Ironman AZ and Lance?

Had a nice relaxing weekend. Woke up early Saturday for my run. I've decided to sign up for the Austin Marathon in Feb. It's a race I've always wanted to do, but haven't been able to for a number of reasons. Either I have a work related event the same weekend or it conflicts with another event I'm training for. Well, it's on this Valentine's Day. Bring it.

Sunday was Ironman Arizona. Our girl Sam McGlone won the event and set a new bike split record and course record for the day (beating former record holder and fellow ISM rider, Michellie Jones). Sam is a former World Champion at the 70.3 distance and finished 5th in Kona. Well done Sam. Eric Bean finished 6th in the men's event and Josef Major, Hektor Llanos, and Raynard Tissink also raced......all using the Adamo Racing saddle.

Meanwhile back in the ATX, Melissa and I drove out to Juan Pelota Ranch (Armstrong's ranch just outside of town). He was hosting a mountain bike event that sold out in a matter of hours. He brought in a number of atb stars as well as many industry leaders. Lance would eventually flat out of the race. No follow vehicles in mountain biking. While there I was approached by a Dutch Television crew for an interview on what Lance means to me as an American. Good thing I had my ISM jacket on! It was interesting as it seemed they were looking for someone to say something negative about the guy. Haters everywhere I suppose.

Also in the mix was triathlete star Chris Lieto. Chris is a fellow Trek athlete and came in for the event. Lieto finished 2nd in Kona this year after leading the bike and most of the run. He's a stud.

Clearwater 70.3 World Champs 2009

Eric Limkemann all tatted out and ready to rock.
Michellie Jones in the finisher's chute for 6th!

Pablo chowing down some calories before the run.

Is MJ at a catalog shoot or racing? All matched up.

Olympian Laura Bennett on her way to 5th!

Sarah Groff pulls out 7th for the day!

MJ and Pablo getting the ISM VIP treatment at the airport.

ISM had several pros competing in Clearwater for 70.3 World's this year. It's a long season and many other pros opted not to compete in the event. Even two previous World Champs and ISM athletes (Sam McGlone and Andy Potts). Steve and Laura were thrilled Michellie Jones and boyfriend Pablo were home staying with them. I hear they even swam and rode together while leading up to the big event. Maybe some of that talent will rub off on them?

Steve took some great shots while the event was going on. It was a beautiful day in FL for racing and ISM pulled out a 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th in the Pro Overall Division. We are thrilled for our athletes and all those competing this year.

I also just received word from fellow ISM pro, Laurel Wassner on her work with the Livestrong Campaign. Check it out and read about her amazing story:

Just wanted to let you know that latest Nike/Livestrong campaign has hit the internet and will be running in several magazines hitting the 'stands soon. It was fun for me (and my bike!) to be on the other side of the camera and take part in sending such an inspirational message. My sister Bec and I are very excited to be representing Team Livestrong in our 2010 triathlon season.

The campaign was created by Wieden + Kennedy and photographed by Kevin Lynch. I think they did an amazing job.

Check out the ad and the collection online at http://www.nike.com/ and www.nike.com/livestrong.

Michellie Jones' 70.3 World's RR

Ironman 70.3 World ChampionshipsThe DNF Monkey is off my back!

In a perfect world my plan was to have a great race in Hawaii and finish the season. Knowing that a null racing can throw many obstacles in your path I had a back up plan to race 4 weeks later the null 70.3 world Championships if things did not unfold they way I had planned. So after a null at Mile 8 on the run and after a few days of R&R I decided to see how the body was recovering.I decided to race the week after null at the local edition of the Women's Triathlon in San Diego. Along with 1200 other women I sprinted away all of my disappointment demons my null the week before. Plus it was also lots of fun going from racing null to a flat out sprint.I knew I would need a lot more speed going in to the 70.3 Worlds as I had done plenty of distance so that was training focus. Race day could not have been more than perfect a little wind and the temperature ideal. Especially considering the area was hit with the aftermath of a down graded hurricane.At 6.45am all my nerves disappeared as the cannon was fired. I exited the swim in the second pack and quickly got into my rhythm on the bike. Usually the Pro Men lead the way but the organizers decided to change it up and have us go first which did play a little havoc on us during the bike when the eventually caught us. Once the train of male Pro's passed me it was back to grinding out the gears.My legs were feeling pretty good as I exited the transition in the top 10 along two other athlete's Magali and Laura. I was not quite as speedie as these two girls over the first Mile but with some patience I caught and passed Magali. At Mile 5 I was back up to Laura but so was Magali. Once again they kicked in a little more speed and bridged me once again on the run. Within a few miles I was up to 6th position and saw Laura being to fade. But she did not fade quite enough for me to make up a top 5 position. No complaints here for a 6th place at a World Championships. A really nice way to end the season especially after Hawaii. The Monkey is gone!

Results
1 3:59:33 103 Dibens, Julie Boulder CO GBR
2 4:03:49 4:16 101 Ellis, Mary Beth Boulder CO USA
3 4:05:27 5:54 118 Tisseyre, Magali St-Sauveur QC CAN
4 4:05:33 6:01 124 Steffen, Caroline Cham CHE
5 4:07:39 8:07 149 Bennett, Laura North Palm Beac FL USA ISM ATHLETE
6 4:08:17 8:44 136 Jones, Michellie Carlsbad CA AUS ISM ATHLETE
7 4:09:34 10:01 119 Groff, Sarah Colorado Spring CO USA ISM ATHLETE
8 4:13:16 13:43 109 Stevens, Amanda Colorado Spring CO USA
9 4:15:04 15:31 127 Thuerig, Karin Retschwil CHE
10 4:17:57 18:25 143 Gianinni, Vanessa Campinas BRA

Pro Kirk Nelson checks in

Hi everyone,
After a failed attempt (they wouldn't take my $550, can you believe it???) to race a late season full IM (my first since 2006), my 2009 triathlon racing season is officially over!

2009 started out very dismal for me as my marriage fell apart at the seams, which made triathlon training and racing a complete after-thought for the first 7 months of the year.
For me, this year was very painful, sorrowful, humbling, and yet a season of very positive spiritual and emotional growth in my life.

During the first 6 months I was doing all I could to fix and patch-up my marriage, and was greatly humbled by the suffering and growing that occurred within me during this period. Throughout the last 4 months I have been adjusting to a new life and have continued to grow with the new challenges I face as a single guy pursuing my dream of triathlon excellence.

I was extremely blessed (and just in time!) earlier this year as my coaching business grew in several ways:
1. increased clientele from 6 to 14 athletes
2. Hired Associate coach, Eric Dorsch
3. Put on two Triathlon camps, two transition clinics, and one open-water swim clinic

Racing-wise, the year started out very humbling: 20th at Wildflower when I had been 10th in 2008, 12th at Kansas 70.3 when I had been 5th in 2008.

I was not upset with the results as it was everything I could do with everything else going on at the time.

Beginning in July, things began to improve: 9th at Boulder Peak including a great 10k run off the bike and a win at the Castaic Lake Sprint Triathlon in CA.

Training was now more consistent, and following a great training block in CA, I managed my best finish to date in a major IM 70.3 race -- 4th Overall, just missing the podium by 15 seconds!! To read more, check my blog post:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/08/calgary-703-result.html
and
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/08/covering-71509-80509-incudes-calgary.html

Following Calgary, I raced Lake Stevens 70.3 and unfortunately had to pull out during the run due to a major nutritional mistake that led to severe dehydration.

In September I headed North across the border again to race Muskoka IM 70.3. Another great run and overall finish of 7th place. Read my blog post here:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/09/bike-crash-and-muskoka-703-7th-place.html

The week following Muskoka I jumped in a local sprint race, Oktoberfest Sprint Triathlon, put on by my good friends (including my swim coach Lance Panigutti) of Without Limits Productions. I had a great race and set a new course record of 55:14 to take the win, with Eric coming in second, and Steve Richard (a TriKirk Coaching athlete) coming in 4th overall.
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/10/92009-oktoberfest-fun.html

In early October, Eric and I headed out to California to put on a series of triathlon clinics, race the Magic Mountain Man Half Iron Triathlon (M3 Triathlon) and get in my last training stint prior to Longhorn IM 70.3. I earned a win on a brutally hard M3, that featured 6,000 feet of climbing on the bike and 5 "no aerobar descent" sections due to insanely rough roads.
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/10/magic-mountain-man-1010.html

The season finished MUCH better than it began. After leaving CA on October 21, I drove to Austin, TX for my last race of the year, Longhorn IM 70.3, where I set a new 70.3 PR of 3:53:23, and earned 7th place in an ultra-competitive men's field. I could not have been more thrilled with this finish as it was the result of some very hard work and training I put in during the latter part of the season:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/11/longhorn-703-new-pr-and-born-to-run-on.html

Sponsors: Thank you so much for your dedicated support and for getting through the season with me. I appreciate everything you each have done to help me pursue my dream of becoming one of the top long course racers in the sport. With your continued help, I am very hopeful about my future to become one!

Ending 2009 on the highest of notes, I am excited about my potential to climb my way onto the podium of one or more major races in 2010. I have a very solid level of fitness in all three disciplines that I am motivated to grow on during the upcoming off-season. I am committed to working very hard on my swim and making it a priority to get within striking range of the lead pack of swimmers by 2010. My cycling power and running fitness is at an all-time high that will only continue to improve now that I have found my training rhythm and consistent training groups to challenge and better myself.

Tentative 2010 Race Schedule:

California 70.3 -- March
IM St. George (as in the full thing.....) -- May
Rev 3 Tri Quassy Half Rev Tri -- June
Buffalo Springs 70.3 -- June
Rhode Island 70.3 -- July
Calgary 70.3 -- August
Lake Stevens 70.3 -- August
Muskoka 70.3 -- September
October/November: IM or IM 70.3 World Championships (or both?), TBA

Thanks to friends and family for being there when I needed you most!

I wish everyone a great off-season look forward to being there with you again in 2010!

Running for HIM,

Kirk Nelson
Professional Triathlete
kirk@trikirk.com
www.trikirk.com

A Review from Bike Diva

ISM Triathlon Specific Racing Saddle

I recently purchased my first triathlon bike, a Cervelo P2C. You can read all about my experience in getting fit/setup for the new bike in a previous post to the Bike Diva blog: Bike Diva's Getting a Triathlon Bike. Although the seat that came with the bike, A Fizik Arione Tri 2, is a very highly rated, triathlon specific saddle, it just didn't work for me.

Here's a picture of the seat that came with my tri bike. It's a Arione Tri 2 by Fizik.
I was having a lot of problems with being pinched in my lady parts, and was experiencing quite a bit of discomfort, even on my shorter rides. I did quite a bit of research on triathlon specific seats, and decided that I wanted to try the ISM Adamo racing saddle.
Using the ISM Adamo Saddle
The ISM Adamo saddle looks a bit strange at first glance. It looks like the front inch or two of the saddle has been chopped off, then split down the middle. But it's wider width, compared to a traditional, pointy nose saddle, makes a perfect platform for your front sit bones. So now, instead of being supported on your soft private parts, you are being supported on the front of your pelvic bone.

ISM racing saddle in red. Some of my friends think it looks like the cross section of a salmon fillet.
I purchased my tri bike from Racer's Edge, in Boca Raton. They are an authorized ISM saddle dealer, so I took my bike to them so they could put the seat on for me. I could have put the seat on myself, but the ISM Adamo racing saddle geometry is a bit different from a typical bike seat, so I wanted to make sure I had it setup correctly. I was getting ready to race in my first 1/2 Ironman duathlon at Miami Man on November 8, so I wanted to have my bike perfectly setup.

ISM racing saddle on the Bike Diva's Cervelo P2C triathlon bike.
After my first ride on the new saddle I was in heaven. No more pinching or squashing of the tender lady bits. Most of the reviews of the ISM Adamo racing saddle were written by men, but this saddle is perfect for women triathletes too. I did have a problem with elbow and forearm pain after putting the new saddle on, so I went in for a bike fit readjustment the next day. Again, Miami Man was coming up so I wanted everything dialed in perfectly.
The saddle is working great. I competed in Miami Man on November 8th, and came in 3rd place Female Masters in the 1/2 Ironman duathlon. Not too bad considering it was a horribly windy day - winds averaged 18-21 MPH, with gusts up to 30 MPH, for the entire 56 mile bike portion of the race. My butt and lady parts were happy the entire time on the bike.

Side view of ISM Adamo racing saddle.
About ISM Saddles
ISM stands for Ideal Seat Modification. I visited their website to find out more information on their saddles. They offer a variety of saddle designs, including the racing saddle, road saddle, and touring saddle. I decided that since most of my duathlon races are sprint distance, that I wanted to try out the ISM racing saddle. The saddle is also available in a road saddle, which has a bit more padding. The racing saddle is designed for triathletes and time trialers that like to ride in an aggressive forward position.
The ISM Adamo racing saddle retails for $199.95, and is available in black, gray, white, red and blue. I went with the red model, which has gray accents, to match my red and gray Cervelo P2C frame.
Tampa Bay Recreation LLC
PO Box 271531
Tampa, FL 33688
Website: www.ismseat.com

Another view of the ISM Adamo racing saddle.
Bike Diva's Final Words
Since the ISM Adamo racing saddle is radically different from a traditional triathlon seat, I highly suggest testing one out before plunking down the money to buy one. Most bike stores in my area let you test out the bike seats they sell before buying one. You may have to give them a credit card number, or a cash deposit to test out the seats, but the cash deposit is refunded once you bring the seat back, or credited towards the purchase of a new seat. Check your local bike store to find out if they are a ISM Adamo saddle dealer.
Although the ISM Adamo saddles are also available for road bike racers and century bike riders, I wouldn't suggest this saddle geometry for road biking. Your position on a road bike is much further back on the saddle compared to the forward position of a triathlete. I think the ISM Adamo racing saddle is the perfect bike seat for anyone doing time trials, triathlons or duathlons.

Lynn (Bike Diva)
http://www.bikediva.net/2009/11/ism-triathlon-specific-racing-saddle.html

Pro Eric Limkemann checks in

Ironman 70.3 World Championships Preview

This weekend I will be racing in Clearwater, Florida in my first World Championship race as a professional. After 8 months of racing, this will be my last race of 2009 and hopefully I have saved the best for last! I will be one of 85 pro men who have qualified for the race through various events throughout the world. Given that this will be only my third race at the 70.3 distance, I’m still not sure what to expect, but my goal is to break the 4 hour mark and put together a complete race. Based on the past results of this race, it will be the most competitive race that I have ever attended and I am looking forward to the challenge!
In preparation for the race, I’ve had a lot of help from some great people and companies. Without your support throughout the season, I would not have been able to get to this point. From Trizilla and CSE Corporation helping me get started racing professionally to my current support from Great Clips Salons and friends in the Dayton community, I have been tremendously lucky in building strong relationships. Thank You! As for the race itself…
In the water, I’ve had the privilege to train with and work for the Dayton Raiders over the past two months. As a result of their willingness to accommodate my schedule and provide me with structured training, I am finally getting back to the swim form I had when I was winning big swim primes back 2007. My goal for this race is to mix it up at the front of the pack and come out near or at the front. As always, I’ll be wearing BlueSeventy to maximize my advantage. On a good day, I’d like to be south of 23 minutes coming into T1. If I am in a good position heading into shore, I may push a bit to get out first…
Once on the bike, I will be riding a new HED Jet Disk and Hawk Racing bottom bracket on the Veritas. These upgrades, along with my trusty ISM Saddle and awesome training help from Bob at Bob Duncan Racing should help me in breaking this seasons’ biking slump and maintaining my strong position on the swim. I have put in a tremendous amount of work over the past two months on improving my bike and I believe a 2:10 split is well within my reach if the conditions are right. Regardless of the split, you can look forward to even stronger cycling next season!
Ever since I started racing Triathlon, I’ve been working on not “running like a swimmer”. While I’m still trying to find my 10k speed, I have seen the hard work pay off at the 70.3 distance. I have connected with Newton Running and improved my technique while putting in endless miles under Corey Baxter’s careful guidance. I have been pacing very consistently over the past month and would like to finish the race with a 1:15 split. My goal is to be able to finish the race strong and be prepared to sprint to the line if needed!
Throughout the race, I’ll be wearing a Kiwami Amphibian singlet which s my suit of choice for every race this year. The lightness and comfort of the suit should help in the hot Florida weather. I’ve also recently begun using First Endurance nutrition products and will be using Pre-Race and the EFS Shot during the race to stay fueled and ready to go. I’ve been using Ultragen to recover from my key workouts and it has helped me to feel sharp and fresh day in and day out. I’m now tapered and ready to go!

If you are interested in following the race, check out the official website:
http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3

I believe an Athlete Tracker will be available and there may be other places on the web where you can follow along. I’ll send out an update after the race. Wish me luck!

Eric Limkemann

http://www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com/
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann