HOP Fit Club

Mark your calendars now for next year’s Pine City Freedom Fest Triathlon! When? Um… Well I guess I don’t know when next year’s is, since this year’s was just this past Saturday. But mark your mental calendars for sometime late next June.

What’s that? Why are you marking your mental calendars? Sorry, I guess I should’ve led with that. Here goes (better late than never):

I just discovered the coolest little beginner triathlon. And if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of doing one, but have some lingering fears, I really think this would be a gentle one to help you over those humps.

If a multi-sport event could ever be described as “cute”, this one would.

It’s a 300-yard swim in a clear, small, warm, weedless “lake”. But, even better, that 300 yards is mostly just a suggestion. Out to the paddle boat and back is 300 yards. But if you don’t want to go that far, you can just go out to the swim raft and back. It’s okay.

(Did I mention that this race is untimed?)

The swim is short and simple. The bike is flat and along mostly decent roads. The run is short, and the third quarter of it is a nice, long, gentle downhill bringing you right back into town.

Oh, did I mention? It’s wicked cheap. Early-bird registration would have been $15. I missed that and had to pay $20. Including long-sleeve t-shirt.

Granted, there are some concerns with a race this small and informal. They need lots more volunteers and some law enforcement presence for traffic control on the bike and run course. (Although they were comfortingly well-staffed for the swim part. Lots of lifeguard-looking folks on the shore and in paddle boats and kayaks.)

All in all though, I think it makes a great event for a first triathlon. My mom ran it this weekend as her first and I wrote a big, long post about it with all kinds of race details here.

Just a suggestion!

Skoog

The House of Pizza is going to celebrate with another World Cup viewing this Saturday June 27th.. Here are the details so help spread the word.
• Bar opens at Noon with game kick off at 1:00pm
• Noon – 3pm : $6 Endless Pizza and $3 Beer pints – Stella, Bass, Newcastle, Fat Tire, Widmer, Bells Stout, and more.
• Any USA team support gear gets your first beer for $2. Any Ghana gear gets you a laugh but very impressive.
• Come down, bring the kids, wear your fanfare and help cheer on the USA boys.

Come down at noon for guaranteed seating!! Last time it filled up quickly. Taxi vouchers available if needed or maybe you can bike..

I had two race goals this year – both stretch goals. I wanted to do the 20-mile distance at Earth Day. And I wanted to do a half-ironman triathlon.

First goal; achieved. Went great.

But when it came time to register for the second goal…I couldn’t pull the trigger. It’s not that I’m afraid of that distance or that I don’t think I’ve trained properly. (Those things are both TOTALLY true.) It was more the deep, abiding sense of cheapness that grips me at my core. With current circumstances being what they are (which I shan’t go into in this forum), I couldn’t bring myself to spring for $100 for the registration fee.

So what am I gonna do? Quit? Hell no. I still want to test myself at this distance this summer. I mean, think about it. Did that one Greek guy who ran the first marathon stop off for gyros and ouzo and blow off the rest of his run? Not a chance. Did Teddy Roosevelt get tired and puss out halfway up San Juan Hill? You bet your big stick he didn’t.

I’m doin’ this thing, dammit. Just the way our forefathers would have. I’m building my half-iron from scratch.

Who’s with me?

Here’s the way it’s going to go down. On Saturday, July 10, at 7 a.m., I’m going to start out at Gold’s Gym in Sartell. I’m going to jump in and do my 44 laps to make up 1.2 miles.

After that, I’m going to head out to the parking lot, climb aboard my trusty Stealth Bomber, ride out to St. Joe, pick up the Woebegon trail and ride until my computer says 56 miles.

At that point (somewhere just after Osakis) I’ll hop off my bike, switch shoes, put on my oh-so-techy iPod with its handy Nike Fit chip, and continue on down the trail until the little voice in my ear tells me I’ve run 13.1 miles.

That’s going to leave me somewhere on the outskirts of Alexandria; the city where my parents spend their summers. So I plan on meeting up with them to rehydrate with lots of water…and probably a couple of beers.

Here’s where you come in:

I’m not implying that you might be crazy enough to want to join me for the whole thing (though that would be awesome – I’d love the company). But maybe you’re interested in joining me for an event or two. Know what I mean?

Do you like swimming? (What the f is wrong with you?) Let’s make plans to meet at 7 and crank out a whole bunch of laps.

Looking for a nice, flat bike ride? Let’s hit it! In fact, if your summertime stretch goal was to do a century ride, I’ll bet if you met me at the St. Joe trailhead as I rolled by, my transition point would just about be your turnaround point. Just a thought.

