The "off season"

In the sport of triathlon, the months between October and May are generally considered the off-season. Except out here in California, we still have a few open ocean and open water triathlons this year. The winter becomes the season of the reverse triathlon. There are 2 races  in particular that I like to do during this time: the Tinsel Triathlon (Hemet, Ca December 11th) and the Race on the Base (Los Alamitos, Ca February 25th). Each of these races are unique.

Tinsel Triathlon- 5K run, 12 mile bike, 150 meter swim. This is a great flat course, though there is traffic on the roads for the bike. One of the most entertaining things about this race is that there are people that dress up in Christmas costumes. There is one group that dresses up as Santa & Mrs. Claus and their 8 reindeer, they run and swim together (didn't see them on the bike). Last year when I did this race I got passed by 2 Santa's during the run, the aforementioned Santa with his entourage as well as a real-bearded Santa dressed up as a triathlete. Cute finisher medals and long sleeve tees.

Race on the Base- 5K run, 12 mile bike, 200 meter swim. I've done this one twice, course changes due to construction this year made the bike and run a bit longer at least according to my Garmin comparisons. This race is great for newbies in that it is on a completely closed course, the runways of the Joint Forces Training Base, and as such is completely flat and has wide lanes in which to run and ride. The weather for this race is unpredictable, last year it rained pretty much the whole time, but this year the rain hit and stopped before the race started. Another bonus for next year's race is that they are hosting several FREE pre-race clinics featuring my coach current Kelly Clancy (founder of TriDivas, a women's triathlon training group/USAT club).

I don't think I will have much of an off-season, as I am scheduled to race my first 70.3 race at Oceanside at the end of March...I need to work on my run in the time I have.

In the off season a lot of athletes tend to drop their swim training completely, not seeing the benefit of training in the most challenging sport for them, as their times don't seem to change from season to season. If swimming is your weak sport, I have several suggestions to make good use of your off season.
1. Join a master's swim team/club...this will give you access to swim specific coaching to work on technique. It is more social/less boring than trying to swim on your own. It will help you develop other strokes which work different muscle groups, giving you a break from freestyle.
2. Work on exercises that strengthen your core.
3. Try using sport bands to replicate pulling motions.
4. Race...after joining a master's program they might try to encourage you to sign up for some swim meets, go for it. These help break up some of the season, and give you the opportunity more race pace swims.
5. Swim lessons, have a coach look at your stroke one-on-one this is a great time of year to work on technique before you start trying to build up speed and intensity. Small flaws in your stroke can lead to injury as well as slowing you down. I have had shoulder problems for years, but this year I had a coach focus on my stroke and found that I was crossing over with my pull, since fixing this flaw I no longer have pain in my shoulders when swimming. (Now running and biking are another matter entirely.)

Most of all enjoy whatever amount of off season you have, it will make it all the more fun and enjoyable when you start back again. :)

Vineman Adventures

Race-- Vineman Half Aquabike
Distance-- Half-Iron- 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike (no run)

The view from my hotel room to Applebee's

Pre-race-- Since the race is up in the Napa Valley, I drove up Thursday, packet pickup was on Friday so wanted to get there a day before. Long car trip, ended up in Oakland/Bay Area traffic for about 2 hours, total travel time from Orange County (via Inglewood) 10 hours. Arrived and checked into hotel, headed from hotel out the door and across the parking lot to Applebee's for dinner. Friday-- packet pickup, everyone had to go to a meeting before picking up packets, athletes were there for the Full Vineman, Full and Half Vineman AquaBike, and Barb's Race (a women's only half-iron distance race). There were always 2 meetings going on at a given hour, AquaBike and Barb's meetings alternated. So when I got out of my meeting, all the people who went to the first Vineman and Barb's race meetings were already in line to pick up packets, so it was quite a wait and struggle to get in the gym to get to the line where I picked up my packet. Checked out the expo, met with my coach and teammates at our team's expo booth. Pre-race dinner as always chicken sandwich from Burger King.

