TCSD newsletter 0110

TRIATHLON CLUB OF SAN DIEGO TriNews

Date and Locationstill pending.

Check TCSD’s website for late breaking news.

JANUARY CLUB MEETING

Coaches Corner 1TCSD Contacts 2Volunteer Members 2Board Members 2Member Profile 4

Weekly Workout Calendar 5New Members 7TCSD Conversation 7Race Discounts 8

Friends Offering Discounts 14Coaches Corner 14Race Report 162010 Grand Prix Calendar 22

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2010JANUARY

Isuppose that Ismayilli, Azerbaijan, issimilar to other small villages in thedeveloping world. People go about theirdaily lives, much the same way that the

generations before them have. With limitedexposure to the outside world, most people’sattitudes remain very traditional and theybehave in ways that can bestbe described asutilitarian. Theyhave few interac-tions with foreign-ers, especially thosefrom a country as farflung as the UnitedStates. And so it wasthat I found myself inthis place with theaudacious plan to runevery morning.

As a Peace Corps volun-teer I had very littlechoice as to where I wouldserve, but keeping in linewith the volunteer spirit, Icared very little about whereI would be placed. As I pre-pared to begin my service, I had to carefully

consider what items I should bring, that is,which would be the most useful to me over thenext 27 months. Of the few items that I knewwould be essential were my running shoes.Drawing on the memories of my former experi-ences abroad, I knew that running in a foreign

place is not only a fun and interest-ing experience, but becomesalmost more important as a way todeal with the stress and turmoilof adjusting to a new culture. Sowith a notion of adventure andmy Mizuno’s, I set off forAzerbaijan.

When I first arrived in thecountry, I was immediatelyintroduced to my new hostfamily and told that I shouldget to know them better.This task was madeimmensely more difficultbecause at the time Iknew nothing about thelanguage. Of all therequests that I had to

mime to them, one of the easier oneswas “May I run in the morning?” I figured that

continued on page 3

RUnninG iN

AZERbAijANBy Matt Peterson (as told to Barbara Javor)

2010 Kashi

Duathlon Series Announced*Jan. 16th: South Bay

Feb. 13th: Black Mountain

Mar. 6th: Carlsbad (Coastal or Inland depending on weather)

Apr 3rd: Pine Valley

*subject to change without notice,review club’s website for up to date info.

A popular Azerbaijan soap brand or

how you feel after a hard workout.

January Club MeetingCheck TCSD’s web site updated information.

January DuathlonJanuary 16th, SaturdayLocation: South BayDistance: TBDCheck TCSD’s web site updated information.

SD Indoor Triathlon Series: Race 2January 16th, fist wave 8amLocation: Lawrence Family JCC

SD Indoor Triathlon Series: Race 3February 20th, fist wave 8amLocation: Frog’s Fitness

Carmel Mountain Ranch

Visit www.PedPowerPerformLab.comfor complete details and entry form.

Must pre-register! Limited race dayregistration if space available.

Triathlon Club of San DiegoP.O. Box 504366 San Diego, CA 92150-4366www.triclubsandiego.orgSend correspondence to the address above or contact president Thomas Johnson at [email protected]

Membership & Renewal$60/year, $45 military (w/activeID), $110 family (2 adults).Additional years available at discount.

Membership form available onlinewww.triclubsandiego.org/club/joinor fill out and mail application ifincluded in this newletter.

TCSD e-listsSubscribe to the TCSD e-mailing lists by sending a blank email withyour name in the body to:[email protected]

Publisher & ProductionSprague Design, Dean [email protected](858) 270-1605

EditorDawn [email protected]

Newsletter Articles and IdeasPlease send to Dean Sprague at [email protected] and/orDawn Copenhaver [email protected]

Contributing Writers Sergio Borgus, Barbara Jarva, Ryan Kack, and Craig Zelent.

Newsletter Classifieds/AdsContact David McMahon [email protected]

Beginner Coaches Steve Koci [email protected]

Farah Hedwig [email protected]

Dean Rosenberg [email protected]

Steve Tally [email protected]

Bike Case Rentals Bob Rosen [email protected] (619) 668-0066

Bike Coach Andy Concors [email protected]

Club Apparel Devin Reilly [email protected] (619) 895-0687

Expo Coordinators Sherry Ashbaugh [email protected] (858) 337-8839

Anne Fleming [email protected]

Grand Prix (including Aqua & Duathlon) Dean Sprague [email protected] (858) 270-1605

Ironman Coach(es) Mike Drury [email protected]

Liam Thier [email protected]

New Members/Club Roster Bethany Sotak [email protected]

Race Director, Duathlon

Social Director James Delliquanti [email protected]

Swim, Masters Coach Nikee Pomper [email protected] (970) 390-1645

Swim, Open Water Director

Track Coach Jim Vance [email protected]

Track Coach, North County Mike Plumb [email protected]

Web Administrator John Hill [email protected]

Volunteer Committee Members Michele Kuehner [email protected]

President Thomas Johnson [email protected] (619) 987-8822

Vice President John Hill [email protected]

Treasurer Wendy Harp [email protected]

Secretary Farah Hedwig [email protected]

Race Director(s) Brian Wrona/Ann Kelly [email protected]/[email protected]

Public Relations Director David McMahon [email protected]

Newsletter Publisher Dean Sprague [email protected] (858) 270-1605

BOARD MEMBERS

VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE MEMBERS

CONTACTS

NEWSLETTER STAFF ANDINFORMATION

2

JANUARY EVENT CALENDAR

Always refer to the Tri Club’s website calendar for the latest events and details.

ARTICLES WANTED

Want to Share Your Race Report?Please send article and digitalimages to Newslsetter Publisher orEditor. Need by the 12th of themonth for publications.

Thanks for sharing

WWW. TRICLUBSANDIEGO.ORG3

Running in Azerbaijan, continued

they would at least be familiar with the concept of running, soit came as somewhat of a surprise when they greeted my requestwith an answer of (mimed, of course) “that won’t be necessary”.Again, I acted out going for a run, yet again was meet withresistance. After a few weeks when I became more comfortablewith the language, I discovered that they thought I was saying“I want to run away.” They enjoyed having me around, I madethem laugh, and they wanted me to stay.

The issue of running was discouraged by some of our staff onthe grounds that it was culturally inappropriate. Moreover, run-ning the same route everyday could even be considered a safetyissue. If someone was trying to cause me harm and theyobserved my routine, they could easily be waiting for me onsome deserted stretch of road. Throwing caution to the wind, Iwould getup around 5:00 AM, sneak out of the house, run, andbe back before anyone knew better (although my family wasprobably a little concerned that I smelled so bad after a night ofsleep). It’s odd to feel that by running I was doing somethingwrong. Equally as odd, is running along a stretch of road andthinking: 1) I hope no one sees me, and 2) if someone tries toaccost me, how can I escape. Regardless of all these concerns,run I did, for miles and miles. I would traverse the highways leftunfinished by the Soviets, past remnants of petroleum refineriesand along the shore of the Caspian Sea. As the sun would crestthe horizon and bring with it the travails of being a stranger ina strange land, I would often consider how lucky I was to be liv-ing a life less ordinary. That sense of satisfaction and accom-plishment that all early morning runners get was magnified bymy surroundings.

As the summer changed into fall, so did my living situation. Atthe beginning of Peace Corps service, all volunteers live in thesame city as they prepare for their next two years in the field.After ten weeks, volunteers are then sworn in and given perma-nent site placements. Though things would change significantlyin the villages to which I was being assigned, I knew that theone constant in my life would be running. Moving to the villageprovided a new set of obstacles both at work and during mymorning runs. Village people, while ostensibly friendlier, werealso more suspicious about my presence. When I told my newhost family that I would be running in the mornings, they wereimmediately concerned for my health (then again, they alsowarned me that drinking cold water would inevitably causedeath; and girls who expose their bellies to the cold will not bearchildren). Nonetheless, I persisted.

One time on a run I was bitten by a dog and another time Ifound a puppy that followed me home and became my pet(Kilgore Trout, for all the Vonnegut fans). One time I had a mantry and run me over. Once a man stopped to ask where I was fromand, overjoyed to meet a foreigner, invited me to his daughter’swedding. I was lucky enough to have site-mates in

my village who were also runners, and going out together helpedwith the motivation. We ran everyday, no matter the weather. Ican remember hearing my alarm go off at 5:15, getting out of awarm sleeping bag to a house with no heat, running in the snowand returning home without the promise of a hot shower.Running became a badge of honor, something we could bragabout to other volunteers.

