one nice climb at the end. There was plenty of cross and headwind too. It looked more like the Tour de Austin for the 1st 20 miles till we all spreaout a bit. Very cozy, kinda annoying.

The course was fun though, and included a hill called Quadzilla at 7 % grade. About 3 miles was on dirt, the rest on pavement, and there were very few actual "flat" sections.
It was a two loop course so we saw each other a couple of times. At one point Locati yelled "hey what are you doing walking". I lookup to find her limping with a smile on her face. Still she finished under 6 hours, even walking like 4 miles. Shannon was the 2nd overall female and first in her age group. Kim hada great race, and her training paid off as she easily PR’d. Way to go Kim !

I pulled into the stable in 6 ½ hrs, this one was sweet under the circumstances of a 2:45 half marathon shuffle. I finished feeling great, what more can you ask.

The fun continued for a couple more days. We went for a hike in the park, and a swim in the refreshing water of Barton Springs (68 degrees) We stopped for some beverages in Willow City at Harry’s

After our ride we refueled at the Becker Vineyard, enjoying some wine in a serene settinwith trees, and greenery. We visited a couple bike shops (yes, Mellow Johnny’s), a running store, some very cool shops on Congress Ave (SoCo), and had dinner at Mexican restaurant located on Lake Travis. This was a wonderful trip, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience all of it. Triathletes looking for an October 70.3 should consider Longhorn in 2009.

Jayne

Kona Participants Review Journal Article

Seven local triathletes are scheduled to compete Saturday in Kona: lottery winners Michael Sullivan, Julie Marschner and Bruce Beckett of Las Vegas; age-slot winner Melodie Cronenberg age-slot winner James Harrington of Las Vegas; and lottery winners Sara Levin and Derek Rude of Henderson.

Here is a story from the Review Journal written by Todd Dewey
Melodie’s coach is our own Jackie Arcana

It's no surprise, then, that Henderson resident Melodie Cronenberg values her health -- so much so that she has completed close to 40 triathlons in the last six years, including nine Ironman events consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run.
I love the training; I love being healthy and setting personal goals to achieve," said Cronenberg, 60. "I love the sport of triathlon, and I do well at it. I kind of found my niche later in life."
Cronenberg, who started competing in triathlons shortly after accepting a challenge from co-workers to run a road race, will compete Saturday in the world's most prestigious triathlon -- the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

She qualified for the event, which will feature close to 1,800 athletes, by winning her age group (60-64) at the Ironman UK, which took place Sept. 7 in Sherborne, Dorset, United Kingdom.
Cronenberg was disappointed with her finish of 16 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds, but it was enough to qualify her for the Super Bowl of her sport for the first time. She competed in Kona in 2006 via a lottery spot.

"This is the first time I've actually qualified," she said proudly. "Getting a lottery spot is lucky; qualifying is tough."

Cronenberg, who suffers from plantar fasciitis in her right foot, said most people need three months to recover from an Ironman event and wait six months before entering another one. But she'll barely have one month in between events when she starts Saturday's race.
"It's a tough turnaround time, but I'm ready for it," she said. "I'm excited. It's what I wanted."
History is on her side. After completing Kona in 15:08:08 in 2006, Cronenberg posted a personal-best time of 14:25 at Ironman Florida about two weeks later. She hopes to better that mark Saturday. "That's my goal, depending on the elements over there," she said.

In her first race in Kona, Cronenberg battled rain, wind and cold weather, not to mention hills and mud, to finish. But she said it was well worth the effort.
"Absolutely. It was amazingly rewarding," she said. "When I crossed the finish line, it was absolutely exhilarating. It's hard to describe how you feel. It's just totally uplifting."
Along with the chance to travel and make friends, Cronenberg said she loves the atmosphere at Ironman events.

"The energy, when you're in an Ironman, you can almost touch it, it's so thick," she said. "Everyone in the sport of triathlon is an inspiration. There's a wonderful camaraderie, and the support you get from other triathletes is phenomenal. It's a very unselfish sport.
"The bottom line to all this is I'm having the best time of my life."

