TransRockies Run: Summer Run Camp for Adults and at Least 10 Reasons You Should Consider it
August 21st, 2016 by Erin Young2016 Triathlon Nationals Reflection
August 18th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson–By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM NOW Multi-sport athlete
When I went to write this blog, I spoke out loud in exasperation: “What the heck am I supposed to say? I did a thing, it didn’t go the way I wanted, it was a huge disappointment?” So here I sit, in the car on the long drive home from Nebraska to Michigan, contemplating what actually happened this weekend.
Leading into the weekend I was tapered and feeling fast – probably the best that I had felt going into a race this year. My training has been solid and although I was nervous, I was ready to see it pay out for me in a big way against the most competitive field I had been in this season. I was doing everything the way you should – divide the drive there between two days, relax, eat enough food and high carb intake, and plenty of positive thinking. We pre-drove the entire course and rode part of it, ran part of it, and swam in the thick, murky green waters of Carter Lake. I tried my best to focus on the positives, controlling the controllables, and putting my faith in my training.
Saturday morning started at 4:40 am. snack, pack, drive to the race site. Park, practice mindfulness, setup transition, breakfast. Then settle down to wait for three hours before my wave started. My wave started at 10:30 am, which meant I was running at noon. I made it through the green murky swim and had a decent (although much tougher than I expected) bike split, but drinking warm infinit in my bottle (despite having frozen half of it the night before!) didn’t set me up for a great experience in the run. Even though I was confident I would nail the run, I ended up having my slowest run in a triathlon in a very long time. I was doubled over in pain crying on the run course, and all I could think was that this was the race I had trained for. This was the one that mattered. And I was blowing it as I ended up finishing the run 6-7 minutes slower than I was capable of. And despite the fact that I have worked very hard to improve my mental strength in the past few months, I was shattered. I cried almost the whole day. I would get myself under control, and then someone would ask about my race or I would look on social media and see something about the race and I would lose my composure again. I was beyond disappointed in myself, and my confidence was gone. And I had to race the next day.
Sunday morning started just a few minutes later than the day before. I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support that people had given me after my heartbreak and subsequent meltdown the day before. The best advice I got was from a fellow triathlete: “Pick 2 things you can improve on (concrete things like equipment choice or transition mechanics) and 2 things you are proud of from today. Keep those in your head for tomorrow.” That comment really helped to ground me and bring me back from my personal crisis point. The other thing that helped? The faith that other people had in me. Knowing that other people believed in me made it so that I didn’t have to try to convince myself to believe in myself. I just had to believe in the people I trust. In the end, my race on Sunday wasn’t stellar, but I managed to snap my head back into the game to put up competitive splits and have a respectable race.
Maybe national champion wasn’t in the cards for me this year. A) there is always next year and B) there is now a fire lit beneath me for worlds in five weeks. Onward and upward! Hopefully with a lot of work and a little luck, you’ll be reading a victory post soon!
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Landgraff Grabs a Win at Inaugural Corktown Crit
August 16th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson–By Richard Landgraff, Team OAM NOW Masters Cyclist
The weather looked ominous the morning of the 1st annual Corktown Criterium. Set in the shadow of the old Central Train station in Detroit, the course was just shy of a kilometer and had 7 turns, some of them tighter than 90 degrees. As the field was beginning to warm up, the rain began to fall and continued at an accelerated pace as about 40 of the combined 45/55 Masters rolled to the line for the start of the race.
I knew that a good start and staying at the front of the pack was going to be necessary in order to finish well in the timed 45 minute event. At about 1 minute per lap, the first 20 laps were all about staying upright in the pouring rain and holding the wheels at the front of the field. A few attacks took place as well as a few primes in which I bided my time waiting for a good moment to make a move on the field. With about 20 laps remaining, I decided to make an acceleration out of the first corner. I know that if I could get a gap, that I could take the corners faster than the rest of the pack…and I was right. Chris Donnelley from Team O2 jumped on my wheel and we worked well together each taking a turn at the front each lap. As the laps continued to tick down our lead grew from about 8 seconds to over 30 and I knew that we would be able to stay away.
With two laps to go, I was making a plan of how to beat Chris for the victory as he is a pretty fast sprinter. Coming through with one lap to go I was on his wheel, but as he slowed down out of corner #2 I attacked him knowing that hopefully I could get another gap through the last 5 turns. As he tried to get on my wheel through one of the tight corners, I heard him go down on the wet pavement…so much for having to sprint…I soft pedaled a bit to make sure that I stayed upright and soloed in for the win! Fortunately for Chris he was not injured and because we had such a big lead, he was able to come across for 2nd. Also in the field was Pete O’Brien for Team OAM NOW who was able to secure 2nd place in the 55+ field behind the old pro .
