Triathlon Training Blog, Triathlon Gear Blog, Running Gear Blog, Marathon Training Blog

Rocky Mountain Team in Training - Train with Altitude

2009-09-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Family Fan Club is happy to announce that you can now buy Rocky Mountain Team in Training Train with Altitude t-shirts, stickers, hats, Sigg water bottles, travel mugs and more in our store. You can get the value Train with Altitude t-shirt for $9.99 or Train with Altitude with the Rocky Mountain Team in Training logo on the back. It's your choice. We also have Triathlon TNT Men and Triathlon TNT women shirts for supporting Team in Training. If you supporting friends and family, personalize our triathlon t-shirt with TNT colors. Mix and match any Family Fan Club design in support of TNT athletes. Stop by and take a look.

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

2009 Ironman World Championship

2009-09-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks until 2009 Ironman World Championship on October 10th in Kona, Hawaii. Whether you're a first timer or returning world champion, Family Fan Club has got a triathlon t-shirt for you. Regular readers of our blog know that you can now pick-up a Triathlon Mommy or Triathlon Daddy t-shirt at Ironman expos. What if you want a personalized triathlon t-shirt supporting friends and family? Contact us today and we'll get a shirt personalized for Uncle Eric, Natasha, Paul or your choice. You provide the name, we'll personalize a t-shirt for you. Leaving for the big island this week, no problem. Order your custom triathlon t-shirt and have it shipped directly to your hotel or rental.

Congratulations to everyone that made Kona and have a great race!

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Chain Condom, it works!

2009-09-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's what it sounds like. As their website states, "Chain Condom is a simple-to-use cover that goes on your bike in less than a minute. It keeps the grease and grime from your bike chain." The concept couldn't be simplier, the "condom" is made of nylon with a velcro closure. Everyone that has traveled with their bike for days, weeks or even a month understands the challenge of keeping your chain clean and rust free. I've been looking for something like chain condom since our annual month long trip to NY last summer (2008). Lance Armstrong happened to tweet about this new product available at Mellow Johnny's in Austin, I had to check it out and lo and behold it was exactly what I was looking for.

I ordered from the Chain Condom website and had it in my hands within a week. I had it on my chain protecting my goodies in three easy steps, just as the website tutorial stated and it takes < 1 minute. It's really easy, no tools, no hassle, etc...it really is that simple. I wish it completely covered the rear de-railer, but it covers most of it.

The real testimonial comes following the month long trip to NY (from Colorado) which was filled with rain, humidity, camping, and generally my bike was outside for a month. We were traveling with my road bike, my wife's mountain bike, my son's bike and a trail a bike. Only my road bike had the chain condom. The pictures are worth a million words. Every bike, but my road bike was a an absolute mess.

Here's my bike, protected by Chain Condom:

Here's my wife's bike, not protected by Chain Condom:

Needless to say, it's easy to see the value of the Chain Condom. I don't have the before pictures of the Mountain Bike, but it was clean. (Not perfect, but not rusted either) If you're traveling with your bike, protect it! Worth every penny in my opinion. Buy it online.

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Family Fan Club is an Ironman

2009-08-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, t-shirts can't be Ironmen, but we're happy to announce that Family Fan Club triathlon t-shirts will be featured at the Ironman Louisville and Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon expos. We're excited to share our vision of supporting family and friends on race day with our Triathlon Mommy and Triathlon Daddy t-shirts in a wide variety of colors. Lucky for you, you don't have to go to Ironman Louisville or Ironman Wisconsin expo to get a shirt, you can get your Triathlon t-shirt online at www.familyfanclub.net and if you're not supporting Mommy or Daddy, personalize it to support family and friends with a personalized triathlon t-shirt.

Here are the colors and designs you'll find at Ironman Expo:

Checkout the display at Ironman Louisville from our friends Holly and Bryan Reid who are at the race:

Thanks for the photo and have a great race Bryan!

