Deep in the pain cave

It's always this time of year when I notice some of my favorite triathlete bloggers go silent.  I have come to realize this trend amongst athletes in preparation for the World Championships.  Why, you might ask?  Well, because they are deep in the pain cave and they literally don't have an ounce of energy left at the end of the day to even contemplate a blog update.  So many days over the past month I have wanted to reach back and grab my IPhone to take a photo and simply couldn't find the energy to do so.  July was a tough month filled with 90 degree lows and 120 degree highs in the desert, not to mention the Idyllwild fires that made breathing outside impossible for about a week!

Rise and Shine!

 

 

 

 

Really, as if being outside in PS in the summer wasn't hard enough!
 

The aftermath of the fires and thunderstorms

 

Thank goodness for friends at the beach!

It's all fun and games at the Del Mar Racetrack!  4 Margaritas deep!

 

Pinon run at 90 degrees!  Thanks to my husband/Sherpa!

This past weekend, Ben, Anna, and I drove out to Henderson Friday night and woke up the next morning to ride/run the course for the 70.3 World Championships.  Yes, I have done Kona 4 times, but never Vegas (or Florida for that matter when it was there).  Course knowledge is key.  I have been training in Palm Springs, so I found the 84 degree, 45% humidity mild at its worst.  We pumped out a steady tempo on the bike and followed it up with a build into race pace on the run.  I was happy with my performance and have a good gauge to work from for race day.

Riding with Anna da' Hamma! Watch out, this girl is gonna tear up the bike course in Henderson!

My last race was Rev3 Quassy the first week of June, and I have made a conscious decision to take the time since to recover and just train.  First, I had to gain back the fitness I had, and now I am working on taking it to the next level.  I am suffering on a whole new level and working on being comfortable with this new discomfort.  There is an emphasis on hard and fast across the disciplines.  With that said, it is not just willy nilly all the time!  It is under the guidance of 3 individuals who are downright geniuses in their areas of expertise.  If you could improve through osmosis or proximity to greatness, I'd have this thing locked up!  But it isn't...at the end of the day, it's all about YOU!


I started swimming with Piranhas swim coach Jeff Conwell back in May and since then I have become a new swimmer.  There is a high focus on technique and swimming like a swimmer, not a triathlete!  I have a whole new level of control over my body in the water!  If you too are a stubborn, bull-headed triathlete who likes to swim tons of volume all freestyle (like 8x500), you are not working smart or effectively.  The day you realize this will be the first day of the rest of your life as a swimmer!

In the cycling department, I somehow (still don't know how I pulled this off!) convinced Dotsie Bausch (you know, silver medal Olympian in London & TT specialist) to help me figure out what my cycling fitness was missing.  Much like in the pool, it was lacking specificity.  I have suffered in a much different way on the bike in the past 6 weeks and the gains are tangible and coming fast!  I feel the need for speed!!!  It requires a level of courage to "go fast" and to suffer.  Dotsie reminds me often to "be brave" and when I feel afraid of what is about to come, I tell myself that over and over until the tension and anxiety subsides.

On the run, I was also able to convince James Walsh (there was some craft beer involved) to help me out in that department and cinch it all together (which is not an easy task).  I am always amazed at how every week I look at my schedule after I send him my swim and bike stuff how he puts it all together.  It is usually scary to read and I think, "Oh boy...I've got to do that?"  I always doubt myself, but then when it comes time to do it...I pull it off!  I suppose some of that is rising to the occasion, but I think (in large) it has more to do with an awesome coach who knows just how far you can lean over the cliff without falling.  Kudos, James...you have almost gotten me to puke at least a 1/2 dozen times so far!

When I think of my coaches, this comes to mind!

Finally, on top of all this, I accepted a full time French teaching job with San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, Ca.  I am finishing up teaching my summer class at College of the Desert and will immediately transition to my new job in San Diego.  So, there is a bit of life stress going on there, but ultimately it is an incredible opportunity for us!  It is going to be a bit chaotic because Ben is going to be splitting his time between PS and SD for the year while Faith finishes her senior year of high school.  We always said if the "ideal job" came my way we would have to make it work...and that is what we are doing!   I have been most fortunate to have the lifestyle that I have the past 3 years (training during the day and working at night).  There are so many things I am going to miss about the desert but at least it's only a 2 hour drive back to my mountains, palm trees, and friends.

View from the new place

So, signing off until at least after Vegas!  Thanks to my sponsor B&L Bike and Sports (aka Mark Palmer) for making sure I have the best gear, and my trifecta of coaches/mentors Jeff Conwell, Dotsie Bausch, and James Walsh.  I feel like I am standing on the shoulders of giants right now.    Having their guidance is invaluable to me and I can not speak of these 3 highly enough.  On that note, it takes time to get results, and a lot of patience.  There are many setbacks in sport, and in life for that matter.  So, do I expect to go into the World Championships and blow everyone away?  No.  However, I will be as ready as I possibly can be for the dogfight. 

Rev 3 Quassy and other happenings

Post St. George 70.3 & a DNF:
Even before St George 70.3 I knew that my training, and recovery needed some adjustment but there was simply no time to do so. I just needed to push through the next few races until my scheduled mid-season break in June.  St. George, as you may know from my last report, was so so...but not indicative of what I can do.  That was followed up with the 2nd DNF of my life 2 weeks later at Encinitas Sprint Triathlon.  I was literally EXHAUSTED after St. George and spent most of the next two weeks trying to rest and recover.  I really wanted to do Encinitas Sprint since it was my team sponsored race and hometown!  When we got down to the start in the morning, there was some big surf, but nothing I hadn't dealt with many times over.  We stood on the beach watching the waves in front go off, and I consoled and counseled a few of my friends and fellow racers on how to get through the surf.  What made this surf different from the rest was that there were two rip tides and they were changing direction every few minutes.  Literally, as my wave went off, a set came in; and simultaneously the rip tide changed direction.  I felt relaxed and confident.  I spent a few minutes patiently trying to dive under the surf, but I couldn't get out of the rip tide.  In hind sight, I should have let it pull me down stream where I could have made my way around.  I started to get to the point where I knew I only had a few more minutes of remaining in control of the situation.  And that was it, I pulled the plug....made a U-turn and swam in.  I still stand by the decision and felt it was the right thing to do.  Was it ironic, demoralizing, and embarrassing...yes.  I, of course, felt terrible not performing for my team and sponsor, but at least some of my fellow teammates got the job done in the Triathlon and Duathlon!

Rev3 Quassy 1/2 Ironman:
After Encinitas Sprint, despite the continued feeling of being run down and my fitness not being where it needed to be; I had a fire in my belly to make something happen at Rev 3 Quassy in Connecticut two weeks later.  Even though REV3 is not a "70.3", the series is amazing.  The courses are challenging, top notch athletes attend, and they do an amazing job putting it on (not to mention the swag)!

I did REV3 Quassy last year and would compare it to Wildflower or St. George in difficulty.  It is hot and hilly and NOT for the faint of heart!  Last year I was 1st in my AG, and 2nd female amateur with a 4:58.  I knew that I could better that coming back wiser and even a bit stronger.  However, that did not happen.  Here is what did happen...

Ben and I flew out of Palm Springs and had a 3 hour layover in LA before coming into JFK.  We were sitting at our gate the entire time.  We watched 2 flights board and take off before ours. I looked at my watch at 11:30 (with our flight scheduled to leave at 11:40) and began to panic!  There had been a gate change that we were unaware of, and I grabbed my bags and started to run for the nearest screen.  I ran to the gate and it was then 11:35.  I was "that guy" in the airport with the staff just looking at me as I implored them to let us on (as I could see the plane was still there).  They assured me the "gate was closed" and there was no way I was getting on.  Was this really happening?  I knew arguing with them about them not having announced the change to a point where I could hear it even though I had only been sitting three gates down was useless.  Nor was the question as to why they didn't page us despite the fact I was a checked in passenger!  It's LA baby....welcome to the jungle!  I was in tears, and Ben did his best to console me as we walked down to customer service.  The line was a mile long.  I immediately got on the phone with my mom, who is also a badass travel agent.  This woman is like Houdine when it comes to getting things done related to travel.  She told me there was another flight going out in 45 minutes and then the next was 4 hours later!  I told her there was no way I was going to even get to the counter in 45 minutes!  She called me back 5 minutes later and had somehow managed to get us on the next flight and in business class with no charge, nonetheless!  We were back on track!  We were a little concerned about my bike getting there with all the changes but they assured me it would be there (of course)!



My 110% Compression got a few stares!

 

Behold, UNBELIEVABLE...my bike sitting against the wall in baggage claim at JFK where anyone could have taken it!  A small miracle it was there and undamaged!!!

REV3 Finish Pre Race

 

When we finally got in to JFK and got to the car rental, I was told our Prius we had reserved was not there and that took another 30 minutes to sort out.  We finally got to my parents house around midnight.  The next morning Ben built up the bikes while I was returning the car rental and discovered something was wrong with my shifting that he could not fix.  Also at this point I was encountering some substantial stomach "distress" to put it politely.  Dehydrated and not feeling well we rode down to the local bike shop where they were able to fix the issue.  By mid afternoon, everything was in place and despite the chaos, I was feeling calm, confident, and ready to go!

 

My Specialized Stead ready to go!

