Question:

Does anyone know of any triathlons in the Caymans this year. Sprint or Olympic distance. They usually have the Conchman sometime in Nov. if I remember right. Marc

There was a report on the Cayman Conchman in 220 magazine in December. Have a look at their web site it was a good article. www.220magazine.com HTH DrClean www.DrClean.co.uk The best fabric cleaning resource on the web.

Response:

Check out their web site at: http://www.caymantri.com.ky/about.htm Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone know of any triathlons in the Caymans this year. Sprint or Olympic distance. They usually have the Conchman sometime in Nov. if I remember right. Marc There was a report on the Cayman Conchman in 220 magazine in December. Have a look at their web site it was a good article. www.220magazine.com HTH DrClean www.DrClean.co.uk The best fabric cleaning resource on the web.

Ken Parker Runner’s Web <http://www.runnersweb.com A running and Triathlon Resource Portal

Response:

Does anyone know of any triathlons in the Caymans this year. Sprint or Olympic distance. Thanks, CHJ

Response:

Does anyone know of any triathlons in the Caymans this year. Sprint or Olympic distance.

They usually have the Conchman sometime in Nov. if I remember right. Marc

Response:

Question:

Thanks for the response Dot. Still sore this morning so I decided to call the doctor who had me come in. He also pressed in the heel area which didn’t hurt a bit. Still hurts in the arch area toward the heel when I walk but he did an xray. I had been told I had bilateral stress fractures back in the beginning of April but after a week the pain went away so my other doctor told me I could run if there was no pain. The xray showed the stress fracture and now I can’t run for 3 weeks. The doctor did say that since it now showed up on the xray, it was already healing and it was a very microscopic stress fracture. I told him about my triathlon in Aug and he didn’t think it would be a problem to do it. Funny thing is the fracture is at the bottom of the tibia and the soreness I feel is in the foot. I am almost thinking that they are two unrelated problems and the foot pain is something else. If I really had a stress fracture I would have thought it would hurt during my race Sunday instead of 2 days later. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Michele, I believe PF is supposed to hurt when touched, at least in the more painful cases. I had it (as well as Achilles tendonitis and a bum shoulder at the same time) several years ago. I was treated for the AT and shoulder first because they were causing the most problems, and by the time I had the orthopedist look at the PF (I didn’t realize it was something separate from the AT), it was not sore to touch. However, he did repeatedly press the bottom of my foot in several areas, just in front of the heel where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone, specifically to see if it hurt. I am interpreting that to mean that pain to touch is frequently a symptom. However, I just looked at the small pamphlet on heel pain that he had given me, and I don’t see it listed as a symptom. But I wouldn’t take that pamphlet to be complete. Having problems walking when you first get out of bed is a major symptom, which you don’t seem to have. Once I got over the main part of it and slowly got back into running, I found that running (within reason) seemed to help, while standing and sitting for long periods (like driving to meetings and then sitting there for hours) seemed to aggravate it. I think this is real, and not just providing me an excuse not to go to meetings in the city My PF and AT started gradually, BUT I didn’t recognize the symptoms, nor had I even heard of plantar fasciatus. (hadn’t bumped into rec.running then) While I ran occasionally then, it was inconsistent, but usually only 4km on a run, but anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week, depending on work, weather, and snow conditions. With 20-20 hindsight, the AT and PF probably built over several months with several kinds of activities, probably beginning in late winter or spring. I’m a field vegetation ecologist in Alaska, so during field season bumps and bruises and a little pain are the norm. To make a long story short, they caught my attention in a major way when I couldn’t tie my hiking boots because of the pain, and I could hardly stand to read my plots. Now that I know the symptoms and the consequences of ignoring them, I pay a lot more attention to pain in the foot area. Your symptoms don’t sound like mine, but if they persist, you would be wise to see a doctor, which sounds like you were planning on doing anyway. Severe PF is no fun. Good luck! BTW, something my orthopedist suggested when he was fitting me with orthotics is that a good exercise is to try lifting up your forefoot and toes while sitting, or even just resting them on a phone book while sitting (toes on book, heels on floor). His contention is that the normal amount of stretching that most people do isn’t really enough. By doing this even while sitting in an office, you can work on stretching the fascia. Something else he suggested I not do, is "toe presses" (not sure of their official name) that I was using to buildup calf muscles and I thought would also help the achilles tendon. Apparently that shortens the calf muscles, and what I really needed to be doing was lengthening the calf muscle or shortening the one on the shin (not sure of its name either). Dot I did some research but everything I read gave symptoms that were different for lots of people. Pain seemed to be in lots of different locations. One thing I couldn’t find was whether or not it would hurt to the touch, which it doesn’t. If anyone has had plantar fasciitis, would it hurt to touch and does it start overnight or is it a gradual thing?

Response:

 The xray showed the stress fracture and now I can’t run for 3 weeks.

That’s a bummer. The doctor did say that since it now showed up on the xray, it was already healing and it was a very microscopic stress fracture.

That’s good news! I told him about my triathlon in Aug and he didn’t think it would be a problem to do it.

Very good news! Funny thing is the fracture is at the bottom of the tibia and the soreness I feel is in the foot. I am almost thinking that they are two unrelated problems and the foot pain is something else. If I really had a stress fracture I would have thought it would hurt during my race Sunday instead of 2 days later.

