Austin 70.3

Getting things ready!

Checking in the bikes!

Headed to the race!

We survived!

Austin 70.3 ended up on my race calendar after Boise's 70.3 was cut short due to awful weather. I felt completely ripped off of my 70.3 experience for the year. I had to be careful where I put in another 70.3 distance due to other races that were already on my calendar. Austin ended up landing at the perfect time at the end of race season. I knew in the back of my mind it was going to be a push to get to Austin free of injury and with my head in a good place. I have raced a lot this year, I have pushed my body to new limits, and I wanted to give it one more final push. Leading up to the race the joke around my house was how many more weeks my body had to hold it together. I never felt like I was exhausted, but I just knew that I was on the brink and walking that fine line.

Training up to Austin went great. I loved training in the fall: the weather was perfect, the leaves were changing, and it was much easier finding time to train with kids back in school! I had some great training days and I felt really ready going into this race with very distinct goals set for myself. The week before the race I ended up having a pain in my right glute. I took the time needed to get massage before I left town knowing I didn't have anymore hard training days and figured the taper would be the perfect combination for a strong body going into the race.

Typically, Austin's temperature is in the high 70's in late October. But, a few days before leaving the weather showed a cold snap coming in....and it cooled off quickly!! When we flew in it was 86 degrees, the high on race day was 63 degrees. Laura and I were not prepared for how cool it was going to get and we were found Saturday afternoon buying winter gear for the bike ride.

Laura and I traveled out on Thursday and spent the couple days before enjoying Austin and the surrounding areas, checking in, and getting ready to race! We drove the course, became familiar with the transitions, and checked in all our gear. We were ready....cold weather and all! I had spent a lot of time during the week going over the course, my goals, my race plan....I felt very ready for the race.

Sunday morning we arose to some chilly weather and headed out to the race. Since we were one of the last waves we decided to get to the race right before transition closed. We literally got there 15 minutes before it closed..maybe we cut it to close! We quickly set our belongings out and headed to the lake to watch the pros take off. It was chilly, but we were met with a beautiful sunrise. I was looking forward to some warmth that it would give me. There was a light breeze and there was definite movement in the water.  I followed my prerace nutrition and then headed to the lake.

THE SWIM- Time: 40 minutes

I have grown to love the swim portion of the race over the past year...well, maybe love isn't the word.  But, it is more then just surviving now.  As I started the swim I couldn't see anything. This was so frustrating. I struggled to see where I was going, but I just stayed out of my head and kept swimming. I figured as long as I could see other people I was most likely headed in the right direction. The last 300 yards I thought would be the easiest due to how the waves were moving, but it ended up being the most challenging part of the swim. I got out in 40 minutes and was not happy with that time at all...and hope to not see that number again. I know I am capable of better then that! I quickly noted to myself there was no changing the time and to just leave the swim at the lake.

THE BIKE- Time: 2:44, 20.41 MPH

Lets first start off with...I love my Kestrel bike and zip wheels so much!! They make me feel so fast on the course. I had my winter gear on (second 70.3 in winter gear this year!) and I was off. This course is no joke! It is rolling hills....and more rolling hills....and more rolling hills. There is also wind...and not a tailwind....lots of headwind...and crosswind! This definitely made me work for my bike average. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the countryside of Texas. I appreciated the posters carried by people on the course..my personal favorite.. “worst parade ever.” I passed lots of people and was only passed by a couple men so I figured I must be moving right along amid the wind. Another note about Texas...their roads are crap....it made me so grateful for our roads here. The course had a lot of chip gravel, cracks, bumps...it was an adventure! The last 8 miles of the course are uphill and a majority of that was into the wind. As I rolled into transition I was looking forward to running.

