Bike Diva

Bike Diva at 2011 Miami Man Triathlon

I participated in the half Ironman distance duathlon at Miami Man in 2009 and 2010. This year I decided to register for the half Ironman distance triathlon, which took place on Sunday, November 13. I DNF (did not finish) a triathlon for the first time since starting to race triathlons earlier this year.

Above: Miami Man swim course at Larry & Penny Thompson park. International distance triathletes complete one swim lap, half Ironman distance triathletes complete two swim laps.

Bike Diva Learns to Swim

If you have been following along the Bike Diva blog, you will know that I only started swimming on January 3, at 47 years old. I have had a life long water phobia, but for the past few years have been thinking about starting to race triathlons. In January, my husband and I joined the local YMCA, so we could start using their lap pool. I also have pool passes to a couple of outdoor pools near me, I live in SE Florida and can train year round outdoors. I've also gotten my husband to drive up to the ocean with me on occasion, to practice some open water swims. We are lucky to live 10 minutes from the beach.

Bike Diva Swim Posts

1. Bike Diva's First Swim Practice
2. Bike Diva's Second Swim Practice
3. Bike Diva's Triathlon Training Observations
4. Bike Diva Tries Wetsuit
5. Swim a Triathlon with a Snorkel

Above: my awesome Miami Man swim cap.

To Wetsuit or Not to Wetsuit

The swim at Miami Man took place in a really nice fresh water lake at Larry & Penny Thompson Park in Miami. The water was pretty clear, and quite shallow in spots. I saw huge boulders, just a few feet below the surface, in many sections of the swim. The lake gets a bit deep in the middle, and the race officials always seem to get a cold water temperature reading making the swim wetsuit legal. I was one of the few people not wearing a wetsuit at the race.

I would guess that only about 15% of people racing yesterday did it without a wetsuit. I need to go back to doing some ocean swims wearing my wetsuit. I have a really nice Wahoo sleeveless wetsuit, made by my sponsor Profile Designs. Unfortunately, the only two races I did using the wetsuit, I totally freaked out and felt very claustrophobic with the wetsuit on. I haven't tried the wetsuit since March 27, I'm thinking my swim ability and swim confidence have improved greatly since March, so I should start doing some ocean swims using the wetsuit to get used to swimming with one.

Above: Miami Man swim exit.

Miami Man Races

There were 3 races taking place at Miami Man; half Ironman duathlon, International triathlon, half Ironman triathlon.

Half Ironman Duathlon

• 1 mile run
• 56 mile bike
• 13.1 mile run

International Triathlon

• .6 mile swim
• 22 mile bike
• 6.2 mile run

Half Ironman Triathlon

• 1.2 mile swim
• 56 mile bike
• 13.1 mile run

Above: Miami Man swag; technical t-shirt, transition towel, mouse pad, run hat, tote bag, water bottle, coffee mug.

Bike Diva Gets Rescued

I knew I could do the bike and run portion of Miami Man, after competing in the duathlon for the past two years. But the swim proved more than I could handle. I was physically prepared for the swim, but my problem is swimming with all the other triathletes while racing. I am a very slow swimmer and the swim waves that start after my wave catch up to me and start swimming over/around me. I often go into full panic mode when getting bashed around by the other swimmers. It's a normal part of triathlon, they aren't trying to drown me, but I just went into full on panic attack during the swim at Miami Man.

I completed the first swim loop, in a horrible time of 38 minutes. I shouldn't have even started the second swim loop, but the spectators were cheering me on to continue. I was very dizzy/shaky getting out of the water after the first loop. I was like the drunken sailor trying to do the short walk across the timing mat and back into the water to start the second loop. I didn't feel like I was making any progress after starting the second loop. I was just coming up to the first buoy when a large group of International distance triathletes got to the buoy at the same time. Suddenly I was in the midst of a huge group of FAST, agressive swimmers. I couldn't deal with it and flagged down a kayak rescue boat to take me back to shore.

It was awful. I don't know how to train NOT to have a panic attack. I completed 8 sprint and 1 Olympic distance triathlon leading up to Miami Man. I panicked at about half the races but the other half I had no problem. When I start panicking, I basically stop swimming and just bob up and down in the water, not making a lot of forward progress. So I guess I need to do a lot more swimming to get faster, and start close to the front of my swim wave. That would give me a good start to the swim before the waves starting behind me caught up to me.

Above: this sign gets posted every year the day before Miami Man. No swimming is allowed on the day of packet pickup/bike drop. They remove the sign for the race the next day, but unfortunately you can't do a practice swim the day before the race.

Interesting Swim Rescue

Funny thing about being "rescued" at Miami Man, the kayak rescue dude got me close to shore, so I started swimming after letting go of the kayak. I was away from all the bodies in the water and no longer freaking out. But the rescue lifeguard standing on shore must have thought I was still in trouble, he flung his dang rescue buoy at me and hit me in my face. Now I have a fat lip. Thanks for the "rescue" dude, WTF!?!

Above: Bike Diva ready to race Miami Man.

Bike Diva's Final Observations

Well, despite my DNF at Miami Man yesterday, I'm not ready to give up on triathlons. I'm planning on racing in a bunch of sprint distance triathlons next year, like I did this year. Then I will sign up for the International distance triathlon at Miami Man in November, instead of the half Ironman distance. I managed to complete 1 swim lap yesterday, that's all you have to do for the International distance.

I also want to go back to St. Anthony's in April with my husband. St. Anthony's is an Olympic distance triathlon that takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Olympic distance triathlon is a 1.5 kilometer swim (.9 mile) - 25 mile bike - 6.2 mile run. I raced St. Anthony's this year, although the swim was shortened from 1.5k to 1k, and didn't freak out in the water, which was an ocean swim.