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

2009 Race Reports

2009-08-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've been a bad blogger this summer. It hasn't been for a lack of ideas and topics, just for one reason or another I haven't taken the time to sit down write it all down. I thought about writing long blog posts about each race, training, and events, but then I decided to do this instead, one summarized mega 2009 race season report. So, when we last left our training triathlete, the 2009 Bolder Boulder was in the books and Family Fan Club had just completed an Expo with Girls on the Run in Denver. Here we go:

May 31st - Steamboat Half Marathon

Ha, ha, ha, ha, no, I didn't do a half marathon. We were in Steamboat, CO for Kim's annual participation in Steamboat Half Marathon (Where's your race report Kim?). We think this is our 5th or 6th year, I don't think we finalized the number of years, but it was a blast again this year. We extended our stay to 6 days and 5 nights and really got a chance to unwind with a half marathon in the middle. We spent a full day at the Old Town Hot Springs. They're finally done with the construction and I think it was worth the wait. New pools, slides and a good time was had by all. Kim and two girlfriends (Kim and Rebecca) struggled with race day "not feeling great", but were happy with their times considering the circumstances.

June 7th - 29th Annual Longmont Triathlon

While this may have been the 29th annual Longmont Triathlon, it was the first time that the weekend has been opened for me to do it since I started my triathlon quest for fitness. Typically we're in Steamboat the same weekend and I usually do the Greeley Triathlon (2007 and 2008), but due to how Memorial Day fell on the calendar this year, it was open and available, so I did it.

Longmont Triathlon is a pool swim with fairly typical sprint distances of 525 yards, ~13 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. I live close enough that I rode my bike to the race this year. Leading up to the race I didn't feel as prepared for the 2009 season as I was for the 2008 season, my off season conditioning never really was consistent for a number of reasons including laziness. This Triathlon was bit different than the others in that the pool swim is scheduled in waves, where the slower swimmers go first, followed by the faster swimmers. 5 or 6 swimmers to a lane for each wave of swimmers, 8 lane pool. I estimated my time when we signed up at 8 minutes, which in back in my HS days is akin to swimming with a piano on your back (5:20 was my best 20 years ago), but it's usually good for ~top 20% in the Triathlon world. With the seeding I was in Wave M I think, which was scheduled to start about 2 hours after the triathlon started. Very weird to be waiting around for so long. The good news was that I got to sleep in, the bad news was that the waves were delayed and I stood around for an extra 45 minutes after my scheduled start time.

The swim: The swim was uneventful. I didn't feel like my swim was strong this year, but I ended up going faster than I have in any of the other pool swims coming in at 8:19, which included 100 yard run or so after the swim to the checkpoint, I had just under 8 minutes on my watch, which was much faster than I expected given the amount of swim training time.

T1: Longmont Tri is interesting in that you've got triathletes coming and going, some transitioning, some packing their bags and leaving and still yet, some triathletes waiting to start. The other interesting thing is that transition is filled with family and friends. Every other Tri I've done, transition is closed to protect the athletes belongings, bikes, etc... Very interesting.

Bike: As expected. I hadn't put much time in on the bike to date, so wasn't expecting much improvement over past years and I met expectations ~40 minutes, which I've got to get lower. I've got the lower body strength, I think I must not be doing something right mechanically to maximize my pedal stroke.

Run: Oh, the run. The love / hate portion of the triathlon. I'm just not a good runner. I need to work on this.

The finish was nice, Connor and Griffin ran me into the finish. No PR today, it's difficult to asses this vs. Greeley as the distances are a bit different, but still feels great to be out there exercising and tri'n. 1st Tri in the books for 2009 and lots of work to do before the Boulder 5430 Sprint on Father's Day. The other nice thing is that two friends from work joined me, the first Triathlon for both. Great job Russ and Steve!

June 21st - Boulder 5430 Sprint

5430 Sprint by Amica this year was a blast. I really enjoyed this race. The event was really well run, there was a band after and ....I got my first medal from a race. I've done like 10 races now, you'd think there would have been a medal by now! I think having the race sponsored by Amica was a big plus.

The big pre-race change I made this year was to stop at the porta potty outside the reservoir, before even entering the race area. Great time saver, no waiting in line and I felt great when I got in to the race.

No big surprises here, swim, bike & run and I PR'd by 3 minutes over last year's 2008 5430 Sprint race. The great thing about being slow is that there's lots of room for improvement.

July 12th - 5430 Boulder Peak

After the Longmont Triathlon & 5430 Sprint I decided I really need to work on my bike and run. I was biking close to 100 miles a week leading up to the race, including several trips over Old Stage and I figured that it would pay off during the race. I was really confident of smashing last years time of 3 hours 27 minutes. My time on the run last year was really bad, figured it was a sure thing. And that's why they play the game....

