Good eats

I have been trying a bunch of new recipes lately, mostly eating Paleo style, I am going to start taking photos and posting them along as we go.  The problem is not many of them last very long as they have been really tasty!

Team Sponsor: Powerbar

Another announcement can be found on the new blog about our newest Team Sponsor - Powerbar

Team Sponsor: Pearl Izumi

Check out this awesome new posting about our newest Team Sponsor - Pearl Izumi

Mental Toughness Tricks

New blog posting at my new home:  Mental Toughness Tricks

Setbacks, Training, and Progressing

Find my newest posting on my new blog: http://jvanistri.com/setbacks-training-and-progressing/

Spring Cleaning and Moving Out

With the weather we have had recently (shhh it is supposed to snow tonight... ) I figured this would be a good time to refine my blog a little.  Along with trying to cleanup the look, I am moving!  That is right, I have jumped ship and will be migrating to wordpress.  Actually, why don't you head over there and let me know what you think.  New Blog

Please follow the blog, subscribe, and post there.  While I will be keeping both sites active a while, I would like traffic to dwindle down here and start up over there.

Product Review: Yurbuds

As someone who enjoys technology, I am always looking for products that address issues with the majority of other products on the market. I was recommended Yurbuds by a fellow athlete, so after a little investigation and a few emails, the folks at Yurbuds agreed to send me a pair of Yurbud Ironman Inspire Headphones to review for my readers.

I was excited to receive these headphones and I must say I am not one to normally run with headphones, but I was intrigued by the design and what they "claim."  I think the reason I do not use headphones when running more often is due to the issue that Yurbuds is supposed to solve... falling out while running. I will start the review off by saying my review is going to be all-inclusive from all aspects of the headphones.

Functionality:

This is where Yurbuds shine. The unique design is a bridge between an in ear headphone (think iPod earphone) versus an in-ear, noise isolating headphone that fits into your ear canal. Yurbuds are designed like an outer ear headphone for comfort, but include a rubber gasket that fits over the headphone and channels the sound into the inner ear canal. This unique design allows Yurbuds to "lock" into place. When inserting the earbuds, you place the narrow tube into the inner ear, and rotate the speaker base/wire end to lock them in your ear. This design allows the earbuds to stay in place when the cord shuffles around with your body movement.

You can see in the first picture, the Yurbud is inserted at a 90 degree angle to how it is worn, or parallel to the ground.  A simple rotation, and you end up locking it into place.  The next picture shows me pulling on the cord to show the tension and the Yurbud still in place.  

I have never been a fan of behind the ear headphones, as they typically make the tops of my ears hurt, so I have always been an in-ear person.  Regardless if I use the noise isolating or outer ear bud style, they always seem to come loose as I run, causing degraded sound performance as well as distracting me to re-adjust on the go.  At some point, I will just get frustrated and pull them out of my ears to go without.  

My test runs have resulted in amazing results so far. I have done some harder interval workouts as well as some long runs with zero issues of Yurbuds falling out or feeling like they are slipping.  I am one who sweats a fair amount, so having the buds slip out is something that happens quickly and quite often. I was surprised to never encounter any issues with Yurbuds feeling like they were slipping out of my ears.

Note these runs include both treadmill and outdoor run.  I also have used them with multiple layers, a hat, or without a shirt.  All cases resulted in the same result, uninterrupted music!  I typically run the cable up my shirt and out the neck of the shirt, but tested with the cord both inside and outside of my shirt.  All cases are equal.  The only complaint I had with the cord outside my shirt, is just the movement you would typically get.  Occasionally I would catch the cord with my hand, and even in this case, the buds did not pop out like an in-ear bud would have.

Another note about the cord.  It is constructed with a Kevlar cable.  This is another piece that some people may not think about, but you do notice after using for a while.  I did a number of runs outside when it was bitter cold.  The typical rubber cords get very stiff and rigid in the cold weather.  The Kevlar cord did stiffen up a little, but it was always quite flexible and never froze.  A small detail, but when someone puts this kind of attention into a small detail, you know you are on to something!

A+ for performance and functionality!

Comfort:

I am used to a set of in-ear noise isolating set of headphones that I typically use. As many know, an in-ear headphone can sometimes cause discomfort after extended use, even if sized properly. In order to isolate noise, it has to create a seal in the inner ear canal. Whlie Yurbuds are NOT noise-isolating, they do port the music to the inner ear, so you get some noise reduction. I believe the design is specifically built to allow the user to still hear their surroundings for safety. I am not one who condones using headphones while on the bike, so that case does not apply for me.  I understand the reasoning about wanting to hear your surroundings, but personally, I would rather take the responsibility and be more observant and have isolated music.

After some of my longer runs, I did feel a little discomfort in my ear due to the size of the ear-buds. It was not significant, I could just tell that something had been in my ear. I would rate comfort right in the middle of the range. The Yurbuds are not overly comfortable or un-comfortable. I am happy with how they feel after extended lengths of time.

