Pace Strategies for race day!

You have successfully trained for your race. As the big day approaches, you begin to contemplate race-pace strategies. Should you be conservative or go for broke?
The answer depends on your current fitness level, the race distance, your predicted race finish time and your racing experience.
At any distance, the first concern is fitness level. If you consider your fitness level low, your initial choice should be a pace that enables you to comfortably complete the event. If you feel fantastic at the halfway mark during the run, then go ahead and pick up the pace.

The second consideration is race distance and current fitness. While distance is the same for every competitor in the race, the time spent on the course is not. You need to predict, based on your current fitness (not the fitness and speed you dream of having), how long it will take you to complete the event.

Race strategies
Listed in this column are some general race strategies. These strategies reference training and racing zones. You can find a guide to heart rate and rating of perceived exertion related to the zones here http://www.active.com/images/activeTrainer/Training_Intensity.pdf

For races in the 1:00 to 1:30 range:
Low fitness: Keep the entire race at Zone 1 or 2 intensity.
Medium fitness: Include a warmup on the bike or running (15 to 20 minutes) and in the water (five to 10 minutes) before the race begins. Begin each leg of the event at Zone 2 intensity, and then gradually increase to Zone 4 to 5a intensity. Most of each leg will be done at Zone 4 intensity.
High fitness: Warm up on the bike (20 to 30 minutes), by running (10 to 15 minutes) and in the water (10 to 15 minutes) before the race begins. Include a couple of 60- to 90-second efforts at race pace near the end of each warmup segment. Begin each event at low-Zone 4 intensity and finish at 5a. The bike can include some short efforts above 5a. The run can begin at Zone 4 to 5a intensity and finish the last mile with what you have left, possibly in Zone 5b.

For races in the 1:30 to 3:00 range:
Low fitness: Keep the entire race at Zone 1 to 2 intensity.
Medium fitness: Include a short warmup on the bike or running (10 to 20 minutes) and in the water (five to 10 minutes) before the race begins. Begin each leg of the event at Zone 2 intensity and get settled in. Plan to race each leg in a negative-split manner, with the second half of each leg to include effort at Zone 3 to Zone 5a intensity.
High fitness: Include a warmup on the bike (10 to 20 minutes) and running (five to 10 minutes) and in the water (five to 10 minutes) before the race begins. Include a couple of 60- to 90-second efforts at race pace near the end of each warmup segment. Begin each event at Zone 2 to 3 intensity. Plan to increase to Zone 4 to 5a intensity during the second half of the bike and after the first mile or two on the run.

For races in the 3:00 to 5:00 range:
Low fitness: Keep the entire race at Zone 1 to 2 intensity.
Medium fitness: Include a short warmup on the bike or running (10 to 20 minutes) and in the water (five to 10 minutes) before the race begins. Begin each leg of the event at Zone 1 to 2 intensity and get settled in. Plan to race each leg in a negative-split manner, with the second half of each leg to include a good deal of Zone 3 intensity.
High fitness: Include a warmup on the bike (10 to 20 minutes) and running (five to 10 minutes) and in the water (five to 10 minutes) before the race begins. Include a couple of 60- to 90-second efforts at race pace near the end of each warmup segment. Begin each leg at Zone 1 to 2, and plan to include a good deal of Zone 3 intensity. You can also include Zone 4 to 5a intensity, accumulating to about an hour to two hours on the bike and the run combined. How much time you accumulate at this intensity depends on your racing experience and predicted finish time.

Races that are 5:00 or more:
Low fitness: Keep the entire race at Zone 1 to 2 intensity. Begin the first half of each leg at Zone 1. If you feel great, increase to Zone 2 in the second half of the leg.
Medium fitness: Begin each leg of the event at Zone 1 to 2 intensity to get settled in. Plan to race each leg in a negative-split manner, racing faster during the second half. The speed changes are subtle, so this may mean beginning at Zone 1 intensity and including low-Zone 3 on hills and in the second half of the leg. How much you spend in the higher zones depends on your racing experience and predicted finish time.
High fitness: A short warmup is optional, with 10 to 20 minutes on the bike or a short jog of five to 10 minutes. Get in the water and swim for about five minutes to settle in. Begin each leg at Zone 1 to 2, planning to spend most of it at high Zone 2. You can accumulate some Zone 3 intensity, around an hour to two hours on the bike and the run combined, depending on your racing experience and predicted finish time.

Discover what works best for you
These guidelines are very generalized. You need to develop your own pacing strategies for a given race distance and course. If you carry high fitness into the event, you can afford to push the pace higher and longer on race day than someone with low fitness.
If you don't have a lot of race experience, I recommend a more conservative approach by keeping the intensities on the low side. This strategy is most conducive to having a positive experience and creating the desire to race again. You can strategize for a faster event next time.
An experienced racer that would like to increase their speed but is worried about blowing up before the end of the race should experiment at a lower priority event. Pick a race you can designate as a test, and make a deal with yourself to push the limits, being aware that if you blow-up, at least you'll know where that red line is.
On the other hand, this experimental event may prove you are faster than you thought.

By Gale BernhardtFor Active.com

Something else I do on race day:
Sit in a quiet place, think how my race is going to go- that means I visualize every part of the race from the swim, transition, bike, transition, run and finish and of course always eating my Gummie bears on my bike and maybe my run...

Remember to live in the moment and have fun!
Life is what you make it!

Fish love toenails as bait! SEE who needs worms!

Giddy- up Tracie and Ron! This is what we do at 5:15 am we show off our hot looks in our wet suits, then we go swim hubba, hubba sunshine's!

5:30 am swim

Gary the first one in the water with the fish!

Ron, Danni, Gary and little Tracie

Danni, Ron, Tracie and Steve
The 6:00 am group

Way to AWESOME!!!

New Fitness Event for Participants with Special Needs

A NEW event is coming to Northeastern Wisconsinthis summer and for the first time people with special needs will have the opportunity to participate in a triathlon. The "Physically Challenged" High Cliff Triathlon will live up to the motto of "Events for all abilities, all ages and all fun." Distances will be based on each athlete's individual ability and the cost to race is FREE!

The event will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 23rd at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood and will kick off the 4th Annual High Cliff Half Ironman and Sprint Triathlon on Sunday, June 24th.

All athletes participating in the special triathlon will get all of the perks! T-Shirt, goodie bag, medal, food and fun after the event.

Also featured on June 23rd will be a presentation by guest speaker Dick Hoyt at Kaukauna High School at 5 p.m. Hoyt, along with his son Rick, have competed in many triathlons and make up this father and son duo, Team Hoyt. What makes their team so motivational is that they participate together while Dick pulls, bikes and pushes his son Rick from the start to finish. Rick was born with cerebral palsy and together with his father they have crossed hundreds of finish lines. His inspirational talk on incorporating people who are physically challenged into every day life is free and open to the public.

Organizers are asking anyone wishing to participate to first contact our office at 800-429-8044 or 920-338-8741 to assist in registration as well as developing the individual distances for each athlete.

For more information visit midwestsportsevents.com, call 800-429-8044 or email gloria@midwestsportsevents.com

Steve something to think about!

Thought for the Month
If you find yourself with the wind at your back in a road race, it's probably because you made a wrong turn at the last intersection. -- Dave Bange

heheheeeee

A group of us went to do the Madison 1/2 marathon Last weekend, Jim, I and Steve decided that we would run together the whole race.
We did the run 5 min. then walk 1 min. this was so fun.

My Little Triathlete!

Look at the arms on him those are swimmers arms


He's ready to tear it up!

