CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION
Ron Saetermoe
The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) was founded in 1997 by some very good friends (including Bob Babbitt of Competitor Magazine) after Jim MacLaren was hit by a car during the Orange County International Triathlon and paralyzed from the neck down.
Since that time CAF has raised over $21 million for athletes all over the world and changed thousands of lives.
Coming up on Tuesday, August 25th is the annual CAF fundraiser put on by the Orange County Triathlon Club (OCTC). Every year the event includes great company, great food, great prizes, great auction and a great time. This very worthwhile event isn’t to be missed.
Tickets are $25.00 in advance and $35.00 at the door.
Both OCTC members and non-members are invited to attend the event. For more information go to www.octriclub.com.
TRYING NEW STUFF
Ron Saetermoe
Where would we be if we never tried new stuff? Back in the dark ages, that’s where. Triathlon is one of those sports where many people are trying new stuff to gain that competitive edge . . . and I’m one of them.
Of course, you never want to try new stuff on race day; although we seem to repeat this mistake again and again. The time to try it is during your workouts and determine whether you think it will work on race day.
For example, a couple issues ago we did an article on Larry Davidson’s Ironman nutrition. I tried his secret elixir (Infinit) in practice and used it during the Vineman 70.3. I loved it and will now incorporate its use in my longer workouts and races.
I broke the rule recently, accidentally. I had Dan Plummer of Wheels on Wheels transport my bike back from Santa Rosa (great service by the way) and picked it up at Edge Cyclesports (great bike shop by the way) and let it sit the entire week. I often lose the love for my bike after a competition. Anyway, I didn’t get around to washing out my aero bottle, which I normally do in my dishwasher.
So while getting my stuff packed for the Pacific Coast Triathlon Saturday evening I noticed my dirty aero bottle. Since the dishwasher was empty I decided to wash it by hand (here’s where the mistake happened). I washed it out the best I could with soap and water and mounted it back on my bike.
Sunday morning I filled the bottle with water (I only use water in sprint distance races) and I was ready to go. Wrong!!! With the first sip I realized I’d made a BIG mistake . . . apparently I didn’t rinse the spongy thing well enough and the water tasted like dish soap!
What to do? I’m riding as hard as I can and I’m sweating like crazy. So I keep drinking. You can probably guess what happened next . . . yep, I’m spitting up soapy water.
This is just another example of not trying anything new when racing. Here’s one potential innovation in triathlon nutrition I think we can take off the list.
Cheers!
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS (week of August 3rd)
All of our group workouts are free to all members and non-members, so come on out!
We want everyone to enjoy our group workouts but we should clarify the intent. The intent of the group workouts is to “workout.” Yes, it includes a social element. Yes, your Triathica host is happy to give you tips. But please be aware that everyone there is attempting to get a workout in at his or her own pace. If we all go at the slowest person’s pace many people won’t be getting in a proper workout. We will attempt to pair you up with another athlete so you’re not left alone.
Week of August 3rd
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Big Corona near the lifeguard station next to the jetty
Day: Wednesday, August 5th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops around the buoys
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, August 8th
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Planned Workout: 1 loop around Santiago Canyon
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, August 9th
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Planned Workout: 9 miles through Whiting Ranch
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Big Corona – Corona Del Mar From the 405 N take the Jamboree Road Exit Make a left at Jamboree Turn left at Macarthur Boulevard Turn left on to CA-1 Pacific Coast Highway Turn Right on Marguerite Turn right on Ocean Boulevard Turn Left at Breakers Drive Turn left to stay on Breakers Drive |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the 5 Freeway: Exit Bake Pkwy and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Pkwy South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building |
PETE & CORRINNE UPDATE #5
Kelli Whittaker
Another busy week for Pete and Corrinne “training like triathletes” at Triathica.
Pete says, “the biggest update of the week for me is that I have a race plan to closely follow now. I am looking forward to executing the swim, bike, run and strength training over the next 9 weeks.”
Pete worked out a lot this past week but says, “my favorite workout has been riding the course on the CompuTrainer and monitoring my progress through the report system. Looking at my previous results helps me to fine tune my pedal stroke and improve my Watts per Kilogram ratio.” He attributes his continued improvement on the bike to the data he can view during and after a CompuTrainer workout.
