COACH CYNDEE

My 8 Ironman medals! Sunday June 23 rd I completed my 8 th Ironman in Couer d’Alene, Idaho.  We arrived Thursday to a high of 48 with rain for most of the day.  Cold weather races are not my favorite thing so this was not a good sign.  Fortunately Sundays forecast was looking a little better in the 70's Cold and Raining we arrived hoping it would get better.  This was my second Ironman this year and we are only halfway into the year.  Needless to say I was glad to get it over and take a much-needed break for a while.  I had done Ironman CDA in 2007 and finished in 12:25 so I was hoping to have a better time than 2007.  Since this was the second Ironman in a few months I didn’t have the same excitement that I normally do before a race. I actually told my boyfriend the night before the race that I didn’t feel like I was doing an Ironman the next day.  I did however feel really fit and confident I could do the race. My only concern was the cold water

My Wind Tunnel Experience Last week I had the opportunity to experience a wind tunnel test so that I could improve my performance on the bike. It was a lot of fun and I gained quite a bit of knowledge on my efficiency on the bike.  With a few body positioning and accessory adjustments, I was able to improve my time by 2 seconds per kilometer. That may not seem like much however when you are talking about 112 miles it adds up.  I have a habit of riding with a rounded back so I need to concentrate on keeping my back lower and not round my shoulders and back, this can significantly help my speed on the bike. My hand position can also help my performance, I was originally clasping my hands in front of my shifters that contributed to the rounding of my shoulders and arching of my back even more.  Lightly placing my hands on my shifters rather than clasping them together helps keep my back more flat.  Tucking my head or as they say "turtling", also adds to a huge time saving

Mind Your P's and Q's  with the referee when you race in a triathlon! If you don't you will need to say PLEASE don't give me a penalty and THANQ when or if they don't. It is probably unlikely they won't give you a penalty if you do something against the rules.  If you have raced a triathlon you may be aware of some of the RULES that are enforced especially on the bike.  If you don't follow the rules you will likely get penalized.  I have never gotten a penalty when racing - knock on wood and hopefully it will never happen.  There are a few simple things to keep in mind when racing to avoid getting penalized.  A penalty can add 2 minutes or more to your overall time depending on how many you get. You could also be disqualified if you get too many or do not serve a  penalty in a tent (if that is required). I got a spot to the World Championships last year when the first place girl in my age group failed to serve her two penalties for drafting.   While m