Looking great in those Tri shorts of mine!

Try this site out!

www.mapmyride. com

Again: Some of you have been asking me about my schedule here it is!

Tentative Race Schedule
Here it is....2007 Race Schedule -
April 28: (Saturday) UW-L Coulee Duathlon- Out of town
May 5: (Saturday) St. Claire Health Mission Half-Marathon - Out of town
May 27: (Sunday) Mad-City Half-Marathon, Madison, WI ?????
June 2: (Saturday) Table Rock 5k West Salem WI
June 3: (Sunday) June Dairy Day Bike ride 62 miles West Salem, WI
June 10: (Sunday) Got Energy Triathlon (Olympic Distance), West Salem, WI
June 16: (Saturday) Grandma’s Half-Marathon, Duluth, MN
June 24: (Sunday) High Cliff Half-Ironman, Appleton, WI
June 30: (Saturday) B. P time trial Onalaska WI
July 7: (Saturday) Chileda Classic (10K Run), LaCrosse, WI
July 14: (Saturday) Lake Geode Triathlon (Olympic Distance), Burlington, IA
July 21: (Saturday) Castle Rock Triathlon (Sprint Distance), Adams, WI
July 22: (Sunday) Spirit of Racine Half-Ironman, Racine, WI
July 29 (Sunday) Chisago City Half Ironman Chisago MN
August 12: (Sunday) Oshkosh Olympic Triathlon
August 26: (Sunday) Ironman Louisville, KY
September 16: (Sunday) Tri-Quest (run-bike-golf) Maybe : )
September 23 (Sunday) Irongirl Bloomington Duathlon MN
September 29: (Saturday) Maple Leaf Races (5 mile run)
October 6: (Saturday) Dam Challenge (canoe-bike-run), LaFarge, WI
November 3: (Saturday) Ironman Florida

A little Note: The best thing about doing races like this, I can travel all over, do what I love to do, and have both my boys with me at all the races, unless it doesn't fall on my weekend! :)

Always Remember "Life is GOOD/GREAT and it is what you make it"!

Speedwork in Disquise

We demand our muscles to perform at a rate for which they are not conditioned. The truth is, our bodies can't supply the blood and oxygen that our hip flexors require to meet certain demands. Have you neglected working regular hill drills into your routine? Do you do them but don't know why? Do you vary the type of workouts you do? How do you approach the hill?
One of the most famous proponents of hill training is Olympic coach Arthur Lydiard. His hill circuit training requires the athlete to bound (focus on horizontal motion) or leap (focus on vertical motion) up the hill. Lydiard concentrated a great deal on hill running form to promote efficiency. Driving the knees, for example, is one aspect on which to focus -- as well as toeing-off and slapping the heel to the buttocks.
When done at a slower pace, a runner can focus more on technique and may actually feel more soreness than they expect from drill-like repeats. Consider a weight routine in which you are lifting and lowering the weight more slowly -- it hurts more. Gravity is our resistance on the hills.
The first cycle of hill workouts in Lydiard's ideal season is geared towards strength. It consists of 6-8 repeats on a 1,000-meter moderate incline. As the season progresses and the focus changes to explosive speed, the repeats increase to 8-10 and the length of the hill shrinks to 275 meters. The stride down the hill is always fast but in control.
Before the next hill repeat, Lydiard had his runners run about 250 meters at between 800 and 1,600 pace. For Lydiard, who primarily trained track athletes, hill workouts focused on building mileage after the base phase. However, incorporating hills throughout the season proves an effective way to improve efficiency without peaking too early.
Speed up
According to Stacy Osborne, an avid runner and podiatrist in the Cincinnati area, many of us don't address our biomechanics, one of the most controllable aspects of our training and keys to improvement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the leg on the ground that's primarily responsible for generating the power for forward velocity.
Rather, it's the non-weight-bearing leg -- the leg in the swing phase -- that generates momentum by creating a tug on the runner's center of gravity as it swings forward. The foot on the ground acts as a lever, and the runner is thus propelled forward. Those muscles responsible for this power stroke, the key hip flexors, are the illiacus, psoas major and psoas minor. These are also some of the most important muscles for cyclists, recruited during the pulling-up phase.
One of the best ways to strengthen those hip flexors and improve the power of our swing phase is with hill repeats. As we gain strength, our chances of getting injured are diminished, and we gain mental confidence. Once you've done 15 X 2:00 of a steep hill, 1:00 climbing a similar incline in a race will look like a mole hill. This is because running hills improves speed.
Your effort increases as you run up a hill, even if you reduce your pace. So, in a race, the best way to run a hill is to maintain effort and forget about pace while on the hill -- even effort is the surest route to a faster time. Trying to maintain pace on the hill is like surging and varying the body's perceived effort, which will only tire you prematurely in the long run.

How else can you build tireless, feisty, power strokes using hill workouts? One way to maintain volume is to do hill fartleks (Swedish for "speed play"). Pick a course with hills and focus on surging up the hills. If you're doing strict hill repeats, try varying the pace. For example, if you are doing four sets of three hills, do the first at 5k pace and the second at 10k pace.
Focus on slow and exaggerated form on the third hill. Instead of varying the pace at which you run, you can vary the hill lengths themselves. If you are working in a group, pair up and run them like a relay such that your rest depends on how long it takes your partner to get up and down the hill.
Should you decide to run hills by time (i.e. 90 seconds on five hills), mark how far you get each time with a rock or little flag. Try to reach or beat that landmark each repeat. It is also good practice to try to surge over and past the crest of the hill.
The mental factor determines how well we run on hills. Many of us see hill repeats as an opportunity to practice conquering or attacking the hill. One tactic is to approach the hill as a friend rather than foe.
Another helpful piece of imagery is to imagine strings attached to your hands -- and the string ends tied to a point at the top of the hill. As you pump your arms and thrust your elbows behind you, imagine the strings providing you leverage to pull yourself up more easily. You don't have to turn your mind off to escape negative, self-defeating talk; instead, recruit your mind to help you.
As runners, triathletes need to recognize the importance of strengthening our hip flexor muscles. Strong flexors help us maintain a grueling pace, attack a hill, kick with speed on the flats, and protect our bodies from injury. They are an integral piece of training year-round and, with variation, can make us more efficient runners and cyclists.

By Amanda McCracken For Active.com

Go ahead, be king of the hill!

MMMMmmmm good!

