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Cutting Them Some Slack...

Tuesday, 03 February 2015 00:10

By Jessica Rossing

La Habana Triathlon race report.

It’s late Friday night, the night before the race, and I am lying in bed happy and full from a great gourmet meal that only cost $25. (Most things are very inexpensive in Cuba) My race bag is packed and I am visualizing each part of the race as I fall asleep. I wake up around 8a to an overcast and very humid morning. It’s been predicted to rain all day, but I’m optimistic and have a good feeling the rain is going to hold off and it’s going to be a perfect day to race. My house host (Matilde) lets us know that breakfast is ready so three other American athletes and myself sit down to eat. We are served lots of fruit, a smoothie, veggies, and an omelette. Once we finish eating we get our things together, get our bikes and start our ride to the race site.

The race site is about 12K from Casa Matilde’s and we have to ride through the city and lots of traffic to get to the venue. Within 10 minutes of our ride I am sweating, the air is so thick, you can feel the storm coming. It feels like at any moment the humidity is going to break and the storm is going to unleash. But, I am still optimistic that it’ll hold out untill we are done racing....

Stuff About Sleep Positions & Injuries...

Monday, 02 February 2015 00:10

By Susan Lacke (triathlon.competitor.com)

Athletes tend to think of injuries as isolated incidents: Five hours on the bike equals lower back pain, or extra yardage in the pool is to blame for a case of swimmer’s shoulder. But injuries are often the sum of all stress placed on the body. According to chiropractic sports physician John Ball, poor sleep position can be a major contributor to the injury equation.

“People think of sleep as a passive activity: lie down, close your eyes, and wake up eight hours later, ready for the world,” Ball says. “In reality, sometimes the way you’re draping that leg across your body and off the bed, or holding your arm under the pillow, can often be the final factor that pushes you over the edge of injury or keeps you from recovering fully.”

RELATED: Foods To Help You Get A Better Night Sleep - LINK

Positioning the arm under the head holds the shoulder muscles on the extreme end of their range of motion, increasing risk of impingement....

How to Plan Your 2015 Season...

Sunday, 01 February 2015 00:10

By Susan Kitchen (triathlon.competitor.com)

It’s cold and dreary outside, the holiday festivities are over, and it’s time to get back to work. Welcome to January! Whether your self-discipline fell by the wayside in December or you’re just feeling the winter blahs, you need something to jump-start the triathlete lying dormant deep inside of you.

Let’s start with making a list of your 2015 goals, accomplishments that you believe are 60 percent achievable. This would be a dream goal that you would love to achieve but fear of failure is standing in the way. Now, go ahead, write them down on a 3”x 5” note card or piece of paper and tape this to your bathroom mirror. On my note card, I’ve broken my goals into personal, professional, spiritual, and of course physical/performance.

Whatever your athletic goal is — setting a PR, climbing the age-group ladder, improving your swim, bike or run time, overcoming a fear of open water, or finishing your first triathlon — the best way to achieve it is to plan your 2015 race schedule. Identify a few challenging races that pique your interest and sound fun. This will spur you along, get you out of bed and motivate you to join that masters swim, morning run or weekend group ride. Seeing your goal twice a day as you brush your teeth will also help you keep it in focus....

Whip Cream Hand-Ups & Confused Legs...

Friday, 30 January 2015 06:10

By Lisa Lendway

I have a problem. I’m absolutely addicted to competition, and I think it’s at its worst. Usually at the end of the triathlon season, I’m ready for a little break, but this year was different. I immediately started thinking about the 2015 season and anxiously waited for the local races to finalize their race weekends. My schedule for the year has been more or less set since November. And, I have to say, the main reason I get so excited to compete is because of all of the great people who are there with me. Yep, that’s all of you. So, thanks for fueling my fire.

So, what to do until the season starts … I did give myself a little break from triathlon. I dabbled in cyclocross racing, which was more than a little fun. If you don’t know what it is, google it. I mean, where else can you get whip cream hand-ups (Photo below) in a race, right? You might even spot World Champion Triathlete Gwen Jorgensen at some races! I also did my first half marathon. I made a deal with my body that I’d do that before doing a half Ironman. It was weird to do just a running race. I think my legs were a little confused about not feeling like jelly for the first mile. But I finished and I LIKED it! I plan to do at least one more running race this winter.

For the first time ever, I’ve also participated in some indoor triathlons. After competing at the YWCA Women’s Tri this summer, I was excited to participate in another event run by Nicole Cueno. So, I signed up for the YWCA indoor tri in December. As expected, it was well-run and loads of fun. The weirdest part was riding on the Keiser bikes, where the miles rack up faster the faster you spin. So, I think I covered “12 miles” in roughly 18...

Emy's Plans...

Thursday, 29 January 2015 06:10

Have you met 2014 Rookie of the Year nominee EMY EVERHART yet? If not, say hello to her in a transition area next season. She's a gregarious, fun-loving person with eclectic musical taste featuring artists and bands that few have ever heard of. In addition to photographing well (photo), she probably agrees that "Shaun of the Dead" is one of the two or three best zombie movie ever and wishes that "3rd Rock From the Sun" hadn't been cancelled.

We contacted Emy about her 2015 racing plans. She's determined to race hard and often and we believe she'll totally rock socks in her sophomore season.

Here is the email she sent us:

Hey MTN Guys -

Have been working on figuring out my schedule...are you ready?...it's long and might change or be scaled back a bit...

1) Espirit de She Du

2) Pigman or Buffalo

3) Minnetonka ....