THE RUN: Time: 1:40, 7:40 average

I have been so happy with my run this year. I feel like I have improved a lot and was expecting to put down the hammer one last time for the year. The run on this course is 3 loops of hills...you are either up or down on this one. There is a 1.5 mile long uphill segment that you repeat 3 times. The first loop went well and I was on target for my paces, but then about mile 4 my quads started to hurt which I thought was weird. I had consciously taken in all my nutrition as planned, but on the downhill my quads weren't happy. Within the next five minutes I felt pain on the outside of my leg and on the outside of my knee..I knew exactly what it was....hello IT band! This quickly affected my mental game because it hurt going down and hurt going up. There is about .75 mile of each loop that is somewhat flat which during that time I was fine. By mile 9 I was so frustrated about not being able to meet my goal and having to run more hills with a leg that hurt that I through all my motivational words in the garbage and just pushed forward that last loop. It wasn't a happy loop....I had expected more from myself. One positive note..no females passed me on the run and only one male...so I will take it!

WHAT I LEARNED:

When I crossed the finish line I was relieved to have pushed through and finished. As I was feeling relief and joy of being done I also was feeling a little discouraged about not meeting my goals. I let myself be unhappy and a little emotional for 20-25 minutes, but then I walked over and watched as others were finishing. I knew my good friend was still out on the course working her way to the finish line. I quickly started to change my thoughts. I had set a PR on a tough course, on a tough day, and on an injury. I started to think about all my successes from this year, all the things I have learned, all the strides I have made. As I changed my thinking I anxiously waited to see Laura come across the finish line and meet her goal of completing her first half ironman. I love being at the finish line. It is an accomplishment for everyone that crosses!

Most of all....I learned I can only expect so much from my body every year, and this year I may have just pushed it beyond the brink and at mile 4 on the run my body decided it was done for the year. It is now time for much needed recovery.

SPECIAL THANKS:

I really have so much to be grateful for. I am surrounded by a wonderful, supportive husband who puts up with my craziness of training and supports me in the goals that I set for myself. I could not do it without his support. A HUGE thanks to him!! I am appreciative of my family who support me in this venture. I am so appreciative of friends as well as teammates that always offer encouragement and support. I have the best coaches I could ask for...LOVE HT Training!

To my sponsors: Bearpaw....your boots kept my little feet warm race morning in the 47 degree temps, HEAD...your hoodie and supplies also kept me super warm! K-Swiss...LOVE my running shoes! GU...your nutrition simply nails it! Kestrel....my bike has been amazing this year, it is a perfect fit. FlexR...thank you for all your support and shout outs this year! Switch...your glasses were worn the entire weekend in Austin! I am one lucky girl! Here's to another rockin year in 2013! I am now going to turn into a couch potato for a couple weeks.

Austin (the land of hills) 70.3

When I decided earlier this summer to do this race, I had a fair amount of anxiety.  I knew I could do the swim, bike, and run independently, but I had no way of knowing what my body would want to do when I lumped them all together.  So, for 16 weeks, I got on the training wagon and was pretty dang diligent about sticking to my workouts.  I worked on things like speed, endurance, and my hardest one - my mental game.  It was hard for me to really say and believe that I could do this (and not fall apart).  I worked on the removing the thoughts of self-doubt, but to be honest, they still lingered a bit.

So - about two weeks before the Austin I started looking at the weather and it was SO dang hot!  I was starting to panic (and pray - for real - for a cold front to move in.  About a week out, the weather forecase shifted (hallelujia!).  The forecast was for colder weather, which my body much prefers to race in.

On Thursday Amber and I flew down to Texas, and were amazed at how green and pretty it was!  Friday we registered and I was starting to get pumped!  Saturday at bike check in I was feeling the nerves - along with the periodic lingering pit in my stomach - to get out there and race.  After we got our bikes situated we drove the bike course.  And, the roads were pretty terrible.  I'd say that about 90% of the roads were cracked and filled, and tilting, and potholed, etc.  Oh, and the hills... well they're everywhere.  Granted, I ride hills out where I live, but I had no idea that the race was going to be SO hilly!  After getting a mental snapshot of the bike course, we headed to a local bike shop to get some cold weather gear (since it really was going to be in the low 40s the next morning).  I picked up arm warmers, gloves, and a vest, figuring that could help me not freeze on the bike.  We had a nice early dinner Saturday night, and got the rest of our bags ready and tried to get to sleep early.

