Focus

Since returning to Boulder I've been all focus. Honestly, my mind was in a million different places, but with a little help I've returned to where I need to be mentally....and am HUNGRIER than ever.  I couldn't wait to get back to work...and thankfully didn't have to wait long. Wednesday I was back in the pool slogging through a 5,000m high quality workout. The final 50m was the most important of all-a race between the great Dave Scott and myself. It was all business! 50m breaststroke, with paddles of course. The 8 judge panel called it a tie.

Photo by Paul Phillips

Thursday I returned to the bike and powered through a few long hill climbs-1x60mins, and 1x40mins. THAT is what is so awesome about training in Boulder. After a 30min spin you're at the base of the mountains and can climb until your hearts content. Ohhhhh how I missed seeing 9,000+ ft on my Garmin500! Friday Uli and I returned to the peak and banked a solid long ride (someone's returning to Kona! Whoop Whoop!).

Last week I emailed Coach and asked if I was free to add as much time in the pool as I wanted. His response-yes! 3 solid weeks until Ironman and I know I have to take advantage of my swimming background. As an age grouper I could get away with minimal swimming and still be in the mix. NOT the case in the pro ranks. Even with my background in the sport I've been coming out of the water with the middle of the pack. If you've been reading about my time here in BoCo you know I've been focusing on improving my weakness (cycling, duh!)- but this can't come at a cost.  I need to get every ounce out of my strengths. Swimming should be the strongest of the 3 disciplines for me, but it really hasn't been. Failing to come out of the water ahead of the main pack means too much ground to make up on the run. So.... I need to up my game and stop slouching in the swim!
I've been arriving to the pool with a revived sense of focus. I get in early, get out late, and sneak in short swims whenever I can.  Thankfully, my neighbors invited me as their "guest" at the country club 1/4mi away. This leaves me NO excuse.

Photo by Paul Phillips

When my plan calls for a real workout/masters I head to Flatirons. The coaches and my lane mates always keep me honest and make me hurt (as does the altitude)! Between these swims (and when I'm so tired that it wouldn't be safe to drive) I walk down the street, throw myself in the pool and crank out the meters. In a strange way I think many of us find it easier and more natural to focus on our weaker of the 3 disciplines. I've refocused and in my final build am putting everything I can into my swimming and running. I know I need to get my swimming back up to par so I can reach my full potential and be "ALWAYS IN FRONT."

Time to put my head to the grindstone...20days until we party in Mad town!   

The battles we choose, and those we don't!

Last weekend I traveled back to MI to spend time with my parents and get in the second of my back to back 70.3 races. It was pretty awesome to see how many top professionals also decided to add Steelhead to their race schedule. In years past the race has only drawn a handful of professional, however with a large prize purse this year I got to share my beloved homeland with athletes from around the world-including some of my favorite San Diego girls:

One of my favorite places to swim is Lake MI. It's crystal clear fresh water is one of our countries hidden gems! I was pretty excited to return to sea level and hammer out a strong swim, however mother nature had something to say about that. We woke up to weather advisories for strong rip tides. This meant another canceled swim for me this season. I was ready for all water temps, but sadly my  TYR sleeveless, hurricane and swimskin would remain in the car-BUGGER!

The pro's were sent off in a TT format, one every 30 seconds. This assured an honest race by all! I am not sure they even needed to send draft marshals out onto the course.

(Once again) I was determined to put everything I had into the bike! Dig dig dig. With the TT style of racing there were certainly moments where my mind could wander. Thankfully my Quarq kept me honest and pushing from mile 0 to 56! I passed 2 girls pretty early on, and then later was passed by the speedy Mel Rollinson and Heather Jackson.  I stayed focused on my goals for the race and continued to push the power. (Being that I had only ridden it a collective 2.5hrs) I was honestly shocked with how comfortable I felt on my new Fuji D-6! My power transfer was constant and I felt right at home tucked down in the Profile aero-bars! Killer bike, awesome fit, happy girl.
Although I didn't put out one of the fastest bike splits of the day it was a HUGE step for me. Coming off Boulder70.3 and some solid training blocks my legs were a bit fatigued. The ultimate goal will come in 4 weeks, and I just needed an honest test to see where I was at. My average power was about 15watts higher than in Boulder, the highest it's ever been for this distance. and I come away from this race knowing what the best cadence will be for me at the Ironman distance. Overall I returned to T2 very happy with my effort.

