Blowing Out The Cobwebs

Yesterday Albert and I both got a chance to blow out the cobwebs and get back into racing mode at the Striders Winter Running Circuit 5K in Ogden, UT. One down, four to go in the series! Overall awards will be given out at the end of the series for the top 3 males and females who have the lowest combined times over all five races. The events get progressively longer (5K, 10K, 10-miler, half-marathon, 30K) and are used by many people as training runs building up to the Ogden Marathon in May. For me it's a great way to ramp up my running miles leading into the triathlon season and to practice pacing and racing tactics in a low-key setting. The best thing about it is that 3 of the races start at the Dee Events Center, a mere 10 minutes from our house! Gotta love that. Striders running store in Layton produces the event, and proceeds from the first three events this year are going towards helping the families of the Ogden police officers who were involved in the tragic shooting last month. If you live in the area and have not already registered, please consider signing up or otherwise contributing to help show support for our police department.

Striders does a great job putting these events on, keeping it simple yet professional. But be forewarned: if you're looking for a flat & fast 5K, 10K, or 10-miler, you're not going to get it at these races! They are the most hilly and challenging running race courses I have ever experienced. I would call them "strength" courses; pure foot speed is not necessarily going to help you here, you've got to be strong and know how to manage your energy. Previewing the course before race day is a good idea so that you know what to expect and can plan where to spend your energy. It also helps with winning the mental battle if you are familiar with the course. I usually catch myself singing "What Goes Up, Must Come Down" at some point during these races to help me tackle the hills.

Albert won the household bragging rights yesterday, nabbing 2nd place to my 3rd. I ended up in a tight race with two other ladies at the end, and we all ended up within one second of each other. Despite being on the "losing" end of a sprint finish, I was pleasantly surprised at how strong I felt throughout the run and how good I felt afterwards. I was able to make some moves on the uphills which is a good indication that the base strength I've been doing is on track. Afterwards Albert and I ran a preview of the 10K course which is coming up in two weeks. It'll be interesting to see how the running fitness progresses in that time.

Happy running!

Things I've Learned

I was outside running my "10 Mile Lollipop Loop" this morning, thinking about the upcoming season and reflecting on things that I've learned or that have been reinforced over the past 12 months. These are not necessarily original observations, but sometimes they don't mean much until you personally acknowledge them. I've decided to share a few of my thoughts here today:

~ Belief is a powerful tool...belief in your training, your ability, and your dreams can carry you a long way.
~ Recovery is an art.
~ The small stuff matters and can make a big difference.
~ Assume the best in people until they prove you wrong and even then, give them a second chance.
~ Consistency is key.
~ Distance and volume is all relative.
~ It's entirely possible to go to bed by 9pm every night. Just make it happen!
~ Foam rolling really works. The harder the roller the better.
~ A few pounds less on the body = a few minutes faster on the run.
~ Having your heart in the right place helps to keep your head in the right place.
~ Mental gray patches are temporary, and so is pain. But you know the saying...pride is forever!
~ Training is the bread and butter, racing is the icing on the cake.

Here's to a happy, healthy, and successful season!

What A Year It Was

I thought it would be fitting on this final day of the year 2011 to sit down and reflect on the events of past twelve months. It's difficult to encapsulate everything that has happened, so I'm just going to list some of my favorite memories/events from the past year. And here's a bonus: it's the illustrated version!

Good times from 2011 (in no particular order):
- Puttering around in the garden and eating the fresh tasty veggies it produced
- Watching Sherman (our black lab) perform amazing acrobatic feats during games of chuck-it
- Seeing Suzzie (our German Shepherd) transform from a neurotic toothy terror to a sweet, playful, and eager-to-please beauty
- Having brand-spanking new windows installed in our house
- Backyard grilling...almost every day this summer, yum
- The liberating feeling of commuting to work on my bike and the Frontrunner train
- Catching up on years of missed reading while riding the train
- Vegas Trip #1: being the impetus for getting my mom to fly for the first time in over 40 years!
- Vegas Trip #2: great shows, great food, great hotel, great memories with Albert
- Learning to surf (sort of) in Costa Rica
- The sweet taste of victory at a big triathlon while smashing my own expectations for a predicted time
- Sharing the above victory with a very special group of family and friends
- In fact, having a faithful contingent of friends, family, and fans at pretty much every race I did this year
- Getting to know the really wonderful people at REV3
- Awesome home-stays along the way
- Long bike rides in Ogden Valley with Rich
- Sunday hikes at Snowbasin with Albert and the doggies
- Trail running, my new love
- Learning to run fast again
- Meeting my new baby nephew
- Watching my niece (successfully) try out for the swim team
- Visiting the Salt Flats & Antelope Island with Val and Gemma
- Happy hikes with good friends
- Many loaves of fresh homemade bread
- A countless number of stunning Ogden sunsets

Here's to another great year in 2012!

