Bike Diva: April 2011

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April 2011

04/25/2011

2011 Egg Hunt Triathlon

Above: Finisher's medal for the Egg Hunt triathlon.

Egg Hunt Race

On Saturday, April 23 I competed in my 5th triathlon of the year. The Egg Hunt triathlon took place at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Florida and was race number 2 of 5 of the Broward Championship Race Series put on by Multirace.com. The race could be done as either a sprint distance duathlon or sprint distance triathlon. I participated in the duathlon the past two years, but this was the first time I competed in the triathlon.

The swim is my weakest of the three sports of triathlon. Until January 3 of this year, I never really went in the water. I've lived in SE Florida for around 20 years but an extreme water phobia has kept me on land. But I have a goal of doing an Ironman distance triathlon before I turn 50, so I am trying to get over my swim phobia and learn how to swim.

Above: Is it the creature from the black lagoon? No, it's Bike Diva struggling to get out of the water at the Egg Hunt triathlon.

Sprint Duathlon

1.5 mile run
11 mile bike
1.5 mile run

Sprint Triathlon

.25 mile swim
11 mile bike
3 mile run

Above: Bike Diva smiling because she survived the swim, and now gets to play with her bike.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I certainly didn't set any speed records at this race. I still have a lot of anxiety in the water, which causes me to stop swimming and just tread water until I can calm myself down and stop hyperventilating.I was doing okay until I reached the second buoy. That's about when the Clydesdale men, who started in the wave after me, caught up to me and passed me like a stampede of water buffalo.

Above: Bike Diva finally back on shore. I don't look too happy here do I!?!

I got boxed in at the buoy and got bashed around a bit. I ended up with a nice bruise on my upper left arm, just something to get used to if I'm going to be a triathlete, but for someone with an irrational fear of the water, I just couldn't handle it. I almost stuck my hand up to get the attention of one of the rescue kayakers. But then I heard someone to my right shouting out for help, turns out he started in the swim wave before me. Two of the resuce workers went right over to help him out. I decided I was doing okay, and only had about 50 yards to get to shore so I stuck my head back in the water and did my version of swimming to get to the swim exit.

I placed 6th in my age group, Multirace.com events award age groups 5 deep. If I had been 2 minutes and 9 seconds faster, I would have placed 5th and won an award. Bummer, gives me a goal to work on, have to get over my fear of the water, most girls in my age group completed the swim in 10-12 minutes.

Swim: 17:15
T1: 1:01
Bike: 37:14
T2: 1:06
Run: 30:35
Overall time: 1:27:11
Age group: 6 out 14 women 45-49
Gender: 70 out of 111
Overall: 236 out of 307

Above: A Muscovy duck - QUACK!

Duck Poop Soup

The swim portion of the Egg Hunt triathlon took place in the tiny man-made lake at CB Smith Park. It's a small, rectangular shape lake. We swam across the lake, almost to the opposite shore, before turning at the first buoy, then swam across the lake to the second swim buoy before heading back towards shore.

There were a lot of Muscovy ducks hanging out at the lake. Those are the strange looking ducks with the weird red coloring/flesh around their beaks. Everyone was thinking, oh great, we get to swim in a lake full of duck poop - NICE! Just another one of those fun facts that are never mentioned in the triathlon magazines.

Egg Hunt Bike And Run

The bike portion of the Egg Hunt race was a 11 mile course for both duathletes and triathletes. Leaving transition, you did a counter clockwise loop inside the park, then you got to play in traffic as you completed a clockwise loop outside the park. You repeated the inner and outer loop two times before riding back to the transition area. I'm not sure if my asthma was acting up, but I never found my lungs during the bike portion of the race and had a pretty sucky bike split. I only averaged around 18 MPH, which is pretty slow for someone that calls herself the Bike Diva.

The run was completely inside the park, on a mostly paved walking path which circled around the lake. Duathletes completed one run loop for a total of 1.5 miles, while triathletes completed two runs loops for a total of 3 miles before heading to the finish line. My run ended up being okay, guess since I didn't hammer it on the bike I still had some gas left to finish the run. I am still a really slow runner, but at least I didn't have to walk during the race, so for me, that's having a good run.