Despite our best efforts to keep a low profile, word got aroundthat the weird foreigners were running early in the mornings.People would approach me on the streets and ask, “why do youdo this?” or, my favorite, “you’re the guy who wears shorts!”(wearing anything less than slacks and a collared shirt was con-sidered inappropriate). Due to all this unwanted attention, itwas a great day when I would encounter someone who appreci-ated our dedication. Along one stretch of road I would routine-ly encounter a woman sweeping up debris. At first she would juststare at me, but eventually she started saying hello. One morn-ing I was listening to music as I happened upon her, andbecause of the volume, I accidentally shouted “HELLO”. As thesound reverberated off the sleeping houses, I could see herwince. She stopped saying hello.

Azeri’s are salt of the earth people. If they have one indul-gence, it’s soccer. The kids at school would ask who my favoriteteams were and if I saw the Manchester United game last night.This being the case, I always thought it was strange that theydidn’t understand the concept of running if for no other reasonthan as a training regimen. Thus it was to my great surprisewhen one day I arrived at school (I had been outed as a runnerby this point) and was told that there would be a “marathon”the next day. The prize for first place was supposed to be 100dollars. I would like to say that I participated because I wantedto support this novel venture, but I desperately needed themoney (100 dollars buys a lot of eggs).

I showed up on the day of the race and quickly discovered thatthe “marathon” was actually a 2 k race. As I looked around at mycompetitors, I scoffed at their dress pants and loafers, much asthey scoffed at me for wearing a track suit and running shoes.As I waited for the gun, I realized that I had to win, morebecause it would legitimize what I did every morning than forthe money. The gun sounded and we were off. Pumping my legsas hard as I could, I was dismayed to find myself in 3rd place aswe reached the half-way mark. In a war of attrition, I somehoweked out a win as I passed the two ahead of me right before thefinish. I was breathing so hard that I almost passed out, but Iwas trying to act like it was no big deal. As I strutted up to theorganizer to collect my prize money, I was taken back when hehanded me a large bag. I looked inside to discover a ceramic

continued on page 23

JACOB C. REINBOLTNickname: JakeMember since: 1988

(with a 7 year lapse 1993-’99)

Age group: M 50-54

Status: S

Occupation: Lawyer

Blog/website: http://tiny.cc/LiMwz

When not training, I enjoy: learningabout how best to live this life(mostly via taoism, buddhism,feng shui, and ayurveda); quantumphysics; nature; weightlifting;meditation, solitude, and silence;bikram yoga; gardening; writing(just about to finish a book onhow to be happy); helping thosewho are trying to help themselves;the comics; ultra-deep sleep; beer;quality, organic food.

Favorite local restaurant: WholeFoods - I don’t enjoy restaurantsanymore because as I've gottenolder I’ve realized that ultra-highquality food is critical to main-taining my vitality. Given we con-sume a limited number of caloriesevery day, any poor quality foodnecessarily squeezes out otherquality food we could have eaten.

Before I became a triathlete, I was a: a tennis player (profes-sional aspirations until I realized I was not talented enough).

Favorite Race/Tri Event:Ironman Hawaii 70.3

PR/Best Race: USTS San Diego 1990(Olympic distance - 2:03).

4

continued on page 6

MEMBER PROFILE

The TCSD Real Beginners’ Bike Ride takesplace on the 56 bike path and is a club ridewhere NOBODY gets left behind. If you canride comfortably for at least 60 minutes without stopping (total ride time 90 min-utes) then this ride is for you. Please haveat least minimal cycling ability (can ride,shift, and corner your bike adequately). Beready for a couple of moderate climbs onthe first half of the ride. Beginners needhills too!

We will have a brief bike talk at 8:30am,and be rolling by 9am. Helmets are MANDATORY. We will help you change yourflats along the way, but please be equippedwith your own tubes to carry on the ride.

Questions? Contact Dean and ’the Steve’s’at [email protected]

Schedule of Events:8:30–8:50: Bike Q&A 9:00 - ??: Bike Ride

Directions:I-5 to Carmel Valley Road.East on Carmel Valley Road to El CaminoReal.South (RIGHT) on El Camino Real.In about 1/2 mile, RIGHT into the parkinglot for California Bank and Trust.

Sunday, January 17th, 8:30 am

Monday, January 18th, 6:00 pm

TRIATHLON 101 & BEGINNERS’ MEETING

Attention beginners! This monthly talk isspecifically designed to get you started inthe sport of triathlon, and our goal is todemystify triathlon, and remove the ’intimi-dation factor.’ We will cover triathlon basicsfrom A to Z. All questions are fair game!NON-MEMBERS WELCOME!

Contact:Questions or comments can be sent to beginner coaches Steve T, Dean R, and/or Steve K at [email protected]

Where:B&L Bike & Sport - San Diego Store3603 Camino Del Rio West San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 294-9300

Directions:It’s right off Interstate 5 at Rosecrans acrossfrom Hampton Inn.

Thurdsay, January 7th, 6:00 pmNEWBIE NETWORKING MEETING

This monthly (first Thursday of every month)gathering is specifically designed to introduce you to the sport of triathlon and the Triathlon Club of San Diego. NON-MEMBERS WELCOME!

Contact:Questions or comments can be sent to beginner coach Farah Hedwig,[email protected]

Where:Hi-Tech Bikes7638 Clairemont Mesa Bvld.San Diego, CA 92111(858) 715-1517

Directions:Take freeway 52 to Convoy, turn right onClaremont Mesa Blvd. Across from Sears, 1/2 block west of Convoy.

REAL BEGINNERS’ BIKE RIDE

Monday6:00 PM Group Run, 4-6 miles, all paces welcome. • Location: Movin Shoes, Encinitas.

7:30 PM Pool Swim (long course) in La Jolla/UTC • Location: JCC, 4126 Executive Dr.

Tuesday6:00 AM Bike Workout in Solana Beach, 27 miles, all levels. • Location: Front of B&L Bikes.

6:30 AM Bike Workout in Point Loma • Location: Moment Cycle Sports, 1357 Rosecrans.

6:00 PM Run Workout, 5 miles • Location: Mission Bay Boardwalk. Meet at south jetty parking lot.

6:00 PM Track Workout in Carlsbad, a coached session • Location: Carlsbad H.S. Track.

Wednesday5:30 PM Advanced MTB Training • Location: Penasquitos Canyon Side Park (east pkg lot).

Contact: Dave Krosch, [email protected]

6:00 PM Bike Workout in Coronado • Location: Starting at Holland’s Bicycles.

6:00 PM Bike Workout in Cental San Diego • Location(s): varies,

Contact: Andy Concors, details at www.bikecoachandy.blogspot.com

7:30 PM Pool Swim (long course) in La Jolla/UTC • Location: JCC, 4126 Executive Dr.

Thursday6:00 AM Bike Workout in Solana Beach, 27 miles, all levels. • Location: Front of B&L Bikes.

6:30 AM Bike Workout in Point Loma • Location: Starting at Moment Cycle Sports.

Friday6:45 AM Ocean Swim in Solana Beach, in the water at 7am. • Location: at Fletcher Cove

(I-5, to Lomas Santa Fe west)

Saturday8:00 AM Bike Workout in Del Mar, all levels welcome. • Location: Meet at Starbucks

(Hwy 101 & 15th st.)

SundaySunrise East County Trail Run; various start locations in Mission Trails Regional Park,

Contact: Florian Hedwig for specific week’s information (619) 820-2388,

[email protected] or [email protected].

7:30 AM Penasquitos Trail Run • Contact: Mark Kenny for more information (760) 271-2003

7:45 AM Swim (starts at 8 sharp) and run follows towards Torrey Pines Park • Location: Meet at

Powerhouse Park in Del Mar.

8:30 AM REAL Beginners Bike Ride - Once a month (see following page for date & complete details)

TCSD WEEKLY WORKOUT CALENDAR

WWW.TRICLUBSANDIEGO.ORG5

Most Embarrassing orDisastrous Moment: Finishing270th out of 330 in my firsttriathlon in 1982 and gorgingon a huge kielbasa sausageimmediately after finishingbecause I was starved todeath. (But the best part ofthis disastrous situation wasreceiving so much encourage-ment from those that passedme in the last 5 miles of therun).

My Equipment:Wetsuit: XTERRA Bike: LitespeedRunning Shoes: New Balance

and Asics

Equipment wish list: Powermeter (can’t decide which oneto go with), an Endless Pool(you said this was a wishlist!), and mountain bike toride in the off season (can’tdecide what to get on this oneeither).

