Triathlon Team

Duathlon Worlds 2009 - can OrganicAthlete stack the deck?

BradleySaul — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:58:30 -0800

USAT today announced 3 qualifying events for the Short Duathlon worlds in Concord, NC:
http://usatriathlon.org/news/article/7800

-Desert Classic Duathlon in February in AZ
-Duathlon Nationals in April in VA
-Apple Duathlon in May in MN

Can we get 5 OrganicAthlete members to get to worlds in September? I'll be there. Will you?

Triathlon Team

What are your multisport events for 2009?

BradleySaul — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:10:31 -0800

I'd love to meet up with other OrganicAthlete members at events in 2009. What events are you planning on training for?

I'm currently planning on:

Desert Classic Duathlon - AZ - February
Orange County Duathlon - CA - March
Wildflower Triathlon - CA - April (we'll probably have a booth there
Auburn Duathlon - CA - May
Duathlon Worlds - NC - September

Triathlon Team

New multisport store in Santa Rosa!

BradleySaul — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:21:32 -0700

Charity and I stopped by to see Kevin and Mariko at Echelon Multisport yesterday. It's great to see we have a multisport shop in the area now. Give them a visit.

Triathlon Team

Is anyone watching Kona today?

BradleySaul — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:54:25 -0700

I'll be especially interested to see if Chrisse Wellington can go two in a row.

Triathlon Team

August Splash N' Dash

BenjaminPalmer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:23:30 -0700

Last Tuesday was the monthly Splash N' Dash (750m swim + 3K run) and as usual I was a little late out the door.

Getting to quarry lake a few minutes before gun time didn't allow me any time to warm up in the water at all, although I was in such a rush that I might of warmed up the water...if you catch my drift....anyway felt sorta sluggish in the swim and felt like I was going practice pace (although my sighting is better now) Was 20th out of the water but jumped into my running shoes and picked up a good clip. I was a little tight from cross country practice that morning but ended up placing 6th in the run and 8th overall.

Afterwards went to my car and pulled out a small melon that I forgot the name of from the farmers market but the skin was really thin and I ate the whole thing skin and all (!)

I've got my olympic tri on Labor Day and I'm hoping my legs are fresh for it even though I've got a 5k cross country meet two days before.

Triathlon Team

Upcoming Race Schedule

BradleySaul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:18:25 -0700

September, October, and November are game on. This season has been rough with multiple injuries, plenty of work, and getting my running legs back. Through May, I had good form on the bike. Then I cracked a rib and couldn't do anything till mid-July. Then the Tour d'Organics hit like a freight train.

I've got my sights set on the Fall duathlon races in Northern California: Granite Bay, Santa Barbara, and Knight's Ferry. This will be good practice for next year's preparation for Duathlon Worlds. Oh, and I'm doing a Half Marathon on October 25th with our local chapter's training group.

I'm also doing my first triathlon on November 9th. I went swimming yesterday, and I didn't drown!

What races are you doing this Fall?

Triathlon Team

Salmon Duathlon

BradleySaul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:00:05 -0700

Start: 11/01/2008 - 08:00

End: 11/01/2008 - 10:00

Triathlon Team

Santa Barbara Duathlon

BradleySaul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:57:39 -0700

Start: 10/12/2008 - 08:00

End: 10/12/2008 - 10:00

Triathlon Team

Granite Bay Duathlon

BradleySaul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:54:42 -0700

Start: 09/28/2008 - 08:00

End: 09/28/2008 - 10:00

Triathlon Team

Austin Triathletes Open Water Swim

BenjaminPalmer — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:01:33 -0700

After a discussion with local pro/coach Jamie Cleavland I am closing off my inaguaral tri season with an olympic tri in two weeks and forgoing the 1/2 Ironman in October to focus on collegiate cross country instead. (Being my senior year this will be my last opportunity to be on a college team and have a true XC experience, since I only ran the last race last year)

In tri's swimming is my weakest sport by far so I've been trying to improve a bit.

