Swimmer In Transition

Becoming a "runner"

2012-01-30T15:56:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a bunch lately. [thats what happens when you're on taper.] What does the word "runner" mean to me? What do I have to accomplish in my running adventures to be a self proclaimed runner? How does my body feel before, during, and after a run? What is my daily attitude towards the sport?

I think all of those questions help me personally define the notion of really "being" a runner. I know from an outsiders perspective, I would be considered a runner. Heck, [yes, "heck"] I ran 12 miles in 18 degree weather. I race triathlons [which happen to have a running leg]. I "ran" an entire marathon. I own a Garmin. But none of those things have made me truly believe I am a runner.

I AM a swimmer. I AM a cyclist. I AM a wife. {i am an ironman} But am I really a runner? Of course I know these sports are not who I am; they are a very big part of my life and help define who I am but they are not definite.

[wifeage = sporting? I suppose; there is usually offense and defense. There are rules. There is a love of sport. There is practice. There is perfection, technique, and a lifetime of being teammate.] I digress.

So why do I have to BE a runner?

Because to me, being a runner is something I never have been. It has always been a road block to me fully becoming a triathlete. And unfortunately, running is more than 1/3 of the triathlon.

I have to stop dreading the run. I want to embrace it. I want to love it. I want to be fast.

***

So Carlsbad half marathon was on the race schedule as a warmup and test before Panama. I had registered for this race 2 years ago for preparation before St. George, but had surgery less than a month before which set me back in the training. I had heard good things about this course and was actually pretty amped to race it.

I have only toed the line to 1 other running race which was also a half marathon. Most people sign up for 5ks. I'd rather do a 70.3 triathlon than a half marathon. "Just" running races have NEVER appealed to me. Yes I realize there is a half marathon after the biking and swimming. But it's different. Your legs are ready and warm.

Listening to the national anthem waiting patiently for wave 2 to start. Running buddy Erin has graciously offered to run the entire race with me. [She is WAY faster than me. She is a runner. She ran a BQ. And was also a collegiate swimmer. Which makes her rare, and an amazing athlete.] Ate 1 orange shot block. And just like that, we were off.

I've never ran in such a crowd! We were dodging people the first 3 miles! People complain about IM swim starts, but this was madness. Remember my IM swim? It was perfect. This was chaos. It helped those miles pass by quickly.

Then time started to slow down. I was just trying to get one foot in front of the other and use as little energy as possible, and keep up the pace. I felt like I was in this crazy person zone the entire race. Saw people we knew but I was very delusional; my responses were mostly grunts of "Hi!"

Ate 2 vanilla gu's the entire race and had water at every aid station. The rollers were nice in the sense that it broke up the race, but man, that is not really a flat course. I look down at the garmin. 9.7 miles. F*ck. I am dying. Legs are already feeling too heavy. Legs are on the verge of cramping all the way through. Quads, hamstrings, hips. Omg, damage control. My mind is trying desperately to do math. Can't I just walk the rest and still get a PR? Internal battles ensue.

I think my eyes were only half open for the rest of the race. 2 miles left I ask Erin to go right in front of me. She's pushing the pace hard. She drops me, but I keep pushing. Downhill comes and my legs are fighting me. Fighting my will. Catch back on. 1 mile. Stride begins to lengthen, even at the request of my hips to not let that happen. Visual on the last turn. 13.1 miles and I "lapped" the Garmin to get my official split (1:43). Finish with the mini-est "kick" ever. It was pathetic. 13.22 miles according to the Garmin. 1:44.

I ran my PR. By 15 minutes. I feel like I'm 9 yrs old where every swim meet is a PR because you've just learned something new. I learned how to be a runner. I broke that 8:00 min/mile mark. for 13.1 miles. YAHOOOOOO!

***

So here I sit. Less than 2 weeks away from my A race. All those early frozen mornings preparing for a 95 degree race day. I have to stop dreading the run. I want to embrace it. I want to love it. I want to be fast. So, cheers to the power of positive thinking:

I AM a runner. {You've got to say it to really believe it, right?}

dreams

2012-01-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

I've always been a dreamer. Well, I think most people are. I just have an odd tendency to remember them. My old roommates and now my husband must have gotten sick of listening to me babble each morning. I find if I talk about it right when I wake up, I remember it with more clarity, however I don't ever do anything with them; I don't keep a dream journal. Now, with husband gone and old roommates in different time zones or schedules, I haven't taken note of anything crazy. Until two weeks ago.

{My new favorite song and album}

So I had a dream. The most vivid dream I've ever had. The clearest dream I've ever had. And the most emotionally powerful dream I've ever had.

The northern lights were gorgeous. In my real non-dream life, I have seen the northern lights 2 times. Nothing could compare to what I saw in the dream. They were the most vibrant color of green I could ever imagine. And the "northern" lights were happening right here in San Diego. I was the first person to notice, and I happened to be in a very large field, almost like an old farmland. More and more people were gathering to watch this amazing feat of the sky. The green colors were the most vibrant colors I have ever seen, in a dream or real life. The flowing and ever moving green streaks were getting brighter. A lightening and electric storm was coming through. No rain, just beautiful bolts of brightness, lighting the green even more. This beauty went on for a while, and slowly died off. Eventually their were airplanes. Big jets. They apparently had been circling and couldn't be in the area, much less land because of the lightening. All of a sudden, their lights are flashing and going out. They are making horrible noises. They were clearly affected by the storm. None of them have landing gear out. And all of a sudden, one by one, they come crashing down on their bellies at a very high speed. People are scattering like mad. I started running the wrong way. I looked up. And a plane was coming straight for me. It hit me. And nothing hurt. All of a sudden everything went white. Like super clear and beautiful white. And I woke up.

I woke up with a renewed sense of happiness. I was content. And then I remembered what just happened. And I was super freaked out. I have never died in my dreams.

So I did some research. Northern lights in dreams:

To see the northern lights in your dream represent renewed energy, vitality, awe, insight and youth. A situation or relationship will be made clear to you or a positive spiritual experience will fill you with warmth and love. You will gain some amazing new wisdom and knowledge. Alternatively, the dream indicates that you know what you need to do, but may be too lazy or too afraid to jump into action.

Couldn't be more true. And death:

To dream that you die in your dream symbolizes inner changes, transformation, self-discovery and positive development that is happening within you or your life. You are undergoing a transitional phase and are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Although such a dream may bring about feelings of fear and anxiety, it is no cause for alarm as it is often considered a positive symbol. Dreams of experiencing your own death usually means that big changes are ahead for you. You are moving on to new beginnings and leaving the past behind. These changes does not necessarily imply a negative turn of events. Metaphorically, dying can be seen as an end or a termination to your old ways and habits. So, dying does not always mean a physical death, but an ending of something.

Wow.

Having a husband deployed is only something that you can totally understand and grasp if it is something that you have gone through personally. No one can prepare you for this. I'm not trying to say it's so horrible and bad and everyone please feel sorry for me. No, that's not it at all. I'm actually making the most of this "alone" time [although I rarely feel "alone"]. I have been making some personal internal changes that I'm starting to feel really good about. More on that down the road. We are 1/3 of the way through this deployment [with the current "schedules", however who really knows?] but I still feel our love growing.

OKAY! Enough with the sappiness. Training blog. Back to dreaming. I have some dream achievements for this Panama experience. Dreams aren't supposed to be set low, because when reaching a dream, the reward is that much greater. So there are goals and dreams. And I suppose some expectations. All of which will be in my back pocket on race day.

Carlsbad race report and training update soon to come. Leaving with this shot of beautiful San Diego. On the top of Mt. Soledad today with Noko and Ian. Soooo clear. So warm. SO amazing. Thank you Kyle for doing what you do so I can do this.

{love} and [hate]

2012-01-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Running. I love to hate it. I have so many reasons. I'm not fast enough. Not competitive enough. It "hurts" to much. I hate pounding. It's too cold. It's too hot. It's not social enough. Okay, enough of the excuses.

Running. I hate to love it. I have so many reasons. I'm seeing {large} improvements. I'm getting faster. I love the "hurt." It feels good to be done. Accomplishment. Personal bests. It is social. Fitness. Confidence.

So as you can see, running is quite the emotional struggle. And it's always a physical struggle. And mental? We won't even go there.

So what keeps me going? Well this view isn't too shabby. Being back in OB is great. The ocean is a couple of warmup blocks away and this is my regular view for the short runs. I get to run past where Kyle and I got married. This "winter" thing in San Diego isn't too shabby sometimes.

I was home for Christmas with a big run block planned, since [obviously] I couldn't ride in northern MN over Christmas break. haha. So I ran. I got home late Christmas eve. Woke on xmas morning and had family time opening the presents. Eating the delicious and infamous mom's homemade carmel rolls. 3 of them. And then running. 6 miles with the brother. Made him puke. Might have been due to his diet of beer on xmas eve, and beef jerky/cinnamon roll/oj breakfast, combined with a rather thick Gu at mile 4.5 - classic.

love you mom. it's a good thing i don't make it home very often, or I'd have to run even more miles!!

brother love! was psyched he wanted to join me!!

yes, there was a bit of snow on our run. be glad i didn't take a pic of rob's aftermath

crazy free lightshow in Duluth, MN

#2 run was an epic birthday run. 18 degree weather, 3 degrees with windchill. 12 miles on the docket. FML. Clothing list: Noko's warm running tights, smartwool thick snowboard socks, smartwool baselayer, nike longsleeve tech shirt, hat, neck warmer, light running gloves. Ipod. Waterbottle. It wasn't enough. Ran to my friends' parents house and took a break at mile 5 for saran wrap around the belly. I thought I'd be the only crazy person out. Nope. Saw a high school-ish age girl running in capris and a cotton long sleeve!! Is she crazier?! YES!

doggy love. sharing the couch with little miss Lady. quality time catching up on not so quality tv.

#3 Lake of the Isles run with triathlete buddy Nordica. Super crazy day in MSP visiting friends before an evening flight. Parents were chauffeuring me around all day and dropped me at her house in the evening for a quick 5 mile run around the lakes with her tri buddy training for St. George [Who signs up for St. George IM living in a cold place, doing actual "winter" training?! Craziness]. Anyway, finished the run, took a 2 min shower and got a ride to the airport and hopped on the plane home.

cousin love! Harper loving the facetime camera on my iphone. super cute.

Back in San Diego, 2012 has been filled with a very balanced training plan. 3-4 runs, 2-3 bikes. 2ish swims a week. Not super intense, nothing crazy, just putting in the work and getting it done. And I got through a dark spot last week and made it out alive today.

recovery. noon masters. shine. love.

Ran my 13.1 personal best as a solo training run before work last weekend. Noko and Erin have been super helpful, offering to run with me even though I'm much slower than they are.

new shorts always help the motivation to get out the door and run. birthday present from Erin

It hasn't been perfect. I've missed out on a bit. I haven't been quite as diligent as the IM plan. But I'm rolling with the strides [literally] and having fun doing it. Racing in a week. Carlsbad half marathon. I'm freaking nervous. Seriously, Rachel? I think I just dread toeing the line of a race knowing I won't be finishing anywhere near the top. Boohoo. I am a competitive person. And Sunday is all about being internally competitive and driving myself to hopefully a PR. It's about gaining confidence for Panama.

uh yeah. no explanation needed. EARNED!

I got my flight to Panama today!! Woohoo! It's really happening!! TriBikeTransport canceled their Panama service. I got a full refund...and a free future trip for my bike that doesn't expire! [hmm where to next?!] But that means Kermit will have to travel with me. Luckily Brendan has an SUV and is able to cart me and kermy around. [Thank You!!]

Even better news? I got to talk to Kyle last night for 16 minutes. I miss him so much. Even from afar, he's been super supportive of me. It's hard to think we aren't even halfway through this deployment, but I such is life. Right now, we are putting together his dream bike. And as much as I love Kermit and Cookie Monster, I'm having HUGE bike envy right about now. Looking forward to piecing it together and getting it built up for him. #bikenerds.

Feeling a renewed sense of happiness right now.

Home.

2011-12-28T09:29:00.001-08:00

Thank you Kyle for all you do. For being stuck on a ship, spending thanksgiving and Christmas on the flight deck for a steel beach picnic. For working long hours for endless days with not much free time. Sacrifices.

I knew I'd be alone this year for some major holidays, so I had planned a while back to head home over Christmas. Luckily I drew Christmas Eve as a bonus PTO day at work so vacation wasn't totally blown before the upcoming Panama trip in February.

I flew to Phoenix late on the 23rd and stayed with my sister and brother in law. Saturday I flew to Duluth, MN on a cheap charter flight with 1/3rd of passenger being below the age of 6. Birth control. Sat next to a super nice girl from Wisconsin who bought a 2nd beer for me after I'd been kicked non stop since takeoff.

I got the white Christmas I paid for as it had snowed right before I came. [although it has already melted]

Christmas was spent at my parents house. My mom had 26 relatives over for dinner on Christmas day. Craziness for sure. White elephant was the hit of the day. Silly Smith sisters.

Monday we went to Duluth for some shopping, food, and a Christmas light display called Bentleville [after the founder's name]. Pretty, but it's a pretty big use of energy. The biggest steel Christmas tree in North America. Monday was the last night so they had a fireworks show.

The best part was it was free!! Something like this in CA would cost 20 bucks to get into and charge ridiculous amounts for hot chocolate coffee and cookies. Yeah those were free too!! Half way around they had fire pits and gave out roasting sticks with marshmallows!! Did I mention it was free?! Seriously, sharp metal sticks and open flame fire pits and no waivers or restrictions? This cannot be 2011.

Tuesday was spent running, which I'll save for a different post. My parents made a delicious dinner and I got to see my old friend Kelly, who also has a husband is deployed. [to a much scarier place with the Army] I finished off the night spending some quality time with the dog on the couch watching The Cutting Edge.

Writing this from the blogger app on my phone. Excuse the typos. On our way to MSP for errands, friends and I'm flying out tonight. Back to the warmness of San Diego.

Thanks to my dad and mom for everything. I hadn't been home for 2 years and that was too much.

thankful

2011-12-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

Giving thanks this year to my husband as he embarks on this 9 [now 8] month journey while I get to have the luxury of leading my regular [on land, and in the ocean, but only when I want to] life while he must float in the sea. Not fair. But that is life. And for that I am thankful.

I started writing this at Thanksgiving. That's what happens when your husband is gone. Rather than spending absolutely every free moment with him and "soaking" it all it before he leaves, skipping daily tasks of laundry/cleaning, now every day is full of something else.

That "something else" as of late has been training volume. Which has been welcomed, mostly. Granted, I'm not as diligent as I once was [as an Ironman in Training] now that I'm only training for a half Ironman. But I have a plan and I'm [mostly] sticking to it. Establishing consistency is now a thing of the past, and these base miles are somewhat flying by. I've been adding a bit of tempo work and learning to love Fiesta Island again. I do have a secret; her name is Noko. Without her, this winter training thing would be absolutely crazy, instead of just crazy. Somehow having her on the schedule allows me to peel myself out of bed when it's 39 degrees to head out on the bike. I know, I live in San Diego, this is not normal, nor accepted very well by those of us to have to get the ride in before work. Yuck.

Noko - starting up GWL. Burr. Let the climbing warm us.

Thanksgiving was good. Although Kyle-less it wasn't lacking in family. I drove out to Phoenix after work on Tuesday and had fun with the sis, her hubby, my mom, dad and then grandma+grandpa came for Thanksgiving day. Good food. Great conversation. So good to be lucky enough to have a supportive family. Good tv too, as I don't have cable, so I got my yearly fix of HGTV. [and cherry pie]

I got in a couple of good rides. Went to a local tri shop to ask about any group rides on turkey day. Dude mentioned a ride leaving from a location less than 2 blocks from my sis' place at 6:30am. Okay, sweet! Show up the next morning to approx 250 road cyclists. Seriously perusing the parking lot and there were NO tri bikes. I only brought Kermit. This is going to be interesting.

Road to south mountain. Everyone pulled over, grabbed a rock and started up the climb. I had done the route the day before so I knew what was coming. I started in the back as everyone looked uber serious, "kitted" out, and pimping expensive bikes. We are on a low grade and everyone around me is huffing and puffing. We have barely started to climb. Okay, so I'm in aero and just start passing people. The entire way up. WTF Arizona? This is barely a "hill" in San Diego. Was pleasantly surprised at my performance. And the rock? The faster riders are supposed to grab bigger rocks to even the playing field, and chuck the rock at a designated spot on the way up. Okay. weirdos.

Ride back was a Men's Cat 5 crit, without the cornering. It was kinda fun, till it wasn't. Managed to survive without a crash. Corners would have for sure added to the madness. Turkey day ride. Can't believe it has a website! If Meg stays in Phoenix, I'll have to do that again and remember to bring Cookie Monster.

Thanks to my family for being so understanding of my triathlon "needs" and having Kermit over for dinner as well. Drove back to SD on Friday night really missing my Mr. Driver. Ugh, long drive, but at least I "gain" that hour back on the way home.

Looking forward to more family fun over [white] Christmas in Minnesota. Haven't seen the brother or gramps in a while. Will have to break out the crampons for winter running. [yeah for more treadmill fun!! must prepare my ipod]

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Screaming Barfies

2011-12-11T20:34:00.001-08:00

I had a dream. [not a surprise to anyone who knows me.] I was drinking out of moldy water bottles. Like nasty moldy. And I was swearing up and down about how amazing my immune system was, and about how I don't get sick. I had that dream. And I woke up with a sore throat in real life. GREAT! How all my colds start. And it lasted like 10 days. I didn't feel sick, I just had a cold. Runny nose, a little cough, and some sinus congestion. Nothing a bunch of snot rockets by day and NyQuil by night can't handle. It probably didn't help that I raced on day 5. In 52 degree water. In 45 degree air temps. That was the high.

HITS: There is a new triathlon series that had the first race in Palm Springs. I had the itch to race over Thanksgiving and checked out my schedule. I registered over the phone the Monday before the race. I switched my schedule at work [thanks Cory!] to be able to barely squeeze it in.

Drove out on Friday night after work. Got to the campsite/race venue at 10:00pm. It was freezing. So instead of setting up the tent, I set up camp in the back of the Rav4. Kermit and I had a great night's sleep. Alarm set for 4:30am, as I missed registration pickup on Friday [remember I work till 7pm]. Wake up. OMG it's freezing. I do NOT feel like getting out of my amazing down sleeping bag, taking off the wool long underwear, and putting on spandex.

Ride my bike over to the race venue. No line. No issues getting my packet. Rack my stuff in transition. Wait until the last possible moment to take off the down parka and sweats. Seriously I was the last person in transition before the race as they were kicking everyone out. The sprint started at 7am, and the Oly at 7:30, so I wasn't in a rush.

I watch the reaction of everyone "warming up" in the water. Not good. I somehow convince myself it'll be good for me, as I always yell at my students to get in and warm up. I may retract that statement for water under 55 degrees. It was more of a cool down than anything. I was wearing my wetsuit, a silicone swim cap, neoprene swim hoodie, and the race cap. And still my face had never experienced anything quite like it. I'll call it the super duper ice cream face ache. Burr.

Interesting race as there was only 1 Olympic distance wave. Seriously?!! A mass start, this is AWESOME!! Pretty ghetto as the race director without a bull horn just yelled go. And we were off. Found feet. Drafted the entire race. Two loop course where you have to get out half way. Stayed steady with no effort or surges. Just sat in. Felt uninspired, and had no motivation to be the first out of the water, as I didn't feel like putting in any extra effort to go around anyone.

Swim 20:57. 1st Female

Got on the bike with solid blocks of ice for feet. Literally, feet were chopped off during the swim by a barracuda and replaced in transition with bike shoes resembling rectangle bricks made of ice. Bike computer was dead and I didn't grab the Garmin. Had NO IDEA how much I was pushing or how fast I was going. Apparently there was a tail wind on the way out as was evident by the head wind on the way back.

Felt like I was in no-man's land on the bike. I think maybe 4 dudes passed me, and with a vengeance. A vengeance of disk wheel mashers. Ate one or two gu's. Can't remember. There were a bunch of 90 degree corners with tons of sand, so I was unable to use my crit skills as I was having to brake hard before the corner. Saw a dude skid out and eat it hard. Course was VERY poorly marked. Almost no cones and I wasn't sure if it was shut off to traffic or not. Almost blew past a turn on the way back as I'm frantically asking/yelling at the cop, sitting in his WARM car which way to go. He ever so nicely pointed his arm in the direction I was supposed to turn. Road quality was crappy farm roads with a ton of dirt. Really glad I didn't flat.

Bike: 1:10.xx 7th Female. Not happy. Winds affected me more than I wanted them to. Must work harder on Fiesta Island.

Got into T2 with frozen feet. Still. Even with toe warmers on the bike. Shoved shoes on the blocks. Grabbed a handful of stuff [visor, garmin, salt tabs in tube, gu, and bib number]. Had a juggling contest running out. Here I am fixing the visor. And lifting my heels!!

First aid station had only Heed. Great! My absolute favorite race fluid! NOT! [Hating Heed, Any SDIT race, SuperFrog, etc - seriously not a fan] I looked at my running water bottle in transition and opted out since a) I was already juggling handfuls of crap, and b) they advertised race aid.

Never trust a first time event. Really, you should just never trust race support. I'm a water drinker. I go through 2+ bottles on an Oly bike course. On my 3 mile technique run sessions at home I have the bottle. I can barely make a brick session without longing for water. I just got used to running with it through my IM training and race that now I can't live without it. And for some reason on race day, I thought I could.

Feet started to warm at about mile 2. Just about the time 2 girls passed me at the same time. Man! I really need to get faster at running. Work in progress. Anyway, feet were heating up, and it wasn't good. Blood flow began to occur and it BURNED! I've experienced this in my hands, back in my ice climbing days in Minnesota. It's called the Screaming Barfies. Not kidding. Couldn't believe it was listed in Urban Dictionary. Feet seriously felt like crap. Couldn't lift. Couldn't push. Just kept chugging along. Mile 3 was an aid station with water. Took a salt tab. Feet started to come around on the last lap. Was paying for the early speed. Random dude passed me and encouraged me along saying we had 10 min to break 2:20. Not sure I really cared at that point. Looked back just once and didn't see any ladies. Cruised into the finish line.

Run: 46.22 9th Female. Happy. But the course was short. And I worked hard. Stayed 3rd female OA and 1st AG. At a very small race. But hey, sometimes half the battle is showing up! They have a lot to do in race management and execution, but it was a race. And I felt I needed to race before Panama. Things are on track. It gave me confidence and also things to work on [cough] brick sessions [cough].

So that's it. This week was about rest, getting better, turning the corner and starting to build again. Rode Swami's with the big boys yesterday. Today was 10 run miles with Noko and Erin. Another big 2 weeks and then it's vacation!

