| Stay In The Loop | |
Regional Qualifier
MERCRS Championship
Regional Du Championship
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| Spotlight On You | |
Forward Motion Tri Club
MERCRS Participant
Terre Haute, Ind.
Ryan Oilar is the club director for the Forward Motion Triathlon Club, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He competes in all race distances, but is focusing on the Half-Iron and Ironman distance this year. For 2010, you can find him at the Mideast Regional events: Terre Haute, Evergreen, Effingham, and the Regional Championships. His other key races include New Orleans 70.3, Rev3 Quassy, Steelhead 70.3, Rev3 Cedar Point, and Ironman Florida. This year Ryan was selected as a member of Team Trakkers and is sponsored by Saucony, 1st Endurance, Kestrel Bicycles, Rev3 Triathlon, Trakkers GPS, Gray Goat Sports, Rudy Project, Morris Trucking, All3Sports, ProMotion Wetsuits, and TriSwim. In addition to being an athlete, Ryan is also a USAT Level I and USAC Level III coach and is pursuing his Master's Degree in Sport Psychology. Ryan can be followed on his blog: www.ryanoilar.blogspot.com
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Council In Action
Kevin Smeltzer (left), Mideast Regional Council Chair, relaxes post-race with USAT Certified Coach Greg and Lisa Mueller of Innovativeendurance.com. They competed and represented the Mideast Region well at the 2010 Gulf Coast HIM Triathlon in Panama City Beach, FL. |
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USAT Certified Retailer
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| MERCRS Update | Mideast Region Club Racing Series (MERCRS)
Kicked Off May 22nd!
Fifteen Mideast Region Clubs are off and racing for this year's purse. View CURRENT STANDINGS. For more information or to register your club to be a part of this year's race series, click HERE! |
| Duathlon and USA Triathlon's Mideast Region |
Important Changes as We Move Forward
The popularity and competitiveness of duathlon in the Mideast Region and across the country continues to grow. For example, this year's Duathlon Age Group National Championship reached full capacity in record time and boasts one of the strongest fields in multi-sport. Sixty-six athletes from this region were committed to race in the National Championship on April 25, 2010 in Richmond, Virginia. We expect numerous athletes from the region to earn slots on Team USA and represent the region and the USA at the Duathlon World Championships scheduled for September 4 and 5, 2010 in Edinburgh Scotland.
Part of the popularity of duathlon and the success of athletes competing at the National and International level from the region can be traced to the Regional Duathlon Race Series. The Mideast Region and USA Triathlon are committed to continuing to support duathlon at all competitive levels as one component of the multi-sport lifestyle. In order to better support the growth of duathlon going forward, the region has implemented certain changes affecting Duathlon. There will be no Regional Duathlon Series in 2010. In lieu of a series, the region has selected Powerman Muncie to host a Duathlon Regional Championship Race October 2, 2010. Three races will be featured including a sprint or so-called short course event, an international or Olympic distance event, and a long course or so-called Powerman event. All three events will crown regional champions. There will be no qualifying requirement for the Regional Championship races.
In 2011 the Regional Duathlon Series will resume but with a format that meshes better with Duathlon Nationals and other Regional priorities. READ MORE on our website.
-Michael Wendorf
USAT Mideast Council Vice-Chair
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Indiana Representative for the Mideast Council, Lawrence Giannetti. Hammering it out during the Purdue University Grand Prix Duathlon, finishing 2nd in his age group. |
| Collegiate National Championships | |
The 2010 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship held at Buffalo Springs Lake in Lubbock, Texas was an experience not many will forget.
Despite grey skies, bitterly cold temperatures and what seemed like never-ending downpours leading up to the race, almost 1,200 student-athletes from more than 100 schools competed in the National Championship on April 17. Representing the Mideast Region alone, there were approximately 19 teams in attendance, one of the largest showings of any region.
Despite the weather, the weekend started out well with many teams arriving on Thursday night. This was a great night to get settled in and meet some of the other schools in attendance. For example, the Ohio schools organized an all-Ohio team dinner for the evening. With eight schools from Ohio in the conference and about 100 athletes, this tradition was started last year to build a feeling of camaraderie among the conference and to get to know the other schools in the area.
The weekend continued on Friday with many teams picking up their race packets in the morning and heading out to the race course. Amidst the pouring rain and chilly temperatures, many athletes attempted to take a dip in the lake or take a quick jog or spin. After taking the afternoon to dry off and warm up, USA Triathlon hosted a pasta dinner on the Texas Tech campus. With an abundance of team spirit, many schools followed in the tradition of previous years and dressed up in unique costumes and participated in school cheers. Ohio State definitely earned the first place prize for our region by having the whole team show up to the pasta dinner dressed up in 80's style apparel.
