Coaches Arrive in the Land of Beer, Coffee and - Sunshine? This can't be Seattle!

The coaches with the Magnificent Six - from left to right: Coach Huddle, Constance Brown, Coach Ryan (kneeling), Stephen White, Angela Hamilton, Coach Paula, Coach Roach (kneeling), Stefanii Rogers, Debbie Schmidtke, and Monique West. Look at those gray skies and all that rain - it's a ruse to keep the Californians out of their fair city.

"You're all purple pigs." Paula Newby-Fraser's infamous "going mental" lecture, which continues to expand, is one of the highlights of every camp - the group from Znetix was no different.

"Make sure you're rolling all the way on to your side and catching up . . ." Coach Roach grabs Steve's attention as Debbie wonders, "Roll - schmoll, I wonder what my kids are doing now?!"

Connie, Debbie, and Stephen are all smiles - well, almost all smiles - as they hang on the wall awaiting the next command from Roch. Nice new Seal Masks ladies! Nothing like great visibility AND comfort!

After getting taped under and above water, Debbie gets Roch's full attention at the VCR and the added bonus of critique from her kids. "Mom, why didn't you waive to the camera when you pushed off the wall?"

Coaches Arrive in the Land of Beer, Coffee and - Sunshine? This can't be Seattle!

Last weekend, the coaches of Multisports.com headed North to Seattle for a weekend triathlon clinic with the employees of Znetix Corporation. The brainchild of Monique West, participants who attended the clinic were taken through 24-hours of intensive testing, video taping, and lectures to jump start their initiation into triathlon training. That hand they raised in a boardroom two months prior committed them to a season of swimming, cycling, and running to culminate with a race (for most, their first triathlon) in August. In a company that has created a new paradigm for health care and staying active longer, these six individuals have unwittingly become examples for their co-workers.

The coaches escaped a winter storm in Southern California and were greeted by clear sunny skies. Something suspicious was going on here. We later learned that the whole gray / rainy association Seattle has perpetrated on the world is a lie to keep people from Southern California away. The two days we spent at Znetix on Bainbridge Island were proof enough of that.

After an introduction, the victims, er, participants introduced themselves and gave a reason that they were attending the clinic and taking on this "ridiculous challenge". Across the board a resounding theme was one of taking their lives back. It's one thing to grow with your job and take on the responsibilities and time constraints that raising a family brings but everyone seemed unhappy with the way they'd let their physical bodies go in deference to "more important" issues.

After getting fit on their bikes, performing Anaerobic (lactate) Threshold tests for both running and cycling (everyone's favorite), doing a drill progression in the pool, getting video taped, listening to discussions on Heart Rate Training, Periodization, Nutrition, Swimming, Cycling, and Running, . . . phew! and learning how to navigate their Multisports.com on-line training program, everyone had a group hug and cried. No, no, not really. Everyone went home to assimilate the information into their lives and begin the journey to the finish line of their first triathlon.

We look forward to watching their progress.