Unfortunately, Corrinne had a rough week. She went to Camp Pendleton on Tuesday to ride the Camp Pendleton Triathlon bike course, but on the ride she took a bad fall and broke her wrist. She said, “the fall was disappointing, but I got lucky that it was only my wrist. When I fell there was a lady that was walking by that helped me up, she took me to her house and actually drove me all the way back to San Clemente where I had parked my car because I couldn’t ride back.” When Corrinne got back to her car she realize that her car had been broken into and her wallet had been stolen. Corrinne said, “it was just a really bad day, but I am not going to let it get me down. This experience reminded me that the kindness of a stranger can really make a difference and I gained a new friendship with the lady that helped me.”
Corrinne was unable to train the rest of the week, but says that next week she will start riding on the CompuTrainers. She believes that “it’s a set back but its not going to defeat me. I am just going to get right back into it. This accident really made me take a step back and realize what I want and come up with alternative ways to make sure that I’m still successful”. She is not going to be able to race in the Camp Pendleton Triathlon coming up in a few weeks, but she said that she is still determined to compete in the Orange County Triathlon at the end of September. That is determination at its finest! Her next doctor’s appointment is this Thursday and she hopes for good news.
Pete says, “Corrinne’s accident makes me sad, but I know that she is going to bounce back, she is determined and I will help her in any way possible.”
Check back next week to see how Pete and Corrinne are doing on their road to triathlon glory.
RACE REPORT: PACIFIC COAST TRI, JARRETT
Jarrett Pflieger
It was a chilly Sunday morning at Crystal Cove State Park and my dream was about to come true. That is, until I heard the dreaded words, “Run, bike, run. Attention everyone, run, bike, run.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised, I had a feeling this would happen. I was competing in the Avia Pacific Coast Triathlon on July 26th, 2009 and big waves threatened to cancel the swim just days leading up to the race. The main thing I was looking forward to in this race was catching a wave into shore. I grew up in So Cal so I was very confident in the waves, an advantage I hoped to take into the race against many out of state competitors.
With the swim cancelled, my advantage and my dream were thrown out the window. Instead of a swim, they decided on about a half mile sand run along the shore where the swim would have been. I was disappointed, but secretly relieved since the waves did look huge once I got on the shore. The lack of grumblings and complaints from other participants gave me a feeling I wasn’t the only one.
Once again, I was in the first wave of the race with the elites and 25-29 year olds. This is my first race in that division since I aged up. Unfortunately it is much more competitive than 20-24. No matter, I wasn’t planning on placing that high anyways considering people had driven and flown in from all over the country since this was the qualifying race for the 2009 ITU Sprint Distance World Championships.
I took my place at the start towards the front and planned to get a fast start to get ahead of the crowd and in the fast hard packed sand. It seemed like we waited for an hour for everyone to get off the course and out of transition before we could start. Triathletes are incredible athletes, but they sure move slowly when they’re not racing.
Finally the race started. I got out in front quick then tried to settle into a good pace. There were only a few people in front of me and they were kicking up sand all over me and into my face. I moved away from the water to the right to get some sand-free air. It literally felt like the run was a minute long and I was probably the 7th or 8th person out of over 80 to reach the dreaded “transition hill.” This hill is a few hundred feet long and winds up the cliff from the beach to the transition area. Surprisingly I was able to run up the entire hill and was probably in the top 10 out of T1.
I really need to ride my bike more. I seriously underestimated how difficult the bike course was at the Pacific Coast Tri and didn’t train that much for it. There were a lot of long rolling hills and I had a tough time powering up them. I would make it about two thirds of the way up then come to a crawl in a granny gear. I need to practice my gearing and shifting more on hills and develop my climbing endurance a bit better.
During the ride, my lower back started tightening up as well. I attribute this to my lack of time on the bike in training. Luckily, I did train hard for the run since this was my weakness at my last race, The Kring and Chung Newport Beach Triathlon. The first part of the run at PCT was a lot of downhill, which was great, then a few hills, which I powered up easily. I was dreading the portion of the run that was on the beach since I thought my legs would be too tired to deal with fighting through the sand. Luckily the sand was hard packed and provided a nice surface to run on.
