Spring Update

It's taken me a while to get back to the blog, but the last month has been very busy for the Anderson Y Tri Club! First, we wrapped up the Tri-101 clinic with some great workouts, and maybe a few sore legs too. I had a great time working with all the participants and was hopefully able to pass on a little hard earned tri-wisdom.

After the clinic it was full steam ahead getting things ready for the race. I honestly had no idea how much work it was to organize a triathlon; I do now. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the following people for their help: Vance Rowland, Mike Madden, Nelson Hayes, Scott Shuey, Rick Stanland, Wanda Calvert, Andrea Storie, Nancy Richmond, Dave Comen, Mike Whaley, Jeff Gurrie, Fran Friday, Michelle Mullane, and of course my mom and dad! Thanks to everyone and sincere apologies to anyone I left out. Thanks also to our sponsors: Professional Pharmacies, Blue Ridge Orthopaedic, BB&T, Rowland Insurance, AOneATM.com, Hammer Nutrition, Malone Coaching, New South Construction, TriYourBest.com, and Urologic Surgery Associates. I couldn't have had the chip timing, t-shirts, awards and all the rest without our great sponsors!

A big congratulations to all the participants is also due, it was great to be on the sidelines and see everyone crossing the finish line and accomplishing their goals. That, in the end, is what this sport is all about.

All my best to everyone out there, hopefully it won't take so long to get the next post up!

Thanks for reading, Land

Chrissie Wellington's Blog

While setting up this blog, I've spent a little time looking at other triathlon blogs to see what else is out there. One of the best blogs that I've found is Chrissie Wellington's, winner of the 2007 Ironman World Championships. Here's a link : http://www.teamtbb.com/christinewellington/. It's amazing in this day and age, well, any day and age really, to hear someone who has achieved the pinacle of their sport, and still has such a balanced perspective on life. Ironman is such a demanding distance that by its nature it demands complete focus on one's self and one's training, and yet Chrissie talks about how the real power of sport is its power to change and inspire. Here is a quote from her after winning Hawaii last year:

"Anyone that knows me has probably been on the receiving end of one of my rants. Like a stuck record I ramble on about development to anyone that will (pretend to) listen. It is my passion, and has been for a long time. Poverty, conflict, violence, crime, exclusion and so forth are not givens. They happen for a reason. We have the power to change things. And sport is one vehicle for doing so. It has the power to build bridges, to empower, to teach, to heal – this is what triathlon and every other sport should be about. I hope that I [...] can, in a small way, help to inspire people to take up sport, realise their own dreams and their full potential."

It's refreshing and inspiring to hear a world champion talking about the power of sport to help people realise their dreams and potential. I think that's what draws most people to triathlon in the first place, before they get caught up in race results, what sort of new go fast gear to buy, how many calories to consume in the next workout, and all the other endless details that make up a triathlete's life. It's easy to get distracted, but now at the beginning of a new season, if it's your 1st or your 20th, it's a good time to get back in touch with what triathlon is all about, and why we got into this crazy sport in the first place.

My hope for this club is to put Chrissie's idea into action, and to help encourage people to realise their dreams and potential, and to help sport become a means for people to make their lives just a little better, or at the very least give people the chance to eat pizza or a big plate of wings guilt free because they've just been out for a long ride!

TRI 101

Last night was the first session of our four week TRI 101 series. The series is designed to introduce new athletes to the sport and promote triathlon as a part of a healthy and active lifestyle. We had eight new triathletes attend and spent most of the evening talking about most triathletes favorite thing in life: triathlon equipment. Deep down inside we all know that burning desire for a new bike, new wetsuit, new wheels, and the list goes on. So it was a lot of fun for me, and I hope everyone else enjoyed the evening and took away some useful information (and a burning desire for a new bike). Specials thanks to Andrea Storie, Fred Tolly, and Nancy Richmond for coming out and sharing some of their triathlon experiences and wisdom!

Next Thursday (March 6th) we're meeting out on the pool deck for the TRI 101 swim session, if you have signed up for the whole series you're welcome to join us for any one session at $10 per session. We'll be biking on the 13th and running on the 20th. All sessions are meeting at the AAYMCA.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Anderson Y Tri Club blog! We're a club in the process of forming right now, so it's a challenging and exciting time. We are based at the Anderson Area YMCA, in Anderson, SC, and our club is open to all Y members interested in triathlon training and competition. You don't need to have completed a race before, or even intend to finish a race in the near future. You just have to be interested in coming out and training with a group of people who are also interested in fitness, fun, and friendship.

As president, I'll probably be doing most of the blogging, and I'll ask for your pardon now for my occasional diversions. Triathlon is an opportunity not only for physical fitness, but also a chance to experience personal challenge and growth. And also a chance to think way, way too much on those long solo rides. So I hope you don't mind if I share some other thoughts on life and sport from time to time.

We also have a website at http://andersonytriclub.googlepages.com/ and registration for our sprint triathlon is open at http://www.activezach.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?pEventId=2431

Thanks for reading, please check back soon!