That’s part of why my PF took so long to diagnose because the welts from the AT were so obvious, but after they went down, I still had the pain in the bottom of my heels. I saw your other thread. Good luck! Dot

Response:

Hi Dot, thanks for the wish of good luck. I think I am going to need it. I really don’t think the pain is from the stress fracture because it hurt on the elliptical trainer tonight. I am really getting discouraged though. My concern is that I will rest the 3 weeks like I am supposed to and this problem will be something unrelated and I will have wasted 3 weeks waiting to find out that it is some other problem. I am considering seeing a podiatrist that works in sports medicine. No one can even seem to tell me what type of arches I have and the right shoes I should be wearing. I had conflicting answers from 2 doctors in the same office. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  The xray showed the stress fracture and now I can’t run for 3 weeks. That’s a bummer. The doctor did say that since it now showed up on the xray, it was already healing and it was a very microscopic stress fracture. That’s good news! I told him about my triathlon in Aug and he didn’t think it would be a problem to do it. Very good news! Funny thing is the fracture is at the bottom of the tibia and the soreness I feel is in the foot. I am almost thinking that they are two unrelated problems and the foot pain is something else. If I really had a stress fracture I would have thought it would hurt during my race Sunday instead of 2 days later. That’s part of why my PF took so long to diagnose because the welts from the AT were so obvious, but after they went down, I still had the pain in the bottom of my heels. I saw your other thread. Good luck! Dot

Response:

Michele, I believe PF is supposed to hurt when touched, at least in the more painful cases. I had it (as well as Achilles tendonitis and a bum shoulder at the same time) several years ago. I was treated for the AT and shoulder first because they were causing the most problems, and by the time I had the orthopedist look at the PF (I didn’t realize it was something separate from the AT), it was not sore to touch. However, he did repeatedly press the bottom of my foot in several areas, just in front of the heel where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone, specifically to see if it hurt. I am interpreting that to mean that pain to touch is frequently a symptom. However, I just looked at the small pamphlet on heel pain that he had given me, and I don’t see it listed as a symptom. But I wouldn’t take that pamphlet to be complete. Having problems walking when you first get out of bed is a major symptom, which you don’t seem to have. Once I got over the main part of it and slowly got back into running, I found that running (within reason) seemed to help, while standing and sitting for long periods (like driving to meetings and then sitting there for hours) seemed to aggravate it. I think this is real, and not just providing me an excuse not to go to meetings in the city My PF and AT started gradually, BUT I didn’t recognize the symptoms, nor had I even heard of plantar fasciatus. (hadn’t bumped into rec.running then) While I ran occasionally then, it was inconsistent, but usually only 4km on a run, but anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week, depending on work, weather, and snow conditions. With 20-20 hindsight, the AT and PF probably built over several months with several kinds of activities, probably beginning in late winter or spring. I’m a field vegetation ecologist in Alaska, so during field season bumps and bruises and a little pain are the norm. To make a long story short, they caught my attention in a major way when I couldn’t tie my hiking boots because of the pain, and I could hardly stand to read my plots. Now that I know the symptoms and the consequences of ignoring them, I pay a lot more attention to pain in the foot area. Your symptoms don’t sound like mine, but if they persist, you would be wise to see a doctor, which sounds like you were planning on doing anyway. Severe PF is no fun. Good luck! BTW, something my orthopedist suggested when he was fitting me with orthotics is that a good exercise is to try lifting up your forefoot and toes while sitting, or even just resting them on a phone book while sitting (toes on book, heels on floor). His contention is that the normal amount of stretching that most people do isn’t really enough. By doing this even while sitting in an office, you can work on stretching the fascia. Something else he suggested I not do, is "toe presses" (not sure of their official name) that I was using to buildup calf muscles and I thought would also help the achilles tendon. Apparently that shortens the calf muscles, and what I really needed to be doing was lengthening the calf muscle or shortening the one on the shin (not sure of its name either). Dot – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I did some research but everything I read gave symptoms that were different for lots of people. Pain seemed to be in lots of different locations. One thing I couldn’t find was whether or not it would hurt to the touch, which it doesn’t. If anyone has had plantar fasciitis, would it hurt to touch and does it start overnight or is it a gradual thing?

Response:

I did some research but everything I read gave symptoms that were different for lots of people. Pain seemed to be in lots of different locations. One thing I couldn’t find was whether or not it would hurt to the touch, which it doesn’t. If anyone has had plantar fasciitis, would it hurt to touch and does it start overnight or is it a gradual thing? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You may be experiencing plantar fasciitis or something similar that also manifests itself as heel pain. If the heels feel at their worst upon first getting out of bed, the odds are higher that this is indeed what it is. Of course, it could also be from the shoes, or just a transient thing that may pass. Either way, I’d be careful and wait it out or see a doc. Im sure it’s nothing too bad – rest up and give is a few days rest before making any decisions. — David (in Hamilton, Ont) "You can’t burn out if you’ve never caught fire." http://www.angelfire.com/nc/swstudio/racing.html – Would a beginner have a longer recovery rate than someone who’s been running longer? I did a 6K on Sun with no problems, no pain Mon or today but when I tried to run again tonight, I couldn’t even do 1/2 mile without very painful heels. It started with the first couple of steps. Never had pain here before. I wore new shoes for the race, had only worn them twice last week, but they felt pretty good. Is it possible to really need more than 48 hours to be able to run again or is this something I should check with my doctor?

Response:

I had no pain first thing in the morning and no pain walking in my warmup. It started with the first steps of the run. Funny thing is that I had a followup appt with the orthopedist yesterday morning after my race Sun and had no pain at all, not even muscle soreness. He thought I was doing fine. I plan to call him tomorrow and see what he says. Thanks David. I’ll look up plantar fasciitis and check out the symptoms. By the way, the mapping software is great. I’ve been planning all kinds of routes. Much better than driving around town, writing down the mileage from the odometer. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You may be experiencing plantar fasciitis or something similar that also manifests itself as heel pain. If the heels feel at their worst upon first getting out of bed, the odds are higher that this is indeed what it is. Of course, it could also be from the shoes, or just a transient thing that may pass. Either way, I’d be careful and wait it out or see a doc. Im sure it’s nothing too bad – rest up and give is a few days rest before making any decisions. — David (in Hamilton, Ont) "You can’t burn out if you’ve never caught fire." http://www.angelfire.com/nc/swstudio/racing.html – Would a beginner have a longer recovery rate than someone who’s been running longer? I did a 6K on Sun with no problems, no pain Mon or today but when I tried to run again tonight, I couldn’t even do 1/2 mile without very painful heels. It started with the first couple of steps. Never had pain here before. I wore new shoes for the race, had only worn them twice last week, but they felt pretty good. Is it possible to really need more than 48 hours to be able to run again or is this something I should check with my doctor?