Race morning-- woke up around 4:00 and got dressed. Went to lobby to eat breakfast, had my usual cereal and some fruit, ran into someone I knew, kind of threw me off, wasn't expecting to see anyone familiar as all my teammates were staying elsewhere. Packed up the car and headed off in the darkness, got almost there and realized that I had forgotten my wetsuit at the hotel, so headed back to get it, I had given myself plenty of time, so I didn't stress out too much. Of course, I wasn't using my transition bag, and so forgot to pack goggles, but luckily for me, I keep extras in my car, so didn't worry too much about that. Got to the race site finally, set up my transition area. I'm all set up, I go to check my watch, the band's there, but the watch isn't, so I head back up to my car where it was sitting charging. Met with my teammates for a few quick pictures before the start of the race, then got my feet wet and headed to the start corral.

The SWIM-- 1.2 miles- split- 36:56. This was my first ever river/fresh water swim, also my first in water start. I'm used to ocean and pool swims. Got myself situated for a good start, tried to stay away from too many people, but toward the center of the river so I didn't touch bottom. The river was so shallow at points that a lot of people stood up and walked, but for me swimming is faster. I did have to alter my stroke a bit, keeping a very high elbow in those areas where I would end up scraping the rocky bottom if I had used my normal stroke. To the turn around took about 20 minutes, I did check my watch, this was going against the current.

Transition-- only one this time, but it's a point to point race, so had to bag up all my gear and hand it off to my coach. Coming out of the water great got to use wetsuit strippers (another first for me) she had that wetsuit off me in no time. I still took my time in transition to get my arm warmers on and mentally situate myself for my longest bike ride ever.

The BIKE-- 56 miles- split- 3:55:48. I did have a goal of beating 4 hours on the bike, so I accomplished that. Was passed by several of my teammates who started after me (they were all doing Barb's race). Hit the aid stations pretty well timed, stopped to refill and rest a bit. The best aid station was the one at mile 29, pb&j really hit the spot, had been surviving mostly on gatorade and water until then, had a few shot blocs and some sport beans. Did okay with the terrain until I got to Chalk Hill, ran out of gears and didn't want to risk falling off, so I walked it up, but the ride down was worth it. In my slowest/longest mile, I hit my top speed on the bike. Made it to the finish dismounted then walked quickly so the guy behind me didn't pass me before I got to the official finish line.

Post race- pretty boring, ate, got my stuff, watched a few teammates complete first loop of their run, got on shuttle back to start to get my car, drove back to see a another teammate head out on her start of the run (she had a much more interesting experience on the bike), got my bike and a few souvenirs and headed back to the hotel. Went out to dinner at Johnny Garlics (owned by Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive Ins & Dives) was very good. Drove home the next day, stopping along the way to visit my Aunt and Uncle who live on the way. I took the 101 home (longer route, but better for stopping) and my total travel time was about 8 hours, not including the hour I stopped to visit.

Santa Rosa, the hometown of Peanut's creator Charles Schultz is not to far from where the race was, in fact there is a Snoopy (as Joe Cool) statue in the Windsor town green. I had to take a picture as it made me feel at home, since I live near (and used to work at) Knott's Berry Farm (Camp Snoopy).

Strawberry Fields Triathlon

Race- Strawberry Fields Triathlon
Distance - Olympic
Date- July 17th, 2011


Pre-race-- had my usual breakfast, and met teammates to head down to the race. Arrived, and set up on rack at end closest to swim finish and run out. Walked down to swim start area, got in and swam around for a few minutes before we were ordered out of the water. This year I was in the 2nd of the Olympic distance waves, last year I was in the last wave. I appreciate it when race directors alternate waves on a yearly basis.


The Swim-- 1500m-- worked on maintaining consistency, focused on trying to not go out to fast. Breathing pattern maintained 2-2-4 when swimming parallel to the shore, breathing every 3-5 strokes when going out and coming back to shore. Final time: 33:19 (Garmin) includes "run" to transition which I walked, and got passed by several people. 16 minutes faster than last year


T1- good, about the same as last year, easier to get off sleeveless wetsuit, I wore a full sleeve wetsuit last year and was probably a bit over-heated.


