Utah Half Ironman 8/25/2012

I had a good bike the week before at Jordanelle Olympic Tri, so I was excited for the Utah Half.  I wanted to redeem myself from the first half ironman of the year in Texas.   I trained and tapered for the race and was ready except that on Thursday night I worked a night shift at the hospital, so headed into the race sleep deprived... I woke up early Saturday morning, had some breakfast and drove to Provo.  When I first arrived, they didn't have a number for me, so I was a little nervous, because I signed up on Wednesday, but everything worked out.  The first person I met at the tri was Brandon, at the race.  One of the sweetest guys ever!  Set my bike up next to his.  Put a pink duct tape x next to my stuff so I knew how to find my bike.   Besides the mosquitos, it was a beautiful morning.  Thanks to Mike for the awesome pictures!  So great to have a photographer at these events.

Swim 1.2 miles-35:23
The swim took place in the harbor of Utah Lake State Park.  They set us off in waves, which made for a nice swim.  The females were in the last wave. Saw my friend Leslie in the water, right before starting.  It is always nice when you are racing with friends.  We entered the water from the eastern boat ramp and swam through two buoys, then we made two clockwise loops. The swim went well, besides heating up a little in the wetsuit.   The water was murky, but it was not black like Jordanelle last week.   I was a little confused where to head on the second loop, to exit for the bikes.   I lost some time meandering, with the sun in my eyes, during that last section..The lake was shallow, my hand hit some rocks a few times.  When I finally got to the exit I struggled stripping off my wetsuit...My friend Michelle is an awesome cheerleader, which helped me forget about my stupid wetsuit.  My swim was slower than usual, I think either the course was long or I meandered a lot from the last buouy to the bikes...



Bike 56miles (2:29:51)
The bike course is a flat 56-mile out-and-back that headed out to West Mountain. The weather was perfect, with some cloud cover.  In Provo there seemed to be a lot of turns that were a little confusing. Soon I realized the turns had big signs, not just a painting on the road. In Provo, because of construction, we went off this one dip, that I thought for sure I was going to flat on. However thankfully I didn't flat the whole race! Yay!

My friends were not so lucky. Leslie and Chris both had flat tires. Unfortunately Brandon was hit by another cyclist...Once we got out to the country roads, it was much less chaotic, however they didn't have the big signs where to turn. At the first aid station at Mile 15, I grabbed some water. My quads started loosening up and I was just starting to feel the rhythm, when I made a wrong turn...I didn't go far, before I realized my mistake, and so I had the chance to repass some guys.  The second aide station was at the turn around had no fluids.  So I should have put some gatorade or water in my special needs bag.  I struggled turning around on the narrow road and actually clipped out, you think I would be more coordinated on my bike by now, thankfully I didn't fall.  I ran out of fluids returning back to the first aide station....I saw Leslie which always helps with motivation to keep pushing hard.  So grateful for the gatorade and water when I arrived at the aide station, I gulped down a ton of fluid, trying to rehydrate..I passed a ton of guys on the bike-one positive of starting in one of the last swim wasves.  Once back to Provo, I slowed down with the turns and gravel.  Finaly made it back to transition.  I was excited about my PR bike!  Nutrition wise, I had 5 gus and one honey stinger waffle on the bike. 



Run 13.1miles (1:40:58)
The Utah Half run course was a flat 2 loop course along the asphault trail along the Provo River. There was an aid station every mile. Along the trail, there were shady sections which were nice!  I was excited to finally catch Chris on the run and chat for a little while.  There was a female in front of me cheering who was really kind, and I wasn't sure if she was in a relay or not, I never ended up catching up with her, but turns out she was in a relay.  Loved seeing my happy friend Ashley out on the run, she actually ended up running 20 miles for the day. Saw Tracy smiling out on the run course too.  One day I will learn to look happy when I am running..I caught up with Brandon's frined Tony around mile 10, and ended up running a half mile together, which was pleasant.  Mile 12, I was starting to struggle, but tried to focus on my form and positive affirmations.  I hit mile 13 and knew, I still had a ways to go which was a little discouraging.  By the end of the race my garmin read 13.6 miles, so my run time was a little slow.  I think it would have been a 1:37 instead of a 1:40.  My PR run was at Boise half ironman last year 1:35.  So I was a little discouraged about this, but am happy with an overall PR 4:49 and a bike PR, and no bowel problems on the run!  I was very excited to have a much better race than I had in Texas.   First female, and 10th overall.   Thanks to my coach and friends who helped me to improve over the year. 



Sleep Deprivation finally caught up to me...

July 2012 My Month of Racing

San Rafael Classic--July 7, 2012

Two weeks after my ironman, I decided to do this fun olympic triathlon with my friend Deb Battaglia.  Deb is the person responsible for getting me into ironmans.  She is an amazing 45 year old endurance athlete, who has competed in an ironman every month this year. We drove up Friday night, camped in her car near the start.  Every race I have done with her we have car camped.   This race provides free camping to athletes!  So we didn't haven't search for a hiding place to car camp.  Unfortunately we missed the free pasta dinner.  We woke up race day and registered without any problems.The race started at 6:30, which was nice to avoid the heat.

Swim:
The Swim route was a two loop open water swim in the beautiful Huntington Lake.  There were only about 18 females so the swim was not very chaotic.   They started the males 5 minutes before us.  One part of the triangle loop we were swimming directly into the sun, which made spotting difficult.  I had a great swim for me 28:25 (anytime I am under 30 and I am within a minute from Deb I am OK with my swim time, she swam the course in 27:24) 

T1-1:39-My transition are always a little slow in these races, I struggle with my wetsuit. Maybe one day I will master mounting my bike while having my shoes attached..

Bike:
The Bike Route was paved, smooth and will swept prior to the race. There are a couple of cattle guards which were covered and clearly marked. The Bike Route is on a rural county road.  For the Olympic course we did two out and back loops.  The bike ended up being about 30 miles.  Leaving the lake there is some slight climbing, which makes for a sweet ride back to the lake.  Bike time 1:28, it was a little windy and the hills made it a little slower course.

Run:
The Run Route went around Huntington Lake twice for the olympic course. It was a combination of pavement, and gravel.  The run felt fairly good.  I though I paced well, but my stomach was bothering me the whole run.  Thankfully I made it to the finish without having to stop. It was a little short of 6 miles so it looks like I was running faster than I really was.  Run time 40:55.

This race was small, well organized, and has a beautiful setting.  It is the first race I have ever beat all the guys, which I actually didn't know when I finished, because they started 5 minutes earlier.  For my award, I received a cool slab of rock engraved with a swimmer, biker and runner.   The Picture is a little hazy, due to fires in the area...

Male Participants 1. Barrett Nelson 2:40:50 2. Erich Kuster 2:40:51 3. WESLEY DONALD 2:47:03 4. BYRON BENNET 2:52:29 5. Jeff Mower 2:56:07

Female Participants  1. KATHRYN THROOLIN  2:40:33  2. Meagan Johnson 2:59:18  3. deborah battaglia 3:00:30  4. Mandy Mehler 3:15:37  5. AnnaMarie Miller 3:17:00

Echo--7/14/2012 
(Thanks to Mike Mamales for all the pictures and zazoosh..)
I woke up early Saturday morning to eat breackfast and drive to Echo Reservoir.  Parked at a highscool, and biked with all my gear to the start of the race to check in.  I met my friend Andi, Jannalyn, Deb and Jeannie at the start of the race.  Then down at the swim start met my friend Alli, BJ, Chrystel, and Tracy.   My friend Deb Battaglia, beat me by about a minute on the swim again.  I always try to draft off her but always seem to loose her in the sun or muddy lakes...

Swim: Olympic athletes swam twice counter-clockwise around the buoys in Echos reservoir.  There was an awesome cloud cover, and so the sun was not a problem.  The wave start made the swim mellow.  Due to the low snow levels in Salt Lake, echo lake was very muddy and the visibility... um wait what there was no visibility.  There was a shoe zone after the swim, and I struggled putting on my shoes, maybe I should have just used sandals...I was feeling a little disoriented after the swim like usual...


Because of the low level of the lake, I think we ran about a quater mile uphill on a narrow path to get to our bikes.  So this time my long transition, was not do to wetsuit issues...

Bike:
The bike was an out and back course.  We started by leaving the Echo Resort and crossed onto Hwy 32 going North (left). Then we continued north on Hwy 32, going under the Interstate 80 overpass and turn right, continuing up Hwy 189 (Echo Canyon Road) to the turn-around.  We biked past some beautiful Red Cliffs, that are fun to climb on.  I felt pretty strong on the bike and found a good cycler to pace myself off.  The route back to Echo reservoir, was definitely faster. 



Run:
The run was also an out-and-back course.  From the transition we ran on the Park City Rail Trail (hard packed dirt trail). The trail parallels Hwy 32, and is completely separated from vehicle traffic. Olympic athletes will continue to the end of the Rail Trail.   Aid stations were provided every mile, which was very nice.  I had problems on the run with my stomach, despite taking 3 immodiums.
  Here is my flying to fast out of transition feeling great.  I started out at a 7min mile pace for the first 3 miles, and slowed to a 7:30 pace the last 3.   Here is my rabbit run when I started to fatigue...
 I'd like to blame my slow second half of the run on diarrhea, and maybe not having enough fuel...
But there are always so many variables, and triathletes are great at coming up with excuses..
Anyway, the weather was great!  The second female overall!  there is nobody I would rather loose to than Ali.  My race was 10 minutes faster than two years ago, and I think the transition was long this year!  My Coach ended up winning overall

                                                               swim              t1                bike             t2             run      

1

642

Ali BLACK

02:15:25.4

00:23:23.628

00:03:04.572

01:04:58.261

00:01:10.475

00:42:48.496

2

633

Kathryn THROOLIN

02:20:56.4

00:24:13.561

00:03:42.460

01:06:20.356

00:01:07.244

00:45:32.847

3

662

Lesley ROCKWOOD

02:22:34.3

00:23:17.651

00:03:39.403

01:07:54.735

00:01:05.556

00:46:37.003

Stansbury-July 21
I had a rough day at work friday, and was texting my friend Leslie and decided to race with her at Stansbury.  So I rushed to the bike store and bought some gu.  So glad Leslie convinced me to race.  I felt better at this race than the previous races.  Signed up the day of the race, just like I did for the San Rafael Classic...It was great to see my friends Leslie, TeKoi, Amanda, Mike, Jen and Wes at the start of the race.

Swim:
The swim consisted of a two loop swim in the Stansbury park lake.  I took the swim easy, especially on the long stretch were I was blinded by the sun, and just hoped I was swimming in the right direction.  The water was warm, and I wish I had a sleeveless wetsuit.  I actually had very fast transition times for me. Maybe, I am finally getting the hang of stripping a wetsuit...Somehow my friend Tekoi managed to take of his wetsuit, during the swim...

Bike:
The bike was flat and weaved around some country roads.  It was a little windy.  I felt great on the bike!  I found a guy that we kept playing leap frog the majority of the race, which helped me with my pacing..

Run:
Yay!!! No stomach issues!!!  The night before I ate salmon and a baked potato.  Race day I had oatmeal and a banana.  I was beginning to think that there was no solution to my stomach issues... The run was flat, and on pavement, which made for a quick time.  I wish they would have had aide stations every mile, on such a hot day. The first loop of the run, I felt awesome!  The first race of the year, that it felt good to run.  I could tell I was gaining ground on a female in front of me.  The second loop was harder, but I still felt strong, and finally in the last 100meters I caught the female in front of me and sprinted to the finish.  My fastest 10k race ever!

First overall female! 

                                    swim   t1        bike       t2        run          final time

1 Kathryn Throolin

27:42

1:01

55:02

0:52

42:07

2:06:41.1

Morgan Half Marathon--July 28
I had a coworker, Kirsten convince me to do this half marathon.  I didn't really feel like running 10 miles on my own, so I decided to use this race as a training run.  The 2nd Annual Morgan Valley Half Marathon started at 6:30am.  The course winds through the country roads of morgan valley with scenic mountain views and congestion free roads.  There was a small amount of participants, but the course was well organized and the provided free photographs!  I started out to fast, hoping I might finish with a PR. I only had diarrhea once during the race.  I was the fourth female.  I finished with a 1:32.  This was 5 minutes slower than my best time.  Not too bad considering I wasn't tapered and it was a hilly course.    The shirt I am wearing I recieved from a patient at Hunstman who is an amazing ultrarunner fighting cancer.


This is how I really look when I am running hard, and started out too fast.  I call it my rabbit run..  Debating about posting this, but it is kind of funny...


What a great month!  I regained some confidence about my athletic abilities eventhough I haven't qualified for Kona.  It was a lot of fun to race with some friends, relax, and enjoy some local races...I think I will be doing Jordanelle and the Utah Half Ironman next...

Ironman CDA 6/24/12

Ironman Coeur D'Alene is a beautiful race! Smooth roads, awesome volunteers and great friends made the experience amazing.  The cloudcover was wonderful and thankfully it didn't downpour like the previous day.  Didn't quite have the race I was imagining, but it is all good.   Just means is room for improvement.  I was super excited to finish with no bike problems!  

SWIM.

 Here is an awesomoe link to a video of the race start on you tube.   CDA ironman start 

The 2.4 mile swim started at Lake Coeur d'Alene on the sandy beaches of City Park.  It consisted of two counterclock wise loops.  Thankfully the water was not too cold!  My extra warm cap probably helped.  However, I still struggled in transition putting on arm warmers and gloves with my frozen hands...A mass beach start made for an unpleasant physical swim.   Waterpolo players must be great openwater swimmers, especially in mass starts. I lost my chip during the swim.  There were so many people all around me, I just kind of swam with the flow without sighting.  Open water swimming is definitely not one of my strengths, but I think I am slowly improving.  I love the Sable goggles my friend Leslie let me borrow.  They never fogged up and I never used antifog spray on the goggles.  I felt a little disoriented coming out of the water after the first loop and almost fell over, a volunteer told me maybe I should sit out for a little.  In my mind I thought no way are you crazy?   But the volunteer probably thought I was crazy.  The second loop was a little better as far as physical contact goes, but somebody grabbed my shoulder on the second loop.  For some reason my hips bother me in openwater swims.  On the second loop I could feel my hips starting to ache.  I don't really know my swim time, because of my lost chip.  A volunteer noticed I didnt have a chip and showed me where to get a new chip.  I grabbed my transition bag and into the tent, I was excited for the bike.  I have no idea how long I was in transition either.  However, I know I looked at the clock I think when I was exiting and the clock said 1:12..(Thanks for letting me borrow this picture Chris)

BIKE

The double-looped 112-mile bike course heads out east of the city, and then returns to downtown.  Then we headed onto US-95 south on the west side of Coeur d'Alene Lake.  The whole course had many hills, including a 2-mile uphill climb.  I was thankful for my arm warmers and gloves on the first part of the bike.  I might have started out a little to fast.  I saw my friend Ali on the first turnaround headed back to the city, so I knew I was probably close to her swim time. For some reason my quads were a little sore even at the start of the bike, but I decided to push hard, and if I crashed, try to be mentally tough.  The first loop went by fairly quick, and I was feeling fairly good.