Photo by: Wattie Inc. - Rock the W! (Thanks Wattie!!)

The run course is rolling and offers challenges both in terms of the short quick climbs, wind, and a variety of running surfaces.  My Newton shoes wanted to turn over faster than I could almost keep up with. 2 miles in I told myself to settle down and settle in. Although my legs felt pretty fried coming off the bike I could certainly feel the effects of returning to sea level. My heart rate was lower than it typically is for this pace/effort and my breathing wasn't a bit labored. I made one pass early on and then it was a pretty lonely run. Just me and my Garmin battling through the miles. At mile 10 I hit the most substantial hill of the course (again, 2 loop run) and my legs felt like bricks. I still felt great cardiovascular but muscularly I was toast.  I put my head down, even grunted a few times, and tried to push as deep as I could through the finish. A run split of 1:27:30 (4th fastest) was a solid accomplishment for me on this day. OUCH! I was D.O.N.E!
In the end I was 10th, only one second behind 9th and a few more behind 8th. Congratulations to everyone on dealing with the adversity and conditions of the day! Another race with amazing athletes-many of which will be throwing down their 70.3 skills at the World Championships in Vegas in a few weeks time. Good luck Heather, Melissa, Christie, and Kristin.

This race was ultimately about much more than the race itself. The real battle and inspiration came from my mom. She'd kill me for mentioning or drawing any attention to her, but the week before IMCDA I found out my mom had breast cancer. This awful disease runs in our family and she's done EVERYTHING in her powers to avoid falling victim to it. Thankfully this meant it was detected early and the prognosis is as good as it gets! My mom is my rock and to hear this absolutely killed me. Racing at Steelhead meant I could also be with her through a few of her treatments. She's already half way through, and will be done by the time I toe the line in WI (or for opening day of UofM football ;-)). Being with her this past weekend meant more to me than any placement, PR or power ride file ever will.  As she always reminds me "the best memories are made when we share them with those we love!!!" So, to my parents- thank you for sharing this one with me! She certainly didn't choose this battle, but she is fighting through it with dignity, grace and determination....all things I hope to display while I'm out there fighting through my own small battles of life.
Thank you to my sponsors for continuing to believe in me and supporting me on this quest. TYR, Newton, Quarq, Flatout Bread, TrainingPeaks, Nytro, GU, and Garmin. My feet have a special thanks to Sidi for helping me move past some post IMCDA foot pain!!!

Boulder70.3

In the day leading up to the race I felt a strong combination of nervousness and excitement. I was a little nervous about racing at altitude, knowing that I am no where near acclimated. Although this town is raging with the worlds best triathletes several opted out of this race because they say racing at altitude takes too much out of you- and well, they live here year round! So, it just had me a bit on edge. Thing is, this was overshadowed by my excitement to race several of the top women in this sport, so...Game On!

 TYR SWIM:
Check out a video of the pro men and women swim start (it focuses in on me just before our start and then out of the water) and then coming out of the water:  http://youtu.be/vwIqF3ywFOY
I knew I had to go out at a controlled pace. I've been swimming a fair amount, and my stroke actually feels better it has in years (hmmmm, maybe that coach of mine and his olympic swimming powers has something to do with it?!?!?!) However, I still haven't been able to put in any real sustained solid efforts in the water since getting here. I knew if I went too hard I'd be unable to catch my breath and the day could start disastrous. As it turns out I settled into a strong pace, focused on my stroke and pull, and was instantly leading a group of girls, with only Kelly ahead of us. I could still see her, and she wasn't gaining any ground. I wanted to GO for her, but 12 strokes hard was all I could put in. Around the first buoy I started getting pummeled. Yup, I've only felt "clobbered" like this once before, and sure enough it was the same culprit. I tried hard to ditch her, but again 12 strokes was all I could muster before relaxing to breath again. The pace felt fairly easy, and I didn't feel it was really necessary to move behind and let her pull. I wasn't struggling and I didn't feel the swim was taking much out of me. Other than overheating I felt great (water was supposedly 75.8. RIGHT?!?! Please WTC change this rule! If I'm hot I can only imagine how the guys felt).  With 200meters to go I decided  "Hell, I don't need to breath for 200m." I threw my kick into the mix and took off. I got out of the water in 2nd, 2mins down from Kelly. Solid!

