into the swim {bike::run} of things

Ah yes. This feeling faintly resembles another long past time in my triathlon life. The Ironman build.

So I'm back at it again. After O'side, I took some much needed and forced time off. The tonsils came out. I became lazy. We took an awesome trip to Monterrey for the Sea Otter Classic which was a kick {in the pants} off to a summer of {training} fun.

concentration. how do i clip in again?

most everything started at the sea otter bridge

road race of death. glad i said "hell no!"

circuit race anger ensues. must find shade.

epic photo of the weekend.
really, sea otter is a big MTB party

so we started partaking in the party

my cross racing husband. :)

flying mount. {I need to learn his skills}

the san diego crew {less the Kogut's}
Terry, Kyle, Cristi, Bruce, Me & Dean

took the coast drive home.
great stop for lunch with amazing views 

What an awesome experience to ride a bike on the Laguna Seca Raceway. I think I would've been happy with just that. Racing after literally sitting on the couch for 2 weeks straight on pain meds wasn't the most fun idea, but it was a great shock to the system and really broke free why I like going fast {and how much work it's going to take to get there.}

Unfortunately this summer isn't about going fast, but more so about extending the long. Looking at the long term training plan, I definitely forgot what the definition of long really is:

adj. Measuring a great distance from end to end. {eg: 115mil bike rides, 20+ hour weeks, Ironman}

Yikes. I obviously wonder why I do this to myself. And then I remember. I like to be challenged.

verb. A call or summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc {eg Ironman}

So the challenge has been set. Get me across the finish line, again with a smile on my face, and without injury. It's a mighty challenge that Brian {& Kyle} better be up for.

SwimSmart

Swimming Smart is a phrase that's near and dear to me. I've been swimming since I was 6 months old. I've always had a love of the water, an obsession with mastering the way my body moves through it. My skin has soaked up enough chlorine that "eu de chlorine" became a legit perfume.

Remember those t-shirts, __(sport)__ is Life, the rest is just details; yeah swimming was my life. {It's the "Keep Calm and Carry On" of the 90s} Swimming is still is a very important part of who I am. I teach swim technique to triathletes and stress the importance of what swimming smarter, not harder {Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching motto} is all about.

My parents spent money sending me to swim camps {to have fun with friends} to improve my technique, and ultimately {make the Olympic Team} swim in college. {Great return on investment!} They spent countless hours on the road and in the bleachers cheering me on and following my career. They have a little tablet with EVERY swim and split time I've ever swam in a competition. They have every program/heat sheet with more times. Not kidding. They are my parents, and they are WONDERFUL. I seriously cannot thank them enough for the time, effort, and money they put into making me swim smarter. {How convenient that Mother's Day falls this Sunday?}

Okay, I understand that most people do NOT have this passion for swimming, especially triathletes. In the same way that I dread the run, I'm sure most triathletes dread the swim. But guess what? It's a triathlon; a swim, a bike and a run. We all have signed up to do ALL THREE SPORTS. So when a corporation tries to tell me that Swimming Smarter means changing the protocol, I get upset.

WTC {Ironman} released their swimsmart program today for selected North American Ironman races.  http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/05/swimsmart-initiative.aspx#axzz2SnhE5WWu

We have known this was coming with the rumor mill aka Slowtwitch.com and Ironman CDA but I can help but be shocked that its finally "official." Ironman states they've inacted this policy to "improve athlete satisfaction {obviously not mine} and to reduce anxiety during the swim." I think they are doing it for the lawyers. Everyone is scared of the lawyers. It's not about those who have died, it's about the money they'll lose if the right person passes. My sincere blessings are with the families of those who have gone. Heck if I happen to die swimming, I hope someone reads this at my funeral. I will have died a happy woman, in an element that I love! Here's my take, and a blunt one at that. 

The Good {or the "duh" answers}

1) Swim buoy numbering. Obviously this will help on course support maneuver to aid a participant in need. Good call. As a race director myself, I believe we will initiate this at our 2013 race and make sure all personnel are briefed ahead of time.

2) Water temp rules. Below 52 or above 88 and swim is cancelled. Okay, fine. I don't prefer to swim in a frozen lake or hot cest pool. But I swam IM St George in 52 and had it been 51 and cancelled, lets just say it wouldn't have been pretty. Tahoe, you better warm up for September, okay! 

