Bike Diva

Team in Training Summer 2012 Events

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about Team In Training at an upcoming Information Meeting!

 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT)   is the world's first, best and largest charity sports training program - and the only one to offer a full complement of exciting sports training options. More than 420,000 people, from first-timers to seasoned athletes, have trained with TNT and achieved their best at marathons, half marathons, triathlons & centry rides.

Join TNT and raise funds for blood cancer research - help find cures today!!

Attend a TNT Information Meeting! Bring a Friend!!
Meet certified coaches, past participants and learn about your honored teammate, a local blood cancer patient, whose personal battle will inspire you. 

Palm Beach Gardens 
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 6:00pm
The Leukemia & Lymphoma office
4360 Northlake Blvd.,Suite109

West Palm Beach
Thursday, May 17th, 2012 at 6:00pm
Community Foundation Building
700 S. Dixie Hwy

Want to learn about TNT in a more casual, fun environment? We have two great recruitment social options for you! 

 

Recruitment Social-Boca Raton
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Blue Martini
6000 Glades Rd.

Recruitment Social-Palm Beach Gardens 
Thursday, May 10th at 5:30pm
RA Sushi
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens 

 

Learn more about TNT and events offered this season.  Sign up and attend one of our upcoming information meetings. 

Register Online
Register by May 17th and receive 50% off your registration fee! Enter coupon code: earlybird50

You can also download and print your registration forms by clicking here!

HERO Charity Bike Ride

HERO Charity Bike Ride

I want to let you know about a fantastic cycling opportunity coming your way. The HERO Charity Bike Ride will be covering 1,200 miles as participants cycle from Battery Park, NY to West Palm Beach, FL during the month of May. Participating HERO Riders will be biking the 1,200 miles utilizing the East Coast Greenway trail system.

Wounded Warrior Project

The HERO Charity Bike Ride benefit’s the Wounded Warrior Project. There is no cost to participate in this fully SAG supported ride. However; anyone who wishes to raise funds for the organization is welcome to do so. The Wounded Warrior Project accomplishes their goals by raising awareness and enlisting the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members. Please visit http://www.WoundedWarriorProject.org for more details.

  Above: HERO Charity Bike Ride founder Jeff Master.

The founder of the HERO Charity Bike Ride, Jeff Master, understands how great the sacrifice is for these warriors’ after losing his father in the Vietnam War just four months before he was born. He and his team are compelled to do their part to support our military veterans and their families by riding their bikes to raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Additional Information

Visit the HERO Charity Bike Ride website for further information on the ride: http://herocharitybikerides.com/.

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002500460149

 

Bike Diva's Going Back to Duathlons

Above: my favorite part of triathlons and duathlons, the bike leg.

Triathlete Back to Duathlete

After much soul searching and deliberation, I have decided I really don't like swimming. So although I made 2011 the year of the triathlon, I have decided to switch back to racing duathlons and participating in some cycling only events. I wouldn't call the great triathlon experiment a failure, I did manage to complete 9 sprint triathlons and 1 Olympic distance triathlon in 2011. Not too bad for someone that didn't start swim training until January 3, 2011.

Above: although I survived the swim portion of this triathlon, I really don't look like I'm having very much fun.

No Stress Racing

I still have way too much anxiety during the swim leg of triathlons which is taking all the joy out of racing. When I made the decision to stop training for triathlons, about a week ago, it was like a HUGE weight was suddenly lifted off my shoulders. I didn't realize I also really hate swim training, as trying to fit in 3 types of workouts every week was just stressing me out. I still plan on using my triathlon bike for all the duathlons I will be racing, so I need to do at least 2 tri bike or tri-bike-to-run brick workouts per week, in addition to group rides on the road bike.

Trying to fit in all my swim workouts during 2011 had me scaling way back on my bike mileage. I hardly rode my road bike at all this year and didn't do ANY cycling only events in 2011. So my bike endurance and confidence has plummeted due to lack of time on the bike. But now I will be getting back to some group rides on my road bike while training for my cycling events.

