Triatomics Go BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!

From our club's Sport's Chair, Clay Moseley:

I've been meaning to post something about a couple of our own Triatomics members who have "ventured farther into the food chain" and laid it out on the line in some of the biggest races in the world.

First off, our own Liz Miller went big at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Henderson, NV. For those of you who don't know about this race, it is a very hard course (just click on that link and the picture of the competitors on the bike says it all).  Just finishing it is tough.  Liz had an awesome time of 5:39 on that course, which is fantastic.  

Her age group (F30-34) was incredibly competitive; the most competitive women's age group, in fact.  The gal who won that AG placed 1st overall for the women age groupers, and 11th overall, including the pros (ahead of such pros as Leanda Cave, etc.).  The next age grouper was over 12 minutes back!

Anyway, great job to Liz!

Laurie on the podium. Click photo to see it larger.

This past weekend, Laurie Goddard scored a huge victory in the M65-69 age group at the XTERRA National Championship in Ogden, UT.  He's been on the verge of so many age group podiums and victories, so this is huge.  All of you who know Laurie and how hard he's worked and progressed in the off-road triathlons, then you know how big this is for him.  It is fantastic to see that he finally got that big one!!!

Does this mean that Dr. Goddard will be going to the World Championship in Maui???

Here's to Liz and Laurie!  You two represented us well and we're proud of you!

Also, many of you may not have seen/heard, but we hosted another pro triathlete in early September for his final training block in preparation for Ironman Lake Tahoe.  His name is Kirill Kotsegarov, and he's from Estonia.  A big congratulations to him for his 4th overall at Ironman Lake Tahoe.  

He loved training here and will likely be back.  He may come back and train with Viktor for perhaps one last end-o-season Ironman.  We'll see.

Again, WAY TO GO Liz and Laurie!

XTerra Dread Mon Mtn Bike clinic Sat May 19th!

From Clay:

"I've been meaning to send out information regarding the mountain bike (and possibly also swim and run) clinic this weekend at Elephant Butte for the coming XTERRA Dread Mon in July.  This is a little late in coming, but if you are planning on taking part in this super-cool race, it might be a good thing to consider coming down and camping (or moteling it in style...) and doing the clinic with us.

There is great camping at the Elephant Butte State Park, as you're probably aware from the Elephant Man tri, but there is also great camping at the Dam Site as well.  That is actually where the XTERRA Dread Mon and the Dam It Man triathlons are, not at the State Park beach like the Elephant Man.  Information on the Dam Site lodging, restaurant, and marina can be found at:http://thedamsite.com/  There is actually a lot of really cool options with an historic lodge, cabins, campsites, etc., and it's a very scenic and fun setting.

The mountain bike course for the XTERRA is quite challenging, so I've heard.  I have not actually seen it myself, so the focus will be to develop a strategy on the most technical sections to limit time losses and make the experience as fun as possible.  XTERRA events are a lot of fun and the atmosphere is a bit more laid-back than normal triathlons, but there are some technical differences between them and regular road triathlons, so this will be a good introduction to what you may expect, as well as getting a little more comfort with the whole thing. 

Hope to see some of you there!"

[to sign up click here: http://www.dreadmontriathlon.com/mountain-bike-clinic ]

Input on NM502 changes, please! Meeting Feb 7th!

Those of you in the Los Alamos area: its the last chance to weigh in on the NM502 options!! Details below are from Betsy L through Darien R. Also, see comment regarding this project from Khal Spencer at the very bottom of the post. Khal is a local cycling enthusiast and advocate and has been following and working with this project closely.

