“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” ~Gandhi

As I write this, it is the Friday before what could be the strongest field ever at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon this Sunday.  This has become an event where we get to see a “border war” with Ironman triathletes going against ITU triathletes.  The unique distance (1 mile swim from Alcatraz in cold-ass 50 degree water, a 1 mile run to T1, an 18 mile hilly-ass bike and an 8-mile run with a climb up the toughest staircase in the sport), the early season challenge and the prize money are making this a great place to see how Macca does against Kemper and how MB does against Leanda, to name a few.   I’ll be there to let you know how it al plays out, and hopefully get some great photos.

Therefore, this issue is a quick one.  But we did add a great interview with Mary Beth Ellis, who is the two time defending champion at Alcatraz.  Can she make it three?

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NEWS

Colorado Native Overcomes Rough Seas, High Winds to Win St Anthony’s Triathlon

Bozzone and McGlone win Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 in Houston

Meshcheryakov on Top in ishigaki

Nawata Wins in Ishigaki

Stoltz, Vanlandingham Win XTERRA West Championship

Entry Fee Deadline Approaching For Long Course Worlds

USAT Names 2010 Paratriathlon National Team

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Training

Six Ways to Develop Fast Transitions

Nourish Your Brain for Top Performance

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Tweets of the Week

chrislieto Excited for my little bro @mattlieto to watch him race Ironman Utah tomorrow. Good luck Bro!!

GregBennett1 Feeling smashed. Still have to get on the bike, I con’t to procrastinate. C’mon Kemper, Whitfield, Frodo, post a workout I need some juice!

terenzo1 Slept on my arm funny last night. Have has pins & needles all day. Good excuse for a massage

janfrodeno @boomboomreed I think the difference btw a really good and a good athlete is the self confidence to take a day off

chrisjmacca Are we there yet? Yes kids we are!! Finally arrived in San Francisco. Glad to be here. Checking in now.

janfrodeno Bought a solid stone for the bbq- a step towards the pizza oven! Post long ride delicacies have just been pimped

boomboomreed taking a nap… moving key session to tomorrow. need a recovery day.

leandacave will be wearing the new @blueseventy Helix at Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday….first out of the water here I come!!

leandacave In Phoneix en-route to San Francisco and there is a guy next to me eating a tomato like an apple…..yuck!

juliedibens 2 race rules i never knew existed, i can race with a snorkel! and i can not crawl on the run! seriously! no bonking for me tomorrow then

hunterkemper I got my beautiful white Orbea Orca w/ my superlight @RolfPrima Carbon Tdf58′s all packed up for Escape from Alcatraz this weekend.

leandacave Gotta get cracking early thismorning…..run, swim and massage all before I fly to San Francisco at lunch time (first class!!).

chrisjmacca On the road and driving to San Fran. Done this trip a few times. Peaceful at the moment with both a sleep. Sure to change any moment now.

yvonnevvlerken My boy Guinea-pig is called Gideon,the ohter 1 is a girl with long hair,she’s just beautiful and sweat:-)We still have to figur out a name.

RachelCasanta Psyched my @powerbar fuel has arrived! I’ll race on PowerGel & Powerbar Endurance during the Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday. My 10th!

leandacave My feet hurt.

Part I: juliedibens who looses their shoes on a highway? i just don’t get it when i see random shoes on the side of the road.

Part II: marybethellis @juliedibens oops could you pick those up for me. I left them along C470 last time I was running to the airport.who looses their shoes on a highway? i just don’t get it when i see random shoes on the side of the road.

Part I: leandacave Cant wait to get my Pinarello FT3 with its new DuraAce DI2……thats the electronic bike bling……its going to be sooooooo fast!!

Part II: leandacave OMG…I think my Pinarello Dogma just showed up…wait, I gotta open the box!

Part III:  leandacave Yep…and its gorgeous!! Thanks @gitabike….tell the Pinarello guys I love it!!

