Change is Coming...!

We have just returned from the inaugural Fitbird Fitness Training Camp in Santa Rosa, FL and already we have picked up some new fledglings to our group! Welcome to ME, Sandra, and Jan! We are excited to have you as one of our team and look forward to many fun training sessions in the future!

Fitbird continues to grow and with it we are beginning to get more publicity. Rocketchix has given us support by including our website information in their recent newsletter, and hopefully the link to our training camp report will help recruit some more members as well. Anne is preparing some new classes for the fall to provide us with some variety in our training and she is constantly working on expanding her programs to reach as many different levels of athletes as she can.

This is the time that you need to start thinking about any races that you would like to do after Santa Rosa (Big Cajun, the only Olympic distance in Louisiana, is on October 23rd) and also put some thought into your off-season plans. Off-season is a great time to focus on your limiter. There are many of us who are thinking about the Baton Rouge Half-Marathon on December 4th and/or the New Orleans Rock N Roll Half or Full Marathon on February 13, 2011.

The Rouge-Orleans is coming up the first weekend of March and we should easily be able to get two teams of six together for that, plus any Fitbirds who just want to come be Firefly Support Krewe or drive a van!

And of course, there is Spring Training Camp: Tampa 2011 (dates TBD but plan on February) that we need to start planning for. This will be in preparation for our spring team race, the St. Anthony's Triathlon, which is held on the first weekend in May in St. Petersburg, Florida and should be an incredible team road trip!

New Orleans 70.3 twenty week training begins in the late fall. I challenge you to consider going solo or organizing a relay team for it! It would be great to have a strong presence at this race! (And even better to have a group to train with!)

If you plan on racing either in the St. Anthony's Tri or in NOLA 70.3, you may want to consider purchasing a wetsuit soon. There are many end of season sales going on and you can find a really good deal. Open water training will be going on through the fall and again in the spring when the water is cool. It is worth the investment...

Another investment you may want to consider as the season is nearing its end is that of a trainer. With the cold weather months closing in (yes, I know it's hard to imagine) we may find some opportunities to gather our bikes in a centralized location to train together. Just saying...

This weekend Anne is coaching an open water swim clinic at False River on Sunday, August 29th. It is a great opportunity to revisit the water after training camp or to experience it for the first time if you have an open water race coming up in the next month or two. Details and directions will be sent out on the forum.

See you in training!

Le Cougre, Executive Blogger Extraordinaire