Barb's Race/Vineman

     Barb's Race is the only all female half distance triathlon in the world. It started in 2001 and is named after Barb Recchia. Barb was a volunteer at Vineman every year since the race began. In 1999, she was diagnosed with cancer. To read more about her special story, here is the link.http://www.vineman.com/Barb_s_Race.htm This year it was limited to 450 participants. The other cool thing about Barb's Race is that it takes place on the same day as Vineman - a full distance triathlon. My husband decided to do Vineman and I chose to race Barb's as I needed to get practice in on my new bike. I am training for Ironman Florida in November.
      The races take place in Guerneville, California. It is in wine country next to the Redwood Forests and the Russian River. It is breathtaking. We left early Thursday morning and drove to Reno. When we arrived in Reno, we found out that there was a mudslide that closed I-80. We stopped at a diner/casino off the side of the road and waited the 4 hours til I-80 was reopened.  We finally left Reno around 10:30 at night and drove the rest of the way.
        We pulled into Guerneville at 2 am. So tired, we took our bikes in and went straight to bed.
In the morning, we discovered our surroundings.  We were staying at Creekside Inn. It is a beautiful place with either cabins nestled in the tall redwood trees or a bed and breakfast at the main house. We were staying at the bed and breakfast. They had very reasonable prices and were extremely hospitable and accommodating. It was only a mile away from the race start which was fantastic. After a delicious breakfast Friday morning, we went swimming in the Russian River. The water was very warm and very shallow. It doesn't get much deeper than 6 feet and is 1 foot in others.
          After our swim, we rode our bikes for about 20 minutes, just to make sure everything was in working order and felt good-(our bodies, not the bikes j/k). After that, we went and checked in. We picked up our packets, walked around the venues, picked up some last minutes necessity items, dropped off our running gear a T2, and decided to drive the course.
           The bike course winds through vineyards and forests, charming towns, and countryside. Golden Eagles fly overhead and it is beautiful. We had read race reports so we thought we knew what to look for. The course is a very technical course with lots of winding roads, hills,and some crappy roads, just for fun. Chalk hill is the famous hill of the race. It's pretty steep, like parts of American Fork Canyon, but it is only 3/4 of a mile. After driving the course, we thought we were ready.
            We had dinner (Panda Express for me, Subway for my husband- and some pb choc Hagen-Daaz to top it off) and went back to Creekside. After going through all our gear, nutrition, race plans, etc. we went to bed.
             Race Day: I woke up at 4:15 to get ready and go with Michael. His race started at 6:30 and mine wasn't til 8:30. We had oatmeal and an egg/potato dish for breakfast and rode our bikes down to the race. It was quite convenient as it is such a small town and no parking. I helped Michael and I got a sweet spot in T1 (no one in my race was there yet). I heard someone ride by and say "da** overachievers". I laughed thinking "I'm only here because I don't want to ride down here by myself " and to support my husband. :)
             The Swim: It is pretty cold in the morning- usually 55 degrees. The river was warmer than the temperature outside and it felt nice to get in. The swim went well, it was a little long and I was super surprised at how many people walked the entire swim. I had to walk the turnaround so that I didn't get stepped on and because it is that shallow. I couldn't even follow through on a stroke. It felt great and I finished the 1.3 miles in 44 min. I was ok with that.
              The Bike: I loved the bike. First, I LOVE my KESTREl. It was awesome!!!! I felt like I was cruising. I found things that I really like to eat on my bike: tropical coconut water mixed with carbo pro, NOW bars with chia seeds and all natural ingredients, go squeeze applesauce,chocolate raspberry roctane gu, and beef jerkey rounds-the kind you can get at gas stations. They were awesome!! Everything sat really well too. I also grabbed a pb sandwich from a volunteer without getting off my bike-first time for me-I almost ran her over but.. I'm awesome! The bike course was a lot harder than I originally anticipated because of all the technical aspects and my Cobb seat still needs to be broken in. Yes it does! I finished the 56 miles in my goal time of 3:32 and my legs felt fantastic! Can I give another about out to my Kestrel!! Awesome!!
               T2- took forever! It is seriously like a .3 mile run from where you dismount your bike to your rack. I could have run but... I figured I had a 13.1 mile run ahead of me and I seriously had to pee- so I didn't.  Stopped at the port-a-potties and I was ready to run.
                The Run:  it is an out and back 2xs. The first mile is tricky because it is just slightly downhill so you tend to start out faster than you should. I settled in and tried to maintain my 10:30 pace for the first half of the half. The run goes through neighborhoods but there aren't any sidewalks/curbs. After the first mile, you have rolling hills. Super fun! I felt really good but I had to keep slowing myself down. It is all about pacing right? On the course, they had peaches and nectarines that were divine. I am all about yummy fruit! After the first out and back, I was wishing it was over. You basically go to the finish line and have to turn around and go back out. Not so happy! The spectators were awesome as was the support on the run. Mile 6 -9 my legs started to feel a little tired, but that was to be expected. The hills were taking their toll - more so the downhills. Mile 9.5, my foot started to cramp up. Boo! I realized this was somewhat my fault as I had skipped many a run workout in July. Something I will be changing immediately. I took plenty of metasalt etc. so I just need to run more and run faster! I continued to cramp and had to walk on and off for the rest of the race. At one point, I found a ledge that overlooked a creek. I got up on the ledge to stretch out my foot and calf, and a man yelled to me, "not worth it. you can totally finish this race." I thought it was hilarious! I finished my run slower than planned and laughed because I remember being told at a half or full distance, there will be plenty of times you will want to quit. I could have quit but there was nowhere else to go but back to the finish line to wait for my husband. So... on I ran! I will say that I wore my Injinji toe socks with my Nike luna racers and this is the first half marathon I have run without getting runners toe. I thought that was awesome! Thank you Injinji! Next time I will run with the Injinji compression socks or CEP sleeves.        After the race, they had lots of food and drinks, plenty of fresh fruit, soup, etc. However, by the end of the night, they ran out of a lot. I felt really bad for the last people coming in from Vineman. Also,they charged for massages which in my opinion, should be free after racing either distances. Overall, I thought the race was very well put on and I loved it! I would definitely want to do it again and possibly even Vineman. It was a wonderful day!            
         

