Hello Gators, Just a reminder that our private ONE DAY club sale with Infinit Nutrition is TOMORROW, Friday, June 26… 40% off Infinit custom nutrition blends and gear. This is a one-time event, so if you are interested in trying it out, this is your best opportunity to do so at such a low price. This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… Rain rain go away, Super in Boston, and Fantastic at Kinetic!! Who’s Next?… Time to Rock Philly (and the Jersey Shore)!!About A Gator… She’s wicked pissah!! (Don't worry... I understand that's a compliment) Recommended… Transition tips and running slow!!Coaching Tips… Ironman Syracuse takeaways!! Mark Your Calendars… Infinit Nutrition club sale, braving the elements on Saturday, Bikeworks bike maintenance clinic coming in July, and start training the family for the Diamondman Challenge!! Happy Birthday!: Best wishes to the following club members that are celebrating birthdays this week…Tuesday, June 23: Jamey Humphry Wednesday, June 24: Jason Brannen Accomplishments: For the third consecutive weekend we had participants in a Half Ironman distance event. They were accompanied by another Gator Spartan finish and a recently overlooked Gator podium finish… Sunday, May 10 – Kinetic Sprint Triathlon (Lake Anna, VA): Maddie Mattarazzo won her age group… PODIUM!!... and also finished in the top 30% overall as well as having one of the faster swim times in the event. Way to go, Maddie!! Saturday, June 20:Spartan Boston Super (Barre, MA): Jay Sherman had another great Spartan event finishing in the top 20% overall as well as in the top 25% in his age group. Nice race, Jay!! Sunday, June 21:Ironman Syracuse 70.3 (Syracuse, NY): Gator participants include… Maribeth Baker was just a few miles from the finish line when reports of a dangerous thunderstorm forced the race directors to cancel the remainder of the race. Maribeth was doing great at the time and would have easily finished her first Half Ironman distance event. Maribeth was able to turn around when she got word about the stoppage and come back to cross the finish line. Maribeth also had the 7th fastest swim time in her age group. So congrats on a great race, Maribeth (she is already vowing to return for redemption in 2016)!Warning: Do Not Attempt to Do the Following!!... After battling through some significant injuries Danny Friend returned to racing for the first time in a couple of years. Despite next to no training, Danny was able to not only complete the race, but also finish in the top 45% of his age group and the top 35% overall (and he was actually in the top 25% of his age group and top 20% overall after the bike before backing off on the run due to his continuing recovery). Welcome back, Danny!! Don Mack completed his 3rd Half Ironman distance race and set a PR beating his previous Syracuse Half Ironman finish time by more than an hour. Who’s Next?: This weekend we have at least 10 Gators participating in either the Philly TriRock or an event at the Jersey Shore including a continuation of our 70.3 participant streak (up to four weeks). Best wishes to all for a safe and successful event!Saturday, June 27:Islandman Sprint Triathlon (Avalon, NJ):Jason Brannen Kerri BrannenTriRock Philly Sprint Triathlon:Mike AliprantisJeannine Kelly Maureen PinkertonChris ReiterSunday, June 28:TriRock Philly Olympic TriathlonSuzanne AngelaccioAdrienne FosterBrent VoynarChallenge Atlantic City 70.3: Dean Milligan About A Gator: Trained in New England and shooting for 50 by 50… Meet Rebecca Bonawitz in this edition of “About A Gator”. Recommended: This week’s recommendations include an article to help you transition faster and a podcast to help you appreciate running slower...“7 Transition Blunders to Avoid” (Triathlete Magazine article)… http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/06/training/7-transition-blunders-to-avoid_117797?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SBR%20Report%20powered%20by%20Triathlete.com&utm_content=062415_SBRReport “Issues Faced by Slower Runners” (Marathon Training Academy podcast)… www.marathontrainingacademy.com Coaching Tips: Here are my four key takeaways from Ironman Syracuse…Take advantage of any swim practice opportunities at the race venue, particularly the day before or morning of the event… I rarely run or bike the day before an event. Swimming, though, I think is a good thing to do at that point. I had the opportunity to swim about 1,200 yards on the swim course the day before the race. It gave me a chance to experience the temperature, clarity (or lack of), and bottom surface near the start as well as get a vantage point of what the finish would be like. The end result was that I felt totally comfortable throughout the entire event swim. Race-specific training is key… This was a hilly course and included some rainy conditions. Instead of avoiding those “not fun” aspects of training, I’ve tried to incorporate many hills into my training as well as ride and run in the rain so that I’d be ready for it on race day. Be sure to plan some of your workouts with your “A race” course in mind.For longer races, figure out your nutrition… As your race duration increases, a focus on nutrition becomes a more and more important aspect of your training. The last time I raced Ironman Syracuse, my nutrition plan was to eat some pretzels, choke down a few gels, and occasionally drink some water (which I did not do much of during the bike). The end result is that I only took in a few hundred calories during the race and was pretty dehydrated to the point where I bonked after mile 1 of the run and walked most of the final 12 miles. Since then I’ve learned a lot about what I need to get through a race of that duration and practiced with a few different options during training. In my case Infinit ended up being the solution and I consumed about 5 times as many calories and was much better hydrated… You should find what works for you best well before the race. Definitely include some “nutrition training” in your plan.Use sun screen even on a cloudy day… As it was pouring rain while I was setting up in transition on race morning and the forecast was for overcast skies all day, I chose to not put on any sunscreen. That was okay until the sun started to poke out during the bike. I ended up with some pretty good sunburn as a result. So make sure to put on some sunscreen (before you leave your house or hotel) regardless of what the forecast is. Mark Your Calendars:Friday, June 26: Infinit Private One Day Club Sale Saturday, June 27, 6am: Tri Club bike ride and brick run led by Don M… Meet at the Reynolds Dog Park in time for a prompt start or join us later (just let us know so we can make plans with you to meet you when we loop back to the dog park). Monday, July 20, 7pm, YMCA Room 2: Bike maintenance clinic (by our sponsor Bikeworks) Saturday, September 12, Diamondman Challenge: This event features all sorts of races… Sprint and half Ironman distance triathlons and duathlons, off-road triathlon and duathlon, and kids triathlon and duathlon. We’d like for it to be a family event and we’re planning to host a few kids training sessions over the summer so that we can have a pack of Jr. Gators participate. Reserve the date on your calendar and stay tuned for more details coming soon! Go Gators! Don M