INTRODUCING THE TRIATHICA ACADEMY
Ron Saetermoe
The best part of being a coach (at anything I guess) is the satisfaction you get when you can see your student’s performance improve. Since we started Triathica in June, I’ve had the privilege of helping a number of athletes in their triathlon endeavors. Their feedback means a great deal to me.
In October we’re starting a new division here at Triathica called the “Triathica Academy” which is the arm that will focus on athletic performance improvement. Simply put, all of our personal training, camps, clinics, classes and multi-media will be under this umbrella.
We’ll be introducing the Triathica Academy to Orange County, and the world via the internet and local media. Look for our advertisement in the November issue of Competitor Magazine.
Eventually, the Triathica Academy will include a membership of its own. Current Triathica club members will be able to add an Academy membership to their basic membership for a small additional fee. “Remote” customers will also be able to join the academy without having a club membership.
Our first Academy offerings will be an exercise DVD and a camp for triathlon newbies.
We shot the DVD several months ago and have recently just finished editing it. It’s a spin workout that can be done on a stationary bike, trainer or CompuTrainer. We call it “Power Up!” because it’s a cycling power workout. We break all of our workouts here at Triathica into one of four types: power, endurance, speed or recovery.
Power Up! is a 60-minute workout designed to help build your leg strength to climb hills and power through the wind. We keep increasing the watts in this workout while decreasing the cadence. It’s a real quad buster!
Watch for more information of this great training tool.
The newbie camp will be a comprehensive triathlon training session conducted over a weekend for those athletes that have never raced before or feel like they need to develop some additional basic skills.
Again, watch for more information on this exciting camp.
RACE REPORT: LONG BEACH SPRINT
Ron Saetermoe
As I’ve written before, I really enjoy doing the same races year after year. Some may get bored with that but I like it so I can see if I’ve improved over the years. Generally, I have.
I’m in the throes of training for Ironman Arizona now so I can’t afford to miss any of my regularly scheduled training so the day before Long Beach I did my normal bike/run brick. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting much on Sunday.
It was a beautiful day and the water in the Long Beach bay was a brilliant red (LB is a great race for the non-swimmer because it’s calm – it also collects a lot of gunk).
I got out quickly and only saw a couple guys ahead of me in my wave. I settled into a nice quick pace and found a guy to my right swimming the same speed as me. The funny thing was that I only breathe to my right, and he only seemed to breathe to his left. As a result, we looked at each other for most of the swim.
I got out of the water feeling fresh and found two other guys in my age group only a step or two ahead of me. The run through the sand seemed to take forever but I was quick through transition and beat the other two guys out.
I never did see the one guy again until after the race but this 52-year-old dude (I’m in the M50-54 AG) passed me going up the first hill on the bike. I easily caught him going down the hill and stayed ahead of him on the flats, but he was gunning for me.
He passed me going up another small hill but I kept him in my sights. This time when I passed him I said as I went by “You really didn’t think you dropped me did you?” His reply was “You f***er!” in a joking tone.
We passed each other several more times through the bike section and he just beat me into transition slightly. I beat him out of transition, however, and headed out for the flat, fast run.
It wasn’t long before he passed me . . . probably ½ mile into the run. I contemplated trying to go with him but he was just too fast and my legs weren’t fresh. I saw him at the turnaround and waved the “shaka” wishing him good luck.
That’s how we finished, he took first, and I took second with a time of 1:04:51, my fastest time at LB by about four minutes!
I collected my silver medal, signed some autographs and went home for a power nap.
By the way, Triathica also had several athletes competing. Mauro, David, Byron, Joe and Janet all raced for the first time at L.B. and all did great! I’m proud of you all!
Chris McCormack (Macca) raced as well. He did okay!
SWIM CLINIC WITH TRISWIMCOACH
We invited Tri Swim Coach Kevin Koskella to organize a swim clinic at Triathica training center in Orange County, CA to do stroke analysis for some of our triathletes.
They were everything from beginner level to competitive, one of the participants, Julia was going to the world championships in Gold Coast, Australia in 2 weeks! (She went to the world championship and placed 3rd in her age group.)
We used the Endless Pool and were able to compare their underwater videos with what it should look like, and create DVDs for everyone to keep. They asked lots of great questions, and overall it was a fun and educational time.
Please check back to learn more about the next swim clinic.
TRIATHICA MEMBERS AND FRIENDS RACE RESULTS
There were tons of races weekend before last and we would like to congratulate all our athletes and friends who competed. Here are some members and friends of Triathica who competed last weekend along with their race times, placement in age group, and percentile in age group.
For many of these folks, this was their first triathlon. Just finishing is a great accomplishment, regardless of finish times. Great job everyone!
Ironman Wisconsin
50 – 54 Male: Larry Davidson 7/170 (4%); 11:06:46
Lake Las Vegas Sprint Triathlon
25 – 29 Female: Keisha Dejong 1/19 (5%); 1:37:42
35 – 39 Female: Cynthia Hill 2/16 (12%); 1:38:26
Lake Las Vegas Olympic Triathlon
30 – 34 Male: Jordan Dejong 1/7 (14%); 2:38:32
Malibu Triathlon Olympic
40 – 44 Male: Mark Chavira 46/105 (44%) 2:44:25
Malibu Triathlon Classic
45 – 49 Female: Nancy Higbee 70/76 (92%) 3:01:24
World Sprint Championships
16 – 19 Male: Kevin Cowell 45/55 (82%), 1:08:16
25 – 29 Male: Greg Moe 8/51 (16%), 1:04:31
35 – 39 Male: Stu Lowndes 39/59 (66%), 1:08:47
40 – 44 Male: Mike Collins 4/56 (7%), 1:03:47
45 – 49 Male: Sam Sunshine 58/72 (81%), 1:14:14
50 – 54 Male: Brian Smallwood 18/53 (34%), 1:10:38
50 – 54 Male: Russ Jones 19/53 (36%), 1:10:44
55 – 59 Male: Kim McDonald 1/42 (2%); 1:06:00
55 – 59 Male: Bob Kinney 6/42 (14%); 1:12:20
60 – 64 Male: Peter Hoyt 5/26 (19%); 1:13:45
65 – 69 Male: Richard Lewis 2/15 (13%); 1:21:20
25 – 29 Female: Sara Davis 10/40 (25%); 1:11:55
40 – 44 Female: Julia Juliusson 3/35 (9%); 1:11:38
55 – 59 Female: Sheila Nicholas 11/21 (52%); 1:30:43
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS (Week of September 21st)
All of our group workouts are free to 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 September 21st
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Big Corona near the lifeguard station next to the jetty
Day: Wednesday, September 23rd
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops around the buoys
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, September 26th
Time: NO GROUP RIDE THIS WEEK! (OC Triathlon)
Planned Workout: NO GROUP RIDE THIS WEEK!
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, September 20th
Time: NO GROUP RUN THIS WEEK! (OC Triathlon)
Planned Workout: NO GROUP RUN THIS WEEK! (OC Triathlon)
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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 Park at the beach ($8.00) or on the street (free) |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the I-5 Freeway: Exit Bake Parkway and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Parkway South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building (Automotive Associates’ building) |
RACE REPORT: ITU SPRINT TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Julia Juliusson
My name is Julia Juliusson, and I am at the end of my third year of competition in Triathlon. I compete in age group 40-44 for women. I am now 44 yrs old and have the pleasure of competing against all the young ones in my age group.
This year has been the greatest year of competition in my life, which resulted in the national title for my age group in sprint triathlon and then the bronze medal in my age group at Worlds in Brisbane, Australia. All this after missing 6 months of competition in 2008 because I tore my right achilles tendon in half and had surgery to repair it. My experience at Worlds made all the hard work of coming back from that injury so incredibly worthwhile. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
I arrived in Brisbane on Monday Sept 7th after a 14-hour flight to Sydney where I had a short layover that my bike seemed to miss. I got delayed for hours in Sydney waiting for my bike. I arrived around 12:30 local time in Brisbane that Monday to be picked up by another athlete from Wisconsin (Heidi) who I was going to room with. She had arrived two days earlier and had managed to rip off the left hand side of our rental car. Apparently learning how to drive on the opposite side of the road in Austrailia is harder than it seems. We laughed and I told her I had no interest in driving the whole time we were there, or we would all surely die.
Everything is in reverse in Aussie land, including swimming laps in pools where you swim up the left lane and back down the right. We were given stern warnings by race officials that passing people on our bikes MUST be done on the right, or we would be disqualified. This ended up being tough to follow in the heat of the actual race!
We picked up two other athletes also rooming with us. Russ Jones from California and Jason Peterson from Ohio. We proceeded straight to the hotel to drop off our gear and went grocery shopping. All athletes care about is food right? The bad news was that food is really expensive in AUS. We bought breakfast food and snacks and some alcohol (not a lot), which cost close to $400. Wow, what an eye opener.
Later, we assembled our bikes and tried to stay up as long as we could and passed out early Monday night to try and change time zones.
Tuesday was all about checking out the course on our bikes and checking out the swim in the local bay. By the way, we were now in surfer’s paradise, about an hour from Brisbane on the coast. The race venue was about two miles from our hotel along the Gold Coast Highway, much like PCH here. The swim was in a protected bay/marina area so no waves to deal with, just a slight current. What we did have to deal with were sharks!
