Fit-Pic: The Calm Before the 70.3 Storm

Nothing like 1,500 or so bikes racked in transition at the Boulder Reservoir before tomorrow's Ironman 70.3 Boulder. Also known as the Pro Town Showdown, it's the one race on the circuit where not only most of the pro triathletes who call Boulder home come to toe the line but also where they can sleep in their own beds the night before the race. If only I could be so lucky....

Who wants to guess how much that transition area is worth with so many primo rides parked there for the night?

Who We'll Be Watching at the 2013 Ironman World Championship

Credit: Marian Doss at flickr

Forget college football Saturday. October 12 is all about Ironman, at least if you’re an endurance athlete…or know one. The best of triathlon’s best are in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for the 2013 GoPro Ironman World Championship where professional triathletes and qualifying age-groupers will swim 2.4 miles from Dig Me Beach, bike 112 miles on the Queen K, and run 26.2 miles to finish on Ali'i Drive. You’re not thinking about your alma mater winning a football game (Go NU!), you’re wondering who will be crowned Ironman World Champion, and you’re cheering for your friends, family, coaches and training buddies.

I'm supposed to be gearing up for a Sunday marathon, yet I'm completely guilty of watching more videos, reading more tweets and staring at more paradise pictures about the Ironman than the Chicago Marathon. Maybe it's because I'm so used to running Chicago and my only chance of competing in Kona is to luck into a lottery slot (or hope that I have the race of my life and everyone else flops). All I know is that when the cannon goes off at 12 p.m. Chicago time, 7 a.m. Hawaii time, I'll be on my computer following some of these Ironman triathletes with Windy City connections.

Fit-Pic: One Chilly TriRock Morning

Funny how Midwest weather works. The last time I was in Lake Geneva for a triathlon we were having one of the warmest days of the year. The temperature soared into the 90s--oddly enough warm turned out to be a theme for most of the triathlons I did this season. That was June 23.

Not even three months later, the weather did a complete 180. Forget trying to figure out how you were going to stay cool on the bike and the run, at TriRock Lake Geneva, we were bundled in winter clothes (hats and gloves included) and wondering how cold we might get on the bike.

When I parked my car in Williams Bay, the car thermometer read 36 degrees--and that was five degrees warmer than it had been when I woke up. I had nearly convinced myself to bag the race and return to my warm hotel room while I prepped my bike. A 6:30 a.m. start--and I was in the third wave, not third to last, which was the case at two other races--would be COLD...and dark. The redeeming factor was the announcement I heard as I walked to transition: Start time was postponed until 7:15 a.m. That was partially because it was cold, especially out on the bike course away from the lake, but mostly because Geneva Lake was covered in fog. You couldn't see the swim course and race officials were waiting for the fog to lift before they allowed a bunch of triathletes to navigate the water.

As for the race itself, I'll save that for another day. Time for bed...there's another race in the morning.

Get Yer Tri Gear to Lake Geneva for TriRock

TriRock heads to Lake Geneva Sept. 14

Just because the Life Time Tri Chicago is over doesn’t mean Chicago’s tri season is done until next year. While Ironman Wisconsin draws tons of Chicago area triathletes this weekend, there’s still another race on tap for next weekend. And it’s in one of the most beautiful resort areas just a stone’s throw from Chicago.

That resort town is Lake Geneva. That race is TriRock, a newer race to the area that in a way replaces the Lake Geneva triathlon series that used to happen the same weekend as Ironman Wisconsin (Ironman spectators were known to race in Lake Geneva and then drive to Madison to cheer). The race’s date is Saturday, September 14, and Sunday happens to be the final day of online registration before packet pickup on Thursday.

Whether your triathlon season got a late start or you’re ready to take a dip in the sport after watching #ChiTri or #IMWI, Lake Geneva is the place to be. The swim won’t be as thrashing as Chicago (sorry Chicago, but your swim is chaotic), and it takes place in the calmer, quieter lake area of Williams Bay. The bike promises some hills you can’t get downtown—yes, Lake Geneva is hilly but not as crazy as say Madison. The run offers beautiful scenery to help the miles fly by (I've run far more than planned on more than one occasion in Lake Geneva). And like any CGI race, who bring the Rock 'n' Roll races to cities across the country, there's one festive finish line. But better yet: You're getting another triathlon under your belt before calling it quits for the year.  OK, so maybe that's my justification for keeping my triathlon season going until it's nearly fall...without having to leave the Midwest.