Above: I had the perfect location for my bike in the transition area. My race number was 313, which put me on the end cap of the bike rack, lots of room for all my gear. Miami Man assigns you spots in transition.

Keep Challenging Yourself

I have to keep challenging myself, otherwise it's back to being a couch potato and weighing 180 pounds, that is NOT going to happen. I've worked too hard to get down to 140 pounds, and still want to drop a few more pounds. Racing makes me get off my butt to train, I probably wouldn't do half as much working out if I didn't schedule a few races every year.

If I did the duathlon again this year, like last 2 years, I would probably have gotten 1st or 2nd for my age group. But where's the challenge in that? There were only 5 girls in my AG that completed the duathlon this year. There were 42 girls signed up in my age group for the half Ironman triathlon, but only 29 actually showed up and raced. That's still a lot more competition than I ever saw while racing duathlons. I don't care if I never win another award doing triathlons, every single duathlon I competed in I won an award because not that many people do duathlons. I like the challenge of triathlons. I've got an entire case full of awards, big deal. I only compete against me, myself, and I; and dang, she can be a beyatch at times - HA!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

H2O Audio - Swim With Music

Boring Swim Training

I am trying to do a bit more swimming as my first 70.3 triathlon takes place on November 13 at Miami Man. The swim portion of that event is 1.2 miles, that's about 84 lengths, or 42 laps in a 25 yard pool. I just started swimming in January, so the swim is the weakest part of my triathlon. I can't say I really enjoy swimming, doing laps in the pool gets a bit boring, so I started thinking about listening to music while swimming as a way to prevent total boredom. I also wanted to start listening to music while doing my longer, solo runs and was pretty sure I would be getting an iPod Shuffle. After a quick trip to Walmart I came home with a lime green iPod Shuffle then had my 16 year old daughter teach me how to use the dang thing. Playlist, what the heck is a playlist!?!

Above: 4th generation iPod Shuffle.

Above: H2O Audio Interval waterproof headphone system for the 4G iPod Shuffle.

Waterproof Your Tunes

While researching ways to listen to music under water, I came upon the H2O Audio website. H2O Audio makes a variety of waterproof headphones, cases and armbands for iPods, iPhones and MP3 players. Their latest product is the Interval case made specifically for the 4th generation iPod Shuffle. The Interval waterproof case includes integrated, waterproof Surge headphones.

Above: Place your iPod Shuffle inside the Interval case, then place the Interval on your goggles.

H2O Audio Interval Features

• MSRP: $99.99
• 100% waterproof
• submersible to 12 feet
• 5 pairs of earplugs, sizes XS - XL.

Bike Diva's Verdict

Listening to music while doing swim workouts seems to make the workout go by a little bit quicker. The music also helped me to relax a bit which allowed me to concentrate on learning to breath on my right side. I always seem to breath on my left side but for longer events, and triathlons with an ocean swim with a lot of waves, I really need to be able to comfortably breath on both sides. I don't bilaterally breath, due to exercise induced asthma, and end up breathing every stroke during triathlons. I'm hoping I will eventually get better at swimming, have to be patient, only started swimming on January 3 so I see lots of room for improvement!

I will have to play around with the different size earplugs. They kept coming lose in the water, even having my swim cap covering my ears. Kind of the pain in the butt to have to keep adjusting the earphones after every few laps. Also, the volume is louder when your head is out of the water but gets a bit muffled when your head is in the water. So the music kept getting louder then softer the entire workout. Especially annoying when doing breast stroke but I even noticed the volume difference when breathing during free style swimming. I tried a couple sizes of the ear plugs but keep getting the same problem. Not getting a secure seal with the ear plugs and even turning volume way up getting really muffled sound quality while underwater.

Above: H2O Audio Interval run hat.


Run With H2O Audio

H2O Audio also has a hat and visor which has been specifically designed to be used with either the 3G or 4G Interval. I purchased the hat, which is available in either white or black, so I could also use my H2O Audio while running. I am a heavy sweater and like having a totally waterproof option for using my iPod Shuffle while working out. Using the run hat with the Interval is also perfect if it starts to rain. Unlike cycling, I don't mind running in the rain, as long as there is no lightening involved.

I tried one of those waterproof armbands with the iPod Shuffle, but hated having it attached to my upper arm and always felt like the cord to the headphones got in the way of my arm swing. The entire setup is very lightweight and I barely noticed I was wearing it. The velcro straps on the hat keep the unit securely in place without any bouncing around.

 
Above: place your iPod Shuffle 4G inside the H2O Audio Interval waterproof case.

The hat retails for $24.99, while the visor has a suggested retail price of $23.99. The hat includes a Halo headband attached to the inside, to help prevent sweat from dripping in your eyes. The hat would also be a perfect, waterproof solution for listening to music while kayaking or paddle boarding.

I will have to play around with the different size earplugs. I went for a short run around my neighborhood using the Interval attached to the running hat and the right earplug fell out of my ear a couple of times. I am using the size medium plugs, so not sure if I should go with the small, to fit tighter, or with the large to fill up my ear better. The manufacturers instructions say going with a larger size earplug while using the Interval in the pool may help to create a better seal. I switched to a larger size earplug for my second run with the Interval and had much better luck with the headphones staying in.

Above: Swim while listening to music.

H2O Audio Sponsorship

I have a few companies that sponsor my racing endeavors each year. I did a bit of research and found that H2O Audio offers athletic sponsorship through the Hookit website. I filled out the on-line sponsorship application and received an offer a few days later. I am a member of Team H2O Audio Elite for 2011. I also found information regarding sponsorship on their website: H2O Riders.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

 

Bike Diva Nominated Best Sports Blog

Shape Magazines 2011 Best Blogger Awards

My Bike Diva blog has been nominated as one of the best sports blogs by Shape Magazine! Please follow this link and vote for me! http://www.shape.com/fitness/shape-best-blogger-awards-top-20-blogs-sports-nuts?page=2

Here are the details from Shape Magazines website:

Hey SHAPEers! Welcome to the first annual Blogger Awards! We're excited to share with you this new feature, which we hope will become a long-standing tradition. One of the most awesome things we love about the Internet is the vast amount of resources available at our disposal. Anything we could possibly want to know about healthy living, fitness or weight loss can all be found with just the click of a mouse. Some of our favorite resources? Blogs! Writing blogs or following our favorite blogs on the Internet has helped some of us here at SHAPE achieve our healthy living goals, whether weight-related or not. So, we thought, why not celebrate the phenomenon that is today's blogosphere? Hence, the SHAPE Best Blogger Awards!

The Details:
We searched high and low on the Internet for the best blogs in the different worlds of food, fitness, sports, weight loss, beauty and overall healthy living, and we think we found them! Although each of the blogs nominated are very different from one another, each blogger emphasizes the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Now, we want you to tell us who deserves the top spot in each of these six categories.

How it works: It's easy! The only thing you have to do is click below to vote for your favorite blogger in each category. Voting begins on Friday, Oct. 7th, and will go for three weeks, ending on Friday, Oct. 28th.

The Prize: One finalist in each of the six categories (beauty, healthy living, food, sports, fitness and weight loss) will receive a $100 American Express gift card. From there, we'll choose a grand prize winner, who will shoot a paid video series with SHAPE, which will be featured on SHAPE.com and possibly in an upcoming issue!

So what are you waiting for? Go vote!

Click below on each category to view each photo gallery and vote for your favorite blogs!

20 Healthy Eating Blogs That Make Us Go Mmmm...

20 Beauty Blogs for Active Chicks

20 Top Blogs for Fitness Junkies

20 Awesome Blogs for Sports Nuts

20 Inspiring Weight-Loss Blogs

20 Blogs that Keep Us Happy and Sane

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Diva at Race the Troops Triathlon

Above: the Bike Diva's duathlon awards from the 2009 race season.

Race the Troops Triathlon

On Sunday, October 2nd I competed in the 5th annual Race the Troops triathlon. The race was hosted by Multirace.com and took place at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida. You could do the event as either a sprint duathlon or sprint triathlon.

Sprint Triathlon

• 1/4 mile swim
• 10 mile bike
• 3 mile run

Sprint Duathlon

• 3/4 mile run
• 10 mile bike
• 3 mile run

The race took place entirely inside the park; it's really nice not having to worry about traffic while racing, especially during the bike portion of the race. The swim is a short sprint across the small man-made lake, you can see the finish line from the starting line so they don't even place buoys in the water for this race. Just swim directly across the lake back to transition area. Then it's a very short few feet to run from the swim exit to transition. A quick switch from swim to bike gear then you do 2 laps on the bike course for a total of 10 miles to end up back in the transition area. Then it's another quick switch from your bike to run gear to do 2 laps on the run course for a total of 3 miles.

At the finish line volunteers hand you your finishers medal, bottle of water and remove the timing chip from your ankle. There is a food tent for athletes at the finish line area with bagels and lots of fresh fruit. As soon as you leave the finishing chute, there is a tent and table where you can get a print out of your race results.

 

Above: Bike Diva during the run at Race the Troops triathlon. Photo by Kathie Reilly.

Broward Championship Race Series

Race the Troops was the final race in the 2011 Broward Championship Race Series. To qualify for the points series, you had to compete in at least 3 of the 6 races. I participated in 4 of the races and ended up placing 4th in the series for Women 45-49. Multirace.com awards 5 deep in age groups so I'll be getting an award for my 4th place finish in the series. You can see my individual race results weren't that spectacular, but a lot of girls in my age group only do 1 or 2 of the races so they don't qualify for the points series.

Here are the dates and results of all 4 races I competed in for the race series. I had planned on doing the triathlon in September that was part of the race series, but the swim was cancelled due to high bacterial levels in the lake at Tradewinds Park. I decided not to participate in the September race and instead went on a 3 hour kayak trip with a bunch of my friends at Riverbend Park in Jupiter.

All but one of the races listed below took place at Tradewinds Park. The Egg Hunt triathlon took place at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, and was a .25 mile swim - 11 mile bike - 3.1 mile run distance. I had a bit of a panic attack during the swim at CB Smith Park thus the slow swim time.

4/03/11 - Spring Training Triathlon

• Swim = 13:41
• T1 = 1:04
• Bike = 31:32
• T2 = 1:21
• Run = 30:08
• Total time = 1:17:46
• 10th place women 45-49

4/23/11 - Egg Hunt Triathlon (CB Smith Park)

• Swim = 17:15
• T1 = 1:01
• Bike = 37:14
• T2 = 1:06
• Run = 30:35
• Total time = 1:27:11
• 6th place women 45-49

7/04/11 - Independence Day Triathlon

• Swim = 13:23
• T1 = 1:20
• Bike = 35:39
• T2 = :57
• Run = 31:23
• Total time = 1:22:43
• 13th place women 45-49

10/02 - Race the Troops Triathlon

• Swim = 12:27
• T1 = :52
• Bike = 33:09
• T2 = :52
• Run = 28:02
• Total time = 1:15:21
• 6th place women 45-49

Above: Bike Diva during the bike portion of the 2009 Miami Man half Ironman duathlon.