 

 

Race Morning signaled a warm day ahead of us.  The swim venue here is ideal with a 72 degree lake swim.  The only challenge is that 1/3 of the swim is directly into the rising sun and some substantial time can be lost here on sighting.  I swam almost exactly 30:00 flat which is average for me.  I can definitely swim faster, but I had made the decision to spend the extra time sighting to make sure I was on course.  Better to loose 30 seconds or a minute and swim in the right direction!  I felt great and that I had swam conservatively, I knew I had a lot more energy to give on the bike!  I knew that there were a couple escapes, but that I would most likely catch up to them in transition or shortly thereafter.

 

I got out on the bike course and started with an aggressive pace.  Unfortunately, my Garmin was not working and I spent the first 40 minutes asking my fellow racers with Garmins how to do a hard restart.  Around mile 15, I finally got it working and my data confirmed that I was in fact riding well but with a higher than normal heart rate.  The first 35 miles of Quassy are either uphill or uphill.  The last 20 are mostly downhill to flat.  I caught up to another girl in the 25-29 AG who stuck with me and we paced the majority of the bike ride together.  We didn't really encounter any women, so I knew we were riding well.  At mile 40 was the first opportunity to see who was behind us, and there were quite a few women within 5 minutes or so of us.  More incentive to keep it going!  Around mile 45 we were passed by a girl who was hauling ass!  I went with her and tried to hold on to the pace but she rode away and my heart rate was pinned!  I knew she couldn't put THAT much time on me in 10 miles and the run was yet to come.  My effort to go with her however had put some time on the girl I had been riding with, which also meant I most likely opened up the gap to the other women too.

 

 

When I got back to T2, I saw that I had only ridden a 2:47 (only 30 seconds faster than the previous year).  It was much hotter and more humid than the previous year (but still).  I looked at my average watts and saw that I had ridden much harder than both Oceanside and St. George.  Other than my high heart rate, I was feeling really good and ready to run.

 

The first couple miles of Quassy are downhill and a good place to get those legs turning over before the hills come.  I was on sub 7:00/mile pace up thru mile 4...and then I don't know what happened?!?  My heart rate monitor wasn't working so I was running by feel.  I worked the hills as best as I could but my legs were locking up in my glutes and hamstrings.  I was getting passed, and passed, and passed!!! I tried to stay positive.  I figured there was a long way to go and it was HOT (over 90 and humid)...if these girls were pushing they could detonate.  I just kept plugging along and Ben encouraged me that the damage wasn't as bad as I thought.  By mile 10 my legs weren't coming around and by my calculation I was barely in the top 10 female amateurs; and well off last years pace.  I gave it all the way.  One of the cruelties of the sport, when your legs just won't go. 

 

Even on a bad day there are always reason to smile...Reason #1  family

love and support.  That's my cousin Chris (football player extraordinaire) with baby Farren.

 

 Reason #2 Awesome Wattie Ink guy!  This was 200m from the finish and I didn't have a proper laugh about this till post race!

 

 

 

When all was said and done I ended up 3rd in the 30-34 AG, and tied for 10th OA amateur.  Big congrats to the douchy girl who thought it was appropriate to outsprint me in the finish shoot (who I had no idea was even there) who was not even in my AG.  Yes you got me my.03 seconds on the line,  you might learn some etiquette.  I was 8 minutes slower than last year on the run (OUCH!).  The depth of competition was about the same, I was just slower : (

 

 

I spent no time sulking post race or over-analysing what "went wrong".  There were much more important ways to spend my time and energy:

 

Like this:

 

 

And this:

 



 

And this:

Cape Cod

And this:

I've been in this sport for almost 15 years.  There is no need to get my panties in a knot over a little slump.  Things always come around.  Balancing being an Elite athlete with a job and family and LIFE is part of the fun.  I am a bad ass because I can do it all and because there is balance.

I have some big changes coming, which I will be sharing with the world shortly.  While my athletic sights are set on doing the BEST I CAN at Vegas in September, there are some other things in the works that will require quite a bit of my time and energy.

This photo seems indicative of where I feel like my life is at right now.

 

I have just finished up a 2 week mid season break, and I am contesting a nasty head and chest cold as well.  Once I get a hold on that...I will be back to training and living.  In the meantime...I'm down...but don't count me out just yet ; )

 My Favorite New Band...they kinda ROCK!

St.George 70.3: Smacking the Beehive

There was a lot of anticipation in the build up to the inaugural St. George 70.3 race, which also served as the US Pro Championship, seeing as how the full distance was so terrifying that no one was willing to do it.  We all knew it would be challenging, and honestly isn't that why we were all out there?  Without being pessimistic but rather realistic, April was a tough month for me so I felt insecure at best about what kind of shape I was in.  One of my goals this season was to have a solid season, which means that even your bad races have to be pretty good.

