Setting Up Your Transition

I guess for me, T1 and T2 begin the night before the race as I am sitting on my living room floor sweating bullets and chanting "swim, bike, run" in my head over and over while I check and re-check my gear. My worst triathlon nightmare is forgetting something vital, (well, that and having to go pee while biking because WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?) and having to swim without goggles or bike in my running shoes. So, I always make sure everything is packed the night before, and that I have all of my essentials (plus extras!) so I can sleep soundly.

The first real triathlon I did I was counseled to show up early...like two hours early. It seemed excessive at the time, but I do this at every race now so I can get a bike rack in a place that is both easy to find, and easily accessible. If bike racks are assigned, or if you can't find an ideal spot make sure to find a landmark or something obvious that will make it easy to find your bike when you exit the water. Some people like to tie balloons to their bike racks, and I like to set up next to those awesome people because it's easy to spot AND I feel like I'm at a party! Once I hang my bike (carefully!), I like to lay out a beach towel underneath for all of my gear, oh and while we're talking about it, I just want to remind anyone who is considering bringing a full-sized cooler to please NEVER EVER do this. It takes up SO MUCH SPACE, and really your bottle of HEED is going to be fine; you're just going to pee it out eventually anyway (didn't we already talk about this?). Anyway, I put all of my biking gear on one side of my towel, and all of my running gear on the other. I like to put my helmet, with the chin strap open, on my aero bars and my sunglasses inside my helmet. I make sure all of the fuel I will be needing on the bike is actually ON my bike and ready to go. Then I put my race belt, with my number attached, and my bike shoes together on one side of the towel. For T2 I usually lay out my running shoes and a visor, and if it's a longer race I put an open GU upright in my running shoe so I can down a few calories on my way out of transition.

There are a few other things I like to do in those two hours before the race starts, and one is to make sure that my bike is in the right gear. If your bike out is uphill you want to make sure you are in a lower gear, or you might end up tipping over in front of everyone. Not that I have done this or anything. OK, yes I have and it's kind of the worst. Make sure to notice where the bike in/out and the run out are so you don't get turned around and mess up your timing chip. And no, I have NOT done this but it sounds like something that would happen to me! Also, I don't have a fancy GPS watch that I can use on the swim, so I always re-set my bike computer before the race and have my Larry-King-aged watch ready for the run. I always bring my bike pump to make sure my tire pressure is correct, and a headlamp so I can see what I'm doing at 5AM. Yes, I really get there THAT early! Some people like wearing socks or a fuel belt for the run, but I don't so if those are things you use plan accordingly.

Once I have everything the way I want it, I go over it in my head a few times (swim, bike, run!) and then I can get back to doing what I do best: eating and being nervous!

I have never ridden more than 50 miles before.   So training for little red was a bit intense.  I trained my body to be ready for the long miles, I rode so much that riding 50 miles wasn't hard any more.  My legs were ready.  

Little Red has to be the most fun I have ever had on a bike!  I trained hard and was able to ride it with a great friend.  They had lots of food and we ate to our hearts content on the ride. (They say you can eat more calories on the ride than you burn and I have NO DOUBT I did!)  One of the significant parts I enjoyed was when we drafted behind groups, taking turns pulling.   IT ROCKED!!!!  The Feeling of Drafting is amazing! 

The course is great.  You ride in Cache Valley, where it is beautiful and FLAT!!!!  There are very few hills!  Which was perfect! I am not a competitive person, so I found that a friendly group ride was just my style.   This ride was laid back. People were having fun, and the best part….. no MEN

So here is my advice if you want to do Little Red Riding Hood. 

1. Do some training. I looked up a training schedule on line.  
2. Learn how to draft!!! THIS IS THE KEY TO THE WHOLE RIDE!!! So many people out on the course were just doing it on their own.  We flew on our bikes because we would catch a groups wheel and hang out.  I felt fantastic at 100 miles!
3. Find a friend to ride and train with.  

We are blowing out all our prior year bikes at 30-60% off to make room for all the new 2012 models coming in.

As always, all bikes bought at SBR come with a free fit session and free tuneups for life!

Check out the full list of sale bikes here.

Here are a few of the great deals:

2009 Look 576 Aero Blue Small
(Comes With Fulcrum Racing Wheels, not Zipp)
Was $3,299 ~ Now $1,300 ~ 61% Discount

2011 Blue Triad SP RED MD   
Was $2,700 ~ Now $1,550 ~ 43% Discount

2011 Bianchi Via Nirone - Shimano 105 - 55cm
Was $1,300 ~ Now  $800 ~ 38% Discount

2011 Felt AR5 56cm   
Was $2,799 ~ Now $1,500 ~ 46% Discount

2011 Felt Z100 Blue 54cm 
Was $849 ~ Now $500 ~ 41% Discount

2011 Felt F75x Cyclocross 53cm
Was $1,799 ~ Now $1,000 ~ 44% Discount

Check out the full list of sale bikes here.

