Happy training for the week of 7/15.

Races: Several CTC members toed the line this past weekend.  Ken and Gloria Petruzzelli, Jeriamee Leeman, and Tony and Karen English raced Saturday's Tri for Fun.  Maya and Jack English raced Sunday's Tri for Kids.  Josh Rowe raced Sunday's Tri for Real, while Manny Mejia and Jason Berry took on Vineman 70.3.  Results for all have been posted to the Results page of the website.  Please let me know of any errors or omissions.

CTC on TV: KHSL Channel 12 will be featuring the Chico Tri Club on their Wake-Up! show next Monday and Tuesday mornings July 22 and 23.  Set your DVR now!  The station will also be out at this week's track workout to shoot some footage, so please plan to attend if you can.  And be sure to wear your CTC gear.

Thirsty Third Thursday Track Workout: In addition to being on television, another reason to come out to this week's track workout is the post workout gathering at El Patron.  The restaurant is located in the Safeway shopping center on East Blvd, at the west end near the gas pumps.  We will probably arrive around 7:00 PM if you can't make the workout but still want to meet up.

Race Report:  Mitch Harrell's race report from the Pacific Crest Olympic Distance triathlon has been posted to the website.  It's linked from the Results page and also be viewed here.

CTC Training Camp at Lake Almanor: Plans are taking shape for the club's training camp at Lake Almanor.  Two generous club members have offered the use of a lakefront house from August 4-11.  The location gives access for open water swimming, fantastic roads for bike training, and numerous trails for running.  Linens and other basics will be provided, but all food will be the responsibility of the attendees.  The impetus of the camp it is an opportunity for Ironman Lake Tahoe racers to have a large volume block 6 to 7 weeks out from the race.  But any CTC member is welcome to come for the entire week or for just a day or two.  I'm organizing the housing while Sean Molina will be helping with the training.  The house has four bedrooms, but also has a lot of space for sleeping bags and air mattresses.  Based on the number of people that have expressed an interest so far, we should have space for everyone that wants to attend.  If you are interested, even if you have already contacted me,  please email me directly (president@chicotriathlonclub.com) with the following information:

• Expected arrival and departure day
• Total number of people in your party
• Preferred workout focus

So that we can finalize plans and head counts, please contact me by Friday August 26th if you are interested in attending any part of the training camp.

Hello people. I thought I would take a stab at one of these race reports. I figure I’m gonna be doing this for a while and also I need to improve on my writing skills, win, win. I was invited to Pac Crest by Shawn Hughes...twice. I signed up for the race feeling a little outclassed and inadequate, similar to the first time I showed up at Chico State for a CTC track workout. I rode up to the race with Jason Berry my friend and mentor, and his wife Marisa, an awesome woman. We got in to Oregon late Friday night. I was tired. I remember asking myself how was I supposed to race on Sunday. On Saturday I went on a short bike ride with Jason and Shawn, admiring their skill and thinking to myself, these dudes are trying to run me ragged. I had to rest and chill.

I had the chance later that day to watch Joanne Gilchrist and Eric Ayars come in from their half Iron Man race a little beat up, in my heart these are people that I look up to with much love and respect. I should have realized that this race was gonna be a little more challenging than I thought. I was with a group of couples and their children the Ayers whose children were racing also. Stephen, Eric’s son beat me in a three mile race several months ago....just saying. I was inspired to be in the company of doctors, nurses, private investigators, engineers, and the likes. I realized that the weekend I was experiencing, is common for this crew. Earlier that morning while at breakfast I ran into JP, and Linda Bergman my rock and roller friend here in Chico, except for being single this weekend couldn’t get any better. They were there to watch Christine, JP’s mom race. I also ran into Preben, one of the men who taught me to swim at Chico sports club. Wally Marshall was the other man that taught me to swim open water.

Sunday we started the swim portion of the race I swam next to Shawn for..oh about 3 seconds. I remember the first time I read about him swimming 2.4 miles and thinking damn. I don’t know if it was the lack of training or the altitude or the week I had put in. Initially I had an almost impossible time putting my head in the water and swimming at the same time. I couldn’t get it together. I remember talking to Joanne the night before the race and her saying to me if I got in trouble like this to just chill it would pass...before that happened I remember Meagan Yates saying to me at the Black Butte Tri don’t be afraid to grab a canoe if you have to. My head was screwing with me and at some point I remember saying you’re gonna be in the water for a while so you might as well enjoy the scenery which I actually did. I stopped did a 360 took in the mountains the race the scene and said ok...lets go buoy to buoy which I did 40 minutes later and ready to ride I was on dry land.

Easy transition. I gave 100% on the ride nobody passed me...lol(maybe it’s because everyone was already in front of me being 400 something out of the water). I actually just thought of that a minute ago. A little slow on the uptake sometimes...either way it felt good to catch and pass all the racers in front of me. I realized during the race that I could actually ride in the drops on a bike at 35-40mph comfortably and not with a terrified death grip...me and Greg Watkins discussed this at Black Butte practice Tri last year. I got to T2 and remember running around for what seemed like forever trying to find my running gear. I was freaking out yelling I didn’t ride that hard to lose it all here. I also was saying to the volunteer that I have to find 559, 559. I remember thinking why doesn’t she care as much as I do...although she did point me to the 559 section. I recall thinking I would run the damn run bare foot if I only had a race belt with my number on it....and then it hit me I was not 559, but 569...in which the volunteer once again pointed me in the right direction.

It happened, The run went well and again I passed most people in front of me I finished at 3:08 and some change. Pleased with my results. The biggest regret I have is not realizing that Jason was suffering from dehydration. I usually have to walk around after a race for about 20-30 minutes I can’t breathe my words slur and so on. Thank you Shawn for catching Jason’s condition even after Marisa told me he was having hard time. I remember standing in front of the medical tent which was crowded, while Jason got fluids and watching a woman cross the finish line crying. That’s when I started to cry(but only for a little while, lol). Thinking how privileged we are to be able to do this and to respect and appreciated this life we get to live. I realized that, that was one of the most special races that I had ran. I will keep this finishers medal. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Came Far, Far to Go.

Club Race this Saturday:  The next club race, TBF Racing's Tri For Fun, takes place this Saturday July 13th at Rancho Seco.  The race features a calm, warm water swim and gentle hills on the bike and run, making it a great event for first timers.  Preregistration is still open for $80 or $90 on race day.

Tinman Registration is Open:  CTC’s favorite race of the year, the Mount Shasta Tinman, is now open for registration.  The event takes place on Sunday, September 1st at the Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort.  Tinman is a CTC tradition.  We always have a huge turnout, and many people stay for the entire Labor Day weekend, camping or staying in the resort cabins.  Due to a significant increase in popularity, the organizers are limiting entries this year and will close registration at 320 applicants or on August 29th, which means no race day registration.  Early bird registration of $50 is available until August 12th.  Details and an entry form are available here.  Don’t delay and miss out on this great club event.

Pictures:  Pictures from the Black Butte Triathlons and the General Membership Meeting have been posted to the Gallery page of the website.  Thanks to Laura V. for taking them.

Races:  CTC Represented recently at Big Bear Lake, the Pacific Crest Sports Festival, and the Graeagle Outpost Triathlon.  Results for club members have been posted to the Results page of the website.  Please let me know of any errors or omissions.