Sound:

Here is where things are going to get ugly. I am somewhat of an audiophile. While I am not as extreme as some people get, I have always been a big fan of music.  I like to listen to good quality music. If you go out an purchase an iPod, iPhone, etc. You get the white headphones which work if you do not want to spend money.  I am also one to watch for good deals and for 10-15 dollars more I can get a pair of headphones/earbuds that are many times better than what you get with your first purchase. I have a set of noise-isolating earbuds that I purchased about 3 years ago for 20 dollars. They have been awesome and are what I use for a benchmark. The sound they create is phenomenal for the price.

I understand that Yurbuds are not aimed at the audiophile, but more the athlete, so sound quality is compromised with functionality to hit a price point.

My feedback to the folks at Yurbuds would be to re-design the inner ear canal section of the cover. I would love to see this become noise-isolating. I think the headphones could also benefit from a better driver. I have found that I am missing some punch from the bass in most cases. The sound often seems muffled. I will say it is better than 95% of stock headphones I have used, there is a good room for improvement in order to better provide sound quality.  

Overall:

Yurbuds go out to solve a problem for athletes and accomplish it hands down. If your concern is having your headphones secure in your ears, Yurbuds are for you. While they make a few different models, my review focuses specifically on the Ironman Inspire model. The Inspire Pro model includes a mic that can be used as a headset for your phone. 

One thing that crossed my mind was to find another pair of ear-bud headpones with better sound quality and remove the gasket found on Yurbuds to use on those. The biggest trick would be finding something with good sound at a reasonable price point that is also the same form factor as the Yurbud units. All in all, this could get to be quite costly, but could get you the best of both worlds. I hope that they hear feedback and redesign a unit to be noise-isolating for those of us who like to tune out and enjoy the music.

Week 2: Jan 23 - Jan 29

The past two weeks have flown by in the blink of an eye.  It was full of work, meetings, evening activities, appointments, and some training, and family health issues.

Workouts:
The past two weeks have been good to me for workouts.  I was out of town in Week 2 and missed my long ride (1.5 hours) so that was unfortunate, but in the long run, probably pretty insignificant.  Week 3 got hit over the head with a hammer.  I knocked out all workouts except one recovery run.  I felt that I would be better suited just recovering and taking it off that particular day.


Week 2 Totals:
Swim: 5950 Yards, 1 Hour 50 Minutes
Bike: 51.6 Miles, 3 Hours 0 Minutes
Run:  24 Miles, 3 Hours 22 Minutes
Total: 8 Hours 13 Minutes


Week 3 Totals:
Swim: 8200 Yards, 2 Hour 31 Minutes
Bike:  Miles, 4 Hours 47 Minutes
Run: 30 Miles, 4 Hours 04 Minutes
Total: 11 Hours 22 Minutes

Life:
There are never good times in life to lose a loved one, but I trust in knowing it was the right time.  My grandpa was taken in for pneumonia and ended up having lung cancer over the past couple of weeks.  He passed away this weekend.  I know he is in a better place now, but it is still sinking in for me.

Short post, but has my info.  Look for more a bit later this week. 

Week-in-Review: Week 1 - Jan 16-22

This post is coming a bit late, and "unrefined" no pictures, just text, otherwise it is going to get too late to post it, so here goes.

The time has come to get serious about my 2012 seasons.  The holidays are over, the snacks are gone, the weight is not, and anticipation is building every day for what this season has in store.  I will be starting up my weekly reviews again to summarize the week in training, life, and happenings.

Let me start by saying I have a number of product reviews in the works.  I had an influx of them all at once, which was very welcome, but also a little daunting.  Keep an eye out over the coming weeks.  I will have the following:

• H20 Audio Waterproof Case/Headphones Product Review
• Brooks Pure Flow Product Review
• Yurbuds Headphone Product Review
• Finis SwiMp3 Product Review
• and more...

Workouts:
Week 1 of my training plan.  This is the start to a 16 week program leading me into REV3 Knoxville.  You may remember my race-recap from last year and if not, just click the link.  I am thrilled to have this race on my schedule again this year.  It was a great venue and very well run.  It had a big race feel, without being chaotic.  The course was AMAZING!  I really would love to get my hands on a good HD Video Camera and record the route to play while I am stuck on the trainer, but I digress.

I am writing my own plans by incorporating a few different plans and process that have been adapted to my goals. So what does a typically week look like?  Great question!

Swims: I am feeling good in the water recently, not super speedy, but good.  I have some work to rebuild my endurance at speed.  In contrast, last year I swam 3x a week.  I have upped the volume some this year and have included a fourth workout.  I have given myself some flexibility on the 4th workout to float since I mostly swim over lunch during the week.