Going Stag

2011-11-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

Luckily I managed to have a date each year to prom. However, for the next 8 months, I'll be flying solo. My crime partner, husband unit, tandem driver, sherpa (and so much more) has left me for the big blue ocean. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. After Monday, my head is still spinning. But before I get there, here's a little update (or big) of what I've been up to prior to Kyle's departure:

Vegas: Had a blast in Vegas for our last real vacation before the deployment. Stayed at the Encore and the Cosmopolitan. Enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and yes, we even got 2 days of climbing in at the beautiful Red Rock National Park.

Halloween: Kyle and I had a last minute idea inspired by the bright pink vest I found that day while moving. Chris had a bright blue vest, and the "ice climbers" were born. Think super old NES game. Except we aren't brother and sister, and we actually had ice axes, not wooden hammer majoberinos. We went out in PB and then to another house party in Point Loma before I had to get to bed before my race the next morning.

Fearless Triathlon: got a comp entry from work because we sponsor the event. I was in week 3 of training and had done NOTHING the week before since we were in Vegas [taper right?] and went out the night before for Halloween [read: hungover]. Fearless is a double mini-sprint. [200yard swim, 10k bike, 2.5k run] x2. Five transitions. Good times. It's kind of like a heart attack [not speaking from experience here] but it gets the heart rate pumping. Second swim is wetsuit-less, and man was it hard. My tri top, although it looks tight, it wasn't tight enough. I ballooned up like a marshmallow during that second swim. I was laughing at myself underwater at how much slower I was going to be on that swim. [It was like 1:30 slower - but for 200 yards - that's ALOT.] Bike and run splits were almost exactly the same. So I suppose that was a good thing. Run course ended up short according to my garmin, but I ended up running my fastest race pace, so that was cool, and the AG win [by 10 min] isn't too shabby either. It's a well run event, and fun because it's different. Try it out next year!

New House: We moved! I know, right before he deploys and right before our Vegas trip. It was crazy timing, but we found a place we love in OB. Sadly Kyle didn't get to enjoy it for very long before he had to leave. I still live with roommate Chris, which has been nice, since I can't imagine living alone right now. But I'm back in OB - after a 3 year hiatus in Point Loma - man the crap a house can accumulate after living in a place for three years. And 10 different roommates later [all in and out and left a ton of CRAP!] Fun times. Pictures of new place to come soon.

Joshua Tree: Got to head up to J-tree for a night and a half day of climbing [before we were rained out - sad]. It was great to be able to be in Kyle's favorite place with him before he left. He even got to sneak up there again on Veterans Day [I had to work].

Saturday was his last day here, since he had duty on Sunday and Monday they left. [duty is every 6 days and requires him to sleep on the boat.] It was a super busy day, dealing with getting his car put in storage, last minute shopping and errand trips, and packing/organizing. Not fun. Oh yeah, did I mention it rained all day? Anyway, after a stressful day, we had a very nice, relaxing, DELICIOUS dinner at a restaurant in OB called 3rd Corner. It's a wine place with yummy food.

So that's it. Monday was probably one of the worst days I've had. I got in a car accident on the way to go say goodbye. Luckily I have some of the best friends ever. Thank you Dave, Erin, Chris, Chad, Frank, and my Mom and Dad for helping me get through that horrible day with a smile on my face by the end. I didn't think I'd be emotional over him leaving. I'm a pretty level headed person at this point in my life. But the stress of that accident and the fear that I'd not get to say goodbye was simply overwhelming. I did manage to get on the base, and I got that last big kiss and hug. I let out a good cry on Coronado as I watched his boat sail under the bridge and past me - into that big blue ocean. So I did what every dependasauras does and I went for a run and then a swim.

Tuesday was the first full day. One day closer to his return. Tuesday was get car crap figured out, ride my bike, swim, and organize! I think I'm going to run out of things to clean and organize pretty quickly here. And today, I was back to work. I left my house at 6:30am and didn't get back until 9:30pm, which becomes a typical day for me:

Teach a swim lesson

Get my workout in

Work

Volunteer swim coach for the Tri Club of San Diego

Somehow, all of that adds up to not a lot of free time. But I love what I do and I guess I have to keep telling myself that. Doing my best at keeping busy.

I love you Kyle. Hurry back.

Married, Moving, Motivation

2011-10-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

3Ms on the mind lately [yeah Minnesota company].

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to my amazing husband. We celebrated our anniversary weekend with Katrina + Chris at their gorgeous vineyard wedding on Saturday.

Sunday the celebration began with a torture fest around the Great Western Loop with Erin, Chris, Jake and Bethany. Somehow managed to find the motivation even through a hangover. We continued the celebration by reading and enjoying the ocean at Sunset Cliffs on Osprey Point where we got married one year ago.

I got him a sweet Lego Luke Skywalker watch that is still within Navy Regulations, as there is no way this watch is a "fad." He got me the more traditional paper - Halloween pumpkin cutout patterns. Can't wait to show off our skills on our new deck!

Finished the day by enjoying the deliciousness that is our cake topper. Erin so graciously made us a new cake for our anniversary - and it was just as good as the first time! Good thing I'm back in training!

Week 2 of training is in the books, along with finding a place to live, teaching swim lessons, going to PT [knee is feeling better every time] and work. It's hard to get a chance to enjoy the little moments with Kyle before he leaves in November. Finding the motivation to keep on going has been alright. Hard at times, but if I schedule workouts with friends, then I can't not show...so more of that, please. Anyone in need of a training buddy over the long, cold winter, hit me up.

[fixing a flat on the backside of the GWL; Kyle and Erin were impressed by my self servicing skills - hello I work at a bike shop guys...I really do get up from my desk every once and a while.]

This week is more training, PT, packing & moving! Big stuff on Saturday if anyone would like to help - we pay in cold hard [beer] currency. Heading back to Ocean Beach - just over the hill from our current location. New place is 2 bed/2 bath house with 2 car [=25 bike] garage. Super nice, wood floors, updated kitchen, heater fan in the bathroom, large walk-in closet and amazing covered deck spaces. Pics to come eventually [with pumpkins].

Then it's VACATION!! Cannot wait to get away from San Diego for a bit with my man. Climbing, training and enjoying each other's company - so needed and so precious with the imminent deployment. Thanks for all the wishes. We survived our first year...now it's about "damage control" [kyle's old collateral duty] during this 7-8 month time apart. Rosie better be right - we can do it!

Surviving September

2011-10-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Not quite sure how the blog gets so far behind...but with all that I have to report, there just isn't enough time in the weeks to write it all down.

First - Yes, I finished my first Cat 1-3 race. Holy balls. The San Clemente Crit is no joke. Right from the gun [after I fumbled clipping in as if I've never done it before - such an amateur looking like an idiot in her first race] the race was all about survival. A short kicker of an uphill, then a sweeping downhill into a crazy right turn where the road is cantered the wrong way, to a LONG, false flat, into the wind, horrible backside. Couple more turns and it was around to the finish line. I had to now attempt to survive 50 minutes. Keep in mind, I'm used to the 30min FLAT Ontario Cat 4 races, and occasional 40min 3-4 race.

Stayed with the group for the first half, and then some clever team work had Patricia and I dropped and with the back pack with the teammates of the girls in the break. Great, now they aren't going to work to bridge it back up. FML. Patricia and I swapped pulls for the rest of the race. I think 2-3 girls ended up dropping out, but we told ourselves we were going to forge on. We got lapped on the final lap [we had 1 more to go] and they actually let us "finish" that next lap. So it was a successful failure.

Lesson learned [although I knew before the race]: You can't just fake your way through a small field in the Pro 1-3 races; especially without teammates [heck, even that wouldn't have helped.] I had survived the summer racing myself into shape. No weekly rides, no recovery rides. All I did in August was race. Every Sunday. I have to admit, it was fun, especially with the mostly good results. Next season there will be much more to learn [and hopefully more training] but I feel like I've finished this season with no regrets. I have gained confidence on my road bike. Confidence in pack riding. Drafting. Sprinting. Bike handling.

P.S. I love our (my) new wheels.

Second - My knee started bothering me after the Goleta Tri at the end of July. I pushed through it and tried to warm up well before racing, but inevitably would be bothered by it through the races. I ignored it for a bit, but this nagging hamstring, knee thing was bothersome. Went to the docs, got an MRI and basically the outside of my quad is overbuilt and is pulling my kneecap out, so it isn't tracking well. The inside of the knee and hamstring are then being pulled/stretched and that constant movement is grinding away. The inside quad is just plain weak. Started PT last week and those exercises make you feel like a weak weak, challenged, incapable person. Seriously, watching your leg fail epically at what seems like the easiest motion is scary. But that's what happens when you only work your body in one motion. So with multiple doc visits, ART, PT, MRI, X-ray, etc, I've been busy using that good 'ole Navy TriCare insurance that I oh so love. Trying to get the knee back on track [literally] before this Panama training starts to ramp up.

Third - Work. You'd think in our third year, we'd have this stuff figured out by now. I'm talking about the San Diego Triathlon Classic that we are the race directors for. So much crazy last minute, endless night work that I don't have time to write about it all. I can't believe that last year we were moving the shop and putting on a race. This year we were still "moving" the shop, trying to get things looking decent for the expo that we had in our parking lot.

Luckily the race went off seemingly well. Good feedback. It's great to be a part of something that so many people appreciate, but it is a very under appreciated job. I won't go into it.

Fourth - Husband. He's been in and out and in and out. His boat [ship] has been in final workup mode, getting certified and prepped for deployment. He has basically been gone for half a month, every month this summer/fall. It's super hard to get into a routine, only to be torn apart again. He got back the morning of the race [and unwillingly got duped into volunteering/take down, hey at least he got some Stone Beer out of it]. It felt like he just got back, and then he was gone again at the end of September and is still out till the end of this week. Then we'll have a month, and then he's gone before Thanksgiving for seven long months.

Anniversary is coming up. Looking forward to our friends Chris + Katrina's wedding on Saturday and our day on Sunday. No big plans; probably just watching the sunset @ Sunset Cliffs where we got married. [and maybe a bike ride, see next item]

Happy [almost] Anniversary Kyle! I love you.

With all my love, Rachel

Fifth - Panama Training: week 1 in the books. And it wasn't easy. With 2 PT sessions, 4 swim lessons, house hunting and a busy work week, there wasn't much time left for training. Somehow I got it all in. 3 rides, 4 runs and 2 "swims" although with a total of 1500yards, I wouldn't exactly count that as acceptable.

Sixth - Moving. SUCKS! Current roommate Chris and I have been looking for a month and a half and we've only put 2 applications in and for places that are okay, but we haven't fell in love with. We are looking for a 2 bedroom in OB; if anyone knows of anything let us know! My .6 mile commute is soon coming to an end.

Random: IM Kona was yesterday. So fun to track everyone. Especially my 71 yr old student, Susan Norman. She made the swim cut off by 13 minutes. Came in on the bike with 7 min to spare. And in the most Susan-esk fashion, passed her remaining competitor with a couple miles left, and finished with 2:30 to spare, at 16:57, becoming an Ironman World Champion. Couldn't be more proud. Saw her on the live video and it was super emotional with hundreds of people cheering her in.

Lastly: SOOOO Looking forward to our little vacation at the end of October. Location hasn't quite been decided. Thoughts about Ohio/Kentucky for his family and climbing, but we can't find any cheap flights. Also on the list is Vegas for climbing, camping, biking and yes a little strip time. We are still discussing other options as well.

Now that I'm back in full on training mode, the updates will hopefully be more frequent. Since my initial purpose was to track my triathlon journey.

Bars Bumping

2011-08-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yeah not so much on the clubbing front, but on the bike racing scene. The announcer at most of the So. Cal events is Ralph Elliot of MGE. On the final sprint for the finish as the peleton rounds the last corner and the racers are ramping up for the sprint he has this super silly quote and I can't use it as a direct quote as it's almost impossible to hear what he is saying:

"Elbows brushing, bars bumping, lycra stretching, knees bopping, and we got a sprint going on here folks!" in this accelerating voice. I know it's not an exact quote, but it's close. And it really describes what happens as the craziness of a sprint finish develops.

Three weeks ago I went up to LA with Lynne who hadn't raced in a while for the Ladera Ranch Grand Prix. It was an interesting course and a bit narrow. I've been used to the wide open spaces of Ontario and got lucky at Brentwood on a narrower technical course so I wasn't sure what to expect. A nice field of Cat 3/4 women but a whole lotta breaking going on through the cornering. The final turn goes into a rounding false flat "uphill [not really]" section to the finish line. There wasn't a really good opportunity to try for a break but I tried anyway to no avail. A couple of other failed brake attempts by other teams [and one attempt at blocking - which is totally legal and I even complimented the girl] but nothing stuck.

Great, it was going to come down to a sprint finish and no one wanted to pull the last lap. I was sitting like 10 wheels back going into the final corner and knew I'd have my work cut out for me. Should've started sooner but I mis-judged how long the final stretch was [thought it was longer] and stood too late. Had to sneak up on the inside, but then found myself in trouble.

Bars bumping. Serious elbow brushing. Unfortunately, one of the riders [well known for lack of handling skills] veered super duper to the right and cut off another rider [Patricia] and myself. Think Mark Renshaw head butting:

Okay, not that blatant, because she probably did it without knowing, but it wasn't nice. And she wasn't the lead out man. Meanwhile I'm trying desperately to come up the inside and Patricia is as well. A spectator had his legs sticking out into the road off the curb while I was literally riding up the curb gutter. Thank goodness he jumped out of the way. I cannot believe we didn't take each other out. I was hanging onto my bars for dear life [evidence from forearm bruises the next day from riding in the drops] and throw my bike across the line.

Coming up the inside, just before the girl in the center veers towards Patricia and I.

With the throw, I managed to edge out the "swerver." 3rd place. I still cannot believe Patricia and I stayed up.

Best podium yet? Maybe. $50 cash and a straight from the cooler, ice cold, Pyramid Hef.

Two weekends ago I was off to Ontario for my last women's cat 4 race. I had enough points to upgrade after Brentwood, but I wanted to finish out the season up in Ontario. 3:45am wake up calls aren't so awesome, however. Drove up there [without sherpa who was out to sea] got in a decent warmup and headed out for my last 30 min crit. No more faking it when I start racing with the big girls.

This race was different that the other 4 times that I've been up there. Not in the sense of scenery or course [as I've done that course 2 other times] but in the way I felt going into the race. I had confidence. I felt like I was stepping onto the starting blocks of a high school dual swim meet. I guess that's what racing and doing well will do to someone.

The pace was faster than before at Ontario, which made me less nervous, and surprisingly less tired. [I guess I do gain some fitness with all this racing.] My HR was in check for most of the race. One of the primes was a points prime and I went for it way too late, putting in a lot of "almost effort", like not enough to blow up, but just enough to not win. Lost the prime by half a bike and urged the girl to come with me as we had a natural break from the field. Quarter of a lap later, I look back and she's gone and the field is approaching. So much for the break.

I hop back into the field and no one wants to pull. So after a break I'm now leading the pack. Not optimal as I'd rather be resting [drafting] but if no one wants to work, fine I'll sit in front and go the pace I want to go [slow.] Thoughts:

[I cannot wait to upgrade.]

That scenario [I assume] wont happen again. If you start to slow, you'll drop back and the riders to the outside will circle around and life is complete. Or rather the usual cycling of riders and the constant effort to stay near the front and work your way up the sides. All this trying for breaks, break caught, no passing scenario must have to stop at some point.

Anyway, 2 laps to go and I'm sitting 3rd wheel, which I manage to stay in until the final corner on the last lap. I made the mistake of going too late in the previous race, and wasn't going to do that again. So I punch it and I'm gone. I slightly let up as I cross the finish line and learned a lesson [not the hard way] as the junior girl went blowing past me, luckily just after the finish line. Lesson: Don't let up! Everyone knows this! You cannot cruise your way to the finish ever again. All out. Balls out. No letting up until past the finish line. Again, luckily it went my way and the lead was great enough, but seriously. that was really bad on me.

Me sitting up as the junior girl on the left charging.

Won my last cat4 race, and ended up 2nd in the Ontario Points Series. [6 race series throughout the season]

So I put in my upgrade request, which I think included 29 points or something of the sort. It was accepted, so I decided to race last Sunday at San Clemente with the big girls. A women pro 1-3 race. Yikes. Serious goal? Hang on for 2 laps. Super secret goal? Finish.

Race report to follow.

Closet Criterium Racer

2011-08-11T00:49:00.000-07:00

So I have this secret life. And I suppose it's not so secret anymore. So I may as well blog about it. It's been going on for a while, so this post is a wee bit long.

I'm a closet criterium racer. I have a road bike. And Mr. Cooke Monster [Parlee Z4] really likes to race. For cheap. And surprisingly more often than Mr. Kermit [Guru Crono], who usually gets all the glory.

Criterium: [from Wikipedia] A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city center streets. Events often have prizes (called primes, pronounced "preems", and are usually cash) for winning specific intermediate laps (for instance, every 10th lap). A bell is usually rung to announce to the riders that whoever wins the next lap, wins the prime. Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. Generally the event's duration (commonly one hour) is shorter than that of a traditional road race and generally the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been "lapped." Success in road criteriums requires a mix of good technical skills — in particular, the ability to corner smoothly while "holding your line" on the road, as well as rapidly and sharply — and riding safely with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional "sprint" ability to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners.

Got it? So I started racing last year, after Ironman. A week after Ironman I did my first crit...and it HURT!! After 6 months of only riding Cookie Monster to work and back and only having trained on Kermit, I was ill prepared. Not that the Ironman fatigue had anything to do with it.

Kyle and I raced a couple more last year but I wasn't really serious about it. I was burned out from IM and needed a break from cycling in general. If last year was about structure and training, this year has been about flexibility and fun. You can sign up for a crit an hour before the race begins! And generally they are between $25 to $35 to enter! And generally they are 30-40 minutes. Sounds like my kind of season.

In cycling there are Categories [Cat for short.] Not Age Groups like triathlon. And no, we aren't racing kittens. As a female, you start in Category 4. Some of the races I did were combined with 3, and in one instance it was a Cat 1-4 race. You can "upgrade" by placing in a race and earning points:

	Number of Starters
Placing	5-10	11-20	21-50	50+
1	3	4	5	7
2	2	3	4	5
3	1	2	3	4
4		1	2	3
5			1	2
6				1

My results this season:

Date Race Place Starters Points Cash/Prizes won

8/7 Brentwood State Crit Championships 1st (45) +5, $80/$20 Prime

7/24 San Marcos Circuit 3rd (11) +2 $15 (gave $5 to mechanic)

7/3 Ontario Grand Prix 14th (16) 0 Got stuck behind a crash

6/12 Dominguez Hills 2nd/5th (15) (Cat 1-4, non-USAC) N/A Wine

6/12 Ontario Airport Crit 3rd (17) +2 Medal, saddle bag

5/15 Mid Season Crit (Ontario) 3rd (36) +3 Medal, Dare Lion

5/7 Barrio Logan Grand Prix 1st (11) +4 Trophy, Tortillas, $100 GC

4/24 Chuck Pontius 1st (16) +4 $30?

2/27 Dare to Race GP 3rd (13) +2 Medal

2/13 Roger Millikan 4th/14th (32) 0 (3/4 Race, scored together)

So...that's a lot of racing. And a lot of crazy things can happen in a race. Here are some exerts.

Roger Millikan (aka Valentine's Day Massacre)
I think there was a crash in every category that day. Seriously horrible beginning of the season racing. Tentative, crazy cornering, people not holding lines, crap racing. We had a bunch of Juniors in our race. Usually when the field laps someone, or before, the race official will pull the lapped racer and give them credit for the start. It's a safety thing, and should be done! Last lap, 2nd to last corner. 2 Juniors up ahead. Parents telling them to slow down and get with the pack to "experience a sprint finish" even though they were being lapped for the 2nd time. They take the inside corner rather than moving outside to be passed. Guess who took the inside line? Lynne and I. Slammed on my breaks to avoid taking them [and ourselves] out and then had zero speed out of the corner to attack the slight incline before the final corner. Had to battle. I had the perfect line and was f^*&@#. Crash in Kyle's race during the final sprint and he had to wobble across the line after narrowly avoiding the incident.

Dare to Race [Ontario #1]
A 2-girl break got away and we didn't catch them. I took the field sprint for 3rd. Starting temperature was 32 degrees.

Chuck Pontius
Kyle went up with Chris on Friday night for a road race on Saturday. I had to work and randomly decided to head up to LA after work and race on Sunday morning. Zero preparation and I was just hoping to hold on and finish with the pack. This was definitely a MAX heart rate race from start to finish. Luckily every time I felt I couldn't hold on and was going to explode, the pack would slow up just a bit. With a couple laps to go I was feeling ready. Had a perfect position heading into the final corner and went for it. Ended up 3rd in the 3/4 race and experienced my first Cat 4 win. Check out the video below. That's Kyle yelling dig, dig, dig! I'm on the left hand side in the blue helmet.

Barrio Logan
Awesome course [read: more than 4x90 degree corners] and I had some teammates. Lynne and I were working together the entire race. She'd go on a break, and I'd block, only to have the teammates of the others in the break work at bridging the gap [I'd consider that bad teamwork]. It was a field sprint, uphill [not my speciality] and hard work to win that race. Won a $100 gift card to Acqua Al 2 in a prime, a giant trophy [now prominently displayed at the shop] and some corn tortillas. Check out the MCS Race Report.

Mid Season Crit [Ontario #2]
Learned a thing or two about tire pressure at this race. Racing in the drizzle/rain is not a fun experience. My usual technique is to work the corners, as to not waste unnecessary energy coming out of the corner by breaking less before the corner and pedaling through. Well I pumped to the usual 112psi, and my rear wheel was skidding out of every turn. Had to back off and play it safe. In the largest field I've ever raced with. [approx. 50 ladies, half of which were doing their first race] Crash near the front on the 3rd to last corner [last lap] and it wasn't pretty. Had to slam on brakes and veer around. Got pulled back to the pack with a lot of hard efforts, thus having nothing left for the final sprint. Managed to get around a couple girls, ending up 3rd. And I won a D.A.R.E. Lion in a prime. I believe when I was in 5th grade it was the D.A.R.E. Bear. Not sure what happened to that guy.

Ontario #4
Number 3 for me, but 4 in the series. Getting a little sick of this course and the 7am start time. Went climbing at Malibu Creek on Saturday and headed over to Ontario for the race on Sunday. A slower race, this was mainly controlled by another team. After the primes, teams were slowing for those sprinters. I did a bunch of work trying to motivate the other riders to not let them rest. Was in position at the end, but didn't punch it early enough and the finish was very close to the final corner. Ended up 3rd. Seemingly a common placing at these Ontario races.

