Blog - TRAKKERS

8/31/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Product Review: EFS Sports Drink

by: Kati Derrick

It’s been a while since I’ve done a product review so I thought I would review my very favorite of all nutritional products, EFS Sports Drink. As most of you know I have Celiac Disease (or is it that I am a celiac? I never know how I’m supposed to say that) and follow a strict gluten free diet. I also have a wonky (yes, I said wonky) stomach that is pretty unforgiving during workout and race conditions. So, for years I gagged down Hammer HEED. I thought it tasted good, but in hindsight I think that was because I have such a positive cheery outlook : ) After three irondistance races I could not even look at another bottle of HEED. Don’t even get me started on the melon flavor.
Anyhow, along came my team sponsorship. One of our team sponsors is First Endurance. As part of our sponsorship we were asked to use the product for training and racing and review them. I was upfront with the powers that be about my wonky stomach and the fact that I could not endorse or blog about a product that I couldn’t use. They were very understanding and passed on Robert’s, (one of the founders of First Endurance) email address. He was very quick to respond and very helpful. All EFS products are gluten free (yay!) and several pro’s that are sponsored by the company are gluten free. (yay!)

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Categories: Product Reviews
Tags: EFS Sports Drink, first endurance

8/31/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Chicago, IL

To Race Or to Not Race

by: MJ Slikas

Here I sit, staring at my new, beautiful Saucony Hurricanes. I even bought my favorite shoe laces in a matching color to pimp out these shoes for my next race. These shoes feel so great on my feet and they’re so pretty it’s almost a shame to get them dirty. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite going right on my end. I’ve been battling with this “Turf Toe” injury for over 2 months now. I’ve tried everything I’ve been told to get rid of it and it’s just not working fast enough. Stop running. Right. Have you just met me? But really, I went from running 4 days a week to 1 day every other week…and just 3-4 miles!

So how on earth am I going to do a Half Ironman in just under 2 weeks? I have no idea. I could swim and bike and call it a day…but could I? I don’t want the season to end, but I also don’t feel much like racing when I know I’m not anywhere near healthy. It’s a struggle. But if this is the worst of my problems, I shouldn’t be complaining, right?

See you in Cedar Point!

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Categories: Triathlons

8/29/2010

adventure racer

GPS Coordinates

Bentonville, VA

Two Busy Weekends

by: Mark Harris

It has been a busy two weekends on the bike. Last weekend I took part in the EX2 Cranky Monkey race at Fountain Head and this weekend Spiller, Manning and I went and pre-rode part of the REV3 Epic Adventure Race scheduled for April 2011.

The Cranky Monkey was a blast. I have never raced at Fountain Head but ride there all the time. I consider it my home course. Because this is such a technical and probably most challenging course out of the three race series (other locations were Shaffer Farms and Wakefield) the field was smallish. There were 23 racers in my category and I figured I’d try and get in the top ten. After a few rain scares the race went off as planned. There was a prolog on the road to split up the field somewhat before hitting the single track and I got into the single track relatively close to the front so I didn’t have to worry about passing only being passed. I rode fairly well. I didn’t feel like I was crushing it but making good time. I had a few mechanicals along the way with my chain and I lost my saddle pack and had to stop and get it. I also had a couple of minor wrecks. Clipped a tree once and took a slow tumble of the bars at another point. I figure I lost about 4 minutes along the…

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Categories: Adventure Racing, Training

8/24/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Learning to Fly

by: Kati Derrick

Monday was the kids first day of school. I think I *might* have mentioned that in a blog post or six. I decided to take the time to do a little learning of my own. We have an awesome trail system that is a 3 min. bike ride from our house, so I threw on my helmet and literally hit the trails.

I am so excited to learn something new. I think part of my need to take a few months off of training this summer was boredom. I needed to expand my horizons, grow and learn something new.

This learning process is about more than just bike handling skills for me. I am an utter and complete control freak. I know this about myself and have even tried to work on it, but lets face it – this is me. Thankfully my husband and children either love that about me or have just learned to live with it!

Mountain biking is not about control. You have to learn to let the bike go out of control a certain amount in order to maneuver. So, out on the trails I set out and I’m even starting to get the feel for that back wheel slip that my bike does when I hit the rocky spots. And, wow, there are a lot of those on our trails! So, as my kids hit the real classroom I will be here in my new classroom:

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Categories: Triathlons

8/22/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Olney, MD

A Tale of Two Teams

by: Kiersten Henry

I was not popular in High School. (No shock to those of you who may read this and actually attended school with me). I wouldn’t say I was glaringly unpopular; I just never was in the inner circle of any one group. Only 80 people comprised the 9th-12th grades at our school. That meant there were not many large groups. I hung out with a variety of people (the athletes during track and basketball season, other friends at other times). I got along with various groups, but was never really “in” any of them. As an adolescent, this frankly sucked. I got along with most people, but didn’t feel like I truly belonged in any of their groups. In my adult life, the ability to get along with lots of different people seems to serve me well. (If only I had known then when I know now).

