Tate Behning recently won the Cherry Creek Sneak 10 Miler in a quick 55:38.  The former professional triathlete graduated with his MBA from the University of Colorado in 2011 and is now figuring out how to balance a demanding career with one of his biggest passions: running.

Tate Behning leads at the Cherry Creek 10 Miler. Photo by Bret C. Stevens.

Age: 30
Resides: Boulder, CO
Job: President, Van Heyst Group
Athletic background: Collegiate runner, professional triathlete, now weekend warrior

1.  Take us through your race at the Cherry Creek Sneak 10 Miler.
After the initial jockeying, Frank Therrian and I began to gain a bit of a lead. I was staying right on his heels and let him do the pace setting. I wasn’t wearing a watch but the mile times I did hear had us holding 5:30 for the first half the race until we hit the hills back by Cheeseman Park.  Those hills would offer one of the few chances to separate myself from Frank so after the initial incline I just continued to up the intensity both up and down the two main hills. After that I had gained about a 10-15 second lead which I was able to build on just slightly over the last 5 miles. The last mile or so I really started to struggle. I just kept telling myself to hold a consistent pace (and not totally crack) and would hopefully be okay. Its been awhile since I’ve had close race like that and didn’t want to blow it.

2.  Did you think you had a shot at the overall win leading up to race day?
It was hard to say what to expect. A lot of my racing against very competitive guys has been in the 5 mi and 10K races. I’m not trained nor geared for that kind of sustained speed so it was good to get in a longer race. But in this state you never know who will show up and what kind of race they are trained for. It was wasn’t until about mile 2 where I really started to believe I could win it.

3.  Tell us about your preparation for the race.  Do you train alone or with a group?  What kind of workouts are your bread and butter?
I have a pretty busy work-life now so I think of my running less as training now and more as everyday life. I like to do a lot of cross-training – mountain biking, lifting, climbing, swimming, etc. My bread-and-butter has also been changing – I used to love fartlek’s. Now I really like long trail runs with lots of long climbing and descending. I find that those kind of runs keep me on my toes and surprisingly twitchy.

4.  What’s your favorite hard workout?
My new favorite hard workout is the Dash-and-Dine 5K out at the reservoir. The race aspect allows me to put in the effort I want and when I’m training on my own I find it challenging to put in enough effort. Its not such a long race though that it completely wipes me out -> just pushes my threshold. And then I get the instant gratification of getting fed afterwards.

5.  Where is your favorite place to train?
Any trail that starts from or near Chautauqua and Flagstaff in Boulder. So the Mesa trail, Gregory Canyon, etc. There is so many options, lots of variability in grade and length, and the scenery is phenomenal. Not to mention that there is always that lingering thought in the back of my head that I’ll get eaten by a mountain lion if I run too slow.

7.  Do you incorporate any biking or swimming from your years as a pro triathlete into your current training?
Lots of biking – I commute every day about 6-7 miles each way on an old steel hybrid and like to do lots of mountain biking. I try to swim after I lift to keep me flexible and maintenance a bad back.

8.  What does a typical week of training look like?
I run 3-4 days a week, commute on bike about 4 days, get in 1-2 mountain bike rides, and lift 2-3 times. My running is usually 2 runs of 30-50 minutes, one day that has either a 5k or I pick-up that last 2 miles of a run, and one long run on trails of about 1:30.

9.  If you’re not working or out doing something athletic, what can we find you doing?
Not much time so I try to mix it up. Usually its figuring out ways to learn something new. Either I’m trying to learn a language (eternally trying), reading a non-fiction book, take something apart and put it back together again (Paola’s favorite), listening to educational videos/webcasts, or laughing my ass off to Colbert.

10.  What’s next on your schedule/plans for rest of 2012?
I’m in search of a new gut-grenching challenge. I had signed up for the Mojoman 10-mile obstacle race which I really wanted to be competitive at but they canceled it. I’m boycotting the BolderBoulder due to rising fees ($48 this year!) unless I stumble across a comp entry..ahem… But if you see some insane race no longer than 18.6 miles, I’m in!

