Multi-Sport

Team OAM NOW’s Chuck Grzanka Looks to Continue Podium Spots in Grand Rapids Tri

June 5th, 2014 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

Triathlon season in West Michigan got off to a chilly start. As a matter of fact, the first race in the area was changed to a duathlon this past weekend due to water temps being in the low 50s. However, that has not stopped OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors triathlete Chuck Grzanka from taking to the races. Chuck has already raced and landed on the podium in two triathlons in Charleston, SC this season in order to prepare for the USA Triathlon National Long Course Championships to be held at the Grand Rapids Triathlon in Michigan on June 8th.

Chuck Grzanka began training with Mark Olson of Athletic Mentors seven years ago to race mountain bikes. Since then, he’s spent a few years racing road bikes, and for the last three years has focused on racing both sprint and olympic distance triathlons and consistently been on the podium in his age group. Encouraged by his coach to try a half iron distance triathlon this year (and share in his suffering), Chuck has been preparing since January for the big event in Grand Rapids.

Part of that preparation included the two races in South Carolina. On April 19th, at Try Charleston, Chuck raced the sprint distance event. While one might think the weather and road conditions would be more favorable there than in Michigan that didn’t prove to be the case. After 10 hours of torrential downpours that ended at 5am the morning of the race, the air temp was a cool 55 degrees and the water temp a comfortable-with-wetsuit 65. Unable to avoid potholes even in South Carolina, the bike course was riddled with dangerous puddles and the run course, in many places, required stomping through mud that covered the entire path. Despite less than great conditions, Chuck placed 2nd in his age group with a time of 1 hour 17 minutes.

This past weekend, Chuck raced a second sprint distance race in Charleston with, thankfully, more pleasant conditions than a month ago. An air temp of 62 and a water temp of 72, smooth roads and sunshine is something we’ve been longing for in Michigan. Chuck placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 1:12, with a stellar bike split that placed him 12th fastest of 243 men. He is now headed back to his home turf for the final weeks of training for the big day.

The Grand Rapids Triathlon is just one week away. Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors would love lots of fans and if you wanted to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand, I’m sure the race directors wouldn’t mind some extra volunteers.

Faster Out of the Water Means Faster to My Bike

May 21st, 2014 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Profesional Tri-athlete Raquel Tavares-Torres

Swimming is not my favorite part of the triathlon. For me, triathlons “start” when I hear the click of my helmet. I love to bike and I love to go fast, but at this level, if you want to race like a pro (ITU races), you’ve got to draft with the pros. In other words, I need to get out of the water with the faster competitors because they are also the fast-moving cycling pack.

Despite my parents desire to raise swimmers, I rebelled by falling in love with cycling, specifically, mountain biking. It’s what I did for fun as a teen. While I tried triathlons then too, it wasn’t until nearly 2 years ago that I returned to the event. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to race at the Elite level. While hard work and good fortune got me here, I continue to learn and get stronger and more confident in my skills.

After some experience racing at the Elite level, I realized I needed to be a better swimmer and put aside my mixed feelings about jumping in the pool. Though everyone saw me as a strong swimmer, it never quite felt that way to me. Why? I believe it’s because I never fully committed to training in the water.

In order for me to bike with the faster athletes, I also needed to become a better open water swimmer. So, a few months ago, I committed myself to being the best swimmer I can be by concentrating on my weaknesses and I have, thankfully, found lots of room to improve!

First – Get in the water as much as you can. Time in the water is time in the water. Despite my busy schedule, some swimming is better than none. That means that if I need to jump in the pool with my daughter, and she is diving and trying to play with me in between my main set, it’s better than no water time at all.

Second – Listen to a coach’s advice on technique. Athletic Mentors’ Coach Belco’s advice has made me focus on this element of training. Before, my swimming style was a seemingly natural stroke, kick, breathe. However, close attention to technique and a focus on smooth, fast, strong, relaxed is making a huge difference. I no longer “fight” with the water, but move through it, smooth and fast. Coaching matters. Technique matters.

Third – Enjoy the water; learn to love it. Since I’m a very passionate person, I have learned that the best way to excel at something is to have it come “naturally.” The more natural it feels, the easier it becomes. The easier it comes, the better I am at it. If I am better, I love it more. So swimming becomes natural and enjoyable the more time I spend in water and the better my technique becomes. Because fish are natural swimmers, I simply try to imitate them. Smooth and relaxed inevitably, for me, leads to fun. It also leads to speed. Remember, I love to go fast. Fast is fun.

These three things mean I come out of the water with the faster swimmers and, in turn, I hit the road with the faster cyclists. Speed wins. This is my goal. Currently, I average 1:10 in 1,500M workout. My goal is to average 1:07.

While I’ve isolated swimming here, I hope to also improve my transitions, cycling and running. Not only has it been fun to discover room for improvement, but also to discover it was as simple as changing my attitude towards being in the water. Refocus. Examine. Improve.

Raquel Tavares-Torres is currently working towards earning enough individual points to qualify for the Dominican Republic’s 2016 Olympic Triathlon Team.

Welcome to the Dark Side… of Ultra running

May 1st, 2014 by Erin Young

I love an adventure! Courses in beautiful places, long miles of trail where few even walk, and I especially love it if course support has to be brought in by mule or boat. The course needs to be challenging. I’ve run 50 miles dozens of times and know full well I can do that on even the most hilly of courses.

If I could only use three words to describe the Lake Sonoma 50 course they would be rugged, relentless and humbling. The vertical profile looks more like a polygraph than a race course.

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