3) Pre-race warmup. YES! I am a huge proponent of warmup. I would like to bet that most triathletes who have a so called "panic attack" experience this within the first 3 min of the start. Warmup people!! It's all too often I go to a sprint/oly race and maybe 1/6 of the people in my wave have gotten wet. And getting wet is not a sufficient warmup. Would you run a 400m race without warming up? People warm up before the beer mile. This is Ironman; if you think you'll get too tired from a 10 min warmup to compete the 2.4 mile swim, then you didn't prepare and shouldn't toe the line. I think the warm up zone should be mandatory and on the way to an in-water mass start. {see my proposal below}

4) Increased rescue personnel and boats/watercraft. All good unless they leave the 2 stroke motors idling in front of me as I choke on the fumes. I kid, I kid. There should be regulation on number of lifeguards/boats per number of participants in the water at one time. 

5) Education. This only works so much, but it can't hurt. We are paying $700 for something, so using those resources to create videos, training suggestions, and more communication is always good. Luckily, most {ironman} triathletes are type A people who read the athlete guide cover to cover and email the race director because of a grammatical error. So WTC will probably have good luck with athletes actually reading/watching their stuff. 

Wow, so I didn't expect to get 5 nice things to say about this article. 

The Bad and Ugly

1) Resting Rafts. Have any of you been to a YMCA with a giant inflatable? We got one in middle school and it was awesome! A giant polar bear floating in the middle of the pool to crawl onto and jump off. Oh what fun it was until someone popped it. Or Floatopia, the famously banned party on the water. Spectators could pay money to get the best seat in the house!

This is ridiculous. I hope the resting rafts have a floating bar attached as well. I'm sure Powerbar will pony up the sponsor dollars to have their gels and drinks on board. If you are a swimmer in distress, can you imagine pulling yourself onto a floating/moving raft?! No way.

The rest have to do with changing the iconic mass start that has made Ironman famous. These races used to be "ready, set, go" and that shouldn't change. This is the one time when, as a woman, I get to start FIRST {well behind those pro athletes...some of which I actually passed at IMSG}. This is when we all toe the line as equals. As individuals who paid to enter ourselves into a community of insanity, as triathletes starting on this 140.6 mile journey, I wish to start this race with those competitors.

Sports Photographer of the Year Donald Miralle
2012 National Geographic

2) Rolling Starts. Let's just say I'm glad I'm not doing CDA, Lake Placid or Louisville. The first two are switching to a format already in place at Louisville. This is one of the many reasons I didn't and won't sign up for that race {temperature, course, location}. But now that they are in my opinion ruining two of the most iconic North American races, ones that I've had my eye on, it's over. The swim start is becoming a running road race start. A self-seeding start whenever your foot crosses the start line. So say I'm on that line and I start. And a girl in my age group decides to start near the back 20 min later. She crosses the finish line 19min 59 sec after me and I've officially just lost a sprint finish I didn't realize I entered. Of all three of the proposals, this is the worst.

3) Self-Seeding. Do you really think that triathletes are a realistic bunch of people? What are the DNF rates at these races? People pay the money. No one starts the race thinking they won't finish. But it's Ironman; something does and always will happen. So why should official self-seeding change anything? Isn't that what we are technically already doing? Unofficial self-seeding. I warmed up, and swam to the front of the start line at St. George. I treaded water on the front line. I actually raised my feet/body as they counted down to the start. I looked over, and saw people STILL ON THE BEACH for a in-water, mass start swim. Isn't that self seeding; those folks were uninterested in toeing the line with me and my big shoulders? In a running road race, how much passing and re-passing is happening with the self-seeding corals? What's the point? Lawyers. Right. They think that my using the defense, of oh, that guy drowned because he self-seeded himself too high and had a panic attack when the faster swimmers came blazing by and inhaled water while having a heart attack. It isn't our fault. Well right, it isn't. But changing the protocol didn't help save his life.

4) Wave Starts. This is how most triathlons start. Everyone has their gripe. Girls are usually last. At SDIT, my wave is usually after the 60+ men, Clydesdale and Challenged Athletes. Seriously? I don't look forward to swimming over any of those individuals, nor any other participant! I signed up for Ironman because of peer pressure, and because of my memory of watching the start of IMAZ 2008. It brought tears to my eyes and I knew that one day I'd be in that water with 2000+ competitors. Wave starts make it just another event, just a really really long day at another event. At least you'll be able to actually compete with others in your age group in a better head to head competition than the self-seeding time trial starts. But it won't be the same.

Okay, less gripes vs. positive reactions.

