Mt. Rainier Duathlon (link)

Sunday, May 1st

GREAT DAY! We took over 20 Team members to Enumclaw on this chilly, but sunny morning to kick off our 2011 season. This was quite a fun experience as only 3 of our crew had ever even done a duathlon before. Needless to say, I kept looking around for my wetsuit and goggles! We discussed, then re-discussed, then questioned our decisions about 10 more times as to what to wear, how many layers, how sweaty would we be when got on the bike? Decisions done . . . it's go time!

This was by a design a day of "racing to train" for us. A little practice at transitions and shaking the dust off a little. I will let a few of our athletes speak for themselves as to how their morning went:

Don: Awesome day, loved the whole process. Ill be back for another race!

Scott: Fun day. I stayed in "training" mode, a pushed it just a little bit but still comfortable and within myself. **Lessons* my transitions could have been about 3 minutes less each, great learning lesson.

Bob: I was happy when I finished and the longer I think about it the happier I am.

Kendra: Lessons: *Drink Recoverite after the race and not during!* Pack more food than you think you will need. You never know when it will actually need it. Bento boxes rock! They make it so easy to fuel. Highlights: * The entire race. It was so beautiful and the weather was amazing. * Seeing so many team mates during the race was awesome, inspiring and comforting.

Chris: I was feeling really good this morning and had a good workout yesterday. Granted, the late night at the "check your boobies" event wasn't exactly the best idea. Neither was the wine or beer:) I came in thinking "shoot for just under 8 minute miles on the run and push the ride hard knowing it was a relatively short one. As i got all pumped up and thought more about it as i stood at the start line i thought to myself...screw it, new plan! Lets put all of this training to the test and have some fun with it. It's a relatively short race and the day couldn't have been nicer. My goal was to stay on the heels of Romary for as long as i could and when i felt i needed too drop back and go from there. Surprisingly, my pace was the fastest i've ever done, i felt great and was having fun hanging with the big boys! My next push was on the bike. I thought, pass every aerodynamic helmet with a better bike then mine and i should be in good shape. One at a time i did so and hey...there was Tom one bike in front of me. On my second hill climb i was getting a bit fatigued so backed off a bit. I enjoyed my spin up the hill and bombed the downhill. Damn i love that! I went over my T2 plan in my head and decided i would give the last run leg a final push for under 8 min. miles for the first 2 miles and see how i felt. The gas was running out but i knew i could hold my pace. 2 guys passed me and smiled and said "you got me on the bike so i had to get you on the run". I got a kick out of that and respected that as he continued to pick up the pace. I finished at a 7:30/mile pace very happy, hungry and psyched to see romary taking off his time chip. There was Jay & Sharon and the gang all smiling and talking about how great the day was. Soooo true. I had a blast and really enjoyed the day. Now i can't get that one guy passing me on the run as i think he took 3rd place and i believe i missed it by one!:):) Next time i thought! Thanks for getting us out there today and congrats on another medal coach! YOU ROCK!

Jen P: .I felt proud of our team! I came in 7th for my age group, a mere 35 minutes behind the 3rd place finisher :) It was a great experience for me. My goal was to work hard and steady, but enjoy it. And I really did...and felt strong. I sprinted the last mile of the run and could've kept going. I was so happy you told us the scoop about the hill...I had a plan and knew what was ahead, which really helped me not get psyched out by it. No problem. What a gorgeous day! Great fun to be there with the group.

Craig: Thanks for a great day today. It was exciting to be part of this team and at an event like this it makes a big difference. I like the support the team provides and it was great to see everyone out there.

Sharon: Yes, great day yesterday...I know I placed 3rd in my age group, but I am not checking my official stats in fear there were only 3 people in my age group. I would rather live in my bubble of placing, then really know that I placed last...haha...it is all mental. My highs were pretty simple: Finishing the race. The glorious day!! Mt. Rainier showing its proud self. Team members either coming or going across the T line, focused in getting out as quickly as they can. The cheering and the camaraderie was absolutely huge and the buzzing that was abound...unbelievable! Super fun!

So, glad I killed the hill as I did...that was really hard. My hamstrings were getting so so so tight...not sure if that was a high/or low, but really glad I worked the hill the day before and really glad for your thoughts on how to get that one done! Whew, really hard.

Shokofeh: Beautiful day for a race. Started the day looking at this event as 'just a workout'. I told myself the hill on the bike was not going to be a big deal. Started the run with a bit of a rough time. My right shin started bothering me. So I tried to focus on my form and eventually the pain went away. Calves were still tight but as I warmed up some more the tightness subsided. Finished the run with an approximate 10 minute mile. Still feeling good. No highs but was feeling good. Quick transition. Got on my bike and I was off.... All by myself... It was very peaceful out there on those country roads. At one point I looked up and around and there it was Mt. Rainier in all it's glory. such a beautiful day. Finally got to the base of the hill, made the first steep climb, seated. Then began the gradual climb, ended the hill with a smile, realizing that it really wasn't as bad as it felt last year. Now I had the confidence to know that the second loop would be no problem. My goal was to finish both loops in 2 hours. Second time around, again I made sure to look at the mountain and take in the clean air. Felt great to climb that hill and still have a little juice left. Second run. couldn't feel my feet for the first 5 minutes. Once I got feeling back I started to gain some speed. Still finished with a 20 minute improvement compared to last year. So all in all a successful day.