Bike Diva's Multisport Events

I participate in 15-22 races and sporting events per year. The events I race in include 5k, half marathons and century bike rides with my main emphasis being on duathlons and triathlons. Here is a summary of the multisport events I have competed in over the past few years. I started out racing duathlons, as I used to have an extreme water phobia, and said I would never do a triathlon. But after completing my second half Ironman distance duathlon the end of 2010, I decided I wanted to do an Ironman triathlon someday. So 2011 became the year of the triathlon as I am trying to conquer my fear of swimming.

2009

• 10 sprint duathlons
• 1 half Ironman duathlon

2010

• 11 sprint duathlons
• 1 Olympic duathlon
• 1 half Ironman duathlon

2011

• 9 sprint triathlons
• 1 Olympic triathlon
• 1 half Ironman triathlon

Above: my finishers medals and animal trophy's from the 2009 and 2010 Miami Man duathlon.

2011 Miami Man Triathlon

I participated in the half Ironman distance duathlon the past two years at Miami Man. That was a 1 mile run - 56 mile bike - 13.1 mile run event. On November 13, 6 days before my 48th birthday, I will be participating in my very first half Ironman distance triathlon at Miami Man. Instead of the 1 mile run at the beginning of the event, the triathlon has athletes doing a 1.2 mile swim.That is a very long swim for someone that just started swimming on January 3.

I am just hoping to make the swim cut off time so I can complete the event. That is my goal for this years Miami Man - to finish! I am thinking I can do it around 7 hours, which is pretty slow, but I want to eventually do an Ironman triathlon which has a 2.4 mile swim so just completing a 70.3 triathlon will be a HUGE freaking deal for me.

Above: Bike Diva and friends hamming it up while training for the Disney Marathon with Team in Training. Left to right; Lynn Smythe, Tara Delaney, Danielle Heemskerk. Photo by Karlene Morgan.

Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

I only have a few race dates that I know for certain for the 2012 race season: Bike Diva's Races. But this is the time of year I have to start sending out proposals to all my potential sponsors for 2012 so I came up with a very tentative schedule of events for 2012. The only one that I have registered for so far is the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge; I'll be doing Disney half marathon on January 7 and Disney Marathon on January 8. 39.3 miles of running in two days, who me!?! I'm the Bike Diva not the run diva - HA!

My husband and I are doing Disney with our local Team in Training chapter to help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here is a link to our fundraising page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Diva's Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, and her husband Rob finishing the swim leg of their first ever triathlon, February 2011.

Race Bike Diva Race

It's that time of year again. Time for reflection as I look back at the races I participated in 2011 and figure out which events I want to race in 2012. I've been racing since 2008, you can view my Bike Diva Race Schedule to see all the events I participated in since that time: http://www.bikediva.net/bike-divas-races.html.

I start planning my schedule for the following year in the early fall for a number of reasons:

1. The companies I am trying to obtain sponsorship from for the 2012 race season usually accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Every potential sponsor needs a general idea of the events you plan on doing.
2. I am married with children and need to plan my training and racing around my husbands work schedule and daughters school schedule.
3. I am not independently wealthy, and as an amateur athlete, I have to pay the entry fee to all my events. Being on a limited budget I have to decide which events are the most important to me each year.
4. I live in south Florida and could easily race year round. But that would be a recipe for disaster. Everyone needs an off season to rest and recuperate from their main racing season before gearing up their training for the next racing season. I was exhausted at the end of 2010 after doing 22 events, so I am trying really hard to scale back a bit. Fewer races should mean those races are better/faster than going slow and suffering when doing too many events.

  Above: showing off my bike in the transition area of the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon.

Bike Diva's 2011 Races

As you can see, I still have a few races left to go for 2011. My "A" race of the year, the one which is the most important to me, takes place on November 13. I will be competing in my first half Ironman distance triathlon at Miami Man, 6 days before my 48th birthday!

1. 2/06 - Club Med Race Series #1 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
2. 2/26 - Race for Faith – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
3. 3/13 - 35^th Annual Shamrock Run – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
4. 3/27 – Club Med Race Series #2 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
5. 4/03 - Spring Training Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
6. 4/17 - FAU Wellness Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Spanish River Park, Boca Raton
7. 4/23 - Egg Hunt Triathlon - sprint triathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
8. 5/01 - St. Anthony's Triathlon - Olympic triathlon - Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
9. 5/07 – 10th Annual Race for the Arts – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
10. 7/04 - Independence Day - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
11. 7/24 – Club Med Race Series #4 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
12. 8/06 - Loggerhead Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Carlin Park, Jupiter.
13. 8/21 - WPB Race Series - 15k time trial bike race - West Palm Beach.
14. 10/02 - Race the Troops - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
15. 11/13 - Miami Man – ½ Ironman triathlon – Larry & Penny Thompson Park, Homestead
16. 11/19  25th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k run - Anchor Park, Delray Beach
17. 12/03 - Warrior Dash - 5k adventure run - Quiet Waters Park, Deerfield Beach

Above: my favorite part of the triathlon, the bike leg!

Bike Diva's Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

This is a very preliminary schedule. I don't have any dates yet for the Club Med series of triathlons or any of the Multirace.com triathlons. I'm not sure if I will commit to doing my first full Ironman distance triathlon the end of 2012 or 2013. If I don't do Ironman in 2012 then I will do the half Ironman again at Miami Man in lieu of Ironman Florida.

Also, if my  swim confidence has improved, then I'm looking at NOT doing as many Multirace.com events as I usually do and adding in some of the bigger tris, such as Miami International, Nautica South Beach or Escape to Miami to my schedule. BUT I will have to get over my fear of bridges, Miami triathlons are full of stinking bridges.