The logistics of St. George are a bit pesky with multiple transitions, shuttles, etc, etc.  We were insanely lucky to approach a near perfect race day in terms of conditions.  There was little if any wind and temperatures I think reached about 85 by late afternoon, which meant that it was under 80 by noon.  The lake was gorgeous and calm...but cold.  It was a brisk 60 which is manageable but does take a toll on you.  Thankfully, the air was warm so we were able to warm up some on the bike.  For me the swim was uneventful.  I saw one girl get away from the gun, then I pretty much spent the rest of the time weaving through the masses ahead of me.  I spotted a couple green caps here and there around me and exited in 4th place in 29:57.  I was really cold and struggling in transition to get my socks and shoes on.  Usually I have the fastest transition, but not this time...I lost almost 30 seconds to a couple other girls. 

I got on my bike calm and ready to go.  My legs didn't feel bad and I was putting out good power.  The roads of the bike course in St. George are AMAZING!  Yes the surface is a bit rough in terms of material in some places...but there are virtually no potholes and there are almost no tight spots so there is plenty of room to pass and be passed.  Everyone has their space!  Also I might mention that although the bike has almost 3400ft of climbing, there is 3600 ft of descending.  So while the climbing might be compared to that of a Wildflower type course, really the times are almost identical to those at Oceanside 70.3 (especially under good conditions).  Back to the race, I started to reel in girls.  I caught up to a couple girls and passed them a couple times only to have them hammer by me again.  I kind of rolled my eyes and shook my head thinking they were expending an awful lot of energy proving to me how strong they were.  On top of that, I had no idea who they even were.  I have never prescribed to getting caught up in those kind of games because they usually don't pan out well.  St. George is a long tough race from what I could see and knew there was a tough run to come as well as some 3,400 ft of climbing mostly late in the race.  What did alarm me was when I saw Sonja Wieck blow by us like a freight train around mile 20.  I had just passed the two girls for the third time into a headwind and then it happened.  Sonja passed us so fast I knew she felt good and meant it.  We had ridden together just 4 weeks ago at Oceanside and I knew she didn't want me tagging along this time.  Then, I saw one of the other girls come around and go with her.  And that was that...I didn't have a response.  The gap widened and I continued to ride steady knowing that I was still riding pretty well and there was still a lot of racing to come. 

top of Snow Canyon climb, 10 to go!

Around mile 35 instead of starting to move up or increase my pace on the hills, I started to feel pretty bad, it was becoming laborous to hold my watts, AND I was getting passed by MORE girls.  This was a blow to my ego as I rarely get  passed on the bike.  Despite this, I still felt optimistic that I was riding MY race and MY pace and it would pay off on the run.  I hammered the last 10 miles after the climb through Snow Canyon thinking I could make up some time there coming into transition in 7th with a 2:42 (ouch)!

In T2 overnight I guess one of the volunteers decided to tie my bag so again not the speediest transition I have ever had with my stuff all jumbled up.  Out of transition I know I needed a good run and patience to catch anyone.  Unfortunately I was having the same problems I usually have with my left leg.  I reminded myself to just keep going and my leg would come around.  The first 4 miles are basically all uphill and so its best to not have any pacing expectations. 

gaining momentum

Around mile 5 my leg and body started to come around and I was moving well especially on the downhills.  I could see at the turn around that some of the girls were struggling and I was just feeling better and better.  With the time gaps it was unlikely that I was going to catch anyone but why not use that as motivation to bring the best possible negative split out of me?  I ran the last 4 miles (3 of which are downhill) at well under sub 7 pace and caught one girl and closed down the gap to about a minute to the next girl who managed to hold me off.  I ran a 1:43 high which doesn't sound impressive, but there was almost 1200 ft of climbing.  I finished 6th in the 30-34 AG, and 7th amateur.  I have to give big props to the girls that finished in front of me for putting together a great race and hanging it out there. 

 

Coming in strong & loving my B&L custom Betty Designs kit!

 

Whoever set these up is a god!

I would also like to mention how totally awesome the volunteers and entire community was in St. George.  The finish line in St. George was almost as electric as Kona....NO JOKE! 

 

Home Sweet Home????



1 hour after the race, Ben and I were back in the car and blazing back to Palm Springs for Ben's big race Sunday at the Dana Point Grand Prix (perhaps the biggest race in So Cal of the year). 

Superfan/Team Mascot!

