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Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:39:48 GMT
Rancho Canada Trail Run - Oct 17
We have posted the athlete guide on the website for the Dirty Legs Fall - Rancho Canada. Click here Many people are using this as a tuneup for the Morgan Hill Marathon. Have fun!
We have had to make some changes in the route. Logistically it was impossible to get ANY fluids at all on the course. With the recent heat we decided to change the route. Plus it was very, very difficult. It is still very difficult :). It''s also very pretty. Stop and take a look.
All courses are an out and back and there will be about 60 people running, please be kind on the trail. We are all friends.
I also wanted to mention another run we are timing this weekend. We are helping the City of Morgan Hill with the Get Fit Run at the Centennial Center in Morgan Hill. They do this run each year for fun. They have a 5k all on the CRC grounds and a Fun run 1 mile event. Take a look here and consider it. We really want to to support them for everything they have done for the Morgan Hill Marathon.
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Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:18:15 GMT
Indoor Spin Class and News
Hey everyone, indoor spin classes start tomorrow evening. You remember those tough @#$$#@ classes Elliott does. They start at 6, so be there a little early setting up.
You are welcome to bring your kids in, we are going to setup a movie and some pizza for them (and us).
In other news we have two bits of information.
1. The Morgan Hill Marathon is looking for CC Triclub volunteers (not those of you that have already officially volunteered). We need two things. One, I was hoping we could get maybe 4-5 people on an aid station. Two I would love to have a bike or two lead out the Half Marathon. Email greg@svendurance.com for information. It's looking like we will sell out at 1000 runners and 200 kids (kids run).
2. The Rancho Canada Del Oro Trail Run is coming up. Check out www.svendurance.com for more information. We are giving out SVE workout towels.
See you tomorrow.
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Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:02:01 GMT
Big Kahuna Race Report from Jim Atkinson
I had a great day and performance at Big Kahuna...I went 1st overall against all amateur age group athletes... 3rd overall, including the elite athletes…Stoked!! My swim split (27:02) was a PR...My Bike split (2:21) was solid and my run split (1:28) was also a PR. I didn't expect to do this well only because I didn't have this race marked as an "A" race on my calendar since I’ve been focused on training for Ironman Arizona coming up on November 21st. I didn't even sign up for Big Kahuna until 2 weeks ago. I haven’t raced since Wild Flower on May 1st, so I was really craving some competition. I also thought that this would be a good race to execute on my race pace and transitions. I frequently work on transitions during brick workouts, but it’s not the same as race day.
I must say that I was pumped up for BK mainly because the swim was cancelled last year. That was supposed to be my first half distance triathlon, so I was extremely bummed when the BK turned into a duathlon. The weather this year ended up being ideal for going fast. The water was very calm, which setup for a fast swim. I must say that I loved the running ocean start. I attacked the start by diving into the surf and then using the ocean bottom to spring forward about 3 times before I got into my stroke. I dreaded the run from the beach to the transition area, but it wasn’t as rough on the feet as I expected.
It was shaping up to be a somewhat cold ride, so I decided to wear socks, gloves and arm warmers. I rinsed my feet to avoid taking any sand/pebbles on the ride…slipped on the dry socks…into the Specialized TriVent shoes already set with toe warmers. I had my gloves and arm warmers tied to the aero bars and slipped those on as I started the ride. I lost some time in T1, but figure that I made it up on the bike since I was so comfortable. The big surprise on the bike was the tail wind on the ride up north and head wind on the ride back down south. I’m used to just the opposite wind conditions on this course in my training rides. This made the ride a bit difficult to hammer into the head wind on the way back since I’m used to flying back with a helping tail wind. My left hip started barking at me with about 8 miles to go. I think that this had something to do with the low tuck in the aero position that I was in to avoid the head wind. I decided to sit more upright to relieve the hips and stretch them out to prepare for the run. I got into T2 hydrated, fueled up, and ready to attack this fast run course.
I felt great to begin the run and found myself running a 6:15 on my first mile. I knew that I couldn’t sustain that pace, so wisely decided to turn it down a couple of notches. The temperature was perfect for fast running conditions. I made it to the Tiki turnaround at about 42 minutes into the run, so I knew my pace was good enough to go under 1:30 like I had planned. One of the course volunteers confirmed that I was up front in my age group just as I was leaving Wilder at about mile 8. This got me all fired up to continue pushing hard since I noticed a couple of guys that looked to be in my age group going the other direction on the trail section of Wilder. I recall shortening my stride and increasing turnover at about mile 9 after some slight rolling uphill sections. I kept going strong after hitting West Cliff for the final 3 miles. I heard footsteps and didn’t want to get caught by anybody…turns out that I was hearing things that weren’t really there. I got to the dreaded sandy beach and almost tripped a couple of times before getting to the wet sand. As always, I pushed hard all the way to the finish line and felt like a million bucks when I heard my timing chip beep going over the sensor.
What a great feeling it is when a race goes just how you envisioned it. My goal was to go between 4:20 and 4:30…I finished in 4:21 and was a very happy camper to say the least. I got to celebrate after the race with friends and family that came to support me. This was also the first race that my mother came to see. I might have used this as motivation to go faster.
I can only hope that everything goes as well at Ironman Arizona.
LiveStrong and GoFast!!
~Jim Atkinson
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Coach's Corner
Welcome Athletes,
There are a number of ways to swim, but unless you're Olympian Michael Phelps, you'll be swimming
freestyle. While proper freestyle technique is relatively simple compared with the butterfly, almost
all beginning triathletes need to get feedback on their stroke from a knowledgeable observer. "Find
a local swim coach or a friend who is a good swimmer, and ask if they would look at your stroke," says
Siri Lindley, a former triathlon world champion and now a coach in Boulder, Colorado. Tips from a
keen observer will save you weeks of struggling on your own.
Experts also advise beginning swimmers to forget about speed at first. "Swimming slowly is the
best way to develop habits of efficiency and economy," says Laughlin. Instead of trying to get
across the pool faster, count your strokes per lap and try to reduce the number.
Drills can also help you improve your swimming technique because they allow you to break
down the freestyle stroke into parts, so you can focus on improving one or two aspects at a time.
Lance Watson, a Canadian triathlon coach, recommends a drill he calls the "Pause One" to
improve body rotation. To perform this drill, swim freestyle, but pause for one second after each
stroke in a fully rotated position, with one arm extended ahead of you. To learn other drills, consult
a coach; books such as Total
Immersion (Fireside, 2004), by Terry Laughlin; or videos such as Swim
Power (Total Training).