TeamMPI logo
Team Newsletter September 3, 2013

Quick Links
Long Course Camp
Team MPI Racing
Portofino Sunset Tri
Team MPI Photos
Join Team MPI
Team MPI Store
Team MPI Sponsors
Coaching Programs
About Team MPI
Upcoming Events
September 12 - ITU Paratriathlon Word Championship, London England

September 20-22 - IMFL Long Course Camp, Panama City

Join Us!
NewWhite

Gain access to select members-only benefits as a non-coached athlete including information and resources and discounts on merchandise, swim video analysis, and bike fitting. Join us!

 
Coach's Corner 

    

We are vulnerable on the bike 

 

null Yesterday I was very happy to read professional triathlete Jordan "Rappstar' Rapp's blog about being hit by a car (again). The photo at right is from that piece. I say happy because it was him writing the piece and not someone on his behalf. If you don't know, Rappstar was involved in a much more serious hit-and-run in 2010, in which he was almost killed, and this article is a very insightful and honest piece on both how hard it was to get back on bike, and how quickly the steps he took in protecting himself can mean nothing.

In particular his blog caught my attention because I'd had a close call earlier in the day. I'd been riding alone on rural roads, which is something I try not to do. I do ride alone often, but typically stick to the bike lane on local highways, and generally well-trafficked areas.

Yesterday's ride was at an easy pace off the highway, and I hit one "climb" (used loosely) and decided to sprint it, so it's about 4-5 minutes of hard work. About ¾ of the way through, as my heart was pounding between my ears, and I was gasping for breath, I heard a honk and immediately had a dually with a trailer blow by me with about 20 inches to spare. The driver was clearly not a cycling fan. The way he passed me was completely unnecessary and terrifying, and left me with a feeling of helplessness as I had no control over the situation. In this particular situation, I'm not sure there was anything I could do to make the driver less angry. I was visible, there was no oncoming traffic, there was plenty of lane space, and honestly, I was probably traveling at the speed limit. I guess some people just don't like bikes on the road, which is another important thing to remember when you are out riding. If I had been hit, or knocked off the road, nobody would have known where I was, and I am not sure that driver would have stopped. For me, this was another reminder of how vulnerable we are out there, and my take away is that I'll now ensure others know my route. I'd encourage you to do the same. When you head out on the bike, please carry or wear identification and let someone know where you are riding and when you expect to return.

~ Coach Allen
Team MPI IMFL Long Course Camp
September 20-22, Panama City, Florida

LCMDlogo
You're investing so much in your training, so don't leave race day to chance.  
Join us for the IMFL Long Course Camp and get the most out of your race day! 

 

Are you racing IM Florida or another fall iron-distance event? Then this camp is for you!

 

Team MPI is hosting a triathlon camp aimed at preparing athletes for Ironman Florida on November 2nd, 2013.  The focus of the camp will be to ready  athletes for the swim, bike and run on the actual course in Panama City Beach, FL. The camp takes place on Friday, September 20th - Sunday, September 22nd at the beautiful Host Hotel and Condominiums, The Boardwalk Beach Resort.  This is where Ironman Florida will have all it's events including Expo, Welcome Dinner, Transition, Finish Line and Awards Ceremony!

 

 

Team MPI Racing

 

Over the Finish Line:
 
Hy-Vee 5150 Championships, September 1, Des Moines Iowa
Earl Barnes - Gold!

Du It at Danny's If U Dare, August 31, Perkinston MS 
Kevin Verrett - 4th Overall 

 
Headed to the Starting Line:
 
70.3 World Championship, September 8, Henderson, NV
Earl Barnes
 
Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon, September 7, Gulf Shores, AL 
Scott Boulton
Amy Hunt
Jennifer Magli
Michelle Smith
Patti Sonnen
 
Nash Vegas Half (Riverbluff Triathlon), September 7, Nashville, TN 
Crystal Hlywa
 
White Lake International, September 7, White Lake, NC 
Ed McDermott
 
2013 Portofino Sunset Tri Series Wraps!
This final race concluded the third season of the Portofino Sunset Tris, and what an exciting one it was! A mere three seconds separated the top two teams of Team Subaru (Doug Jones, Logan Roberts, Bill Striepeck) and Club Sailfish (Victoria Bindi, Alex Hernandez, Jett Crowdis). A total of 26 teams participated; full results are available online.