It was a true David versus Goliath tale on this Cinco de Mayo.  Ben's team possess one of the best (if not the best) sprinter in Master's racing in the country.  However, getting him to the final corner has become impossible in the past few months.  Ben's team Surf City Cyclery was not suppose to have a chance at this race against the very dominant MRI team.  MRI fields 20-25 guys in any given race against the other teams who at best have 7-8.  On top of that, MRI brought on a well known former top pro field sprinter specifically for this race.  Dana Point Grand Prix is one of the most dangerous crits in So Cal.  I stood in the VIP tent downing glasses of red wine peeking out from behind my hands every lap to make sure Ben was still in there.  There were multiple crashes.  With 2 laps to go, one of MRIs guys miscalculated and came across the line in celebration.  We were all confused...but he was wrong and there was still 1 lap left!  On the final stretch I saw multiple green guys (MRI) coming and I thought it was over until I saw Charon Smith of Surf City come blazing by the well respected Ivan Dominguez of MRI!  They had done the impossible.  You can't even imagine the celebration that ensued!  What a wonderful and powerful day in sport it was.

Congrats SCC!!!



Cinco de Mayo course crasher in the pro field!

Afterthoughts:This race for me was a "smacking the beehive" one as my husband would say.  In other words, it lit a fire under my ass.  What I learned from this race is I have to start racing as an elite amateur the way I believe the pros race.  What I mean is applying tactics.  I have always just focused on my race and my numbers, but that is a very safe way to play.  You can't win races playing it safe, you have to swing for the fence sometimes.  I truly believe it was a mistake not to go with the other girls when they surged  early in the race.  Hindsight is 20/20, but I know I have the fitness to go with a move like that until it settles.  The same thing happened to me at Vineman 70.3 last year when I said to myself "those girls are riding too fast, there is no way they can sustain that", and they did.  Those are the competitors who deserve the accolades of being on the podium because they race with heart and force everyone else to bring their A game too! Now don't get me wrong I absolutely went as hard as I believe I could to put a complete race together with my fitness.  For any combination of a dozen reasons, it just wasn't there.

I learned a lot from the past couple races about racing other people.  In triathlon we often think it's just us versus the clock, and in many ways it is.  However, I truly believe we have so much more in us than we think!  I am making some mid-season adjustments so that my training will better prepare me for fierce competition.  I am swimming master's with our new program here in Palm Springs as part of the Piranha Swim Team under Jeff Conwell.  Jeff is an amazing coach and has already helped me exponentially in the past 2 months to become more efficient with better technique (FREE SPEED)!  Now the goal is quality swimming with good technique to bring me to a new level.  I have also recruited cycling guidance from a top secret (for now) coach who has a plan to help me get from point A to point B!  I predict a lot of suffering in the next few months paired with more recovery as my work schedule will lessen to 2 days a week over the summer.  I am also getting some much needed deep tissue work from Steph Shafer who works on the Who's Who of elite cyclists in Orange County. 

She brings the pain and the relief!

The beauty of sport is the highs and lows, the victory and the defeat, the getting up after you fall down.  Never hold on to either of them too tight, being able to live in the now and move forward is critical to improve.  Congrats to all those that survived St. George.  Next up for me, the B&L Encinitas Sprint Triathlon with the team! 

If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all!

Didn't your mom ever tell you that as a kid?  Well why are we as athletes so mean to ourselves?  My motto these days is NOT TO THINK when I'm racing.  On another note, it's never a lot of fun to do things that we feel we aren't good at or that don't come easy to us.  Running for me has been one of those things.  Now I love a Sunday trail run as much as anyone...but running fast for me has always been a struggle.  I am a big believer that in order to go faster...well, you have to GO FASTER!  It's the hardest thing to do to step out of ones comfort zone and confront discomfort and suffering.  We come up with all kinds of reasons why we can't do that speed workout, tempo run, or training race.  My absolute peeve is when people say things like "I would have gone faster if...." or " If I had done that race I ......".  As an English teacher we call these Past Unreal Conditionals.  In reality, we do the best we can, and if we could have gone faster, we would have gone faster!  I prefer to tackle the work necessary to make my dreams a reality.  The first step is A) toe the line B) give it your all to go faster C) repeat this pattern with some consistency. 

RUN FOR IKE 5K
The week after Oceanside 70.3 I did a small local 5k to benefit the Palm Springs Police Department K-9 fund in memory of a pup named Ike who died in the line of duty 3 years ago.  Yes, I was still smashed from Oceanside even after recovering all week.  I think I ran 2 miles all week leading up to the race.  I knew about 1 mile in that I was in for a suffer fest on the back half and suffer the last mile, I did.  I almost collapsed after the finish line with wobbly legs.  Yes, I did finish as the 1st female which is always cool, but I only managed to maintain 6:38/mile pace according to my Garmin (went 21:02...course was a little long).  But not too shabby considering 1 week out from a big race.

 If my husband yells to "think positive" one more time...I might slap him!

 

The problem with going fast is that is requires a great amount of recovery time, which I am still trying to balance.  I have spent much of April trying to get recovered and feeling like I haven't been doing much yet feeling exhausted.  I have learned to listen to my body and so I am resting much more than I usually would.  High quality, high rest.

Not so secret training

 

Seeing as all the Half Ironman Distance races I have slated for the rest of the year are hilly challenging courses, I am starting more race specific training, which means a lot of times marching up here.  I am well aware that there is a small window for elite athletes to fulfill their potential and I feel like I'm looking out that window right now.  So, I'm not afraid to say I'm all in.  What is refreshing is knowing I have nothing to loose.

 

MAYOR'S HEALTH & WELLNESS FESTIVAL 7 MILER

This past weekend I towed the line again in Palm Springs (Did I mention how lucky I am to have an endless supply of low key running races in my town?)  Again, I was not feeling "up to" a run race.  I spent the week not feeling so hot but I reminded myself of my promise to just get out there and do the best I could because even if the result was not up to my expectations I still need to go faster to go faster at key races.  I felt good thru the first couple miles then it was like someone put the breaks on my legs.  Miles 3-6 were not pretty and I was really frustrated with not understanding why I couldn't turn my legs over.

 

All smiles before the detonation

 

I presume that my lackluster performance wasn't any one thing in particular, but rather a potpourri.  Even though I was the 1st female, I was not pleased with my 6:59/mile average (yes...that 1 second is important to me!).  How was it that just 2 months ago I was able to hold 6:50 pace for a challenging 1/2 marathon?  Well, in looking at the positive, what I take away from these types of results is that if this is my worst, then that is pretty good.  What all these races have taught me is how to hang in there and not quit, and how even when you think it's over if you just keep going it's usually never as bad as you think it is.  The mind plays tricks on you.  It tells you that you suck, you should quit, that everyone is laughing at you.  But I know better, I know to tell those voices to shut up.

 

DIANA NYAD 24 HR POOL SWIM (How to quiet the mind 101)

Wow...what an experience that was.  Diana Nyad is an accomplished, endurance swimmer with numerous accolades that you can read about here.  At 64 years young she is preparing for a 48 hour swim that will take place in NYC on May 27-28.  I couldn't believe that of all the pools that she decided to perform her preparatory 24 hours swim...it was my Palm Springs Aquatic Center in my backyard!  She swam from 6pm Saturday night until 6pm Sunday night.

 

That right there is Coach Bonnie who never left the deck!

 

After polishing off a giant plate of spaghetti and meatballs followed up with copious amounts of beer and wine, Ben and I walked over to check out the scene.  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to offer even a tiny bit of my energy to Diana by swimming with her to remind her that she wasn't alone in her journey.  I marched back home and grabbed my suit and goggles and in I went for 1h10 long course.  I swam continuous because I wanted to have a sliver of an idea of what Diana was going through.  About 30 minutes in, I was feeling the affects of swimming post eating and drinking and I had a terrible ear ache to boot!  I pressed on.  Diana was stopping about every 2 hours for a 2 minute break to eat and drink and I was relieved when I heard Bonnie blow her whistle!  Diana's energy is incredible and being in her presence is something I can not describe to you.  After her break I hoped out and watched her swim off thinking her hardest hours were yet to come.  It is not often that I am not the last man standing in a workout and it was hard to not want to keep going on Diana's inspiring journey along with her.

 

The finish...GOOOO Diana!

 

There is something so special about watching a fellow endurance athlete do their thing.  There is a depth of compassion, understanding, and admiration that can't be put into words.  Being able to watch them I think offers us an opportunity to look at ourselves.  Fulfilling our potential is a long, lonely, arduous road filled with sacrifice and disappointment.  It is sprinkled with moments of ecstasy and achievements that keep us hooked.  Diana's demonstration of focus and sheer human will power was intoxicating and inspiring and served as a reminder to us all of what we can accomplish if we just put our head down and work.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of your goal.  Don't think....just do it.  And that, for me, is what April has been about.

 

Next up is St. George 70.3 on May 2nd.  I'm looking forward to hanging it out there with no pressure.  After that is the B&L Encinitas Sprint Triathlon on May 19th to keep the legs fresh and then off to Connecticut for the grueling Rev 3 Quassy 1/2 IM and some family time.









Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

Well I'm glad that's over!  We were all treated to warmer than usual temps both in the air and by sea for this years Oceanside 70.3 as well as dry pavement.  If you have frequented this race in the previous years then you know this is not something to be taken for granted.  There is NO such thing as a "perfect race" or "perfect conditions" and the sooner one recognizes that in the sport of triathlon, the sooner one can begin to deal with adversity "perfectly".

Ben and I headed out to the race late Sunday morning in our home away from home when the Westie started smoking and leaking oil in Banning.

