TriSports.com Blog

I just fell in LOVE (with my first gadget :))

OK, let’s be honest, my second if you count my blackberry as a gadget (which I don’t since it is simply an extension of myself now). But seriously, this is the first triathlon gadget that has ever really made me say ‘wow, I can’t ever live without this now’. As many times as I have tried to conquer the complicated computers they always seem to bore me or overwhelm me…I am not a technical person!!! I mean, come on, that is what I have the TriSports.com bike mechanics for!

The story started this morning…. Actually, the story started a few years ago with my first triathlon, quickly followed by my first of a series of running injuries. Back to the present, I have recently gotten over a stress fracture which was very frustrating since I thought I had been doing everything right. Everyone says if you get a coach, and the right shoes, and don’t run too much you will be golden! WRONG! At least in my case nothing I changed seemed to help. Today, I enlisted the help of Nick, one of the TriSports.com run experts. He had me running around in Karhus and Newtons, but the whole time the resounding noise was the slap-squeak of my feet pounding the pavement and then putting on breaks. Nick even asked one time, “Do you really run like that?” Well, of course I do, what is wrong with the way I run? He grimaced.

At that moment, Brian Grasky, coach extraordinaire of Grasky Endurance Coaching, stepped out of the car. Luckily he is a nice guy and allowed me to beg him into a few moments of coaching right their on the sidewalk. He watched me run, made a funny face, watched me again, we repeated this a few more times. I braced myself for the worst! Brian told me very bluntly that my stride was, in laymen’s terms, all messed up. Oh no! that’s it I’m done for, I will never be able to run and meet my goals, it’s over I’m just going to lay down on the pavement and cry (seriously, I can be that dramatic at times!) But wait, Brian is talking and telling me their is a simple solution….drum roll….it’s all about “turnover”

Get a, Finis Tempo Trainer, clip it to the back of your hat, and set it at 95. That’s it? No $200 shoes even though my old ones are perfectly good, no personal lessons on the track? So on my next break I walked to the cash register (conveniently located about 30 feet from my desk), armed with my credit card, and bought a $31 tempo trainer. I was off for my run!

Finis Tempo Trainer on the back of my TriSports.com hat!

Well first I had to figure out that 95 was for an entire cycle, so every right foot strike, because the other way seemed a tad slow. But, once I got the hang of it I fell into a nice easy pace. For the first time on a run I was holding a steady tempo and not overextending. Before, each foot strike sent pain radiating through my shins, but now I was in an upright body position, leaning forward slightly, and taking the correct length of strides. I felt like I was running on air, which is quite a feat for someone who is out of shape. Like I said, at the beginning, I have fallen in love…and now I am going to do it right this time around!

Time To Think About Racing!

If you are like most age group athletes nowadays this is about the time of year you start to panic because if you want to actually get in the triathlon you have to sign-up now…6 months in advance! Oh the stress! Which are my A races, where will my friends be going, am I going to be in good enough shape by Wildflower to not drop dead on those steep hills! Here is a short list of races the TriSports.com, well I, recommend to get you back in the racing mindset!

TriSports.com at Silverman

1. Wildflower! If you have never done this race you are missing out! Hands down the most festive atmosphere of any race I have been to. The race takes on a Woodstock of Triathlon feeling by the mere fact that you are forced to camp (good luck finding a hotel around Lake San Antonio). The half is on Saturday, but even if you are doing the Olympic on Sunday it is worth getting their early to watch the pros race! For most pros this I the season opener and the first chance to see their fitness level…
2.  Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival! Now this is a gem of a race and growing every year. Yes, TriSports.com is the title sponsor, but that is not why I recommend it. You are probably thinking, ‘Arizona in the summer, this girl has lost it’ but, since it is conveniently located in Show Low (6500 feet) the weather and scenery is perfect! Not to mention there are three races to choose from and lots of TriSports.com employees cheering you on. Bring a wetsuit because the water is cold and plan on staying for the BBQ and the biggest raffle in triathlon!
3. Battle at Midway….aka, BAM! This Olympic distance race in Park City, Utah is absolutely gorgeous. The run course winds through the hills where the 2002 Olympic cross-country ski course was held. This is another one of those high altitude races so warm clothes and endurance are a must! If you have a puppy, stick around and do the Doggie Du on Sunday (kilt is optional!)
4. Vineman 70.3! Sonoma county and running through vineyards….need I say more! Qualify for Clearwater and hang out in the TriSports.com lounge while you are at it…also, great excuse to go wine tasting…I mean, yes it is the middle of the season, but you are already there…just ask the PTC! J
5. TriSports.com Halfmax USA Triathlon National Championships! The USAT Long Course National Champs…you must qualify, so make sure you plan out your season if you want to attend. The location cycles through different venues depending on the year, this year it is in Oklahoma City, OK…see you there!