Last weekend I worked with a local pro/elite racer Brandon Marsh at an open water swim clinic and he showed me a couple things to work on, mainly...SIGHTING. Previously I had done pretty much no sighting and would get in open water and basically stop and look around whenever I felt it was time. This past week I've been working on getting sighting into my usual 123breathleft/123breathright stroke so that its more like 123breathleft/123breakrightSIGHT

Yesterday I raced a 1.2 Mile open water swim to test out my new stroke in a race situation. The race was totally not wetsuit legal so luckily I was able to 1. show off my "go vegan!" tri bottoms 2. not be disadvantaged because I totally DON'T have a wetsuit.

It was a deep water start and the field wasn't that big so it wasn't nearly as hectic as usual so the group was able to space out after a few minutes. I def. could of pushed myself harder but I was more concerned about practicing my sighting and ended up finishing in the top half of the field, which is alot farther back than I would normally like, but for a last minute "C" race.. I had a good time and learned some technique so overall pretty satisfied, come two week for the Austin tri though...age group placing or BUST!

Triathlon Team

Doping....

BenjaminPalmer — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:06:08 -0700

After stumbling upon this

http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/mens-clothing/design/14802668

my roommate made this and thought I'd share

Austin Chapter

Vegans in Vineman

BradleySaul — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:57:08 -0700

The Saturday ride was good this weekend. The crew: Andy, Brett, Chris L, Chris P, myself, and the newbie Michael. The mission: cheer on our peeps in the Vineman triathlon, OA member Matt Ruscigno and his friend Brian.

Last time I saw Brian and Matt was at the World's Toughest Half Triathlon in Auburn, CA. They had done the Davis Double Century the day before. Whatever Matt and Brian do together ends epic.

We saw Matt first cruisin' down Airport Rd. Go Matt! We then stopped at Tierra Vegetables for some strawberries and to cheer on the hundreds of triathletes cycling by. Brian rolled by. Go Brian! That was their first lap of two.

We ride to the top of Chalk Hill Road. Chris Lods and I chalk Go Vegan! and other messages on the road. All of us cheer on endless stream of cyclists, some struggling, others in for a good time. The group splits now: Brett, Andy, and I head off into the hot and dry Alexander Valley. The Ironman people look like they're starting to suffer on their second lap in the 90+ degree heat.

We make our way back to Windsor for more cheering. Awhile later, Matt rolls into T2. Go Matt! Not long after, Brian smiles by. Go Brian! After they pass by on their first of 4 laps of the 26.2 mile run, we get back on our bikes. I take video, which unfortunately did not come out. Brian had broken his chain early in the bike and had to wait for Matt to get a chain tool. Brian is a raw fooder, and I asked him what he had eaten. Bananas, dates, celery, and coconut water had kept him going for 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 2 miles of a marathon. We rolled up to Matt, who was in good spirits and happy to hear that he was running on the Tour d'Organics course. Matt looked like he was running a determined and strong pace. We coasted down the hill, leaving the boys to listen to the beat of their feet for the remaining miles.

Later that evening, Justin rode to Windsor to see them finish. He got there just after Matt finished in just over 12 hours. Brian did not finish. He had had a foot injury before the event, and it was only getting worse.

That night, Matt, Brian, and Jenna (Brian's wife) showed up at the OATC. We shared banana ice cream and good stories.

Triathlon Team

San Francisco Triathlon Training

BradleySaul — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:15:10 -0700

Start: 09/22/2008 - 10:01

End: 11/08/2008 - 00:00

We're going to tri it! Join OrganicAthlete members in training for the San Francisco Triathlon on Treasure Island. There is the option to train for an Olympic distance (1.5k swim - 40k bike - 10k run) or Sprint distance (.5k swim - 20k bike - 5k run). This will be the first triathlon experience for some of us. So newbies and experts alike are welcome to join us in training for this event.

Email justin@organicathlete.org with questions or sign up for the training group below.

Triathlon Team

Why do you eat meat?

BradleySaul — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:41:06 -0700

I remember the last hot dog I ate. I barfed afterwards.

Having been vegan now for going on 6 years, I sometimes wonder why it took me so long to give up eating dead animal flesh. I know why. Meat embodies the values of the consumer culture I grew up in. As much I like to think I'm a nonconformist and free thinker, when it came to meat, I was with the in crowd.

Through college, I had "vegetarian tendencies." I liked the idea of being of vegetarian, but I also wanted to be an elite athlete. How could I get my protein? I bought the myth that meat and protein meant strength and power. It's those values that made the hunk of cooked cow muscle at the end of my fork palatable for me. New research confirms this theory.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I like the taste of meat"? The satisfaction may have less to do with what their taste buds tell them, and more to do with what the food symbolizes. According to researchers Michael W. Allen (University of Sydney), Richa Gupta (University of Nashville), and Arnaud Monnier (National Engineer School for Food Industries and Management, France), found that the symbolic meanings of food and beverage can influence a person's taste based on their social values.

Fortunately, I gave up eating meat and dairy. I feel better for it. And I have strength and power without it. In fact, I'm probably more better to preserve my lean muscle by eating my fruits and vegetables, according to (would you believe it?) the USDA.

Triathlon Team

Track & Field!

BradleySaul — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:33:27 -0700

Justin and I skipped the Tuesday Night Criterium to race at the Empire Runner's Summer Track series instead. This was my first track and field event ever. In hopes of doing well at a few duathlons later this year, I'm trying to step up my running game.

The first event was the mile - 4 laps of the track. Justin blazed to something just over 5 minutes. I cruised to just under 6 minutes. After watching the 100 meters and wondering "how do they go that fast?" (even the little kids), Justin then decided to break himself by running in the 800 and 400 meters.

In the 800, Justin was 3rd from last after 20 meters, but he ran steady. As the others faded on the second lap, Justin charged and finished 3rd with a solid 2:10. The 400 looked like it hurt like hell.

The last race we did was the 3000 meters or 7.5 laps of the track. All the fast guys were in this one too. After the gun fired, I quickly found my pace behind a couple of the Empire Runner club members. They were running steady and smooth, and it help to be behind them in the headwind section. Justin was just in front of us, and pack of fast guys were in front of him. For 3 laps, that's the way it stayed with Justin slowly coming back to us and the pack creeping away.

On the 4th lap, we caught Justin. I was feeling strong, but the lactate was starting to accumulate even in my arms. With 2 laps to remaining, I started to lose contact with the Empire runners. Coming down the straight with one lap remaining, the leader passed me. Then on the back straight Justin accelerated just enough to gap me off. The pain was incredible, but I ran strong to finish in around 10:45 or 10:50.

That was certainly a personal best for me. According the McMillan running calculator, this is equivalent to a sub-19 minute 5k. This is good. I'd like to be running 17-17:30 5Ks by October. I'm also running in the Healdsburg Half Marathon. It'd be nice to comfortably go under 1:30.

Running Team

Train for a Half Marathon or Triathlon with OrganicAthlete

BradleySaul — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:34:12 -0700

OrganicAthlete invites you to experience the possibility of health without suffering, of life with compassion, of performance without compromise, of sports with purpose. OrganicAthlete is forming training groups these upcoming events this Fall in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Wine Country Half Marathon (Saturday, October 25th) http://www.runhealdsburg.com/
Join OrganicAthlete in running 13.1 miles through beautiful Sonoma County. Whether it's your first half marathon or you are a distance running veteran, you'll have a great time running this race with OrganicAthlete. OrganicAthlete will help you prepare to run with a group training plan and regular group runs. Contact sonoma@organicathlete.org for more information about joining our Healdsburg Half Marathon team.

The San Francisco Triathlon (Saturday, November 8th or Sunday, November 9th)
http://www.tricalifornia.com/index.cfm/SF2008-main.htm
Olympic Distance (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)
Sprint Distance (.5k swim, 20k bike, 5k run)
Join fellow OrganicAthlete members in this triathlon on Treasure Island. Let's get out there en masse! These are distances that anyone can complete. Be a part of the OrganicAthlete team. Contact bradley@organicathlete.org for more information about joining the our San Francisco Triathlon team.

Running Team

San Francisco Triathlon

BradleySaul — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:09:36 -0700

Start: 11/08/2008 - 23:07

End: 11/09/2008 - 23:07

Join fellow OrganicAthlete members in this triathlon on Treasure Island. Let's get out there en masse! These are distances that anyone can complete. Be a part of the OrganicAthlete team. Contact bradley@organicathlete.org for more information about joining the our San Francisco Triathlon team.

Triathlon Team

Why Organic

BenjaminPalmer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:51:11 -0700

Despite not have a dramatic crop duster incident ala North By Northwest like Bradley, I'm still very motivated for choosing organic.

Of course personal health and ecological concerns certainly influence the prescense of produce laden with codes preceded by 9's in my grocery cart. However that being said I find that the lack of healthy food, free of pesticdies/herbicides and other toxins available to ALL people, not just those who are affluent enough to afford it…. quite disturbing.

While I have always felt this way, recently something I read revitalized this intent. I was doing some research online for possible vegan friendly things in the Adirondack region of New York where I will be next week for a family gathering and stumbled upon La Dolce Vegan, a small vegan cookie business in the Adirondack mountains.

While Scrolling through their site I read something that struck me.

"All our cookies are baked on the premises of the Misty Mountain Bakery Cafe which is a casual cafe in the Adirondacks. It is not a vegan or vegetarian cafe. It is not feasible in this remote & economically-challenged area of NY state to serve organic foods that are priced much higher than the residents here can afford."

Perhaps shopping at natural foods co-op's and farmers markets have made me forget that some people cannot afford or at least BELIEVE that they cannot afford organic food.

However the more organic produce that IS bought then there will be a larger market for food free from toxins. As more and more farmers adopt organic growing practices then the price difference between conventional and organic produce will decrease immensely, making organic food affordable to more and more people.

Does this mean seeing organic produce in the section of Wal-Mart?- perhaps . Is this the same as having your favorite underground noise band's records sold in Best Buy?- not really.

While it is arguably justifably to get upset when hormonal 9th graders "discover" a band you adored, health is not a sector that elitism has any justifiable context.

Triathlon Team

Couples Triathlon

BenjaminPalmer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:16:58 -0700

Sunday I had my 2nd tri ever (the first being a sprint last october) and was excited about actually competing in the sport that I had been training specifically for the last few months.

It was acutally a couples tri, where you paired up with someone and your times and ages were added up for scores in group ( male- friends 40-55, couples married 80-95 etc. ) but all the people that I lined up to couple with ended up backing out so I ended up entering in the Individual Male group.

While my heat was in the "loading dock" the guy next to me look at my bottoms and says. "nice shorts dude"...and then looks at my sideburns says .."so does it bother you when people call them mutton chops" ...and I was gonna try to come back with some witty alternate name for mutton chops but I couldn't drum anything out (tofu chops is just trite) so if anyone has a good vegan friendly mutton chop analog name post it as a comment haha.

The swim is by far my weakest area and I have the least amount of experience there, and I didn't feel like i really got in the swing of things till like 300 meters in (it was a sprint tri with a 800m swim) but still ended up finishing near the frontish of my heat.

I know exactly why my swim was feeling a little slugish too. For the past 4 weeks the pool that I normally swim at has had kids swim team pratice in the morning @ 8 so oftentimes If i don't get up early enough I have to cut my workouts in 1/2 or sometimes 1/3 and I've just been really feeling kinda lackadaisical in the pool lately too. But now swim team pratice is over so NO EXCUSES :)

T1 was a little longer than I was planning as I somehow didn't see my bike on the rack immediately and ran back and forth 2 times frantically looking for it.

Bike wasn't too bad tons of rolling hills, only 1 guy who races for a local tri shop passed me I think.

T2 was fine and the run I felt that I coulda pushed myself a bit harder, especially as that is my strongest discipline but being used to longer distances am less confortable with faster leg turnover.

ended up getting 67/835 Overall and 14/103 Division( Individual Male) and 4th out of all M 20-24. So not to far from age group placing, which was my season goal, hopefully if I just improve my swim a little shouldn't be too hard to get and we'll see on august 3rd for my next tri.

Triathlon Team

Summer Duathlon #2

BrettDollar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:28:45 -0700

Bradley and I arrived at lovely Rancho Seco Park (located immediately next to a nuclear power plant) early Saturday morning after spending the night at a heavily populated, noisy, windy campground somewhere along the way. As we registered for the 3 mile run/16 mile bike/3 mile run duathlon event there were a bunch of people scurrying around in wetsuits and ridiculous rubber hats, so I guess there was a triathlon, too.

Bradley had a good race, ending up 4th overall and third in his age group with a time of 1:24:51. I initially thought I did pretty well, having passed most of the other women on the bike and held them off on the second run, but when I wasn't called for an award I figured I must have lost track of my competition--no big deal, I had fun! Well, it turns out I was completely left out of the results, but my time of 1:38:30(ish) made me first overall for the women. Bummer... why can't my results get lost when they suck? Oh well, a fun day nonetheless.

Check out the video report...

Cycling Team

Tutti Fruitti Summer Love

BrettDollar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:08:58 -0700

OrganicAthlete is throwing a party!

Join us on July 17th in Alameda, CA and enjoy the musical stylings of Chris Lods, gourmet raw vegan hors d'oeuvres, a banana ice cream sundae bar, and much more!

Live food. Live music. Dead sexy.

Visit organicathlete.org/tuttifruitti for tickets ($25 members/$35 non-members)

Tell all your friends!

Cycling Team

Thwarted

BenjaminPalmer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:58:51 -0700

My morning swim workout was cut pretty much in half because apparently now at my neighborhood pool from 8-10AM there is kids swim team practice starting this week and going for the next four weeks.... guess I'll just have to wake up earlier...and then not have a semi-valid excuse for being late to work hehe.

Triathlon Team

Acclimated

BenjaminPalmer — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:32:04 -0700

Perhaps its because of the "offical" summer solstice but I finally feel like I'm finally fully acclimated to the Austin summer weather. It felt AWESOME today to get out and run for two hours including mile intervals and hill repeats at noon in 100 degree's and be LOVING the heat!

Triathlon Team

June Splash N' Dash

BenjaminPalmer — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:49:56 -0700

Haven't had very much luck with getting to races on time recently....

yesterday was the June splash n' dash (a semi-informal spring/summer monthly 750m swim + 5k run..this was the first one I was able to make it to) and I was pretty pumped to get a good hard effort in.

Flopped around most of the day and left south austin @ 5 thinking I would get there around 5:30ish with plenty of time to spare for 6PM gun time but I totally forgot to take RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC INTO THE EQUATION. slug-pace Traffic plus one wrong turn and I didn't make it to the lake till 6:20...well I figured I had paid the 10 bucks registration fee and already made the trek up north so I might as well just do the course on my own.

As I was setting up my transition stuff near the lip of the lake a couple in the same predicament popped over next to me and we all jumped in the lake and started at the same time, but I ended up leaving them within 15 seconds and basically just did the course by myself.

Since no one was timing me except...me...."Unofficially" I got 14th (out of 120) at least placing my time in with the official times posted.

I guess that is promising, since in an actual race situation against others faster than me I would of been pushing myself ALOT harder than just good workout pace.

Triathlon Team

committed?

BenjaminPalmer — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:03:20 -0700

Well I started off last night with the intent of shaving my neck and ending up finally shaving my legs...so I guess I'm a real cyclist/triathlete now?

I've got a splash n' dash race tonight (750m swim + 5k) so we'll see if I can tell any difference soon enough.

Although I really can't wait to justify to someone shaving my legs yet growing my beard out! haha.

Pictures have been included for "dramatic effect" after the break

Triathlon Team

Train for a Better World Speaking Series: Whole Food Sports Nutrition

BradleySaul — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:29:41 -0700

Start: 08/07/2008 - 19:00

End: 08/07/2008 - 21:30

Tired of pills, potions, and powders? Don't be because you don't need them. This 1 hour seminar will cover how to all the fuel and nutrition you need to thrive from whole foods.

Cycling Team

Train for a Better World Speaking Series: The Protein Myth

BradleySaul — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:23:35 -0700

Start: 07/24/2008 - 19:00

End: 07/24/2008 - 21:30

So where do you get protein? In this talk, we'll uncover how politics, money, and misinformation have misled the American public on the importance of protein in one's diet. It's not as important as you might think!

Meet at the West County Revolution Bike Shop at 7pm for this informative talk.

6731 Sebastopol Ave STE 130
Sebastopol, CA 95472

Cycling Team

Train for a Better World Speaking Series: Plant-based Nutrition for Athletes

BradleySaul — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:16:35 -0700

Start: 07/10/2008 - 19:00

End: 07/10/2008 - 20:30

Think vegans are just scrawny, pasty people who don't get enough protein. Think again! Learn why a whole foods, plant-based diet is not only possible, but optimal for health and athletic performance. Discover why many of the best athletes in the world consume a plant-based diet without animal products.

Meet at the West County Revolution Bike Shop at 7pm for this informative talk.

6731 Sebastopol Ave STE 130
Sebastopol, CA 95472

Cycling Team

Qualified for Worlds

BradleySaul — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:24:14 -0700

Justin and Bradley qualified for the Duathlon World Championships in Geel, Belgium. Unfortunately, it's the week before the Tour d'Organics.

Triathlon Team

Aching from Auburn

BradleySaul — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:56:35 -0700

I thrashed my ankle at the Duathlon National Championships this weekend. Ouch!

What a blast, though. I'm hooked on this multi-sport stuff. I'll give a more in depth report soon.

Sonoma County Chapter

Going for Worlds

BradleySaul — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:52:50 -0700

Duathlon Worlds are in North Carolina next year. I'm going for it. Anyone wanna join me?

Triathlon Team

ITU Duathlon World Championships

BradleySaul — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:50:40 -0700

Start: 09/26/2009 - 10:48

Triathlon Team

What it's really all about...

JustinTorrellas — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:03:06 -0700

Bradley, you've been warned...

Sonoma County Chapter

Preparation starts at the dinner table...

JustinTorrellas — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:04:48 -0700

Practice, familiarization with your equipment, and proper diet are of paramount importance in triathlon. Tonight I combine all three...

Triathlon Team

Wildflower Triathlon

JustinTorrellas — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:46:02 -0700

Start: 05/03/2008 - 08:00

End: 05/03/2008 - 12:38

Triathlon Team

Wetsuit SOS

JustinTorrellas — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:51:04 -0700

I finally got my wetsuit, 1 week before competing in the Wildflower Half IM. I think I might need some more T1 practice first though....

Triathlon Team

Upping the Mileage

BradleySaul — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:08:52 -0700

Last night I did my longest, most hilly run in a very long time. Perhaps it was too long and hilly for my new shoes - the Newtons. I have to say it was fun though. I enjoyed running over the road I'm accustomed to riding over.

At what felt like a good endurance pace, I ran about 8 minute miles. This is close to my goal for the Auburn Duathlon, which is also very hilly. It's now 4 weeks from the event. I'm going to do one more long run, then try to get my speed up. We'll see how this goes.

Run for this Saturday
Find more Runs in Sebastopol, California

Running Team

Getting the Running Legs Back

BradleySaul — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:51:53 -0700

Justin and I went for a hilly run in Seattle today, my first run over 30 minutes in over a year. The downhills destroyed my legs, but it got me looking forward to the Duathlon.

Seattle Run
Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington

Running Team

I need to start running

BradleySaul — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:52:54 -0700

Triathlon Team

Auburn International Duathlon

BradleySaul — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:51:41 -0700

Start: 05/17/2008 - 20:44

The USAT Long Course Duathlon National Championships.

Triathlon Team