LAUNCESTON TRIATHLON CLUB NEWSLETTER June 2013

Transcription

1 LAUNCESTON TRIATHLON CLUB NEWSLETTER June 2013 PRESIDENT S REPORT May 2013: Paul RANSON Looking back on the 2012/13 season, there were a number of positives for the Club, in particular the strong growth in membership and participation. Last year we had 158 members, this year that has grown to 189, an increase of 20% and an increase of 65% from 2 years ago. We also saw participation at LTC races was up 30% with 783 participants. The Bridport Triathlon, our inaugural Come & Try Triathlon and the Beauty Point State Series Triathlon in particular were very well supported. Financially we had a good year aided by strong race participation numbers, increased membership and the support of our various sponsors. While we finished the year with a small loss, at the same time we invested in purchasing new infrastructure and we reduced entry fees for some races. Importantly we still have a reasonable reserve to cover any unforeseen expenses. At an individual club member level there were many outstanding performances throughout the year, but in particular we should recognise the efforts of James Hodge and Jacob Birtwhistle who both performed with distinction on the international and national stage. While it is easy to identify the high performers, we also continue to see significant improvement in many of our members performances which is a reflection of their dedication and focus. Of course most people are part of the Club for participation rather than competitive reasons and it is important that we continue to maintain a strong participation focus. This year we broadened our training activities to trial a specific junior program as well as new activities at our regular Monday night training. We also held our annual club training day and a junior training day. We also trialled a new approach with our regular weekly training night but ultimately decided to revert to our traditional Monday night training regime. On the social front we were less active this year due to the loss of several of our key social program organisers and we intend to pick up on this again during the next 12 months. The Club s operations are entirely dependent on volunteer support. We are fortunate in that we have many of our members who are 1 prepared to assist with the various activities of the Club, thank you to all of our club volunteers. The Club s Management Committee has continued to be active and I would note my appreciation for the efforts of all of the management committee but in particular the efforts of Peter Adams, David Hepher, Dan Van der Vlist and Casey Mainsbridge who manage the bulk of the day to day responsibilities. Our Club Sponsors greatly assist with providing the financial and inkind support that we need to run successful events and to continue to build the capability of the club. I would note my appreciation in particular for the support this year from WHK Financial Planning who came on board as a platinum sponsor. I would also thank our other sponsors for this year Southern Cross TV, Bike Central, Toro s, McCrimmon s Insurance, Dave Herbig and The Running Company. Looking forward, the Club is keen to continue to try and innovate in how we run our various races. We are aiming to sort out our race program at our next meeting in June. Keep up the training, winter will soon pass! Paul Ranson President LTC

2 TRIATHLON CLUB AWARDS 2012/2013 Our annual club awards were held at our long term sponsor of the club; Toro s. The night was well attended and our triathlon cohort may have broke some noise restrictions. A plethora of spot prizes were given out and no one went home empty handed nor hungry. Awards as follows: Most Improved Male Dylan Hill Most Improved Junior Alexandra Spillane Male Junior Harrison Musgrave Most Improved Female Sarah Ellis Club Person of the Year Peter Adams Female Junior Millie Chapman Male Open 1st James Hodge, 2nd Dylan Hill, 3rd Dylan Evans Female Open 1st Melissa Clark, 2nd Kate Pedley, 3rd Sarah Ellis Male Senior 1st Dylan Hill, 2nd Dylan Evans, 3rd Tony Kerr Female Senior 1st Sarah Ellis, 2nd Kate Pedley, 3rd Susie Dowling Male Veteran 1st Shad Hearn, 2nd Anthony Manshanden, 3rd Rodney Boxhall Female Veteran 1st Narelle Wynwood, 2nd Louise Bishop Male Masters 1st Roger Butorac, 2nd Peter Adams, 3rd Danny Whelan Female Masters 1st Meg Lade, 2nd Noelene Chippindall, 3rd Maggie Squires 2 WINTER MOTIVATION: Club Finder AUSSI MASTERS: Want to improve your swimming? Finding it hard to commit to the pool in Winter. Don t go it alone! Aussie Masters caters for all ages and abilities, offering 3 - one hour sessions per week plus social breakfast on Saturday s & pub night Thursday s. Launceston Aquatic, $6 per session, plus yearly membership. Mon, Thurs & Sat. Coach: Chris Zetner. INFO: PARK RUN: 5km run - you against the clock, every Saturday at 9:00am. Inveresk Precinct, Launceston. It's free! But please register before your first run. You only ever need register with Parkrun once. It is entirely organised by volunteers - launcestonhelpers@parkrun.com to help and visit: to register. ROAD CYCLING: Track racing for novice and experienced at the Silverdome on Wednesday nights track bikes for hire. Open graded handicapped road racing on Saturday s. Vet s handicapped racing on Sunday s. For mandatory cycling licenses and insurance info check out the Cycling Tasmania

3 website. INFO: MOUNTAIN BIKE: The Launceston Mountain Bike Club holds weekly twilight races over Summer as well as 4, 6 & 12 Hour Enduro events, along with social rides and skills days. LMBC is currently working to improve and redevelop the Kate Reed and Trevallyn Nature Recreation Areas as part of the Tracks and Trails strategy with regular working bees. INFO: If you would like to be linked in with one of these clubs please contact LTC via /facebook and we ll find a buddy to take care of you COACH S REPORT June 2013: Casey MAINSBRIDGE I would like to congratulate all Launceston Triathlon Club members for their efforts in being part of a great 2012/2013 season. The year saw some outstanding performances from club athletes at a local, state, national, and international level. Congratulations to club members who represented Australia at an elite or age group level, ranging from juniors through to veterans. The club continues to see some outstanding performances from a broad range of members who produce great performances at the half ironman and full ironman distances; an amazing effort and achievement. The positive news is that many of the triathletes representing their country or completing long distance triathlon events started participating in the sport at a local level. It is exciting that the Launceston Triathlon Club conducts a variety of events and regular training sessions that provide the platform for many people of all ages and ability to venture and achieve in the world of triathlon. The Launceston Triathlon Club is in the process of putting together a new and improved calendar, which presents a range of great events and opportunities for all club members. Even better, the events offer the ideal opportunity for parents, family members, training partners, and colleagues to come along and be part of this great sport and club for 2013/ Congratulations go to all the participants and volunteers who took part in the final club event for the 2012/2013 season, the Enduro. Despite facing challenging weather conditions the novice participants were able to complete one lap of the three disciplines, but unfortunately the Enduro entrants were only safely able to put together a swim and a run before the event had to be ceased. This was a disappointing way for the last event of the season to conclude. Hopefully the Enduro event can bounce back next year and produce some better event conditions, better performances, and crazier outfits. Although the final event was disappointing, the LTC dinner held in May at Toro s restaurant was an excellent culminating event for the season. Stewart Lawrie and his team put on a good show and great meal, and the evening was well attended by club members and their families. Age group winners, club champions, volunteers, technical officials, and consistent participation were all recognised for their performances during the season. Thank you also goes to the many great club sponsors who provide ongoing support, promotion, and prizes that add exceptional value to our events and membership. In March this year four Launceston Triathlon Club junior athletes were selected to represent Tasmania in the Australian Youth National Triathlon Championships held in Twin Waters, Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The selected juniors were Harrison Musgrave, Kier Crooks, Alex Spillane, and Jock Tate. Each of these juniors represented their state, their club, and themselves proudly, and produced some impressive individual and team performances. Well done to these juniors, and keep up the good work. These four have also recently been part of two state junior camps (held in Devonport and Launceston) which have been coordinated by Victorian and Tasmanian coach Jan Rehula. These camps provide juniors across the state with coaching expertise, a variety of triathlon-specific skills and drills to improve racing and training, and a great opportunity to develop a strong and close-knit base of juniors across the state in the sport of triathlon. They enjoyed working with Jan, who was supported by additional Tasmanian coaches, supportive parents, and tips from Natalea Smith and Jake Birtwhistle. The camps have been very successful, and plans are in place to conduct four sessions per year for our juniors. This is great news, and creates an