Response:

You may be experiencing plantar fasciitis or something similar that also manifests itself as heel pain. If the heels feel at their worst upon first getting out of bed, the odds are higher that this is indeed what it is. Of course, it could also be from the shoes, or just a transient thing that may pass. Either way, I’d be careful and wait it out or see a doc. Im sure it’s nothing too bad – rest up and give is a few days rest before making any decisions. — David (in Hamilton, Ont) "You can’t burn out if you’ve never caught fire." http://www.angelfire.com/nc/swstudio/racing.html –

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Would a beginner have a longer recovery rate than someone who’s been running longer? I did a 6K on Sun with no problems, no pain Mon or today but when I tried to run again tonight, I couldn’t even do 1/2 mile without very painful heels. It started with the first couple of steps. Never had pain here before. I wore new shoes for the race, had only worn them twice last week, but they felt pretty good. Is it possible to really need more than 48 hours to be able to run again or is this something I should check with my doctor?

Response:

Would a beginner have a longer recovery rate than someone who’s been running longer? I did a 6K on Sun with no problems, no pain Mon or today but when I tried to run again tonight, I couldn’t even do 1/2 mile without very painful heels. It started with the first couple of steps. Never had pain here before. I wore new shoes for the race, had only worn them twice last week, but they felt pretty good. Is it possible to really need more than 48 hours to be able to run again or is this something I should check with my doctor?

Response:

Question:

Does anyone know of any up-coming fall recreational canoe races in the NC, SC, Va or eastern Tenn. regions?

Response:

There is the Ace Basin Triathalon on Nov 6 in Green Pond, SC.  I would enter it if I thought that my canoe that I ordered would arrive on time.  I was going to do the run and a guy I work with was going to bike.

Response:

Question:

Anyone interested in beta testing a Mac training diary please email me. Thanks

Response:

Anyone interested in beta testing a Mac training diary please email me. Thanks

Very interested! Steve

Response:

Anyone interested in beta testing a Mac training diary please email me. Thanks

I would like to try it.  I have an iMac Gary McMurtrey Inland Inferno Triathlon Club http://members.aol.com/infernotri/home.htm

Response:

Question:

Breezy Point Triathlon, Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, June 1997.

This was my first tri after a 5 year break from the sport to finish grad school, do some special projects at work, etc.  The swim was absolutely brutal to me that day.  The water was so cold, my feet got cold and did not warm up until the end of the run. Glad you finished.  Keep it up.

Response:

I recently was able to re-establish my access with rst after an unfortunate separation.  As I was looking over some of the older articles, I noticed this topic and thought I might add a tale.  I really consider myself a lurker in this group, but have occasionally posted a subject (usually asking for advice), so here goes: I never swam, biked, nor ran competitively during my younger days.  In fact, of the sports that I did participate in, running was usually some form of punishment for goofing off or showing little zeal.  Consequently, I generally hated running for some time and always wondered why would you want to simply run?  Sounded boring. Life was cruising along and it eventually took me to medical school and ultimately into residency.  It also took me into a residency in neurosurgery.  To make a very long story short, for about 3 years I had very little time in my life for anything, sleep and eating included.  I finally was able to finish the most brutal of the residency and enter stages where, though it gets a little time constraining at times, I had some extra time on my hands.  I knew I was in horrible shape.  I’m lean to begin with and probably will never (I hope) look like the "fat-asses" mentioned in several other posts on this subject.  However, I realized I felt awful about my physical shape. So… I never thought about triathlons.  In fact, I had seen the Ironman on tv, but thought, "Kinda’ crazy if you ask me."  But, I started running.  It was the simplest means by which to get back in shape.  No excuses, just throw on the shoes and go.  Somewhere along the line, I bought a road bike, thinking it would be a good diversion from the running both mentally and physically.  I also figured swimming would be the best overall workout and started going to the pool regularly. Then it happened.  I truly believe that had it not been for the countless nights spent in the hospital, I would have never become so intense on getting into shape.  Slowly I began to gain some endurance and started feeling good about myself physically.  I was beginning to make a little progress with my speeds, as well.  So this crazy idea enters my head one day that since I’m doing the work, why not put them together?  I swear that my initial intentions were to just vary the workout.   My first triathlon:  Breezy Point Triathlon, Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, June 1997.  I won’t make this a race report, but ever since then, I have been obsessed.  I still have a significant commitment to my career (two more years of residency), but whenever I can, I’m training. The days which I’m unable to exercise put me into that foul mood with which most readers can understand.  Why do I continue?  The enjoyment of the training (except headwinds), the purity of individual sport and accomplishment, always looking for something else to buy for my bike?  So many factors probably contribute to my continuing, but I’m still shocked that I got into this game to begin with.   Sorry that I’ve rambled for so long, I’ve tried to synthesize 1 1/2 years as efficiently as I can.  Thanks to all those out there that have been at races or on rst, keeping me interested and motivated. Nathan Simmons —

Response:

Question:

We have a Yellow 53 PR in stock ready to build, and ship. — Bud Bonzai web site      www.erols.com/bonzaisports : I’m desperately looking for a 55 or 53cm QR Private Reserve.  I’m : located in the triathlon mecca of the world, San DIego, but unable to : find my bike of dreams. Please help me out. : : :

Response:

We have a brand new, yellow, 55 cm PR with QR’s Speed Kit package (Dura-Ace 9 spd) in stock right now if you are still interested. 175 mm cranks, med. bars. $2450. We are a new multi-sport store, Tri-Specialties and located in Louisiana. We offer free UPS ground shipping and since you are out of state, we do not have to collect tax. Credit cards accepted. We can have it shipped out Monday morning if you are still interested!!! Let us know! Diane Tarver phone: 318/625-9224  evening calls welcomed. http://Tri-Specialties.com http://MultiSweatRacing.org I’m desperately looking for a 55 or 53cm QR Private Reserve.  I’m located in the triathlon mecca of the world, San DIego, but unable to find my bike of dreams. Please help me out.