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Pursuing the Ultimate Goal
August 15th, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonBy: Brian Reynolds, Team OAM NOW triathlete
During the Fall of 2015 I decided to pursue one of my ultimate goals which was to quality for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The Hawaii Ironman is the most prestigious race in the Triathlon World. In fact this race inspired me to get into triathlons. I remember during high school watching the NBC documentary coverage of the race and thinking to myself “I want to do this race someday.” That someday could be October 14th, 2017 if everything goes according to plan.
To qualify for Kona I will be doing the 2016 Wisconsin Ironman which will be my first Ironman distance. There are 50 Kona slots available at Wisconsin. In my age group (25-29) it has historically been the top 3 that have qualified. Last year’s 3rd place overall time was 9:41 hours which is a very doable time for me if training goes well.
Achieving a Kona slot will take hard work, dedication, and more importantly a smart training plan. When my coach Mark Olson and I sat down to review the game plan it was obvious that I needed to work on my biking. The bike leg of the triathlon has always been my weaker discipline. In the Ironman distance the bike leg will make up over 50% or roughly 5 hours of the race so it’s very important to be a strong cyclist.
The game plan was to dedicate more time to biking early in the season which meant significantly reducing my running mileage. During the late fall and winter I was putting in 10+ hour weeks on the bike which was the most I’ve ever done. My biking improved significantly; however, my running was getting worst. I was only doing 10-15 miles per week which is very low. This low mileage was making me lose running fitness. Being a runner my entire career I was not used to being out of running shape. However, my coach had confidence that once I started to pick up the running miles in the late winter my running would come back. I had to remind myself that the goal was not to run fast during the winter but rather be the best triathlete I could be at the Wisconsin Ironman.
My first triathlon of the season was the Seahorse Olympic distance. The Seahorse would be the first true test to see if the bike training was paying off. At the race I had my best power average for the bike split by over 30 watts. The game plan was working! In addition, my running was quickly improving and I was looking forward to my next race which was the Grand Rapids Triathlon.
The Half Iron distance at the Grand Rapids Triathlon was my first “A” race of the year. I did this race last year so it would be a good comparison to measure my improvements. At this year’s race we had perfect weather conditions. Besides my swim being a little slower than last year I set a new Half Iron PR of 4:09:33. I was very happy with my bike split which was the 11th best bike split in the field whereas last year I was 23rd. My power average was 40 watts better than last year which was a significant improvement. In addition, I was able to pull off a personal best run split in the half-marathon split by a few seconds.
After the Grand Rapids Triathlon I have more confidence in my biking and am looking forward to the Wisconsin Ironman. So far this season has shown me that in order to become a better triathlete you need to try different things. However, trying different things may mean some areas being sacrificed temporarily. In my case that was sacrificing my running fitness to improve my biking. Working on your weaknesses is best utilized early in the training season so there is time to refocus on the other two disciplines before race season. Right now I have 5 weeks to go until the Wisconsin Ironman. My training is more balanced to ensure I have good fitness in all three disciplines on race day. Keep in mind that I still need swim for 2.4 miles and run a marathon which makes up roughly 4 hours of the race. Hopefully everything comes together on race day and I’ll be sure to post a blog on my results.
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Draft components for future Rice and Sosnoski profiles
August 12th, 2016 by Athletic MentorsCarley Rice
Rice began training with AM in 2008 as an 8th grader. Her natural talent developed immensely, allowing her to play on the state soccer team as a sophomore and junior at Gull Lake and train with the Olympic Development Program. She was a four-year letter winner and two-year captain with one state championship under her belt, so she had substantial leadership experience entering the collegiate level at Detroit Mercy.
Training for NCAA Division 1 competition isn’t an imaginable feat until you’re placed in the position. Competition wasn’t solely for opponents now; Rice understood that in order to consistently make the starting squad, she had to go beyond.
Her hard work paid off rather quickly, as Rice saw time in all 20 matches her freshman year with eight starts. She entered her sophomore year with two assists, looking for further improvement. In 2014, she started 15 games and made her first collegiate goal in a victory against Bowling Green.
In addition to her climbing success as a collegiate athlete, Rice maintains a 4.0 GPA in pre-dental/pre-pharmacy.
The Detroit Mercy women’s soccer team finished second in the Horizon League conference this year, making their first appearance in the championship game since 2006. Watch Rice and the Titans next year as she enters her junior year strong.
Kendra Sosnoski
Sosnoski carries on the tradition of being a Michigan Tech Husky (her father played football), so she was aware of what it took to be a Division II athlete. She left high school as an all-conference, all-district and all-area player, a former MVP and senior co-captain of the same Gull Lake championship squad Harma and Rice were on.
Sosnoski plays on the Husky defense, and is majoring in biology. Their 2014 year finished well, with a confident winning record and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Look for her training through the rest of 2015 for her third year at Michigan Tech.