Dominguez Hills
Heard about this race at Ontario. Same day, and only 3 hours in between races. Drove over to the coast and had a quick breakfast and warmup before my 2nd race of the day. This is a non-USAC sanctioned race, so no points towards upgrade...just experience racing with the fast ladies as this was a Cat 1-4 race. The race was 15 min longer than Ontario, had actual "elevation" to the course, and still we ended up averaging 2mph faster than Ontario #4 in the morning. It took all I had to hang on to those ladies. Just when I thought I was about to pop off the back, it'd ease up. Then all engines go, again and again. Had absolutely nothing left for the sprint. Ended up 2nd in the Cat 4s which won me 2 bottles of wine! Holla!

Ontario GP #5
#4 for me in Ontario. Did this same course as Ontario #1. Although this time starting temp was 75 and rising. Had a team, Lynne + Amanda there so we were amped to race. None of the efforts really paid dividends and a break got away. I went for it on the last lap, gapping the field, only to get caught and catch on, and then only to slam on my breaks to avoid a horrible crash. On a straight section of the course. I endo'd [slam on breaks, rear wheel comes off of ground], both feet came out of the pedals, and somehow I managed to land back on both wheels, steer clear of the crash, clip in and then keep going. But of course by this time everyone is already gone. I couldn't believe what I saw and I coasted to the finish line. Ugh, almost felt like a wasted morning. Luckily we were on a climbing vacation and headed up to Holcomb Valley [Big Bear] after Kyle's race in 108 degree heat.

San Marcos
Circuit race [meaning the course is longer than 1 mile, coming in at 1.7 miles per lap]. Significant elevation change, advertised as a "big ring climb." Do we have to talk about Rachel's climbing skills? There was no big ring about it, I was shifting to small guy before the corner and spinning [and dying] up that hill. Pey-lih crashes like 2 laps in from someone cutting her off. Next thing I know I see her back in the race a lap later. Tough girl! Next lap after the downhill corner I hear a pop and my chain is hitting my front derailleur cage. Front derailleur doesn't budge. F@*&!!! I'm at the half way point on the lap and the neutral support is all the way over at the start. I limp my way back to the start, and climb the hill in the big ring. Stop for assistance on the hill and get back on after someone bends front derailleur. Was advised to head to neutral support to get my free lap [what?!] and rush there. Somehow in the time it took the pack to get back to the start line the mechanic had basically done a full tuneup on my bike. Apparently the front derailleur clamp broke and came lose. [It's a proprietary Parlee part and has been redesigned since my bike came out. Awesome warranty department.] Anyway, he was able to patch it up enough to finish the race. There is a "free lap rule" for certain mechanicals that happen before the 3 lap to go mark. I hop back in, and now it's 3 laps to go. Wow, that rest really helped and now I'm feeling guilty. So I pull...for the remaining 3 laps because there is a girl on the break. Hit the last hill and punch it...a little too early. Blow up, but somehow get a second surge of energy to minimize my losses. 3rd in Cat 4, 6th overall, good enough for a $15 payday, and $5 of which I gave to the mechanic who got me back into the race. Oh yeah, I also rode to San Marcos from Solana Beach, where I was cheering for the SB Triathletes in the morning. Nothing like a 16 mile hilly ride to get you warm. What I didn't factor in was the hilly 16 mile ride after racing a hilly crit. The way back was not so enjoyable.

Brentwood State Criterium Championships
So I'm not quite sure how a race is given the State Champ distinction, but I'm not complaining, as it was located only 2 hours away...it could've been in San Fran or something. So I'm sitting at 17 points, 3 points from upgrading to Category 3. Anyway...There is something to say about the power of positive thinking...and a little luck. Want to know the pre-race meal for a State Champion?

Corvette Diner. Fried chicken strips and a chocolate, fudge, peanut butter, marshmallow malt. Also a bottle of Raspberry Framboise with dinner. Delicious! Woke up early on Sunday morning [4:30am] and had a green tea and yogurt/fruit parfait from Starbucks on the way. Had a good feeling in the car ride, although I'm sure Kyle didn't notice, as I was little miss super crabby pants. Did a short warmup and headed to the start line of the 1 mile course. 40 min race and the goal this time was to control the race and stay near the front. I had begun to feel some fitness gains from all the racing and triathlon racing I'd been doing, so I knew I could push a little and still be there in the end [hopefully].

The course was super technical with a 170 degree turn and 5 other turns in the lap. Was top 6 for most of the beginning of the race. A prime hit and a girl jumped after, raced ahead, only to take a huge fall charging through the big corner. We were far enough behind at this point to react and miss hitting her. Racing resumes and another break happens...this time I catch on. There are 4 of us on a mini breakaway and I get to the front and tell the girls I'm here to work. End up winning a prime in the mean time. I signal for the girl behind me to move ahead as to ride the paceline and as I move over, she follows. WTF, this is a paceline in a break, do a little work. We get caught and I'm seriously contemplating why I race. I am now trying to recover in the pack and am finding myself in places I do not want to be [in the middle and in the back] I'm working too hard in and out of corners. I hear the Brixton girls saying they need to get something done, so I go by them on the inside and urge them to come on, let's get to the front. I make a huge pull on the backside straight away to get to the front before the next corner and tuck in behind the leaders for a little break. 2 laps to go and there's a crash on the backside, on the straights. WTF! Apparently a girl tried to split 2 girls who were in the middle. Hello!? If you want to move up, do not plow your way through the middle; it doesn't work like that. Crash implodes all riders in the middle of the field. Luckily I have positioned myself on the inside, but I was behind the crash. Slam on breaks, and the girl in front of me unclips and is on the median to the right of me. Other girl in front of me is slowing and almost doing the same. Crash is to my left. I have no where to go, and I'm yelling at the girl in front of me to keep pedaling!! The front of the pack is long gone and I've almost lost hope. Until this junior girl [who had been racing to the front and dropping off the back all day, zoom/drop off] races past me. I hop on her wheel and enjoy the free ride back to the pack.

Reach the pack. sit in. 1 lap to go. Breathe. Easily move my way back up the back as I'm using the corners to my advantage. I think the pace was a bit slower than usual having just witnessed a crash. I notice that one girl is leading the entire last lap. I'm sitting 6 wheels back in a strung out pack. Head into the last corner expecting a sprint immediately. No one goes. I don't go because I don't want to get side swiped and rear end someone causing a crash. I usually would wait until the 2nd or 3rd girl attempts the pass around the 1st girl and then get on her wheel and hopefully pass her. Well no one went. I hear the Brixton coach yelling at his girl, whose wheel I'm on, to GO NOW! NOW! So, wtf, no one is going, I guess I'll go. I take the outside lane and punch it. And don't look back. And I hate to admit this, but I think it was my first time sprinting in the drops. And it felt easy. It was awesome to cross the finish line knowing I had won. It was a combined 3/4 race, but scored separately. I got my final points to upgrade to Cat 3 and became the CA State Crit Champ!

Ontario is a race series. They have a point system and overall winners at the end of the year following the final race on Aug 21st. You only get the points in the category earned and you have to show up for the final race. I am currently tied for 3rd in the series and I'm going to wait until after that race to upgrade and then try and race San Clemente as a Cat 1-3 the following weekend. [apparently the race has a hill...yikes!] Not that I have a plan this season or anything.

Kyle has been a great sherpa and race partner throughout the season. I raced one Ontario and San Marcos without him, but other than that, he's been out racing himself. He won a race in Arizona at the beginning of the year which was awesome for him and has been experiencing success in crashing and avoiding crashes as of late. His current bill is 2 helmets, 1 fork, and some skin. And maybe some pride. (pedal strike?!)

Crashing happens. More often in the men's races with bigger fields. Yes, the faster the race the safer it is. I've been in way too many close calls to count. And I feel fortunate that I have yet to be taken out. Unfortunately, it's not if, but when and I can only hope this doesn't jinx me.

So that's it...a very long report on my closet crit racing season thus far.

Goleta Race Report

2011-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

2 weeks prior I signed up for this race. Nothing like another last minute race to get into shape. Oh wait, not even that could give me motivation to run. I keep wondering why I sign up for events with no real training or preparation. And then I remember why - work. I cannot plan anything in advance, as I find out my work schedule for the upcoming week on Thursday. Sometimes Friday. Let's not get into it.

So the last time I ran 6.2 miles was SDIT. The last time I ran was Carlsbad. Do we see a trending pattern here? I'm really going to have to actually start training here soon if I want to remotely do well / finish Panama 70.3; Friday is the 6 month mark.

Okay, so. Vacation palooza - arrive in Goleta, check into the race and hotel and have dinner with the San Diego peeps. Not a good night sleep as the room above us must really like redecorating, as they were moving furniture all night. Kyle bolted early, as his start was an hour and a half earlier than mine, and he needed to find some valve extenders to get some air in his tires, as he left his in Oregon [along with the climbing rope.] Steve, Erin and I got out of bed, chocked down a part of a dry sourdough english muffin and got on our bikes for the 1.5 mile ride to the start line. Aerohelmets with long tails and backpacks on a tri bike don't mix.

Setup transition, found Kyle, and ran around the race area as he was in the first wave. Yelled [very loudly] for him as he exited the water walking. Not cool. Yelled [very loudly] as he sat down to take off his wetsuit. Yelled [very loudly] as he mounted his bike in the transition area [not legal] and somehow managed to miss taking a picture of that. Yelled again as he went out for the run and very quickly when he ran through the finish line.

He's done, and I haven't even put on my wetsuit yet. Proud of him for getting back into racing. Hoping his ankles/knees will hold up for more years of being able to race together.

My turn - Get a quick warmup in - water is cooler than San Diego. The sprint runners are now crossing in front of the beach start for the swim. It was like 3, 2, 1....[wait for it]...GO! So random. Jump on Erin's feet for the first two buoys and lose her for the long haul across to the far buoy. Turn on the far end and all I want is to be done with the swim. Still 2 more buoys to go and I'm wondering why I don't swim masters/long distance more often. 1500 is quite long. Out of the water 2nd in my wave and into transition. p.s. I didn't get new goggles for the race. Need to invest in a stockpile of sweedish goggles. They are more valuable than my retirement plan right now.

Opted to wear the road cycling shoes (Sidi's) because well, they are more comfortable. I have custom insoles in them and my toes aren't hitting the edge. Not sure what happened to the old Nike's, but I feel like my feet have swollen since my beginning triathlon days. No I'm not preggers. Hop on the bike and onto the bike path. Narrow and bumpy but not as bad as expected. Not really sure what to expect on the road. A pretty flat/fast course with a couple of false flats [especially going out to the strawberry farm, where all I wanted to do was stop and eat strawberries]. Was pretty alone for most of the bike. I had 1.75 bottles of water and .75 bottle of calories [blue gatorade]. I think I had a GU and some salt tabs and a puff of the good 'ole inhaler.

Into T2 and feeling surprisingly ready to run. Out on the course I'm feeling okay on the path section and then comes the sand and the okay feeling is gone. High tides made for a very interesting 2 lap run course where it felt like over 4 miles was on the soft sand. [LOOK AT COURSE PROFILES BEFORE REGISTERING FOR RACES...didn't I learn anything from that whole St. George experience?] Only had a couple of ladies pass me on the run who weren't in my age group and I was actually passing people!

Into the finish chute and heard the announcer say, "it looks like we have a race coming!" Great, someone is going to pass me...put on the after burners...or something like that. I make my best attempt to sprint as I hear the footsteps behind me. I manage to hold her off, only to find out it's a 50 year old lady. Awesome. Everyone from SD had finished by then, and said that was an awesome finish. And here's the photographic evidence. Nice face, Rachel. And how about those hands? Yeah, not sure where that came from.

2nd AG behind Erin, who won the women's overall. She's going to kill it at Vegas for the 70.3 World Championships. San Diego had a pretty decent day at the races as well. Here's the posting from Facebook: Moment DOMINATION @ Goleta Triathlon yesterday. Stephen Banister - 1st overall, giant trinity adv. Erin Hunter - 1st OA, Felt B2. Brannen Henn- 1st 35-39 2nd OA, Felt DA. Riikka Aramo - 1st 40-44 3rd OA, Parlee TT.Brian Wrona - 3rd in Steve's AG, Ridley Dean. Rachel Wills - 2nd in Erin's AG 5th OA, Guru Crono. Ian Storer - Sprint, Felt B14. All dynamically fit by Moment. Wanna get fast? Get Fit - 619-523-2453

After the race we hung out for awards and then packed up the car for Torrence in LA...for a bike race. 6 hours after finishing an Olympic distance race I thought it'd be a good idea to try and race a criterium. Report to follow.

Cali-forn-I-A Vacation!

2011-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I were in need of a vacation. After all the bad news with work conflicts and not being able to make it back to MN for our wedding reception/family reunion/lake time, I was pretty bummed. Bosses went to Europe during the Tour de France and toured around on their bikes. And working for a small business is just a part of my job. 5 employees and 2 are married. So they leave, and we can't. Kyle had already started his leave request and had to re-route it after switching his plans. The Navy is also not flexible, but in a completely opposite way.

Anyway, Kyle will report on his crazy first half of the vacation in another post. Here's a preview: 16 hr drive, 5 hr nap and then 71 mile road race as a kickoff to a 3 day stage race + climbing report (and many other crazy adventures).

Wednesday night I flew to San Fransisco after work. Plane delay due to a mechanical issue in Phoenix on the flight before. Awesome. Enjoyed a beer while sitting on the airport floor because the bar was packed. Made it, and we headed to Berkley to stay with old roommate, Bethany. A quick night's sleep and her and I were up for an early bike ride while Kyle enjoyed the extra zzz's. She managed to find a friend with an extra bike (Steel Lemond - actually liked it!) and we headed out for an hour ride on the hills around her house. Beautiful ride up through the fog. Didn't realize it actually got cold somewhere in CA in the summer - so of course I didn't bring enough clothes. Thankfully she borrowed me some knee warmers. Base layer, arm + knee warmers + gloves = not my idea of a summer ride.

Kyle and I were off to Yosemite for a quick camping/climbing trip. We managed to beg for a camp site close to Tuolumne Meadows from a young couple who looked fun and had some extra space. We headed out to Lake Tenaya for a picnic and nap. Drove around to get a lay of the land and found the route we were going to climb the next day.

Woke up to yummy instant Malt-O-Meal, which Kyle apparently has a distaste for. Headed out to a slabby 4 pitch 5.7 climb called West Country. We were the first ones on and headed up with ease. Got to the top for my least favorite part - the descent down a more slabby 4th class "walk off" which consisted of me scooting my booty in a crab like walk down the wall. Pants ruined. I later found out my quads were fried from clinching on so tightly to the rock. Smiling the entire way, because everyone knows when I get scared I smile/laugh. Kyle thought I had good spirits about the adventure.

pretty new rope - kyle left his at chris' in oregon. love rei's return policy.

summit finish above Lake Tenaya with self timer camera

west country. the 2 small people are on the top of the 2nd pitch.

Went to the meadows for another picnic and post climb beer. We were about to get on another climb and some thunder clouds started arriving with a few big rain drops. That's enough to get me outta there, as lightening + climbing do NOT mix. Went back to camp to put on the rain fly on the tent and take a nap. Woke up, and it hadn't rained a spec at the campsite, which was at a lower elevation and more west of the climbing area. Took a quick hike and decided to head to dinner at a quiet family style restaurant at White Wolf area. Delicious soup, salad and chicken fajitas.

setting up self timer for meadow lunch. camera started falling. failure, but a pretty funny pic

green moss. green bag

yes storms on the horizon.

yummy quiet dinner.

tired, maybe?

Saturday we woke early and headed south, out of the park (long, curvy, slow, up and down, back and fourth route) to make our 6 hour journey to Santa Barbara. Arrived and tried to stake out some camping at El Capitan State Beach, but got screwed. Checked into the Motel 6 for a much needed shower. Dinner at a local Italian place in Goleta and back to the hotel to prepare for the triathlon. Noko and Ian brought my TT bike, and Steve, Erin & Frank, and Brannen & Brian all came up too.

Sunday morning we rode to the race start. Raced. Drove to LA for a criterium in Torrance. Raced. Drove home to San Diego. Sleep.

Race reports to follow. Evidence of a fun FILLED vacation:

Items to tag: 3 bikes, tent, cooler, 2 sleeping bags, 3 sleeping pads, 2 pillows, 6 helmets (2 road, 2 aero, 2 climbing), blanket, 2 triathlon bags, 1 climbing rope, 1 entire climbing rack of gear, 2 harnesses, 2 camp chairs, stinky clothes, 2 tired people

Seriously, 6 helmets? Yes - safety first people.

love yosemite.

Carlsbad - a contuing attempt to race myself into shape

2011-08-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Who needs to train anyway? Isn't racing much more fun? I suppose racing while actually in shape is fun, but I don't know what that feels like anymore.

Not too much on the workout front during the 2 weeks in between SDIT and Carlsbad. On the work front however - The shop got busy [again, a reoccurring theme] due to moving [again, last time I swear] to the final NEW SPACE! It's awesome! Flooring, walls, new dedicated Fit Area, a BigAssFan, office, kitchen and an amazing white service area. Fixtures are on the way [and need assembly] as are a bunch of other final details. Anyway - we are moved in. Prep for Carlsbad [on the sponsorship front] was packed - designing goodie bag inserts, prepping and packing for the expo, finishing the move, and doing pre-registration/check-in on Thursday and Friday for all the athletes who live down here, made for a busy pre-race [read: exhausting] week. Doesn't Lynne look awesome? p.s. feel free to print the coupon and redeem by Sept 30th!

Alright, so after standing all day at the expo [+setup/takedown] I went home, packed, and fell into bed. Only to awake at 4am to arrive a the race day expo and setup again. Get my bike in the line for Transition and head down when it opens [got the coveted "hole shot" this time!]. Setup and helped a bunch of people in our mechanics tent. A lot of very unprepared people. Here are a couple of examples:

"How do I shift my bike?"
"I think my shifter is broken; it won't go into an easier gear." [she had the Tiagra shifters where you push the button to get harder and have to push the break lever to get easier in the rear; have you ridden the bike before?]
"Do you think I need air in my tires?" [I put the pump on; they were lower than 20psi each]
"I super glued on the front derailleur guide last night, can you put the cable back together? Think it's going to hold?"

After helping with others issues, it makes me feel prepared, even with the lack of training. Set up, get wetsuit and head down the beach to the start. Got in for a warmup, and some awesome sets came in. Got lined up, took a look at the competition (goggle search!) and found my rabbit - Lisa F. and a girl without a wetsuit in sweedish goggles.

Ran into the water, swam, swam, dove, swam some more, big waves, and no real issues. Looked over and saw Lisa waaaayyy off to the right. Crap, am I swimming crooked? I know she's going to swim faster than me, so I best go chase her. Waves were too big to sight for the first buoy, so I gave up on my instincts and followed her. Only to find out when I got to her, we were waaayy off course - to the right. Seriously?! Mad dash to the first buoy (left turn) and tried to hang on. Started mingling with the previous cap colors and lost her. Swam alone for a while and then the no-wetsuit girl approached. Grabbed her feet and we made the turn for home. Actually caught a big wave and body surfed in. No transition times, but I made it out of T1 in front of her, finding out she's like 17 yrs old. Awesome.

Onto the bike and with some consistent power sessions with Noko on Fiesta I felt more compelled to push the pace. Carlsbad does a great job running the race and actually shutting down both sides of the PCH!! Wide open 2 lanes + bike lane really helps when passing new riders. One girl was going back and fourth with me (I think she was on a yellow Felt B2 from a couple years back, and with a power meter - stay with her) No real issues on the bike, and legs felt okay. Not awesome, but what was I to expect. Saw Kyle and Erin cheering on the sidelines.

Of course, the one time out of aero - mounting the bike and heading up the hill out of transition, looking serious.

Down to T2 and again it was a test of might. Headed out onto the run and legs said sorry, no turnover. My mind continued the battle until the legs finally started picking up the gears; until the uphill. Saw a shower just off the path and contemplated jumping in; hey it was turning out to be a hot morning! Was on the hunt for the yellow Felt girl as I knew she was just in front of me. Saw her ahead as I began the downhill stretch. Was pushing the pace and I'm sure I sounded like a wheezing freak, but I had to catch her. I knew I had to make the pass looking like a million bucks so I picked it up for 100 yards. Yikes, I can't believe I passed someone on the run! This is what it feels like to run someone down!? Much more rewarding than beating most your AG out of the water. Seriously, I have never run someone down. Heck, this was the first year that I started passing more people from previous waves than people who pass me during the run.

Started back the uphill to the finish. Only 6 more minutes of your life. It's always the countdown for me. Finished. Man, sprints are ridiculously hard. The long swim and long bike really helped me on this course. Finished 2nd AG, as Lisa won - and placed really well overall. And although I didn't win this year, I beat my time on this course by 2 minutes!

After the race, we had to take the stuff down at the expo and head back to the shop for the rest of the busy afternoon. I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was stand all day and help customers. Bed. Nap. Must stay awake.

Much more to come. Raced Goleta triathlon this past weekend after a fun vacation. Yeah, a 4 day fun filled vacation! I owe myself a bike racing report as well, since I never really talk about that secret side of my racing.

SDIT and Goggle Selection

2011-07-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

SDIT first and Carlsbad report soon to follow:

Not sure why I keep doing this to myself. I got a bib last minute off a transfer after the race had sold out. Last year I signed up in advance, but used it as motivation to get training after ironman...we all remember how that turned out. The year prior, I got another last minute bib by volunteering at registration. Seriously, you think I'd show up one of these years with actual preparation. Yeah it's fun to test the limits on race day...but I'm sure it'd be nicer to actually know what those limits are having trained properly in advance.

So my international distance on a whim experience unfolded a bit like this:

Oatmeal with too much brown sugar [not possible] for breakfast. A "late" morning for a triathlon, as the transition area is 2ish miles from the house. Remember, this is my backyard. I've only ridden this bike course approx. 100 times. I know it like the 200yd. backstroke. [I don't quite understand the "back of hand" reference - as I really don't know the back of my hand very well...however, the 200yd. backstroke swimming event - that is something that has brought me great pain and great excitement many times in my life.]