Long Distance Worlds Race Report

Last weekend I celebrated my final race of the season at the International Triathlon Union Long Distance World Championships in Henderson, Nevada. It was unlike any other race I've ever done for a number of reasons, including: 1) it was my first time officially being part of a Team USA contingent and wearing our country's colors in competition, 2) the 4K/120K/30K distance was an unknown, 3) presenting my uniform for a pre-race inspection/check-in was a new experience, and 4) I was uncharacteristically stressed out in the days leading up to the race. For some reason there were a lot of little details to attend to, and everything seemed to take forever which got me feeling really edgy. I certainly didn't enjoy being around me---too bad it's hard to get away from oneself!

Luckily I found my rhythm by race morning; the routine of applying the race numbers the night before and then getting up before the crack of dawn for breakfast has become familiar and calming. I must say (and I'm probably going to jinx myself here) I've gotten to be an *almost* pro at applying temporary tattoos! I remembered to take all the plastic backings off first, and only one of my 3's ended up facing backwards. :)

I arrived at the T1/swim start area right about 5am which gave me a good two hours to set up my gear, warm-up, and make the requisite Porta Jane visits. Coach KT White (the Team USA manager) was waiting at the transition entrance and informed me that the ITU officials were discussing cancelling the swim because of the combined cold water and air temperatures; not five minutes later the official announcement was made. Hmm. No swim? That's not really what I prepared for but I think it was the right call----getting out of 55-degree water and hopping on a bike in 37 degree air temps is a great way to get hypothermia, especially for the slower swimmers who might be in the lake for over 2 hours. The new format was to be a 120K bike/30K run with a time trial start going in 5 second intervals in order of your bib number. That meant the elite men would go off first, followed by the elite women and then the age groupers. The span from the first elite woman to the last was going to be about 2.5 minutes and I was seeded somewhere in the middle, about 1:10 behind the first girl. Some of the fastest swimmers started behind me, so the dynamic was quite different than what it would have been with a swim first; in all honesty (and I cannot believe I am saying this!) I think the cancelled swim worked to my benefit. The strongest swimmers probably would have gained at least a 2 minute advantage over me coming out of the water so it was nice to not have any deficit to make up coming out of the water. On the flip side, I would not have the usual cushion over the slower swimmers going into the bike/run so the strategy basically became to race full bore the whole way and see where I landed at the end.

The biggest decision race-morning was figuring out what to wear in the chilly temps. I was most worried about my fingers and toes so full-fingered gloves and toe-warmers were a must; the big debate was if arm warmers would be enough to keep me from freezing or if I should consider some type of vest or jacket over my race kit. In the end I went with just the arm warmers which ended up being perfect. My nutrition basically stayed the same: 8 PowerGels in water, a bento box full of red creamer potatoes, and water on the bike, then 2 gel flasks (with 4 PowerGels each) throughout the run with hydration at every aid station.

I knew going into this race that the course was going to be tough and boy, did it live up to its reputation! OUCH. There were no flat sections anywhere on either the bike or run. With the exception of the Three Sisters (3 short 16-18% grade climbs around mile 60) the hills weren't steep, but they were that special kind of long & steady grind that you find so often here in the western United States. I have a love-hate relationship with this type of hill. I train on hills like this all the time and have gotten strong on them, but that doesn't mean I necessarily like them!

On the bike I passed a handful of girls early in the ride, then was passed in turn by Nikki Butterfield (a former pro cyclist) around mile 20 and then by eventual winner Rachel Joyce just after the Three Sisters. I kept pushing to catch up to USA teammate Meredith Kessler but couldn't quite manage to bridge the gap and eventually lost sight of her once we got off the bike path and headed towards downtown Henderson. Thank you uber-coach Michael Lovato for calling out splits and encouragement along the way! Despite the time trial start the field was relatively spread out and it seemed to be a pretty clean race---thanks in large part to the challenging nature of the course I'm sure.

I started the run in 6th place with the knowledge that my running legs were with me on this day. The course consisted of four loops of out-and-back one direction then out-and-back in the other direction. It was essentially downhill for the first 1/4 lap, then uphill for a 1/2 lap, then downhill again for the last 1/4 of each loop. I've grown fond of looped run courses because it helps me to mentally break them up, plus it's really great for spectators. And I had a fan club with me at this one! My mom, Aunt Candy, and college roommate Courtney all made the trip out to Vegas to cheer me on with signs and cowbells, a vuvuzela and classically-trained singer's lungs! They were great and definitely gave me a boost every time I ran past. Thanks to EVERYONE who cheered for me out there---it was pretty neat to wear the country's colors in a world championship event and hear the shouts of "Go USA"!