My proposal

In-water, mass swim starts with a start line at least 300 yards away from the swim entrance. Not that 300 is enough, but I can see too many gripes from the peanut gallery if that distance increases - "I didn't enter a 2.4 mile + 300 yard race!" {Well hey, the way the 2 loop course at Tahoe works, there is a beach RUN during the swim and I sure as hell didn't sign up for a race where any more unnecessary running is added...it's Lake Tahoe for gosh sakes!! It's not like there isn't enough room.} The beach starts bring unnecessary anxiety and heart rate spikes. In-water starts force competitors to at least get wet and "warmup" to the start line. No sprained ankles, or anyone getting trampled {my swim fears}. St. George was the easiest swim I've ever experienced in my triathlon career and I say that with sincerity.

This topic obviously strikes a cord with me. Feel free to facebook/twitter/email me if you'd like to vent. I'm looking forward to the status quo at Tahoe {officially or unofficially self-seeding}, and I'm sure as heck working on my beach starts this summer. I will not get trampled.

Save the mass start. Learn to swim. Register for something that is an obtainable goal for YOU, make a plan, and get some!! It's too bad that money, lawyers, and the underprepared are changing the world of triathlon.

Yours in Swimming Smart,
Rachel

 

Tonsillectomy Tuesday

Tonsillectomy = not awesome. Gross details ahead but I'll spare you from the pictures.

Day 1: 7:30am checkin. First iv line blown and it took a while to find another. Tonsils were taken out with a machete. Recovery room was horrible pain and they wouldn't let me lay on my side. I felt like puking, but being in so much pain, I had to keep the barf down with sheer force. Second recovery area was much more pleasant. 2 popsicles. 1 lap walking around the track. Was cleared for departure.

Day 2: Night one was horrible. Up every 30-40min. Car alarm in the alley didn't help the cause. Day 2 wasn't bad though. I thought I was home free. I {slowly} ate some mac and cheese! Was trying to go 6 hours between pain meds. No such luck.

Day 3: Death by sleeping. Slept more, set my alarm for 4 hour increments to make sure to wake up for the pain meds. Helped. Woke up and felt like a monster was sleeping in my throat and I woke him up. Ate chicken broth, water, apple juice.

google image search is awesome.
exactly how i feel

Day 4: Woke up in tears. I now dread sleeping. Daytime is much easier. Pain meds are very cyclical. Take it, feel crappy for 20 min, feel awesome at 45 min, good for 2 hours, and then pray that the rest of the time up to 4 hours hurries by because I'm in so much pain. Eating happens in the afternoon hours. Sherbet, chicken broth, ice chips, pudding.

Day 5: Missed my am pain meds and woke up alone {Kyle went to look at cars} and in horrible pain. Mornings bring dagger pain and a stiff neck. Once the medication gets back into my system things get better. Took a ride in Kyle's new {1968} VW Beetle! Ate angel hair pasta and scrambled eggs, more pudding, hard-boiled egg whites.

i can't believe we own a bug!

Day 6: Alarms worked, but still woke up with the worst pain yet. Stayed in bed longer than usual. Accomplished my goals of taking a shower and cleaning the bathroom/bedroom. More pasta and mashed potatoes. Surviving. However, I think the scabs are starting to fall off. The shedding is more disgusting more than painful; but I've learned to expect that the pain will come.

With all this lazing around, I really need to start stretching and rolling. My legs were sore from Oceanside until Wednesday, but that was the least of my pain concerns. I think I actually recovered quicker than usual. I ran as fast as I could on the day, and while it wasn't fast or "hard" it was still time spent pounding on cement. Heel isn't hurting nearly as bad, so I'm optimistic for training again, once my throat allows.

i know how you feel buddy; okay maybe not.

I watched Paris-Roubaix today. Great race. I don't think my heart rate has been that high since the surgery! Go Fabian!

2013 Oceanside 70.3

leisure pace. trying to smile + stay positive.

So after 5 years of living in So Cal I finally raced Oceanside half ironman. It's a hometown race and it's pegged as one of those races where you freeze at. Okay, so after the Panama 70.3 humidity disaster of last year, sign me up! For racing, I embrace the cold! I know my body doesn't perform well in the heat and sun, so I begged for rain and cloud cover and freezing ocean temps. I swim in the cove {almost} year round and while, yeah, it's freezing, I'm used to it. And I know most of my competitors aren't.

You can't always get what you want.