Also, my local chapter Team in Training is talking about doing the Moab century ride next September. That is a 100 mile road bike ride in the mountains in Utah. My husband is one of the Team in Training cycle coaches, so if Moab is a go, then I'll be training for that event in September in lieu of doing Nation's triathlon.

The Disney half and full marathon (AKA Goofy Race & a half Challenge) are the only events that I have already registered for in 2012. I am doing Goofy with my local chapter of Team in Training to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This leaves a lot of room for changes and additions to the schedule. But potential sponsors for 2012 race season need to have a general idea of what events I plan to race so I put together this tentative schedule.

1. 1/07/12 - Disney - half marathon - Orlando
2. 1/08/12 - Disney - marathon - Orlando
3. 2/19/12 - A1A - marathon - Ft. Lauderdale
4. 2/25/12 - 9th Annual Race for Faith - 5k - Lake Worth
5. 3/10/12 - 11th Annual Race for the Arts - 5k - West Palm Beach
6. 3/?/12 - 36th Annual Shamrock Run - 5k or 10 miler - Lake Worth
7. 4/15/12 - FAU - sprint triathlon - Boca Raton
8. 4/29/12 - St. Anthony's - Olympic triathlon - St. Petersburg
9. 8/?/12 - Loggerhead - sprint triathlon - Jupiter
10. 9/09/12 - Nation's - Olympic triathlon - Washington, DC
11. ??11/?/12 - Ironman Florida - Full Ironman triathlon - Panama City Beach OR
12. 11/?/12 - Miami Man - half Ironman triathlon - Miami
13. 11/?/12 - 26th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k - Delray Beach
14. 12/?/12 - Palm Beach Marathon - marathon - West Palm Beach

Above: my least favorite part of triathlons, the swim. I've only been swimming since January 3, so I guess I'm doing okay for just getting into triathlons. I am like a fish out of water in the water - LOL!

Additional Sponsorship Information

Here are links to articles I've written on obtaining sponsorship for amateur athletes:

• 2012 Athletic Sponsorship Opportunities
• How to Find Sponsorship Opportunities

 

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

Proper Arm Swing Improves Your Running Form

Above: Bike Diva showing poor arm swing while running.

Arm Swing While Running

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. The photo shown at the top of this blog post was taken on August 20, 2011. I was participating in a short run after the season kickoff for the Team in Training winter marathon team. The members of the team that live in south Palm Beach county do their weekly Saturday training runs out of Red Reef Park in Boca Raton. As you can see in the photo, I used to run with my arms swinging all over the place and crossing the front of my body.

All the magazine articles and books I've read on running never mentioned a lot about what to do with your arms. Roy Wallack's book, Run for Life, offers a brief insight on how a poor arm swing can lead to poor running mechanics which can lead to aches and pains and eventually injuries. Wallack says that runners should have pendulum arms: "to direct all your momentum forward, swing arms vertically along the side of the body with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle or less. Don't swing them at an angle across the chest, which directs your momentum cross-ways and places additional compensating forces on hips, shoulders, knees, ankles and back."

Above: e3 Grips by Biogrip, Inc.

A Tool For Proper Arm Swing

I've been trying really hard to pay attention to what my arms are doing during all my runs. I seem to have less right hip flexor and lower back pain now that I'm not swinging my arms wildly about. But because I had been running for the past 3 years with improper arm swing, I am currently seeing a chiropractor for weekly adjustments, to help get my back, spine and pelvis back into proper alignment.

Wallack discovered the e3 grips, made by Biogrip, Inc., to help him keep his arms in the correct position, while learning a more efficient arm swing. I don't think I would resort to buying a pair of the grips, I can't imagine running while holding something in both hands. You can get the same effect by pretending you are holding a joystick in your hand and are trying to push the side of your index finger with the tip of your thumb. The grips have a suggested retail price of $39.95; if you are interested in learning more about the e3 grips, visit their website: http://biogrip.com/.

Bike Diva Recommended Running Books

I have loads of books covering various swim, bike, run, strength training and nutrition topics. Here are a few of my favorite running books that can help you improve your running form. All three books are proponents of having a mid foot strike, as opposed to being a heel striker, while running. I changed my running form from being a heavy heel striker, to that of a mid foot striker, over one year ago. But that is a topic best reserved for another blog post.

1. Pose Method Running - Dr. Nicholas Romanov
2. Chi Running - Danny & Kathy Dreyer
3. Run for Life - Roy Wallack

Above: coming out of the water at the 2011 FAU sprint triathlon. My arms almost look okay here, elbows still splayed out a bit too wide and flapping like chicken wings, NOT an attractive look.

Disney Marathon

I am doing the Goofy Race & 1/2 Half Challenge in Orlando in January with Team in Training. Participating in both the Disney ½ marathon and Disney marathon is called the Goofy Race and ½ Challenge. I will be participating in this event with my local Team in Training chapter, while helping to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Disney will be my first running event with Team in Training. I have completed 5 century bike rides and 2 triathlons with TNT since 2006, while helping to raise over $30,000 for cancer research. My fund-raising page is located at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

 

2012 Athletic Sponsorship Opportunities

Above: my husband and I at a local 5k race. I am wearing my Team Odwalla race kit.

I started racing a few time trial bike races back in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 I added running into my workout routine and started competing in 5k, half marathons and a lot of duathlons. 2011 became the year of the triathlon as I finally bit the bullet and got over my fear of the water.