  I continued to feel fairly strong until around mile 70.  Around mile 70 there was an aide station and I tried putting an ironman perform bottle in my front aerowater bottle instead of the cage. The bottle managed to get stuck in the lid of the aerowater bottle.  I tried pulling it out multiple times and finally succeded, but my lid came off of my aerowater bottle, so I had perform spraying all over.  By the time I succesfully pulled the perform water bottle free, I was past the drop zone.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I should have tossed the bottle but there were cars on one side and cyclists coming down on the other side. So I was shifting with the bottle in my mouth and holding it in my hand as I was biking, if only my jersey had a pocket for my bottle I thought.  Finally, I realized it stuck between my arrow bars..anyway that was the start of loosing my focus...

I saw my friend Chris near the top of the turn around on US-95.  I knew I  was having a good bike, despite my little dilemma and loosing focus, and starting to feel tired...  We finally started downhill into town, and I luckily recognized Jen on her bike cheering me on.  When I finally got to the next aide station it was hard to get my ironman perform, bottle out of my arrow bars, but finally completed the task before passing the aide station....I am guessing my bike time was around 5:47ish, which is my second fastest bike time.  Yay for no bike problems!!!!!  My watch says 5:50, but I think it was running in the transition.  I wanted to take it easy in transition and prepare mentally for the marathon.  However, somewhow I took 7 minutes in transition, maybe a little too much relaxing ;)

RUN. 

The two loop run, was hilly, definitely not flat. I knew it was going to be a long run, because my stomach felt horrible.  I stopped at the first portapotty, which would be a trend for the rest of the marathon.  I stopped probably about 10 times, a few times I didnt quite make it to the portapotty.  I am guessing I lost 15 min in toilets...somebody gave me some tums which helped a little..The diarrhea was frustrating!  Must be something wrong with my fueling or my diet.  Maybe this is a little too much information...oh well :)  I had Gus and a power bar on the bike, as well as perform. For breakfast I had some oatmeal. The night before the race I was feeling constipated like I was before st George.  I had rice and chicken, and actually decided to have an apple because I was feeling constipated. In the morning I had a small hard bowel movement and had one immodium, which I think helped on the ride..maybe I should have had another immodium for the run....maybe I should have done the four immodiums like I have for my other half ironmans...I think it is just part of the race for me-but that was the worse cramping/diarrhea I have had in an ironman.   The 2 ironmans I participated in last year I had 4 immodiums, felt a little nausea and dehydration and still had to poop on the run a few times, but it was way better than CDA.  After the race my stomach felt horrible though.  I have tried no lactose before race day; less fiber 4 days before the race; bananas, rice, applesauce and toast diet; immodium/no immodium...not sure...still trying to figure this out..

Anyway, back to the run...The first 13 miles was around 2hrs, so I was hoping to keep the pace for the last 13, but slowed down.. ending up with a 4:15.  The run was felt more like a miserable shuffle, but it was beautiful to run beside Lake Couer d'Alene.  It was great to run with Chris briefly and to see so many freinds on the run.  When I run I tend to get in this zone, and don't realize what is really going around me, but I can hear people cheering for me, which is awesome.  My goal for my next ironman, is to not run like a zombie...

As a triathlete I always analyze my races, the never ending process of improving.  I think that one reaon I keep doing ironmans is that I know there are ways to improve my race and push my limits to a new level...So I need to work more on running up hills.  I tend to start fast on the run..Maybe I pushed too hard on the bike.  I need to work on my bike so I am not fatigued after biking 112 miles so I can run.  I need to do more bricks, and higher quality workouts.. I need to work on my nutrition..  the easiest thing to improve is to not get my perform bottle stuck, in the lid of my aero water bottle :)  Anyway, I realize I have a lot more work on my bike and run before I think about Kona. There are so many amazing triathletes!  The winner in my age group did a 10:09, second 10:11, and third 10:29...I ended up with a 11:21:25.  Struggled with my breathing after the race, found out I breathe wrong, which causes asthma like symptoms.  Just takes me a little to recover after my long races..  A highlight for my race was having my mom, dad and brother at the finish line!!! 