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20 Questions with Professional Triathlete, Mary Beth Ellis

Mary Beth Ellis, AKA: MB, or Pearl, has been a triathlete since 2005.  Her accomplishments iIn high school and college would fill a book.  She did it all both academically and athletically.  Her accomplishments would fill the column, so here are a few highlights:  She was a High School All American swimmer and a state champion in track and cross country.  In college at Northwestern University, she set several swimming records and was an Olympic Trials Qualifier in1996.  She was also a standout in track and cross country.  She graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

After college she focused on marathon running and put in some times that were ranked in the top 15 American times in 2001.  In 2005 she was diagnosed with early stages of osteoarthritis.  So, why not take up triathlon!  Since then, she’s become the current Pan American Champion and she won the Escape From Alcatraz in 2009.  She’s finished second in the last two Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

MB is definitely one of the brightest stars on the horizon in American triathlon.  It’s just a matter on which way she decides to go, ITU and the 2012 Olympics or Ironman.  You can check her out on her website http://marybethellisracing.com or her blog at http://marybethellisracing.blogspot.com/

(TWiT)  Your first pro race was Escape From Alcatraz in ’06.  What were you up to prior to that?

(MB)  Sitting in a cubicle working for the man most of my time and trying to run half marathons and marathons competitively in my leisure time.  Then in spring of 2005, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis.  I had torn the labrum, torn my joint capsule, and had bone spurs in one of my hips and told that the high mileage running had to stop.  So, naturally I took two months off running to heal and then tried three triathlons that summer and turned pro immediately.   I kept working full time until 2007 when I finally took the leap and quit my job to pursue triathlons.

(TWiT)  Was quitting your job scary, or a relief?

(MB)  Leaving my job was very hard.  I was definitely not sure of my decision and questioning it.  Then at the same time right after I quit, I was in Austrailia on a training trip feeling very lonely and isolated.  To compound my stress, I was injured; I tore the labrum in my good hip and wasn’t able to run at all.  It was a tough time for me mentally, and in retrospect I am not suprised that I struggled so much in the first six months after leaving my job.

(TWiT)  You went back to Escape From Alcatraz in ’09 and won it!  Will you be back to brave the jump from the ferry into that cold ass water? (Here in NorCal, we call that swim Wednesday, unfortunately – I’d rather Escape From Bermuda once a week!)

(MB)  I wouldn’t miss it!  Alcatraz is my favorite race of the year; I love the challenging, fun, and scenic course.  Although this year it might be a cold one, I am not excited for the plunge into the bay, but there is nowhere to go but up from there.

(TWiT)  In 1962, Frank Morris did the “Escape” without a wetsuit.  Do you think he made it?

(MB)  Of course, it’s possible and if you’re incentive is strong enough I think you could make it.  And there are amazing endurance swimmers now who swim in much colder water for longer periods.

(TWiT)  You were a marathoner before triathlon.  You did your first 70.3 in ’08 and just missed winning the Ironman 70.3 World Championship last November.  Am I seeing a trend?

(MB)  I am definitely built for longer steady effort races.  In running, I was good at the 5K and marathon but never ran a great 10K race. The long term plan is of course Ironman but not for a few more years.  I claim to be waiting to build up endurance and enjoy the short course racing, but secretly maybe Chrissie will retire too, just kidding.

(TWiT)  What are you plans for 2010?

(MB)  I will race a similar schedule to 2009.  It will be a mix of ITU drafting events, non-drafting olympic distance races in the US, and a handful of 70.3 races including the World Championships.

(TWiT)  I’m sure you have heard about the new 8% rule in Ironman races.  Any feelings on the subject?

(MB)  I think it is a great idea to ensure that we are getting and rewarding professionals that are competitive within the race. The ITU has a similar system with ITU points at their races.  However, with Ironman races, the 8% seems cruel if you’re within a minute of the 8% and have raced for ten hours only to miss a payday by a minute.  It seems like they could be a bit flexible if you miss a payday by less then five minutes in an Ironman shouldn’t there be a ’gimme’ rule.  In addition, another idea would be base the new 8% rule on the 2nd place finisher; this would eliminate the Chrissy factor.