Thanks to the Training Peaks crew for snapping some shots of me!!

QUARQ BIKE:
Unfortunately I wasn't able to jump on my killer new Fuji. My long a%# legs require a longer seat tube for the small frame, so his debut might have to wait until Wisconsin :-(
When I hit the road I instantly began gasping, and I mean gasping! I have done a lot of hard riding here in Boulder, and I know racing is different but it still felt wrong. Yesterday was one of the first really dry days here and I typically don't do as well racing in dry climates. So perhaps that played a part, who knows. In the first 5 miles I was passed by Angela and Amanda. I told myself no matter who it was that came up on me I had to go with them. Easier said than done, they ate me up and spit me out. I locked into my power and felt I was holding right where I should be. At mile 30 I was passed by Whitney, Uli and Jessica. My spirits plummeted! I felt I was riding strong and my training has been going really well. I tried to hang with them but it just wasn't happening. I came into the race pretty tired, but had taken 2 days super easy. Ultimately I just think I was struggling with the altitude. Whatever it was, I got my head screwed back on and got back to work. The second loop of the bike was packed with age groupers. It got a bit dicey at times with the open roads, but I remained focused on the task at hand, zeroed in on my powermeter, and tried to say hydrated. My legs were burning and I was ready to hit the run.

NEWTON RUN:
My plan was to settle into 7minute pace for the first uphill mile, and see how my stride and turn over felt.  The run is on hard gravel roads and paths with a few rollers. I've done some training out there, so knew it wasn't going to be a fast run. No sub 6:30 pace miles racing up here in the sky! I was running in no mans land. Once to the top of the hill I looked back and didn't see anyone charging at me. I kept this pace and finally at mile 5.5 saw I could catch someone. I passed Marylyn and moved into 7th. I didn't have anyone there giving me info, and the course doesn't really allow the opportunity to scout out the competition. I wondered if I could move up any more, so when I saw Dave Scott around mile 9 I asked how far ahead Jessica was. He didn't seem too confident in his approximation, but guessed 3 minutes. With that I shut it down. I knew I was solid in 7th and started thinking about Steelhead next weekend.  I settled into a comfortable tempo pace and headed for home. Again, I didn't care about my time but simply wanted to secure the best place I possibly could. On this day it was 7th....and amidst my Boulder based competition I was very pleased! I was all smiles heading home.

If you read Kelly's race report she jokes about one of us saying "have fun" right before the gun went off. Kelly sent out a quick "good luck" and I responded with "have fun." We all laughed because at that moment, the battle we're about to embark on doesn't really sound "fun."  However, it is incredibly important for me never to loose site of how fun racing is for me. ESPECIALLY at this level! Painful, YES, but wicked  fun too!
A quick thank you to the CMS crew! Michael and Ryan were in T1 (to tell me I was running out the wrong direction), T2 and at the finish to bring me in. Race day support really means a lot to me, so thank you boys!!! Thanks to Berry Siff for not only putting on a great race, but getting to know even the newbie/out-of-towner and making me feel right at home. Awesome race, amazing volunteers, great course! Those who started these races worked VERY hard to create the best race atmosphere possible.This was a good one. Congratulations Angela, Kelly, Amanda, Whitney, Uli Jessica and Marilyn. It was an honor to share the podium with each of you!

Next weekend I get to enjoy a "hometown" race! I can't wait to get back to MI (for some cooler weather and family fun). I'm especially excited to see a few of my California training partners and friends who will be racing there as well. Another one in the books...and with each one I feel truly blessed to be experiencing this journey!

Week One in the MILE HIGH City

My first week here in Boulder has been pretty spectacular. This whole venture materialized largely because of a friendly tug from my friend, and fellow UoM athlete/grad Kay. Months and months ago when we talked about me whether I should come to Boulder she instantly invited me to stay with her family. The Martin's have been beyond amazing in opening their house and their lives to me! Last night Kay and I sat on the couch reminising back to our days as athletes at UofM.  Many of my Cali friends make fun of how crazy I am for the Maize and Blue, but it's connections and friendships like this that remind me how fortunate I am to be part of this amazing alumni network.