Above: Bike Diva running to the finish line.

Links to Bike Diva's Triathlon Race Reports

My next race is coming up this weekend. My husband and I will be participating in St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday, May 1. We will be leaving either Thursday night or Friday afternoon to drive over to St. Petersburg, which is about a 4 hour drive from our house.

Right now the surf temperature is really warm, so the event organizers think it WILL NOT be a wetsuit legal swim. An Olympic distance triathlon swim is 1.5 kilometers, which is almost 1 mile! I'm not sure if my husband and I are up for a swim that long, in Tampa Bay, without a wetsuit. Event organizers are giving newbie triathletes a chance to swim with their wetsuit even if it's not wetsuit legal. Anyone wanting to wear a wetsuit, can start the swim after the last official wave goes off at 9:10. We won't qualify for awards if we choose to wear out wetsuits, but we will be allowed to complete the event. We are doing a practice swim on Saturday morning, so I guess we will know by then if it will be wetsuit legal or not.

Spring Training Triathlon
Club Med Triathlon #2
Photos of Club Med Triathlon #1
Club Med Triathlon #1

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 04/25/2011 at 11:27 AM in Bike Diva News, Multisport, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

04/19/2011

2011 Loggerhead Triathlon

Loggerhead Sprint Triathlon

I just registered my husband and I for the 2011 Loggerhead Triathlon. The race takes place on Saturday, August 6 at Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida. Loggerhead is a sprint distance triathlon with the following distances:

600 yard swim
13 mile bike
3.1 mile run

Most sprint triathlons I've done have a 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The longer swim will be okay, being fairly new to the sport of triathlon, the swim is my weakest of the three sports. But I really like the slightly longer bike portion, after all, I am the Bike Diva!

The Loggerhead Triathlon caps out at 600 registrants. As of this morning there were already 500 people signed up. So hurry, hurry, hurry, and register for the race if you are interested in doing it: http://membership.npbchamber.com/Events/details/loggerhead-triathlon-08-07-2011.

Loggerhead Triathlon

Date: August 6, 2011 Time: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Event Description

The Loggerhead Triathlon is one of the longest enduring triathlons in the state of Florida. Dating back to 1985, triathletes have made the trip to Jupiter year after year to enjoy the magnificent Oceanside setting, the family-friendly atmosphere, and the competition. Jointly sponsored by the Triathlon Club of the Palm Beaches and the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, the event has become a “must do” on the southeast race circuit and has spawned some of the top triathletes in the United States.

The Loggerhead Triathlon will be held on Saturday, August 6th beginning at 7:00am at Carlin Park in Jupiter, FL. The race course consists of a 3/8 mile ocean swim, 13 mile bike and flat 3.1 mile run. Awards will be given to the top 3 overall in each division. Following the race, photos can be viewed at: www.bbactionphoto.com

Divisions include:

Age Groups

14 & Under

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 & above

Clydesdale

15-39 & 189-199 weight

40 & above & 189-199 weight

15-39 & 200+ weight

40 & above & 200+weight

Relays

Male

Female

Coed

Mountain Bike

Athena (145 & above)

First Timers

This is a USAT Sanctioned Event. All athletes must provide their current USAT identification card at check-in. All non-USAT Members must pay the additional $10 (cash only) Race Day Registration fee and fill out the Registration Form at Packet Pick Up.

The Packet Pick Up for all race registrants will be on Friday, August 5, 2011 from 3:00pm – 8:00pm at the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa (located at 5 NA1A, Jupiter, FL 33477). All athletes must show a photo ID in order to receive their packet. Relay teams must have all members present to receive their packet.

The Sports and Fitness Expo will feature over 20 local businesses that offer products specific to triathletes. Be sure to stick around during packet pick up to check out all the exhibitors have to offer!

The First Timers Seminar is recommended for all Loggerhead Triathlon First Timers. It will be help during packet pick up on Friday, August 5^th from 5:00pm – 6:00pm at the Jupiter Beach Resort.

The Host Hotel is the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa. The hotel is offering a group rate for all athletes. For reservations, call 800.228.8810 and mention the code LOGG to receive the discounted rate.