We went to the swim venue on Tuesday and ran into a race official who told us to be careful and not to swim at dusk because the area is known for Bull sharks. Bull sharks that eat people! Just two days ago they had seen two sharks swimming in the same area as the swim venue. It was only 9:00 a.m. so we took our chances and swam the course, biked the course and ran part of the course. We then went to play around in Surfer’s Paradise and went back to our food and spirits!!
Wednesday was the ITU Aquathon World Championships. Ironically, no one had to qualify for this race. They invited every triathlete to race it to preview the swim and warm up for our race. Naturally, we all signed up.
The Aquathon was a 1.6-mile run followed by a 1000-meter swim followed by a 1.6-mile run. I had never done a race this way with the 5K split like that, so that was interesting. It’s different to run into the water with your HR so elevated. I managed to run a 6:45 pace first run leg then got in the water for a 17 minute swim (the course was long) then ran a 7:00 pace for the last half. I managed to place 9th in my age-group; not bad for a warm-up race. Only problem was that it was freezing. They called it a non-wetsuit swim. The water was probably 65-67 deg F; it was very nippy.
Thursday was the only non-race duty day. Just R & R. We took an hour drive south to Byron Bay, an old hippy beach town that many people in the states who had been to Australia told me about. They said it was a “can’t miss” place to go. It was truly a beautiful beach with great cafes and shops. We drank, ate, laid on the beach, and enjoyed each other’s company.
Friday, we could tell the race jitters were beginning to set in. I had to go to packet pick up. I had to do short intensive burst workouts in all three disciplines. I needed to make final tweaks to our bikes. I tried to relax, but everyone felt a little nervous.
Saturday was all about going to the race venue to watch the Olympic distance races and see how many people were drafting. We had been told ITU officials were very lax when it came to drafting. The course was narrow, flat and fast, perfect drafting conditions. We saw many men drafting. Mostly the women were honest and there was not much drafting!
Team USA met on Saturday. USAT officials told us not to draft and only to pass on the right. Then we had bike check-in for the night, which I love! I hate to deal with the bike in the morning. It’s so nice to get to transition and have it all good to go! Next, it was time for a great meal. FYI, if you go to AUS, the meals out are just as expensive as the store. It was like $40-$50 for an entree. After dinner it was early to bed. 
RACE DAY: Up at 4 am and I am feeling good. Still, it’s very hard to stuff down the oatmeal. Walked out the door at 4:45 a.m. and drove to the race venue. I got in the transition by 5:15 a.m., set up my gear, then went for a 15-min run. Next I went down to the water, swam for 15 min (longer than usual for me), then realized they were starting the waves. I ran to my place in the chute. The race started at 6:45 a.m. local time and my wave went off at 6:55 a.m. It was the first race that I had where they sent all the women first.
I lined up on the shore, the horn went off, and I ran forward into the water only to step into a pot hole and completely fall. I could do nothing but start swimming when normally I would have dolphined two or three more times. It was not a great start and it was a full contact sport after that. I got elbowed and kicked many times. I paced it to the first buoy then turned right and started to pick up my pace.
I caught the lead group of ten swimmers. I drafted for the rest of the race and thought wow that was not so bad. Then I stood up from the 750 K swim and looked at my watch, which said 14 minutes, and I could only curse! Turns out the lead pack went slow!! The fastest gal went 13:30 or so and I came out 9th in the pack at 14th. I should have passed these gals instead of taking the easy way and just drafting. On the bright side, I was not tired so I hammered the bike!
I had the fastest bike split in my age group. In fact, I passed everyone on the bike. I was in first place coming into T2. Then, by mistake, I ran down the wrong aisle! I had to turn back which cost me a good 20 seconds. On the run, I got passed (with conviction) by an Aussie who must have been going sub 6:30 pace. She blew by me so fast I did not even try to match pace. Then, in the middle of the run, I got passed by a Kiwi who I stayed with for a while, but eventually lost her. Turns out, I was running a 6:50 pace which, after Achilles reconstruction, was awesome for me. I simply could not hang on to these gals. I finished with a good kick at one hour eleven minutes, just 20 seconds shy of second place. First place beat us both by two minutes; she deserved her gold.
I became a bronze medalist in the 2009 World Games and I cried. Never in my wildest dreams, after surgery last year, did I think I would come this far. I have my cycling coaches and run coaches to thank. I am very blessed indeed.
In 2010 the Worlds will be held in Budapest Hungary. Never say never 
PETE AND CORRINNE UPDATE #12
Jarrett Pflieger
The OC International Triathlon is looming, but Pete and Corrinne believe they’re ready. 
If you have been following Pete and Corrinne on their journey to the OC Tri, you know they have come a long way since they started training like triathletes at Triathica. This is the final week leading up to their race, we know they will do great.
Pete had a great week. “I feel that training program that Triathica has put together has really helped me get to this point. I was able to go out to the lake again this week for a practice swim,” he said. Pete also had the chance to practice swimming in Lake Mission Viejo with the Triathica group, sans wetsuit. “I feel with the warm weather, we will not have the ability to wear wetsuits at the race,” he revealed. Last week he said he needed to work on his speed a little bit. This week he did few tempo road runs and his legs felt pretty good. He is going to try to take it easy this week and is “looking forward to a few chiro adjustments, a good massage, and plenty of rest.”
Corrinne also had a great week. She has been training a lot on the indoor CompuTrainers here at Triathica because of her broken wrist. It is close to 100% so this past week she was finally able to go outside and ride. “Saturday I thought I would try to keep it a pretty easy ride with not a lot of hills. I didn’t really want to be gripping with my hand and wrist,” she said. She wore her brace and went down Shady Canyon, around Back Bay, and back. She followed that ride up with a short run. “At first, I was super nervous and my confidence was shot,” she explained, “It was like I was on my bike for the very first time again.”
She was thinking the ride might not go well at first, but about 10 minutes into the ride, she felt like she had never fallen. Things came back very quickly to say the least. Corrinne attributes her maintenance of fitness on the bike to the six weeks spent in the CompuTrainer room. She was spinning faster than ever before and was sure she was pushing out more watts. “ I think we were going a good 18-23 mph the whole time, which for me is great, and I wasn’t pushing it too hard. It felt soooo good,” she said.
One thing Corrinne is trying to work on this week is getting better sleep. Between kids starting school, football games three days a week, practice every night, and running the snack bar for the high school, she struggles finding the time to get a solid nights sleep. She estimates she gets around four hours a night. Sleep is very important leading up to a race, so hopefully she can find the time to get some much needed rest.
That’s is for Pete and Corrinne this week. Check back next week to see how they did at the OC Tri and where they are going from here.
OC TRIATHLON COURSE TALK
Jarrett Pflieger
Doing the OC Tri race for the first time? Did it last year, but forgot what the course was like? No problem.
Triathica is having a course talk on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. We will be doing an overview of the course and discussing what you can do to give yourself the best chance at performing at your best. You need to know where the hills and downhills are, which hills to hammer, which turns to watch out for, where to watch your speed, and how to pace in each part of the race.
The first 10 to RSVP to the course talk will get goodie bags from Hammer nutrition. Spots are filling up, so don’t wait to RSVP. There is no cost for this event.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Triathica, 26475 Rancho Parkway South, Lake Forest
For more information please contact Jarrett Pflieger at Jarrett@triathica.com or 949.273.6223.
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS (Week of September 14th)
All of our group workouts are free to 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 September 14th
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Big Corona near the lifeguard station next to the jetty
Day: Wednesday, September 16th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops around the buoys
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, September 19th
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 2 loops around Santiago Canyon
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, September 20th
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 Park at the beach ($8.00) or on the street (free) |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the I-5 Freeway: Exit Bake Parkway and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Parkway South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building (Automotive Associates’ building) |
SEPTEMBER MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL
It may be smoldering hot outside now, but in the next month or two, you can expect things to change. The days will get shorter, and the air colder. It may be hard for you to get all your workouts in due to weather or dislike of riding in darkness. That’s where Triathica comes in.
We have literally everything you need to get your workouts in, all in a cozy, climate controlled facility. Don’t let the comfort fool you. Indoor training is the perfect way to focus on your workout and your workout alone. No worrying about cars, obstacles, visibility, flat tires, waiting for a lane, wearing a jacket, etc. Everything is in a controlled setting which helps you take your workouts to the next level.
With the racing off season and winter approaching, we’re announcing our best deal to date . . . one that will probably NEVER be repeated . . . a six-month membership for just $180.00!!! This is a huge savings off our standard membership of $50.00 a month.
We know the economy is tough and many of you have been holding off on spending any extra money. However, we also know how dedicated you are to the sport of triathlon. So we’re hoping that this offer will get those of you that are on the fence to come on in and “train like a triathlete.”
Here’s how it works: Enroll in any of our four memberships from September 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009 and you will get to train here at Triathica for just $180.00 ($30.00 per month). Your fees are due upon enrollment but we do have a monthly installment option of $210.00, or $35.00 per month.
Your membership begins October 1, 2009 and runs through March 31, 2010. If you want to come in before October 1st to train you will need to buy a regular membership for $40.00 (for an “associate” membership) until October 1st (for the month of September we’re bringing back the three training zone assessments in swim, bike and run with your paid membership — a $150.00 value).
Our thought is that with winter coming and daylight savings going, you’ll want to do more of your training indoors. And what better way than with our PowerTap spin bikes, CompuTrainers, an Endless Pool, and Landice treadmills, the smoothest and most quiet treadmills you will ever run on?
Give us a call or come on in. 949.273.6223, Jarrett@triathica.com or 26475 Rancho Parkway South, Lake Forest