4 environment for our juniors which is comparable to those experienced daily by athletes in other states. If LTC members do know of any junior athletes who may be interested in getting into triathlon, please let me or a committee member know and we can make contact with them. The Triathlon Tasmania annual celebration evening was held in Devonport recently, and was marked by several impressive season performances by LTC triathletes and volunteers. Once again our club snapped up a large amount of the awards that were recognised; which was extremely pleasing considering the increasing number of Tasmanians participating in triathlon, and the growth of all three clubs across the state. Kate Pedley and Jake Birtwhistle were awarded female and male athletes of the year respectively, which is a fantastic achievement. Other local athletes who were recognised were Dylan Hill, Melissa Clark, James Hodge, Dylan Evans, Marc Hardy, Millie Chapman, and Peter Adams. Congratulations to these people for their efforts and performances throughout the 2012/2013 season, it is great to see these people getting recognised. Finally, please remember that the club conducts a regular pool training session on Monday evenings at the Launceston Aquatic Centre from 6:00 7:00pm. These sessions are led by swim coach Ray Brien, with the fee for these sessions being $7.00. These sessions must be paid for individually at the pool reception desk and your name must be recorded on the Launceston Triathlon Club sheet at reception. Please do not use your pool membership card or session card, as the cost for the four pool lanes is covered by the club, along with the coach s fee. The first Monday session of each month is taken by Casey Mainsbridge, and this session incorporates a thirty minute run after the swim for interested people, so please bring along the appropriate attire for the conditions. John Claridge conducts his regular running sessions on Thursday evenings at City Park at 5:45pm, and there is also a Tuesday night 5:30pm session leaving from Park Street coordinated by Tim and Sharon Gunton. Each of these sessions are available for people of all abilities, so make the most of these club opportunities. In addition, there will be a club training day held in September which offers a great opportunity to get together and undergo group training and skill sessions for each of the three triathlon disciplines. There will also be theoretically-based sessions from guest speakers which will provide advice and information related to triathlon training and racing. Keep an eye out for this day in the next newsletter. All the best for a good period of training over the winter months, and I look forward to seeing you all for the first event of the upcoming season. Keep up the good work STATE SERIES ANNOUNCED Race 1 - Bridport, 29 December 2013 Race 2 - Latrobe, 26 January 2014 Race 3 - Seven Mile Beach, 2 February 2014 Race 4 - Coles Bay, 15 February 2014 Race 5 - Devonport, 1 March TASMANIAN DUATHLON STATE CHAMPS 2013 State Duathlon Championships will be held on 28 July 2013 in Hobart. This race is a leg in the National Duathlon Series & provides qualification points for the Australian Duathlon Team which will represent Australia at the World Duathlon Championships. INFO: I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match. ~ Mia Hamm (pro soccer player) 4

5 Favourite moment in sport: Watching Cadel Evans win the Tour De France How do you keep fit and active? I attempt to maintain a reasonable cross training schedule but don t slash my wrists if I happen to miss a session. Generally I achieve 3 swim sessions per week with the Masters Club, a gym session with weights, treadmill and spin class and up to 3 bike sessions per week including rides with the Meander Valley Vets. What is your favourite or most memorable sporting achievement? Competing at the World Masters Games, Edmonton, Canada, 2005 and winning Silver in the 2K Open Water Swim Age Group and nearly on the podium (5th) in the Sprint Triathlon - only 25 seconds from 3rd to 5th - nothing left for the sprint finish. What do you love about coaching? Me in action World Masters games, Edmonton When did you start swimming and what is your favourite stroke? I started swimming at high school and continued when I joined the RAAF. I wasn t fast enough to make the swim team so focused on Water Polo ending up representing Queensland on one occasion. I am sorry to say that Butterfly is my favourite stroke - only I can t do it for long enough. MEET OUR NEW SWIM COACH: Ray BRIEN Born Cooma, New South Wales, January 1950 What did you do growing up that got you into trouble? I was a boring child I suppose with no major vices, just the standard things that children do to get the parents off side. Some fast facts on our new and shiny, tip top, state of the art swim coach. A man who knows a thing or two about tri, has taught you a thing or two over the past few months but whom you may hardly know. Let s rectify this: Family: Married, semi retired and live in Invermay with wife Kaye, 3 adult children (1 in Melbourne, 1 in Sydney, 1 working in Adu Dhabi) 2 grandkids. Working career: 20 years in RAAF, 10 of which as aircrew. Involved in sport most of my life - 1st triathlon Oct in the good old days when beer companies sponsored the events - nothing like a warm can of beer as you crossed the finish line. Moved to Tassie in 1991 and competed in Triathlons from then until about Joined AUSSI masters in 1991 and still swim with them. 5 What is the most amazing place you have been to? A tossup between Moscow and the Kruger National Park in South Africa. What is one of your favourite quotes? Minds are like parachutes - they function best when open.

