Team Evotri

Cooking with JP!

2009-10-21T19:29:00.003-04:00

Try This… Yin Yang Breakfast!

By: JP Severin

I have been exposed to a lot of new ingredients as a result of the move to Santo Domingo. Platanos, green bananas, and coconut milk are just some of the things that are used like the uses Hamburger Helper, Lucky Charms, and mac n cheese. With that in mind, I have spun a boring classic and made it my own…

Tons of triathletes eat oatmeal to the point where it has become a religion. I am fully on board and would scream about how much I love it from the mountain tops…yet even oatmeal isn't perfect. WE MUST HAVE PROGRESS! So here it is, Dominican style. It is crazy good…

I am falling asleep just looking at this boring bowl.

Ingredients:

½ cup of oats
1 cup of water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut milk
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ cup peanuts
¼ cup raisins

Directions:

cook oats on stove by adding water, oats, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut milk and raisins
cook until slightly less than desired thickness as it will thicken when it cools
serve on a plate (on one side oatmeal, on other side yogurt)
sprinkle peanuts over the plate
Load up for your long ride and get out the door

The mix of cool yogurt and hot oats makes for a delicious, creamy, and harmonious meal… Enjoy!

SimplyStu on What's New!

2009-10-06T22:06:00.009-04:00

It's all on the horizon, and our very own SimplyStu is bringing it to you:

Check out the latest info from Eurobike and Interbike, including the HOT new Joule from CycleOps. Click here to listen now!

Updates

2009-09-13T22:54:00.011-04:00

Well, there have been some new and exciting developments in the lives of the Team Evotri members ladies and gentlemen, thus the intermittent posts, but it looks like soon we'll be back on track with regular newsletters and site updates. Thanks for your ongoing patience and understanding! For now, we'd like to just briefly highlight a few of the happenings for the team, as well as give you a taste of things to come.

TrisaraTops's youth initiative closed another incredible season this past summer with TST leading the charge for brick workouts, advice, and plain old good examples. We're very proud of our little brothers and sisters, and look forward to spotlighting them individually in the near future. Way to go guys! And a big congrats goes out to our teammie as well, as she and her husband prepare for baby number two this off-season! Congrats, Trisara and Matt!

As a testament to the finely tuned machine that is Chris Sweet, our humble but fierce teammate qualified for the 70.3 World Championships at Steelhead last month, all without really even having the target initially on his 2009 to do list! With a job promotion and a move also under his belt this summer, Sweet is looking forward to some relaxing Cyclocross this fall. Eeesh, who's tired just reading that?

Our maven of all things Madison, RobbyB, also put some marks in his personal record book last month, placing first in his age group in the local aquathon series, as well as hammering out an impressive 1:39 at the inaugural Madison mini-marathon. When he wasn't winning first place or besting his previous PRs, he was busy getting his house (and mind) in order for a bouncing baby "B" later this off-season! Congrats to Robby and his wife, Kris!!

To briefly update, The inaugural Snake Bite Triathlon, directed by our very own Tri-Cajun and his lovely Kona kid bride, Lisa, was a huge success. Many folks who participated had never imagined themselves as triathletes before this community encompassing event, and many have decided to adopt the lifestyle from here on out as a result. Stay tuned for inspiring participant interviews and the official race photo album!

Rural Girl put another HUGE deposit in the Kona bank at Ironman Louisville this past August, missing the big island slot by just over a minute. Always the warrior, our Midwestern girl has resolved, there is no porta-potty for a Kona-bound Ironman. We're SURE this is just the beginning of her newly steeled focus. Details of her incredible day to come!

A big move south of the border was the big ticket on the agenda this past summer for our newest teammate, JP "Pooh Bear" Severin. He's running beaches and riding cloud bound inclines down in the Dominican Republic for a spell. We're all taking bets on what local dish he'll infuse with honey next, and will be first to deliver the recipe in his next Try This, coming soon.

Our fearless leader Simply Ssssssssstu has also been hard at work lately MCing races (Madison Mini, the Chicago 13.1, etc.), as well as setting up interviews with the likes of Hillary Biscay, Chris McDonald, Luke McKenzie and the CycleOPS team! Check back for his always entertaining and informative one-on-ones, plus exciting news from our sponsors, coming soon.