The County Council will make its final decision regarding design of NM502/Trinity Drive at its Tues, Feb 7th meeting, beginning at 7:00pm at the Community Building Council Chambers (475 20th St, next to Ashley Pond on the Ruby K side).  It is the only item on the agenda and the council chambers will be packed.  The so-called Zimmerman Option, which calms traffic, improves livability and supports multi-modal transportation (read cycling, pedestrians, buses etc), has been recommended by the T-Board.  Those opposing this plan are proposing a widened, 4/5 lane road past the Eastern Area neighborhood with a traffic signal at Central.  The council can decide to do anything they want - and unfortunately the loudest side often carries the day. So, we have the facts on our side - now we need the voices of the people who will send emails to countycouncil@lacnm.us, and show up and speak up at the Feb 7 meeting.

Below is a statement of support that explains the proposed "Zimmerman Plan" and its benefits, and has links to more details.  Select points and benefits that are especially meaningful to you and send them to CC in an email and/or speak about them at the meeting on the 7th.  This email and attachment can be forwarded to like-minded friends.  For those who want to see Trinity Drive become a safer, multi-modal street that also addresses the needs of adjacent homes and businesses, your support is essential and appreciated.  Now is truly the time for, "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

This is to ask your support - email the county council (countycouncil@lacnm.us) / attend the County Council meeting, Tues, Feb 7th at 7:00 at the Community Building Council Chambers (475 20th St, next to Ashley Pond on the Ruby K side) - for the Zimmerman option for the east end of NM 502 with a roundabout at the Central/Trinity intersection. This option, proposed by County Engineer Kyle Zimmerman, is a compromise plan based on designs and ideas considered by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Transportation Board endorsed this option at their Jan. 19, 2012 meeting.  The County’s NM 502 web site has a description and drawings of the Plan. 

(http://www.losalamosnm.us/projects/publicworks/Pages/NM502TrinityDriveCorridorStudy.aspx)

The Zimmerman plan with a roundabout supports the County’s goals and street design policy in the following ways.

• Respects and accommodates adjacent residents by reducing motor vehicle speeds to 35 mph near the Eastern Area Neighborhood through road design, using widened medians at Airport Rd. and Tewa Loop, and single thru lanes in each direction near Eastern Area.  This reduces noise by about 4 dB in this area. 

• Accommodates pedestrians by providing HAWK crossings at both East Park and east of Canyon Road, and roundabout crossings at Central Ave.  Buffered sidewalks are included on both sides of the road.

• Considers needs of multi modal transportation by preserving sufficient right-of-way east of Central Ave. so that bike lanes and bus stops can be accommodated.

• Links and improves physical and visual access to our commercial areas on both Trinity Drive and Central Avenue by the roundabout at Central. 

• Improves safety for all users by calming traffic with widened medians, roundabouts, HAWK crossings, and single thru lanes in each direction.

• Improves the environment and livability with a roundabout at Central that reduces vehicle delays and stops and reduces vehicle pollution emissions.

• Incorporates best planning practices of professional traffic engineers.  The Plan’s lane configurations and roundabout designs have been analyzed by Kyle Zimmerman P. E. and by professional traffic engineering firms Parsons/Brinkerhoff and Ourston Roundabout Engineering.  These professional engineers have found that the Plan accommodates our projected traffic volumes until the year 2030.

The Zimmerman plan was arrived at after a long and difficult process that began over a year ago.  No interest group obtained everything they wanted in this plan, but it is a good compromise that accommodates our projected traffic volumes and fulfills many of the goals of the County’s street design policy. We strongly urge Council to pass this option so that we can get on with the task of upgrading NM 502 to a road that serves the needs of all corridor users.

Below is a comment from Khal Spencer, local cycling enthusiast and advocate, who has been following and working with this project closely:

Dina is right. Make your opinion heard. Loudly and clearly, but rationally.

This is a very political decision based on relative values of unimpeded vehicle throughput (i.e., high level of service during rush hour), speeds, and pedestrian safety.  A lot of the resistance to the Kyle plan is based on the perceived need for more capacity and what I consider outlandish requirements for high level of service (of course, I spent decades on Long Island and in Honolulu).  If you want to see how to waste dollars, take a look at Diamond Drive. It is a speedway and HUGELY over capacity even at rush hour.