Cronenberg said she trained six days per week, for an average of 20 hours, to prepare for Kona. She swam, biked and lifted weights an average of three or four times a week but ran only three times a week because of her injury. Cronenberg also said she completed one long run (15 to 18 miles), one long bike ride (80 to 100 miles) and one long swim (11/2 to 2 miles) each week.

"I don't train as much as some people, generally because of my age, but it's still a lot," she said.
Cronenberg concedes she has wanted to quit in the middle of an Ironman event "many times."
"That's the whole deal with the Ironman -- the mental toughness it takes to talk yourself out of stopping," she said. "People use a lot of different tricks. Sometimes you shame yourself into going on because you don't want to look bad.

"I just like to remember the feeling I get when I cross the finish line, how motivating it is, and also how much I get to brag."

Cronenberg said she also uses for inspiration her daughter Lara, who has undergone two open-heart surgeries and also recently had a pacemaker implanted in her chest. "She had the first surgery when she was six months old. I was just 19. It was very difficult," Cronenberg said. "They didn't think she would live past her teenage years, and she's 40 now.

"I am just so fortunate to have the health that I do that allows me to be in this kind of sport. It's a gift. I feel very blessed."

Las Vegas Triathlon - a first: Jade Bailey

It all started when I was having problems motivating myself to work out and had gained a few unwelcome pounds. One of my good girlfriends, Melissa Page, had done one sprint distance triathlon and raved about it. I clearly remember hanging out with her the day she finished and being inspired to hear her talk about it and seem so fulfilled to have completed a triathlon.

(My friend Melissa)

As a general life overachiever, I set a goal and then relentlessly pursue it. Having trouble working out? Sign up for a triathlon! Sprint distance, let’s not get crazy here. That is a great goal to work for I thought. Go big or go home. And you know what? Signing up for the race was the biggest blessing in disguise I could ever ask for because through it all I found something I love that is also a very positive outlet for my time. Training for it changed me permanently. Completing it made me realize I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it. Even better, finishing the race in less than 2 hours (my newbie goal) was one of the most satisfying moments of my life.

I ran into my friend Jenna Novotny at a PR industry party at Tao, told her about the triathlon, and was very happy when she signed up. We then proceeded to chat with some of the VIP hosts at Tao who all said they were doing the tri too. Yeah right, none of them did. But in their defense, the Tao Group just opened a new club which is clearly a time consuming endeavor. Melissa had already signed up for the tri so the three of us were good to go. Friends in tow, check. Next step? Training.

(Jenna)

My training consisted of endless spinning, and not nearly enough swimming and running but that came out fine in the end. Being cognizant to maintain work/workout/social life balance, I hardly ever worked out 6 days per week or 2 times per day. I learned to love spinning (after my butt stopped being sore) and had a great routine at 24 Hour Fitness. Moving from Summerlin to central Las Vegas put a monkey wrench in my gym routine but I discovered the amazing Saturday morning triathlon class at the LVAC on Karen. Swim, bike, run with a group and be done by 12 p.m.? Totally awesome, count me in! Consistent training was really difficult but in the end it was more than worth it.

A few days before the race I met fellow LV Tri Club member Victor Rodriguez, who was an absolute angel and answered my many pre-race questions. I have to credit him with some of my success because without him I wouldn’t have known to drink electrolyte laden water the night before (Elete baby!), eat breakfast the morning of, and to bring a colorful towel/balloon/sidewalk chalk to the transition area to help find your bike. All very important things that I would not have known otherwise.

Through it all I met really interesting people, made new friends (always a bonus), and most importantly learned about just what I can do if I put my mind to it. I’m still a total triathlon novice and will be for the next few races but I’m hooked on this and will be committed to successful races in the future. I have learned that running is my weakest activity and to help mitigate this I’ve signed up for Las Vegas ½ Marathon in December. I would love to join the running Elvi and run as Elvis but feel that could impede the race time. What do you think? See you at Lake Mead!

Update 10/8/2008

Just a quick update from the President:

I would like to welcome everyone to the mini tri this weekend Sunday October 12th, registration starts at 6:45am and the event at 7:30 at Boulder Beach. This will probably be our last race event of the year. We have a great time at these training events.