Iron Wil has been juggling plates recently as well with home improvements, adding a new high school soccer coaching gig to her days, and starting her MFA in writing. Add to the soup a whole new approach to training involving a serious kick up in the speed work department this summer, and after just two months she dropped 23 lbs! We're excited to see Iron Wil's debut on the 2010 race scene - look out Rev3 and Grand Rapids!

More details to come as we wrap up the 2009 calendar this fall and start putting things into motion for our best season yet!

The Collegiate - Issue No. 6

2009-08-29T17:08:00.003-04:00

By JP Severin

Transitions...

As some of you may know, I recently moved to the Dominican Republic... It was a life dream of my girlfriend, Caitlin, to live in Latin America. She was 100% behind me for Ironman Wisconsin so here we are.

Transitions are always difficult but that is what triathlon is and that's what we're best at. It takes a while to warm up and who knows how the next event will go. I think the thing what triathlon has taught me is to never judge how you feel based on the first 10 minutes. Things take time to get used to... that being said, here's a peak at what I have been up to and what my triathlon experience will be like as I move from Collegiate Pooh to Latin Flavor Bear.

Upon arrival, the city of Santo Domingo was overwhelming. It is pretty dirty, pretty exciting, and more modern than you might think. I was like a robot on overload. At first glance, I thought, "wow, triathlon will be absolutely out of the question here." Wrong. You can find anything in any place if you just look hard enough.

That's what I did for the first week. I hunted and scouted and researched and here is what I found. First, the Federacion de Triathlon Dominica is located only a 15 minute run from my house. They are the hub of racing in the country and will be a huge resource. They are located in a place called the Centro Olympico.

For the swim, El Centro has an AMAZING set up: a 50m pool and a huge 25m pool. The water is relatively clean which is more than you can say for the tap water. But the most wonderful thing about Centro, for Centro is a wonderful thing. It is totally free.

For the bike, I have found a great bike shop called planet bike and am in the process of getting bike route ideas from them. This will be the hardest of the three to maintain as the traffic here is... well, let's say murderous is an understatement. Working with this bike shop helped my Spanish as well. How do you say, "I broke a spoke" in Spanish? Not exactly your basic ordering off a menu or hailing a cab (incidentally, it's se rompio un rayo).

For the run, it is a different ball game. Running in this city stands out like a triathlete walking around the grocery store in a full compression outfit. No one runs and it is no wonder why. The city is not built for pedestrians. I fell down a manhole when the water was too high to see it! However, I found a botanical garden about 1.5 miles away which led me to see the first runners I have seen in 2 weeks. It also led me to a mildly trafficed stretch of hills that I could potentially bike on.

I love triathlon too much to let it go, so you take the hurdles in stride. One of those sayings that always stuck with me is "If you love something, hold tight to it." Here goes nothing. August 30th will be my first triathlon in Santo Domingo! I found it through the federation and it costs a whopping $8 for the sprint and $50 for the half ironman... I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then, may all your transitions be fast and smooth.

Save the Date!

2009-07-24T23:58:00.012-04:00

Whether you're north or south of the Mason-Dixon line, do we have a few happening places for you to be on August 23rd. For all you Midwestern tri-junkies, check out what Michigan has to offer, as told by the one and only JP "Pooh Bear" Severin:

Hey Midwesterners!

I just wanted to write to alert you of a fledgling race in Traverse City on AUGUST 23. It is called the... wait for it...

It is put on by Endurance Evolutions and more information can be found on www.enduranceevolution.com

This race offers an unparalleled course through a ridiculously gorgeous part of Traverse City that few get to see. Think vineyards and orchards. It also features a protected swim through bowers harbor, a part of Grand Traverse Bay. You can do the Olympic distance or the sprint distance. They specialize in ensuring a wonderful experience for both seasoned vets and people new to the sport.

The reason I am so excited about this race is because the former MSU triathlon club President, Mr. Eric Tingwall, and my former Spanish teacher, El Senor Joel Gaff, are the race directors. They have serious experience running 3 5k's and about 4-5 triathlons while we were at Michigan State together and both had a huge hand in legitimizing and truly establishing the club.

Eric and Joel. This race will be unbelievable.

Go out and support this race. I promise you won't regret it. These guys have done unbelievable work in the past and this will be no different.