But on the hill, capacity is limited by the two laner farther down the hill.  Not to mention, future changes in the price of gasoline and its impact on commuters from Espanola, Santa Fe, and elsewhere. My doubts were not with the modeling being done by the citizens group, which was quite good, but with the assumptions on future growth being based on past practice. As long as we have the right of way intact, we can add more asphalt if it really becomes necessary.

Once in town, I think we might actually need more than two lanes since you really don’t want a congested downtown during rush hour. In between is a transition zone.

Frankly, none of the options are perfect for everyone, hence what five ( I think) of us who voted yes saw as a compromise solution. None of the options are terribly “bicycle friendly” unless you are already a pretty serious rider. Frankly, I enjoy Trinity as it is because if someone wants to pass me, they have another lane.  Central is a bother for me because it bottles up traffic behind me. Two lane options with bike lanes result in right hook crashes at intersections, such as the cyclist who got clipped last week at Diamond and Sandia.

If the county wants something that any potential bicyclist would enjoy, it needs further thought and potentially a “European Solution”. I personally voted for the Zimmerman option on the T Board. Probably the last vote I will cast, since I am term limited off the board at the end of February. Whew.

Get involved if you want to influence the outcome.

Khal Spencer

Sept 17-18th Trail Duathlon and Cyclocross Events course info!

Well, the Enchanted Forest Trail Fest weekend is set for Sept 17th-18th with a trail duathlon and cyclocross events and clinics for all levels and abilities! Proceeds from the event will benefit Los Alamos trail restoration efforts! There will be free camping at the venue (no hookups) and hotel discounts in Red River for participants! Check out registration, schedule and more details on the flyer on the Southwest Nordic Ski Club's homepage under Club News and Upcoming Events front and center.
Below is some info on the actual courses for the Trail Du and Cyclocross events courtesy of Clay:

After the mountain bike race in Red River on Saturday, Nina and I, and a couple of the Get Out! team juniors all went up to the Enchanted Forest trails to scope out the best possible course options. As of now, the trails are beautifully soggy, green and a bit muddy in places -- perfect conditions for a cyclocross and trail duathlon. Except for the altitude, it felt more like we were in Oregon or New Enland. Come Sept. 17-18, the trails will probably have had time to dry up just enough to make for a perfect weekend of trail events.


I can say that I believe we've come up with the best course for the cyclocross event, and the duathlon course is still being figured out with many more little sections of fun and scenic single track still being discovered. We found some nice terrain that will allow the advantage of real cross bikes to be maximized. The course is a blend of some more buffed out double-track "access" road, a short, steep natural run-up right where specators and campers will be, and a lot of rolling/twisty Oregon/New England-like woods that will be quick and fun. We tried to avoid too much steep grinding, or gnarly descents that favor mountain bikes. It'll be a real traditional cyclocross course that both racers and spectators will enjoy.

For those of you who went up to RR for the mountain bike race and got your butt kicked by that crazy (for lack of a better way to phrase it...) course, you might want to consider this event. Trail Du course will be a lot more flowing terrain with a mix of wooded double and single track with only short climbs and fun descents. This is the case for both the run and the bike. These are going be some fun events.

The cyclocross camp is going to feature several accomplished 'crossers giving instruction. If you're looking to improve your cross skills, come up and take advantage of this opportunity.

Be Nice to the Volunteers!

Don’t let the blog title put you off – I’m hoping this isn’t going to be too dull or too preachy and isn’t meant to be a rant but I really wanted to put some things out there about the importance of volunteers and how the first three races of this season has changed my outlook on both race organizing and volunteering at races. My plan to volunteer actually started off last year when I was planning my race season (yes, a little early….) and was checking out the Chasing3 race calendar www.chasing3.com . Chasing3 are the folks who are running the New Mexico Triathlon Series this year and amongst other races, they did Benson and Cochiti last year. This year they’re doing more races and a race for free program, where if you volunteer to help at selected races, they give you an entry slot for another selected race for free (more details can be found at http://www.chasing3.com/race-for-free/ ) and that sounded pretty good to me so I volunteered at Coyote Carrera and Benson for slots at Storrie Lake and Cochiti.