Transition area opens at 5:45 - uh, yeah right. I arrive at 5:40 with hundreds of peeps already racking the bikes. Whatever, so I don't get the coveted "hole shot" [end of rack for triathletes] but it doesn't matter. I set up my area [with the trusted Sioux Girl tie-dye towel transition mat] and stretch a bit. I notice that the transition area setup is almost fair. WHAT? A fair koz race? This can't be true?! Apparently, the sucky part of the regular transition area is being taken over by the construction of a boat. So they moved the ladies into the road and had a cross over mat area which made it a pass through transition area - rather than the out and back of the past. I hope they learn a lesson and keep it this way in the future. [end of rant]

[start of rant] Seriously - porta potties were not convenient. Had to zig zag my way through transition, out and around and found them on the beach. zig zag back to finish preparation and get the wetsuit on. [end of rant]

In the water swim start. [YES!] You think I would've learned from the last race [super seal sprint] or SDIT last year that I should really invest in my $5 goggles and just get a new pair before a race. How many times do I have to remind myself?! Cloudy day [YES!] and the goggles are fogged by the 1st buoy. Awesome. Kyle [best sherpa ever] was watching from the shore and said I had quite a lead right from the start. Before the race, I do this thing:

I look around and check out the competition. I think this is a usual thing for most. Everyone is floating in the water, with a little nervous chatter going. Can't really hear the dude in the boat anyway but attempt to listen at how much time we have left. What am I doing? Looking at goggles. You can tell a swimmer's speed by their goggles. Let me give you a rundown:

Mask: Steer Clear. These folks think they need a giant mask to see the buoys better, yet they are the zig zaggers. Seriously? Why not just put a clear bucket on your head. Learn how to swim straight - compensation with larger goggle frames is not the solution.

Pink guys: This one is tricky. She either picked out the
goggle based on color (bad choice) or performance (not a bad choice). This takes a bit further investigation. Is she having trouble treading water in a wetsuit? Steer Clear. Is she focused and not chatty? Consider drafting.

Performance Goggles: Not so popular with the triathletes, but these goggles are the almost sure sign this person was a swimmer in a previous life. Well fitting, sleek fast goggles, these goggles can be a sign of a competitor. If they are wearing tinted on a cloudy day, and you are drafting, you better check in a few times to see if they are holding their line. If you forgot your tinted on a sunny day, let them do the sighting for you.

Ahh, the sweedish goggle. The only sure sign the person has any swimming experience whatsoever. Only swimmers can truly appreciate the fit and comfort of these modern marvels. Goggles are not meant to be suctioned/pushed/squeezed into your eye sockets causing a freakish popping eye ball effect. Yuck. These goggles sit on the face nicely and require precision tuning for optimal performance. Find feet - DRAFT

So back to the race. I don't see any other "sweeds." Okay, looks like I'll be navigating this one on my own. This year they had the waves 5 min apart, but they put the women 45+ in front of us young guns. Not sure what is worse to swim over: 1) Men 60+, Clysdales, Challenged Athletes or 2) Women 45+. Either way I end up feeling horrible for any contact. But it's a race people. Please don't crowd around the turning buoy for a chat session with your swim buddy about how your life is ending.

Made it through the swim without incident and out of the water first. 12:14 - 2nd Amateur Female (little miss idropboys.com edged me out in a later wave!)

Dodging all those purple caps

Into transition and it's Kermit's time to shine. The only real training I did before this race was interval work with my friend Noko. I did the Tues/Thurs rides from Moment to get the "hill" work up Canon, but spent most of my time on the dreaded Fiesta Island pushing the pace next to my power meter driven friend.

I knew my HR would be a bit high going up the hill. I didn't push too hard, and actually got passed by a 54 yr old lady on a road bike. I let her go, but I knew I'd eventually pass her on the rollers/flats due to my bike position and hopefully age. Got to the guard shack and it was on. I love this course because again, I know it like the 200 backstroke. I know where it hurts and I know where to push. I know where to shift and where to hang on. As I rounded the corner at the lighthouse a girl on a B10 (yeah that's the Di2 Felt tri bike) passed me. She had a power meter. I legally drafted her with the mental note that she is probably using said power meter and probably going to hold a consistent pace.

One of my main issues on the bike is that I'm too easily distracted. I very rarely ride an even pace for and entire ride. I find myself drifting off and then wow, back to reality, you are going to slow. So B10 girl was my carrot. Or doughnut - mmm much better.

She stayed in the big ring up a hill where I always shift 2-3 down in the rear and then drop to the small ring in the front. And look at me, spinning with ease and passing you up the hill in my 34 tooth. Sorry to rub it in. Anyway, out and back again, I kept her within my sights. I had 1 GU in transition and 1 at the end of the bike. I drank a little gatorade but the lemon lime wasn't agreeing with me. I finished my entire aerodrink of water, and longed for more.

Bike: 50:37; 22mph average, 2nd AG

love this picture - flex for the camera! [or put your visor on with hands full of goodies]

Headed into transition and the awesome sherpa didn't expect me so soon, so camera was not deployed for bike photo. Racked and was out with a hand full of goddies [race belt, visor, chomps and Garmin]. Got a sip of water at the aid station and then started running on the beach. WTF, no one said anything about a sand run right out of T2. Dead legs, sinking into quick sand. Not going to make it through this 25 yard stretch. Okay stop being a whiner.

being a whiner.

Sherpa caught up on his trusty steed and asked how I felt. "Not sure yet." I looked down about a half mile in and I was going 1 min/mile faster than I told myself on the bike that I'd allow for the first 3 miles. It's decision time.

Time to gamble. I feel okay. Good, surprisingly. Do I try and keep this pace, or slow up and keep the pace I told myself during the bike? F#@& it, I'm going for it. Steady, turnover, short steps, pick up that hip, drive that heel up. Circular motion. Just like riding my bike. Only not.

Felt pretty good, all things considered. The run for me is always a countdown. I usually have a pretty good conversation with myself that is trying to convince my body that no matter the training, you can go faster. You've done this before. You've ran a marathon; in an Ironman. This is only xx more minutes of your life. 4 miles left, you did a 4 mile run last month. Only 16 more minutes of your life. Faster turnover. Go. Stop slouching. Eat a chomp.

I got passed at mile 3 by the girl who ended up 2nd (3 min ahead) and then again at mile 5.89. Not sure how that 2nd pass went on to to finish 10 minutes before me and win our AG. B10 girl from the bike looked like her leg said 34 and her bike was from TriLab (LA based bike shop) but there wasn't any LA peeps in the top 10 of that ag. Anyway, ended up 3rd. Same as last year, but 2 minutes faster. I seriously have no idea where I pulled that from.

10k run: 51:06; 8:13 pace. That "goal" pace I set for myself during the bike - 9:00min/miles. I had expectations of finishing 10 min slower than my actual time. Gamble paid off, but not sure where that even came from. Seriously, it's pretty funny to look at the results - how many people had a faster bike time than run time? Not many; especially in the top 10%. Looking at the top 3 in each age group, men and women, this anomaly only happened 5 times. Men 62 & 69 and Women 56 & 60, oh yeah and 27. Awesome Rachel. This is either a great moral booster - wow you can really swim + bike, or the usual; wow, your run really sucks. We'll sick with the later and use it as motivation to get out there and run!

Random sponsorship plug: [I work for Moment Sporting Events]

Sign up for the San Diego Triathlon Classic! Stone Beer garden/Barefoot wine oasis is not enclosed in a bright orange fence, but a classy white picket fence, and it is adjacent to the finishers chute - cheer or heckle your friends as they cross behind you! Start/transition/finish all in the same area. Good food. Great course. Actual Olympic distance.

Panama!

2011-05-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Updates via captions. Had a busy April/May.

I love my husband

My sister is gorgeous

Sprinting for the line is fun (far left)

so is winning.

amusement park after racing = super sunday!

Controlling a race with a teammate and strategy paying off = awesome!

More podium fun

tandem rides to baseball games w/hubby = fun thursday night.

walking on water is hard

traveling is fun (Feb12, 2012)

So yeah...I signed up for a race. My friend Brendan lives in Panama - and he's gracious enough to host me! Hubby will be on deployment, so it'll be a good way to busy myself with training while he's gone. My passport expires next year, and I've since changed my name, so I'll have to get that all switched here soon. So excited that I finally have something to train for and look forward to!!

Leadman Tri is also a possibility. Three mile swim, 140 mile bike and (only) 13.1 mile run - sounds like my kind of event, although it is hilly and HOT. It was apparently hell and back this year, so who knows what will happen next year, or if they'll put on the event again. Annie's wedding is around the same time (and I obviously won't be missing that since I'm a bridesmaid [ps - hilarious movie!!]) so time will tell.

I've been teaching lessons at the Wave House in Mission Beach. So afterwards I've been jogging along the boardwalk and on the beach! It's much easier to motivate myself to run when the beach is a step away from the gym. Kermit got a little love this morning on a 50ish mile ride through Elfin Forest. I forgot how much a) I love my aerobars, and b) how long it takes to get used to my saddle - mmm fun times. Cove swims every once and a while; and of course Panikin tea afterwards. Bike racing has been in full swing and the cookie monster has been the steed of choice. Two W's and a couple of thirds - hopefully I'll be "catting" up here soon.

My sis got hitched to a great man at the beginning of April - so we were in Phoenix for that. Gorgeous ceremony and a fun reception.

Staying busy at work through the remodel. Cannot wait till the new space opens up! Bike fitting has been going really well...and I'm helping a lot of people get faster!

And finally - I love my husband. This month hasn't been easy. It seems, every day I have off, he has duty. Everyday he has off, I work all day and more. Such is life, and I've been learning to deal.

Seal Sprint - or coast

2011-04-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Had my first paid [or rather unpaid - thanks TCSD!!] race since Carlsbad Tri last July at the Seal Sprint. I don't know how long the swim was, my computer didn't work on the bike, and my Garmin was dead so I have no idea how long the run was, since it was highly debated before the race. (5k or 6k or in between?!) I think I'm going to start at the end and work forward.

4th overall female and 1st AG. But that doesn't mean anything - it's a local sprint race where most of the tough competition raced [and actually trained for] the olympic distance. Felt a sense of "BLAH" as I finished with a jog across the line. The last mile I pushed myself and picked up the pace before the last turn. I enjoyed myself for approx 1/4 mile between mile .5 and 1. Then it got sandy, then I dumped a cup of HEED [I hate that crap!] all over myself after a volunteer told me it was water. Oh boy, do I love having sticky stuff all over my face and chest. Next aid station I begged for water. I actually slowed to confirm with the volunteer that yes, in fact this was 'just water.' Reminded me of my first HEED experience with the same ~~wonderful~~ race directing company at my first half ironman where I again got HEED instead of water and poured it into my aerodrink up front during the bike. For two laps I raced without water, sucking it down, trying to empty that thing. YUCK!! Okay sidetracked.

I came in from the bike feeling like I should have pushed harder. Of course the first 1/2 lap I feel like crap [even with a tail wind] from my high heart rate and the obnoxiously long run into T1. The turnaround brought a head wind and I was battling with this dude on a road bike pushing his hardest gear. I'd pass him, he'd draft, pass me and then I'd have to drop back to legal distance and then decide his pace was too slow once he was out in the wind. After 3 cycles of this I pass him and nicely ask him to not draft off me. 30 seconds later I look back and he's no where to be found. Yeah buddy, I'm on a 650 tri bike with an aerohelmet, I'm sorry no matter how hard you push your upright road bike with your cotton t, you can't be faster than me. For once equipment actually works - sorry to bust your bubble, but girls are actually fast. Ugh. Hit the last turnaround and get a tail wind and coast my way back to transition. Get passed [by the overall female winner] and decide I should practice intervals, since I wasn't pushing at all and she was hammering. I think I'm just too scared to push on the bike because I know I haven't been run training like I should - so blowing up there is VERY possible.

Back to T1 [is this backwards race report confusing?] and I'm feeling alright. My key transition spot allows me for minimal running with bike time. [Yes!] I already had my wetsuit top off and pulled of the bottoms quickly. socks, shoes, helmet and I was out.

Exiting the swim, I had a scared feeling going into the unknown. Running up the sand beach, ugh, and into the tunnel for the long run to T1. I think my goggles fell out of my sleeve as I faintly remember hearing something drop and looking after the race they were no where to be found. I guess I should've been disqualified for leaving equipment behind. oops.

Swim was alright - beach start, which everyone knows I hate...why does there have to be a running element added to the swim?! I mean they already add it to both transitions, it seems a bit unfair. Anyway, dolphin diving [or face-planting] into the water, my goggles got bumped a bit and filled half way with water. I don't remember this ever happening to me, so I giggle. And remind myself to get new goggles and tighten them a bit for races. I swam annoyed for a while, leading the pack, and eventually flipped over, did a couple of backstrokes while clearing/adjusting the goggles, flipped back over and kept on swimming making a mental note of how far back the next swimmer was, and the realization that I was on my own for navigation and making my way through the 2 prior waves of floaters. Rounded the two buoys and headed for shore. It was a pretty widespread pack so the weaving wasn't too difficult. In my mind I hopped out of the water looking fresh, but I'm sure I looked like poo on a stick, struggling up the sand.

So that's it. Poo on a stick. Had fun cheering with Erin and Frank for Steve who was racing the Olympic. Got a good leg massage. Ate some of the usual koz continental breakfast. And went home to my husband - who was on duty so he didn't get to see my race. The swim was in the bay - directly across from his boat. I waved to him as I was passing the far buoy.

Still trying to decide what's next. I need something on my plate to train and look forward to. Any ideas?

Racing what?

2011-03-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Jumped back into the world of racing last weekend. March TCSD club race was the perfect venue for my return. Low Key.

Kyle and I were dog sitting for the She-Devil who was out racing at Lake Havasu. We woke up early to get the dog out for a walk and we were off to our respective races. He headed up to Camp Pendelton for the Bulldog Bike Race and I went to the shop to load up the mothership for the big race on Fiesta Island. It was new mechanic Christopher's first race.

Fun times with MCS crew! Cory, JT, me, & Christopher

Solid warmup of dog walking and jogging to the porta pottie. Got the wetsuit on and headed out to the water with Erin and did a couple of strokes. Horn went off and I was with the front pack for a while. I really need to remember to get new goggles before races. Sighting in scratched up sweeds ain't easy. Ended up hanging out with new friend Frank for most of the swim and got out feeling like I should have raced harder.

Took forever in transition - again I just didn't feel like going hard. It's a club race, right? Hopped on my bike and had a feeling I'd never had before. One that I'm almost ashamed to share. One that I hope Kermit will never hear about. You see, it was cold, windy and my heart rate was elevated. I was hating life. I turned that first corner and felt like absolute crap. I told myself that this was it, after the race I'm selling my bike and quitting forever. I had approx 4.5 minutes of Negative Nancy thoughts and then a tail wind came around. Okay, this isn't so bad. Each lap got easier and easier. Really? I was averaging what I usually can manage from what I remember back from my days of glory [kidding]. By the end my thoughts drifted dramatically from quitting to I want a disc wheel! Finished the bike with cold feet but a smile on my face.

Slow transition, Frank and I debated not running [slacker] and I was off. My left foot never got warm. I was jogging along. At a slow pace. I got towards the end of the 1st lap and seriously left foot, what's up?! I look down - omg. Blood pooling above my timing chip strap. Immediately I rip it off and my skin is down to my bone. Ouch. Thoughts of quitting, but that wasn't going to happen. FML - passing the food after that 1st lap is just not cool! Get going on the 2nd lap thanks to a very motivated "TriChick" who was starting her first lap. I just tucked in and followed her short leg cadence. How fast Vickie? 8:12 she mumbles. Okay, I can do that, maybe. I follow her for 1/2 the lap and then the leaping gazelle passes us. Seriously? I make the move and try to follow her. Wow, biggest, longest, bounciest stride I've ever seen. I followed for 1/4 mile but I couldn't manage any longer, I slowed up a little, but kept the pressure on myself.

Finished. Flashed the bling bling at the camera. [First race wearing the wedding ring!] I felt like I ran those 2nd two miles 3 min faster - and looking at the splits yesterday - yep. Okay, I really need to work on running, and running off the bike. Really I just need to run. Still can't find that spark or motivation. Racing [and slowly at that] put a little spring into my step but here I am this week with 1 swim and 1 bike in the bank. :)

I've been dealing a little bit with my Crohn's lately. I am not a happy camper when I wake up, or towards the end of my day at work. Stomach/colon hasn't been agreeing with me at all. Deciding what to do diet wise to get it back on track. Nothing has really worked in the past - so I've been researching gluten free - yes I may die since most of what I eat has it - call me the gluten-ator. Instant gratification hasn't been working out in the end, so I may have to suck it up.

So 40 days - tomorrow. And big news - I may not even race. If they cancel the swim due to the ridiculous amounts of crappy weather [rain] we've had lately, and turn the race into a duathlon I'll be the first to not show up in the morning. Come on- 2 runs? Why not bike run bike? I'd like to see a sprint finish at the end with triathletes involved.

Getting ready for my sis' weding next weekend!! Super excited about the bachelorette party and yes even being the matron of honor. yikes. Must start speech writing.

keeping up

2011-03-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing my best to keep up on the training front. Work has been super stressful lately. [I know I work at a bike shop, how bad can it be?]

Cory, Chris and I had to move the entire shop into two different [smaller] locations. Merchandise stuff on day one, and service/storage/junk/boxes/junk in the next day. We had to get the store up and running to be open the next day and move the rest of the junk [did I mention we have a lot of unnecessary stuff!] the following day, so the contractors could start on the new space.

Quite a bit of overtime was worked last week. Did a couple bike fits and sold a sweet Felt B10 with Di2. This week the new Felt DA arrived - what an amazing bike - so if you have 12k to drop, let me know.

Kyle and I went to J-Tree 2 weekends ago. He got back from a long-ish [for us] work up at sea, so it was great to be able to have 2 consecutive days off together - a rarity for me. We had a blast camping and climbing. We brought our bikes and tried to go for a ride, but it was a bit windy...and I crashed. Yep - I'll admit it - I crashed going 0mph while clipped in. Couldn't get my leg out and tipped over. Aero drink full of cold water was pouring onto me. Bloody knee. Really Rachel? When did you learn to ride your bike? Way to make spandex wearing nerds look even nerdier. I made up for it by climbing a 10.b jtree slab and showing the boys how it's done.

Last weekend my dad came to town! We went to Five Guys on Saturday when he got here and hung out at Stone all day on Sunday. Delicious beer, yummy food, fun tour and a great time with my dad and hubby. He's here all week, and Kyle is out to sea again. Looking forward to The Fish Market tonight and Old Town mexican on Thursday. Really, I'm looking forward to more dad time.

dad, loving the Stone experience

Our stand up comedian tour guide

don't touch a damn thing!

hubby with his new ruination ipa shirt

Need to find motivation to ride on this beautiful sunny morning. Maybe I'll be thinking of all my MN friends who are still stuck on their trainers. Club race this weekend and Seal Sprint next! Not sure if I'm looking forward to these events or dreading them all together - I haven't been this unprepared since my first triathlon - maybe racing [crappy] will be the much needed kick in the butt.

As if I needed another addition to my plate, Vavi Triathlon starts tonight. I'm the new coach on board, primarily leading the swim sessions but will help out at a couple Sunday bike sessions. Looking forward to it, as it's primarily first time triathletes looking to finish Encinitas Sprint in May. Bay swim clinic tonight! I've been coaching quite a few private swim lessons each week on top of the usual volunteer TCSD JCC swim sessions.

In random other news, we bought an iMac with our tax refund!! The screen on Kyle's macbook is about to crack off and mine is pretty old and outdated [read: slow] and I can't even watch youtube videos on it much less a movie. Love the wireless keyboard and trackpad! And the built in camera - I already have iChatted with my college roommate who is getting induced today! Can't wait for the news of baby Schell - we don't know the sex yet!

So best wishes to Missy and Gabe and little gabermiss until he/she has a name. Time to get the wheels rolling.

The Finish Line

2011-02-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

like the new mat?

...is only a step away. Or 4 weeks, but I'm not really counting. Looking forward more and more to tri racing again. I've been thinking a lot about preparation. I've waited until the last minute for everything, with one exception - swimming. Well this time, swimming is getting pushed under the mat. I've always been a procrastinator in life. I now procrastinate getting out the door for my morning run before work. It's so hard to step over that mat, yet so easy to come back to it.

Not including the IM preparation last year, I've never really "trained" for a triathlon. What I mean, is I've never had any standard structure in the way I've had with swimming. My first race? I think I ran twice before it. My first Olympic? I had done one 5 mile run and a couple of 3-4 mile runs. My first Half ironman? I had one 10 mile run, one 6, and about 30 miles a MONTH for 3 months leading up to it. Yeah, things changed a bit during IM training as there was no faking the preparation for a race that long.

The Kermit vs Cookie Monster battle is about even. Rachel vs The Navy? Not even close. This is something I'm still learning to live with and yep, it's tough. I know these mini sessions of leaving port are to prepare the crew, but they are also preparing the families. At least I get to prepare for the "coming home" celebrations a bunch. Those are fun. I am glad to have this man:

to keep me company...for life. :) We got some good quality husband/wife time in before he left. We road together on Monday and Tuesday last week before his ship was sailing on Wednesday. We had some rainy tandem adventures on Saturday night - being the stoker is not advised in the rain.

afternoon coastal ride with kyle and kermit.

After he left, it was back to business for me. I've been showing up on the running front lately, but just short quick runs. Nothing long or hard, as I don't want to bust onto the scene and bust up the body. And convincing myself to run long is not easy, as it's hard enough to convince myself to run.

Riding has been awesome. I had my longest week since St. George and it felt great. Three rides on Cookie Monster, two on Kermit, and the miles were about equal. Kermit was brave and road with the she-devil on Fiesta Island during her interval workout. 8 laps later and I'm wondering why I fell for the peer pressure. Ended up being a great workout though. I won't divulge her coach's secrets.

Sunday was another crit on the monster. Super early morning and very cold race (33 degrees at the 7:00am start in Ontario, CA). Warmed up a bunch with Lynne and we were off. She was busy working all race (and won a prime) and I settled in trying to block and help as much as I could, but an army of one doesn't really work in road racing. I was in perfect position going into the final turn and super long road to the finish. Lynne took a lead out for me and I broke away to the finish. 3rd place - there were 2 ladies in the break and no one would organize and work to catch them! Anyway, it was a fun race, a learning experience and a pretty high HR effort. (191 average, yikes!)

ridiculous medal - dude without a helmet

I got home, but felt unsatisfied with only 10 miles racing in 28 minutes. Steve, Erin and birthday girl Candace were going on a long ride, so I jumped on Kermit for a fun adventure up north and felt great! I really forgot how much I loved Kermit. I love the ride, I love the position, and I love consistent power effort of tri riding. And the margarita and tacos after were a bonus! (Thanks steve and erin!)

Got peer-pressured into masters swim this am. 3,300 yards. My swim cap broke. My ND Sioux cap. My cap that I used for many fast swimming occasions (Conference champion, nationals, under my neoprene at IM). Seriously distraught. At least it was sunny. And I'm working on getting another one before they become extinct.

So, onward to the finish line of each day.