Sunday morning when my alarm went off I was so excited and nervous to get racing!  We headed over to the arena where we'd get bused, but there were long lines.  We knew transition closing was getting close, but didn't realize how close until we finally got into transition and they announced it would close in less than 15 minutes.   Ack!  So, after making sure my transition bags had everything I needed, we headed out to watch the pros begin.  It was COLD!  Good thing we'd bundled up in our Bearpaw boots, Head hoodies, and the like!  We were the 12th wave to start, so we had a bunch of time to kill.... however, when we got our wetsuits on, and dropped off our morning bags we walked back down near the water and I realized I'd left my earplugs in my bag - crap!  So we ran back up, and fortunately my bag was still on the top of the pile - whew!

So, getting to the good stuff - our wave began!  Getting in the water felt SO good since it was so cold outside.  I couldn't wait to take off.  I found a nice place at the front of the pack off to the inside, and at the horn, I took off.  I love the swim, but hate swim starts, so I just wanted to get out ahead of as many people as possible and avoid the washing machine!  Pretty quickly I got into my rythym and was swimming right next to another purple cap.  We were keeping in exact stroke with one another, so I knew I wanted to stay by this girl.  After the first couple buoys, I ran into some white caps from the wave ahead of us and lost my site off this girl.  So, I peeked up, and saw her right ahead of me.  I caught up to her feet and drafted on her toes for about a 1000 or so.  It was sweet, she cut the movement of the water perfectly for me!  First time I have been able to get such a good draft off anyone, usually I just do my own thing.  Anyway, I ended up getting out of the water feeling great, and ran up to T1.

T1 was SO slow, dumping out my bag of stuff, and trying to get clothes on a wet body, ugh!   But I  picked up my bike and ran it out of the transition area (hoping to avoid any goat heads in my tires), and threw a bonk breaker in my mouth.  I hopped on the bike and was anxious to get going.  I knew there were a couple big hills in the first 10 miles, so I just wanted to knock those out of the way.  Amber passed me somewhere between mile 10 and 15, and within minutes she was out of site  - so fast!  I tried to keep a strong pace, but it was windy!  I ended up holding around 17.6 mph on the bike, which was slower than I hoped, but I was content knowing that I gave a good push.  My other goals on the bike were to hydrate well and get in my calories.  When I made it to T2, I was glad to be off the bike.  But when I stepped off to dismount, I lost my legs and almost fell over.  Thanks to the guy volunteering who caught my waist and gave me a little push upright :).  T2 was slow, I wanted to run through it, but ended up walking.... pretty slowly at that.  I threw on my shoes and visor and headed out. 

My legs felt pretty good by about a half mile in on the run, and then I got to the first big up hill, which sucked.  My muscles were feeling tight, but I kept forging on..   The 3 loops were interesting for me.  Loop one I tried not to even think about those miles - I had to stay out of my head, otherwise I would have visited things like "I'm only at mile 1, 2, 3, etc".  So instead I sang a line of a song over and over and over in my head.  When I began the second loop I was feeling just plain tired.  I wasn't cramping (thanks to my salt intake, and earlier hydration), but I just wanted to sit down.  I did my fair share of walking on this loop, but ran most of the 2 miles back.  When I set out on my third loop, I really let it hit me - I WAS GOING TO FINISH THIS RACE!  I honestly hadn't let myself really take hold onto that, because it scared me a little.  I typically in tris like to find a running buddy - it distracts me from my own thoughts, and from physical pain.  But, up to mile 9 I had run alone.  I found someone at about mile 11 who was holding my running cadence and was right behind me.  I turned around and chatted and ran with some guy from NY for about a mile and a half, at which point he bolted, and I kept on moving toward the finish.  In all honesty, I felt like the last quarter of a mile was taking FOREVER, but I gave my last big push into the finish line. 