Spudman- Race Report

I'm so excited to blog about this race! This is the 5th time I have raced Spudman and it's one of my favorite races. I moved to Utah 2 years ago from Idaho. I had a great group of friends to train with up there and Spudman was one of the races we hit every year. I love the atmosphere, the large size of the race and seeing so many familiar faces.

The first year that I raced Spudman, there were approximately 2,500 racers and I came in 26th in my division. I remember telling someone that this was not a race I would ever be able to place in. As the years have gone by, however, I found myself climbing closer and closer to that podium. Two years ago, as I came in 6th in my division, I decided it was time to stop saying "can't" and start saying
"will". As luck would have it, three months before Spudman 2012, I suffered a debilitating injury (torn hip flexor) and I had to completely stop training altogether. Just before the race, I got clearance to "race" again but was told I was not allowed to do ANY sort of speed work and I wasn't allowed to push my pace at all or I would risk a lifelong, recurring injury. I cried, but it was what it was. I raced it, holding back on the run (which prior to that injury, had always been my strongest split) and knowing this would not be the year I would place. Surprisingly, I came in 5th in my division, although my time was a couple of minutes slower than the previous year due to my slower run time.

This was my year. I decided back then that this would be my A race this season and I was going to place. Going into the race this year, I was injury free and feeling strong. My run time has never quite recovered since the injury, but I was biking stronger than ever before and my run has improved since last year. I knew exactly what I needed to do on each split to make it to that podium, and I was feeling strong and confident.

Race day came and my husband reminded me to charge the battery to my Kestrel 4000 LTD. I knew it was probably already charged but I didn't want to take any chances, so I went out to get my battery and charge it (I shouldn't say out, my bike lives in my house :). As soon as I reached for it, I felt like I should leave it alone and not mess with it, but thinking I was being cautious, I took it off anyway and gave it a full charge. I put it back on my bike and off we went.

I was bummed that none of my teammates could make it this year but thrilled that my husband and several other friends were racing with me. We rolled into Burley, ID about 7:00 pm on Friday night and got all checked in. We drove over to T1 to set our bikes up for the race the following morning. The transition area is huge and I can always feel the excitement of the upcoming race. I love checking out all the bikes, but with my Kestrel this year, I was plenty happy just drooling over my own :) We got our transition area set up and were about to head back to the car when I decided I better double check my shifters and make sure no wires etc had come undone. As I tried to shift, I realized nothing was happening. I called my husband over and told him that a wire must have come loose because my bike wouldn't shift. I was so glad I stopped to check that instead of coming out of the water the following morning to find that out. He tried to mess with it and then looked at me and said, "You don't have a battery!" WHAT??? I put the battery back on my bike after charging, but I must not have locked it in correctly. I had no battery. By this point, it was 8:30 pm. There is only one small bike shop in Burley and it closes at 6pm. I just sat there in shock for a minute. And then I started praying. This was my race. I had trained so hard and worked towards this goal for years, but with no shifters, and the bike as my strongest split, there is no way I would be placing this year. Next came the crying. About that time, a sweet race volunteer named Stan Baker found me and we told him what was going on. He said that he knew ONE guy who rode Di2. He said he would call him and if he wasn't racing, he would ask if he'd be willing to let me borrow his battery. He called his friend but got no answer.

Next, I called my coaches. Coach M (my hero, seriously, thank you) tried talking some sense into me. In my head, I was ready to just not race. I didn't want to race a less than stellar race. She said, "I know this isn't the race you wanted but this is the race you've got. You're racing in one gear. You'll just have to kill it on the run." She had the determination in her voice that I was lacking at that moment. She gave me pointers on what to do if I was in my lowest gear, or what to do if I was in my highest...and she listened to me sob my eyes out in frustration.

One of things that is awesome about Spudman is that you get to camp right on the course. About 10pm, we went back to the campground and set up our tent. And then my phone rang. It was Stan. He said he had reached his friend who said he wasn't racing and he would let me use his battery! Stan drove clear across town (okay, so in Burley that's not very far, but still...) and then hand delivered it to me about 10:30pm. I asked him if I could give him a big hug. I can't tell you how grateful I was to both Stan, and Rick Dayley, the man who agreed to let me borrow his battery. Come to find out, Rick was also the race announcer for Spudman.

I slept well the night before and woke up, almost on a high from everything working out the way I had hoped. We made our way back down to transition where I put the battery on--correctly this time-- and set everything up. I felt like I was mentally and physically in the right place to do well that morning.