TriSports.com Halfmax National Championships

6. Silverman! This is always the last expo TriSports.com attends each year. Let me count the ways I love this   race. For starters you are getting a lot of bang for your buck! Frank and the rest of the Silverman crew go out or their way to make this a great production! Tons of goodies, riding the beautiful hills around Lake Mead (yes, there are a lot of hills!) and let’s just say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

These are just a few of my favorite venues to compete! For a complete list of races that TriSports.com sponsors visit our TriSports.com Sponsored Race Website! Hope to see you out there shopping and racing this summer! J

Silicon Valley…Leaders in More Than Just Technology

Last Monday Sarah and I had the honor of being guests at the Silicon Valley Triathlon Clubs kick-off meeting. TriSports.com has sponsored the SVTC for many years, but this is the first time that I have been able to make the trip to Cupertino and meet some of the members. Let say, first of all, thank you for having us! It was fun to meet all the wonderful faces behind the emails and online orders and introduce TriSports.com to the multitude of new members that showed up for the meeting.

To give a little history of the SVTC; this is a triathlon club that began 8 years ago and now boasts 500-600 paying members. While all those members might not take full advantage of what the club has to offer, a great majority of them do. According to Mike Arena, the President of SVTC, they regularly have 90 people show up for their weekly track workout…WOW! For their membership fee (one of the lowest in the area) the club offers two full-time and one part-time coach. They have weekly track workouts, swim practices, group rides, group runs, and often a group open-water swim. In a sport as individualized in triathlon this makes for a great sense of team camaraderie. It shows… last year the SVTC won the USAT Southwest Regional Club Championships! Between their regular group workouts and informal socials (I have heard rumors of post-Margarita tricycle racing) never has the saying been more true that the club that plays together stays together.

Riding with Eneko Llanos

OK, I know everyone is sick of hearing about how amazing Tucson is for riding and training, but I have to add one more thing that makes living here and working at TriSports.com a triathlete’s dream!  Many of the pros come here to train in our beautiful weather! Often these athletes seclude themselves and we see very little of them, which is understandable when you think of the intense training they have to accomplish. However, this weekend, Eneko Llanos came out and rode with more than 70 local Tucson triathletes and spent a few hours after the ride eating breakfast and sharing his stories at the TriSports.com retail store. The great triathlon champion (2nd place Kona in 2008, 2003-4 Xterra World Champion, and 2000, 2004 Olympian) spent a good amount of his Saturday training and hanging out with the locals and generally showing what a down-to-earth, good guy he is. Eneko…all of Tucson will be cheering for you in Kona this year! Here is a recap of how the day went!

I arrived at TriSports.com at 7:30 for our 8am ride and to my surprise found the parking lot was already getting crowded. All those who have ever been in a club or organized a ride know how difficult it can be to get people to come out and participate, but it seems that riding with a World Champion was quite the draw! Many of our local clubs had turned out in great numbers, including the University of Arizona TriCats and the Tucson Triathlon Club! Claudio, from TriRevolution, who helped organize the ride, arrived and soon after Eneko was there. The ride was scheduled to begin at 8am, but at 8:05 people were still pouring through the gates. Finally, all 70+ cyclists were gathered in the TriSports.com parking lot and our ride leader held a meeting to give everyone the game plan.

Then we were off with Billy and Eneko heading up the front of the 42 mile ride through West Tucson and around the McCain Loop. The ride started out smoothly enough with the lead group of about 20 cyclists separating as they made our way up Valencia Rd. Eneko and Billy continued to lead the ride with a few attacks made, but nobody could drop the guy who rode a 4:32:22 bike split at Kona. Around mile 20 there was a near catastrophe as one of the attackers launched a bottle out of their X-lab rear hydration system and almost took out 20 cyclists with Eneko on the bottom of the pile! Luckily, disaster was avoided by Eneko’s quick bike handling skills. As the group approached the second climb on the McCain loop Eneko decided to show these locals how it is done and with seemingly little effort pulled away from the group struggling up the steep ascent!

Returning to the TriSports.com Retail Store around 10:30 the group was greeted with 8 dozen bagels and a wonderful Spiuk Kronos raffle, courtesy of TriRevolution. People gathered around talking triathlon, watching the 2008 Ironman World Championships on our big screen TV,  and questioning Eneko and Claudio and trying to learn the secrets to Kicken’ you know what and takin’ names! The TriRevolution raffle ensued and our two lucky winners were both from the TTC (I promise there was no raffle fraud!) Congratulations Caryn Nath and Diana DeRoja and thanks to TriRevolution for the donations. Then we did a hat throw of Spiuk caps signed by Eneko….seriously I have never seen triathetes move so quickly…somehow everyone found those fast-twitch muscles that they didn’t believe they possessed!

Many thanks to Eneko and Claudio for such a wonderful experience and to all the Tucson triathletes who can look back on this ride when Eneko wins Kona and say….”I rode with Eneko Llanos!” Eneko and Claudio will be back at TriSports.com on Wednesday, February 11th to speak at the Tucson Tri Club meeting! Everyone is invited to attend.

Oh, and Eneko swam in the TriSports.com endless pool…so in some small way we have helped him along on his Kona Quest!!!