Kimmie: I want to say a few things for the new people on our team who I admire so much:

1. Five years of doing triathlons and I sill sometimes feel overwhelmed, especially at the beginning of a race.

2. I felt like crying and quitting because "I am not worthy to keep up with my friends"

3. Created a positive internal mantra song, focusing on the beautiful mountains, horses, cows, frogs croaking, thanking God for 2 arms and 2 legs. Scientifically proven that if you are doing something physical AND filling your mind with positive mantra song, or whatever works for you, THEN you "rewire" your brain to positive thinking. I pulled out of it and was fine.

4. I felt guilty that I didn't ride with you guys the day before and I kept thinking that I was doing a bad job at training, had to keep pushing that out of my mind.

5. Steady Freddy: My new goal is to try to be a steadier freddy even though it is so fun to speed down hill really fast, I noticed that my friends Ginny, Lori, Kendra and Beth were spinning steady and strong and would always catch up with me and pass me on the flats no matter how fast I raced down hills.

6. For those of you who come in first, You are my inspiration and I'll never be like you but it is really fun to watch you and to try to copy anything I can that you do.

7. For those of you who come after me, I admire you just as much and even more because I know the strength, determination and mental stamina it takes to push as hard as you can and not give up. This sport is about self improvement. SELF means working towards your goals and not comparing yourself to the rest of the world. Judging myself is the ONLY thing that gets in my way and messes me up. I have done many silly things during races as a result of judging myself (Ginny can attest to this).

8. Finally, It is normal to have pre ironman jitters. I am having them right now and we have almost 2 months. Keep the faith and follow Ginny's recipe, it works.

Jen S: I returned to Enumclaw to defend my last place finish last year with an amazing time of 3:59 (4 hr time limit). Had to introduce myself to a girl on our bike rack, when she thought she was going to be the slowest. My goal was to finish the race in 3:40.Compared to last year, it was so nice to see other runners. Shok and I never saw a person after the start last year (same thing for the bike and second run). No one had to ask me if I was in the race this year. Transition was slow as I tried to determine what to wear and check my tires. A race director informed me and another rider that a tire blew in our area and we were the only bikes left. I walked out of transition still confused about the tire and what I was supposed to be doing (actually forgot to run my bike out and realized it when I was mounting). Since I am not an efficient runner, my legs were very tired when the bike started. Flats are my thing, but I could see Shok pulling away. Legs finally started to warm up. I was dreading the hills and in my mind I had actually made them easier. I apparently blocked out last year, because I thought this was a big set of hills and harder than I remembered. Felt proud of myself at the top for making it and thought I had done ok (even if the photo guy asked me if I as ok). Regained my legs on the downhill.Felt a lot stronger on the second loop. Feeling good about myself when a girl who passed me on the flats got passed by ME...yup ME..on the hill. Last year, we unclipped on the second hill. This year, I told myself this was loop two of the ironman and I was not getting off. Found a pace and just went with it. Regained legs faster at the top than I did on the first loop, but I think my speed on the hills was slower the second time. I was flying back towards the fair, passed another guy and made the final turn. Don't know how I managed to jump the chain, but off it went. Didn't care about the grease and tried desperately to get the thing on before I lost my lead. The guy I passed yelled "just run with it." Had to tell myself to relax, because I kept throwing the chain all over the place. Hoped back on and without trying to touch anything, I made it back to transition. Even with the entire team cheering me on, I was pissed about the chain and figured I blew my chance of a descent time. Since I lost time with the chain, I just slipped my race shoes back on and not the newtons which I would have to tie. Super tired on the run. Kept looking back at the people chasing me. I would run a few minutes or between signs, walk and look back. Kept telling myself to run, they were catching me. Able to hold them all off and finish 3:36. NOT LAST and UNDER 3:40!!

Endurance Training Camp

May 6th ~ May 8th
Coeur d'Alene, ID

Three days of fun, sweat, inspiration and determination. We hosted 17 athletes hailing from as far away as Virginia and as close as Post Falls. With both 70.3 and full IM distance athletes in attendance, the routes were varied and dare we say everyone had as much training opportunity and learning possibilities as they chose to embrace.

Thursday night arrival saw everyone dribbling in and getting settled. We had a chance to meet some new friends get to know everyone. It was early to bed as we all knew what lay ahead.

Friday morning breakfast was our first opportunity to get everyone in the same room (except Rino who we were still awaiting as he traveled back from a work trip in London) as we laid out our plan for the day and weekend ahead. A quick bite and it was time to shake off the cobwebs and get on our bikes. We worked on the short out and back portion of the IMCDA course for approximately 90 minutes before setting out on a quick transition run also along the IMCDA course. Yummy Pita Pit lunch was delivered to the hotel and it was soon time to depart for the Kroc Center for our Key Workout of the day in the pool. 2 hours of chlorinated fun for our athletes including video analysis for some, drill work, stroke improvement and many, many yards. A quick shower post-swim then everyone got to enjoy an energizing, strengthening, lengthening and ultimately relaxing private Power Yoga session before calling it a day of training. Back at the hotel and ensconced in comfy sweats or PJs we enjoyed an in-house dinner while hanging on the every word of Mike Gaertner from Vertical Earth as he discussed the basics of bike maintenance, on-course trouble shooting and general TLC for our beloved bikes. After Mike's presentation we split the group to discuss nutrition and training specifics for each distance. After nailing down our routes and nutrition plans for Saturday, it was time for a GOOD night's sleep before Saturday's big day on the bike.

