Team,

Great job yesterday!  The Louie Tri is a great marker on your road to Ironman.  You’ve learned a lot over the past four months, and yesterday you put it all together.  Conditions in January are always challenging. While we were blessed with a warm sunny day,  the bay was cold, the wind picked up a bit, and the roads are rutty.  In any case, you got past the obstacles and crossed the finish line.

Events like the Louie Tri are important for many reasons.  Besides the accomplishment of an Olympic tri, and the importance of the Honoree program, events like this help you to hone your race-planning skills as well as your ability to deal with unplanned situations.  Both are key “mental” tools in your Ironman toolbox.

The best way to build those skills is to review your race. Write a race report.  Don’t just think about it, write it down while it’s fresh in your mind.  Did you forget anything essential? Is there something you wished you had? How was your nutrition? How was your pacing?  What did you learn?  How did you feel? Think back to each leg of the tri - how did you perform for each?  This is mostly a self-examination exercise, but the coaches would like to read them as well, so please send a copy to us!

This week is all about recovery.  You are probably sore, and tired today.  We have one coached recovery swim workout this week (Wednesday). For those swimming at Burgess - we cannot get into the water until 6:45 at the earliest.  There will be a Captain’s ride this Saturday - look for the email from your training captains for details. Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday - enjoy the long run and then enjoy the game.  The key for this week is to listen to your body.  If you need a bit more rest, take it.  Stretching is a key component to recovery. Take a few minutes to loosen up, stretch, and use your foam roller.  Also, take a bit of downtime to clean your bike.  No doubt you picked up a lot of dirt and grime yesterday. Plus, take a look at your back tire.  Spinning does a number on tires, and we’ve done a lot of it.  Some of the flats experienced yesterday may be attributable to worn-down tires.  So check out the tires, and replace them if needed.

Going forward, our workouts will get a little longer, and a bit more intense.   Overall, expect the next few months to get you ready for our next target - the Half Way to Ironman tri on March 27 - 29.

From Coach Chris -
Team,

As the Louie Tri posed new obstacles for some of you, I paid particular attention to your approach to what for most of you was the unknown.  Most of you never swam in water that cold and never had to swim in a mass start.  Most of you never had to transition from swim to bike in those conditions, and finally a run that was as much a challenge mentally as it was physically.  I can’t tell you how impressed I was with how everyone handled themselves, you were like experienced pros out there.  Not one of you shied from that water even though it was the last thing in the world you wanted to do, and it was so great seeing how happy you all were when you got out!  On the bike you all rode intelligently as we did monitor your pacing and hydration intake each time you passed us, good job on that.  And in the end you had to endure a run that would make an insurance seminar seem thrilling by comparison, and every one of you finished well.  I am sure you all learned a few things which is good because we have some pretty intense workouts and more race experiences to come in the months ahead.  Based on what I saw yesterday, you are all well on your way to becoming Ironmen and Ironwomen.  I’m really proud of you guys, keep up the good work.

Chris

From Coach Ann -
Team -

First let me say CONGRATULATIONS & WOO HOO on an amazing job yesterday at the 8th Annual Louie Bonpua Triathlon on Treasure Island. What a beautiful day! Louie was definitely watching over us! I hope you all took in the moments before the race to realize what incredible things you’re accomplishing - Not only are you training for an Ironman, but as we were reminded by our Honorees, you are also raising valuable funds to help save lives. You should be so proud of yourselves - I know I am of all of you.

It was so great to see all your smiles and hear all your yells throughout the course (especially after some of the early morning nerves), and to see how much progress each of you has made in your journey towards becoming an Ironman. I was so impressed by how solid everyone looked in the swim (you all faced and conquered the cold bay water), how confident you all were on the bike, and how strong and happy you all still looked throughout the run. What a phenomenal job! I’m sure there were tough times and things you’d do differently, but that’s why we do these events: to learn and improve. Keep it up!

Finally, it was so nice to see you all out there cheering and supporting each other - What a team! I feel honored to be training w/ you this season. Go Team!

- Coach Ann

And I know Coach Steve is just as proud even though he was in the ICU this weekend - working, not as a patient.

Again, we applaud your effort and success yesterday, and look forward to more accomplishments as we move forward this season.

Your coaches -
Ann, Chris, Steve and Dan