That sums up the 2007 race season for me.  Others might call it a slow start.  My wife calls it 'getting old'.  I call it being stubborn.

2007 was a return to being a Pro Triathlete for me.  In 2006 I had won an Ironman as an amateur; I had been the fastest  US amateur in Kona as well as the 4th American overall.  It was time to race with my 'peers' and given the year I had in 2006 I felt prepared to do this.  I didn't want to be that guy that gets passed by a handful of age groupers while racing Pro, although I know that day is coming!  

2007 I also committed to making it easier for my wife and daughter to enjoy races by racing closer to family and friends.  This made  Ironman Louisville ,  Kentucky the obvious choice.  It is in late August, giving me time to not only prepare very well but to also focus the off season on continuing to build my coaching business.  With a fantastic training camp for 25 of my athletes in  Tucson ,  AZ in February the season kicked off for me with a focus on Hawaii 70.3 in Kona, and the new 101 Series in  Clear Lake ,  CA .  Both being the tune-up events on the race calendar towards  Louisville . 

Things were progressing nicely until a calf injury sidelined my running for a month in May.  My first real injury in the sport due to any wear on the body.  Twisted ankles or broken bones due to crashes are different; an injury due to training was new to me.  After multiple 'restarts' the calf finally improved enough to jog (!) the run in  Hawaii . 

December 23- 

As the holiday season winds down, so do our wish lists.  One of our favorite coach's in the country Adam Zucco of Training Bible share's his list with all of you.

1. Training Camp - Simple reason for this. Where we live the weather can often be poor. If I can log in some base fitness in a warmer climate this world be very motivating.

2. New race wheels - The Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn always has the best wheels coming in each year, They are just too plain cool to not want!

 
3. Power meter for my training bike - Now that I have been training and racing with an SRM, I hate not having a session logged without a file.

4. Great outdoor training gear for cold weather - Can always use more of this stuff. Training indoors is never as fun as getting outdoors

5. T-Dot Triathlon Shirt- So I can fit in at high end social gatherings.

Happy Holidays

 Adam

December 19- 

Kate Major shares her holiday wish list

Here are my top 5 triathlon themed toys I would like for the holidays.

1.    The new Orbea Ordu , fully pimped out with Blackwell carbon cranks,seat,bars and race wheels.
2.  Some new Sidi tri. shoes would be great seeing as my current ones have holes in the back of them.

3. New music for my Oakley Thumps!
4. Paddleboard for cross training! surfboard for cross training and fun!
5. Oh my favorite, curly head headsweats visor and stickers!!!

December 10 

Hi there.  Hope your holiday season is going well!  I'm going to let you in on a personal swim secret.  When I don't feel like working out, I always do a 1000 warm up before starting my sets.  400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull and 100 swim.  This way, by the time I'm done with that, I don't have that much more to do and it motivates me more than if I just did a regular warm up.  So, in that spirit, I had a workout that I had trouble getting through the other day so I thought I would share.  It's a good conditioning workout, enjoy.
 

BEGINNER
Warm up:  200 swim, 150 kick, 100 pull, 50 swim
8 x 50 - 1st one fly (or free), 2nd one backstroke, 3rd one breaststroke, 4th one freestyle (repeat all); take 10 seconds rest between each
100 cool down
Total yards:  1000
 
INTERMEDIATE
Warm up:  400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull, 100 swim
4 x 100 - 1st one fly (or free), 2nd one backstroke, 3rd one breaststroke, 4th one freestyle; take 15 seconds rest between each
4 x 50 sprint; do these on 1:00
100 easy swim
100 kick
200 cool down
Total yards:  2000
 
ADVANCED
Warm up:  400 swim, 300 kick, 200 pull, 100 swim
8 x 100 - 1st one fly (or free), 2nd one backstroke, 3rd one breaststroke, 4th one freestyle (repeat all); take 15-20 seconds rest between each
8 x 50 sprint; do these on 1:00 (adjust if 1:00 is too long)
200 easy swim
200 kick
200 cool down
Total yards:  3600

For more woekouts click here.
 
 
Coach Cherilyn Suiter has been coaching triathletes and swimmers for over 10 years.  She is a certified triathlon coach with USAT & CAC.  She works with area clubs and local athletes both in-person and online.  DC Suiter Coaching specializes in coaching beginner triathletes but works with triathletes of all abilities.  For more information, please visit www.dcsuiter.com.
 

December 13-

Stephen Morris, owner of Bikes & Beans and our November Athlete of the Month shares his wish list.