Bike: Build build build build. I think Chris Lieto could tell you the best that a strong bike does not always translate to overall results, but I realize that I have room to grow on the bike.  I have not hit my limit where returns start to diminish significantly.  After my accident last year, my break took its toll on my leg endurance.  I am getting it back, but I am sticking to my guns on bike workouts this year.  They will include 3 specific sessions to build during the week, and a longer ride on the weekend.

Run: All things considered, I feel pretty good about where I am at for my run.  I am not going to go out and drop a 20 minute 5k in the next month, I would be stretched to hit 21 flat I think.  I have been dabbling with the BarryP running theology from Slowtwitch and it has been good to me so far.  This includes 6 runs a week.  The concept is easy to understand when you fully "get it" but trying to explain it always causes me troubles.  You have 3 runs a week (3 recovery, 2 harder, 1 long) These runs vary in distance based on the length of your short runs(1:2:3).  IE Your short runs may be 20 minutes, the hard runs are 40 minutes, and the long run is 60.)

The goal is to get more running done in a week, without the added stress of bigger mile days.

So my week looks like this:

Monday

• Morning Recovery Run
• Lunch Swim
• Evening Bike

Tuesday

• Lunch Swim
• Evening Hard Run

Wednesday

• Morning Recovery Run
• Lunch Swim
• Evening Bike

Thursday

• Lunch Swim
• Evening Hard Run

Friday

• Morning Recovery Run
• Lunch Swim
• Evening Bike

Saturday

• Long Run

Sunday

• Long Ride

Add in daily core workouts (not recorded, just doing it daily)

Week 1 Totals:
Swim: 5500 Yards, 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Bike: 69 Miles, 4 Hours 2 Minutes
Run: 24 Miles, 3 Hours 29 Minutes
Total: 9 Hours 10 Minutes

2012 Revolutions

I have always been hesitant to use the term resolution mostly because I associated it with not being happy and wanting to change.  What better time for a resolution than the new year... a new start... a fresh slate... The only problem is the reset button on the scale does not take away the countless trips past the snacks on the counter, grabbing one delectable treat each time.  I do have weight-loss as one of my "resolutions", which I will get to in a while, but there are a number of things I just would like to see happen in 2012, so rather than calling them resolutions, I am calling them Revolutions 

Although one definition of resolution is:

" the act of resolving or determining upon an action or courseof action, method, procedure, etc."  

I do prefer this definition to what it is in my head, but I have decided to take 2012 in the direction of revolution:

"a sudden, complete or marked change in something"

I am in the progress of making a Vision Board for 2012.  Sure some may call it corny, but it motivates me to do things, reminds me of my goals, and what drives me... without my negative connotation of resolutions.  I am very happy with life right now, I have an amazing wife and two baby boys that can make the worst day at work seem insignificant. Working with the Miracle Kids Triathlons in Minneapolis as well as the partnership that Rev3 has with Ulman Cancer Fund, I know that I am lucky to worry about when I will get my next workout in.  It puts things into perspective when you know there are others out there who just wonder if they will be around tomorrow.

It is no secret that my 2011 racing season was cut short.  That just drives me to make 2012 even better and enjoy it even more.

So without further delay, here are some of my 2012 Revolutions - 

Personal 

• Spend some time each day reading a devotional and bible verses, reflecting on what they mean to me
• Be the best dad I can to Carter and Caleb
• Cleaner eating - less sugar and sweets, more fruits and veggies
• Limit eating out to no more than one meal a week
• Smarter choices when I do eat out
• Stay injury free!!!

Triathlon

• Race weight by REV3 Knoxville 160-163 lbs (Jan 1 - 185 lbs)
•   REV3 Knoxville Olympic - 2:15
•        REV3 Wisconsin Dells - 2:15
•         REV3 Cedar Point - Sub 5  

Exercise

• I recently read on Joel's Blog that he wanted to swim 250,000 yards in 2012.  That number seems large, but when broken down, only amounts to 4800 a week.  Did you know that a quarter million yards is over 10,000 laps in my pool?  It comes out to over 142 miles.. just over the distance of an Ironman race.  I am adding this to my to do list for 2012.
• I also saw a lot of chatter about people doing a swim set: 100x100s.  Yep 10,000 Yards in one workout.  Yep... 5.68 miles!  Add that to the list as well.
• Increase FTP on the bike - 260 is the target
• Maintain sub 7s on a 10k
• More sub 20 minute 5ks!

REV3 Run Across America

I am going to preface this post by saying how I am continuously amazed by the REV3 organization.  I am grateful to have gotten in with Team Trakkers in 2011, which has now turned into Team REV3.  One reason I keep interested in the sport is because I have passion behind what I do, and being able to surround myself with people with a similar passion is contagious.  It was recently announced that REV3 will be running across America!

The Details:
Starting Monday, March 26, some of the REV3 staff as well as some of the Age Group Team members will start their journey to run across North America from Oceanside, California to Washington, D.C., over 3000 miles, in only 21 days.