Race Rules

Pre-Race

Body Marking: Have your arms and legs marked with your race number by a volunteer. This will start in Carlin Park at 5:45am.

Timing chip: Pick up your timing chip race morning.

Only race participants allowed in transition area.

FIRST TIMERS: Wear the wristband provided in your race packet in order to receive a medal at the finish line.

Swim

The race begins at 7:00am on the beach. Line up in the appropriate wave. The race will start in 5 waves with 5 minutes between each wave. Wet Suits will not be allowed.

WAVE ORDER AND CAP COLOR:

1^st wave: Male 20-44 GREEN

2^nd wave: Female 20-44 YELLOW

3^rd wave: Female 19 and under, 45 and above and Athena PURPLE

4th wave: Clydesdale, male 19 and under, male 45 and above RED

5^th wave: All relay teams and mountain bike BLACK. Male and female first timers WHITE

Bike

Helmets must be fastened before leaving the transition area. An ANSI approved bike helmet is mandatory.

Bikes must be walked in and out of the transition area.

No drafting. Keep 3 bike lengths away from other riders. Draft marshals will be on the course.

THERE ARE 2 LAPS ON THE BIKE COURSE: Exit park and head south (left) on A1A to Loggerhead Park. Turn around and repeat. Return to transition area from the south entrance to Carlin Park.

Run

Exit park and head north (right) to Jupiter Beach Blvd. Head east (right) and follow signs and volunteers to turnaround. Return to Carlin Park and the finish line from the north entrance. I-PODS and MP3 Players are not permitted.

Relays

All relay team members must be body marked.

Swimmer wears the swim cap. Runner wears the run race number. Biker has race number on his/her bike. Teammates remain at the bike rack marked “relays” waiting for a team member to pass the timing chip before starting the next leg.

Registration

Registration will be available beginning Monday, March 28, 2011 at 9:00am. Registrations will be taken in the order in which they are received and the race is capped at 600 registrants – so be sure to REGISTER EARLY! Online registration is available at www.altavistasports.com only.

Registration Fees are based on the time the registration is received and there is NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION, NO CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS OR CHANGES ONCE REGISTRATION IS RECEIVED:

Early Registration by May 15th INDIVIDUALS - $75 RELAYS - $100

Late Registration after May 15th INDIVIDUALS - $100 RELAYS - $125

For questions regarding the race or registration, please contact the Northern PBC Chamber of Commerce at 561.746.7111.

Take care,

Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 04/19/2011 at 10:58 AM in Bike Diva News, Multisport, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

04/08/2011

Features Of The Skuut Metal Balance Bike

It is the joy of every parent to watch their child take their first steps in trying to learn how to ride a bike and although they like to see this, they cannot tell their child about the dangers which are involved in riding a bike, at a very young age. This is because owning a bike is one thing and riding it is a total different thing entirely and it is certainly not easy to tell a child that he/she can own a bike but he/she must wait to be a little older to ride it.

However, the parent is, at most times, more concerned about the risk involved when a child is learning how to ride a bike but from the perspective of the child, learning to ride a bike is not as hard as their parents seem to make it. As a result, children may just get the idea that parents just don’t want them to have a bike at all. This is further from the truth in most families. To many, the pressure of keeping a bike from a child is a very big challenge to overcome because it is hard to resist the pressure from your heart and soul, your offspring. However, what can the parent do to keep the child safe?

Balance Bike Teaches Cycling Skills

It is a common fact that learning to ride a bicycle might involve instances of hurt and bruises for a young child. Some parents are not prepared for this instance. But there is actually a solution that actually puts the child well being at heart and fully understands the worries that the parents have. Most parents search for solutions to this vexing problem but fall short of the answer and go to traditional means like bikes with training wheels or no bikes at all are given.

They want to give in to the demands of the child but they are unable to because of the psychological blockage in their minds that bikes are dangerous. However, there is an answer balance bikes. One of the well known balance bikes is the skuut metal balance bike. This one bike has changed the mindset of many parents mainly because of the safety features that keep kids safe.