Bike-- 21.6 miles (Garmin) not quite 40K-- wore aero helmet for the first time. Focused on keeping constant cadence and not crashing. Kept wondering when one of my teammates was going to pass me, as she is quite good on the bike. Final time: 1:17:30 (Garmin) 16 minutes faster than last year. I've done more focused training here, including trainer workouts with Jim Lubinski at Triathlon Lab in Santa Monica.


T2- about the same as last year, more time to put on shoes, using five finger shoes. 


Run-- 10K-- I was actually able to run more this year, walked all but about 400 yards last year. This year set a goal to run one minute walk one minute, and this worked out well. Walked a bit more toward the end to time out so I could run into the finish. Was not surprised when I was passed by Chris Schauble as I was heading out for second lap, he was headed to the finish. I had a plan and was sticking to it and smashing my time from last year. It was during the run that both of my teammates passed me. Final time : 1:28:08 (Garmin) 24 minutes faster than last year.


Overall great race, knocked almost an hour off of my time from last year. The field was smaller and faster this year. It was great to be able to race with some people I know, had a great time, didn't even worry about Carmageddon.

Redondo Beach Triathlon

This was my first open water triathlon for the season. Four of my teammates from TriDivas also participated. It was nice to have a group of people I knew there, and one of our coaches was also there to support us and give the newbies some last minute advice. All 5 of us finished out races (four on the sprint and 1 on the mini sprint), two were first time triathletes. 

The sprint was a 1/2 mile swim, 6 mile bike, and 2 mile run.

The swim-- 

There were six start waves, I was in the 3rd wave to start. There were a lot more waves in the ocean though. Once I got to the first buoy, I was past the breaking waves, but still encountered quite a bit of swell as I swam toward the pier. Pretty nice swim otherwise. Long walk up to transition added to time.

The bike--

I tried to be in aero as much a possible, but due to traffic (other bikes) and difficulty breathing (more on that later) I was out of it more than I was in it. It was a 2-loop course, with one uphill per loop, luckily that uphill came after a downhill. Felt pretty good coming off the bike until I got passed in transition by a guy on a beach cruiser (was a relay, that started 10 mins after me.)

The run--

Wasn't much of a run, felt like throwing up at multiple points, walked most of the way. Foot was going numb as I was wearing "normal" running shoes, but not my normal running shoes (Vibram Five Fingers).

So here are the actual results. I had been sick the two weeks before and did not workout at all for one of those weeks, so not the results I was hoping for going into the race. 

Age: 33 Gender: F

Distance--Short

Clock Time--1:20:15

Gender Place--139 / 193

Division Place--22 / 29

All Place--483

Swim--21:15

T1--6:22

Bike--22:11

T2--2:14

Run--28:15

I had no family there as they were all at the Special Olympics of Southern California Summer Games at Cal State Long Beach, which I had volunteered at the day before the race and rushed back there after I finished.

One of the other great things about having teammates, is that they bring friends along. One of these friends was nice enough to take the video below of me crossing the finish line, one of the few points along the run course where I was actually running.

All in all a great race, good post race food (from what I could stomach). I had fun and am looking forward to my next race -- Strawberry Fields in Oxnard.

Swimming Vocabulary for Newbie Triathletes- Part 1

Swimwear—

I decided to break the vocabulary into two entries, today's entry covers swimwear. The next entry will cover training vocabulary, including training aids and common workout abbrieviations.

Swim cap—a head covering made of  any of the following: lycra, latex, neoprene, or silicone.

Wetsuit—wetsuits made specifically for swimming, have stretchier areas around the shoulders to ease stroke movement. Can either be full sleeve or sleeveless. Swim wetsuits have a slick coating on the outside unlike wetsuits designed for surfing.