You can follow Tate on Twitter @tjbehning.

The Van Heyst Group creates outcome-driven events and experiences for the world’s most influential companies and people.  Their clients include The Walt Disney Company, Microsoft Corporation, and TIME Magazine, among many others.

Tate and his girlfriend, Paola, are also the founders of En Fuego Dance Productions, a Boulder-based full service dance production company.

“10 Questions” will be a new regular feature on the Riptide blog, showcasing local Colorado athletes.  Give us a shout on Twitter or Facebook if you have any requests for athletes to be interviewed.  

KFG who predicted a time of 19:26! Kristi and Cyrus were close, but just barely over Gulliver’s actual time of 19:42.  That’s 6:22 pace for the little 19 pounder!  Here’s a link to the official results.

KFG wins a free entry to the 2012 Littlefoot Triathlon on September 8th as well as some sweet Riptide swag.  For those of you who didn’t win this time around, you needn’t worry: we’ll have another contest later this month.

Here are some pictures from the race:

Taking it out hard, trying to get away from the pack.

Trying to avoid being run over by the massive English Sheep Dog.

Gully dug deep to out-kick the Boxer in the last quarter mile, securing 3rd place overall.

Hanging with his new friends post-race.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest.  Gulliver really appreciated the support!  We’ll be back again next year to make a run at the overall win.

Have an awesome week,

Amy + Gully

This Saturday is a big day: Gulliver (the official dog of Riptide Multisports) will compete in his first ever race, the Fast and the Furriest 5k in Fort Collins.  As some of you might know, Gulliver is quite the athlete and has no problem handling a 10 mile run at 7:00/mile pace in cool weather.

Below are some of Gulliver’s key stats.  Leave a comment on this post with your guess for what he’ll cover the 5k race in.  The closest prediction without going over (Price is Right style) will win some awesome Riptide Multisports swag and a free entry to the 2012 Littlefoot Triathlon.  He’ll be running with yours truly, which provides another level of intrigue to the prediction contest given my erratic training as of late.  For a rough reference, I ran 19:27 on a similar course in Fort Collins at the end of February.  As a guideline, I would think anything ranging from 19:00 (flying) to 30:00 (multiple nap, pee, water breaks) is possible.  Have fun!

Gulliver H.G. McGaffigan III

Age: almost 5
Weight: 19 pounds
Favorite training run: 7-8 miles on trails on North Table Mountain with 150m off-leash pick-ups (shhh don’t tell)
Highest mileage week: 35 miles
Average mileage per week: 15-20 miles
Strength: sneaky bursts of speed when you least expect it
Weakness: running when it’s over 75′F outside
Guilty pleasure: sleeping in sunbeams; watching Jersey Shore when his parents aren’t home
Lifetime athletic goal: race the Iditarod

PS – Do you have a pup that you think can give Gully a run for his kibbles?  It’s not too late to sign up and the proceeds go to a great cause.  Here’s a link to the Fast and the Furriest race website (this is not a Riptide Multisports event).

The Fine Print:

Yep, you’ll really win a free entry to the 2012 Littlefoot Triathlon and you can even transfer it to a friend if you can’t race.  Transfers have to be received by August 15th and you can only transfer the entry once.  Email addresses will not be displayed, shared, or used for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

The race is at 9am MST Saturday April 28th.  All predictions must be received by 9am 4/28.  Entries can only be submitted as comments on this post.

Let’s hear the predictions!

-Amy Dannwolf Jones

It’s that time of year: the weather is warming and people all over the Front Range are opting for weekends spent in the bike saddle, not on skis.  If you’re considering racing multiple times this summer it’s important to take some time and plan a schedule of races.  Very popular races might already be full, so think about registering soon if you haven’t already.

If you’re racing more than 3 times over the span of 3-4 months consider creating a priority ranking of your races.  Which one do you want to do the best at?  We’ll call that one your A Race. Usually your A Race will be at the middle or end of your season.  It’s the one you’ll be rested and fresh for, so when deciding on your A Race think about other life events too.  If your best friend’s wedding is Friday night, don’t plan your A Race for that weekend.