Can’t Race Without: salt tabs.

Best advice: If you want to gofast in a race you have to real-ly hurt in training - this meanspainful intervals on the bikeand on the track.

MEMBER PROFILE,continued

6


Congratulations IM Finishers!

IM Arizona - Novewmber 22, 2009

Time OV AG Rank AG Swim Bike RunJerald Cook 9:33:38 66 9 1:04 4:55 3:28Scott Federoff 10:26:06 240 56 1:13 5:05 3:59Leo Michaelis 10:44:38 346 80 1:16 5:12 4:00Diana Noble 10:53:58 397 3 1:16 5:38 3:49Karl Coleman 10:58:07 431 93 1:20 5:18 4:05Jennifer Neuschwander 11:01:51 448 12 1:18 5:26 4:09Bernadette Sidney 11:03:28 456 4 1:11 5:41 3:58Eric Davidson 11:18:05 529 53 1:22 5:19 4:26J Harris 11:19:00 539 78 1:20 5:30 4:17Craig Woodhouse 11:20:13 549 114 1:10 5:44 4:15Marc Feldman 11:29:01 621 63 1:18 5:50 4:10Chris Grout 11:33:31 659 88 1:17 5:26 4:39Ben Horne 11:38:29 695 44 1:20 5:57 4:09Mike Plumb 11:47:25 769 83 1:06 5:30 4:56Sergio Gurrieri 11:50:53 811 172 1:24 5:52 4:19Sinead Clancy 11:51:23 814 27 1:20 6:03 4:08Rebecca Divita 11:52:55 829 29 1:17 5:41 4:43Joshua Dinen 11:56:39 860 106 1:15 5:53 4:33Monica Gabourel 11:58:54 882 33 1:17 5:57 4:24Greg Smeltzer 12:04:26 916 187 1:07 5:57 4:48Stephen Akridge 12:05:25 923 61 1:14 5:48 4:43Tyler Ives 12:15:05 987 125 1:06 5:56 4:59Mike Beck 12:17:09 999 207 1:20 6:16 4:29Alan MacNeilan 12:18:25 1005 6 1:38 6:19 4:01Theresa Espinosa 12:24:07 1053 24 1:21 5:57 4:40Mary Scudder 12:31:54 1132 32 1:15 5:53 5:14Skip Slade 12:32:02 1133 59 1:00 5:44 5:33Dave Baril 12:44:18 1236 147 1:33 5:55 4:45Rob Watson 12:51:57 1313 9 1:03 5:57 5:34Elizabeth Mele 12:55:33 1353 40 1:46 6:10 4:43Tracy Cohen-Peranteau 13:04:19 1424 30 1:32 6:07 5:10Ben Norton 13:23:21 1568 282 1:16 6:08 5:46Joe Pascual 13:35:42 1657 297 1:39 7:00 4:37Eric Heiser 13:36:04 1659 298 1:18 6:12 5:44Solene Moreton 13:37:34 1671 76 1:17 6:16 5:45Rigoberto Moreno 14:00:31 1860 365 1:36 7:01 4:53Susan Lee 14:22:36 1936 24 1:49 7:16 5:01Matt Clements 14:26:06 1959 380 1:26 6:27 6:12Ann Heppler 14:53:38 2088 79 1:13 7:15 6:10Roger Gedminas 15:16:47 2169 410 1:12 7:10 6:37Kasia Dinen 15:27:45 2194 108 1:36 7:36 5:49Anita Talevski 15:53:15 2266 102 1:20 6:49 7:12Neal Henderson 16:44:12 2380 1 1:39 7:02 7:04

1,853 Participants. Seconds and transitions not included.

Indicates qualified for 2010 IM World’s Championship.

M40-44M35-39M35-39W45-49M40-44M30-34W30-34W44-49M30-34M40-44M45-49M30-34M25-29M45-49M40-44W30-34W30-34M30-34W30-34M40-44M25-29M30-34M40-44M60-64W45-49W25-29M50-54M30-34M60-64M40-44W45-49M35-39M35-39M35-39W30-34M40-44W50-54M40-44W45-49M40-44W30-34W35-39M75-79

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montly eNewletterwww.kashi.com/newsletters

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Use code TCSD toreceive 25% off your

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NEW MEMBERS

Craig: What was your athletic backgroundbefore triathlon?

Raja: I’ve always been the kid bouncingaround with extra energy. I ran cross countryand track in High School and made it to theCity level. I enjoyed running, but wasn’t allthat great at it.

My background comes from riding and com-peting horses. I’ve been riding horses since Iwas 7 and competing more or less since then.As I look back, my life was like a Triathlonthroughout high school with school, runningand horses. By the time I entered UCLA, myankles were trashed and I was on a high withthe horses, so I ran only for fun, stopped rac-ing and devoted all spare holidays to trainingwith the horses. I compete in a disciplinecalled Dressage, which is the French word for”training“. Dressage is the art of training ahorse to dance. It’s a military to Olympicsbased sport centered on training the horse forCalvary where a rider may need to give silentcues to a horse. The white Lipizzaner horses ofAustria still pride themselves on the militarytradition. Today it’s an Olympic disciplinebased on art & training rather than militaryconditions.

I didn’t have any money and was luckyenough to be a working student for formerOlympic rider Charlotte Bredahl. I rode a bor-rowed horse that was 2 inches taller than apony. I mucked stalls and even lived in a barnduring intense training weeks. I also workedwith Conrad Schumacher, the then coach ofthe silver medal Dutch Olympic team. But, weworked and we made it to the 1997 NorthAmerican Young Rider Championships (JrOlympics of sorts) and came home with a TeamGold. In ’98 I was the top Amateur (no longera Jr) rider at my division in the country. I thenwent pro. I really did have Olympic dreams.Then tragedy struck.

Craig: What happened?

Raja: As a fairly average cross-country runner,I always figured I would run a marathon. Afterall, that’s what average cross country runnersdo… go long. My dad had run 4 or 5 LAMarathons, and while the sight of him oozingover the couch for days post-marathon shouldhave deterred me, it was, what I thought Iwould eventually do. Run for hours and thencollapse on the couch for days.

However, on May 4, 1999 I had a bad day. Areaaaalllly bad day. I was riding a young horsefresh under saddle who was having a bad day.I should have gotten off and let her have abad day, by herself. But I didn’t. I used to jokeif a horse wanted to get me off, they wouldhave to go down with me. Then it happened,she lost her balance and fell on me, using meas her cushion. I lay there in the sand andknew it wasn’t going to be pretty. I could wig-gle my toes and feel the top of my boots and

TCSD CONVERSATION I had the good fortune recently to talk triathlon with the TCSD’s formerSponsorship Director, Raja Lahti-McMahon. Raja’s awesome 2009 seasonincluded a great performance racing for Team USA at the ITU SprintTriathlon World Championships. Raja knows firsthand how to climb backon the horse after falling off. Please join me as we get to know this wellrounded lady.

continued on page 8

Raja, finish line sprint at Age Group Nationals.

James Calder

Randy Carlson

Pete DeMaster

Gregory DuPraw

Elaine Dusetzina

Michael Fanolla

Jennifer Ferguson

Holly Frisque

Kelcy Gatson

Elizabeth Grant

Andrew Hanover

Lionel Herrera

Markus Hofmann

Sabine Hofmann

Jeff Johnson

Andrew Kaltenbach

Jet Lastrilla

Anna Lenhart

Spencer MacDonald

Mickey Murad

Kimberly Navaline

Thai Ngo

Martin Nilsen

Joshua Perkis

Melinda Redding

Dan Redfern

Richard Reilly II

Tim Reynolds

Patricia Ridgway

Jerry Russell

Todd Sadesky

Trent Sakamoto

Margaret Sakamoto

Erik Sjogren

Philip Vessey

Nathan Weaver

Nathan Weaver

By Craig Zelent

just stayed positive that I wasn’t a paraplegic,yet. Four mighty-fine fire fighters carefullylifted humpy-dumpty and all her pieces intothe ambulance and off I went. My life wouldnot be the same.

I had broken my back, pelvis & hip in 7places. I lost two units of blood in the firsthour, bleeding to death without one scratchon my body. My parents were flown to the hos-pital and were told I might not live the night.I had a morphine induced dream that nightwhere I was running on the beach. Wheneveryone else had doubts on me walkingagain, I knew I would run again. I didn’t how-ever, have a clue I’d be doing triathlons.

I was transported the 5 hours back to LAwhere the only surgeon who would attempt toreassemble me, Joel Matta MD, put humpty-dumpty back together again. I called myfriends and told them I had good news & badnews. Good news first, I was back in LA. Badnews, you can come seeme at Good SamaritanHospital. Three surgeries,a wheelchair, a pair ofcrutches, and a year later,I ran my first steps aroundthe block. It would takeyears before I regained fullmobility of my right leg.In 2002 I moved from LAto San Diego and startedover. My thoughts of doinga marathon were over. Istill couldn’t run any dis-tance without my right legcramping. I could howev-er, run a 5K... and got theitch to do something. Ineeded to do something.

Craig: What was your firsttriathlon like?

Raja: I wanted a challenge and a marathonwould be out of the question. So I opened myPB local magazine and saw the 2004 MissionBay Triathlon listed in October. It was June. Icould do it. I had my challenge. I found a ran-dom program for a sprint triathlon and tried tofollow it the best I could. It took all the extra

time I had. Not accustomed to doing 2 work-outs a day, I thought it was borderline ridicu-lous. I bought some goggles and a cap andjumped into the cove every Friday afternoonto see if I could finally swim to the quartermile buoy and back. I knew how to swim, butnot very well. I had no idea what I was doing.Funny to look back and think all my swim bud-dies were probably TCSD! I rode my 40lb moun-tain bike around Mission Bay boardwalk as a"bike" workout. My longest run was 30 min-utes. And I never knew that you were sup-posed to practice running off the bike. I racedthat fateful October morning after listening toGurujan Dourson give his "How to do aTriathlon" lecture 3 times. I had no clue whatwas involved. I survived the swim, got on my"gelapi" (as my husband calls it) completingthe bike, and then tried to run. I’d run plentyof 5Ks in my life, but now I had spaghetti legsand didn’t quite know why the devil had pos-sessed my body. I finished 34th and promptly

got hooked.

I decided I’d benefit bylearning to swim so Ijoined a masters programat The Plunge in MissionBay. Here I met my soon-to-be-husband, DavidMcMahon, and one of mybest friends, training part-ners, and co-worker StacyDietrich. It was a fruitfulmasters program! I neverlearned to swim, though.After I met Dave mytriathlon bug took off. Isold a horse and bought abike. I told my fellow dres-sage riders the bikes poopless and the vet bills were

much cheaper. I got a coach, former pro PeterClode, a swim mentor, Neily Mathias, and I hadDave and his 17 years of triathlon. The resthas TCSD written all over it!

Now I just have some imbalances due to aslightly askew pelvis which are managed withmy chiropractor Chris Elleraas and ART withGino Cinco. I’ve actually got to give Gino the

8

TCSD Conversation, continued

Watch out for Raja!, at AG NationalChampionship.

TCSD RACEDISCOUNTSMany race promoters offer TCSDmembers special discounts. Someevents require club members touse mail-in application and includea photocopy of TCSD membershipcard, others may require a specialcode.

Visit the Club’s discount sectionon the web for additional detailsand discount codes.

Elite Racing www.EliteSports.comRock & Roll Marathon (San Diego) Discount: $10 off.

Encinitas TriathlonDiscount: $10 off.

Jingle Bell 5K Benefits Arthritis Foundation.Discount: $5 off.

Kathy Loper Eventswww.kathyloperevents.comAt least a dozen local 5Ks, 10Ksand half marathons. For a com-plete list go to the website.Discount: $3 off all events.

Klein and Clark SportsProductionsDesert Triathlon, Sprint andOlympic Races.Discount: $5 off Sprint/$9 offOlympic.

Koz EnterprisesSpring Sprint Triathlon, San DiegoInternational Triathlon, SolanaBeach Triathlon, Imperial BeachTriathlon, Mission Bay Triathlon,Silver Strand Half Marathon.Including SuperFrog & SuperSeal.Discount: $5 off all events.

Pacific Sports LLCLos Angeles Triathlon, NewportBeach Triathlon, Long BeachTriathlon, Catalina Island Triathlonand Marathon and more.Discount: $10 off all events.

Tri CaliforniaTriCalifornia.comAlkatraz, Pacific Grove, SanFrancisco, Wildflower Triathlonsand Scott Tinley’s Adventures Discount: See TSCD’s Forum fordiscount code.

credit he deserves. UntilI met Gino, I couldn’t sitcross legged. Afterencountering someissues running, coachPeter advised me to seeGino. In 1 session withGino I regained themobility I lost 7 yearsprior.

Craig: You and I bothrepresented Team USA atthe ITU Triathlon WorldChampionships in GoldCoast, Australia. Whatwas that experience likefor you?

Raja: I race because Ican. One day, long ago, Inearly lost the ability towalk. You never knowwhat will happen andthat event, as traumaticas it was, left me a bet-ter person. I’ve alwaysbeen competitive. NowI’m competitive withmyself, and only myself. I enjoy being physi-cally fit, but more importantly, I enjoytriathlon because I clearly remember whilerunning my first triathlon in Mission Bay, Ithought this was stupid, silly and impossible.Now I know I can do it. For me it’s a questionof how well can I do, while still keeping therest of my life. I’m not a pro and I never willbe. I’m just not that talented. I am a decentage grouper and enjoy racing against otheramazing athletes. I’m cool with getting myrear handed to me by better athletes. So Iaimed for Nationals. I had tried twice, andcome within 2 seconds of making the list tomake Worlds. In July I placed 5th at the SprintNational Championships and was in forWorlds... in September. I hadn’t planned it butdecided that if it was the only Worlds team Iwould make, I would regret not going.Hopefully it won’t be the only chance.

Dave was lucky enough to book his oneclient in Australia for the same time so wecould both afford to make the trip. We flew

into Brisbane andhopped on a bus forNoosa. Here wewould decompressand adjust to thenew time zone. Thefabulous littlebeach town isknown for hosting alarge triathlon fes-tival. We went forruns through rainforests, saw koalasin the wild, swamin perfect familysurf and rode bikeson the wrong sideof the street. That,is strange. Wewalked at night andate amazing mealson the beach. After3 days of paradise,we rented a car anddrove south toSurfers Paradise. Asnatural and peace-ful as Noosa is,

Surfers is not. It’s a concrete jungle of highrise hotels and tourist traps. It does, however,allow housing for thousands, as we all con-verged for the ITU World Championships.

There were so many fantastic athletes. Justto be among them was truly amazing andinspiring. This was something I could neverhave imagined, and now I was here sporting aTeam USA Speedo. I raced in the AquathlonWorld Championships (ironic since I’m a crap-py swimmer) to break the ice and see whatwould happen to my nerves. I’ve always beentold not to try something new at a race, andyet here I was about to race a format I hadnever done before: run - swim - run. I can’t tellyou how fast the air escapes your hot lungswhen you literally go from a sprint to a swandive into the water. Cold water with no wet-suit. It took half the swim just to catch mybreath. As I like to joke, I am a land mammal,



All Smiles at finish line at AG Nation.

Tri EventsTriEvents.comLos Angeles TriathlonChampionship Series at BonelliPark.Discount: 10% off race entry.

SilvermanHalf iron distance and iron distance event, Henderson, NV.Discount: $10 off.

TCSD RACEDISCOUNTS

BIKE & WHEEL CASE RENTAL

REMINDER

TCSD has traveling bike and wheelcases for rent! We have hard-shellsingle and double bike cases andwheel cases that will hold threewheels. The single cases are shippable by UPS and FedEx.

Rates per week:Single case $25 Double case $40Wheel cases $25 Deduct $10 if renting both a bikecase and a wheel case.

To reserve a case or if you haveany questions, contact Bob Rosen [email protected]

10

TCSD Conversation, continuedand thus felt relieved to hit solid ground again and run till I waswarm again. I felt like I was competing in a different league withathletes much better than myself. Olympians were here going fora spin next to you. But I was here too. My goal was to try hardand finish. I had no clue where I’d place, nor did I care.

My entire 2009 season had been plagued by sinus allergies,chronic sinus infections, a cough thatstill hasn’t stopped since last March, andthe inability to swim on a regular basis.Thanks to doc John Martinez, I was atleast able to keep training. It’s been aseason of super highs, and super lows.This was a super high after such a shakyyear. There were 4 different triathlonWorld Championship races being held:ITU Elite, Under 23, Age Group Olympicand Age Group Sprint. All of whichreceive equal grandeur as the elites. Nowonder people get hooked to this stuff.

When my sprint triathlon race startedon Sunday morning, I swam as hard as Icould, and still exited the water 7th to

last. Nothing unexpected, especially at this level. Then I was offon the bike. It is here at which time I feel like I am at peace.Legs burning and lungs busting, but at peace. I feel like I’m fly-ing and my legs are just turning over with a mind of their own.I stopped counting the people I passed. My goal was to make top20. I had a hard enough time making top 20 at the National

level. At the Worlds level I expected itto be even rougher. By the run I wastrying as hard as I could but my legswere no longer turning over with ease.The final stretch is through the bannersand flags. It truly is the most amazingexperience. Skip Gilbert, ExecutiveDirector of USA Triathlon, handed me anAmerican flag and I death gripped it tothe end. I placed 18th and wanted tocry. I don’t need to win to feel great. Idid it for me and there was no betterfeeling. Ten years ago I was in a wheel-chair. Who knew??

Craig: What do you suggest for yourTCSD friends who may want to raceevents such as Nationals and Worlds? Swim exit at World’s.

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Raja: Go for it! It’s a challenge. If not to qual-ify, then to make Worlds, but if you don’t try,you’ll never know. I have so much satisfactionfinishing these USA Triathlon NationalChampionship races because you are compet-ing among the best in the country. And you’rethere which means you’re one of them. It’s agoal worth reaching for.

Craig: During 2008 and 2009 you were theTCSD’s sponsorship coordinator and your hus-band Dave is now filling that role. Thank youfor all you did to truly take that job to a veryprofessional level. What did that job involve?

Raja: Time. Insane amounts of time. I wantedto help and volunteer and when I joined afterformer TCSD President Jim McCann passedaway, we were left with a bankers box of notesfrom 10 years ago. Brian Long was a drivingforce in getting the club back on track and re-organized. I went in with the mind set that Iwanted something that wasgood for the members andgood for the sponsors all atthe same time. I createdsome promotional materialfor the club and startedcontacting past sponsorsand began preparing pack-ages that would be fair andreasonable. I can’t stress toTCSD members how hardthe board members workbehind the scenes to makeit all run as smooth as pos-sible. Sometimes it’s notperfect, but instead ofgriping about somethingthat you don’t like, perhapstake a moment and think ofsome of the good thingsthat have happened. Afterall, we’re all volunteers. Myjob as a pharmaceuticalsales rep has ramped up to most of my time. Ifelt with my time crunch that the Sponsorshipposition would best be handled by someoneelse. I was lucky Dave already had his eye onwhat I was doing. It’s not an easy transitionfrom one person to another, but he’s done agreat job and from his business consultingbackground has really added to the position

beyond what I could have done.

Craig: What advice would you have for some-one wanting to get involved as more than justa passive member of the TCSD?

Raja: If you have interest in being a part ofthe team, learning the development of anorganization, or feel you have experiencewhich would benefit the club, please contactone of the board members! We have a hugeclub of over 2300 members, and it surprisesme we can barely find enough volunteers forraces, or even to run for elections. Taking theposition really helped broaden my scope oforganizational development and how to nego-tiate between representing members and rep-resenting a sponsor. I truly believe it’s helpedme to communicate better with my job andbecome a better problem solver. This is anorganization of volunteers; it feels great togive back.

Craig: What is yourfavorite aspect ofbeing a TCSD member?

Raja: The communityaspect. I have met somany great people andfriends.

Craig: What is the fun-niest thing you havewitnessed while train-ing or racingtriathlons?

Raja: Hands downwatching Brian Longand Buck Williamsonscare the daylights outof those poor Tour ofCalifornia cyclists ear-lier this year. I havegot some photos that

will go down in my his-tory book. I’m not sure

if I was laughing or crying. Maybe both.

Craig: Who is your hero or role model?

Raja: This is a tough question. There are somany. I have a dressage friend in LA, PattyMayer, who really helped me get through mycontinued on page 19

Bike course, ITU World‘s-Gold Coast, AUS.

B&L Bike and SportsContact: Scott [email protected] • www.blbikes.comDiscount: 10% off soft goods excluding labor, Zipp, Hed or Oakley products.

Hi-Tech Bikes.com Contact: Hank Montrose7638 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92111(858) 715-1517 • www.hi-techbikes.comDiscount: 10% bikes and wheels,

15% off accessories.

Moment Cycle SportContact: JT Lyons or Cory Osth1357 Rosecrans St., Ste A, San Diego, CA 92107 (619) 523-BIKE • www.momentcyclesport.comDiscount: 10% off everything excluding labor, 15% off clothing.

Nytro Multisport940 S. Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024(800) 697-8007 • www.Nytro.comDiscount: 10% off retail for all products excluding labor, Zipp and Hed products.

Pulse Endurance SportsContact: Mike Drury1020 A-2 Tierra Del Rey, Chula Vista, CA 91910(619) 656-5222 • www.pulseendurance.comDiscount: 10% off to TSCD members.

Gordon & Weiss Vision InstituteContact: Cindy Haskell(858) 455-6800 • www.gordonweissvision.comDiscount: (5% for laser vision correction surgery,eye exams, glasses and contact lenses.

Rehab United Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, Inc. (Rehab United or RU)3959 Ruffin Rd., Ste. F, San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 279-5570 • www.rehabunited.comDiscount: 10% off services.

University City Physical TherapyContact: Gino Cinco(858) 452-0282 • [email protected]: 10% off cash payments.

Arch MoldsContact: Andrew Slatter7975 Dunbrook Rd., Ste. J, San Diego, CA 92126(800) 930-2724 • www.archmolds.comDiscount: 20% off, discount code available onTCSD Member Discount web page.

Art of TriContact: [email protected] • www.artoftri.com

Beaker Concepts, Inc.Contact: Andrew [email protected]: 35% off all products, use code TCSD.

Road Runner Sports www.roadrunnersports.com

Rudy Projectwww.e-rudy.comDiscount: 40% off helmets and sunglasses, discount code available on TCSD Member Discountweb page.

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MULTISPORT SHOPS MASSAGE, REHAB & HEALTH CARE

APPAREL, EQUIPMENT & RUNNING SHOES

12

San Diego Running InstituteContact: David Wilcox4760-B Mission Gorge Pl., San Diego, CA 92120(619) 265-SDRI (7374) • www.sdri.net

SkinFitContact: Trevor Glavin(805) 322-7546 • www.SkinFitusa.comDiscount: 15% off, discount code “tcsd”.

Xterra Wetsuits Contact: Victoria du Roure(858) 565-9500Discount: 25% off, code available on TCSDMember Discount web page.

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IRONMAN Organic Coffeewww.mdotcoffee.comDiscount: 25% off, code available on TCSDMember Discount web page.

Kashiwww.kashi.comFree Newsletter: www.kashi.com/newsletters

RunJunk.comContact: Robert Mitchell4901 Morena Blvd., Ste 323, San Diego, CA 92117(619) 793-5877 • [email protected]: 5% off all products, use code TCSD.

A&E Construction ServicesContact: Joe Esposito(619) 588-4113 • www.a-ecs.com

Blue Summit Financial GroupContact: Judy Seid(619) 698-4330 • www.bluesummitinvest.com

Competitor Magazinewww.competitor.com

FlexPowerContact: Kenneth Yun1562 Solano Ave. Berkeley, CA 94707(510) 527-9955 • www.flexpower.comDiscount: 33% off, use code “TRICLUB”

Oak Hill SoftwareContact: John [email protected]

Law Firm Richard L. Duquette (Bicycle Injury Lawyer since 1983)Contact: Richard L. Duquette(760) 730-0500 or (800) 464-4123www.911law.comDiscount: Attorney fee discounted $500.00 toTCSD members with another $250.00 donated(from my Attorney’s fee) to TCSD and $250.00 toChallenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) on behalf/in the name of any injured TCSD member.

Prudential RealtyContact: Brian Long(760) 415-3329www.thisisbrian.com

Robert’s Auto Service Contact: Keith Benline, [email protected] Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, CA 92109(619) 275-1132 • www.robertsautoservice.com Discount: 10% off all services/repairs (exceptalready discounted services), maximum $100.

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13

14

FRIENDS OF TCSDOFFERING DISCOUNTS

COACHING SERVICES

Breakaway Training(858) 361-0761Contact: Felipe [email protected]

EnduranceZone.com www.fitstop-lab.comContact: Barry Kelly, Fit StopDiscount: 15% off for all TCSDmembers. Use ”TCSD” as thecoupon code, $50 off of the normalprice for VO2 testing.