Ammie is a great triathlete and a long time fan of SBR. She has a strong business background including a bachelors degree in Business Management and years of experience managing other local businesses. She has a passion for the sport and is driven to spread the love! We are excited about where SBR will be able to go with this additional horsepower!

Welcome to the team Ammie!

Jeanette Schellenberg is one of SBR Utah's sponsored athletes. She has an amazing attitude and we love when she is in the shop because she is always smiling. Jeanette is dedicated and trains hard and we are so grateful to have her as a part of our team. Check out her race report of the ITU Long Course World Championship below!

Jeannette Schellenberg - ITU Long Course World Championship - Las Vegas, NV - November 5 2011

Last spring, I raced in the Avia WiIdflower Long Course triathlon, in California, to try and qualify for the ITU Long Course World Championship.  I was very happy and excited to qualify, but I didn’t know what the official Long Course distances were until after I had qualified.  I assumed they were half ironman distances, but I was wrong and they were much longer than expected.  A 2.5 mile swim, 75mile bike (with 9700ft of climbing), and an 18.5mile run, which turns out to be a triple Olympic distance triathlon.

The week coming up to the race was perfect.  I wasn’t sick, injured, and didn’t have any major stress.  I was sleeping well and feeling good.  I knew this was going to be a great day!   

I woke up the morning of the race and, as usual, didn’t have an appetite.  But I knew I had to eat now or pay for it later in the race.   So I suffered through a bowl of cheerios, half a clif bar, half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a banana.  Everything felt good, but I was nervous.  My back was tight from my prerace jitters.  I was nervous about the 36 degree air and the cold swim making it even tighter. 

I showed up to the race sight, and first thing I heard the news of the swim cancelation.  The combination of the cold water and cold air made it too dangerous for the swim.  They thought of shortening it, but it was still too cold for that.  At first, I was very disappointed.  In my training, I knew I would be able to gain the most ground on my competitors, if I could take some time off of my swim and get a head start on the bike.  So for 4 months, I put major focus on the swim, swimming every day, and made some really great gains.  But as the morning went on, I was very happy I didn’t even have to touch that cold water!  My back actually relaxed and my nerves went away.  It was a whole different race than I had ever done before and I was out there to enjoy my day with others from around the world.

It became a time trial bike start…starting each participant 5 seconds apart.  The professional started at 7:45am and I started about 8:45am.  So in the meantime, I ate a granola bar and fruit snacks that I had packed for my family.  I wore my required Team USA tri outfit, but covered it up with a pair of tights, a wind breaker, gloves, and a headband.  I decided to be on the safe side of being too warm, than too cold. 

As I started the bike, I felt great!  I looked at my heart rate monitor and it was about 5 beats higher than I usually raced at.  But my legs felt really good, so continued to let it stay high.  By mile 30 my heart rate had dropped to its normal racing range and I followed it very closely making sure it didn’t drop to low, but that wasn’t going to happen with all the hills I had to climb.  I was either riding up or downhill 95% of the time (no flats)…which is how we were able to climb 9700ft in 75miles.  Miles 35-55 were definitely the hardest  on the bike for me.  There wasn’t a whole lot to look at besides dirt and sage brush.  But at mile 55 we turned onto a bike path and started riding up the “Three Sisters”…I was not bored anymore!  You know if hills are given a name, they are something special!  We stayed on the path for about 8 miles and then began our way back into town. Yeah!!!   

As I came into town, I shed a few traditional tears, because I was so happy to be at T2, off the bike, and onto the run…my favorite part of the race.  I guess I took my time in T2, shedding my winter clothes and taking a stop in the bathroom, because I was about a minute slower than most people.  As I started the run, the first mile was a slight downhill, and I clocked a 6:48mile…my fastest first mile ever in a race.  About mile 1 was the first turnaround, then I headed up a constant hill for another 2 ¼  miles to the second turn around, and then back downhill 1 mile to the start of the loop and passed (not into) the finish.  I GOT to do that 3 more times, to make it a total of 18.5miles.  Throughout the run I kept my head slightly down, so I would not see any other racers.  I didn’t know what laps all the racers were on, since it was a time trial start, and I knew it would play mind games with me and thrown off my pace.  As I was running, I heard in my head the advice from a friend, “Don’t attack the course, let it come to you.”  As much as I wanted to push up and attack those hills, I just let the course take me along for the best triathlon run of my life.  As I was running downhill for the last mile or so, I decided to give it all I had.  I felt amazing!  I didn’t have a pacer on my watch, but with the way I was feeling and how fast I was flying passed everyone, I bet I clocked a 6:15 or better mile!  It was so much fun!  By the time I got to the finish shute , I was on fire, and wished (again, as I sometimes do) that I had another lap or better yet,  7 more miles to finish a 3:15 marathon!  I took the finish line in, giving high 5’s to everyone down the shute and ending with my hands in the air at the finish line!

