The 5 P’s for a successful 2010 by Jackie Lewis

1. Purpose-Know what the goal is!
2. Passion-Have a burning desire to achieve it!!
3. Planning-Determine how you will go about it!!!
4. Perspiration-Work hard and follow the plan!!!!
5. Perseverance-Don’t let anything get in your way!!!!!

The first step is to determine what your 2010 season goals are. Without goals it’s impossible to know what you are trying to achieve. You may plan to race in just one race or 15. Be realistic with how much time you have to devote to training while balancing your other responsibilities. Prioritize what races are important by assigning them an A, B or C. Now list three measurable goals for the season. It may be to overcome your fear of open water swimming by June, shave off 3 minutes on your 5k by July or participate in your first Olympic distance triathlon by Sept. You will then need to add short term obtainable training objectives to each of your three goals. Be specific in what you are trying to accomplish, know what your limiters are and set specific training objectives that will inch you towards accomplishing the overall goal. Keeping a training journal is a very effective way to measure your progress while keeping your sights on your long term objectives. If this sounds too daunting or confusing, solicit help from a coach. Certified coaches can help you set and achieve realistic goals without the worry of hurting yourself or wasting time. Several reputable certifications include: USAT, CSCS, ACSM and ACE… just to list a few. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and for their certification #, you can generally verify their certification online for each specific association. Sign up for group training sessions. The camaraderie and encouragement from others will help you stick with it and make it twice as rewarding as you start to accomplish your season goals. And just remember, any goal worth doing takes purpose, passion, planning, perspiration and perseverance!


Favorite inspiring quotes-authors unknown:
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
“Winners aren’t quitters and quitters never win.”
“Success is not a destination it’s a journey.”

Submitted by Mark Tefft
The popular triathlon-related magazines have carried articles on what seat angle you ought to use. But has this subject been addressed in the not-so-popular magazines, that is, the scientific journals? Our sport’s glossy pubs have done a good job of presenting to the layman the "science" on hydration and hyponatremia and related subjects. It’s not overstating it to say that hundreds of studies have been carried out in each of those categories, with corresponding articles published in peer-reviewed publications.

But what about bike position? If Triathlete or Inside Triathlon has reported on what’s been published in the scientific journals, I haven’t seen it. What they’ve written is like what I’ve written, which is that according to the author and the mouse in his pocket, this seat angle or that one is better.

I’m not a real scientist; I just play one on the internet. But there have been real studies performed by real scientists on the subject of seat angles, and I thought I’d write about some of them. All the tests I’ll write about below had subjects riding on a modified bicycle ergometer, that is, a stationary bike with the ability to offer a range of seat angles. Not in every case could I find what the protocol was for handlebar alterations that accompanied a change in seat angles. Take for example, "Cardiorespiratory responses to seat-tube angle variation during steady-state cycling," by Heil, et al, (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 1995). This study had cyclists riding a bicycle ergometer at four angles ranging from 69 degrees to 90 degrees. We don’t know with any precision how the handlebars were altered to negate the ill effects of a bad-fitting bike. Just the same, the study showed that only at the shallowest of angles (69 degrees) did the respiratory system of a cyclist come under more stress than at any of the steeper angles.

Two years later two studies came out. The first of these was published in the same journal as the study above, and was entitled, "Influence of different racing positions on metabolic cost in elite cyclists" (Gnehm, et al). It did not specifically test seat angles, but the study is important to note. Its authors mention going in that, "The spectacular improvements of the 1-h world record in cycling in the last four years have highlighted the importance of aerodynamics in modern bicycle racing." In the early-to-mid ‘90s the record had been significantly lowered by Moser, Boardman and Obree, each of which used more and more exotic bikes and bike positions. This study tested 14 elite male bike racers in three positions: upright with hands on the tops, crouched with hands on the road bars, and laid out on the aero bars.

