Open Water THIS WEEK!

Hi triathletes!

Great job at the brick last week. You've all made such great progress! We'll add on a bit more distance in our next brick, which will be Tuesday, July 13th at 8am (NOTE: NO BRICK on 7/6). I'm heading to Madison, Wisconsin this weekend with my team to train on the Ironman Wisconsin course, so I'm very excited! I hope you all had a great race at Bay Days today--wow, is it HOT out there--I just did the 5K in Avon Lake so I have HUGE respect for anyone running 5 miles in this heat! Happy 4th of July to all of you!

Our next workout this week will be WEDNESDAY NIGHT at 6pm at Columbia Beach in Bay Village for an OPEN WATER SWIM! Be sure you bring some water, a towel, a swim cap if you have one, and some goggles. Swim caps will be REQUIRED for SAFETY reasons for this swim. We'll stay very close to shore and you will always be able to touch the bottom. I will bring some extra swim caps for those who don't have their own. Also, bring your running shoes and some socks in case the waves are too high or the weather is not cooperating, so we can go for a little run and discuss TRANSITIONS in triathlons. A transition is when you go from one sport to another--swim to bike (T1) or bike to run (T2). There are lots of ways to practice transitions and shave off a few seconds--or even minutes!--in your race. Columbia Beach is located at the intersection of Lake and Columbia Roads. Park in the church parking lot, carefully cross the street, and meet at the top of the stairs for our swim!

We will have two people helping us with our swim: Eric Gibb and Aimee Millward. They are both very accomplished triathletes--Eric is a two-time TTT finisher (a race that includes 4 triathlons in 3 days!) as well as a two-time Ironman, and Aimee just completed Ironman St. George (Utah) this past May! They will be on hand to help out with the swim and to discuss transitions with us. Thanks, Eric and Aimee!

Have you registered for the race yet? It's time to make it official--you WILL be a triathlete! Go to this website, fill out the registration form, and you're ready to go!
https://www.ncnracing.com/registration/raceHTD/raceHTD.shtml

Usually, I'm on the sidelines for this race, but I have decided to race with you this year! It will be my first triathlon since I had my daughter, and I am so excited that you'll get to be a part of it, too! Remember...you guys are already doing the training already with your bricks and swims on Tuesdays AND your spin classes on Friday...so SIGN UP! You CAN do this! :)

Here are this week's goals:

SWIMMING:

--if you are already a swimmer: you should be getting in the pool 2-3 times a week and swimming 1500-2000 yards or so a session. Warm up and cool down with a steady 4-500 yards. Then, try 2-4 400s and descend on each.

--if you are not primarily a swimmer: You should be gradually increasing your distance a bit each session, and swimming 3 times a week. It's better to get in the pool often and swim a little less each time if you are pressed for time. Swimming is 99% technique, so the more you get used to the water, the better! One lap to the other end of the pool is 25 yards. Try to swim 200 yards without stopping! Race distance is 400 yards so you want to build up to that.

BIKING:

--Take advantage of the Friday morning spin classes at the Ride and Workout! www.rideandworkout.com Or, be sure to ride your bike at least twice this week for 45-50 minutes each time. Don't forget: most of the race is on your bike, so you want to feel very comfortable on it, and also you want to have enough energy to have a good run!

RUNNING:

--if you are already a runner: You should be building up a nice little base by now, and should include a run of at least 4-5 miles this week. Remember, the race is a 5K, so you want your body to be used to going farther than that. However, to avoid injury, don't increase your mileage more than 10% a week!

--if you are not primarily a runner: You should be running 2-3 times this week and gradually increasing your time. For example, if last week you ran or ran/walked 25 minutes as your long run, this week try to go for 30 minutes. The race is 3.1 miles so you want to work up to that distance in training.

NUTRITION:

--Recovery is very important! After a hard workout, you need to refuel your muscles to be ready for the next day. Did you know you don't have to spend crazy amounts of money on fancy recovery drinks? Studies have shown repeatedly that CHOCOLATE MILK is just as good as those fancy expensive drinks at refueling your muscles! It has the optimal balance of carbs to protein. So after a hard workout, have a glass of chocolate milk! But be sure to do it within 20 minutes or so of your workout to get the most benefit!

See you WEDNESDAY at 6PM for our OPEN WATER SWIM!