Sergio Borges X Trainingwww.SDXTraining.com(858) 558-1337Contact: Sergio [email protected]

Training Bible Coaching (619) 886-3227Contact: Jim [email protected]

Tri Power Multisport(760) 420-8032Contact: Mike [email protected]

MASSAGE & PHYSICAL

Active Release TechniquesUniversity City Physical Therapy (858) 452-0282www.ucpt.comDiscount: 30% off ART sessionswith Gino Cinco, PT, certified ARTprovider and instructor.

Bart Gale, HHP and TCSD member.1356 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach(858) 531-8189Email: [email protected] in Sports, Thai, NMT &Deep Tissue Sculpting.

Sabine Grossmann234 N. Acacia Ave., Solana Beach,(619) 347-9535Licensed Massage Therapist andTCSD member.


During off season is the time to really focus onyour technique so you can run faster in 2010!

Now that you have learned how to develop afast stride rate (read my previous articles) andhave trained your brain to fire at a quickerrate, for you to run faster, you need to be ableto lift your knees higher so you will be “in theair” longer achieving a longer distance withoutslowing your stride rate = FAST RUN!

Triathletes are a stubborn and dedicatedpeople, whose approach to training is oftenbased in traditional thinking. When it comesto running, traditional thinking states that alla runner needs do to improve is to just run,and run, and run some more, without payingmuch attention to other aspects of overall fit-ness such as functional and core strength, ormaintaining muscle and joint mobility andelasticity. The problem with that thinking isthat running, in and of itself, does NOT makeyou stronger, and its not an activity that helpsyou stay more mobileand flexible. Why doesstrength or flexibilitymatter? Over time, aswe age and as themiles pile up, if we donothing but just run,we will become weak-er and tighter and eventually that weaknessand tightness will ruin our performance andincrease our injury risk. In what is a cruel real-ity, if you just run and ignore the otheraspects of a smart, balanced training, you willend up losing the ability to do the ONE thingyou most want to do, which is run!

BE SMARTThe major challenge we all face is that run-

ning itself doesnt make you strong, elastic, orflexible! If you want to run better, faster, andeasier, especially as you age, then you mustconsider how to address the two most basic,fundamental, and often misunderstood ele-ments that are absolutely essential to bothstaying injury free, and running easier andfaster. These elements need to be addressedwhen you are NOT running and are:

1. Stiffness and Strength: to run well andstay injury free, you need stiff and strong legs

and a strong core that WONT collapse whenyour feet make contact with the ground duringthe stance phase of running. If your legs col-lapse even slightly and your landing is soft,the energy that you need to power forward willdissipate and be lost. Your heart will have tobeat faster and work harder to make up thedifference because of that lost energy. Theresult: your heart rate goes up and your speedstays the same or drops.

2. Elasticity and Mobility: to run well andstay injury free, you need elastic, mobile, andflexible hips and legs that are able to absorbthe impact stress of running and move freelyand effortlessly through a full range of motion.If you lose elasticity around your hips, yourstride will shorten and your body as a wholewill be much less capable of absorbing groundimpact forces. The result: you will run slowerfor the same effort and your risk of injury willrise dramatically!

Simply put, running by itself, wont rewardyou with the strength or elasticity you need.You have to supplement your running programwith some functional strength training andflexibility training that is designed to buildand maintain a strong, balanced, and elasticbody.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE RUN?In order to understand the elements of stiff-

ness and elasticity and WHY they are so impor-tant, we need a basic understanding of whathappens up and down our kinetic chain duringrunning. Obviously, we dont think much aboutit when we are actually running but thesenervous and musculoskeletal system actionsdramatically impact how we should plan ourtraining routine.

Nearly 50% of the energy thats required torun comes directly from elastic energy returnof the muscles! Thats right, regardless of your

COACHES CORNER: WANT TO RUN FASTER IN 2010?

The economy of running is determined on one hand, by how the degrees of movement are restricted, and on the other hand, by how energy is reused.

Bosch and Klomp from: Running-Biomechanics and Physiology Applied In Practice

By Sergio Borges


FRIENDS OF TCSD OFFERING DISCOUNTS

Catherine Parker, C.M.T.Pacific Beach, CA (619) 757-0062Licensed massage therapist,Discount: $10 off each session.

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heart rate, yourage, or theweight of yourracing flats, halfof the energyneeded to runcomes from howwell your mus-cles "snap back"and return ener-gy to help youmove forward!Your hips andlegs are actingessentially likecoil springs,stretching, tens-ing, compress-ing, and recoiling, as energy is released pro-pelling you forward.

To take advantage of this reactivity and runfaster and easier, you need to improve yourmuscles’ ability to absorb and return energy,and improve your neuromuscular coordinationso that very little energy is lost during thetransfer from ground contact to push-off!

Eccentric and Concentric Muscle Actions: Inaddition to this elastic return of energy, yourmuscles are also contracting in very specificways during various phases of the stride. Forexample, your hamstrings contract eccentrical-ly during recovery to slow down, or decelerate,the forward swing momentum of your upperthigh. During the stance phase, your calf andAchilles tendon also contract eccentrically tokeep your feet from collapsing into your shin.Similarly, your quadriceps contract eccentrical-ly during the stance phase, to decelerate yourbody and prevent it from collapsing to theground against the forces of gravity. In caseyou are unaware, eccentric muscle contrac-tions are those where the muscle lengthens asit is contracting, effectively tearing the mus-cle! (Think of the negative portion of astrength exercise, such as lowering a weight tothe floor). Concentric muscle contractions, onthe other hand, are the opposite. During thosecontractions, the muscle is shortening as it iscontracting (think of the ”up“ phase of abiceps curl). Concentric contractions occur inthe glute and hamstring as you push off dur-ing the power phase of the stride. See thegraphic above, which does a great job of visu-

ally showing what I have just described:

Understanding how certain types of runningcan place very specific eccentric or concentricstress on the body is important to knowinghow to optimally train. For example, runningdownhill involves dramatic eccentric contrac-tions to our legs that are very damaging! Imsure youve experienced sore quads after run-ning a race or training run that has lots ofdownhill running. Similarly, running uphillrequires very strong glutes and hamstrings tocontract concentrically to power you up thehill. Beyond simply including downhill anduphill running in your training program, youneed to include supplemental strength train-ing in your routine that enhances your abilityto run down, and up, or on the flat, more eas-ily with a lower risk of injury. Also, when youunderstand how your muscles function duringrunning, you realize that "traditional"strength training (mostly machines on thegym) usually wont provide the right kinds ofstrength that is needed. For example, a typicalleg curl performed on a machine to strengthenthe hamstrings produces a very different kindof stress to the hamstring than what actuallyoccurs during the recovery phase of the stride.The machine movement is concentric, and therunning stress is eccentric! Remember: thestrength exercises we choose must mimic theactual movements and stressors that occurduring running, in order to provide the bene-fits we seek!

Muscle Activation

Elastic ComponentEccentric Isometric Concentric


16

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GOALS: Cross the line,have fun, and haveenough run to possiblyconsider doing anotherrace!

With my serious lackof training this year, Ithink these goals werevery reasonable. Due tomy lack of running train-ing this year. By lack oftraining, I mean that Ican count all of six runsthis year, including: AFC,SOMA, Buffalo Alley 10K,and three jogs.

My background is as a runner, so I knowthat I have the mental strength to pushthrough the running pain and if I can not run,heck, I am walking but I WILL FINISH!

The goal was simple, cross the line. It isabout getting to the line on this one, notplacing. I was seriously worried about theswim, knew I would be fine on the bike, andhoped to cross the line on the run. Uponarrival, the ocean was whipping at an approx-imate 2-3mph current and the chop was largeenough to make a number of people toss theircookies on the Ferry from Cancun to Cozumel.My heart sank when I saw how fast the cur-rent was moving andall I could think was,“I am not going tofinish, because I amnot going to make itout of the water! Iwon’t be able to callmyself an Ironman!All this work andcost, and now this?!However, the localguide assured us thatthe conditions wouldimprove the race day.

RACE DAY: I got out of the water in 1:05. Ithink there were a number of factors to the

speed of my swim, (knowing fullwell that I swim like a brick).Contributing factors to my blaz-ing speed may be attributed tothe XTERRA speed suit I waswearing, the current (althoughwe had to swim both with andagainst it), the beautiful sceneryof the reef below and the 30-40foot dept with crystal clear water.The water conditions helped mementally because of all of thevisual stimulation the star fish,bat rays and sting rays providedme. The divers on the bottomwere nice enough to wave when Idove down to say hello to them.

Enjoy the experience remember!

BIKE: The bike course was as flat as a pan-cake. I think the total elevation gain for thecourse was less than 40 feet. About two milesinto the bike, Brendan from Hi-Tech Bikesdecided to go blowing by me. I made thepoint to catch up and say hello and pass on acompliment about the nice new logo the localtequila shop had plastered on his uniform ashis official tequila sponsor for the race. Weexchanged encouraging words and he quicklyleft me in the dust. At about mile 10, Inoticed what seemed to be a never endingpack of people passing me. This was because

there was apeloton passingon the left. Asmuch as this isa individuale n d u r a n c esport, when agroup of 50 rid-ers starts to flyby you thetemptation isto join in.

The challenge of the bike course is the windon the eastern side of the island. The 10 milestretch on the backside of the island whileyou travel north, is fighting the steady cross-

Race Report: Ironman Cozumel By Ryan Keck, The FRS Guy

Date: November 2009 Location: Cozumel, Mexico

Cour

tesy

of

Julie

Urb

anic

k

Courtesy of Julie Urbanick


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Hike, Bike, KayakDiscount: Buy Two La Jolla SeaCave Kayak Tours, bring anotherperson for free! This is a two-hourguided kayak tour of the gorgeoussea caves area. (Includes equip-ment and plenty of free instructionon proper paddling technique.)

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wind that was reported to be between 20-35mph. It is quite humbling to look down with-in the first 30 miles and see that you aredoing 14 mph. There is always a flipside of thecoin; when you hang aleft and head into town,the wind is now at yourback. The size and scaleof the event really cometo life as you head totown from the barren,windblown east side ofthe island. The streetswere lined with people, 4-5 deep at points, allscreaming and cheering.Kids, parents, brothersand sisters were bangingon pots and pans yellingwords of encouragement.It is an amazing feeling to get chills in 85degree weather. This is as close as I will prob-ably ever come to having the feeling that onegets coming back into Kona. I cannot sayenough about what it meant to haveall of the locals cheering for us everyday folk like we were professionalathletes.

From my former life as a profes-sional soccer referee, I will admit itwas an interesting experience toreceive a red card from the officialfor a drafting penalty. However, Ihad mixed emotions because itmeant that I was lucky enough to beable to have 4 minutes to answernatures call and rest my legs at thenext aid station.

My bike leg finished at seven hoursfrom the start, including stopping tohelp two people with flats that hadvalve stems not long enough fortheir wheels. Lessons learned, alwaysask if someone needs help. I donated my back-up valve stem to the first and a backup longvalve stem tire to the second. I wonder howmany people didn’t ask. How easy it is to rollby someone and not think twice about stop-ping, but since I have had the experience ofrunning out of CO2 and tubes on a ride, I amforever grateful for the gentleman who DID

stop and ask if I needed anything. This, afterabout 50 cyclists who didn’t ask. Make it ahabit to ask and good karma will come back toyou. What do you have to lose?

RUN: It’s where the “fun” started. I wasable to celebrate the simple things inlife at this point. What a feeling it is topass a portable toilet and not need touse it. To say the least, my stomachwas a bit upset and prevented any fastpace running. To me, the volunteersmade the run as pleasurable as it couldbe. At about mile 20, I had the bestcracker I have had in my life becausesome random spectator brought saltycrackers to the aid table. You have noidea how much it means that spectatorswent and purchased mosquito repellentspray for the athletes who were on the

north end of the loop. Oh how I wish my blaz-ing speed would have kicked in at the northend of the loops 2 and 3. Post race, over 130mosquito bites were counted on me. Mentalnote, mosquito repellant in t2 bag and special

needs bag! All in all,the course was amaz-ing, flat, fast and fullof spectators while inthe populated areas.There was a localband playing drumsat the south end ofthe loop to add to allof the excitementwhile in town, andmotivate the runnersturning around foranother loop. I wasbecoming more andappreciative of thespectators of therace. Here I was able,to be working toward

a goal and they were simply cheering all dayand night. I can easily fathom doing anotherrace, but I find it very difficult to even thinkabout cheering for that amount of time. Makesure to thank the volunteers, wave at the peo-ple cheering for you if don’t have the oxygento voice a thank you.continued page 23

18

Rotation Throughout the Entire Chain: In addition to these muscular contrac-

tions, there is also a great deal of rotationgoing on up and down our “chain” that, ifrestricted or reduced, reduces performanceand increases risk of injury. See the graph-ic below and follow the arrows to see themany forms of rotation throughout yourspine, legs, and hips that happen whenyou run.

Without mobile and elastic hips thatallow this rotation to happen freely with-out restriction, you cant drive your kneeforward from the hips easily and powerful-ly during the recovery phase of the stridecycle, which is a critical element of good

running form.Without mobileand elastic hips,your legs willhave to absorbmore of thepounding andimpact forces,leading to amuch greaterrisk of injury toyour calf,Achilles, orh a m s t r i n g .W i t h o u tstrength andbalance in yourhips through all

planes of motion (side to side, not justfront to back), your risk of injury from ITBsyndrome or Piriformis syndrome, or someother malady, is much greater.

To summarize, if you want to be able tokeep running and avoid injury and ulti-mately run faster and easier, you need todo more than just run! Your daily trainingobjectives need to include supplementaltraining that will:

Improve the mobility and elasticity ofyour hips and legs:n Better reactive return of energy, more

speed, and much less risk of injury.

Improve your running-specific func-tional strength:n Less collapsing during the stance phase

(eccentric)

n Improved resiliency and resistance tofatigue (eccentric)

n Reduced risk of injury

n Improved power and speed (concentric)

I know some will be resistant to achange in routine and to adding thestrength and flexibility training that isneeded. It IS out-of-the-box thinking toconsider that what you do when you areNOT running is often as important as run-ning itself. Theres an old saying thatcomes to mind that goes something likethis: ”Our greatest strength can also beour greatest weakness." When it comes tomany runners, especially those who havebeen at it for a long time, I think this istrue! Our dedication and desire to main-tain our "running only" routine certainlyis one reason for our success, but at thesame time, as our bodies change and growgradually weaker and tighter and moreimbalanced, our dedication to our routinecan become a weakness that leads to frus-tration, plateauing, and injury. Take myadvice and begin to incorporate running-specific core and functional strength exer-cises into your program as soon as possi-ble to develop a foundation of strength

Coaches Corner, continued

We are a Sports Physical Therapy facility dedicated to findingand treating the underlying biomechanical problems that lead

to common sports injuries.

n Active Release Techniques®

n Functional Sports Medicine& Rehab

n Orthopedic Rehab

n Biomechanical Video Analysis

n Kinesiotaping & McConnellTaping Techniques

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n Functional Flexibility Programs

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n Neuromuscular Re-educationTraining

Ask for the special TCSD rate for our Active Release Techniques® Services

University City Physical Therapy & FunctionSMART Fitness

(858) 452-0282

www.ucpt.com

Image courtesy of Bosch and Klomp-Running: Biomechanics andPhysiology Applied In Practice

continued page 20

90° 80°

WWW.TRICLUBSANDIEGO.ORG


accident. She works about a billion hours aweek and makes the time to do what she needsto do. Namely get up at 5AM to ride the horsebefore work, then get to the office and workuntil 11PM. When I get overwhelmed, I thinkof Patty. She just inspires me to keep doing thethings you love to do. I think reminding your-self of someone like Lance Armstrong keepsyou going. Outside of the fact he’s a physicalfreak, he’s pretty darn amazing. Surviving can-cer, the drive to make your goals, the ability tolet your passion take second stage and thencome back without attitude? That’s prettyimpressive. I’m constantly amazed and in awewith all the female athletes out there withjobs, and families... and still get up to go to6AM swim. Like my friend, Whitney DeSpain,who does Ironman because she “doesn’t have alick of athletic talent.” Yeah... right! All you

triathletes inspire me.

Craig: Who are your personal sponsors?

Raja: As I have a more-than-full time job, I’venever really gone after any personal sponsors.I started racing for a Women’s Cycling teamcalled Velo Bella. Whitney and I were the only2 in San Diego and we both started submittingrace reports on triathlons. I’m lucky enough tobe sponsored by them now as part of their EliteTriathlon Team. We just picked up a new spon-sor Ellsworth who is just now releasing theirstellar new TT bike. Other sponsors includeGiro, Patagonia and SRAM. They haven’t yetfinalized their 2010 sponsorship so I don’thave the final list yet.

