Team,

Great job yesterday!  The Louie Tri is a great marker on your road to Ironman.  You’ve learned a lot over the past three months, and yesterday you put it all together.  Conditions in January are always challenging.  The weather is wet, the air is cold, the roads are rutty and in the rain are filled with puddles.  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.  This is mostly a self-examination exercise, but we coaches would like to read them as well, so please send a copy to the coaches!

This week is all about recovery.  You are probably sore, and tired today.  All workouts this week (schedule attached) are officially “on your own.”  Group training is encouraged, but there are no official group events on the calendar (except for Tuesday spin).   The key for this week is to listen to your body.  If you need a bit more rest, take it.  Even though it’s not listed on the calendar - add some stretching for every day of the week.  Take a few minutes to loosen up, stretch, and use your foam roller.  It will definitely help your recovery.  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.  So check out the tires, and replace them if needed.

As I look back on yesterday’s event there are several things that bring smiles to my face. The encouragement each of you offered to one another to keep going - from a gentle “Come on, you can do it” to a more robust “get your butt out there” reflects how you’ve grown as a team. I saw pride beaming from folks faces as they exited the water - for some it was a simple easy 1500 yard swim - but for others a major milestone perhaps the furthest you’ve swam in any single stretch.
 
I saw eyes wide with exhilaration as you flew down the hills on the bike and I saw those same eyes filled with dogged determination as you attacked that same hill going up.
 
And most importantly - I saw the concern and compassion over a fallen team mate. Christina has a serious concussion and since her care team doesn’t know the exact nature of how she fell - they want to keep her for a few days to make sure all is well. Please keep Christina and our own Captain Dan in your thoughts and prayers for quick recoveries.
 
All of you make me extremely proud and honored to be your teammate. Thanks for a wonderful day yesterday and a great season so far.

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

Stay strong, go long, recover well.

Your coaches,
Ann, Ron and Dan

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 7:33 pm and is filed under IT2010 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.