The next thing to think about is the amount of time you’ll need to recover between events.  The rule of thumb for running races is 1 day per mile.  A good rule for beginner and intermediate triathletes is 1 week per hour of racing.  So, if you complete a Sprint distance race in 2 hours, give yourself two weeks to recover before you race again.  Of course you’ll be training during your recovery time, but you don’t want to put forth another hard race effort until you’re completely recovered.  As you gain experience you’ll learn how quickly you’re able to recover and you might take less time, or more time between races.

If you’re racing frequently enough to have an A Race, then make sure you are very well recovered for that race.  You can get away with slightly shorter recoveries for your other races, but know that your performance is likely to suffer slightly as a result.  It’s a good idea to add an extra week of recovery in before an A Race.

Here’s a sample summer race schedule:

Week 1: Race Sprint Distance Triathlon
Week 2: training only
Week 3: training only
Week 4: Race Olympic Distance Triathlon
Week 5: training only
Week 6: training only
Week 7: training only
Week 8: 10k running race
Week 9: training only
Week 10: Half Ironman Olympic Distance Triathlon (A RACE)

There’s many ways to plan a season, but keep recovery foremost in your mind.  Remember that racing in extreme heat can lengthen your recovery time.  Staying on-top of race day nutrition can help to shorten your recovery, but that’s another blog post for another day.

Take Aways

• Go into the summer race season with a plan
• Register early so your goal race doesn’t sell out and you have something very specific to train for
• Build adequate recovery between races into your plan
• Don’t have any other stressful events going on within 5 days of your A Race.

Local pro triathlete Jordan Jones fought hard to the finish of Lonestar 70.3 in Galveston, Texas on Sunday while proudly wearing his Riptide Multisports race kit.  Fighting to gain one more spot at the U.S. Pro Championships, and valuable points toward another Hy-Vee qualification, Jordan just happened to pass none other than Lance Armstrong in the final meters of the race.

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Houston Chronicle

The video is posted all over the internet, but in case you haven’t seen it:

Way to go Jordan!

[For Jordan's race recap, visit his website trijones.com.]

Back in the day I was a dedicated year-round outdoor runner.  I would never think to do a training run inside.  In my mind ‘treadmill’ was a dirty word.  Now I’ve wised up and realize there are definite advantages to running inside, but I still do 90% of my winter training runs outside, only letting significant snowfall or ice deter me.

Below are my tips for training through the harshest of winter weather.  Expertise drawn from 8 years of daily running in Boston and Colorado.

1. Minimize gaper gap.  Think like a skier!  Minimizing the amount of skin showing on your face will keep you warm.  When you run in the day, wear a hat that covers your forehead and ears, and large sunglasses to maximize coverage.  Try to eliminate any space between the bottom of your hat and the top of your sunglasses.

2. Yak Trax. Honestly, I’m not getting any money or free product tossed my way for saying this.  If I had invested in a pair of Yak Trax years ago I would’ve avoided a lot of slight tendon injuries that resulted from slipping on ice.  Traction is your friend.

3.  Cheap gloves. Unless you’re running in really extreme temperatures (less than 10′ F), cheap knit gloves from Target are ideal.  And, if you lose them (and odds are, you will), you’ll only be out $1.50, not $19.95.

4.  Higher socks.  Keep your achilles warm, cozy, and loose by keeping it covered up with some nice long socks.  A cold, tight achilles combined with a slip on ice can spell disaster.  Again, there’s no need for fancy knee high compression socks.  A simple taller sock will keep your winter training humming along.

5. Chapstick. Spread it on nice and thick before venturing out on a winter run.  Feel free to dab it on surrounding tender areas too, like just under your nose.  It will prevent your lips from chapping and can also reduce the severity of brutal wind burn, because while a nice rosy glow is gorgeous, a face the color of a tomato is less than desirable.  When it gets really cold, you can even dab Vaseline onto your face for an extra layer of protection between you and the elements

The biggest part of putting on a race is gathering support from others, whether they are racers, volunteers, or companies supporting the event.  They are all essential and no race would happen without any of them.