40 days

2011-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Got an email from TCSD yesterday offering a comp entry to the Seal Sprint. I emailed back and was the first to respond. Entry = mine. Nothing like a free race to put a little jump in your step. I didn't even know the date of the race - checked out the website; 40 days. So here it goes. (No, I don't have plans to visit the desert, and yes I'll be drinking water and eating along the way - I ain't no saint).

new shoes and capris

Today I laced up those new shoes I bought a while ago. And put on those "compression" tights Kyle gave me for my birthday and the bright pink socks from my mom. And finished it with a red tank and pink visor - I look like Valentines Day threw up on me. And I ran. (and I may have just enjoyed it)

I kept myself in check - it has been a while and I really don't want to overdo it. But I had to do it. And so it is - my little 40 day challenge. I'm writing a little training plan for myself - trying to be conservative (because injuries suck) but consistent, and setting some goals along the way.

In other news, I road last week with some ladies who actually trained over the off season. This was promised to be "an easy ride" on the GWL. Right, I'll believe that when I see it. Anyway, in the alone time I had off the back, I put together the bio's of my riding partners.

The Three "Bears"

Not really bears, but they each have "animals" inside. First we have the she-devil. The instigator. The lady who will keep inviting you, and then threaten your life if you don't make it out. Don't be fooled by her appearance; she has a devil inside - and her drive for the sport is amazing.

Second, is the energizer bunny. If you read her blog, you wonder where she's storing all this energy between juggling kids, job and hubby. She and the she-devil are on serious instructions to stay at 190 watts. I'm just barely hanging on and I'll put in my peep "hey ladies, what are you at?" (both respond 215, oops!) - yeah I know who you report to, and I'm telling. Reel in the lines.

Lastly, the Mountain Lion. Haven't seen this lady in months, primarily because she's been on the back country mountain trails or skiing at some exotic resort. Her husband won't let her go alone, and he was out of town. So she traded in her mountain steed for the skinny tire road version. She claims she "doesn't have her street legs" but we all know of what's to come as she's darting ahead on the first hill with the ipod jammin'. We didn't see her the rest of the day.

I had been on the GWL twice this winter. Once, when I forgot my right shoe, and another time with the MCS racers. I miss it. It was hard, and I went on their "easy" day, but it was a good day of suffering as the ladies in front kept it chatty.

Clockwise it was, not usually my way of choice, but we took the skyline truck trail on the way down, and wow - what a much nicer and easier descent. How have I not done that before?

Tea and conversation with the devil. Always a great time. Look out for these ladies this season.

Random News:

1) MCS Racing is in full stride. Boulevard was tough and last weekend Kyle, Lynne and I raced at the V-Day crit in Brea - rough go on both races - crashes and junior blockers ruined our chances at glory. Pictures and race reports may come later.

took a picture of my scrapbook - bought jack in 2005 before the age of digital cameras

2) Sold Jack the Jeep. Kind of a sad day for me. He was the first car I purchased; he brought me to CA. He's in a good home now, where the owner is going to replace that bad rear end.

3) Work has been crazy busy. Went to the wind tunnel on my day off today to help with bike positioning and swapping of parts in between trials for this Brazilian dude. Did a Bike Fit clinic last week and our fitting appointments have been booked solid.

40 days though - Kermit vs Cookie Monster - a dual for Rachel's time in these upcoming weeks.

Take a look at me now.

2011-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Just a little 80's love ballad about my run fitness:

How can I just let you walk away. Just leave without a trace.
Your the only one who really knew me at all.
So take a look at me now
Cause there's just an empty space
There's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your race.
Take a look at me now
You coming back to me is against the odds and that's what I gotta face.

Yes, a little mellow dramatic. I'm trying to find that inspiration, but it hasn't come.

2010: I trained. I raced. Then I rested. Next I got engaged. Then I had surgery. I worked. Oops I crashed (again). Then I got married. Followed by honeymooning/thanksgiving/x-mas/birthday. Now I...

am in a middle ground. Trying to find the inspiration.

I started to ride my bike. I started to swim. I continue to enjoy my warm bed over the coldness of the morning. I bought new running shorts. I bought new running shoes. Yet, I haven't run. (actually, once, last Thursday - we are starting a new run from MCS - nothing like a work outing to force you back at it...I had anxiety all day leading up to the run. 6:00pm - join us!)

Looking to find that spark again. Really I just need to sign up for a race and get my butt back in gear.

But maybe I don't need that tri spark anymore. Poor Kermit has been neglected since May, really. Partially because his saddle is DEAD (like ouch, I'm sitting on rails...with no padding - hmm, 5,000 miles may do that to a saddle)...but mostly because Cookie Monster has been stepping it up lately.

The perks of having 2 perfectly fitting, completely different bikes. Kermit got a ton of love in early 2010, and I think it's time I show the monster what a little racing is like. Give him some glory at the finish line as well. (Technically speaking, Kermit has never crossed that line). The monster has had to deal with life as the commuter bike... sharing a rack with those "service bikes" that show up to Moment all beat up and looking for love. It's sad really. He'll get excited about the .6 miles (yes there is a period in front of that 6) to work, and dread that uphill .6 on the way home. 1.2 miles is all he's had to live for.

2011 is a year of changing for the Monster.

Not only will he stay the commuter, he'll toe the line. So I've been on the brink of "in shape" for a while now and I think I'm finally cracking it. Before (off season) I'd be scared to punch it, or use a match, because I'd blow up, HR would explode, and I'd stumble my way back home. Now that I'm seeing gains in fitness, I'm able to stick with my riding buddies (sometimes) and actually put in some effort for the group (if only the moral booster- hey at least my HR is low enough to speak).

It's been fun becoming a roadie. Especially with a sweet support van/team car/mothership!

Loading the mothership. She fits 10 bikes/8 people

So getting ready. First race is a road race in 2 weeks. A hilly road race at "elevation." I haven't been know for my climbing skills...but I'm trying to change that. We previewed the course a week ago, and after getting over how cold it was, I realized that I still have a ways to go. But I'm not so scared to put a little bit more out there every time I get on my bike.

freezing with my friends at boulevard...even after the ride! ninja man is the hubby. :)

Today we had a 5+ hill repeat challenge at the tidepool hill at Cabrillo NM. Free waterbottle to all who complete. Wednesdays are paceline/skills practice, Thursdays are hill repeats, unfortunately I work Saturdays, so I miss the big group rides, but try and make up for it with hard Sunday rides. Friday, I went to pilates. OMG, didn't remember I had hips until then. Wow, talk about needing a lot of work.

So take a look at me now.

Honeymoon!

2010-12-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Alright, so a month later I'm finally getting to it. :) Kyle and I went on a California Adventure for our honeymoon. You can read all about it on our Wedding Blog and check out some of our pictures. We had a great time traveling around CA. Thanks to everyone for the great wedding gifts to help support our trip!

Wedding Bells!

2010-11-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I got hitched! :) Kyle and I tied the knot on October 16, 2010. To see more pictures visit our wedding blog: Wedding At the Sea, or see my facebook page.

Only to fall back down

2010-10-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

Familiar? It just so happens that I haven't written in 3 months. Then I write. And talk about the accident. And what happens? I crash again. Same shoulder. 2 weeks before the wedding.

It's just so stupid. Life and random chance. So here it is:

Thursday night I was following Kyle on the pacific hwy as we were going up to Hillcrest to meet some of his friends. I looked away for a second, hit a bump, look back and I'm heading straight towards a giant curb. I scream. Slam on my brakes (I tend to over use my front break). Fly over my handlebars. Almost land on my feet, and then I look up. A fricken telephone pole. Right there. Right shoulder straight into it. Tears.

So that's it. Bethany and Chris come to pick us up. They put the bikes on the top and what happens next? They run over my front wheel. So my bike survives the crash, but not the car ride.

Frustrated? Yes. It's not nearly as bad as last time, and last time wasn't nearly as bad as Erin's. I think I'll be fine for the wedding (for dancing at least)...and hopefully for the honeymoon. Climbing! Tandem riding (although I can make kyle do all the work there).

Planning is coming along. Missing Kyle already. He's out to sea until the Tuesday night before the wedding, which is also the same night my mom gets in.

Don't crash your bike.

It's just so stupid. Life and random chance.

Almost Married!

2010-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

So the last post was my engagement. :) That was almost 3 months ago. What have I been up to you may ask? Nothing. Well nothing on the triathlon front.

It's weird for me to write this, but here it goes. I got burned out. Ironman took away any triathlon life I had left. I trained so hard and with so much focus for one race and one date. For nine months. I have postpartum.I did a few races, (Carlsbad...which I didn't even report about! -won my AG) and SDIT, but with very limited training in between. After Carlsbad I found out I needed to have surgery for my Crohn's Disease, so after that, and the recovery (with no activity allowed) I got complacent at doing nothing.

2 Surgeries in the last year hasn't made my life any easier (both issues have come back) and it makes me wonder why I pay so much for healthcare when modern techniques don't seem to be working. Getting myself healthy and happy should be priorities, but instead have been pushed under the rug because of work and life.

So what have I been up to? Work. Ready? - Within a day we were told we were going to move the shop. And we had to be out in 5 days. An entire bike shop. With 3 years of (forgive my vulgarness) *shit piled into every nook and cranny. Oh, and the last day happens to be less than 2 weeks before the race that we happen to put on. Oh, and the owner and his fiance who also happens to work here are then getting married 2 weeks later. Oh, and yeah, then I'm getting married 2 weeks after that.

Great Planning.

Suffice to say I didn't get much ME time during that time (now). Much less sleep, Kyle, exercise, good food, family, friends, relaxing or anything else time. It was work.
One of those work related events was the San Diego Triathlon Classic. One of my favorite and least favorite times of the year, somehow we pulled off another great race. It was another year, another successful event that went and out-did itself again. Thanks to our hard work. It's great to see so many people out there racing and having fun. Enjoying the fruits our our labor. Unfortunately one of my best friends got hit by a car during the race. After beating Macca out of the water. I have never felt so sorry for someone and so helpless. She is strong and is a fighter. She's having shoulder surgery soon and has a long road to recovery. She is in my thoughts always. Best of luck with your recovery, Erin.
As a race director, you love to see happy volunteers, like this young lady above who handed out finishers medals all day! (Thanks to all my awesome volunteers!)

And you hate to see what happen to Erin, happen. You feel bad for the guy who cuts their foot on a rock in the water. You rush to get an ice pack for a lady who slipped on the sidewalk. When I heard that it was Erin who was hit, I couldn't stop crying. I somehow had to pull myself together to make sure the rest of the race was holding together. Get more cups to that far aid station! Who's getting the awards to the stage? Where's the pizza? Make sure there are volunteers at bike out! All while she is the only person I'm really thinking about. Watching Steve ride back to transition was heart breaking.

For all who care; it was the driver's fault (obviously). He did a u-turn through cones onto the bike course. She hit the driver's side rear door and broke the glass. She has a grade 3 shoulder separation. She's been a swimmer her entire life and this will be the longest time she has been out of the water.

Obviously I have a little personal experience with a similar injury. (although mine was way less severe, and I was at fault). But I'm back.

So Fri-Sat of the race I had a 41 hour day. It was crazy. I went out to wine steals with Erin M after the race and had a blast. Sunday morning I woke up early and swam under Erin H's name at the Sharkfest. It was fun to get back into the ocean. Without a wetsuit! I some how managed to swim the one.whatever miles across the San Diego Bay in a decent time. I actually exited the water with the lead swimmers...and I walked across the finish line. Little did I know that if I had ran, I would've won. It didn't matter anyway, I disqualified myself for racing under another person's name. (as a race director, you'd think I'd know - well I did, but it meant a lot to me to race for her).

What else? Planning a wedding. It's going to be a small ceremony on Sunset Cliffs and reception in our back yard. Basically a celebration with our family and friends and a big party. It's hard planning a wedding on a budget and with a 3 month time period, but I've somehow made it work. Hopefully it comes together on our big day. Kyle is out to sea until right before, so that'll be interesting as well. Such is the life of a soon to be navy wife. :)

So it's been a crazy month...only to get more crazy once the guest start to arrive in less than 2 weeks! Bachelorette party is 2 weeks from today. Contact my sister for more info. Sure to be good times.

Here's a look back at this summer.Kyle singing the marriage license. Kyle cooking his finest (oatmeal) on a (very hot) trip to J-Tree. Mission Gorge climbing.

We also went to Big Bear/Holcom Valley/Lake Perris over Labor Day weekend. I had 2 days off in a row, so we took a vacation up there. Beautiful country. We climbed, bowled, went down an alpine slide (awesome!!), swam in a warm lake (finally!), climbed, and got closer.

So it's not all bad. :) I have a great fiance helping me along the journey of life. I've learned that running, biking and swimming didn't define who I was and it's okay to take a break. Even if it's half a season. I will be back. Don't get me wrong, I miss Kermit dearly. He's currently at the shop waiting his turn patiently.

I've learned that work cannot dominate your life or it will become your life. I am back on track and moving forward. Very much looking forward to some "me" and "us" time on our Honeymoon!

Looking forward to being beautiful inside and out on our day. I LOVE my dress. :) Looking forward to the craziness that is to come...because it's all good! Looking forward to celebrating with my family. Most of all, I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my best friend Kyle.

Engaged!

2010-07-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

Kyle John Wills, (baby beluga, my sherpa, my best friend, my favwit) proposed to me on Sunday afternoon, July 4th, 2010 at the lighthouse on Cabrillo National Monument.

Kyle had 4 days off for the holiday weekend and no duty days. This NEVER happens. And of course, I had to work the entire weekend, besides Sunday, when the shop was closed. Kyle gave up his weekend for me...and the lack of a capable climbing partner. Friday I left work a little early since I worked Thursday on my day off. We went to Mission Beach for one of his co-workers birthday. We road our bikes down and had our own fun and even jumped in the ocean. Saturday I sherpa'd him to a bike race in Mira Mesa, then I worked and went out for girls night.Sunday morning we slept in and had a lazy morning for once. Again, this NEVER happens. We managed to get our butts out of bed around 11 to accomplish something. We had no firm plans but to get out on our bikes. We headed to the end of Point Loma for some hill repeats on the tidepool hill. I've done this ride a thousand times (MCS shop ride), and he's gone a couple times by himself...but we've NEVER gone together!

He'd never been to the lighthouse so we rode up there and got off our bikes to check out the view. Apparently Coronado was the only town that could afford to pay the sun to shine. It's been a pretty gloomy summer in San Diego, but today it was different.Then he was down on one knee and asked;

"rachel anne gordon, will you marry me? I will love you forever, but you have to promise me you'll never slow down."

Of course I said yes (and I promise) and he slid the ring on my fat finger (we just got done with a sprint finish to the guard shack) and looked for someone to take a picture.I was glowing. It was a gloomy day, but we were both smiling brightly. To "seal the deal" we went down the tidepool hill and climbed back up. No slowing down. :) I professed, "I just got engaged!" to a couple of random cyclists along the way.
I had invited our friends over for a BBQ so it became an impromptu engagement party for us. :) As always, good conversation and great food. Jake, Erin, and I (and kyle and katie this year) stayed late and again watched the fireworks from the rooftop.
I called work and asked to switch days, so Kyle and I could celebrate our engagement. We drove out to Idylwild on Sunday night to climb on Monday. We had a blast enjoying each others company, out in the forest, hiking, climbing, camping, eating, and swimming.I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.
P.S. The ring is GORGEOUS! I can't stop looking at it. (He ain't bad, either!)

SDIT report

2010-06-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know everyone is looking forward to the engagement story...but I started working on the SDIT report last week and am finally getting around to finishing it. Ring post to follow soon. Promise. :)

Here it goes. Racing. After 2 months of "recovering." I gave it all I had and here's how it went down.

Training for Ironman: Endless months of dedicated work
Training for SDIT: what?

Packing for Ironman: A week ordeal. Checklists galore
Packing for SDIT: 9:30pm Sat night, also a bit race morning

Pre-Race Ironman meal: Spaghetti
Pre-Race SDIT meal: Velveeta Shells and Cheese

I signed up for SDIT way back in January I think. I did it so I'd have something after Ironman. Because I knew I'd have no focus immediately following the date that I had been looking forward to for over a year. May 1st. I can't tell you how many times I verbalized that date. But what's beyond that? I knew that I'd struggle to get back, and that this race would be okay to "fake my way through" to make sure I didn't completely fall off the horse...although I came close.

Sunday morning came a relaxed wakeup call. The race is 1 mile from my house, so I set the alarm for 5am. Kyle dropped me off at transition and he drove downtown (separate start and finish areas) and biked back to where I was. I set up my transition area and went out for a quick spin on Kermit to make sure he was shifting okay. Well he wasn't and the chain dropped. Serious point of frustration. Black fingers. Getting ready with the Tri Flo. Long T1 run causes for stuck wetsuits.
Pre-race picture with Erin. Similar one from last year. Erin and I did a quick jog to the porta potties at the swim start, back to transition, into wetsuits, back to the swim start, back to transition for anti-fog for the goggles, back to the swim start. Good enough warmup for me.
Unfair transition areas and far away porta johns really make you think as a race director, this is what not to doThis picture will forever make me laugh. Having a bad day? Break out this pic. Apparently, Brian hadn't figured out how to use Amy's camera. Laughs all around.
In the water for our 7:15 start. Behind the men 60+, Clydesdales, and Challenged athletes. Thank you Koz. I got to the line, put my feet up behind me, and floated till the gun went off. Surprisingly, the swim was uneventful. The waves were 5 min apart, so I had clean water for about 150 yards before I started weaving around the pack ahead. No pink caps in sight, I must do this all by myself. I was alone the entire time and didn't have Colleen there this year to guide me through, as she was up in Idaho for IM CDA.

Out of the water, delusional as usual. I hear my name many times...I know this is going to be a great race. All doubts gone. I love local races. TCSD is great and with all the swim coach volunteering I do, I've developed a reputation and I've met alot of people.
Into T1 I begin to rip of my wetsuit. I stop to take off the bottoms, as I know I have a long run in front of me to get to my bike, and when all the water drips out of the suit, it's glued to me. Taking it off earlier is always better.

So it's Kermit's time to shine. This course is my "home course" as our weekly shop rides from Moment Cycle Sport follow the route. I know every bump in the road, every pot hole, every hill and descent. I know where to shift. I know how hard to push so I don't blow up. I know this course.

I drank an entire aero drink of water and 3/4 of the bottle of powerbar endurance drink. In 50 min. I drink alot. Having the straw right in front of me, it's very easy and tempting to drink, and I'm also very used to it.

Before the dismount line I decide I'm going to try something new on race day. Thoughts I know I shouldn't have, but what the heck...I'm out here having fun. I slipped my feet out of my shoes and pedaled to the line on top of my shoes. I attempted a leap off the bike and smiled as I landed firmly on my feet. I didn't fall! Woot!

Into T2 I felt pretty good. Put on my running shoes and race number and I was out. I knew there was 1 girl in my AG (Christina Jackson, would've been 4th pro...seriously? she won the desert tri as well) who passed me at the very beginning of the bike. She was the only one. So, running. I left the garmin at home (last minute packing? It was charging overnight...oops) but I think it turned out to be a blessing. I was focusing solely on my lean, technique, turnover and hangin on. From the pictures, it looks like I was barely hanging on. :)

I kept getting messed up as to where I was in the run. 2 miles only? Wait, wasn't that the 4 mile sign? Sweet! I asked a guy what time of day it was and somehow calculated that I may make it under the 2 hour mark. So I put my head down and dug deep.

Thoughts through my head...wow where is this coming from? You have Ironman legs remember? Remember, this is less than 1 portion of the run in St. George...and there are NO hills. Turnover. Breathe. F'ing go!

The build up to the finish line is great. Random homeless man who always comes out and cheers your number, tourists wondering what's going on, and then the line of spectators. I have no memories of seeing or hearing anyone. Again, delusional. I look horrible in every picture. I crossed the finishline and felt relieved it was over. Any longer and I may have walked to that line.

1 other girl in my AG passed me in the middle of the run and I couldn't remember seeing any others. Besides that, there were A LOT of 30 year old's passing me. Tough AG for sure. Results were posted, and who knew?! Under 2 hours and a podium spot!

Shout out to all my training buddies who had great days. Noko, Jake, Erin, Stacy and Beth...who showed up to her first Elite race. (One less 30 year old passing me on the run). Thanks always to Kyle, my favorite sherpa.TLC kids. Thanks Coach Brian for trying your hardest to motivate me the last 2 months. We both went through a post IM depression I think. :) It's good to be back.

begin again

2010-06-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost been 2 months since St. George. (And a month since the last post). I've been pretty uninspired. This blog has been primarily about my triathlon journey, and there hasn't been much of either lately. Till last week.

First, lets take a quick peek back at what's been going on.
Previously I've been:Climbing at the new (awesome) gym with Kyle.Cheering on my favorite new road racer. (and doing a little racing myself!)And winning cash money baby! (well..a check'll do)We've been cooking, cleaning, organizing (and messing it all back up again). Kyle took me out to Mission Gorge for an outdoor climbing session one afternoon. Friends had a going away camping part at Lake Cuyamaca for Evan. I've been uber busy at the shop. And I've put a lot of time into swim lessons. (Not to mention, still volunteering for TCSD).

I started coaching under Brian at Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching. It seemed like a good fit for me since I'm all about swimming smarter (with better technique!), not harder. As the swim coach, I give technique lessons to the clients and offer private one-on-one sessions as well as group open water swim technique based clinics. It's been going really well and I'm looking forward to my next (sold out in 36 hours) clinic on July 8th. I got a lot of positive feedback from my first session and look forward to hosting them all summer long. Email me for details if you'd like to get a group of friends together for some swim instruction! rachel@triathlonlifestylecoaching.com

As for the training. It went a bit like this:
Brian would send me a plan. I'd think about doing it. And all of a sudden it was the last day of the week and nothing got done - besides a lot of floating around in the hot pool at the Y - swim lessons! I road my bike a couple times. Kyle did his first Great Western Loop (and I was holding up the rear). I missed Cookie Monster (Parlee) but I found myself back on Kermit. I ran 4x (now 5 after the race today) since my marathon at St. George.

* Random 2 mile run a couple weeks ago.
* 3 miles at the aquathlon (racing...and wanting to die!).
* 3 mile and 2 mile sessions this week as "race prep." Those two runs actually gave me confidence for the six I had to run today, as they both were a bit quick (for me).