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride

If you look at my schedule for 2012, you will see I have a few run only events planned, lots of duathlons and will now add a few cycling events back to the mix. I'll be doing America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR) on June 3rd with the Palm Beach Florida chapter of Team in Training. AMBBR is a 100 mile century bike ride which circumnavigates Lake Tahoe while cycling through the mountains in Nevada and California.

My husband and I did AMBBR back in 2009 with Team in Training to help raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here are links to two race reports I wrote for the 2009 AMBBR.

1. Bike Diva Survives Tahoe Century Ride
2. 18th Annual America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride

Above: my husband and I getting ready to participate in the 2009 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride.

Bike Diva's Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

I don't have all the dates for the races I'm thinking of doing 2012, but here are the events on my schedule so far. This schedule will change a bit once I get the exact race dates for the Publix Family Fitness Weekend series of duathlons and the West Palm Beach Race Series 15k time trials.

1. @1/07/12 – Disney half Marathon – Walt Disney World – Orlando
2. @2/05/12 - 10th Annual Butterfly Run - 5k - Sabal Pines Park - Coconut Creek
3. @2/19/12  - A1A Marathon – marathon – Beach Front Ave. - Ft. Lauderdale
4. 3/17/12 – 36^th Annual Shamrock Run – 5k or 10 miler – John Prince Park – Lake Worth
5. 4/07/12 - 3rd Annual Egg Hunt - sprint duathlon - CB Smith Park - Pembroke Pines
6. 5/20/12 - Tri Miami - Olympic duathlon - Marine Stadium - Key Biscayne
7. @6/03/12 - America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride - Century Ride - LakeTahoe, CA & Nevada
8. 6/17/12 - Mack Cycle #1 - sprint duathlon - Marine Stadium - Key Biscayne
9. 7/04/12 - 22nd Annual Independence Day - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park - Coconut Creek
10. 7/15/12 - 23rd Annual Frank Stark Celebration Ride - metric century ride - City Hall - Boca Raton
11. 7/22/12 - Mack Cycle #2 - sprint duathlon - Marine Stadium - Key Biscayne
12. 8/19/12 - Mack Cycle #3 - sprint duathlon - Marine Stadium - Key Biscayne
13. 9/09/12 - Mack Cycle Bonus Round - sprint duathlon - Marine Stadium - Key Biscayne
14. 10/14/12 - Multirace Series Championship - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park - Coconut Creek
15. 11/11/12 – Miami Man – Half Ironman duathlon – Larry & Penny Thompson Park - Miami
16. 11/17/12 – 26^th Annual Turkey Trot – 5k – Anchor Park - Delray Beach

@ = Pre-registered for these events

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

 

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

Club Med Triathlon #2

On February 7, I posted up information on the very first triathlon that my husband and I participated in : Club Med Triathlon #1. I added a second post with pictures of the event to the Bike Diva blog: Photos of Club Med Triathlon #1. On Sunday, March 27 my husband and I participated in the Club Med Triathlon #2.

Team in Training at Club Med

After posting about the first Club Med triathlon, quite a few of our Team in Training triathlon team mates expressed interest in attending the next race. Team in Training is the main fund-raising organization for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Eight of our team mates joined us for the second triathlon at Club Med. It was pretty cool seeing all the Team in Training triathlon suits during the race - GO TEAM!

  Above: Mr. & Mrs. Bike Diva, AKA Rob and Lynn Smythe, at Club Med triathlon #2 in their Team in Training triathlon suits.

Bike Diva's 2nd Triathlon

My second triathlon didn't go as well as my first, and I was struggling at the first one. I thought I would do much better at my second ever triathlon race, as it was at the same course as the first one. But I ran into a bit of trouble during the swim. Here's some of the information I posted to my Facebook page.

Above: Jelly fish wrapped around Bike Diva's hand, wrist and arm during the swim portion of Club Med triathlon #2.

