Once again Team-Magic has provided a wonderful race for beginners and intermediate athletes...

Jenny Pittman, 12, lit a fire in the pool and left everyone in her wake creating 30 second lead. Her lead extended into the bike portion of the race leaving everyone in awe and boostering inspiration!

Plenty of athletes were in the chase but it was TRANSITIONS very own Nan Gelber and Mary Ben Fitts who chased her down...for 1st and 5th place respectively. 

David Gottlieb, the web guru for TRANSITIONS came off a long season of IRONMAN training to show his ability as a SPRINT distanced athlete as well.  David turned out a 41 minute race placing 6th over all finish!

WHEW!  Its been a while...After such a huge event such as an IRONMAN or an ULTRA we need alittle time to lick our wounds..reflect,  generalize as to what just happened to us and figure out what we're gonna do with it in the future.

I told what happened at the race but let me expose myself a bit and bring you up to date....

Following my body weight after an event like this is pretty important...your caloric needs are what they used to be but your metabolism is cranking burning of the calories like you would not believe.

Looking back my crew fed me over 120,000 calories which allowed me to finish the race at the same weight at which ai started. 182.5 lbs.

2 days later I would find myself, not feeling so great but needing to turn the legs a bit so I went ot spin class, sat in the back and turned my legs slowly.

I began to feel a little worse but finished up the cool down and headed home. ...

Saturday...time is runnin short, the miles are getting long. Finally!

This past Saturday I got in 3 hours on Computrainer, 2.5 hrs outside.  It was very cold...

On the Computrainer I rode the IM Arizona course which is basically uphill for 23 miles before the first relief... Ive been there before...and the miles are BORING as is the trainer for 3 hrs...no music, no TV....I was able to average 20 mph on the dot!  Time to go outside!  SHT, its freezing!  There is snow on the ground and clouds in the air...PERFECT TRAINNIG!

Sunday...Here I am again, but this time it feels more like Im race simulating...How so?  Well, afetr you spedn 6 hrs on the bike go to bed and then throw in another 5.5 hours on top...it begins to feel like an ultra...So the weather is absolutely perfect!  Out the door I go....

Monday....Okay I was wrong, today feels like Im racing long distance becaus ...

Whew! Long week.  

Okay Ive had a prety easy week so far...but tommorrow starts a 3 day roll.

It supposed to snow with a high of 39 for Saturday and I have 135 to ride...yippee.

My legs are pretty cooked from Wednesdays intervals...31 of these to be exact followed by a thursday night SPIN class...

Friday posed as a rest day but there was no massage, ice bath or anything of that sort...

Worked very late last night with crew chief on sponsorship reuqests, postcards, and donation page....donation page to go live ASAP. postcards will go out as soon as they get final once over by Mary R. / crew chief.

Which brings me to the crew...Both Scott T. and Larry H. have volunteered their time to helpout during HOS500...We need 1 more female for balance.

Mary Rountree is Crew Chief and is currently organizing the reservations, fees, etc. etc.

TOP FOOD (REAL) ALTERNATIVES FOR TRAINING

By: Kim Brown, MS, RD, Sports Nutritionist

Are you sick of that same old sugary sports drink, that gooey sports gel, that bland sports bar?

Im getting there....Have had an easy weekend!  100 miles on Saturday.....Easy no problem... Chris MacDonald averaged 17mph during his HOS500 in 2005....finishing in 29:23 and for this route...thats getting  on it...

How do I compare and how do the numbers work:

I've done 225 in 10:35....thats 21+ mph  its also on an easier course

If the HOS500 has or is equal to  5 centuries

Then I need to complete each one of those centuries in sub 6 hrs to match Chris MacDonalds time....

I had acouple stops and still averaged 16.96 mph....VERY EASY NOT Aun a sub 5 hr for the first 100 during the race....but then I have Ft. Payne, and north Georgia to deal with..

so check this out:

IF  I ride at  17 mph = 5:50 Chris McDonalds Pace)

BUT  if I ride at;

I have been falling asleep during the writing of this so I am unsure of how it will come out.  Very sleepy....

Okay well last weekend posed a challenging series of rides, not bad really 2 x 6 hour ride ina row..total miles about  210...

This week is promising to be as equally challenging...

My weight still good holding on average of 182 - 184

Nutrition is pretty tight...

This week so far I have 1 day off...but I get another on Friday...

I rode my interval set on Tuesday, 1.5 hrs of intervals

Rode 5.5  hours today - 3.5 hrs then 2.5

I ride 8 x 20 minute intervals at 165 bpm plus  today , thursday

GREAT NEWS!!  We got sponsorship through Infinite Nutrition....this stuff is the best Ive tried yet!!, I have never wanted to d ...

With the last entry I could follow up with about agabillion lines of philosophical garbage but it would just take up space.

Let me get to the details of this training week -

Aside from my training, this past week sucked hard.  Many things caught me off guard leaving me a bit raw and uncertain...Moments like this are good for the psyche though, it shakes us out of the trees that we sometimes get comfortable in.., ( going back the bear analogy )

But I am alive and well, last week didnt kill me because of a powerful little tool called   "choice".

Sometimes what happens to us creates a belief system that can turn ugly and control the rest of our choices. A victim of our own self-depricating thoughts.

I had a pretty big training week to be finished up with 2 x 6 hour rides back to back.

The training week looked like this;

...