I have been using the Garmin sparingly (with no HR monitor...in fact, I can't seem to find it at the moment) and not uploading it...sorry coach. I've been swimming in the ocean. I raced the Pier to Cove race only to get my butt kicked this year. I swam the first aquathlon, and did the entire swim/run for the 2nd (without a timing chip...I really didn't need to know that run time) Masters workouts? Hmm, I showed up to noon masters last Thursday. Sprint day?! Seriously, off the blocks, sprinting. 8x100. Fastest 100? 1:08. I'm sorry to all my non-swimmer triathlete friends and clients. I do not mean to cry about my "slow" times, but that is damn slow. I have no speed. I have this uber long ironman stroke that can go on forever (probably at a 1:10/100 yards pace)...but I just couldn't get the turnover or the lungs to survive the workout. Epic fail, but I had fun doing it.

So I was thinking last night about my impending race today. Okay, I've put in a solid week of work. *insert laugh* A run on Mon and Tues. Great Western Wed. Moment Ride (SDIT prep) and masters swim on Thurs. Absolutely nothing on Fri/Sat...not because I was resting, but because I didn't have time! (Huge ANNIVERSARY SALE at Moment Cycle Sport this weekend...ends Tomorrow! - stop by)

So much dread, so much expectation, so much unknown. What I did know? It's going to hurt. What I didn't know? How good I actually felt!

So I'm "back" sort of. I'm back to running. I won't say enjoying running. But not really dreading it...we'll call it feeling accomplished. I'm back on my bike, and back in the water. Just in time for summer. I'm finding myself back on a path that hopefully will become consistent training.

Race report to come soon. I promise...I'll begin again.

"Rachel Gordon, you are an Ironman!"

2010-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

So, what now? I got to hear those famous words from Mr. Riley's voice as I crossed the finish line of a 6 month journey. Now let me tell you about that little journey, and why, 3 weeks later, I still stand by my statement.

I'm never doing that again.

For six months of my life, I wasn't me...I was all about me. I was Rachel in training. My primary thoughts each night were: How'd I feel today? What's up for tomorrow? What do I need to pack? How many calories do I need for this workout? What time am I waking up, again? Me, me, me.

And I lost track of more important things in life. I didn't speak to my family often enough. I didn't speak with anyone, really. My email updates to my college roommates were infrequent. It took a toll on Kyle and I. I had no energy to waste, and I was in a constant state of Ironman. I didn't even have the time or energy to do basic tasks. Laundry, dishes, cooking.

Whoa, that got dark. But during winter training, that's what happens. It's dark. You find yourself training alone because everyone else can be fair weather fans, but you have to fit it all in. Thankfully, I wasn't alone often. I do have great (crazy) friends who were up for anything. And for them, I am thankful.

I am most thankful for Brian, my coach. Another shot out to this man, who did most of the thinking for me. All I had to do was wake up. His coaching practice, Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching was a great fit. He did understand my life, and eased up when life really got in the way. I can't imagine doing it any differently. I never would've made it to the start line injury free, or that prepared. I followed his plan to the best of my abilities, to almost a T. And I showed up at St. George ready for a long day. Ready for 13 hours. His prediction. And just like San Dieguito half marathon, I beat him to his prediction.

I do not regret my decision to sign up, train, race. It wasn't that dark. In fact, I loved the experience. I loved getting my body back to where I was after my freshman year training trip. I started to enjoy running. Okay, maybe not running, but the positive effects running has on my body. I loved proving myself wrong so many times on the limits I once previously set for myself. I love that now, most everything will seem easier.

So why am I never doing it again? Why not do an "easier" course to prove how hard SGIM was? Because I don't think I could. I trained my butt off for this race. I followed that plan. And I showed up as ready as I could be. These are my thoughts:

If I do an easier one, I'll slack. I'll tell myself, "Oh it's easier, you don't have to do all those hill repeats. Oh, it's easier, you can slack this workout." Then, because it's easier, I'd have a faster time goal. And although I may beat my St. George time, I know I wouldn't be satisfied, because I let myself down in training.

So. Check. Done. Off the list. I got my tattoo, and forever I will be an Ironman.

Ironman St. George: Run, Salt at any cost, RUN!

2010-05-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm almost there. 4 more laps. Up then down on each lap. That's 4 more ups. You CAN do this. I take a physical once-over. Hamstring, uh a little tight, not bad. Hip, mmm doing alright, stride feels equal. HR, 170s out of T2, but falling. Good. Temperature, you are hot. Get some water. I look up and see Brian and my roommate Katrina at the turn onto Diagonal Rd.

"Oh, Hi Brian! I'm doing alright. I threw up on the bike, I got a drafting penalty, my chain dropped, my wheel wasn't on, and oh oh! I peed on my bike. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I feel great!"

As I run past, he gives me this look best described like this: wtf are you talking about? ok, uh, keep running. uh, are you okay? um, wow, information overload. - All that in 1 look. I think he managed to actually say, "you look Great!" which was much appreciated. If I looked great and felt great, then I must be doing alright. Now I must keep my head in the game.

And before I knew it I was at the first aid station. wet. cold. sponges. y.e.s. I have a problem with overheating on the run and I'm constantly pouring water over myself to stay cool. At Ironman, the run aid stations are about every mile...and are WELL stocked. This isn't called the "catered marathon" for nothing. I grab two sponges and put them in my straps. Ahh the coolness against my skin is refreshing. Thank you.

I think I got passed by a man with one leg around this point. WOW, that guy is awesome. (His other leg was amputated above the knee, and he had a prosthesis running lower leg). I got passed, but I was also passing. This wasn't going to be a typical race where I don't pass anyone. Especially if I play this smart. Your race, your legs, keep checking in.

wow, nice lean!

Chatting with Kyle about the bike "issues"

Most of the race is a blur. I just kept chugging along. I saw my mom, sister, Kyle and grandma somewhere around the 3rd aid station for the first time during the race. It was a huge help having my Ironcheersquad out there all day. Kyle ran along side me barefoot as I again went through the play by play of the bike. He ran with me for a bit, and I let him go as I kept on up the hill.

As I was checking in, I noticed my quads were getting a little tight, on the inside, near my knee. I looked at my salt reserves, and they were low. Did I miscalculate, and not pack enough? Okay, time to ration, I guess. Here is my run nutrition execution. Not really close to the plan, but good enough. I began my aid station ritual.

Odds:
-Sponges, throw out old, get new
-First water available (usually 1st volunteer after sponges)
-Coke

Evens:
-Sponges
-Water
-Pretzels

The sponges ended after the first half, because the clouds started rolling in and it wasn't quite as hot. Coke is something that I hate. I can't stand the taste of any cola, actually. But I knew I needed the caffeine and sugar and not surprisingly, I worked. Unfortunately it wasn't flat, so I'd take 3 good sips, dump the cup and then hopefully get 3 good burps out soon after. Yes, the coke is what got me through. I started to look forward to every other aid station for that sweet taste. Crap, I was addicted.

The salt from the pretzels seemed to be working. I'd put a bunch of pretzels in my mouth, suck the salt off, and then spit out the rest of the dry pretzel and drink some of my water. Suffice to say, there were a lot of mushy pretzel clumps on the road. I swear I wasn't throwing up.

I was carrying my usual water bottle and carrier that held 2 gu's, motivator, salt and ibuprofen. The "pills" came at random times. I maybe took 2 motivators the entire run, and 3 ibuprofens. As for the salt, I'd treat myself to one, only when absolutely necessary. (i.e. quads are going to seize, you must take one!) I filled my bottle a couple times through aid stations, and it was surprisingly easy to do while running. I also had a couple random Gu's/Powerbar Gels during the race. They kept giving me yucky ones (espresso, and a fruit cream one) so instead of suffering through, I'd just toss it, uneaten. Oh well, I'll get one at the next aid station.

Total calories ended up being around 500. I had trained all my long runs with 200/hr, so I was running on half of that for the entire run. And was actually okay with that.

Alright, back to the race.

I think Caleb passed me near the top and he looked good. I saw Brian at the end of the first big downhill near the stoplight. He was cutting the course to see me up there, and down at the turn around. He asked me how I was feeling, (Great), he said I looked great, and I was on my way.

I got through the park and to the turn around and started back up. Saw Brian again, this time he said, "Only 3 more left, you can do it. You look great!"Yeah, only 3 more of those left. This one proved to be the hardest. I made it up the hill and started back down. I got in a rut and was running pretty slow on the downs. I saw the fam and Kyle again. My stomach wasn't very happy. I told him I needed tums. He ran to the gas station, and then ran me down on the course and handed them over. I instantly felt better. It was an odd sensation. My abs were sore and hurt from holding them so tight through the entire bike because my stomach was upset, and from the throwing up. I suppose I should be disqualified for outside help. And I guess I don't really care if I am. I would've made it through without the tums. I was just very grateful for them.

#2 done, and I made the turn at mile 13.1, where you can hear and see the finish line. Evil. Didn't have a special needs bag. And if I did, the only thing I would've had in there is tums. Okay, back out, starting #3. Check in...good. 2:30 first half, you can do this. You may be able to finish before dark. (8:23 was sunset, which would be 13:23 race time, I had 3 hours to get back there). HR is good. Right around 150 average and 155 on the hills.

Feeling better than #2. I'm running. I think I should stop and use the toilet. Okay, go at the next open one. Luckily that was at the end of the aid station I was at. Jump in, oh yeah, this is a good time to take the inhaler. Bathroom break wasn't as great as I expected, and took 1:14. It did feel good to sit and rest, but I told myself that I could do plenty of that after the race.

Back running. See family. Tell them I love them and I'll see them at the finish line. Kyle is rocking my world with his encouragement. I could see he was proud. I make it up the hill, continuing on with the aid station eating plan. I hadn't walked an aid station yet. I couldn't. I'd tell myself that I'll walk the next one, but then I'd get there, feel okay, and I knew if I stopped, it'd be hard to start again.
I found some feet. A tall boy, 28, from LA. He had a good stride and cadence. I latched on. We were flying by people. By this point there weren't a lot of "runners" left, and most of the field was walking. I saw Brian, as I was hiding behind this boy. We were trucking along, and I'd keep encouraging him. Got to the park section and he started to walk. I encouraged him to keep going, and come with me. He did, we made it through the park. I learned it was his first as well, and before we knew it we were at the turn around. Only 1 more left.

Unfortunately, he couldn't hang and I lost him on the up. I felt like I was in a different world. A world of walkers, and I wasn't going to let their infectious disease infect me. I was going to keep running.

I saw Brian at the usual spot, for one last time before the finish. He told me Caleb was walking and I'd probably catch him. I told him I feel great, but in the middle of that hill I'm going to walk. Less than 1 min, but I'm doing it. Then I'm running home. He told me again, I looked great, and that I can do it.

So I listened to myself. I power walked in the middle of the hill, and told myself if I got to that cone in 40+ seconds, I'd start running. It was 41 seconds, so I began running. I got to the top of the hill and I was elated. At that moment, it was over for me. The rest was down hill. I took some coke, and a gel. With 4 miles left. That runners high hit me, and I was almost floating. If that makes sense at the end of an Ironman. If that makes sense at all, since I've never really felt it.

I went through the motivational mile while No Doubt's, I'm just a girl, played. I sang a couple lyrics, and I looked up at Kyle's message. And I think I had 1 tear. I told myself I couldn't waste energy on emotion now, I needed every sap of reserves, so no being sappy. Kyle's message was "#122, Cwaziest cwazier. GO!" (We sometimes don't like to use the letter R)

I got out of that horrible golf course section, and I was back on Diagonal Rd. And guess who I saw. Caleb. I said come on, run with me. It didn't take much convincing, and he was running. We were chatty and he had said he'd been walking since mile 14. We talked about the rest of our races and were both coming to the realization that it was almost over. We were pushing the pace... and I kept asking myself, "How am I doing this? How am I still running?"

We past the last two aid stations on Diagonal and it was getting real. We could hear Mike Riley. It was almost our turn.

I don't really remember much after that last turn. My legs started sprinting. I almost missed the "this way to finish" cone, rather than the turn around...oh hell no, I'm on the 2nd lap. My heart rate was up to 180 and after being around 152 the entire run, I felt awake again.

Then I heard him, talking to me.

"You're happy. You did it. You deserve it. 27 year old Rachel Gordon, first time Ironman, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" - Mike RileyAnd that was it. I was moving for most of the entire 12 hours, 53 minutes, and 31 seconds.
Now I didn't want to move ever again.

4:58.19 Run.

2:27 2nd half. Yeah I negative split the Ironman marathon on the hilliest North American course. In my first time running a marathon. In my first time running over 3 hours.I'd like to say I ran the entire run. Well, almost. I walked the super steep but short section by the golf course. I took a potty break. I walked a small cone to cone section on the last up. My average walk break was less than 45 seconds. And only 4:00 min of total cumulative walk/potty time in the entire race. Not bad for a first time Ironman.

I'll have one more update. my post-race thoughts. Preview: I'm not doing another one.

Ironman St. George: Bike, Unpleasantries, Sin Bin

2010-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I instantly feel like crap. Legs feel amazing, I'm comfortable on my bike, but my stomach is not riding the same train. This is not good. I did swallow more water than I'm used to. It was a lake swim. I can't help myself. I'm used to working hard at keeping the nasty salt water, bird crap, cove nastiness out, that when I get to something that is delicious, I guess I drink it up. I get passed as the photographer is taking the sweet side shot. Thanks for ruining my picture buddy. I come up to the first big hill, and my stomach is NOT happy. It forces me out of my aerobars, which is NOT my style. I spin up hills, aero, and ride smooth. This was not so smooth, and very uncomfortable. Julie passes me. Whitney passes me and offers me Bonk Breakers, gu, anything, but I say no thanks, I cannot eat any more, I just need some Immodium. Guess who didn't pack it. I keep hoping that Beth will catch me. I think she said she packed some.

The only thing that runs through my head is, "This will pass, settle in, watch your HR." Over and over. It isn't getting better.

Yuck, I just puked on my arm. Relief? "No, wtf, you puked! You should feel better now. This isn't funny anymore. You are already 2 hours into the bike. Feel BETTER!" Two hours, turns into three.

I'm still trying to eat at a semi regular rate because I know I lost calories. 1 sip of Carbopro every 30ish minutes. I had a gu and some powerbar gummies in there somewhere. Keeping on with the water, but watching my belly for bloating. Salt tabs, Ibuprofen, and a Motivator. I'm doing what I have done on every long ride. What went wrong? What is going wrong? I keep blaming it on the swallowed water. Puke, again. Get it together, now. I'm at the top of the hill and about to start the decent. I pass my special needs bag.

The downhill is refreshing. And it always ends too quickly. Before I knew it, I was turning back up for the 2nd loop. Which was much of the same as the first. Dropped my chain and of course it gets stuck between my frame and the small ring. I feel like crap, puke, wish that would've made me feel better. I decide I should try to use the bathroom, so I stopped at the aid station on the backside. No line (yes!) and I had a nice volunteer who held my bike. I took this time to take a puff from the inhaler. Left, not really feeling any better, but at least I didn't pee on Kermit.
I get to the final big hill. At this moment, I'm at a low point. It's 6 hours into the bike. My stomach has not turned around. I'm seriously concerned that this issue is going to affect my run. I'm getting passed.

And then..."#122, drafting. Stop at the next penalty tent." WTF?! I was pissed. I said my choice of words to the lady on the back of the motorcycle. She insisted that I wasn't dropping back quick enough. I was so frustrated. I was getting passed, so I'd drop back. But then the next person behind me would see me slowing and pass me. So I'd slow again. I was pretty sick of slowing, and in a rut, and puking, there was NO WAY I was drafting. I pointed to the group of 3 that just passed me as I'm having this conversation, who were drafting, and she shakes them off. Screw you lady. I know you are a volunteer, but learn the rules.So, knowing that I'd get a rest at some point, I begin to hammer. Suddenly, my stomach isn't so upset. I am flying down the hills covering that section of the course faster than the previous loop. I make the final turn and see the "Sin Bin" (what my dad calls the penalty box in hockey) waiting for me on the other side of the road. Finish the crazy loop-de-loops on this bike path and make my way up the hill only to sit and wait.

4 minutes. I get off my bike and stretch. The volunteers warn me that I'm not allowed to pee. Ugh, fine. But I really have to go. Why is my rear wheel making all that noise? "Um your rear skewer is WIDE OPEN, and the nut is a 1/2 turn from falling off. You are lucky you aren't dead." WTF! No wonder my bike wasn't shifting! No wonder it was making a crazy rattling noise. Holy crap, I could've died. I spend the rest of my 4 minutes freaking out about the bike, and trying to figure out how it could have opened.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...And I'm off. Finishing the 3 miles back into the town to transition. Check in with my body. Hmm, I have to pee. So you've done it in practice, do it now! So I pee. All over Kermit. Past the many people lining the streets of Diagonal Rd. Mmm, yummy. Squirt the remainder of the water to rinse off and head into T2.

6:53:47 Bike. Including the time spent in the Sin Bin. Interestingly enough, this was my longest ride ever (I think 102 miles was the furthest distance prior) but it wasn't the longest time I've spent on my bike. 112 miles. Done.

People are yelling my number and I see the volunteer struggling to find my bag. "It's the one with the green lei!" He still doesn't get it. I make it there, grab it, and a volunteer grabs me. "I'll follow you. Go in the doors, and to the left. Find a seat."

More of the same from my 2 amazing helpers. Me barking orders: Shorts off, those are gross, sorry. Turn the Garmin on. New shorts on. New socks. Bike Jersey off. Help me with the tri top, it's really hard to get on. Race belt, put that back on me. Shoes, I got those. Visor. Body Glide, I need that now. Okay, where's the sunscreen?

I run out of transition and find the kids with the sunscreen. They pour it all over my back and the back of my legs and I feel 5 sets of gloved hands rubbing it in. Wow, that feels nice. Thanks guys!

I'm out of T2. Four minutes and nine seconds. I look down at my pace. 8:30. NOT OKAY> Slow down. Turn the corner while hearing Mike Riley and head on out and up. Let's go conquer some more hills.

Ironman St. George: Bags, Swim, T1

2010-05-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ironman is an interesting beast. It's not just about swimbikerun. There is way too much to pack, remember, practice, test, and organize. You have 6 months to figure it out, yet it seems like there are still way too many last minute decisions and freakouts. What special need item did you really want on that one long ride? What was that perfect breakfast you ate before that amazing ride? Wet shorts, dry shorts? You can't predict the weather. What if you didn't try this certain specific clothing combination? Are you f'd because of the "nothing new on race day" LAW that every triathlete tries very hard to follow?

For those of you not familiar with the Ironman bag scenerio, here's the scoop. You get 5 bags.

1. Morning Clothes bag. I packed all the stuff I'd need for the swim; wetsuit, earplugs, swim cap, neoprene cap, silcone cap, 1 vanilla gu, green goggles, tinted goggles, HR monitor. I was wearing my sports bra and bikini bottoms. After putting most of that stuff on, opting for the tinted rather than green, I put my sweats, iPod and shoes in that bag and handed it to a volunteer before booking it towards the swim start.

2. Bike Bag (aka T1 bag). Included is everything you need for the bike. Mine included: Towel, bike shorts, bike jersey, vest, arm warmers, bike shoes, socks, aero helmet, 1 vanilla gu, garmin, sunglasses.

3. Bike Special Needs. They pass this to you around the midway point on the bike. I put an extra bottle of my 1200 calorie drink and some chamois cream. Neither of which I used.

4. Run Bag (aka T2 Bag). Run shoes, socks, body glide, another garmin, Splish tri top, tri shorts, visor, water bottle and hand holder, salt tabs, 1 gu, shotbloks.

5. Run Special Needs. Didn't drop it off, didn't use it. Didn't need anything I didn't pack.* (with a small exception)
Here is my Run Gear Bag, with a bright green lei. I was surprised at how many people didn't have a bag marker. It was an addition I though couldn't hurt. And...it actually came in handy when I found my bag before the volunteer at T2.

I had a gmail chat conversation with Beth a couple days before the race while we were both contemplating the, what goes in which bag, issue. It ended with me typing in frustration, "Why is everything so complicated?! This sport is so messed up."

Fast forward to May 1, 2010. Race Morning:
3:00am wakeup to Dr. Dre on my iPhone alarm, alerting me that yes, it is finally here. I was awake much before the alarm.
3:15am Breakfast: Oatmeal, brown sugar. Banana? I can't remember.
4:00am Out of the house and to the bus
4:30am On school bus. Listening to iPod to drown out wind and cold water talks. Hold my breath through someone's horribly stinky butt. Triathletes sure are regular.
5:00am Arrive at transition
5:00-6:30am. Get ready. Porta-pottie twice. Pump tires. Sat alone on a rock by the swim start mentally rehearsing, jamming out. Ate half a powerbar smoothie. Quick jog. Wetsuit on, walk to swim start with socks on.6:40am Eat vanilla Gu. Wait in swim start corral for the pro's to start
6:45am First one to enter the water. Swim out, warm up, but really it was more of a cool off. Scoop out the buoy situation, find an ideal front row middle spot, chat with kayakers, freeze. Keep reminding myself that it's 58 degrees, you are wearing 3 caps, you are fine. (really it was somewhere around 54 according to the reports). Pee. Mmm. Warm again.
7:00am BOOM. (a very loud cannon)
What do we do? We swim, swim.
After the gun went off, I just started swimming. At a normal pace. No sprinting, no rush to get into anything. I didn't get hit once. I found some calm waters near the outside and just went with it. Found my stroke and went with it. During the first stretch I was settling in, looking for feet and doing my best to hold back. Some thoughts:

"wow, it's really here"
"Hmm, why didn't I get attacked?"
"Wow, this guy is wearing a sleeveless, crazy person"
"Hmm, hands are a bit frozen...kind of like blocks. Keep your form, they are still working"
"Find feet, find feet, sight"

Found some feet, and before I knew it, we were at the red buoy and making our first turn. Brace yourself.

"Oh wow, that man in TYR wetsuit was nice! He didn't cut me off, am I really racing? Did I fall asleep? Am I at the back of the pack where everyone is nice? WTF?! I thought this was the Ironman, the craziest swim, the no-holds bar, rip off goggles, run over, kick faces swim? Yet, everyone seems to be working together, minding their space. This is awesome!"

Turn two and we are on the long back stretch. Sticking with the same people. I didn't see any yellow caps (women) around. Looked behind me, orange drafters. Looked ahead, orange pullers. Okay, you are sitting pretty. Effort check? Again, I felt amazing and had to ask myself if I was going to get serious and race. Passed a pink cap (pro women). Hands are now really frozen. Try to open and close fingers really fast while recovering. Ouch!!!!!!!! Your tendons were frozen and that was not comfortable. Still too frozen to really realize what happened.

Turn 3. You can see the boat ramp. Another pink cap. You can see the exit. This is taking too long. Don't push too hard. Don't slow down! Get there. Engage legs. Flex feet, wow calves are really tight. Be prepared for cramps. Keep moving ankles. Get ready to stand. Stand. Walk. Don't walk, come on, you know you are up there. Don't look like a freak who wins the swim and walks through transition. Wow, this is steep.

