Happy training for the week of 10/29.

Jersey Ride this Saturday:  Instead of the normal LSD runs this Saturday, CTC will have its annual Jersey Ride.  We'll meet at 10:00 AM at the parking lot across from Mom's (on the corner of 2nd and Salem).  Wear your CTC cycling kit or other CTC gear and enjoy a casual, no-drop ride along a route that visits all of our 2012 sponsors.  We'll take a group photo in front of each location, which will be framed and presented to the sponsors at the end of year party on December 8th.  The ride will finish up at Mom's, where we'll have reserved seating for a great post-ride brunch.  Look for a reminder announcement and RSVP request later this week.

Almond Bowl this Sunday:  Our final club race of the year, the 38th annual Almond Bowl takes place this Sunday.  Events include a Marathon, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, and 5K.  Club members are encouraged to either race or volunteer for this great Chico event.  We will have our red CTC Pop-Up there on race day and will offer a free bag check for members.  Race information is posted here, and those interested in volunteering should contact Yvonne or Nikki at volunteer@underthesunevents.org.

End of Year Party: The final CTC gathering of the year is scheduled for 5:00 PM on Saturday December 8th at the home of Shawn Hughes and Joanne Gilchrist, 1267 Orchard Way.  An Evite with opportunity to RSPV will be sent to all current club members (you can check your membership status here, and all membership related questions can be sent to membership@chicotriathlonclub.com).  The club will provide a catered meal, and agenda items will include board elections, awards for volunteers of the year, sponsor recognitions, and opening of the first order window for CTC gear from Green Layer.

Board Elections:  As announced previously on the Yahoo Group, Eric's position on the CTC board is expiring and he has decided not to seek another term.  He is however handling nominations and elections for the empty seat.  Nominations should be sent to eric at ayars dot org before December 5th.  Any current CTC member is eligible to be nominated, and members may self-nominate.  Nominees will be posted to the Yahoo Group on December 5th.  The election will be conducted during the end of year party on 12/8.  For those that cannot make the party, absentee voting can be done via email to eric at ayars dot org between 12/5 and 4:00 PM on 12/8.  As a matter of record, the other eight board positions will expire and will be filled by election in December 2013.

2013 Races:  Several races have already opened early registration or will do so soon.  Some of these races sell out quickly, so it's time to begin planning next year's race schedule if you haven't already.  Registration is open for the Wildflower Triathlons Festival on May 3-5.  The event takes place at Lake San Antonio and offers Long Course, Olympic, and Mountain Bike triathlons.  In addition, special early-bird registration for the Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival, to be held June 28-30, 2013, in beautiful Sunriver, Oregon, is now open.  Sign up now to receive a $10 discount and a race specific finisher tech shirt (valued at $35).  Early-bird special is only available for entries received by November 1st, 2012.   Finally, registration for the 2013 Ironman 70.3 Vineman will open on November 1 at 9:00am, Pacific Time. The 2013 race date is Sunday, July 14, and the race is expected to fill in a few hours.

Happy training for the week of 10/08.

Golden State Triathlons:  CTC was represented at both Golden State Triathlons on Sunday.  Greg W., Mike M., Jeriamee L., and Shawn H. raced the sprint while Paul R. took on the super sprint.  Results have been posted to the Results page of the website.  And thanks to Kirk C. for supporting the club and taking pictures, which have been posted to the Gallery page of the website.

Granite Bay Pictures:  Thanks to Laura V. for providing pictures from Granite Bay, which have been posted to the Gallery page of the website.

Workouts:  With the loss of daylight and change in temperatures, club workouts will soon be shifting to the winter schedule.  The Tuesday Night Intervals and Thursday night track workouts have concluded for the year.  A few diehards may gather informally at the track over the winter; look for week to week announcements on the Yahoo! Group.  Katie's Fun Run will transition from One Mile to Wildwood Park, where the routes are better suited to nighttime running.  Look for a formal announcement from Katie about when the change will take place.  Shawn's Friday ride will continue through the winter, but will gradually move to an earlier start time.  Contact sponsorship@chicotriathlonclub.com if you want to be notified of the weekly ride status.  The Saturday LSD run continues year around, 8:00 AM at Five Mile.  The winter workout schedule has been posted to the Workouts page of the website.

Happy training for the week of 10/01.  Updated items are in Bold.

Golden State Triathlon:  TBF's final race of the year takes place this Sunday.  The Golden State Triathlon offers sprint and super-sprint options and is known for its draft-legal bike course and post race beer garden.  At least a few CTCers plan to compete, so look for a roll-call as the event approaches.

A New Race: Recently announced is the first ever 2012 SFSU Golden Gate Classic in Sausalito on Sunday 10/28.  The sprint triathlon (500m - 12 mile - 5k) includes a bay swim with bike and run courses in the Marin Headlands.  More information is available here and here.

Paradise Lake Adventure Relay: While not a triathlon, some CTC members may be interested this event.  It takes place Oct 20th at Paradise Lake and consists of a 3 mile trail run, a 10 mile mountain bike, and a 1 mile kayak on the lake (kayaks can be rented for $5.00).  All proceeds benefit the Butte Co. Sheriff's Search & Rescue.  More information is available here.

Granite Bay Pictures:  I'm looking for pictures from both the race and the Pre-Party.  Please send them my way or upload them to Dropbox (contact me for access).  We do have one picture from the race posted here.

2013 Race Planning: Believe it or not, many triathletes are already planning their race schedule for next year.  Registration is already open for the Wildflower Triathlons Festival on May 3-5.  The event takes place at Lake San Antonio and offers Long Course, Olympic, and Mountain Bike triathlons.  In addition, registration will open October 10th for the 2013 Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival which takes place June 28-30 in Sunriver, Oregon.

Ironman Telecast: A little earlier than usual this year, the Hawaii Ironman will be televised on Saturday, October 27 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.  The club will likely get together for a viewing party.  Please let me know if you're interested in hosting or have ideas for the event.  More details to come.