Gnehm looked at metabolic changes while riders were in these three positions, and noted that riders in the aero position paid a penalty of about 9 watts versus the other two positions. It also noted that this is minor compared to Gnehm’s estimate of 100 watts an aero positions saves by virtue of a lower wind resistance. This was an oft-cited study by cyclists in newsgroups and forums in the late ‘90s, but I doubt its relevancy. First, I doubt that an aero position saves 100 watts. That’s a huge number, and I would guess that 20 - 40 watts might be more like it. Second, it appears that Gnehm did not change the seat angle for his subjects when he flattened their backs and lowered their drag. What Gnehm’s study seems to indicate is that even if you put a rider in a fairly uncomfortable aero position, the power output doesn’t markedly diminish.

The second of the ‘97 studies was published in the Journal of Sports Sciences (Price and Donne) and was called, "Effect of variation in seat tube angle and different seat heights on submaximal cycling performance in man." The article stated that, "At a seat tube angle of 80 degrees, mean VO2 was significantly lower and power efficiency significantly higher compared with an angle of 74 degrees." Likewise, 74 degrees offered more efficiency than 68 degrees.

This study is interesting because it tests not only three different seat angles (68, 74, and 80 degrees) but variable seat heights at each angle. As the quote above suggests, 80 degrees is the most efficient angle at which to ride. But there is of course more to the story. What were the handlebar configurations? What were the stem heights, the hip angles? We’ll get to that.

Interestingly, Price, et al, noted that differences in seat angle preferences were specific to classes of athletes: "...in contrast, triathletes’ bicycles have steeper angles of 78 - 82 degrees." The author also references the Heil article (noted above) and suggested that one reason why Heil found that 68 degrees was the only angle in which his subjects performed poorly was in Heil’s choice of subjects, "80% of whom," Price noted, "were triathletes who normally ride at a steep seat tube angle.

" This particular study simply utilized a seat shifter, a nifty device once in relatively common usage by triathletes in the early '90s. It replaced the bicycle’s seat post, and with a lever on the handlebars you could change your seat angle on the fly. I’ve tracked down the study’s author and emailed him, asking him to verify that no changes were made to the handlebar set-ups as the seat angles were altered during his study. I’ve yet to receive a reply. I don’t, however, see any notation that any change in the bikes was effected other than a change in the seat angle provided by the seat shifter.

The results of this test are, to me, startling. These were road racers riding a road race bike, and they in general rode with considerable economy at 80 degrees versus their usual angle of 74 degrees. Oxygen consumption at the given rate of exertion was about 37 ml/kg/min at 80 degrees versus about 38.5 at 74 degrees (if you’re consuming more oxygen to do a given amount of work, you’re working harder, i.e., you’re less efficient).

Why did the authors achieve this result? "The mean shoe-pedal angle changes produced by altering the tube angle," opined the authors, "would result in a decreased effective force during the first half of the pedal stroke but an increased effective force during the second half. We speculate that increasing the tube angle improves effective force transfer during the second half of the pedal stroke.

" The authors also noted that this series of tests only related to riding on the flat, and to submaximal power outputs, often atypical of race conditions. Just the same, it’s an interesting result and may bear on the next and, for us, most topical study.

The definitive article is now passing its second anniversary since its publication. The "Effects of bicycle frame ergonomics on triathlon 10-km running performance," by Ian Garside and Dominic Doran, appeared in the Journal of Sports Sciences in June 2000. As was the case with all the studies on this subject, the tests were performed in strict lab conditions, with gas analyzers and all that stuff. All subjects rode stationary ergometers.

Unlike Price et al above, Garside utilized triathletes, but: "All participants were naive to training and racing on bicycles with steep seat tube angles (>76-degrees); all participants used a 73-degree frame geometry as standard."

As opposed to most of the testing up to this point, Garside’s protocol called for the tests to be conducted, "as fast as possible under race-like conditions." The test called for triathletes to ride a 40km simulation on both a 73-degree set-up and then on an 81-degree set-up, each followed immediately by a fast-as-possible 10km run on a treadmill.

