Tri-Maine Series - Training & Preparation

Stacy Cimino: Training to Race

Coming back from a hip injury

Stacy Cimino loves to race, and her training is always motivated by her next race. So far this year, she has run the ING Miami Marathon in February, the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth, the Polar Bear, the Belgrade Lakes Triathlon, the LL Bean 10K, the Field House Sprint Triathlon in Shelburne, VT, the Scarborough Triathlon, the Urban Epic and Beach to Beacon!

But her aggressive racing season was almost compromised by an unexpected injury this spring. “When I bought my new bike in March, my left hip started bothering me,” says Stacy about her new Cervello P2C. “After a while, it hurt to walk, and running was out of the question. So I went to OA.”

Stacy initially visited with Dr. Bill Heinz, a sports medicine physician at OA Centers for Orthopaedics. Diagnosing her injury was difficult, as Stacy was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the pain. Initially, OA postulated that Stacy may be suffering from a hip labral tear, but later determined that the labrum may only have been strained, not torn.

Anatomically, the socket of the hip joint is lined by cartilage called labrum, which provides stability for the hip joint. The labrum allows the ball of the thigh hone to move smoothly and painlessly in the socket. A hip labral tear may cause pain or a “catching” sensation in the hip joint. OA surmised that the hip injury may have originated with the birth of her second child 20 months prior and been exacerbated by her initial position on her tri-bike and a weak core.

She was referred to OA Physical Therapy and began working with Tim Davoren, PT, ATC. While undergoing physical therapy 2-3 times each week over three months, Stacy had to avoid running altogether, but she could continue to cycle and swim after Tim made some modifications to her cycling position. “Tim was great. He provided me with a ton of manual treatment. The therapy was painful, but eventually, I started to feel better, and by early June I was running again.”

Stacy’s start as a multisport athlete actually began in 2004. “I used to run with three woman in Cape Elizabeth. They each had three kids. And they each did three sports. I was in awe with how they could manage their households and find the time to be proficient in three sports. That was the ultimate in my mind.”

Eventually, her friends convinced Stacy to do the Bethel triathlon. “I got up there, and I was a wreck looking at the swim course. I thought to myself, I’m never going to survive. Turned out, it was the best thing I ever did. I completed the triathlon and signed up for Camden the next week!”

Stacy loves to run and enjoys the bike more and more, as she gains speed and confidence. The swim, however, still give her pause for concern. “I am always happy to be out of the water. I’m a little fearful of what lies below!”

Stacy trains 10-15 hours per week, but never writes anything down. “I am very goal oriented,” she says. “I always need a carrot dangling. I’m always training for my next race. If I didn’t have a race to train for, I would probably sleep in!”

Next up for Stacy: The Pumpkinman Half-Ironman - 70.2 kilometers of fun and pain - followed by the Lobsterman (tentatively) and the Noyes, Hall & Allen CELT Challenge in late September.

“I love triathlon. It’s part of who I am. My kids are psyched to watch me race and my husband is very supportive. I could not do it without him!”

Scott Marr: Physician and Endurance Athlete

Scott Marr knows a thing or two about sports-related injuries. Not only is he a sports medicine physician at OA Centers for Orthopaedics, but he is an elite, Masters-level triathlete recovering from an injury of his own.

Several weeks ago, he tweaked his back while playing hockey (a sport he plays weekly), only to suffer a hamstring pull a few days later while on a training run. “The two are interrelated,” says Dr. Marr who works with endurance athletes as part of his practice. “I tweaked my back, and favored it while running, only to pull my hamstring.”

Dr. Marr is currently training for the USA Triathlon National Age Group Championship in Portland, Oregon on September 20. He qualified for the USAT Nationals with a 3rd place age group finish (30th overall) at last year’s Lobersterman with a time of 2:16:57 and then again by placing sixth overall (AG 2nd) at the Mooseman international distance triathlon this past June with a time of 2:06:31.

“With the hamstring injury, Kurt and I have had to make some adjustments to my training program,” says Marr in reference to his multisport coach, Kurt Perham of Personal Best Multisport. “I haven’t been able to run for the last 10 days.” Instead, Scott has been doing more work on his bike while the hamstring heals.

Dr. Marr plans to test out his running legs this Saturday at the Urban Epic Olympic distance triathlon in Portland, Maine. Last year, Dr. Marr could be found in the OA medical tent at the Urban Epic assisting injured athletes. This year he hopes to avoid it, despite the hamstring injury. “I have been resting the hamstring. I should be fine.”

That said Dr. Marr was not too excited to hear about the length of the swim course at Urban Epic. “I have a good feel on the bike, and I know that on the run I only have to suffer for a finite distance. But the swim – I just have no way of guaging the effort. A long swim is definitely not to my advantage.”

Like the Mooseman, the Urban Epic is a preparation race for his big race this coming fall in Portland, OR at the USAT Nationals. “My goal is to finish the course in 2:10. If I finish in 2:10, that should put me in the top 10 in my age group,” says Marr in relation to the 40-44 year old age group in which he competes. “I’ve studied the course in detail. I have an erg file of the bike ride on my Compu-trainer. I’ll be ready.”

Something tells us, he will be.

Erin Brennan: "No Junk Miles"

Erin Brennan leads the Tri-Maine race series women's competition. Interestingly, the former runner turned triathlete also leads the Maine Time Trial Series women's bicycle race.

“I tried to be a runner, but I was not very good,” says the humble Brennan, who recently completed the Urban Epic 10K in a speedy 43:20, only 15 seconds slower than her nemesis and Urban Epic winner, Katie Payson. “I got injured running so I started riding the bike. A couple of friends convinced me to try triathlon, but I really sucked, so I started working harder.”