The pre-race meal

By Matt FitzgeraldFor Active.com

Every meal is important, but no meal is more important than the one before a race. Choosing the wrong foods, eating too much or too little, or eating at the wrong time can affect your performance and possibly ruin your race, or at least make your performance less than optimal. Eating the right pre-race meal at the right time ensures that all your hard training doesn't go to waste.
The main purpose of the pre-race meal is to fill your liver with glycogen, especially if it precedes a morning race. Liver glycogen fuels your nervous system while you sleep, and as a result, your liver is roughly 50 percent glycogen-depleted when you wake up in the morning. Your muscles, inactive during the night, remain fully glycogen loaded from the previous day.
Timing
Timing is perhaps the most important consideration. The ideal time for a pre-race meal is about four hours before the race, because it's early enough to digest and store a large amount of energy (i.e. a large number of calories), yet late enough that this energy won't be used up by race time.
Most running races start early in the morning, and since sleep is also important, it's often impossible to eat a full breakfast four hours before the horn sounds. That's okay. It's usually possible to eat at least two hours out. While you won't safely be able to eat as much this close to race time, you can still eat enough.
The appropriate size of your pre-race meal depends on three factors: the duration of your race, your size and the timing of the meal. The longer the race you're competing in and the heavier you are, the larger your pre-race meal should be. The closer your pre-race meal falls to the race start, the smaller it must be. If you're able to eat four hours out, you can safely consume up to 1,000 calories. If you eat just two hours before the start, eat a smaller meal of 300 to 400 calories.
What to eat
At least 80 percent of the calories you consume in your pre-race meal should come from carbohydrates. Keep your protein, and especially your fat and fiber consumption low. These nutrients take up space that are better utilized by carbohydrate. Also avoid gas-producing foods such as onions.
The types of carbohydrate are not important. While some studies have shown a performance benefit associated with eating a low-glycemic index (GI) meal rather than a high-GI meal before exercise, these meals were eaten just 30 minutes before exercise (the worst possible time for a high-GI meal, because blood glucose levels tend to decrease about 30 minutes after a high-GI meal). Recall that in a high-GI meal, carbohydrates enter the bloodstream very quickly, whereas in a low-GI meal, carbs enter the bloodstream at a lower rate.) In studies involving a more sensibly timed pre-exercise meal, the glycemic index of the meal has had no effect on performance.
Choose foods and drinks that are not only easily-digested, but also easily-consumed -- especially if you're prone to nervousness. Few athletes have their usual hearty appetite on race mornings, but the butterflies in their stomach usually permit consumption of soft, bland foods such as oatmeal and bananas.
A liquid meal such as a breakfast shake is another good choice, as long as it's high in carbohydrate and low in protein, fat and fiber. If you don't have a ritual pre-race meal, try various options and pay careful attention to the results. As with your pre-race dinner, once you've settled upon a pre-race breakfast that works well, stick with it.
Here are my choices for the five best foods to eat (or drink) before a race:
BagelA bagel makes an excellent pre-race breakfast food, not only because it's rich in carbohydrate, bland and easily-digested, but also because it's something many runners eat for breakfast routinely, hence familiar. Eat it dry or top it with something low in fat such as a light smearing of reduced fat cream cheese.
BananaBananas are almost all carbohydrate. A large banana contains more than 30 grams of carbohydrate, just one gram of protein and no fat whatsoever. Bananas are also high in potassium (400 mg), which is lost in sweat during running. As mentioned above, their softness and light taste make them easy to consume even with pre-race nerves, and their natural "wrapper" makes them handy for eating on the road.
Energy BarEnergy bars such as PowerBar and ClifBar are made to be eaten before exercise. Most are very high in carbohydrates and low in fiber, fat and protein. The better bars also contain useful amounts of sodium, potassium and the antioxidant vitamins C and E. A cappuccino flavor PowerBar, for example, contains 45 g of carbohydrate, 110 mg each of sodium and potassium, 35 percent of the recommended daily allowance of magnesium and 100 percent of the RDA of vitamins C and E.
There's a huge variety of energy bars on the market -- some are better than others. Choose one that's close to the PowerBar formula I just outlined. Avoid the high-protein, low-carb bars that have become popular in recent years. The advantage of the wide selection of bars on the market is that it's easy to find one you like and can eat without unpleasantness before a race. Pay attention to texture too. Some bars are very chewy, and for some runners (myself included) eating chewy foods tends to exacerbate the stomach churning that's associated with pre-race nervousness.
Meal Replacement ShakeI drink one or two meal replacement shakes before almost every race. Brands such as Boost and Ensure have a nearly perfect nutrition profile, they take care of energy and hydration needs, they're super-convenient, and nothing is easier to consume before a race -- even if you're extremely anxious. And they taste good.
Ensure, for example, delivers a whopping 250 calories of energy in a little eight-ounce can, including 40 grams of carbohydrate. The one downside to these beverages is their efficiency. By providing so much nutrition in such little volume, they are not as filling as solid foods and can actually leave you feeling hungry in the middle of a marathon if you rely on them solely.
In the same general category as meal replacement shakes are performance recovery drinks including Endurox R4 and Ultragen. They are normally used immediately after exercise, but they can also be used for the purpose of pre-race fueling. They are sold as powders that you mix with water. Because these drinks are slightly more diluted than meal replacement drinks, they do an even better job of hydrating and fueling simultaneously.
OatmealLike bananas, oatmeal is almost pure carbohydrate, plus soft and light in taste. It is also the most filling food among the five best pre-race foods, which is good for those wanting something substantial in their belly before they head out to burn a few thousand calories. Some runners also prefer to eat a real breakfast food for breakfast, and oatmeal certainly provides that.
Oatmeal requires preparation that can be more challenging on the road than at home. If your hotel room has a microwave oven, you're all set as long as you've brought some kind of bowl with you. If there's no microwave oven, you can use the coffee maker to heat water.
There are so many factors we must think about before a big race. Following these guidelines can help you deal with one of the most important elements

Now this would be fun!

Will Having a “Long Stroke” Help in Triathlon Swimming?

There is some debate going on in the triathlon world about whether it is important to have a long stroke in freestyle, and if so, how can this be developed?Being long means extending your arm and gliding with each arm stroke. It also means getting more out of your stroke while saving energy (ideal for triathletes).Don't get me wrong, you can achieve a lot with a shorter stroke- in fact you could go very fast this way. However, for most people, especially the beginner crowd, this stroke is just not efficient enough to allow them to swim 1/2-1 mile, and still have a good amount of energy to tackle 20-40 miles on the bike, and an additional 5-10 mile run.
Very True!
The mistake people make is comparing competitive pool swimmers who swim 50, 100, 200, or 400 meters as either an all out sprint or a controlled sprint, to triathletes who swim much further and have to complete a race lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 hours!Here are some ways to achieve a longer, more fluid, more efficient freestyle:

1. Practice Kicking on Your Side. This will improve your balance in the water and aid in your ability to extend and glide. By all means use fins! I recommend getting a pair of Zoomers from Finis, which will help your swim in so many ways.

2. Count Your Strokes. Start by just keeping track of how many strokes you take per length when you swim. Then, begin to work on ways to lower this stroke count. Hint: Do not just kick harder to achieve a lower count! This defeats the purpose of the drill.

3. Play Golf. Well not really golf like the game the Scottish invented. Free golf! Do a set of 6x50's. Count your strokes, and for each 50, lower your stroke count. Also, keep track of your time on these. Maintain your pace as you drop the number of strokes you are taking for each 50.

4. Swim With Your Fists. Alternate a few lengths of swimming with your hands clenched in fists, with 1 or 2 lengths of open-handed swimming. This will force you to use your hips more as you swim, and you will not be able to "muscle" through the water.

5. Use This Paddle. Ok, I've been hard on paddles in the past. But the Freestyler (also by Finis) is different- it actually forces you to do proper hand entry, glide, and pull. Also, they do not cause shoulder problems. Use these for a long swim and then take them off for a few lengths. You will be amazed at how fluid you will feel! More details to come in the next issue on how you can get a discount on a pair of these stroke-improving paddles.While you may not ever become a top-notch freestyle sprinter, learning how to lengthen your freestyle will pay off as a faster, more fun overall triathlon.


Now that you have read this think about how much room you don't have in an Ironman when you are in the middle of the washer machine (the pack) unless you are in the front or in the back!

Remember what your goals are, they might not be the same as others, on that note they shouldn't be you are an individual, you make it what it is!

I hear this a lot!