1. Lynn's race report: jelly fish wrapped around my hand, wrist and arm during the swim causing major panic attack and breathing problems. Swim sucked, race sucked, triathlons suck. Duathlons are starting to look attractive again.
2. My awesome friend Tami Ryf Young stayed with me for the rest of the swim. She could tell I was freaking out. :)
3. I even got on one of the rescue jet skis for a couple of minutes. Thank goodness for volunteers.
4. I also got kicked and swum over during the swim. But that's supposed to be normal for a Tri so I tried not to let that bother me. I just can't get over my fear of open water, kind of bumming me out. :(

Above: Members of the Palm Beach Team in Training triathlon team at Club Med triathlon #2. Left to right; Coach Louis Blanco, Stacey Ryerson, Lynn Smythe, Rob Smythe, Tina O'brien, Chris Maly, Jen Coull, Tami Young, Sandra Holahan.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I'm almost embarrassed to post the results of my second triathlon, since I was so much slower than my first race, 7 minutes and 37 seconds slower to be exact. I was going to throw in the towel and DNF the race after getting stung by the jelly fish. But when I realized the rescue jet skier wasn't going to chauffeur me back to shore, I got back in the water to complete the swim. I had 3 really bad panic attacks during the rest of the swim. I was going to quit after getting out of the water so I just started walking back to transition. But a lot of my friends were out there racing, 2 of whom were there for their first ever triathlon. I knew they weren't going to give up so I kept going. We also had the Team in Training cheerleader crew of Micki & Scott Fetterman and Nicole Switzer out there to keep us motivated.

I don't know if the jelly fish stings were affecting my asthma, or if I was just still freaking out from being so scared in the water, but I never felt like I could breath very well during the rest of the race. I sounded like I had gravel in my chest - just call me WHEEZY. Not being able to breath well during the bike and run sucked, but didn't cause me to panic, unlike not being able to breath well during the swim. I had to run/walk the run portion of the race, which is pretty pathetic for a run that is only 3.1 miles. I hated every minute of the race and am seriously thinking of switching back to duathlons.

Here are my official race results from the Race Smith website:

• Swim: 21:35
• T1: 2:08
• Bike: 34:39
• T2: 1:03
• Run: 36:04
• Total time: 1:35:27
• Overall: 121 out of 134
• Female: 30 out of 41
• Age group: 5 out of 6 women 45-49

Above: Rob's new Jamis Xenith T triathlon bike, purchased from On Your Mark bike shop.

Mr. Bike Diva's Race Results

My husband, Rob, had a fantastic second triathlon race. He improved his time by 12 minutes and 44 seconds, that is AWESOME! Part of that time difference was that he stayed with me during the swim of our first triathlon. But this time he was in it to win it and even though I still wasn't that comfortable in the water, I have to get over my fear of open water swims so told him to go have his own race. The second reason he was so much faster, he just got his very first triathlon bike, a Jamis Xenith T. So his run split showed an almost 4 minute improvement, a triathlon bike saves your running legs so you are a much stronger runner after getting off the tri bike as opposed to using a road bike.

 Additional Information

Club Med website: sandpiperbay.clubmed.us/fitness/race-series

Twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/ClubMedOfficial

Register for the next Club Med sprint triathlon, which takes place on May 21, on Active.com: http://www.active.com/running/port-st-lucie-fl/club-med-race-series-race-3-2011

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

20th FAU Wellness Triathlon

My husband and I are participating in the 20th Annual FAU sprint triathlon which takes place in Boca Raton on April 17. We started training for this event with the Palm Beach Team in Training triathlon team, to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society. Our training and fundraising was going so well, that we have switched to the St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon, which takes place on May 1 in St. Petersburg. We will still be doing FAU triathlon, on our own, so we will still see all our Team in Training team mates at that event.

Event Details
Welcome to the Mercedes-Benz 20^th Anniversary Florida Atlantic University Wellness Triathlon presented by LIFETIME Fitness!

Date:Sunday April 17^th, 2011

Distance:

• .25 mile ocean swim
• 10 mile bike
• 3.1 mile run

USAT Talent ID Race

This year's race is a USAT talent ID tace. The purpose of the USAT FL Junior Talent ID Race Series is to provide the junior athletes 15-19 an opportunity to race against one another on various courses throughout the State. Juniors of all levels and abilities are encouraged to participate in at least 3 of the 7 the non-drafting sprint distance race to score points for the overall series awards. Top 3 scores including participation in the Series Finale will determine the overall series winner.

Race Site
Spanish River Park, A1A, Boca Raton, Fl.There is no park entrance fee prior to race start.  Download a copy of the race map.