The run felt GREAT for three laps; the fourth lap was still strong but I was definitely in the hurt locker by then. I focused on turnover, form, and landing lightly. I was only passed by one other girl at about mile 4 (Leanda Cave---the fastest run split of the day and certainly not someone to be ashamed of being overtaken by) which put me in 7th place, and then somewhere along the run two ladies ahead of me dropped out. I didn't realize this until the last lap, when I saw Meredith storming to third place and gave her a whoop and she yelled that I was holding 5th. I would have liked to have gotten 5th place by virtue of running down a couple of girls instead of them dropping out, but I'm still thrilled with the result. 5th place at Worlds! And 5th-fastest run split of the day. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that would ever happen! Boy oh boy, does that ever get me fired up for next year...

To top off the day, the USA women took home the Elite Team title based on our combined times (Meredith Kessler in 3rd, me in 5th, and Amanda Lovato in 12th). Jordan Rapp nabbed the overall elite men's World Championship title, and Nick Thompson ran his way into 5th place. All around a very good showing!

Check back again soon for a season recap including reflections on lessons I have learned this season. As always, thanks again to my sponsors (PowerBar, Rudy Project, blueseventy, Maxxis, and Wasatch Running Center) and to all my family, friends, acquaintances, and random people who have cheered for and supported me throughout the years.

Pics From ITU Long Distance Worlds---5th Place!

Here are a couple of official snaps from the International Triathlon Union Long Distance World Championships last weekend in Henderson, Nevada. The swim was cancelled due to cold water and air temperatures, so it ended up being "just" a 120K (~75 mile) bike ride followed by a 30K (18.64 mile) run. Who would have ever thought that eliminating the swim portion would work in my favor?! But I'm pretty sure it did, and all the hard work I've put into cycling and running this year really paid off. The highlight statistic for me was clocking the 5th fastest run of the day, averaging 6:53 per mile (which is right at 3 hours for a marathon). Woohoo! I can play with the big girls now!

Speaking of playing with the big girls: Meredith Kessler, Amanda Lovato and I combined to win the Elite Women's Team title based on our combined times. Woohoo Team USA!

Hopping on a plane...

...and heading to Vegas later today for the ITU Long Distance World Championships to be held on Saturday! Send some positive vibes my way. :)

Racing Within and Without

(all photos courtesy of Eric Wynn)

Last weekend I had the pleasure of competing in the final event of the 2011 REV3 Triathlon Series in Anderson, South Carolina. This was a special weekend for many reasons, including that it was a reunion of sorts with my host family-and-friends from REV3 Knoxville earlier in the year. Thank you Toons, Todd, Doc, and Trish for embracing me as one of the gang, and congrats to everyone on their races!

While I'm in the "thank-you" mode, I'd like to also extend my thanks to Charlie Patten and the entire REV3 crew for yet another top-notch event and an overall fantastic series. I've done every single race that REV3 produced this year and can attest that they provide a level of organization, professionalism, and attention to detail that is unlike anything I've ever seen before in my eleven years in the sport. Everyone is taken care of at a REV3 event: the pros, the age-groupers, the spectators, the kids, and the staff. The staff itself is made up of friendly and approachable people who really seem to share a passion for triathlon. I have yet to meet an unhappy staff member or volunteer at a REV3 event, and I think that speaks volumes for the quality of the company. It's been a real pleasure getting to know the "behind the scenes" people this year and to witness the REV3 series really take off. I'm looking forward to what they have in store for 2012!

Back to the race itself. This was by far the largest professional field assembled for any REV3 event, and with a large field comes good depth. For the ladies there was an interesting mixture of ITU, middle-distance, and long-distance athletes on the start line. I knew that it would be tough to pull off another win in this field, but I felt that I had recovered well from the Full Rev at Cedar Point and that a top-three finish was definitely within reach. The relentless rolling hills on the bike and run certainly made it a "strength" course (which suits me) and the windy conditions on race day simply added to the toughness of the course.

The swim was unique in that the course went around a peninsula, so that we entered the water on one side and exited on the opposite side of the point. It was a non-wetsuit swim for the pros which is fine by me, although in retrospect with the speedy ITU girls in the mix I probably would have benefited more from a wetsuit legal swim. With my emphasis on long-distance racing these days I don't spend nearly the same amount of time in the pool as I used to and it becomes glaringly obvious when the short-course ladies come out to play! I exited the water about 2.5 minutes down from the lead group---not great, but nothing to panic about when there are 69.1 more miles of racing to go.