Overwhelmingly, when I talk to triathletes and aspiring triathletes, I hear a similar theme when it comes to their view on swimming. It usually goes something like this:"I could to a triathlon, if it weren't for the swim!"or"My training is going well- except for my swimming- I'm just not getting any better!"or "I love doing triathlons, but I hate the swimming part!"If you've thought or said anything like the quotes above, the first thing you need to do is change your attitude!Admittedly, swimming is the most difficult part of triathlon in terms of technique and learning curve. It takes a lot of practice and drill work to get from beginner to competent open water swimmer.Most triathletes just want to work out hard and see the results in their race. Swimming starts to be looked at as a thorn in their side because it is much more complicated than just putting out more effort or adding distance.In order to succeed in swimming, and to fully enjoy the sport of triathlon, you must let go of these negative thoughts! There is no room for holding on to the beliefs that will hold you back.If you continually say that you "hate" swimming, you will dread going to the pool, and you will show up to your race with all kinds of uncertainty- and your chances of success will be slim!On the other hand, if you can train yourself to actually enjoy the swim, success will be yours!

Try these tips to turn yourself around and get the most out of your triathlon:

1. If you're using the word "hate" around swimming, drop it! Hate is a powerful word, and the more you say it, the more your brain will prevent you from being successful in the water, and it will make it pretty tough to ever enjoy the process!

2. It's not a destination! It's a journey! Yes, it's a cheesy, sometimes overused expression. But keep it in mind with swimming. You will grow as an athlete and as a person while you spend time doing your drills and improving your stroke.

3. Set reasonable goals and reward yourself. Don't think that because your race requires you to swim 1 kilometer, you have to do that distance on your first workout. Instead, set attainable goals for each swim workout (or each week of your training). The first few weeks it may be just working on one drill until it feels comfortable. Later, you may need to add 100 yards to each
workout. Make sure that you recognize your accomplishments, even the ones that seems small!

4. Realize that you are not a "bad swimmer". Nor do you "suck at swimming". You are a good swimmer that just has not realized your potential yet! Do all the right things and in time, you will see massive improvements. The physical part of training is easy. This is why many triathletes get tripped up in the swim- it goes far beyond cranking out hard workouts to improve.Improve your mental outlook and the way you look at the swim, and you will be amazed at the progress you make- and the FUN you will have along the way!

Enjoy,Kevin

"If we all did the things we are capable of,we would astound ourselves."-Thomas Edison

Starting May 12th, it is "National Bike to Work Week." What a great time to promote physical fitness then showing your co-workers how dedicated of an athlete you are. So put that car in park, buy some extra bike tires and get out and bike. Oh yeah, you might even save some money since gas is now $3.15/gal.

Also, Tues May 15th is "National Boycott the gas Station Day."

Enjoy!

Happy Training!

WHOOHOOOO

Ironman officially announces the race course for the inaugural Ford Ironman Louisville taking place on August 26, 2007. The race will begin at Waterfront Park, where both transition areas will be located and athletes will finish alongside a festive atmosphere at Fourth Street Live. “In collaboration with the Greater Louisville Sports Commission (GLSC), we’ve developed a challenging course that showcases the many historic areas of Louisville and its signature landmarks. The course will provide a spectator-friendly environment for a town that truly embraces world-class sporting events,” says Ford Ironman Louisville Event Director, Steve Meckfessel.Swim: The 2.4 mile/3.8 km swim will consist of a one-loop course in the Ohio River. Athletes will travel against a slight current to the turnaround point then travel back toward the swim exit located at Louisville’s Waterfront Park.Bike: Athletes will experience much of the greater Louisville area on the 112 mile/180.2 km bike course. The route will take athletes east on River Road with the first 10 miles on flat terrain and beginning in Oldham County, competitors will encounter rolling hills. The course, not highly technical, will also include two loops through the city of LaGrange, and Oldham and Henry Counties. There will be multiple aid stations located throughout the course providing hydration, nutritional and communications support.Run: The 26.2 mile/42.4 km run, encompassing two loops, will take athletes past a variety of Louisville’s well-known sites to include the University of Louisville (U of L) campus, Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby and downtown. Competitors will encounter a flat, picturesque course with a turnaround point at Iroquois Park and a finish line celebration at Fourth Street Live. Aid stations will be located approximately every mile on the run course. Temperatures on race day are expected to range from the low 70s F to the upper 80s F. The Galt House will house Athlete Check-In and the Pre-Race Briefing, as well the Ford Ironman Village. The Welcome Dinner and Awards Ceremony will take place at the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC).

Don't Forget to wear your YELLOW!

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country. LIVESTRONG Day 2007 will occur on Wednesday, May 16.

The Basic Crunch

Abs are very important!
Want ripped abs? If that's the case, doing various exercises to target all of the abdominal muscle groups — the rectus abdominus, the obliques and the transverse abdominus — will get you there.
First things first — you have to start with the building block of all abdominal work. Master the basic crunch and you'll be ready for more advanced abs exercises in no time. Coveted six-pack abs, here you come! Ready to get started?

Here's how to do the basic crunch:
Lie on you back with your knees bent and your feet placed flat on the floor about hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head so that your thumbs are behind your ears.
Do not lace your fingers together. Keep your elbows open and out to the sides. Keep your chin up and off your chest.
Take a deep breath, and then exhale while curling up and forward until your shoulder blades are lifted off the floor.
Hold for a moment at the top of the movement, fully exhale all of the air in your lungs for a complete contraction of the abs, then slowly lower yourself back to the floor.
If you can't stop pulling on your neck, cross your arms across your chest and keep your tongue pressed on the roof of your mouth to help alleviate the strain.

Photo's are not in order oh well!

Jen, Ron and I










Bruise and I first Cancer Survivor's
across the finish line!







Were waiting for the results!










Jen and I at the finish










Jen and I at the start

What a day this was!

To start out I woke up with a terrible headache, stomachache, runny nose, stuffy and sore muscles that’s it. Today was a very important day for me the Midwest Security 5K race was today, and I wanted to do very well. Last year I won first Cancer Survivor across the finish line and today I wanted to do that again that was my goal. Plus I was going to run with my long, long time friend Jen just a little history on Jen, in school she would go to all my school events and watch me, at the time Jen couldn’t run she was a bigger girl and just felt that she couldn’t, but today Jen has lost over 150 pounds “Yeah” you read that right 150 pounds and she’s running, weight training with me whoohooo and I will be training Jen to do Ironman WI next year with me and a ton of other races..

I got out of bed at 10:00 (not normal for me) race was at 12:00 I talked to Jen a couple times before the race, I knew I was going to race no matter what! Got it together Jen showed up at my house we were off to the race. We watched Landen in the kid’s race walked around talked to some friends and then it was go time.
Then it was go time we were at the start line I asked Jen if she was nervous she said yea! “Which is good because you want to do good then”, I knew she would! Gun went off and we went Ron was pacing me today because I always want to do my first mile in 6:10 something then I die, however Ron kept me in line we were at the 1 mile mark at 6:56 which is good I was feeling great at this point, then mile 2 I was at 14:21, then I had to back it off a little I was feeling my tummy not liking what I was doing! Mile 3 I was at 21: something I finished with a 22:08 I was feeling great! I was 3rd in the over all, First Cancer Survivor, First in my age group and that’s all I wanted was to get the First Survivor.
Now for Jen- She did so very, very, very Awesome! She finished 2nd in our age group and finished in 22: something that is so GREAT! She is going to rock!!!
A huge Thank you to Ron for setting the pace for me in the beginning, I needed it! Ron did really well also he finished 3rd in his age group whoohoo to all of us!