Response:

I’m desperately looking for a 55 or 53cm QR Private Reserve.  I’m located in the triathlon mecca of the world, San DIego, but unable to find my bike of dreams. Please help me out.

Response:

Question:

King LouieI, (love your username, my lord) I agree with your post and happy to see it has worked for you for sometime.  I’ve also noticed that it is more beneficial to mix your workouts together, after doing a sprint tri every week with a training class.  After a swim,I started biking to trail run areas, do the run,then bike back.  Do you do your intervals for all on the same day? I notice the next day I need to rest.  What about strength training? Sometimes the next day I just don’t have the energy or feel sore. Any suggestions where this would fit in would be appreciated. Thanks, Lee

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -(WAVESPEED) writes: Schedule A. is my typical training schedule, alternating bike and run training days.  On occasion I have read in tri-publications that some triathletes will do a run and a  bike workout on the same day(not a brick workout) and rest their legs fully the next day,  in my case schedule B would be an example.  I would like to hear from individuals who has PERSONALLY TRIED BOTH methods.  Which method did you think worked better for you?  Any assistance would be appreciated. Schedule A Mon     Tue         W ed     Thu      Fri       Sat             Sun swim                  swim                 swim           bike                      bike*                bike long                          run*                   run                     run long Schedule B Mon     Tue         W ed     Thu      Fri       Sat             Sun swim                  swim                 swim           bike                     bike*                 bike long           run*                      run                                  run long * denotes speed workout just prior to racing season otherwise aerobic swim is with a masters swim program Alex

Scedual A is Great if you are planning to only run and bike 3 days a week. If you plan on doing more sessions of each sport you will ultimately have to bike and run on the same day at some point. For 10 years I have tried to follow a scedual like A and when I wanted to run and bike 4 or 5 times a week I was fustrated at having to fuss with which day I would do the run and bike the same day. Last year I decided to try a secdual B type plan. I figured runners run every day, bikers bike every day, and swimmers swim every day. Also each of these sports demand double workouts. I ran double workouts on the college  track team and did double workouts for a colledge swim team when I transfered. So I figured every other sport does what it does on a daily basis why not a triathlon every day.  I would run in the morning then bike in the after noon then swim in the evening. I never had to wory about if it was a bike day or run day or if i missed a ride when would i have to double up the bike and run. I could just train and not worry about the scedualling of things. A hard run would be followed by an easy bike etc.  I would do this every day until my morning heart rate was elevated too high then take a day off. Some times only three days of training and I would need a day but I went as many as nine days without a day off. Unfortunately I didn’ get to race last due to a car hitting me on my bike.(I should have taken that day off) But I felt great. I had been following the training program of Dr Maffetone, and had gotten two minutes per mile faster on the run and about 4 mph faster on the bike at an arobic level so I know I was improving. I hope to train this way again as soon as I can run  every day. Good luck and give it a tri. Just make sure you back off when your body needs to. Louis Pelissier

Response:

Schedule A. is my typical training schedule, alternating bike and run training days.  On occasion I have read in tri-publications that some triathletes will do a run and a  bike workout on the same day(not a brick workout) and rest their legs fully the next day,  in my case schedule B would be an example.  I would like to hear from individuals who has PERSONALLY TRIED BOTH methods.  Which method did you think worked better for you?  Any assistance would be appreciated. Schedule A Mon     Tue         W ed     Thu      Fri       Sat             Sun swim                  swim                 swim            bike                      bike*                bike long                           run*                   run                        run long Schedule B Mon     Tue         W ed     Thu      Fri       Sat             Sun swim                  swim                 swim            bike                     bike*                 bike long            run*                      run                                     run long * denotes speed workout just prior to racing season otherwise aerobic swim is with a masters swim program Alex

Response:

Question:

 i ran the kiawah triathlon this weekend, and according to my computer the  bike portion of the race was 26.67 miles instead of the advertised 25  miles.

cut… Something that race directors seem never to realize.  We want to race, not bike precisely 25 miles.  I personally don’t care if the race is 47.6 kilometers on the bike with a 12 furlong run.  We all cover the same distance.  In triathlon, it is sometimes impossible to create an exact 40km bike course within the constraints of the area in which the race is being held.  So what! What I do care about is that the race director advertise the distance that his course ACTUALLY is.  That’s all.  Is this too much to ask? |       Ray Plotecia            | |       Image Control           |

Response:

I personally don’t care if the race is 47.6 kilometers on the bike with a 12 furlong run.  We all cover the same distance.  In triathlon, it is sometimes impossible to create an exact 40km bike course within the constraints of the area in which the race is being held.  So what! What I do care about is that the race director advertise the distance that his course ACTUALLY is.  That’s all.  Is this too much to ask?

Unfortunately, it apparently is for some race directors.  But I, too, would really appreciate getting reasonably accurate course measurements (at least on the bike and run, where it is easy to get such measurements).                                         — John — John Walker        Jackson & Tull Chartered Engineers, Seabrook, Maryland WWW:   http://rs733.gsfc.nasa.gov/~jntjw/

Response:

Question:

1. Race reports specifically IM-Germany.  The race reports in Triathlete are especially dry and uneventful.  The writers seem to forget that the majority of their audience doesn’t get a chance to race in the exotic locales of Europe, Carribean etc…  Also, they only describe the race

            ****** WoW ! I never realised I lived and raced in an exotic location. I’m off to train in the rain and cold again Darren — Biomechanics Laboratory         Dept of PE, SS & RM Loughborough University United Kingdom

Response:

Jeffrey Justice writes: <clip…at Triathlete when I was on staff … <clip a bunch more