The hills began immediately out of T1. I overtook one of the other ladies on the first hill, then found myself trading back and forth with one of the pro men for a few miles. He eventually made a gap and I rode alone for a while until Magali Tissyre came up beside me. We traded back and forth a few times, and I must say it was really great riding with Magali for a couple of reasons: first, she is a very clean rider with a good understanding of the positioning rules. Secondly, at REV3 Knoxville earlier in the year she came zooming by (on a similar course) and I was not able to hang with her, so it was a good sign of my improved bike strength to be able to comfortably ride with her. I knew, though, that Magali is a dangerous runner and I did not want to get off the bike at the same time as her; I had to make a move at some point if I wanted to have any kind of cushion going into the run.

That move came when we rode up to Lauren Goss, one of the ITU super-swimmers in the field. I got slightly stuck behind the two of them going up a small hill and into a left-hand turn, and to stay legal I had to drop back a bit. It was a little weird how all the traffic converged at once; three cyclists, a USAT official motorcycle, and a media crew all going up this hill and through the turn at the same time. Once we made the turn I accelerated and flew right through the middle of the two other cyclists. I'm not sure if it surprised them or not, but it seemed to have been enough to make a bit of a gap.

Eventually I started catching glimpses of another rider up the road. I didn't know if it was a guy or a girl but that didn't matter: it was someone to try to catch! When I got to the little town of Pendleton I was surprised to find that the rider had suddenly gotten a LOT closer, and that the rider was Meredith Kessler. She is an uber-strong all-around triathlete who rode away from everybody at REV3 Portland in July so it was strange to be catching up to her so quickly. Then I realized why: she was riding standing up WITHOUT A SEAT!!! Talk about perseverance; by the end of the day she had ridden 20 miles standing up, then topped it off with the 2nd-fastest run split and 3rd place overall, only 1.5 minutes back of the win. That is one tough lady!

Once I passed Meredith I was sitting in 3rd place and that's where I stayed for the remainder of the ride. It's funny how I used to look forward to the end of the bike in a half-distance race because I would get so uncomfortable riding for that long, yet at the same time not be especially excited to run. Now I'm usually a little surprised that the end of the bike course comes so quickly but I'm eager to hop off and see how fast I can run. I left T2 about 2:45 behind the leader and with second place in my sights. Time to go fishing! I got a quick look at Magali and Meredith (!!!) coming into transition as I was starting the run, but tried to focus on what was up the road ahead of me.

This was by far the most exciting, competitive, duel-of-a-run that I've ever been a part of. The course was an awesome tangle of hills and turns, with one long challenging out-and-back section that allowed you a good look at where your competitors were. I could tell right away that I was gaining ground on second place; unfortunately just as I caught her she dropped out...I ran a few steps with the "2nd place" lead bike...and then was promptly overtaken by Meredith and Magali! I had been holding a good clip up to that point but they were obviously running faster---but not TOO much faster---so I decided to see if I could match their pace. It was FUN! We stuck in a little paceline for a bit, then Magali made a gap, followed by Meredith, and I just focused on not letting the "string" break. Eventually I saw some signs that Meredith might be cracking and I reeled her back in and made a move just before the far turnaround point at mile 7. I thought for sure that her legs had to be cooked by then, after her phenomenal stand-up effort riding the bike. I could see Magali up the road and it looked like she *might* be coming back to me a bit too. So I dug deep and ran hard...perhaps a bit too hard too soon because I started paying for it in the 10th and 11th miles. Meredith clawed her way back up and overtook me and at that point I couldn't respond. She established a gap that ended up being about 30 seconds by the end. Magali fought to the very end and passed long-time leader, Tenille Hoogland, within sight of the finish line. The final gap between 1st to 4th place was 2 minutes. It was an exciting finish, a great show to cap off the 2011 REV3 series, and I'm so thrilled to FINALLY have the fitness and speed to duke it out with the big girls.

At the end of the day, it was my third time this season (and ever!) cracking the 4:30 barrier in a half-iron race and my second time under the 1:30 mark for the run split. My run is what I'm most pleased with because I went into uncharted territory and actually ran 10 seconds faster than my open half-marathon PR. A little belief and a lot of hard work go a long way! I also wound up second place in the overall REV3 Pro Series which is a nice bonus as it wasn't even on my radar at the beginning of the year. I signed up for the REV3 races because I was ready for something new and I wanted to race in places that were easy for my family and friends to come to. REV3 delivered on both counts, and in so many more ways that I didn't even expect. Thanks again for a great year!