Towards the end of the sand run I was nearing the final dreaded hill up the cliffs and to the final half-mile sprint to the finish. I gave a double thumbs up to the camera guy sitting on the beach taking pictures of all the racers. Some shirtless dude then passed me right before the hill with a, “good job.” My eyes went straight to his calf and sure enough, 25 years old and in my age group. I picked up my speed to match his and followed him up the hill. This hill was an absolute monster. At points it had to be at least 15% grade, I felt like I should have been wearing climbing shoes and had a set of ropes and caribiner clips to make it up this thing. I stopped twice to walk, but only for about 5-10 seconds each time.
At the top of the hill, I was only about 30 feet behind my shirtless foe. I managed to keep this distance for the final quarter mile or so and then decided to make my move. He was looking back every so often so I was going to time my attack until he looked and turned back around. Finally I took off, my legs weren’t cooperating too well, but I managed to squeeze a few extra mph out of them. I started to catch up, but then he started making a move also. The last 50 yards I was giving it my all but I was only gaining a few feet on him. The last 25 feet I knew I wasn’t going to catch him, so I just cruised in for a finish time of 1:02:26 (23rd in my age group.)
I was pretty happy with my time, but it should have been much better. My bike time was terrible. My “A” race this year is the Orange County International Triathlon coming up in September. My goal now is to get my cycling legs in shape for the perilous Santiago Canyon.
RACE REPORT: PACIFIC COAST TRIATHLON, STUART
Stuart Lowndes
I competed in last weekend’s Pacific Coast Triathlon more as a ‘test,’ for fun and bragging rights than to qualify (for the sprint world championships). I am in the middle of training for my first Ironman and was therefore not sure on how this would work. However, with the training methods that you have read about or worked with at Triathica, knowing my training zones (TZ) was paramount for this race.
The swim was cancelled which was disappointing to me as this is one of my best legs and I had been out in the swell each day last week playing with the waves. I know I can bring my HR up at a slower speed than running or biking hard when swimming; therefore this is my warm up for what follows. In this instance, to have a beach run instead of a swim was not going to be good on my HR warm up. However, with understanding of TZs I simply reined myself back to ensure that I came to the bottom of the hill at the appropriate TZ to take me to the top and onto the bike. Many people by the time they got to the hill were already at their highest TZ and therefore ‘blew up’ half way up.
I also knew, through testing, that I could hold T4 for well over one hour even with excursions into T5, so once I was on the bike I hit T4 and stayed there. I had a great ride at 31 minutes, flying mount and dismount worked well (after practicing time and time again). I felt good through Transition 2 and hit the run at T3 with a ¼ mile increase to T4.
The run is my weakest area and also the area that I work on the most, so I had taken time over the last six months understanding and increasing my Lactate Threshold LT (low T5) to enable me to run faster in my aerobic phase (high T2/low T3). I therefore knew I could hold T4 to low T5 for the three miles. I had practiced the course several times as well so knew where to back down with the effort and where to increase, still staying in my TZ. I ran a 17:58 on the run with some left in the tank. This was beyond my dreams for the run portion of this tough course; the run was and still is my weakest area.
I qualified in 6th place in my age group. I am very happy with this and am trying to work out how to get to Worlds.
Learning’s from this experience.
• Work with a trainer to understand your TZ rates.
• Work each and every workout knowing exactly where you are working in your TZs and what you are achieving by doing so.
• Practice on the course you are going to race to understand the correlation between TZ and the course profile.
• Believe in yourself to be able to complete any race, knowing your capabilities in each zone!
I would like to acknowledge the Triathica team for the support and advice during my training to enable me to achieve this level of race fitness and understanding of my abilities.
Race hard, play hard ☺
NEW FACES @ TRIATHICA: SARA DAVIS
Jarrett Pflieger
Sara Davis is a new staff member at Triathica and has taken the sport by storm since entering in 2008. We sat down with her for a bit to find out more about the pro soccer player turned triathlete.
JP: Sara, tell us a little bit on how you got started in the sport of triathlon.
SD: While I was playing college soccer I would always swim laps at the pool after practice or on days off. My friend’s dad always told me I should get into triathlons when I was done with soccer. I laughed it off at first since I had no idea what triathlon was all about.
I moved to Kona, Hawaii for a couple months to house-sit and it just happened to be during the time of the Kona Ironman World Championships. I would swim the course and run for my workouts and I met several athletes including that year’s champion, Chris McCormack. The energy from the all the athletes got me hooked. The week I moved home to So Cal I bought a bike and started training.
JP: To do this well at Triathlon within the first year in the sport, you had to have been in good shape before you got started. I’m sure soccer played a big role in this. Did you have much success in that sport as well?