The first race I volunteered at was Coyote Carrera down in ABQ and I essentially helped out getting people getting body marked and pointing people in the right direction – nothing too challenging but it was fun being involved and seeing the first 10 or so people crossing the line. One thing that stood out while doing a little crowd control to keep people from impeding racers exiting T2 to the pool was a small number of grouchy people who didn’t like being informed that they probably shouldn’t get in the athletes way – hey I’m trying to do you a favor!

Next up was Atomic Man, I did the Fat Man in the cold and light snow and as it was close to home my wife volunteered and helped out with traffic control and directing on the run course. She’s got a low tolerance to the cold so I’m very grateful she helped out in conditions which would approach her own personal hell !!!! However, she also got a few grouchy people, one who “had kids in the car” and wanted to park in the school parking lot after the Little Boy had started and one classic “I pay my taxes” when told a short section of road was closed. Ah, well you always get a few!

The last race was the ever popular Albuquerque World Championships aka Jay Benson and was as usual a great race. This time I helped John out with timing and the bike out/bike in part of the race. Now here we only had one minor grouch but he came back to apologize so fair play to that guy but what struck me at this race was the amount of effort that went into the race set up. I was involved in the break-down too and if you looked around, all the racks, advertisements, barricades etc. had to be broken down and put away and all the course markers and aid stations broken down too. Angie and John told me the Chasing3 crew had been there since 9pm the night before and had worked right through to after the race – would anyone have guessed that’s what they do? Me neither but I do now!

So I think I’m trying to make a few points:

One is that seriously, be nice the volunteers, you might have pre-race tensions and be trying to get in race mode, but the volunteers have probably been up the same length of time you have if not more and are more than likely doing this for free (or at least a free race ;o) and they don’t have to be there. You don’t want to be remembered at a grouch! I know it’s just a few individuals but I’m not writing about the 99% of nice people. BTW every Triatomic was a credit to the club!!!!!!!

Two, next time you’re at a race, look around and think what might have to be taken down when everyone clears out and remember that someone had to put that up – organizing these races is a non-trivial event and be patient if there are minor kinks during race day. Volunteering has given me a whole new perspective on the amount of effort and organization required to put on a race so hats off to Angie and the whole C3 crew. I only saw a small slice of what happens on race day so I can’t imagine some of the stories they have!

Finally, I’d like to get you thinking about volunteering at a race if you haven’t already done so, not only is it pretty fun and you get to meet a bunch of new people, it’s also an eye-opener to what’s involved and you might be able to pick up some tips on what to do or what not to do - I think I now have an idea what’s the most effective way to mount/dismount the bike!

I also want to thank the C3 crew for putting on some great races so far this year and now I’m just looking forward to Storrie Lake and Cochiti and yes, I'll be back to volunteer at more races!!!

Legendary Runner in Los Alamos for Jemez Mtn Run this weekend!

Jemez Mountain Trail Run is this weekend Sat May 22nd! The event always sells out early and often attracts top ultra runners and this year Micah True or "Caballo Blanco" will be participating. See the Los Alamos Monitor story. If you havent read Born to Run its highly recommended. Its a great story and extremely interesting for anyone who has done any running and avid runners in particular.

Micah is from Colorado but lives most of the time down in Batopilas, Chihuahua, in the copper canyon of Mexico with the Raramuri, or more widely known as the 'running people', the Tarahumara Indians. He has adopted their way of life and style of running. He puts on a 50mile ultra marathon in the rugged "Barrancas Del Cobre" each year that attracts the local running people and few legends from around the world. Everyone donates their race winnings back to the local communities.

Caballo Blanco will participate in the Sat race and will also give a talk on Sunday at 4pm at the Unitarian church in Los Alamos, donations requested for his charity Norawas de Raramuri. This should be very interesting so try to attend!