Above: Bike Diva booth at the 2010 South Florida Bike Expo. The banner includes logos of all the companies that sponsored me for the 2010 race season.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

Since 2008 I have had a few companies that sponsor my race efforts by sending me free and deeply discounted athletic gear, clothing and nutritional products. On February 24 of last year, I wrote a comprehensive article on how to go about finding sponsorship opportunities: How-to Find Sponsorship Opportunities.

2012 Sponsorship Opportunities

It's that time of year again. I have just started filling out sponsorship applications for the 2012 race season. The majority of companies that offer sponsorship opportunities accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Here are a few sponsorship opportunities you may want to apply to for the 2012 race season.

If you can get onto one of the triathlon teams, you have it made. Instead of having to apply for individual sponsorship for bikes, wheels, clothing, sunglasses, helmets, nutritional items, shoes, etc... you have access to all the gear from the companies that sponsor the triathlon teams. I don't think I'll ever make it onto Team TriSports or the Timex Multisport Team, but it doesn't hurt to try.

2012 Team Trisports Application - looking for 30 top age group athletes to join their triathlon team.

Timex Multisport Team - a team of around 50 top age group athletes, both amateur and professional, ranging in age from 18 to 57.

Smith Optics -Interested in becoming sponsored by a company that makes sunglasses and goggles? Here is the link to the sponsorship information page for Smith Optics. They accept applications in the following disciplines; bike, wakeboard, skateboard, ski, surf, snowboard, kayak and motorsports.

Hammer Nutrition - Hammer Nutrition makes a complete line of nutritional products such as gels, recovery drinks, supplements, etc... They sponsor a wide variety of athletes.

Clif Bar - another company that makes a complete line of nutritional products. Clif Bar sponsors competitive cyclists, mountain bikers, triathletes, runners, climbers, surfer, skiers and snowboarders.

Brooks ID - sponsored runners accepted into this program receive discounts on Brooks running shoes and clothing.

KSwiss - read my post detailing KSwiss sponsorship opportunities: KSwiss Sponsorship.

ProBar - theprobar.com/community/sponsorship

Token - high performance bicycle products.

Reynolds Cycling - www.reynoldscycling.com/index.php?p_resource=company_teams

First Endurance - sports nutrition products: http://www.firstendurance.com/sponsor-application/

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Disney Marathon with Team in Training

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the 2007 El Tour de Tucson century bike ride.

My husband and I have been active in our local Team in Training chapter since 2006, while helping to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here is a copy of our fundraising letter for the Winter 2011 season:

DISNEY MARATHON

After 6 years of participating in endurance events with the Palm Beach Team in Training chapter, I have finally decided to participate in my very first marathon. I will be doing the Goofy Challenge the weekend of January 7 and 8, 2012. The Goofy Challenge is for anyone crazy enough to want to run both the Disney 1/2 marathon and Disney marathon on the same weekend. I will be running 13.1 miles on Saturday, January 7, and 26.2 miles on Sunday, January 8. That's a total of 39.3 miles I will be running at Disney, while helping to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

TRIPLE CROWN RECIPIANT

The Disney Marathon will be my triple crown. A triple crown participant is anyone that has completed at least one century bike ride, one triathlon and one marathon through the Team in Training program. Since 2006, I have participated in 5 century bike rides and 2 triathlons through the Team in Training program. My husband Rob, who is a TNT cycle coach, and I have raised over $35,000 during this time.

 

LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

Please consider making a donation to support our participation in Team in Training, and help advance the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission. You may make a donation by visiting our fundraising website which is located at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe Or you may send me a check, made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to my home address listed below.

CANCER EFFECTS EVERYONE

My husband Rob, who is a Team in Training cycle coach, has been going through his own battle to fight cancer for the past two years. In October of 2010, he went to his urologist for a routine check up, and was hoping to be diagnosed as one year cancer free. Unfortunately the cancer was back and he had to undergo a second surgery on December 15, 2010.

Rob began what we thought was going to be a year’s worth of immunotherapy and interferon treatments starting the end of January. Around the beginning of April he was given the all clear! His cancer is currently in remission and instead of having to continue with a year's worth of treatments, he is now looking at a few maintenance treatments for the remainder of the year. We both enjoy being part of the Team in Training program and staying active, even while we are going through our own personal crisis, is the key to keeping a positive outlook on life. GO TEAM!

Lynn Smythe

5312 Cleveland Road

Delray Beach, FL 33484

 

Miami 2575 Triathlon

December Triathlon

I need to put another triathlon on my 2011 race schedule like I need another hole in my head. But I was going through my goodie bag that I received at last weekends Race for the Arts 5k, and found a postcard for the Miami 25-75 triathlon. The race takes place at Miami Marine Stadium in Key Biscayne, Florida.

About the Event

Created and organized by the founders of the Miami International Triathlon, 25.75 Triathlon holds the same high standards of quality and organization for the ultimate triathlon racing experience. With the City of Miami Marine Stadium as the starting point, beautiful swim, bike & run courses, the race shows off some of the most amazing views this city can provide.

25.75 Triathlon Race Details

• Swim .75k = .46 mile
• Bike 20k = 12.4 miles
• Run 5k = 3.1 miles

The swim course: A closed bay with nothing except ocean blue waters and the sound of your strokes.

The bike course: known very well by locals, the “Key Biscayne Loop” features a perfect 12.4 mile course when starting at the City of Miami Marine Stadium. Featuring beautiful views of the Downtown Miami Skyline, as well as Key Biscayne & Virginia Key beaches and parks, this course is smooth and flat in the majority of its extension – but don’t think for a second it will be an easy ride: the William Powell bridge will separate real athletes from the rest, as it adds almost one mile of “hill climbing” biking and stands a total of 76 feet tall at its highest point from the water level.