After a crappy night sleep experiencing some wicked lower back pain from standing at the expo for the past 2 days and the Crohn's flare, race morning came early. Kyle and I picked up Noko at 4:30am and we made the trek up to north county. Managed to scarf down an entire bowl of Malt-O-Meal {with heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar} and I made sure to drink plenty of fluids on the drive up. Kyle dropped us off at T2 and we situated our run stuff and rode the bikes over to T1. Got set up and then saw Kyle where we watched the Pro's swim through the harbor so I could take a better look at the overview of the buoys. Put myself into the {cattle} corral and waited until our group was the next released into the {62 degree WARM, what?!} water.

okay! made it to the start liine. ready for the long day ahead.

Swim: 24:16, 1st 30-34 AG, fastest amateur female, 5th overall
Wave 17 {lucky number, lucky swim} 7:30am, 50 min after the pro's and the gun goes off, and there we go. It was a pretty uneventful swim. Goggles performed beautifully {no fogging/cracking issues}. I drafted for a while, then I took the lead for a while, then the girl started tapping my feet like we were pacelining, so I flipped over, adjusted a goggle, took a few backstrokes, let her pass me and I stayed on her side for a while. I didn't like her line going into the turnaround so I took a shorter line. Ended up emerging after the turn pretty close to her so I started drafting again. Saw the husband at his post, I waved and yelled "Hi!" as I knew he'd get a chuckle from that. I gave one final push to try and drop the girl, but knew it was pointless, so I let up and coasted into the turn, where I had the inside line and took a wide corner to the chute and hopped out of the water before her. Success!

Bike: 2:54:13, 12th AG, 47th amateur
Took some time in transition and got out onto Kermit and his new wheels and started off pretty easy. Lisa passed me just as we passed onto the base at Camp Pendelton. After the first climb I realized my HR monitor wasn't working so I started playing with my Garmin and I was becoming quickly frustrated so I quit that. Christine passed me and from then on it was a race. And it was fun. I knew I didn't have a shot at hell in placing in my AG, but I sure as heck wanted her and Lisa to do well, so I kept up the pace and kept them motivated to keep the first girl in sight {B+L kit?}. We were swapping leads through the base and into San Onofre and back onto the base. I felt pretty good going into the first hill and unfortunately let her and Lisa slip away, and I never saw them again. I hit a LOW point after the downhill. The winds started to pick up and I felt like I was going no where in my small ring. It was almost a bonk, except I was eating enough. I had enough caffeine. I just chalked it up to not enough training and a crappy, exhausting week. It started to get scary when my eyes started drying up and they kept involuntarily closing. I really thought I was going to end up in the ditch or crashing. Those were not good moments for me. I didn't think I'd be able to finish the bike, much less run. I caught some legal drafts back to T2 and walked my bike to my rack. It's a race for goodness sake, and I'm walking. Think angry cat face. I dump Kermit and thank him for a job well done for getting be back safely. The new Zipp Firecrest 404 650s were amazing and I feel bad I couldn't do them justice. I walk to the "run out" exit and see Julie who is yelling at me to start running. So I started running.

go Kermit!

ramps of death

Run: 2:17:05, 57th AG {not kidding}
And that was the run. I "ran" the entire run besides the ridiculous ramps/and steep hill jaunts that make the course a crazy rat race. I ran through the aid stations. And I ran to the finish. I was so glad to have so many people out there I knew. It was a mental game for me to attempt to enjoy this experience. My ankle/foot hurt with every step. My quads and hamstrings were steps away from cramps but the salt tabs, coke, and ice were doing their magic. My lower back was less barky than I thought it would be. I wished I had a visor. Yet, my smile worked. It was infectious. There was no use grimacing through the race. After mile 4, I asked Brian what my swim time was, I almost had a heart attack. I almost tripped on my face. I almost started crying. But what I did do was smile. Seriously, I did not believe him. Good thing the race wasn't on April 1. I knew that no matter how I finished, I would always have that swim. And so I smiled.

finish chute. yes i did look back and check for girls.

OA: 5:41:22
I ended up 25th in my ridiculously stacked "new" age group. Even though this was my slowest half ironman to date, even though it wasn't my hardest earned finish, this race will still hold a different place in my heart. I overcame obstacles and kept a mostly positive attitude. I will get my revenge for this race, maybe not at this race, but I wish to fully conquer the 70.3 distance in a way I know I'm fully capable of.

phew. filled with positive emotion and some tears.

I'm a tactical racer. I hate running. It's not about tactics, it's about laying it all out there. And I'm no good at that. Swimming is tactics and technique, course corrections and effort management. Cycling is very much about race planning, strategy, nutrition, pacing, course knowledge. Running is about pain and frustration and just isn't fun. I really really need to get stronger and much more efficient with this running game and I know I can enjoy it. But the journey getting there is tough.

thank you sherpa kyle.