"Remember life is what you make it, you only have one, live it up"! : )

IM Rookie: Top 10 Tips

1. Your bib number is your LUCKY number. Say it out loud, announce it to the volunteer: “Hey, I got my lucky number.” This is, of course, regardless of the number you got. It is, for that moment, your lucky number.
2. Smile at and thank everyone around you, even the person who is scrambling to find your ‘special needs bag’ for what seems like 5 minutes at the aid station. The positive aura created by your appreciation and heart of gratitude feels great.
3. Listen to all the tips people are giving you. This doesn’t mean you follow the advice. Thank these kind-spirited people. They mean to bring you success and wisdom, or at least, their experience.
4. Feel the energy around you and channel it. Be conscious of your energy. Give it out consciously.
5. Swimming is a contact sport. Be assertive. It is what it is.
6. Weather is weather. Embrace it. It is what it is.
7. Know your plan, execute it, and make adjustments as necessary.
8. Smile. Visualize your hands in the air at the end. You will get there.
9. This is fun! Control your mind.
10. Know what you REALLY want and suddenly, you have it.

All so very true! This doesn't have to be just for Ironman's it can be for any race you are doing!
Achieve your goals put your mind to it and you will achieve it!

Monday was my day off, this is what I did: Nice and easy ride up MM, fast ride down MM and then went hiking with little Landen for an hour. Great day off! :)

Today is weights, 1.5 Bike run 3.2 miles

Something to think about:
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
-- Helen Keller

BACK AT IT!

Training this past weekend was great! I have to say I can't get in everything in being a single parent and work gets crazy but thats how it goes! :)

Saturday workout:
run 30, Bike 3.5 hour, run 30 and Rollerblades 15 min. that was it for the day!!

Yesterday we did the Coulee Region Duathlon course that was a great time, Steve (the one I got into the bike accident with last year) rode the course it was a nice ride and we didn't even get into another accident whooohooo! That put closure on that!

About 20 people showed up to do the next run and ride
We ran 3.2 miles then bike the course again, this time it was race pace! I just love riding with guys who ride fast, we finished it in 49 min. however, I did get some Major cramps in my calves and I couldn't Finish the next run.

Today I have to swim 2300 so I will do that nice and easy!

Have a great day stay strong and train smart!

Run hills, race fast!

By Amanda McCracken and Mike Ricci

March 24, 2007 -- You know the part of the race when you feel you’ve hit the wall? Maybe you are on a hill or the flattest section of the course. Your mind is telling your legs and arms to drive, pump or fire like pistons, but your muscles are crying out for mercy. We are demanding them to perform at a rate at which they are not conditioned. Our body can not supply the blood and oxygen that our hip flexors, in particular, are requiring to meet the demands of the coach inside our heads. Well, at least you’ve done your mental homework. But have you neglected working regular hill drills into your routine? Perhaps you do them but don’t know why. Do you vary the type of workouts? How do you approach the hill?
One of the most famous proponents of hill training is Olympic coach Arthur Lydiard. His hill circuit training required the athlete to bound (focus on horizontal motion), or leap (focus on vertical motion) up the hill. Lydiard concentrated a great deal on hill running form to promote efficiency. Driving the knees, for example, is one aspect on which to focus, as well as toeing-off and slapping the heel to the buttocks. When done at a slower pace, a runner can focus more on technique and may actually feel more soreness than he/she expects from drill like repeats. Consider a weight routine in which you are lifting and lowering the weight more slowly: It hurts more! Gravity is our resistance on the hills.
The first cycle of hill workouts in a Lydiard season is geared towards strength. It consists of 6-8 repeats on a 1,000 meter moderate incline. As the season progresses and the focus changes to explosive speed, the repeats increase to 8-10 and the length of the hill shrinks to 275 meters. The stride down the hill is always fast but in control. After reaching the bottom of the hill, Lydiard had his runners run about 250 meters in between 800 and 1600 pace. For Lydiard, who primarily trained track athletes, hill workouts were focused on after the base phase of building mileage. However, incorporating hills throughout the season has proven to be an effective way to improve efficiency (work harder and use less energy) without peaking too early (as sometimes happens with track workouts done too early in the season).
According to Stacy Osborne, an avid runner and podiatrist in the Cincinnati area, many of us ignore the importance of fine tuning our biomechanics – one of the most controllable aspects of our training and keys to improvement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the leg on the ground that is primarily responsible for generating the power for forward velocity. Rather, it is the non-weight bearing leg (the one in the swing phase), which generates the momentum, by creating a tug on the runner’s center of gravity as it swings forward. The foot on the ground acts as a lever and the runner is thus propelled forward. Those muscles responsible for this “power stroke” are the hip flexors. These are also some of the most important muscles for cyclists, recruited during the pulling up phase. One of the best ways to strengthen those hip flexors and in turn improve the power of our swing phase is to do hill repeats. As we gain strength, our chances of getting injured are diminished. Not only will we finesse our charges on inclines and finish line kicks on flats, hill repeats also increase our mental confidence. Once you’ve done 15 X 2:00 of a tough hill, one minute of climbing a similar incline in a race will feel easy. It often surprises people that running hills improves speed. Actually, running hills is speed work in disguise. Your effort will increase as you run up a hill, even if you reduce your pace. Moving your body up the hill requires more work than moving it along a flat surface. Hill running is equivalent to throwing in a surge on the flats. So, in a race, the best way to run a hill is to maintain effort and forget about pace while on the hill. Steady effort is the surest route to a faster time. Trying to maintain pace on the hill is like surging and varying the body’s perceived effort, which will only tire you prematurely.
How else can you build tireless, feisty, power strokes using hill workouts? One way to maintain volume is to do hill fartleks (Swedish for speed play). Pick a course with hills and focus on surging up the hills. If you are doing strict hill repeats, try varying the paces. For example, if you are doing four sets of three hills, do the first at 5k pace and the second at 10k pace. Focus on slow and exaggerated form on the third hill. Instead of varying the pace at which you run, you can vary the hill lengths themselves. If you are working in a group, pair up and run them like a relay such that your rest depends on how long as it takes your partner to get up and down the hill. Should you decide to run hills by time (i.e. 90 seconds on 5 hills), mark how far you get each time with a rock or little flag. Try to reach or beat that landmark each repeat. It is also good practice to try to surge over and past the crest of the hill.
How well we run on hills depends on how we approach the hill – the mental factor. There are many of us that like to see hill repeats as an opportunity to practice conquering or attacking the hill. One tactic is to approach the hill as a friend rather than the enemy trying to defeat us. Look at it as an animate object providing a spring board to propel us forward – a friendly boost. Another helpful piece of imagery is to imagine strings attached to your hands and the string ends tied to a point at the top of the hill. As you pump your arms, thrusting your elbows behind you, imagine the strings providing you leverage to pull yourself up more easily. You don’t have to turn your mind off to escape negative, self-defeating talk. Instead, recruit your mind to help you!
As runners, triathletes need to recognize the importance of strengthening our hip flexor muscles. Strong flexors help us maintain a grueling pace, attack a hill, kick with speed on the flats, and protect our bodies from injury. They are an integral piece of training year round that, with variation, can make us more efficient runners and cyclists.
Go ahead, be king of the hill!

Now go get those hills!!


:)

Have a great Easter Day with your Family and Friends!

I love this store so I thought I would pass this along!

Dear Valued Customer,The 2007 Triathlon season is here and TriSports.com is stocked full of the latest and greatest gear in the industry! We have just added over 4,000 new items to our site - including wetsuits, clothing, bikes, wheels, and many more!!! Take advantage of our FREE Ground Shipping offer this week on orders over $50. Simply enter coupon code APRSHP-E when you check out or Click Here to activate the code. Offer valid on US orders only.

This stinks!