7:53:14am Swim Finish (1st AG, 1st Female Ammeter, 22nd overall-including pros, although I had no idea where I was at or what my time was. I didn't see the clock) Pass wetsuit strippers. Stop at the last one, remove wetsuit. Get T1 bag. Run. Ouchies, they freaking run out of carpet on the way to the woman's change tent?! That's not right. Now get ready for chaotic organization. Dump bag. Conversation with 3 AMAZING volunteers. It pays to have a fast swim. Many ready and willing handlers to rock your world. Basically it's me barking orders:

"Towel. Shorts. Gu. Open it. Jersey. Put it on me. Socks. Help me. I am cold. The water was cold. You guys have your work cut out for you. There are going to be people way colder than me. Shoes, on please. Garmin on my left wrist. Helmet strap unbuckled. Is it warm? (They respond that it looks like a hot day) Okay, no arm warmers, no vest, back in bag. Make sure ear plugs are in swim cap and in this bag. Do not lose them. Wetsuit in bag."

I run out screaming "Thank you, thank you!!! You guys are the best!!" And I feel a bit guilty for barking at those ladies. They were so helpful. You were cold and conserving energy. Why does your hand hurt so bad?

Out of the tent, I see more volunteers, grabbing bikes. There he is, Kermit, waiting for me in the hands of a small lady. I grab him. I hop on. (it was more of a slow mounting) I head out the long chute with many cheers. I do not see anyone I know. Somehow that took 4:09. It's around 7:58am before I look at my watch.
I focus on lowering the HR, settling in and immediately begin eating. And more eating. Shove 1/2 a powerbar in (100 caories), 2 sips of carbopro (200 calories), salt tabs, and keep in mind I just had a gu (100 calories) in transition. I needed to get the calories in before the hills. Little did I know, all that food would ruin the better half of my day.

With a SMILE on my face...

2010-05-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

That is how I finished my first Ironman. And that was the goal.

What was sandwiched in between the start of the cannon and 12 hours, 53 minutes, and 31 seconds later, is what's to come. There were obvious highs and lows throughout the day, and many situations that defined the race. I will do my best and try not to ramble...yeah right.

First off, some Thanks.

Thank you Brian (and Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching). For more than you know. For everything. I suppose I got myself across the finish line, but you are the one who got me there in that time, with that smile. Thank you for your guidance, your knowledge, your expertise, your experimentation, your motivation. Thank you for offering all of that to me. Thank you for taking that chance on me. I hope I made you proud.

Thank you Kyle. My IronSherpa. Thank you for being my extra set of legs, arms and back when I'm "too tired" to do anything. For the awesome motivational mile message. For the tums. Thank you for your support, and your love.

Thank you family. Mom, for surviving the 65mph wind gusts during your attempted landing in Vegas (and subsequent landing delay). For making the trip out to Utah. For your love and support. For your cheers. For your hugs. Megan, for driving alone from Arizona to support your only sister. For understanding when I couldn't make it to the first wedding dress appointment and for taking a chance on a Utah Bridal Shop (think conservative) and letting me be a part of you finding the one! For your cheers, for your love. G-ma and G-pa. For your patience. For waiting for me all day. For your hugs and proud faces at the finish.

Thank you friends. For the cheers, the support, the all day tracking. For the text messages, voicemails, facebook posts. You all rock and I'm so grateful. Thank you training partners, for saying yes when I needed you. For pushing me beyond what I thought imaginable. And for helping me through each and every mile of that race.

Thanks to the amazing volunteers at this race.
I'm working on the race report and it may come in sections. Ironman Utah isn't a place to be forgotten. This race tested every athlete's true ability, and that is what an Ironman is all about.

One more thing. Although I enjoyed the experience, and exceeded all expectations, I'm now three days out, and I still believe I won't do another Ironman.

In the Beginning

2010-04-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Dates and numbers. All coming together. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I'm kind of superstitious. In middle school and high school I used to wish every day at 11:11 that I would become the MN state backstroke champion. My Junior year (11th grade) the section meet was on 11/11/00, and State Finals were 11/22/00. My senior year, I won.

I carry on the Rocky IV tradition. I get new goggles for big swim meets (or triathlons). I put in new contacts. So naturally, I googled my Ironman number. #122. This is what came up:

The 122nd volume of the Iron Man comic. Tag-lined with "In the Beginning"Which got me thinking about my beginnings in triathlon. It just so happens, that on the weekend anniversary of my first triathlon, 2 years ago, I will be competing in my first Ironman. My life has changed significantly since that amazing day. I competed in the Super Sprint on May 4, 2008. I finished a 200m swim, 7 mile bike, 1.5 mile run. It took me 42 minutes and 59 seconds. The swim of my Ironman will take longer than that entire race. My goal was to run the entire run, which I did and I ended up winning my age group and taking 10th overall (male and female). Now I will be attempting a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. And my goal is to finish. With a smile on my face.

The 22nd episode of the Iron Man cartoon (production #122) was titled "Don't Worry, Be Happy" which is my focus this week. I'm trying not to worry, and yeah being happy is pretty easy. I think I've passed the phantom pains part of taper, and the taper blues. It's happy taper time, and I'm on vacation as of Wednesday afternoon!

My last brick is over (here I am on Soledad). My last ocean swim is swum. (with dolphins! it was amazing). My bags are packed (okay, halfway packed).

I'm ready. Excitement brewing... #122. Five more sleeps.

Ironman State of Mind

2010-04-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have the BEST friends EVER! Not only did I get good luck cards in the mail (thanks, Kari) and facebook messages/posts, but my college roommate, Missy, who I so graciously loved in my last post, list maker... made a rap for me! (Run on sentence much?) There she is at her bachelorette party, dancing to Michael Jackson. (She memorized the entire dance from the video for the Diva Party senior year. Ask her nicely, and she'll perform a couple steps for you.)

I'll post a nice one. Here at her wedding. (obviously) to Gabe, who helped create this amazing gift.

Background: Missy and I were roommates in college for all four years. Our freshman year the senior captains made a rap for us. Let's just say it wasn't to our standards and we wanted to one-up them. Well not to brag, but we did, and we started a tradition for the Sioux Girls. Every year we stole the tune to a rap song and changed the lyrics to Sioux Girl swimming, kick ass, conference domination, lyrics. It was a blast every time.

Here we are, our senior year. Yes I have hot pink hair. Yes, UND's official colors are pink, green, and white. And yes, even though they "retired" the name, I will forever be a Fighting Sioux girl.

Flash forward to now. She, with the help of her husband Gabe, and their sweet Mac Garage Band setup created this for me.

Worldwide release of: Ironman State of Mind by Mi-Z, Featuring Melissa Keys

Special thanks to production assistant and DJ, Gabe Schell.

Ironman State of Mind by rgordona

Yeah, Yeah, Imma up in Bismarck, Layin’ down this rap for you,  Wish that I could be there, But i’ll still be cheerin’ you,

 Headin’ down to St. George,  Yes it is finally here,  And after you make it there,  You can make it anywhere, 

We used to swim in college,  Thinkin’ that those days were long , Puttin’ in the yardage, But you had barely started,

 Took it to the next level,  hundr’d K swim bike run,  can’t believe it can be done, A. Rudser’s not the only one,

Qualify for Kona,  You can do it,  RGordona – there won’t be nothin’ to it, 

All the hard work’s over,  All those hours of training,  Now it’s time for race day,  No more time spent waiting, 

Say wat up to Ky Ky, and hugs to Di Di , they’ll be wavin’ hi hi, to you at the finish line, 

Time to take it easy, Watch Rocky beat Drago,  like a piece of iron is what you’ll be when you go to…

Utah, 

In St. George is where dreams are made of, 

There’s nothing you can’t do,  Ironman Utah, 

This race will make you feel brand new,  This rap will inspire you,

 Ironman Utah, Utah, Utah  

Time for preparation make a plan for nutrition,  watch hydration set up stations for some fast transitions, 

You should know what to do, this sure ain’t your first go,  But I gotta admit this really is the big show, 

Welcome to the M dot,  Utah the most hilly spot,  weather please cooperate,  swimming can’t be forgot, 

Jump right in, first you swim, no big thing, gonna win, For the others it ain’t fair you’ll be done they will just begin, 

Hundred twelve miles out there on the pavement, really is a pity half of them won’t make it, 

Now you run a marathon, and you got it made, you’ve trained real hard, you couldn’t be in better shape, 

3 parts to do ,3 parts finished,  congratula’ns Rach, time for peace you did it, 

I’m so proud of you, I’m your number one fan,  I’ll brag endlessly,   about your Ironman…

In Utah, 

In St. George is where dreams are made of, 

There’s nothing you can’t do,  Ironman Utah, 

This race will make you feel brand new,  This rap will inspire you,

 Ironman Utah, Utah, Utah  

One hand in the air for the victory, 

After 12 plus hours still looking pretty, 

No feeling in the World that can compare,  Put your hands in the air, everybody say yeaaahh 

In Utah, 

In St. George is where dreams are made of, 

There’s nothing you can’t do,  Ironman Utah, 

This race will make you feel brand new,  This rap will inspire you,

 Ironman Utah, Utah, Utah

Homework, What?

2010-04-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

So. My coach is amazing. He has done quite a bit for me this season, more than he needed to. Weekly training plans of swimbikerun were all that was needed. But every time he put in the extra effort, I noticed, and it made a big difference.

He analyzes the data from every possible angle. He tells me what workouts are key and when I really need to hit my goal pacing/HR/effort/etc. and when I can back off. He tells me what, when and how much to eat. He was flexible when my body wasn't. (Colon, listen. I'm doing my best here, but you need to cooperate) He motivated me through hard, rough, dark patches, and let me know when the light was going to shine in (and during the rest weeks it did). He road his heavy commuter bike alongside me up the steep roads of Mt Soledad during the first half of the longest run(s) of my life, and then he'd run the other half...at my pace. He emailed me videos of proper run technique. He just wrote me a 6 page Race Week plan.

All I had to do was swimbikerun. Easy enough, right?

Until now. Homework time. I won't give away all his secrets, but here are some of the tasks I've been given.

Make a checklist of everything you need to bring to St. George.

Make a checklist of everything you need on race day. This is a cool site. http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/

Make a checklist of everything you will put in your special needs bags.

Call Elizabeth and ask her about using immodium during the race. Also, tell her you're nervous and she will remind you why you shouldn't be.

Write up a detailed nutrition plan.

So the tasks begin. Hopefully this list making/packing will shake the nerves. I'm usually a last minute packer and wait until very late the night before the race to get my stuff together. And yes I forget:

I forgot my custom ear plugs to an important swim meet in college. I've forgotten to bring a swim suit to swim practice. (Actually multiple times...but imagine how many swim practices I've attended in my life, give me a break.) This weekend I forgot socks (thank you Erin!), my liquid nutrition (carbopro 1200), extra salt and sunscreen for my swimbikerun day. Luckily, knock on wood, I haven't forgotten my bike, helmet or shoes since I've been riding.

But seriously, lists are good. My college roommate, Missy, was (is?) a list maker, only because she was obsessed with crossing things off. So she'd include
-take a shower
-nap
-calculus homework
-brush teeth
-take birth control
Okay, maybe that's a little drastic. But she did download the Post-it notes program so instead of having sticky notes attached to her computer screen they would appear on the side of the desktop. We had fun messing with her lists on Vernon. (Pleasure Mikey, Make Rachel's bed)

Random tangents. Packing List for St. George. Started my google doc with earplugs and sunscreen.

Oh yeah, wee! I got a new custom tri top from Splish! I made it because I wanted to wear Brian's coaching logo and the shop logo from Moment Cycle Sport. It's light blue with white sides. I've already tested it out and it's awesome...but I need sunscreen.

12 more days.

2x2

2010-04-16T21:20:00.001-07:00

Wow, 2 weeks since my last post, and now 2 weeks until St. George. Obviously, I have one thing (or really, 140.6 things) on my mind. Here. Now. Over. Done! Seriously, taper time is seemingly more difficult than the 18 hour weeks!

I have gone through 10 major tapers in my life (7th grade - collegiate senior year) plus all of the mid-season, summer-season, ymca-season mini-tapers. All swimming tapers. I would say I had a 99% success rate. I'm pretty sure I got faster in at least one event every year, luckily ending up "retiring" on top (200 yard backstroke - 2:05.95 - without trying to sound cocky, I just shocked myself remembering how "fast" I was). Anyway, this feeling of taper is all too familiar, and I should trust my past results, but I can't help but freak out a little. It's me.

Signs of Taper:
1) Sleep. Or lack there of. Since I'm not pounding myself into the ground, I'm sleeping like crap! I wake up at 2:50 or 3:50am and think it's time to wake up, but not refreshed.

2) Random Twitching. My muscles want to move. I am not moving them as much. So they move involuntarily. I thought my involuntary heart was annoying (at 207 bpm) but quad convulsions jolting my body awake...not cool.

3) Hunger. It doesn't leave. But again, I'm moving by body less...so maybe I should give the stomach a break. :) Baxter isn't calling nearly as often. Keeping in mind Racing Weight.

4) Movie Watching. On the list: Rocky IV, Rudy, and Ironman. I have watched Rocky IV every year since my first Section carbo-load at the senior captain's house in 1996. There is something about Silvester Stallone's training montage for the match of his life vs the Russian that really got us going. It sounds crazy, but it was tradition. You wouldn't dare suggest anything else. We watched it at my house before my senior year section meet in the fall of 2001. I brought the tradition to college and watched it all four years with my roommate, Missy, who introduced me to the great story of Rudy. As for Ironman, Santa gave that to me 2 years ago as inspiration.

5) Music. On my iPod: Jock Jams. The original. "Are you ready to rumble?!!" Again, not kidding. This was the "soundtrack" to every home swim meet. I specifically remember one meet, where the opposing team got into the office and changed the CD to perform their choreographed pool deck dance. Not cool. We shut them down. You didn't want to mess with the Thunderhawks. Na na na na na na na na na THUNDER! (ACDC anyone?)

6) Doubt. Fatigue. Dead Legs. This is where it gets dark. You doubt your training. You doubt your preparation. You doubt your leg's ability to carry you (or back then, the shoulders ability to rotate). But you manage. You have coaches to tell you it'll be all right. To tell you the training will work. To give you proof. To email your "Training Hours Summary" with pie charts and line graphs.To tell you to trust. To let you know you'll hit your taper. And it'll all be better. At the finish line. With a smile.

Final Four

2010-04-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Final Four, basketball what? Go Midwest. That's all I have to say about that. Now, really onto some serious sporting news.

Ironman Utah is Four Weeks away!

I'm down to the Final Four weeks of training. The time hasn't really flown by. It's been an eventful past five months. This is it. One more hard week and then I'll be tapering! The last time I actually had a real taper (that worked) was Four Years ago, finishing my collegiate swimming career. The seasons were longer back then, but the anticipation is the same. I wish it was here, now, over, done. I have enjoyed the journey though, and I should continue to enjoy this block...as it is the easiest, right?

It's no surprise that I haven't updated in a while. I just got done with a huge three week training block and my rest week is coming to a close. Thursday included a successful IM simulation day. Next week brings my longest run, longest brick, and longest ride on top of the tempo workouts, swims, and the San Diego Custom Bicycle Show that we are having a booth at. Fun times. But there is a light.

First ride picture from my new iPhone. :) Straight down my straw. Solo Swami's loop on my IM simulation day.

Here are some fun moments that my busy weeks brought:

Season opener for the Monday night La Jolla Shores TCSD swims. Big group, perfect conditions, fast friends and fast swimming.

Kyle came out to play.

Sunset at the ocean. What a great place to be.Enjoying my backyard. I don't get to do that very often.

What a nice view.

I had some Mt. Laguna adventures. The first one wasn't horrible, but it was a wee bit cold and windy so we didn't make the entire 102 mile loop for fear of getting blown off the backside. I think that day it ended up being around 90. Super duper fog on Laguna. Sunrise Hwy wasn't so sunny today.

Fun times with new riding partners. Liz and Whitney; crazy girls who don't wear enough clothes.

A couple weeks later Jen accepted my offer of GWL+Laguna (I had some unfinished business), and we made it out for a perfect day. Full circles here. This was the same loop where I did my first century, also with Jen. She was training for IM Arizona and I was a week out from Soma Half IM. Now the tables have turned and she's training for Wildflower half and I'm the crazy girl needing long ride partners. Good times battling the headwinds on the way out, and yes, on the way back. Just our luck. Although we thought we were lucky, spotting a Radio Shack rider, and thinking it was Lance Armstrong on our way down from Cuymaca...but apparently it was Chris Horner. Skinny white dudes in Radio Shack kits...they all look the same. Here is my tweet from Moment Cycle and our retweet from Lance.

And his response back. Yeah, Lance Armstrong tweeted back at us!! Holla!Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's 4 more weeks to go!

Mount Everest

2010-03-11T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's no surprise that St. George is a hilly course. Everyone is talking about it and most are freaking out. I was peer pressured into signing up for this race...before looking at the course profile. 5700ft on the bike + 2200 on the run = almost 8000 ft of elevation gain over the duration of this Ironman. After calming down from the hype I knew I'd be putting in some serious time in the hills of San Diego. This is how serious it's become:

First off, a little history: Alongside my triathlon hobby I am also a rock climber. I was introduced to the sport by Kyle, back in 2006 when we both worked at a summer camp in Maine.Here we are with our color war shields. We were assigned to opposing teams because of an unwritten camp policy on couples. I was on the green team (Green Revolution) and he was with White Ice; I won. :) I continued climbing when I moved back to Minnesota and met some awesome people at Vertical Endeavors. I was lucky enough to be mentored through the sport and went on some amazing trips across North America. I moved to San Diego with great intentions of climbing, but I couldn't get into the gym scene here and didn't have a steady partner...and I also found triathlon. I'm not as strong as I used to be which in turn makes me a more timid climber nowadays. So that's the history.

When I tell people I climb, the most common first question is, "Are you going to climb Mt. Everest someday?" And always, the answer is no. There are many forms of climbing. I'm not into alpine climbing for these reasons and many more: cold, expensive, long days of hiking, altitude, rain, snow, storms, frostbite, sickness, fake food, winter camping, long hard (epic) adventures, and oh yeah it's cold. I was a weekend warrior. I like bolted sport climbing. I like to climb in a tanktop and capris. I like easy approaches. I like when my arms get "pumped." I love the balance it brought to my life. Learning to be graceful is what I miss the most.

But I digress. What does this have to do with St. George?

Well besides the fact that when you are a triathlete, everyone asks "Are you going to do Kona?" which resounds the same annoyance ("No, my goal is to finish this one"), I've climbed Mt. Everest by foot and bike. I have gained over 30,000 ft of elevation during this month alone. (I love Garmin.) Since day 1 with Brian, I've climbed Everest three times. (And that doesn't include the snowboard trip to Mt. High).

I've braved the storms.
I've camped at a race.
I've had long days.
I've spent too much on fake food.
I've gone adventuring.
I've ran and rode through rain.
I haven't worn a tanktop.
I am not graceful.
This is not an easy approach.

But this is the approach I'm taking to survive IMSG. Really looking forward to my long run tomorrow. On the Mountain of Soledad. 2 random loops. 17.5 miles. 2000+ ft elevation gain. 1/15th the size of Everest. Then the 102 mile loop of GWL + Mt. Laguna on Saturday. The "climbing" journey continues. (Kyle is going out to Valley of the Moon for some real climbing this weekend.)

I would like to add, that I got on my trainer for the first time this season. YUCK! I started out my what was supposed to be 45 mile ride and almost got blown off my bike by 35mph winds. I wasn't able to stay aero and it was supposed to be a recovery/slave to aerobar ride. That wasn't happening. So I went home, put on the latest roommate netflix, Mamma Mia, and pedaled no where. No mountains. Only sheer boredom and bad acting.

Desert Triathlon

2010-03-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Or were we in the rainforest? I'm not quite sure.

Rest week/Race week! What a change. 95 on the bike, 20 cranked out on the run, 1 measly swim mile. Under 10 hours. I cannot believe how fast this is going...yet how much more is left! 8 weeks, 2 more training blocks, 1 rest week and taper time. Now is when I have to dig in and get it done.A couple weeks ago the Triathlon Club of San Diego had the 2009 awards. I was very honored to be named the most improved female triathlete. I worked hard last year, coming back from injury even better than before...but I feel my time has yet to come. This year I can only hope to be better. Thanks to Coach Brian for the kind words...and so much more. He knows, I am putting in the time and now finally...seeing results.

Desert Triathlon Results:
4th AG, 13th Overall. 2:11.10
15:59 swim (2nd argh!)
1:06.16 bike (22.5 mph)
46:01 run (7:24/mile not really*)

Kyle and I arrived to the desert Saturday afternoon after a glorious morning of sleeping in and making french toast. Mmm. Checked in and headed to the campsite/race area. We met up with TCSD and LA Tri for a pasta dinner and back to camp to get set up. Tried our best to stay up past 9 so to get a good nights sleep. Had a nice campfire and jumped in the tents for a forecast of rain. Woke up to grey skies, but not a drip of rain all night. Sweet.Made our way to transition, set up and hung out. The sprint waves started an hour ahead of the international; annoying. No pictures to document, but Kyle set up the camp stove and made me oatmeal, in transition area. It was awesome! I love my sherpa. :)
Wetsuit on and ready to go. 8:36 and my wave was off. Not an eventful swim. Not hard, not easy. It was the usual run over the wave(s) ahead of us, turn the buoys, swim hard, find people to draft off, fail, find people drafting off me, turn buoy, hammer in. Run like hell to the timing mat, where I'm sure I'll get beat anyway. Why do they include run times during the swim?
Took Kermit out for a little spin. The rain started, and it didn't stop. Tried to keep pace during the ride. The wind wasn't bad at all. Pelting rain was a different story. It was a very flat/fast course despite the wet conditions. Had a gu and 200cal drink. But seriously, rain. Again? It's not even epic anymore. I think it'd be epic if it was sunny for once.
Kermit parked and Garmin on. Out for a couple loops around the lake and running. I felt good. For the first time ever, I felt good and almost great while running. I was shocking myself, and wondering when it was going to end, and how long I could hold this pace (that was faster than the coach and I agreed upon). Well it didn't end. *Pace according to the results was 7:24, but the run was short. Garmin came in at 5.78 miles (7:58pace). 8:15 was the goal pace. :) I was happy after the race. Not puking. So I guess I didn't try hard enough. :) But in all seriousness, it was a great race. Almost perfect actually. Looking forward to racing this distance with appropriate training. I had a rest week, but it was probably longer than a normal week for non-Ironman training.A big wet mess to pick up.
Rain. Transition area was soaked. Towel weighed 10lbs. Walked back to the car to get into some dry clothes, pack up, head out and get some food.
Thank you thank you Kyle, for yet again sherpa'ing me through a rainy adventure. Congrats to all the TCSD'ers out there! And thanks again for the award. :)

Keep going...because you want to

2010-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading professional triathlete Bree Wee's Blog (as the closet blog stalker in me tends to do). She is a regular poster, and always has amazing pictures of her life in Hawaii...and I'm always so jealous of her gorgeous underwater ocean shots (where it's warm enough to not wear a wetsuit!). Anyway, she's going through a hard training block getting ready for Ironman South Africa. In a recent post she ended with "Keep going...because you want to."