P.S. I would pay good money to start with the male pro's and get the hole shot behind Andy Potts. I really really would like to know if I could hang with them and what I'm capable of without having to swim over and around the masses.

p.p.s I WANT THESE. BADLY.

Tape {Errr}

5:41 (50min after pro start). Slowest half to date.

I'm not really sure where to start with this Oceanside 70.3 race report, so here it goes. I finished. With a smile on my face. My journey to that finish line was one I wouldn't like to repeat, and it's not necessarily about lessons learned this time.

I suppose I'll start with this. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in college. I'll spare the details, but it wasn't pretty. Scopes, colonoscopies, and too many visits to the gastroenterologist, I was finally able to move past the pain and flares and learn how to control the frequency. There is no exact cause or cure, so no use worrying about that stuff. It came down to stress, spicy foods, and Crystal Light.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I had ZERO energy. I couldn't motivate myself to get out of bed to ride, run or swim. I had less of an appetite. I couldn't focus. Work has been super busy, so all my energy and focus has been diverted to making it through the day and being as productive as possible. I knew I wasn't over trained as I hadn't been reaching my potential with weekly mileage/time and running was severely cut since Carlsbad half. And then I remembered all these feelings and this pain.

And I knew it was back.

Last Monday I had a pre-op appointment for the tonsils. All the useless paperwork signing for anesthesia. I felt like crap when I woke up. I couldn't eat. I went home after that appointment and had to take a nap. I emailed my doctor and they called 40 min later and told me to go to the ER to see the gastro. I was in quite a bit of pain, so I went. And I sat and waited. And was there for 8 hours. Got some pain medication, which I don't like and I hate doing. I wasn't asked to give a stool sample when I got there or at any point until the end of the evening, after the pain meds which make me not able to go. I left with a fever and walking out I puked up the half of banana and apple juice in the parking lot. I slept like crap. I was angry at the system and mad at myself for taking the medication. Tuesday I went to the gastro and got a scope and they told me it takes 1-2 weeks to get the results.

Wednesday I was back to work and had a full schedule with three bike fit appointments and there were only 2 of us at the shop. Thursday and Friday were spent standing at the Oceanside expo for work in the Zipp booth for 10+ hour days.

Yeah, the taper wasn't looking so hot.

Since my body wasn't interested in me getting to the finish line, I knew my mind was going to have to work overtime. Race report to follow...

{tonsillectomy tomorrow, so it may be a minute for the RR}

Endless thanks to my husband {sherpa} for his love and care through all this crap. He has made getting through this much easier. Sometimes I give him a hard time {okay, a lot of time} but I truly couldn't do this without him. {even if I did call him the worst sherpa ever for posting himself at the bottom of a hill on the bike to take pics...seriously?}

why are you here and not there? :) #hungoversherpa

second by a second

Whelp - that goes down as a lesson learned. Went out to the Desert International Triathlon and lost in a sprint finish to the line that I didn't even realize I was entered into until it was too late. Always go hard to the line. Lessons learned every time I race in this most of the time awesome sport.

Packed and got Kermit race ready on Friday, I worked a half day on Saturday, and Kyle and I were off to the desert - Palm Springs area - and set up camp. I love this race for many reasons, but the $15 lakeside camping at the race site is definitely a reason to make this a yearly race. We ate at a little Italian restaurant in Coachella and came back to the new {already broken in by mountain men} tent for a relatively good night sleep.

Race morning brought the usual run around craziness. I left Kyle in charge of packing the food/camping stuff, as the triathlon race packing is enough for me to handle. Whelp, lesson learned. Make sure to check the fuel in the Jetboil before relying solely on hot water to cook the oatmeal for breakfast. He blamed it on {mountain man} Frank for putting an empty canister back in the pot. We had nothing else besides beer. Okay, improvise. I have 3 Gu's and some Powerbar energy blasts that I had planned on using for the race. Maybe someone will have something in transition. I need to get over there to register and get my bib and jerry-rig my bike number on. Kyle was trying to find something when I suggested the Clif tent - where he begged for an entire bar and not just a sample. They begged him not to tell anyone - and so an entire mint chocolate chip Clif bar was breakfast.

what's for breakfast?