SD: You could say that. I was a four-year varsity player for San Clemente High School and team MVP for three of those years. We also won the CIF Championships in 2002.
I played college soccer at the University of Washington and was first team all-league at Cal State Northridge. I also played a little pro soccer in Europe, Sweden, Amsterdam, and Italy.
JP: So how did the transition go from soccer to triathlon?
SD: It went great actually. I started in 2008 and managed to qualify for National Championships and placed 15th in my first year in the sport. I ended up winning all nine triathlons I raced in 2008 in the “20-24” age group, and was the overall winner for two of them.
JP: That’s just insane. Do you have any special training secrets or techniques?
SD: Not really. I train by myself sometimes and other times with a few local triathletes in San Clemente. I train 6-7 days a week and usually 1-3 times a day. The training changes day to day depending where I am in season or what races or distances I am training for. Longer races are better in my book.
JP: Do you have any tips for up and coming athletes looking for success in triathlon?
SD: The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are doing. You should be having fun while training hard and competing. If you don’t you will burn out fast.
JP: So you recently qualified for Worlds at the Pacific Coast Triathlon. Tell us about that.
SD: I showed up race morning and heard the race was turned into a duathlon because the waves were too big. I was bummed, but realized it was probably to my advantage even though I was still exhausted from Vineman the weekend before. I placed 7th in my age group and was really excited to be going to Australia.
JP: What is this I hear about a fundraiser?
SD: I am having a fundraiser at the OC Tavern to help raise money to get to Australia to compete. After all, I am a struggling athlete. Stay tuned for the time and date.
JP: Definitely will. What are your future plans in triathlon? Do you want to turn pro?
SD: Right now my life revolves around triathlon; I eat, breath and sleep the sport. Starting next season I want to start focusing on longer distances like half and full Ironman. My goal is to become a pro by 2011. In the future, I want to be a top competitor in Kona and Clearwater World Championships in 70.3.
JP: Do you have any other interests besides triathlon?
SD: Surfing, beach volleyball, art, and jewelry making. I also like hanging with friends, family and my dog Raja.
JP: Thanks for you time Sara. We look forward to having you on staff and coaching here at Triathica. Good luck with the rest of your season and go show them who’s boss at Worlds in Australia.
SD: Thanks. I’ll do my best!
WETSUITS
Ron Saetermoe
Occasionally someone will ask me about wetsuits. You know, what type, what brand, whether to wear one for a particular race, etc. Having done over 100 triathlons I certainly have an opinion on the subject.
First, I strongly believe that everyone should wear a wetsuit if the race is wetsuit legal. The USAT guidelines state that everyone may wear a wetsuit if the water temperature is 78 degrees or below. You are welcome to wear a wetsuit if the temperature is 79 degrees to 84 degrees but you won’t be eligible for awards. Anything 85 degrees or over, no wetsuits are allowed.
Therefore, if the water is 78 or below I’m going to wear a wetsuit – even a short sprint. The reason is that you are so much quicker in a wetsuit. Wetsuits help keep you “on top” of the water more which will make you faster. Of course, you also have to deal with taking it off in T-1, but if you’re well practiced, you’ll more than make up for the additional time in transition.
For those that aren’t strong swimmers, wetsuits can (and should) give you more confidence. Have you ever tried swimming underwater in your wetsuit? If not, try it sometime. You’ll pop back up like a cork!
Second, make sure you have a triathlon wetsuit. It’s quite amusing to see people wearing their body boarding, surfing or even their SCUBA wetsuits. These aren’t made for our sport and restrict your arm movement.
Third, it really doesn’t matter what brand you get. The main concern is whether it fits or not. It should be snug but shouldn’t limit your breathing or choke you around the neck. Too loose and water will get in and slow you down. If you try one brand and it doesn’t fit just right, try another. With so many choices you’ll find one that fits.
Fourth, I like the full-arms style of wetsuits. I used to have a long-john style, which means it had full-length legs but no sleeves. I thought the long sleeves would limit by stroke but they don’t. In fact, according to the manufacturer (Quintana Roo), the long sleeves actually help you go faster because it increases the water your arm “catches” as you pull through.
Finally, triathlon is a very mental sport. If that carbon fiber frame makes you think you’re going faster, you do. If your new running shoes make you think you’re going faster, you do. And if your wetsuit makes you think you’re going faster, you do.