 

Always great racing with you Chris, great job, considering you didn't train much on the run.  The Hardy's are always so kind and fun to be around.  Jen you are the best cheer leader ever.  Wes nice swim!  Ali  10:18---amazing!  Molly and Barabara, you always make everything look fun.  Nice job on your first ironman Tom and Grethcen.  Thanks for cheering for me Mike Mamales.   Cherell can't believe a motorcycle hit you during the race!  Thanks for hleping me train for the race BJ

Saint George Ironman May 7, 2012

My third Saint George Ironman (SGIM)!

I know this course so well! This course will always have a special part in my heart. The last three years I have trained and raced on this beautiful course. This course has helped make me stronger mentally and physically through WIND, heat, hills, rain and snow storms.

The first year that I participated in the SGIM I trained much harder than I had for my first two ironmans in Sonoma, California. I went to two excellent triathlon camps put on by Wesley Johnson and Barbara Sherwood. It was at these camps I first learned about Kona and my dream to qualify for Kona began. After these two camps I decided to buy a carbon tri bike. I was excited to participate in my first ironman branded Ironman.

The first year in 2010, I froze in the water, and shivered for the first 20 miles of the race. I was disappointed with my bike time 7:16. I think part of the reason for the slow bike time was I was trying to save energy for the run. Needless to say, I wasn't even close to qualifying, 12:46. So I had to do another ironman that year, because I knew I could perform way better. So I did the Vineman the same year and finished in 11:35, with a bike split of 6 hours. After Vineman I decided to sign up for SGIM again. It was just to convenient to have an ironman in your own state, and I felt like I had something to prove on the bike.

So I trained hard once again through the winter of 2011 preparing for SGIM. Little did I know I would be heading into one of the most stressful races I have had. Two days before the race I crashed, and needed a new seat, different helmet, was bruised and had some awesome roadrash. Despite the HEAT and all the other obstacles I managed to finish just under 12. Because of the crash I had to sign up for another ironman that year and decided to sign up for Cozumel. In Cozumel I had much better success finishing 7^th in my age group with a 10:37. After Cozumel, once again I decided to sign up for SGIM. The third time is a charm, I thought to myself. Another year of winter training. My hardest week included biking the full course in 5 hours and 30 min. Then a few days later running 20 miles at a 8 min pace. I came into the race feeling more prepared and more at ease than I have for any other ironman.

THE SWIM

Anyway, woke up early Saturday morning, and rode the bus to Sand Hollow Reservoir. It was fun to know so many people racing. I found Moka on race morning and borrowed her pump. Ironically, the start of the race the water was calm. People started creeping past the start line before the gun went off, and I decided to join. The beginning of the race was normal, with 1700 people in a mass start it is difficult to avoid being clobbered. I felt strong in the water, then we turned the first red buoy and everybody seemed to disappear. Sighting the buoys was difficult. The calm reservoir, turned ocean-like, with swells of 4-5 feet... I swam by the a tipped over kayak. I ended up doing breast stroke a few times, and tried to time the waves right. I just tried to stay calm and keep swimming. I finally got to where I could spot the rock island that I knew we were suppose to swim around. As I staggered out of the water I heard Chris yelling for me. I found Brandon, after the swim, who helped me with my wetsuit. He is definitely the best stripper ever. I cried a little in the changing tent, over the swim. I knew my swim time had to have been slow. Turns out it was my worse swim time 1:16, which I guess was good considering the conditions. I was actually third in my age group, the highest I have ever place in an ironman branded swim! I had to use the restroom after the swim. I heard hundreds did not finish under the 2 hour 20 minute limit. Honestly I am surprised nobody was hurt.

BIKE

Finally I jumped on the bike relieved to be done with the swim. Okay I thought to myself, the IM is a long race, anything can happen, I just need to refocus. Leaving sand hollow I started out at a good clip, and soon realized it was going to be a windy day... A pro passed me on the bike, so I knew I wasn't the only one with a bad swim. My friend Mike passed me on the bike, which helped me refocus on my pedal stroke. I saw my friend Tekoi cheering for me near St George. I met my other friend Ali cheering for me just passing Bluff Street. So great to have people cheering for you. Heading into Ivins, my friend Katie was driving by in a truck cheering for me. All of this helped with the wind, which I heard that there were 40mph gusts. I have trained in St George and Vegas multiple times in the wind, so I just told myself it was just going to be a long day and to forget about times. I had to use the restroom again at an awesome bike aide station in Ivins, dang I still don't have my nutrition dialed in.

Leaving, Ivins I met my friend Stephen who was racing. We took a few turns passing eachother, which helped me forget about the wind. I ended up passing a pro on the bike, going up the wall, who encouraged me. My legs were feeling good and really thought this was going to be the race I qualified. Finally reached Veyo and there was an amazing tail wind. I felt fairly good at mile 56, and was getting more excited about the race..

However, just as things seemed to be going so well went there was a slight hill, I went to shift and couldnt. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but it was okay because I was headed downhill mostly. I thought I would hold out and see how I felt when I went into the wind. As I turned into the wind and the hills, it was obvious it would be a very long bike ride, if I continued. I stopped at a couple aide stations to see if anybody could help me without any luck. I tried putting my chain in an easy gear but it would slip to the hard gear. I was in tears, but kep riding not sure what to do. Saw some bike techs and they couldn't help me.. I ran out of water and gatorade between an aide station, and so many bikers were cruising past me. My hamstring started to bug me a little from all of the standing up with the wind in hills, in one gear. As I was walking up a hill at mile 80 I decided to call it quits.