Setup transition, ran for warmup, slammed down my pre-race vanilla GU, made my new goggles {which freaking crackled again after putting them on my face!! I've about had it with these sweedish goggles and the layer on the inside crackling upon first use!} and got in for a quick warmup before swimming right up to the beach starting line. Beautiful sunrise over the lake and luckily a bit of puffy clouds to shelter it enough to not be blinded the entire first half of the swim. 3, 2, 1 swim all out to the first buoy 15 yards out. Don't want to get caught in the mess of that. Pretty much a solo swim from there on out. Started crawling over those darn grey caps before the next buoy and through the turn and all the way back to the exit. I really should get better at running so I can toe the line with the elites in these small local races and actually draft a good line during the swim. #swimmerproblems #notarunner

Out of the water feeling pretty good considering Jake and I swam to the pier on Friday. Through transition with nothing notable. Put on the sweet new Giro Selector aerohelmet from the hubs for valentines day. Wow, I can actually say I noticed a difference. I love the visor; it puts me into this zone of aero focus. The bike was awesome. Kermit has been pulling his weight lately, since my ankle/heel have been slacking. I was a bit nervous about the drafting fest  of last year {only reason I don't like this race}, but to my surprise, it was actually clean riding around me, and I was stoked! Another girl and I were trading off {legal} leads and I'm sure we were both helping each other push the pace. Just a very basic 2 loop rectangle flat course with a couple of hairy turns due to the road surface, cone placement, bike traffic, and the handling skills of triathletes. Had 28oz of water from the aerodrink, 3/4 bottle of APX, and 1 vanilia Gu.

near the end. not looking back.

Got off the bike and I actually felt amazing and ready to dread the run. :) Nah, I didn't have any expectations but to just think about my form and only stop if the heel pain went over a 5. Surprisingly felt alright and kept chugging out 8:20s like I was going to be there for a while. Saw Kyle a couple of times and he reminded me to go hard into the finish, after looking back and telling me there wasn't anyone behind me who looked like they were on their 2nd lap. Whelp, lessons learned. Go hard to the finish even if your sherpa has no idea who the competition is.

My foot hit the timing mats before hers, but she leaned into the archway/finish line and squeaked out the win. I'm not unhappy at all with my performance. I'm not even angry about the finish. I've had my fair share of out touching going both ways in my swimming career to know when to get pissed. My swim was faster than last year and the course felt a bit longer. My bike was spot on, and it was actually legit racing. My run was slower, but it was to be expected. Last year I was coming off Panama 70.3 fitness and this year I have ankles and heels that don't agree with my hobby. And that's exactly what it is - a hobby. I graciously accepted my 2nd place by a second tile and enjoyed the 3rd transition at the pool bar.

second by a second, on the stand with a 3?

ah yes. 3rd transition back into the {much warmer} water

 Anxiously excited to see how I hold up at Oceanside - swimming, riding, and running twice the distance. It's only 2 of those. Plus a little more. It won't be that bad. It's only a half of an Ironman...eeek.

Oh, so the tonsils are officially getting the boot, 2 days after Oceanside. And I'm "out" for 2 weeks. So look for some really boring blogs coming up about how much pain I'm in and how much I hate tapioca pudding. I'm currently accepting soft food donations {literally I hate tapioca, so don't even think about putting those "fish eggs" in my house}, good movie/TV series recommendations, and fro-yo dates {delivered to my house, naturally.}

winter blues

Is it racing season yet? Seriously sick of this winter training {and lack of training} stuff. I'm officially admitting that I'm a Californian. My thick Minnesotan {Kyle's pronunciation: min-eh-so-shun} blood has thinned to the lowest viscosity. In fact, I can't really remember having thick blood. My body has always used clothing and water to regulate temperature. With the slightest change I'm either freezing or frying and requiring a complete wardrobe change. There is just no hope for temperature regulation - so that's why I moved to California. Because it's not supposed to get cold or hot here. And us Californian's sure do know how to complain about the weather. One of those "storm of the centuries" supposedly hit Tues/Wed {of course my days off}. I went for a bike ride. I ran. Yeah it's not that bad. End rant.

The blues of winter also mean that my cute Navy husband got to wear his handsome dress blues for his re-enlistment ceremony. Not shown is my down jacket hidden for the photo-op. Thanks again to Maj. Dave for going 2 for 2 in performing {free} legal ceremonies for the Wills family!

On a random note, K-edge sent me a surprise custom made blue Garmin mount for Super Grover! Kid in a candy store excitement erupted when opening the box. Kyle has the red mounts for his Garmin and Go-Pro and I was slightly jealous that they don't make blue like their chain catcher. I casually mentioned this to the guys at K-edge when placing an order for a customer, I was truly shocked to see one in the box with the order!! Yeah, it's the little things.

