Open Water Wednesday and Last Brick!

Hello, Triathletes!

We have two fantastic opportunities for workouts this week!

1. Open Water Swim at 6pm Columbia Beach Bay Village, led by the super awesome Coach Eric!

2. Our LAST BRICK BEFORE THE RACE this Friday morning at 8am at RRHS Stadium!

If you missed last week's open water swim, you missed out! We had a great time and got used to the feel of the water. We also talked about race day tips and how to "sight" the buoys. Be sure to join us this Wednesday, as every chance to practice in open water helps for your race! Bring your cap, goggles, towel, a drink, and running gear (in case of high waves). If the weather is questionable, check HERE before you head up.

This brick will be our LAST ONE before race day! Can you believe in less than 2 weeks you'll be a triathlete? For this reason, come ready to push yourself a bit this Friday. We'll do a few pickups to race pace on your bike, and really try to get the feel for running tired off the bike so you'll be ready to rock the race. Coaches Eric, Aimee, and Sara led a race preview last Saturday morning on the course but we can still answer questions Friday and tell you what to expect.

Have you registered for the race yet? Time is running out! Register here!

Finally, we are putting together our pre-race pasta dinner for 5:00pm at Huntington Beach in Bay Village! The cost will be $7 and includes pasta, garlic bread, drinks, and salad. This will be a great time to pick up your race packet from 1-4 (if you want--you can also do this race morning!) and relax before the big day...and of course, eat some carbs! Please RSVP to Coach Sara at a brick by bringing your $7 food charge. If you can't make it to a workout before the race but want to attend, please let Coach Sara know and we'll work it out!

This Week's Goals:

Swimming:

It's time to test your fitness. Warm up, do a few sets of 50s or 100s, and then swim a 400 straight. Don't worry if it's slow--you just want to make sure you can go the distance! If you are a strong swimmer, try a few sets of 400 and descend on each 100 so you are faster than race pace for your last 100. Don't forget to cool down! Swim at least 2 times this week.

Biking:

You should test out your bike nutrition this week--do you have a spot on your bike for sports drink or water? You should! Make sure to get in one ride of at least 45 minutes this week and if possible, do a short run off for 10 minutes or so. We'll do this on Friday's brick so join us!

Running:

This should be the last hard week of running. If you are a runner, do one run of about 5 miles so you are comfortable going farther than the distance. If you're not primarily a runner, walk/jog 3 miles this week. The race is 3.1, so you want to feel comfortable covering this distance.

Nutrition:
Practice a good race-day breakfast this week! What have you been eating before each workout? Has it worked for you? Don't forget to end your workout with a small recovery snack--remember, chocolate milk does wonders!

See you at a workout!

Course Preview Brick Saturday

Come on down to Huntington Beach in Bay Village for a "course preview" brick on Saturday at 8am! We will meet at the Huntington Playhouse Parking Lot. From there, we'll talk about race day, show you the swim course and transition area, and ride a bit of the bike course. We'll finish with a short run off the bike on part of the run course. Come see what the race will be like and get in some good training!

OPEN WATER WEDNESDAY!

We are ON for an Open Water Swim tomorrow (Wednesday)!

The weather looks good but just in case, please bring your running gear.

We will see you at 6pm at Columbia Beach! I just sent out the email with all the details but just post a comment here if you have any more questions.

See you at 6pm Wednesday!

Open Water changed to RUN today at 6pm--Columbia Beach!

Due to the rainy weather and a higher bacteria count in the Lake, tonight's workout will be changed to a RUN and transition talk! SAME TIME, SAME PLACE--Columbia Beach, which is at the intersection of Lake and Columbia Roads. Park in the church parking lot, carefully cross the street, and meet us there! 6pm--unless it's thundering, we'll be there!

It's always a good idea to practice running in the rain, since you never know what weather race day will bring. We'd all love race days to be partly sunny and 70 degrees, but you want to be prepared for HOT AND HUMID or even CHILLY AND RAINY! Practicing in these conditions makes you more mentally prepared for whatever race day might throw at you!

See you tonight at 6! Bring your running gear and your waiver if you haven't turned it in yet!

Team Evotri Update #3: Open Water This Week!

Hi triathletes!

Great job at the bricks this weekend! HUGE thanks to Coach Eric and Coach Aimee for leading the bricks while I was in Madison, Wisconsin training with Team Evotri on the Ironman Wisconsin course. And congratulations to Coach Eric for taking 1st place in his division and Coach Aimee for taking 3rd place in her division this weekend at the Meadeville, PA Olympic-Distance triathlon! Way to go, guys!!

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 your waiver, photo release form, some water, a towel, a swim cap if you have one, and some goggles. 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!

Friday morning is our next BRICK workout at RRHS Stadium at 8am. Bring your bike, helmet, and water or sports drink! See you then!

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! Remember--just bring a copy of your registration to a workout to get your Team Evotri Visor! I will have them with me on Wednesday and Friday's workouts! https://www.ncnracing.com/registration/raceHTD/raceHTD.shtml

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 Wednesday 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 here for updates and don't forget to make your workouts COUNT by logging them in at www.plus3network.com and earning money for your favorite charity!

BV Saturday Brick

Saturday morning was another beautiful day for a brick workout. Madison was our lone tri-newbie for a nice ride with Coaches Eric and Aimee. We rode the bikes for 30 minutes resulting in 6.25 miles on part of the actual race course. Hoping off the bikes we ran for 15 minutes and talked about the run course for the triathlon.

Madison asked some great questions. If people ask the same questions I may just have her answer them for me.

Let's get out there and ride those bikes and run some miles. Wednesday is an open water swim in Lake Erie, it is really nice in the lake.

Look for an update from Coach Sara.

WOW....it's almost July.

Game On.

Friday Brick is in the books

What a difference a week makes weather wise here in Cleveland. Last week's morning storm really put a kabosh on the brick. Last night's storm was severe but only left behind some fallen branches and leaves. This morning was warm and clear for a brick.

Maddie, Patty and Elise (sorry if I'm spelling name wrong) showed up at RRHS for the morning brick. Patty and Maddie were wide awake and ready to go. Elise....well....Maddie had to give her a little wake up call.

Once we got going it was very nice out. A couple of tree limbs covered the Metropark path but otherwise we just had to get around the various walkers. Climbing up the path before the turn-around at Custard Hill the girls soccer team passed us on their bikes.

Wait a minute.....if they are on their bikes....and are soccer players, WHO RUN.....why aren't they riding with us? Go get 'em girls. See if they are interested in tri-ing. The more the merrier.

Maddie, great ride. But next time don't be so nice. Head out on your run as soon as you get back to the school. I do admire your thoughtfulness though.

Patty, I'm glad you pushed it on your bike on the way back to the school. NO.MORE.SLACKING. If you are not pedaling, you are taking it too easy. I can tell you have it in you.

Elise, How does the bike feel with the seat higher? You will be able to get more power from your legs. Don't forget to use the shifters....they are your friends. And those friends helped you get up Detroit Road hill with no problems.

Everybody should think about my comments to the three above, they apply to everyone.

The transition from bike to run should be done quickly

Push yourselves a little. You may surprise yourself.

Remember the gears and use them. We can talk about this more later.

I will make sure we look at everybodies bikes and make sure you are comfortable on them.

Saturday is another brick at Huntington Beach...park near the Playhouse. Bring the waivers.

Game On.

Coach Eric