Story Highlights

• The elements of a triathlon revealed
• Get acquainted with the Triathlon Team at Cal Poly
• Learn about one of the most popular local triathlons to San Luis Obispo

Photo courtesy of the CP Triathlon Team's Flickr. A team member is approaching the finish line at one of the races that the team attended during their season.

“To be good at triathlon isn’t to be good at one sport,” said Danny Diamond, a fifth year physics major and Triathlon Team president at Cal Poly, as he and I sat in the

University Union discussing triathlons and, more specifically, the CP Triathlon Team. (To hear more of this interview click on the podcast link below). Triathlons come in groups of three. There are three events that make up one triathlon, and there are main types of triathlons.

The three elements of a triathlon are:

1. swim
2. bike
3. run

Each of these legs are performed in the order listed above in traditional triathlons. After each element is completed, the triathlete then goes into the “transition area” to get ready for the next leg of the race. And, believe it or not, in a triathlon it is just as important to be diligent with ripping off your wetsuit and throwing on your bike gear as it is to know how to swim and bike. Some say that it is in these transitions areas that races can be won and lost, because everyone needs to transition so it just depends on how quickly you can do it.

Three types of triathlons and their distances (found on www.TotalTriathlon.com) :

1. Sprint: 750m swim (30-25m laps); 20k bike (12.4 miles); 5k run (3.1 miles)
2. Olympic: 1.5k swim (60-25m laps); 40k bike (24.8 miles); 10k run (6.2 miles)
3. Ironman: 3.8k swim (152-25m laps); 180k bike(111.8 miles); 42.2k run (26.2 miles= a marathon!)

These are the three most common types of triathlons. The sprint is the shortest, as you can see above, and the Ironman is the longest. It is recommended to start out at the sprint length as a beginner to become acquainted with the physical exertion needed to complete a triathlon and work up to a ironman distance.

There are many other types of triathlons than listed above also. In a traditional triathlon, like the ones listed above, the bike and the run are both done on roads. However, in some triathlons they offer mountain bike courses and trail running instead of road-based events. Also, there are backward triathlons in which you start out with the run and end with the swim. Lengthwise there are many more triathlons offered too. An international distance falls between a sprint and olympic distance race. Between olympic and ironman distances, there are “long distance” and half-ironman distance triathlons.

See how much average people know about triathlons:

Cal Poly Triathlon Team

Photo courtesy of the CP Triathlon Team's flickr. Members of the team enjoy an event on campus and promote the team to prospective athletes.

Cal Poly is home to one of the largest collegiate triathlon teams in the nation. According to Diamond, the president, by the end of the season they will have about 120 members. That not only makes it only of the largest organizations on campus but of college triathletes too.

The team races in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference. This conference is made up of 12 California universities and 1 Nevada university. They typically race in about 11 races for the season that are located at each team’s home course of choice. For Cal Poly, we choose to race at the Wildflower triathlon mentioned above. The season starts in February and goes til April. After season, there are nationals to attend. So in other words, the athletes train year-round to participate in three months worth of races followed up by the grand finale of nationals.

According to Diamond, the team has “12 practices scheduled per week” and nine of those are run by their coach. “Most athletes on our team I would say workout between 7 to 9 workouts a week,” Diamond went on to say, “A couple days a week they would be doubling a run and a bike normally.” That is just a glimpse into these athlete’s grueling training schedules, but Diamond talked about these facts with such a nonchalant attitude that is obvious that the triathletes do this because they love it.

The CP Triathlon Team also does their part in the community as well. Diamond mentioned how they are working with a program called Life Water that helps build wells to bring in clean drinking water in third-world countries. More locally, they are actively helping raise funds to get the new pool on campus finished because they know this will benefit the CP Swim Team, Triathlon Team, and recreation center users.

To learn more about the CP Triathlon Team and how to get involved listen to the short podcast from my interview with Diamond.

Click here to listen to Diamond talk triathlons an teams.

Wildflower

Wildflower is a triathlon that falls into both the traditional and “special” categories of triathlons that are outlined above. It is sponsored mainly by Avia and USA Triathlon, as well as many other sport-oriented brands. The race is is located in Monterey, Cali., at Lake San Antonio on the first weekend in May. It is a series of three different races: long course, olympic distance, and mountain bike course. The most popular of the three races is the olympic distance, because it is USA Triathlon certified race that allows triathletes to qualify for more prestigious races and it is the race that the collegiate triathlon teams participate in. It is the “home” course for the CP Triathlon Team, and is said to be one of the hardest half-iron man courses. Diamond said that since hes been involved in Wildflower, he has heard people comparing its physical challenges to those of a full Ironman race. However, it is the love of the sport that gets the athletes out there, and from what I have gathered, Wildflower is one of the more fun triathlons to participate in.