I didn't execute my pre-resevoir strategy as I did with the Sprint and I paid for it. Something about race day just makes my insides crazy and I was in a great amount of pain with ~50 people in line for every porta potty. This is why I say Potty * Swim * Bike * Run....the first event was my toughest today and that's saying a lot.

Swim: I was in the 11th of 12 waves and my wave got pink swim caps...could you just punch me in the gut while your at it? 11th of 12 means that most people will be done with the race by the time I start the run, which will make for a lonely run. Anyway, the swim was relatively uneventful. I stuck to the inside again and still feel like a swam a short race, sticking to the bouys. I actually think I swam to the left of one bouy. One thing I hate are the jet skis. I understand they're there for safety, but get back. I could taste fuel and exhaust! Generally everyone who swam today agreed that the course was long and my time reflected that, 4 minutes slower than last year, not a good start.

T1: Uneventful, transitioned to my bike as quickly as possible. My transition area bucket really pays off, I don't know why more people don't do it, instant seat!

Bike: I felt good on the bike, I thought for sure I'd break last years time as I spent more time on the bike leading up to the race. Old Stage was tough, more interesting at the back of the race as opposed to Wave 2 last year. I saw a lot of people walking their bikes up this year. Lots of spectators! One of these years, maybe next year I want to go up there and see the pros do it. Otherwise uneventful and had very close to the same time as last year, so I'm ~5 minutes in the hole vs. last year.

T2: Another uneventful transition, but when I got there, the guy parked next to me was using my bucket! No problem, but get up when I'm standing there waiting! I also had to hit the porta potty again.

Run: Death march. Dead man running. Dead man walking. It was awful. The good news was that it was overcast, it could have been worse. I felt good for the first 2 miles or so, but then it just went to hell and I walked a lot and subsequently, while I didn't think it was possible, finished 10 minutes slower this year than last. Disappointing. I was complete wiped out at the finish, really exhausted. I think I need to address my (lack) of nutrition during the race. Aside from water, I didn't really have anything to eat or supplements, which could explain my lack of energy or perhaps it was a lack of training?

Anyway, it still feels great to be out there tri'n! Must run and bike more in the off season, treadmill and trainer here I come! Maybe.

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Vacation 5Ks

2009-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, Vacation 5Ks. I can't believe it either. We vacationed this year in 1000 Islands NY with all of our family. This was our 1st year in 1000 Islands, but our 5th vacationing with extended family. Here are the race reports:

July 19th - Tibbets Point 5K & 10K

On a whim, we decided to head over to Cape Vincent to participate in their 5 and 10K races. I selected the shorter 5K distance, while Kim and my nephew Daniel went for the 10K. There were about 200 people, so relatively small race. The course for the 10K was out and back around the Tibbets Point Lighthouse, with the 5K turning around midway. We all ran together for the first 2.5K and then I headed for the finish. I was mentally taking notes at the turn as to who was ahead of me that was in my age group. I figured there might be 3 or 4 people ahead me, but that was just for fun. I kept digging, running as hard as I could and finished in 29:28. I know, not blazing fast, but a best time for me! It felt good. Kim and Daniel finished strong with both breaking an hour on the 10K.

We hung around for the awards ceremony and in the back of my mind I thought there was a chance I placed in my age group, however after I discovered the age group was 30-39, not 35-39 I figured there was no chance. The results were posted and I quietly counted the places and.....I was 3rd! (And no, it wasn't 3 of 3, it was 3 of 5 or 6 thank you.) I didn't tell Kim and when they announced the 3rd place finisher, it was a great feeling. My nephew Daniel also placed, finishing 2nd in the under-18 division.

We joked that we need to move back east to place in our age-groups, as placing in the Boulder area is not even feasible. The funniest thing is that if I had run this race in 2008, I would have been 1st in my age-group! It's good to be active in the 30-39 age group along the St. Lawrence Seaway!

July 25th - Save the River 5K

On the second to last day of vacation, we decided to head over to Clayton for the Save the River 5K. We were joined by my sister Lisa and brother in law Tony, unfortunately Daniel wasn't feeling well. It was a beautiful day and by the time the race started it was getting hot. The race description had my favorite words "flat" and "fast", nothing I like better in a race! The race wound through Clayton, it was a nice course, flat and fast, as advertised. I ran with Tony for most of the race and went out in 8 minutes 30 seconds, which I thought must be an error. I don't that I've ever run that fast. Must have been race day adrenaline. I ended up finishing in 29 minutes and 4 seconds, a new PR! I wanted to break 29, maybe next year. We had a great time and jumped into the river after!

