AllSport GPS 'Sweat More Sweepstakes' Winners

It’s time to announce our top three winners in the AllSport GPS ‘Sweat More Sweepstakes!’

The winner of our Third place $100 REI gift card goes to Laura King of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Laura is looking forward to buying her husband, who recently lost his job, [removed content] for Christmas. “I wanted to surprise him for Christmas and this is perfect,” she said.

The Second place winner of our $250 REI gift card is Teddi Bauer of River Falls, Wisconsin. She plans on using her winnings on some warm clothes because she works at a camp year-round, and “it can get pretty chilly in the dead of winter.”

Finally, the Grand Prize winner of our $500 REI gift card is, drum-roll please, Krista Jackson of Wichita, Kansas! Krista said she is going to let her husband use all of the money on himself. Perhaps they’ll buy some camping or hiking gear so they can venture off to Krista’s favorite trails in the Smokies and Acadia.

Congratulations to our winners!

The Off Season

Ahhh... the off season. We all look forward to it, but then we also dread it. What does it mean? First off, we get a well-deserved break. The first part of the off season is nice - we can sleep in for a bit, ride shorter, less intensity. We can relax. See our families more, friends, travel, maybe even hit a happy hour (what a concept)! Group rides are difficult to schedule because no one is available, and holidays are coming up.

Then the reality hits... off season is not really "off" season. It's really about base miles. We remember that this is not a time where we get to take off entirely. Luckily, after a few weeks off, we miss it all anyway. We start to feel fluffy, uptight, maybe even crabby, and we crave the crisp fall air from the bike anyway. So we get up at 6 am in the dark, to go out for a 40-mile ride. We sleep in on a Saturday (until 8), and we go out for a 50- to 60-mile ride. We wear long sleeves and a wind vest. Luckily, in Arizona, we still get to ride outside, in the sunshine, and we still need sunscreen.

I love the off season. The weather is crisp, but it gets dark earlier and it's dark if I ride in the morning or after work. My husband and I get to go out on more casual rides and it's "all about the miles" rather than being about the speed.

I see everyone else sleeping in, imbibing more often, posting to FB about their families and their travel. This is typically my off season, but not this year. I'm training for Ironman Arizona, and the countdown is down to 16 days. In just over 2 weeks, I will be participating in the ultimate competition--swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 and running 26.2. All at once.

I'm looking forward to it. I think! Yesterday, I was feeling nervous. Today, I'm excited. Tomorrow could be a completely different story. How will I feel on race morning? I have no idea, and THAT ALONE makes me nervous. I know that I'm well-trained. I know what I'm capable of. I don't know how I'll feel, how my body will react to 12 hours of physical activity.

My off season is still 16 days away...

-Teri Twarkins

Teri races for Tribe Racing/AllSport GPS in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. She placed 27th out of 2001 women in the San Francisco Marathon last July.