 

Now this fine piece of 1987 German engineering has been quite reliable I might add most of the time.  We even did a trip from Palm Springs all the way to Portland, Oregon in it without a hitch a couple years ago.  But it seems to have a knack for causing problems on the way to MY races.  Well, 3 strikes you're out in my book!  So we drove back to Palm Springs and grabbed a more reliable vehicle, reloaded the gear and the dog and begged my dear friend Anna Gerber to take pity on us and let us stay with her.  Being the sweetheart that she is, she said of course!  This went much better than our blowout on the way to Wildflower or the alternator on the way to Vineman!

Skip to race morning.  I was up around 4:30 for a quick cup of coffee, and some Ensure (my race morning breakfast of choice) before Ben drove me down to T2.  Like I said, the weather was awesome and you could sense the gratitude in the air amongst competitors.  For whatever reason, race directors like to put the Women's 30-34 virtually last for wave starts.  We were wave 18 of 24 and the gun went off promptly at 7:30.  I quickly got on the feet of my good friend/swimmer Christine Gould and some of her friends that she had identified as swimmers.  They quickly and smoothly pulled us away from the group and we seemed to move effortlessly (thanks to them) through the waves of competitors ahead of us.  Eventually, I was dropped around the half way point, which I was okay with since I didn't want to go too hard too soon.  The water was like glass and there was virtually no chop making it the easiest Oceanside 70.3 I can remember.  I exited in 26:30ish and remember thinking that seemed incredibly fast even for me!  Turns out everyones times were speedy so I'm guessing it was a little short or something?  Either way a good start.

I usually transition quite efficiently but in the past year or so I really have been trying to hustle a little faster to the rack where precious seconds can be gained or lost.  I got out quickly on to the bike and started to catch the uber swimmers ahead of me.  My heart rate monitor was not working so I was extremely grateful for my new Quarq powermeter, which allowed me to gauge my effort.  Around mile 30 I was caught by another very accomplished W30-34 triathlete Sonja Wieck.  I shadowed her for the remainder of the ride with her setting a solid pace on the flats and me on the hills.  We came into T2 together in a respectable 2:38.

Off onto the run, the sun was out, the temps were still cool by my standards, and there were plenty of people cheering to keep our spirits high.  The new Oceanside course (since last year) has a lot of 180 degree turns and at least 3 hard steep uphill/downhills, some of which are on concrete, that really take a toll on your legs either during the race or post-race.  I have been working on my running for awhile now and have seen progress.  A series of 5ks over the winter lead to a new 1/2 marathon PR in February and a decent 10k at Desert Triathlon.  However, my triathlon run leg is still unpredictable at best.  I would like to blame it all on my External Iliac Endofibrosis but blah blah blah...I can't!  I just need to continue to get faster and fitter, and in turn become a more consistent runner.  I came out of T2 in first from what I could tell with Sonja right behind me.  I didn't feel incredibly good or bad and again my heart rate monitor wasn't working so I just went with what felt like an ok pace.  There was a lot of jockeying of positions (me getting passed...others passing me...me getting re-passed) and it kept things interesting.  Starting in the last women's wave and being on a 2 loop course made it difficult to tell who was who and where exactly everyone was so I just ran my race.  I have always prescribed to that philosophy that if you believe your fitness is where it needs to be then the rest will fall into place (well...at least 90% of it!).  I ended up getting passed with maybe 2.5 to go by a girl that was flying so fast that I was sure she was on her first lap!  Turned out she wasn't!  Kendra Goffredo went on to nab the top spot in W30-34 and overall amateur with a blistering 1:29.  Then another girl came by me with maybe 200 meters to go with a 34 on her leg and I thought to myself how is this happening...I didn't see any of these girls behind me at the turns.  It was going to be a sprint finish and I was at a disadvantage as I didn't see it coming.  I tried to respond but she pulled away down the shoot.  I was bummed until I went over to congratulate her and she informed me that she was in fact in the W35-39 which went off before us. WHY she was sprinting it out with me...I haven't a clue?!?  My run split was a disappointing 1:37, but not a total disaster.  I had held on to take 2nd in the W30-34 and 2nd amateur.  I was also glad to see fellow competitor Sonja hang on to third after a gutsy performance.

Oceanside 70.3 30-34 podium

 

All in all, I walked away with a 4:47xx and a slot for Vegas in September which was my goal.  I will take that for an early season 1/2 IM where I felt like I performed on raw base fitness with no peak or taper.  I got through the winter without serious illness and dodged a few bullets in regards to injury.

Next up is the new St. George 70.3 in May which should separate the (wo)men from the boys from what I hear.  Now I can race it without having to worry about earning a slot.  A huge thanks to my B&L family who once again have gotten me to the line on the best equipment with the most dialed reliable ride! 