Follow up on ‘Take it Easy’

I read this post written by my good friend Billy and realized no matter how long we have been in this sport and what our goals are, we all have something in common…burnout. So how do you avoid this fate that leaves you asking yourself on a Saturday morning “what excuse can I give to not be at that group ride”. There are a million reasons why you feel like this. Maybe you just lost your job, or got divorced, or realized that you are just not happy with your current life. Whatever; you don’t need an excuse to feel the way you do. But, you do have a responsibility to recognize why you feel that way and make a change for the better.

My first triathlon was Wildflower Olympic Distance in 2007. Man I was out of shape and had no idea that this was a big race. How naive of me….but you know what, I got out there on my newly purchased bike and gave it absolutely everything I had. My friend met me at the finish and said “I thought you were going to collapse 5 meters before the finish line.” My face was red and since I am from Swedish descent when I say red I , mean totally bright red. That’s when it started. I fell in love with this sport and let it consume my life. However, I have not finished a race like that since…hmmmm….Training came first. It was more important to me than almost every relationship I had. Yes, I went fast, but I also fell out of love with the sport…unacceptable!

 So what to do? Like Billy said…go back to your roots. For me that is swimming. I dive into that water, feel it on my skin, and know why I do what I do. Yes, it sounds cliche, but man I love the feel of water and I love to race that person beside me.  For example, the first time my boss, Seton, swam beside me I felt the need to beat every guy in that pool. I’m pretty sure he has viewed me differently since then; for better or worse. Maybe I need to re-evaluate how I train for triathlon but I do know two things. 1. I love to swim. and 2. Watch out, sometimes we all need a break, but I’ll be back!

Spotlight on the TriCats

Old School Tricats

In 1992 when triathlon was a much less developed sport than it is today- read, old school, a few students at the University of Arizona decided to put together a triathlon club. The next year a young man named Seton Claggett joined this club and continued to pursue his passion for triathlon. Fast-forward to 1998 and Seton had a great idea to start an online triathlon store…he named it TriSports.com. Now, in 2008 Seton’s love for triathlon has been transformed into an amazing resource for triathletes around the World. However, never forggeting his roots Seton and TriSports.com have supported and watched with pride as the TriCats grew into a college triathlon team to be reckoned with.

 Last weekend we hosted a TriCats day at TriSports.com. What this actually turned out to be was a Triathlon 101 complete with free pizza (what college kid wouldn’t come out for free food). Many TriSports.com employees pitched in to help out despite it being a Sunday afternoon. Sarah talked about running, Evan about biking, me about swimming. Then Billy went through race day preparation, complete with a transition competition and prizes. Marty from Genuine Innovations (another TriCats sponsor) came and taught them how to change a tire as well as giving a bunch of poor college students’ free product. Yes, maybe a few of them were overwhelmed by how complicated this sport can be but more importantly they were so excited to get started. While I know their focus will change over the years as they gain experience I really do hope they always remember that this is ultimately fun.

Speaking of fun, I was out at the TriCats Aquathlon this weekend. They did a great job setting everything up, borrowing our tents and snow fencing, and putting on a successful race. In my opinion this is quite an accomplishment for busy college students that have class and homework and jobs, not to mention training. However, they got about 60 people out there to compete….accompanied by music and lots of cheering. The best part about it is that all the money they raised is going towards subsidizing races for TriCat members. Every person that crossed that finish line had a huge smile on their face and what I thought was going to be a very long day just flew by. So, to all of the TriCats out there….kudos to you and always remember that TriSports.com is here in part because of you, but definitely for you.

Big World, Small Community

We are in the middle of a Triathlon boom….as this sport explodes in countries across the World it is nice to take a moment to reflect on what is actually a very unique and small community. Case in point, today I have spoken on the phone to triathletes in New York City; Seoul, North Korea; and Johannesburg, South Africa and it is only 11:30am here in Tucson, AZ. Although I can’t tell you what color hair these individuals have or how they take their coffee, on a different level I know them very well. I know that they probably got up very early to squeeze in a ride before work, that their guilty pleasure is sneaking a peek at Slowtwitch on company time (or the TriSports.com blog ), and that sometimes they struggle to balance family, work, and their passion for triathlon. Yes, in many ways I have more in common with these triathletes that live half way across the World than I do my own neighbor.

Reflecting on this, I realize once again why I love my job. As the Sponsorship Coordinator here at TriSports.com many of my triathlete friends are people who I have never met face to face, but whose hopes and challenges reflect my own and many others in our community. Team TriSports.com consists of 81 athletes from across the country and world. They are my triathlon community and I eagerly follow their race results and lives. With coffee in hand, I sit down in front of my computer here at TriSports.com to begin my morning with Liz’s quirky and hilarious blog. After that I check Nicole’s latest race report and email Gail to see how she is recovering from recent surgery. Finally I look at race pictures from Julie, whose son just did his first triathlon, and Brian, whose coaching business is flying as high as the F-16s he pilots for the Air National Guard.

Sponsorship for TriSports.com is about more than supporting triathletes in winning races, it is about supporting the triathlon lifestyle that we all share. We believe that the sport of Triathlon is more than a goal to be achieved, but instead it is a process to be enjoyed. The friends you meet through Triathlon are friends for life, whether they are sitting at a desk next to you or riding their bikes thousands of miles away!