6 On our first full day the Australian team went on an orientation ride, this was great as it put me at ease. I now knew the course, where to go hard, where to be careful of turns and where to take on nutrition. On our second day, dressed in our wetsuits due to the cold and rain, we road our bikes on the motorway about 10km for an open water swim. OMG if you think Tasmanian water is cold, trust me, it has nothing on how cold New Zealand water is! All of a sudden every shop was sold out of neoprene swim caps lol. The water took your breath away, gave you an ice-cream headache and made your lips turn blue. Suddenly nerves kicked in and I thought, OMG I don t think I can swim in this freezing water. The atmosphere in the Australian team was electric. Everyone was so friendly and happy to share their knowledge. The team dinner was great, it was awesome to have the professionals there interacting with the age group athletes. The opening ceremony was an eye opener with the traditional New Zealand haka opening the day. The team from Brazil was just behind the Australian team and you could hear all 10 of them chant above the 800 odd Australian team members. It was not until this point that I realised how big the event was with all the athletes from around the world in one spot marching behind their country s flag. RACE REPORT: Sarah ELLIS: NEW ZEALAND Sprint, September 22 nd 2012, Auckland, NZ. On September 16 Kate Clark and I travelled to New Zealand to compete it the Barfoot and Thompson World Triathlon Championships. It was my first time overseas, so to say I was a tad excited was an understatement. New Zealand is very much like Tasmania, cold, wet and windy! I understand now why they call Auckland the city of sails. Auckland city got right behind the triathlon championships. Everywhere you went there were posters and signs of the event. The locals were so friendly and accommodating. All of a sudden they were inundated with cyclist on their roads and not once were I cut off, abused or beeped at. I didn t get much sleep as the nerves had well and truly kicked it. The weather gods were kind to us though as the wind had died of f and the rain had nearly stopped. Suiting up in the holding area I thought I was going to vomit, I was that nervous. All of a sudden the marshal called us and we were walking down the ramp to the water. You re told on your marks and you jump off the pontoon into the freezing water, then the buzzer goes and you re off and racing. As normal, the first 200m was hectic, with arms and legs everywhere, but then it settled down and everyone found their race pace. I had a good swim and came out of the water mid pack. The run to transition was so, so long. It could have been another leg! I enjoyed the bike and had a strong ride. The roads were all so smooth and nice to ride on. Once again it was a massive run into transition, but then I was on my final leg. I felt great on the run, I was overtaking people, which was a first for me. I had worked really hard on the run leg over winter. And then all of a sudden I could see the finishers shoot. It was packed with people and I felt amazing as I 6