As always, check the blog for updates at www.evotri2.blogspot.com and don't forget to make your workouts COUNT by logging them in at www.plus3network.com and earning money for your favorite charity!

Sara and Team Evotri

Update #2: Building Up Your Base!

Hello again!

It's really feeling like SUMMER here in Cleveland, so it's time to hit training hard! You did a fantastic job at our last brick. I really saw some great improvement from many of you! This week we'll bike a little longer and run just a little farther to build up our base. Be ready to tackle a hill on your bike this week, and don't forget to bring some water or sports drink--in this heat, it is easy to get dehydrated REALLY quickly, and that's no fun at all.

For both bricks, remember, you MUST HAVE A HELMET. No exceptions!

Finally, Open Water Swimming will begin NEXT WEEK, Tuesday July 6th, at 6:30pm at Columbia Beach, Bay Village. This is an excellent opportunity to get in the water and see what open water swimming is really like. Even if you are an experienced swimmer, you'll benefit greatly from having some time in the lake before the race! And if you're not an experienced swimmer, don't worry--we'll have plenty of people on hand to help you out. You can always touch the bottom and we stay very close to the shore. The Cleveland Triathlon Club swims every Tuesday, too, so lots of people will be around for safety. Please bring a towel, some goggles, water or sports drink, and swim cap (brightly colored is even better!) for safety reasons. Goggles and caps are inexpensive and can be found at any sporting goods store.

Here are this week's goals:

SWIMMING:

--if you are already a swimmer: you should be getting in the pool 2-3 times a week and swimming 1500 yards or so a session. Warm up and cool down with a steady 3-400 yards, and make sure you add in 4-6 100s at race pace in the middle of your workouts to really wake up your arms!

--if you are not primarily a swimmer: You should be gradually increasing your distance a bit each session, and swimming 3 times a week. It's better to get in the pool often and swim a little less each time if you are pressed for time. Swimming is 99% technique, so the more you get used to the water, the better! One lap to the other end of the pool is 25 yards. Try to swim 100 yards without stopping! Race distance is 400 yards so you want to build up to that.

BIKING:

--Take advantage of the Friday morning spin classes at the Ride and Workout! www.rideandworkout.com Or, be sure to ride your bike at least twice this week for 40 minutes each time. Don't forget: most of the race is on your bike, so you want to feel very comfortable on it, and also you want to have enough energy to have a good run!

RUNNING:

--if you are already a runner: You should be building up a nice little base by now, and should include a run of at least 3-4 miles this week. Remember, the race is a 5K, so you want your body to be used to going farther than that. However, to avoid injury, don't increase your mileage more than 10% a week!

--if you are not primarily a runner: You should be running 2-3 times this week and gradually increasing your time. For example, if last week you ran or ran/walked 20 minutes as your long run, this week try to go for 25 minutes. The race is 3.1 miles so you want to work up to that distance in training.

NUTRITION:

--Are you hydrating before and after workouts? It is especially important to do this as the weather gets hot! Be sure to consume fluids before, during, and after all workouts--even biking and swimming! Although you may not feel like you are sweating much, you are...and if you do not rehydrate you'll feel sluggish the next day and have a poor workout.

I'll see you at this week's brick workout! Happy training, and don't forget--Open Water Swimming starts NEXT WEEK! Get excited! :)

As always, check the blog for updates at www.evotri2.blogspot.com and don't forget to make your workouts COUNT by logging them in at www.plus3network.com and earning money for your favorite charity!

Sara and Team Evotri

Battle of the Schools 2010

Welcome to the Evotri Battle of the Schools, 2010!

I am so excited to train with you this summer! My name is Sara and I am a proud member of Team Evotri. I've been involved in triathlons for eight seasons now, and I absolutely love helping high school students experience the fun that triathlon has to offer!

I'm looking forward to weekly Tuesday brick workouts this summer! Don't forget your helmet and some water or sports drink--it's very important to stay hydrated in this heat and humidity. Please bring a completed waiver and photo release form to our first workout. Our big race will be Sunday, July 25th at the NCN Huntington Sprint Triathlon. Get ready to become a triathlete!

We'll be planning some open water swims, some transition practices, and a pre-race pasta dinner, so be sure to give me your email address so you can stay informed with all the fun stuff we have planned!

See you Tuesday!