I hope I’m not being too nosy, but I’m curious what you’re working on now that you don’t seem to be at Triathlete. I had assumed that your call for responses to a series of questions were for future articles. Are you freelancing at the moment or working for another publication? Just curious what your involvement with triathlons is now. Please disregard this if it is none of my business. P.S. Enjoyed your review of the race in Japan televised by CBS. Did you get heat for actually writing something negative in the mag?                            _ <_         <               ___/o__    ( )/( )       /

Response:

writes:  Are you freelancing at the moment or working for another publication? Just curious what your involvement with triathlons is now. Please disregard this if it is none of my business. P.S. Enjoyed your review of the race in Japan televised by CBS. Did you get heat for actually writing something negative in the mag? I’m still writing articles for and giving feedback to Triathlete magazine but I’m not in the office or involved in the day-to day business anymore. (Since April 1994) Yes, the Net is a really valuble source for information, mainly to see what  people are thinking about.   Some of the subjects that people E-mail to me by request I might (and have) use as a source in future training articles. I think it’s a great way to get input from talented people I would have never met. (Isn’t this the original purpose of Internet?) I’m not going to print regular posts because it’s not directed to me personally. But, I’m also a triathlete, plain and simple, and I just like to chat, just as much as everyone else in the newsgroup. JJ

Response:

P.S. Enjoyed your review of the race in Japan televised by CBS. Did you get heat for actually writing something negative in the mag? It’s not the first time (or the last) that I’ve given a dissenting opinion concerning the beloved ITU, its rulings and its productions. Those CBS TV shows and the Goodwill Games were a new low. (Fire suit on…) Fortunately, ESPN broadcast a few good races this season. But, I  thank Les and crew for their valiant struggle for Olympic recognition. I do hope, though, that the sport that we see in the Olympics still resembles what we now know as triathlon.  I’ve got mostly good response from the Osaka critique from pros and age-groupers alike. jj

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It’s not the first time (or the last) that I’ve given a dissenting opinion concerning the beloved ITU, its rulings and its productions. Those CBS TV shows and the Goodwill Games were a new low. (Fire suit on…) Fortunately, ESPN broadcast a few good races this season. :But, I  thank Les and crew for their valiant struggle for Olympic: :recognition. I do hope, though, that the sport that we see in the Olympics :still resembles what we now know as triathlon.  :I’ve got mostly good response from the Osaka critique from pros and :age-groupers alike. OK jj, now you can use that flame suit. First, if there is a purpose to critiscism, then it will result in something positive. If the critiscism is nothing more than a venting of the spleen for personal reasons then there will probably be either negative or no result. IMHO your "review" of the CBS shows was personal and left no room for a positive response. Hence the support for your negative comments by those like-minded, negative souls. How about another perspective? Sure the CBS shows weren’t all they could be. The ITU has NO paid staff and has been held together with bailing wire, chewing gum and grit since 1989. With nothing more than a handful of volunteers (none of whom had any event production experience, television experience or sponsorship acquisition experience) they managed to piece together a World Cup circuit, provide athletes with over $500,000. in prize money and get it on TV. Now while the ITU has certainly made mistakes, where is the acknowledgement of all of the positive? Ask yourself this question. Is it better to sit outside of the house continually heaping abuse on the carpenters and architects, or is it better to join in, meet the folks, pick up a hammer and pitch in? The house may have some leaks, but that is not enough reason to burn it to the ground. All of us love the sport and we all have opinions on the direction it should take. Triathlon and cycling have one unfortunate thing in common in my experience. There are far too many people involved who are quick to point out the negative (thankfully most of them don’t own computers), and slow to praise. No one is looking for a cheerleader all the time but c’mon, in the immortal words of your friend and mine, Carl Spagler…"How about a little something for the effort?". OK, end of burn test. How does the suit work? Scott Zagarino

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So give the ITU an E for effort, but let them wait until they have enough money to pay for a television crew familiar with triathlons before they set the sport back for the rest of us as they did in Osaka.  Yesterday someone asked me "you don’t still do that triathlon stuff, do you?" waving his head in disbelief at my persistence at a clearly lunatic activity.  Where did he get this idea?  Try to explain you’re having fun, especially in Hawaii.  You’ve tried, haven’t you? Thank ITU and most of the rest of the TV coverage for most people’s attitude toward your crazy, lunatic, way-out, mindless, compulsive, headless chicken sport. I can’t undo the misconceptions created by just the Osaka show. I would enjoy hearing your defense of ITU’s rejection of three athletes based on ITU’s ownership of the word "world." Kazez

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OK, end of burn test. How does the suit work? Suit works just fine.  For the record folks, Scott Zagarino  and I actually agree on many issues, though obviously not on the ITU. If anyone is tired of our little flame wars, just say so and I’m sure Scott and I can AOL  E-mail each other to our hearts content without disturbing the news group. (We’d be great in rec.sport.swimming!) The reason for the bold slam on Osaka was not really a personal venting. I supported the ITU for years at Triathlete and respected the World Cup Series and ITU World Championships until 1992. The shows on CBS this year,  IMHO,  were premeditated  and designed as a propaganda vehicle to justify and gain acceptance for the ITU’s Drafting-OK style of racing. Myself and many others feel that this is not in the best interest of the sport. I feel that the ITU  since1992  been too busy chasing $$$ and power and has lost touch with the heart and spirit of the sport, and cares little for the triathlon general public. (Manchester for example.) The ITU’s heavy-handed control of its World Cup Series and the banning of Pigg, Tinley and Allen has intimidated numerous new pros to follow the ITU’s lead in these drafting-OK races. I’ve received enough serious complaints about the ITU’s methods from age-groupers, pros and race directors to justify taking a dissenting stand on the drafting issue, especially at International Championship races like the Goodwill Games. I’m only one person, the ITU is getting some favorable press from other writers. The athletes can read all the facts and make a well-informed choices. If the ITU wants to experience the excitement, evolution and spirit of modern-day triathlon they should attend and take notes at  races like Columbia, Mazda/Orange County, Vineman, Danskin, Gatorade Sprintman, Columbus Duathlon and, of course, the Ironman. No "excitement" problems at these races. I’m interested in the health and growth of the sport, the 99.9%. The ITU’s World Cup Series with its cast of a dozen pros has little relevance. JJ

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OK, end of burn test. How does the suit work? Suit works just fine. For the record folks, Scott Zagarino  and I actually agree on many issues, though obviously not on the ITU.   If anyone is tired of our little flame wars, just say so and I’m sure Scott and I can AOL  E-mail each other to our hearts content without disturbing the news group.   (We’d be great in rec.sport.swimming!)