NEWS>> April 04, 2007>>>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE>> New USATF Rule Prohibits Headphones/ Music Devices on Sanctioned Courses; > Rule Applies to All Grandma's Marathon Races>> (Duluth, Minn.) USA Track & Field (USATF) recently adopted a new rule > banning the use of headphones and other music devices at all > USATF-sanctioned running events. USATF, the governing body for > long-distance running and track & field in the United States, adopted the > rule (#144.3b) in an effort to increase runner safety.>> Previously, USATF guidelines recommended the prohibition of music devices > for long-distance running events, but such a measure had not been > mandatory until this year. Now, athletes participating in USATF-sanctioned > races, such as Grandma's Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, > will be subject to the new rule.>> "As an organization whose races are sanctioned and certified by USATF, we > are required to abide by all rules, regulations and guidelines," says > Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma's Marathon. "Establishing the > rules for our sport is a role of USATF. We support their efforts and will > begin enforcing this new rule at all of our 2007 races.">> The first Grandma's Marathon event to be affected by the headphone ban is > the Fitger's 5K Run & Walk scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 21. > This rule will also apply to Grandma's Marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half > Marathon, the William A. Irvin 5K, the Park Point 5-Miler and the new > Grandma's Minnesota Mile races in Duluth and St. Paul. The new USATF rule > is printed on entry forms and race packets for all 2007 Grandma's Marathon > events.>> Participants in Grandma's Marathon events are advised to not bring > headphones or other music devices with them to the racecourse. Athletes > with these devices will be given the option to surrender them to a race > official prior to the race. Surrendered devices will be properly packaged > and mailed back to their rightful owners within two weeks after the race. > Participants who violate the headphone ban will be disqualified and their > finishing time will not appear in official race results.>> "The best advice we can offer to anyone hoping to avoid any inconvenience > is simply to not bring headphones with them on race day," adds Keenan.>

We all know that it's not always easy to make healthy food choices

Women work full time making sure everyone else’s needs are met—our kids, spouses, parents, friends and neighbors—leaving little time to cook and prepare foods for ourselves. Half of the challenge is knowing your dietary needs and finding a healthy eating program to match it.

Here are ten strategies to get you started on your journey.

1. Eat enough calories, but not too much! Many women simply don’t eat enough, or they overeat to compensate for their perceived needs in response to training, stress and living on the run. Getting enough calories is necessary for strength, endurance and stamina. Getting too much puts on unnecessary weight and can lead to injuries. Contributing factors are typically excess carbohydrates, protein or lean products prepared with too much oil or fats. To meet your minimal calorie needs, start with your weight and multiply this number by 10 calories per pound. If you attempt lower calorie diets than this, you can slow your metabolism down and make it even more difficult to manage your weight. About 25 percent of women require at least 15-20 calories per pound to stay healthy, prevent injury and avoid illness and infections. Start with 10 calories per pound, monitor your weight and health and add calories as your training progresses.

2. Eat consistently, not erratically! Women are notorious for eating inconsistently— juggling work, training and family responsibilities, skipping meals in lieu of training, eating late night snacks to squelch hunger pangs, etc. Make sure you stick to a regular eating schedule, preferably 3-5 meals daily, with approximately the same nutrient balance at your meal times. Save the majority of your carbohydrates for the last few meals to replenish muscle glycogen stores and for faster digestion before bedtime when compared with protein and fats. Do NOT eat your last meal with 2 hours or less before bedtime or it can impact your eating, food choices the next day and weight over time.

3. Choose wisely—go nutrient dense! Eating on-the-fly, or on-the-run, especially when you’ve skipped a meal or two, typically leads to filling up with empty calorie food choices—soda, candy, chips, fast-food, sugary snacks, cereal or candy bars. Filling up on empty food leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, in addition to a lack of energy, endurance and speed. To prevent impulsive eating, be prepared. Choose nutrient dense snacks and foods chock full of vitamins, minerals and fiber such as whole grains, cereals and pretzels, beans, bean soups and dips, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nutritious sport bars, breakfast bars and small boxes of high fiber cereal. You can also stop for a smoothie or sub instead of skipping meals and grabbing for the first food in sight.
4. Get complex about your carbohydrates! Complex carbohydrates in whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, high fiber cereal, seven-grain bread or crackers, fresh vegetables and fruits, beans, peas and corn are the best energy source for long distance running. Eat at least 3 ounces or approximately 240 calories of whole grains daily, up to 6 ounces and more for longer and more strenuous training days to get essential B vitamins, minerals such as magnesium and iron, and phytonutrients—plant compounds with ergogenic properties to keep energy levels high and illness at bay especially when the mileage picks up.

5. "Meat" your protein needs! Protein is essential for your health and for keeping injury at bay while training. Protein is also essential for recovering from your tougher and longer workouts. Getting enough daily calories allows protein to be used for the essential functions and to spare stored carbohydrates and glycogen for running. Get at least half of your weight in protein grams— you’ll need more when your training becomes harder and longer. There are about 7 grams of protein for every ounce of animal protein and beans, 3-5 grams for every ½ cup of plant-based sources like veggies and grains and 8 grams for each cup of low fat dairy. Sport bars can add 10-22 grams, while drinks can boost your daily diet two-fold. Be careful not to overdo protein. Too much can ruin even your best training with side effects such as dehydration and muscle heaviness. To play it safe, do not exceed your needs with more than 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight per day unless you have special health needs.

6. Color your diet! A palate of dietary colors ensures a variety of vitamins and minerals. Get at least 5 colors in your food daily, vegetable, fruit and whole grain colors to ensure adequate vitamin, mineral and fiber intake. More than 90 percent of the runners that I see in practice are deficient in key vitamins and minerals required for fast running. Keep the major minerals in mind, especially iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium for proper muscle contraction, to prevent cramping and hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood, also known as over hydration).

7. Drink, drink, drink! Be prepared to drink 16-20 ounces of water or sport drink 1 to 2 hours before your longer training sessions, 4 to 6 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes during your run and 16 ounces of fluid after your training for each pound you’ve lost. Get a fair mix of sport drink and water to prevent over hydration, and balance each cup of soda or alcoholic beverages with a cup of water to prevent dehydration. Coffee has recently been shown to have antioxidant properties, essential for protecting your body’s cells from breaking down. The antioxidant properties may also spare muscle glycogen, so go ahead and have a cup of brew before heading out to your training.

8. Don’t overdo fiber before longer training and racing days! While high-fiber whole grain cereals, breads and crackers, fresh fruits and vegetables are part of the ongoing training diet, avoid more than 3-5 grams (varies from woman to woman) the day before your longer training or race day to avoid misery and cramps. At those meals, maintain a high- carbohydrate intake with low fiber, enriched white pasta, rice, sweet and plain potatoes and low-fiber cereal like corn flakes to maintain adequate energy levels without the gastric distress.

9. Supplement intelligently! When you don’t have the time to get enough nutrient- dense foods and high protein meals, and need a kick before or during the race, supplemental bars, shakes and vitamin mineral supplements can fill the gap and enhance your training diet. Just don’t take a pill, drink or gel for the heck of it—use supplements wisely. If you can’t drink enough milk, look for a calcium supplement. If you don’t have time to prepare high- quality protein sources—have a shake, eat a sport bar or throw a scoop of whey protein in your smoothie. If you can’t get enough veggies or fruits or don’t like whole grains, take a multivitamin that doesn’t exceed 100 percent of the RDAs for vitamins and minerals to prevent overdosing.
When you can’t eat a meal before your longer training sessions, have a bar or gel that gives you ½ your body weight in carbohydrate grams and fortify your energy levels every hour with no more than 60 grams of carbohydrates from gels, beans, sport beans or drink. Supplements work to enhance a good diet that just can’t keep up with the pace of training.