The authors noted the improved bike/run performance in the field, "based on anecdotal testimony from athletes purporting to have experienced improved performance." But, they noted that prior to this study, "No empirical evidence exists."

Frankly, the results were groundbreaking, for three reasons. First, these triathletes absolutely blew away their "duathlon" performances in the steeper configuration. The average time it took subjects to complete the 40km/10km "brick" was about 1:50 at 73 degrees of seat angle, and it was a full 5+ minutes faster at 81 degrees.

Second, as this test was performed in England, the triathletes there were (as previously noted) "naive" to steep seat angles, that is, they all normally rode shallow. Imagine their surprise at the result! (For a further explanation of the tendency of UK triathletes to ride shallow, consider our 2001 Kona Bike Survey on UK-based entries).

And finally, these tests only measured the physiological responses to the biomechanical change generated by a steeper seat angle. As this test was performed in a lab on stationary equipment, the aerodynamic benefit one derives from the ability to achieve a lower frontal profile with a steeper seat angle was not part of the equation.

Where in this 40km/10km exercise did the time savings occur? There were some time savings achieved during the bike leg. Average 40km times were 1:04:10 in the 73-degree configuration and 1:02:54 for the riders when at 81 degrees. But it was in the first half of the run that the big time savings occurred. It took riders 24:15 to complete the first 5km off the shallow set-up, and only 21:41 after riding the steep bike (and remember, these triathletes had never run off a steep set-up before).

The time savings continued during the second half of the run, but the gap narrowed. The subjects ran 22:01 and 21:14 in the second half of the 10km after riding in shallow and steep configurations respectively.

There is one curious element to these results which is not addressed in the study. It is odd to me that as a group there was such a marked tendency to negative-split the run. While this is not as pronounced in the steep test (21:41 to 21:14) it is severe in the shallow test (24:15 to 22:01). This one element gives me pause when considering the parallel between this test and what happens at triathlons I attend.

As the authors discuss the results they say, "Unexpectedly, the time to completion of the 40km cycle section was faster under the 81-degree 'steep' than the 73-degree 'shallow' condition." This underscores the tendency, I think, for the traditional view to hold sway in the UK, which is that if steep is faster, it’s only because it helps during the run. Obviously the authors were forced to rethink that position, especially as there is still the untested (by them) issue of wind resistance to consider.

The authors only guess at the causes for the enhanced ability to perform with the steeper seat angle, and posit about the,

"greater contribution of the hamstrings and gluteus muscles (Heil et al., 1995). Although muscle recruitment cannot be determined from the present results, alterations in muscle recruitment or activation patterns can have the effect of distributing muscular work over a greater muscle mass (increased contribution of the hamstring and gluteus muscles) that would theoretically reduced the work rate per individual muscle fiber (Coyle et al., 1988)."

Juxtapose that statement, in which the operative phrase is "distributing muscular work over a greater muscle mass," with what Price says in the study above: "We speculate that increasing the tube angle improves effective force transfer during the second half of the pedal stroke." It seems that both authors feel that steep seat angles might distribute work over a greater range of the pedal stroke and in so doing lessen the peak torque that must be applied if should that power application be concentrated over a shorter arc.

The scientists quoted above uttered statements that are not unlike what I wrote a couple of months ago in my Intro to training with power: "I’m convinced that the bane of the triathlete during the bike segment is the peak power one puts out, and not only in terms of too many watts now and then during the ride, but peak power inside the pedal stroke as well." The difference, of course, between what I wrote and what the scientists wrote above is that I was simply writing from the seat of my pants, while Price and Garside had actual data they themselves generated to back up their hypotheses.

The demonstration that steeper seat angles (and not for tri bikes, but for road race bikes) is better is not knew. Gonzalez, et al, (Journal of Biomechanics) demonstrated in 1989, in "Multivariable optimization of cycling biomechanics" that the optimal seat angle for his subjects averaged 76 degrees (as is the case with all of these studies, however, this relates to riding on the flats). But Gonzalez’ study also demonstrated that riding with a cadence of 115 bpm was optimal, and this corresponds only roughly to a real-world race situation.