As I went through the food tent, stopping for only a few fruits and handful of Sprites for the kids, I got very emotional.  I had to put my sunglasses back on to hide my tears (so the volunteers didn’t think I needed medical  assistanceJ)  I let the tears and emotions of a great race roll down!  I was very thankful for a perfect day…no bike malfunctions, no weird penalties, and a perfect run!  Who could ask for anything more! 

My secret goal for this ITU World Championship (which I know everyone makes), was to place in the top 10 of my age group at the ITU World Championship.  I placed 5^th!  I was very excited and it was a great way to end the 2011 season!!!

Thank you SBR for all of the time, support, awesome bike, and race wheels that helped me achieve my goal!!! You guys are the BEST!!!

If you find yourself liking this more, come down to SBR Utah and check out the line up of Rossignol Nordic Skiis!!!

 " Cross-country skiing 

Close your eyes and picture a cross-country skier. Think of how the forward shuffling motion of the skis mimics the cycler’s circular pedaling motion. Same with an ellipical machine. That's why the two exercises are grouped in this discussion: they both work the same major muscle groups through similar motions and the level of cardio-vascular exertion they offer are about the same.

It’s also for this reason that I recommend you try cross-country skiing, if you’re in the right climate, or else head indoors to get on the elliptical trainer, which looks like a stair-climber machine with a more circular than up-and-down motion.

These exercises are good because your heart and lungs will get a workout, helping your endurance on the bike. You’ll also enhance strength in your hips, quads and abdomen -- the key sources of power you use to drive the pedals."

Check out more of this article at - http://bicycling.about.com/od/trainingandfitness/a/crosstrain.htm

" When most people think of skiing, they think of mountainous locations that get plenty of snow, such as Colorado, Utah and Vermont, to name a few. It is true that alpine (downhill) skiing requires mountainous or hilly terrain; however, several forms of Nordic skiing (where the heel of the boot is not attached to the ski) can easily be done on flat or rolling terrain.

While Nordic skiing encompasses several disciplines—including ski jumping and telemark skiing—the most common form is cross-country skiing. In many cities, when a few inches of snow cover the ground, cross-country skiers can be seen gliding through parks, golf courses and through open space areas. Due to the rhythmic motion of the arms and legs, cross-country is excellent for the cardiovascular system.

How excellent?

The average male VO2max (the measure of the maximum amount of oxygen a person's body can breathe in and use in one minute per kilogram of body weight) is typically 44 to 51 for males and 35 to 43 for females (age 20 to 29). The highest VO2max value on record, 96 (sources for the number vary between 90 and 96), is held by a Norwegian cross-country skier, Bjørn Dæhlie. The highest VO2max for a female is 74, held by another cross-country skier. I was unable to find the female skier's name. "

http://www.active.com/outdoors/articles/Nordic-Skiing-Excellent-Cross-Training-for-Endurance-Athletes.htm

More Articles:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-7421-0,00.html

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/racing-training-nutrition-triathlons/cross-country-skiing-winter-cross-training-158118.html

ENJOY!!

• Inventory Management & Buying
  • Maintain an accurate Point of Sale (POS) system
  • Manage "open to buy" based purchasing
  • Create and manage purchase orders
  • Manage receiving (ensure products are entered into the POS and labeled)
  • Restock levels
  • Coordinate monthly inventory counts
• Monitor and Improve Sales Performance
  • Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s): Margins, Inventory Turns, Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI) by department, weekly and monthly   
  • Help business grow by identifying ways to increase profitability
    
• Employee scheduling
• Oversee repair operations
• Weekly meetings with store owners to review KPIs, discuss strategy and problems, and suggest improvements
• Implement ideas to improve operational efficiencies, improve customer satisfaction

• Must be an active triathlete/cyclist with race experience
• MUST have retail experience
• MUST be skilled with computers/software (POS, Excel, etc)
• MUST have experience with retail management principles such as Open to Buy, Inventory Turns, GMROI, etc

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Performance-based bonus
• Deep discounts on gear

Please send resumes to jobs@sbrutah.com

1. 43 - Tim Matthews
2. 14 - Mark Flis
3. 17 - Joey Johnson
4. 10 - Pat Terry
5. 13 - Dave Swenson
6. 51 - John Woodruff
7. 2 - Chris Mackay
8. 8 - John Uibel

B Flight

1. 112 - Sean Hoover
2. 105 - John Thomas
3. 111 - Tony Church
4. 153 - John Karren
5. 102 - Josh McCarrel
6. 113 - Robby Hansen