We were up early on Saturday morning and ready for a day of biking anywhere from 45 miles to 106 miles. A quick group breakfast, and welcome to Rino, then it was time to assess the weather (it wasn't great) and get ready to roll. Thanks to our Training Camp sponsor, Gregg's Cycles, some of our campers were able to test ride Zipp 404 and 808 race wheels for the day and enjoy a slightly "zippier" ride. Our campers were punctual and prepared all weekend (thank you!) and we were ready to roll promptly at 8:00am. We hit the course for what would end up being a day to test even the toughest rider. Sun (a little), rain (a lot), wind, hail, and cold temperatures were the name of the game. As much as we tried to find better weather this year compared to last year, even moving Camp three weeks later in the year didn't seem to make a difference. Our campers were tough as nails and did all they could to get the most out of this big day of training. Following their key bike workout everyone took off on their transition run again out along the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Some athletes were lucky enough to enjoy a little sunshine on their run, while others unfortunately experienced a hail storm so brutal they had to take cover under a tree. Crazy.

The good news for all of our campers was that when they were finished with their training, Joanne and Derek were standing ready to massage away any aches and pains and help everyone recovery quickly and get ready for Sunday.

Hot showers, massages, lunch and back into comfy sweats and PJs for dinner and our "surprise" presentation Saturday night. I guess at this point it wasn't too much of a surprise as we let the cat of the bag at breakfast on Friday morning that Sister Madonna Buder would be joining us for pizza and casual conversation Saturday night. Sister Madonna's book, The Grace to Race, was suggested reading for all campers before attending camp. With everyone pretty darn worn out and hungry, the pizza arrived and it didn't take long for the stories to start pouring out about everyone's day on the bike and how they survived the crazy weather. Sister Madonna arrived (rightly AFTER attending evening Mass) and begin to enlighten, entertain and inspire our group with her stories of training, mishaps, successes and triumphs both physical and spiritual. Many questions were asked and answered and we were able to snap a few photos with Sister Madonna before sending everyone off to bed to get ready for one final big push of training on Sunday.

On behalf of all of our campers we would like to offer a big, heart-felt thank you to Sister Madonna for the generous gift of her time and experience she so graciously shared with us. Her stories of determination and positivity will hopefully inspire our campers and help propel them forward in both their athletic and personal lives.

After a good night's sleep Saturday we were up early again on Sunday and ready to tackle the IMCDA run course and see what was left of everyone's legs. After breakfast we piled in the cars and drove down to City Park which also serves as the heart of IMCDA including the swim, transition area and finish line. We had the course marked as well as we could with pink arrows, but the small flaw in our plan was that the arrows are designed to disintegrate in the rain. We marked the course on Thursday, it was now Sunday and we had experienced many rain storms in the interim. Although we attempted to "re-mark" the run course Saturday afternoon, that was before the hail storm. We were just hoping that there were enough pink arrows left that we wouldn't have to send out SOS calls for stray runners.

With mileage ranging from 13-16 miles, everyone got it done and stayed as positive as possible (it was hard NOT to stay positive after last night's experience with Sister Madonna). This was a great opportunity for our athlete's to internalize just how hard they could train on fairly tired legs AND to continue to dial in their run nutrition and hydration.

Post run and after a good stretch in the park, we took anyone that was signed up for IMCDA and that was interested down toward the swim start so they could visualize what it might look like on June 26th. It is slightly difficult to fully explain what the transition area and swim start will look like as they transform from their current day state into a three ring circus of tents and barricades for race weekend.

One of the great traditions with our Camp has been the few hearty souls each year that jump in the COLD lake after our Sunday morning run. This year was no different as Jay, Tom and Chris started us off with Casey following after just a few seconds of prodding. Kimmie held up the bargain for the girls and also bravely dove into the 49 degree water.

After getting everyone packed up we were able to finally enjoy a little sunshine outside for our Sunday lunch and Camp wrap up. We said goodbye to our new found friends and training buddies, made plans to regroup at IMCDA and Lake Stevens and left with a greater understanding of just what level we can push our bodies to, where our "edge" may be and how better to handle a long day of training and/or racing.

To all of our fabulous 2011 campers: Thank you for giving us your all, for heeding our request to be on time and prepared, and for keeping a positive outlook when possible. We realize that the path you travel in preparation for an endurance event is never a linear path. There are twists, turns, ups and downs. We sincerely hope that we have been able to help you navigate your training and race paths and provide answers and guidance where needed. ~ Coaches Ginny and Nancy

Ironman Coeur D'Alene (link)

Sunday, June 26th

WOW, that one simple word sums up my emotions as a coach this weekend. I should have known that it was going to be a fast weekend when two of our athletes got speeding tickets on their way over to Coeur d'Alene.

Unfortunately I got a late start this weekend as that nasty strep throat bacteria decided to visit me on Thursday. Thankfully our Team was well prepared and made their way to CDA, got through registration and settled in for would prove to be an amazing weekend. Athletes, family and friends gathered Friday night for a fun and festive dinner. Maybe they were secretly relieved that I wasn't there (yet!) so they didn't have to listen to any of my sappy speeches!

Fever was gone by Saturday morning and my heartstrings were tugging me to head east. Time to jump in the car (that had been packed since THURSDAY!) and make my way to CDA. By mid afternoon on Saturday I was onsite, everyone was warmed up, practiced and busy packing their transition bags. We all (well, most of us) made our way to bike racking and checked that important step off our list.

