Comments for The Triathlete's Edge

Comment on Win a Free Pair of Saucony Grid Fastwitch 4! by Tony Smith

Tony Smith — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:22:52 +0000

It was my first tri. My wife’s cousin challenged me to make some changes in my life and get back into shape. I chose to do the Utah Summer Games tri at Sand Hollow in the sprint distance. I had a training plan and I stuck to it religously. Lots of laps in the pool, countless miles on the stationary bike and pounding out time on the treadmill. Everything was going great and I felt like a million bucks until I got that phone call late on thursday evening. My sister called to tell me that her infant son had died unexpectedly. The whole family was devestated. Well, I thought that was it, I was done. No more training. No more gym. I spent some time with my brother and his family later that weekend. We laughed and cried a lot. We decided a hard work out might help out mentally as well as physically. I jumped on the treadmill and my brother hit the eliptical. After an hour or so, we were cooked. After a brief discission, we decided that we would do the triathlon together. Growing up we had both run cross country and track and been quite competitive especially with each other.
Race day finally arrived. We were both so nervous and excited. It was a beautiful day. When the race started we both stayed to the rear, both of us being weak in the swim. After enjoying the underwater boxing match and being run over by some very fast swimming ladies, we dragged ourselves out of the water, much to the relief of our wives. My brother was ahead of me by about a minute. T1 took a whole lot longer than it needed to but my brother still had me by 30 seconds, when we left. I caught and passed him on the “little hill”. I feeling great as I hit the turn around and headed back. My brother was still only 30 seconds behind me. I hit the down part of the “little hill” and experienced a whole new kind of excitement. I had never gone anywhere near as fast as I was going right then and begin to reflect that putting together my own bike may not have been such a good idea. About the time I hit the very narrow rubber mat that crossed the cattle guard, I knew that building my own bike was a bad idea. I survived my down hill thrill ride and had a couple miles left before T2 and some time to think. I realized that I was going to do this, I was going to finish the race. I thought about my nephew for the first time that day. Some of the sadness left. I felt like I had a guardian Angel with me. I pulled into T2 45 seconds ahead of my brother and was off on the run. He caught me about 1 mile in and we ran and chatted together for next 15 minutes or so. A day or two before the race our mother suggested that we don’t race by each other because she knew how competitive we were or should say we are and didn’t want us pushing so hard that one of got injured. The finish line was just a quater mile away or so. My brother begain to surge a little and I couldn’t match his pace. He had always been a better runner than I but I was o.k. with that. I heard the p.a. announcer call his name as he crossed the finish line. I finished 21 seconds behind him. Both our families were cheering us on and I had tears in my eyes as I hugged my wife and kids. Check that one off my bucket list. I’ve done several races since then and this year stepped up to the olympic distance and plan to train for and complete a Half Ironman next year. One thing triathlons have taught me is that you really don’t know what your limits are until you push yourself beyond what you think are capable of. I love this sport!

Comment on Taking it to The Trails! by Gelder

Gelder — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:29:08 +0000

I agree trails are yummy.

Comment on Taking it to The Trails! by TeKoi Smith

TeKoi Smith — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:06:16 +0000

Stay tuned! Pretty soon we’ll be give away a pair of the new Newton Running trail shoes!

Comment on Taking it to The Trails! by Jen

Jen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:42:37 +0000

I have always disliked running but lately, I have fallen in love with trail running! Most days I can’t wait to get done with my day so I can unwind in the canyon.

Comment on K-Swiss Blade Light by Jen

Jen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:40:27 +0000

Gives me time to save my money…

Comment on PAIN RELIEF for sore muscles by Dan

Dan — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:38:33 +0000

I find that an ice bath after workouts is pretty effective.

Comment on The Ocean Challenge by Jen

Jen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:11:48 +0000

Totally got my butt kicked in my first ocean tri. I wish I would have read this article sooner…

Comment on Have you tried compression socks? by Zensah Compression Socks

Zensah Compression Socks — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:30:55 +0000

Have seen advertisements for Zensah compression socks all over the internet lately. I decided to give them a try. They aren’t bad at all. Swiftwick isn’t a brand I have come across as often, so I was a little reluctant to try them. Sounds likes theres a lot of good feedback though. They might have to be the next brands I try out. Thanks.

Comment on Moab Relay – Spontaneity Required :) by Mireya Ioele

Mireya Ioele — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:27:25 +0000

As long as it is not too elaborate – the dress is very simple, but gorgeous, and a ultra-glamorous clutch would outshine your dress. Try to match your clutch with your shoes and jewellery.

Comment on PAIN RELIEF for sore muscles by Richard Verney

Richard Verney — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:50:27 +0000

I recommend using compression tights and compression recovery socks after work outs for faster recovery. Items like compression calf guards, socks and shorts all help reduce leg muscle damage during training and racing while compression tops improve posture (better breathing) and long sleeve tops are good for swimmers as they have graduated arms. For the “performance minded” athlete, compression is a must during activity and after. Graduated compression items are good for travel and try sleeping in them, you’ll be surprised!