Yeah it really sucked, and I cried a lot. Of about 1800 athletes only 1000 finished...My DNF was related to some mechanical problem with my shifter. Maybe I will have to have a spare bike for these races. Somebody with a broken disk tire, asked if he could borrow my wheel to finish the race. So I let him use my wheel, which allowed him to finish.

Sometimes I wish I never had a dream to qualify for Kona, but then I remember all the people I have met and people who have inspired me. I know that my hobby has helped me cope with depression and realize most goals are more about the journey anyway. I keep improving and that is more important than obtaining a goal. Looking back I wish I would have stayed to cheer on all the finishers, but my heart was a crushed at the time..Next race, for sure I will be there for the finishers...Took a trip to Hawaii after the race which helped calm my soul and put things into perspective.

So what is next? Decided to sign up for Cour d'Alene

Lone Star Half Ironman April 1, 2012

I had high expectations for myself for this half ironman. In January I had a PR half marathon 1:27, without tapering much. Another reason for the high expectations, was because the last few triathlons in 2011, I performed well. Two of my half's were under 5 hours last year. So I was hoping to go under 5 hours. I hoped to perform well not only for me, but also for my sister and her family who came to watch me race.

On Saturday morning my sister, her husband and 3 kids packed into the van and drove 4.5 hours to Galveston Texas. Once we arrived I went for an easy bike ride and easy run. On the run my hamstrings felt like rubber, this was weird because I went for a run on Wednesday and my legs felt fine. Oh well, maybe race day they will be fine. My sister and her family and I went to dinner and went to this awesome candy store Laking's, were I bought some delicious ice cream. We checked into a hotel, and did an easter egg hunt with the kids loved!!

Race morning, woke up early had some delicious breakfast, and then headed to the race start.. My wave did not start until 7:45. So I relaxed with my sister inside this nice building, for at least an hour and struggled putting on my wetsuit.    Then I realized it was almost time for my wave to start so I ran weaving my way through the crowded pathway to get into the water, nice little adrenaline rush. It was about a 3-foot jump off a pier. When the gun went off I started swimming hard, but soon realized I was not headed in the right direction.  After making a course correction I soon found a good rhythm, 20 strokes, site, 20 strokes...My shoulders quickly fatigued, the joy of swimming in a wetsuit. The water was slightly choppy. The swim wave I was in was nice because we were spread out, so I couldn't really draft off anybody, and didn't get hit.  I love having wave starts versus mass start chaos. The swim was over soon and headed to the wetsuit strippers...34:14 (1:46/100m pace). I chose the wrong wetsuit strippers because they struggled peeling the suit off.

T1  2:29

I was glad to have some gum in transition to get rid of the salt water taste in my mouth. The bike course was flat, and drafting was actually at a minimal. I heard the winds were over 20 mph and the first 26 miles were all cross-wind and head wind. The first ten miles felt a little rough, I think it was just recovering from the swim. But then I focused on my pedal stroke, and felt like I got into my groove...The first 28 miles I averaged 19.26 mph. Coming back I was 12 minutes faster 22.35 mph, thanks to a slight tail wind....I had 6 gus on the bike, and grabbed fluid at all four aide stations. I didn't have any GI issues, jut felt dehydrated and some slight nausea. I was a little clumsy at the aide stations. The first aide station the cap to the perform was partially unscrewed so it went everywhere. There was another aide station that I couldn't open the perform lid for some reason so I grabbed another bottle. The aide station was nicely spread out making it easy to grab both water and perform. The course was beautiful, along the seawall in Galveston. When I was about to finish my bike ride I heard the cheers from my family members. I was psyched they recognized me on the bike...

Bike 2:42:25 (20.7 mph)

T2   2:03

Run 1:50:24 (8:25 pace)

Then the miserable run. I could definitely feel my hamstrings, but thought I could push through the fatigue feeling, and it worked for the first few miles. I had to pee a ton on the first few miles, I couldn't relax enough on the bike. The third mile was a little rough. My legs felt like lead, especially my hamstrings. My wet shoes felt like weights, even though I know my shoes are light. The last 10 miles, were miserable, and definitely had to use a lot of mental toughness to get through. The course was a 4-lap route that was completely flat with the exception of one small bridge that took us down by where we had jumped in the water earlier to swim.  The run aide stations were a little chaotic.  My family members cheered for me throughout the run course and made these awesome posters, their cheers definitely helped make it through the run. It felt really humid and hot, unfortunately I forgot my hat...so I dumped water over me at every aide station. . I tried to focus on my form, and told myself I am quick, light and fast...however this wasn't working, because I didn't even feel like myself. So my new game plan was to keep moving my legs. It was a little heart breaking being passed by so many people...usually I feel fairly strong on the run, but for some reason today my body couldn't keep up with what I wanted it to do...The last few miles I started having a hard time breathing and coughing. The cough persisted for three hours after the race....The run was really hard mentally and I have analyzed many reasons why, but it was a great course, and great to have my sister and her family cheering me on....Here are some of my theories a to why it was not the best race...