[[sniped]] Oh go ahead and keep flaming each other :’)  But I’m glad you brought up the flame-wars in rec.sport.swimming.   Jeeze Louis!!!! Is that getting rediculous or WHAT?  Every day I log on to the net, find 15-30 new postings in r.s.t. and over 75 in r.s.s.  One morning it was over 100! And almost all of them flame! For those of you who don’t follow rec.sport.swimming, there’s been a race (as in racial) war going on about the Chinese Woman’s team since the last week.   Well, let us hope that us Tri-Geeks are more sophisticated! regards, jo Redondo Beach, CA

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wanker /wan kr/ n. from the verb "to wank", Brit. sl.; 1  one who wanks 2  a foolish and self-congratulatory individual, one not wholly attuned to reality  3  masturbator Sorry, I couldn’t resist — Timothy Gotsick

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<snip -Some of the subjects that people E-mail to me by request I might (and -have) use as a source in future training articles. I think it’s a great -way to get input from talented people I would have never met. -(Isn’t this the original purpose of Internet?) Actually, I believe the internet was originally a DoD (Dept. of Defense) project– your tax dollars hard at work…    W.Patrick Brug, Ph.D.  _-           -_    Los Alamos National Lab -__       __-                                       /    cis:      72410,3372        /  

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-… and it made me look like a total wanker! Does anyone have the American Hertigage definition of this ?    W.Patrick Brug, Ph.D.  _-           -_    Los Alamos National Lab -__       __-                                       /    cis:      72410,3372        /  

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<snip -Some of the subjects that people E-mail to me by request I might (and -have) use as a source in future training articles. I think it’s a great -way to get input from talented people I would have never met. -(Isn’t this the original purpose of Internet?) Actually, I believe the internet was originally a DoD (Dept. of Defense) project– your tax dollars hard at work…

Actually, actually, the ARPANET and later DARPANET were originally DoD funded. Nowadays, the Internet includes these two (or I guess only one now) nets as well as other private/ business nets and the all-important USENET (ie what you are reading). I don’t believe that the government supports much of the Internet anymore. Please correct me if I’m wrong. [Begin pseudo-old timer rant] For starters, THIS IS IN NO WAY A FLAME directed at anyone. That being said, I can say it’s really surprising how many people think that the Internet has sprang up in the last couple years. I has actually been around since the 1960’s in one form or another. [end rant] myke morgan

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  [..]   2.  Proofing.  I don’t know who does the proofing on the final mats for   Triathlete, but they need to look at their career decision carefully.   Issue after issue, captions on pictures are screwed-up/switched, pictures   are wrong etc…  It is very unprofessional.  Also, this whole debacle   with the TriFed membership card and Winnning Itnl where some people waited   months for their cards to arrive.  This also made the magazine look very   bad– even if it was not their fault.     3.  IQ.  In the advertisement section, Triathlete always says something   [..] I’m glad the proofing and I.Q. sections followed each other. Whenever I pick a mag up and find numerous errors in it, month after month, it makes me wonder whether the publishers:     *   Are that dimwitted, they don’t realise their errors,     *   Couldn’t care less about any errors, the mutts out will buy anything. It’s quite obvious that an auto spell checker is about as far as some go.  Pity that quiet and quite have different meanings, as do lose and loose (NETTERS TAKE NOTICE!!!!).  But what really gets me are the caption screw-ups. All these errors reinforce is: the publications are a load of rubbish, therefore stop buying it. — Paul Big Ears Menon Computer Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia Ph: +61 3 660 3209/2348 Fx: +61 3 662 1617 ICBM: lat 37^ 50′ S long 145^ 0′ E WWW: http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/people/TSG/pnm.html

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Gotsick) writes:

re: wanker /wan kr/ n. from the verb "to wank", Brit. sl.; 1  one who wanks 2  a foolish and self-congratulatory individual, one not wholly attuned to reality  3  masturbator Well, I think all the Aussies, Kiwis and Brits know what I mean…. I’ll leave it at that!

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Oh go ahead and keep flaming each other :’)  But I’m glad you brought up the flame-wars in rec.sport.swimming.   Jeeze Louis!!!! Is that getting rediculous or WHAT?  Every day I log on to the net, find 15-30 new postings in r.s.t. and over 75 in r.s.s.  One morning it was over 100! And almost all of them flame! In rec.sport.swimming, you feel like you have to apologize or you’ll get flamed if you have a question that only relates to fun and fitness and not to drugs and the Chinese women.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – <snip -Some of the subjects that people E-mail to me by request I might (and -have) use as a source in future training articles. I think it’s a great -way to get input from talented people I would have never met. -(Isn’t this the original purpose of Internet?) Actually, I believe the internet was originally a DoD (Dept. of Defense) project– your tax dollars hard at work… Actually, actually, the ARPANET and later DARPANET were originally DoD funded. Nowadays, the Internet includes these two (or I guess only one now) nets as well as other private/ business nets and the all-important USENET (ie what you are reading). I don’t believe that the government supports much of the Internet anymore. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

   Bet all those .edu accounts are paid for by someone. And perhaps some of the .org. And for sure the military has theirs too. Wonder who’s tax $$ are at work here?    I have one of those free accounts, but no pretty pictures. It’s sorta UNIX bases with some menus. Above my limited knowledge. – –Ann [Begin pseudo-old timer rant] For starters, THIS IS IN NO WAY A FLAME directed at anyone. That being said, I can say it’s really surprising how many people think that the Internet has sprang up in the last couple years. I has actually been around since the 1960’s in one form or another. [end rant] myke morgan