Vacation was awesome this year!

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

2009 Bolder Boulder Race Report

2009-05-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Bolder Boulder is in the books. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a race, not to hot, not to cold or rainy (Yes, I'm talking to you 2008 Bolder Boulder). Overall I'm pleased with the result, but I feel that I've got a lot of work to do and could done better this year.

I trained a lot (relative) more than last year, so I was interested to see how I'd do this year. Last year, I essentially willed myself to keep up with Kim and Rebecca, finishing about 1 minute (1:02+) behind with about 11 miles of training (yes, total). This year I did a couple of 5k's and I've been running 5k's a couple/few times a week for training. This year I ran the race solo, Kim was afraid that I'd make good on my promise to beat her I suppose, so I wondered how I'd stay motivated. If you've been reading this blog, you know if given the choice between walking and running I'd rather walk.

So, my wave was scheduled for 7:45 am. I figured since I was running by myself I could pretty much show up whenever I wanted after that and go for it. I didn't take into account that future waves might be walking waves or the associated challenges of running through walkers. More on that in a minute. I arrived at the local mall to ride the bus at about 7:15, figuring 30 minutes would be plenty of time to ride the bus to Boulder and make my scheduled time. Last year we parked and immediately got on the bus. This year, I waited an HOUR to get on the bus. By the time I got to the start line it was after 9:00 am, which was smack in the middle of the walking waves. Before I got started, as I usually do I have an urge to use the porta potty. I had every intention of #2, but not a single porta potty had any toilet paper => a new item going to the race bag is a roll of toilet paper.

Back to the race. Since I was running alone this year I decided to purchase an ipod shuffle. I'd never seen the need for this device, but it's really cool. It snaps on the back of my hat and I can't even feel it. So sweet. I loaded it up with a bunch of songs that would keep me moving. Great idea, I'll be using this on future training runs and races. I don't think I'll use it on the bike, as that's a different animal, but for closed course running races, I have no problem using an ipod.

The first mile was about 9:45 and feeling good. The walking traffic wasn't a problem as I was at the start of my wave, so not much traffic to contend with. Just after passing the mile mark it was sea of walkers packing the course left to right. It was immediately difficult to find room to run. I bounced in and out of traffic, up on the sidewalk, down, left to right, where ever it looked like there was a clearing, I went for it. Consequently my splits suffered, which partnered with aching heel pain and general fatigue resulted in a total time of 1:06. Not exactly what I was looking for, but considering a number of factors, I can't complain to much. The bottom line is that I need to improve my run fitness. Running doesn't come naturally to me, therefore if I'm ever going to get beyond 10-11 minute miles I'm really going to have to work for it.

Things that went well:
* Aside from walking through the water station at mile 4 and 5, I ran the entire race.
* Listening to music really had me focused on the task of running the race. The downside is that I didn't take in what was going on around me or the bands as I did the previous year.
* I think I could have run faster, I think there was more in the tank, need to figure out how to tap it, push myself to run faster.

Things to improve on:
* Get to the race on time and run with a running wave. I probably ran a 10.5K with all the dodging and weaving I did.
* Improve running fitness and cadence, which will probably require more than 5K's for training a couple times a week. I may have to change up the routine a bit.
* More stretching, particular related to tight calfs and subsequent pain in my heel and bottom of my foot. Getting older, I need to be more disciplined about stretching, particularly when my everything feels fine.

So the first big race on my schedule this season. As I said, overall feeling good with room for improvement.

Next up: Longmont Triathlon

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Family Fan Club at Girls on the Run - Denver

2009-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Family Fan Club was invited to participate in Girls on the Run - Denver 5k this past weekend and we had a blast. It was a beautiful morning, perfect morning for running. If you're unfamiliar with Girls on the Run, here's a synopsis of what the organization is all about:

Girls on the Run® (GOTR) of Denver uses the power of running to change the way girls see themselves and their opportunities! It is an innovative health education and wellness program that uniquely combines training for a 3.1 mile run/walk event with life-changing, self esteem enhancing lessons that encourage healthy habits and an active lifestyle in 8-13 year old girls. Girls learn to stretch themselves - physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally - and in the process, gain the skills needed to live a life full of self-respect and healthy habits.