Directions

From I-95 North
Exit Yamato Road east to Federal Hwy. Turn right on Federal (south) to Spanish River Blvd. Turn left on Spanish River Blvd., 1/2 mile turn right on A1A.

From I-95 South
Exit Palmetto Park Road. Go east to A1A. Turn left on A1A, 2 miles to Spanish River Park. Turn left into park.

From Turnpike
Exit Glades Road, go east to Federal Hwy. Turn left on Federal and right on Spanish River Blvd., 1/2 mile turn right onto A1A. Turn right into park. View Larger Map

Start of Race
We will move to beach for swim start before 7:00 AM. The race begins at 7:00 AM on the beach. Line up inappropriate waves. The race will start in seven waves with five minutes between each wave.

1st WAVE	USAT FL Junior Talent ID Race Series Participants (Men & Women Ages 15 - 19) -- Blue Swim caps
2nd WAVE	Men ages 35 to 44 -- Yellow swim caps
3rd WAVE	Men ages 20 to 34 and under -- Red swim caps
4th WAVE	Men ages 45 to 54 -- Orange swim caps
5th WAVE	Clydesdale and Men ages 55 and over -- Green swim caps
6th WAVE	Women ages 39 and under -- Purple swim caps
7th WAVE	Women ages 40 and over -- White swim caps
8th WAVE	Athena, FAU Faculty/Staff/Collegiate, Fat Tire, and Relay Teams -- Blue swim caps

Rules
Established triathlon rules in effect. Hard shell helmets are required. Wet suits are allowed. Swim caps are provided and are required. Drafting is prohibited. Draft marshals will be present on the course. Also, see the most commonly violated rules & penalties.

Refund and Transfer Policy
There are no refunds. To transfer an entry, send a letter and a completed entry for the person to replace your entry and a $10 transfer fee to: Today & Beyond Wellness, FAU, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33431. To transfer your entry to the next year, send a letter of intent and $10. You will need to complete a race registration when forms are available for the 2011 race.

Post Race Awards Party
Refreshments, music, door prizes and awards. Take time to relax and enjoy the park and beach facilities. Complete race results will be posted on this website by 10 pm of the Race Day.

Awards
Overall male and female finishers, top 3 collegiate male & female, FAU Faculty/Staff/Alumni, Athena (39 and under, and 40 and over) / Clydesdales (39 and under, and 40 and over), Fat tire (39 and under), Fat tire (40 and over), top 3 male and female age groups: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+.

Teams: 1st place finishers - Male, Female, Co-ed, Collegiate Male, Collegiate Female, Clydesdale, Athena, FAU Faculty/Staff.

Registration
http://www.fau.edu/today/triathlon/registration.php

Hotel
Mention FAU Triathlon for special rates.

Fairfield Inn & Suites
3400 Airport Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(800) 228-2800

Double $69.00 plus 11.5% tax

Photography
Brightroom professional event photography will be taking photos during this year's triathlon. Photos will be available shortly after the race on the Brightroom website.

Bike Diva's Final 2011 Race Schedule

Above: Bike Diva during the run portion of the 2010 Miami Man 1/2 Ironman duathlon.

Bike Diva Races

2011 marks the 4th year that I've been racing. Every year around this time I go through the same routine. I find the dates of all the potential races I want to do for the year, put them in a MS Word document, then realize there are way too many races for a mere mortal to realistically participate in. Both budget constraints, and not being a super hero, make me furiously edit the list of races down to a reasonable size.

Above: Bike Diva crossing the finish line at the Club Med triathlon #1 which took place on February 6, 2011. This was the very first triathlon she competed in.

Too Many Races on the Schedule

Last year I participated in 22 races, and was absolutely exhausted by the end of the year. I told myself that I was going to do a lot fewer races this year, but the other day I was already up to 23 events that I wanted to do for 2011. My main goal for 2011 is to race triathlons, so other than a local 5k Thanksgiving Day turkey trot race, I deleted all non-triathlon events from my tentative race schedule.

That meant that all 5k, 10k and half marathon running events, duathlons, time trial bike races, metric century and century bike rides would have to be slashed from the list. My three year goal is to be able to compete in my first Ironman distance triathlon so I need to really focus on my swim-bike-run workouts and start with smaller triathlon races to gradually work my way up to the Ironman distance.