The final chance to register online for TriRock Lake Geneva is Sunday, September 8. If you use the code LGTOWEL, you'll receive a free triathlete tri towel with your registration. Or register at one of the packet pick-ups before race day: Fleet Feet Sports Old Town on Sept. 12 from 10am - 8pm, or in Williams Bay on Sept. 13 from 2pm - 8pm. But don't wait until race morning to decide because there is no race day registration.

For more details about the triathlon or to register, check out 
http://trirock.competitor.com/lake-geneva/register/.

Photo courtesy of the Competitor Group and TriRock Lake Geneva.

Triathlon Tips: How to Survive the Race

It doesn’t matter how many triathlons I’ve done—and I’ve lost track of the number—but I still get race-day jitters. Make that race weekend jitters. I start to fear flatting on the bike, swimming through the crowds (I once got strangled by a fellow swimmer and pushed far under water by another), and running with not enough miles or bricks on my legs…as I’m packing my transition bag. The deer in headlights look? That’s totally me come race morning where I’m surprised I have it together enough to set up my transition gear and not forget anything.

But as scared, nervous and maybe even confused as I may have been before those triathlons, I’ve survived every one of them. Certainly not all gracefully as I’ve been kicked more times than I’d care to count in the swim, got that flat tire on the bike not once but twice, and felt my legs literally run out of juice when there were miles to go before the finish line. The battle wounds (I kid) may have healed but I still have the finisher medals, the materialistic proof that I survived.

Crowie's Coming to Town

Crowie and a fan at the July 2012 Runners High 'n Tri event

What do you do when you hear that an Ironman world champion will be in town? You drop everything, including the day's workouts, to attend.

That's what I did in July--and two years ago--when Runners High 'n Tri hosted Craig Alexander and Dave Scott (two Ironman champions in one room, can you blame me?) at what has seemingly become a summer ritual of sorts. Crowie races Racine, Crowie talks to triathletes in Arlington Heights.

But next Tuesday, no one needs to drop everything to drive out--or train it--to Arlington Heights to meet the three-time Ironman world champion (five-time if you include his wins at the 70.3 distance). Sure, it's nice to get out of the city every once in a while (and Runners High 'n Tri always puts on a great event), except for when said location involves driving on 90/94 at rush hour. And you decide to attend said event at the last minute, didn't do your workout for the day (that whole I'll get it done after work backfired), and technically should still be cranking in front of the computer. It's just that this time, on December 11, Craig Alexander is coming to the Core Power offices, which are located in Chicago's West Loop at 1001 W. Adams.

Another Biggest Loser Iron-woman

Did Hollie lay down at the IMAZ finish like Eneko Llanos?

Tara Costa isn't the only Biggest Loser Iron-woman. I was browsing the standings from Sunday's Ironman Arizona and who did I see among the competitors? None other than Hollie Self, the season 4 contestant who ultimately lost in the finale to fellow black team member Bill Germanakos.

That caught me by surprise. I had heard that Jay Kruger had Iron dreams (he finished Beach2Battleship, a full Iron-distance triathlon in October). I remembered Matt Hoover's attempt at finishing Kona. But I didn't know that Self was also boarding the Iron train and going longer than those appearances she's made with other former Biggest Loser contestants at the San Francisco Triathlon on Treasure Island. Had I been better about following the BL alums on Facebook, I would have known last month that Self was racing--it was posted right on her page and she asked for inspirational quotes a few days ago.

The powerful mantras she received must have worked. Self got to hear Mike Reilly's "You are an Ironman" boom through the microphone last night. She finished the 140.6-mile race shortly before the clock struck midnight, crossing the line in 16:55:26. Congrats Hollie and we hope you're not inching around in pain today!

Speaking of The Biggest Loser...when are we going to get another season? My Tuesday nights aren't complete without it--and I can't stand The Voice (sorry if you're a fan, but I prefer athletic challenges over voice ones). Looks like I won't have to wait much longer, the BL homepage says the next season starts January 6.

Photo of Eneko Llanos after his 2011 Ironman Arizona win grabbed from runnr_az at flickr.

Two Wins for Chicago at Long Course Nationals

Chicago's not exactly known for being an endurance sports mecca. Those titles are often saved for spots like Boulder, Colo., and San Diego, Calif. But even if Chicago doesn't have such a title--possibly because it's so darn flat unless we skip the rides that are right outside our front doors--the Windy City, and it suburbs, can lay claim to some of the country's fastest triathletes.

Take the USA Triathlon Long Course Championship held in Oklahoma City, Okla., held on September 22. The race, which included a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run, was held at Lake Hefner in conjunction with the Redman Triathlon. Who finished first and second among the women? Two Chicago-area triathletes: Elizabeth Waterstraat and Jennifer Harrison.

The Triathlons That Keep on Giving

Wouldn't you want a pass like this for triathlon? Credit

Being a triathlete is expensive. And I'm not talking about the gear though that'll set you back a pretty penny if you're aiming to match some of the sport's top dogs. It's the race fees that really start to hurt the wallet.

Think about it. How much did you pay for the last 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon you signed up for? My answers: $30, $40 (and that was the day before), $43, and $100-something. And how much did you pay for the last triathlon you did? If it was the Chicago Triathlon, you could have paid more than $150 if you were one of the last people to register. I get it: Triathlons are longer events, more sports are involved, which take up more space and create greater logistical challenges, and more calories are burned, and unless it's Ironman (minus Louisville), you're not all going to start at the same time.

Triathlons are expensive. And to be honest, those fees only increase year after year. The first time I did Ironman, I paid $500 something, and when I paid for the one I'm about to do, it was $675 once all the processing fees were added. Can we say ouch on the wallet?

Fit-Pic: Iron Kids Race Verona

They say you're never too old to try a triathlon, but you're also never too young. Before we could even start on our bike ride--leaving Chicago later than we should have courtesy of me, the girl who couldn't wake up this morning, plus some slow-moving cars and a pit-stop at McDonalds--we saw kids of all ages and sizes powering up the road we usually pedal down to end our Ironman loop ride (a bit of a push especially when you're not on a road bike). They had road bikes, mountain bikes, bikes that had training wheels attached to them at one point. Some wore T-shirts and shorts, others wore their swimsuits, and others looked as decked out as mom and dad with the one-piece tri suit. We were impressed!

They were participating in the Hy-Vee IronKids Triathlon, which was staged from Fireman's Park in Verona, our usual starting spot. And instead of worrying about where to park and how late we'd be getting on the road to ride, we rolled down the windows, slowed down and cheered for those IronKids. Totally worth it to watch since I've never ventured to Foster Beach to check out the Chicago Kids Triathlon that's always held on Saturday before the sprint- and Olympic-distance races on Sunday.

Have you watched your kids do a triathlon? 

Giving the Best to the Rest: Vision Quest Triathlon Panel

What do I put in my special needs bag? johntrainor

You can train all you want--or have time for. You can ask friends how they did it--and beg for their tips. You can scour the internet and poke your head in triathlon forums, read coach's articles and watch course videos. But a lot of times, if you want expert advice, answers to all your questions--to avoid that deer-in-headlights look that I had the morning of my first Ironman--or need some pre-race poking and prodding to make that lingering injury go away for good, you have to pay for it. A trip to the bike fitter. A visit to the physical therapist or massage therapist. A nutrition assessment to dial in your food needs. Another pair of running shoes. Buying a teardrop helmet. Renting, or considering renting, race wheels. So many questions...but not always easy to find the right answer.

As long as you don't have a triathlon to race this weekend (sorry, Udder Half-ers), you can get your questions answered and go into your next triathlon even more prepared to tackle the competition, your old PR or your pre-race I've-never-done-this-before jitters. Vision Quest Coaching put together what they're calling The Best of the Best Ironman Wisconsin Panel, covering every aspect of triathlon with a special focus on Ironman Wisconsin and Ironman races. This triathlon-centered event will be held at Vision Quest Chicago on Thursday, August 9, and it's designed to make you feel more comfortable come race day. Trust me, all the riding up in Madison over the summer only takes out a small chunk of the race calculations.

Robbie Ventura will be moderating this panel, which has everyone from the bike fitter to the first-time Ironman finisher, and he'll help answer those pesky questions we've all been wondering. Do I really need race wheels? How can I have a faster swim (answer: draft like your life depends on it)? Where can I make up time in my sports that still need a little work? What's event day like? If you aren't equipped for your next triathlon after listening to this group, learning the answers to questions that other athletes have asked, and asking a few q's of your own (VQ encourages you to ask away when you RSVP for the event), then.... Well, that might involve being stranded along the Wisconsin farm roads--or Lake Shore Drive if the Chicago Tri is your thing--and no one wants that. Here's a taste of who'll be doling out advice on August 9.

Breakfast with a Champion--and an Evening with Two

I had dinner with Crowie the IM champion at ECBoulder 2010.

One is the reigning Ironman World Champion. One is a former Ironman World Champion. Both have multiple victories on the Kona, Hawaii, course almost making it look easy instead of grueling. Both live in Boulder, Colo., although one does it for only part of the year. And both have very recognizable names in the sport of triathlon: Craig Alexander and Dave Scott. But getting these two triathletes together east of the Rockies? That doesn't happen often--if ever.

But Runners High 'n Tri--or more like owner Mark Rouse, who has organized events with Alexander as well as Mirinda Carfrae and Chrissie Wellington in the past--is making the seemingly impossible possible. The Arlington Heights store is hosting a night with these Iron-men on Thursday, July 12. Crowie is likely cruising through Chicago on his way to Ironman 70.3 Racine (if that's true I'll be pretty excited come Sunday morning and watching him speed by on the run--if I'm so lucky--will make my 13.1 slightly less painful), but he's stopping just long enough to create one swoon-worthy 16 hours.

Top 11 Stocking Stuffers for Triathletes

Source

Are your stockings hung by the chimney with care? Are the triathletes you know waiting for them to be filled courtesy of St. Nick? It's easier to create a triathlon-themed stocking than you might think, even if you're waiting until the last minute to do your shopping. Blame it on the trifecta--where you have the freedom to think about three sports instead of just one.

Following in the footsteps of runners' stocking stuffers, we ran through our picks for filling a triathlete's Christmas stocking. For a sport that's often labeled as expensive, you might be surprised to find several stocking worthy items that won't break the bank.

1. Sport stickers. M dots, 140.6, 70.3, 26.2. You name the number or symbol and chances are you've seen at least as many of these car stickers tacked on the rear as you've read "My child is an honors student at...." You can't wrap a sticker in gift wrap unless you place it in a box, but you can slip it into a stocking.

A Triathlon Deal You Can't Refuse

Triathletes, have you schwaggled? If you have yet to find your way to these deals for the endurance set, today's the day to get your credit card out and try, or tri, depending on how you look at it. Schwaggle is Active.com's answer to the Groupons, Living Socials and Dealfinds we find in our inbox on a daily basis. Except this time instead of finding savings on restaurants, spa services, yoga and whatever other business has decided to drum up new clientele by offering a unique deal, you can save on race entries and endurance products (I think it was just last week that Schwaggle told me I could buy Gu gels at a discount). And today's deal is one that any triathlete might want to consider: savings off race registration for Leon's World's Fastest Triathlon. Instead of paying the usual $140, you can save 40 percent and score an entry for $78. If you live in the Midwest, there aren't many triathlons that cost less than this, unless you registered months ago when the organizers offered pre-season discounts.

Face it: triathlon is expensive. Not just the gear--yes, we know how the wallet empties after buying the wetsuit, the bike, the spare bike parts, the running shoes, the outfit options--but also the registration fees. You know how you grin and bear it when you plunk down $30 for a 5K, $45 for an 8K or $110 for a half marathon (yep, that's the cost of Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll race on August 14)? The fees are even higher for triathlons, especially when they're around Chicago--I always choose Michigan's Motor City Tri in an effort to get a race in without breaking the bank, but that's another story. Take the Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon ($160), the Racine and Steelhead 70.3 races ($2 ), Hy-Vee ($150), and a few others that I'm blanking on at the moment, not including Ironman's hefty $575 price tag. So if you could save a couple of bucks on a race, wouldn't you do it? I know I would.

The other thing to take into account: Leon's triathlon is supposed to be pretty darn good. It disappeared from the race circuit for a few years, but it came back in 2010 with a flat, fast and closed (often a rarity in the sport) course that received positive reviews. It once held regional and national triathlon championships and was broadcast on ESPN. It's Indiana location isn't too far from home for those who live in Chicagoland, Indiana, and even Michigan and Ohio. It's held on June 5, perfect timing, in my opinion, weather-wise since we're usually lucky enough to have a warm but not sweltering first Sunday of June. And apparently this year, the race is going to have a Frank Lloyd Wright-styled building as the finish line--that might even be reason enough to participate right there.

So what are you waiting for? Read more details about the race here or head straight to the $78 deal. The clock's counting down...four days to go until this deal is done.

Photo grabbed from usatriathlon.org.

A Triathlon With An Awesome Incentive Prize

The clocks might be ready to spring forward, the temperatures dancing at higher levels and the sun starting to shine for more days in a row. But as much as we think spring is around the corner, in those parts of the country waiting for winter's end, it doesn't mean we're ready for full-on race mode, especially when it comes to triathlon. Unless you're part of Open Water Chicago, where the water and weather temperatures never seem to deter anyone from taking a Lake Michigan swim, chances are you won't be doing much outdoor activity except for running until spring really has sprung--maybe even summer. Whether you have an early season race--St. Anthony's, Ironman 70.3 California, REV3 Knoxville or any others--or simply want to keep your training in check, you can still get into race mode before the ground completely thaws. How? With an indoor triathlon, where you'll swim, bike and run for either a set time or a set distance, depending on the race. And the latest and greatest indoor tri to hit the scenes is through Equinox Fitness Clubs.

Equinox's indoor triathlon hits Chicago next weekend, on Saturday, March 19, at its locations at 900 N. Michigan and Highland Park. It's also happening at other Equinox clubs around the country on the same day, with New York even hosting an event on Saturday, March 12. If you're planning to participate in Chicago, you won't have to wake up early for this race and then sit around for hours in a transition area--the race waves start at 3 p.m. and run to 4:45 p.m. Here's why triathletes should enter, especially if there's nothing on the calendar for March 19:

• Race registration only costs $25. That's less than any outdoor race which can easily run over $100.
• That registration fee goes completely to The Heroes Project, a charity that was started by Equinox member Tim Wayne Medvitz to help injured soldiers rehabilitate their bodies, reinvigorate their spirit and reclaim their independence, all by training to climb the world's most spectacular mountains.
• The race distance is almost the same distance you'd cover in a sprint triathlon. You'll swim 500 yards in the pool, then hit 10 miles on the stationary bike, and wrap everything up with a 3.1-mile run.
• You don't need to be a seasoned triathlete to try this race. Indoor tris are a great way to test your triathlon waters and see if you even like the sport before committing time and money to training and gear. 
• The afternoon race start let's you sleep in on a Saturday--in Chicago, anyway.
• And my personal favorite: if you're a top finisher, you score big with a race entry into the hard to enter Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco. The details: the 75 top finishers are each guaranteed one of the 2,000 registrant spots available for the Alcatraz event. And the 25 Equinox employees who place highest in the indoor tri will also be offered Alcatraz invites.

Talk about a great goal to shoot for, especially if you're fast at shorter distances. Tons of people enroll in the lottery for that tri and tons are shut out, and now you have a chance to get in. And race at the same time.

Who's up for participating? Check with your local club for schedules and available spots before it's too late.

Photo grabbed from iloveagrigento.it at flickr.

What's the Deal with Winter Triathlon?

When you live in a cold-weather climate like me, it's not exactly easy to go swimming between November and March. Some will definitely argue that I'm nuts for making this assertion, but it's still one that I'll stand by thanks to a lack of desire to freeze in a pool when it's already cold outside. That and I'd prefer to play in the snow when we have enough of it--which, by the way, does not seem to be happening this winter as most of the storms are skipping Chicago. But there is a way to play in the snow but still feed my triathlon fix, not one that I'd necessary consider for myself but I'd watch others compete. It's name? Winter triathlon. It's trifecta? Run, bike, cross-country ski--all on snow.

I think I'd be too terrible to try it. I'm far from an ace on nordic skis. My mountain biking doesn't get much, if any, snow practice. And I'm usually on the treadmill or elliptical instead of treading through the snow, unless I've donned my snow boots and need to hustle to an indoor class. But that doesn't mean that you can't give it a shot. I lay down the basics in this story I recently wrote for buzz.snow.com. Check it out here! And stay tuned for more Buzz stories...when I'm not writing here at Fit-Ink (sob!), chances are I'm over there.

Photo grabbed from Scott Sine and USA Triathlon.

Chris Lieto's Secret Weapon?

The countdown to the biggest dance of the year--if you're a triathlete and not a Dancing With the Stars fan, that is--is on in full force. That's right, the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, the race that many triathletes dream of racing and only a few are so lucky to attend, takes place on Saturday, October 9, and the competitors have been spilling onto the Big Island. By this time next week people will be boarding--or being rolled onto, depending on the state of their legs after 140.6 miles--planes for the mainland, packing their bikes and bags, and readying for much-needed time off.

But before that happens, the 2010 Ironman World Champion has to be decided. Will Craig Alexander earn the three-peat? Will a previous winner like Faris Al-Sultan, Normann Stadler or Chris McCormack take the crown? Or will it be a new name like 2009 runner-up Chris Lieto, who possibly represents the U.S.'s best chance at a win? And when I read that two elite runners were packing their bags for the Big Island to cheer on Lieto, it got me wondering about his race-day potential and what he'd be bringing to the table. When you pore over race results for work, follow one-too-many athletes and have watched the 2009 Ironman show down an unhealthy amount of times, you start to assemble a list of what-ifs. Or at least I did.

Lieto is a monster on the bike. If you've watched the World Championship in the last few years, you've probably noticed that Lieto moves to the front of the pack on the bike--he came into T2 first last year and was the one to beat heading into the run. Alexander, a strong runner, did just that--he ran Lieto down, slowly chipping away at his lead and eventually striding by. Alexander can hold his own on the bike, but you most like won't find him leading like Lieto. But the tables are turned on the run where you could almost view the marathon as Lieto's weakness. Yikes, I'm not trying to sound as if I know everything about this triathlete and I can't even say how accurate this assessment is, but I'm starting to think that Lieto could pose an even greater challenge to Alexander this year--or maybe win it all.

Why? Because I'm guessing that he might have some secret weapons in his training arsenal: Ryan Hall and Josh Cox, the two runners heading to Kona to cheer him on. Hall's out of running Chicago, but he'll be in Kona before heading to the Windy City to support his Hall Steps Foundation runners. And after Hall leaves, Cox arrives to watch the Big Dance. The Hawaii trips don't exactly provide the evidence I was looking for, but these considerations did:

• It's known that Lieto has been working on his run more. Craig Alexander says he noticed it when he raced Lieto in two 70.3 races last year in preparation for Kona. Crowie beat Lieto in both races, but not by much, and admitted that Lieto not only looked stronger on the run but he also was faster.
• That statement alone makes me think that the threesome of Lieto, Cox and Hall has been working together up in Mammoth. Hall and Cox live and train in Mammoth Lakes along with other elite runners like Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. Lieto's a born and bred Californian, and it's been reported that he trains in Mammoth. Sure, he could be there for higher-altitude cycling, but it almost makes too much sense for him to run, too.
• Why wouldn't he employ the help of two elite runners for tips on faster running and some fast legs to follow on a training run? Especially when one of those runners is a K-Swiss teammate? That's my theory anyway.
• Bobby McGee, a running coach (maybe professor is a better word since he knows so much about the sport, getting faster and biomechanics), said that a triathlete can lose a race because of the run and can win a race with a good run. Not his exact words--he said it better than my rough summary--but those words stuck in my head. Work too hard on the bike and your legs develop muscles that can actually inhibit your running. Sounds a little like Lieto has super-developed cycling legs, a cycling triathlete, that often fail him on the run--only because a runner triathlete can outrun him when it counts.
• If Hall and Cox are heading to Kona to cheer for Lieto, wouldn't it make sense for them to provide him with some of their running expertise and go for a few taper runs? Or perhaps Lieto has been the guest runner on training days with Josh, Ryan and maybe even Meb. Or sharing the training and running advice from Josh and Ryan's coach Terence Mahon. Just hypothesizing.

The Kona travels just got me thinking that maybe 2010 would be the year Lieto became the groom and not the groomsman or usher. He came so close last year with a second-place finish. In a competition so tight, you know that one simple mistake or a slight falter could cost someone else the World Champion title. What do you think? Who's going to take it all at the Ironman World Championship this year? I can't wait to find out. 


Photo grabbed from thomas pix at flickr.

Stock Up on Swim Gear

Between buying a bike and the maintenance fees that then follow, upgrading your running shoes and gear periodically, shopping for swim stuff and a pool membership for when the open water just isn't cutting it, enrolling in the requisite member groups to save on at least a tiny aspect of a race or training plan, and registering for the races, triathlon is an expensive sport. So if you're exhausted spending more and more on your sport, there is an online savior when it comes to the swimming gear. At least if you're searching to stock up on swim suits for beach season, triathlon season, masters season or a combination of all three. If you want the answer, go to swimoutlet.com now and you'll see what I mean.

Swim Outlet has serious values when it comes to swim suits, and not because they're poorly made, discontinued leftovers or no-name brands. You'll find your Speedos and your TYRs and your Nikes, but you might think you're eyes are playing tricks on you when you see the price tags that accompany the Club Swim line. Most of these suits come in under $20, even more of a bargain than the discounted Speedo, TYR and Nike products available. And that's not even touching on the leisure suit and triathlon gear selection.

All I have to ask is, "Where were you when I was younger, Swim Outlet?" I had a lot of swim suits to get me through year-round practices, from the practice suit to the retired-to-drag suit to the swim-meet-only suit. But I know my mom wasn't paying $20-a-pop. Try $50 and up--not good when you need at least one new competition suit and two new practice suits per season because the others in your collection have faded, stretched-out, disintegrated or no longer match the team's selection for the new season.

Let's just say, I replenished my swim collection with a few new numbers thanks to this site. Probably more than I needed in one season now that I'm not swimming day in and day out, but at the time I thought the deals were too good to be true. Apparently I was wrong and that's just how Swim Outlet rolls. 


Photo grabbed from toddandkatie.com.

Worried About Weather

Why all this talk about the weather? I asked today's Fit-Q about the weather to see if anyone else worried about weather as much as I do before I race. I wasn't always this way, but I think the whole weather-monitoring gig started with the 2006 Chicago Marathon.

I remember windy, rainy and chilly conditions predicted, neither of which I wanted to experience, and nearly called off my race to register at the last minute for the Detroit Free Press Marathon the following weekend. The marathon was already full (if I remember correctly) and I raced anyway under conditions that were not nearly as bad as what I was reading on weather.com the night before--got a PR in the process too.

Follow that up with a rainy 2007 Boston Marathon where I almost turned in my registration to defer until the next year with the weather threatening a Nor'easter to hit Monday morning. Sure, the Boston hype kept me running but waiting for a bus in Boston Common and huddling under an awning at Hopkinton Middle School were not my idea of good race prep.

My neuroses hit a new low before Ironman Wisconsin two years ago. We were pummeled with rain Thursday night, three days before the race, and the forecast was calling for the rain to clear and then come again on Sunday race day. Not good for this freaked out racer who was totally a fair-weather fan when it came to taking her bike out--and knew all about Ironman Wisconsin 2006 where it was cold and rainy and Ironman Lake Placid 2008 where it poured. Packing my transition bags was an adventure in itself--would it be windy, would I was a windbreaker or arm warmers, did I have anything that would keep me dry? I was checking weather.com and accuweather.com, choosing between which site had the better forecast and might be more correct, up until the time I turned off the lights for bed and as soon as I awoke at four something in the morning.

So with temperatures hot last weekend and predictions for another hot two days this weekend, I was online once again to see just how the weather would shape up come Sunday morning for Ironman 70.3 Racine. I'm already picturing my hydration cooking in the sun in the transition area, and remembering the strange taste it took on the last time it sat too long in hot weather. The heat? No surprise there. But the threat of thunderstorms? I wasn't liking the looks of that, especially when it wasn't just weather.com showing the inclement weather. Accuweather and NOAA--my other go-to sources on conditions--didn't fare any better and in fact, they were worse. Take the NOAA hazardous weather outlook for the evening:

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN MINNESOTA ARE EXPECTED TO SLIDE
SOUTHEAST INTO PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATER TONIGHT.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL BE SEVERE AT THE TIME...AND PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS.

But wait it continues into Sunday morning.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN SUNDAY WITH A
CHANCE ELSEWHERE.  THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS
EAST OF A LINE FROM SHEBOYGAN TO DELAVAN IN THE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA.

With T-minus 16 or so hours til race time left me wondering just how bad the weather could get. It was more the hazardous weather and the 75 percent chance (Accuweather), 60 percent chance (NOAA) and 40 percent chance (Weather.com) that were scaring me. And leaving me to hope that Racine wasn't a survival mission, or another duathlon like Steelhead 2008.

Here I am, wanting to race, but unsure of it being the best decision to make. I have another half IM in two weeks that usually ends in a plod, rather than sprint, to the finish because I'm exhausted or injured from Racine. My husband the sherpa wouldn't be joining me and I'd be on my own aside from the people I knew racing. And an old injury, the darn calf and Achilles that kept me in PT last fall, felt like it was flaring up again. This Racine idea has DISASTER written all over it but I was too stubborn to quit. But that's another post in itself--the mental game. Plus I couldn't help but worry about my bike. When it was new, I was protective of it, but that hasn't changed two years later. I still didn't want it to get wet sitting in the transition area over night--if it rained--and feared my bike tarp that usually makes a showing at this race was going to be banned per race rules (thought I read something about that). 

Call me crazy, but I really was driving myself nuts thinking about this stuff. Yet I don't think I'm the only one out there who worries about weather before a race. What would you do? And do you worry as much as me? It's OK if you do, maybe we can form a self-help group. Photo grabbed from burnham-on-sea.com.

Getting to the Fiery Hot Center of LAVA Magazine

Just call it a volcanic eruption among the magazine world, specifically the endurance sports sector. Its name comes from the volcanic islands that hosted the first Ironman race back in 1978. Its content is all triathlon with an Ironman and half-Ironman distance focus--it is, after all, owned by the World Triathlon Corporation, who owns and organizes the Iron-labeled events (Ironman, Ironman 70.3, Iron Girl and IronKids). Its tagline includes the phrase "serious triathlon." And it specializes in all the latest and greatest gear, news, athletes and more for triathletes. Triathletes--and anyone looking to get into the sport--meet LAVA.

The latest magazine sporting triathlon talk officially debuted on July 15. But if you were poking around online, you'd notice that LAVA has been on Twitter a while--although only now starting to tweet more frequently--and has a website that went live before the hard copy landed in the mail (and domain space reserved since March, if not earlier). But while some of the online presence is easy to gain access to, you won't be able to find this magazine's three 2010 issues at the newsstand. LAVA is available via subscription only, with a friendly athlete twist. Any domestic athlete registering for a North America Ironman or Ironman 70.3 this year and next will receive a one-year subscription to the magazine. And here I am getting all excited about answering a trivia question correctly to gain a subscription--I'm signed up for both a full and a half Ironman this year, and know I'll be adding one of the distances to next year's schedule, so I didn't need to worry about missing out on the pub.

I'm a sucker for magazines. Yes, I write for them--that was my concentration in college with my journalism major in an effort to avoid the hard-news reporting that several of my classmates preferred--and yes, I edit them day in and day out.  I read a ton of them and subscribe to almost as many--one look next to my bed and you'll see what I mean. I have a backlog to go through right now but that doesn't keep me from finding more to add to the collection, especially when they pertain to sports that interest me. And already I'm intrigued by LAVA. It probably helps that the website's latest news includes an interview with Tyler Stewart--2009 winner of Ironman Coeur d'Alene and a pro member of Team LUNA Chix who I met in San Francisco this April (I almost sat in her seat while she was on stage for a presentation) and a dinner to die for--seared red snapper with Thai citrus sauce. I'm already looking forward to whatever comes next, but I'm hoping that my initial excitement doesn't fall by the wayside as what tends to happen with me. As in, I hope LAVA doesn't end up in the pile of waiting-to-be-read magazines. Nah, with triathlon season in full swing and my interests more in tri's three sports over one focus, I think I'm set. Are you in? Photo grabbed from ironman.com.