The run course: a 3.1 mile stretch course shaded by pine trees and natural vegetation where all you see are trees and the sky blue shoreline. No cars, no streets, no traffic lights. As one of Miami’s best kept secrets, this running course along the bay has been just repaved.

• Race Date: December 4th, 2011 
• Start Time: 7:00 am 
• Field Limit: 1,000 
• Distances: .75K (.46 mile) + 20K (12.4 miles) + 5K (3.1 miles)
• Time Limit: 3 hours 
• Location: 
  City of Miami's Marine Stadium
  3501 Rickenbacker Cswy.
  Miami, FL 33149 
  Get directions
• Individual Entry: $85 early registration (Jan 12th - October 31st) / $105 from September 1st - November 30th 
• Relay Team Entry: $115 early registration (Jan 12th - October 31st) / $135 from September 1st - November 30th 
  
  
• Registration Link: Register here

Additional Information

• Website: 2575tri.com
• Register for the race on Active.com: www.active.com/triathlon/miami-fl/triathlon-2011
• Benefiting charity: $5 per entry fee will be donated to La Ventana De Los Cielos, The Windows of the Heavens: www.laventanadeloscielos.org/english/inicio.html

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

2011 St. Anthony's Triathlon Report

28th Annual St. Anthony's Triathlon

My husband and I got back into town late Monday afternoon, so I'm just getting around to getting my race report written for the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon. St. A's was an Olympic distance race which took place in St. Petersburg, Florida on Sunday, May 1. We did the race with the Palm Beach Florida chapter of Team in Training (TNT). TNT is the largest fund raising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Participants in the Team in Training program, from chapters located throughout the country, helped raise 1.5 million dollars this year while training for the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon - GO TEAM!

Above: Bike Diva at the St. Anthony's Hospital booth at the triathlon expo. Yes, St. A's is THE St. A's of the St. Anthony's Triathlon. Got my blood pressure and pulse checked out while I was visiting their booth, along with a travel size packet of band aids, a pen, sunscreen and some mints.

Extended Vacation

My husband and I decided to go over to St. Petersburg a day early and called our hotel to see if we could extend our stay from Thursday evening to Monday morning. They had a room available for Thursday night, so we left our house around 2:30 Thursday afternoon. St. Petersburg is located on the west coast of Florida, just south of Tampa, and is about a 4 hour drive from our home on the east coast of Florida in Delray Beach.

Above: Bike Diva succumbs to the dreaded tourist disease!!!!

Nice Hotel Stay

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard hotel which is a short 1/2 mile from St. Petersburg Pier and the  St. Anthony's triathlon expo. We walked to and from our hotel some days and took the free hotel shuttle at other times. There are also two downtown St. Petersburg trolleys which pick you up and drop you off at a variety of locations for only 25 cents per ride, what a bargain. The Courtyard had a buffet breakfast available, which we enjoyed on two days, and after our Saturday morning swim practice, we enjoyed brunch at one of the downtown restaurants as we were walking from Spa Beach back to our hotel.

Above: Spa Beach looking out at St. Petersburg Pier. This was the location of the original swim start of St. Anthony's triathlon. Swim start moved north on race day morning due to choppy wave conditions.

Swim Bike Diva Swim

We are both fairly new to the sport of triathlon. Since the beginning of the year, my husband has competed in 3 sprint distance triathlons and I've competed in 5 sprint distance triathlons. St. Anthony's was our first Olympic distance triathlon. Since the swim was scheduled to be almost 1 mile long and takes place in the ocean, we decided we wanted to get in a few practice swims at the St. Anthony's swim start prior to actually doing the race.

We got in a practice swim on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. The two afternoon swims were nice and calm. The Saturday morning swim was cut short, it was really windy out causing very choppy swim conditions. Unfortunately it was really windy and choppy on race day morning causing the swim course to be altered. But the 3 practice swims really improved my open water swim confidence, so I'm glad we kept making ourselves go into the water.

Above: Bike Diva with pro triathlete Michellie Jones at the ISM saddle booth.

Triathlon Expo

St. Anthony's has a really great expo which is set up at the race site each year. A variety of vendors selling all kinds of triathlon merchandise had booths setup at the expo. I had my picture taken with pro triathletes Andy Potts and Michellie Jones. They are sponsored by ISM saddles and were hanging out at the ISM booth on Saturday morning. Pretty cool, I'm 5' 5" but felt like a midget standing next to the pros. They also look like they don't eat bacon or cookies. :)

Above: Bike Diva with pro triathlete Andy Potts at the ISM saddle booth.

Olympic Distance Triathlon

An Olympic distance triathlon consists of the following distances:

• 1.5 kilometer swim =.93 miles = 1640 yards
• 40 kilometer bike = 24.8 miles
• 10 kilometer run = 6.2 miles

The water conditions at St. Anthony's have been dicey for the past two years. In 2009 the swim portion of the race was cancelled for everyone except the professionals. So all the age groupers ended up doing sort of a bike-run duathlon that year. In 2010 the swim started out being the full distance but as the water conditions started getting worse, the swim was cut in half for the last few swim waves. This year was no different, very strong winds in the early morning caused Tampa Bay to resemble a washing machine.

Above: Choppy swim conditions day before race start. Hard to tell from the photo but waves hitting chest height while standing in knee deep water.

Have a Safe Swim

With almost 3,600 people signed up to race, race officials wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe while in the water. But instead of having to cancel the swim, the swim start location, direction of swim and swim distance was changed. Instead of starting at Spa Beach, we started at the beach just north of the transition area at the North Shore Aquatic Complex by Vinoy Park. And instead of swimming east-north-east, we swam east-south-east. And the swim was shortened from 1640 yards to 1000 yards. So although we didn't get to do a true Olympic distance swim, 1000 yards was still twice as far as my husband and I have ever swam in a race. So we were pretty happy that we survived the swim, especially since it was a bit choppy and the surf temperature was so warm that we weren't allowed to wear wetsuits.