After loading up on carbs in preparation for race day, teams headed back to the hotel to prepare for a challenging race the next day. Luckily by race morning, the rain had finally stopped and much of the course flooding had cleared up. Even though the swim had to be shortened due to cold temperatures, the race went well and was a memorable experience for all.
While all the teams in the Mideast Region did well, the University of Illinois took home first place overall with University of Wisconsin-Madison in second place and Michigan State in third. Taking home first place in the Mideast Region for individuals in the female division was Meghan Lapeta from University of Illinois - Chicago and for the males was Steven Rosinki from Ohio State. Click HERE to view results. To conclude the weekend, USA Triathlon hosted an awards ceremony to honor the top teams and individuals overall. Following this awards ceremony, the Mideast Region and Midwest Region, which together form the Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference, hosted their first ever end-of-year awards ceremony to conclude the 2009-2010 racing season. After the awards ceremonies, the night ended with all types of celebrations for all the personal and team victories achieved throughout the weekend. The Mideast Region Collegiate Teams are already looking forward to next year and the continued growth of collegiate racing.
-Morgan Staley, Collegiate Representative |
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| Coaches Corner |
You can't win it in the water. But you can lose it.
I have attended and participated in many triathlons and one of the aspects of the race I have observed, which I think is important, is the lack of preparation or swim warm up prior to the race. There are a few factors which affect when and how you can properly warm up: weather and sufficient time provided by the venue at the water site to warm up. However, the following is provided as a general guideline to tailor for individual race conditions, focusing on the importance of a proper pre-race swim warm-up, which is typically overlooked. Just as you would not participate in a triathlon without running and cycling before the race, the same holds true for the swim. Regardless of your swim ability level, the swim sets the tone for the entire race.
Most triathletes arrive at the race site with little or no time to properly prepare for the race. The first thing most triathletes dowhen they arrive at the race site is get their bike ready or go on a short run to get their body warmed up. However, very little time is spent preparing for the swim. If you follow these 10 basic preparation steps you will have an overall better swim and a better final time. What you want out of the swim is efficiency.
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The night before have all your gear packed.
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Plan to arrive early at the triathlon site (1.5 hours prior to race time)
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Find your place in the transition area and put your gear down.
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Go to the water to survey the course.
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A swim warm up should consist of ½ of the distance you will swim in the race.This swim warm up will accomplish two things.
- If you wear a wet suit DON'T wear it during your warm up.
- If you just wear a swim suit DON'T wear the suit you will be racing in.
- After warm up take off suit and or wet suit and dress in warm clothes.
- Set up your transition area for the race
- Twenty minutes prior to swim put on dry swimsuit or wetsuit; you are now ready to go.
While the swim portion of the triathlon is the most undefined and least important discipline as it pertains to time, it can be the most important aspect of the race. Getting through the swim in the most efficient manner will help you perform your other disciplines at your maximum. A good swim warm up is important as it sets the tone for the race. You can't win the race in the water. But you can lose it.
-Mel Goldstein
US Masters Swimming Coach of the Year 2001 |
| Maintaining Hydration | |
It can be overwhelming with all of the numbers and formulas available to keep you hydrated, especially as the warm months are upon us. This article breaks down maintaining a hydrate state into some simple guidelines to follow.
WUT
Monitoring hydration levels on a daily basis is made easy when using the "WUT" guidelines created by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. WUT stands for weight, urine and thirst. Each of these variables are easy and practical for the triathlete to self-monitor. Weigh in at the start of each day. The rule of thumb to follow here is more than a 1% loss in weight from the day before and you are probably dehydrated. Monitoring your urine is another simple way to determine your state of hydration. Dehydration is indicated if your volume of urine is low, less frequent stops to the bathroom through out the day and darker in color. Finally, thirst. If you are not thirsty you may still be dehydrated. If you are thirsty, then you are dehydrated for sure. Keep WUT as part of your daily log to help monitor your hydration.
Tips to prevent dehydration
I have rounded the recommended amounts of fluid to the nearest small (16 oz) or large (24 oz) bike water bottles since this is what we as triathletes are accustomed. Daily fluid intake should be 4 to 6 small bottles. In addition, you want to take in more fluids when exercising, particular for durations greater than an hour. Start the preparation early with 1 large bottle 2 hours before planning to start and follow this up with a small bottle about 10 to 15 minutes before you head out. Once the workout begins, drink a small to large bottle per hour. This bottle should be consumed in 15 minute increments. I like to set the timer on my watch and drink every time it beeps. If you try to take it all in at once it will be difficult to absorb. When you are done with the workout refresh your self with another small bottle.
Mideast Regional Council Member |
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