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In the Bag...
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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 03:10
TOUGHMAN MINNESOTA HALF IM - The MTN Guys have been following Eric Engel's tri-career for a couple of seasons and were somewhat bummed when he returned to his ancestral Badgerland. We were impressed by his 4:16 - 3rd place finish in the slop at Liberty in 2014. His 4:11- PR (5th place) at Chisago less than two months later suggested that he was destined to win 70.3 races in the relatively near future.
The question we had was whether that first W would happen in 2015 or 2016. When we saw him prior to the start of Sunday's Toughman Minnesota Half in Chisago City, we thought that maybe his time had come. He exuded a joyful readiness and confidence and was anxious for the race to start.
When Eric arrived in T2 ahead of the field he looked remarkabley fresh. His facial expression and the speed with which he racked, shod himself and started running, told us that, at the very least, a PR was in the bag....
Palmer & Lendway Are Tough, Man....
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Monday, 27 July 2015 06:10
TOUGHMAN MINNESOTA SPRINT - Devon Palmer's signature monster bike split propelled him to his 3rd victory in four starts this season last Sunday in Chisago City. The caffeinated spokesmodel (photo L) had a slim lead on Kevin O'Connor coming out Chisago Lake and picked up a couple more ticks in T1.
On the bike, though, his margin over the eventual runner-up grew by an additional 2:09. The mustacheod Palmer needed that time to hold off Kevin during the 5K run. KO's run split was 1:21 faster than DP's thus Devon's eventual margin of victory was trimmed to 53 seconds. His winning time--1:16:04--was the event's 4th fastest ever.
Both Palmer and O'Connor had prior wins here, Devon in 2012 and Kevin in 2011. By our reckoning, the victory was the 17th of Palmer's tri/du career. For the 44-year-old O'Connor, it was his 7th podium effort of the season. Four of those performances were victories....
Kristina's Personal Invitation...
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Monday, 27 July 2015 00:10
ED. Coverage of Toughman Minnesota and a Brewhouse preview will post tomorrow on MTN.
By Kristina Swenson
I’d like to share my story with the triathlon community about how the races world-champion triathlete Tony Schiller creates for kids changed my life and can change your kids’ lives too.
Let me take you back to a Wednesday night in 2005. I was eight years old. I had just finished a swim lesson at Foss Swim School when my teacher, Joe, said, “I want you to do a really cool race this Saturday. It’s just for kids. You’re going to do great.”
Three days later, I lined up on the beach at Lake Ann Park for my first race, the Miracle Kids Triathlon, directed by Tony. I was nervous, but I knew I could finish because Joe believed in me. It was hard, but I had a blast. I not only crossed the finish line, but I discovered the incredible sport of triathlon....
Seeing the Bigger Picture...
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Sunday, 26 July 2015 00:10
By Deanna Pomfret (usatriathlon.org)
At a recent party a spunky 10-year-old came hopping into the room, grabbed a cracker off the cheese and cracker platter and started bouncing away. Her mother called after her, “don’t you want some calcium and protein with that cracker?” The kid just looked at her mom blankly and quickly backed away.
When on earth did we start calling cheese, calcium and protein? Why not just ask her if she wants some cheese? And why the need for cheese? Who cares anyway if she just has a cracker. She wouldn’t be able to bounce around so well weighted down with cheese in her belly anyway.
Children are more instinctive than we adults who get bogged down with nutrient facts and what is good or bad for us. This child knew what her body was looking for, saw the choices available and picked the cracker. She didn’t think too hard about it. She didn’t know this, but she needed quick energy to get back on task — which was playing. We don’t need to teach children about protein and calcium as much as we need to learn from them how to eat without so much analysis....
Get Over It!
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Saturday, 25 July 2015 00:10
UPDATES: ZITUR three-peated at WALKER TRI this morning. HOSCH trashed the men's CR. RESULTS
Guess who won the HOOT LAKE TRIATHLON today? We'll give you some hints. He's a local guy who's won the race several times before. His name rhymes with JAVID DENSEN. RESULTS
By Duncan Larkin (triathlon.competitor.com)
Ask any Olympian about their experiences competing at the top of his or her sport and it’s a good bet they’ll not only mention the highs of their career, but also the lows.
Even elite athletes are human beings and being human means having to deal with setbacks. For endurance athletes, whether you’re an elite athlete or an aspiring age-group competitor, lows usually come in the form of a bad race or terrible workout that fell far short of expectations. It’s when we let these bad experiences fester that training and racing can go from something that brings us joy and peace to something that makes us feel irritated, stressed or even depressed.
Next time you have a race or workout that doesn’t go as planned, employ these tried-and-true tips from elite-level athletes to move past an unplanned setback....