My husband, friends and I all headed back to our tent where we got into our wetsuits and walked to the water. This race is typically VERY hot, so I was relieved that I was starting in an early wave. The forecast was showing highs of 95 that day and the early temps were once again projected to be quite warm. I don't run well in the heat.

My wave started at 7:20am. I am a mediocre swimmer, and I go into the swim just thinking, "swim, then race", because when I try to swim faster, my form just gets even worse and I wear myself out, without going any faster. This particular swim is current aided (HOLLA!) which I love. For those who have never done an olympic distance race, or those who aren't as strong of swimmers (like me), this race is for you. I've done this race enough to know where the current is strongest and where to position myself so I don't get run over too terribly much. I got into a great rhythm and felt like I found a great spot for my swim. I came out of the water in 20:00, which was just over a minute faster than last year.

T1 went pretty smoothly. I had a goal to transition faster than last year. I felt like I was a lot faster but when all was said and done, I only shaved 6 seconds off the previous year's transition time. Oh well, improvement is improvement, right?

I went onto the bike ready to kill it. I upgraded my bike this year and felt confident that I could really do well on the bike. I did well last year, averaging 21 mph. My goal this year was to beat that. As I started the bike portion, it started to sprinkle. I was just praying that the rain would hold off until the bike was finished. There was a bit of a headwind as we went out, but I was still passing people left and right (which is to be expected, since I come out of the water in not such a great position). I felt like I was doing pretty well, but then about 6-7 miles in, some guy passed me. I don't like ANYONE passing me on the bike, even if it is a dude, so I kicked it into gear even more and realized I should have been pushing it that much harder all along! My bike average was down a little from where I had hoped it would be, due to the headwind, but as we turned, that all changed. The rain seemed to be holding off and now I was cruising with a nice little tail wind. As I came into the final stretch, I saw that my average speed over the 25 miles was 21.7pmh, and I had shaved about 3 minutes off of last year's time. Sweet!



T2 went smoothly as well. I got in and out in a pretty good time and off I went onto the run.

This is when I had to stop and tell myself "listen to Coach M. Listen to coach M." My tendency is to go out too strong, feeling good, and thinking I can hit a certain pace, then burning out about mile 4. Coach M had told me she wanted me running a negative split. She wanted me to hold an 8:30 the first 3 miles and an 8:15 the last 3 miles. When she said that, I thought in my head, "But I can run faster than that. I'm going to....." As I began my run though, I knew that she knew what she was talking about, and I decided to hold exactly what she said. I hit the 8:30 on the first 3 and when I hit mile 4, instead of burning out, I felt awesome! The rain was really light, the cloud cover was holding, and it was a good 10 degrees cooler than I had anticipated and trained for. I felt rejuvenated at a point in my race where I usually want to vomit! I picked up my pace a little and kept the 8:15 that she told me to hold. I wasn't sure where I was in the standings, but based off my time, I knew I had to be close to 3rd. Two women had passed me at the beginning of the run. I didn't know for sure which wave they were in but I was pretty sure they were in mine. I figured that to place, I needed to pass at least one of them before the end of the run.

At 5.9 miles in, I finally caught up to one of those women. She was right in front of me. I remembered a race where I had been in 1st overall and at the very last second, a woman I had no idea was behind me, sprinted by me and took the overall title from me. I had no idea she was even there and I didn't have time to catch her. In my head, I told myself that the girl right in front of me was in 3rd place. If I passed her, I would place and hit my goal. If I didn't, I wouldn't. I really had no way of knowing if that was true, but that's what I told myself. However, I didn't know how much she might have left in the tank. I wanted to make sure that once I passed her, it was all over. I didn't want her to have the chance to pass me again before the end. I know this race course very well. At the end, you drop down a steep hill and then it's a sprint to the finish. I waited until right before that hill to make my move. I am quite tall and have a long stride so I can usually make good time going downhill. When I hit that point, I just let it fly. I took off and passed her. In my head, she was 2 steps behind me so I just sprinted with every ounce of energy I had left. I maxed out at a 5:42/mi on that last .2 miles. I did my last 3 miles at an average of 8:10, just under what Coach M had told me to. I looked up at the clock to see what my final time would be. My goal was to finish in under 2:26. I saw that I was at 2:24 and some change so I kept up the sprint, trying to make sure I finished before the clock hit 2:25. I crossed the finish line at 2:24:48. I was happy to have beaten my goal time but was still waiting to see how I'd placed.

Just after I finished, the rain started pouring! I'm sure those on the run were grateful because it kept it from being too hot, but I'd guess that the ones still out on the bike weren't so happy about it! I saw several of my Idaho friends cross the finish line and went over and hugged them and visited for a few minutes. As we were talking, I glanced at the big sign at the finish and saw my age group pop up, with my name listed as coming in 3rd place. Once again, I started to cry :) After my frustrating injury last year, then my almost disaster of the night before, I was ecstatic to have reached my goal. I wasn't even going to let the fact that I missed 2nd place by 7 seconds take away from my excitement. I did what I set out to do.

After 5 years at this race, I finally got my ugly potato ;) And as soon as I had it in my hands, I was making goals for next year's race.

