RACE REPORT: PETERS CANYON SUMMER TRAIL RUN SERIES

Ron Saetermoe

I’d heard about the Peters Canyon Summer Trail Run Series put on by Jonathan Pauley of Renegade Racing (renagaderaceseries.com) but had never competed until Thursday, July 9th. If you haven’t done this race, you should.

For $30.00 you get a great trail race and either a burger or hot dog meal or a series T-shirt. Either way it’s a great deal!

The three races take place on various Thursday evenings at Peters Canyon Wilderness Park in Tustin. The event is very well organized and is located at the park so it’s a great place to bring the entire family.

Since this was my first time to the event I had no idea what to expect. I made my way to the starting area a bit late and heard one of my Orange County Triathlon Club buddies, Stan Gertler, call my name. I elbowed my way into the starting corral alongside Stan and we were off.

I understand the race may circle through Peters Canyon from either direction, but both are challenging. Stan assured me that this was the “easier” way. Didn’t seem like it to me!

Essentially, the majority of the course is run on the trails open to hikers, mountain bikers, coyotes, and anyone else that wants to use them. We encountered everything, short of the coyotes.

The first half of the 5-mile run was very challenging with lots of climbing. At one point I was contemplating walking but didn’t. It was tough!

The second half of the run was mostly downhill. What a relief!

I got a side-stitch at about mile three that didn’t go away but felt like I was pushing a pretty good pace. I passed a few other runners as we neared the finish. One guy in particular was in my sights. I let the younger runners and women pass me without a fight (that’s right, I don’t mind being “chicked”) but anyone near my age group will be challenged.

Good thing I mounted the challenge because I found out later that the guy I passed with about 200 yards to go was in my age group and had been in 1st place.

I won my age group with a time of 37:16 (7:27 pace) and Lamar Sepulveda finished in 2nd (M50-54) with a time of 37:17! A great race I’ll remember for a long time.

LAKE FOREST 4th OF JULY 5K

Jarrett Pflieger

Is there a better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than with a quick 5K before lunch on the 4th of July? Besides kicking back a few beverages and barbequing, I don’t think there is.

I planned to head down to the Lake Forest 5K on the 4th to market Triathica’s membership specials and hand out some free training zone assessment coupons. The day before the race I realized it would be hard for me to not participate in the festivities, so I signed up.

Not wanting to run alone, I tried to find some people to do it with me. The best I could get was a “maybe” from one of my friends who is not exactly the most athletic person I know — no worries. When I called race morning, I was able to change the maybe into, “Sigh…I’ll meet you at the parking lot in 15 minutes…grumble…grumble.”

I arrived at the Ralphs parking lot next to the race a little after 6 a.m. After a few Triathica marketing activities, I was ready to head down to the starting line to get my bib and race chip. I saw a few people I recognized, but not as many as I thought I was going to see having lived in Lake Forest my whole life.

After standing around for a while I was contemplating whether or not the beers the night before were a good idea, then the gun went off. Actually, I didn’t hear anything, but people started moving so I followed.

I think I underestimated how slow my friend was. After a few seconds moving at a snails pace I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to just go for it and turned it into a workout and a good time-trial benchmark. I darted to the outside and began passing people. The first part of the course was just under a mile long and slightly downhill. I love downhill.

I felt great for the first mile, I think I easily ran sub-6 and the only people ahead of me were all the 120-pound cross-country kids from El Toro High School, one or two girls, and a dude in a dog costume.

He had to have been a cross-country runner because the dog was flying. I’m pretty sure he ended up beating me, which is pretty embarrassing, oh well.

The rest of the race went pretty well. I slowed down a bit on a long uphill section, but made up most of the ground I had lost on the downhill. There was a girl in front of me most of the time that I was determined to pass, but didn’t want to make my move too soon. Typical man, right?

We came around the last turn on what I thought was the home stretch. I kept looking ahead to see if there were any more turns or detours we had to make. Then it looked like some people were veering right onto another detour from the finish line. I didn’t have a watch on, but it felt like it should have just been straight to the finish line from there.

My eyes must have been playing tricks on me because there was no turn, just about 800 meters until the finish. Time to turn on the boosters. I managed to pass probably around 10 people in the final stretch. One guy I recognized from high school tried to match my speed. I knew for a fact he was a cross-country runner back in the day and he still looked in good shape, but somehow I was able to hold him off.

I crossed the finish line but did not get a look at the time and had no watch. A guy came up behind me and thanked me for pushing him hard. I guess we had gone back and forth the whole race and my final surge helped him push himself harder. He said his time was around 19:40 so I figured I was in the 19:30 range.

After more marketing duties, I left to go run some errands. I kept thinking about my time and knew I wouldn’t be able to wait for them to post the results online. I decided to swing back by the race and check it out. They were already halfway through the award ceremony and I strolled over to look at the standings.

Jarrett Pflieger – Div (3)

3rd place? Could this be right? This was my first 5K, how could I possibly have made the podium? I waited around for the ceremony to end and walked up to the announcers. I asked to see the award standings for 20-24 year olds. Somehow the winner’s time didn’t show up on the initial results printout I was looking at. I ended up taking 4th and missing out on a medal by less than 30 seconds. Bummer.

Overall I was very happy with my time (19:33) and pace (6:18). I plan to ramp up my training for the Pacific Coast and OC Triathlons and hopefully improve my run splits. Can’t wait for my next 5K to test how my training is coming along!

PETE AND CORRINNE UPDATE #2

Kelli Whittaker

Corrinne, a “newbie” to the sport of triathlon and an employee of Triathica just began her triathlon training. She just completed her training zone assessments in each of the three sports and is now well on her way to becoming a triathlete. Her first triathlon will be the OC International Triathlon on September 27th. This past weekend she joined the group for the 12-week short-course training camp at Triathica.

Although the path to becoming a triathlete is exhilarating, it has been challenging for Corrinne because of her history as a long distance runner. Accustomed to four to five hour runs, she now needs to break up her training into three very different sports. The change has been challenging, but she says that it has been well worth it. She loves the fact that you get to change things up. One challenge she has recently faced is changing the way she runs. Now she takes short, fast runs instead of long, slow runs, so that her body starts to adapt to the new fast pace.

She also just completed her first ocean swim this past Wednesday at Triathica’s group swim at Big Corona. After the swim she said that she was ecstatic. She is normally deathly afraid of swimming in the ocean because of her extreme fear of sharks, but she put the fear behind her and did very well. She realized that she actually is a much stronger swimmer than she had thought and believes that with a little more training she will be comfortable in the water.

Pete a “returnee” to the sport of triathlon just completed the Breath of Life Triathlon in Ventura. It was his first triathlon in awhile and he really enjoyed the race. He said that it was a “flat, fast race.” He finished 8th in his age group and was happy with his overall performance. He was pleasantly surprised with his biking and attributes some of his success to his training on Triathica’s CompuTrainers. He also realized that he needs to focus on getting a faster 10K split.

Pete will be joining Corrinne in the 12-week training camp hosted by Triathica and looks forward to seeing the improvement and knowledge he gains form the experience. Look for an update on Pete and Corrinne’s training progress in next week’s newsletter.

SOCIAL NIGHT

Indoor CompuTrainer Race

Every week we’re going to try to put together a social event for all of our members, and non-members just to promote the great sport of triathlon. Last week we enjoyed watching the 2008 Ironman World Championships. This week we’re going to try something a little different.

Triathica is excited to offer a chance for you to race the Orange County International Triathlon bike course this Friday, July 17th. Just one little twist, we will do it indoors, at the Triathica triathlon training center in Lake Forest.

With our CompuTrainer MultiRider system, we can have up to six riders at once set up their own bike on a computer simulated course that mimics what will be experienced at the actual race. The computer controlled trainer will simulate climbs and descents in the course by increasing or decreasing the resistance applied to your back tire. Seriously, it feels like the real thing, maybe even a little bit harder.

During the course you will be able to see your cadence, heart rate, watts, speed, and tons of other data on the screen while you race. This is an incredible tool to help you monitor how your body performs under race conditions.

This is a great opportunity for a fun and competitive training session, practice for the actual OC Triathlon, or a way to prove you are as good as you think you are on the bike.
Even if you don’t really want to compete and just want to try out the CompuTrainer, definitely feel free to come in and ride the course for a good workout. No pressure whatsoever.

We will be giving out prizes to the fastest male and female of the day. Its only $5 to race, so hurry and reserve your spot today. Call 949.273.6223 or email Jarrett.Pflieger@triathica.com to RSVP.

Date: Friday, July 15th
Time: Starting at 5:00 p.m. and going until?
Cost: $5.00 each
RSVP: Jarrett@triathica.com

MEET PETE AND CORRINNE

If you’ve been by the club lately you may have already met Corrinne Wallace because she works the front desk here.  Corrinne also is in charge of mapping our rides and runs and is sort of our social coordinator.

Pete is a friend of ours that has been a triathlete for many years.  He’s a dedicated runner now and coaches running at Snails Pace.

If you pick up a copy of Competitor Magazine you’ll see our latest ad on page 36.  The “Transform” ad features Pete and Corrinne in the ad as our “heros” that landed on the mystical island of Triathica.

Essentially, Pete and Corrinne are our “test subjects.”  We have already put them through their training zone assessments and will be working with them in the months ahead.  They will be attending our 12-week training camp, and will follow the 9-week training plan prescribed in the camp.

Corrinne is a “newbie” and Pete is returning to the sport.  They are both ultra-marathoners, which besides meaning they’re crazy, means they race distances in excess of a normal 26.2-mile marathon.  Some of these races go 100+ miles.

You’ll be seeing more of them around Triathica and www.triathica.com.  When you see them chat them up because they’re both really neat people.

MOVIE NIGHT

Periodically we plan on having a social gathering at Triathica.  Our first event of this nature will be this Friday night.  Come by and enjoy the 2008 Ironman World Championships and some pizza with us . . . on us (FREE).

Date:  Friday, July 10th
Time:  6:00 p.m.
Showing:  2008 Ironman World Championships
Serving:  Pizza

COEUR D’ ALENE IRONMAN JUNE 2009

by Larry (Lar-Dog) Davidson

2,153 eager triathletes gathered on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene (CDA) to participate in the 7th running of the Ford Ironman CDA ’09 edition. The road to my 5th Ironman was another very enjoyable ride, and one that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life; just like the other four. It will also put an end to my “once per year” Ironman races I have done since 2005.

Much of this Ironman was about me (as usual), but in many ways it was very much about a rising endurance athletic star, Scott Callender. I work with Scott (affectionately known as “Scooter”), and I think it was my bright idea for him to get involved in triathlon in the first place.
My training leading up to the race was terrific, and I have numerous training partners that I have enjoyed spending time with in the pool, riding our bikes throughout Southern California, and numerous runs, with the best of those being in Aliso & Wood Canyons.
The posse of Quinton, Art, and Scott converged on Coeur d’Alene, and we all trained using different methods and coaches. In the end, we all put it “out there” during the race, and I am proud of my commitment, effort, and race performance. I am also proud of Quint, Art, and Scott. All three of these men motivate me in many ways, and I am blessed to call them friends.

A constant at each of my Ironman events has been my sweetheart wife, Kim Marie. She has not been feeling so great the last few months, so for her to volunteer her entire day at Ironman and help out, was unbelievable. She is my rock when I race, and Lar- Dog needs his rock.

My training was spot on throughout the year, and I had some really terrific racing events leading up to this Ironman event. My racing since January included three half marathons, an Olympic distance triathlon, a century (100 mile) bike event in the ridiculous hills of Santa Monica, and 2 half Ironman events. Suffice to say, on race day I was ready to rumble.

The weather leading up to the event was all over the board. One day it was predicted to be in the 80’s, and then it was supposed to be windy, rainy, and cool. I have raced in super cold (Wisconsin in ’06), and VERY hot (Hawaii in ’07). The other obvious fact is that everyone who races, gets to enjoy whatever weather race day brings, so I just say “bring it.”

Kim & I arrived in Idaho on Wednesday, which gave me plenty of time to get my bearings and to swim, bike, and run some parts of the Ironman course. It started off with a Thursday swim in the beautiful and majestic waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. As I pulled up my wetsuit, I was joined by Ironmates Quinton, Art, and Anna. Once we began the swim, I could not help but take immediate note of the gallons of water I was seemingly swallowing, and the waves pushing me around. I couldn’t believe a lake swim could have such conditions, and hoped it was just a windy day that was causing this. (More on the delightful swim later.)

Later on Thursday, the same group did a bike ride, which was basically a tour of the Ironman run segment. I was happy to see the run course, and thought that it would provide for a pretty quick marathon as the terrain was relatively flat, with only one biggish hill.

I ran on Friday for about 20 minutes, and Saturday was basically a day off my feet, with no training.

Isn’t this interesting and fun to know all the great details about me and my training? OK…time to just tell you about the race and the day in general.
I must say that I was very stoked to have numerous friends and acquaintances participating in the race, along with a lot of spectators that I know. The double loop swim, bike, run, allows competitors and spectators to see each other frequently throughout the day, and that is a real kick in the pants.

The Swim

Here’s the deal. This was the hardest, most difficult swim I have done…ever…period. I was warned about this, but I must not have believed it. I struggled mightily on the outbound swim leg. The wind was pushing the water and the waves were smashing into me. All the while I had big trouble breathing, and was sucking in that nice lake water. I don’t think I swam a very straight line either, and that compounded the problem. Basically, I wanted to quit and go home. Fetal position seemed like a nice option, but damn it, I am a freakin’ Ironman, and I will not give up that easily!

The first turn buoy was a total mess of people that were completely stopped and treading water; what a joke. I finally found relief on the trip back to shore, as the wind was at my back. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I had to do another freakin’ loop of the swim and enjoy the pounding once again! I exited the swim winning the battle, but concerned that I may have lost the war. My swim was a very poor time for me: 1h18’. I was 51st on the swim in my age group: how pathetic!

The Bike

I jumped on the Lar-Dog Lucero and busted the move for my 112-mile adventure. I rode VERY smartly and held myself back in the first 50 to 60 miles. Trust me, I was working hard, but I was holding back just a “bit” for the first 3 hours. At around the halfway mark of the bike, who should I pull up next to other than my training partner…SCOOTER! He was all smiles and encouraging as usual.

I started putting more effort into the ride as it progressed, and I ended up with a great bike time of 5h37’. My average speed was just under 20MPH. This is a hilly course in many sections, and I was 100%+ jazzed at my execution of a very solid Ironman bike split. I moved up a bunch in my age group off the bike, and was in 13th place when I entered the 2nd transition area.

The Run

I am a strong cyclist, but an even stronger runner. I zoomed through T2, and began to see how may old bastards (males 50 to 54, look out!), that I could “run down.” Kim was there and she cheered me on numerous times, and every time I saw her throughout the day, I was extra motivated. I have no “bigger fan” than my sweetie Kimmie.
For pacing, I run with a Garmin (GPS)…and guess what, it was frozen up and inoperable; thus I was without a stopwatch. Have no fear though…Kim to the rescue. She grabbed my backup watch, and handed it to me at mile three. What a God send!

I quickly got my running legs beneath me, and felt decent as I started to click off the miles. At mile seven, I had my first serious hamstring cramp. I ended up stopping numerous times throughout the run to stretch them out, as they cramped badly and stopped me dead in my tracks. I also was taking in a lot of fluids, and made three porta potty stops. None of this crap helps your time, but there is really no choice than to deal with it as quick as you can and move on.

I had an unbelievable battle with another age group competitor on the run. He and I traded places several times, and at the end, he was just too much for me and got me by about a minute! I tip my hat to him, as I gave it my all, and he was better. I ran a personal best Ironman marathon of 3h41’, and was 6’ shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. It has been a goal of mine to qualify for Boston in an Ironman.

The Finish

My run moved me into 9th place in my age group, and 7’ from garnering a slot to Kona (you know, the Hawaii Ironman). I am disappointed I didn’t “punch my ticket” back to the big dance, but it is truly bittersweet. I now will have a whole lot different type of summer (not having to train for Hawaii), and can look to get my “endurance fix” doing some other “cool” events or things.

One of my takeaways from this year is a deeper sense of appreciation for simply having a lifestyle, and the ability, and body to be able to participate in these kinds of things. I am blessed beyond measure, and I will continue to be grateful for all that God has given me. I am proud of Scooter who became an Ironman, and I am thankful for my training pals who I have gotten to know on a more personal level in the past months.

Finally

If you have read this far, congratulations. Now this is the important part…
Go out and do YOUR Ironman. Life is short. Your Ironman is whatever you want in life…something that takes hard work and determination. Something that you need to learn, something that stretches you beyond your little comfortable zone that I suspect you are hanging out in.

There is sweetness and a life-long satisfaction in attempting to do something that is hard, different, and new…and something that not every civilian will or can do.

When I trained this year, my theme was to “Do today what others won’t, so that I can do tomorrow, what others can’t.” It’s time for you to find your IRONMAN!

12-WEEK TRIATHLON TRAINING CAMP

Triathica is pleased to offer a 12-week triathlon training camp specifically designed for those participating in the Orange County International Triathlon on Sunday, September 27, 2009, and beyond. The camp is suitable for athletes of all levels.
Click here to sign up

Fees:		$450.00
Location:		26475 Rancho Parkway South, Lake Forest, CA  92630
Dates:		July 11, 2009 (12 weeks)
Times:		6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Coaches:		Your head coach and president of Triathica is Ron Saetermoe. Ron has been in the sport of triathlon since 1983 and has completed over 100 races. His years of experience assure your triathlon success. Ron is a certified triathlon coach through USAT. Your assistant coach is Jarrett Pflieger. Jarrett is the facility director at Triathica and is a USAT certified triathlon coach.
Classroom:		The Triathica 12-week triathlon training camp includes 12, one-hour classroom sessions. Each session will cover a separate topic with the purpose of giving you the knowledge you need to confidently complete your 1st, or your 101st triathlon.
Topics:		The following topics will be discussed: Week 1. triathlon basics, Week 2. triathlon safety, Week 3. triathlon training plan, Week 4. triathlon nutrition, Week 5. triathlon flexibility, Week 6. triathlon strength training, Week 7. triathlon swim, Week 8. triathlon cycling, Week 9. triathlon running, Week 10. triathlon transitions, Week 11. triathlon race strategy, Week 12. the OC International Triathlon course
Training Plan:		Included with your enrollment is a 9-week triathlon training plan. The plan will detail your daily workouts right up to race day. A $170.00 value!
Training Zone Assessments:		Have you ever wondered what your training zones are? Did you know they’re probably different for each sport? Every "camper" will receive free training zone assessments in swimming, cycling and running — a $150.00 value!
Triathica Tri Top:		Included with your enrollment is a Triathica tri top. A $75.00 value!
Workouts:		Our workouts are open to everyone (campers and non-campers). – Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m.: open-water swim at Big Corona – Saturday’s 7:00 a.m.: bike ride originating at Triathica – Sunday’s: 7:00 a.m.: runs originating at Triathica
Athlete Fitness:		You should be in good physical condition and have no medical reason or impairment that might prevent you from participating in strenuous physical activities. We strongly recommend that you consult your physician prior to enrolling in this camp. Athletes of all levels are encouraged to enroll in the Triathica 12-week training camp.
Essentials:		We will cover all of the essential equipment, apparel and nutrition during our first training session. See the Triathica website for a complete list of items you’ll need to compete. Triathica Triathlon Checklist
OC International Triathlon Course:		You will have an opportunity to ride and run on the OC International Triathlon course during some of our workouts. This is an “Olympic” distance course (1.5k lake swim, 40k bike, 10k run) and is considered “challenging.”
More Information:		Website: www.triathica.com Telephone: 949.273.6223 Email: info@triathica.com Click here to sign up

TRIATHICA SERVICES

Triathica is a one-stop shop for the training needs of triathlon and multisport athletes of all levels. Novice or veteran, Triathica can take any athletes’ performance to the next level. It is the first facility of its kind and Triathica has tools and equipment that are not available anywhere else.

Some of the services that sets Triathica apart from all others are…CompuTrainer MultiRider sessions, Endless Pool sessions, indoor cycling sessions with feedback, swim, run and bike analysis, personal training, flexibility training, resistance training, customized training plans, fitness evaluations, nutrition consultations, bike fit capability, classes, massages, group swims, runs, and bike rides, and much more.

No other facility in Orange County offers this kind of service. Any athlete that has the determination can come to Triathica and be transformed. The state-of-the-art equipment, dynamic classes, and video analysis capability sets any athlete up for success. Even if you’re not ready to race, you can still reap the benefits of training like a triathlete. Get fit, lose weight, meet new people, and most importantly, have a great time. Come in and start training like a triathlete today!

COMPETITOR MAGAZINE AD

Triathica is excited to announce its first advertisement has been published in the June issue of Competitor Magazine. You can find the ad on page 17 of the publication.

This ad is the first of a series of four that will help show the meaning behind the Triathica brand and what the triathlon training center is all about. It features a background photo of a stunning tropical landscape with the text, “A mystical place awaits those with a desire to challenge themselves… a place undiscovered… a place called Triathica…”

It may seem odd to associate a triathlon-training center with a remote tropical island, but this has been the vision of Triathica president, Ron Saetermoe, from the very beginning. Ron envisioned a destination, free from distractions, where athletes could gather to dedicate themselves to their training and increase their physical capabilities. What better place to train without distractions than a remote island? Perfect weather, perfect scenery, and free from the worries of everyday life that hamper your training and keep you from reaching your goals. These are the images we want to convey with the Triathica name and brand.

Triathica is a physical manifestation of this idea, except our tropical island is actually an office building in a business park in Lake Forest, CA. We may not have an ocean or palm trees, but when you come to Triathica you can focus on one thing and one thing alone, training and getting better at triathlon and multisport.

Stay tuned for our next ad in the July issue of Competitor. It will introduce two individuals and tell the story of how they discovered how Triathica could transform them into better triathletes.

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