Custom Coaching Packages Available! (Mistake blog, but might be useful!)
August 11th, 2016 by Athletic Mentors
Right now most of us are bundling up, looking out our windows at snow covered streets, watching temperatures drop and wondering when the wind chill will cease. A lot of folks are so busy thinking about the weather right now, they’re not prepared for later. Tri-season will, in fact, be on us before we know it.
We all know there’s nothing better than hitting the bike, the road, or the first open water swim of the season and feeling the work we did all winter paid off. Hitting the tri-season prepared for races gives you the edge. A lot of athletes stick to the same training plan they always use, and each summer they hit the circuit with few gains. Certainly we’re not all equal out on the course, why should we believe that about the gym?
There’s no better way to train than to have a professional help build a personalized training plan designed to maintain and build on your strengths while addressing weak areas and promoting your growth.
Why not let Athletic Mentors, and their coaches, help you have the best tri-season of your life? With over 20 years experience, AM coaches will tailor a daily training plan to help you meet your goals. Not only will you receive the personalized daily training plan with online access and a consultation with a coach, but athletes who opt for the Coaching Subscription will also get baseline and progress testing, an in-pool training session, one-on-one coaching sessions, and nutrition planning!
For more information about the Custom Training plan with a discount for GR Tri participants, click here.
For more information about the Coaching Subscription, click here.
Let this be your best tri season yet. Treat yourself to workouts this winter for a summer of success!
For the Love of Triathlon
August 9th, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonThe Biggest Test Yet
August 7th, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonOn Confidence and Expectations
August 2nd, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson–By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM NOW triathlete
It was a week before the first triathlon of the season for me. I was starting my season later than many of my friends – the end of May instead of attending collegiate national championships in April. I had kept a close eye on the registrations. I was being told what others were capable of. I was well aware of the strengths of some of my other competitors. But instead of being motivated by that, I was petrified. I had so much self-doubt that I would just panic any time I thought about actually racing. Despite that fear, that race went on to be ok and I PR’d my 10k off the bike.
The same thing happened before the Grand rapids Triathlon. I saw a competitor’s bike come in to the shop where I work and when a co-worker joked that she was going to crush me because her bike was so fast (not to mention that she is an amazing runner), I had to take a break so I could leave the building to get control of myself so I could actually do my job. I learned from these experiences that negative emotions are not only uncalled for, but are extremely damaging and waste a lot of energy that could be focused towards racing and training. Of course I’m still nervous when I have a race coming up. But instead of focusing on how bad I feel, I am working towards making a conscience choice to breathe, and have confidence.
Someone once told me that I am not capable of an “ok” race. I have great races or I have catastrophic races. My goal for the season is to change that. I don’t have unrealistic expectations. I know every race will not be a “great” race. But instead of having a race spiral down into catastrophe, I want to practice mindfulness and mental toughness to turn that race into something that is “ok.” I got a taste of that at my most recent sprint tri of the year. I came out of the water in 5th, 3 minutes down from a collegiate swimmer who was leading the race. On the bike, I moved myself into third. I felt strong and knew that I should be able to run right around 20 minutes for the 5k. I had put in a big training day the day before and was fatigued, but I know what I am capable of on a good day and a bad day. However, catastrophe struck as I finished off the bike. It was tight to get to the dismount line, and a man braked hard in front of me as I was getting my shoes off. I was forced to dismount with one foot still stuck in my shoe on the bike. As a result, I wasn’t aware of the position of my shoes and one caught the ground as I ran into transition. My bike catapulted through the air and crashed onto the asphalt. I bent over to pick it up and tried unsuccessfully to get it on the rack.
As I struggled, I knew I was wasting precious seconds. I finally got it on the bar and headed out on the run, trying not to think about the potential damage… just to have both hips lock completely. I felt completely fine cardiovascularly, and I had so much more to give, but I couldn’t run. I ended up averaging around 35 seconds per mile slower than I was capable of averaging on a “bad day.” I crossed the finish line and the announcer called out that I was the second overall female. I knew I should acknowledge it but the fact that I finished a sprint triathlon and I wasn’t even breathing hard was a terrible sign. On a good race day I would be on the edge of passing out because I would have run that hard. But that day my heart and lungs had so much more to give. I struggled with it for the rest of that morning. But then I realized – catastrophe is what you make it. Maybe that race was a catastrophe for me on a personal level, but was it really? By most people’s standards, my race would be considered “ok.” Sure, I don’t want to view my life through the lens of other people’s opinions, but I think my goal was met that day. I had an “ok” race… because that’s what I decided to make it. I could have chosen to view it as a trainwreck, but I decided to accept it, cry, breathe, and move on. Racing is just as much mental as it is physical. Even if your results aren’t up to your expectations, if you gave all you could on a particular day, adjust your mindset. Giving your all and having it not be enough is not a catastrophe!
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