7 crossed the finish line at my first world championships! That afternoon I had the pleasure of watching the para-triathlon. These people are truly amazing, some are blind, some are missing limbs and some even have cerebral paulsy. They are from less developed countries and there equipment is basic but they are there and representing their county with such pride. I was truly honoured to watch these amazing athletes. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. Thant night we had the closing ceremony and it was great to see everyone let their hair down and celebrate. I highly recommend to anyone, if you get the chance to represent your county in triathlon, to do so! I had an amazing time, met some truly inspirational people and the experience I had was second to none. The previous year I was just another face in the crowd, I was only 20 and no-one, not even the commentators knew my name. This year was a totally different story. You win a race and the next year you get a big target put on your back. Conditions leading up to the race reminded me somewhat of the year before, but as the sun rose from the east on race morning, and the trees lay basically motionless, I knew it was going to be an honest and great day of racing. I love walking to transition on race morning, to hear the silent hum of competitors setting up their transition areas, the sound of pumps inflating tyres, clicking in of cleats, checking of brakes and gears, and the great sportsmanship of other athletes wishing each other the very best of luck for the day ahead. GAME ON... The gun fired and I put my head down and swam hard to the first buoy to try and take the lead, which I accomplished. I exited the water feeling good, and had a 40 second buffer over the next competitor. I gradually extended my lead to the end of the 90km bike, building a 2minute 30second advantage over the following group. I was very pleased with my ride, more so when I looked at the lap splits after the race where I was able to hold the same pace for both laps completing the first in and the second in , which was the pace I had planned and was hoping to hold. RACE REPORT: James HODGE: BUSSLETON 70.3 May 26 th 2013, Busselton, WA, Australia. Excerpts from the following race reports taken with permission from James. We highly recommend you visit for the finish line photos of Busselton 70.3 and the full reports. One year ago I made the journey over to WA to make my professional and Ironman 70.3 debut at the Sun Smart Ironman 70.3 Busselton, where my taste and addiction for non-drafting long course racing commenced. I set out on the run with the aim of not being caught before the end of the first lap, which I proceeded to do and finished this lap right on pace sitting at 3.29km/pace. I could see that Brad and Tim were absolutely flying, but I continued to hold a consistent pace. Brad took over the lead at the 8.5km mark and as he passed he gave me some great words of encouragement just the same as Tim Reed did when he passed me at the 12km mark. The race of mental strength was then on for me to try and hold off quickly coming and fast finishing Sam Appleton. With 3.5km to go I still had about a 30 second buffer over Sam. This final segment was against the wind, I pushed as hard as I could for 2.5km and surged a few times without turning around to check where Sam was. When I looked back with 1km to go Sam was only a few metres behind me. I seriously freaked and gave another surge before 7

8 entering the last 800metres that is laced with an amazing cheering crowd. My Shotz Nutrition sponsor Darryl was right on the 800m to go mark and he just yelled as loud as he could with desperation in his eyes, "GO HODGEMATE!!! GOOOO!!!!. This lifted me that little bit more and again I surged, I then turned round with about 300 to go and Sam was right there. From this point onwards I actually can't remember much because I was in so much pain. I lost all feeling on the ground and through my legs, it was unbelievable. I then took the final left onto the down sloped grass finish shoot where I was basically chucking my body forward to the line, not having any conscious control over my legs at all. a dodgy looking salad, rice and croissants. So you guessed it, croissants it is. It turned out that food was going to be the least of my problems. Over night my rear wheel had mysteriously punctured and I had no spare. What now! How was I going to find a bike shop in a country I had only been in for a few hours? I was absolutely over the moon with my final result, finishing in 3rd, I left nothing in the tank. I also improved on my previous time by 6 minutes, finishing in MONDAY NIGHT REMINDER: Please bring pool buoy, flippers, paddle and band to training. RACE REPORT: James HODGE: JAPAN 70.3 June 9 th 2013, CENTRAIR CHITA Tokoname Japan. A 9.5 hour flight to Hong Kong followed by a 4 hour flight to Nagoya, Japan. But I must say, I got a heap of study done in that time so it wasn t a day wasted. This was my first trip anywhere by myself and to a country I had never been to before, so it was a massive step. Just like any athlete that is travelling to another country I am very dubious about eating foreign food before a race. At the free buffet the next morning there were many options, a mysterious looking soup, Having the beauty of technology at my fingertips I started to send out messages and s hoping for a miracle. It was Team MaccaX and VIP member Darrick that saved the day. Fortunately for me, Darrick and his family live close to where I was staying. Without any hesitation he headed straight to my hotel, picked me up and took me directly to his local bike shop to get my wheel fixed. Saturday was registration and bike check in. The setup was new to me as it was run with two separate transitions, and done Ironman style, which was really cool. The start of the swim was fast. Michael Fox (AUS) and Ryosuke Yamamoto (two time Japanese Olympian) took off like steam trains over the first 200 metres and I struggled to fight my way back onto their feet. After I caught them I began to feel good and proceeded to take the lead, exiting the water first by 7 seconds in (22.59). My first transition was slow. Both Foxy and Yamamoto got away from me in transition requiring me to chase hard to join them on the bike. Once we were together I figured it was going to be hard to get away from these two as they were both riding so 8