1.) Live in childcare -  so that my wife and I can ride together whenever we want.
2.) Set of the Campagnolo compatible HED H3 wheels with ceramic bearings - because they are the best wheels on the planet.

3.) To find a large poster of the Anquetil/Poulidor battle on the Puy de Dome - this rivalry was epic.

4.) The new Rudy Project Syton Aero Helmet with the carbon wrap - Sweeet.

5.) Unlimited supply of plain and vanilla GU, I am hooked on this stuff and it does not upset my stomach.

December 11-

Mike Ricci "gets" T-Dot.  It's not just for the pros, and elite, but a home for everyone who has ever crossed that finish line, from a sprint to the 140.6 distance. T-Dot is a place for you to share your ideas, stories, thoughts and even holiday wish list.

Mike is a great coach and has a great list that we wanted to share with you.

1. A healthy and successful season for all triathletes in 2008!

2. A contribution to the War on ALS and eventually a cure!

3. A power meter! 

4. A training plan for everyone’s stocking:

5. Time – to appreciate how fortunate we are to be involved in such a great sport!

 
Happy Holidays!
Mike Ricci
USAT Level III Coach
Founder and Head Coach
D3 Multisport, Inc.

December 10- athlete3.com

Kelly Mitchell is a former Inside Triathlon teammate, a triathlete and one of the founders of athlete3.com an online tri. shop that has upped the bar when it comes to cool endurance sports related gifts.

Here are some of our favorites.

Etched glass ornament - Beautifully etched round glass ornament.

Etched Stemless Wineglass -

Swim Bark Run Dog Leash - The quintessential leash for your Tri'arf'lete.  Six feet long, 1 inch webbing with our Swim Bark Run logo the full length.  Finished with a strong and secure brass swivel clip for even the fittest tri'arf'letes!
 

Men's SwimBikeRun Logo Surf Shirt - Cool and Casual Surf Shirt  Our surf shirt is perfect for subtly telling the world you're a triathlete. Made of 100% comfortable pima cotton with a trimmer athletic fit. Has moisture management properties. Our cool logo is embroidered on the back. Available in Black, Blue Hawaii and Sand.

Women's Scoopneck Longsleeve T-shirt - This ultra-soft long sleeve fashionable tee with a scoopneck is perfect for the off-season. It has the athlete3 SwimBikeRun logo across the chest.  Available in Black, Earth Moss, and Sand.

December 8-

Steve Katai, one of the author's of The Idiots Guide To Triathlon Training (a must have book) share's his holiday wish list.

Running: Newton shoes - Getting off my heels and more forward during my runs is priceless.

TRX Suspension Trainer - This is "the way" to strength train.

To Read an excertp of The Complete  Idiots Guide to Triathlon Training, Click Here.

December 7th-

The manager of onf of the hottest Tri. shops in the country Running Away Multisport, shares his list.

 1) TP Massage products. ($25 - $130) Hopefully you already have this wonderful kit and don't need one.  If you get another this holiday season, don't return it. Instead give it to your friend who can never run because they are injured.  What is it?  It's a massage kit that you can use yourself.  It's quick and effective.  It will rid you of your overuse injuries and help keep you away from any more injuries.  On top of that it will improve muscle performance and elasticity. Read as, "Make you stronger while achieving more hydrodynamic and aerodynamic positions."You don't want to give this to the friend you just beat at the line last year.

2) Nuun. ($7)

Hydration. It's harder in the winter. The air is dry.  On top of that it's cold and you don't tend to feel as thirsty. Quench your chapped lips with Nuun in your water and you'll stay better hydrated.

Give this to your office mate who requests a "venti" paper clip.


3) Craft Pro Zero base layer. ($50)

Get workout comfort and make all your other gear work better with a high performance base layer. You wouldn't want a lousy cotton tee under that ultra-sweet soft shell you just got, now would you? If you buy one piece of apparel for winter, make it be this one.  You'll use it well through the spring.

Your friend... The one who won't got out because of the weather... Yeah, this one is for them.


4) Smartwool socks. ($12)

Good socks. That's it.

This is suitable for anyone on your list.


5) Double Clean. ($7)

Do you have performance clothing that isn't performing anymore? Maybe a bit odoriferous at that? No, me neither.  So we can forget about this stuff since we don't perspire. For those poor folks that do sweat while they workout laundry is on their laundry list.  Regular laundry detergent will eventually clog the fibers of your gear.  i.e. Your wicking wear won't wick no more. The proper soap will make your workout cloths feel better and smell better.

For the one that you always run ahead of because they smell so bad. Just tell them it's to make there clothes feel better.