They Call it Puppy Love...

For those of you who have seen the RLE team out and about, you know someone usually has a four-legged friend in tow (or if it's Courtney, being towed BY her four-legged friend)! We love our pets as much as we love our participants and one thing we're really excited about is that our events at Pace Bend Park are all dog friendly!

So bring your pets out to the Champion's Tri Weekend. We've got something special for them:
Yes, that's exactly what it looks like - A BANDANNA. For your dog!

What post about dogs wouldn't be complete without pictures?

We want to see YOUR crew! Post your favorite dog pics to the RLE fan page! Become an RLE Fan and add your pics to the RLE Pets album.

From KXAN.com:

Local man to run world’s longest race

Trans Europe Footrace is challenging, dangerous

Author: Jim Swift

ROLLINGWOOD, Texas (KXAN) - The goal is a finish line, a line that marks the border between agony and "the happy place."

That is what Russell Secker calls it, anyway.

"So 45 miles a day is the average," he said. "For 64 days, nine weeks. It's the longest race in the world."

Secker retired two weeks ago, from his job as a vice-president at Hoovers.com , the business information company. His colleagues gave him a going-away gift, a pair of his running shoes, bronzed and mounted on a plaque, with all of their signatures written on it.

Now there is nothing standing between him and the Trans Europe Footrace , the most grueling, dangerous footrace on Earth. It runs 2,800 miles from the south of Italy to the northern tip of Norway, the equivalent of running from Los Angeles to New York, without a single day off. Illness is a constant threat, everything from upper respiratory infections to digestion issues.

Read the rest of the article here

Check out Russel Secker's Blog

Want to run a 24 hour race? Check out the 24 Hour Ring of Fire Dash for Cash on October 3-4 in Comfort, TX!

Miss USA

One of our awesome partners, Kool Kones, has some great news!

Here's the e-mail:

A warm hello to my wonderful friends and business partners. As many of you know, my daughter (Ashley Bond - Miss Illinois) is in Vegas competing in the Miss USA Pageant which will be shown Sunday, April 19th at 7:00 on NBC. It is my hope that you can take a moment over the weekend to visit the missusa.com website and if you would, rate and vote for Ashley in various categories ( overall ratings, glam girl etc.. ) I am not sure if any of the polls factor into the decision making process, but I am not one to leave anything to chance.

missusa.com

you can see more of Ashley at these sites -

http://missillinoisusa.com/ashley_bio.html

http://www.missillinoisusa.com/ashley_USAgallery.html

Thank you so very much, your support is deeply appreciated.

Hope that you all have a blessed Easter weekend.

Michael J. Bond

Kool Kones

512.992.8050

When is it Injured? When is it Sore?

A.J. Zelinski, DC ART
Director - Advanced Rehabilitation

Training for a triathlon and being active in general usually involves a moderate amount of soreness and even discomfort at times. It is often hard to tell if soreness and tightness is normal, or if is an injury waiting to happen. Often it is too late to treat an injury if you are only a few weeks out from an event, but hopefully these three simple tips will help you to identify when to get immediate attention and make it to the finish line.

Tip#1 – Typical signs of injury are redness, swelling, heat in the affected area, and even discoloration. This can include a swollen ankle the day after a long run, heat and inflammation around the knee after a long ride, or even severe tightness and restriction in your hip after a brick session. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, especially during or immediately after activity, DO NOT waste any time in getting proper care and evaluation.

Tip#2 – Changing your technique due to pain can often signal an injury waiting to happen. Knee pain during a long ride may cause you to sit differently on the bike and the next morning your back hurts. These types of scenarios are prime examples of compensation injuries. These injuries occur when you slightly change your technique to lessen immediate pain, but the long term side effects can create a significant injury. If you notice a new pain, or that you are changing the way you swim, ride, or run, please do not hesitate to get it checked out.

Tip#3 – Tightness or stiffness that lasts more than 24 hours can actually be an injury as well. This restriction in range of motion can be due to adhesions, or scar tissue, that has built up in the joint or muscles surrounding the joint. This decrease in range of motion will lead to compensation injuries as well. The best way to identify these problems is to stretch gently on a regular basis to know when your body is just not moving like it should.

These are just a few tips to getting to the finish line. If these things are caught quick enough we can often work out a plan to decrease activities that cause more problems and increase activities that are safe for the pre-injury. The key is to not wait when you have an issue, but get it looked at if there is any question.

Meet Your Red Licorice Team: Eli Cohen

Eli Cohen

Event Development Director

Greetings RLE Faithful!

My name is Eli Cohen and I'm your Event Development Director. What exactly is it that I do? Well, if I told you, I'd probably have to kill you... totally kidding! All joking aside, while my role with RLE is "complicated," my mission is simple: to inspire, educate, and motivate you to enjoy a lifetime of endurance adventure!

I enjoyed great success running track and cross country in high school, but in 2000, I tore my ACL two weeks before the regional XC championships. Never quite returning to full speed, I hung up my running shoes as I headed off to college. Five years later, I broke my foot which actually proved to be a blessing in disguise. While rehabbing the injury, I also worked on strengthening the knee. The road back wasn't the easiest, but after a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination, I emerged from the endurance athlete's underworld as the serious (or perhaps insane) athlete you know and love today. I dabble in a little bit of everything from 5K to marathon, kayak and adventure racing, and triathlon. My passion is staring adversity in the eye and pushing my body to limits I never knew existed - there's truly no greater feeling!

I encourage you to join me on race day and participate in all aspects of the Sweet & Twisted experience whether competing, volunteering, or supporting other athletes. While I'll be coaching numerous clinics this spring/summer, if there's only one thing I want you to remember, it's to HAVE FUN! This is something I all too often forget, but RLE, its athletes, and events remind me that this is why I do what I do. I'll leave you with this: I live but by one motto, and if you've put in the countless hours and early mornings of training and preparation, then on race day there's only one thing to do... GO BIG!!!

At 5'3", I appear short and sweet, but trust me, I've always got a card up my sleeve! TWISTED for sure!

Partner Spotlight: Austin TriCyclist - Tri Bike or Road Bike?

Tri Bike or Road Bike?
by Missy Ruthven
Owner - Austin TriCyclist

Now that Tri season is upon us, you might be asking yourself, should I get a Tri Bike or a Road bike? What's the difference? Missy from ATC breaks it down for us:

A Tri bike allows you to go 1-2 mph faster than a road bike and the muscle workload is distributed better allowing you to run faster after your ride.

A road bike is good for large group rides where you might go longer distances and/or if you are interested in road racing.

Road bike and Tri bike differences:

Road bikes have a seat tube angle of 73º and Tri bikes are 76º-80º. These angle differences allow for the rider of the Tri bike to be more comfortable in the aero position. The steeper the angle, the lower the rider can be, thus going faster at the same effort.

A road bike can be used in a triathlon, but a Tri bike cannot be used in a road race...

Aerodynamics Vs. Weight
In a triathlon the more aero one is the faster they will go, not who has the lightest bike. Dropping 1pound off your bike shows almost no difference in time in a 25 mile time trial, but reducing wind resistance can take minutes off your time.

In a bike race the pace is constantly changing so having a lighter bike allows you to accelerate more easily, hence dropping that 1 pound in a road race will be helpful.

Proper Bike Fit
This is where a knowledgeable bike shop comes in handy. Bikes are very adjustable so don’t feel like you should be riding in discomfort! A proper fit reduces the wind resistance of the rider which makes up 70% of all wind drag.

Whichever direction you decide to go, ATC can help get you there!