In the next few days I will be maximizing my recovery with my 110% Play Harder Compression Gear.  If you haven't heard about this stuff, you should take a look because its a genius idea and even better...it actually works.  It is compression wear mixed with ice.  It is easy to use and there is no mess or hassle of melting ice in Ziploc bags or defrosted frozen veggies!

I'm as skeptical as anyone but this stuff is legit and it actually compresses!!! 

 

 



 



Desert Intl. Race Report and other happenings

Well, 2013 is off to an eventful start!  I have been taking advantage of all the great local races we have out here in the desert starting with the Palm Springs Half Marathon.  This time of year can be difficult to stay health with all the germies lurking around (especially if you are a teacher, like myself).  I had a strong first showing of my new found running legs with a new PR of 1:30:20 on a rather undulating and technical course with all the turns.  Right after the race I noticed my hamstrings were incredibly tight.  To make a long story short, I did something pretty bad to my right hamstring the following Friday while helping Ben (my husband) lead a cycling camp put on by some of his teammates when the pace got kinda hot.  Chris DeMarchi of MRI cycling…thanks for that one…whoops!  So, I took almost 2 weeks completely off from running (2 miles here, 3 miles there) and iced, iced baby.  I also had to be very cautious cycling not to aggravate it.  I was concerned that that would be it…I was doomed to loose all the run fitness I had gained.  The week leading up to Desert Intl. triathlon, I was feeling better and even pumped out a track workout on Wednesday where I ran into the hometown hero Tim Bradley (World Champion boxer).  Something about that meeting really inspired me and got me pumped to race.  We will be rooting for him in a couple weeks when he puts his belt on the line…but anyways…back to me : )

Thanks Alan Woodruff for nabbing this shot!

Race morning couldn’t have been more amazing…it was warm, no wind, and an amazing sunrise as a bonus gift for getting up at 4:45 am on a Sunday!  Good friend and teammate Anna Gerber was in town to lend support for an added bonus with her spark plug training partner Gina Correll (who posted a solid 3^rd in the women’s 45-49. Gina, you simply amaze me mother of 2 and business owner!  Desert Intl. triathlon has been the long standing “season opener” amongst So Cal residents, especially those in preparation for other early season races such as Oceanside 70.3.  It has a laid back feel as if to say, “Hey, it’s a loooong season….let’s ease into this”!  I decided to race Elite thinking it was my best chance to push myself.  It ended up that there was only one other woman on the start line, the very accomplished Sara Gross.  We were off at 7:30 with the others into the brisk 65ish degree water.  It was calm and there was cloud coverage (so no glare from the sun).  The swim was relatively uneventful and I found myself in no-mans-land (as usual) after missing the front pack who were hammering!  I exited in 17:40 and hussled dizzy and a bit disoriented from the cold into transition.  I could hear my husbands words in my head before they even came out which are always “don’t miss the train…or…the train is leaving the station”.  I have learned over the years how important it is to hussle to get out on the road with your competition and keep them in sight (out of sight, out of mind which is never good in competition).

 On to the bike, yes the bike!  This year I was fortunate to gain the support of Mark Palmer and B&L Bike & Sports out of San Diego who has been incredible in getting me on the best ride possible.  While I’m not one to ooh and ahh over equipment, gear, and gadgets, I can honestly say getting on the Specialized Shiv with my Quarq powermeter has made a huge difference so far.  If you haven’t spent some time with him already, let me be the first to testify to the bike fitting skill and knowledge of Keith Butsko who single-handedly changed my life on the bike in terms of comfort and efficiency.  BIG thank you to Keith!

With that said, the data I’ve collected over that past few months has given me the confidence to know I can hang with some high caliber athletes.  I was determined to make it through the bike with the lead woman who I had managed to catch up to between transition and the first few hundred meters of the ride out.  One thing about racing Elite is being out on the lonely road which provides more incentive to stay in contact with anyone you can.  I found the pace manageable but didn’t want to push it any harder for fear of it affecting my run.  I felt confident in our pace to just let it simmer.  Sara and I came back into town neck in neck in around 1:01 which is a good time for women on that course.

T2 was a bit tricky for me as my feet were still blocks of ice making it challenging to get my running shoes on.  No hamstring problems, so that was good.  Sara pulled away fast as expected and I was prepared to run my own race and give it to myself as good as I could all things considered (and that’s another story)!  I managed a 40:50 and found myself feeling stronger on my second lap than my first which was good for a 2:02:06 and second female overall.

Now it’s time to recover quickly, stay healthy, and put the finishing touches on preparations for Oceanside 70.3 which is technically a “B” race, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d like to earn a spot to Vegas World Championships sooner than later! Congrats to fellow teammate Keith Butsko on first overall and Brad Marshall on the double (taking a 2^nd & 3^rd on back to back days)…booyah!  Go B&L triathlon team…off to a speedy start!