PETE & CORRINNE UPDATE #7
Kelli Whittaker
Pete and Corrinne are well on their way to success at the Orange County Triathlon in September. Pete continues to train like an animal and Corrinne is just getting back into the swing of things after her unfortunate cycling mishap several weeks ago. Her broken wrist is healing well and she said that she is, ”Excited to get back out on the road for the first time since the injury.”
Corrinne has been taking advantage of the CompuTrainers at Triathica. It allows her to get a great workout indoors, probably much better than out on the road, without the risk of crashing and re-injuring herself. “I really like the CompuTrainers because it is such a controlled environment. No cars, stoplights, or flats. Just me and my workout,” she explains.
One thing Corrinne has been able to do ever since the injury, even with the splint, is swimming. She is now a regular at Lake Mission Viejo and likes to swim back and forth between the buoys to get a feel for open water. Even better is the fact that the lake is the same location as the OC Tri she will be competing in. Corrinne likes the lake swimming but is still unsure about the ocean. She saw a sting ray swimming beneath her last time she swam in the ocean and has been tentative to go back.
Pete, on the other hand, had been out racing like a man possessed. He recently completed the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon and came in 10th in his age group. He felt that his swim split was a little slow and hopes to improve in that area by utilizing Triathica’s Endless Pool and going to our group swims on Wednesday nights in Corona Del Mar.
Pete and Corrinne are both diligently following the training plans they received for attending the 12-week OC Tri camp put on by Triathica. One workout in particular, a speed workout on the bike, gave Pete some trouble. “I found it difficult to hold an RPM of 120 at 300 watts. I was close but felt very tired after,” he said.
They were both very excited to get their training zone assessments completed. Pete revealed that, “Having my training zones helps keep my training session focused. I feel confident after my session when I stick by the training program.” Corrinne also finds the training zones helpful because it lets her know, “Exactly where I need to be in my workout intensity-wise. It’s hard not to waste time training at too low an intensity, but having my zones allows me to save a lot of time and train efficiently.”
Looks like everything is coming along well for both. We hope the progress keeps coming in the final months leading up to the race. Check back in with Pete and Corrinne next week to see how they are progressing.
RACE REPORT: H2O AUDIO SURF MONKEY
Sara Davis
I was contacted by one of my sponsors, Waterman’s Applied Science; which might I say is the best sunscreen company around, to do a team competition at the Surf Monkey in Oceanside, CA this past weekend. Surf Monkey is a new event, which attracts a lot of triathletes such as Michellie Jones, Kate Major, Luke Bell and other water sport enthusiasts to join in a day of fun in the sun.
Waterman’s, being mostly aimed at surfers, paddlers and stand up paddlers, asked me to be the runner in a relay event which consisted of a 5k sand run, one mile ocean swim and a four mile stand up paddle race. I quickly accepted the offer and was really excited to be doing a team event and be part of a team for the first time since my soccer days.
As the days got closer, Waterman’s kept telling how I better get a really fast run time, and that they are talking a lot of smack to the other companies in the team event such as H20 Audio and Cliff. Knowing that I wasn’t going to be completely fresh because I am not training specifically for that event I immediately got nervous. I took a look at the website and realized that I am probably going to be racing against an Ironman champion or an Olympic medallist. YIKES! I’m not quite to that level yet!
Talking to Waterman’s and doing the numbers, they figured as long as I get within four minutes of the top competitor, our team would have a very good chance of winning. I have never really met my teammates, but man, they have got to be fast if they can clean house with a four-minute gap!
Race day came along and I decided to hitch a ride at 5:00 a.m. to get down to the race. I brought my bike so I could ride back home to complete my training day. I met one of my teammates, Tyler Anderson, who was the swimmer for our team. Might I add that his breakfast of choice, in which he called power food, was a chocolate covered donut — gross! Once we got down to the race I met our paddler, Rob Rojas, who often swims with the group that I swim with at Ole Hanson Pool at noon in San Clemente. He is known for his exceptional stand up paddling skills. He’s what you would call a “ringer.”
It’s 30 minutes before the start and my legs are heavy from my brick workouts the day before. I feel nervous, realizing that the pressure is really on. I don’t want to let my team or my sponsor down! As I warm up I start to feel a little better, but still not “race day” ready. I get to the start line and I realize I am running against Luke Bell, Kate Major and Natalie Coughlin; yes an Olympic gold medal swimmer!
The gun went off and my heart jumped and I started running as fast as I could. My game plan was to run the first mile at a good fast pace and just push it as hard as I could for the last 2.1 miles. The first mile I was running with Kate Major. The course was difficult as most of it was in soft sand with rocks everywhere. My first mile was 6:28. I decided to start coasting through to save a little for a kick at the last mile. My pace dropped a bit but I did manage to give myself a little kick at the end. I finished with a time of 20:58. Luke bell finished in either the low 18’s or high 17’s. I was within three minutes! I did my job. And yes, I did beat one big name, Natalie Coughlin, but wait; she’s a swimmer not a runner. To my credit I did beat an Olympian!
Being the triathlete that I am I quickly changed into my swimsuit and did the mile swim as well. I did well and was excited to come in the middle of the pack being in a competition with many “real” swimmers!
