December Athlete Newsletter

Announcements

Give the Gift of Wildflower – It’s the season for giving and why not give memories? Wildflower race entry Gift Cards may be that extra nudge someone needs to join you at the start line! GIVE GIFTS HERE

Camping – How will you maximize your Wildflower Experience? Camping? Glamping? Hotel? Vacation Rental? However you plan your weekend, just make sure you purchase the correct pass for entering the campground & festival. Day Pass if you are staying outside the campground and Camping Pass if you’re planning to sleep under the stars. Visit our Camping & Travel info page HERE

Wildflower Training Gear – We have some holiday specials at the Wildflower online store. Save 35-50% on Wildflower gear. SHOP HERE

Rate Increase Before Year End – Invite your friends and family to join you at Wildflower 2019 before prices go up.

Nominate Wildflower for “Athlete’s Choice”– Every year, Triathlon Business International (TBI) recognizes the “Triathletes Choice” Best Triathlon Event! If you love Wildflower as much as we do, please nominate Wildflower Experience any of the four categories: large event, small event and scenic course and best first-timer event! VOTE HERE

Wildflower News – Read our latest news, blog and previous athlete newsletters: HERE

Logistics Planning

How To “Wildflower”

Maybe you’ve signed up for Wildflower and haven’t quite sorted out your logistics for the epic weekend of triathlon, camping, beer, wine, and music. Do I have to eat freeze-dried camp food for my pre-race dinner? Is there an option besides instant coffee? Where do I shower? No, really. WHERE DO I SHOWER???  No worries, Allison Freeman from Colorado’s 303 Magazine can help you sort through some of those answers with her article here: “HOW TO WILDFLOWER”

Staying Motivated

So, you’ve registered for Wildflower Experience 2019 and now it’s the off-season. Now that we’re headed into some colder weather, it may get a little tougher to get out of bed and stay motivated. The off-season is a time to balance and maintain your fitness while enjoying some downtime to let your body rest. It’s still beneficial to get in some decent training sessions during the winter when the weather is unfavorable and daylight is limited.

According to PurplePatch Fitness owner Matt Dixon, “the postseason training block is quite possibly the most important training phase of your season because, while you’re not actively searching for massive fitness gains or huge performance development, you are building good habits that pave the way for greater yields from the training that will come later.” Listen to the PURPLE PATCH PODCAST HERE

We spoke to Wildflower Pro Daniel Clarke of Canada and Top Age Grouper Julie Dunkle of San Diego about how they maximize their off-season triathlon training.

Winter Training Tips

Toronto-based Wildflower Pro, Daniel Clarke shares some useful tips for the off-season:

Make yourself injury-proof – This time of year is a great opportunity to work on strength and flexibility, which will help fend off injuries in the 2019 season.  A strength assessment with a physiotherapist or fitness professional is a great starting point to identify weaknesses and imbalances.

Get a baseline – Winter is a great opportunity to do some testing to get a baseline for your current swim, bike, and run fitness.  This will allow you to see where your current fitness is and track improvements.  I like doing a 500m all out swim test, I’ll do an FTP test on the trainer, and then I have a hilly loop that’s just under 5k that I like to run.  I’ll repeat these tests every 4-6 weeks.

Work on your weakness – The winter is a great opportunity to work on areas where you struggle.  It could mean having a run focus or it could be working at top end speed among all 3 sports.  Over the winter you can give some extra time to that weakness to help turn it into a strength for next season.

Set intermediate goals – It’s very easy to be lazy and uninspired over the winter.  Race season can feel a long way off, and it can be hard to get up for your workouts.  Set some intermediate goals to keep it interesting.  It could be an indoor tri, a local 5k, or tackling 100×100 in the pool.  Intermediate goals give you something to focus on to get you through the dog days of winter.

Find a training partner or group – I find the short days of winter even more challenging than the cold.  A training partner or group is a great way to keep you accountable and stay motivated.

Be safe and smart – Winter training is not without its risks.  You’re more likely to be training in dark conditions, and it can be cold and slippery.  This means that there are times you’re going to have to modify or cancel a workout.  That’s okay.  A missed workout or two will not derail your season, but an injury because you pushed it and fell on a patch of ice can.

Julie’s Favorite Indoor Cycling Workout

Julie Dunkle is Manager of Nytro Women’s Racing Team and D3 Multisport Coach. “What a better way to burn some calories and boost your fitness than some V02 max work!  These short max efforts are the biggest bang for your buck when it’s cold outside or time is limited.”

Warm up: 20 min zone 1

Repeat 10 times

Hard: 30 sec @ zone 5

Easy 30 sec @ zone 2

Recovery 10 min @ zone 2

Repeat 10 times

30 sec @ zone 5

30 sec @ zone 2

Cool down 10 min @ zone 1

Testimonials

“Wildflower was always an iconic race to me, something I hoped to do “one day”.  During my year-long journey with cancer — surgery, chemo and then radiation — I kept wondering about what I would and wouldn’t be able to do.  When my Coeur Sports team announced Wildflower as a team event I just knew it meant that I should do it!  The race delivered what it promised — it was an amazing experience all the way around, from the camping to the tough but beautiful course and everything in between.  I loved it so much I signed up again for 2019!”  – Moira Horan, Ambassador from New Jersey

Wildflower Tri Club Highlight

“My first Wildflower last year was beyond what my teammates had told me. Although we had bonded during Training Weekend at Lake San Antonio, having 200+ teammates playing, camping and racing together was a special experience I couldn’t have prepared for.  I created unexpected and new bonds with people; when we weren’t racing all teammates were meeting up at specific checkpoints to cheer and support one another. The weekend felt like a week of summer camp where you met new friends and were sad to leave.  I can’t wait to do it again next year!” –  Charles McCollough, Sponsorship Director, Golden Gate Tri Club

Wildflower Experience – The Vibe is Contagious!