Hello Gators, One month from today the inaugural Steelman French Creek Sprint Triathlon and Aquabike will take place (Sunday, June 14). This is a great opportunity to participate in an event that is as close to home as any on our schedule and it also financially benefits our club and the YMCA! If you are unable to participate in the triathlon, we could also use many more volunteers to make this event as successful as possible. For more information please contact Jon Wesler (jonswesler@icloud.com) or see the event website… http://www.steelmantriathlon.com/fc/index.php Let’s make this a great kickoff for what we hope will become an annual event! Sign up to race or volunteer today!! This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… Green Lane hills, Field of Dreams (or Nightmares?), and Running in Delaware!!Who’s Next?… “Du”ing it in Maryland, Sprinting in French Creek, and “Tri”ing in Upper Dublin!!About a Gator... I Gotta Feeling you’ll enjoy this week’s profile!!Recommended… What’s on your mind?!?Mark Your Calendars… Lots of Tri Club training options to make for a memorable Memorial Day Weekend!! Accomplishments: The following events took place over the weekend of May 9-10…Spartan Citi Field Sprint (New York, NY): Jay Sherman completed his second Spartan event this season, this time in the NY Mets stadium, Citi Field. Nothing like running up and down all of those steps a bunch of times… Oh, yeah, and mixing in a bunch of difficult obstacles in between. Jay had another fantastic result finishing in the top 10% overall as well as the top 15% in his age group and for all male finishers. Jay’s son also completed the kids’ Spartan race following Jay’s race. Excellent work, Jay!Quad County Metric (Green Lane, PA): A large group of Gators including Vince Bellino, Adrienne Foster, Michelle Leonard, Don Mack, Tiff Pfluger, Tim Pfluger, Chris Reiter, and Byron Solvason endured some rain, cooler than expected temperatures, and some, make that a TON, of hills… with some being the kind that you wonder if you can get the pedals around another time or if you will simply topple over… Oh well, we signed up for it by opting for the eight mile “Very Intense Climbing Unit”. Steph Stranick also participated in one of the shorter options. It was a great accomplishment and we immensely enjoyed the post-event lunch by scarfing down many burgers and baked goods… Ah the joys of being a triathlete after a workout! I highly recommend this event again next year and thanks to Michelle Leonard for bringing it to our attention!Delaware Half Marathon (Wilmington, DE): Gregg Heimer and his girlfriend, Kimberlea successfully completed their fourth half marathon so far this season! The 13.1 mile distance will henceforth be known as a “Heimerthon”. Great job, Gregg and Kimberlea! Who’s Next?: This Sunday, May 17 there will be Gators in the creek, in the pool, and in Maryland. Best wishes to all of our athletes for a safe and successful event!Cascade Lake Duathlon (Hampstead, MD): Glad to report that Ken Beauchamp is back in action along with Kelly Beauchamp.French Creek Triathlon (Elverson, PA): Jason Brannon, Kerri Brannen, and Chris Reiter will be participating in the sprint event and Tiff and Tim Pfluger will be taking on the Olympic course.Upper Dublin Sprint Triathlon/Aquabike: Suzanne Angelaccio, Dean Milligan, Steph Stranick, and Heather Tracey will be making their triathlon season debut and Doug Schmidt will be returning to the aquabike. About A Gator: This week’s “About A Gator” features an athlete who loves to swim in the ocean and is working her way up to an Olympic distance event. Learn about Jeannine Kelly in this edition! Recommended: This week’s recommendations include a few mental preparation podcasts, some tips on improving your speed on the bike, and coverage of this weekend’sMental training is often neglected, but as important as physical training for endurance events. Following are several podcasts to help you improve your mental game…The Mental Game (from Tri-Specific): http://www.trispecific.com/fb-90-the-mental-game-with-grant-giles/Our Fears Are Holding Us Back (from Tri-Specific): http://www.trispecific.com/fb-89-our-fears-are-holding-us-back/The Ultra Mindset – An endurance champion’s 8 core principles for success in business, sports, and life (from Marathon Training Academy): You don’t have to be an ultramarathoner to benefit from the tips covered in this interview… http://marathontrainingacademy.com/4 “Free Speed” Tips for the Bike (article from Triathlete Magazine): http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/05/training/4-free-speed-tips-for-the-bike_116077?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SBR%20Report%20powered%20by%20Triathlete.com&utm_content=051315_SBRReport Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events:Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-25): A short survey will be coming your way to see what the interest level is for the following training events. Based on the interest level we will decide on which to do and the results will be communicated to you early next week. It would be great to see some new faces as well as our regulars, so if you will be around for Memorial Day Weekend, join us for one, two, or all of the workouts that we will offer! All performance levels can participate. Options include…Saturday, May 23: Blue Marsh8:30am: Open water swim (30-60 minutes)9:30am: Multi-loop ride on the 17.5 mile hilly route that we've used in the past... Each loop will pass by the parking area, so you can do as few as one or as many as three loops.After swim or bike: 30-45 minute brick run… Easy pace.Sunday, May 24: Two parts...Part 1 – 8am: French Creek 1-2 hour bike ridePart 2 – 5pm: 1-1½ hour run on the new (sometimes hilly) portion of the SRT Phoenixville to Pottstown trail... This is a good opportunity to be introduced to a great trail you may not have known existed. We are also considering a post-run get together in Phoenixville for drinks and/or dinner. Trail information: https://www.traillink.com/trail-maps/schuylkill-river-trail---phoenixville-to-pottstown.aspxMonday, May 25, morning/afternoon: Dutch Springs workout/family picnic... Dutch Springs is North of Bethlehem. Will include open water swimming and possibly biking and/or running. There is a fee to utilize the facilities at Dutch Spring. Check out the details here... http://dutchsprings.com/Sunday, June 14: Steelman French Creek Triathlon/Aquabike (Elverson, PA) Go Gators! Don M