There were hundreds of girls, often running in teams of family & friends with participation more than doubling from 2008. Girls on the Run is doing great work with innovative programs to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. Read all about Girls on the Run objectives, approach, expectations and academic evaluation.

Family Fan Club was happy to be part of the day. We temporary tattoo'd about 75 girls with Run Like a Girl tattoos. We also created special edition Run Like a Girl t-shirts for participants, family and friends with 10% of sales donated to Girls on the Run - Denver.

Consider visiting Girls on the Run - Denver or Girls on the Run - International to find a group in your area, contact them, read about their programs, FAQ's, VOLUNTEER and/or DONATE!

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

New RoadID bracelet

2009-06-01T18:12:00.001-07:00

Just ordered a new RoadID bracelet. If you run or bike, you need to get one of these, might save your life. Read the testimonials. They gave me a $1 off tell a friend coupon, I know it's not a lot, but if you buy one, use: ThanksDonaldP492519

Wear Your Support! Visit our t-shirt website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Duathlon t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and personalized t-shirt options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, duathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Posted by Kim:

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing Moms! We hope you had a beautiful, relaxing, loving weekend with your families. Every year I celebrate Mother's Day running the Title 9K race at the Boulder Reservoir! What a great way to start out the day. While breakfast in bed sounds enticing too, I just love the frenzy of getting the family up and out the door by 7am so we can get there in time for the kids race and to simply soak up the gorgeous view of the Flat Irons and the energy that radiates from 1800 Moms as they wait for the 9am start! What an amazing blessing to be a part of this event.

Well, this is what it is like under ideal conditions, because as Moms we all know that we have this ideal plan for what an event is going to be like and often it is the worst mistake I can make because I expect too much. For instance, is getting everyone out of the house by 7am easy, even on Mother's Day? No, of course not. It usually involves some coercing, begging, frustration, and on the rare occasion me sitting in the car making Dad take care of it (would this be considered pouting)! Then there is probably whining on the way there, but some how it always comes together and the hour it takes me to run 9K (now 9.9K) is like going out for Sunday morning coffee with my girlfriends, quite relaxing. In the mean time Paul is managing the boys and keeping them occupied. Sometimes I wonder why I try to get my best time each year, shouldn't this be the race that I try to take the longest?

I have been running this race for 7 years (since the year it started) and I have LOVED being a part of it, plus the fact that I can say that I have run it every year! This year was a bit different however, because for the first time I woke up to rainy cold conditions. We have now had just about all weather conditions, gorgeous, too hot, too windy, cold, but it had never rained before. I kept thinking if the rain can just hold out it would be perfect running conditions, I love to run when it is 45 degrees!

Changing the routine due to the weather I picked up my girlfriends Carissa and Rebecca and husbands and kiddos were going to meet us at the finish. I was feeling so great, quite giddy actually, until I realized that I forgot my number! UGH! So I called my Dad who was staying at our house and he zips down 66 to meet us and deliver my race number. At this point we still have plenty of time, but I am anxious and upset with myself for forgetting the number. I like to enter the back way into the reservoir so we head that way, but there is a sheriff car sitting on the corner. I ask if the back way is still open and he says yes, but that it is a bumpier ride. I was driving our dreamy 1995 eggplant purple Pontiac Sunfire, do I look like a few bumps are going to scare me? We head down the road only to see another sheriff's car at the next corner and he turns us back telling us that the road is closed. By this time I am really anxious and frustrated with myself so what is my response? I yell out my window that the other sheriff told us it was ok to come this way and that they should communicate with each other. What?! Did I just do that? So I head speeding back (toward 3 sheriff cars) and as we pass the sheriff that told me the road was open I yell out my window "The road is not open, don't tell anyone else to go that way." What?! Did I just do that again? I then come to the stop sign (right next to another sheriff's car) roll through the stop sign in my hurry and Carissa yells out "He's going to pull you over." As the lights of his car come on and he starts moving I just see the headlines MOTHER ARRESTED ON MOTHERS DAY! What is wrong with me? Luckily it all worked out and he was just moving to officially close the road, looks like they decided to take my advice! Phew.