Cochiti Tri and AR is just a tri :)

Ran into a few people last couple of days and it appears there is confusion as to what Cochiti Tri and Adventure Race actually entail. I'll pass that on to the race dirs for their marketing next year. Meanwhile, here is some info to hopefully clarify any confusion:
These are two events on two separate days. The race dirs from each are working together to advertize as joint event and there will be a prize for people who do both races but they are completely separate events with completely separate registration links - you dont have to worry about getting into one by doing the other.
So the Cochiti tri is all pavement and is Olympic distance, nothing unfamiliar to tri-only people esp those nervous about getting off the pavement.
If you want to try out an adventure race great, but you can also just do the tri. The reason for this post is that it appears having "Adventure Race" in the event name is scaring some triathletes off because it gives the impression that the event will not be a straightforward tri or may involve going off pavement (*GASP*). No off-road on this one - all pavement (even if some bumpy pavement on the dam). Tell your friends!

Cochiti Olympic Tri registration open - register this week!

Sport Systems has opened registration for the Cochiti Olympic Triathlon. They are not advertising it widely this week so that local NM clubs can get registered. That includes us. Registration will be capped at 250 entrants, so it'll sell out for sure. This event is on July 11th.

You can find registration at nmsportsonline (nmsportsonline doesn't charge any fees)
or on active.com which does charge extra fees.

Here is a brief course description from their flyer:
Swim 1500m
Beach, WAVE start. Triangle Swim.
Wetsuit legal. Cap supplied at packet pickup and must be worn during entire swim until you are in T1.

Bike 40k
Relatively Flat and Fast Loop course.
Out through the Rec Area and over the Dam. Dam road is rough pavement. Turn left off the Dam Road and out almost to I-25. Turn around and take NM-22 back into entrance to Rec Area.

Run 10k
Flat and Fast out and back.
Out through the Rec Area and out onto the Dam Road then back to finish.

Atomic Man Duathlon Sunday April 25th!!

Dont forget that our awesome Atomic Man Duathlon race is on Sunday April 25th.
For those not familiar there are two distances so its great for newbies or someone with a lot of experience.
Check out our awesome race site courtesy of Sol Web Solutions: http://triatomics.org/duathlon

Please sign up for the race soon, or contact duathlon@triatomics.org to volunteer and help out. All volunteers will get either a long sleeve race shirt or a pint glass with race logo.

Bike Swap to benefit BikeABQ tomorrow (Sat)!

Just found out:
Sport Systems (used to be Sportz Outdoor) in Albqq is holding a bike swap this Sat (tomorrow!) to benefit BikeABQ (Bike Advocacy in Albuquerque). Get a bike, sell a bike, and help to 'Amsterdamize Albuquerque'! :)
BikeABQ's fabulous Bike Swap is set for (TOMORROW!!!) April 17, 2010 at Sport Systems, 6915 Montgomery NE, 10 am to 4 ...pm.
More info here.
If you havent visited Sport Systems since they've changed from Sportz Outdoor, I hear its really worth the trip with brand new facilities including a full blown bike fitting system with two full-time bike fitting specialists working with it! They are also the guys putting on events like Jay Benson Tri, Spring Fling Tri, bringing back Cochiti tri and putting on a lot of local cycling and adventure events.

Help out by snowshoeing and skiing!

If you are thinking about going up on the 'Canada Bonita' trails (see map under The Trail section on http://swnordicski.org/) on your backcountry skis or snowshoes this week, please consider making your own tracks (vs following in existing ones) to stomp out as much of the full width of the trail as possible - it will really help the groomers get the machines up there after the storm to make nice skate and classic ski lanes!

If it has NOT been groomed (ie no machine tracks of any kind) its actually helpful to snowshoe on the upper trails too despite the signs. The signs that say not to are only meant for when its groomed. So this is a good chance to get on the upper trail before the grooming closes access to anything but skis. 'Upper' trail is the trail that goes left at the first fork on the map (point A). You will see signs telling you not to snowshoe/hike/bring dogs on it when you are there.