Swimskins—similar to a one-piece trisuit usually worn by triathletes swimming in waters where it is warm enough to not wear a wetsuit or when wetsuits are prohibited. It is worn over the tri-suit or tri top and shorts to reduce the amount of drag while swimming.

Men’s—

Speedo, Brief, Racer, Banana Hammock—all the same term for a men’s style suit similar to a women’s bikini bottom. (Speedo is a trademarked brand name, but is generically used to describe this style of suit.) Speedo uses the term brief, while TYR calls in a racer.

Jammer—A men’s suit style similar to bike or tri shorts, but without the padding. Tight fitting shorts. Style name is used across brands.

Drag suit—similar to a brief, usually square cut legs with a mesh type fabric, meant to be work over one of the above types of suits, can be worn by men and women. Provides additional drag, increasing the intensity of the workout or set.

Women’s—

One piece—whatever style of one-piece suit is comfortable, usually used just for training purposes.

Workout bikini—a 2-piece suit meant for training, not just lounging around the pool. Bottom usually has a drawstring.

Swimwear materials—

Lycra— a stretchy material usually used in combination with Nylon. Lycra is a trade name, can also be listed as spandex. Can deteriorate rather quickly, and will deteriorate with time even when properly cared for. Tends to stretch with age as well. Swim caps are sometimes made of this material, though not efficient at reducing drag or keeping hair dry.

Nylon—a not so stretchy material some suits are made with this in combination with lycra. Also tends to deteriorate with time. Swim suits made solely of nylon do not stretch nearly as much as those made with lycra.

Polyester—the longest lasting of all swimwear materials. Does not stretch or deteriorated anywhere near those made of nylon or lycra. I’ve had suits last several years, sometimes linings (made of lycra) deteriorated before the suit itself.  Manufacturers names for polyester lines: Speedo—endurance+ or endurance lite, Tyr—durafast.

Neoprene—a common wetsuit material. Swimmers and triathletes in cold water often use swim caps made of neoprene.

Silicone—swim cap material, often preferred by female swimmers as the material does not pull at the scalp/hair like a latex cap. These caps are thicker and tend to tear less and last longer than a latex cap. Can keep hair somewhat dry

Latex—common swim cap material. Can keep hair somewhat dry. This is the least expensive of swim caps, can be found at many swim meets for around a dollar. This is the type of cap often handed out at triathlons due to its cost effectiveness for the race directors.

The swimming triathlete

Welcome to my blog.

About me: I came to the sport of triathlon after spending 18 years of my life as a competitive swimmer. I am still involved in the sport of swimming as an official, so I stay close to all the changes in the sport. I completed my first triathlon in October of 2009, and fell in love with the sport (even though I still say I hate running.) So far I have completed six triathlons, most of them near or at the back of the race at the finish. My proudest accomplishment thus far has been having the 2nd fastest swim split at a triathlon in February. I am still trying to figure a lot of things out about this sport, but want to share my stories and knowledge as a swimmer turned triathlete.

Why read my blog??
Another part of my background is as an educator, so I am always wanting to share what I know, what I have learned. I will be sharing my swim focused knowledge and experiences through this blog and I hope my readers will find it educational and occasionally humorous. I'm the first to admit the crazy things I do, and the mistakes I have made. For example, in my first reverse tri (2nd ever tri) I wore my race number belt the entire race, forgetting to take it off when in T2 or for that matter when I put down my shoes and glasses at the side of the pool, so I ended up with a lot of extra drag. I thought it was funny, and it made me focus on that in the next 2 reverse tri s that I did....note to self : don't forget to take off race number belt before heading to the pool.
Swimming seems to be the area of highest anxiety for the majority of triathletes. I had a friend who was training for Kona, whose only open water swim was his qualifying tri in a lake, we got together several times before Kona and worked on getting him to be able to relax while swimming in the ocean. I hope to be able to help to ease your anxieties about the sport of swimming, it's really fun once you get to know it...:D

Working on my first real detailed post...swimming vocabulary for the newbie triathlete. Watch for it soon!!

Thanks for reading!