9 strong. We got to the 45 km mark and I got a lucky break and was able to create a gap on the two of them, which really played into my hands. It was a 4 lap bike course and by this stage was very congested, so I played it smart and tried to blend in with the crowded course making it hard for the two chasers to see me in the distance. I finished the very technical bike course with approximately a 2 minute lead over Foxy who was a further 40 seconds ahead of Yamamoto. Anyhow, it was onto the run and the heat hit me like a UFC fighter on angry pills, and it was relentless. We covered a 4.4 km loop to start with and then crossed the bridge for the final 16.7 km to the finish. This covered the entire coastline, weaving in and out of little Japanese villages, industrial fishing yards, and old and ancient ruins. By the time I crossed the line I had extended the lead over the last 6 kms winning by 1:19 over Yamamoto. I was so stoked with my finish time of 3:50:58 in such tough conditions, and once again I have surprised myself by continuing to improve my run :-) If you too leave our apple-dappled shore lines for tri elsewhere, please let us know as we would love to share your experiences with the club WINTER WOOLIES: Tips for beating the Winter weather Winter is a hard time for Tasmanians and especially for Tasmanian Triathletes. Try and increase your exposure to the sun where possible or consider vitamin D supplements. Keep your vitamin C intake high with oranges and mandarins, broccoli, kale and capsicum. Stay away from work and training when sick. Warm yourself up as fast as possible after training in the elements or in the pool. The body will crave even more fuel in cold weather to keep warm, so warming up quickly and refuelling sensibly after training is important. Cold muscles are even more susceptible to muscle strain and injury. Take extra care to warm up before hitting your stride in the run or sprint laps in the pool. Also, take it easy! It s winter! RECIPE: No time? No bake. No fuss. Peanut ginger squares Courtesy of thehippietriathlete.com 1 cup raw or roasted peanuts 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger or 1tsp powdered (this can be adjusted, depending on how much you like ginger) 2 tbsp sesame seeds 1 cup raisins 2 tbsp ground or whole flax seeds 2 tbsp honey (optional pinch of salt if the peanuts are unsalted) 1. Grind all ingredients, except for the honey, in a food processor until fairly fine but still having some texture. Avoid processing to the point of creamy peanut butter. 2. Add honey and process just long enough for it to blend in. 3. Press into a square about 3/4-inch thick on a plate or square pan and refrigerate for about an hour or more. Done! Cut into 2-inch squares THE BODY IN FOCUS: Iliotibial band Information and full article: By Dr. Jordan Metzl Symptoms include hip or knee pain, or both. Specifically, pain on the outer side of the knee where 9

10 the bone bumps out above the joint, or on the outer side of the hip. The pain usually starts after 10 minutes of running. Walking usually causes no pain. The iliotibial band (ITB) is a thick tendon that runs the length of and connects the tensor fascia lata muscle which starts on the outer side of the hip to the outer side of the tibia, the major bone in the lower leg. Here s how the pain happens: A small, fluid-filled sac called a bursa sits between the tendon and the outside of the femur near the knee. You also have a bursa at the hip joint. When the ITB is tight, it increases the tension on the outer sides of the hip and knee. The ITB then pinches these two sites and the bursa (one or both) swells. Over time, the bursa becomes enlarged big enough to cause pain every time you begin to run (which is why pain usually starts within 10 minutes of activity). Fix it: Roll it: A 6-by-36-inch foam roller is the best tool for stretching the ITB. Lie on your side with the roller under your leg and roll it from your hip to your knee (see right), using your body weight to knead the area. The pressure will help loosen the tendon and the fascia, almost like a self-massage. Do this at least once a day for several minutes, and make it a permanent part of your exercise. Beef up your glutes and hips. Weak butt and hip muscles contribute to ITB impingement syndrome. Make sure your lower-body work includes squats, especially single-leg squats, as well as multidirectional lunges. Having a properly fitted bike can help triathletes who suffer from ITB impingement while riding. 10