The run is to raise awareness and $100,000 for The Ulman Cancer Fund.  Take a look at the page, read some of the stories, and be inspired!  I know everyone out there has their own situation and may only be able to donate a few dollars and a few others who could afford to add a few zeros.  Do not think for one minute that your contribution is too small.  Just as 3000 miles in 21 days is a large task, the only way to do it is in smaller segments.


If you have been around long enough, or poked at my history, you will see how I got started in endurance sports... by setting a goal, something that seemed so far that it was almost out of reach.  This is a heck of a feat, and at first mention, I wanted to be a part!  Unfortunately I will not be able to join the team doing the actual run, but many of the AG team have vowed to run "along side" the team.  We will be logging our daily miles and encourage others to do the same.

I challenge anyone reading this to make a pledge to run with the team during these 21 days.  Do you have a resolution to run your first 5k, first triathlon or marathon, or a seasoned veteran?  Challenge yourself during this period to run each day, even if it is only for a mile, you will feel much more tied to the cause.

I have pledged to donate $10 for every missed normal workout starting today until they finish.
I also pledge to run at least 1 mile each day that they are running with a $10 dollar donation for any day missed.

Feel free to click the following banner to make a donation and support this great cause!

Here are a few quick links to keep up to date with fundraising progress, Ulman Fund, and Rev3:

Ulman Cancer Fund

• website – www.ulmanfund.org
• facebook – www.facebook.com/ulmancancerfund
• twitter – twitter.com/ulmancancerfnd
• youtube – www.youtube.com/user/ulmancancerfund

REV3 Triathlon

• website – www.rev3tri.com
• facebook – www.facebook.com/revolution3.triathlon
• twitter – twitter.com/rev3tri
• youtube – www.youtube.com/rev3tri

The Old, The New, The Good, The Bad

It seems it is that time of year again where blog posts talk about 2011 in review or plans for 2012, so why would I not participate? 

2011

The year started off on a great note, having just returned from a mission trip to Africa.  I went straight into training for my first year on Team Trakkers.

I was posting weekly summaries of workouts and putting up some content on my blog. 2011 looked strong!  I got my new ride.

I compiled a list of Trakkers Favorites to workout to: Trakkers Music and reviewed some products:

My training progressed and before I knew it, it was race season!  The Kestrel Airfoil Pro was ready to roll:



The first race of the season ended up with a 1st in AG(due to the first 2 getting top 3 overall) Then it was off to Knoxville… All I can say, is daym!  I was in pretty solid shape and have some work to do!



Knoxville was my first REV3 Race… and I was very impressed with how well things were run.  A+++++ Organization!

I had a disappointing race in New Brighton, but bounced back with an Overall win in Mason City Iowa.  Then the big news…. We found out my wife was expecting! Twins was just the added bonus! 
It never seems to fail that with good comes bad.  July came around and smacked me hard.  Leaving me with a broken collar bone and multiple surgeries to repair.



After the crash… everything went downhill quickly.  A much longer than expected recovery period took its toll on me, and I was mentally crushed. 

The good news, our twin boys were on the way, and growing well.  After a million doctors appointments, the boys were born on November 29, 2011. Both boys were healthy and after two weeks in the NICU, they got to come home and join the family. 

2012

I have a number of goals/resolutions/plans for 2012.  First and foremost is to be the best dad I can to Carter and Caleb.  I love watching them grow every day.  They are truly a blessing in my life and I  could not imagine it any other way. 

I am excited to be ‘back’ on Team REV3 for 2012.  The returning members are what got me through my injuries last year, and looking forward to good things this year. 
My race schedule is far from set in stone, but here are my thoughts for events, peppered with a few local races as well.

• REV3 Knoxville Olympic – May 6
• Mason City Triathlon
• Camp Courageous Triathlon – August 5 – Possibly
• REV3 Wisconsin Dells Olympic – August 12
• REV3 Cedar Point Half – September 9

Since 2011 added some pounds, I am also aiming on being back to race weight for Knoxville!  I have my work cut out for me.  But a goal is a goal!  I will post some more specific goals in the coming weeks.
I am very excited to see what else 2012 has in store! Until then… Go Hawks! 

