Clermont Draft Legal Challenge

This past weekend I raced an ITU sprint race right here in central Florida. It was really nice to race so close to home and not have to stress about travelling. It was also beneficially that during the weeks leading up to the race I was able to not only see the course but do some key workouts on the course. When the race came around I found my familiarity with the course to be extremely helpful. The day of the race it was a bit overcast and our race ended up being the first race of the day that was not wetsuit legal. This meant that the water temperate was just above 68°F so it was a bit chilly but with the swim only being 750m long there wasn’t much time to think about the water temperature.

One of my biggest mistakes at the beginning of the swim was starting to dolphin dive a little soon. I have been practicing dolphin dives since I knew this was a very shallow swim course but I just started a little early this past weekend. Luckily for this race I don’t think it affected my swim/race too much but it could in other race. The rest of the swim felt good and I got out of the water with a good group of girls. The first transition was pretty long; we had to run through the water (since it was so shallow) then up the beach of the lake and down the board walk to transition. This benefited me since I come from a running background and I was able to get towards the front of the pack going out of transition.

During the bike I ended up with a group of about 20 athletes. We were unable to get organized through most of the bike so didn’t make up much time on the lead pack; we also didn’t lose very much time either. I felt strong on the bike and although pulling/being at the front on the pack may have affected my run, I learned a lot from the race and am happy with that part of it.

The run didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped and I know I am capable of much better. During this past off season I have made huge gains in my running fitness and am very confident in my abilities. When I got to the run I just felt very flat which may have been caused from my high effort during the bike. Just like the past ITU races I have done, I have learned a lot from this race and I now know what I need to tweak before the next race.

I still find it amazing that I learn so much from every race, both draft legal and non-drafting triathlon as well as open events in the individual sports involved in triathlons. There are so many aspects/skills involved in triathlon (as well as other sports) that you cannot be taught- you just have to learn from experience. I cannot imagine the vast amount I still have to learn about this type of racing considering how much I have already learned. I look forward to a fun and exciting racing season ahead!

Lifestyle Tri Clinic

This week my fiancé Ed and I launched the information about the weekend triathlon clinics we will be conducting in Brevard County. I am really excited about this experience to share my knowledge with triathlon and fitness enthusiasts! We designed this camp as three, weekend clinics instead of 4- or 8-week long camps for a variety of reasons. We are targeting the working mother, father and business professional. Many people are very dedicated to their job and/or family which make it impossible for them to attend workouts a couple nights a week. This does not mean they do not want to be involved in group training, but training solo allows for a lot for flexibility when you have a busy schedule.  I completely understand this since in my family, my parents have always made mine, Ashley’s and Nicole’s activities first. This often meant that my mom was up before some people were going to sleep just to get her long run in when training for the Boston marathon.  Ed and I designed these triathlon clinics for those with family and/or business priorities. Lifestyle Tri Clinic will incorporate various aspects of triathlon into each weekend as well as providing significant course specific workouts. This will be the official camp for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series in Brevard County and we look forward to providing a course preview of each of the trifecta series races to all participants. Throughout the three weekend clinics we will be providing all participants with in-depth swim, bike and run instruction, injury prevention methods, race day tips, nutrition topics/FAQ, knowledge of triathlon specific workouts and a training plan to follow on your own schedule in preparation for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series Races. We will also be conducting various time trial events to have an accurate measurement of participant’s current fitness level so we can set realistic and obtainable goals! Ed and I are also more than happy to answer any questions even after the clinics are over! During one of the weekends we will also have an optional swim video and analysis! I am very excited about this new opportunity and experience pertaining to these weekend tri clinics! For more information about the Surf Coast Trifecta series as well as how to register for our clinic, visit www.surfcoasttrifecta.com Lifestyle Tri Clinic is also partnering with Soles4Souls, inc.! This non-profit organization collects gently used shoes and distributes them to millions of children around the world who desperately need them! For more information about Soles4Souls and to find a shoe collection drop box close to you visit www.soles4souls.org