Unfortunately, but par for the course, we had a few fires to put out. Fire number one was Chris's back. Apparently Chris threw his back out trying to lift his bike into Scott's pick-up truck and was in severe pain. Tom was a fabulous wingman and got Chris to keep moving through the morning warm-up session, but when I was able to lay eyes on Chris that afternoon, it was evident that he was hurting. Having been through a few injuries since beginning his training this, Chris was a trooper. There was nothing, not even an injured back that would keep him from that start line on Sunday. Fire number two was Tom's rental race wheels. Beginning with his Saturday morning warm-up, Tom was unable to hold air pressure in his wheels. This was certainly not the first time Tom had rented wheels, but something was not right this time. After repeated attempts to inflate the tires, placing teflon tape on the adapters AND spending time at Vertical Earth, the local bike shop . . . we were still not 100% confident in the wheel's ability to hold air. Not exactly what you are looking for late into the afternoon before your Ironman. We did what we could, Tom made it to bike racking Saturday afternoon with about 5 minutes to spare, and had a plan to check his tires first thing in the morning. Last ditch back-up plan would be to visit the Race Day Wheels booth and swap the wheels out in the morning if necessary.

We had a short "athlete's only" meeting in my room late Saturday afternoon to answer any last minute questions, go over nutrition plans one last time and essentially try to calm nerves. Everyone seemed ready to roll and ready to call it a night. 4:00am on Ironman morning comes EARLY!!.

I asked ONE thing from our 11 athletes that were ready to toe the start line at the 2011 IMCDA, and that was FOCUS. Pure and simple focus. Those of you that have had the pleasure of experiencing an Ironman event before can understand that need for focus. There are so many people, so many fans, so many over-stimulating situations that can and will zap your energy and focus if you let them. We had 8 Ironman newbies and 3 veterans charged with the goal of focus and appropriate intensity. Apparently everyone paid close attention to my request as there were times on Sunday when I could barely get them to lift their eyes or heads as they biked or ran their way past me. THAT is what I call focus!

There always seems to be a "story" at Ironman every year. This year the story was definitely the water temperature. Given the spring we all suffered through in the Northwest, we knew the water certainly would not be balmy . . . but we were at least hoping for bearable. Well, I don't know if bearable really describes it. We set a record this year for the coldest water temperature in IMCDA history. 56 degrees on race morning. For some of our crew this didn't seem to be a problem, for others, well . . . let's just say it wasn't the most comfortable part of their day! As we walked through our transition area practice on Saturday we all discussed the importance of using the heated yurts that the event provides as an alternative to the conventional transition area tents if you were to come out of the water chilled to the bone. For some, the heated yurts were a welcome relief and provided a fast, and warm, swim to bike transition. For others it still was not enough. Shokofeh and Cory both struggled with VERY cold transitions that threatened to derail their days. The great news is that after much shivering, rubbing with blankets and soul searching, both Shoke and Cory made their way out of T1 and got on their bikes. We are off!!

Thanks to my amazing course spotters and statisticians, including Jessi, Lance, Kerry, Lori, Elizabeth, Caroline, Linda, Ally and JJ . . . we were ALL OVER that 112 mile bike course. I have included in our side bar a crazy picture of the spreadsheet I used to try to keep track of all 11 of our athletes. This was a feat made possible by the masses!

Strong, strong bike rides were the name of the game. I guess you all can stop complaining about all the hills we threw at you in training this year! Between our great training and Training Camp, you were all SO ready and it showed. I asked for focus, and boy did I get it. There were times when I couldn't even get some of you to glance up from the road as you flew by. Bike course PRs were shattered by our veterans and our IM newbies were SOLID!!

As everyone made their way to T2 and out on the run course, it started to warm up. Unfortunately my doctor forgot to remind me about the potential for MAJOR sun burn when you are on anti-biotics. Oops! (cut to Jay asking me Sunday night "did you bring Aloe? Why? No reason? Chuckle!")

Most of our support crew made our way to Lakeside Avenue to watch our runners come and go. Spirits were high for the most part, but honestly, after you get off the bike is when the depth of Ironman becomes clear. It is now between you, your legs, your stomach and your mind. All of these components need to work in sync and stay strong for the reminder of your Ironman dreams to come true. Our crew was AMAZING to say the least. Trust me, I know how it goes. You run strong through town, smile past your friends and family, but when you get out along the lake, and deep into the neighborhoods, you begin to question yourself. This year the race organizers decided to make a slight alteration to the run course and delete the out and back portion through City Park (flat!) and add on mileage along the lake (hill!) Since we were able to practice this hill during Training Camp it certainly did not come as a surprise to our athletes, but it certainly added an element of intensity to those that had done IMCDA before.

We had some VERY strong runs and some very smart runs. Tom made one of the smarter runs of all. With this being Tom's 3rd Ironman, he knows when it is his day, and more importantly, when it isn't. Tom, battling major GI issues made the right decision to pull himself out of the event after 13 miles on the run. He had the pleasure of getting to know some of the medical tent personnel on a first name basis, then was able to come back out to the finish line and cheer on a few of his teammates. Tom had eight weeks from IMCDA to get ready for IM Canada. He made a smart and wise decision and I applaud him for that. Oh, and the wheels . . . Tom sadly got a flat at mile 7 on the bike. Someone was looking out for him though as the bike support vehicle drove by not long there after and tossed him a new wheel. When does THAT happen? No more flats on the remaining 105 miles.

Casey Kurt Jen and Shokofeh seemed to simply keep moving forward all day and made their first attempt at Ironman look like another day of training. Was it easy? Hell no. Would they do it again? Let's just say that Casey, Shoke and Jen are headed toward IM Canada in a few short weeks and Kurt, Jen and Shoke have already signed up for IMCDA 2012. Addicting? I"ll leave it to you to decide. They are all headed to the Lake Stevens 70.3 in August and will continue to use all that they have learned about themselves and the lengths to which they can stretch.

