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!