So Mike, is it you (I) ot the ‘Net that’s been around since the ’60’s.<G    And believe me, your tax dollars are still at work. Sleep well. –A

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  2.  Proofing.  I don’t know who does the proofing on the final mats for   Triathlete, but they need to look at their career decision carefully.   Issue after issue, captions on pictures are screwed-up/switched, pictures   are wrong etc…  It is very unprofessional.  Also, this whole debacle   with the TriFed membership card and Winnning Itnl where some people waited   months for their cards to arrive.  This also made the magazine look very   bad– even if it was not their fault.   I’m glad the proofing and I.Q. sections followed each other. Whenever I pick a mag up and find numerous errors in it, month after month, it makes me wonder whether the publishers:     *   Are that dimwitted, they don’t realise their errors,     *   Couldn’t care less about any errors, the mutts out will buy anything. It’s quite obvious that an auto spell checker is about as far as some go. Pity that quiet and quite have different meanings, as do lose and loose (NETTERS TAKE NOTICE!!!!).  But what really gets me are the caption screw-ups. All these errors reinforce is: the publications are a load of rubbish, therefore stop buying it. — Paul Big Ears Menon Dear Big Ears, I’ve always loved you Aussies — Such roundabout and subtle ways of getting to the point.  Please excuse the misspellings on the Net, let’s keep our eyes on the big picture mate. Now to the point… The  caption errors at Triathlete when I was on staff were very embarrassing. No excuses offered to all of you, only apologies.  The problem lies in its French-speaking European production and art department. The company is Belgian owned and it’s something that we’ve had to endure for years. The US edit department did not see and was not aware of those particular errors until the mag was on the stands. The captions were correct and the stories were solid when they left the States. In the US we do know the difference between Brad Kearns and Anne Curi, Mavic Zap and GripShift and a bench press and a sit-up. Yes we do, for sure. So, yes,  the blame falls within the company, so flame away, it’s fair. But this doesn’t at all reflect an "I-don’t-care" attitude by its editors to the readers or the sport. I know, I was the author of two or more of those miscaptioned and poorly laid out articles and it made me look like a total wanker! Jeffrey Justice

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Every since JJ brought up this thread, I’ve been doing a lot of comparison trying to come up with concrete examples (I knew I wasn’t satisfied, but wanted to more specific). 1. Race reports specifically IM-Germany.  The race reports in Triathlete are especially dry and uneventful.  The writers seem to forget that the majority of their audience doesn’t get a chance to race in the exotic locales of Europe, Carribean etc…  Also, they only describe the race which in many cases generates the excitement of a summer camp checkers tournament.  "Pigg’s off the front in the bike…"  Few paragraphs later, "Pigg’s still off the front…" and finally, "Pigg stayed off the front…"  Oh and don’t forget the "excuse me please" short epilogue blurb about the women’s race, "Paula had another great day…" What is the problem.  THE READER DOESN’T EXPERIENCE THE RACE.  This is what is great about the net.  Take for example Mark Jenkin’s IM-Germany race report.  It was great.  He described one of the best racing experiences that I’ve ever heard of.  The bike was like the TdF in that crowds were so dense only one or two cyclists could get through etc. People cheering, ethusiasm, enthusiasm, enthusiasm… Now read Triathletes version.  You get the same old dry coverage.  If I was writing for these mags, the first thing I would do is contact people on the net and see if I could interview them/borrow portions of their race report and collate as many comments as possible.  I would also get a copy of the race results and interview (race day or within a week by phone) not only the top finishers but middle-of-the-packers and back-of-the-packers. Now, the readers get to relive the race, not fall asleep from it. 2.  Proofing.  I don’t know who does the proofing on the final mats for Triathlete, but they need to look at their career decision carefully. Issue after issue, captions on pictures are screwed-up/switched, pictures are wrong etc…  It is very unprofessional.  Also, this whole debacle with the TriFed membership card and Winnning Itnl where some people waited months for their cards to arrive.  This also made the magazine look very bad– even if it was not their fault. 3.  IQ.  In the advertisement section, Triathlete always says something like "our average reader’s income is $7X,XXX…"  If triathletes are really making that much money, don’t you think they have some brains to go along with it.  One of the comments that came out of JJ’s survey is that Triathlete can be read too quickly– it’s not meaty enough.  IMHO, the only challenging articles focus mainly on nutrition.  For me (minority view), one of the reasons I like to exercise a lot is that I don’t have to focus on nutrition (really over-eating).  I would like to see some more technically brain-challenging articles.  The whole mag shouldn’t be that way, but maybe we could get ONE TECHNICAL ARTICLE on physiology, aerodynamics, bike mechanics, wind-tunnel calculations…  This would be easier to include that you think.  Triathlete needs to make a call for articles.  There are plenty of knowledgable athletes out their that would be willing to contribute (this is what programmer’s mags do) and would liven up the mag quite a bit.    W.Patrick Brug, Ph.D.  _-           -_    Los Alamos National Lab -__       __-                                       /    cis:      72410,3372        /  

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Question:

Hi, Since Triathlon is a fairly expensive sport I guess lots of athletes get sponsored by a or more compagnies. I’m a student who wants to get into it and train for 10-12 hours a week. But the costs are a bit high…for instance I can’t afford a decent wetsuit and use an oversized surfing suit etc etc.. I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… Do you just write or …how? Thanks                 Niels.