Because I want to.

I want to finish Ironman with a smile on my face. I want this training to become effortless...even if that makes it mundane. In the event of mundaneness, I will mix it up. But it takes effort to keep going. And because I want all of those things, I have to keep going.

If it's going to rain, I have to keep going.

Utah is under 9 weeks away; I have to keep going.

Keep on Keeping on - a usual workout week for Rachel:

Monday: Masters swim session (3500)
Tuesday: Brick, 50 mile tempo ride + 4 mile tempo run
Wednesday: 50 mile hilly ride

Thursday: Long Run 16 miles, 2000+ ft elevation gain
Friday: 2 mile ocean swim + Pannikin hot chocolate
Saturday: 6 mile tempo run in rain/wind
Sunday: 95 mile long ride + transition run

Now let's add in some fun:
Monday: 2x1hr swim lessons after masters
Tuesday: Night Snowboarding from 5-10pm at Mt. High for $15 with Chad
Wednesday: JCC volunteer swim coach

Thursday: Dashboard Confessional Concert at House of Blues
Friday: Olympics watching
Saturday: More Olympics/Dinner plans
Sunday: Shopping!

Now where does laundry, preparing meals, doing dishes, cleaning and relaxing fit in? I'm not sure I agree with any of those activities.

But I keep going, because I want to. If I didn't have all those secondary activities in my life then I'd just be a girl training for an Ironman. And while I see this is a daunting task, I don't want it to completely take over my life. Granted, I understand the time commitments, as the 17 hour workout weeks are here, but for my sanity, I cannot just swim/bike/run. So here's my fun:

Snowboarding at Mt. High. I swapped the Brooks running shoes and Nike cycling shoes for some Ride Snowboarding boots! Great snow and perfect weather. I also had the perfect shredding (laughing at myself) soundtrack thanks to an ice dance routine I saw during the Olympics. Linkin Park's Reanimaiton.

JCC coaching. I'll say it: sometimes I dread going. I've been up since the butt crack of dawn, worked 10 hours and all I really feel like doing is eating cereal and watching the Olympics. But I go, and every time I leave, I'm glad I went. It's so rewarding to give knowledge and see progression in beginners and returners. I truly love coaching.

Dashboard Concert. Awesome. Got some last minute tickets from a tri-clubber selling them on the list serv. Great concert and even a great opener: Ives the Band. Had fun with Kyle in the upper level, sharing the one seat left...that happened to have an amazing view.

Monday night I did my first F.I.S.T. fit alone! Erin just got a new bike and so we went through the fit process together... hopefully she enjoys it! And now she has no excuse and must beat me! Tonight was catch up night with Nikee. We had dinner at a great little place in Old Town called Blue Water.

So I'm trying. I'm doing my best at keeping up with training, staying relatively injury free, working, and having a life. Balance. It's tough. But I keep going because I want to.

suck it up

2010-02-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

...and getting it done. So I was on facebook (not a surprise) on Friday night (yes I'm a loser), but what I saw was pretty funny. "Changing plans, let's ride on Sunday, looks like rain tomorrow" and "bagging bike plans, dreading treadmill run" and "YOU LIVE IN SAN DIEGO, SO SUCK IT UP!" Okay not really the last one, but that's what I felt like writing.

I'm a wuss at heart. I've been called a tough soldier, a fearless leader, a bad ass and crazy. Crazy is the only true descriptor. I am either freezing or burning up. I use a heater fan at work. I wear a down jacket when it's 50 degrees. I grew up in Minnesota but you'd never guess it (unless you hear me say MinnesoOOOta). I live in San Diego for a reason.

So signing up for an early season Ironman didn't really phase me. Training through winter? What's winter? And seasons? I have lived in San Diego for almost 2 years and I have forgotten what fall leaves look like, what real snow is, and what the warming of spring reminds me of. It's sunny and 70 for most of the year. Sometimes it rains. But it always ends up nice. At times I miss home, but when I know what's going on there now, I can't imagine setting up trainer sessions in the basement. YUCK!

The reason for the craziness? I don't have a choice. I don't have the luxury of switching my schedule, training or work, at the drop of a hat. When I lay out my week, it's pretty much set. If I miss a workout there's no room for error to make it up. I just have to suck it up. Which has been going pretty well. Thinking back:

102 mile kick off to IM training ride
Thanksgiving long run on a brisk 18 degree MN day
40 degree GWL+Descanso day
Frozen hilly Arizona Ride.
39 degree long ride and rainy long run
39 degree Joshua Tree long ride+guts
39 degree St. George 90 mile preview ride and my frozen toes:and last weekend.

I am sick of having epic workouts. Why can't it just be boring and uneventful? (and warm!) Again I have no choice but to suck it up.

Last week was all messed up. I went to bike fitting school at the start of the week and was also trying to recover from San Dieguito. I missed swim lessons, doctor appointments and a training run. But I gained so much more. A Fit Institute Slowtwitch Triathlon Fitter certification. And a "recover" 20 mile ride. Wednesday was a brutal GWL beating on tired legs. Thursday was hill repeats in the aerobars. Friday was a fast cove-shores-cove 2 mile swim with Jake. And Saturday was my day off work. I finally had a Saturday off to ride with the normal people, but everyone was bailing.

Chris and Jake were gracious enough to join me for what was sure to be a long ride with a few drops of rain. 10 min in Chris gets a flat. Through a pretty hilarious turn of events we were rolling again, thanks to a dude driving a van prepared with an apocalyptic outlook on life with a spare tube and pump. :) We made it to La Jolla and it started to rain. hard. All the way through the UCSD campus and down Torrey Pines. We got to Del Mar and it was bone dry. However, we looked like we cycled through the ocean. WTF? Suck it up.

Stopped at a shop for extra tubes/co2 and a power bar. Did the Elfin Forest, Del Dios loop and stopped again at the shop for chain lube. Got back to Torrey Pines and decided, hey why not add some repeats? And, I challenged myself to stay in my aerobars. I did it. On the third painful repeat we opted for the inside of Torrey. In aerobars. I did it.

One final challenge. Nautilus on Mt. Soledad. Why not? It's on the way home. Haha, you guessed it. In my aerobars.

Sunday was my long run. It was the longest run of my life (time and mileage). I'm into uncharted territory from now until Utah in that regard. It start out slow and with a low HR. My legs were feeling the effects of the sprint finish from Saturdays end of long ride Mission Bay Drive sprint TT dual with Jake. Did a random route around my house with a lot of hills. 1200ft of climbing over 14.75 miles. Somehow added in Hill St which was 300ft in 5 blocks. Yuck! Oh yeah, it rained too.

Two days of soppy feet. Yummy. Two days of sucking it up and getting it done. Maybe even with a little smirk.

In the thick of my build period again. Looking forward to sucking it up and racing on tired, non-rested legs for the Desert Tri in two weeks. But hey, I'm racing again. I can't wait to put my hard work to use!!

Is it here yet? 10 weeks.

This is what I look forward to every week now. I'm back, earning my hot chocolate, cove swimming on Friday mornings. Join me!

v is for valentine

2010-02-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

loVe: Kyle. Kermit. Kove swims. Kompression socks.
Very much do Not loVe: Running. Hills. Pollen. Pain.

Last Sunday I "raced" my first real running race. A half marathon. Yes, that's right. I've never done a stand alone 5k. I've never done a fun run. (Who runs for fun?) I've never paid to run. Wow.

So San Dieguito Half Marathon was the obvious choice. Hilly of course. I could've done Carlsbad, but this aligned with the training plan a little better, and it has hills. Why am I such a glutton for punishment? 11 weeks. That's why.

Day started out with oatmeal. And pink compression... it was Valentines Day. Like Beth, I am not a fan of the look but am of the way they make me feel and help with the running and recovery... significantly. They work for me. CEP compression. Check it out. We also now sell them at the shop.

Carpooled with Ian, Noko, Steve and Erin (Thanks Ian!); Kyle was finishing his duty day and wouldn't get off until after the start of the race. Made it to the park after a long hike up hill, and then down a big hill to the start line where Noko and I made it with a minute to spare. Coach gave me a race plan: stick with 9:00min/miles no matter if it was up or down. Ready, go.

It was hard. The only "easy" mile was the first. It was downhill and I had to hold back to stick with the plan. Nothing too memorable. Just hills and hard. Tried to keep the cadence going, watch the heel striking and not waste any energy. I ran with a bottle which was also my GU storage. One at mile 3, 6, and 9. Kyle showed up just as my water was out, so I chucked the bottle at him. By this time I was at the top of the last climb (besides the last 1/2 mile to the finish). My HR was out of control, but I had to hang on. Only 3 miles left. I found someone short with a good pace and just stuck on her feet. Literally. I was stride for stride and just inches behind her. We hit an aid station and she stopped to take a drink. I looked back and said "Let's go! You were helping me!" I was chugging along for a bit, but she overtook me and we started blazing past racers. Orange shirt girl, you kept me going!

Eventually all good things end. i.e. my pace going downhill. It ended on the horrendous uphill finish. I was hitting a wall and I knew it. I was on pace and I knew I just had to hold on for a little longer. Finish! 1:57 something. Garmin had he at 8:59min/miles. Overachiever. Average HR...get ready. 194bpm. OMG that hurt. The last 3 miles it was over 202. I started sneezing immediately. Everything was cramping, besides my calves. Somehow I had to walk back up that hill through the park to get to the car. Not cool. Hey, at least that part wasn't in the race. Kyle got me some Girl Scout Cookies on the way out and spared me some walking by retrieving the car.

Shout out to all my fast friends: Steve, Jake, Evan, Erin, Noko, Beth and all those TCSD'ers representing. Seriously I don't understand it. (running that is). Headed to work for more sneezing and misery. After work us girls had something planned for our men. Noko hosted a Valentines Red Dinner. Red food. Red clothes. and a Pinata. :) I made sangria. Yummy. Erin, Steve, Erin and Evan hanging out after din din. The Pinata fun. Spinning, Swinging, and Sillyness. The climbing helmet was brought out. Great conversation, great food, great friends. I've said it before, but they are the best. Thanks to coach Brian for believing in me, and helping me along the journey. I'm happy that I can make his job look easy...because this is hard for me.

Share the loVe.

Kermit in Vegas

2010-02-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

After a successful course recon in St. George, Kyle and I headed back south and made a little stop in Vegas. My parents were in town for my mom's Tupperware convention. Yes, get your giggle out now, she is a Tupperware Lady. She has been for most of my life actually. I think her title is Executive Director. She's pretty BA> even has a car provided by them! Anyway, I digress. So we park and I decide that I'm not leaving my bike in the car in the self park section. So Kermit comes for the adventure. On an elevator, down an escalator, through Paris, past the slots and blackjack tables to hotel check in. Where we met my parents. Check out this video...watch for the lady's face near the end. Hilarious. Everyone was staring.

So after getting settled we met up with my grandma and grandpa and went to dinner at a yummy burger place in the Paris hotel. The next day we wandered around for quite some time and stopped at the fountains...that didn't start for another 4 hours! My grandpa won $1100 on the penny slots the night before, not kidding, so he bought us breakfast at buffalo bills. :)
Took a much needed nap and then awoke to this: Fat Elvis. He had an amazing voice that was spot on, but he was quite a bit larger than the real Elvis. Here's another one. Hmm. Apparently he has lost weight. He used to weigh twice the amount he is now. CRAZY!After his performance we went back to the room to get all dressed up for another performance. We went to dinner at a cool seafood place in the MGM. Kyle had his first raw oyster at the demands of my father. Hilarious, wish I had that on video.

The other performance was Cirque du Soleil KA. What an amazing show. The moving stage was unbelievable as were the many acts. I have been a huge Cirque fan after watching the many hours of Cirque week on Bravo TV back in college. I can't wait to go back to vegas to see another one!In Paris. Playing the giant slot machine...no I didn't win. :(
It was so great to be able to see my parents and grandparents for a quick trip. Walking was probably a good recovery from the work laid out in St. George. Although I think the heels were a bit much. :)

Partly Cloudy, Mostly Crazy

2010-02-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

St. George preview day two. Only partly cloudy, but sure to be another long day. Kyle and I headed to T1 to check out the swim. Thanks to the friendly lady at the gate, she let us in for free, since I just needed to unload my bike from the car, snap a few pictures, and roll out. The Sand Hollow Reservoir is awesome. It was very calm when we were there, so I can't imagine a race ever being canceled. And yes, I will be very grumpy if that happens in May. Anyway, the transition area will have a great setup. A short run up a boat ramp will lead you to a very large, flat (the only thing on the course that is flat, along with the water) parking lot and T1 area. The first couple miles are relatively flat as well. But I knew what was coming, as we had to drive down the course to reach the water...thus riding back up those hills to reach the loop area. Ugh. 3 major climbs, 7min, 3min, 12min, until you reach the interstate and the edge of town. A couple turns bring you to the turnaround portion of the run course, which you actually bike first. 24 miles. Mostly Up. Luckily the flat area is right out of transition which leaves enough time to settle the HR and get in some calories before the climbs start. Luckily. :)

So, heading to T2, the arm warmers came off, run clothes on, and Kyle joined me for and out and back preview of the run. A half marathon. A B*tch of a run. I'm serious. These Ironman peeps are mostly crazy for designing this course. Personally, I feel there are much better areas for the run, that are a wee bit more mellow. If you are running, you are either going up, or down. No flats. Not kidding. The course elevation chart isn't lying. That is the real time garmin chart for one out and back of the course. Well, it's 2x that for the real deal. Up, down, up, down. Twice. Each loop has this much elevation change:Which was mostly felt within the first 4ish miles. Out of transition isn't that bad. Diagonal Rd isn't too bad either, with a pretty low angle climb. Once you make the first right turn the course takes a turn for the worst. The little out and back "jut" from the main road isn't fun. The steep 10% grade also isn't fun. There really isn't much to bring a smile to your face, because once you are so sick of going up, you go down. And down is where it hurts. Where the jarring starts. Where, because your legs are already shredded from the prior events, it hurts. At the turnaround, you are then faced with what you just came down. Up. The run is bad but the practice day wasn't that bad. It was slow, with total acceptance for being slow. It was with a low heart rate. 154bpm average...and I won't divulge my San Dieguito average HR till that post...but I cannot believe how much higher it was while racing. I was glad to have Kyle as a distraction from the jarring. I was actually able to "run" at a chatty pace. Which is so not me. I was worn out from the previous days events and the bike beforehand, I don't think my body let me run fast, so essentially it let me not get injured, or really feel that sore. I managed to hop back on my bike for a quick 10 mile ride, just to get used to what it will feel like to have to keep going after that first loop. I think I recovered pretty well. I was very hungry:And set out camp in the T2 area next to the car. Parked myself down and ate some yummy pizza hut leftovers. :) Mostly crazy since it was the parking lot of the court house.

Thanks again to Kyle for a very successful training camp. I couldn't have done it without him. I am so glad I previewed the course and I keep running/riding it over and over in my head. Hopefully with some extra hills training it will come easier on race day.

I'm at F.I.S.T. school right now learning how to perform triathlon bike fits for Moment Cycle Sport. So much more to post: Vegas, Valentines, and my first half marathon.

Cloudy with a chance of Crazy

2010-02-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Kyle and I made the trek out to St. George, Utah to obtain a course preview for the upcoming adventure in my life. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this course that the Ironman folks set out and frankly I didn't want to get caught up in what other people were saying. I needed to see/ ride/ run/ experience it for myself. My posts usually follow a story, so this won't be the most comprehensive course report, nor will it be the most humorous, but this is me. And my adventures in St. George. Here it is: Day One.

We left mid-afternoon on Saturday and it rained for 95% of the drive. Pouring rain. Poor Kyle, really. After ditching our camping plans (late arrival, and me being a fair weather fan, and Kyle wanting to get to bed after a stressful drive) we checked in to the Quality Inn. Woke up to a continental breakfast and went in search of the start of the loops.

The IMSG (Ironman St. George) bike course is a 2 loop course with an additional 24 miles from T1 to the start of the loops. Day One of operation course recon consisted of looping out the course (90 miles). It started out like this:

And this: that intersection will be a popular spectator location as you'll see your athlete 3x on the bike and 4x on the run. So I hopped on Kermit for a sure chance of crazy. It was raining already; my shoes were soaked by mile 2. Alright, 6 hours left to suck it up. The beginning of the loop is pretty mellow, with a few ups and downs. It follows a random course through the town and residential areas (even past a road named "Rachel Drive" - which is sure to bring a smile to my face on race day). Finally made it onto Hwy 91 for a real treat...more rain and more hills. The whole "backside" of the loop is basically up. Not real steep, nothing too intense, but just a slow moving up. People are going to blow up. I road this day knowing I had to conserve for the 2nd loop, and the 2nd day. Also, my feet would not allow me to push any harder as they were becoming blocks of ice. Spinning up with my compact crank and 27 in the rear, Kermit and I were getting the job done. I'm sure my experience in May will look quite a bit different. After you reach the "top" which was after what others were calling a "significant climb"...maybe 1 mile, over 350 ft of elevation gain, and approx. 7 min to get up (with ice blocks on my feet). You'll know what I'm talking about when you come up upon a 170 degree turn...then the hill hits. Someone had mentioned they had to walk up the steep section...I'm sorry, and I don't mean any disrespect, but I was almost laughing at the thought. I wouldn't consider myself a sissy, but I ride with a compact crank and a 12-27, and 650cc wheels for a reason. Mashing will blow you up. I have learned to hold a higher cadence and keep my HR where it needs to be. I didn't even have to stand up at any portion of the course. Anyway, after that "steep" section it teeters off a bit but the elevation keeps increasing. As I made the turn onto the road back to town, I saw this:This is at the turn onto HWY 18. The road becomes smooth (or slushy in my case) and bends around one of the last up sections into a long descent. Again, nothing too steep, and fairly straight. In non-icy conditions, you will be able to stay aero the entire way down. Unfortunately that 17 miles ends way too quickly, and you end up back at the start of the second loop.Looking back up at this. I have to admit, it is gorgeous. And I'm sure by May, things may be a little more green and a little less white. Either way, Kermit will fit in. :)This was one of the small glimpses of blue sky we saw the entire day. The colors were vibrant! But alas, the gray was back. As were the moods when I had to dismount my bike 4 times per loop for this:Freaking cattle guards. Really? These aren't the nice painted ones from the great western. Or even the roll bar ones from north county. These are 1' wide holes with flat, slippery bars. Again, I ride 650s, and with one small turn of my wheel my bike would've been sucked in and me over the handlebars. They were even difficult to walk across. People will be pissed if Ironman doesn't cover them.

Shortly after this I flatted. A car came by and I asked them if they saw a red Xterra truck to kindly tell him to come back for his little fallen frozen solider. Don't start the "she's a girl and can't change a flat" remarks yet. Come on, I work at a bike shop and I've been around the block a couple times. Give me some credit. I changed my own flat, but I needed a new tire anyway, which was in the car, so I figured it be best to just do it all at once. So after the change of the new tube and tire and not wasting a CO2 expedition, I was off again.
Here's the "steep" climb. You can see the road below, which is where you come from, make that turn, and then head up. Outside of Torrey Pines-esk type of hill. Shorter. Yeah, hills done. Descend. Finish. 90 miles completed. 6 hours of frozen toes. Time for a hot bath. Who needs an ice bath when you are frozen already?Kyle, my favorite sherpa. He drove the entire 90+ miles (even took a wrong turn, and I thought I'd never see him again) without a peep. He changed my socks and warmed me up multiple times. He did bottle switches, drink mixes, gu exchanges as if he was a pro-tour team car. Photographer, encourager, and driver. He is my favorite, and I am indebted to him. (I see many hours of belaying/seconding him up the multiple Joshua Tree climbs he intends to conquer, after this ironman.)

Final thoughts. It's not that bad. It's not a PR course, but wait...it's my first Ironman, so a finish will be a PR. I spent a lot of time out of the aerobars and will have to think hard about which bike to bring. If it's raining, I'm bringing cookie monster (my road bike), no question. I'm not a great descender with Kermit when it's dry, so in wet conditions my nerves tend to build. and I don't relax, and I waste energy. So, we'll see come race week. 11 weeks away.

Next up, Day two. More bike course preview and yes, the h-e-double hockey sticks of a run. Nice job Ironman peeps. You have raised the bar to crazy.

new swim, bike, fun

2010-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wee!! I got back in the ocean last Friday! Wow, I really miss the freedom of no walls, the chop of the cove and even that cold burn of my face. It was a quick jump back into a world I've neglected for quite some time. The Friday First Light swims used to be a staple for me last winter, but the focus this winter has switched to Ironman training. Yes, there is a swim during an Ironman, and yes, it's 2.4 miles, but during those first two base months, long ocean swims weren't the priority. Pool work has been mundane lately, non-inspiring, and just kinda Blah. The ocean brought life back into my stroke (as did the wetsuit and salt water!) but it wasn't perfect. Sighting is something I kind of forgot about. I wasn't going too off course, as there really isn't anything to swim towards anymore, but I'll have to add a weekly ocean swim to get consistent with sighting again. Good morning Friday. Good morning Cove. Good morning Mexican hot chocolate at Pannikin. Yes.
So I've been missing the cookie monster quite a bit lately. (My Parlee road bike). Kermit has been getting all the attention and has been enjoying his time in the light. I love my aerobars and my position, and just going...but sometimes those hills just bite back. I have a random week of training before my St. George preview this Sunday/Monday and I was able to take the monster out for some fun. I met the ladies of the MCS race team and had a blast pacelining around fiesta island. After strategy, leadouts, and sprinting I still had to get more miles in and headed up Soledad with a new friend from the team. What a beautiful morning out on a new-ish bike.New fun! CEP compression socks rep stopped by the shop...and I ended up with a new pair of hot pink socks. Perfect match with the new pretty shoes. :) Coincidentally, new running fun: I ran in the socks during my last long run. Same course, 45 sec/mile faster than last week. I won't credit the socks as being the only factor...but running is fun. shhh, don't tell anyone.

This weekend is shaping up to be one of the most epic training weekends ever. Cloudy with a chance of crazy.