June "Support Crew" Month...

Ahhh… perhaps more important than your training, more important than race day, really just outright important… your support crew. Although I try not to make these posts about “me”, I always seem to reflect on something that has happened to me… and so this month’s post is going to be no different.

I have decided to declare June “SUPPORT CREW MONTH” because without these people in our lives it would be close to impossible to achieve our dreams and goals.

After training for a year, countless swims, bikes, runs, time in the weight room, hours upon hours of thinking about triathlon, mulling it over, when not thinking about it talking about it. What can I say… we are a focused group, are we not? The day comes when the gun goes off and the race begins. I’m sure the journey offers many different paths, but we all end up at the start line!

This year, after finishing my first half ironman of the season, I crossed the line with a personal best and as soon as I saw the time the first thing I thought was where is my husband! As if I needed to find him to TELL him how I finished! He was right there, jumping up and down, maybe more excited than I was. As they were trying to remove the chip I was practically dragging that poor woman along just so I could get my congratulatory hug!

The reality is though; it was I who was offering the hug, the HUG of THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Everything you do for me, cooking, cleaning, shopping, taking care of the dog, the garbage, the laundry, keeping me company while biking for hours on the trainer, listening to me talk and talk and talk some more about Triathlon, for traveling all over everywhere, for being my bike mechanic, my stress reducer… For being there JUST FOR ME when I cross the finish line!

When I found my blackberry (what can I say, I’m addicted), I had over 45 emails, offering support! From Good Luck Today, to I’m thinking about you, to congratulations! I knew instantly how I finished because it had been posted to our Yahoo Group! (Pretty Cool). So, it’s not just the hubby, it’s all of you, all the people in this club, friends, co-workers, the volunteers at all of these races. Coaches, and doctors, and all those people that keep our bodies going! When you think of the journey to get to the start line it includes so many people… it includes Your “Support Crew”.

So, while sitting here smiling ear to ear thinking about my “Support Crew”, I realized, although we need to honor these special people EVERY DAY, that this month will be the “OFFICIAL” Thank Your Support Crew Month! Do something nice for them, purposefully seek people out and THANK THEM, tell them how much they mean to you, and more importantly… how they are part of your dreams and goals!

Till Next Time,

Your Faithful Tri Chick

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 June 2009 12:48 )

Healthy Corner

Health Corner

The Avocado!

It's true that avocados are high in fat. A medium-sized avocado contains 30 grams of fat, as much as a quarter-pound burger. But now nutritionists are taking another look. They're finding that most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated -- the "good" kind that actually lowers cholesterol levels.

A 1996 study looked at the health benefits of daily avocado consumption. The 45 volunteers who ate avocados every day for a week experienced an average 17% drop in total blood cholesterol. Their cholesterol ratio also changed in a healthy way: Their levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or "bad fat") and triglycerides, both associated with heart disease, went down. Their HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or "good fat") levels, which tend to lower the risk of heart disease, climbed. Researchers have also discovered that avocados are rich in beta-sitosterol, a natural substance shown to significantly lower blood cholesterol levels.

Taken from WebMd - click here for the full article http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/avocado-advantage

Member Profiles

Meet Janna Miller

Meet Janna Miller, our featured member. Janna tells us that she bakes a mean loaf of artisan bread and a strawberry rhubarb pie to die for! Guess we all know who's house we'll be stopping at after the Sourdough this year! Janna, I hope you have room for about... oh... an extra 100 for dinner!

Gear Review

HydroTail

Name of Product: Hydro Tail H.5C – Behind the Seat Hydration System

Manufacturer: Beaker Concepts, Inc

Name of Reviewer: Robin Smyth

Website of Product if available: http://www.beakerconcepts.com/

Cost of Product: $50 aluminum, $75 carbon

Description: The HydroTail™ project was started in 2005 as a way to further increase the usage and ease of use of a rear hydration system. With lightweight and ease of use being the #1 factors in the design, several trips to the San Diego Speed Wind Tunnel in San Diego, CA (www.LSWT.com) helped to refine the position so that an aero benefit could be acheived as well as an ergonomic one.

Our lower bottle position came about through both an accident in the tunnel and just the ease of grabbing a bottle while in the aero position. Carbon Fiber was used to make the HydroTail™ lighter than the other systems on the market at that time.

The H.5and H.5c are made with USA Aircraft Grade Aluminum, which as you can see allows us to easily powder coat many colors as one can desire! The H.5c has the same features as the H.5 BUT attaches to the seat post holes that come on the Cervelo P2c and P3c and now P4!The aluminum still carry's many of the same features as the carbon fiber HydroTail and some more! Now there are 3 positions to dial in your personal bottle position, it still flexes slightly as a super stiff carrier only stores the road energy ending with a rocket launching bottle, a carrier that has some give to it, helps to cut this rocket launching thing! The biggest difference is that there are NO NUTS (no weird thoughts here) anymore! We use THREADED INSERTS to make installation a breeze! Now some people have asked us about do-dads for Co2 cartridges and the like, sorry but we feel that with 2 straps (INCLUDED!) that is all that is needed. A three bottle option is also available for those who can never quench their thirst! For racing put your spare cartridge and inflator head in the tubular or just attach your bags to the back. These do-dads, while they may seem to make life easy only add weight, cost and undo bulk to the HydroTail. Keep it simple, simple is good. Retail price is just $50! Other systems seem to require you to buy the do-dads which only adds weight, cost and bulk! Why buy the lightest system only to gunk it up. These weighty options can add up to 1lb of weight that you just money to eliminate!

Opinion of the product/service: I can’t deny that I was drawn to the name of this hydration & accessory / spares bracket as I looked for something to mount spare tube, levers CO2 pump etc. There are several on the market and most of these have complicated and time consuming mounting methods to the saddle rails. What I liked about this variant, (C , specifically for Cervelo P2/P3C) was that it mounts directly onto the aero seat post through pre-drilled mounting holes. Getting it on or off is a breeze. Bottle racks are normally not included, but when I bought mine they threw in a couple of Profile Design “Kages” and all3sports are still offering the same deal. I would definitely recommend it and felt that it offered value for money over a carbon item, which is minimally lighter. Also if it is good enough for Chrissie Wellington, I am sure it is also way too good for me. The Standard H5 is also available in a variety of colors, including a girly pink J

Pros:

It is possible to vary what accessories you want on this bracket. I opted for an X-Lab X-Nut for which there is a captive mounting nut which allows a pump and one or two cartridges.
It comes with a couple of Velcro straps that allow tubes/tires to be attached as well as the bottle cages. I have yet to use all its features, but guess that sometime this summer will see a change.

Cons:

Getting on and off the bike fast and swinging a leg over is not easily accomplished with an aggressive aero position , high seat post and a couple of bottles in cages, but this is an accessory for the long haul. Dragging your customized feed for a long ride.

Tri Tips

Just the Tips

Wear the race number – To save time in transition and eliminate the chance of forgetting your race number, put it on under the wetsuit for open water swims. Saves you from having to worry about it in T1.

Featured Story

by Stacy Daley

My stepfather recently remarked that fifteen years ago he would have eagerly bet a million dollars against me ever doing an Ironman, then sat back happily and waited for the money to roll on in. There was a valid reason for this of course. In college I had a mantra… I only run in emergency situations. I did nothing even remotely athletic until I was 27, a size 16 and a year away from my high school reunion. I deemed this an emergency situation and out of sheer desperation, embarked on my first run ever. It was terrible of course, and it’s a miracle I stuck with it. By the following spring I’d lost over 20 pounds. Read More