It all worked out, we arrived early enough for Carissa to get her race pack, to find some friends and hang out for a bit, and then to cram (literally shoulder to shoulder) into the start and stay warm until the 9am start. Once the race started it seemed like it was sailing by. I was shocked when we passed the 5K point. But I felt great so I figured we must have been running a bit slow, but when I approached the finish line Griffin ran out to run into the finish with me wearing his Mommy's #1 Fan t-shirt from FamilyFanClub.net I was shocked to see that my finish time was 1:03. I was surprised considering the crammed start, the water stops and the fact that I did have to stop to use the porta potty. Now that was a fun time!

Speaking earlier about foiled plans, this year the boys would were actually cooperating and willing to get their picture taken with me! Ahh yes, some things change! Another amazing year, another amazing race. The perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day with a personal accomplishment and my biggest fans waiting for me at the finish line!

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Personalized t-shirts

2009-05-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wear Your Support! If you've browsed our collection of triathlon, running, cycling & swimming t-shirt designs and didn't find what you were looking for or if you'd like to personalize an existing design, you've come to the right place.

If you haven't visited our t-shirt shop, what are you waiting for? Family Fan Club is your one stop shop for triathlon t-shirts, running t-shirts, marathon t-shirts, cycling t-shirts, swimming t-shirts and new this year, duathlon t-shirts. In addition to t-shirts, we also have stickers, signs, mugs and many other items to choose from. Contact us and tell us about your personalization request.

Here's an example of some of our personalized t-shirts:

Here's our Triathlon Mom design personalized supporting Jade with Team Gilbert on the back:

Here's a fun personalized design for a club triathlon team based on our Triathlon Daddy design:

The possibilities are unlimited, if you can dream it, we can personalize it! So, whether your supporting a friend, family member or looking to create a unique team look, we can customize it for you! Browse our designs, pick one of the base designs or contact us to personalize an existing design or create something completely new to suit your requirements. And we're not limited to personalizing t-shirts, we can put your personalized design on any product in the store.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

2009 Mud Hen 5k

2009-04-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row, I ran the 2009 Mud Hen 5k at McIntosh Lake in Longmont, CO. It's hard to believe it's been 2+ years since I decided to get off the couch and get healthier. You can read my 2008 Mud Hen Race Report here.

Mud Hen 5K - Longmont, CO
Find more Runs in Longmont, Colorado

This years weather was a bit better than last year, the biggest difference being the absence of white caps on McIntosh Lake (i.e. no wind!) It was in the 40's, overcast and intermittent sprinkles. Unlike last year, I didn't go to softball practice or ride my bike to the race, but I did do a touch lower body workout at Boot Camp Friday night, which I was feeling on Saturday morning.

My goals for this race:
* Beat last weeks time: 32+ minutes
* No walking

Pretty simple and straight forward. The race was pretty uneventful. I had plenty of time to warm up and get ready. Connor and Griffin were there with their Daddy's #1 Fan t-shirt and Mommy's #1 Fan t-shirt, which was great. The designs came out really nice and the after race picture of me and Connor is one of my favorites. Long story short, I felt good, I didn't walk and I finished in just over 31 minutes. I met my goals, walking only to get some water half-way and I beat last week's time by 1 minute.

Felt good and progress was made, however I've got a long way to go before the 2009 Bolder Boulder on May 26th. I've got a lot of running to do to get ready, not to mention the Longmont Triathlon the following weekend.

Here are some pictures from the race:

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Tribute to Ironman and Triathlons

2009-04-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

On one hand, this scares the hell out of me. On the other hand, it gives me goosebumps, inspires me to become an Ironman AND scares the hell out of me.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Matt Reed speaks at Boulder Triathlon Club meeting

2009-04-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last night at the April Boulder Triathlon Club meeting we had a guest speaker; Matt Reed. For anyone that has been living under a rock for the last couple of years, Matt was one of three members of the Team USA Triathlon last summer in Beijing. Matt also recently won Ironman 70.3 California at Oceanside. Matt stopped by to promote a new Croc shoe that is specifically designed for endurance athletes called Prepair. The shoe is just out this month, so if you're looking for new post race shoes, stop by their website or your local shoe store to find out how they can help enhance your recovery. Matt has been sponsored by Crocs on and off for the last 8 years, which is great to see a local Boulder company supporting a local athlete. Crocs even paid for Matt's running coach to fly to Beijing this summer!