GO GREEN!

And for all ya'll Southerners, psshhh Ironman-Shmironman... we say you ain't seen nothin til you've tackled the big bad bayou. Cancel all other plans for August 23rd ladies and gentlemen; our very own Tri-Cajun and his lovely Kona Kid bride are putting on what looks to be one of the most exciting races of the season! The Snakebite Supersprint Triathlon is actually geared toward introducing people to the sport of triathlon, all the while providing a completely doable challenge you can be proud of surmounting. Click here to learn more now!

The swim course??

Whew.... the REAL swim course. Click here to see more course photos.

And the Winner Is...

2009-07-10T17:41:00.002-04:00

Watch Leah Vande Velde prepare Frank Overton's power recipe from the CycleOps contest mentioned in the post below - congrats, Frank!

CycleOps Power Food Contest

2009-07-04T11:28:00.005-04:00

If you can tear yourselves away from the Tour on television long enough this weekend, be sure to raid your recipe books and put together your favorite power food concoctions. CycleOps Power wants your favorite mojo-making meals and snacks for both training and recovering. Submit your recipe by midnight CDT on July 6th, and Cyclops will submit the top five for careful review by none other than Leah Vande Velde, the culinary expert featured on VeloNews.com, and wife of Garmin-Slipstream rider Christian Vande Velde!

On July 10th she'll reveal her top pick via video as she prepares the recipe in their home from Girona, Spain, so get in the kitchen and post your favorite recipe via video, or just step-by-step instructions to the CycleOps Facebook Wall before midnight CDT on July 6th. For more information, and to see world-renowned Sports Physiologist Dr. Alan Lim prepare his power packed "rice cakes," click here now!

Cooking with JP!

2009-07-03T12:27:00.005-04:00

By JP Severin

In this latest edition of Cooking with Me, I will dissect an interesting variety of pancake. It is called the German Pancake. This recipe will follow a different format.

Experiment
Pancakes vs. German Pancakes

Pancakes are delicious but are incredibly easy to O.D. on. Once you reach that breaking point, there's no going back and pancakes will not seem appealing for months. This benefits no one. There are alternatives though and that is what we are going to explore today in the german pancake, the light und fluffy brethren of the traditional pancake.

"If I have to eat another bite of this maple syrup soaked carpet I'll cry! Help me, JP!!!"

Hypothesis:
Making pancakes german makes them better.

Procedure:
So easy, you'll think I'm lying and trying to hoodwink/ punk everyone ALA Ashton Kutcher. Trust me I'm not, I hate Ashton Kutcher.

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk (any kind), 6 eggs and beat together until it is very smooth.
Preheat your oven to 450 and place a 8x8 casserole dish with a bit of butter in it
Once butter melts, pour mixture in, pop in the over, and wait for 15 minutes or until it puffs up and is golden brown on the edges
Take it out... you're done.

Take a picture! It lasts longer.

Rachel Ray probably couldn't cook this, as the recipe calls for something other than heating up whatever she has in her trash can, but you definitely can.

Data/ Observations:
Makes about 9 slices.
Exceptionally delicious with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Can also be covered with cinnamon sugar or bake apples producing extreme euphoria.

Conclusion:
After analyzing normal pancakes compared with our delicious experimental variable, it is determined that making something german makes it better. German Pancakes are good. Enjoy!

Now here's a workout that will burn the calories I just piled into you...

Bike - 40 minutes of moderate spinning focusing on a smooth pedal stroke. Find a hill or an area you can hammer effectively for 6 minutes and do 3x 6 min as hard as you can with 3 minutes rest in between.

Run - Hop off your bike and jog for 15 minutes then do 5 x 30 sec pick ups for a total of about 25 minutes of running.

WIBA: 2009 in Pictures!

2009-06-28T23:45:00.010-04:00

Another successful WIBA weekend is on the books ladies and gentlemen, and we'd like to thank all those who helped make our fourth time around the bend so memorable.

Despite the Lake Monona algae blooms and the looming threat of thunderstorms, newbies and veterans alike conquered the Ironman Wisconsin course yet again. We do hope if you were unable to attend this year you'll be able to make it out in 2010, so please the date: July 9-11, and be sure to stop back in April when we'll open registration! For now though, please enjoy the weekend in pictures:

click here to see the full-screen slide show.

Please also click here to read the personal thank-yous from Iron Wil on behalf of RobbyB, and all of Team Evotri.

The Collegiate - Issue No. 5

2009-06-21T19:49:00.003-04:00

by JP Severin

April 17th saw college teams from around the country converging on Lubbock, Texas, where they were greeted by tornado warnings and hail. It was a storm of Biblical proportions. I met some of the triathletes from Washington who were scheduled for my flight to Lubbock. We were delayed in the Dallas Airport for a day, which made us about as happy as Bob Knight stuck in rush hour traffic. American Airlines sent us packing to a nearby hotel and placed us on a red eye flight the following day. After four hours of sleep we were flying into the eye of the storm. All of our bikes had different plans and didn't make our flight. Perhaps they chose to get a resonable amount of sleep two nights before the race. I can't say I blame them.

Either way, we got to Lubbock no worse for wear and met up with the MSU and U Dub teams. We made friends and schemed about the post race drinking.

Washington and MSU throwing up the W and the M.

It was awesome to see the Michigan State team. We tweaked our bikes at our hotel and jogged around working out the nerves. Our former president and physically challenged world champion, Aaron Scheidies, called to rally the troops. He challenged us to race with passion and smile through the pain, then played the Spartan Fight Song over the phone. After that, Aaron Bachman, our coach and one of our top racers, told the team to focus and give 100% every second of the race. I got a chance to talk to the team as well, and talked about being confident in their training. I told them to lay their hearts out in this race and to take chances because you can't reach your limits without risking blowing to bits.

In 2007 Chris Mccormack was running up on Norman Stadler and finished second 70 seconds behind. People said to him, "if the race were a mile longer, it was yours." He laughed it off saying, "Mate, if the it were a mile longer, I wouldn't have finished the damn race." This really stuck with me. There is no shame in bonking, there is only shame knowing you could have done more. I watched as the team digested what we had said. Pure focus.

Race morning was about 45 degrees. We rolled up to the race site and groggily got marked, put bikes in transition, and sipped Gatorade. The water was 54 degrees, and it felt like cats were scratching your face when you dipped your head in the water. The sprint race went off and our races represented State in the worst conditions. Several people were dragged off the bike course from hypothermia. It was absolutely ridiculous. Chris Gelinas, a good buddy from MSU, said he couldn't put his bike shoes on because his fingers were frozen in a raptor claw position.

Oscars the Grouch (45 degrees).

Chris Gelinas in a similar pose to how he biked… Much happier than when he was racing.

We all drank 50 Red Bulls before the race and were so amped that we were pulling out each other’s hair.

The Olympic race went off and John Dahlz from California, Nick Vandam from Army, Derek Oskutis from Navy led out of the water. Aaron Bachman, was in the first wave and followed closely about 10 spots back. The bike course was pretty windy and made the splits embarrasingly slow. Dahlz ripped the bike and led by over a minute. He hung on to win by about 20 seconds over Oskutis who ran like a sleek weasel. Our first guy across the line was Matt Inch in 12th. He had a rock solid race and was consistent through the whole day. Anthony Klingler, our forth male, finished strong despite having a chipped bone in his foot. I was proud of his effort as he hit the line looking absolutely demolished. The girls' race saw Jessica Broderick from CU Boulder come out of nowhere to smash the field and heavy favorite Ashley Morgan. Jackie Brosius, an MSU chica I saw on the course, spent all her chips and raced really strongly. The girls all came in around the same time of 2:40 and change, placing them 10th in the nation (out of about 70 teams), which was the highest place ever! The guys took fifth behind powerhouses Navy, Cal, Army, and Colorado. Co-Ed, we took 7th, which was the highest ever!

A MAJOR PRIZE! A MAJOR PRIZE! 5th place men’s team!

Girls' Team looking cute before turning into horrible monsters on the course.

My surrogate team UCLA also had a stellar day with killer races from 19-year-old Brad Jacobs who destroyed the run with a blazing 33 minute 10k. UCLA club president, David Quiros was solid all around and will smash his goal of two hours very soon. Brittany Day took forth overall in the girls' race. She is unbelievably tough and it was great to see her place so high.

The awards ceremony was an absolute spectacle. Every college was attempting to out do one another. Alabama was clad only in Speedos and holsters for the cap guns they were firing off every chance they got. The Army crew were the loud meat heads you expect. California cheered with an exceptional lack of creativity as their results spoke for themselves. Cal Poly grinded on the race director, which was a stroke of pure genius and MSU cheered like the well-oiled war machine we are. Alabama came out on top for their sheer lack of self-respect and funny creativity.

Alabama firing off their cap guns. This team probably needs mood stabilizers. They were absolutely hilarious and by far the most entertaining team.

Meatballs from Army cheering about how much they can bench. We were all very impressed.

The teams dispersed from Lubbock the following day, wildly hungover and sleep deprived. It was my last race as a Spartan and I am proud of the team. We placed well, but more than that, we raced harder than ever. Hopefully, this will become the standard at MSU. We may not be the fastest, but we have a ton of guts and we showed that at Nationals.

Go Green!

WIBA: 2009!

2009-06-14T17:53:00.001-04:00

It's that time again, summer is on the horizon and registration is about to close for the annual Wisconsin Brick Adventure! Last year we stormed the hills of Verona with just about 70 riders for this FREE epic training weekend, and we're looking to head back out to do it again with nearly 80!

Sign up now before midnight Eastern time tonight and meet us in Madison, Wisconsin the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in June to swim, ride, and run the Ironman Wisconsin course with like-minded athletes of all abilities. There will be several pacing groups to accommodate all skill levels from zero experience to IM Wisconsin, AND Kona veterans, not to mention free clinics and Q&A sessions with triathlon's leading industry experts!

To learn more about the fourth annual Wisconsin Brick Adventure, visit www.WisconsinBrickAdventure.com. See you on the course!

Evotri Iron Challenge - Final Results!

2009-04-30T20:09:00.011-04:00

And without further ado, the numbers are in for the final round of the Evotri Iron Challenge. Competitors have been entered one time in our grand prize drawing for each 140.6 miles completed (2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running respectively), and the winner of an awesome swag package goes to none other than Syd Trefiak!

Syd, please email you address to "team at evotri.com" so we can get your package in the mail.

Congratulations to all of the competitors this off-season, you've raised countless dollars for charity, and have beaten the pack to the blocks for spring training!

March Mileage Totals

NOLA: 2009

2009-04-13T21:56:00.006-04:00

The pics are in from NOLA, 2009! Thanks once again to Tri-Cajun and his family for their incredible hospitality, as well as to Team friend Steve Stenzel for contributing to the weekend's pictures -- click any to enlarge.

The Big Easy...

2009-04-05T08:05:00.007-04:00

begins!

Welcome to NOLA House, 2009 ladies and gentlemen. After months of preparation, the team is amped and ready to take on the day. Here are a few shots to whet your appetite for the fun to come:

Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Some of the team storming the field for a pre-race ride.

With over 3,000 athletes here, NOLA has been labeled the largest half in the world!

Stay tuned for post race updates!

NOLA 2009

2009-04-01T23:40:00.002-04:00

Team Evotri is in route to the Big Easy 70.3 - stay tuned for updates as the team prepares for its 2009 main event!

Cooking with JP!

2009-03-03T20:15:00.004-05:00

by JP Severin

Recovery is one of the major focuses of nutrition in pretty much all sports. That being said, I have been working tirelessly to develop a recovery drink that tastes like the first time you heard the Beatles, and will have you feeling like Crowie or Ms. Wellington for your next monster session. The things I do for you, bloggers.

First, a shout out to George Washington Carver for the creation of peanut butter. We are all forever in your debt. This shake will blow Jamba Juice and Baskin Robbins out of the water like a depth charge. And yes, you can all now begin addressing me as Dairy King.

Peanut Butter Assault on your Senses:

* 2 tbsp peanut butter

* 5 Ice cubes

* 1 frozen banana

* 1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)

* 1/2 cup of soy or regular milk

* 1/2 cup of water

Oh, and don't make this if you have peanut allergies. To be fair though, you will probably think it's worth the hives. If you have peanut allergies, then substitute the peanut butter for 2 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder or chocolate syrup. Other peanut abled people can combine the chocolate with the peanut butter for a peanut butter cup smoothie!

Iron Challenge Competitors: Round 2 Totals

2009-02-19T22:30:00.011-05:00

Round 2 numbers are tallied below for the Evotri Iron Challenge, and big congrats go out to our competitors! Those who have reached the goal distances of 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles cycling, and 26.2 miles running for the month will be entered in our grand prize drawing.

As a reminder, our third round started on February 1st, so be sure to keep logging the miles. Tune in at the end of the month for our next set of Iron Challenge Finishers!

Click to enlarge the mileage totals below. And please note: The following numbers have been corrected since our initial posting:

The Collegiate - Issue No. 4

2009-02-08T16:55:00.000-05:00

Fievel Goes West
By: JP Severin

As some of you may know, I have recently moved to the home of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. The city of angels. That being said, it has been a rough transition (HA GET IT) away from my lovely little Spartan triathletes. However, all baby birds must leave the nest eventually. What I didn’t count on, was hopping out of my comfortable little training nest and right into another one.

The UCLA triathlon team has been a great find. I was initially put off by the disgusting blue and gold, but upon closer investigation, they were nothing like the wolverines. They are essentially a sister team to MSU. Same size, similar speed, and good people. Ironically, I was swimming with them and thought I recognized someone in my lane. She looked and talked exactly like one of my ex-girlfriends and old MSU teammates, so I asked and sure enough it was her older sister whom I had met once in an airport. Bizarrely small world, but I digress.

The bruins have a lot of luxuries as far as college teams go aside from good weather all year. As most everyone in this area drive between a Mercedes and a Bentley, they have wealthy donors who have purchased trainers for the entire team and have afforded them the opportunity to be coached throughout the year. Gareth is a great coach from London, who hates all American sports. He pisses and moans about how stupid basketball is at least every other time I see him. He also thoroughly enjoys the suffering of others. The bruins train less, but considerably harder than the Spartans which has been an interesting change. I have felt the pain big time as I don’t think they ever do anything slower than race pace. Gareth delicately toes the line of a lunatic.

Some of the highlights of the new team include the coach, the laid back and friendly attitude of the people, beastly workouts, and the unreal weather. Being a part of UCLA and MSU is going to be great when collegiate nationals rolls around. April 19th will be a serious showdown as I have been watching the UCLA team get faster and have been talking to my MSU buddies, who are excited about the way the year is going. Both are peaking for this race. Who am I going to race for? Well, I will be toeing the line for the Spartans. I will always bleed green but it is starting to blend with baby blue and yellow. Really weird blood...

Join Us!

2009-01-14T21:39:00.006-05:00

Only a few days left to be part of history! The inaugural Ironman New Orleans 70.3 will close on Janurary 18th at midnight, so if you haven't signed up to race the Big Easy alongside us yet, join us now!

Evotri Iron Challenge - Round 1 Finishers

2009-01-10T23:38:00.005-05:00

Congrats to all those who have completed Evotri's Iron Challenge - round one! Those who appear in all three tables below will be entered in our grand prize drawing at the end of the off-season Iron challenge. Participants will be entered one time for each 140.6 miles (2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running, respectively) they've completed.

Once again, congrats challengers; round two started on January 1, so get in the pool, on the trainer and hit the road!

Click each table below to enlarge.

2009 Motivation Mecca

2008-12-30T23:01:00.013-05:00

Training stalled? Check out this holiday message from Saris/CycleOps to keep you motivated all winter long:

1. "'Suffer in training to make your competition suffer in races.'
-Jordan

2. 'Chop wood, carry water. Hang the pretense - nothing replaces hard work.' -Sean

3. 'No day but today.' -CrimProf

These are the words that cyclsists throughout the world are repeating as they pull on their riding gear, to push them through another workout, or to drive them through their next interval.

Let their words motivate you by signing up to receive these messages straight to your cell phone or email. When the distractions of the holiday season and the cold, dark temperatures of the winter threaten to derail your workout, a simple word of encouragement may be all you need to stay on track."

Ready to get moving again? Click here to sign up!

Also, be sure to enter to win a CycleOps Pro Series trainer just by sharing your favorite motivational mantra. Click here to learn more now!

Cooking with JP!

2008-12-12T05:15:00.004-05:00

TRI THIS PIE
by: JP Severin

As our bodies recoil from the wanton gluttony that is Thanksgiving, triathletes often fall into a depressed funk about the thought of having piled on junk calories, and a few extra pounds. And what takes the brunt of the frustration? Dessert. This poor caboose to the meal gets none of the glory like its turkey brethren and takes all of the abuse. I am sick of people skipping dessert. However, it seems that the current dessert motto is, “DOUBLE THE SUGAR, DOUBLE THE FAT!” It doesn’t have to be that way. With that being said, check out this healthy pumpkin pie. Stow this recipe away for next Thanksgiving or try it out now. I have been eating a pumpkin pie a week after creating this hybrid recipe, and my skin is turning orange.

This recipe takes a little over an hour from start to finish.

Crust (don’t be shy, homemade crust is much easier than people think):

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cool whip
5 graham crackers
1.5 cups honey nut cheerios
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla

Smash the graham crackers and cheerios into tiny bits. Imagine that the cheerios have just insulted your mother. Now, melt the butter and the cool whip together and dump the cinnamon and vanilla in for good measure. Pour the butter and cool whip slowly over the grahams and cheerios, stirring while you pour to distribute evenly. Plop it into a glass pie dish and press the crust mixture evenly around the dish. I use a bowl to mash the crust into place and it works well… Bake for 10 minutes on 350 (preheated)

Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp clove
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup milk (skim)
6 tbsp cool whip

Blend all of that stuff together and pop it into your crust. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes. You know it is done when you stick a fork in and it comes out clean.

This seems simple and it is. The brilliance of this recipe is that it cuts over 180 calories per piece from the traditional pumpkin pie and still tastes the exact same. Don’t believe me? More pie for me. But seriously try it… you’ll be shocked!

The Collegiate - Issue No. 3

2008-12-05T19:47:00.013-05:00

By: JP Severin

As the sun sets on Michigan State University, the majority of the students flock to campus. Lines at the bars swell with coeds, and houses are soon packed to capacity as they hope to reach the keg for a few fleeting moments. However on this, and on every Friday, the MSU triathlon team is not among the majority of party goers. Instead of sloshing it up, sweat drips from our bodies as we engage in our weekly ritual known as Black Friday. This ritual, which is similar to the post-Thanksgiving shopping fiesta in name only, is infamous because pain is the goal of the encompassing workouts.

You see, at the beginning of this year I realized I had made so SO many mistakes in triathlon. I had overtrained to the point that it set me back an entire year, and in fact, had spent several years of fruitless yards in the pool cementing bad habits. I'd also made a practice of running inefficiently, and had made the blunder of abandoning speed in the base phase of training. Fortunately, I did at least learn quite a bit from those mistakes, and as a result wanted to pass this knowledge on to the other members of my club so they didn’t have to toil for years before doing things the right way as well. Just taking people aside at practices wasn’t enough though; I needed to lead in order to truly help. Thus brings us to the birth of Black Friday.

In a nutshell, Black Friday consists of a strength-based running program with time trials along the way to test progress. With it, I introduce the team to scientific training with a clear objective, and to walking through the reason behind everything we do. Every workout is hard and the team gets stronger not just physically and mentally, but as a unit.

The first Friday left me and some Ironman vets on the team feeling like we had in fact just completed one! Afterwards, several team members said we needed to tone it down to charcoal Friday, or perhaps grey Friday; but even so, the Spartans have still returned to the challenge time and time again. In fact, since our inaugural pain fest, the turnout has been better than any other regularly scheduled "normal" practice during the week, with numbers to the tune of twenty-five plus coming out for the suffering!

Why? Well, it all comes down to results. We start by setting a baseline goal with a time trial run on specific course that goes through the heart of campus. After three weeks of strength, form, and hill work, we time trial again on the same course. PRs are the goal. After the most recent Black Friday practice, the team smashed the course with everyone going at least twenty seconds faster than the previous time trial, and that deserves some recognition, of course. The prize for the most recent winning PR was a belt with a pizza box buckle that was painted with "M$U" and the slogan of Black Friday: “Pain is My Friend”. A one-minute and seven second PR claimed the pain belt until the next TT, so here's to a well-earned shout out Alex Douglas, way to shred that 5K!

That said, for my tri team, Friday night is no party. It's rather laying the foundation for a successful year for MSU triathlon. It is laying the foundation for the young members to train the right way and learn from my mistakes. Watch out for the Spartans ladies and gentlemen, Black Friday will ensure that we are strong for years after I am gone!

Quick October Race Highlights:

*MSU traveled to Purdue to race the Purdue tri club’s annual BoilerMan Triathlon -
Result: The team won for the 5th straight year! Individually, Lindsey Polinko placed 2nd overall in the Women’s race and I placed 2nd overall in the Men’s race.

*MSU hosted our first ever triathlon-
Result: The women won with a 1st and 2nd overall for women (Jackie Brosius and Allysa Thompson), and the men took 7th-9th (Todd Kennedy, Kyle Johnson, and Paul Grieve) in a great showing.

Thanks to the Purdue triathlon team for housing us for their race, hopefully we repaid the favor with housing for our race. It was great to get to meet everyone!

Custom Zipp Decals Are Here!

2008-11-25T22:43:00.003-05:00

Zipp ZEDTECH Customers Can Create Custom Decals for Wheels
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Speedway, IN, USA

Zipp Speed Weaponry and Wheeltags announced a partnership today that allows Zipp’s ZEDTECH customers the ability to create fully custom decals for their custom wheels. Wheeltags will handle the creation of custom ZEDTECH decals, as well as the unique flash feature within Zipp’s completely re-designed ZEDTECH website – www.zipp.com/zedtech.

“We couldn’t be more pleased about this partnership and the chance to provide the most respected wheel manufacturer, and their customers, with truly unique, customer designed decals,” said Kevin Koval, Director of Sales and one of the three owners of Wheeltags. “It is the perfect mix of our decal expertise and Zipp’s legendary customer service.”

The new custom decal feature within the ZEDTECH website provides each customer their own “Co-Design Tool Kit” to select different colors within the Zipp ZEDTECH decal, view them on their chosen wheel sizes and even “spin” the wheels. Information about the decals, along with the other specifics of a customer’s ZEDTECH custom wheel order, will be stored in a unique user ID. This allows for a streamlined transfer of vital information from Zipp dealers directly to the Zipp World Headquarters.

To get the most of Zipp’s custom decal options, ZEDTECH customers using the website can select from two different pricing levels. The first pricing level, $160 (US) for one wheel, includes complete color customization within the CMYK spectrum. The second pricing level, $220 (US) for one wheel, allows ZEDTECH customers to choose between complete color customization as well as a lighter/thinner OR reflective material.

“ZEDTECH represents the absolute pinnacle in custom performance race wheels. With options for Si3N4 silicon nitride ceramic bearings, rim laminates, spoke nipple colors, flange cap colors, and end cap colors, adding custom decals was the next logical step to meet the demands of the most discerning cyclist and triathletes on earth. With all of these options available ZEDTECH customers can truly have a one-of-a-kind wheelset.” said Andy Paskins, Marketing Manager for Zipp Speed Weaponry in Speedway, IN.

About Wheeltags
Wheeltags is a manufacturer and marketer of graphic treatments for bike wheels. With bold colors and designs, Wheeltags lets you tag your ride with the ultimate statement of individuality and Roll with Style™. Visit www.wheeltags.com for more information.

About Zipp
Zipp Speed Weaponry was founded in 1988 with the sole mission of making athletes faster on their bikes. Over the course of the last twenty years, Zipp has done exactly that, by drawing on its core competencies of design engineering, composites knowledge, and wind tunnel development. It is these competencies that have allowed Zipp to deliver a series of firsts in the cycling industry. From the first carbon disc wheel to the first carbon crank to the first wheel to achieve negative drag in the wind tunnel. These firsts have helped Zipp athletes to become champions in the toughest races in the world, on the fiercest roads in the world, from the cobbled roads of Belgium to the Queen K in Kona.

And They're Off!

2008-11-24T18:41:00.003-05:00

The Evotri Iron Challenge has officially begun ladies and gentlemen!

If you haven't already signed up at www.Plus3Network.com to join us, please do so now in order to get in on the first week's contest. The person who swims the most yardage this week will win a custom designed Evotri race hat from Headsweats!

Remember, after creating your free account, simply choose the charity of your choice, then do a friend search for "Evotri". Once you've found us, do a friend request to be added to the Iron Challenge. The clock started this morning at 12:00 a.m. PST and ends next Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PST, so get signed up today!