Tinsel Tri for Spencer

Sunday December 12th 2010

A glorious warm winters day - no joke it was 82oF in Hemet, California for the Reverse Sprint Tinsel Triathlon.
A 5K run, a 12 mile bike ride and a whopping 150 meters pool swim.
I placed 14th out of 77 in my age group and 75 out of 936 overall.
My total time was 0:59:55 with the following splits:
0:22:44 on the run (17th out of 77)
0:33:42 on the bike (8th out of 77)
0:03:29 on the swim (9th out of 77)
It was different doing the reverse and the leg feel different jumping on the bike after a good 5K sprint.
Several people were dressed up and enjoying the holiday season; it was a funny sight to see some of the swimmers with costumes on during there swim!
All in all a fun way to wrap up a wonderful 2010 and my first 8 month into this wonderful sport of Triathlon.
(In the photo there are two people wearing 'hot' tri short - just in case you can't figure it out - I'm on the right wearing bib # 510 :)

CAF Event

Elizabeth and Spencer both competed in the CAF 70.3 recently. Elizabeth had a particularly pleasing event and Spencer showed his strength too. Here is his re-cap of the day.

It had rained all week with thunder clouds covering San Diego county. However, somehow on Sunday the day was perfect.
The 1.2 mile swim in La Jolla Cove was calm with a rolling tide - the water was a balmy 64oF and felt great with my full swim wetsuit on.
There's a steep set of stairs leading from the Cove to the park which became our transition and start/finish area for the day.
For those of your who know the geography of San Diego - you'll know what I mean by a "hilly" bike and run course. The bike course started at La Jolla Cove and the route took us up La Jolla Shores Drive up to Torrey Pines Road out into Rancho Santa Fe towards the coast at Carlsbad. The route then headed back south along the coast (up Torrey Pines!) and back to La Jolla Cove.
After the 56 mile bike ride the start of the run was tough going. For many people, including myself, this was a combination of run/walk until the top of Torrey Pines Road.
The 13.1 mile (half marathon) feels different on the legs after you have worked hard on the bike.
I completed the 70.3 miles (aka "Half Ironman") in 6 hours and 32 minutes.
Congratulations Elizabeth, your 5 hours and 56 minutes finish time was amazing. You are a rock-star. Of course next year my goal is to finish under 6 hours!
My time/results: Swim 39 min 21 secs; T1: 3 mins 17 secs (slow!); Bike: 3 hours 15 minutes; Run: 2 hours 28 minutes (I can run sub 2 hours normally!!).

I appreciate your support, sponsorship and thank you for helping to change lives, one athlete at a time.
Regards
Spencer Lawes

Madi at Ironkids Nationals

Madi completed the Ironkids Nationals last month in Florida. She worked so hard at her swimming with me which she did so well at. And her Mom and Dad tell me that this is her weakest part! You just need to take a look at the blurry photo of her on the bike to see how fast she must have been riding.



Here are her results and a lovely note she write. Well done Madi!

Ironkids Nationals:
Swim- 3:29
Bike- 9:32
Run- 2:35


November 15, 2010

Dear Coach Rachel,

Thank you for helping me to swim faster in my race. Thank you so much for being patient when I didn’t understand stuff. You are a wonderful swim teacher who helped me so much to improve my swimming. I know how to do my free style well now. It helped me win the military division at the Ironkids Nationals.

Sincerely,
Madi
Age 8

Women's Tri Results

US Women's Triathlon - San Diego 2010
October 17, 2010 in San Diego, CA
Sprint - Individuals
NO FN LN DIVISION OVERALL TIME
131 Lynette Bridges F3539 35 1:14:27
178 Christy Fritts F3539 7 1:07:32
570 Katie Winship F3539 49 1:16:10
4 Rachel Challis ELITE 2 1:00:04
631 Angie Dello F4549 45 1:16:00
572 Susan W F4549 290 1:33:18
SuperSprint - Individuals
1312 Sissy Sugarman F0114 175 1:02:41
1311 Elizab Sugarman F3039 176 1:02:41
1420 Molly Burns F0114 136 59:41:00
1034 Cathy Burns F4049 137 59:43:00

1113 Wendy Green F4049 57 54:09:00

Tri N For Chelsea

Susan Wintersteen has been training for today's all women's tri with a Training Transition on-line training program. She was doing the event for the TRI N FOR CHELSEA TEAM. She completed her first triathlon today, - and went straight for the Sprint Distance Event. Well done Susan. Here is what she wrote:

Today, 42 women came together to complete a sprint and super sprint triathlon as part of the TRI N FOR CHELSEA team. Many of us were doing tri's for the first time and learned 3 new sports in a short period of time. Kelly King, Chelsea's mom, greeted each of the team members and personally thanked them for doing the triathlon in her daughters name. The bond of coming together, trying something new, pushing individual fears and limits created some lifelong bonds. I am in awe of the strong women this cause has brought together. In total, not only did each team member complete the tri, but we raised close to 15,000 for the Chelsea's Light Foundation www.facebook.com/chelseaslight
A special thank you to Rachel Challis for her expertise, guidance and especially support out on the course for our team. Invaluable.

Warmly,
Susan Wintersteen, TRI N FOR CHELSEA team.

All Women's Tri

On a drizzly Sunday morning, the women turned out in force at the All Women's Tri today.
This race is always a gentle reminder that there are many people out there enduring a tougher time than ourselves. This year the race raised money for Ovarian Cancer. There were many women racing there who had / were enduring treatment to fight cancer and others who were running in memory of those who had lost their lives due to cancer.

Then there was the TT Team, most of whom had a good race. But, for me, the highlight was seeing the family teams - Cathy and Molly plus Elizabeth and Sissy. Both Mum and Daughter Teams did so well - I felt proud to have them in Training Transition race kits.



I'll post the splits when the come up.
One sneak peak into the results - Christy was seen walking away with gold.......

Well done everyone,
Rachel

Well done Spencer in today's Olympic Distance Tri.
This guy is un-stoppable!.......
2 hrs, 29 mins. Wow!

The BIG ROCK Olympic distance Triathlon at Lake Perris was a blast today.
The swim was a two loop out and back in the lake with a water temperature at a balmy 70oF.
The bike course was a two loop going out of the state park onto the main road and back into the park up a rather steep hill.
The 10K run was out and back across with an elevated run up and across the dam.
With only four waves it made for a prompt start without to much waiting around.
I recommend this event for anyone looking for an event that isn't over crowded.
Coming of my 'high' from watching the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona last week gave me the boost to crank out a strong performance.
This was my second Olympic distance and I was happy to shave of 14 minutes from my time at the San Diego Classic last month!
My training is going so well that alas this will probably be the last "Clydesdale" division that I will qualify for entering; so here I go into the age grouper categories.

Cheers
Spencer

LA Tri Finisher

Marianthe Bezzerides, Annamarie's sister finished her first triathlon (yes, she chose an Olympic Distance Race) in under 3 hours last week. Well done Marianthe. Here she is:

Mission Bay Tri and LA Tri

Well done Marianthe Bezzerdies (Annamarie's sister) for completing the LA Triathlon in a very respectable time of 2 hrs, 58 mins - not bad for a first! Well done Marianthe.
Also well done to Cara, Kevin, Lynette and Spencer who competed in the Mission Bay Tri yesterday. Kevin and Spencer get the joint prize for the happiest triathletes on the course yesterday as they shouted out to me on the bike course - or do they both just know how much warning I need to get a decent photo of them?


SPENCER LAWES 42 SAN MARCOS 9 0:09:36 0:02:57 0:29:12 0:01:07 0:23:10 1:06:02
KEVIN DEHAAN 37 CARLSBAD 8 0:10:10 0:03:44 0:28:54 0:02:03 0:24:52 1:09:43
CARA DEHAAN 36 CARLSBAD 7 0:09:50 0:02:23 0:30:59 0:01:01 0:21:36 1:05:49
LYNETTE BRIDGES 40 ENCINTIAS 10 0:10:35 0:03:40 0:32:22 0:01:34 0:24:04 1:12:15

San Diego Classic

Jody here. Morale of this story is listen to your coach! Rachel's advice was find someone to draft off of on the swim, go hard on the bike and hold on for the run. Vicki Alexander and I were meeting up for the first time after she beat me in the San Diego International. I was able to find good feet to draft off of for the entire swim. In the past, I would break away at some point thinking I could swim better on my own, but I stuck with the plan today. It resulted in a great swim for me. I hammered the bike and did not hold back, which resulted in a strong bike. I felt good on the run, and ran confidently that I had built up a big enough lead on Vickie, for a first place finish. Vickie and I have developed a healthy rivalry, which has motivated both of us in training and racing.

Cathy and I got to go off at 6:33 AM, right after the pros...no waiting around for us today. It was a great event, with delicious pizza at the end! As always, it is so much fun to race with other TT athletes. Congrats to Cathy, Elizabeth and Spencer for their strong performances.

San Diego Triathlon Classic - Saturday 9/18/2010

It was a great morning in San Diego. The swim, bike, run conditions were perfect and I got to race with three wonderful ladies: Jody; Cathy & Elizabeth.
The Classic is an Olympic distance race: 1500 meter swim; 40K bike & 10K run.
I had forecast my goal for this event a few months ago at finishing in 02:45:00 hours (swim 0:30:00; T1 0:01:30; bike 1:20:00; T2 0:01:30; Run 0:52:00).
After five months of triathlon training I'm getting to know pretty well how I may perform in a particular race. My time was 02:43:16 although I was 8th in the Clydesdale division (yes I'm still in the 200-202 lbs range so I still qualify - hopefully for not much longer ;) My times were as follows: swim 0:28:01; T1 0:02:55 bike 01:19:10; T2 0:01:17; Run 0:51:53. I should be a meteorologist with predictions like these! I was very happy with my swim and enjoyed the wide and long rectangle course. The bike course was a workout with the steep hill up to the top of Point Loma which had to be ridden twice. The run was flat with a mix of gravel path and pavement.
Elizabeth did a great job beating my time by 1 min 36 seconds; next time I won't take a pit stop for a pee during my run!! Just kidding; great job; I'll put an extra effort in during the 70.3 CAF event in October ;)
I got to say hello and shake the hand of Chris McCormack as he was walking to the swim start. I told him that I will also be in Kona in three weeks time for the Ford World Ironman Championships; the only difference is that I will be a security volunteer and he will be competing against Craig Alexander, Luke Bell and others for first place!!
For those who missed this Olympic event; there is another local event on October 16th "Big Rock Triathlon at Lake Perris". It about 45-60 minute drive on I-15 north of San Diego; here's the website link: http://triathlon.competitor.com/event-detail?event_id=26086
See you at the Group training events and the Mission Bay Triathlon.
cheers! Spencer

September 11 / 12 Races

TT was racing all around the place today - 20k bike time trial at Fiesta Island (Jody), 1/2 Marathon Camp P (Susan), Malibu (Val, Andy, Christy, Katie), La Jolla Rough Water Swim (Megan), Tri Rock (Cara and Spencer).

Here are some race summaries:
Susan:
Talk about a FUN and challenging 1/2 M! wow, it is on my list of things to do. hilly but doable. and so competitive, the gal in my AG won in 1:48, jeez! I cam in 4th with a 2:10 and I just about killed myself to get that time, I can barely walk this morning.

Spencer:
I was 4th in the Clydesdale division (although the 2nd place guy did not post a swim time!)

It was a long wait; the first wave hit the water at 07:00am and I was in the second to last wave that hit the water at 08:15am.
I went out fast on the swim and after the first 100 meters had to slow down to catch my breath; the bike was flat but technical with many turns through the Navy base on Harbor Drive; I felt strong and steady on the run and was very happy with a PR for a 5K.

Val:
1st Olympic race, best weather conditions, cool & overcast! Water was smooth like glass. I literally got in the 58degree water and just swam, never stopping. Loved it. At the mid-way bouy, I glanced at my watch and knew I was going to swim faster than normal, so I was even more motivated to swim swim swim!! Especially loved seeing the ocean filled with dolphins once we all got out!! Bike was smooth, up and down hills, but nothing we have not trained for at home - thank you Del Dios!! Felt great on the bike which is my weakest link! Pushed really hard this race on the bike!! Run was flat and fast. First mile is always a little slow, getting the legs moving, but the last 3 miles were super fast. I was watching my watch and so incredibly thrilled that I knew I was going to finish in just over 3 hours instead of the longer time I was expecting. And I had Andy waiting for me at finish line giving me high-5!!! I was literally jumping up and down as I crossed the finish line. I felt great, actually drove home right away to SD because I couldn't wait to share news & excitement of my race results with my family and friends who have been with me through every workout, nervous moment and exciting moment. This happiness is as much for me as it is for them! Malibu is truly a great race location!! I loved it and will return always!!! I absolutely LOVE the ocean at Malibu!!!!

Hugs, Val

Jody:
The time trial was a great experience. It was an opportunity to test myself on a stand alone bike event, my first. I warmed up on a trainer for 30 minutes with Dano, from B& L, and 5 of his friends in the Hilton parking lot.. I quickly got off the trainer and rode down to the start at Fiesta Island. My initial fear, during the 10 second countdown, was what are the chances that I will fall over when the guy in the "start house" (who is holding me up) lets go of me or will he give me a push? Note to self, start in an easier gear next time. I was the first of 4 women in the 50 to 59 age group to go off. We went 30 seconds apart. One woman past me at the end of the second lap. I was able to hold the others off without anyone closing the 30 second gap. My time of 32:02 was good for 2nd place. 1st place, Lenita Anthony, was close to 2 minutes faster, which was a great time, and placed her in the top 5 women overall. I learned that I did not have to stay to the right like in triathlons, I can save precious time by cutting the tangents. I am still learning what my ideal cadence is for a time trial, with no run afterwards. The wind was moderate I was told, not the worst conditions and not the best, either. I think I have room for improvement and feel it will definitely help my bike leg in triathlons. I hope to do a few more.

Christy:
I had a great race! 1st place 35-39 and 5th Overall!

I was second out of the water, passed her on the bike and held everyone on the run! My timing chip, however.. did not work so I wasn't listed in the immediate results & therefore missed the podium pictures etc...until I went to the booth and they looked me up in their back up system where it was confirmed that I won by ONE second!
Never saw her behind me but she must have been doing the "sneak attack". I dont have splits b/c my chip but have a pretty good idea of where I stood. Swim 14:30 - Bike 32:35 - Run 29:17 and abt 5 min in transitions (yikes!) = 1:41:39

The water conditions were fantastic.. I kept a steady pace and then "kicked it" on the last 200. THe bike course was rolling with some false flats but overall it was a nice/beautiful course. I have never felt better on the run - I tried to stay between 6:50 and 7:20 pace for the 4 miles. I might have been able to give it a bit more, but was happy with my result!

I'll be back next year!
-C

Cara:

Tri Rock turned out to be a "family affair" for us this weekend....minus the kids if that makes sense! After leaving the kiddos behind with a sitter on Saturday, Kevin and I headed down to San Diego to stay with my sister and Brother-in-Law, both of them also doing the race. As Spencer said, it was a VERY long wait from the time transition closed to the time we hit the water.....not good for someone like me with horrible nerves! Fun race all in all. There were 3 or 4 bands along the course, one of them playing on a catamaran during the swim! There was a great post race meal and beer garden as well (explains the pricey entry fee I guess!) Despite my fastest 500m swim split and my fastest 5k run split (had a 6:48 pace), I got 4th in my age group and 5th overall. Where do these ladies come from?! The bike course was very, very flat...this type of bike course has become my nemesis! It was very technical as Spencer said and I swear I heard Sugarman yelling at me to "get off my brakes" around every turn! I'm happy with my results as I raced hard but looks like I need to join Jody down at Fiesta for some "flat" bike racing!
Kevin had a solid race too! After being in the pool only 4 times in the last 6 months and completing only a handful of runs, he finished in the top 25 in his age group. His bike was strong of course...I'm not sure he even broke a sweat! He had pretty fresh legs for the run so he actually enjoyed the race and wants to squeeze one more in before the season is over. My Brother-in-Law has done CA 70.3 four times now but has never raced any other distance! In his first sprint he finished top 10 in his age group. My sister held strong. She finished with a smile and that counts for something, right? She said at the end, "if you don't train.....you can't complain"! Get training eveyone!!

Cara

Katie:
Loved the venue for Malibu. The race was very well put together and felt very "big time" compared to many of our hometown races. Beautiful course. Water was a chilly 58 but was only cold for the warm up. By the time we actually went off, it didn't seem bad. Nice conditions...small waves, easy entry and exit. I stayed pretty steady the whole time, never feeling that awful feeling of getting out of breath (which maybe means I wasn't kicking it hard enough! - story of my life!!)

Decent transition and off to the bike. Nice rolling hills; nothing too hard. Found myself yelling at myself a few times though for not pushing it hard enough. Urgh...that good ol' comfort zone I tend to sit in and not push harder through it. Although at the end, I did pass a lot of gals in my age group and only one passed me. My feet were still numb until the 2nd mile into the run....

Run felt surprisingly good for the amount of running I've been doing lately (or NOT doing!). Loved the great fast and flat course. I held btwn 8 and 8:30 pace most of the time, with a few dips into the 9s and a few dips into the 7s. A good FIVE girls in my group passed me on the run though...cruising at a good 7:10 or 7:20 pace. I tried to hold each of them but there was no way. It was a huge bummer for me to watch each of them go by and watch my age group standing drop with each one. With about 300 yds to go, I thought to myself I needed to really kick it hard and finish strong. Right then, I saw Christy and she yelled at me like an owner yells at her donkey! "Go get that guy...and that guy..." Within seconds, she was sprinting with me and the crowd was going crazy, cheering for us and yelling at us to go get more and more people. I think we passed 6 or 7 people in that final stretch. After crossing the finish, I looked at my Garmin and saw that my max pace for the run was 4:11. We were hauling at a pace I don't think I've ever been before. Super fun and energetic finish. Should have some great pics at the finish line!

Overall, I was pleased with my finish of 12th out of 108 girls in our group. I have had a really hit and miss training season and have been pretty inconsistent this year. I still think I have a ton of room for improvement in all categories and would particularly like to shave a good chunk off my run and bike. It was so frustrating to beat all those girls on the swim and bike and then have them fly past me on the run.

Malibu is a great venue and I will definitely be back. And it's especially fun when your friend absolutely crushes it and gets 1st place and gets us an entry to the VIP after-party catered on the beach. Thanks for bringing me as your date, Christy!!

Now onto the Women's next month...

Spencer's 70.3 Tester

Saturday September 4, 2010

What a day it was! I set out with the personal goal to complete a 70.3 Half Ironman as a training event in preparation for the upcoming CAF Challenge in late October 2010.
I DID IT AND FINISHED :)
Swim 1.2 miles; Bike 56 miles; Run 13.1 miles = "70.3" all in one day.
Here are the details:
I started my day in the pool at 24 Hour Fitness in Carlsbad at 05:35am and finished the run at 2:35pm - my day was 9 hours long however I completed the swim, bike & run in 7 hours not including transition times.

Swim: 1.2 miles (77 x 25 meters in the pool) = 0:42:50 minutes (my fastest pool time to date)
T1 = 15 minutes (nice shower and changed into dry cycling clothes)
Bike = 56 miles in 3:51:06 (rode 22 miles from Aviara to Carlsbad Village then back to La Costa then El Camino to Olivenheim and a few loops to burn up the clock before arriving at Stagecoach Park at 8:30am to meet the TT Group for the 31 mile bike ride; a 30 minute rest; and we departed at 9am) I hit the 56 mile mark at Home Depot and turned off my Garmin to save it's battery as I needed it on the run. Then I bit the bullet and cycled up Aviara Parkway back to my car at the 24 Hour Fitness gym at Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad).
T2 = 15 minutes (another nice shower, changed into dry running clothes, compression socks, suncream, ipod, fuel belt etc.)
Run = 13.1 miles in 2:20:42, which is a 10.18 min/mile pace; I ran up to Aviara Parkway and down Poinsetta to the coast, the marine layer/fog was still out and provided a nice cover for my run up to Tamarack in Carlsbad where I reached the half way point and took a return route back to my car. I took it steady on the first half of the run and did not experience any heavy legs feeling; during the second half of the run I could feel the output from the day but kept it steady with a couple of 30 seconds walks to take on fluids; the climb up Pointsettia Road was tough but it was downhill from Aviara Parkway to 24 Hour Fitness; I was really starting to feel it and fade over the last 2 miles. These were tough at which point it became a mind over matter game. I kept thinking of all those images of the runners staggering and collapsing at the end of the Ironman races and could certainly feel their pain. I believe I reached the edge of my training ability as my Garmin beeped at me that I just completed 13 miles; so after a short lap of the parking lot I reached 13.1 miles. I walked into 24 Hour Fitness and purchased a large water, Muscle Milk, protein bar and isolate drink. I was starting to feel light headed so I sat outside the gym on the floor in the shade and consumed my food and drinks. After 10 minutes or so I was feeling better and drove home. My wonderful wife provided the best support as always with a nice bath already filled with cold water. I gave my legs a cold soaking and then had a warm soaking followed by 1.5 hours of sleep. My mind felt detached from my body but when I woke up I felt human again.
I rested and after a great dinner we watched a movie and I hit the rack around 10:30am. This morning at 6:00am it was a new day and I feel awesome; I have the Crocs on my feet and other than walking down the stairs backwards and a few twinges in my feet and hips I feel wicked.

Say goodbye to Mr. Clydesdale (200+ lbs); I've been on a campaign to break out of this category every since I started training for triathlons a little over 4 months ago. I've come down from 218 lbs to around 203 lbs in the past few weeks and in the last week have seen 201.5 - 203 lbs after some great training. I started Saturday September 4, 2010 weighing in at 201 lbs and after my 70.3 event I was 198 lbs. Now I know that has a lot to do with water loss; and when I went to bed I was 200 lbs. This morning I weighted in at 199.5 lbs. I know I will swing in and out across this line but the good news is that I'm heading in the right direction and will continue on this path. Several years ago I noticed on the wall of my Doctors office a BMI (body mass index) chart that said for a 6'1" male in his 40's then the BMI weight should be 185 lbs. I thought that was impossible; but now I believe that is reachable with a huge focus on fitness, diet, yoga and maybe a couple of other Indian based health remedies!!

Spencer Lawes

Santa Barbara Long Distance Tri August 28th Part III

My turn......hugs, Val

Wow Wow Wow! What an amazing experience. I was all nerves the night before the race. Elizabeth and Andy were the best veterans to share my experience of my first Long Triathlon. It really hit me the night before when I was estimating how long this was going to take me. I was making the jump from the sprints that take me around 1hr 45 minutes and I was jumping to something I knew was going to take me about 5 hours. Never in my life have I done anything at such intensity for 5 hours!!! Andy & Elizabeth said it best: Do your best, for yourself, compete only against yourself and finish even if you have to crawl across!!! And I did just that, I FINISHED! (Running, not the crawling part!)
The swim, 1 mile, was long. The windy conditions made water choppy which made it hard to get into the rhythm we are so used to getting into swimming on calm ocean waters. Towards the end I was cold and felt like my legs weren't moving, but I think it was that current was strong and I felt like even though I was swimming, I wasn't getting anywhere. But I finished the swim!! The ride was also long. I felt great with my little cheat sheet about when to eat/drink and when the hills were coming! I felt very prepared for ride. The first 2 hills didn't hurt so much. The third hill almost killed me! The last 4 miles back into Santa Barbara felt like eternity. Did I mention I want to move into any of the houses in Montecito....gorgeous!! My lower back, not used to 30+ miles began to ache around mile 20, but I pushed thru. When coming into the transition area after the bike, I actually sat down to put my socks and shoes on, when it hit me that I had 2 more hours. Convincing myself, I put shoes on and started the run. Back still aching, I approached run mile by mile, trying not to think of the full 10miles ahead of me. I ate my first GU Gel packet and LOVED IT! Much prefer the squeeze and swallow to the chewing required for the chomps. I loved the run and would have run fast except for my back made me run like a slug! However upon the turn at mile 5, pace downhill was faster and easier on the back and as I approached finish line I was cruising and felt great! The absolute best cheerleaders in Elizabeth and Sissy awaited me. Thanks to Elizabeth for hugging me and letting me cry! What a release, rush, relief all in one moment! In a nutshell, this was the greatest physical accomplishment of my life to date. I am thankful for having found TT Team because without their training, support, encouragement, hand holding and true care for each other, accomplishing something like this isn't possible. I was prepared and felt great!! I can't wait to do this race again. It also gave me crazy confidence that maybe one day, someday, maybe I'll try a Half Ironman!!!

Santa Barbara Long Distance Tri August 28th Part II

Elizabeth Sugarman writes:
It was fun representing the TT Team in Santa Barbara with Val and Andy this weekend. This race is a great reason to spend a weekend in gorgeous Santa Barbara. The TT athletes are such a special group of people and I was so glad that my parents could meet Val and Andy on their first triathlon adventure. My parents loved them and finally are beginning to understand what I love about this sport.
This is a well organized race and a challenging but manageable course. I had some tire issues before the start of the race and the bike tech went above and beyond, supporting me with that problem. He was able to fix a broken valve but continued to check the tire while I was swimming to make sure the repair held. He found a wheel from a friend's bike and had it ready to put on mine, just in case. He even checked in with me after the race. I was so grateful!!
The swim was cold and I felt exhausted by the cold water toward the end. I need to swim more! It was several miles into the bike course before I warmed up and started feeling like I could get to work. And that's when Cherie Gruenfeld passed me. I had paced with Cherie on the bike last year. She passed by me like a blur and I thought the back of her calf said 65. I raced up to her and verified that number. She was 66 this year and just as fast as ever. I worked hard to keep up with her and catch all of the positive energy she was throwing off. She is such an inspiration and says we should all come out and race in the desert next spring. You can check out Cherie and all the cool stuff she does for children and triathlon at http://www.cheriegruenfeld.com/
The run was tough and I was wishing I had done some long runs before the race so I would feel more speedy. I think more sleep and better nutrition the week before might have helped that too. But overall it was a very positive experience. I LOVED having my parents and children cheering for me. That made it the best race ever. And Sissy ran the last 150 yards with me and had a big hug for me at the finish. She and I hung out to cheer Val in and we were so glad to see her cross the finish line. What a tremendous accomplishment this was for all of us.
I definitely want to stay a few days longer next year because I did not get enough of SB. And next year, I think I will have the children do some racing on Sunday too. There is a parent/child race and an all women's race, in addition to the Sprint on Sunday. After cheering for triathletes for hours on Saturday morning, both my children were ready to get in on the action and wanted me to sign them up for Sunday. But one lesson I took from this race is that each triathlon needs special preparation and attention. I am already looking forward to next year!

Santa Barbara Long Distance Tri August 28th

Andy Burke writes:
Here goes from me.

The weather cooperated and it was a perfect morning for our race---a little overcast. Swim was chilly but not as cold as we all thought it would be----great current with us heading out, but at the turn, had to fight the current coming back in, swells and wind chop.

The ride was good---its an uphill staircase on the way out with Toro hill that again claimed 2 bodies-----nothing fatal but riders are reckless going down that section. What goes up must come down so the turn at mile 17 is time to get on the gas so hammer home until you get to Toro hill again. (I knew the legs were getting cooked when a little old lady walked pass me on the uphill and asked if I wanted a glass of lemonade-------LOL )

Run was a really beautiful scenic out and back through Santa Barbara harbor and up into one of the older neighborhoods. Was psyched to see Shug on the way back----she was looking stronggggggg!!!!! Never saw Val so we must have passed and didn’t see each other. Run was fast with only a slight hill at mile 4---then at the turn the pace picks up because its all down hill and flat to the finish line. Elizabeths family gets the award for best cheering section-----that was awesome.

Highlights for me were hanging out with Val and Shug at dinner and sharing some laughs while trying to get Elizabeth’s mom to divulge some of E’s skeletons--------but come to find out that Elizabeth was an ANGEL growing up and never did anything wrong. Great weekend, great fun--------will definitely have SB back on the calendar for 2011.

Camp Pendleton Tri Report from Jody

Spencer, Elizabeth, Val, and I competed in the Camp Pendleton Triathlon today. The 500 meter swim had some good surf to get through, with a big south to north current, which was fun for the straight away section, parallel to the beach. The 30K bike was an out and back course with a few rollers. I thought we were going to head towards the Las Pulgas gate, but we went east at the T at the bottom of Stuart Mesa Road instead. The 5K run was all on the flight deck with a few hair pin turns. It was all flat, except for the long gradual incline out of the transition area. I was thanking Rachel for all the up hill run starts when we do our Wednesday brick trainings. I felt it was very well organized (not surprising) and a race worth doing, and we got a nice technical shirt! Hope we can get more team members to do it next year! Now onto the MONSTER weekend! I know Spencer, Elizabeth, Val and I are looking forward to it...I think???

Surf Monkey

It was a cool drizzly start to the day which just seemed wrong for this time of year and made it a little harder than usual to get excited about Surf Monkey, a local run plus ocean swim (and paddle board) event.
But, Spencer, Joan, Sandra, Susan, Andy, Chirsty, Jody and I were out there to compete in the event - a 5k run race followed shortly after by a 1 mile ocean swim in some choppy (and cool!) conditions.

Jody kept the standard we are beginning to get accustomed to with a 1st in her age group in the swim, the run and the combined 'top banana' event.
Chirsty took away 2nd place in her age group in the 5k.
And I took advantage of poor Michelle Jones' misfortune when she got stung by a sting ray to take 1st overall place in the combined run plus swim 'top banana'.
Joan looked like she was coming down with a cold or strep so pulled out of the swim, as did Spencer after he went out fast from the gates in the run (not sure if it was one of those girls in the pink run skirts and long pink socks that got ahead of him or what but....)Andy had a solid run (he must have seen one of the other girls in the pink run skirt and pink socks coming fast up behind him?) and a pretty decent swim.
Then Christy, Andy and Jody and I carried on to meet a couple of the other team members for a nice ride through Camp P.
Big day out for some of the team and some great results. Well done.

I hope everyone else got out to enjoy what turned out to be a nice day.

Happy Sunday....

Rachel

Surf Monkey

Forgot to sign the last blog, it was from me, Jody!

Surf Monkey

Is anyone doing any of the Surf Monkey Races this Saturday? If so, does anyone know what a surf monkey is? Do you have to race to find out? We don't have surf monkeys in Pennsylvania! I know Spencer is racing, can't imagine they have surf monkeys in England either. BTW, if you haven't noticed, Spencer has gotten really fast on the bike! He toasted me on the way home from the Las Pulgas Gate on Saturday, and I think he was holding back for the Solana Beach Tri the next day. Way to go, Spencer.

Vineman 2010

Andy and I headed up to race Vineman 70.3 last weekend.
After a tough pre race build up for Andy with numerous calf injuries, he did well to complete the event after battling through the run after a pretty decent swim and run. Well done Andy. It's a long way to tough it out!
It was nice to have company up there - thanks for taking care of Coach Rachel Andy!

Here's a photo showing what we were up to the day before the race (not to mention the eventful trip to the gay shop).

Carlsbad Tri 2010

Results of the Carlsbad Tri 2010 for Team Training Transition below.

Again some great finishes:
Jodi Giardina: 1st 55-59
Annamarie Bezzerides / Alexandra: 1st Team

I'm giving 'performance of the day' to Val Mokrogiannis. Winner of the 'never give up' attitude award too!

CARLSBAD TRIATHLON
July 11, 2010 1000 y / 15.5m / 3.1m

SPENCER LAWES 1:36:42
VINCENT GIARDINA 1:56:39
ELIZABETH SUGARMAN 1:37:15
KATIE WINSHIP 1:38:42
VALERIA MAKROGIANNIS 1:48:47
MEGAN JAFFE 1:37:22
LYNETTE BRIDGES 1:41:22
CATHY BURNS 1:48:28
JODY GIARDINA 1:30:39

BEZZERIDES BEZZERIDES 1:26:30

Beth Williams New Hampshire Triathlon

Amazing Weekend in New Hampshire
June 20th, 2010 I did my first USAT triathlon this weekend in Grantham and placed third. I was surprised and thrilled. My swim went really well and I was the fastest woman swimmer overall and 4th fastest behind 3 men. The bike was OK and my run - well, time to train some more on that sport.

San Diego Triathlon Results

Another great race. Well done to all the TT crew who cometed yesterday in the San Diego International and Sprint Triathlon. Chisty picked up a bronze medal. Spencer and Jodi picked up silvers.
Other important points to note:
Cara completed her first International Distance with a very respectable time. Joan made it two weekends in the row after competing out of town with her sister last weekend (where she got 4th in her age group).
And most importantly, no-one had to pull out of the post race party at our place. Thanks to everyone who made the party a lot of fun and most of all, thanks for the great food that everyone bought along.
Actually, most, most of all - thanks Jodi for hosting the auction where we raised $600 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Elizabeth will deliver the money to the CAF as she competes in the CAF 70.3 challenge in October this year.
Rachel

Honu, San Diego Marathon, Half Marathon, Mud Run, Alcatraz Swim

Training Transition was racing all over the place today.

Erin Hesford completed HONU 70.3 in a very respectable time. She earnt a well deserved couple of days lying on the beach after (good luck with two young kids!).

David Jaffe and Spencer Lawes both ran great half marathons in San Diego this weekend, finishing in 1:32:23 and and 1:59:29 respectively. Well done to you both.

And Kevin Bridges battled his way through the Rock N Roll Marathon without everything going his way. Well done for getting to the finish line Kevin.

Val Makrogiannis also took part in the Rock n Roll Marathon, but as a team. She completed her 7.4 mile part of the event in 1:12:56. Well done Val!

Meanwhile Derek and Christy were getting dirty doing the Camp P mud run. Christy was 2nd in her age group and Derek was 11th. It sounded like a really fun day.

And guess what Joan was doing??
Yes, getting muddy too!!

Andy signed up to swim with the sharks in the waters off Alcatraz yesterday. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the race needed to be moved to the bay because of fog, but he still got an open water race in with a pleasing result.

Great job to everyone who was out there racing or training well this weekend.

Rachel

Encinitas Tri 2010

What a proud coach I was yesterday to see a large group of Training Transition triathletes out on the course.

With a tough swim, everyone did well to exit the swim (some a little shaken) and get onto the bike course where it was hard to photograph everyone as they flew around the corner in Encinitas. By the time most hit the run course, there were small cometitions brewing - there were many determined faces amongst a few smiles just to show you really were having a great time out there.

Well done EVERYONE, especially those racing for their first time and those who did a personal best.

There were also some podium finishes:
Susan Mathur: 1st 55-65 Duathlon
Spencer Lawes: 2nd 35-44 Duathlon
Jody Giardina: 1st 55-59
Annamarie Bezzerides / Beth Williams: 1st Team

Next 'big' race, San Diego International.....

Sissy at Irongirl

Well done Sissy. A Personal Best for you in 2010. Just over 34 mins. You'll catch Mommy one day!

Wildflower, Spring Sprint and OC Half Marathon

Training Transition was racing around California this weekend!

Here are the results:

OC Half Marathon:
Pam Sholly: 1:56:20. Poor Pam was drying her hair prior to running what was supposed to be the OC Marathon and pulled a muscle in her diaphragm, so decided to run the half. She's already looking for another qualifier for the Boston Marathon for 2011. Good luck Pam!
Erin Hesford: 2:01:29 It sounds like a queue at the bathroom squashed a sub 2 hour hope, but Erin has a Half Ironman in Hawaii in her sights next month, so all focus will be on that now. Well done Erin

Spring Sprint
Cara DeHaan: 1:01:56, 2nd place, 35-39 age group (only 14 secs behind 1st)and 10th overall (including Elites). Well done Cara. 3rd out of the swim, moved into 2nd on the bike and held 2nd to the end.

Wildflower 70.3
Camping under the stars, naked aid stations, Wildfllwer has it all!
Kirsten Sage: Brilliant race and effort. Since I met Kirsten on her first training ride (when we had a 30 mile ride planned and she mentioned she usually rode 14 miles but would give it a go - and she did the whole ride, no stops, no complaints), I knew she had a special characteristic of amazing determination. Kirsten worked hard throughout the whole race, a cold swim, bike course which included as many hills as the organizers could find in a hill infested piece of the counrty, battled cramps from mile 9 on the run (well, if you can call 20 plus degree gradients on rough trails a run! to finish in 7:08:20. I should also add a plug for Carleton, her husband who was their supporting her with their 2 and 4 year old for the entire time!

Terra: And Terra...6:34:08. Waiting on a full report from Terra as I haven't talked to her yet, but I saw her finishing and she was still running! Well done Terra. In difficult circumstances you are doing amazingly well.

Well done everyone. You all made me SO PROUD!

Bring on Encinitas.......

Rachel

Super Seal - What Fun!

I had a wonderful swim and learned so much at my first triathlon! Thank you to Rachel and Annamarie for choosing me to swim for our team of two. Annamarie had a fantastic ride and run and put us into first place for the women's relay category. Nice to have success from the start.

I can't compare this race to others since it was my first exposure to triathlon racing, but I was really impressed with how friendly and happy everyone seemed. Tons of support all around too. This great experience has motivated me to put triathons high on my agenda for the future.

Thank you so much, Rachel and Annamarie!

Beth

Oceanside 70.3 Results

Well, we couldn't have asked for a better cheering team today! The course felt like it was lined with TT supporters.


I think the best result prize goes to Elizabeth. 5 hrs, 59 mins. Amazing! Well done.




Poor Megan's cramps came back to haunt her again which didn't allow her to run. I'm sure she'll be back again for a 70.3 completion, maybe after a trip to a nutritionist. Well done for even getting to the start line with a rough couple of weeks leading up to the race Megan.

Not so much luck for Susan either - she ended up with hypothermia after the swim. After some hot chicken soup and heat lamps in the medical tent, she was back on her feet. Glad you're OK Susan.

Robin finished in a very respectable time of 6 hrs, 42 mins too - well done Robin.

I don't see a result for Dionne though, but I'm sure they'll be a story to go with it. Hope you are OK Dionne?

And me!....I felt like a toy with flat batteries in the run! Not my best effort, but good room for improvement before the next one!

Thanks again to every one of you who took ktime from your families to support us today. You helped so much.

Rachel

La Quinta Results

Well Done Training Transition!
2nd, 4th and 5th females in the Sprint Distance race. Outstanding..... Also, Brian completed the Olympic Distance in a very respectable time - especially the swim!! And even in the rain!

La Quinta

Here we are - first triathlon of the season.
Katie, Christy, Cara and Brian are braving the cool weather and getting out there for the La Qunita Tri.
For those of you who haven't raced there - it's a great course. A lake swim, ride around quiet rolling hills and a run around the lake.
Best of luck to all of you. Can't wait to hear the results.
Rachel

San Dieguito Results

DAVID JAFFE, 1:36:42, 7:23
KIRSTEN SAGE, 1:51:53, 8:33
MEGAN JAFFE, 1:52:18, 8:34
KEVIN BRIDGES, 1:53:13, 8:39
SALLY WELLY, 1:56:14, 8:52
CATHY BURNS, 2:05:02, 9:33
ELIZABETH SUGARMAN, 2:07:20, 9:43
RACHEL CHALLIS, 1:25:09, 6:30

San Dieguito

On the eve of the San Dieguito Half..... Here we are again. Another day, another race. What makes us keep coming back for more?......... A lot of things. Health, self achievement and fulfillment, pure enjoyment.....
Elizabeth, Megan, Kirsten, Cathy, Kevin, David - good luck. I'll be cheering you on from the course if I have any breath left!
Rachel

Carlsbad Half Marathon

Well done to all of you who completed the Carlsbad Half Marathon. Goods days for some, tough days for others. Race days are not always perfect, as some of you found out! Here are the results:

5139 Lynne Sacher F 1:47:25
4428 Christy Fritts F 1:45:51
3243 Derek Fritts M 1:45:50
4827 Susan Mathur F 2:05:25
7351 Katie Winship F 2:14:53
3070 Annamarie Bezzerides 1:49:23
8865 Joan McDonald F 2:27:45

Well done to Annamarie for a PB. Lynne also had a very pleasing result.

Bring on San Dieguito Half! Keep up the training. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go. What better way to spend Valentines Day morning (ordering toast and powerbars in bed!).

On a wet Wednesday

This is very rare - a wet Wednesday in sunny San Diego. It's hardly been a tough Winter so far. We've been basking in temperatures in the mid 70's over the last few days, so there have been no excuses to wrap up warm and stay inside.
As the tri group prepares for the 2010 season, we'll kick off with out New Year's Resolution Party on Jan 24th, after the Carlsbad Half Marathon - good luck: Mike, Joan, Annamarie, Christy, Katie, Lynne. The San Dieguito Half follows soon after with Megan, Elizabeth, Cathy, David, Kirsten, Andy? and myself competing in that. Then onto a Palm Springs Tri Clinic on Feb 19th, 20th, 21st, then races - La Qunita, Oceanside 70.3...and that's just the start.
So much fun to be had.....
Welcome to 2010!!!