I totally found her varsity letter jacket in the closet! 

Yup, we're dorks...and "Proud TO BE a Michigan Wolverine"

I couldn't wait to hit the mountains the first day I was here. My workout called for 40minute hill intervals- a workout that is much more challenging back in SD. Here, I bike 30mins and I have myself a nice 22mile mountain to play on until my hearts content (or flat lined...). I thought maybe I'd ease into things a bit more, but Chris started chiseling away on his plan the second I arrived. I have a renewed sense of focus, and it's been crazy fun! Lots of smiling, laughing, AND... gasping for air. 

When I set out for my day 2 bike interval session I found my bike in a pristine, sparkly condition! God bless those who love maintaining bikes, because as the boys at Nytro know, it's NOT my forte. The Martin basement is a well equipped bike shop, and Bill totally spoiled me with an awesome post Ironman cleaning! (can you count the # of bikes in the background- and that's only the basement bikes! There are more in the garage)

 

One week in, and I now know why people rave about the riding here. Yesterday I went out for a 5 hour ride, and was home in 5hrs and 7mins! 6000+ ft of climbing. NO slouching! The biggest difference in acclimating is a ridiculously elevated HR.  During my hill interval efforts I wasn't sure if I was going to puke or have a heart attack.  My legs felt good and I was nailing my prescribed Quarq power goals, but it HURT! I could hear Chris's voice in my ear urging me on, and reminding me of the goals we've set for ourselves.  Taking in the views helped dissipate some of the pain.

Swimming has been challenging due to the breath control aspect of the sport, so I have yet to really push the pace much. Thursday I joined the open water swim down at the Boulder Res. The water isn't clear, but it IS shark free. Swims there will be crucial for my open water swimming challenged self.

Running has by far been the hardest for me! Hills, O.U.C.H!! Although I've brought my trusty Garmin310 along for the ride, I've been going 100% by feel. Let me tell you, it has yet to feel spectacular! Today I ran 60mins off the bike and finally felt like I'm making progress and seeing paces that somewhat resemble the fact that I can actually run.

Each day I'm noticing improvement both in my training and ability to sleep up here in the beautiful mile high city. I can't wait to see what Coach has in store for me this week... but before we get to that I must congratulate him on another killer race! 2nd overall amateur at Vineman today- and the only person to beat him was 24yrs old. Chris only has a few years on him ;-) but continues to be an unbelievable inspiration to me and the whole AIMP crew.
So, many deposits in the bank this week! Goodnight from BEAUTIFUL Boulder!

Ironman CDA Race Report

Leading up to the race I was a bit anxious about the weather and water temps. I knew there was nothing I could do about it other than be prepared. Then...Saturday night all weather worries were side lined. The monthly female gift arrived and I was sent into panic mode. Whenever it hits I am completely USELESS for the first few days. No Bueno, but back to controlling what I could control.

Ok, race morning…After Chris dropped me off it was a race to get my bike ready, special needs bags checked and get into the rubber insulated suit (aka: TYR Hurricane).  My pre-race warm up received as much attention as the swim/bike/run portion of the day. Name of the game: get as warm as I could before jumping into the frigid water.  I received one last TYR delivery to complete my ensemble -TYR's cold water cap.   

I was dressed and insulated from head to ankle for my stretch cord warm up. Once warm I made it to the water, smiling the whole way, hugging friends and SO excited to get the day underway.

A quick prayer for safe keepings and many thanks for this opportunity!

Swim: The plan for the swim was simple: find fast feet and swim hard. Well, you know that gasping for breath feeling you get when you initially jump in freezing water??? Yup, that is how I felt for the entire swim!  I was in survival mode, gasping for air! I definitely had my kick going because if I stopped for a second I wondered if my feet might snap off.  It was simply awful! 500m in I was pulling a group of 5 people, and continued to do so until half way through the first lap before when I relinquished the lead to one of the guys.  I needed his feet to keep me going. I tried so hard to think of something, anything positive. I couldn’t muster a single thought. I literally felt like I was in survival mode. Breath each stroke , move forward, and get through the first lap in under 30mins to avoid being swept up by the age group mass start. I stayed on his feet until we exited the water for good. I ran down the beach thinking “how am I running without feet and ankles? Are my feet still attached?”

Transition 1: THANK YOU THANK YOU to the wonderful ladies who dressed me! I was shaking violently and couldn’t do anything for myself. Vest on and zipped, arm warmers on, gloves on. Run, get to your bike, breath-keep breathing. Ugh, the 51 degree air temps weren't helping!

Sue Hutter was everywhere on the course! From beginning to end. offering hugs, cheering like mad, 

and snapping great pics. Thanks for capturing the moments Sue!

Bike: The first 5 miles I tried to get my cadence up in an effort to find my legs…literally, because I surely couldn’t feel them. Desiree came by me around mile 5 and I settled legally behind her. The cameras were all over her, meanwhile wondering who the heck this chic was on her tail. It’s cool, first pro race…I’m a no name, and I didn’t mind a bit. I loved watching them record her pedal stroke. It reminded me how excited I was to be racing with these girls.

I remained with Ficker through mile 30. The pace was completely doable. Everything was going to plan. I knew it was only a matter of time before Hailey worked her way up to us, and sure enough she did. Alright, let the game begin! 

 I can’t go any further with my race report before commenting on my mental preparation going into this race. Chris prepared me 100%! Mentally, the pro race is a different beast. We worked out every scenario. There was never reason for me to panic, because I was prepared for everything. So far plan A was going to plan. Get out of the water around the middle of the pack, use the first portion of the bike to warm up and find my legs, and then stay right with them.  However, around mile 40 the alien in my stomach reared his ugly head!  I wanted to pull over, crawl into a ball and sleep.  While gritting my teeth I tried to stay in the game.  Sadly, plan A soon went out the window and they rode off.

Plan B- let the Quarq power be my guide. That was out the window too, I couldn’t even look at the thing! I found myself curling up in the aero position as if to pretend I was still lying in a ball on the side of the road. In a state of despair I rolled up and over a roller and started closing fast on someone. I realized it was mighty Meredith. Something had to be wrong, because she came out of the water with a commanding lead. I passed and willed her on with a quick “come on girl.” It gave me a little encouragement to know I gained back a place. At the next out and back I knew I was still losing ground and needed to get things together. It wasn’t until mile 90 when my cramps FINALLY subsided enough that I could take in something other than my GU Brew.  At the next aid station I slowed enough to grab one of everything, and as many bananas as I could grab.
22 miles to go! I tried to tell myself it wasn’t too late. Head down, get back on top of the pedals, and get to T2 fast. Eat, drink and get ready to run like it’s my job ;-) I seriously wondered if a 3:05 marathon was doable. (The new run course added a whole new dimension of hills that made for much slower run splits). I wanted so bad to salvage my race and make something of it. Ironman is a LONG day, and most lows don’t last forever. My forever was over and I could finally work again. Go Go Go. I flew into T2 and THREW my bike. I have never leaped off my bike so fast in my life. I prayed the cramps would stay away for 3+ hours. 

 Run: My bright pink Newton racers made me feel somewhat at home again.  I knew the gap was immense, but I also knew we had 26.2 miles left to cover. I settled into a solid pace through mile 3. Then my feet decided to join with the cramp fest. Pain Pain Pain. I reached in my back pocked for more advil only to find it had become a powered mess. I didn’t hesitate to lick every drop off the saran wrap! Who knows how many I digested, I didn’t care.  Hillary and Linsey were out on the course cheering like animals. Their smiles and exuberance of passion gave me hope and inspired me to keep with it.

My mile 10 I saw Tim and Torrey (aka: Team Newton) and asked how far out of 4^th I was. Tim responded with “I’m not sure if you really want to know.” I did. I didn’t care how big it was, or how much my feet and stomach hurt, I wasn’t giving up! I have never ever thought about stopping during an ironman. I wondered how my feet would carry me 15+more miles. Just then I reentered the neighborhoods leading back to town and was greeted with cheers and contagious excitement from everyone I passed. I thought “if they can get this excited about me, I have to give them something to be excited about.” The next 4 miles were magical. The cramps in my feet turned to a dull burn and my stomach was fine again. Thanks to the amazing energy from spectators another low had come and gone. As I made the turn around at the half way point I passed my friend Megan. As always, she was smiling from ear to ear...just another moment I didn't take for granted. Giving her a quick high five was a big highlight to my day.  

Around mile 14 I learned that I had cut the gap between me and Desiree in half. The next time I saw Chris I was happy to report that I was “finally feeling good.” His smile and excitement pushed me along. If I could cut the gap in half over 14 miles while I was feeling pretty lousy, then maybe I could reel her in before the finish.
(Thank you for the awesome run pics Tristan!!!)

Turn ‘em over. Tunnel vision locked in. Every person I ran past was cheering for me and willing me on. My bike escort was phenomenal!!!  She cleared a path for me through the age groupers, placed orders at each age station and got the crowd going. I locked my sight on her bike and pictured her pulling me along. For the second loop of the run my aid station order changed from just water, to water and coke. We exchanged a few words, and I told her “WE are going to catch her!” I felt like she was on my team. Maybe it’s that I am not use to the bike escort racing scenario, but it was pretty awesome.  

The new run course toughened us up! More ups, more downs, more pain. While running up the last hill before the turn around I spotted Hailey and Desiree.  I couldn’t believe how much time I made up. I wasn’t sure if I could catch either of them, but I was willing to die trying. I made the turn around, gasped for air and flew up the hill. As I passed the age groupers heading towards me I was encouraged to hear “you’re catching her” “she isn’t far ahead of you” “you look way better than her” “she’s suffering.” Oh My Gosh! I can not tell you how amazing this felt. Even writing about this section of my race gives me chills! I’ve always encouraged and cheered for the pro’s while racing, but never realized how encouraging it was for them. To anyone reading this who said 2 words to me during the last 10k of that race…in the midst of fighting your own battles out there…THANK YOU!

5 miles to go. One last hill. If the women ahead of me were suffering this hill would surely slow them down (or so I told myself). Chris was cruising around on a bike, flying by me urging me on.  “She’s at the top of the hill, GO! You can suffer for 4 miles.” “Your dream was 4^th, no go get it.” From here on it was a team effort.  Chris was right there biking back and forth. He never stayed with me for more than a few seconds but words can’t describe how it felt having him there with me. 3 miles to go. The course was so packed that I didn’t see Desiree until I was right on her. She looked back, leaving me no time to contemplate whether to make the pass right then. At the same time Chris yelled “GO!” and with that I WENT! Around the next corner I looked back. Desiree didn’t respond and come with me. I asked Chris if I could enjoy the last few miles. “Yes, I think you’re locked in 4^th.” With that I nearly slowed to a halt. I was hurting! Chris laughed and “come on, you have to keep moving at least.” Ugh, ok. I continued to make my way to Sherman Av. Once there I took it ALL IN!  4^th in my first Pro Ironman, dreamy indeed.  After the race many commented about how close I was to the 10 hour mark. I could of cared less! I cared about my place, but time- nope, I wanted enjoy this. If you watched the live pictures of me running towards the finish line you’ll see that I did just that.

I rounded out the day with a 3:16 marathon, a new run split PR and a new IM PR for me. We haven't been focusing much on my running, so to pull this out while not feeling so hot has me exited for the rest of the season. And if you recall my last post, I was in quite a hole 2 weeks before this race. To come around and lay down the 2nd fastest marathon (10mins faster than any other woman -other than super star K. Snow of course!) was an accomplishment in itself.

 NOT the correct time, but one day I'll get there!

Not only did I get to share this day with Chris, but SO many of my friends were out there cheering or racing. I've met some pretty remarkable people through this sport! Every cheer and word of encouragement sent my way was appreciated more than you know! Thank you for making my debut so memorable. And at the end, waiting for me to cross the line, was the entire TYR Team.  I was embraced, welcomed to the family and with that reminded of how awesome this company is! They’ve done a TON for this sport, and absolutely make the best training, and race gear! 

I’ve never felt so content and happy after a race. It isn't because I put together a new IM PR, but instead it was the experience and journey of the day. Things didn’t go exactly as planned, but now I have the first one under my belt. I learned a ton from this race, and am more motivated than ever! In the words of Coach Chris: “we’ve just begun!” Yes indeed. I'm motivated and hungrier than ever!

Thank you to the amazing sponsors who've believe in me and allowed me to take this leap. TYR, Nytro, GU, Newton, TrainingPeaks, Beaker Concepts, Oakley, Quarq- THANK YOU for playing a huge part in this journey of mine.