Blog – Page 4 – Empire Tri Club

Posted on June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 by Empire Tri Club — 1 Comment

Wetsuit Care by ROKA

First of the Water

It is very important to thoroughly rinse your wetsuit with cool, fresh water after each use. Long-term exposure to the sun, saltwater, and chlorine can slowly damage your wetsuit. In addition, your wetsuit may produce an odor or lose flexibility if not properly rinsed. A good rinse with clean water will help remove residue and keep your suit smelling like new!

Hang and Dry

Once removed from the water, you want to completely dry your suit by hanging it, ideally on a wetsuit hanger. Wetsuit hangers eliminate stress on the shoulders and help speed up the drying process. Most wetsuit hangers have a special padding across the shoulders to support less pressure points on the neoprene. If one is not available you can also hang the suit from the midsection over the bottom of a strong plastic hanger. Make sure you let the suit dry inside out and turn it back to ride side in for storage.

Washing Instructions

At the end of the season, we recommend soaking your wetsuit in clean water for 10-15 minutes. It is a good idea to invest in shampoo specially designed for cleaning and preserving wetsuits. Wetsuit shampoos are used during the soaking process and remove salt, odors, and other residue to ensure a squeaky clean wetsuit. You do not want to use a household detergent, they can be to harsh and could damage the suit.

Storage

Wetsuit material can develop a permanent crease if left folded for an extended period of time. It is best to store your wetsuit laying flat. If that is not possible, you can store your suit on a padded wetsuit hanger. If a wetsuit hanger is unavailable – drape your wetsuit over a normal clothes hanger, it will look similar to how you would hang a pair of dress pants. Simply fold your wetsuit at the waist over the bottom bar of the hanger. It is important to stay away from metal hangers. Metal hangers will cause the neoprene to degrade over time. in a cool, dry and protected place out of direct sunlight. You will also want to check your suit for small tears. These are common and easy to fix using a wetsuit specific cement or glue.

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Empire Tri Club — 1 Comment

Empire Spotlight-Pablo Solano

Although Pablo was part of the Empire Tri team, he had little desire in doing a triathlon and was content with the cycling and running workouts.

A year ago, as he was recovering from a torn ACL, he joined us for the team aspect and training-plan which could help him continue to strengthen his knee.

But watching his teammate’s enthusiasm for their upcoming tri races sparked an interest and he decided to sign up for his first triathlon. Unfortunately the tri experience would have to wait. The swim portion was canceled due to water safety conditions, changing the race to a duathlon. This would not hold him back and along with other teammates Pablo signed up for the South Beach Triathlon, our first team race of the 2018 season.

“I didn’t feel nervous [during the race]. I had no set goal but was feeling confident. I had trained hard enough to finish. It was a couple of hours after finishing when I learned I had placed 3rd in my age group. It was a big surprise and a great reward.”

This past weekend Pablo exceeded his potential running the Popular Brooklyn Half on Saturday and riding in Sunday’s 100 Mile Gran Fondo. Finishing both with exceptional times!

Next on his calendar: racing Rev3 Quassy Triathlon, 2XU NYC Triathlon and Atlantic City Ironman 70.3 with his Empire Tri teammates. We wish Pablo all the best of luck!

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Empire Tri Club

Empire Spotlight – Doc Golden

“l MUST do this!” were the words Doc said to herself after volunteering at a few triathlons. She planned to race one triathlon, but after completing her first, she ended up doing another 5 before the end of the season! That was three years ago. Now, with over 20 races under her belt (including a half Ironman), Doc serves as an Ambassador for the Empire Tri Club and leads weekly workouts for the HSS Run Club.

While in the off season, many Empire Tri Club athletes keep themselves fit and motivated by competing in other athletic challenges. In March, Doc traveled abroad to run the Jerusalem Winner Marathon. Training in the cold NYC winter and having to pull 16-20 mile runs in 30 degree weather can be mentally tough. “Once I got out there the training runs were great, but setting aside several hours on my off days to run in the cold never excited me. The vision of accomplishing a dream goal kept me going every time. And once each long run was done, I was on top of the world.”

And how was the marathon? Jerusalem is known to be a tough course due to its scenic rolling hills. One also has to account for the difference in temperature from winter to summer which can also impact performance.

“I was surprisingly more terrified for this marathon than any other. Even after doing the NYC marathon three times I was terrified of the hills of Jerusalem. But after training through all those cold months, seeing thousands of people at the race who also trained made the journey worthwhile. Crossing that finish line lit my spirit on fire.”

Now that triathlon season is under way Doc has a series of short distance running races and triathlons to keep her training strong. Her “A race” this year is the Atlantic City Half Ironman which she will be competing in with more than 30 of her teammates. Good luck this season Doc!

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Empire Tri Club

Coach Harry’s Track Workouts

Start and end with a 1/2 mile warmup/cool down and a short dynamic stretching session. The base for the workout will be your real, 5K race pace. The key is consistency for each 400. (i.e. if you are an 8 minute/mile then your 400 should be at 2:00, your 800 at 4:00 your 1600 at 8:00).