December Ramblings

I am going to do my best to keep this post to a reasonable length, but it has been a while since I have posted anything... So much for posting more often! Life is busy... What else is new. As many of you know, my wife was put on bed rest at 30 weeks which lasted for 5 weeks exactly. On November 29, 2011 we welcomed two members to our family in the form of twin boys, Carter & Caleb. They spent the first two weeks in the NICU, so we spent a lot of time back and forth between the hospital and home, scrambling to get things in order. Luckily both boys were healthy, what they call boring babies there. Boring is good!!!!! On top of that, in the same week as the babies were born, I found out that the new job I just hired into and transitioned to, was eliminated. How about that roller coaster of events in the same week?!?! Luckily, I was able to find something so it was not a big impact, more-so just a wave of emotions. I have been fairly diligent at squeezing in workouts when possible. I figure 30 minutes of running is better than 0. Hopefully I can use some of the time around the holidays to get into my new routine to find what works best. As the holiday season is around us, I cannot miss thinking about what a great year it has been. Some highlights include: - Finding out we were pregnant - Finding out and having our twin boys! - Making the Rev3 Team for 2012 - First Olympic Distance Triathlon - First place overall at Mason City Tri - Bike accident - broken clavicle - 2 surgeries for repairs Some people may look at that last one and say... What? How's that good? Well, you see, it did make me miss the whole second half of the season, but it makes me all the more excited for 2012! I am grateful for everyone that has been put in my life, friends, family, co-workers. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I fully trust that regardless of the situation, there is a bigger plan out there. Last night we had our first Christmas with some family. Since we moved into a house in March, we were ale to host, not to mention having two week-olds gives some pull so we did not have to travel. After hosting, it started to lightly snow, and a bit later after things settled down at the house, we had carolers from the neighborhood. This is one of the first years since being out of college that I felt like our Christmas was in a home, and not just our house. I am very excited for the next few weeks, and all that 2012 has to bring. Welcome to all of the new Team Rev3 members. I am excited to get to know everyone in the coming months. PS Pictures to come.

Great deal on Penzeyes spices with coupons

I just got my new Penzeye's catalog in the mail this week and was quite excited.  While I only live about 1/3 of a mile away from the store, I found this amazing deal for online folks to combine their current free sample codes, with smart choices to result in a bunch of free product.

For those that do not know what Penzeyes is... it is a spice store.  What good is a spice store you may ask?  Well at prices fairly reasonable when compared to supermarkets, you are getting much higher quality.  I have been using their spices for a few years.  I am slowly getting rid of all the old spices and plan on using only stuff from Penzeyes in the future.

As a note for those who think it is more expensive, take a look at the 4oz "bags" and the empty jars to make the most of your money. Once you have the jar, you can just order the bigger bags and replenish your stash.  It is typically close to the same cost for the bulk bag plus an empty jar as the same jar that is pre-filled.  

So without further delay, here are the steps to take advantage of the amazing free Penzeyes coupon codes.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/advancedsearch.html

Enter Kind Heart in the search

change qty to 1 on the free one, click add

Click search again

Enter: 95107 (empty jar w shaker lid) - Teacher Pack requires a purchase

Change qty to 1, click add

Click Search again

Enter forward, click search

Click on the link under: the 5.39 Forward jar that says "Click to redeem your coupon"

In the new area that comes up, Enter coupon code: 15958C to add the Free Forward 

Enter another code: 83018C to add the Teacher Gift Pack

When done, click to check out and setup an account if you do not have one.  On the checkout page, under the Shipping Info tab, you can change from Regular shipping 4.95, to Slow 3.95 to save a dollar, bringing the grand total to $5.66 for all of that stuff, not too shabby!

What type of runner are you?

Not long after I laced up my first pair of running shoes did I realize I needed something to get me out running.  I needed something to make me still go run if it was cold and rainy or if it was 100 and humid.  Over the past few weeks as I have been getting back into running after my bike accident, I have really spent some time thinking about why I run, which lead me to this post.  Without generalizing too much, and without stereotyping, I have come up with a few groups that tend to define what motivates us to run.

*Disclaimer* While this is article is written from the running perspective, I see it holding true in the triathlon realm as well.  Over time, I have met people that fall into each of these three categories, some even find themselves in multiple categories.

To Runners:

This group of runners has a purpose, often motivated by a goal.  When I started running, I set a goal to run a marathon.  Every run had purpose, to get me more prepared for that goal.  Everyone in this group has a different threshold for motivation.  For me, running to stay in shape was not enough to keep me motivated.  For some people, setting a goal to run their first 5k is what it takes to drive them to consistently put in the time to accomplish that goal.  From my experience, this as one of the largest categories, and I believe that the increasing numbers each year seen at races are a direct result of this mentality.

Goals:

-          Distance (5k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ironman, Ultra, etc)
-          Time for a distance (Sub 30-Minute 5k, 5 hour marathon, etc)
-          Weightloss (10 pounds by summer, back to pre-pregnancy weight,…)
-          Placing or Podium (Top of Age Group, Overall winner, finishing ahead of someone you know)

Every time someone hits a goal, they have to re-evaluate, even if subconsciously.  Is the motivation to continue training there now that I have passed this event?  Well for some, the answer is a clear yes due to missing a goal.  They may bounce back and try to reach their goal again, but some get discouraged if they do not make the mark.  Some hit the goal, are completely satisfied and stop activities afterwards, never making another goal to pursue.  

Finally, there is the section that sees what their work has done, and looks for the next challenge. 

This group shows a progression from a 5k, to a half marathon, to a full marathon.  Always building distance or setting a faster time to pursue.  It may be competition or it may be the sense of accomplishment that drives them, but they have a burning feeling inside to explore their limits.

From Runners:

This group of runners may or may not admit or even know they are in this group.  They are often running from something… We all have skeletons in our closet, and some people use it as motivation to run.  Some of the common things people run from:

-          Addictions (Drug, alcohol, etc)
-          Issues at home
-          Obesity
-          The past – Anything that they want to get far away from (Turning a new leaf)
-          Stress

While many of the above are fairly self-explanatory, they are commonly related in the fact that it is something that is causing a void and needs to be filled.  The one that sticks out for me in this group is stress.  While it does not necessarily leave a void, it can be a catalyst to other issues.  Some may say people run TO relieve stress, but I categorize it in the FROM category, because of the downstream impacts if the stress is not dealt with.

There are no shortages of stories of people at rock bottom who see a commercial, magazine, someone running, or some other trigger that makes them do a re-evaluation of their current situation and want to make a drastic change.  These people have something they want to get away from quickly.  While running is not the “fastest” way to get away (sure you could drive), it sure gives a physical feeling to “running away from your problems or heading in the other direction”

I have heard a number of stories from people who may not necessarily be classified as an addict, but had many bad habits.  Once they started running, they realized that the two did not play nicely together, and something had to go.  Hopefully it was the activity that hindered running.  In no way I am I saying you cannot enjoy a beer and running both, but to go out drinking many nights a week and still run is somewhat counterproductive depending on your goals. 

For Runners:

This is a group of people who run for something.  Often it is a cause (Think Breast Cancer 5ks, ALS races, and other like events) but not limited to a specific race.  Sure there are people who do events to raise money for a specific cause, but there are also others who dedicate their training to one cause.  I have done 5ks for a number of causes, and the MS150 bike ride, so my “for” events are spread out.  Some people choose to do events to raise money across multiple events for one cause.  While these examples are often an extreme event, such as running across the US, or something that seems completely unattainable, it pushes the person to do the unattainable because they are thinking about the good that will be done for their “for.”  In no way am I saying you have to run across the US to be in this category, simply setting a goal to raise money for a cause, regardless of the event distance puts you in this category.

This is a group that I think many people revisit throughout their running “career.”  These events can grow to be very large, and serve as a great way for people to get involved and contribute to a cause.  It may spark interest in future events.  While some people will stick with the FOR cause, many do continue to run for other reasons, and then someday circle back to being a FOR runner when they no longer to keep setting goals, and want to still have purpose in their running. 

Regardless of the type of runner you may be, do what drives you.  Whatever it takes to keep you motivated, keep with it.  If you start losing motivation, look at how you could change your attitude or outlook on running, it can provide a much different perspective.  Although races are filling up at record rates as more people get involved, remember you are in a small percentage of people who are out and doing something, regardless of your reasons.  Find what works for you, and keep going!

REV3 Team Application

Here Ye, Here Ye, Read all about it…

That is right, big news just came out… What you have not heard?  That is why I am putting this post out there. It is no secret of what I think about my Team Trakkers group of athletes, amateur and pro alike.  They are Legen…… wait for it…. Dary!  Yes they are that good.  I was thrilled to get home last November from our trip to Africa and receive a call from none other than Carole Sharpless with a few questions as I was applying to be a part of this team. 

I was pretty excited to hear that I had made the team, having followed many of the athletes in the past, I saw what a great group of people were involved.  I assume this is probably why they have such good retention between the years.  This just isn’t a team, it is a family.  Forget a race wheel? Someone probably can help out.  Need training advise? Plenty of that to go around.  Last race didn’t go as planned?  They will pick you right up and get you focused on the next event.  Down and out from an injury?  They will keep your spirits high and maybe even send a goodie box and get well cards! 

That is not even to mention the professional team.  This group of athletes are awesome to sit down with and have a chat, maybe even over a beer.  The pros are approachable and extremely knowledgeable, along side of being blistering fast!  At first I was a little star-struck being around, but quickly felt like I could talk to them like a friend I have known for years. 

So what does all this mean for the post?  Well, the big news is that Team Trakkers will be changing a little bit for the 2012 season.  The team will change to the Revolution 3 Triathlon Team.  Again… great… what does this mean for you?  With no further delay…. Drumroll please….

The online application to join the REV3 Amateur Triathlon Team has been posted.  Follow the link below, fill out a few easy questions, and hit submit!  We are looking for high quality people.  Note I did not say athletes.  Sure the team has Boston Qualifiers/Runners, Age Group winners, and people who are just generally FAST, but we are looking for people with character!  Social media, market exposure, community involvement, easy to talk to, and enjoying tickle fights are all things we look for.  Oh wait sorry, that last one is an inside joke from one of the current teammates.  I apologize in advance if you happen to room with that person!  Do not let that hold you back from applying.  From day one, I felt involved with the team, and cannot believe the relationships that have developed from only a year of knowing these people!