Though these studies were all conducted inside four walls, and took place on the "flats" and were only sparsely conducted with race-specific exertions, evidence is piling up in favor of steeper seat angles. And that is especially true when one considers the post-cycling run in triathlon, at least up through the International Distance.
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/What_science_says_of_seat_angles_222.html

Submitted by Mark Tefft
If I ask new swimmers what their biggest challenge is, most say it’s breathing. Many report experiencing one or more of the following symptoms of “airlessness.”

They’re out of breath after a lap or two
They hold their breathing, because their stroke falls apart during a breath.
They’re concerned with taking in water, instead of air.

If any of these are true it’s nearly impossible to build toward a continuous mile. In fact, you become so preoccupied with or distracted by lack of air that it’s hard to think of much of anything else.

If this describes you — or even if you can swim a mile but feel your breathing technique could be better — this blog’s for you. This stepwise series of focal points focus on breathing easier:

1. Blow bubbles. Exhale steadily and strongly enough that you can hear bubbles streaming from your mouth and nose anytime your face is in the water.

2. Inhale like you sing. If you sing at all, even in the shower, you’re familiar with how you often have to grab a quick, sharp inhale between phrases. You don’t have time to fill your chest, so you just take a “quick bite” to get through the next phrase. That’s how you inhale between strokes. The exhale is strong, conscious, sustained. You hardly notice the inhale.

3. Follow your shoulder. If you’re breathing to your left, move your chin in synch with your left shoulder as that arm strokes. Your chin follows the shoulder back, then leads it forward again.

4. Hang your head. Focus on feeling a weightless head, resting on the water, as you follow your shoulder to breathe. Keep your “laser” aimed in the direction you’re going, as your mouth clears the surface.

5. Swim “taller.” With each stroke focus on using your hand to lengthen your body-line, rather than to push water back. Then give particular attention to lengthening with one hand as your chin follows the other shoulder back.
To learn more about breathing skills – in all strokes – check out our O2 in H2O DVD.

http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/255

Submitted by Mark Tefft
Triathletes and fitness swimmers often rely on swim workouts published on websites or in magazines. Virtually all of those workouts prescribe some arbitrary number and distance of repeats – like 10 x 50 – as if there’s a formula for improvement.

There is no formula: You improve at the rate your brain and nervous system can encode and memorize new skills or tasks. Swimming 500 yards (or even 10 x 50) with consistent efficiency and pace IS a skill, and a quite advanced one at that.

Therefore your lap regime should be organic, not arbitrary. To make it organic, base it on “mojo” rather than some formula. Keep swimming as long as you feel you are doing what you want to do. Stop as soon as you’re not.

I use “mojo” to refer to a feeling you’re striving for. The feeling could be as simple and general as ease. Or it could be slightly more specific– like “weightless legs.” Or it could be highly specific such as Feel your hand pause for a nanosecond on catch. (For more examples see How to Breathe Easier in which I suggested five focal points or sensations to improve breathing technique.)

For new or untrained swimmers, I usually recommend that they start a swim routine, or any set, with a single pool length — usually 25 yards. Pick a stroke thought – one thing you’d like to do really well the entire lap. When you reach the end, take 5 deep slow “cleansing” breaths – but keep thinking your stroke thought, because thinking it activates the same brain cells as doing it. Repeat.

Stay with one thought and one-length-at-a-time for 7 to 10 minutes. In fact, if you “lose your mojo” before the end of the pool, you don’t have to complete the length. Stop and take your breather anywhere. You’ll learn faster by progressing incrementally from 5 easy strokes to 7, then 9, etc, than doing 5 easy strokes followed by 15 barely-hanging-on strokes. And if you start to feel breathless, rest for more than 5 breaths.