Aside from Crocs, Matt also touched on a number of subjects:
* Last year (2008) was the best and worst year of his career. The best, as he was able to fulfill a childhood goal of making the Olympics, but the worst due to the extra races he had to run to secure the 3rd team spot for USA and the poor performance in Beijing.
* He's been training for triathlon his entire life. Unlike Andy Potts who was a Michigan swimmer or Jared Shoemaker who's a runner, Matt has been a triathlete from the start.
* He's going to train for London 2012 and he's got a plan to address what he thinks went wrong in Beijing. He outlined the plan, but it's a secret for everyone else.
* He's not going to do Ironman until 2013. He indicated that the new bike sponsor deal he signed requires him to do Kona in 2013, but only after he's pursued the Olympics in 2012.
* He's going to continue doing 70.3's as the distance doesn't require substantial additional training over ITU circuit and feels that as a tall / strong athlete, he's perfectly suited to continue winning those distance races.
* How he met his wife Kelly. Ask Kelly, it's a funny story.
* When he's done racing, he's done racing. He doesn't really have any aspirations to coach and he's made his wife Kelly promise that when his career is over, it's over. He mentioned landscape architect as a possibility.
* Matt has to cute kids, Lachlan (3) and Peyton (<1). They both got Family Fan Club Triathlon Daddy t-shirts and Matt autographed one of ours.

It was really cool to meet Matt, pick his brain and hear how he trains and prepares to be one of the Michael Jordan's of the sport. You can also follow Matt Reed on Twitter.

Next up for Matt is defending his win last year at St. Anthony's Triathlon.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Jamie Whitmore 5k Fun Run

2009-04-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today was training season wake up call. Guess who hasn't been training consistently? This guy! (Two thumbs pointing at me) I ran an unplanned 5k today to benefit Jamie Whitmore's battle with cancer. Jamie is a 2x Xterra Champion fighting for her life. Checkout Jamie's blog and join the fight against cancer. About 100 runners showed to support Jamie with a $10 donation, with support from many local businesses providing raffle prizes, including Family Fan Club.

Kim and I ran a pretty slow 32 minutes, but it was the longest run of the season for me, so not to bad. Kim has been running consistently, training for Steamboat Springs Half Marathon, so it was a breeze for her, even after already doing a training run with the girls. With the weather improving this week, it's time to stop making excuses and get out and run & bike. I'll get a chance to improve on that run this weekend at the Mud Hen 5k.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Ironman 70.3 California Results

2009-04-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all triathletes that recently completed the 10th Annual Ironman 70.3 California triathlon on April 4th 2009. Matthew Reed of Boulder, CO and 2008 Olympic Team Member brought home the title for the men, while Mirinda Carfrae from Australia, the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, brought home the title for the women. Read the full Ironman California 70.3 results.

I've had the opportunity watch Matt race in person the last two years at the 5430 Boulder Peak Triathlon, as well as the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, IA. He's a great competitor and seems like a great guy. One of the extra perks, in addition to 300 days a year of sunshine, is the opportunity to see the world's greatest triathletes in and around Boulder. Matt is going to be speaking at the next Boulder Triathlon Club meeting, April 13th at Boulder Running Company and he's also one of the first families to receive a Triathlon Daddy t-shirt at the Boulder Peak in 2007. I wonder if with the Olympics in the rear-view mirror if we'll see Matt pursue 70.3 and 140.6 races full time? Perhaps I'll ask him when I see him!

Again, congrats to all the athletes that competed this past weekend. If you're looking for a unique memento or design to commemorate your race, shop our triathlon t-shirt shop. We've many new t-shirt designs for triathletes, marathon t-shirts, spectator t-shirts and some really cool race bib t-shirts for the kids. If you don't see a design that suits your needs, let us know and we can personalize an existing design or even customize one for you.

Also, checkout our 70.3 stickers and 70.3 ornaments:

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Go Green with B-Cycle

2009-03-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

Go Green with this cool concept that's coming to Denver (B-Cycle) this summer:

I've been trying to make an effort to ride my bike as much as possible, particularly to anything within a few miles of my house. Feels good and I can burn a few calories.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Let's get ready to rumble!

2009-03-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Off-season is officially over, time to start ramping up the training for the 2009 season.

Here's what my race schedule looks like for 2009:

April 25th - Mud Hen 5k (2008 Race Report)
May 25th - Bolder Boulder 10k (2008 Race Report)
May 31st - Longmont Sprint Triathlon
June 21th - 5430 Sprint Triathlon (2008 Race Report)
July 12th - Boulder Peak Olympic Triathlon (2008 Blog Post)
September 20th - Octoberfest Sprint Triathlon (Relay - Swim) (2008 Blog Post)

Maybes:
September 12th - Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
October 18th - Denver Half Marathon

Another busy season. I'll be back later this week to let you know what we've got in store for Family Fan Club this year.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon, Running, Cycling, Swimming and personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. All designs are available on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, buttons, signs and travel mugs.

Featured athlete at Training Bible Coaching

2009-03-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Checkout this athlete profile over at Training Bible Coaching. Dan is a former high school swim team teammate of mine. We spent many hours chasing and pushing each other in the distance freestyle events.

Dan laid down a scorching 10:29 at IM Wisconsin a few years ago, I hope to get within 3 hours of that time someday!

Congrats Dan!

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Dilbert's observations about runner's high

2009-03-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Most have had or at least heard of a runner's high, which I understand is the pleasant state that a runner might experience after running a certain distance. Personally I think euphoria is a bit overstated, but maybe I haven't run far enough? Anyway, the point of this post is an observation from Dilbert (Scott Adams) about the type of person that is inclined to run, bike, swim or otherwise exercise the biceps femoris. Read the full article about biceps femoris.

Scott concludes his analysis with this thought:
"I wonder if the world would be a nicer place if everyone exercised their biceps femoris muscles and experienced its euphoria. A sentence you never hear on the news is "He was a marathon runner and a serial killer.""

I had never made the connection, but I haven't heard about any triathlete serial killers either.

Is there is a connection between exercise and making the world a better place? I tend to think it is and reflects one of my first observations about the triathlete community. Everyone is over the top nice and generally willing to help anyone with anything. What do you think? Leave a comment.

I wish I had made this connection 20 years ago!

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Swimming with sharks oh my!

2009-03-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is why you won't find me doing any open water ocean swimming:

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5430 Sports Sprint Triathlon video from foxsports.net

2008-07-29T06:13:00.001-07:00

Checkout this video summary of the 5430 Sports 2008 Sprint race:

Flashback - 1989 Triathlon Worldchampionships: Scott vs. Allen

2009-01-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! With the holidays complete, it's time to start thinking about the upcoming season. Like many of you, I'm working on my race schedule for the coming year. When I have that figured out, I'll let you know.

I recently read an article in the "new" Inside Triathlon format about the 1989 duel between Dave Scott and Mark Allen. Great article and great video series complete with Rick and Dick Hoyt, one of the most inspiring and selfless stories I've ever heard.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon, Running, Cycling, Swimming and personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. All designs are available on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, buttons, signs and travel mugs.

Family Fan Club Stocking Stuffers at Skirt Sports

2008-12-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

S kirtSports and Family Fan Club have partnered to offer our line of triathlon stickers, triathlon t-shirts, running stickers and running t-shirts on the Skirt Sports stocking stuffer webpage. If you're looking for a last minute gift idea or stocking stuffer for that special female triathlete or runner this holiday season, be sure to stop by SkirtSports.com for Skirt Sport and FamilyFanClub products.

Also checkout Skirt Sports Outlet to get the classic skirts and tops before they're gone!

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon, Running, Cycling, Swimming and personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. All designs are available on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, buttons, signs and travel mugs.

Celebrate Cyber Monday @ FamilyFanClub.net with FREE shipping

2008-11-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, the Monday immediately following Black Friday, kicks-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Be sure to stop by familyfanclub.net get the triathlete, runner, cyclist and/or swimmer one of our unique and one of a kind t-shirts, magnets, buttons, sweatshirts or holiday ornaments.

All of your gifts are under $100, with many under $25 and most under $20. All orders carry a 30 day 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Enjoy Free Economy or Standard shipping for Family Fan Club purchases of $75 or more on Cyber Monday only (12/1 only, this is a 1 day sale!), excluding shipping charges and applicable sales tax. Enter free shipping code FCPHOL2 at checkout.

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon, Running, Cycling, Swimming and personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. All designs are available on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, buttons, signs and travel mugs.