This is a great opportunity to get in on the REV3 Amateur Triathlon Sponsorship.

http://rev3tri.com/news/rev3-is-now-accepting-applications-for-our-age-group-team/

When a little bit goes a long ways...

Last weekend was the Miracle Kids Triathlon in Chanhassen, MN.  I am on the leadership team for these races, and love every minute of helping facilitate the events.  The weather this year was nearly perfect.  After spending a good chunk of Friday helping setup the course, we got a little rain overnight which made the morning temperature actually a little brisk!  That is a sign that fall is near in Minnesota!  After a 30 minute drive, we managed to get to the race site around 5:15 AM on Saturday to help finalize setup and get the race going. 

For anyone who may not be familiar with the Miracle Kids Triathlon or Miracles of Mitch Foundation, I urge you to check out the webpage and read about what they are all about.  I got involved three years ago as a great event to bridge the gap of a hobby, and helping a great cause.  I was hooked!  It is a combination of getting kids active, teaching them about the importance giving back, and being able to contribute some of my strongest talents to somewhere they can be fully used. 

Race day was awesome, no matter how much planning and work  goes into hosting it, I look back this week and feel like I could have done twice as much “work” and still never felt that I had done much work at all.  The people (organizers, volunteers, board members, kids, and All-Stars) are amazing to be around and give me a feeling that I wish I could have every day! 

There are two age groups for the event, the younger group swims 100 yards, bikes 3 miles, and then runs ½ a mile.  The older group does twice that number.  Just like an adult race, you have all shapes/sizes/ages.  There are extremely competitive kids, and others who are just out to have fun (riding along with a group of their friends.)  One thing that they all share in common is that they are working to help others by raising money for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation.  The foundation helps families that have children with cancer.  The story of how a pinky-swear between Mitch and his dad turned into this wonderful cause is nothing short of amazing.  Through the day, I could not help but think of what great things the foundation is able to do for these families and how grateful I am to provide some help.

The race went extremely well and clean-up went even faster than the year before.  (We are getting more efficient!)  There were some moments in the day that I was choking back tears as best as I could.  The race had over 1000 kids racing, in total, they raised something around $325,000.  Amazing,  hearing one girl who was one of the top fundraisers had knocked on over 400 doors just baffled my mind.  One moment in the day that grabbed my heart was the ceremony before the race where they had 12 of the All-Stars on the stage and they gave their name and age.  What a great way to personalize this cause for each of the kids participating, not to mention the families involved.  

Another moment did not come until later that night when we were with a group of the leaders and discussing the day where I learned the story of one of the All-Stars. I was talking to someone about the best moment that day for her and she went into getting to ride on a golf cart with one of the All-Stars.  She told me the whole story, and I was just blown away.  The family had a daughter that was in the hospital with cancer.  She passed away, and during that time they grew closer with Victor, who was also in for cancer.  His story was a little different, he belonged to the state, so the family ended up adopting him, despite everyone else giving up on him.  That was a number of years ago and the prognosis was not good, he is now 14.  Unfortunately he has relapsed 6 times in the past 7 years and things are not looking well and breathing is labored.    The lady I was talking to, described that the family was very deep in their faith, and have been able to bring that to him.  Their conversation in the golf cart included some discussion of faith topics as well as some prayer together.  I was just amazed at hearing all of this and how close the organization is to the families. 

I got up on Sunday and went to church despite being still quite tired.  One thing that is often said at the beginning of the services is ‘We believe the Lord lead you here today.”  It could not have been more true!  I was meant to be there and hear the worship and message that related so closely to my experiences the days prior.  One of the songs that came on had the following lyrics, and I welled up almost instantly beginning to think how true it is.  The song is called “What Joy”  - “What joy, what joy for those whose hope is in the name of the Lord.  What peace what peace for those whose comfort is Him alone.“  I don’t think the words could be any more perfect.  In a time when things are not well, Victor is looking to Him to find joy and comfort when everything around him is negative.  This was just confirmation that I am meant to help with the races and help them grow to be able to support more families. 

Part of the message was about using your gifts to grow and then being able to influence others.  There were a number of times that I had tears in my eyes just listening to the message, knowing that I was there for a reason that day.  As the service ended, I was sitting next to an older couple, and the lady made a comment about being a great message, I agreed.  I forget how we transitioned into talking more on the way out, but I told her about the race and about Victor’s story.  Before I knew it, I again had tears coming down my face and she did as well.  As we parted ways, she thanked me for sharing, but  I should have been the one thanking her for listening.  It was one of those moments where you see a situation and wonder how something so negative can be true, but feel blessed to be a part of the wonderful group of people and organization.  I have no doubt that the lady was put there just for me that day as I needed someone to share with. 