When should you introduce your next mini-goal or focal point? The recommendation I make above for 7 to 10 minutes is a general guideline. Continue with the same thought so long as you feel you’re still improving your awareness or skill on that point. Introduce a new stroke thought when you feel the original one is as good as you can make it right this moment, or when you feel eager for new stimulus.

When should you increase the distance of your practice repeats? Step up to 2-length, or 50-yard, repeats when one length is consistently good and you feel no fatigue – physical or mental – when you complete it. Because 2 lengths is really 2 x 1 length with no rest, you could gradually decrease the number of “cleansing breaths” you take before pushing off again. When you can complete 5 to 8 successive lengths with consistent mojo, taking just 2 or 3 cleansing breaths between, you’re ready to step up to a continuous 50 yards. And when the 2nd length of your 50 matches the mojo and ease of your 1st length, you can add a 3rd.

Call this an organic rather than arbitrary way to increase your distance.

Happy laps!

http://www.swimwellblog.com/archives/260

Attention Lonestar Multisport Club Members: You are invited to attend a seminar hosted by Houston Racing Triathlon Club this Saturday, January 30th from 9:00 – 12:00 at Memorial Park. Former Canadian Olympic Triathlon Coach, Barrie Shepley, will be giving a motivational talk and work out geared toward triathletes. Cost $10 for non HRTC members.

For more information, check out: http://www.canadianclubofhouston.org/events/bringing-the-olympic-spirit-to

Go the Extra Mile - Swimming Focus Event brought to you by The Woodlands Master Swim Team & Swim Shops of the Southwest. Events will consist of a 400 meter freestyle & 1500 meter freestyle, beginning at 11:30 on February 27th.

Click on the following link for more information: http://www.asicampbell.com/x-mile/Meet_Info_X-Mile.pdf

Have you ever wondered why triathlon training sometimes never seems to makeyou faster? Perhaps you're at a plateau, or even seeing increasingly worserace times or performances. Maybe you just wrapped up the last season, andyou simply feel like you didn't perform as well as you could have.If this describes you, then it is entirely possible that you've committed one of the following top 11 triathlon training mistakes:

1. Never Throwing Curveballs
This error is committed by the triathletes who get into a "comfort rut" -simply mindlessly performing the exercises and workouts that allow them tomount a bike, strap on the running shoes, pull on the swimsuit or head tothe gym and just cruise with no focus. They never throw a triathlontraining curveball at their body, so their body eventually becomesincredibly efficient at these same ol' workouts. Sure, you shouldoccasionally perform tried and true workouts that allow you to create abenchmark to identify progress in your training, but you don't want to dothose workouts *all the time*. Here's a simple fix: this week, pick onetraining session for each skill (swim/bike/run/resistance training) andthrow a complete triathlon training curveball at your body by randomlychoosing a workout out of a magazine, article, or website. Do it, and seehow your body responds. Nine times out of ten, a random workout that keepsyour body guessing will make you leaner, stronger and faster.

2. Exercising to Eat
If the goal of your triathlon training is simply to burn calories, so thatyou can get to your next meal or snack - they boy, are you in trouble! Whathappens is that this mentality creates a weekly slog of performing workoutsthat focus not on performance, but rather on "beating up your body". The result is injury, overtraining, mental fatigue, and boredom, along with acontinuous vicious cycle of eating too much, then over-exercising to fixyour errors. Try this: eat a healthy diet, stop when you are 80% full, andthen completely forget about burning calories during your workout. Instead,focus on a specific performance goal for that triathlon training session,whether it be overspeed, muscular endurance, power, or strength. Yourtriathlon training will instantly become more meaningful and rewarding.

3. High Carb Diet from the 80's
Are you still eating bagels with jam for breakfast, shoveling pasta down ona Friday night to get ready for your weekend long triathlon training, oreating big bowls of cereal for breakfast? This type of high carb fuelinghas been heavily associated with increasing your chronic disease riskfactors, causing inflammation, GI distress and poor performance. Good fatsand lean proteins will serve you much better. Next time you're at acoffeeshop, grab a bag of almonds and a cup of green tea, rather than acoffee and biscotti. You'll feel much better, and your energy andperformance levels will soar.