That leaves me with 15 races on my schedule for 2011. That's still a lot of races, but most of them are sprint distance triathlons so I think I will be okay. I've only pre-registered for 6 of the events, so that still leaves me a bit of flexibility should I decided to add/subtract a race or two during the year.

Above: Members of the On Your Mark cycle club at the 2010 Riviera Beach triathlon/duathlon. Left to right; Christopher Diaz, Lynn Smythe (AKA the Bike Diva), Charlie Lockerson, OYM owner Matt GoForth.

Bike Diva's 2011 Race Schedule

My current race schedule, and archive of previous years races can be viewed on the Bike Diva blog: Bike Diva's Races.

1. 2/06 - Club Med Race Series #1 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
2. 3/27 – Club Med Race Series #2 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
3. 4/03 - Multirace Season Opener - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
4. 4/17 - FAU Wellness Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Spanish River Park, Boca Raton
5. 4/23 - Egg Hunt - sprint triathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
6. 5/01 – St. Anthony’s Triathlon – Olympic distance – St. Petersberg
7. 5/22 – Miami Speed Triathlon – sprint & Olympic triathlon – Homestead Speedway, Miami
8. 7/04 - Independence Day - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
9. 7/24 – Club Med Race Series #4 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
10. 8/06 - Loggerhead Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Carlin Park, Jupiter
11. 9/04 - Labor Day Weekend - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
12. 9/10 - Club Med Race Series #5 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
13. 10/09 - Race the Troops - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
14. 11/13 - Miami Man - International triathlon – Larry & Penny Thompson Park, Homestead
15. 11/19  25th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k run - Anchor Park, Delray Beach

Bike Diva Trains with Team in Training

I will also probably be doing an event with Team in Training in the fall. Team in Training, or TNT, is the main fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My husband and I are currently training for St. Anthony's triathlon with our local TNT chapter. For the fall TNT season, I am looking at doing either a century bike ride or a full marathon. I've done 8 half marathons over the past two years but have yet to complete a full marathon.

I've done 5 century rides with Team in Training, but my husband is one of the cycle team coaches so I usually feel like I should do whatever ride he is coaching for TNT. But I also want to get my triple crown with TNT, that's someone that has done at least one century ride, one triathlon and one marathon through the Team in Training program. So I'm thinking instead of the fall century ride, I might sign up to do the Disney Marathon which takes place in Orlando, FL in January 2012. So technically that event wouldn't count towards my 2011 race schedule!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Try a Triathlon With Team in Training

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the pre ride pasta party for the 2010 Intrawaterway Century Ride, Cocoa Beach, Florida.

FAU WELLNESS TRIATHLON
After 5 years of participating in century bike rides with our local Team in Training chapter, we have decided to start training for our very first triathlon. Although we have raced in a few duathlons (run-bike-run) over the past couple of years, the FAU Wellness Triathlon will be our first ever triathlon. FAU has an open water swim, so we have joined our local YMCA, so we can workout in their lap pool, to get a jump on our swim training. Lynn will be keeping track of her journey to become a triathlete on her Bike Diva blog: www.bikediva.net.

Above: Rob about to undergo his first bladder cancer surgery. Nice cap!


CANCER EFFECTS EVERYONE
Rob is going through his own battle to fight cancer right now. In September of 2009, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He had surgery in October, followed by 6 weeks of immunatherapy starting in December. In October of 2010, he went to his urologist for a routine check up, and was hoping to be 1 year cancer free. Unfortunately the cancer was back and he had to undergo a second surgery on December 15, 2010.

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the start of the 2010 Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride.


Rob begins another round of immunatherapy and interferon treatments starting the end of January. He is in good health, and high spirits. 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!

PLEASE DONATE TO TEAM IN TRAINING
We are training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. We am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support our participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Thank you for your support. You can visit our fundraising page to make a donation to the society, in our name: Rob & Lynn Smythe's TNT Fundraising Page.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

 

Bike Diva's Second Swim Practice

Swim - Bike Diva - Swim

The other day I posted up some observations from my first swim training on my journey to become a triathlete: Bike Diva's First Swim. On Monday night my husband and I went back to the YMCA for our second swim training. My husband just had bladder cancer surgery on December 15, so he hung out in the family pool, while I attempted a few laps in the lap pool.