I cannot even count the number of times that I had to stop writing this in order to regain my composure!  During the race, I talked to a number of parents and they mentioned wanting to get involved.  I would highly encourage everyone out there to find an organization you can relate to  and get involved.  These types of events do not happen on their own and can always use more people who can help. 

Jeff Vanis

FIS Business Intelligence and Reporting

952-984-5686

Garmin Vector Update - Release Date Added

Many of you, like I, have been watching Metrigear progress to Garmin Vector and I guarantee the top two questions have been answered.

When will it be released? March 2012
How much will it cost? $1499

Here is a link to the Garmin Vector Blog

Finally some answers to a product many thought would become vaporware.  This puts it in the middle of the range for cost, competing with Quarq, yet nearly doubling the cost of Cycleops PowerTap.  I urge you to read the article (also contains some good information about future updates for the Garmin Edge 800, including Intensity Factor, Training Stress Score, and Normalized Power)

That will leave a mark

It has been just over a week, and I am just getting around to posting my recap of my biking “initiation.”  Some may remember a couple of years ago when my wife had her accident that took her up and over her handlebars and quickly to the pavement causing a main course of a broken rib with a side of road rash.  Well, I too, now been inducted into the biker club with my first crash. 

It was Monday the 11th and I headed out to tackle my workout, 1:35 total with 7x5 minute intervals.  It was hot, but moving along on the bike kept temps at bay with a subtle breeze. I knew I had the wind at my back on the way out towards Hastings, so I knew the way home would be a bit long.  After finishing one of my intervals, at about 14 miles out, I hit a bump.  No not a pothole, not a speed bump, just a normal bump in the road.  Somehow it got the best of me, and I lost the front end and began heading up and over the front handlebars.  I was still moving at a good speed having just come off the interval at an average of 31 MPH flat. 

I had no idea what I hit or why I what the next few seconds would include, but I knew a few things.  First, this is going to be ugly, second, I hope to aim for the ditch so I do not get run over.

I went up in the air and began to tuck my body to aim myself more towards the ditch as to not end up in the road if at all possible.  As I came down, I felt my right shoulder hit, ouch that hurt, but not as much as I was expecting, followed by my right hip.  That is going to leave a mark!  Then I felt what made me the most nervous, crack, my head hit the shoulder, and then I skid on my back a little ways to watch my bike land about 5 feet away from me and my water bottles and Garmin went flying. 

What a ride?!? I was thinking as I tried to collect myself, pissed that I had wrecked for no reason.  As I began to gather myself, a car pulled over to offer some help.  After a few attempts we got ahold of my wife and she was on her way to pick me up.  I pretty much immediately knew my collar bone was broken just from the pain I was feeling.  The feeling of nausea, well I think that is mostly from the whole situation as opposed to a concussion, but I did crack my helmet on impact. 

After some time passed, my wife arrived, following an unmarked car and an on-duty officer who stopped to make sure I was alright.  Despite them wanting to call an ambulance, I knew I was going to the ER anyway and was doing better at this point. So I declined. 

Here I am after getting triaged into the ER, Gotta love parading around in spandex!I know the ER is not typically an in and out thing, and that night was no different.  I explained my story a few times and they gave me some meds to help with the pain.  When I got sent back to the ER, I was hurting, so they came to further investigate the wounds.  Yep road rash – although it was pretty  clean and took very little scrubbing to get gravel out. 

My elbow got the brunt of the road rash, but the other areas quickly started to feel like lava as they began to heal.  Now a week later, they are mostly down to bruises and a few light scratches.

Sure enough, after the X-Rays were done, I was right.  A broken collar bone, but I was not aware at how difficult of a break this would be.  So there are 3 types of fractures.  The first is when you just cause a crack in the bone.  It stays in place, but there is a small line that travels through the bone, almost like a piece of hair.  The second is a clean break.  This is where you break the bone and they separate a ways, so there is a gap between the bones.  Finally, there is my break where the bones break, and shift out of place, thus the nearly 1 inch overlap on the bones.  This is the least likely to heal properly of all breaks, which is why I later opt for surgery to repair.

In order to give myself the best chance at recover, and to be prepared for the Twins that are on the way… I figured having the surgery would be the best choice in order to get healed up asap.  I pretty much know my tri season is over for this year, unfortunate, but I am glad that this was all it resulted in. 

You can see the new plate and 9 screws I have in my shoulder now.  It is a beefy piece of hardware, that is for sure.  I am still on the mend, and have been tired as can be, which I suppose is my body’s way of telling me it needs to recover and to take it easy.  As I have said, I pretty much have come to the conclusion that my 11 Tri season is going to be cut short, but all I  can pray for is a speedy recovery! 

Looking back, I cannot imagine how things would have been different had I not had a helmet on.  I am not sure that I would have been here to even write this post.  I am quite confident of my handling skills, and this just goes to show, you never know what can happen.  Be careful out there, and always, always have a backup plan!  (Thanks RoadID and my cellphone!)