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!