Our swimmer, Tyler Anderson, beat the competition in the mile swim by nearly a minute and Rob Rojas, the stand up paddler, blew the competition away by six whole minutes! We won the Surf Monkey! It was awesome going up on the podium with a team holding up our big ceramic monkey on a surfboard, obviously purchased on the boarder of Mexico, probably the coolest prize I’ve ever received.
After receiving our award I got on my bike a road a solid 25 miles back home, against the wind. It felt great to be a part of a team again. I couldn’t stop smiling on my ride home; the new friends and teammates I made were awesome. I got to rub shoulders and actually compete with big names. I even got a poster signed by surfing legend Dave Kalama, yes, I felt like a huge dork asking him for his autograph. Overall it was a successful and exciting day and I cannot wait for more team competitions and to repeat our team’s win at surf monkey next year! Go Team Waterman’s!
SPRINT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TABLE
Ron Saetermoe
It appears that Orange County will be well represented with the contingent going to Australia for the World Sprint Championships, including a number of Triathica members.
We thought it might be beneficial for everyone interested to get together and talk about his or her last-minute tips and just get to know one-another. Therefore, Triathica will be hosting a roundtable on Thursday, August 27th at 6:00 p.m. for everyone that has qualified for Worlds. This event is FREE!!!
Those that have been to Worlds before can share their stories and probably provide some good advice regarding travel, workouts and the competition they can expect.
If you’re interested please let Jarrett know you’re coming.
Cheers!
Jarrett: 949.273.6223 or jarrett@triathica.com
HOT TO SAVE A LIFE
Alyson Wolfe
What would you do if something terrible happened to a family member, friend, or training partner? Would you know what to do if a good friend went into cardiac arrest on a training ride? Are you going to hope it never happens to you, or decide to be prepared just in case it does?
Triathica is happy to be hosting a CPR and AED class on Friday August 28th at 6:00 p.m.
This is a great chance to prepare yourself to handle a crisis to the best of your ability. There are many benefits to knowing CPR and how to use a defibulator properly (AED) as it can, and often does, save lives. There’s nothing valued more than life and knowing CPR and AED use can literally make the difference between life and death. CPR provided within the first four minutes of a cardiac arrest gives a person the best chance of survival.
Athletes can especially benefit from learning these skills in the case of an emergency while training. Many people train where medical help may be limited or unavailable. Many people train in places where medical help is limited or unavailable. If an athlete is faced with heart attack, drowning, or any other accident, they absolutely need to know the appropriate measures to take. If the training companions of a victim wait for medics to arrive, they may not have time to receive the treatment needed. If a person applies the CPR methods to the victim, the chance of recovery becomes greater.
All people, especially athletes, should learn the CPR techniques for saving the lives of their training partners, close friends, relatives and colleagues in a time of need. Please join us on August 28th at 6:00 p.m. at Triathica to learn these valuable techniques and life saving skills. The cost of the class is $60 per person.
If you’re interested contact Jarrett at 949.273.6223 or jarrett@triathica.com.
SPIN YOUR HEART OUT
Jarrett Pflieger
After a brief hiatus, we are excited to announce our spin classes will return on a regular schedule. We will start with two classes a week and add more as they grow in popularity. The first class will be every Tuesday morning (tomorrow) at 6:00 a.m. and the second will be every Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.
The classes are open to Triathica members and non-members. Members with a basic membership and non-members will only be charged $10.00 and $15.00 respectively ($5.00 discount). Discount packages are available as well.
If these days and times don’t work for you let us know. We want to have classes whenever it works best for the majority of our athletes. Remember, a Triathica spin class isn’t just any spin class. Our state-of-the-art CycleOps 300PT indoor cycles allow you to train with power (watts.)
One of the best features on CycleOps 300PT is that it has a built in Powertap in the rear hub. What that means is that you will be able to see how much power you are producing, measured in watts, at any time during your workout.
Measuring power is the most objective form of monitoring a cycling workout. In the past, heart rate training was the norm. There is definitely a benefit to HR training, but many outside factors can affect heart rate such as fatigue, time of day, altitude, supplements, and hundreds of other things. To get a true picture of your effort, you need to train with power.
When you know exactly how hard you pushed in any given workout, you know exactly what you need to do next time to get faster. It doesn’t make sense to lift weights without knowing how much weight you are lifting, so don’t ride an indoor cycle without knowing how much power you are producing. Continuously challenging yourself is the only way to get better.
Training out on the road is great, but how good of a workout to you really get? Stoplights, cars, tail winds, downhills, flat tires, and pedestrians can all get in the way of a good workout. Indoor cycles give you the ability to train efficiently without variables. You will work just as hard, if not harder, in a one-hour session on our CycleOps bikes than multiple hours out on the road. If you truly want to improve your cycling skills, or just have a fun workout in a group atmosphere, come check out our spin classes.
Triathica offers four main types of spin classes each with different variations: endurance, speed, power, and recovery. Each workout focuses on different aspects of a well-rounded cyclist.
To reserve your spot in a class, please call 949.273.6223 or email Jarrett@triathica.com. You can also enroll online at www.triathica.com.