There were a couple a of young girls (midget children) in the lane next to me taking a swim lesson. They looked like pros compared to my attempt at swimming. I was happy to find out that member's can take swim lessons at the Y for a reduced rate. They even teach adults. Unfortunately the one instructor I saw looked to be about as old as my son.

Does anyone teach old ladies, that have delusions of becoming a triathlete, but ZERO swim ability how to swim. Uh yeah, I think I can see all the swim coaches looking in the opposite directions. Come on people, don't you like a challenge?

Why Try a Tri?

Everyone's probably wondering why the girl that said she would never ever never ever do a tri because she doesn't swim is suddenly saying she wants to triathlon? Well, I like challenges, and I'm sick and tired of being chicken shit about swimming. I only compete against me myself and I and want to kick that whimpy anti swim part of my personality into the gutter. So there.

One of the scariest parts of joining the YMCA to start swimming in their lap pool? Walking into the locker room after your workout and seeing wall-to-wall naked, wrinkly, old ladies. And I'm not talking about seeing myself in the mirror! Thought I went temporarily blind last night after walking into the women's locker room almost smack dab into some old chickie poo, dang girl, cover that SH*T up! I know I'm not exactly cover model material, but I don't go around flaunting my nakeness. Maybe I'm just getting a bit conservative in my old age. I'm sure my husband is running around naked in the men's lockeroom. He likes to flash the full moon at every opportunity. Oh joy, hope he doesn't get us kicked out of the gym!

It's Fun to Swim at the YMCA

We don't actually belong to the YMCA. We took a tour of our local YMCA last Friday. They said we could visit a couple of times before joining. So after our second swim trial, we decided we wanted to get a family membership to the gym. But the zero membership enrollment fee doesn't start until January 1st. If we joined now, in December, it would be about $100 enrollment fee. We are going up north for the holidays, so we'll wait until we get back on January 3rd to join, but that still leaves me without an indoor pool to use for 4 days, bummer.

Our local Y has a masters swim program, but it costs $30 per month for members, on top of our monthly gym membership fee. I am thinking about participating in the masters swim program, because unlike my husband, I have just about zero swim ability. The masters swim program meets from 6 to 7 AM and 12 to 1 PM Monday through Friday. They also meet Saturday mornings, as long as there isn't a swim meet going on.

But those times don't work out for my husband, he usually has to be to work by 7 or 7:30 and doesn't get home until 5 or 6. I might sign up for masters swim for one month, to see how I like it. I think only 2 of the 6 lap pool lanes are dedicated to masters swim, so I don't know what the benefit is if anyone can use the pool at the same time as the masters swim program.

Swim Diva

We have an indoor pool at our house, but it's outside and TINY. The thought of doing 4 laps to equal one lap pool lap sounds BORING. And, although we live in south Florida, it has been rather cold here the past few weeks. So our pool is a bit cold. We turned the pool heater on, but it still felt like ice water when I stuck my toe in the water yesterday. And being an outdoor pool, even putting the pool cover on/off we still end up with a lot of dirt, debris and dead BUGS in the pool - YUCK, that kind of grosses me out.

Swim Deadline

After 5 years of participating in century bike rides with our local Team in Training chapter, my husband and I have decided to start training for our very first triathlon. Although we have raced in a few duathlons (run-bike-run) over the past couple of years, the FAU Wellness Triathlon will be our first ever triathlon.

FAU takes place at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton, Florida and is just a few miles from our house. FAU, which occurs on April 17, has an open water swim, so we are joining our local YMCA, so we can workout in their lap pool, to get a jump on our swim training. I am keeping track of my journey to become a triathlete on the Bike Diva blog: www.bikediva.net.

Team in Training is the largest fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Each member of TNT pledges to raise a certain amount of $$ for the society, to help find a cure and new treatments for various blood cancers. Please consider making a donation to the society, in our name: Rob & Lynn Smythe's Team in Training Fundraising Page.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva