BTS blog 22/12/09

VIDEOPRO COMMITMENT AWARD 2010


Our new sponsors at Videopro http://www.videopro.com.au/ have come forward with an amazing prize for 2010. At the Mooloolaba Triathlon next year they will be giving away to a BTS member a Panasonic 50" Plasma TV and Panasonic DVD Home Theatre System valued at $2499.



The new award is known as the Videopro commitment award and it will work in the following way. From Mon Jan 4th through to and including Sat Mar 27th by attending 60 BTS training sessions in that time you can go in the draw to win the above prize.


The conditions to be included are as follows:


1. Must be a current 2009/10 BTS member
2. Must attend 60 BTS training sessions in the nominated 12 week period
3. At each BTS training session there will be a sign on sheet where you sign on and we will record it. It is the athletes responsibility to sign on and if you don't sign on, the session is not counted. Notification by e-mail after the session will not count.
4. Races that BTS are in attendance at are not included, it is only training sessions that are on the training calendar. IM training sessions are included.
5. Members that meet the above criteria will go into a draw with the winner drawn at the BTS Mooloolaba after party on Sun Mar 28th.


Also at this mornings no watch 3km time trial Videopro's first $150 voucher was awarded to Beth Richardson when she ran the closest to her nominated time. Thanks again to the team from Videopro for these fantastic prizes.


EYES ON EDWARD - RUDY PROJECT SUNGLASSES


Whilst we're on the subject of great prizes and new sponsors we would also like to welcome Eyes on Edward to the BTS team. Located in Edward Street, next to the Aqua Shop, they specialise in sports prescription eyewear and have 15 years experience in the fitting of contact lenses and specialist sports eyewear. They are the designated Queensland Optical Provider for Rudy Project eyewear.

So if you have been told ‘it can’t be done’ -they can do it. All BTS members receive $50 off the entire Rudy Project range, including the new photochromatic rydon, ideal for cycling and running from early morning till midnight! Medicare and Health Fund Direct Billing. For more information call them on Ph 3221 5299 or visit the website www.eyesonedward.com.au

We will be giving away 2 pairs of Rudy Project Sunglasses valued at $449 each to BTS members in the next few months. One will be given away as a random draw at the Mooloolaba training camp in February and the other also as a random draw at the end of season party.


TRAINING - ANOTHER RECORD SMASHED

At this morning's 3km no watch time trial the men's 3km record was well and truly smashed when John Agyik ran 9.15. John beat the old time of 9.38 held by Troy Grimshaw to show that he is well and truly back on track and primed for a great season.

Remember tomorrow morning is a handicap 3 person team time trial on the bike at UQ. Note the session starts at UQ and the winning team will receive 3 x $50 car spa vouchers from Car Spa Cafe.

Training is on as normal throughout the holidays as per the calendar except any public holiday's. On Thursday morning Robson is doing his annual Christmas Eve run starting at the later time of 6am. Bring along friends, family and Christmas treats to feast on afterwards. On Sunday is a Mt. Nebo ride so if you're wanting to burn some of those Christmas calories it could be the way to do it.

Finally on behalf of everyone from BTS we would like to wish everyone a happy, safe and festive holiday season. We look forward to seeing you all in 2010 for a big year.

BTS Blog 17/12/09

TRAINING - 20KM TIME TRIAL RECORD SMASHED

At yesterday's 20km bike time trial the record was smashed by Mike Hill and Ewen Larsen. In perfect conditions Mike flew around the track to post a 27.12 for the 20km with Ewen posting a 27.16. The old record of just under 29 minutes was also held by Mike so it's great to see these two powerhouse Kiwi's getting faster. Well done lads.

On the subject of cycling, tomorrow morning is the last bike skills session for this year at UQ. It's no coincidence that people like Mike and Ewen also have great skills on the bike so better skills does transfer into faster times. On Saturday is a brick session at Mt. Cootha, meeting at JC Slaughter Falls Car Park, Mt. Cootha starting at 6am.

If you're looking for something to do training wise on Sunday I would suggest an open water swim. Redcliffe is a great place to do it, otherwise both the Sunshine and Gold Coasts have areas that are great for an open water session.

A continuous 20-30 min swim followed by some ins and outs where you're starting on the beach, swimming out for 150-200m and back in to the beach are very beneficial. The weather is perfect for it at the moment and it can be combined with a trip to the beach with family or friends.

MONTHLY PRIZES

The free monthly bike service for December from Velo www.velo.net.au/ goes to Shannon Dooland. Shannon has been with the squad for a few months now and has been steadily working away towards his goal of sub 2.20 at Mooloolaba. His great work ethic at training and friendly nature has made a him a very popular member of the squad.

Another person with a great work ethic is Troy Grimshaw who receives the free massage from Faye Jenner for his great race at Raby Bay last Sunday where he improved his time by 11 minutes from last year to go 1.05.

The final prize for December is the $50 aqua shop random draw which was won by Aaron Beckinsale. Next week at the Tue morning time trial we'll be giving away the $150 voucher from Videopro and on Wednesday at the team time trial, 3 x $50 vouchers from Car Spa Cafe.

AQUA SHOP XMAS SPECIALS

Our friends at the Aqua Shop have a few great gift ideas for Christmas present. By showing your BTS member card you'll get 20% off .

Visit Craig and his team and you can choose from swimming MP3 players, yanks laces, funky trunk training suits, new spi running belts (hold mobile phones, gels, keys etc), stretch cords for specific swim strength training, Blue 70 transition bag plus much more.

MEMBER PROFILE

Our next new member is David Doyle. David is new to Brisbane and was introduced to BTS through his friend and fellow BTS member, Mark Gleeson. With a strong cycling leg David is training for the extremely challenging Audax Alpine Cycling Classic early next year.

Age 35

Where do you live? Taringa

How do you pay the bills? Credit Card… but pay for that by being a Regional Manager for Westfield Shopping Centres.

If you won gold lotto what would you do? Probably move to Africa for a year or so to do development work then who knows.

What are your triathlon goals? Cycling Goal first. Audax Alpine Clasic. Then Mooloolaba under 2:30.

Married, single or otherwise? Single

What is your favorite part of triathlon? New to Brisbane so meeting new people. Cycling is favourite leg.

What would be your dream job? Leadership coaching and development training. Just need to learn a bit more about it myself first.

BTS Blog 14/12/09

RABY BAY RESULTS - BTS QLD CLUB CHAMPIONS 2009

The sprint distance race at Raby Bay was the final race of 2009 which also doubled as the inaugural Qld Club championships. The event was open to all clubs/squads in Queensland where athletes received a point for participating plus bonus points for placings.

At the end of the day's racing BTS took out first place with Victoria Point Sharks second and Red Dog in third place. We had 78 people compete yesterday which was the reason we were able to take out the title. Additionally we received 10 bonus points for the best club spirit so a big thank you to everyone for participating and supporting the event.

Special thanks to Merinda Eckart for making the BTS capes and to everyone else who got behind the theme by wearing the BTS tattoos and the black and green zinc. Brad Hector and Paul Thistleton saw it as an opportunity to bring out their favourite black and green neck beads which they also wore throughout the whole race including the swim!

On the racing side of things we had a few massive pb's and some high placings. John Agyik was first in the men's 35-39 to show he is back after a long lay off. Nic Savage was 2nd in the 20-24 ladies with her time 15 minutes quicker than last year in the same event. Also making the podium was Yas Grigaliunas with a 3rd in the ladies enticer event and going 6 minutes quicker than last year.

Also third was Belinda Daniels in the female mates wave. Over the last 12 months Belinda has lost 11kg and improved her time from the same event last year by a massive 12 minutes. Belinda is the perfect advertisement to show that with continued hard work and consistent training the results will happen.

Also destroying their best time from the same event last year was Troy Grimshaw who went from a 1.16 last year to a 1.05 yesterday. In doing so he placed in the top 5 in his category for the first time when he was 5th in the men's 25-29.

In the last 2 months Troy has lost 6kg, reduced his 400m swim time trial by almost a minute and yesterday ran 17.56 off the bike for 5km having never broken 20 min for 5km off the bike before yesterday. His next goal is to try and make the Australian age group team for next year's World Champs in Budapest.

Another to reduce their time by double figures was Paul Scroggie who was 10 minutes quicker than last year. Paul was heard to say after the race that after 300m in the swim he was with leaders and thought, "shit, I'm not supposed to be here." However he continued on to post a massive pb.

The other big pb yesterday was our recent member profile from last week, Karl Manz who went 13 minutes quicker. Whilst it's great to win events like the club champs it's even better to see people improve by so much.

Some other top ten placings went to Tom Hogbin 4th in 20-24, Mike Hill 8th in the 25-29 and Paul Thistleton 8th in the 30-34. In the ladies Hannah Hogan had a great race to place 6th in the 25-29 and Penny Holland was 5th in the 35-39.

For winning we received 30 x $50 vouchers to the Hogs Breath cafe, Cleveland so at some stage in the near future we'll arrange an afternoon get together at Hog's Breath and celebrate the win.

TRAINING THIS WEEK

Last week we did some time trials in the pool so this week and and next week there will be a bike and run time trial. The main reason is for people to have a starting point as we head into the new year and prepare for Mooloolaba. The bike time trial is this Wednesday at Nundah crit track and next Tue will be the run time trial and on the Wednesday a bike handicap team time trial at UQ.

At the run time trial we'll be giving away the first $150 voucher from the Viedopro group http://www.videopro.com.au/ and on Wednesday we will have 3 x car spa vouchers http://www.carspacafe.com.au/ to give away to the winning 3 person team. Please check the calendar for details regarding other sessions including Robson's aquathon this Thursday at Southbank. Please meet at the Southbank Pool for this session.

Also note that the Tuesday morning swim session for beginners will recommence again on Tue 12th of January. It is on tomorrow morning as is the normal Tue morning run session. During the Christmas New Year period we will be having training sessions as normal other than the public holiday's. There may be a some slight changes so again check the training calendar.

MOOLOOLABA TRAINING CAMP 2010

As per other Mooloolaba training campaigns we will be having a training camp to help people prepare for the race. The camp will be held from Fri Feb 19th to Sun Feb 21st staying at Headland Tropicana in Alexandra Headlands which is on the run course.

Cost of the camp is $260 which includes 2 nights accommodation, dinner on Saturday night, lunch on Saturday and Sunday, snacks/drinks for training and all training sessions. We'll also be giving away a pair of Rudy Project Sunglasses courtesy of Eyes on Edward and Mizuno products.

As there are a limited number of spots available we need RSVP's and full payment by Monday Jan 18th. Please e-mail Suz at suz@brisbanetrisquad.com.au to secure your place.

BTS Blog 10/12/09

TRAINING

On Friday morning we're back at UQ again for another skills session on the bike. With the race on Sunday we'll focus especially on mounts, dismounts, cornering and braking to replicate the Raby Bay course.

The Saturday morning swim session is a 6am start at the Valley Pool and like the other sessions at the moment is skills/technique focused. Remember that improved skills means faster times so it's not always about fast reps and long sessions.

Over the next couple of weeks we'll be doing some time trials so we have a starting point for 2010. We'll have some prizes to give away at those time trials including car spa vouchers.

MEDILIGHT CHRISTMAS OFFER

Our friends from Medilight have extended their recent offer to BTS members. Quite a few BTS members have been in recently to get the skin on their face cleaned professionally.

They're Microdermabrasion treatments remove the build up of dead and flaky skin, black heads, dirt, make up, sun block and grease. It is just like getting your carpets professionally cleaned and with our faces often covered by suncream it's a great service.

Up until XMAS eve only the Microdermabrasion treatments are exclusively offered to BTS members for $90.

Call now 1300 651 664 to make an appointment. Medilight is conveniently located at the Reading Newmarket Shopping Centre.

BEGINNERS

Our newest beginner course graduate this week at Raby Bay. Over the last couple of weeks especially they have conquered some challenging training sessions and are now ready to go for Sunday.

Considering that in the first week there were a couple who couldn't even swim 25m they have done a great job to get this far. We wish them well for Sunday and look forward to seeing them at future BTS sessions and races.

MEMBER PROFILE

Our next profile is Katie Nugent who was another one of our ladies that completed the ladies only course. Otherwise known as Nugget to her friends, Katie is looking forward to the season ahead and completing Mooloolaba which will be her first OD race.



Age: 23

Where do you live? Sandgate

How do you pay the bills? I’m in the advertising industry as a Media Buyer. I pretty much spend all the client’s money. For example: you see a 30 second spot on TV for Dreamworld, I bought it.

If you won gold lotto what would you do? Buy a massive wheel of cheese.

What are your triathlon goals? Initially it was just to test myself and see if I could complete one. Now I would love to finish the Mooloolaba Triathlon which I never thought I would actually do.

Married, single or otherwise? Definitely not married.

What is your favorite part of triathlon? I think the mental challenge funnily enough. I like a good challenge.

What would be your dream job? Something where I could travel a lot and go to random places that not many others would think of going.. not a tour operator though, I couldn’t handle the annoying people you’d have to deal with.

BTS Blog 7/12/09

XMAS PARTY & OLYMPICS

Another year, another Olympics and another XMAS party. Starting with the swim carnival on Sat morning which was second leg of the Olympics, the Kiwis came through to take out the title for the third year running.

Going into the final event of the morning which was the 8 x 50m medley relay all they needed to do was place better than third and the title was theirs. Team Captain Ray Pogi led them home with a great last 50m freestyle leg to just hang for second and take the title again.

From there it was onto the Merthyr Bowls Club in New Farm for the party. Highlights included the fashion parade with Tanya Aaskov and Brad Hector taking out best costumes. Some of the photos can be seen in the photo gallery on the website.

We also had the draw for the $400 energie wetsuit kindly donated by the Aqua Shop which was won by Catherine Sharp. The raffle raised over $500 for the Geebung Special School so thanks to everyone for their support.

NEW SPONSORS - THE VIDEOPRO GROUP

Videopro Group have come on board as a new sponsor for BTS. Starting from this month we will be giving away a $150 voucher that can be used at any Videopro store. In addition,at the end of season party in June next year they will be giving away a massive prize. We will release full details of that early in the new year.

To ensure our photos for the website are the highest quality they have also provided a new camera so we can get some great shots at training and racing.

With almost 30 years experience in the industry, The Videopro Group are a trusted and respected source of expertise in Audio Visual products and services. Consisting of over 150 highly skilled, dedicated and experienced staff members, you can be assured of receiving the best service, the best advice, and the best product to suit your needs.

Their philosophy is to deliver audio visual products and services to both commercial and domestic markets with the best technical knowledge and service in QLD. The Videopro Group services all industry sectors including Retail, Residential, Education, Government, Corporate, Hospitality, and Broadcast and Production.

They pride ourselves on their ability to listen to their customers desires and to develop effective solutions that reflect their lifestyles and business aspirations. With stores in Fortitude Valley, Carindale, Macgregor, Videopro remains a popular choice for consumers seeking high quality, competitively priced equipment.

They are a proudly Queensland owned and run, with their Business Centre located at Level 1, 1062 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. http://www.videopro.com.au/

TRAINING & CLUB CHAMPS

We'll be continuing with our skills focus this week at the different sessions with Robson's Thu morning session specifically aimed at race day skills to help for this weekend. Next Thursday will be a fun aquathon relay and the Thursday after is the Chistmas eve morning run.

This weekend is the last race for 2009 and the Qld Club Champs. Make sure on your entry you put BTS as the club. It should be a fun day and a chance to bring some team atmosphere into a otherwise individual sport.

MEMBER PROFILE

Karl Manz came to BTS through his partner Brooke who completed the ladies only beginner course a couple of months ago. Karl is currently getting ready for IM Aus in at the end of March.

Age 27

Where do you live? Brighton

How do you pay the bills? Estimator for plantation homes but I am a Carpenter by trade

If you won gold lotto what would you do? Finish renovating the house and then I can relax and train more

What are your triathlon goals? Ironman then become more completive in the shorter distances

Married, single or otherwise? Hanging out with Brooke (also in bts) at the moment might make it more permanent one day.

What is your favorite part of triathlon? The whole thing and finishing is good plus all the goodies that Basil (my dog) buys me. Just wish he had his own bank account.

What would be your dream job? One of those rich retired people that sail around in yachts all day fishing and drinking I guess.

BTS Blog 3/12/09

TRAINING

Tomorrow morning is another brick from UQ at St. Lucia and will start at 5.30am sharp so please arrive early to set up and ensure your ready to go by then. Unlike previous brick sessions the bike and run will be shorter so we can practice those all important transitions.

Over the last couple of weeks we have been spending a lot of time practicing them and other skills at our Friday morning skills sessions. Regardless of your experience and time in the sport you can never practice the skills side of things enough.

On Saturday morning is the second part of the annual Olympics with the swim carnival starting at 5.30am from the Valley Pool. Due to Water Polo we need to be finished by 7.30am so events will start after a quick warm up events will start by 5.45am. At this stage the Rest of the World lead the defending champions, the Kiwis and the Aussies in third.

WETSUIT RAFFLE

Our $400 Energie wetsuit kindly donated by the Aqua Shop http://www.aquashop.com.au/ will be drawn on Saturday at the Christmas party. Tickets can be purchased at training from Katie Dall for $5 with all proceeds going to the Geebung Special School.

BTS IM ATHLETES

Our IM athletes have been working on building some bike miles of late. The biggest challenge doing IM is not the race but rather the training its self. From the end of next week they will be 12 weeks from race day and will enter a very hard 12 week program.

To do that training they need to do a light 8 week general prep period just so their bodies can cope with the demands of the IM training. I guess you might say the entree before the main course and then the race is dessert. I know many are looking forward to the Christmas party this weekend as their last chance to have a few drinks and let their hair down.

Every couple of weeks we'll keep you updated as to their progress and some of the training sessions they are doing to prepare for the race.

MEMBER PROFILE

Megan Boland from the current beginner course is our next profile. Last Saturday at their first transition session at Redcliffe, Megan learned all about the importance of doing things more than once!

After they finished their first swim, bike and run and thinking they had finished I informed them they had to go again. This was met with various forms of resistance and name calling in my direction but they realised I was serious and so they went again. The most resistance came from Megan who has not let me forget it ever since.



Age: 31

Where do you live? New Farm

How do you pay the bills? Teacher

If you won gold lotto what would you do? Scream, retire, buy the storey bridge pub and an island (Oh and pay to see Mark Turner finish a tri only to be told he has to do it again at the same pace even!)

What are your triathlon goals? To finish a full distance Tri

Married, single or otherwise? Single

What is your favorite part of triathlon? Running

What would be your dream job? A professional surfer

BTS Blog 30/11/09

TRAINING

Summer starts tomorrow and so does our new training emphasis on technique. For the next 4 weeks we will focus on improving technique in the swim, bike and run. Whilst the emphasis will be on technique, the sessions will still have a conditioning aspect to it so once we start the build up in January towards Mooloolaba we're better prepared.

Also remember to bring flippers to the swim sessions as some of the drills we will do with flippers whilst some we will use pull buoy and kick board. Check the calendar for all training locations and times.

NUTRITION ARTICLES

Sally Garrad from Apple to Zuchini Sports Nutrition http://www.appletozucchini.com.au/ has been working with quite a few BTS athletes for some time now and achieving some great results.
Sally is an accredited Sports Dietitian and Exercise Physiologist and can be contacted on sally@appletozucchini.com.au . She will be writing some articles for the BTS blog on a monthly basis. The first article is on muscle cramping and ways to prevent it.

Muscle cramping...when is it a nutrition issue?

We actually don’t know exactly why a muscle cramps. The most likely cause in athletes is due to dehydration – which to a sports dietitian spells a FLUID & ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE.

There are several things that can cause a cramp that are unrelated to nutrition though...so before you chug down a litre of sports drink, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I just started training? Being physically fit is the best prevention against getting muscle cramps

2. What are my favourite training clothes? Tight fitting training kit can reduce blood flow to your muscles – which can make you more likely to cramp. Have you tried keeping your compression tights to recovery only, rather than training in them as well?

3. Have I followed my coach’s request to stretch? REALLY? Stretching after training will reduce cramping. If you have been getting night cramps, stretch before you get some zzzzz’s

Now you have that covered, let’s ask a few nutrition questions:

1. When sitting at your desk, are you thirsty? If you can START a session well hydrated, cramping is less likely. Your best indicator of hydration during the day is whether or not you are feeling thirsty. If you do feel thirst, you need to up your fluids. Fluids are best absorbed when they are taken with OTHER nutrients, such as salt & carbohydrates...now, that seems just like a sports drink! That said, you do not need to drink sports drinks while you check your emails. If you drink water WITH your meals & snacks, your body absorbs the water well, as there is always a little salt & carb naturally occurring in the foods you eat.

2. When you are training, are you a heavy sweater? You CANNOT rely on your thirst mechanism when you are training. If you are doing more than 60minutes of training, and you are a heavy sweater, having a sports drink can help to maintain your good hydration status.

Quality research indicates the only electrolyte that need be added to a sports drink is sodium. Sodium spurs on water uptake in the gut, and therefore maintains a good fluid/electrolyte balance in your body, making you less likely to cramp. The more sodium in your drink the better. Just in case you are concerned about sodium: a sports drink contains about as much salt as a glass of milk! It is actually pretty low. The reason why it is kept to relatively low levels is due to taste. So if you can handle a little more...bring on the salt shaker!*

3. Are you fuelling an F1 race car or are you driving Miss Daisy? A final nutrition concern may be the quality of your fuel. Excess fat can clog your arteries, and this will reduce blood supply to your muscles, and increase the likelihood of getting a cramp. If it is possible you can improve the quality of your fuel, consulting a sports dietitian is recommended.

*Do not use salt tablets – these are highly concentrated sources of sodium, and may have the opposite effect to promoting hydration (water can be sucked back into your gut, and may cause abdo pain)

Still haven’t got the answer? See a sports dietitian to ensure your nutrition is definitely in order

• You can locate your local sports dietitian here: www.sportsdietitians.com
• Brisbane locals are welcome to contact Sally Garrard: http://www.appletozucchini.com.au/

BEACH OLYMPICS

After the first round of the annual competition the Rest of the World team have taken a lead by winning the Beach Olympics on Saturday. With the swim carnival this Saturday remaining to decide the overall champions for 2009 they lead the Kiwis in second and the Aussies third.

If you're planning to compete in the swim carnival please e-mail me so we can finalise teams.

MEMBER PROFILE

Our next profile is Kelevi Tuicolo who a couple of weeks ago did his first triathlon at Robina. Kelevi is hard to miss at training as he stands about 6'4 and would not look out of place in the front row of the Wallabies scrum.

Age 33

Where do you live? The Gap

How do you pay the bills? The last few years I have been pretending to be a solicitor

If you won gold lotto what would you do? Throw a massive party at a mystery location for all my family and friends where I would hand out cheques like santa clause with the balance to a couple of charities and of course travel…and then go back to work!

What are your triathlon goals? Finish an Olympic distance…and then catch John Agyik (aka the machine!)…is that too much!...okay baby steps…

Married, single or otherwise? single

What is your favorite part of triathlon? Don’t have one…probably better to ask me this question at the end of a race, when I am totally spent!

What would be your dream job? I always wanted to be a fire man or a rally car driver…but I think being a presenter on getaway working with Jennifer Hawkins would be pretty cool to.