Also, Paul, Dave, Tom and Donna made record time before this snowfall to create a brand new snowshoe specific (no machines on it!) trail off of main trail! Current info on it here. We are hoping to post official 'Snowshoe trail' signs in the next week on it. More info, map and photos to be posted soon on the swnordicski.org site.
The county has started a snowshoe rental and learning program. We will post links to it on http://swnordicski.org/ along with snowshoe trail info shortly.

Btw, the trail will be called Paul's Portal after our own Paul Graham since he was the one to find the best path while working with Tom and Donna. That path also luckily required less deadfall clearing than was originally expected. Dave W worked hard most of Sunday to clear the deadfall from the trail! Made for a brand new trail in about 2 days! Although more work to still be done with signs etc.

Come out an enjoy the snow and thanks for helping to stomp the snow out for the groomers!

Performance video by MC SpandX

"God! I gotta get a carbon frame!"
After Show Low this year I was so shocked at how dorky and performace gear-oriented we triathletes have gotten (compression garments for every body part...scary!) that I forgot that there are always cyclists out there to make us feel better about ourselves. Too bad this guy didnt go with the traditional color coordinated top, bottom, helmet, socks, gloves and frame look... :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4&eurl

Swim/Cycle Series #4: Heron Lake

Where: Heron Lake
What: Open water swim (~1 hr.) + Bike (~2 hr.)
When: Sunday, Jul. 26
Time: 8 a.m.
Optional: camp out Saturday

Since Cochiti was so bloody hot last weekend and started out with dubious air quality, I propose changing venues and heading up to Heron. We'll aim for a Sunday morning swim/ride, as well as a Sat ride for those that show up early. We may be there Fri p.m., so give me a heads up if you want to meet for a ride. T-mobile service will invariably be spotty.

Lake Heron is ~90 miles north on the 84.

Here's the campground map: (I believe campsites were $8/night, cash only)

And estimated water temp.

Rachael's excellent report from last year's Heron trip.

Unless there is a better suggestion, the east side of Willow Creek seemed like a good set of campsites and swim start point. More details to come on carpool location/time. I recall a substantial distance from supplies/beer, so definitely stock up.

Good luck to all of the participants this weekend! Santa Fe, Mountain Man, Vineman!!!!

Cochiti Swim/Cycle Series #3 -> this Sunday

For those of you not participating in the Tour, we'll gather at Sullivan @ 7 am to do a brick at Cochiti this Sunday, the 12th. Based on the forecast, it should be a warm one. See you there.

Swim/Cycle Series Episode #2

Despite a less than desirable forecast, the day started off alright. Air temps ~70, probably the same for the water, overcast. The water level dropped significantly from last week.

(L to R: Max Light, Ben Davis, Bill Bearden, Bill Geist, Kim Meyer, Liz Miller, Peter Song, Paul Graham)

After a 2700 meter swim (thanks to Taraka for the kayak chaperone), we mounted the bikes for a long ride. The inclement weather caught up to us, however, and we finished a ~30 mile ride nicely wet. Al round good time, judging from the smiles. Thanks for coming everyone! Tentative repeat on July 12th.

Thanks Jian for the pictures!

Carpool to Mtn Man?

Looking for anyone that is going (or wants to go) to Mtn Man in Flagstaff. Would like to carpool. Please contact Ben @ 310-4835 or trimainiac@gmail.com

TriSports.com blog link

Since it is mid-winter but spring is right around the corner, and people are starting to think about racing and training again, I thought I'd point everyone to another tri-related website. And since they are one of our club sponsors, I don't feel like this is out of line. TriSports.com has started their own blog at http://blog.tri-sports.com/ It's actually not bad and nice to see that the people you shop from actually do know what they're talking about.

Heron Lake Brick Report

The brick workout and club camping trip up at Heron Lake a couple weeks ago was great! Most camped the night prior (after patiently snaking our way through a couple campgrounds with a five car caravan to find enough empty sites together) with great weather and a fun setting for the kids... it's a really beautiful area and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The next morning we got organized around 8:00 a.m. and got in the water. We didn't communicate very well on the "group" swim, and so we got separated along the route leaving a few of us to swim on our own for a good part of the route; next time if we choose a destination OR a time, that should help. Or perhaps a staggered start with slower swimmers going out first? It ended up that people swam between 45 min. to 1 hr. 20 min... I was glad to have a full-length wetsuit on but it was great conditions and a nice morning to be out in the water. The water was glassy-calm and maybe in the mid-60s? The sun was out with clear skies as we headed out on a fun, 2-hr. ride out toward the Brazos Cliffs (absolutely gorgeous route). We came back and cooled off in the lake and joined in the kids catching crawfish, then packed it up and headed out. Thanks everyone for joining in. It was a lot of fun and we'll do it again next year. Here's a few pics:

Heron Lake Brick INFO--Sunday, Aug. 24

Meet at Sullivan Field Saturday, Aug. 23 at 3:30 pm to caravan up to the lake and find a camping spot(s) for the group.* This should put us at the lake around 5 p.m. to set up camp, have dinner and hang out. Again, families/friends are welcome! It costs ~$10 for a campsite per night and there are no fire restrictions right now. So far, the camping group includes me & family, Jeff and Susie & family, Kim, Ben, Taraka, Paul... Please let me know if you plan to caravan or not so we know to wait for you at Sullivan Field.
Sunday Aug. 24, 8 a.m. Swim + Bike:
- We can swim out to the island in the middle of the lake and back to camp/shore, which is approx. 1600m... or, if we want extra distance, we can swim around the island or make a triangle and swim back along the shore. We can always split into two groups depending on if people want to do a shorter or longer swim. Please note: Clay suggests wearing TWO swim caps and pulling them as low as you can to cover your forehead and to wear a full-length wetsuit. The water temp. on one site lists the lake at 59, and Ben found another fishing site that lists it at 70, so error on the side of caution and prepare appropriately for colder temps.
- Ride back out on Hwy 95 that runs along the lake, cross 84 and head up toward the Brazos Cliffs on 512 (this is apparently a really pretty area), then loop back south on 162 through Tierra Amarilla, back up 84, and head back on 95 to the campsite for an approx. 2 hr. ride.
More INFO on Heron Lake State Park:
Link to the state park (directions, park map and brochure): http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/heron.htm
Weather: Average weather in August: High: 83°F and Low: 48°F -- the weather for Los Ojos Sat. night is low: 49 and Sunday: 78 with scattered thunderstorms. Another report lists a 95% chance of rain that day.**

* If you want to join in the workout, but don't want to camp Sat. night, please let me know so we can look for you Sunday morning. You should be able to find us easily as apparently the camping sites are located right off the road that travels around the lake (Hwy. 95).
** I will send out a confirmation (or cancellation) email on FRIDAY afternoon depending on the weather report for the weekend. PLEASE check your email that evening if you are planning on joining in.

Heron Lake Brick--Sunday, Aug. 24

Where: Heron Lake*
What: Open water swim (~1 hr.) + Bike (~2 hr.)
When: Sunday, Aug. 24
Time: 8 a.m.
Optional: camp out Saturday, Aug. 23, families included
* more details will be sent out the week prior as they get worked out! Since I've never actually been to Heron Lake, I will depend on others who have to provide some guidance on where exactly to do the swim and bike + where camping is available etc.? Any input is much appreciated!
The Aquatic Center will be closed for their annual cleaning & maintenance (2 weeks?) after the LA Tri, so this is a great opportunity to get some training done in open water in preparation for any races coming up in late summer & early fall. And, the group camping will be fun too, with the bonus of not having to make the drive up early in the morning!