4. No Strength Training
Sure, most of the pro triathletes you see may *look* like lean, skinny guys and girls who have never touched a weight in their life, but the reality isthat strength training goes far beyond football style deadlifts, squats andbenchpress, Do you do fire hydrants? How about elastic band walks? Rotator cuff rotations? Planks? All this requires no weights, but is stillconsidered resistance training, and is incredibly beneficial for your triathlon training program. Don't get fooled into thinking that strengthtraining is bad for you - most of those studies were done with heavydumbbells and barbells, not the more precise body weight and elastic typeresistances you should be using.

5. Ignoring Data
Do you know the power from your last bike session? OK, so maybe you haven'tinvested in a power meter, but what about your speed and distance? Heartrate? Do you know your average 100m pace in the pool for your priority racedistance? Do you know your per mile pace in your long run, or do you evertake a GPS out with you? You're living in an age where data is fairly inexpensive, easy to get, easy to interpret, and highly beneficial. Take advantage of this and at least give yourself some baseline pace and heartrate measurements so you can track your triathlon training progress.

6. Obsessing Over Data
Of course, you may also be the person who needs to cut every workout shortby forty-five minutes because you know that's how long it's going to taketo download all the data onto your computer and sit there analyzing it.There is no rule that you need to know the precise measurements for every,single workout. As a matter of fact, "unplugging" yourself and just goingfor a long run in nothing but your shorts and t-shirt can be incrediblygratifying. Especially when there's no beeps, whistles, or alarms sounding.Choose the most important triathlon training workouts of the week, and simply focus on getting the data out of those sessions.

7. Not Racing Enough
This especially holds true for longer distances. Literally hundreds ofrookie Ironman or Half Ironman athletes stand on the starting line of theirbig, prioritized race having done absolutely no racing leading up to thatpoint. This is often due to fear of injury, not wanting to lose a "trainingweek", or simply not knowing how to schedule a race in. But racing is oneof the most valuable triathlon training tools you have! It teaches youmental toughness, proper transitions, race day fueling, and perhaps mostimportantly, how to get all those butterflies in your stomach to fly in order. Try to race at least two or three times before your "big" race.

8. Racing Too Much
There are also those triathletes who drool over the race calendar and checkoff nearly every weekend with competition, from sprints to Olympics to 5K'sto half-marathons. Not only does this subject your body to a volume of intensity that will probably cause it to break about halfway through the year, but it also decreases your chance of ever having a really "good"race, and instead just having a large handful of mediocre performance. And those of you with families are guaranteeing that your wife or children willregret the fact that every vacation has to be a "triathlon vacation".Choose and commit to a small number of good races, then focus on excelling at those events. You'll have more medals, less injuries, and higher quality triathlon training at the end of the season!

9. Not Practicing Transitions
If you glance over the race results for any triathlon, you'll notice some individuals with smoking fast swim, bike and run times who completely lost a podium spot or a personal best because they spent an extra few minutes in transition. Those minutes can really add up. An extra 60 seconds intransition at an Olympic distance race means you'll have to run almost 10seconds per mile faster to catch the person who was able to shave a minute.Inserting just a few "transition" practice sessions at your local beach,park, golf course, backyard or driveway will pay off. Practice bothswim-to-bike and bike-to-run changes during your triathlon training. This is one area of a triathlon where you can be just as good as the pros!

10. Winging It Nutritionally
You're asking for big trouble if you're going into a race or race day with absolutely no plan but to eat and drink when you're hungry or thirsty. Notonly will you have no consistency with your nutrition, but you'll have no confidence about whether you're taking in too little or too much. Not only should you write down your pre-race meal and fueling plan, but you shouldalso go over it again and again in your head while you're lying in bed thenight before the race (not to mention including it in your weeks of triathlon training leading up to the race). This mental preparation willstick with you on race day when you're deciding on whether you need to eat that extra gel, or it's just going to give you a stomach ache.