Blue boots of recovery at UCPT. it's been a fun journey learning how to run {continued process for me} and learning how my "pretty ballerina feet" aren't so pretty inside.

Blue fit bike! Yeah we got the new Guru Experience fit bike. It's {almost} exactly the same as the old one...just with fancy blue lights. I'm still doing bike fits daily - making people faster and more comfortable is pretty rad. Taking the bike out of the equation and just focusing on the rider is what we do, and is what we've ALWAYS done at Moment. It's not about the fancy machine either - the fitter must have the experience and knowledge.

Sadly, today the color of the week shifted to red; Kyle had an unfortunate car incident {accident} in LA and required me to save him. Poor Baby Girl {Red Xterra}. Brought him to his race where he had another unfortunate incident. Poor Kyle's palm {bloody}. And poor me - having to miss work {and my workout} and drive 6 hours in LA. I'm ready for the blues to come back.

Soon enough my toes will be blue at the start line of the Desert Tri next weekend.

knock. drop. get up.

knock knock. what have i been up to?

Blogging falls on the back burner as training increases or injuries occur. No, not overuse, for that hasn't been possible this go-around; it's these silly swimmer limbs of mine and the lack of lateral movements.

I sprained my ankle. Big deal. moving on...

Since the holidays, I've been a sherpa at one of Kyle's cross races:

I swear this is So Cal. 

Tough life. Got new rain boots for the impending rain. It didn't rain but I did get  to run around in some mud playing camera girl.

okay, this is more So Cal-esk

And his latest crit [I had to work during what would have been the time for my race] where he went off the front with too many laps to go and eventually got caught. But it gave him some good TT'ing experience for 5ish laps. Hey, you gotta go when the feeling is right. I did miss his moment in shining glory where he won an off season crit up in LA. Huge props to the husband who took a chance and motivated the others in the break and they made it stick!

I've also dove into some action myself, riding the stagecoach century with Erin for her first 100. We were troopers out there in the 45 degree weather. It was fun to suffer through together, a little over a week after that darn ankle injury.

yeah! finished!

Kyle and I headed out to Julian for the Moment Cycle Sport team training camp. We had two solid days of riding and I'm pretty sure I experienced my hardest day on the bike, ever. It wasn't the longest, nor the coldest, and not even the most elevation gain. It was just a hard day on the bike with fast dudes. I really learned how to push myself past the comfort level to see how far I could handle it before cracking. We started downhill [for 30 miles in below 40 temps, omg frozen popsicle] and entered Borrego Springs. The Montezuma climb approached. I managed to keep my HR between 183-193 for the entire climb, as I was chasing down JT. After the first 30 miles, the next 43 had 6500ft of elevation gain. Fun times getting blown around with a pretty substantial headwind back [UP] to the cabin. Did my first brick run post ankle sprain and had my fill of "recovery drink" i.e. 3 glasses of milk with a heavy pour of chocolate syrup.

pretty much sums up the aftermath

Running was put on the backburner more than the blog, but Carlsbad half marathon was still left on the "race" calendar. [as if i have such a thing.] It probably wasn't the smartest idea, as I know when I put a bib on, "training day" goes out the window and competitor mode turns on. Ouches. Legs did not like that wakeup call, nor did the remaining attached and non bruised ligaments in my ankle. Powered through and was only 9 min slower than last year. Stoked for the husband who managed a huge PR with a 1:43 off the couch. Darn skinny boys with tree trunk cycling legs. Grrr....

staying warm + dry before the race

Six days later we both raced Boulevard road race. It was more of a "hang on for as long as possible and then find some stragglers to work with so I'm not alone" race. Good times and my HR was high where I wanted it to be. I'm not in the shape I should be to tackle such an elevation filled race, but who cares? More experience and a solid training day on Super Grover. I did feel MUCH better than I remember from two years ago, so maybe my legs are getting used to this cycling thing.

lining up. dread ensues. (cool new kits, hey?)

Super Grover shimmering in his usual amazingness

Love Ocean Beach

where's the beach?  

I've been seeing Gino at UCPT for the ankle. I'm hoping we can get me running regularly with proper form soon. Oceanside is approaching quickly and I really really don't want to experience the pain of another unprepared half marathon.