Scott was my "fly under the radar" athlete. He waited until what I would say was the last possible minute to sign up for training. He showed up for most of our group run sessions and sporadically made our swim and bike training. That said, he was mister consistent and if he wasn't training with us, he was training on his own and getting it done!! I have to admit that I had the most reservations with Scott and this cold swim. Regardless of my concerns, he was so friggen strong and fast on the swim that I missed his exit! It made me giggle each time I saw Scott fly by on his bike and run in his Jelly Belly jersey and goofy hair popping out of his visor.

Kimmie and Cory were my other two veterans (with Tom) coming into our weekend. As such, they both had some good time goals and "experience" goals to meet. Let's just say, they CRUSHED their goals. Cory set a PR by 45 minutes and Kim blew her previous IMCDA time out of the water by 1 hour 45 minutes. Crazy good! They both managed the training like pros and most importantly helped out with some of our IM newbies when it came down to the logistics of training, racing, and finding that important balance between life and triathlon.

Eric, hmmm, where to start with Eric. Eric was filled with self-doubt going into Ironman. The usual questions everyone has of "did I train enough", "can I do this", "what should I have done differently?" seemed to have haunted Eric more so than others. As his coach I knew he was ready, but it is not until that athlete crosses the finish line that THEY really know they can do it. Eric mastered the art of juggling work, family and "life" throughout the training and made me so proud as he finished strong, throwing his hands in the air and smiling (or grimacing) from ear to ear. Great moment and worth every drop of sweat and ounce of self doubt!

That brings us to Chris. Chris, who after Training Camp developed some rather intense knee issues, couldn't run much if at all from mid-May to race day, cross-trained like crazy with many hours in the pool, lake, on the Step Mill and on the bike. Then he threw his back out the day before Ironman, then sucked it all up and made it all happen on June 26th. Chris embodied the definition of perseverance and strength and is moving on toward many more finish lines, including IMCDA in 2012! Chris embodies the "positive" can-do attitude that makes the Ironman journey a great experience!

Last, but in no way least is Jay. If you can catch a glimpse of Jay as he leaves you in his dust, he is strong, intense, focused and also very fun on the side (you should see him jump off the diving board with all the kids!) This was also Jay's first Ironman and I dare to say he did not disappoint. It's not always about how fast you are, but in my book it's more about how well you put all of the pieces together. With much work put into on-course nutrition, timing and pacing, Jay was ready to launch into his first Ironman attempt. It was a success by all measures. Watching Jay with the fist pump and huge smile as he finished was such a joy. Jay is also looking toward IM Canada 2011 AND IMCDA 2012.

All in all an absolutely amazing day with countless stories of inspiration, PRs set all around, dreams realized and new goals set. Where to go from here you ask? Onward as always with new challenges, new goals and new break throughs.

I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all 11 of my IMCDA 2011 athletes. Thank you for trusting me with your hopes, insecurities, dreams and goals. My sincere hopes for all of you going forward is that you can use your experiences over the past five months as a springboard toward your future goals in both life and athletics. As we all know at this point, they are all very much intertwined!

Congratulations!!

Seafair Triathlon (link)

Sunday, July 24th

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since we were all racing this morning, picture of the grown-ups were slim pickings. Enjoy the pics of the kids!

Boy, we sure spanned the globe on this one. With athletes in seemingly every wave from the first in the water Elite Olympic distance heat to the last in the water Sprint distance relays, to the kids tri that wrapped up the morning, we came to Seafair full throttle and ready to roll.

15 adults and 7 tri kids proudly represented the Club Emerald Triathlon Team and gave it their all.

Biggest congratulations on the day go to our newly crowned triathletes that crossed the finish line of their very first triathlon this morning. Stuart, Phil and Don all took the lessons they have been learning this season and put their training to the test. With both Olympic and Sprint distances being offered at the Seafair Triathlon this year, we had something for everyone. Stuart went so far as to place 4th in his age group as well and Don ended up 8th in his. Pretty darn impressive boys! Phil even had the "joy" of experiencing his first in-race flat tire will riding across I-90. Phil was utterly astonished at the selflessness of other athletes as many stopped and offered assistance, CO2 cartridges and the like. I have had the pleasure of witnessing the generosity and caring of other athletes both on race day and while out training on the roads. I am not at all shocked that so many stopped and offered assistance to Phil and I know that this "paying it forward" attitude goes a long way toward everyone's good karma! I would like to add my "thank you!" to all of Phils angels that stopped to help this morning.

For Jen P this was her first Olympic distance event after just one sprint race approx 3 years ago. She handled it like a pro and most importantly seemed to be beaming from ear to ear every time I saw her. My favorite quote of the day (from the adults at least!) was from Jen after the event. We were standing around waiting for the Kids Tri to start and she came up to me and simply said "That was a blast!" Love it!

For me as a coach the proudest moments of the day came after the finish line seeing everyone smiling and already talking about what they wanted to do next. It didn't take long for the conversations to move toward possible 1/2 Ironman distance for some of our newest members. Who says this isn't a healthy addiction???

Jay got to play with the big boys today and enter the Elite wave for the Olympic distance event. Never one to disappoint Jay gave it his usual 125% and ended up finishing 5th among the Elite male athletes. Using this as a prep event for Lake Stevens and IM Canada, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Jay is READY!

Kurt and Chris also using this as a day to prep for Lake Stevens showed that even after IM Coeur d'Alene they had a spring in their step and were able to go hard. Since the Olympic distance event was new this year we don't have any past times to use for comparisons, but I do know that these boys went hard placing 12th and 7th in their age groups respectively.

Craig and Rino were using today to practice pacing and nutrition for what is going to be their first 70.3 event at Lake Stevens next month. With neither of them having raced since our Duathlon on May 1st, it was high time to get those race numbers on, strap on the timing chip and see what we could do. Our boys were steady throughout the morning, Craig had to fight off some stomach cramps, but all in all they both had strong days!