We are proud of our triathlon community. It has been another long hot summer – many of you have adjusted and trained through to meet your fall goals. Congratulations, that takes real commitment and discipline. We wish you the very best in the coming weeks. We also would like you to journal some of your stories and take some photos for our Blog and our website.

Last night we had a board meeting to discuss the year end and plans for the 2009 season. Everyone is starting to get booked up – you are probably in the same boat. We decided to have a party to celebrate the new season so that the members can enjoy their company holiday parties without trying to fit another event in. We will be scheduling that for sometime in January – stay tuned.

I have been privileged over the last year to work with our talented Board membership , good work and commitment to achieving our goals attracts good people. We have created two new positions on the board to help generate new ideas that will help us stay relevent and achieve a new level of performance for our athletic community. We have some specific ideas on the table which we roll out next year.

Again all the best - good luck!!!! Later Dave

Las Vegas Tri Club fares well!!! by Victor Rodriquez

The Las Vegas Triathlon took place on Sunday, Sep 28 under perfect weather conditions at Lake Mead's world renown Boulder Beach. Just before the gun went off, upwards of 700 athletes enjoyed a balmy 79 degrees, water temp was at around 77 degrees, wetsuits optional. The skies were partially covered with dark clouds but no rain was forcasted. No wind, calm waters, what else could you ask for? How about a cool late morning? Naw!!! The weather man called for a high of 98 degrees by 11 am, he was right!

The promoters offered a sprint, olympic and a half iron distances. The swim course was a rectangle with each distance going out to their respective colored bouys. The sprint and olympic bike courses stayed on North Shore road heading out towards the south toll booth and back. The half iron headed out past the Calville Bay turn-off and back. The run course took the athletes on mostly dirt roads and some paved sections.

I must say that the promoters went all out and provided the entrants with a well-run event with plenty of volunteers, well stocked aid stations and plenty of goodies at the finish line. Safety was number one as I noticed the bike course well patrolled and well marked. My congrats go to Eddie Carlin for a fantastic, well organized, safe event!!! Let me say "thank you" to the many volunteers who donated their time and effort to make this event possible. Without volunteers, we couldn't have such fine events like this one. So, next time you race, stop and say "thanx" for letting me race!!!

The Las Vegas Tri Club was well represented at this event. I must have counted at least 15 members donning our blue and silver colors throughout the entire day. I looked up some of them on the website's result page, I know I missed some of you so, please forgive me, I'm lacking brain cells dating back to the 60's!!!.......

I'll start with the half iron entrants. Jessica Fassulo is a young lady who is fairly new to the sport. I have seen her at several local and Utah events. She has done very well at the sprint and olympic distances. This time she ventured into the void and captured first place in the 25-29 age group, finishing 29th overall, way to GO!!!............

The other half iron lady is Yvonne Kinane-Wells. Yvonne is a veteran of many triathlons including sprints, oly's, halves and full IM's. Yvonne entered the half and claimed 1st in her 50-54 age group, crossing the line in 41st place overall. The ladies endured plenty of heat as they finished their events at around 1 pm when the temps were hovering at around 100 degrees!!!.......We tip our helmets to them............

The olympic distance saw John Harrington claiming 10th in the ever-tough 45-49, one of the toughest, most competive groups. John suffered from a foot injury two weeks ago at the Kokopelli tri in Utah, losing a couple of toe nails in the process, Still, he managed a respectable 87th overall.

I entered the olympic and fared pretty good dispite suffering from old age syndrome, gastritis, oldfartitis, cantrunitis and numerous "itis's" I can't spell and all of those other old people ailments that haunt me on a daily basis, just wait until you all hit 50!!!...............I was fortunate that my competitors suffered a bit more than me from those ailments I mentioned. I claimed 1st in the Geritol/Poly-Grip group sponsored by Depends (55-59), 27th overall and, 3rd overall on the bike split..............