Distances for the three races of Wildflower (found on www.TriCalifornia.com):

1. Long Course: 1.2 mile swim (77.2-25m laps); 56 mile bike; 13.1 mile run
2. Olympic Distance: 1.5k swim (60-25m laps); 40k bike (24.8 miles); 10k run (6.2 miles)
3. Mountain Bike Course: .25 mile swim (16-25m laps); 9.7 mile bike; 2 mile run

Map of the Olympic distance course:

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*On a side note, the Wildflower Triathlon gets majority of their volunteers from Cal Poly SLO. To the student volunteers, this marks a fun-filled camping vacation the first weekend of May.

Gyms near Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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Just like peanut butter and jelly or milk and cereal, health and fitness go hand-in-hand with one another. It’s hard to enjoy cereal without milk, and it’s just as hard to be healthy without fitness. It is important to have some kind of fitness in life, even if it is something as small as walking a dog once a day. But if walking outdoors or working out outdoors doesn’t sounds appealing, gyms are the next best alternative. Anywhere you go there are gyms nowadays. There are small, family-owned gyms, large gym corporations, gyms for women only, and even gyms for children, which are more centered around day care than strenuous physical activity. For students of Cal Poly, the best gym choice is the Recreation Center located on campus. After all we do pay for it as part of our tuition, and it does have sufficient equipment; just as long as you avoid peak hours when overcrowding becomes an issue. Beyond the Rec Center, there are at least four other gyms close or moderately close to campus. So if working out on campus or outdoors isn’t for you, there are more options.

1. Cal Poly Rec Center:

The Recreation Center on campus is located on South Perimeter Road. It is between Mott Gym and the Health Center. In order to enter, you must have your student ID, be “sponsored” by a Cal Poly student, or pay a membership fee; and must be 16 years of ager or older. The Rec Center features various cardio machines, weight machines,free weights, and exercise areas. Also, there is an olympic sized pool that can be used for both recreation and lap swimming. Outside, next to the pool, there are two sand volleyball courts available during open hours. Beyond that, indoor basketball and volleyball are offered. As well as exercise classes that go on daily from morning till night. Overall, the Rec Center offers a lot of fitness forward programs and machinery to help all users stay healthy.

2. Circle 24

Circle 24 is located on Foothill Street in between Bali’s Yogurt and Domino’s Pizza in the University Square Shopping Center. The gym offers all types of machinery for cardio and weight-lighting; as well as, free weights and exercise rooms. There are fitness classes offer daily, including yoga, and personal training available. Also, for working parents, there is a Kids Club insides the gym. Unique to Club 24, there is an on-site health club that serves juices and other products aimed to keep you looking good. The gym is open to anyone, ages 16 and older, for a small, monthly fee.

3. Gold’s Gym

Gold’s Gym is located in downtown San Luis Obispo on both Monterey and Higuera streets. The gym hits both streets and is next to Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ and Woodstocks Pizza, respectively. Like most gyms Gold’s offers cardio equipment, weight machines, and exercise classes. Unlike others though, it is their goal to give you a more one-on-one experience at the gym. They focus on personal training sessions that are aimed to tone muscles.

4. Kennedy Club Fitness

• Kennedy Club Fitness more than just a gym, it is a full-on health center. This facility prides itself in supporting all parts of a healthy lifestyle. The center has everything from an outdoor swimming pool to an indoor physical therapy studio. Also, they have an on-site health food cafe for before and after workout snacks. The clubhouse for the center also offers such benefits as catering and tanning centers. Kennedy Club Fitness has everything an average gym can offer, but it goes above and beyond. They refer to themselves as a “multiplex,” and they truly are a health facility like no other.

5. Curves

Unlike most gyms, Curves is a women-only facility. It is located on South Higuera Street just past Prado Road. Curves main goal is providing a full-body workout for the “on the go” woman in only 30 minutes. The goal is to get in and out as quick as possible, while still having a good fitness routine. The gym offers a many different cardio machines and weight-lighting machines that are easy to use and beneficial. Also, Curves offers weight-loss programs that include weekly meetings and fully supplied meal, for a reasonable monthly fee. Curves is one of the first women-only gyms and it is their goal to help women stay healthy even when they think they don’t have time.

Story Highlights:

• Likes and dislikes of the filming process
• My take on how the video turned out

The experiencing filming my video about trends in food on campus at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was overall a good experiencing. The students I approached were more than willing to sit down and share their views on campus dining. It may be because I got most of my interviews done on Veteran’s Day, when there was no school, so there was an laxidasical feeling spread around Poly that day.

Footage

That feeling did carry over into my footage too. The students that I interviewed seemed to be having a good, relaxing day up to that point in time. So naturally, their senses of humor were more relaxed and I got to capture some comical commentary; mostly from the boys. Also, playing off of senses of humor, I learned that people are more willing to sit down and be on video if they have a friend to accompany them. It’s like that friend adds some reassurance and comfort, so they are able to be more relaxed and bounce ideas off of one another. This calm demeanor helped make my filming easier becase awkward response were slim to none.
As you can see in the video, the times that I did choose to get footage were not the most crowded and didn’t really help with my vision of the campus dining areas teeming with hungry college students. However, it worked to my advantage in terms of audio being less obstructed. In the future when I am looking for students, I know now not to hit campus during a holiday because the halls were empty even around peak dining hours.

My Brain Child

Compiling a news packaged like this helped take me out of my comfort zone, but I feel very satisfied with my results. I was there for the whole process from the beginning stages of story-boarding to the finishing editing touches. This is my brain child, and I am satisfied with how it has come to life.

Click to get a view of pictures taken around Cal Poly.

Click to see what avid Cal Poly gym-goers feel about the dress code at the Rec Center.

A quick view of the most used words on my blog so far.

Click here to find out what is up and coming in the nutrition club and the view from the president herself.

A holiday meal with all the fixings can be hiding unwanted calories.

Story highlights:

• Holiday eating tips and statistics
• 5 holiday treats to avoid
• 5 holiday treats that are worth enjoying

Seventeen days till Thanksgiving, one month till holiday festivities, and about a month and a half till New Years. It is holiday season once again, and with that comes parties in all shapes and sizes. They range from small family dinner gatherings around Thanksgiving to thousand-people mobs on New Years at various party hot spots. All these events can take their toll on even the strongest athlete’s waste line and training schedule. It is too easy to fall behind on health goals during the holidays, that is what causes all the crazy, unrealistic New Year resolutions that follow.

“[A] typical Thanksgiving meal contains a staggering 7,100 calories,”

according a Thanksgiving article on ABClocal.go.com. Mind you, a man 25 years old, weighing 220 pounds, reaching 6 feet in height, is only supposed to consume about 3,000 calories daily (Livestrong.com); and that is if he is active daily. A woman the same age, but 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 150 pounds, should eat around 2,500 calories a day; that is if she is active also. Also, if this same woman wants to lose weight she is only supposed to eat about 1,500 calories daily. When compared to the average Thanksgiving meal, which seems to be repeated intermittently till about Christmas, both caloric intakes are anywhere from doubled to quadrupled, depending on weight goals and activity levels.

Some typical holiday treats and their calories include:

• 6-oz turkey (light and dark meat)= 340 calories
• 1/2 cup gravy= 150 calories
• 1 dinner roll= 110 calories
• 1/2 cup mashed potatoes= 150 calories
• 1/2 cup green bean casserole= 225 calorie
• 1/2 cup candied yams= 150 calories
• 1 slice pumpkin pie (1/8 of 9 inch pie)= 180 calories
• 1 piece apple pie (1/8 of 9 inch pie)= 410 calories
• 1 6-oz glass of wine= 120 calories
• 1 cup eggnog= 343 calories

*Found on an article on About.com

Add all that up and you have one high-calorie meal! Also, each of the above servings are centered around 1/2 cup servings, or somewhere close to that, so keep that in mind when reaching for the third full spoonful of your “favorite treat.” Those calories add up and according to the same article found on ABClocal.go.com,

“Recent studies show that Americans gain up to seven pounds on average between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.”

Even though all the facts listed above can put a damper on a holiday meal, they shouldn’t ruin your time completely. There are ways to counter all the potential damage that holiday meals can inflict.

Here is a list of 5 foods to avoid, courtesy of TheDietChannel.com:

1. Mashed potatoes; Its not so much the potatoes, as it is the addition of butter, cream, and even cheese that weigh down this dish with calories.
2. Gravy; Even if it is the canned gravy, the tasty side is based upon fat drippings to give it all the flavor.
3. Potato latkes; Decomposed potato latkes have potential; however, once they are prepared by being fried in oil this dish takes a turn for the worse.
4. Eggnog; Just consider the ingredients of brandy, bourbon, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and eggs, and it is easy to see why a glass of wine is a healthier alternative to eggnog.
5. Pecan pie; Pecan nuts can be a healthy snack, but when they are condensed into pie form with butter, corn syrup, and flakey pie crust they lead to one of the most calorie full dishes on a holiday menu, about 800 calories per slice.

And 5 to embrace, courtesy of FitnessMagazine.com:

1. Turkey; A healthy source of protein, folic acid, vitamin B, zinc, and potassium; just try to avoid the skin and opt out dark for light meat.
2. Sweet potatoes; They are full of fiber and other health benefits, if you skip the butter and marshmallow-full versions.
3. Cranberries; Contain loads antioxidants that can help to fight off winter-colds, or that unwanted H1N1 virus.
4. Pumpkin; Grab the slice of pumpkin pie without guilt because pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A and fiber.
5. Red wine; Even though it is a calorie containing beverage, red wine offers the most antioxidants and heart-healthy benefits out of all alcoholic beverages.

Above all staying active and being conscious of what meals consist of are key to surviving the holidays without compromising health.
For more facts about these foods and other healthy options visit the article on FitnessMagazine.com, or for more foods to avoid visit the article on TheDietChannel.com.

I started the training for my Turkey Trot/ life today, and I decided what better time to stop procrastinating sharing my workouts on this page. There are only a few short weeks until I have to conquer the 10k on Thanksgiving, a feat that I’ve only come close to a few times. I’m guessing one of my furthest runs to date is close to 8k, maybe 9. I have faith though.

Today’s Workout:

• 12 mile bike up Cabrillo Highway/ Highway 1
• About a 2.4 mile run (according to www.MapMyRun.com)

Turkey Trots in Central California:

There are Turkey Trot races offered all throughout the country on Thanksgiving Day.

In anticipation of all the goodies I will be eating come Thanksgiving Day, I have signed up for a Turkey Trot 10k. I will be doing it with my mom, Lyndee, and sister, Tawnee. The one I have signed up for is held down in Dana Point, which is about 20 minutes away from my home in Orange County. In honor of this, I have decided to compile some information about Turkey Trots coming up in the San Luis Obispo area.

First off, Turkey Trots are meant to be fun! They are more of pre-meal activity for the whole family to enjoy than a full-out race, but, of course, people will still be out there racing against the clock. Several events are usually offered, the most common of those being 5k and 10k lengths. However, if running that far isn’t your thing, walking is encouraged too! The whole point is to get the community out and about for some fun and a little exercise before the Thanksgiving meals commence.

Sunday, November 15

• 2nd Annual Lopez Lake Turkey Festival in Arroyo Grande
  • *Includes “Tiny Mile” division for children 8 years of age and under
• 32nd Annual Turkey Trot Fun Run in Arroyo Grande
  • Arroyo Grande High School track at 2:00PM. Sign-ups are right before the race and there is no entry fee. For children in grades K-8th.

Saturday, November 21:

• 3rd Annual YMCA Turkey Trot 5k Walk/Run in San Luis Obispo
• Templeton Turkey Trot
• 12th Annual Turkey Trot in Santa Maria

Thursday, November 26:

• 33rd Annual Thanksgiving Eight Mile Run/ Two Mile Walk in San Luis Obispo
  • Held by San Luis Obispo Distance Club. Registration in the Marigold Plaza in SLO on the day of the race only requires $10 donation and a canned good, but the runners (not walkers) will still be timed. Those times will be posted on SLDC.org.
• Thanksgiving 4 Miler in Santa Barbara

It isn’t easy to jump right into running long distances if you and your body aren’t used to it. And since there is still time between now and November 26th, Thanksgiving Day, there is still time to train to do a Turkey Trot. Confidence is everything when it comes down to it. If you convince yourself that it is possible to run either a 5k or 10k, than all thats left to do is train. The key is starting off with realistic goals and increasing workouts in reasonable increments.

Tips for training to do a Turkey Trot:

• Don’t procrastinate starting the workouts; as Nike would say, “Just do it!”
• Wear a heart rate monitor to keep track of how hard your working and how long it takes to recover when done.
• Vary workouts between long runs and interval workouts, this helps improve times and prevent injuries.
• It is best to increase workouts by 5% weekly.
• Make sure to rest at least one day a week, it gives your body time to recoup.
• Keep a training log of times, distances, and quality of the workouts.

(These tips were found on a RunThePlanet.com article)