Kendra continued to show us her natural talent for this sport as she took on what WAS going to be her "A" race going into the season with the Olympic distance event. It only took us about four weeks into her training this spring before we both realized that she had potential for more than the Olympic distance. Now, after her very successful completion of the Rev 3 Half-Ironman a few weeks earlier, she blew us away at Seafair and placed 3rd in her age group with a very strong performance. Congrats girlfriend!

Tom continued to show his strength and speed and bounced back from a few nutritional issues at IMCDA to have a solid day at the Seafair Olympic distance event. With a new daily, training and racing nutrition plan, the "new Tom" set out for a blistering fast day. Don't tell Jay, but Tom's bike split was only 38 seconds off of Jay's . . . he's coming for you!! Finishing up 5th in his age group, Tom is now ready to rock it out at both Lake Stevens and IM Canada.

Shokofeh joined me in the Sprint distance event and was smooth and steady as ever. With this being a last minute decision to race, she took the LONG wait for the sprint distance event start in stride and we cheered on our Olympic distance racers as we waited. Improvement in her running has been a big focus this year for Shoke and she proved it by taking a minute and a half off her run split from last year. With this being a short 3.1 mile run, 1 minute and a half is a GREAT improvement. Congrats Shoke . . . off the Lake Stevens and IM Canada for you.

We got to enjoy two relay teams this year both with the boyfriend/girlfriend theme! Glen and Teri joined Jessi and Mike and both relay teams made a fun morning of it. With this being a "first-time" event for Teri and Mike, both doing the bike portion, it was fun to watch the excitement and confidence that completing an event can bring.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least we had seven spunky Club Emerald Tri Team kids make us parents proud as they splashed and dashed their way through their events. Amelia and Lauren Orth (Kendra's daughters), Harry and Max Hughes (Chris's sons), Shep and Blake Romary (Tom's sons) and Mimi Pieitla (Coach Ginny's daughter) made us laugh and smile with pride as they huffed, puffed, ran, skipped, swam and rode their way around Seward Park. My favorite quote of the day (from the kids) was from Shep after the event as we gathered all of the kids for a picture he proclaims "Hey guys, there is another one next weekend, let's do it!" I think that sums up the feelings for everyone that participated this morning.

Congrats Team!

Lake Stevens 70.3 Triathlon (link)

Sunday, August 14th

Similar to our experience in Coeur d'Alene this June, we were blessed with almost perfect weather to race in this morning. Cool, cloudy skies greeted us as the sun came up over calm, glassy, warm waters in Lake Stevens.

We brought four members of our Team to Lake Stevens that would be embarking on their inaugural half-ironman. Another eight teammates made the trek north in pursuit of a 70.3 PR. I am very happy to say that everyone succeeded and all goals were met!

Stuart, Craig, Rino and Caroline all strutted their stuff this morning with strong showings in all disciplines. This was the inaugural 70.3 for all four of these athletes.

Stuart turned out to be our well-rounded man of the year. Coming into our season with a strong base in swimming, biking and running . . . but not necessarily used to putting the three together. We had a few practice events at the duathlon in May and Seafair Olympic June and today was the real test. Stuart passed with flying colors. All of our work on pacing, nutrition and tactics specific to the 70.3 distance paid off. Stuart was strong throughout the day and most importantly, seemed to really enjoy the experience. I would also like to thank Stuart's wife Amy and kids Austin and Addison for stepping up and volunteering at the finish line for many hours today.

Craig was also looking to complete his first 70.3 distance event today and proved that even a VERY busy businessman can find the correct balance between work, family and training. I think Craig wins our award this year for the teammate that traveled the most miles for work and still managed to get his training in and successfully complete his goal event. Even though we didn't get to SEE Craig as much as other teammates, he got his training in even while traveling, trusted me in that he COULD do this and ultimately enjoyed a very successful day at Lake Stevens! Craig's wife Kim and kids Paige and Drew were also on hand today to help cheer daddy across that finish line!

Rino has always been our stealth and quiet teammate. But I know that under that quiet demeanor lies a strong, determined and focused athlete. Today was the peak of Rino's season with this being his first half-ironman. SUCCESS!!! As I had suspected, Rino was steady and strong all day. He held a great pace commiserate with his training paces and managed his day perfectly. Wife Lisa and kids Luca, Nic and Sofia were all there cheering loudly for "DAD". Good thing as Rino (and Lisa!) are headed to Ironman Coeur d'Alene next June. The cheering will continue!!

Can you do a half-ironman on a whim? Caroline proved that YES you can. With her hubby Chris serving as a fantastic inspiration, Caroline seemingly caught the endurance triathlon bug while watching Chris at IMCDA this June. You could see the wheels begin turning in Caroline's head as she would join the Team on some brick workouts or open water swims. Long story short, I would say she is hooked. She signed up relatively last minute for Lake Stevens, rocked out a great day with a smokin' fast bike split and strong run/walk. Caroline's knees will never let her become an all out runner, but for now the run/walk serves her perfectly. This won't surprise you one bit . . . Caroline (and Chris!) are both headed toward IMCDA 2012. Congrats girlfriend!

Know, lets talk about the PRs that were set by every single Club Emerald Triathlon Team athlete competing today in at least their second 70.3 event. It's crazy I tell you. We had 8 athletes here today that had previously finished at least one, if not more Half Ironmans. Here is the run down on some spectacular performances.

I promised Casey his own paragraph since he did get one for IMCDA. Here you go bud! Not only had Casey just finished IMCDA 7 weeks earlier, he then up and moved to Bend, Oregon a mere four days after IMCDA, started a new job in Bend and is now getting married in four weeks. THAT is a lot on one person's plate. Casey continued to train diligently in Bend taking advantage of the heat and altitude that Mother Nature provides in Central Oregon. Casey had a strong, strong day in Lake Stevens setting a PR by over 20 minutes from last year's event. Both transitions were faster than last year and he managed to drop over 15 minutes off his run split. THAT is a sign of someone that is getting stronger. Next stop, Ironman Canada!

Glen is the most recent addition to our Team having just moved up from the Vancouver, WA area a few weeks ago. Glen joined us in order to fine tune his final few weeks before Ironman Canada. Lake Stevens turned out to be the perfect "practice" event for Glen. Having already completed the REV3 Half Ironman a few weeks earlier, Glen managed to equal his REV3 time at Lake Stevens which is no easy task. REV3 is pancake flat in all elements, anyone that has trained or raced on the Lake Stevens course knows that is certainly not the case at Lake Stevens. Looking at Glen's time from the 2010 Boise 70.3, he managed to improve at Lake Stevens by over one hour and 40 minutes. Crazy good!

We had four more athletes that had also recently completed IMCDA and were all on their way to IM Canada with Casey and Glen. Jen S, Shokofeh, Jay and Tom were also using Lake Stevens as a tune-up event between IMCDA and IMC. This was a day to fine tune pacing, nutrition and mental toughness. Oh yes, also a day to set many more PRs.

Jay, Shoke and Tom all managed to take approximately 30 minutes off their times from the 2010 Lake Stevens event, Jen blew it out of the water with a day that ended up being over 50 minutes faster than last year. I don't know what you guys are drinking, but I would like some! Fast and focused was the name of the game for everyone. Now it's time to look ahead to Ironman Canada in two short weeks!

Chris was also coming off of a stupendous day at IMCDA and looking to finish his season on a high note. Mission accomplished! Taking over 35 minutes off of his 2010 Half Ironman at the Grand Columbian, he blazed a fast trail and never looked back. I know that Chris's main focus today was his wife Caroline and making sure that she had a strong, positive day at her first 70.3, but somewhere in there he found the power and energy to push himself and have an incredible day.

And last but by no means least is our "baby" on the team, Kurt. It has been such a treat to coach Kurt this year with his great attitude, goofy sense of humor and willingness to try anything. Also just seven weeks off of his first Ironman at Coeur d'Alene, Kurt came to Lake Stevens to finish off an amazing season and see what he had left in the tank. Obviously there was enough left as he bettered his 2010 Lake Stevens time by almost and hour. THAT is hard to do people. Congratulations Kurt!!

Next stop on our hit parade . . . IRONMAN CANADA

Ironman Canada (link)

Sunday, August 28th

Our first trip as a Team up to Ironman Canada in Penticton! We have had some onesies and twosies make their way up to our neighbor to the north before, but this is the first year we have headed up with a group. We had eight strong and anxious athletes grab their passports and hit the road in this last full week of August.

Kimmie and I took the Thelma and Louise theme as inspiration and decided to road trip our way to Penticton. It was a little odd in that we kept seeing "BIG" things. I mean we saw oversized Adirondack chairs on top of buildings, a giant hand that had to be 6 feet tall in a front yard, a milkshake the size of an SUV sitting on top of a restaurant. It was weird, and clearly became our theme for the week. It was going to be a BIG weekend.

I have to admit that the logistics of this event as a coach and spectator are not my favorite. The "in-town" portion of the race forces you to deal with a virtual rat maze of fencing and closed streets that make it very difficult to get around and actually watch the event. Then, the out and back nature of both the bike and run leg with very little side streets to cut through essentially force you to drive on the course to get out to see your athletes and get splits. It's certainly not a make or break deal, but it is something to contend with on what is already a long, hot day trying to stay with and motivate your athletes.

Casey, Jen, Glen, Shokofeh, Jay, Tom, Lori and Beth each made their way to the bitter end of our season and held strong in preparation for IMC.

FOCUS, FIGHT, FINISH. I asked all eight of our athletes to remember three things out there on this day that would ultimately offer up many challenges. I needed them to focus on the task at hand, fight when the going got tough, and find that finish line.

My crew was amazing . . . they were once again focused beyond belief. Just as in Coeur d'Alene there were times during the day that everyone was so focused that I had a hard time getting them to glance up as they flew past me!

At the end of the day, our 7 veteran IM athletes and 1 IM newbie (go Glen!) set 4 PRs, crowned one new IM and rocked out an amazing day.

The swim at IMC is unique in that they allow the crowd to actually wade out into the water near the swim finish and form a virtual tunnel for the swimmers to feed into. As much as it is REALLY difficult to watch the start of the swim due to the multitude of barricades (we got to watch from a motel balcony across the street), once the swim is underway you can fairly easily make your way down to the water. Kimmie and I set ourselves up smack dab at the swim exit about two feet from the place where our athletes would be pulling themselves up onto the rocky shore of Lake Okanagan. We were fortunate to see all eight of our athletes make their way out of the swim. We stood there at the edge of the lake long enough to see the first and fastest pro fly out of the water in 50 minutes flat and the final official swimmer exit the water just under the 2:20:00 cut-off time. In between the first and final swimmer we saw some amazing displays of human strength, fortitude and focus. We watched Sister Madonna blaze out of the water with a HUGE smile on her face, we were blessed to witness some of the para-triathletes pull, push and roll their way out of the lake and into their awaiting racing wheelchairs and hand cycles. If that doesn't inspire you to do everything in your power to reach goals, nothing will.

Let the texting begin! Once our swimmers began to exit the water, I was texting Chris Hughes (back in Seattle in front of the computer) to get T1 and intermediate bike splits until Kimmie and I could make it up to the bike course. It takes a village to track eight fast and furious athletes!

Once Kimmie and I made the decision to head up to Yellow Lake and catch our athletes at approximately mile 98 on the bike course, it was time to roll. Little did we know how HOT is was going to get out there. We stood about 500 yards away from the final aid station on the bike. It was hot, it was windy and we unfortunately saw a lot of carnage. There was cramping aplenty. Most of the cramping victims we saw were the bigger, stronger and faster men who had apparently gone out too fast, not paid attention to the conditions and ultimately got themselves into a hydration deficit and electrolyte shortage. We helped those that we could with what little water we had, but we learned a big lesson in the meantime. Note to self . . . when standing at the top of the final climb, at approx mile 100 of an IM bike course in 97 degree heat, remember to carry plenty of extra water and electrolytes to help aid desperate triathletes!

We were gradually checking off our crew as they rode past us looking strong and focused. Thankfully none of our athletes seemed to be suffering TOO much from the heat and were doing their best to stay positive and look forward to the run. Then after Jay, Tom, Casey and Beth had made their way past us, Kim and I saw a pack of red tri tops heading our way. Sure enough, Jen, Glen and Lori came by in a nice tight (but legal!) group. It was great to see the smiles on everyone's faces. Hmmm, that is seven Club Emerald triathletes, where is Shoke? We wait for least another hour before realizing that we either missed Shoke, or something has gone sideways in her day. If Kim and I don't get back to Penticton in a hurry we are risking missing the finish of some of our faster athletes. We decide to head off the mountain and hope for the best for Shokofeh.

Back into town we rush for the finish area along the shores of Lake Okanagan. As we had figured, it wasn't long before we saw Jay heading in for his final few miles. It was H.O.T. hot out there and the athletes were showing their tenacity. Ironman Canada serves up a nasty little twist to the runners. After they have returned to town, the course forces you AWAY from the finish line for an out and back that I'm sure feels about 5 miles long, although it's really only about a mile. From our vantage point on the far side of the finish line, Kim and I were able to cheer Jay, our first of seven finishers across the line.

As I mentioned above, IMC isn't the most viewer friendly of all courses. It is very hard to watch your athletes cross the finish line, then find them afterward. The athletes are funneled into the recovery area without any access to friends or family. So Kim and I waited patiently at the back-end of the recovery area as our athletes trickled out one by one.

This report is getting long . . . I will leave you all with a few bullet points for each of our athletes highlighting their amazing achievements today.

Casey

Very physical/rough swim,
flat tire on bike (tacks on road?),
oh . . . a little busy while training. He moved from Seattle to Bend, three days after IMCDA, is planning a September wedding, is still trying to find homes for a litter of puppies!,
unmatched tenacity today.

Jen

FAST friggen swim,
FASTED T1 on our team today. Yes Jay, she beat you by 16 full seconds!
Admitted a pissy, dislike of the hills, all while still having a strong ride.
Big smiles all day, great photos!
Crying attack on Richter Pass, wanted to quit, DIDN'T QUIT.

Glen

Inaugural Ironman.
Rode a century training ride by making 6 full loops of Mercer Island.
Rocked out an amazing swim despite his fears.
Pretty darn relaxed in his hotel room about 10 minutes before the cannon blew. "Glen, it's time to GO!"
Congratulations Glen Collins, you ARE an Ironman.

Shokofeh

Solid swim, took 10 minutes off IMCDA time.
Super strong riding the hills, but just not her day.
The race ran out of water on the bike course, Shoke paid the price and ended up DNF.
Onward to IMCDA AND IMC in 2012. Stay tuned . . .

Jay

PR Baby!
IMC was his "back up race for 2011".
Guess it ended up being his "A" race.
Took 15 minutes off 2011 IMCDA time.
Gave more and pushed harder than ever before.
No complications, solid, strong and steady today.

Tom

Another PR!
4th Ironman in 15 months.
Hours and hours spend on dialing in his daily nutrition between IMCDA and IMC.
Came back to town to see midnight finish, got a photo with winner Jordan Rapp.
Steady, steady run.
Congrats Tom, you deserved this one big time!

Lori

Even another PR!
Beat IMCDA time by almost 1 hour.
Worked hard all season while frequently commuting between Seattle and Idaho.
Also managed to balance a full work and family life.
Got to meet Chrissie Wellington (see picture!)

Beth

One word for you . . . KONA!
Yep, you read that right, Beth qualified for Kona today and let me tell you, no one deserves it more than her right now.
Fastest bike split in her age group.
A few quotes from Beth: "I took really good care of myself today." "I stuck to my plan." "This was the first Ironman I came to that I didn't feel beaten up." "I am done, I have no interest in going to Kona (well, that all changed once Monday morning rolled around!").
My favorite quote of the day from Beth when I asked her what her official finish time was, "I didn't see a watch all day, I have no idea." And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is called focus. Congratulations Beth!!!

So that wraps up over seven full months of training and racing in 2011 for the Club Emerald Triathlon Team and Club Emerald Ironcrew. Congrats to everyone that gave it their all and managed to find that sometimes fragile balance between family, work and training. Let's all remember that we are blessed to be able to carve out the time and find the energy to spend an hour two most days in what has become one of our favorite pastimes. Be grateful for your health and remember to thank the others in your lives that allow you to enjoy one of America's fastest growing sports!!

I'll see you all in 2012. Ginny