After some major drama and worrying, Kyle's PTS was approved! He got capped in December and promoted to 1st Class! So proud of him. He'll be re-enlisting on Thursday for 6 more years. We'll be in San Diego for [at least] half of those. He's switching commands and will be over in Coronado starting on Friday.

Happy February!

Feeling Christmassey!

It's my 5th Christmas living in San Diego, and while each year I secretly wish for a white Christmas, I know the only white will come from the white caps in the windy Pacific Ocean. I am lucky enough to live by the beach and have the ability to ride my bike {almost} every day. The storms of yesterday have passed - and thank goodness. That hour spent on the trainer was dreadful. I pay the sunshine tax for a reason, and it's definitely paid so I don't have to ride my trainer.

I haven't always felt so "Christmassey" living in the sunshine capital of the US --> but this year has been a bit different. Kyle and I set up the fake tree we bought two years ago for our first Christmas {I'm allergic to pine pollen} and I wrapped presents early to put under the tree. I finished my Christmas shopping with very little stress, and really tried to get into the spirit of the season. I drove slower, and smiled more, and it's actually working.  And in spite of not being with family for this Christmas, I'm very much looking forward to the day with my husband. Pretty tree + presents in the morning, followed by a bike ride up the coast with Noko,  {sadly no Ian; he's getting a new hip today!} sunset on the beach, and then a delicious dinner.

Today, I rode the beach cruiser with the custom basket to the post office to mail the last of the gifts - which will be arriving on time! Unfortunately logging miles on that bike doesn't count as training as the Garmin didn't make the 4 block journey. {hey, I did a long run this morning!}

Warm wishes and Merry Christmas from San Diego!

Zipp/Sram rep sonja brought yummy cookies,
a sram scarf and custom name tags for my bike!

tree on the beach - postal run

beach ball ornaments!

love where we live :)

make a wish!
yep, superstitions still run true with me. :)

enjoying those superstitions with our new roommate. Stone's
Vertical Epic 11-11-11 and 12-12-12. Both were unique!

oh what fun...

2012 has been a pretty unique year that has been split in two. I look back and see pre and post deployment sections, and I'm sure many military families must feel this on a regular basis. Kyle and I have survived his first deployment and I'm happy to say, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't about wishing my life away so he'd come home sooner. It was about living in the moment, here and now, and enjoying the time I had to grow as an individual, and our time to grow as a married couple, even though we were many time zones away. We continue to learn how we both communicate and to speak those languages. He's a pretty amazing husband, friend, cyclist and sailor.

On the training and racing front, I've gone through a couple of phases. I took a semi relaxed approach to training for Panama 70.3 and Carlsbad half marathon and ended up with a half marathon PR and reconfirmed that my body hates heat/humidity and the importance of course selection. I had a blast in Panama and it was a good break from work and Kyle's deployment. I took some time off after, and then put myself to a 30 day run challenge, which was semi successful in gaining some sort of run fitness {and a lot of tight muscles} but it enabled me to hold a base through San Diego International Tri, which is my yearly benchmark race, and I snagged another PR and another AG podium. Unfortunately run fitness didn't last until Carlsbad tri, where another last min race plan was good enough for AG win, but no PR.

Tri racing decided to take a back seat to summer fun and a pretty amazing sailor who was finally home. We did a couple of criterium races, me aboard my new steed, Super Grover and he on his new ride, Karen. I mourned the loss of Cookie Monster in the spring, and about the time that I got my sailor back, Cookie Monster returned as a frame to my life, in a crazy turn of events.

Fall has brought a return to semi structured training, as the year ahead brings some big racing and big changes. Kyle is switching commands and even though it's "shore duty" he'll be gone quite a bit. Things at the shop are continually changing, yet it seems sometimes nothing does. I really love bike fitting and think I'm pretty good at it too. Making people faster and more comfortable is a very rewarding part of my job. Educating a new cyclist and teaching them to clip in for the first time is a unique experience. Showing other tri-nerds how far off their position was, and how much more comfortable they can and will be {and not to mention faster} is awesome. Bike fit is near and dear to me and it's definitely become a passion. Doing what you love on a daily basis is pretty amazing.

This holiday season, we'll be home. At the beach. Work schedules and duty sections require us to stay close. It'll be nice to have Christmas morning together this year, aboard our bicycles for a fun ride up the Pacific coast...because we can! I'm happy to have my sailor home for the holidays and my thoughts are with those who cannot be with their families.

all our best :: warm wishes from San Diego this holiday season :: merry christmas

{sneak peek at the christmas card; because i'm no good at keeping surprises}

Colorful Joy Christmas Card

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