Skuut Metal Balance Bike

So what actually makes the skuut metal balance bike special and able to get rid of the worries of a caring parent? Well, let us start with its design. It is made with metal steel which makes the bike very durable and it is very easy to assemble. All this might not be enough to stop the parent from worrying but there is more.

The bike does not actually have pedals or a training wheels so all the child needs do is to push his/her feet on the ground and propelling themselves forward while constantly allowing the child to have foot contact with the ground in case the child losses balance. This already makes the bike quite safe but it also has a hand break, a bell and an adjustable control handle bar all of which goes on to ensure that you can entrust the safety of your child to this bike. To provide comfort, the bike has an adjustable seat and this makes it good for a child that is growing.

Learning some of the various features that are involved with riding a bike is certainly not easy for a child. However, with this skuut metal balance bike, the child can learn basic things like steering control, co-ordination and balance making it a safe bike for your child.

Posted by Kenneth Elliott on 04/08/2011 at 10:04 AM in Product Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

04/06/2011

KSwiss Sponsorship Opportunities

Bike Diva Races

2011 marks my 4th season of racing. My complete racing schedule can be viewed on the Bike Diva blog: Bike Diva's Races. I have a few companies that sponsor me, by sending me free or discounted equipment, gear and sports nutrition products. I've written on the topic of athletic sponsorship a number of times on the Bike Diva blog:

Above: a plethora of KSwiss running shoes. Left to right; K-Ruuz, Keahou II, Blade-light race.

KSwiss Sponsorship for Amateur Athletes

I've watched the Ford Ironman Triathlon Championships, which take place in Hawaii every October, for the past few years. I've noticed quite a few of the pro athletes were running in KSwiss running shoes and wearing KSwiss triathlon outfits. I've also seen ads for KSwiss running shoes in Triathlete Magazine.

Always on the look out for possible sponsorship opportunities, I visited the KSwiss website to see if they had any programs available for amateur athletes. Besides their full product sponsorship programs, which they offer to professional athletes, they also offer a variety of pro deal discount programs to amateur athletes.

Above: KSwiss women's triathlon shorts and triathlon top in the USA color scheme.

KSwiss offers three sponsorship programs for amateur athletes, coaches and personal trainers:

Each program offers up to 50% off the retail price of KSwiss footwear, clothing and accessories, along with limited offers exclusive to members of the program. Members must purchase at least one product package per year to maintain their membership. If you qualify for any of these sponsorship programs, you can fill out an online application on the KSwiss website.

K-Team Preferred Player Program

USPTA and/or PTR certified teaching professionals.
Juniors with a top 25 USTA Sectional Ranking or a top 200 National Ranking.
Adults with a Top-10 sectional, Top 50 National singles ranking in Open or Age Group play or Top-5 sectional or Top-10 nationals in doubles.
Current collegiate players with proper documentation from school.
Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

K-Fit Preferred Fitness Program

Certified personal trainers.
Affiliates of major health and fitness associations.
Regular competitors in fitness events.
Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

K-Fast Preferred Triathlete/Runner Program

Year-round event competitors.
Affiliates of major triathlon and/or running associations.
Age groupers with a Top-20 placement at a major racing event.
Current collegiate or high-school runners with proper documentation from school.
Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

Above: close up of KSwiss Blade-light running shoes. This is the Bike Diva's new go to shoe for her triathlon and duathlon races. Easy on/off, no need to wear socks. Will make for some speedy T2 transition times.

Additional Information

Website: www.kswiss.com

Sponsorship page: www.kswiss.com/page/pros/Sponsorship.html

Facebook:

Twitter:

Above: Bike Diva, wearing the KSwiss Blade-light running shoe, crossing the finish line at the 4/03/11 Spring Training sprint triathlon.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 04/06/2011 at 11:14 AM in Athletic Sponsorship, Bike Diva News, Bike Diva Sponsors, Clothing & Accessories, Product Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

04/05/2011

Spring Training Triathlon

Above: Bike Diva exiting the lake and running under the Muscle Milk swim exit arch.