10. Rest! The most important aspect of your training program will be rest. Take a rest day to restore glycogen (carbohydrates) in your muscles, replenish mental energy, repair muscle fibers and to cross train for strength building, endurance or just for fun! If you get restless, rest actively with a friend by trying a relaxing exercise such as Pilates or yoga to improve your flexibility.

This would be very BAD!

Folks-
If you were watching Cyclism Sunday you will have noticed charter and versus are having trouble negotiating. Charter has threatened to drop versus. That means no TDF coverage!!!
Call 1-888-438-2427 and lodge your complaints.

That would stink the only time I really watch TV!

I went back to the past!

Jeff Brown column:
Nichols out to beat cancer againby Jeff Brown / Tribune Sports Editor
The first time I talked with Danniela Nichols, she said she wasn’t afraid of the unknown. She was talking about tackling an Ironman triathlon.
She won that battle.
Now Nichols, 32, is facing a more dangerous unknown — cancer. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time. Nichols competed — and finished — the Wisconsin Ironman in Madison on Sept. 10, but she had an inkling something was amiss.
When you train for a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run, you get to know your body pretty well. There are no secrets, only ones you keep from admitting to yourself.
There it was, that dreaded, heart-stopping word that scares us all — cancer.
Nichols had been diagnosed with cancer once before. Eleven years ago she was treated for cervical cancer, and beat it. A fitness fanatic, Nichols ran, swam and biked through that setback and is determined to do so once again.
Don’t bet against her.
Better yet, give her some encouragement next Sunday at the Log Cabin in Bangor, Wis. That’s where her family and friends have put together a fund-raiser in order to help her and her family stay running at full speed.
It will be an emotional day in what has been an emotional year for the spirited, high-energy Nichols. Probably as heartwarming as the sendoff she had the day of her surgery on Nov. 2.
“I had people come to my house at 4:30 to 5 a.m. They showed up at my home on a morning it was 32 degrees,” Nichols said. “About 20 of us rode bikes from my house on Main Street in Onalaska to the hospital.
“I’m still touched by it. It was so emotional and so great I still get teary eyes thinking about it.”
Think about it for a moment. Here’s a woman facing cancer surgery and she bikes to the hospital in La Crosse to check in. Geez, think this disease is going to stop her?
And guess what? On the way, word spread of her adventure and runners they encountered along the way stopped, and shouted, ‘Go Danni. You will do fantastic.’
“It was awesome,.” she said.
Nichols underwent surgery during which her thyroid gland, which included a cancerous lump, was removed. Nichols said doctors told her it was a complicated surgery where one lymph node also was removed. Doctors are hopeful they removed all of the cancer, but Nichols still must undergo radiation treatment in January to be sure.
“I’m a very upbeat person and very positive, but when the doctor said (during the diagnosis) that this is really not normal and you need to have it checked out, then four hours later he called telling me I had cancer, it was a shocker. Having that extra support (from family and friends) really helped.”
Not having a thyroid gland has been an adjustment for Nichols as she will be on medication the rest of her life. That didn’t stop her on Saturday from taking a 20-mile bike ride with her best friend, Tracie Happel. It was her first big physical test since her surgery.
“We rode up County S. My first rule was that I was going to make it. I didn’t care if I got sick at the top; I was going to make it,” Nichols said.
Nichols, who has two sons — Tyler, 15, and Landen, 6 — knows there are plenty of bumps in the road ahead, especially after Jan. 1, when she must go off the thyroid medication in order to have the radiation treatment.
“The doctors told me it would take a 6 months to get back into shape. I’m going to do it in two weeks,” Nichols said. “My goal next year is to do two Ironmans — Madison and Las Vegas.”
My bet is she beats the odds — again.

I could only do the Madison Ironman - However Doctors didn't even think I would finish that! I proved them wrong!

"Life is great, you can never give up no matter how tough life gets"!

Again a HUGE Thank You to my two boys Tyler, Landen, my family and friends who did everything they could for me and they still do! I am one lucky women!!

Thank you again everyone from the bottom of my heart!

Good Morning legs!

What a ride yesterday! My plan was to ride 3.5 hours on an indoor bike so that's what I did! My legs were like "WOWZA"

Today is going to be a crazy day also!

1 PT, Swim 2300 again, run 50 min. work meeting at 3:00 & 6:00, get my little buddy and get ready for the week.

I did have an organized bike ride planed at the Coulee Region Duathlon course but it's raining next time.

"Keep pushing, life is way to short to stop"

Basic Skills for group riding!

You don't have to be a competitive cyclist to enjoy the benefits of group rides. Utilized correctly, regular group sessions can motivate you, improve your fitness and make any ride more enjoyable. However, if you lack the technique or the fitness to ride with a group, the experience can be frustrating and leave you riding alone. In a worst case scenario, lack of skills causes you to crash, perhaps taking others down with you.

To help you get started, let's look at a few group ride basics.

Finding a group for you
When you search for a group to ride with, find out their general policies. Some meet for "no-drop" rides. This means that no rider is left behind and you can count on an experienced rider to stay with you. Inquire if someone in the organization teaches group riding etiquette.
Another option is to join a drop-in ride. These often begin in the parking lot of a local bike shop, with the pace of the group determined by the individuals or specific goals of the ride. Often, there are designated A, B and C groups to accommodate differences in riding speed.

The third most common choice is a race thinly disguised as a group ride. These are usually the fastest and most aggressive rides available. These rides are for very experienced cyclists and carry catchy names like, "Everyone Gets Dropped", "Ride Till You Puke" and "Wednesday World Championships." You have been officially forewarned just by reading the title.
Your local bike shop is a good place to start if you're looking for a group ride in your area. Most are associated with a club, bike shop or racing team.

Basic skills
A few basic skills are needed in order to successfully ride with any group. You must be capable of riding a straight line, controlling your speed, anticipating possible problems and watching the road ahead of you. At the same time, be alert for activity in your peripheral vision.
Hold your line -- If you have watched a professional cycling race, you know that every rider needs to "hold a line." This means that cyclists need to be capable of riding a line parallel with the edge of the road.
Practice this skill by riding 12 to 24 inches to the right of the white shoulder line while trying to keep parallel with that line.

The slipstream -- Some group rides practice staying together as one large mass -- more or less -- with little movement among the group.

Other group rides incorporate pace lines -- or some version thereof -- into their sessions. In its most basic form, a pace line occurs when one rider pulls a line of other riders behind them. Each person follows the rider in front of them by staying within a few inches to a few feet of their leader's rear wheel. This area of least wind resistance is known as a slipstream.
Staying in the lead rider's slipstream is called drafting. Riders that are in the draft position save upwards of 30 percent of energy compared to the lead rider. If you've ever had a chance to draft, you know that riding 20 miles per hour is significantly easier when you're following rather than leading. The difference is even more pronounced in a head wind.

Control your speed -- The lead rider in a pace line can stay at the front for just a few seconds or for several minutes. When you join a group that is rotating the lead position and it is time for you to lead, resist pouring on the gas to show everyone how strong you are. A pace line is happiest when the pace is steady. Fast accelerations or jerky braking motions disrupt the line and can cause a crash.

Keep eyes and ears open -- The first person in the group can see clear road. Thus, they need to point out road hazards -- as do the rest of the people in the line. Pointing out hazards and verbal communication skills are important. For this reason, do not use headphones in a group riding situation.

