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Training and Events |
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Tri Race Skills Class More than Half Full!
Registrations are being taken for last summer's popular Tri class. It covers open water swimming, bike skills, transitions and race day/pactice. It is especially helpful for novices and first-timers or anyone who wants to learn tricks of the tri to better prepare for race day.
» Class dates/times and how to register.
Save $50 on Total Immersion YWCA Weekend Workshop!
Discount good for one workshop in May or June; discount only applies to workshops held at a YWCA of Minneapolis facility Total Immersion is the premier swim technique program for triathletes. Instructors can also give you advice on swim workouts and training.
» Learn more.
Neighbor Map and Google Email List
Are up and running! If you have questions or would like to be a part of either of these, please email triathlon@ywcampls.org.
Google Email List Tip: You can unsubscribe yourself at any time. In addition, you have the option of receiving emails individually or in a once per day daily digest format.
Looking for a 5K to tune up?
Or like to run longer? Join YWCA Team Yes at the team tent at the Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon. Race distances include marathon, half marathon and 5K. If you register, please sign up to run with Team YES (YWCA Endurance Sports). www.teamortho.us
Plugging Another Tri . . .
If you, or the men in your life, are interested in another triathlon that is one of the best tri's in Minnesota for beginners and has a competitive field, consider the MinneMan Triathlon on July 4. This years race is full, however, 10 charity slots are available and the proceeds go to the YWCA's Swim for Change program.
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Team Profile |
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NF Endurance
If you haven't heard of the NF Endurance Team yet, you will know about them by the end of the YWCA Triathlon. At least 14 athletes will be wearing the conspicuously bright yellow tri gear on race day.
These athletes, many first time triathletes, will be racing to raise awareness of Neurofibromatosis (NF). NF is a genetic condition that causes benign tumors to grow on the nerves anywhere on or in the body. It can also affect other tissues - bones, skin, blood vessels, ears or eyes. 1 in every 3,000 births, NF is more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, inherited Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington's disease and Tay Sachs combined.
The NF Endurance Team raises funds for Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF), a leading non-profit organization dedicated to finding effective treatments and a cure for NF.
Please cheer the NF Endurance athletes as they swim, pedal and run for this great cause or stop by the CTF team tent on race day to learn more about the NF team and the Children's Tumor Foundation. Go NF Endurance!
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Quotes & Comments |
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"I really appreciate all the support and patience you and the YWCA have for us beginning tri participants. The whole training experience has felt completely "do-able" due to the events that are being held and the newsletters and the ability of the event presenters to answer our naive questions without acting condescending. THANKS!!!"
-Sara (Minnetonka)
Why I Tri...
"To show 40 and rheumatoid arthritis who's boss!"
-Christie (Eden Prairie)
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Race is FULL!
We are starting a WAITLIST. Sign up at ZapEvents.com
Last year the waitlist was used. Waitlist progress will be communicated throughout the summer. Waitlisted participants may still receive the training plan and be on the Neighbor Map and Google Email List if requested during the registration process.
Training Plan
The free training plan and guide has been sent via email to all those who requested it! If you did not receive it but would like to have it, please email triathlon@ywcampls.org.
Personal Training
YWCA personal trainers have completed a workshop reviewing the free training plan and strength and conditioning for triathletes. If you would like more help putting together your plan or tweaking the training plan to fit your needs and schedule, we can support you! Please contact Paul at pjohnson@ywcampls.org for more info.
Open Water Swimming: Survive or Thrive?
We would like you to do both! Here are some tips and hints below. You can focus on the ones that are most pertinent to you!
Tips to survive:
If you really just want to know that once you leave the beach, your feet will once again find the beach . . .
- Consider buying, borrowing or renting a wetsuit (Gear West rents). The warmth and buoyancy aid comfort, confidence and speed in the water. You can literally just bob around in the water - and a wetsuit will help you swim faster.