We had amazing volunteers this year and incredible support from Seagate and all of our wonderful expo vendors.  Together you not only raised money for a great local non-profit organization, Kids Move Initiative, but you also helped over 600 people enjoy a beautiful November morning of fast and fun running, great food, and wonderful company.

I am incredibly thankful to put on a race that has the unwavering support of so many.

From the bottom of my heart, thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday.  Whether you ran, volunteered, or cheered — you had a huge impact on the day and it wouldn’t have been the same without you.  Every single person makes a difference.

I can’t wait to see you again next year.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Race day is fast approaching for those of you running the Panicking Poultry 5k!  Leave the panicking to the turkeys, you’ve trained hard and have everything you need to bust out a quick 5k.  Here are some tips to make sure your experience is all it can be.

1.  Dress rehearsal - Don’t do anything new on race day.  Do a test run prior to the race.  Wear what you plan on wearing, and eat what you plan on eating for breakfast.  If you’re planning on eating breakfast 2 hours before the gun goes off on race day, do the same for your test run.  Bonus points for doing your test run at the same time in the morning as the race.

2.  Pack the night before - Even if the race is just down the street from your house, get everything ready the day before.  Prepare your clothes (including pre-race warm-ups and post-race casual wear), water bottles, and snacks.  Pack everything you need into a bag with all of your essentials, like that photo ID we insist you have with you at packet pick-up.  The goal here is to prevent stress  from creeping up on race-day.

3.  Warm-up - 45 minutes to a half hour prior to the race start get in an easy 5-15 minute jog with a few 30 second spurts around race pace.  Just make sure to pay attention to what’s going on around you — don’t miss the race start!

4.  Negative split - Start out slower than you finish.  Most races these days (and every Riptide Multisports event) have mile markers.  Wear a watch and try to gradually bring down your mile splits.  For example, if your goal is to run 21:00 for a 5k, aim for: 6:50, 6:45, 6:40, which is much more fun than running 6:05, 6:15, 7:20.  Don’t forget, for a 5k you’ll have an extra .1 to account for that will most likely get added into that last mile’s split unless you’re really careful and the race organizer has the 3rd mile marked (we will!).

5.  Cool-down - If you want to recover as quickly as possible from the race effort, head out for a short cool-down jog within 30 minutes of finishing.  5-15 minutes of easy running will help flush the lactic acid out of your system so you can be ready to go for your next race as quickly as possible (and not be hobbling around the office on Monday morning).

Race day is almost here!  I’m happy to help with any last minute questions you  might have.  Remember, there’s no such thing as a silly question

Go get ‘em,

Now is when things start to get really exciting and just a little bit crazy.  The 2011 Panicking Poultry is two weeks from this Saturday, so now I’m working on securing entertainment, finalizing the awards, recruiting volunteers (you can never have enough!)  and sorting out all of the extras that make our event stand out from all of the other great Turkey Trots out there.

Today Ofer and I were up at the Boulder Reservoir meeting with the park staff and making sure we’re all on the same page for the big day.  Stuff like access to electricity, potable water and toilets seem like no-brainers for hosting a race, but everything is charted and planned out down to which outlets and water spouts we’ll use.  The staff at Boulder Reservoir are incredible to work with, they are truly professionals in hosting events on all scales and it shows in the meticulous planning they require from race organizers.

Anyway, I would love to stay and write more, but I have a banjo player to go find!

Train hard + have fun,

Here’s a sneak peak at the ad that will be running in the November issue of Competitor magazine here in Colorado!

Win Free Entry to the PP5k

Take a picture of yourself (or have a friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/parent/pet take your picture) with the ad in Competitor.  A special panel (my co-workers at Powder7.com) will pick their favorite and you’ll be awarded a free entry to this year’s race!  Yea!  The contest ends on November 10th.  Email submissions to amy@riptidemultisports.com.

Have fun,