Now to the sprint (smart) group. Annette Powell had a fantastic race, she finished just off the podium in fourth place by a few seconds in the 40-44 age group and 91st overall. Lisa Job, dispite having two punctures, the second requiring a complete tire change, finished 23rd in the 35-39 group and 261st overall. Just a lack of luck kept Lisa from claiming a higher position but, that's racing and next time it will be different. Shiela Garner, a brand new club member, finished her first-ever triathlon in style. Shiela claimed 17th in the tough 30-34 age bracket and 203rd overall, mind you, this was her first tri!!! Another newby is Jade Bailey who also did her first one. Jade just became a member of the tri club and proudly claimed 18th in the 25-29 group crossing the line in 258th overall. Jade's training and partner in crime is Jenna Novotny also a new member. Jenna almost ran away with the top spot in the 20-24 age group claiming 2nd place, just being pipped for first by seconds. The other studette is Melissa Page. Melissa also became a member and crossed the line looking great in blue and silver. She finished in 269th place overall and 19th in her 25-29 age group.

These mentioned athletes were just a few I gathered from the result page, if you wish to look for someone, go to: http://www.mountainmanevents.com/, click on results. Overall, we had a great time and look forward to the club's mini-tri on Oct 12, Pumpkinman coming up Oct 18 and the biggie, The Silverman on Nov 9th. I enjoy bringing you the latest from the events around Las Vegas and the neighboring states. If you have any stories about your latest event, please send them to me and I will forward them to the club's website. My e-mail is: lancewins@hotmail.com. See you on Oct 12th.................Victor Rodriguez

Club members claim 'Trifecta': by Victor Rodriguez

The Kokopelli triathlon took place in Hurricane, Ut on Saturday, Sep 20. This event was the third in a series of three triathlons offered by Brogg Sterrett and his fine staff at BBSC Endurance.

The first one was the St. George triathlon on May 20, the second was the Utah Summer Games on June 14. In order to participate in the trifecta, an athlete must do two out of the three events, if you do all three, the organizers drop your lowest result and tally up the points. The scoring system is very complicated so I won't get into it. The ticket is to do all three and try to finish in the top three or higher. Being consistent is the key, many athletes will not participate in all three events therefore opening the door to the ones who are persistent.

Last year, the Kokopelli tri was cancelled due to foul weather, a late summer storm crashed through and the park rangers, along with the organizers, cancelled the event. John Harrington and I were sitting in the water just 3 minutes before our start when we heard the announcer call the event off. I exited the water extremely dissapointed, I had trained for this event diligently for quite a few weeks, but, you can't win against Mother Nature. John sat in the water in disbelief, they literally pulled him out of the water, the man wanted to swim and he wasn't about to be denied!

This year was a bit different. Perfect weather graced the venue at Sand Hollow reservoir, the race was on! A sprint distance was offered, 750 meter swim, 12.5 miles on the bike and a 3 mile run, the olympic distance was exactly twice the sprint. BBSC Endurance outdid themselves with a perfectly organized event, plenty of volunteers, lots of food and drinks, medals for all finishers and a great announcer who blurted out your name when you came through the finish kite. The swim was modified to accomodate the low level of water. Two laps were required for the olympic and a single one for the sprint. The bike course for the olympic was modified as well. I understand that Brogg used the old St. George tri route eliminating several 90-degree turns and a section of rough road that rattled your chain and your teeth! The run course was pretty brutal, several steep hills, deep sand and a few rocks to mess up your ankles.

Overall, it was a great day of racing and everyone involved had a blast. I'm happy to report that John Harrington claimed first place for the day, adding to his trifecta victory. John literally had to win the day to claim the trifecta, several scenarios were possible for him to win, the easiest was to win, no doubt there! I claimed second for the day culminating my result with the trifecta title by virtue of points from the first two events (two firsts), a slighter easier road than John's.

We spent some time with club members Molly Kramer and Kara Robertson. Both of these ladies participated in their first olympic triathlon. Molly claimed third in her age group (25-29), pretty darn good for her first one. Kara had a great swim and a good bike, the run proved a bit much for Kara, unfortunately, she was pulled due to the time cut. Kara is a champion swimmer recently completing an ungodly 10,000 meter (6.2 miles) swim in the frigid waters of Colorado Springs, it just took her a bit over 4 hours........Unreal!!! With a bit more focus on the run, Kara will be a force to be reckoned with, you just can't beat her out of the water!!!

There are too many LV residents to mention so I will direct you to www.milliseconds.com, there you can find all of the results including the trifecta. The next event will be the Las Vegas triathlon to be held this coming Sun, Sep 28, followed by Brogg's baby, The Pumpkinman taking place on Sat, Oct 18. Pumpkinman will hold the club championships and the Half-Maxx Iron, making it the largest triathlon in SoNev by far. This event is sold out but, look for Brogg to open a few more spots in the coming few weeks. Check Brogg's website, www.bbsctri.com.

The final event will be the toughest full distance triathlon in the world, The Silverman. It will take place on Sun, Nov 9. This event offers a full distance, a 70.3 and relays. Frank Lowery is the brains behind this brutal event. Frank is in his fourth year promoting Silverman and I can see it being the premier triathlon in the western US. You can find Frank coaching the masters swimmers at the Henderson MultiGeneral complex around 5:30 am. It's been a great season for the Lv Tri Club, many great results by its many members, check the 'blog' and 'message board' to find out more. OK, I must get some rest which happens to be my favorite training session, 8 hours!!!..............

Nate and the Big Kahuna:

I decided that doing another half iron was the perfect "birthday spanking", the Big Kahuna Triathlon in Santa Cruz, Ca. fell right on my 29th birthday so I signed up and away we went. This wasn't without weeks of training, plenty of adversity (both physical and especially mental), and a whole lot of saving to make sure we had enough money to get there. On Friday, 9/5/08, we loaded up the rented Dodge Caravan and set out for the 9 hour drive to the Central Californian Coast. This time around my amazing support crew consisted of Samantha, Bailey, and a special guest appearance by my father, Vince, who flew out from Ohio on Thursday. The drive to Santa Cruz was beautiful, and relatively relaxing considering it's length. Mapquest claims it's 545 miles and while I didn't track it, that number seemed about right. Once in Santa Cruz, we found our way to the Boardwalk (where the movie "Lost Boys" was shot) and easily found our hotel for the weekend.

The accommodations were nice, if a little expensive, but VERY close to the race site. I was really happy that I found this place and was able to get a room. Shortly after our arrival, my good friend and adventuring companion James arrived after driving down from San Francisco. James and I have been climbing and skiing in the mountains together for a long time, and it's always special when we can get together. The next day James and the rest of the crew joined me to pick up my race packet and a drive up the coast to preview the bike course. It was a beautiful day, and our ride up the coast was smooth and enjoyable for everyone. When we stopped for lunch, my dad had to snap a pic of this mural on the hood of the pick up next to us...

The course runs along HWY 1 up the coast and was exactly as described, "rolling hills". There were a couple steep ones and I wasn't sure what to expect during the race. The scenery was gorgeous and I was excited to get out there on the bike.

After our drive up the coast, we returned to the hotel so that I could prep my gear and get off my feet. Just as I finished my preparations and was laying down another surprise guest! My brother had driven all the way up from L.A. to see my race on my birthday!

Race Day: Down to the details. I woke up at 5 am, had a yogurt, and a bagel. Drank a pint of water and got dressed. Everything had been laid out meticulously the night before and I was smoothly out the door by 5:30am. I arrived in transition, found a great spot, and set up smoothly. Unfortunately, I've got my transition setup whittled down efficiently to only the essential items and nothing else. I was set up in less than 5 minutes and had nothing left to do besides stand around nauseated from nervousness and marvel at how complicated everyone else's setup is. I should have taken a picture of mine compared to everyone else's, it was comical. Two pairs of shoes (1 cycling, 1 running of course), my aero helmet with gel flask, sunglasses and spare kit inside it and placed on top my cycling shoes, and my running hat with gps, gel flask, and number belt placed inside of it. No towels, no water bottles, no boxed lunch, no chairs, no assortment of nutritional items and supplements, etc. are necessary. In a race this long, keeping on the move is paramount, I can't imagine how stiff my legs would get if I lounged around in transition. Anyway..sorry for the rant... I suited up and made my way to the athlete meeting. I couldn't hear a word of the meeting but I had done this dance before so I wasn't too worried about it. The water was much warmer than I had expected which was a truly pleasant surprise. Hyperventilating from the cold water on the swim has been an issue for me. I didn't want it to compound my already high anxiety about the swim. I lucked out for sure. I warmed up and watched the waves go off, my wave was dead last so I had plenty of time to fight the feeling of wanting to puke. I just tried to stay loose and talk to Sammie and Bailey about anything else. I took photos with everyone before the start.

If you ever see this smile from me...I'm faking...

Before long my wave was off. I started toward the back and outside. My plan was to take it easy and just get through the swim. I planned to count my strokes continuously as a sort of mantra in order to keep any anxiety at bay. Counting strokes worked brilliantly and I was able to just put my head down and swim without anxiety. I exited the swim in 46 minutes to a crowd roaring "Happy Birthday Nathan". I was a little confused as to how everyone knew but then I spotted Sam and Bailey...

They really outdid themselves this time. They are always super supportive, but their hula skirts and banner had gotten the whole crowd in on the act and wherever I ran people were yelling "Happy Birthday Nathan!" The run to transition was long but I didn't think it was bad at all. I was smart about it though and left flip flops at the beach exit before I got onto the concrete. T1 = 4:49 was in the top 5 of my age group and only 3 seconds from top 3. Once again, keep it simple and straight forward and keep moving. That's what I did. The bike ride was fantastic. I'm going to include a whole geek section about my tactics, nutrition, pacing etc. after the race report. Here's the story, I knew what the course looked like already which gave me quite a bit of confidence heading out onto it. I knew that there were a couple of hills to stay conservative on, but otherwise this was a course that really suited me. The headwind was pretty strong most of the way and a couple of scary gusts had my attention. Most of my ride was spent in the left hand side of the lane as I picked one rider after another off. By the turn around, I was passing people who had started in the second wave, a full 25 minutes ahead of me. I felt great, and never felt like I was pushing myself at any time. There were a lot of riders getting flats on the side of the road and I really felt for them. I'm sure it will happen to me at some point, but that just sucks. At the turn around my brother and dad were there to get some great action shots of me...

I completed the bike in 2:51 for an average speed of 19.65 miles an hour. I was pretty happy with this split because it was a significant improvement over my previous time but was still very conservative setting me up for a good run. T2= 1:18.9 Fourth fastest in my age group and I wasn't in a particular rush to be honest. The run course was the most beautiful run I've ever been on. It was pretty darn flat with just a couple small hills to contend with and break things up. My kind of running. The best part about the course is that as you head north and near the halfway point of the run, you are running on a great dirt trail that follows along the top of the seaside cliffs. The sun, the breeze, the ocean below, the smell of the salt spray in the air, were all simply amazing. I couldn't believe how invigorated I felt, this far into the race. At mile 5, I was feeling so good that I decided it was time to stop holding back and just let my legs go. Until that point I had been holding 9:45 miles, once I relaxed and let it go my pace dropped down to 8:10 miles. I didn't feel like I was working for it and decided to keep going as long as it felt easy. Unfortunately, I got so caught up in how great I was feeling that I lost track of my execution. I forgot to take in any calories and electrolytes for a few miles and this came around to hurt me quickly. At mile 9 my legs started cramping ferociously, and I began to ache all over. I was still able to run under 10 minute miles but I was in so much pain that I couldn't keep my mind together to keep running. All I wanted was some ibuprofen. I finished the run in 2:35. Quite a bit slower than what I was on pace for during the first half but still a substantial improvement over my last half iron. Running down the beach I was exhausted, I couldn't see the finish line, and I just wanted to be finished.

All of a sudden, I rounded a corner and there it was! The finishing chute, the banner that Sam and Bailey had made for me, and a thousand people screaming happy birthday and cheering me to the finish. Even the race announcers knew it was my birthday and made a big deal out of it. It was SO AMAZING. I finally felt validated. I finally felt like I had truly completed a half iron. My last race felt like I got lucky because of all the problems. This race felt like I had truly been out there, giving it my all, even taking some chances and going for it on the run. I'll probably never get to break the tape first, or hoist my country's flag over my head in victory. This was my day however, and as I ran past Sam and Bailey, I wanted them to know how special that banner was to me. I snatched it from their hands and hoisted it over my head going down the finishing chute. The Big Kahuna was over! My official finishing time was 6:19:38 and tenth in my Age Group. Finally I'm inside the top ten at a big race! But it wasn't over... When we returned to the hotel the party had just begun and as I opened the door to the room I was greeted by a fully decorated room, and a giant basket with all the recovery items I could ever want after a race.

After a shower and a nice nap, we went out and gorged ourselves on wings and french fries. Then it was off to Kiva Retreat House, where Sam had booked a private hot tub and steam room for us to help soothe away the soreness. I felt fantastic after all that. It happens every year, because Sam tries so hard to make my birthday great. I have to say it again this year, this was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

This was a team effort. There were a lot of people who made this race a success and if even one of them had been missing, I wouldn't have had as good an experience. Thank you: Mike Sullivan, Samantha, Bailey, Chris, Chris Thornham, Nick Savatgy, Larry, Chris Wahl, Mom, Dad, Clay, Jeremy Firth, Melissa Bailey, and James. Without you guys as the foundation of support I stand on, and the motivation you provide to keep me training, I wouldn't be as happy as I am today.

____________________________________________________________________ As promised, here's the geek report. On the bike my strategy was to ride at 75% of my functional threshold power (my current FTP ~280 watts) for the most part. This is VERY conservative, as most other athletes will ride at 80-85% for a half ironman.

Having concerns about how successful my run could be if I rode to hard, I opted to lose 5-10 minutes on the bike by riding overly conservative rather than lose an hour on the run because I rode too hard. I consciously kept the real time wattage on the Powertap at 210-215 watts. When climbing I kept it under 250 for all but the steepest hills where I attempted to keep it under 300. I feel that this worked quite well, and next time I'm going to bump it up to 80% of my FTP My fueling for the bike was 1 gel flask with 550 calories of Gu. I estimated my ride would be in the neighborhood of 3 hours, and I planned for 200 calories an hour. I also tried to keep my hydration at 24-28 ounces per hour. Electrolyte replenishment was 2 endurolytes per hour. This plan worked excellently. Near perfectly. Next race I will probably up the endurolytes to 3 per hour (provided the same conditions). I coasted any time my speed was over 35 miles an hour on the down hills. Here are the bike stats according to WKO+... Entire workout (178 watts): Duration: 2:52:21 Work: 1839 kJ TSS: 144.5 (intensity factor 0.71) Norm Power: 199 VI: 1.12 Pw:HR: n/a Pa:HR: n/a Distance: 56.159 mi Min Max Avg Power: 0 489 178 watts Cadence: 38 229 90 rpm Speed: 2.5 49.8 19.6 mph Pace 1:12 24:08 3:04 min/mi Hub Torque: 0 380 70 lb-in Crank Torque 0 744 171 lb-in My normalized power was a bit lower than I was shooting for, but I attribute that to the rolling nature of the course. There was a lot of time spent coasting.

On the run, my strategy was to go out at a VERY VERY easy pace. A pace I felt like I can run all day long. I was going to do this for 3 miles and then assess the situation every 2 miles from there. I ran 9:45-9:55 for the first three miles and I was really holding back. I knew that I needed to remain patient and keep focusing on my nutrition. I held the same pace until mile 5, where as mentioned I cut loose and just ran. I didn't push, but I didn't hold back. My strategy was to run only hard enough that I could hold a conversation. I talked to people as we passed each other to make sure I was holding to my strategy. My mistake on the run was not focusing on nutrition and electrolytes enough. I was drinking 8-10 ounces of water at every aid station but by mile 5 had forgotten to continue taking in calories and electrolyte caps and ultimately believe that this is where I lost a lot of time. I had a flask with 475 calories of CarboPro 1200 in it. I only consumed about half of this flask on the run, and most of that was in the first 2 miles. This certainly wasn't enough. I also only had 3 endurolyte caps at the beginning of the run, and didn't take anymore in until I was at mile 9 and cramping. Next race I will shoot to take down my entire flask before the halfway mark on the run, and I will take 3 endurolyte caps every 45mins to 1 hour. There it is, the geek report. I hope this is helpful to someone out there and I look forward to everyone's comments.

Thanks for taking the time to read this ridiculously long race report.