Atomic Man 2008 a Wrap!

Wow, what an event, huh? First of all, a HUGE thanks goes out to the race organizers (Dina, Jeff, Jarrod) and all of their partners in crime (Wolf, Suzie, Krystal) and everyone else who helped out by volunteering here and there, and especially on race day. It was a small army who had to be organized and so many people stepped up and helped out, and it was a huge success. It really was a very well-run event.

Ooof, I'm still sore, but I don't think I injured anything, which is always a concern with this event, which is probably the most difficult duathlon/triathlon event in the state -- it certainly has the most road running of all multisport races in the state. And, with that bike ride, mid-season legs would have a hard time, but this event comes first...FIRST(!) of all for many of us. Talk about a rude awakening.

I had taken a bit of a break at the end of March/beginning of April after a tough xc ski season, as I was feeling a bit tired and like I needed a summertime break. I couldn't believe then that I would soon be running on the road and racing on my aero bike in the Atomic Man. I had to put together a crash course in season preparation that had me hating life for about 15 days. Come rain or shine (or wind and snow), I had to get out there. It was not so bad at first, but after about day 4, I could barely get out of bed in the morning and felt like glue coursed through my veins.

Eventually, things came around a little, but I developed a little foot pain in the top of my foot that I'm still dealing with. It's not so bad, but I get to enjoy a very nice ice-water plunge with my foot every night to keep it from progressing. Getting up at night to go to the bathroom and walking on hardwood floors is the worst. I swear that I'll need to see a doctor about it, but then it sort-of goes away during the day. I could feel it a bit during the race this past Sunday, especially the second run.

For some reason, the race seemed slow this year. The air was cold and a bit heavy, and it makes it harder to breath easily. I noticed some pretty strong breezes on the bike at times, as cold and warm air mixed on the mesas and the canyon. I know I had to shift gears at least a couple of times because of it. I'm sure it slowed the bike times down quite a bit. I don't know why the run times weren't a little faster...maybe everyone else is suffering from the difficult windy, pollen-filled spring too. It's not easy to train this time of the year when we're having one of these dry, windy springs.

I wasn't at all nervous to race this year. I had the mindset that I wasn't going to stress out with trying to keep up with the fast runners as I have in the past, and paid with pain the rest of the race. This time, I took off steady and just kept it that way until the second time up the hill. That guy who got second last year was there again and he passed me on the way down, as he is a good runner and has a lot smoother and quicker tempo than my heavy plodding style (especially this time of the year). I thought to myself that I could dig deep and stay with him, but I kept to my plan and just ran my own race. I did feel stretched a bit, but it was within reason. Amazingly, he didn't pull away too badly on the hill. All of the xc skiing really makes for strong uphill running and I could definitely feel it.

Again on the downhill, he pulled away, but I narrowed it again on the next uphill, where I began to feel the strain of running a lot harder and longer than my body was used to. Once at the top, it was just damage control to the bike transition. I wasn't sure how I was going to ride on the bike, as I hadn't really done any specific training, just base mileage, going into the event. I quickly felt a relief getting onto the bike. It was natural feeling and I happy to be on my bike.

But, the feeling got a shock when I hit the first big, fast downhill and I got cramps in my calf muscles and my left hamstring. I am accustomed to this in the latter stages of events, but this was happening early and the cool air didn't seem to help matters. I was plagued with the cramps all the way, pretty much, and they moved around. Luckily they were all pretty superficial and I was able to keep pedaling hard if I didn't think about it and concentrated on moving forward as quickly as possible. I adjusted my position on my seat a lot and that also helped.

By the end of the ride, I was looking forward to the last run. That feeling quickly dwindled when I got off my bike (wanting to stop right there!) and went down to put on my shoes and got a cramp in my abdomen and my right leg! I got the first shoe on and had to stand straight up and stretch while loosening the quick lace to get the second one on. Once they were on, I was off (my second transition time suffered a little because of that little episode), but realized I hadn't retightened the loose shoe. I decided not to stop and just had to deal with one shoe that was tight and one that was loose for the entire second run. I had completely forgotten about it until the downhill, where I could feel it again.

The last km of the run was the worst. I just fell apart and wanted to be done in the old finish line spot. I could barely run anymore by the time I hit the uphill to the finish. I was SO relieved to be done. Geeez!

It was a fun, but hard-earned race. Now, I'm excited to do another one, but the little bit of sickness just after the race made me feel like I wasn't going to make it through this tri season.

Again, thanks a lot to the race committee people. That was a huge undertaking and we all REALLY, REALLY appreciate it. I told Dina I would cook every night this week so that she could take a well-deserved break. I don't know how Jeff and Suzie managed to do so much with the kids and both of them doing race promotions/organization work.

See you all at the Sinko-de-Mile...

Maxxis Order form for 2008

Finally! Maxxis has approved our club's sponsorship application. I am providing the order forms here as .jpg files, as .pdf files can't be posted on the blogger. I'll send that along if you need it, but you can always just print this out too.

click on images for bigger version

Club Party and Who Wants to Go???

