TriSports

I spent the weekend in Arizona visiting the TriSports.com staff and team.  Wow.  If you have visited their website (and who hasn’t?) you know they offer top of the line triathlon gear and nutrition at great prices.  (I brought an XL bag to bring new gear home- yay!)  But do you know how this company started?  In 1999 Seton and Debbie Claggett began selling triathlon equipment from their garage.  After 2 location changes, years of hard work, thousands of sales/returns, and huge success TriSports has built an amazing business.  Get a load of these details:

• They offer a commuter program for staff members who bike to work.
•  They recycle like it is part of the job description.  They built a massive water basin outside to collect water to be used.  They hope to add solar energy to their building in the near future.
• Each workspace offers a form of natural light.  For those hidden areas, they have cut out solar portholes in the ceiling for natural light sources.
• They allow dogs into their workspace.
• The website has numerous articles discussing topics such as gear comparison and much more. 
• The store has a 2-lane endless pool, brand new GURU dynamic bike fitting machine, and treadmill to trial your new gear. 
• They have a massage therapy room… ahhh! 
• TriSports gives back to the Tucson community in numerous ways (adopt-a-highway, sack lunch ride, sponsorship for 5 various groups.. just to name a few). 

OK… so who wouldn’t want to be associated with this company?!?  I was quite impressed and wish I lived nearby.  The majority of the sponsored athletes were present this weekend and I can now put faces to the names of talented athletes associated with TriSports.com.  I’ll be sure to track the team’s success throughout the 2011 season- it will be huge! 

Training highlights: the weekend began with my first long ride since September up Mt. Lemmon. 

 This climb is comparable to rides I’ve done in Birmingham and in North Carolina.  Loved it! 

I also experienced my 1^st flat midway through the climb, but thanks to Seton’s help I was quickly on my way back to climbing in no time.  Over 8000 ft elevation- yup, that's snow on the mountain side. 

At the top of Mt. Lemmon I encountered the “Cookie Cabin”.  I am glad this place isn’t anywhere near Dayton, OH…. I’d be in real trouble… though the calories are well deserved if you consider the effort it took to get there. 

Look at the size of this cookie in comparison to the helmet next to it!  (do you even have to ask if I finished it?) 

Our swim workout (outdoors- yay!) included a “get out swim”.  (For those of you with a swimming background, you know what those are and guess who got picked to do it?  Bingo.)  We trialed a potential location for a sprint tri in Tucson which included a swim against a current in a “lazy river pool” and treacherous trail run.  I ran the streets of Tucson a couple times, did laps around the trifest expo, and played quite a bit of blackjack at the celebration afterwards.  Thank you TriSports for the experience!

I would love to live in a setting like this (who wouldn’t?)- great weather, motivated and energetic company, challenging/varying terrain, and tons of fun!  Maybe someday…  Until then, it’s back to the grind in Ohio.  The season is almost here! 

Get ready!!

miss