FEATURES
Triathletes are the Toughest...
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Saturday, 04 June 2016 00:10
By Melissa Dahl (tday.com - Oct. 25, 2013)
Triathletes can tolerate more pain than the rest of us, a new study confirms, which helps explain why they would swim, then bike, then run, all because they want to and not because they are, perhaps, being chased by a bear.
That’s interesting on its own, but there’s more: Researchers say that understanding how athletes can withstand the pain of a grueling endurance event may eventually lead to potential treatments and therapies for people with chronic pain.
“It’s a very masochistic sport,” said Jenna Parker, who was the top female finisher in the New York City Triathlon in July. She was joking, but only kind of. “I guess to some extent, I always wondered what it is that makes people able to compete at a high level in athletics. Obviously there’s something that’s different that makes us able to push our physical boundaries in a way that other people can’t.” ...
Updates & Stuff...
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Thursday, 02 June 2016 06:10
FAMILY FIRST - Two-time Minnesota Master of the Year, Cheryl Zitur will curtail her 2016 racing season in a few weeks. On June 30, she will donate one of her kidneys to her son, Chris (photo L). You are a total Rockstar, Cheryl!
BUFFALO UPDATE - When we saw last week's entrants list, we got excited. Yesterday, Brad Pickle sent us an updated roster and we got even exciteder. The deep Olympic field, featuring Matt Payne, Wade Cruser, Christina Roberts, Lisa Lendway, Kortney Haag, Sheena Dauer and several others, got much deeper. Recent sign-ups include Sean Cooley, Josh Blankenheim (2015 runner-up), Dani Vsetecka and Kelly Trom.
Online registration has closed, but race day reg. is available (5 - 7 AM). RACE INFO
Swimming Won't Let You Down...
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Thursday, 02 June 2016 00:10
By Emy Everhart (emy-everhart.com)
So far this season I have missed two early-season multi-sport opportunities due to this medial tibial stress syndrome nuisance. I was to be run-bike-running at Falls Duathlon on April 30th, and at the Esprit de She women’s duathlon in Lakeville on May 22nd. But you already know all of that because you’ve been reading every post and are all up-to-date on my multisport life. I didn’t race either of these as I give my leg more time to be healthy for triathlons, but it was still kind of hard to shake that feeling that there was somewhere I was supposed to be when the race days rolled around.
Anyway, although I was super bummed to miss out on these races, it’s clearly not helpful to get sucked-in by thoughts about start and finish lines I wasn’t able to cross. Rather, I’m focusing on the excitement of the rest of the season that is approaching, a season that includes 8 swim-bike-runs that I’m currently registered for, with hopefully at least 2 more September races that are yet-to-be-determined. Generally speaking, I prefer my biking and running to be preceded by a good swim, so allow me to get romantic about swimming for the remainder of this post....
May 2016 - Athletes of the Month
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Wednesday, 01 June 2016 00:10
Can you believe that the first month of the 2016 outdoor multisport season has come and gone? Time flies when you're having fun, right?
So, who were MTN's ATHLETES OF THE MONTH for May? Based on a minimum of TWO outstanding performances, efforts that compare favorably with overall or divisional standards, set during this period, they are:
OVERALL AOMs - DANI VSETECKA, 32, Rochester, and MATTHEW PAYNE, 39, Golden Valley (photo L)
Thus far in 2016, Dani had set an amateur course record at Falls Du, and placed 2nd at Texas 70.3 (4:34:56) and in her debut at Apple against what might turn out to be the deepest women's field of the year in our state. Matt won both of the races (Gear West and Apple) he's done thus far in '16.
(Honorable Mentions - Suzie Fox, 32, Chaska, Diane Hankee, 39, Lino Lakes, and Wade Cruser, 29, Sauk Rapids, Kevin O'Connor, 44, Medina)
"We All Know That Place, Right?"
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Thursday, 26 May 2016 00:10
By Erin Klegstad (sweetsweatlife.com)
Last week, Timehop reminded me what was happening in my life at this time last year: a lot of running. One-hundred and fifty-six miles of running in fact.
Gee, thanks. Just what I wanted to see when my running mileage is currently zero.
Immediately after reading that post, my mind did that automatic thing that everyone’s mind does: it went to that dark and unhealthy place of comparison.
We all know that place, right? The one that tells us we aren’t doing enough as so-and-so, training hard enough, biking enough, running enough, eyebrows perfect enough. The one that tells us we aren’t good enough. It’s not a fun place to be, inside your head like that, second guessing every little decision. Maybe I if I only did this. Or, maybe if I only did that. Maybe if I had better eyebrow genes! Damn you, mom and dad! (I’m kidding, mom and dad!)
When you stay in your head like that, comparing your journey to someone else’s journey – or even sometimes to your own journey from another point in time – you know what? Your journey suddenly loses its luster and sucks. Because her journey looks so much better! She always makes it look effortless and perfect… pushes so many watts… runs so many miles a week… look at her Strava data! ...