When you are following someone, avoid getting a visual fixation on their rear wheel. Look several feet ahead, keeping the distance between your front wheel and the rider ahead of you in your peripheral vision. Watch for road hazards as well as motion to either side of the pace line.
Listen for cars approaching from the rear. A rear view mirror mounted on your helmet or glasses can be very helpful when watching for cars.

Maintain the pedaling motion of the other riders in your peripheral vision. Watch for sudden changes in cadence -- this usually signals some sort of problem.
Anticipate problems -- If you are riding in windy conditions or it is a hilly course, anticipate changes in the group or peloton. When the peloton changes directions, sometimes the weaker riders are no longer sheltered from the wind and they fall off the pace. The same is true for a hilly course. Riders that can usually stay with the group on flat roads can fall off the pace on a hill.

Get accustomed to watching for signs that a rider is struggling. This includes having difficulty finding the right gear, breathing like a steam engine or constantly looking over their shoulder.
You don't want to be stuck behind a struggling rider if you are feeling strong. Pay attention to the signals so you can maneuver yourself into a good position.

Practice

This column just scratched the surface of group riding skills. Once you master the basics, you should continue to hone your skills. A good resource on mass riding is Racing Tactics for Cyclists .

Remember: in group rides smart riders often have the advantage over strong riders.

By Gale BernhardtFor Active.com

Felt Great!

Landen rode his bike and I ran to the YMCA he did really, really well then we swam, Landen is a little fish! If he keeps that up he will be kicking my butt in no time "but then again I don't know if I would let him jk : )"

Workout for today is a 50 min run and a 2150 swim then go out to eat with your buds! My swim felt great my arms were a little tired from the weights yesterday but we made it.

NOW - Get outside an live it up in the great weather!

My day started out great!

Today started out great, met some friends at the Y at 6:00 am and ran 3 miles, taught my spinning class at 7:00, did some abs, weights and then some of us went out to eat “that’s the best”!
It was 62 degrees out my sister picked up Landen and I went for a ride I was feeling great! I did the Coulee Region Duathlon course again I was feeling great but then I got my heart rate up way to high - when it gets to 193 I start to get sick today I couldn’t get it down every time I would pick up my cadence my heart rate would go up it was unbelievable, I had to slow way down take some deep breaths and watch my heart rate go down but then it would go right back up so I backed it off then went for a 20 min. run that went fine.

Later in the day I had a terrible headache, sick to my stomach, I even took a nap, man oh man I felt like crud. Time for a doctor call on Monday we have to recheck the medication that could have something to do with it.

“There is always something going on however, you can never let those little somethings get in the way of your goals!"Unless it’s your family, in my case those little somethings are my children that I love so very much"!

Have a fantastic night!

It was 61 out today, I had to get out and ride; so I got the big dog out "The Extreme" - this is my Trek Madone 5.9 I just love this bike. I rode for a hour and 25 min. and did some small sprints "ok" big sprints up hills this felt great! Then I rode down one of the hills at 57 mph..... I know that was way to fast, really fun and really dangerous but I don't think about it until I'm done.

I do have to add, my legs were on fire from my boot camp class Thursday "WOWZA"

Swimming was really fun I had to work with 2 people in the pool and then it was my turn. I swam

400 warm up
12 x 25 drills
6 x 150 - adds that is 50 slow, 50 med 50 fast
12 x 25 kicks
and 450 cool down

I did have to use my fins for most of it I only have so much time.. Like everyone else

Have a great night!

6:00 am some people are running from the YMCA Onalaska tomorrow if anyone would like to join us!

Thursday Training

Today was great Boot camp class was way fun lots of running, squatting, planks, push ups, Lungs, high knees and much much more. I love teaching that class! However, no one got sick :)

Training today is 1 hour bike and a 50 min. run and I feel great- I did 45 min bike outside and my run was outside, I do teach a running class tonight so I will go over a little on the run but that's how it goes.

OK I will tell you .. I did swim today, I was feeling great! I was thinking I couldn't swim on Tuesday because I was so very, very sick "again thanks to Outback", but then maybe I needed another day off But not that way!

Think about this the next time you work out:
"You never lose until you quit trying."
Mike Ditka

I was going down S on my bike, this is what I was clocked at weeeeeeeehooooo would that be wild and stupid "in a nice Polite way"

You have to listen to this one on Youtube! Don't skip it...
Sara Reinertsen

These are cool!

http://www.youtube.com/IronmanTriathlon

Training went great today!

I was able to teach my class without feeling like I was going to puke or pass out, ran 50 min. with 2 sprints 20 sec. long and swam 2200. I'm back whooohoo

Have a great day everyone!

INSPIRATIONAL POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You

There comes a time when you must stand alone.

You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.

You must be willing to make sacrifices.

You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.

There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.

Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.

Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.

Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

What a day!

Training has been great, I feel good with my base; however I needed to take 2 days off and that stinks!
Today I was support to ride my bike for an hour and a half but instead I almost couldn't’t make it through my spinning class, Last night I took my boys to Outback Stake House for supper, to make a long story short I asked for coffee and asked our waitress if they had flavored cream, she said yes. We placed our order and I was sipping on my coffee all the sudden I was getting light headed and feeling a little crappy, dizzy and just YUCKY! I couldn't figure it out, when we got our food served I asked the new waitress if I could get a new cup of coffee because this one I had didn’t taste right then I asked the BIG question “can I get some flavored cream with that” she said “we don’t have flavored cream” “Oh gosh I figured the coffee had alcohol in it” I knew I was getting sick to my stomach my nose was tingling and my body felt like crud!
To find out the cup of coffee had a ton of alcohol in it. I do not drink I get really, really sick.
Tyler and Landen had to pack up their food and we had to go I was getting sicker and sicker by the min. Tyler doesn’t have his drivers license yet and he had to drive his sick mom home; I puked in my truck down the hall of my house and I had my face in my toilet for 15 min. after we got home. I have never felt this bad for a long time.
Tyler had to help me put Landen to bed and I went to bed it sucked…

This morning my alarm went off at 4:15 am and I though OK I feel good however, I got out of bed and the room was spinning “oh gosh” here I go. I went to the gym praying a spinning instructor would be there to teach my class and I could go home but there wasn’t I had to teach “WOWZA” that was the longest 45 min. ever I couldn't take today off from Personal Training which that isn’t that bad because I don’t do that much, but I had to miss out of 3 of my other classes. That STINKS!

So anytime you go to a restaurant and you want a coffee make sure you put in your own flavored cream.. J

Time for some good sleep and wake up feeling great tomorrow.

Tuesday

Today was going to be my swim and ride however, I swam on Sunday and that was so good. Today I rode my bike for 1 hour and 45 min., run outside 45 min. at a nice easy pace :) and did some weights! I have to watch my running, I run with my clients outside when it's 40 degrees so I have another 4 miles to run today!

I think the hardest thing is not overdoing it!
But I feel Great! :)

"Training Smart, Danni you’re still in the base training, that's what I keep telling my self"!

Have a wonderful day; stay positive with everything you do! Being negative will get you no where!

Monday

Every Monday is going to be my day off from training, that means: I need to warm up my muscles and stretch.

Training Smart!

Crash has got it bad! Stevo is working on his mental training for Ironman in Las Vegas "Must be ruff"

Hey, Stevo get away from that pool and do some real training with those legs.. Have fun Sunshine!

I can't wait to do this again!

Jayde make sure you touch or it doesn't count!







Do you think it's cold?





Water Fight, guess who would do that!


Run Ron Run!