Spring Training Triathlon

On Sunday, April 3 I competed in my third sprint triathlon. The event was the Spring Training Triathlon which was held at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida and put on by Multirace.com. The other two triathlons I've competed in were both part of the Club Med Race Series in Port St. Lucie, Florida. If you read my race reports for those two events, you will see that I had a lot of anxiety during the swim portion.

Above: Bike Diva during her favorite part of a triathlon, on the bike!

Swim Bike Diva Swim

Sunday's Spring Training Triathlon was the first triathlon I participated in where I didn't freak out in the water. I finally felt like a real triathlete after completing the race. The race could be done as either a sprint triathlon or a sprint duathlon. The duathlon was also the qualifier for the USAT Florida Regional Duathlon Championships.

The swim was a short 400 yards straight across Tradewinds Park lake. It was such a non-technical swim that they didn't even put any buoys in the water. You could see the giant Muscle Milk arch, marking the swim exit, while looking across the lake from the swim start. I was pretty slow on the swim, but I didn't freak out this time and I wasn't the last one out of the water, so that made me pretty happy.

Above: Bike Diva trying to pretend she actually enjoys running.

Fun Times During the Swim

The bottom of Tradewinds Park lake, which is really the size of a large pond, is squishy, nasty mud filled with roots and other vegetative matter. A friend of mine in the men's Clydesdale division cut the bottom of his foot during the swim, but luckily didn't notice it until after he completed the race. Swimming in the lake was like swimming in a giant pot of coffee, zero visibility. There were 107 girls in my swim wave, 95% of them were faster than me, so I just had to tune them out as they went sprinting across the lake and swim at my own speed. I also knew the Clydesdale men were in the last swim wave, right after us. They started only 3 minutes after we did so I knew most of them would catch up to me during the swim, so I tuned them out too.

I also had to tune out the swim exit for most of the swim. Every time I went to sight the Muscle Milk arch, it didn't look like it was getting any closer which freaked me out for about half a second. So I just went to my la-la-la happy placed during the swim and got through it just fine. It was also the first triathlon I did without a wetsuit, due to the lake being an obscenely warm 82 degrees, ah, south Florida. So now I'm thinking that some of the anxiety I experienced during my first two triathlons might have been due to feeling claustrophobic while wearing a wetsuit.

Above: happy times, Bike Diva crossing the finish line.

Bike Diva's Results

Multirace.com gives instant race results to all race participants. They had multiple computer screens, on a table near the finish line. The computers were continually updating the race results. Next to the computers was another table where volunteers were sitting with a laptop computer and what looked like a credit card receipt printer. You told the volunteer your race number, they punched it into the computer and it produced a print out of your race results - COOL!

Multirace.com also emails your race results along with a link to the overall results, a link to a race completion certificate you can print out and a link to the site with the official race photos. Here are my results from the Spring Training Triathlon which was a 1/4 mile swim - 10 mile bike - 3 mile run:

Swim: 13:40
T1: 1:04
Bike: 31:32 = 19.02 MPH
T2: 1:21
Run: 30:08 = 10:02 pace
Total time: 1:17:46
Overall: 234 out of 320
Gender: 61 out of 107
Age group: 10 out of 17

Broward Championship Series

The Spring Training Triathlon was part of the Broward Championship Series of 5 races. I registered for all 5 races in the series, as you got a pretty nice discount for registering for the entire series. Our goody bags contained a nice technical t-shirt with the event logo and all race participants received a dog tag style medal as they crossed the finish line.

The other 4 races in the Broward Championship Series include:

4/23 - Egg Hunt Triathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
7/04 - Independence Day Triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
9/04 - Time Trial Triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
10/09 - Race the Troops Triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek

Additional Information

Website: www.multirace.com

Facebook:

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Posted by Lynn Smythe on 04/05/2011 at 09:48 AM in Bike Diva News, Multisport, Triathlons & Duathlons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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April 2011

04/25/2011

2011 Egg Hunt Triathlon

04/19/2011

2011 Loggerhead Triathlon

Loggerhead Triathlon

04/08/2011

Features Of The Skuut Metal Balance Bike

04/06/2011

KSwiss Sponsorship Opportunities

04/05/2011

Spring Training Triathlon

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