Above: Bike Diva dropping off her bike in transition on Saturday afternoon. We had assigned bike racks, so it didn't mater when you showed up to do bike drop. My husband lucked out and got the end cap on his transition rack.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I've only been swimming since January 3, and I am trying REALLY hard to get over my water phobia. So even though I had a pretty slow swim, I was real happy I was actually able to do such a long swim in competition. Two of the waves that started after my swim wave caught up to me. I get a bit panicked when swimmers pass me from behind, but I found that if I switched to breast stroke, my strong leg kick kept them from getting too close and feeling like I was being drowned.

Above: Bike Diva at the Profile Design booth. Profile Design is one of my sponsors. Unfortunately, due to extremely high surf temperatures the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon was not wetsuit legal so I was not able to use my Profile Design sleeveless Wahoo wetsuit during the swim. But I did have my Profile Design aero water bottle and bento box on my bike during the race.

Race Details

T1 included a 1/3 mile run from the swim exit back to the transition area. The Bike portion of the race took place in downtown St. Petersburg. The streets were not closed during the race which always makes for interesting conditions. City streets were nice and smooth in some places and under construction in others. It was really windy during the bike leg, but because there were so many turns on the course, we kept changing direction so the wind only affected us in a couple of sections. The bike leg started and ended on cobblestones, a bit lumpy and bumpy, so I slowed down while riding over that section. After the race I heard about a couple of triathletes having a really bad wipe out while riding too fast over the cobblestones, can you say road rash?

Above: Mr. Bike Diva dropping his bike off the day before the race. His preassigned spot was on the end of the bike rack - LUCKY!

The Run

My run was horrid. My swim wave didn't start until around 8:15 so by the time I started the run, it was pretty bloody hot out. Racing in south Florida, UGH! Thankfully there were a TON of spectators out along the course. There were quite a few home owners that set up their garden hose at the end of their driveway. I ran by everyone of the hoses and shouted out "hit me baby!" and got a much needed blast of cool water. I also drank way more water and electrolyte solution than I normally do. That caused my stomach to start feeling BLECH, another thing which caused me to slow down. I was hoping to run the 10k at 10:00 pace, but I was just dang worn out by the time I started the run and ended up doing the zombie death march.

Above: We played tourist on Friday and visited the Salvador Dali museum which is just a mile or two from the St. Anthony's triathlon start.

So, I wasn't dead last in my age group, but pretty close. I had an okay bike time and I always have pretty good transition times. So now if I can just work on panicking less in the water, my swim time should start to improve. I've been running for about 3 years now, not sure what to do to improve my run times. Move to Alaska where it's a bit cooler!?!

There were 137 girls registered in my age group, but only 100 finished the race. Same thing with my husband, there were 123 men registered in his age group but only 94 finished. So in my fantasy world I really finished 87 out of 137. Don't know what happened to the other 37 girls? Did they have a hissy fit when they saw the swim was not wetsuit legal and decide not to show up? Did they freak out when they saw the rad swim conditions and decided not to start? Did they get too many penalties during the race and DQ the race? So I'm patting myself on the back, I actually showed up and completed the race - YEAH ME!!!!

• Swim = 30:42
• T1 = 6:01
• Bike = 1:21:58 = 18.2 MPH
• T2 = 2:57
• Run = 1:14:58 = 12:05 pace
• Total time = 3:16:36
• Division place = 87 out of 100 women 45-49
• Gender place = 752 out of 987 women

Above: St. Anthony's triathlon finishers medal and Team in Training triathlon pin. All hail the mighty BLING!

My Next Team in Training Event

I just registered for Nation's Triathlon with the Palm Beach Florida chapter of Team in Training. Nation's is an Olympic distance triathlon which takes place on September 11, yes 9/11, in Washington DC. I was already planning on doing Nation's before we did St. Anthony's, but now that the swim at St. A's was shortened, I really want to complete an Olympic distance event with the full 1.5 kilometer swim. My husband is coaching the TNT team that will be doing the 109 mile El Tour de Tucson century bike ride in November so he won't be able to train with the triathlon team. But he wants to participate in Nation's so he will be paying his own way and doing Nation's with me, but won't be an official member of the TNT team.

Above: Sandra Holahan, Lynn the Bike Diva Smythe and Ken Mikulski Jr. of the Palm Beach chapter Team in Training, waiting for their swim wave to start.

 

Additional Information

• Website: www.satriathlon.com
• Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/St-Anthonys-Triathlon
• Official 2011 results: www.onlineraceresults.com
• Official 2011 photos: www.finisherpix.com
• Salvador Dali museum: www.thedali.org
• St. Petersburg Pier: stpetepier.com

Above: Choppy water conditions at Spa Beach in St. Petersburg.

Additional Triathlon Related Posts

Here are a few other of my triathlon posts that you can read on the Bike Diva blog:

• Spring Training Triathlon
• Club Med Triathlon #2
• Photos of Club Med Triathlon #1
• Club Med Triathlon #1
• 2011 Egg Hunt Triathlon
• Swim a Triathlon with a Snorkel
• Triathlon Race Day Essentials
• Why Switch From Duathlons to Triathlons
• Bike Diva's Ironman Triathlon Plan
• Bike Diva's First Swim
• Bike Diva's Second Swim Practice
• Bike Diva's Triathlon Training Observations
• Bike Diva Tries Wetsuit
• Bike Diva to Race Ironman Lake Placid

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva