MULTISPORT TEAM X Seeks YOU

It's that time of year again.  Mixed up with the start of college football season, kids headed to school, and the sudden realization that the days are shorter, it's time to match athletes with teams and brands and fill the rosters with age-groupers.  Yup, it's amateur athlete team application time!

2014 was my first season in this interesting world as a member of Revolution3's Age Group team.  I'm always learning more about how to manage the role, keep my life balanced, and this is critical - how to increase my value to the team.  Being sponsored is about so much more than getting "free" stuff.  Here's a few things I've figured out so far...

Different teams have different purposes, but in general you will be a billboard for the team brand and its sponsors.  Teams are often populated and structured to promote their values or purpose.  Elite teams (and developmental teams for younger athletes) promote performance, and that team name or brand wants to be associated with success.  The balance of remaining teams, such as my own Rev3, are extensions of the brand marketing needs, and team members are often referred to as Brand Ambassadors, valued for their ability to reach target customers.

Typical applications request your racing history and results, non-athletic pursuits, profession, and experience with the brand(s).  Social media exposure and mastery has grown in importance.  You are often invited to provide a narrative about your goals, your brand passion and how a slot on the team helps the team (and you, but really, it's more about the team).  Be mindful of application requirements and deadlines!

If your application makes the first cut, get ready for an interview with the team manager.  The process is akin to a job application and interview, but your pictures might include more lycra.

Requirements vary widely.  However, you will often be required to wear branded apparel when training and particularly when racing, and regularly promote the brand and sponsors.  Elite, performance and developmental teams are more about dedication to training and success at races. Are you committed to crushing PRs and the competition?  Brand ambassadors are more likely to be required to volunteer additional time and energy to marketing.  Are you ready market this brand?

Some sponsors have well-established programs, like PowerBar's Team Elite, that makes your requirements very clear.  PowerBar partners with Rev3, but is also a single-brand sponsorship.

Using Instagram to capture and promote the PowerBar love! #PBTE

Benefits vary.  Yes, there is some "free" stuff.  Truth be told, some items are "free" in that you don't transact money, but instead you regularly provide payment in hours.  Time will be spent on social media posts, blogging, volunteering, traveling, speaking, etc.  Expect some personal investment for clothing, travel, race entries, etc, and while many sponsored items are available at discounted prices, little is actually "free."

Other benefits are less tangible, but should be the primary reasons to join.  Team comraderie stands out, especially when racing alongside your teammates!  But on those dark evenings following a disappointing training session or in the midst of personal turmoil, teammates can be wonderful for support and recovery!  Strive to really understand all the benefits when you interview or talk to current team members.

It's all about a simple value proposition.  Any branded team or athlete should return more value than invested.  If you can figure out how to deliver the value, you'll have a sponsor for life.  It's not always so easy to monetize your input, but many teams have mechanisms to evaluate this.  Remember, the brands represent a business that must remain profitable so that you have a name to wear on your kit!

One of the hidden "costs" is that you may have to publicly dissociate from competing brands, or end other agreements altogether.  Teams often partner with multiple sponsors.  Some you will be happy to support, while others may directly complete with your go-to running shoe or nutrition plan.  You are often still okay to maintain these brands, but going public could jeopardize your team membership.  This can be tricky if your local Club, your coach, your team and you have different sponsors - the best approach is to be transparent and proactive, discussing those relationships with each party.  There may be tough choices, but deal with this early and with great clarity around expectations.

Hanging out post-race with local Rocky Top Multisport Club mates, yet still representing our brand teams.

Still want to be on a sponsored team?

Good!  Do your research.  Talk to existing team members.  Learn about the personality of the team; do you fit?  Learn about the company and its people, products, services and values.

My first weekend with my new 2014 Rev3 team... yes, make sure you are a fit, or it might be a long season!

Like a job interview, know what the team is looking for.  If they seek brand ambassadors, demonstrate your ability to market widely and quickly, often through social media, blogging or possibly via job like coaching.  If they seek elite racers, demonstrate a history of improvement and success, along with dedication to winning.

No matter the team focus, desirable team members must also be perceived as genuine, truthful, ethical, and let's be honest here, THEY REPRESENT (and can connect with) THE TARGET CONSUMER.

This can all be tricky to manage, but the benefits are often worth the sacrifice.  Friends.  Contacts.  Knowledge of the industry.  Access to products and information before they are available to the rest of the world.  Learning or practicing new skills.

Bottom line: Don't fake it just to get "on the team."  It will be work, but it should not feel like work, and you don't want to be removed, or worse, financially responsible for not meeting your obligations.  It should be fun and provide mutual benefit.

And lastly, you never know if you are "team material" until you apply.  Check out your favorite brands and see what opportunities await.  I'm happy I did!  Good luck!

Team Rev3 and friends at the 2014 USAT AG National Championships.  Love this bunch!

Victory Lap: Ready for 2014 USAT AGNC

Yes, that's a mouthful - USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.  And that's where I'll be next weekend.  This will be my second year, having raced in 2013, also in Milwaukee.  One last tough brick today and I'll be focused on getting quality sleep this week as my last preparation to race.

If you're unfamiliar with the AGNC, it is our sport's annual championship for the Olympic distance, delivered by the governing body USAT.  To participate, one must qualify.  There are many opportunities to qualify, given that many small local races are USAT-sanctioned with good Race Directors that submit the results quickly.  So, not everyone who qualifies takes part in AGNC, but those who do have a chance to race for spots on Team USA for next year's ITU World Championship race.

Up to 18 athletes per age group get slots for Team USA, and the roll-down stops at 25th place. In my 35-39 Female age group last year, I needed to be better than 2:20:00 or so to be top 25, so my 2:50:22 wasn't quite enough!  In fact, I placed 139 out of 158.  Humbling for sure.

Showing off my medal, received from the Champion herself Chrissie Wellington. It was a delight to see her smile at the finish line, along with that of Chris and my parents.

Doesn't mean I did not belong there last year.  My 2014 race goal is 2:40:00 (a PR) with a stretch goal of 2:35:00, which is probably just out of reach, but I will go for it anyway.  No, that likely won't be a Team USA qualifier, either, but again, it doesn't mean I don't belong.

The USAT AGNC is a victory lap.  Team USA slots aside, it's a chance to celebrate our sport, our accomplishments, our friends and teammates, and our blessed lives.  We also get to see what fast really looks like!  Beyond humbling, it was inspiring!  Driving home from Milwaukee last year, I decided my goal was a return trip in 2014 and do the best I could that day.

Me and Rita having a big time on the bike course!

For those headed to Milwaukee for the first time, prepare yourself for a first-class race experience.  The event definitely has a Championship feeling.  To have 3,700+ athletes on the same course is a feat on its own - and USAT did a fine job of keeping us spaced out and safe.  This does mean it takes about three hours to start everyone, but it's brilliant to have enough space to race, but enough competitors to challenge too.  The SWAG was excellent.  The venue was well laid out and there was ample space for spectators.  I don't know if we'll get mostly cloudy skies and a high of 74-degF again this year, but the forecast is shaping up to be pretty close to it!!

Look at that Finish Line! How can you not feel like a rock star?

I am excited this year.  My husband is racing AGNC his first time, plus several members from my local Knoxville RockyTop Multisport Club, a few more friends from near and far, and I expect to see lots of "R's" on course, with my Revolution3 Age Group Team out in strong numbers too.  We may even have family cheering us on!  All of that camaraderie and support is plenty enough to make for a great weekend.

Met via Facebook, Cortney Martin is a wonderful lady and wicked fast, having represented Team USA in Auckland and London. Plan to see her speeding by again this year! 

My parents did enjoy seeing me race, but Dad especially likes that Harley-Davidson is in Milwaukee too!

So, if you're out there with a deleted "Congratulations! You Qualified" email that you didn't take advantage of, I hope you get the chance again and go for it.  Everyone deserves to take a victory lap!

GOOD LUCK to all the USAT National Championship competitors!

The No-Thank-You Workout

Every athlete faces lagging motivation once in awhile.  The training is planned and there's no obstacle except your puny little mind trying to avoid the workout.  Comic and runner, The Oatmeal, has even named his motivation-destroyer The Blerch that attempts to sabotage his workouts!

For me, it rarely happens during a workout, but in the hours leading up to it.  Once every few weeks or so, and it's usually when a run is scheduled, I get home and lay down on the bed and come up with a really good reason excuse why I should wisely delay my run to the next day.  The leading excuse is, "I'm tired."  And generally I am - I don't get near enough sleep, but that's a blog for another day.  Tired is followed closely by "I'm hungry" and "I don't feel good."

Luckily, a few brain cells remember that I generally feel better AFTER the workout...

So, here's the deal I make: Go for twenty minutes, and if I still don't feel like doing it, I may stop.  No regrets.  Twenty minutes is better than nothing, right?  I will still get sweaty and worthy of a shower and food, so it's a pretty fair deal to make with aforementioned puny little mind.

Okay, fine.  Challenge accepted.

Off the bed.

Change the clothes.

Pull on the trainers.

C'mon Garmin, time for twenty quick minutes, and then we can eat!

Even though I'm an engineer and LOVE data, I've never really tracked the results of this little "deal."  However, I can recall only ONE time I bailed after twenty minutes.  I was out sick for a week after that time.

Turns out that twenty minutes is just enough time for me to push past all the mental bullshit and let some endorphins take over.  It's not to say that those workouts are any easier or more enjoyable, but the balance of power (and chemistry) has shifted so that puny little mind is powerless to fight the body which is now feeling a little better.

Again, no data to validate this, but I recall some of my best training efforts have come following "the deal" to go twenty minutes.  Not sure why, but I know there's usually more focus and determination on those nights when I'd rather be sleeping or eating.  Such was the case two nights ago.

Hard to get a good image at 7.4 mph, but here's proof I made it past 20:00 and was still trucking...

I don't recall when I started making "the deal" with myself, but it's worked well for the past five years of racing triathlons.  It's not my original idea, I don't think, but rather a little twist on the "no thank you helping."

Growing up, my parents both worked full-time and also prepared dinner just about every night for me and my brothers.  My mother is a great cook and what hit the dinner plate was often unique, but typically delicious.  And there were no 'special meals' if you didn't particularly like the menu.  I hear about finicky children all the time, and we may not have been any different, except that we HAD TO TRY every food that was served.

"Yuck. I don't want any of that."

"Well, take a no thank you helping."

We always tried to only take the smallest bite-sized serving, you know, enough to leave a morsel of residue on the plate proving the food was actually sampled.  Rarely did we take on more (could not reveal that this new food wasn't some deadly poison or possibly even tasty!), but the next time it was served, no coaxing, or perhaps less coaxing, was involved... except for beef liver.  Only my mother ever liked it!

The chronic result over several years was that we all cultivated curious and receptive palates, willing to try all manners of cuisine.  I consider this a simple and powerful gift from my parents, to now enjoy a deep appreciation for all kinds of food, but also for those who sacrifice time and resources to prepare it.  Today I consider it a great insult to not even try something, especially as a guest!

The "no thank you" helpings at my family's dinner table have become my "no thank you" twenty-minute helpings in training.  The long-term benefits of years of forced food sampling have become my ability to race faster and harder, because I consistently complete more workouts when I would have otherwise enjoyed a nap and a snack.

Not that I love all those workouts later after my "no thank you" helping, but I always feel better.  You never know until you give it at least a little try!

Triathlon Lessons

This past weekend I competed in a Time Trial that was part of a local Omnium bike race. As multi-sport athletes, we sometimes dabble in single sport competitions.  These individual swim, bike or run races usually serve as great training sessions generating lots of max effort data for our coaches to parse through, but we also enjoy the simple thrill of "knowing I don't have to run after this bike!"  They are generally humbling too as we multi-sport 'generalists' go up against 'specialists.'

Me and Mr. Burl before the Time Trial - yes, he still had stitches in his lip from last weekend!

Following the TT, another participant commented that I should consider joining a cycling team versus triathlon.  It was a fantastic compliment, but I responded that I was more fit and healthy because of the three disciplines.  I benefit mentally and physically by splitting my energy among three sports.

The following day, I was struggling through the end of a tough run in humid 90-degree conditions.  Only fifty minutes, the workout LOOKED rather tame on paper, but after about thirty-five minutes of actually running, I was suppressing the urge to faint and/or throw up.  Odds were good for either outcome.  Somewhere in that last set of intervals I asked myself again, "Really, why do I do this? Why do I run?"

As the oxygen flow returned to my brain during the cool down, I remembered why.  Simple self-achievement - accomplishing goals I never thought possible, running 'fast' being chief among them.  And I thought about how each triathlon discipline teaches something valuable, for that self-achievement or just getting by in life.  Here's what I came up with:

Swimming teaches the importance of good technique, balance and focus.

Cycling teaches how to suffer, and how to stay in control inside your head when you really, really want out!

Running teaches sacrifice, and that it really doesn't hurt that much more to dig really deep.

Transitions teach the values of planning and simplicity.

And besides the sport itself, I am fortunate to have family, friends, teammates, clubmates and coaches that remind me daily of the importance of praise, gratitude and love.  May your sport(s) of choice also be so generous with life lessons!

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law joining us for their very FIRST triathlon recently.  So proud!

Progress Report: 30 Burpees

If any of you have been playing along at home, you might be wondering, "so, how did it go?" What was the result of completing 30 Burpees for 30 Days?  Today would be 33 days since the challenge was issued.

I'm very excited to announce... [drumroll]...

That I still have nine more days to finish.  *sigh*

Truth be told, it's been 30 Burpees for 21 Days that's actually taken 32 Days to accomplish.

For various reasons that can only be summed up as "LIFE," the journey has been extended.  Throw in some holidays, long work days, extra work days, and other strength workouts that made an additional 30 burpees superfluous or downright impossible (jello triceps, anyone?), it's taking longer than originally anticipated.

Sometimes I missed just one day and got back on track, but there were a couple three and four day burpee-less stretches.

Oh well.

Really?  Oh well?

Don't confuse my acceptance as nonchalance.  I'm sure that doing the exercise every day for thirty consecutive days would have crazy awesome benefits.  However, doing the exercise for 21 out of 32 day days has had a noticeable impact.  I didn't just give up after missing a few sessions.

I am stronger.  I can actually do push-ups again!  From my toes and not my knees.  Not many, but they are getting a little bit easier, and my form is better.  Not great, but better.

Whereas the first burpee session took over eight sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes, it now takes about four sweating, groaning, huffing and puffing minutes.  Sidebar: Burly took on the challenge too, and he knocks it out daily in two minutes.  Men.

My body composition is shifting and I'm starting to shed some weight.  There's a little less torso insulation, and sustainably two pounds are gone since mid-December.  Of course, as mentioned earlier, I've been doing other strength activities regularly, like squats and split lunge jumps, but the regular Burpee challenge is keeping it going with a steady load of swim-bike-run.

Hopefully in nine days, I can blog about achieving this goal.  Heck, while I'm being so honest today, it will probably be in ten or twelve days!

As with most things in life, it doesn't always go as planned.  Achieving some goals takes longer than desired.  The ability to simultaneously persevere, yet enjoy the journey, I believe, is what adds layers of richness to life.  The perspectives, the stories, the pictures, the jokes... they can't be enjoyed while running straight to the goal, but rather in those moments of delay, whether deliberate or circumstantial.

Perhaps I'm just fabricating an elaborate excuse as to why I didn't just "git her done."  Or perhaps, I'm just living life.

And, for the record, burpees still suck.  See you in nine ten twelve days or so.

2013: Another Level!

Inspired by my friends, teammates and fellow bloggers, I spent the morning reviewing 2013.  Pouring through the +Garmin data, +TrainingPeaks records, race reports and my very own "Race Numbers" spreadsheet (yes, still an engineer at heart) was pretty cool.  Lots of things to be happy about regarding the 2013 multisport season.

The best way I can sum it up... I took it to another level in 2013!  I trained less, yet accomplished more.

On 03 February, I completed my first coached workout.  Hiring a coach was a smart choice: I dedicate a lot of personal resources to my tri life and have non-tri priorities too, so letting a professional take over this part of my life was wise.  My +Carmichael Training Systems coach gets IT.  My workouts are tough, but there's not junk volume, no training for the sake of training!  And the results came.  The data proves it:

2012: 383 training hours and 3844 miles = 3 Age Group Podiums
2013: 261 hours and 2850 miles = 3 Overall Podiums (1-1st, 2-2nd) and 2 Age Group Podiums

July 2013:  2nd AG, Sprint distance, Music City Triathlon, Nashville, TN.

Race-wise, in 2012 I completed 7 triathlons including a 70.3, and in 2013, 7 triathlons and 2 duathlons, also including one 70.3.  Each season included a half marathon, a 2-mile open water swim, and few 5K or 10K races.  I even tried cyclocross in 2013!

2013 was a year of PRs for both pace (70.3, Olympic, 10K, half marathon) and distance (longest bike ride completed).  Sprints are hard to compare due to varying distances but I was just plain faster in 2013.  I rewarded myself with a new aero bike helmet after holding a 20.0 mph average in an Olympic distance race mid-season, and repeated it two more times!

The highlight of 2013 racing was participation in the USAT Age Group Nationals in August.  It was a wonderful event in Milwaukee, and I'm thrilled that I already earned the chance to return in 2014.

My awesome parents joined us in Milwaukee...

And they also supported the June 70.3 effort in Syracuse, along with my brother, sister-in-law and dear friend Frosty.

Racing with family and friends cheering is unparalleled.  I think they had as much fun as us.  Oh, and when I say "us" and "we," I'm referring to me and Burly, my favorite training partner!

Capping off the year was nomination to the most excellent Team Rev3!

I'm humbled and excited to be one of more than 60 amateur athletes representing a wonderful event company +REV3 Triathlon (REV3TRI).  2014 should be a fantastic year with them!

2013 also included several non-triathlon changes, including a new job and new house, so navigating the training and racing was not without its challenges.

I'm so very fortunate to have a strong support network of family, friends, coach, RockyTop MultiSport club mates, Provision teammates, Rev3 teammates, new sponsors and Burly.  Thank you.

As much as I enjoyed the next level that was 2013, I simply hope that sharing my activities inspired others to go out and live each day fully.  May 2014 bring more fun and inspiration.

It's time to get ready for a bike workout and get a glimpse of the next level.  Cheers!