 

After the race, I walked over to return the battery to Rick Dayley. He told me that he usually races this race. He raced it last year, and was registered to race it this year as a team. However, one of his teammates was unable to race, which was the only reason he had a battery to loan me. *cue more tears*.

Special thanks to my coaches, Heath and Mahogani Thurston, and to TriEdge, Kestrel, Switch Eyewear, T3, HEAD swimming, GU, Flexr, BearPaw, 3B Yoga, and most especially my husband Daniel who races with me and supports me in my addiction. I couldn't do it without him. And a final shout out to my heroes of this race, Stan Baker and Rick Dayley, for their help with my battery situation. You truly are angels!

Mountain Tropic Aquathon...never a bad day at Bear Lake!

For the past couple of years, I have been wanting to do a race at Bear Lake but it never worked out with my schedule or circumstances. This year I was so excited to participate in Mountain Tropic and finally do a race in the "Carribean of the Rockies." Bear Lake holds a special nostalgia of memories for me, it was the location of my favorite family vacation as a child. Having only been back to Bear Lake one other time 5 years ago, I still felt sentimental driving past the Picadilly theater in Garden City and past the beautiful brown condos my family spent a memorable week in almost 20 years ago. I vividly remember my 13 year old self riding a jet ski and thinking this was the greatest place on earth! I was happy to have Sherrie with me as we marveled at the beauty Bear Lake has to offer, and wished our kids were with us to share the experience.

This year Mountain Tropic experienced their fair share of drama as their race permits allowing cyclists on the road were revoked on account of Pioneer Day weekend and the lack of safety it would cause cyclists on the road. I can only imagine the frustration of BBSC because of obtaining their required permits a year in advance then having them taken away so close to the race day. The race was turned into an aquathon, and participants were offered discounts to other BBSC races. I'm sure there were many racers who were angry with BBSC and felt cheated when the truth of the matter was that the situation was out of their control. Sometimes when you're given a little lemon you have to make lemonade and I felt that's what BBSC did.

The race was held at the Rendezvous State Park, on the south end of Bear Lake. Sherry and I arrived Friday evening for packet pick up and to find out where we could camp. The race director was so generous for giving us a fantastic camp spot right on the beach with a covered pavilion and plenty of room to host a pre-race party. I was very surprised to see the campsite so empty, and wished my team could have joined us. After setting up our tent and bathing ourselves in bug spray, we walked down to the water in anticipation of tomorrow's events. Like every other lake in Utah, the water levels were very low, making for another long transition to T1. As we settled into bed that night I laid awake for hours unable to sleep (which I don't do well away from my own bed), and excited as always to race the next day.

My alarm didn't even need to go off because we were camping 5 feet away from the race start and the campsite started bustling pretty early with racers preparing for the 7:00 am kids race. I got a glimpse of the kids heading out to the water to start their race and it was adorable! Some of them had mini road bikes (not much smaller than Amber and Cherry's :) and they looked like little baby triathletes with their swim caps on and little tri suits.

The swim was the hardest one for me of the season. The water temp. felt great, but the the water was very choppy on the first half and I couldn't get into any kind of rhythm. My swim is officially the suckiest part of my race! This is purely a training issue (or lack thereof) because I am really quite comfortable in the water and when I'm not racing someone, I truly enjoy it. At the end of the swim the water is very shallow for quite a ways and choosing to stand up and run in it to shore Baywatch style probably added to the long swim time...oh and losing my sandals and running back to find them, yes that added to my swim time...yikes.

As I headed out on my run, I was still breathing pretty hard, but without a bike segment my legs felt pretty great. This race was a little different to me, I never really pass people on the run unless they're racing on crutches, or pregnant with triplets, or over the age of 95 (except for that one time..). Before I hit mile one I passed a gal whom I thought was looking pretty strong and she said "wow you're going fast, what's you're age group?" This sentence has never been uttered to my ears in a race before. I wasn't wearing a watch and I was hoping to hold an 8 min/mile pace. As I passed two more girls, I was feeling pretty proud of myself thinking I must have met my goal pace. The run course was beautiful, it ran through the campsite which gives you an automatic cheering crowd, and on a gravel/dirt trail surrounded by trees. The weather was so perfect! It was cloudy with the threat of rain, but no drops of rain came down until after the medal ceremony.

The finisher medals and the podium medals were beautiful! The top three overall finishers also received visors and everyone looked like they were in good spirits enjoying the post race pizza and the cool weather. Despite my swim time, I was surprised to see 5th overall female and 2nd place age group finisher. My delusions of my 8 min/mile run pace were actually 8:30 min/mile (boo), but I still had a great time. I realize that although an Aquathon does not highlight my triathlon strength, I still enjoy the challenge of pushing myself and watching other's do the same. There were many families at this race participating together and celebrating their accomplishment at the end. I got just as much out of receiving my own medal as I did putting the medal around the neck of a teenage kid grinning from ear to ear at what they had done that day. I was proud of my teammate and dear friend Sherrie who battled hard through this race because of injuries her body is recovering from.

At the end we all had smiles on our faces because when you're at Bear Lake it's never a bad day.

A big thank you to BBSC for truly making the very best of a difficult situation and pulling out a successful race despite the setbacks. Way to go! Thank you to my sponsors TriEdge, Kestrel, T3, HEAD, Gu, Bearpaw, 3B Yoga, Coach Keena, Flexr, Switch, and to Sherrie for being a great friend and racing companion and of course my cheering squad at home, my amazing family.

Echo Olympic....TriUtah puts on a fantastic event!

The Echo triathlon has always attracted a fierce group of competitive athletes.  I have always had Echo on my list of races to do, but it hasn’t lined up with my race schedule until this year!  I looked forward to going and competing with some fast triathletes to see where I stacked up. I was also excited to try a TriUtah race event under new race management.  I have always enjoyed their races, and felt that they have had a great reputation. 

I drove up with some girls from the team: Britt, McKenzie, and Laura.  We figured we would give ourselves an additional hour of sleep so reserved a room in Coalville for the night before.  We picked up our packets, visited with the new race director, and checked out the race site.  As long as Mother Nature didn’t decide to downpour this was going to be a fantastic race!!!  I love being in the mountains, and this race suited my love perfectly. 
With being with a bunch of girls we probably stayed up a little too late talking, but then snuggled into bed to get ready for the race.  And we literally snuggled.  Laura, McKenzie and I slept in the King bed and Britt was in the pull out.  It was hilarious!!  Race morning came quickly and we all rolled out of bed.  Grabbed the usually breakfast, prayed for no rain, and hopped on our bikes.  We rode the 3 miles to the race site.  As we rode the clouds definitely threatened rain, but there was no wind. 

I love being at races where there are so many familiar faces and reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen for awhile.  Setting up in transition was so much fun and full of lots of chit chat and smiles.  And the race morning weather was shaping up perfectly…my favorite forecast: a little humid, overcast, and cool!

Shortly before the race I made my way down with the girls to the race start.  Tri Utah brought in the local high school band to play the National Anthem which I appreciated.  I always love hearing it played before a sports event.   I situated myself where I usually do on the swim but today it didn’t go as planned.  My wave was men and women from ages 19-40…we all know how aggressive men are in the water!  I have never been hit, punched, or swam over so many times EVER!  The first loop was a little adventurous.  I was hoping the second lap I could just get into my groove and swim!  Second lap was much better!  When I came out of the swim and saw 25:15 on my watch I was ecstatic!  Very happy with my swim!

T1 would be a little long….a .25 mile run on dirt up to transition (the water was very low!)  I felt like I was on a little trail run.  My flip flops came off a couple times, but other then that it was pretty uneventful.  Due to the cool weather I opted for socks today!

The bike was an out and back that was deceivingly challenging.  I love some good climbs and gradual uphill, and this course did not disappoint!  I focused on a good cadence while I was going out and focused on whoever was in front of me as the next person to pick off.  I loved seeing friends out there and giving the encouraging words to each other.  This sport really attracts a great group of optimistic and happy people.  As I came back to the lake I hammered the legs trying to increase my bike average.  I won't repeat my favorite shout out from triathlete friend, Rory Burke, but it put a smile on my face as I hammered the last few miles!  I came in at 22.4 MPH average and number 4 woman. 

Coach M had texted me the night before my race plan for the run and that is what echoed in my mind.  I had decided I was going to do what I could and where I placed was where I placed.  I was here to race my best.  I loved the run….it was flat and on compacted trail.  I love trail and I just thought about all my great trail runs that I have had as I hammered each mile.  When I saw Sarah I was at mile 2.5 and she confirmed I was number four.  As I approached the turn around I decided I wanted to negative split my run.  So, I started focusing on the men in front of me and working to catch up to them.  At mile 4 I passed the number 3 woman and then I mile 5 I passed the number 2.  I knew there were several women behind me that were moving a good pace and I knew I had to push that last mile.  I came across the finish line feeling like I had given all I had for the day.  I was ecstatic to learn I had earned 2^nd place. 

It is always great to get an overall finish, but they mean more to me when there are such a fierce group of competitive ladies out on the course.  I had to work for that 2^nd place!  As I looked at results there were several ladies who crossed within 2 minutes of me, all who are amazing athletes….so I will relish the 2^nd place for the day!

My goal is still to run an Olympic 10K in 42 minutes…my time today was 42:49, a 6:55 pace.

My total time was 2:21….a time I am very happy with…and a new PR!  I absolutely loved racing Echo.  I loved seeing so many local triathletes and their friendly faces.  The sportsmanship out on the course Saturday was truly amazing!   I loved racing with some of my teammates, and loved seeing them all out there on the course!  I absolutely love this sport and the people who participate in it!

A huge thanks to our awesome sponsors: TriEdge, Kestrel, HEAD, Bearpaw, T3, Switch, Flexr, Gu.  All of their products have been amazing and have made my year superior!  Also a huge thanks to my husband, kids, and coaches!  Every one of them has been instrumental in helping to do this sport I love!

Hanging with some of the girls!

Loved seeing all these fabulous ladies on the course!

A second overall....I had to fight for that finish!

My goods from the race!

Echo Triathlon, A Tradition of Excellence

Echo has been a popular race for athletes from beginners to pros for years as evidenced by their strong 12 year run. TriUtah did not disappoint this year and put on another great race!

Because this race is a local favorite, I was not surprised that many of my teammates would be racing, as well as other familiar faces. I've raced Echo once before and I knew mostly what to expect. Coalville is a small charming town with that "everybody knows your name" kind of feel. There aren't many lodging options and the one Holliday Inn becomes overrun with triathletes. With a 60-90 minute commute from SLC or Utah county, many athletes drive up the morning of, but I enjoy being there the night before.

Friday evening McKenzie, Amber, Laura and I drove up and went straight to packet pick up. I was shocked to see Echo reservoir so low! The swim start of three years ago was now all dry land. After meeting Dan, the race director, he took us over to the swim start and showed us the 1/4 mile hike down to the lake. Sometimes hosting a triathlon during a drought requires creativity and innovation. To TriUtah's credit, they created a separate timing for the run from the lake to T1 so everyone could have accurate swim and T1 times. I look at these little add ons as an extra adventure.

That night as we were in our hotel room setting up our stuff, we worried about how cold the temperatures were forecasting for the 7am swim start, low 50's and chance of scattered thunderstorms. Usually Echo is a very hot race, especially by the time you hit the run. Now we were contemplating warm racing gear. I tried not to worry about the weather or the fact that I'd forgotten my race nutrition, and tried to get some sleep on the less than comfortable hotel sofa bed, still very excited for race day.

The 5am wakeup felt like 5 minutes after I managed to get to sleep. The other girls were racing olympic distance and had to leave an hour earlier than me. Because you can't drive to the race venue, (the park cannot accommodate the vehicles), athletes are required to park in a separate area a few miles away and bike to transition. Busses are provided for spectators. We biked from our hotel to the race site. The morning was cool, but not too cold and the cloud cover ended up providing excellent racing conditions!

The olympic and sprint racers were an hour apart from each other so I was able to meet up with Cherry and we cheered on the olympic racers as they entered transition looking more than a little tired from their extra little hike from the lake to transition. Soon I was in the water ready to take off. During the first leg of my swim, I looked up to sight and saw most of the athletes walking through the water. Huh? We were so far out in the lake and it was still so shallow you could walk. It was a funny thing to see. I decided it was still probably a little faster to actually swim so I put my head down and tried to navigate through all the bodies. My swim time was pretty average, 15 minutes. Improvements could be made.

The bike course is deceptively challenging. The scenery is beautiful, but if you enjoy it too much you might hit a pothole in the road. There are lots of rolling hills and not a lot of time to catch your breath. The bike is my strongest leg and I'm usually trying to get as far ahead of the runners as possible. I've had some problems with cramping lately and have backed off a little on the bike to accommodate my legs for the run. There were a lot of new racers on the course that day and a LOT of penalties being handed out by race officials for illegal passing, drafting, and probably for riding in the middle of the road because I saw a lot of that. I love riding my bike and wish I could wish I could do an olympic distance bike with a sprint distance swim and run.  My time was decent, I'd still like to get faster on those up hills.

This year, I enjoyed the run because it stayed cool! It was a smooth trail that was mostly flat. By the time I hit mile two, this tiny gal in a USC uniform zoomed past me like a blur. I could briefly notice her calf telling me she was in my age group and I knew I wasn't catching her. I am consistently a negative split runner, my second have of the run is faster than the first. I tried to pick up my pace and sprinted the last 100 meters to the finish line.

TriUtah knows how to take care of their athletes post race! I find that what sets a good race apart from a great race are the details. After crossing the finish line and catching my breath, several tubs were filled with ice water and little red towels to wipe down your body and cool off. There were plenty of beverages, and the food was amazing! There was a buffet of oatmeal and little cakes, and fruit, bread, and a vendor handing out servings of protein powder. They even had a massage therapist giving chair massages. I was enjoying congratulating the other athletes and chatting with my teammates. I hadn't even gone over to check the results. I finally decided to look and was happy to have placed second in my age division. The finisher medals were great, and my second place finish medal was even bigger and they both can be used as belt buckles...YEE HAW!

Was my swim fast? No. Was my bike fast? Hmm maybe a little, but nothing elite. Was my run fast? No. But did I have a huge smile on my face when I crossed the finish line? YES! My mantra for triathlon this season has been "there's a time and a season." I love this sport and if I get too caught up in worrying about my race times or feeling regrets it robs me of a valuable experience. If you know me, you know I'm very competitive by nature and who doesn't love to perform well? I've just learned that sometime our lives or our bodies do not allow us to train the way we would like, or perform the way we demand and I have to accept that and celebrate what I can do, or focus on changes I can make. I believe a sport should empower you and make you feel better about yourself, not worse. I'm grateful for a body that allows me to be active and do the things I love. As I've watched friends battle physical limitations they have no control over, I know I'm blessed.

Thank you to TriUtah for keeping the tradition of a great race at Echo and for your standard of excellence in racing. Thank you to the many sponsors that make competing in this sport fun and possible; TriEdge, Kestrel, Head Swimming, (I LOVE my Head wetsuit and goggles) Flexr Sports, GU, T3, Coach Keena, (Keena you are kind, understanding, and so much fun!) 3B Yoga (ashtanga yoga puts the zen back in my life), Switch Eyewear, BEARPAW (love you, love you, love you) and Velo Ink (I love personalizing my bike). And to all the people in my life that encourage and support me and laugh at my inappropriate jokes (you know who you are) I love you and thank you!

Dinotri...LOVE this race!

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DINOTRI…one of my favorites!

As our team met earlier this year we had decided to choose Dinotri as a team race.  I was really excited because I had heard good things about the race and had been wanting to race there; it just had never fit in with my race schedule.  So I called my aunt and uncle to see if we could stay at their home, which they generously agreed and we were set!

The week leading up to the race I had strained my quad, which had me a little concerned.  Natalie Rasmussen, massage therapist, tortured me in the two days leading up to the race.  I was tortured so much I couldn’t tell what was soreness from massage and what was soreness from injury.  I didn’t do anything at all the three days before the race besides massage, heat, ice, and A LOT of deep blue. Coach M gave me wise words of advice that rang through my little head the entire race “don’t ruin the rest of your race season.”  The Friday before the race I had concluded that I would not sacrifice my race season.  If it meant I walked the 10K that was how it was going to be.  I was completely unsure what race day was going to bring. 

We pulled into Vernal for packet pick up and headed to T1 to check in our bikes.  Who would have thought that Vernal was so pretty.  As we headed out to the lake I was so excited about the race course…some good climbs, some good descents…this was shaping up to be a great bike course!  We pulled into the lake and it was beautiful!  I got my bike into the lower chain ring due to the amount of climbing at the beginning and then headed to the lake for a swim.  It was so hot we didn’t even bother putting on a wetsuit.  We just hopped in and went for a refreshing swim.  It was lovely!

Dinner was the usual Café Rio…my favorite prerace meal!  We headed to my relatives where there was lots of visiting, movie watching, and yes…more heating and icing. 

Race morning came early!!  I was so excited as we headed to Vernal to race, and a little apprehensive about the leg.  I was thinking it was feeling better, but wasn’t quite sure.  We checked into T2 quickly as we were running a little behind and hopped on the bus.  As I loaded the bus I asked Laura what rack I had just put my T2 stuff in…yes, we were in such a hurry I didn’t even think to look at where I placed my shoes!  Thank goodness for a small transition area.

The morning was perfect…a little warm, but no winds.  Everyone was very social and friendly at the race.  As I was heading down to the lake I noticed a large van with a group of people with “Team Ross” shirts on.  I went over and introduced myself.  The father was going to pull his disabled son in the Olympic distance.  Before the race I watched as he carried his boy down to the lake and placed him in the raft.  It was quite touching to watch. 

So here is how the race went…..the swim was spectacular!!  It was a little long…1.10 miles, but one of my favorite swims I have had.  I got out of the water in the fastest time for me!  1.10 miles, 29:32 minutes.

The run up to transition was up a long hill and I really took it easy as I didn’t need to blow up my leg before I stepped foot on my bike.  So I walked as I took off my wetsuit and then lightly jogged up.  My T1 time was longer then I would have liked, but no need to blow up the leg!

The bike course was spectacular!  The first 2 miles was a good climb and then some nice descending into Vernal.  Once we reached Vernal there was another long climb up Dry Canyon.  The roads were so pretty and I loved the ride!  During the entire ride I was taking note of my leg which bothered a bit, but nothing that was concerning.  I just knew that I had to not bike as hard as I would like.  So it was a very enjoyable ride without being on the border of redlining!  The course was a little long, 27 miles.  Bike average, 21.3 MPH.

The run is flat as a pancake, which was great for my injury.  I think that up and down would have irritated it.  I ignored my watch and just ran off of feel paying close attention to what my leg was doing.  I ran at a pace that it didn’t hurt which, once again, made for an enjoyable run, as I wasn’t completely redlining.   I was pushing, but not to the extent that I could have which gave me the opportunity to really cheer others on as I passed them.  I passed a couple Team Ross people and let them know I was completely inspired by what they were doing. It was a great little run.  And the best part was I averaged 7:08 minute miles.

My final time was 2:32.  I came into the finish line exactly how I wanted…with no pain to the injury and happy to have completed another race.  I ended up 2^nd overall!  Dinotri is serious about their prizes and taking care of the athletes!  I won 2^nd place of Queen of the Mountain, which landed me some Fezzari bike supplies and then with the 2^nd overall I won 100 dollars of cash and the sweetest slab of Dino Rock for my plaque!  I was so impressed with this race as well as the directors.  They were great!

And the best part of the day was watching Team Ross come in with smiles after a long, hot day.  I was so touched as I watched this father run in pushing his son as they both had smiles on their face.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this sport; I absolutely love it!  I think sometimes we get wrapped up into placing and improving our times that we forget the joy the sport brings us.  We are very lucky to have abled bodies to do these things and enjoy such beautiful places!  I was grateful for the reminder!

It was a great weekend with some girls from the team as well!!  Loved spending time with them.  A huge thanks to our awesome sponsors:  Bearpaw ( I love their flip flops and have worn them to every race the past year!), Kestrel (my bike is pretty much amazing), HEAD (Their gear rocks!), TriEdge, Flexr (No moldy bottles!), Switch (I was sad not to have my glasses at this race as they were in my husband’s car!), and T3, 3B Yoga, and GU!  

Setting up for the race!!

The girls from the team!  Awesome time racing with them and we couldn't have asked for better cheerleaders!

Number Two!

Love me some cash!

Dino Tri, A Hidden Gem!

What a fantastic weekend I had at the Dino Tri with my TriEdge teammates! I must confess I was unfamiliar with this race until this year, and I didn't really know what to expect. Amber's aunt and uncle were incredibly generous with an invitation for the team to stay in their gorgeous home, so with a place to stay and good company, I was excited to race.

The Dino tri is held in Vernal Utah which is basically a dinosaur artifact hotspot. I found Vernal to be a good mixture of southern Utah red rock dessert, and northern utah greenery. On Friday evening we picked up our packets and arrived at T1 to drop off our bikes. I was overwhelmed at the heat as we racked our bikes and I stood dripping with sweat in the 100 degree inferno. The lake was beautiful and inviting and was the perfect way to cool off. After our little swim we headed to Cafe Rio for our favorite pre-race meal. I was thrilled that Vernal has a Cafe Rio!

Race morning my alarm jolted me awake at 4:15 after a four hour nap. I'm usually too excited and nervous to be tired. We were a little late leaving the house, but Laura made up the time by driving about 80 miles per hour to T2. We arrived in perfect time to drop our things and board the bus that would take us up to the lake. I love races with two transition areas, I don't know why, but I think it makes things interesting. At 7:00 it was already starting to get warm. The start time was about 30 minutes delayed because one of the buses had technical problems. This made the Olympic racers a little nervous and the Sprint racers like myself, glad we were doing the sprint. There were a lot of videographers walking around interviewing people before the race started. I was interviewed and asked what I love most about this sport. I don't remember what I said, but as I thought about it later, I LOVE racing with friends and being a part of a team. I headed down to the water and waited to start my race.

The swim was AWESOME! One of the best venues I've swam. I'm not speaking of my swimming abilities, I'm talking about the lake. The water felt so good and the course was well marked and well anchored (no drifting buoys). As you come out of the water, you have a little hike up the long boat ramp to get to T1. Normally I will jog to T1 even if my heart feels like exploding, but I knew the bike course I was up against and decided to race smart. 

The bike course is great. You have about 25 ft. of parking lot after exiting T1 before you start climbing a very formidable hill. I'm so glad I live in Utah county and climb mountains and hills frequently otherwise the first 1.8 mile climb would have freaked me out a bit. I knew exactly where the downhill would begin and couldn't wait to shift into my big gear and zoom down the hill. I passed so many sprinters that I realized how slow my swim was. I love my Kestrel and feeling the power of a quality bike on the downhill stretches. I passed so many people just peddling their hearts out and probably wondering why I was so fast. It's not me, it's the bike! I have had pretty severe issues with muscle cramping lately so my game plan was to not go all out on the bike and save some juice for the run. My bike time was pretty decent, considering I usually treat sprint distances like time trials. 

Coming in to T2 I heard Jen cheering me on and ringing her cowbell, it's so fun to have that support! I took off on my run trying to beat the heat. The run course had a lot of out and back loops which I personally don't mind because you see a lot of people and it's very social. I had some fantastic runners fly past me like it was nothing to them. I know I'm not a strong runner but I was especially disappointed in how weak I felt on the run. I wasn't wearing a watch but my pace felt like I was jogging 11 minute miles. I was so grateful once again to be doing a sprint that day and not an olympic. There were a lot of great volunteers and spectators cheering everyone on, I wanted to feed off their energy and just take off, but my legs wouldn't allow it. I managed to sprint my last 100 meters, I like to cross the finish line with nothing left in the tank, leaving it all out on the course. My perception of my run time was a little off, I thought I ran 11 minute miles, but I managed to finish my run in 26 minutes, about 8:30 minute miles. I felt a little better about that. 

I was lucky enough to place first in my division that day (you never know who is going to show up to race on any given day). This is where Dino Tri blew me away. Usually finishers receive a medal, and then the first three overall finishers receive extra swag such as drink mixes, a trophy, or t-shirt, or a certificate reminding you that you're the coolest. Dino Tri took it to the next level. They awarded cash prized to the first three overall for sprint and olympic AND gave cash to Athena and Clydsdale first place finishers...what?! I've NEVER been to a race where Athena and Clydsdale received anything but a finisher medal and reminder that they should have a salad for their post race meal. They wanted to show some love to those categories and I'm still amazed by that. Winning any amount of cash is cool, but winning $100 is even cooler. Top finisher got $150. I could walk away with my Benjamin and be happy but that's not all. Extra swag awards were given to the fastest run split, and the King/Queen of the mountain (the person who booked it up that 1.8 mile climb the fastest, our very own Amber). Oh, I'm not done, do you think they gave out little trophies to all the 1st through 3rd place finishes? Nope, they gave HUGE STONE PLAQUES with first or second or third carved into them. Seriously, they're gorgeous and it's going to sit in my garden as a reminder of the coolest race ever. The post race food was good, the misting tent was refreshing, and the atmosphere was fun and supportive. 

The race director and his crew asked us for our feedback after the race, they wanted to know how to improve and what we liked. We couldn't think of any complaints, we suggested another aid station for the olympic bike course, but we had nothing but praise for this race. I know they could have not given the cash awards or spent the money on the stone plaques and they would have still had an awesome race, but the race director made it clear that it's not about making a ton of money, but putting on a great race people will want to be a part of. Mission accomplished.

Thank you to Dino Tri for a great race. Thank you to our wonderful team sponsors; Kestrel, HEAD, Flexr Sports, Switch Eyewear, T3, Bearpaw, GU, and Coach Keena training for taking a chance on a "non-competive" women's team. Thank you to my teammates for cheering me on and celebrating my efforts whether I reach the podium or not. A personal thank you to my husband for supporting me in my love for this sport, and cheering me on while home sick and caring for ill children with no complaints so I can race.