- When your wave (group you are assigned to swim in) is lining up, pick a spot on the outside and in back and wait for a few moments after the wave is started. Keep 10 yards or so to the outside of the buoy line where there is calm water (swimmers will naturally crush toward the buoy line where there will be more contact and turbulence). Just a few yards to the side will be calm, open water.
- Please be trained and ready but know that you can always rest by hanging on a kayak, buoy, boat or a foam noodle provided by a Noodle swimmer as long as they don't provide you with forward motion.
- Though freestyle is the fastest stroke, you can use any stroke you wish. Breaststroke is a good stroke for resting and sighting the buoys. Backstroke if you want to relax and keep your face out of the water for a moment (though you can't see where you are going).
- Be sure to bring an extra pair of goggles with your race gear. Goggles are very important for calm and confidence in the water and you want a backup in case they decide to break race morning.
Tips to thrive:
If you are confident and comfortable in the water the swim could be one of your strengths . . .
- Line up in the front of your wave and swim strong for the first 50-100 yards. Then draft another swimmer who is as fast or just slightly faster than you. This means swimming right behind their feet or just off their hip. You will save a lot of energy. Just be sure they are going the right direction!
- Take 10 min to do some swim warm-up before the start of your wave. You want to be ready to go with the gun. Consider including some sculling drills to help get a feel for the water.
- Practice your entries and exits. If the start is shallow, "dolphin" through the shallow area before swimming. You can do your exit this way as well. Note that when you are nearing the exit, it is always faster to swim all the way until you touch the bottom with both hands a couple times. Plowing through water that is over your knees wastes a lot of energy and is much slower. Check out the swim start and finish areas before the race starts to know your plan.
- Practice your sighting technique until it is very smooth and requires very little energy. Sight every 6-10 strokes. Before the race, pick your landmarks from the start AND coming in to the finish.
- Being able to breathe bilaterally comes in handy as a triathlete. It is helpful to be able to check either side for sighting landmarks or buoys, avoid breathing into waves or looking into the sun, or keeping an eye on your competition.
Whether you plan to survive, thrive, or both, consider learning and practicing the skills at the free June 1 open water clinic or the YWCA's summer Triathlon Race Skills classes (see below). Take advantage of Total Immersion to work on your technique.
You Just Gotta TRI!
My friend Melissa challenged me to do something crazy with her and enter the first YWCA Women's Triathlon. I love to bike, used to run and I can swim, just not very fast. Hmm - all the training required to get ready for a triathlon might be what I need to finally lose this extra weight! For two weeks I didn't tell anyone I had registered, afraid they would laugh at me. Melissa encouraged me to tell others, the more people who knew the less likely I would back out!
So last June, I began training for my first ever triathlon. I struggled to figure out how I could fit running, swimming and biking into my already busy schedule and still do my volunteer work, keep up the house, and take care of my family. But once I started training, not only did start I see results on the scale and in my physique, my husband and two teen-age sons were seeing a happier Mom!
Over the summer, I had many friends check in with me to see how my training was going. Come the day of the triathlon, it was encouraging to know that at least half of the other participants were just like me, newbies. It was encouraging to be among so many women athletes. And I did it - I finished my first triathlon! I'm proud to say that I started the day an athlete and ended the race a TRI- athlete.
Thanks to my continued training, today I am 50 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I've signed up for the second annual YWCA Women's Triathlon, and hope the training I do between now and August will help me shed the last 20 pounds!
This experience has truly been what I needed to help change my attitude about exercise and eating. It has helped me to lose weight and adopt healthy lifestyle changes for myself, and it has made me an inspiration for my friends and family!
-Diane Jones
FAQ of the Month
There is a new FAQ page on the website that answers many of the questions that came up last year. Please send us any questions you have as there are probably others interested in the answers!
Q: Do I need cycling shoes? And clipless pedals?
A: The answer has to do with power transfer, pedaling economy, saving money, and transition techniques. To get the scoop, read more.
2009 Event Partners
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