Planning for your 2008 triathlon season?

Humbly submitted by Cheryl Iseberg....

On the heels of a fantastic discussion last week from our very own Dr. Phil (Spencer) on the subject of Off Season Training, (ladies I know we all wear Spencer Chiropractic nicely on the back of our bike shorts but I feel like I “cover” him the best) I found myself with one race left to go this year, looking forward to next year and thinking about my 2008 goals (ok after some downtime from training and a few drinks poolside).

As I started to ponder this thought, two things came to mind, one something our fearless leader Ms. Swedberg said to me at Maui training camp this year and the other coming from a book I just finished reading called “Racing the Sunset” by Scott Tinley who is a 2 time Ironman World Champion. So let’s cover these two topics.

After a day of running, swimming, biking or something, Ms. Swedberg and I found ourselves in my local Maui coffee shop. A shop I have been in a thousand times before. I see that a person in front of us has made eye contact with us and keeps looking back at us. Perhaps it was our stunning beauty that was hard to resist but I think it was probably the Ironman CDA finisher hats instead. Patty strikes up a conversation with this young man that lasted at least 15 minutes. I found it interesting how easily she connected with this young soul and asked her about it. She told me “everyone has a story” and that she enjoyed finding out what that was for people she encountered. This young man certainly had a story and not an easy one for us to comprehend. He was a former junior champion in cycling that crashed badly when he was on the National team racing in Mexico. He now rode his bike as a courier for restaurants in Maui and was homeless. I find myself “seeing” him all the time while on the island where before, I am not sure I would have noticed him. That was his “everybody has a story”.

The second topic is ST’s book. Scott writes for Triathlete magazine and you will always find his commentary on the last page of the magazine. I am a total fan and the first thing I do when I receive my monthly magazine is to turn to the last page to see what ST has to say. I learned of ST’s book from another article recently in Triathlete magazine from Shawn Skeene, someone who I talked to before Ironman CDA who wrote up an interview with me on Ironmanlive before the race. I immediately rushed out to my local bookstore (ok, went to BN.com and ordered online) and read the book in 2 days. The subject is about professional athletes and the struggle they face on how and when to retire. Scott has spent a great deal of time researching and talking with former pro athletes from baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and triathlon about their experiences.

In his book he talks about us not choosing sport but sport possibly choosing us. How professional athletes in all respects don’t know how to “retire” from the only thing they know or re-enter a normal life. I found his book fascinating and it got me thinking about a lot of things – mainly what it is that defines me.

What defines me? Triathlon, Ironman (are they different?), business owner, animal lover, friend, card carrying OCD member, or someone with MS?

What I decided on first was Ironman because it ultimately was something that I had sought since 1982 and watching Julie Moss. It literally was a dream of a lifetime that came true. So I wondered if Ironman is what defines me – what will I do without it? Will I continue my journey as a 5 time, 10 time, 20 time Ironman? Will I be the next Sister Madonna racing into my 80’s? The bigger question was not how many Ironmans but what if I couldn’t do what I loved? Scott talks about professional athletes not knowing when or how to retire. Do age-groupers have that same issue?

We all do not have the genetics that Sister Madonna has so statistics will tell us that most of us will not be racing for the next 40 years. That in the simple breakdown of our bodies over time. So what will sideline us from our future triathlon or Ironman experiences? Will it be because it is no longer a passion, or because of injury, or in my case will the disease that hangs on the outer edge in my brain someone change and STOP me?

Many of you are aware that the day before IM Canada this year I got ill and wasn’t able to race. Once we were able to get my bike out of transition and load it to drive 7 hours back to Washington, we were faced with driving on the only road out of town where all the athletes were on the course. The several hours in the truck passing athletes who were doing “my” race was one of the hardest things I have ever had to watch. The quiet tears while watching others doing what they loved as you watched unable to do the same thing was overwhelming. That was my first glimpse of perhaps not being able to do the thing I love the most.

So what do these two topics mean for your 2008 race plans? Instead of pulling out the race calendar and looking at all potential races you can do next year, sit down and do two things first. One, write 3 or 4 things down that define who you are. Then write a few paragraphs on ‘your story”. Sit and look at both of those things and I think you will find your 2008 goals might magically appear to you without much reference to the race calendar or your race/PR Excel spreadsheet.
I will see you all at the races in 2008 and hopefully proudly wearing Phil on my ass – err Spencer Chiropractic on my shorts.

Raise the Bar's First-ever Spin Class

I'd forgotten how much I like biking indoors with friends. The beauty of a spin class is that no one can ride away from you, and you can't get away from anyone....you're all just stuck in one spot trying to out-sweat each other. Yesterday I found myself between 2 people I kept a VERY close eye on last season - Kathy Morrisson and Alan Kindzerski. I keep an eye on Kathy because I've come to realize the rabid racing animal that lives behind her sweet smile and natural strawberry blonde hair.....hmmph.... Alan and I have had some VERY close race finishes this year and I am determined to try and stay ahead of him as long as possible - although in my life as a triathlete I've learned that the men that stick out the hard training will eventually have their revenge on some race course somewhere. Alan trains HARD.....his revenge, I fear, is imminent....

So it looks like I'll continue to land at the spin class on Tuesday nights and will be enjoying the company of those athletes that WILL be scary on their bikes in 2008 - no doubt about it! Come and join us!

Lisa Cantalini, one of our own team members, teaches the Tuesday night Spin Class for us at the Tahoma Athletic Club and does a terrific job. She recently sent a bio to me and here it is with her picture from Danskin (She was 149/3499 by the way, and had the 50th fastest bike split of the day. Not too shabby!!)

I am a mother of two great kids Katie 13 and Jon 11 and wife to a wonderful husband Dan. I was never a big athlete as a kid I played basketball and rode my bike but, as an adult I wanted to set new goals for myself and encourage my kids to be active by my example. I had always thought it would be a huge accomplishment to say I ran a marathon but, I could never find anyone who wanted to do it with me. So, when we moved to Ravensdale 4 years ago neighbors of mine convinced me that I could run a marathon. With a lot of long running hours I finished the Seafair marathon in the summer of 2005. I ran the half in 2006 with a co-worker from the gym. After doing all that running training I realized that it took up a lot of time in one area of fitness and I wanted to do other things outside instead like ride my bike. I thought I would try something new and attempt a triathlon. My first Tri was last year at the Danskin. I had a great race and came in 77th on the bike. That same year I did 2 duathlons, since my swimming was not my strong area, to finish out the year. That same year I started working at Tahoma Athletic Club at the front desk and taking spin classes again. I had been waiting for a club to open in Maple Valley that offered spin classes since I had not been able to take a class since we moved from West Seattle 2 years before. I love spin classes because they are such a great workout plus they give you the bike workout you need in the fall and winter months when the weather is not cooperating to ride outside. When the opportunity came up for me to get certified to be an instructor I jumped on it. I have been teaching classes at 5:30am on Wednesdays since last spring. I now teach every other Friday also. I try to simulate riding outside in my classes by working on the things that we need for improving our road rides outside while being inside a gym. I have learned a lot since I first started taking classes 8 years ago and I can tell the difference it has made in my strength on the bike at the beginning of this year’s tri season from taking the classes year round. I have had a fun time being a part of the RTB team this year. There are a lot of very supportive teammates and coaches to help you along the way.

Happy Training! Patty Swedberg

Tina Coleman’s Black Diamond Race Report:

What a fantastic day. It started out with lots of hugs from teammates/friends, fun pictures, lots of support and just plain good energy.

I chose to do the “Tri It” race vs. a full Sprint for 2 reasons. First of all I have no love what so ever for my wetsuit; it is a 5mm thick monster and I have no fun in it at all. Not because it’s a struggle to get on, (what wetsuit isn’t?) but because it is so thick I can barely run in it and my arm movement is very restricted. Second reason is I wanted to be able to compare each leg of the race to my Cascades Edge race. My CE swim consisted of a panic attack followed by lots of doggy paddling, but not this time. I’ve learned that being mentally prepared is right up there with being physically prepared. I’m not the fastest swimmer by any means but I am consistent and I completed the ¼ mile swim without stopping, panicking or doggy paddling.

The bike was and is my most challenging leg. I always feel better on the way back then on the way out and felt good and strong after the turnaround. Just for the record Teresa didn’t catch me until the last ½ mile! I was actually getting worried about her, because I thought she would have caught me a lot sooner. She is amazing on the bike and I knew if I could stay enough ahead of her, we may be able to do the run together. Then I hear “don’t let me catch you!” as she went flying past me. I was both relieved that she was ok and motivated to keep up with her, so yes, you bet your ass I was pedaling faster. As I was rolling through the finish I saw Teresa hand someone her bike and run to the sani can, good I thought; now we can run together.

The run was short and sweet. If I hadn’t rolled my ankle ¾ of the way around loop 1, I think I would have come in under 2 hours. But thank you to Teresa for staying with me the whole time, she could have past me up and kept going but she didn’t. She told me it was her mission to get me in under 2 hours and she yelled for me to pump my arms fast and faster while walking and she even sang to me when I mentioned that there was a runner out there with her ipod on and I wish I had mine. So she sang Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ for me and made me chime in on the chorus when I started to drag behind. Then she pushed me to sprint to the finish instead of jogging. That’s my friend, workout partner and motivator.

Seeing the look on my sweet husband’s face when I crossed that finish line was priceless, he was so proud of me and I am so glad Ron (Teresa’s husband) caught it on film. My husband (who I lovingly refer to as my sponsor) bought me a new Xterra wetsuit for next year, so no more Tri It’s or excuses for me. I actually told him I wanted a wetsuit instead of a Coach purse for my birthday, am I insane? Of course I am, I’m a tri athlete.

27 minutes and 9 seconds
That’s how much time I cut off from my first outdoor triathlon in June ’07 at Cascades Edge to the Black Diamond Tri last week. Sweet victory. For me that is huge and I am proud of myself. Did I make it in under 2 hours? No. But darn, 27 minutes and 9 seconds? I’ll take it.

The grand finale was seeing my friends and Raise the Hope teammates come across that finish line after completing their first Olympic distance. I am so proud of you all.

It was a good day to race.

Shaun Linse' Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon

The key phrase that I repeated to myself throughout the race when I started to think about what was ahead was LIVE IN THE PRESENT. It really does work. Every leg of that race was a separate race for me.

During the swim when I felt like I was going to gag twice and started to think about how much farther I had to go, I told myself just concentrate on what you're doing now, keep your head down, long and strong strokes with calm breathing. There was one annoying girl that kept hitting me and I thought this reminds me of when Jodi and I are swimming with just the two of us with no one else around and we still manage to run into each other. When I got out of the lake, I turned to talk to her and it was Jodi. I looked down at my watch and saw it was 34.21, which is my usual swim time, and told Jodi she did awesome. I usually beat her by a couple of minutes. I was happy for her but I'll have to admit I needed to beat her by two minutes in the swim and 10 minutes on the bike so she wouldn't pass me on the run. I had it all figured out and she ruined everything!!! I started spinning ahead and once again said LIVE IN THE PRESENT. This is my race. It's not about beating Jodi. I am on track.

The bike was a big milestone for me. My husband for my birthday bought me aerobars because Angela had them and I have to have what Angela has. She also proved to me how much they work by kicking my butt in sprints on Green Valley Road in the wind. It was amazing. My only problem with my new aerobars is I was afraid to use them. So basically I had a 79.99 water bottle holder. Well again starting off on the bike was extremely hard and I felt tired so I decided to LIVE IN THE PRESENT and assessed my current situation. I could either have a very expensive water bottle holder or use that equipment I had to give me the best advantage I could to have a better, faster race. So I let go of the fear and used the aerobars. The next milestone on the bike was Angela said she wanted me--miss clutch the brakes down the hill--to hit 32 miles an hour down the bigger hill on Kent-Kangley. I did for Angela and I was so proud of myself. The bike was a good experience and I did it in 131.03.

The last leg, the run, which is the hardest for me, my calves did cramp for the first time this year but I kept going and just decided to LIVE IN THE PRESENT and not think about how long I had to run but how I felt at that moment in time. I told myself this has happened before and it shall pass. I just told myself to think loose, light on your feet, and keep the cadence going. Also throughout the run I kept expecting Jodi to tap me on the shoulder and wave bye as she would swish swish by me like she did in our first triathlon together. Well, that didn't happen even though I had a very slow run time of 1:14:38 which is a 12:01 pace.

I finished in 3:26:04 which was faster than my predicted of 3:30 so I was quite pleased.

This year has been quite inspirational for me. I reached many goals that I know I wouldn't have reached without the support of Raise the Hope. I can't even put into words what all your friendship and support has meant to me. I want to thank you all!!!!

Shaun