Single Speed

1. 352 - Racer Gibson
2. 350 - Bradley Thurgood

Women

1. 307 - Ali Flis
2. 304 - Meghan Buzzard
3. 308 - Angela Isaacs

C Flight

1. 406 - James Perry ( Upgraded to B Flight, please get a b flight number next week )
2. 212 - Chris Taylor
3. 203 - Dallin Cotterell ( upgrade to B's !!! )
4. 403 - Danny Walters
5. 408 - Shaun Johnson
6. 223 - Parrish Pontious
7. 224 - Darren Balls a.k.a Dalls a.k.a Llama
8. 225 - Dan LaRiviere
9. 210 - Ian Dailey
10. 202 - Lance Anderson
11. 253 - Travis Buzzard
12. 250 - Micheal Straight
13. 226 - Gianni Kennard
14. 409 - Nate Carter
15. 407 - Jake Muterspaugh
16. 405 - Brad Rowberry
17. 213 - Robert Franz

Thank You everyone for coming out!! Next week, all flights will start at 6:15pm!!! Tell your friends! The sun just isnt staying up long enough!!!

Be sure to thank and support our sponsors :

SBRutah.com                    3B Yoga              Blue Competition Bicycles        Hale Center Theater

Eat Dutch Waffles          Crest General Stores / Christensen Oil            Ernie's Sports Deli       

Cafe Paesan

A Flight -

1. 43 - Tim Matthews
2.  9 - Jake Rogers
3.  11 - Mark Nelson
4.  51 - John Woodruff
5.  1 - Tyson Apostol
6.  10 - Pat Terry
7.  12 - Bo Pitken

B Flight -

1. 215 - Rob Jones
2. 107 - Shelby Burton
3. 111 - Tony Church
4. 105 - John Thomas
5. 66 - Bobby Swenson
6. 222 - Kyle Isaacs
7. ---  - Infinite Cycles Rider

Single Speed

1. 350 - Bradley Thurgood
2. 352 - Racer Gibson

Women

1. 301 - Erin Swenson
2. 305 - KC Holley
3. 304 - Meghan Buzzard

C Flight -

1. 251 - Jim Noble
2. 217 - Justin Thomas
3. 219 - Ian Dailey
4. 403 - Danny Walters
5. 402 - Jeff Austin
6. 214 - Jayson Vincent
7. 216 - Gabe Williams
8. 218 - Jared Burton
9. 200 - John Taylor
10. 253 - Travis Buzzard
11. 205 - Dan LaRiviere
12. 401 - Gary Robinson
13. 211 - Gianni Kennard
14. 220 - Stephen Campbell
15. 213 - Robert Franz

Good Work Everyone!! The winner of the Facebook response contest is - PATRICK TERRY . Call me to redeem your prize!

If you have raced two (2) or more races at this point, you are now eligible to win the Blue Norcross SP frameset! It will be raffled off to anyone who has races 6 or more races at the end of the year BBQ!

Do you want to race this weekend? check out Clammycross.blogspot.com to get in a good race in Utah County!!

If you have friends that want to try it, we have Blue Norcross SP DEMO BIKES available to RENT!  The full line up will be at the Clammy Cross race this weekend as well! Call 801-225-0076 to rent your bike today!

Be sure to support our sponsors!

3B Yoga , Blue Competition Cycles, Hale Center Theater, Eat Dutch Waffles, Ernie's Sports Deli, Crest Distrobution/Christensen Oil, Cafe Pesean

If you have any questions about results or the cyclocross race in general, please contact  joe@sbrutah.com

See you all next week!

A Flight

1. 2- Chris Mackay
2. 5- Cody Haroldson
3. 43- Tim Matthews
4. 1- Tyson Apostal
5. 101-Jeff Perry
6. 17- Joe Johnson
7. 51- John Woodruff

B Flight

1. 152-Mark Nelson
2. 103- Josey Apostol
3. 252- Keith Payne
4. 106- Weston Woodward
5. 105- John Thomas
6. 153- John Karren
7. 66- Bobby Swenson
8. 108-Ethan Nelson
9. 303- Kelsy Bingham
10. 302- Kathy Sherwin

C Flight

1. 107- Shelby Burton ( upgraded to B Flight as of Rd 3 )
2. 203- Dallin Cotterell
3. 205- Jared Cassiano
4. 201- Ben Brown
5. 202- Lance Anderson
6. 200- John Taylor
7. 250- Micheal Straight
8. 204- Sam Trap
9. 208- Rick Henriksen
10. 400- Jana Marchant
11. 209- Andrew Judd

* Good work everyone! hope to see everyone out next week for some more fun. Be sure to keep posted to the web site and facebook page as start times WILL likely change!!! if you have any questions, comments, concerns, please email joe@sbrutah.com