Hello Gators, Let the tri race season begin! This weekend we have our first triathlons with Gators participating since last December’s Key West Triathlon in which Gregg Heimer, Dave Marine, and Jeff Spillane participated. The weekend includes at least four events with Gators including two triathlons (and duathlons) plus a swim event and a famous running event. We’re going to simultaneously warm up and cool down for the coming season with our first group open water swim at Blue Marsh on Saturday morning. And to help you get ready for your season, check out the recently posted PowerPoint from the Beauchamp’s awesome Transitions seminar and also see where you can set up your own personal race checklist in this week’s “Recommended” section! Ready, set, go… This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… Fast finish!!!Who’s Next?… Gators in NJ, MD, NC, and PA!!!About a Gator... She’s got rhythm!!!Recommended… Over 80 and competing in Kona!! Plust, don’t forget the sunscreen!!!Mark Your Calendars… Open Water Swim, Quad County Metric bike ride and possible Gators “local mini-summer camp”!!! Accomplishments:Sunday, April 26 – St. Luke’s Half Marathon (Allentown, PA): Mary Kain had a great race and demonstrated outstanding pace management by passing 174 runners during the final miles of this event… Great finish, Mary! Who’s Next?: This Sunday we have around 20 Gators participating in two triathlons, a swim event, and a signature running event taking place across four states. Best wishes to all for a safe and successful event!White Lake Spring Triathlon (White Lake, NC): Mark Donovan is jumping in the deep end by starting his season with his first ever half Ironman-distance event.Nanticoke River Swim (Bivalve, MD): Nabil Radouane is also going long with a 3 mile open water swim event to kick off a busy swim event season.Broad Street Run (Philadelphia): We have at least six Gators running in this 10 mile event down Broad Street… Kerri Brannen, Jim Foster, Jeannine Kelly, Maureen Pinkerton, Steph Stranick, and Heather Tracey.Devilman Triathlon/Duathlon (Cumberland County, NJ): All of the following will be participating in this club event…Half-Lite Triathlon (0.8 mi swim/40.3 mi bike/8.8 mi run): Vince Bellino, Dave Marine, Tim Pfluger, Don Schlichtman, Byron Solvason, and Jon Wesler.Sprint Triathlon (0.4 mi swim/20.5 mi bike/4 mi run): JD Landis, Don Mack, Tiff Pfluger, and Brent Solvason. This will be the first ever triathlon for Tiff.Half-Lite Duathlon (2 mi run/40.3 mi bike/8.8 mi run): Michelle LeonardSprint Duathlon (2 mi run/20.5 mi bike/8.8 mi run): Kelly Beauchamp and Nadine Isabell About A Gator: This week’s profile covers one of our female athletes who has quite an accomplished gymnastics background and is a college professor (we’re on a roll… two consecutive profiles on college professors!). Learn about Erin Gallagher in this edition of “About A Gator”! Recommended: This week’s recommendations include a tool to make sure you are prepared for your next race and an interview with an 84½ year old triathlete who is still competing in Ironman distance events…Triathlon Race Day Checklist: This is an online tool that you can use to build and print your own custom race checklist. It includes tabs for swim, bike, run, clothing, and miscellaneous and includes a bunch of pre-entered items that you can select to be part of your list as well as fields for you to enter your own items. I use it before every race in which I participate. Note that I have had some difficulty using the save feature, which doesn’t seem to work that well… http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/. Also, be sure to check out the Transitions seminar PowerPoint presentation delivered by the Beauchamps recently for lots of additional race prep/execution tips; it is posted under “Files” on the Gators Facebook Group page.Sister Madonna Buder Interviews: The last two episodes of the Endurance Hour podcast include a two part interview with soon to be 85 year old triathlete Sister Madonna Buder… That’s right, she’s only a “teenager learning to drive” away from 100 and still actively racing in Ironman distance events (I saw her last year at Eagleman 70.3 attempting to qualify for Kona). She’s pretty fascinating to listen to as she tells her story about becoming a triathlete at the age of 52 and also describes her experience at the 2013 Boston Marathon after the bombing… http://www.endurancehour.com/ Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events:OPEN WATER SWIMMING: Saturday, May 2, morning: We will have our first open water swim workout TOMORROW morning at Blue Marsh Lake in Leesport (see separate e-mail and Facebook post coming on Friday morning for details).Quad County Metric Bike Ride: Saturday, May 9, Green Lane, PA: This will replace our weekly Saturday Tri Club workout. There are varying distances (26-76 miles) and difficulty levels. Registration is currently $37.50 and closes next Wednesday, May 6. The event also includes what I hear is a pretty good hot lunch afterwards plus on course support and rest stops (with baked goods). Registration site… http://www.suburbancyclists.org/ (click on “Regional Event Calendar” then “SCU Quad County Metric” for lots of details including FAQs.Gators Training Camp: We’re considering hosting a series of local training events over Memorial Day weekend that could start as early as the evening of Friday, May 22 and conclude on Monday, May 25… Stay tuned for more details coming soon! Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Saturday, 5/2, 8:00am-11:30am: Tri Club with Don M. Will take place at Blue Marsh Lake (Leesport, PA) and include a short open water wetsuit legal J swim (20-30 minutes) due to cool temps followed by a 15-16 mile hilly bike ride (includes about 1,400 feet of elevation gain) followed by a sort of hilly 30 minute run. The swim will begin at 8:30am, but you should plan to arrive at Blue Marsh close to 8am to give you time to don your wetsuit. Note that the park does charge a small cash entry fee upon entering (last year it was $3/vehicle). Go Gators! Don M