Don't forget about the club party tonight (4/18/08). It's at the posse shack at like 6pm...food, fun, planning races, etc. Bring something to eat/drink/share with folks.

Also, I am looking at the Buffman and Squeaky race for something different in May. Is anyone else thinking about going to this event? It's in Lubbock, on basically the same course as the Buffalo 70.3 (just a lot shorter!).

New Cryathlete joins club on tax day!

Jessica and Jarrod Clark have a baby girl!!
Claire Maisie Clark was born yesterday, April 15th.
She is 7 lbs 9oz and is 20inches long.
Mom and baby are doing very well and Jarrod is a diaper changing pro apparently! :)

Last Brick Report

Woke up Saturday morning, ready for a great brick workout, and there's friggin' snow on the ground!  Well, the roads didn't look too bad, so I threw the bike in the car, and drove to Pinon school.  Laurie, Rachel, and Kim were there, ready to go.  Rachel suggested that we run first, and give the roads a chance to dry off.  We made it halfway through the run, and snagged Dan and his dog, who were out for a looonnng run.  Australian shepherds are good pace-setters, in a sub-6-minute mile make-your-heart-explode kind of way.  We also met up with Jeri on the run.  Rachel and Kim then headed on the short bike, while Jeri rode to Bandelier, and Laurie and I rode to the Du turnaround.  Sure enough, the roads did dry off, and except for the cold, the ride was great!  Sorry for the not-so-great pics; forgot to check the batteries in the camera, so I had to rely on the cell phone.

what races are people planning

My first time trying this....but what races are folks planning on this year? I am going to get my feet wet at Jay Benson, not really expecting much there becaue I won't have much speed under my belt but hope for reasonable execution, a few odds and ends like the Santa Fe Century and Iron Horse the rest of May, BSLT where I want to have a good result, a few local races after that - Chili Harvest, LA Tri, maybe one other, and Las Vegas Long Course and Club National Championships....if I earn it at BSLT I may take a slot to Clearwater for the 70.3 championships, and possibly go to the Oly Distance Nationals in Portland - these last two are contingent races - I doubt I'll do both, but chances are fair I'll do one.

What a lovely day

Was anyone else stupid enough to go out for a ride yesterday? I was. I have my set "program" for myself and this week was just not one where I could give myself wiggle room for whimping out on a ride just because the wind was howling at 60mph with 35 degree temps and snow squalls blowing in my face.

Yep, I toughed it out on Wednesday and Thursday evenings to get that all-important ride in. Now, I have itchy, watery eyes, a scratchy throat and am tired as hell. I just love this time of the year!

Even with the bad weather, it's always a great thing to be able to get out and go for a bike ride. I'll take whatever Mother Nature gives me, as long as I am healthy enough to do it...

Looks like it should be a great weekend.

Maxxis Order Still Pending

Dina and I are still waiting on Maxxis's approval of our club's sponsorship deal. They are slow to respond with this, as they were last year. I'll still try to go forward with it and see what happens. I'll look into getting the form out to you via the club members email list.

Please bear with us.

SuperFrog Race Report from Frank

This just in from Frank Cherne:

Open ocean swim, sea breezes (headwinds/tailwinds) for the bike, and sandy beach run is what was laid before me for my training race for my upcoming Ironman in Coeur-d’alene, Idaho. This was the thirtieth year for the half-ironman race entitled the Super-frog. The field was not too crowded with approximately 160 finishers. According to the brochures for the race this race was not for the faint of heart with the springtime Pacific Ocean temperatures being on the order of 60 degrees. My only race objective was to follow my ironman racing strategy (design assisted by Martin Pieck) and survive the open ocean swim. Well these objectives were met with very satisfactory results. I came away from my battle with the surf, seaweed entanglements having completed the task of swimming without requiring the assistance of the lifeguards, without deviating too far from the course. Note I had watched a lady from two waves ahead of me be pulled out of the ocean before I started. The bike course although it was nice and flat the sea breezes set the flags on end in line with the course so one way was met with a headwind and one way a tailwind. When off the bike again you had the wind at your face or at your tail for most of the race. The run course ran a significant length of the beach before turning inland across loose sand and gravel onto the local naval station base.

How did I fair? Less calories consumed over the distance, personal best run time for the distance, and a confidence builder for me.

The course consisted of 2 loops on the swim, 4 loops on the bike, and 2 loops for the run. If a person is interested in exploring their ability to deal with an open ocean swim, participate in a non-USAT sanctioned event, and proceeds benefit the naval special warfare foundation (http://www.nswfoundation.org/).

April Party

The April party has been set! The potluck party will be at the Posse Shack on April 18, from 6:30 to 10. We have a packet-stuffing pre-party from 5:30 to 6:30 to help stuff packets for the Atomic Man Duathlon. Bring family and friends and let's celebrate the start of a new season! Contact Rob at rob.aulwes@gmail.com for more info.

RE: Bill's Buffalo Springs 70.3 Questions

Normally, we could just leave comments after someone posts, but this was a big enough question to warrant its own post.

Bill is wondering about what to expect and how to prepare for the Buffalo Springs 70.3. It's a good topic for discussion. This is a great event and since it's the closest 70.3 to us, it's worth trying for everyone in this region.

First of all it's well run and a great layout for a race. The lake doesn't have very good parking, however, so be prepared to get there really early or else you're gonna get a bad spot out in the field they use for parking. You gotta walk your bike (don't let it touch the ground in the field, as there are thorns) down the big hill to the lake for the transition area/start/finish. Otherwise, it's a great place for a triathlon.

The lake is warm; it's spring-fed and is always on the warm side for a wetsuit, but it's still nice to have (it's always wetsuit-legal). I have used both sleeveless and full-sleeve, and I gotta say, I way prefer the sleeveless. I keep my body temp lower and I just feel more at ease in water that is that warm. It's a big circle swim, so bouy sighting is very crucial. It's easy to see a bouy that is shorter to reach than the one you're supposed to swim to, so be careful. If you find yourself alone, take a quick moment to ensure you're on course. I actually got pretty far off course my first time there because of this very issue. It has been a somewhat stormy morning two out of the five times I've done this event, so it could be choppy and grey out (flat light). Being comfortable in open water is important in this swim for some reason, but it's not a bad swim, really.

If you can swing it, I would try to make it to the "Buffman & Squeaky" race, which is an Olympic version of the 70.3 about a month and a half earlier. It will be a great "dry run" practice event, and you could let me tag along with you so that I don't have to drive there myself =) (kidding)

Really, check the SWCS schedule from the blog links page on the Triatomics website. You can see the exact date. I don't know what it is exactly, but know it's in May.

The bike there is tough, as it is usually somewhat breezy, has some tough hills (not worse than around here) due to the nature of the heat and the race. In between, it's flat with moderately smooth to somewhat bumpy roads in some stretches. A couple of the hills are a little steep, but are not long by our standards. Be sure to hydrate and take in calories, but be careful not to overload your system. Do it a little at a time and very frequently. The heat at this race can cause your system to be very sensitive. Use a couple of the weekends in June to acclimate as much as possible by riding and running in the heat of the day. Go up the front hill from Totavi sometime around 1:00pm to 2:00pm...you'll see what I mean. That is not even nearly hot enough, but it will get your body ready. Then, when you get up to town, immediately go for a transition run. That is what this race will feel like.

Be sure to take in some plain 'ol water at times to unload the salts and sugar that'll make your stomach feel...well, not so good. I made the mistake last year of over-doing the Gatorade Performance drink, which is a little too concentrated if used just by itself. You gotta be careful of that.

The main thing is, don't skimp on the training. Really, use the hottest days we have in June to prepare yourself. Go to Cochiti lake and train in the heat of the day. It's still not as hot there as Buffalo Springs can be. Just train your body to keep moving while hydrating and taking in calories. If you can get through the training, the race is a piece of cake.

Good luck!

Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3

Ok, for my first post on the blog, I could use some help with getting ready for Buffalo Springs. How cold is the lake? Can you possibly do it with a sleeveless? I have a LOT of training to do. This will be my first attempt at that distance. I'm up to 30 miles on the bike and 5.5 miles running. I'm not worried too much about the swim. It is not that much further than the olympic distance. My goal is to finish. Anything else is great. I have not times to beat.

Riding today was fun, not too windy and definitely not hot. There were lots of bikers out on the loop. We're off to Tucson on Friday to check out TriSports bike fit program.

'Tis the season!

Well, the snow is melting and almost gone and the windy, pollen-filled air is a reminder that it's April and time to put away the skis and get out the road bike, running shoes and swim goggles. It's time to take stock in the body fat and think about shaving those legs too. Here are some pics that are pretty indicative of every April's reality and the challenge that lay ahead. Enjoy =)

click on any of the images for the full-size version
Hmm, gonna have to work on that...

Those are some gross white hairy legs

I always hate that little bit of powder that gets
spilled on the counter top while putting it in the water bottle

Riding in April is always tough with the wind, the changes from cold to warm and then cold...all in about 5 minutes. But, sometimes the weather is interesting and makes for some pretty pictures

Some quickly disappearing last vestiges of winter around town. These stayed until May last year. I don't think they'll last that long this year.

Still some lingering snow on the hillside in Frijoles Canyon. You may not be able to see it through the pollen haze that is so plentiful this time of year.

sorry I didn't rotate this. Where's my ice axe?

My trusty April training partner

New Mexico version of April showers

Deer always seem to be out and about more than usual in April



Ending rides in April is always kinda cool

Welcome to the new Triatomics Blog

WELCOME!

This is the first blog on the new Triatomics blog page. On this page, Triatomics club members may post news about club activities, group training sessions, race reports, pictures, for sale items, race results, and just about anything related to triathlons, duathlons and multisport in general.

I will be the administrator, so give me a shout if you want to be on the bloggers list so that you may post blogs here.