Now, as an adult, I have the opportunity to be a member of two amazing teams of people (actually more than two if you want to be technical, but two for the purpose of simplicity). The first is my healthcare team- those I work with on a daily basis, and more recently those on Maryland-1, our state DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team). A DMAT is a group sponsored by the Federal Government, activated in much the same way as the military reserves, but for domestic disasters. Many of the states have them, and they…

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Categories: Triathlons

8/21/2010

adventure racer

GPS Coordinates

Ohiopyle, PA

LionHeart 2010

by: Mark Harris

On August 8th Team Trakkers competed in the 3rd Annual LionHeart 24-Hour Adventure Race at Ohiopyle State Park, PA, hosted by American Adventure Sports. I was teamed up with Dennis and Cassie for a great weekend of racing that was filled with many highs and lows.

Dennis picked me up on Friday and we headed up to Ohiopyle, a very cool little town that I had never been to before. The trip took about 4 hours, and when we arrived we hooked up with Cassie at Falls City Pub for some food and to chat about the race. I had never raced with either Dennis or Cassie before but had trained with them both, saw how they raced with others, and was excited to be part of such a great team. Dennis is multi-talented: a great climber, kayaker, mountain biker, and adventure racer. Cassie, ranked the number one mountain biking female in West Virginia, is just an outstanding rider and over the next 36 hours humbled both Dennis and I with her fitness and mountain biking skills.

After food we checked in at our lodging, a single-wide setup at the top end of the town owned by a friendly old man who told us a few of his life stories as we watched about 50 hummingbirds fly around a nearby feeder. The digs weren’t called the Humming Bird Nest for nothing.

At 7pm we headed down to the Wilderness Outfitters…

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Categories: Adventure Racing, Race Reports

8/19/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Sharpsburg, GA

Finally! A Race Plan

by: Andree Miceli

When I wrote in a post earlier this spring about Plans A,B,C…..M, I really didn’t think at the time I would make it to the end of the alphabet. But as things progressed this summer and “life happened”, my ideas changed, my interests changed, and race availability changed. Do I even want to race this year?? Start a season in Sept when others are winding down?? What-am I on the Australian schedule??

After completely stressing myself-and Cris and ML- out about what to do I finally decided to focus on Running races for the fall and winter. I will finally be able to don my Trakkers green race kit, throw on my Saucony race shoes and toe the line. I still have to decide between Fastwitch and Kinvara! I raced in Fastwitch last year-loved them. I will be testing them both out this fall.

My Triathlon season will resume in Costa Rica in February 2011.

I proceeded to pick some races-one per month, increasing in distance. Here is the plan:

Sept 18: the Tyrone Founders Day 5k. This is a huge event here in the south-I am sure you’ve heard of it. It may actually turn into 2 races; if my nephew Jack’s soccer schedule allows, he and I will run the 1 mile race first, then I will do the 5k. Biting off a lot for the first event J

Oct 16: the Peachtree City Classic 15k. I have…

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Categories: Triathlons

8/18/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

San Diego, CA

Rev3 Cedar Point – bike, Full distance

by: Dean Sprague

sorry if I missed the blogs on this.

Anyone pre-ride the course? what is impression? looks like is a bit of climbing (any notes on total elevation gain, under 2000ft?). how are road surfaces… not too technical as compared to Rev3 Knoxville. – FULL distance that is.

thanks much for the inside tips

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Categories: Triathlons

8/18/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

San Diego, CA

Rev3 Cedar Point bike

by: Dean Sprague

sorry if I missed the blogs on this.

Anyone pre-ride the course? what is impression? looks like not any (or much) climbing. how are road surfaces… think it could be a fast course….full distance that is.

thanks much for the inside tips

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Categories: Triathlons

8/16/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Bethlehem, PA

My lucky number

by: Chris Garges

When I showed up on a cool morning at Bear Creek Ski Area for the Bald Bear Triathlon, I was excited to see how I could do in a sprint triathlon with a short .25mi swim. Now that being said, the rest of the race was to be no walk in the park. The bike course was 14.7 hilly miles (hilly enough that I brough my road bike) and the run course was 2.2 miles of guess what, more hills! I guess that’s what you get when you enter a race that starts at a ski area. I was prepared though, I had pre ridden the course and our triathlon club Endurance Multisport has bi-weekly training triathlons at the same venue (different run and bike courses…but with the same hills).

So when I walked up to registration and was handed #61 I was feeling some good vibes coming my way, like the rays of sun peaking through the early AM clouds were coming from God above, smiling down on me and filling my mind with excitement. See, #61 was the same number I had worn last week at the Steelman triathlon which I feel was one of my better tri performances…and the odds of sporting #61 two weeks in a row? Just coincidence, certainly, but I’ll take whatever I can from it!!

So this was my third sprint tri, ever. My first tri was a

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Categories: Triathlons