We would like to say thank you to all of the athletes, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters who made this race series possible. Thank you also to Alex Bell and Dustin Yonke for faithful service and for ensuring that race day was smooth and safe for all involved. We'd also like to recognize presenting sponsor Infinity Bicycles, Subway, the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, Rudy Project, Envie Boutique, and Portofino Island Resort.

We look forward to seeing you all at the 2014 Portofino Sunset Tri Series!

~ Race Director, John Murray
null

We could not do this without our volunteers!
null

We are grateful to our Presenting Sponsor, Infinity Bicycles.
www.infinity-bicycles.com



    And to Portonfino Island Resort for hosting the series.  www.portofinoisland.com
null    
(Tina Mitterbach Schmitz)

Scenes from Race #9 

null
A good time was had by all! 

null
Coach Dustin gets athletes checked in.

null
We have the best volunteers including Joc Stalnaker, Ashley Noble, and Brad Noble.

null
Family and supporters of Angela Huntsinger in her Angry Birds helmet with birthday girl tiara!

null
Team "Get Chicked" was Kristin Langson, Jules Kariher, and Melissa Hagy

null
A smooth wristband handoff from swimmer to cyclist.

null
Team Choctaw was in the lead after the bike with Danny Vu (photo from Cynthia Hernandez)

null
Andrew Rothfeder heads out on the bike for team "Kenny Powers Fan Club"

null  Alex Hernandez sprints out on the bike course for Club Sailfish (photo from Cynthia Hernandez)

null
The crowd at the finish line encouraged runners like Logan Roberts of Team Subaru who won the race. Nick White of Team Choctaw is in hot pursuit.

null
Rodney Daniels takes the hand of his daughter Angela Huntsinger as he runs with his grandson, Hayden.   Team "Are We There Yet" crossed the finish line and with that, the final race was a wrap.  
Team MPI Race Report 

Earl Barnes - Hi-Vee 5150 Championships
Des Moines, Iowa, September 1

null

Woke up early to thunderstorms all around the area. Went through the usual morning routine, but had to hit a QuickTrip to get breakfast. Ate a power bar, and a small cup of coffee then sipped on water the rest of the morning. Got set up in plenty of time then had a half mile walk around the lake to the swim start. 

They let us get in so I swam out to the first turn buoy and back. The sighting was going to be easy as they had green buoys at the turns. Felt ok in the water, not great, as I wasn't feeling the water very well. Seems I had slippery hands today but everything was loose. Did a few accelerations with a few stroke cycles in between and it was just ok. Got out and stretched then I did something I never do: I sat and waited. 

Don't be mad, but hear me out. Everything was a little too loose if you know what I mean. Hard to explain, but it was as if I couldn't get my shoulders to fire hard enough to really get after it so I thought I would just relax and leave them alone. Worked out great as I ended up talking to an old guy for several minutes to kill the time. 

We lined up and when it was time for the PC athletes we entered the water. All of us. Me. I was it. Then this old guy wanders down in an old school brief and it was the same guy I was talking to earlier. Turns out he was the 77 year old former governor of South Dakota exercising his "Governor Privilege" by starting with me! He was very cool and it made me feel less lonely! I was ok swimming by myself mind you, no one to chase or swim away from, so it was neat saying I swam with someone famous-ish. Moving on.

Started out strong but kept it under control till the first buoy and made the turn about 300 yards out. Caught two Elite Women at that point and had open water a head. Kept my rhythm by breathing three a side. Swam fairly straight as the buoys didn't get lost in the background so that was nice. The final long straightaway towards the finish I started to tire, so I changed up my breathing to every two for a while to get caught up and still maintain a solid pace. Got a little choppy the last 500 yards or so and I caught some more women. However, the little 18 year olds were coming up and I think two passed me. Did the exit pretty well as my wife was right there with the bucket and she had me out of the water around 24:30 give or take. I wasn't dizzy getting out and heart rate was under control so after I got my leg on I was able to run the whole way to the T1 area.

Cristal helped me get the jersey on as I left my speed suit at home for some reason, then I was off to bike. The mount line was a long ways from the bike exit so I was starting to think I went down the wrong blue chute with blue carpeting. After about 200 yards we were allowed to mount and I took off. Solid effort throughout, the wind kicked up from the west and several of the roads were in pretty bad shape so that slowed things down a bit, but overall I knew there was still a run to come so I wasn't going to hammer to try and keep up the pace. 

Good T2 and after about five minutes on the run I felt loose and was holding about an 8 min pace for the first couple miles. Made the turn into the wind and it dropped about 30-45 seconds per minute. I decided to maintain the same effort as opposed to staring at my watch the whole time and walked through the water stops. Stopped completely at one but that was just because I wanted to adjust my shoe. It wasn't that long and I was up and going again. Got excited at the 5 mile mark when we ran by the transition area and there was a boat load of people forming a gauntlet. Got through it and saw I was cruising at 7:07 a mile. Briefly I thought about holding it and mashing the finish, but bigger things were on the horizon.  Last thing I needed was a rolled ankle trying to pass a 30 year old at the finish line. Slowed down and still passed a bunch of people who were hurting from the humidity-which wasn't bad at all- about 200 yards from the finish. Silly Colorado-ans. 

Crossed the line had some water and some fruit while stretching and felt really good overall. Wasn't tired or sore outside the ball of my foot, which is concerning as this was the shoe I was going to wear to Vegas. Will think about it this week. The ball is sore and it started hurting about mile 4 and it was a burning sensation that was tolerable but uncomfortable. 

So that was about it. Got the gold medal and headed for home. Stretched pretty well the legs, but this morning my shoulders were awfully tight. Massage helped, but I'm going to roll tonight and as much as I can at work tomorrow. 

Still I feel good and I can't shake the feeling that Vegas is going to be good! Thanks for all your expertise and experience you provide. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year and hope to make you proud this weekend!
  
 
null
Team MPI Athlete Spotlight 

Nan DeStafney

 

null  

 

My name is Nan DeStafney I am retired from the US Navy after 37 years for service. My husband and I own Blues Angel Music in Pensacola, Florida. I've been an athlete all my life settling into competitive swimming as a teenager. I've continued into Master's swimming for the past 30 years but after age 50, my times started to slow down. You might think this doesn't matter to an aging athlete but I can tell you that many senior athletes quit because of the indisputable evidence that one is slowing down. Instead of quitting, I decided to try Tri. Triathlon is a long way from sprinting in clear concrete pools with exact water temps and wave canceling lane lines.   My first Triathlon was the Santa Rosa Sprint Triathlon almost a year ago and I loved it. Every race is different and that is a new challenge that I have grown to appreciate. Another bonus is that my son and I are racing together. My grandchildren have come to races and cheered me on. Everyone gets a kick out of hearing, "go Grandma!"

 

I'm not very good at it....yet. I found Team MPI and thought it might be a way to get expert coaching. I'm having great fun watching my times get faster. It's like being a young athlete all over again.


null

 

Team MPI Photos 

null
Start of the Du it at Danny's Du where Kevin Verrett finished 4th overall.

null
Coach John discussing water entry with athletes at an
Ironman Florida training camp in Panama City Beach.
The Team MPI Long Course (IM FL) camp is coming up September 20-22!

null

Swimmers were treated to nearly ideal conditions at Quietwater Beach last Thursday morning. The swimmers have shown great improvements over the few months
that we have done this weekly swim.

Swimmers included: Jim Britnell, Mikaela Sheldt, Irina Dmitrieva, John Murray, Dustin Caulfeild-James Yonke, Gabriela Gasque-Tomsich, Jeff Michaud, Chris Rawson, Linda Fogel, Matthew Salvator, Dom-Keena Risola and Doug Jones.
Send us your training and racing photos!
Email to coaches@teammpi.com or post to

Like us on Facebook 
Join Team MPI  

   

Athletes who are not currently in a Team MPI coaching program but would like affiliation with the team can join Team MPI to gain access to select members-only benefits.

Why become a member of this great Team? 
  • Receive a welcome package that includes: 
  • Get access to Team MPI "members only" website (training resources and information)  
  • Get access to the Team MPI forum
  • 15% discount at Team MPI store (Champion System apparel not included)
  • 15% discount on Team MPI services (bike fit and swim video analysis) 
  •  Eligible for giveaways of products from Team MPI and sponsors throughout the year 

The membership cost is $40 annually and quickly pays for itself. The welcome package is valued at $24 and the 15% product and services discount translates to a $30 savings on a bike fit; $22.50 savings on swim video analysis; and $6.00 - $7.50 off Energy Lab supplements. See the Team MPI store and Services pages for more information.   

 

If you are not already a part of Team MPI, come and join us!  

 

 

Coached Athletes are automatically enrolled in Team MPI and receive a 20% discount on services (bike fit and swim video analysis) and products in the Team MPI store.  

 

Team MPI Store   

  
Time for some mid-season gear replacement? Need apparel, racing kits, water bottles, visors, fuel, socks, swim caps, discount codes, or gift certificates? We've got it at the Team MPI store. Team MPI members (join here) receive 15% off of list price for most merchandise!

     

Team MPI Store   

 

Team MPI Sponsors

Are you at that time in your life that you need a little help seeing that bike computer? Your Smartphone? Your Garmin? Your dashboard in your car?  The XX2i Polarized Sport Reader will help you see again - FOR ONLY $50! Visit  www.XX2i.com, choose your magnification, type in XX2iREADEREVENT at checkout for the discount, and SEE AGAIN!  

 

 

Team MPI Coaching Programs  
 

Our Coaching Philosophy starts with "Team MPI". Team MPI is the idea that both coach and athlete work as a team - together. As a team, we focus on frequency, consistency and knowing one's body. Each Team MPI athlete is treated individually.

 

Learn about each program and let MPI Coaches help you choose the one that's right for you.   

 

MPI Performance Coaching Plans 

Performance Plan

Premium Performance Plan 

 

MPI Performance Packages

5 or 10-Session Packages

Personal Performance Package

 

MPI Performance Training Plans

Sprint Distance

Half Ironman Distance

Full Ironman Distance  

 

MPI Customized Performance Training Plans

 Athlete-Specific Customized Plans

 

Paratriathlon Training    

 Performance and Power Cycling Class

 Multi-day Camps

  

  

MarkBustJohnBustCoachPeterHarsch
Coaches Mark Sortino, John Murray, and Peter Harsch

 
Coaches Allen Stanfield and Dustin Yonke 

  

About Team MPI

Established in 2010, Team MPI provides a diverse spectrum of services uniquely structured for both novice and experienced multisport athletes. Team MPI offers 2 levels of multisport coaching plans, the MPI Performance Package program, MPI Performance Plans, MPI Customized Performance Plans, Single Day, Multi Day, and Long Course training camps and clinics, and Paratriathlon training in conjunction with the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and Team Semper Fi. Team MPI also provides specialty services in swim video analysis, F.I.S.T. certified bike fitting and individualized multisport coaching. Team MPI produces the popular and successful Portofino Sunset Tri Series and directs the Jubilee Kid's Triathlon. They also founded the Sea Turtle Tri and Maritime DeLuna Du.
Join the Team!

Multisport Performance Institute (MPI)
850.564.8745

 Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter    View our videos on YouTube