SELECTING YOUR RACE
Ron Saetermoe
Southern California is really a Mecca when it comes to triathlon races. We are very fortunate to live in an area where there are so many fantastic races. The only thing we don’t have anymore is a full Ironman.
With there being so many races how do you choose which one suits you best? Here are some ideas that may help:
– Are you a strong swimmer? If so, you should look for races that have relatively longer swims like the Redondo Beach Triathlon, which is a ½ mile swim, six-mile bike and two mile run. You could also consider races that include an ocean swim as opposed to a lake swim, for example.
– Are you a strong cyclist? If so, you should consider races with lots of hills on the bike course. If you’re like me (a slower cyclist), you look for courses that are more flat. I’m doing Ironman Arizona in November because the bike course is flatter than most.
– Do you like to travel? Last summer I had business in Detroit and just for fun decided to see if there were any triathlons in the area during the time of my trip. There was, so I signed up, borrowed a bike and raced (took 2nd place). That was a very memorable race for me.
– Do you like to socialize? I did my first Ironman last year at Coeur d’Alene because I had so many friends doing it. It was a blast because I kept seeing them around town and on the course. It was very motivational.
– How did you do last year? I tend to do a lot of races over and over again because I want to better my time from last year.
Whether you’ve got a great reason, or no reason at all, racing is fun and I hope to be doing it for a long time to come.
LAKE FOREST 4th OF JULY 5K
Jarrett Pflieger
Is there a better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than with a quick 5K before lunch on the 4th of July? Besides kicking back a few beverages and barbequing, I don’t think there is.
I planned to head down to the Lake Forest 5K on the 4th to market Triathica’s membership specials and hand out some free training zone assessment coupons. The day before the race I realized it would be hard for me to not participate in the festivities, so I signed up.
Not wanting to run alone, I tried to find some people to do it with me. The best I could get was a “maybe” from one of my friends who is not exactly the most athletic person I know — no worries. When I called race morning, I was able to change the maybe into, “Sigh…I’ll meet you at the parking lot in 15 minutes…grumble…grumble.”
I arrived at the Ralphs parking lot next to the race a little after 6 a.m. After a few Triathica marketing activities, I was ready to head down to the starting line to get my bib and race chip. I saw a few people I recognized, but not as many as I thought I was going to see having lived in Lake Forest my whole life.
Jarrett
I think I underestimated how slow my friend was. After a few seconds moving at a snails pace I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to just go for it and turned it into a workout and a good time-trial benchmark. I darted to the outside and began passing people. The first part of the course was just under a mile long and slightly downhill. I love downhill.
I felt great for the first mile, I think I easily ran sub-6 and the only people ahead of me were all the 120-pound cross-country kids from El Toro High School, one or two girls, and a dude in a dog costume.
He had to have been a cross-country runner because the dog was flying. I’m pretty sure he ended up beating me, which is pretty embarrassing, oh well.
The rest of the race went pretty well. I slowed down a bit on a long uphill section, but made up most of the ground I had lost on the downhill. There was a girl in front of me most of the time that I was determined to pass, but didn’t want to make my move too soon. Typical man, right?
We came around the last turn on what I thought was the home stretch. I kept looking ahead to see if there were any more turns or detours we had to make. Then it looked like some people were veering right onto another detour from the finish line. I didn’t have a watch on, but it felt like it should have just been straight to the finish line from there.
My eyes must have been playing tricks on me because there was no turn, just about 800 meters until the finish. Time to turn on the boosters. I managed to pass probably around 10 people in the final stretch. One guy I recognized from high school tried to match my speed. I knew for a fact he was a cross-country runner back in the day and he still looked in good shape, but somehow I was able to hold him off.
I crossed the finish line but did not get a look at the time and had no watch. A guy came up behind me and thanked me for pushing him hard. I guess we had gone back and forth the whole race and my final surge helped him push himself harder. He said his time was around 19:40 so I figured I was in the 19:30 range.
After more marketing duties, I left to go run some errands. I kept thinking about my time and knew I wouldn’t be able to wait for them to post the results online. I decided to swing back by the race and check it out. They were already halfway through the award ceremony and I strolled over to look at the standings.
Jarrett Pflieger – Div (3)
3rd place? Could this be right? This was my first 5K, how could I possibly have made the podium? I waited around for the ceremony to end and walked up to the announcers. I asked to see the award standings for 20-24 year olds. Somehow the winner’s time didn’t show up on the initial results printout I was looking at. I ended up taking 4th and missing out on a medal by less than 30 seconds. Bummer.
Overall I was very happy with my time (19:33) and pace (6:18). I plan to ramp up my training for the Pacific Coast and OC Triathlons and hopefully improve my run splits. Can’t wait for my next 5K to test how my training is coming along!
PETE AND CORRINNE UPDATE #2
Kelli Whittaker
Pete and Corrinne
Although the path to becoming a triathlete is exhilarating, it has been challenging for Corrinne because of her history as a long distance runner. Accustomed to four to five hour runs, she now needs to break up her training into three very different sports. The change has been challenging, but she says that it has been well worth it. She loves the fact that you get to change things up. One challenge she has recently faced is changing the way she runs. Now she takes short, fast runs instead of long, slow runs, so that her body starts to adapt to the new fast pace.
She also just completed her first ocean swim this past Wednesday at Triathica’s group swim at Big Corona. After the swim she said that she was ecstatic. She is normally deathly afraid of swimming in the ocean because of her extreme fear of sharks, but she put the fear behind her and did very well. She realized that she actually is a much stronger swimmer than she had thought and believes that with a little more training she will be comfortable in the water.
Pete a “returnee” to the sport of triathlon just completed the Breath of Life Triathlon in Ventura. It was his first triathlon in awhile and he really enjoyed the race. He said that it was a “flat, fast race.” He finished 8th in his age group and was happy with his overall performance. He was pleasantly surprised with his biking and attributes some of his success to his training on Triathica’s CompuTrainers. He also realized that he needs to focus on getting a faster 10K split.
Pete will be joining Corrinne in the 12-week training camp hosted by Triathica and looks forward to seeing the improvement and knowledge he gains form the experience. Look for an update on Pete and Corrinne’s training progress in next week’s newsletter.
SOCIAL NIGHT
Indoor CompuTrainer Race
Every week we’re going to try to put together a social event for all of our members, and non-members just to promote the great sport of triathlon. Last week we enjoyed watching the 2008 Ironman World Championships. This week we’re going to try something a little different.
Triathica is excited to offer a chance for you to race the Orange County International Triathlon bike course this Friday, July 17th. Just one little twist, we will do it indoors, at the Triathica triathlon training center in Lake Forest.
With our CompuTrainer MultiRider system, we can have up to six riders at once set up their own bike on a computer simulated course that mimics what will be experienced at the actual race. The computer controlled trainer will simulate climbs and descents in the course by increasing or decreasing the resistance applied to your back tire. Seriously, it feels like the real thing, maybe even a little bit harder.
During the course you will be able to see your cadence, heart rate, watts, speed, and tons of other data on the screen while you race. This is an incredible tool to help you monitor how your body performs under race conditions.
This is a great opportunity for a fun and competitive training session, practice for the actual OC Triathlon, or a way to prove you are as good as you think you are on the bike.
Even if you don’t really want to compete and just want to try out the CompuTrainer, definitely feel free to come in and ride the course for a good workout. No pressure whatsoever.
We will be giving out prizes to the fastest male and female of the day. Its only $5 to race, so hurry and reserve your spot today. Call 949.273.6223 or email Jarrett.Pflieger@triathica.com to RSVP.
Date: Friday, July 15th
Time: Starting at 5:00 p.m. and going until?
Cost: $5.00 each
RSVP: Jarrett@triathica.com
FEAR OF THE SWIM
Ron Saetermoe
Swim
The swim is a challenge for a number of reasons, not least of which, is that the swim can dictate how the rest of your race goes. If you have a lousy swim you may have troubles getting back to your original race plan mentally. If you have a great swim it will set you up for a great race.
No matter how well you swim you still have to deal with the pre-race jitters, all of the contact during the swim start, and the shear exhaustion of the event.
So what can you do to improve? Here are a few tips:
– Get confident in your swim: Get a swim coach to look at your form and give you feedback. Your approach here should be to focus on improving one or two major flaws in your stroke and then refine it. If you or your coach has access to an underwater swim camera, this can do wonders for trying to fine tune your stroke. It helps if you can actually see yourself swimming and get a visual of what you are doing wrong.
– Practice your swim start: After a short warm-up in the pool (or other venue), let your heart rate return to normal then go hard for 100 – 200 yards/meters before settling into your race pace. This will help you get used to racing as you will usually go hard for a while before settling into race pace.
– Practice sighting: You should swim in the open water (lake or ocean) whenever you get the opportunity. When you don’t have lane lines to see where you are going you have to rely on sighting to make sure you are swimming in a straight line. Once in my groove, I sight every 16 strokes. I literally count my strokes during my race to make sure I’m sighting frequently enough and it takes my mind off the pain!
– Swim blind: Another good drill is to practice swimming with your eyes closed. Please don’t try this when there are other swimmers in your lane because you will probably go off course. This will help you understand which arm is most dominant in the swim. Understanding this will help keep you going in a straight line while racing.
Of course, there are many more things you can do, but this should be a good start for you.
To learn more about our swim coaching with Triathica, give us a call at 949.273.6223 or email at Jarrett@triathica.com. We also have an underwater CoachCam and Dartfish video analysis software we can use to enhance your coaching session.
Cheers!
MEET PETE AND CORRINNE
If you’ve been by the club lately you may have already met Corrinne Wallace because she works the front desk here. Corrinne also is in charge of mapping our rides and runs and is sort of our social coordinator.
Pete is a friend of ours that has been a triathlete for many years. He’s a dedicated runner now and coaches running at Snails Pace.
If you pick up a copy of Competitor Magazine you’ll see our latest ad on page 36. The “Transform” ad features Pete and Corrinne in the ad as our “heros” that landed on the mystical island of Triathica.
Essentially, Pete and Corrinne are our “test subjects.” We have already put them through their training zone assessments and will be working with them in the months ahead. They will be attending our 12-week training camp, and will follow the 9-week training plan prescribed in the camp.
Corrinne is a “newbie” and Pete is returning to the sport. They are both ultra-marathoners, which besides meaning they’re crazy, means they race distances in excess of a normal 26.2-mile marathon. Some of these races go 100+ miles.
You’ll be seeing more of them around Triathica and www.triathica.com. When you see them chat them up because they’re both really neat people.
MOVIE NIGHT
Movie Night
Date: Friday, July 10th
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Showing: 2008 Ironman World Championships
Serving: Pizza
NEWBIES WELCOME (Ron Saetermoe)
We were all newbies (triathlon virgins) once. My first race was in Iowa back in 1983. Like a lot of us, a friend of mine talked me into my first triathlon – a friend that didn’t even do the race!
Since I didn’t have a bike (a lot of newbies don’t) I borrowed one from a friend of mine. It was a beautiful Schwinn 10-speed. Reflectors, headlight, fenders and all. After I took all that crap off, I was ready to race.
Keep in mind that back in 1983 the sport was still pretty new. In Iowa they hadn’t figured out how to spell t-r-i-a-t-h-l-o-n yet. So as far as knowing how to train, how to nourish yourself or even the rules, no one had a clue.
I remember practicing on my friend’s bike the morning of the race (that’s right, I hadn’t ridden before race day). I was all decked out in my Adidas sweat suit looking fast. A young girl that was there with her parents said “Boy he sure looks fast.” Funny, I haven’t had anyone say that since . . .
Coming from a swimming background I was first out of the water (out of ALL athletes – all 50 or so of us) in this super-sprint triathlon (even shorter than the normal sprint distance). Feeling great, I jumped on the Schwinn and sped off, promptly getting passed by most of the field. My arms cramped up so bad I had to massage them as I rode.
By the time I got to the run I was so exhausted I was forced to walk at one point (this was a 5K run). My “friend” caught up to me and urged me to go faster. At that point I was calculating his early demise.
Anyway, that was my first race – one I will never forget – I had survived and could now call myself a triathlete the rest of my life.
We were all newbies once so don’t fret if you’re a newbie now. We can help you get through it. Then, you can reflect back on the days when YOU were a newbie.
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS
Week of July 27th
All of our group workouts are free to all members and non-members, so come on out!