RACE REPORT: VINEMAN 70.3
Ron Saetermoe
I completed my fourth Vineman 70.3 on Sunday, July 19th. The reason I’ve done this race so many times is simply because of the beauty of the course and the friends there.
This year a good friend, and Triathica member, Mark Arenal said he was going to step-up his training and do a half Ironman again. He had done one sometime in the ‘90s so he sort of knew what he was in for. I wasn’t planning on doing the race this year but when Mark said he was in, so was I.
Mark rented a small cottage right on Bodega Bay, which is about 45 minutes from the Vineman start. We both brought our families and had a blast there. The scenery was amazing and the cottage, quaint.
We went to pick up our race stuff Saturday morning and realized what we would have to deal with the next day . . . the heat! It was blazing hot just walking around the expo. We could only imagine cycling 56 miles and running another 13.1 in it!
On the way back to the car I dropped to the ground clutching my left foot. I looked at my toe and saw the stinger, still in my toe, pumping poison into me. I was going to survive the sting, but the bee . . . not so much. Thankfully, by Sunday the bee sting would be the least of my worries.
Not having trained much prior to the race I didn’t have high expectations for myself. Actually, that’s a lie. Even though I hadn’t trained, I still wanted to PR (get a personal record).
Race morning was perfect. The air was cool and still. Mark and I drove to the race start in his rented motor home, which I now have on my triathlon checklist as MANDATORY equipment. It was so great being close to the starting line and being able to use the rest room as much as I wanted.
We caught up to another old friend, Pete Condy and his wife Chris. Pete looked in great shape and ready for the day ahead, and for IM Canada.
My wave went off at 7:42, which was kind of late. I knew this would mean we’d be out in the intense heat later on.
My swim went very well even though I couldn’t find another swimmer to draft off of. There was a group ahead of me but they went out so fast there was no way I was going to catch them so I just settled into my pace.
For anyone that doesn’t know, another attractive feature for weaker swimmers is that the swim takes place in the Russian River and doesn’t have any current. In fact, in some places the water is so shallow you can actually get up and run!
No true swim split was available because of a malfunction in the timing company’s equipment.
My bike also went well. Since the bike portion of the race is typically my weakest, I generally see lots of riders in my age group pass me by. This time I only counted two and I had passed four that were ahead of me. According to my Ergomo my numbers were:
Average RPM: 90 (nailed it!)
Average heart rate: 168
Average watts: 182 (normalized)
Average MPH: 20.7
Since it was still relatively cool on the bike I started out on the run feeling good. I was sub-8:00 but could feel myself beginning to melt. By mile five I started my walk/run routine. I was told after the race that it got up to 105! Since I don’t train in the heat it’s no wonder that I was melting down.
I did see Mark on the run. When I saw him he was looking great and high-fived me. I also saw quite a few of my OCTC mates and called out to them as well.
Swim/T-1: 34:04
Bike: 2:41:13
T-2: 2:47
Run: 2:01:36
Total: 5:19:41 (13/109 = top 12%)
This was a PR for me so I was very happy about that. But, you know how it is . . . woulda, coulda, shoulda . . .
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS (Week of July 27th)
All of our group workouts are free to all members and non-members, so come on out!
We want everyone to enjoy our group workouts but we should clarify the intent. The intent of the group workouts is to “workout.” Yes, it includes a social element. Yes, your Triathica host is happy to give you tips. But please be aware that everyone there is attempting to get a workout in at his or her own pace. If we all go at the slowest person’s pace many people won’t be getting in a proper workout. We will attempt to pair you up with another athlete so you’re not left alone.
Week of July 27th
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Big Corona near the lifeguard station next to the jetty (Regular Location)
Day: Wednesday, July 29th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops around the buoys
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, August 1st
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Planned Workout: 1 loop around Santiago Canyon
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, August 2nd
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Planned Workout: 9 miles through Whiting Ranch
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Big Corona – Corona Del Mar From the 405 N take the Jamboree Road Exit Make a left at Jamboree Turn left at Macarthur Boulevard Turn left on to CA-1 Pacific Coast Highway Turn Right on Marguerite Turn right on Ocean Boulevard Turn Left at Breakers Drive Turn left to stay on Breakers Drive |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the 5 Freeway: Exit Bake Pkwy and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Pkwy South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building |