If you’re a runner (with an apparent lack of anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon), get in touch with me and we’ll arrange to meet just past Osakis. We’ll go for a nice, long run and then get something to eat and have a beer. Heck, I could probably even arrange to drop you off at your car in Osakis on my drive home!

I don’t know. I don’t have all the logistics worked out. I’m making this thing up as I go. I’m working on talking my fantastic wife (and potentially a couple of kids) into taking a long, scenic drive up to Alexandria that day, making frequent stops to find the trail and catch me with water bottles as I roll by. If you’re helpful like that, let me know. I’ve got a feeling that’s an area where we could use some helpers.

In the end, don’t feel guilty if you decide this isn’t something you want to do. I was planning on doing this all by myself when I came up with the idea. But it was suggested that I post about this and see if I can get any takers.

So what do you say? You crazy enough to come along and supplement my half-iron experience?

Let me know,

Skoog

gskoog@creativememories.com

PACIFIC WOK TERIYAKI GRILL
• $5 entrees for all fit club members – All day and everyday! Simply show your hopfitclub card while ordering and you will get the discount. $5 entrees at Pacific Wok for fitclub members only.
Limited time – offer only good until June 30th.

HOUSE OF PIZZA
• FREE LARGE CHEESE PIZZA when you purchase any family size 2-topping – All day and everyday (Take out and delivery only) Now you and the kids can enjoy Minnesota favorite pizza. Please inform the caller when ordering that you are a fitclub member and would like to get the Free Large Cheese Pizza deal. Limited time – offer expires June 30th.
• $3 Fat Tire Pints all the time at both locations (club card ongoing)
• FREE Garlic Cheese bread w/ any $20 order or more. (club card ongoing)

Fit Club Crew – Sorry the gear order has taken so long – we have done everything possible to get it hear as soon as we could. We think that it was worth the wait as the jerseys look great. Please see the list below indicating what we have on hand that was ordered. If something looks wrong, please email directly at Brandon@houseofpizzamn.com. Your jerseys can be picked up at Pacific Wok St. Cloud – stop by the Endurunce Shop next door and Fitzharris bike Shop across the street for our club discounts. What a great Deal!!!

After everyone has picked up their gear, we will try and coordinate the extra options that we have so you can purchase at a very good discount. We did order extra 20ten shorts and bibs that are really comfortable.

1. Jeni Schad – 1 hat
2. Justin Vudy – XXL Jacket
3. Todd Steinke – 1 hat
4. Kim Aune – Large
5. Casey Lebens – Large
6. Rachelle Bauer – Small
7. Natasha Sanford – Large
8. Shannan Houghton – Small
9. Monica Lindlief – Large
10. Tim Moes – Large
11. Amy Imdieke – Small
12. Rich Flores – Medium
13. Tammy Meyerhofer – Medium
14. Ryan Brovold – XL
15. Kate Foley – Medium
16. **Ryan Granroth – Large Long Sleeve – I will drop off at Integracare
17. **Mark Halstrom – Medium Riding Jacket – I will drop off at Integracare.

Pre race meeting at 5:15 at City Hall in Sartell – Wear your fitclub shirt.
Should be a good local race with a concert and food to follow – pizza of course!
Thanks for the help. Contact Brandon(at)houseofpizzamn.com

Why spend your summer shut indoors, sweating on a treadmill, staring at the outside world when you could be outside getting fit, losing weight, and enjoying your workouts more than ever before?

This program is geared towards the fitness enthusiast, runner, or tri-athlete who considers themselves to be in good shape, but wants to take their health, fitness, and exercise performance to the next level. The Outdoor Summer Bootcamp workouts will add a spark to any avid exerciser’s weekly training regimen because each workout is filled with the effective exercises it takes to make the move from good to great. These workouts will focus on building total body strength and stamina, and are perfect for the exerciser who has trouble fitting essential structured strength training into their weekly workouts. Structured strength training is a vital component of what it means to live a complete, balanced, healthy lifestyle, and should be a regular part of every exerciser’s weekly workout routine.

Additional Details
Where: All workouts will start on-campus near SCSU’s Husky Stadium. Workout locations may vary from session to session, but will always be announced to participants prior to each workout via email or phone call.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 AM (if this time doesn’t work, let us know, we may be able to adjust it a bit)
Program Duration: June 8^th – July 1^st (4 weeks)
Cost: $40

This program is limited to only 5 – 10 participants, and all spots must be reserved via email prior to the start of the program. All spots are to be reserved by emailing personaltraining@stcloudstate.edu