We want everyone to enjoy our group workouts but we should clarify the intent. The intent of the group workouts is to “workout.” Yes, it includes a social element. Yes, your Triathica host is happy to give you tips. But please be aware that everyone there is attempting to get a workout in at his or her own pace. If we all go at the slowest person’s pace many people won’t be getting in a proper workout. We will attempt to pair you up with another athlete so you’re not left alone.
All of our group workouts are free to all members and non-members, so come on out!
Week of July 13th
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Big Corona near the lifeguard station next to the jetty (Regular Location)
Day: Wednesday, July 29th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops around the buoys
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, August 1st
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Planned Workout: 1 loop around Santiago Canyon
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, August 2nd
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Planned Workout: 9 miles through Whiting Ranch
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Big Corona – Corona Del Mar From the 405 N take the Jamboree Road Exit Make a left at Jamboree Turn left at Macarthur Boulevard Turn left on to CA-1 Pacific Coast Highway Turn Right on Marguerite Turn right on Ocean Boulevard Turn Left at Breakers Drive Turn left to stay on Breakers Drive |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the 5 Freeway: Exit Bake Pkwy and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Pkwy South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building |
COEUR D’ ALENE IRONMAN JUNE 2009
by Larry (Lar-Dog) Davidson
2,153 eager triathletes gathered on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene (CDA) to participate in the 7th running of the Ford Ironman CDA ’09 edition. The road to my 5th Ironman was another very enjoyable ride, and one that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life; just like the other four. It will also put an end to my “once per year” Ironman races I have done since 2005.
Much of this Ironman was about me (as usual), but in many ways it was very much about a rising endurance athletic star, Scott Callender. I work with Scott (affectionately known as “Scooter”), and I think it was my bright idea for him to get involved in triathlon in the first place.
My training leading up to the race was terrific, and I have numerous training partners that I have enjoyed spending time with in the pool, riding our bikes throughout Southern California, and numerous runs, with the best of those being in Aliso & Wood Canyons.
The posse of Quinton, Art, and Scott converged on Coeur d’Alene, and we all trained using different methods and coaches. In the end, we all put it “out there” during the race, and I am proud of my commitment, effort, and race performance. I am also proud of Quint, Art, and Scott. All three of these men motivate me in many ways, and I am blessed to call them friends.
A constant at each of my Ironman events has been my sweetheart wife, Kim Marie. She has not been feeling so great the last few months, so for her to volunteer her entire day at Ironman and help out, was unbelievable. She is my rock when I race, and Lar- Dog needs his rock.
My training was spot on throughout the year, and I had some really terrific racing events leading up to this Ironman event. My racing since January included three half marathons, an Olympic distance triathlon, a century (100 mile) bike event in the ridiculous hills of Santa Monica, and 2 half Ironman events. Suffice to say, on race day I was ready to rumble.
The weather leading up to the event was all over the board. One day it was predicted to be in the 80’s, and then it was supposed to be windy, rainy, and cool. I have raced in super cold (Wisconsin in ’06), and VERY hot (Hawaii in ’07). The other obvious fact is that everyone who races, gets to enjoy whatever weather race day brings, so I just say “bring it.”
Kim & I arrived in Idaho on Wednesday, which gave me plenty of time to get my bearings and to swim, bike, and run some parts of the Ironman course. It started off with a Thursday swim in the beautiful and majestic waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. As I pulled up my wetsuit, I was joined by Ironmates Quinton, Art, and Anna. Once we began the swim, I could not help but take immediate note of the gallons of water I was seemingly swallowing, and the waves pushing me around. I couldn’t believe a lake swim could have such conditions, and hoped it was just a windy day that was causing this. (More on the delightful swim later.)
Later on Thursday, the same group did a bike ride, which was basically a tour of the Ironman run segment. I was happy to see the run course, and thought that it would provide for a pretty quick marathon as the terrain was relatively flat, with only one biggish hill.
I ran on Friday for about 20 minutes, and Saturday was basically a day off my feet, with no training.
Isn’t this interesting and fun to know all the great details about me and my training? OK…time to just tell you about the race and the day in general.
I must say that I was very stoked to have numerous friends and acquaintances participating in the race, along with a lot of spectators that I know. The double loop swim, bike, run, allows competitors and spectators to see each other frequently throughout the day, and that is a real kick in the pants.
The Swim
Here’s the deal. This was the hardest, most difficult swim I have done…ever…period. I was warned about this, but I must not have believed it. I struggled mightily on the outbound swim leg. The wind was pushing the water and the waves were smashing into me. All the while I had big trouble breathing, and was sucking in that nice lake water. I don’t think I swam a very straight line either, and that compounded the problem. Basically, I wanted to quit and go home. Fetal position seemed like a nice option, but damn it, I am a freakin’ Ironman, and I will not give up that easily!
The first turn buoy was a total mess of people that were completely stopped and treading water; what a joke. I finally found relief on the trip back to shore, as the wind was at my back. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I had to do another freakin’ loop of the swim and enjoy the pounding once again! I exited the swim winning the battle, but concerned that I may have lost the war. My swim was a very poor time for me: 1h18’. I was 51st on the swim in my age group: how pathetic!
The Bike
I jumped on the Lar-Dog Lucero and busted the move for my 112-mile adventure. I rode VERY smartly and held myself back in the first 50 to 60 miles. Trust me, I was working hard, but I was holding back just a “bit” for the first 3 hours. At around the halfway mark of the bike, who should I pull up next to other than my training partner…SCOOTER! He was all smiles and encouraging as usual.
I started putting more effort into the ride as it progressed, and I ended up with a great bike time of 5h37’. My average speed was just under 20MPH. This is a hilly course in many sections, and I was 100%+ jazzed at my execution of a very solid Ironman bike split. I moved up a bunch in my age group off the bike, and was in 13th place when I entered the 2nd transition area.
The Run
I am a strong cyclist, but an even stronger runner. I zoomed through T2, and began to see how may old bastards (males 50 to 54, look out!), that I could “run down.” Kim was there and she cheered me on numerous times, and every time I saw her throughout the day, I was extra motivated. I have no “bigger fan” than my sweetie Kimmie.
For pacing, I run with a Garmin (GPS)…and guess what, it was frozen up and inoperable; thus I was without a stopwatch. Have no fear though…Kim to the rescue. She grabbed my backup watch, and handed it to me at mile three. What a God send!
I quickly got my running legs beneath me, and felt decent as I started to click off the miles. At mile seven, I had my first serious hamstring cramp. I ended up stopping numerous times throughout the run to stretch them out, as they cramped badly and stopped me dead in my tracks. I also was taking in a lot of fluids, and made three porta potty stops. None of this crap helps your time, but there is really no choice than to deal with it as quick as you can and move on.
I had an unbelievable battle with another age group competitor on the run. He and I traded places several times, and at the end, he was just too much for me and got me by about a minute! I tip my hat to him, as I gave it my all, and he was better. I ran a personal best Ironman marathon of 3h41’, and was 6’ shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. It has been a goal of mine to qualify for Boston in an Ironman.
The Finish
My run moved me into 9th place in my age group, and 7’ from garnering a slot to Kona (you know, the Hawaii Ironman). I am disappointed I didn’t “punch my ticket” back to the big dance, but it is truly bittersweet. I now will have a whole lot different type of summer (not having to train for Hawaii), and can look to get my “endurance fix” doing some other “cool” events or things.
One of my takeaways from this year is a deeper sense of appreciation for simply having a lifestyle, and the ability, and body to be able to participate in these kinds of things. I am blessed beyond measure, and I will continue to be grateful for all that God has given me. I am proud of Scooter who became an Ironman, and I am thankful for my training pals who I have gotten to know on a more personal level in the past months.
Finally
If you have read this far, congratulations. Now this is the important part…
Go out and do YOUR Ironman. Life is short. Your Ironman is whatever you want in life…something that takes hard work and determination. Something that you need to learn, something that stretches you beyond your little comfortable zone that I suspect you are hanging out in.
There is sweetness and a life-long satisfaction in attempting to do something that is hard, different, and new…and something that not every civilian will or can do.
When I trained this year, my theme was to “Do today what others won’t, so that I can do tomorrow, what others can’t.” It’s time for you to find your IRONMAN!