Craig: What do you do for a living?

Raja: I work for Allergan Pharmaceuticals as aTerritory Manager for their Eye Care division.

19

Barbara F. Ferrero - BS, CCN, LMT

Determine Your Goals and Develop

a Plan

(760) [email protected]

North County-San Diego

NutritionalConsultation

Feel energetic and healthy, all the time!

Achieve your athletic goals.

Reach your ideal weight andmaintain it with ease.

Beat craving and bonking.Balance your hormone levels.

Get healthy cholesterol andblood pressure readings.

All this and more with the helpful tips and

advice from a dedicated and knowledgeable

holistic health professional and

athlete.

IM Finishers, continued


If you are entered in an “iron” distance event (or longer), please email TCSD’s Ironman Coaches.Mike Drury or Liam Thier at [email protected]. That’s the only way to get listed inthe TCSD results.

IM Cozumel, Mexico - November 29, 2009

Time OV AG Rank AG Swim Bike Run

Brendan Wolters 10:24:34 69 3 M25-29 1:09 5:19 3:50

Dax Ross 11:48:24 304 71 M35-39 0:59 6:06 4:33

Hallie Putterman 12:39:02 531 16 W35-39 1:10 6:23 4:50

Melik Hernandez 13:43:02 840 195 M35-39 1:20 6:56 5:14

Ryan Keck 13:47:28 871 146 M30-34 1:05 6:15 6:15

Stephanie Snaman 14:43:06 1090 32 W25-29 1:18 7:33 5:36

Evan Johnson 15:19:22 1183 51 M25-29 0:57 6:52 7:12

Silvia Toma 16:14:57 1314 65 W40-44 1:26 8:24 5:57

Virginia Triple Ironman, Spotsylvania, VA - October 9-12, 2009

7.2 mile swim, 226 mile bike, and 78.6 mile run

Finish Time OV Swim Bike Run

Tom Washington 55hrs 14min (includes 4hrs of sleep) 4/14 4:11 25:36 25:04

Indicates qualified for 2010 IM World’s Championship.

Coaches Corner, continued

MHS-Works

20

Multisports Coaching & Personal Training(858) 361-0761 or (858) 231-5267

The Official Training Program of The San Diego Triathlon Series

Handyman, Bike Doctor, and Photographer. Quality you can see from a craftsman you can trust.

MATTHEW SPARKS (619) 756-3756 [email protected] v www.mhs-works.com

Discounts on labor and free consultation offered to TCSD members.

that is an ideal platform for technique improvement, injuryresistance, and improved performance!

Stay healthy and train smart!

Sergio Borges, Head Coach - Sergio Borges, X Training. A LevelIII USA Triathlon coach and Level II USA Cycling coach who hasspent over 15 years studying the science of triathlon training. Contact: www.sdxtraining.com or [email protected]


Allergan is better known for their little product called Botox. Iwork with ophthalmologists and optometrists with dry eyeissues, Restasis, and a few other medications used around ocu-lar surgery. My territory covers Southern California, OrangeCounty south to the border and east to Coachella Valley & downto Yuma, AZ. I drive... a lot.

I also have fun with photography and still am out riding thehorse at least once a week.

Craig: What are your triathlon goals for 2010 and beyond?

Raja: I’m excited to be representing Velo Bella, Ellsworth andTCSD in 2010. Let’s see if I can get back to another Worlds!

Craig: Thank you Raja for sharing your story and for all you havedone for the TCSD.

Craig Zelent is a USA Triathlon Level 1 Certified Coach. Craig canbe reached at 760-214-0055 or [email protected].

21

2010 TCSD GRAND PRIX SCHEDULEDate Event Difficulty Factor

Club Races/Beginner Races 100/75Iron Distance Triathlon (any iron distance event) 110

February 20 TritonMan Sprint Triathlon 95

March 7 Desert Triathlon, Oly & Sprint* 100/9020 Devil Dog Duathlon 9527 California 70.3 105

April 11 SuperSeal & SuperFrog* 100/10511 Newport Beach Triathlon* 9525 Xterra West, Cup & Sport 105/90

May 1 Wildflower, Long Course 1052 Wildflower, International 1002 Spring Sprint, Du/Tri & Super Sprint* 90/95/758 SheRox Sprint Triathlon 9516 Encinitas Sprint, Du/Tri & Super Sprint* 90/95/75

June 13 Trek Woman’s Triathlon Series 9523 Iron Kids Triathlon 9027 San Diego International & Sprint* 100/90

July 10 Carlsbad Triathlon* 9518 Vineman 70.3 10525 Solana Beach Du/Tri* 90/9531 Barb’s Half IM 10531 Vineman Aquabike, Full/Half 105/100

August 7 Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon 9522 Imperial Beach Du/Tri* 90/95

September 12 Malibu Triathlon, Olympic 10013 Malibu Triathlon, Classic 9518 San Diego Classic Olympic & Sprint* 100/90

October 3 Mission Bay Triathlon* 953 Los Angeles Triathlon, Olympic & Sprint* 100/9024 SOMA Half IM 105

September 12 Pacific Coast Triathlon 10012 Big Kahuna Triathlon 105

November 6 Catalina Island Triathlon* 957 Silverman Half IM* 105

* Indicates TCSD discount available, check TCSD’s member discount web page for codes orhow to obtain discount.

TCSD Grand Prix Committee reserves the right to update/change the GP schedule at any time. Only 1 iron distanceevent per season will count. You may compete in more than one - highest point finish will go to season total. Dates subject to change - check individual event website.

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candy dish. My disappointment was so great that I failed to rec-ognize the fact that I received a gift most people would be happyto get. I returned to school and told my kids that I didn’t get anymoney, just a worthless candy dish. They told me that I shouldappreciate the fact that I come from a country where having newshoes and the social freedom to run are taken for granted. In aplace where nice things are hard to come by, my hubris was aninsult.

Many times in the mornings, I would run out to a point whereI could see my village in the valley below and the vast expanseof the Caucasus Mountains stretching into the distance. Theclimb to this point was brutal, but once I reached the top I wasalways reassured of the meaningfulness of the journey. Theabsence of noise and the gentle caress of the pastel dawn alwayshelped put things into perspective. As I stared down into the vil-lage, I was often overwhelmed by the thought that I had endedup in the most unlikely of places. One particular morning mypeace was disturbed by the faintest rattle of tree limbs. I turnedmy head just in time to see an owl leaving its roost and silentlydescending into the valley below. As I watched it disappear intothe distance, I couldn’t help but think that this scene would holdin my memory as a perfect conclusion to my Peace Corps experi-

ence. That despite all the trials, there were certain times when Iunderstood why I joined.

Since I returned to the U.S., I still get up and run every morn-ing. Some things are better: I can have coffee before I set off. Ican choose from variety of routes. I can buy new shoes when Ineed them. That being said, I miss those long periods of frustra-tion punctuated by fleeting moments of enormous joy. I missbeing the weird foreigner, the teacher, the outcast runner.

(NOTE from Barbara Javor: I had the opportunity recently to visitmy daughter, a Peace Corps volunteer, in Azerbaijan which is aformer Soviet republic south of Russia and north of Iran. It is adeveloping, secular Moslem country, meaning everyone wears con-servative Western-style clothing and most people are not very reli-gious. Many of their customs are carry-overs from decades ago, ifnot earlier. It is a male-dominated society, women should not beout alone at night, and essentially no one participates in athlet-ics after high school. Except for a few Peace Corps volunteers, Iwas the only woman walking around Azerbaijan in running shoes.I met Matt Peterson, another PC volunteer and a runner, duringhis last few months in Azerbaijan. He agreed to share some ofhis adventures and misadventures of running in Azerbaijan.)

Running in Azerbaijan, continued

Race Report, continued

TRAVEL: I highly recommend Endurance Sports Travel. Owned andoperated by a former professional triathlete (Ken Glaugh). Allwere costs that would have been out of pocket for local travelswere covered, along with food, alcohol and CO2 cartridges whichyou cannot fly with. If (or when) I do another destination

Ironman race, I will happily book with Endurance Travel again!

Now, stop asking yourself if you can do it. Instead, go and doit! You too can become an IRONMAN.

Thank you TCSD for helping me to become an IRONMAN!

Triathlon Club of San DiegoP.O. Box 84211

San Diego, CA 92138

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Presorted StandardU.S. POSTAGE PAIDSan Diego, CAPermit No. 764

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