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I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor…

First, you have to be FAST!  Like 1500m swim in 16 minutes.  Like 30 MPH on the bike.  Like 5 minute miles in the marathon. And how do you get fast?  You TRAIN!  In the morning you do 50 x 100m repeats in the pool on 1:10.  At lunch time you get on the bike and ride 150 miles in the mountains.  Then in the evening you do 50 x 400m track repeats, descending the times from 90 to 50 seconds.  And that’s on your EASY days. Once you get fast enough to win some minor races, like Ironman, you might attract the attention of a few sponsors.  There are actually 2 or 3 pros who make enough to cover their entry fees.  Or maybe you can go into a big-money sport, like golf. #include "disclaimer.h"                |____|

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: Hi, : I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… : Do you just write or …how? – When it comes right down to it, we’re all starving triathletes

     just trying to pay the bills.  And if anyone has the secret of      sponsorship, they should bottle it and sell it to all of us      who would love to get the high tech toys for cheap.      Good luck Niels, both in sponsorships, and triathlon. -richd

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I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… First, you have to be FAST! …

Actually, this is a big misconception by most of the elite triathletes and this is why they don’t have many sponsorships. First of all, I’m not pro and probably never will (but I have beaten pros before ).  I have had some sort of sponsorship for the past couple of years.  Sponsors don’t just want to give a hand-out, you need to market yourself from the perspective what you can/will do for the sponsor.  Also, don’t overlook local sponsors, clubs for sponsorships.  I know of many instances where all travel costs to go to a major race (world championship…) where picked up by a local club/shop.  Also, don’t overlook partial sponsorships (which is what most age group triathletes get).  Last year, I picked up a set of Zipp wheels for $200 from a local shop who gave me partial sponsorship. You need to be very personable with a company– just not a name on a sheet of paper.  A friend of mine had his complete bike supplied by Cannondale this year.  He talked with the region sales rep and sent them his resume. Note: he’s a good racer, but not the best in the region (usually top 10 finisher).  However, he is very likeable. Softride is sponsoring me this year.  I met Sandy Liman from Softride during the Pedal the Peaks tour last year which came through Los Alamos. Sandy says that what matters to Softride is selling more bikes (that’s pretty obvious).  What that entails is letting people ride your bike, talking it up if you like it etc…  However, you don’t have as much opportunity to do this during a race as you do on a weekend training ride or a century.  This is what is important– making the sponsors product visible.  Not necessarily winning with it.  If you do both, then you become like the big 4 or Paula Newby-Fraser and get the big bucks. — Pat Brug, Ph.D.   Los Alamos National Laboratory "Home of the TriATOMICS" compuserve:  72410, 3372        

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Since Triathlon is a fairly expensive sport I guess lots of athletes get sponsored by a or more compagnies. I’m a student who wants to get into it and train for 10-12 hours a week. But the costs are a bit high…for instance I can’t afford a decent wetsuit and use an oversized surfing suit etc etc.. I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… Do you just write or …how?

I’m doing competitive lifesaving in Japan, and I usually took 2nd or 3rd place in the surf ironman at the competitions such as All Japan. And the crafts which are used for the race are rather expensive.  So, I and my team mates look for the sponsors.  However, the lifesaving is minor sport in Japan and we haven’t succeeded in finding any sponsors. C-ya! —–       .-“’.      Regards from Surf!      .”’-.     .`   (`~  T a i k i  F u k u n a g a  ~`)   ‘.

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Path: I am looking for a Swiftshift setup for my Profile Aerobar II. Anyone have a set (complete) or know where I can get them cheaper than the mail order houses (Nash. and Perf.)

I just sold my Swiftshift since it didn’t give me enough hand positions for the AirStryke bar.  An alternative that I found (and is cheaper ) is the 3TTT Bioshift.  The Bioshift clamps around the bar and you can adjust its position around your hands (not the other way around).  I believe it cost $29.95 and I had to have my local bike shop special order it.  Note: it does not come with cables; however, I bought STI cables ($2.95) and found them plenty long enough. Good luck! Pat

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Hi, Since Triathlon is a fairly expensive sport I guess lots of athletes get sponsored by a or more compagnies. I’m a student who wants to get into it and train for 10-12 hours a week. But the costs are a bit high…for instance I can’t afford a decent wetsuit and use an oversized surfing suit etc etc.. I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… Do you just write or …how? Thanks                

 Niels.         Please post a summary of the responses.  I’m sure there are several of us interested in the same issue. Mark Ludorf

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I am looking for a Swiftshift setup for my Profile Aerobar II. Anyone have a set (complete) or know where I can get them cheaper than the mail order houses (Nash. and Perf.) Drop me an e-mail note. Mark Ludorf

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I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… First, you have to be FAST!  Like 1500m swim in 16 minutes.  Like 30 MPH on the bike.  Like 5 minute miles in the marathon.

Thats a 1:40 olympic distance – very fast. And how do you get fast?  You TRAIN!  In the morning you do 50 x 100m repeats in the pool on 1:10.  At lunch time you get on the bike and ride 150 miles in the mountains.  Then in the evening you do 50 x 400m track repeats, descending the times from 90 to 50 seconds.  And that’s on your EASY days.

A quick back of the envelope :   swim     1.5 hours   (must warm up/down with those intervals)   bike     6   hours   (25mph avg = fast over 150 mountain miles)   run      1.5 hours   (warm up/down again)           ====            9   hours on your easy days?! Doesnt really sound credible. Unless, of course, you are a person of independent means and have *years* of conditioning behind you Once you get fast enough to win some minor races, like Ironman, you might attract the attention of a few sponsors.  There are actually 2 or 3 pros who make enough to cover their entry fees.  Or maybe you can go into a big-money sport, like golf. #include "disclaimer.h"                |____|

–                                                               __o      o       Jim Simmons, Lower Hutt, New Zealand           ____/o__   _ |/<_     <      

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I wonder how other athletes get their sponsor… First, you have to be FAST! … Actually, this is a big misconception by most of the elite triathletes and this is why they don’t have many sponsorships.

Actually I think he was trying to be funny/sarcastic, whatever. In any case he didn’t help anybody. First of all, I’m not pro and probably never will (but I have beaten pros before ).  I have had some sort of sponsorship for the past couple of years.  Sponsors don’t just want to give a hand-out, you need to market

etc. Thanks for an informative post on the subject.

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