Hard work, a supportive family and a focused training program are the keys to Brennan’s remarkable success as a triathlete and a cyclist. Brennan trains and races only eight hours each week. “People told me I could do a lot better than I was doing. So, I began to do more focused workouts. I established goals for myself and developed a plan. I did more speed work. Every workout now has a goal. I don’t have much time, so I do a lot of hard efforts. There are no junk miles.”

Erin’s real breakthrough came in 2000 when preparing for her first Ironman. Her goal at the time was simply to finish the race. Her coach told her that if she focused, she could break 11 hours. “Steve helped me take my training to the next level and to believe in myself,” says Brennan referring to Cumberland-based coach Steve Fluet. “I learned that every workout has a purpose. There is no time to waste.”

Brennan continues to perfect her workouts and tests her skills almost weekly in bicycle time trial events and triathlons. “You don't have to over train. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible with a family relationship,” say Brennan who at 42 is married with two children and holds down a full-time job. “You have to know what training is really important and what races are really important.”

The feisty Tri-Maine race leader offers four tips for aspiring triathletes: “(1) Marry a supportive spouse. Successful racing is all about family support. If I did not have it, I could not win. (2) Eat well by taking in proper nutrition. The old adage ‘garbage in, garbage out’ applies here. (3) Make the workouts count. And (4) know when to be selfish - be disciplined and stick to your training regimen.”

As OA spoke to Brennan, she had her sights set squarely on the Camden Maine Sports Triathlon. In Camden Brennan would once again compete against Katie Payson, a former World Champion triathlete. At the Urban Epic, the race was won in the swim, where Katie put just over five minutes into Erin, who came roaring back on the bike gaining back almost four minutes on her rival. “The swim in Camden is very short (.5 miles). If I can stay with her in the water, there is a chance I can win on the bike. To catch Katie is one thing, to pass her is quite another.”

Race results from the Camden Maine Sports Triathlon show that Brennan almost achieved her objective. She finished the race second among women at 2:16:55, losing just 56 seconds to her rival, Katie Payson. Erin will get another chance at Katie in the upcoming Lobsterman Triathlon, but not before she defends her lead in the Maine Time Trial Series in Camden again next weekend!

Angela Bancroft, Wild Bear Winner

Tri-Maine Athlete Profile: Angela Bancroft

Angela Bancroft was an unlikely winner of the women’s overall at the Wild Bear Sprint Triathlon.

Late last summer, while training for the Lobsterman Triathlon, she fell off her bike while crossing a wet, pot-holed train tracks. She slammed to the ground landing on her shoulder and banging her head. “As soon as I fell, I knew something was really wrong,” recalls Angela. “I pulled myself off the ground and rode home, unable to move my arm. As soon as I got home, I passed out.”

Initially, medical attention focused on the minor concussion she sustained in the fall. The x-ray on her shoulder did not show a break, and she quickly regained some rotation and strength. The problem was that she could not swim. After physical therapy failed to restore function, Angela had an MRI. She was referred to a local surgeon who was pessimistic that Angela – a lifelong swimmer and runner – would be able to resume her pursuit as a triathlete.

“That’s when I started to do some research. I did some digging and found OA,” Angela says, referring to Orthopaedic Associates of Portland, a specialty orthopaedic practice with a focus on sports related injuries. “OA took my desire to get back to competition seriously. They got me in quickly, and gave me a super-thorough evaluation. They respected my goals and aspirations. Dr. Endrizzi was honest with me about what I needed to do, and he was optimistic that I would be able to race again.”

During surgery in early January, OA surgeon Dr. Donald Endrizzi, who specializes in shoulder related injuries, discovered that Angela had a rotator cuff tear that was very difficult to see even using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Surgery was scheduled, and Angela began the long road to rehabilitation and recovery.

“The first six weeks were really hard,” says Angela. “My arm was in a sling. I was not allowed to move it at all. I could not drive. I could not run. Mentally and physically, it was tortuous – there were times when I thought I would never race again.”

Angela took her rehabilitation process seriously. Slowly but surely, she regained her strength. In March she was able to start running again. While her aerobic capacity was greatly diminished from lack of training, her fitness came back quickly. She began to ride the bike again in April, and she returned to the pool in late May.

Responding well to rehabilitation and training, Angela set her sites on the Timberman 70.2 half-iron man on August 19. She did not plan to compete in the Wild Bear in late June, but some of her friends were doing it. She felt good in training, and most importantly, there was an open spot.

“Winning was not an objective for the Wild Bear,” relates Angela. “I was there with a few of my friends to have fun and get back into competition. The swim felt great, and my arm did not hurt at all. I came out of the water first in my wave, thrilled that there was no pain. I transitioned quickly and headed off on the bike. I immediately lost my water bottle, but I kept on going. No other women passed me on the bike leg of the race. I was really excited, and I began to think I might be able to win the race. The run felt good, and I passed a few more women. I had an absolute blast doing the race.”

At the close of the race, just before leaving with her family for Connecticut, Angela checked one last time to see if the results had come out. Angela won the Wild Bear women’s overall with a time of 1:18:20.

“I was overwhelmingly surprised and excited by the win. I could not wait to tell OA and my physical therapists about how much I appreciated what they had done for me.”

Watch out for Angela Bancroft. While she may have been an unlikely winner of Wild Bear, she now is a likely favorite for Timberman and Lobsterman later this summer.