(TWiT)  What has been your biggest challenge outside of triathlon?

(MB)  My life has been pretty smooth relative to most people in the world so I can’t complain.  I guess my biggest personal challenges have been staying positive through adversity.  Whether it’s an injury in triathlon or a setback at work or the break-up of a personal relationship,  I find it challenging to always look at the bright side of the situation.  However, when I am able to gain the perspective and do so, I find it much easier to persevere.

(TWiT)  How did you get the nickname Pearl?

(MB)  Siri Lindley started calling me that years ago.  She wanted everyone on her squad at the time to have nicknames, and I was wearing a pearl on a chain so that became my nickname.  It took a while to stick but she kept at it.   Later she found a lucky pearl and gave it to me.  As a coach, she was a lot of fun to have around and always so enthusiastic to get the most out of each day.

(TWiT)  You have a BS in Industrial Engineering (and a Masters in Marketing) from Northwestern!  Could you build your own bike (I mean designing the geometry, laying up the carbon, forging the aluminum bits, etc.) ?

(MB)  I wouldn’t ride any bike that I built that is for sure.  Industrial Engineering is more strategic than practical; my classes focused on simulation, forecasting, and statistics.  And what little mechanical and civil enginnering I learned is long gone.

(TWiT)  I’m the Ghost of Triathlon Future.  I take you 10 years into the future.  What will MB be up to?

(MB)  I’ll hopefully be finishing up my triathlon career with lots of wins.  And be ready for or already into my next life after triathlon, what that holds I am not sure.   I just hope to be happy and doing something that challenges me as much as triathlon.

(TWiT)  I’m trying to get Off-Road Triathlon in the Olympics.  How are your mountain bike skills?

(MB)  In a word, my mt bike skills are poor.  It is definitely something I’d love to get into; there are just so many different types of races and so little time.  Once I stop pursuing the ITU game, maybe I’ll have some time to dabble in some Xterras.  If it was added to the Olympics, I would drop everything and starting working on my mountain bike skills now.

(TWiT)  Is it hard to have a relationship with all the travel and training?

(MB)  Yes, it’s definitely hard.  I think it’s important to have a supportive partner who understands and backs your decision to puruse triathlon as a “career”.  For most of us professional triathletes, this sport requires an big investment of time, energy, work, and dedication for not much return on investment especially not much monetary return.

You get to design the next big race.  Please answer the following questions:

(TWiT)  Format (Drafting, non-drafting, etc.)

(MB)  I like both but if I want a chance to win I’d have to go with non-drafting.

(TWiT)  Distance?

(MB)  Something fun between olymic and half.  I love the non-traditional distances of Alcatraz.

(TWiT)  Who is first out of the water?

(MB)  The best swimmer who swims the straightest

(TWiT)  When do you make your move?

(MB)  Go hard from the gun and try to get into the lead and hold on as long as possible.

(TWiT)  How much does the winner take home?

(MB)  A finishers medal and one million dollars (is that too much to ask?)

(TWiT)  What is the one thing you could eat at any time that you shouldn’t eat at any time?

(MB)  If we make it drink and eat, then coffee and candy.  I love coffee and could drink it anytime of the day but try to have a hard stop by 1pm on the caffeine.  I also have a sweet tooth for candy.  Luckily, my favorites, party mix and wine gums, aren’t readily available in the US or I’d be quite a bit stockier.

(TWiT)  It’s Thursday in October in Kona.  It’s time for the Underpants Run.  Boxers or Briefs?

(MB)  If I am in Kona the week of Ironman, I hope I’d be racing.  And I would want to risk pulling something two days before the race that would be just my luck so I’d probably play it safe and just head out there with my camera to capture some incriminating photos.