1. I was picking up my nieces and nephew way to much, using hamstring muscles I am not use too
2. Focusing on the upstroke of my bike stroke fatigued my muscles
3. My bike seat was too low
4. Didn't taper enough the previous weekend I had a 80 mile ride, 8 mile run
5. I am not use to humidity, and maybe on top of the immodium, I was dehydrated.
6. Maybe I haven't been focusing enough on biking and so my body wasn't ready to run after the bike.
7. Maybe driving 5 hours the day before the race, exhausted me.
8. The last few years the first race of the season has not been a good race, so maybe it was just being the first race of the year syndrome.
9. Maybe I have exercised induced asthma, making the run harder than it should have been

While the race was a little disappointing, and frustrating, at least I do know deep inside that I can run faster and will the next half ironman. Every race is not a PR. Also I think every race makes me stronger mentally. I did not hit my goal, but have found increased desire to go out and work harder for my next race. I loved biking along the ocean. I loved having my sister's family out cheering for me especially when I felt so horrible on the run. I loved being able to be around so many awesome athletes. I enjoyed pushing physically and mentally.

Ironman Cozumel 11/27/2011

I had a great Olympic tri at Lake Powell, without really tapering. I was feeling ready for the race at the start of my taper three weeks out. However, the next week my hamstring started bothering me on the bike. Probably just tweaked it. Anyway, I was nervous about it. I had a massage, active release therapy, taped my hamstring, and lowered my seat the week before the race. Besides my hamstring I was also nervous about getting sick. My two roommates were sick and so I took a ton of EmergenC and zicam, to prevent any illness, and stayed at a friends house for a few days. Thankfully I ended up staying healthy.

I arrived to Cozumel on November 24^th with my friends Curry, Moka, and Tori.  The most stressful part of the trip was having to put my bike together, which the mechancics ended up doing for me.  The Cozumel Palace was amazing! An all inclusive hotel meant 24 hr room service and all you can eat food! I was in heaven. There was a hot tub in our room and a hammock on the porch overlooking the beach. We went swimming in the ocean and it was easy to be distracted with all the fish. The hotel was near the finish of the ironman which was convenient also. On race morning they had food set up for the athletes at 3 am. After enjoying pancakes, waffles, and fruit. We headed to the buses and headed to the Chankanaab park.

Before the race, I pumped up my tires, lubricated my chain, used the portapoties, applied lots of body glide, and took some Ibuprofen for my hamstring. I also drank some gatorade, had a honey stinger waffle and gu. I often have GI problems during the races and so immodium seemed to cure those issues for all the half ironmans I did this summer, so I took some immodium too. I was all set and started to the docs to watch the pros start.

The Swim

There were dolphins jumping near the start of the race. The water looked calm. I jumped off the doc and swam to the start, to warm up. The visibility in the water is awesome in Cozumel! The mass start seemed to start before the big horn went off. There was a ton of contact!! The swim felt more like a maze through people rather than a swim. The first turn was a brutal wrestling match. My hips bothered me a little. It is weird that in open water swims my hips ache, but they never do in a swim pool. Near the end of the swim it thinned out a little. The last few hundred feet my foot cramped, which is a first time for me. There were jelly fish that felt like annoying mosquitoes. I kept telling myself to just keep moving...I love swimming without a wetsuit! A PR swim 1:00:40. I was thankful that I had gum in T1 to help get rid of the salt water. I think I am more sensitive to the jellyfish than the other athletes, because when I got back to the USA, I had a huge rash on my feet legs, arms, neck...

The Bike

During training, I biked a bunch of centuries, so I felt I knew I could push the bike. However, the last lap I ended up hitting a small brick wall, and had to dig deep to keep pushing myself.  The lowered bike seat, seemed to put more pressure on my quads, than I was used to. The bike was a three loop course around the island, with no traffic! From the park we had 12 miles of headwind. From that point we had 12 miles of brutal cross wind. This was my favorite part of the ride, along the oceanside, being mesmerized by the waves. Then there was a tail wind for about 10 miles, and a mix down to the park. It was my first time on a flat course. And there was a ton of drafting going on. For the most part I did not draft. However the last loop, I was passed by a huge pack of like 40 cyclists that I got caught up in for a little...(Somebody caught a picture of them). It was really annoying. There were people in my age group. Anyway, I was thinking about it and decided to draft to try to catch up with the group-which I should not have done-...So anyway, I got caught and had a 4 minute penalty, near mile 100. Anyway, I am not proud of my bike, and wish I could do it all over again. Nutrition wise, I had a gu about every 45 minutes, and alternated a honey almond butter bonk buster with a honey stinger waffle about every mile. I also had some endurolytes every hour. I felt dehydrated on the bike, and only urinated near the end of the course. I think part of the dehydration may have been the immodium and ibuprofen, prior to the swim start. It was my first bike under 6 hours- PR bike 5:38:53