11. Nutritional Rigidity
At the same time, if you decide that you're going to stick to your nutrition plan no matter what, then you could also be asking for trouble.What if it's hotter than usual and you decided not to take any salt tabletsout with you on the course, or an extra water bottle? What if the bikecourse is easier and faster than you planned, but you still decide to try to shove in six gels during the ride? What if you planned on getting a banana at the aid station turnaround, but there are no bananas? Be ready and flexible with your nutrition plan, and these type of situations won'tdo as much damage to your race. Practice with differing amounts of fuel and fuel types in your triathlon training, and you'll be ready for anything.

Submitted by Jennifer Zambrano

When asked, how old you are you answer 35-39.

When asked how long your training was today you answer: three to four hours.

Your first thought when you wake up is how high your rest HR is.

You think an Ironman is easier than a Marathon because you don't have to start by running fast.

Nobody believes you when you say 'Never again'.

You go for a 5 km cool down run after a 5 km race just so that you can call it a training session.

Your co-workers don't ask you if you're going to train this weekend, but how long and how far.

You have a water bottle when you drive your car.

During the vacations, when everybody else is partying, you go to sleep at 10:00 pm because you're going for a long ride the next day.

In the summer guys legs are smoother than their wife’s or girlfriend's.

Your kids grab water bottles and energy bars when you suggest a family stroll.

You need a picture for a job application and you only have race pictures.

You use running T-shirts to clean your bike.

You are up everyday by 5:00 am, but never in work before 9:30 am!

That charming "cologne" you wear to work is chlorine.

You take more showers in a locker room than at home.

6:30 am is sleeping in.

The dog runs and hides when you get the leash!

You think there are only two seasons during the year, racing and off.

You can't change the oil in your car but you can completely rebuild your bike in 45 minutes.

When a co-worker asks if you are racing this weekend, you say "yeah, but I'm just running a 10K, so that is not REALLY a race".

You clean your bike more often than your car.

You have more water bottles than glasses in your cupboard.

You consider you bike saddle your "couch".

You have trouble keeping lunch under 2000 calories.

Your bed-time reading on your night stand consists of a pile of: DeSotocatalogs; InsideTri; Triathlete, VeloNews, USMA Swim, etc.

You're tempted to do your long rides in a speedo so that you don't have a stupid tan for your next race.

You return from your *Mini-vacation* more exhausted than before you left!

You feel like you took the day off because all you did was swim 3000yards.

You get done with a hard workout and drink a recovery drink while on the toilet and in the shower.

When non-racer friends tell you they ran/rode you automatically calculate their pace to see if you're still in better shape.

Cars pass you on the road when you're driving and you either drop back to get out of draft zone or speed up to attack!

Submitted by Jennifer Zambrano

Welcome to the new on-line home of the Lonestar Multisport triathlon club. We have updated our website to provide a better user experience and have worked to include social media functions making it easier to keep up with all club activities.

You will find the addition of a new club blog, interactive race results via Athlinks.com, interactive race calendar via Runner Triathlete News and and an expanded training section providing a quick look at training options found in the Woodlands.

Most importantly, we are now part of the social networks, Facebook and Twitter to provide you with another place to keep up and interact with your fellow club mates. We have set up our own Facebook Fan Page and our own Twitter Account so you can follow the latest updates from Lonestar Multsport.

One thing that has changed is our use of club forums. Since a vast majority of our members find themselves on Facebook, we have decided to use the forums on our Fan Page as a replacement to the forums found on our old site. This will provide the users of the forums a more robust tool to post their questions and updates and allow them to self administer their own usernames and passwords.

Lastly, our site is more customizable so we plan to keep it updated with a fresh look and to make continuous improvements as suggested by club members.

Please check back often and feel free to send your comments and suggestions to us at anytime.