The Run

The run was a flat, three time out and back course finishing in the City hall inside the main plaza. I felt great on the first half of the run and ran a 1:45, despite stopping three times. Twice to use the porta potties, and to tear off the wet flapping KT tape. Once to check to see if there were rocks in my shoes-which ended up being blisters.  During the run it poured! It was nice because it cooled down the temps. However it destroyed my feet, with my thin light weight shoes, and uncut toenails. One street turned into a river and waded through water that was half way up to my knee. It was fun like an adventure race. The last out and back, I was in survival mode, and kept trying to calculate each mile to see if I would be under 4 hours. Nutrition for the run included alternating gu and coke, with occasional gatorade. The spectators were rock stars!! Everybody was out cheering, dancing and singing. Love the spectators and volunteers! It was great to see all my friends on the run Barb, Tori, Moka, Curry, Cowboy Ironman, and Ryan. Ended up with a PR run, despite the rain 3:50:51. My Total overall time was 10:37:52. Psyched to be under 10:40. I was seventh in my age group, and 20^th overall (excluding the pros). Overall it was a great event and a very fun trip.

Not sure yet what races I will do next year...Thanks to all my friends and family support training and racing this season! Loved the good luck postcard from my friend Rachel Strate! Thanks Wes Johnson for the great coaching! Thanks Tom Fletcher for the active release therapy!

World Championships 9/11/11

What an amazing race! About 1800 amazing athletes participated from 56 different countries. On Friday morning my friend Tori and I drove to Henderson Nevada to check in for the race. While I went to an athletes meeting my poor friend Tori biked in a 107 degree weather around Lake Mead. We camped out at Lake Mead, and the sleeping bags we brought were not necessary. In the morning we learned that the water that we drank at the campground could be bad for our livers, but hopefully it didn't do to much damage. We woke up to see the beautiful sunrise over Lake Mead, and I went to the practice swim in Lake Las Vegas, while Tori went for a run. I found out the skin suit I bought at Power Tri was not legal, so I ended up getting a funny looking black speed suit, that covered my tri jersey and shorts. The practice swim felt good, except the string that helps pull down the zipper kept hitting my arm, for race day for I tucked the string in. After the swim I went back to the campground, picked up Tori and had an awesome french toast breakfast in a little cafe in Boulder. I love french toast! With a little encouragement Tori convinced me to stay in a hotel with air conditioning, near Lake Las Vegas on Saturday night. We went to a movie, ate dinner at the cheese cake factory.

We woke up early at 4 am, on Sunday. Walking from the parking lot to the race start I began to get nervous. I pumped up my tires, made sure everything in transition was set up, and tried to stay hydrated. We had to exit the transition at 6am, and lined up in age groups. My wave didn't start until 7am. Finally the announcer called for the female 30-34 age group to enter the water. The water temperature was 80 degrees. I loved swimming without a wetsuit! Swimming with a wetsuit, seems to restrict my shoulders. The first half we swam into the sun. The last half, was great except for swimming under a bridge, that I was a little nervous about hitting. My swim time was 33 minutes. After exiting the swim, we ran over blue mats covering the sand to transition. The blue mats made the transition look so official. We had to run our bike uphill about a quarter of a mile on the blue mats, to the start of the bike course.

Thankfully, the temperature was below a hundred and there was not too much wind! The bike course went into Lake Mead National Park and then into the city of Henderson. The bike and run course included a total of 5,200 feet of climbing. I felt fairly strong on the bike, could have made through the aid stations a little more smoothly. Had a honey stinger waffle and 5 gus. The last 15 minutes were the hardest for me. The bike time was 2:49. I transitioned pretty quick but I forgot to take my jersey off and after loosing my jersey in Boulder I ran back to the start and tried to find where my bag was to put my jersey in.

The run was hot with three loops of running-that went something like 1 mile down, 2 miles up, 2 miles down, 2 miles up, 2 miles down, 2 miles up and a mile down. Alternating between gu and coke helped me stay strong for the run. Reality set in on the last two miles uphill, and I struggled despite the positive mantras. I ended up running an extra 0.7 miles, somehow I missed the turn for the finish.  There crowd offered great support on the run. I would have finished the run at a 1:39, my Boise half run time, but with the extra mileage finished at 1:44. None of my times were a PR, but considering the course, the heat, and a little longer run I was satisfied with a 5:14:14. Also, I think trying to hydrate two days before the race helped me stay out of the medical tent. I am thankful for my friend Tori who came down to support me! It was nice to know somebody was out on the course cheering for me! Also thanks to all the thoughtful texts, face book messages, and phone calls from friends and family members.Also a special coach to my dedicated coach Wes Johnson. Next race is the Cozumel Ironman in November.....