I was so happy, and overwhelmed at the finish line.  4 months ago I set a goal, I had a plan, and I stuck with it to accomplish something I had never done, and wasn't quite sure I would be able to do.  I wanted to finish in under 6 hours, and came in at 5:54.  I will take it!  The next months I can pick apart my race to decide where I can drop time next year, but I am really happy most of all that I stuck with it and that I didn't fall apart mentally.  It was wonderful to race with Amber, who is so encouraging, and believed I could do it  all along.  I really felt like this race was a big milestone for me, the title of which is - I can do hard things :)

Thanks to my friends and family who beleived in me, watched kids so I could get training done, my husband who let me neglect things in order to stay with the program, to my teammates who are amazing, and inspire me all the time.  A big special thanks to my sponsors who never cease to dish out the love in big doses - BEARPAW (seriously, my toes would have fallen off prerace had I not been covered), HEAD for my goggles which continue to be my favorite ever, and for my cozy sweatshirt to stay warm, Kestrel for a killer fast bike that moves like the wind (despite the head wind), Flexr for keeping my hydration needs covered, Darn Tough - love those socks, they were perfect for keeping my toes from freezing on the bike course, Switch - wicked good sunglasses which were great out there on the run.  Additional love to Gu for having such a good variety of gels to keep me pumping in the calories, and to K-swiss for the awesome running shoes - I LOVE, LOVE them.

Tough Mudder!!!

Hello dear readers. Many have requested the details of my wonderfully agonizing day of mud, pain, and fun. I apologize for not being pithy in my review but I wanted to journal the details for my own memory bank and allow you to experience it with me.

For those who are unfamiliar with the "Tough Mudder" it is a 12 mile mud run filled with 20 or so military obstacles. It is meant to push your limits physically and mentally. "Why?" might you ask "would you pay to get your ass kicked in mud?" It's a valid question. The proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, an incredibly deserving cause. I didn't realize this until recently, but I'm attracted to events that cause a healthy dose of adrenaline and fear. I love challenging myself and pushing limits. I'm also conscientious of every dollar I spend on a race and this particular one does not allow a refund, or transfer, so even though I was scared, backing out was not an option.

I was originally signed up as an individual, but I realized I needed a team of some sort to even make it through some of the obstacles. I joined up with a large group of coworkers from BlendTec.  The race was held out in Tooele at the Millers Motorcross arena (acres and acres of mud, cow poo, and obstacles). Waves began at 8:00 and sent groups out every 20 min. until 11:40. Our group started at 10:20. I was hoping the later start would bring warmer weather, but no, there would be no warmth today. When we arrived, the moment I stepped out the door I was cold. The wind was blowing rather hard but there was so much excitement in the air! This was a different crowd from the Dirty Dash. Instead of cute costumes and matching socks, there was Braveheart war paint, military camo, and mohawks.  After signing my death waver, I shed my sweatshirt and climbed over a wall to get to the starting line with my group. One of my favorite parts of the day was the pep rally they did before unleashing us to the course. They had loud music playing and a man who looked like Mekhi Phifer leading the group with a "hands up in the air" jiggedy jig. There were a lot of BOOYAH's and fist pumps and a "repeat after me" Mudder pledge: (It's written on the back of my shirt)

"I UNDERSTAND THAT TOUGH MUDDER IS NOT A RACE BUT A CHALLENGE"
"I PUT TEAMWORK AND CAMARADERIE BEFORE MY COURSE TIME"
"I DO NOT WHINE, KIDS WHINE"
"I HELP MY FELLOW MUDDERS COMPLETE THE COURSE"
"I OVERCOME ALL FEARS"

Then they played the national anthem, and everyone took a knee. We were reminded of why we were there, to support and give respect to the men and women who fight for our country at often a great price to them and their families. The servicemen and veterans who were present were honored, there were many of them racing the course, even a few wounded vets. I am incredibly patriotic and appreciated the respect shown to our military.

On to the race. They refer to the start of the race as the "Braveheart Charge." I call it the last time you are dry. Before you hit mile one, you go through two obstacles. The first is the "kiss of mud," meaning: crawling under barbed wire in mud as they nail you with a fire hose. The next obstacle was the one I most feared, jumping in a dumpster full of ice water and swimming under water to get out on the other side. You couldn't think about it, you had to do it and get out fast or you'll freeze and go to crazyland. It literally knocked the wind out of me. After I got out, the air actually felt warmer, and adrenaline got my legs moving. Great! I just got through the worst obstacle... again, I was wrong.

I don't recall the order of the obstacles, but I'll just highlight a few. There was a nice rotation between military crawling through or under something unpleasant, going up and down mud hills, climbing over huge walls, most of which have no rope, grip or ladder and require the assistance of a team, and always some water pit waiting for you to fall into. I was feeling pretty good until I reached the worst obstacle: "shocks on the rocks." I was wondering as I approached it why there was such a large gathering of spectators laughing and gawking. Well, it's because electrocution is apparently very entertaining. You could hear the popping and zapping of the electric wires sending a nice shock of 10,000 volts into people as they yell out in pain. To ensure optimal pain levels, you were required to military crawl (p.s. that means arms only, no knees) through thick mud, under barbed wire (so you couldn't escape the torture) with hundreds, (it had to be hundreds, it was relentless) of electric wires hanging down and shocking the hell out of you the entire time. You can't just lay there in pain or you keep getting shocked, you have to keep crawling out of it. I later met a girl that was actually knocked out and had to get pulled out. CRAZY RIGHT?! Note to self, I don't rather enjoy being electrocuted.

My favorite obstacle was fun. It was like Dirty Dash on steroids. They called it the  "mud mile" basically rolling hills of pudding like mud with pools of muddy water in between and bodies slipping and sliding everywhere. There was a lot of camaraderie on the course with complete strangers working together to complete these obstacles (remember, Mekhi Phifer made us pledge to do that). At one point I remember helping a guy I didn't know and was pushing his butt over a hill. I apologized for the temporary violation and he just said "hey don't worry about it, I kind of like it." Hey random dude, thanks for making it creepy.

The amusing part of the race was the long muddy lines for the Port O Potty's along the course. Amusing because you are so covered in mud that the only thing that's white are your eyeballs. There was so much mud in the stall it looked like crime scene. The girls on my team know my policy for bathroom breaks on mudder courses...we'll leave it there.

A few other obstacles; carrying a huge log with your team, carrying a huge person on your back,  attempting to cross monkey bars and falling in the frigid waters below, running up a quarter pipe, and climbing a 15 or 20 ft. platform and jumping off at the top into again, muddy water. I had so much mud on my body I dropped like a tank into that water and it took a second or two to even surface. I managed to jog between the obstacles to stay warm, but when we passed the 10 mile sign twice (they put two of them out there to mess with your head) it started to get tough. As I approached the finish I was shaking with cold (we just did the platform jump), and I knew what awaited me, more electrocution. This time you could run through it while jumping over some hay bales. I hesitated with fear, but I remembered my pre-game chant to "overcome my fears" plus I could see food and warmth on the other side. Some girl wanted to link up arms and run through and I politely declined, the last thing I needed was someone connected to me in case things went bad. I took off and halfway through I got lit up like a Christmas tree and dropped to the ground. At least the wires couldn't touch me on the ground. I just laid there for a second and a spectator asked if I was okay, all I could say was "that freakin' hurt." I crawled my way out to the glorious finish where they crowned me with my orange mudder headband. VICTORIOUS!

I'm not sure how long we took, 4+ hours, it didn't matter. I couldn't wait to put dry clothes on and sit in a warm van. I had some pains here and there but didn't know the extent of my war wounds til I got home. I looked like someone hung me upside down like a pinata and beat the crap out of me. I've never been so black and blue and purple all over. My forearms from all of the crawling are amazingly bruised and I pulled a muscle in my abs. My husband was concerned people at church would think he was a wife beater...I got a few stares.

Overall, I'm so glad I did it, I really enjoyed most of it, and I think I would do it again...maybe I hit my head a little too hard. Now, I just need to motivate my team to do it with me! Thank you to my sponsors, especially Bearpaw for the much needed warmth and comfort my feet needed after this race, and to GU for creating the amazing vanilla GU that made me smile somewhere around mile 8.
Thank you to my team for their friendship and encouragement and thank you to my family, particularly my mother whom constantly keeps me on the prayer roll. She's the true warrior.

Pink Half Marathon

Finishing up the last bit of the Pink Half...realizing I have solidified first place!

This picture says it all...tired, relieved, processing...

First place!!  Wahoo!!

I think we need to have a party with some BlendTec smoothies!

I have always loved the Pink Half Marathon and have ran it 3 years in a row. Last year my legs didn't show up and it was a pretty miserable experience...to the point that if a truck had been at mile 7 I would have gladly hopped in to be taken to the finish. This year I was using this race as a training day for Austin that is in 2 weeks ,and was going back for some redemption. I love this course because it is tough! It has some really good uphill sections, is partly on some trail, and is absolutely beautiful...not to add that you are racing close to 7000 feet elevation. And...it is for such a great cause!

I had originally thought I was going to do this as a nice tempo run, but Coach M informed me earlier this week that it needed to be hard and I was racing it. So, it was back to mentally preparing to have a tough race and most likely spend some time in the pain cave. The weather looked like it was going to be questionable and most likely cold. So, I packed my bags with one of everything and prayed for no rain or snow!

I woke up to find no rain but lots of clouds. I grabbed my breakfast: banana with peanut butter and a NOW bar and headed to the race with my awesome mom and friend. We spent some time in a cozy building before loading buses and heading up. I am all about staying as warm as possible before a race. I will gladly load the last bus that is leaving.

Unfortunately they kicked us off the buses 15 minutes before the start and it was pretty cold, but passed the time quickly visiting with those around. As I started running a girl asked me what my goal was. I told her 1:35ish...she said she was doing a 1:30 and the girl in front of us was doing 1:25. I thought those were fast times on this course, but whatever...I was sticking to my original race plan! I turned on my ipod and just ran my race. I have been working really hard at staying out of my head, sticking with a race plan, and not worrying about what everyone else is doing. I stuck by the 1:35 pacer as planned through the first 5 miles which is uphill. I knew staying with him would ensure a good pace through those first uphill miles. At mile 3 I was in 2nd place. At mile 5 I had planned to hit it hard for the next few miles of downhill. I kept 1st place in sight and stayed within the heartrate I wanted so I wouldn't blow up. As I hit mile 7 I started finding landmarks and counting seconds between me and first. There is a mile uphill at mile 10 and I have always walked on this section...not this year! It didn't matter how tired I was...I was not walking one step of this race. I was staying out of my head and just pushing forward. At about 10.5 I knew I was catching the lead girl but just kept my pace. Patience...patience...patience. (Sometimes patience can be hard!) At about 11 I realized she was only 5 seconds in front of me and I knew at this point I was running faster then her and feeling pretty good. I passed her shortly after 11 and decided it was time to take off! Those last couple miles hurt! I wanted to walk! But...this was a training day, I was now in the lead, and this is how I was going to feel in two weeks at the end of the half ironman, this was a race to help me learn to run uncomfortably. And...I stuck with it! I won! I beat my goal by 5 minutes and beat my last year's time by 9 minutes!!! I felt pretty accomplished and was so excited!

I learned a lot today! I learned a lot of patience, perseverence, and staying out of my head!! I am so excited for Austin in 2 weeks and hope to have just as great of a race.

I am so grateful for being able to participate in such a fun sport, for being able to have a body that allows me to experience such beautiful places and being able to do hard things, and more importantly my awesome husband and family that always support me and are my best cheerleaders. Also a big thanks to GU, TriEdge, Flexr, Switch, and Bearpaw...your products always rock and I love using them! And....HT Training....what can I say...LOVE you guys!

Yuba - best low key race this year!

Well, most of the details leading up to this fine race have been covered, but I must say how much I LOVED racing Camp Yuba!  RaceTri always provides such a fun race atmosphere.  

I went into this race calmer than I ever have.  I had no expectations.  I put no real thought into how fast I hoped to swim, bike, or run.  I was going to just go with how I felt.  I'd been experiencing a mental block up until the week or so before this race.  I decided I needed to pull my head OUT of the game, and just race remembering how much I really love this sport.

Camping the night before with the gals on the team was a blast.  I had so much fun just chatting and laughing it up.  The camp out was fab - seeing the stars all night and the brightness of the moon was epic.  

Race morning I snagged a good spot in transition (since we were there seven hours early... haha, not quite).  A nice guy named Skyler was next to me and let me borrow his bike pump.  For some odd reason his pump was not pumping but deflating my tires.  I could NOT get my tire to fill up - grr!  I messed with it for a good twenty minutes before I got it covered.  So odd how sometimes simple things (like pumping a tire) can become so difficult.  Anyway - I just was having fun chatting with people pre-race, and it was great to see so many familiar faces.

When it was time to start, I threw on my wetsuit and headed down the boat ramp.  I kept commenting to other racers how far the furthest buoy looked.  Everyone assured me it was correct - which for the sprint meant it should have been a 750.  Well, I love swimming, so whatever, I wasn't too concerned if it was a little off.   Well - come to find out it was an extra long swim.  It ended up being .86 miles.  I still came out of the water the second woman.  Carlee Tulett beat me out - that girl is fast and awesome!!!  I wanted to stay in the water right by her, but hit a group doing the Olympic whom I couldn't seem to get around.  Anyway - I hopped on my bike feeling good, and not really frantic.  I just started cycling away, pushing hard, but with the rough road I felt like I was creeping.  I almost ate it on a section of the road where it had a sharp turn (glad I avoided that!).  I didn't see too many people on the bike out, but saw large clusters on the way back toward transition.  

The run - I loved this run more than any run I've done on any race.  Maybe it was because of where my head was at, all joy and no pain.  The run felt effortless ( minus the last climb to the top of the hill), and I think I ended up having my fastest run split on a sprint.  

Best bonus to this race was that I took 2nd place overall for the sprint.  That was just the icing on the cake considering I had no expectations for this race.  It was awesome to see all the girls finish, and other triathlon friends.  THe atmosphere was friendly and great!  I will definitely keep this on my agenda in years to come!

Thanks to Kestrel (for making me faster on my bike than I could be alone!), Gu (Peanut butter - YUM!), HEAD swimming (I am SO in love with my goggles, I will never switch to anything else!!), Flexr Sports, Bearpaw, KSwiss (killer new race shoes!), and of course to all my TriEdge girls for being so fun to race with - Love you girls!

Yuba Race!!!

Hi everyone, now that I've learned that people really do read our blog (besides us of course) I'm even more eager to share our fun experience at Yuba. I have been wanting to do this race for the past 3 years but something always gets in the way. This year I was so thrilled to race with teammates and camp out, get dirty, the whole bit. As Amber mentioned in her post, we had an awesome campsite! I never knew Yuba had such great campsites. My only regret is that we didn't load the car up with firewood because we could have had a very (safe) but monstrous bonfire, instead we wandered around in the dark gathering twigs and asking the neighboring campsite for wood. That night as we sat around the campfire and laughed our heads off we looked up at the sky and enjoyed the remarkable scenery of stars. I find it so peaceful being away from city noise and enjoying the great outdoors and great friends. Having a good type A friend (yes, my darling Amber) around is always important because she will remind you that it's time to go to bed, otherwise, other types such as myself suggest things like skinny dipping late at night when it's really not in your best interest, it's just a lot of fun :)

It didn't matter that we got to bed at a reasonable hour, I may have slept only a couple of hours, I was sooo cold! When we were setting up the tent I brilliantly suggested that we leave the cover off the tent so we could enjoy the pretty sparkling stars...curse the dang stars. Leaving that top off the tent kept a cold breeze rushing through the tent all night. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't grab the only sleeping bag in my garage with a broken zipper. All night I tried to wrap up like a burrito to stay warm, but on a hard ground, not successful. My saving grace was my super warm HEAD hoodie that I was grateful to have on hand. Note to self: next year BE PREPARED.

The next morning I was teeth chattering cold (there's a lovely picture that looks like something out of Blair witch project). My type A friend wanted to be the very first in transition area (I know, I tease, but really that's why she's a champion) so we drove over and I don't think ANYONE was even awake yet. We were the first bodies up and moving around. The bathroom was lovely, it was warm and clean and made a great breakfast area. Outside all Aaron (the race director) could hear was a bunch of crazy girls laughing in a bathroom,  HA could you imagine a bunch of dudes huddled in a bathroom giggling?

As the camp came to life, I started to get excited to race. I got to try out HEAD's new wetsuit, FYI it rocks! As Amber said, the swim was looong. It's funny when someone swears to you that it's the correct distance but your eyeballs know better. Oh well, isn't that the number one rule to racing, expect the unexpected and just roll with it?! I was eager to test the wetsuit so I was happy regardless.

The bike portion of the race is what I always look forward to the most. The road was a little rough, but the countryside was beautiful. I felt my legs were a little tired, not because of a superhero training schedule, but end of season kind of fatigue. By the time I jumped off my bike and started the run, I felt like I was running with a parachute strapped to my back just holding me back. I'll admit, it felt like chubby girl running, not wonder woman running. I loved seeing a lot of friends and familiar faces in the race and always enjoy a little high five as we pass each other. As I was heading back to the finish line I approached the cattle crossing which had three boards placed across them which was great so that people could safely cross and not trip...um yeah, so I tripped anyway. It was probably very pathetic looking and I came down pretty hard on my right knee. I later found out that six other graceful triathletes ate concrete at the same spot. One guy looked pretty bad, his race suit was all scraped up, he was probably actually running fast. That little fall gave me a bit of adrenaline to ignore the pain, get up and finish the race. Afterwards I was just so grateful my beautiful bike was not involved!

Oh yeah, my time... not that great. But surprisingly I still made it on to the podium in 2nd place, I'll take it! Overall I still had a huge smile on my face. I love this sport, I love being challenged and having a poor performance lights a bit of fire under me for next year. I know where I want to be and I know what I'm capable of. Isn't that ultimately the purpose? Triathlon is such a great outlet to find healthy ways to set goals and push ourselves. I think it's important to not take yourself too seriously in the process and enjoy the journey. Some days we're number one on the podium, but others we are cheering for our friends victory instead. I hope that our end of season team race at Yuba next year is EPIC!

Thank you to RaceTri for a fantastic race! And thank you to our amazing sponsors; TriEdge, Kestrel, Bearpaw, HEAD, Flexr, T3, GU, Contour, CoolAide, Darn Tough, Betty Design, Coach Keena and others who have shown love to our team like K-Swiss. This racing season would not have been as outstanding without your support! Of course, thank you to my hubby and kids. No matter where I place, they make me feel like a champion every time. Love you.

Yuba...an awesome team race!

Yes...we are in the bathroom having breakfast....just don't think about it!

Laura and I before the race

Running it in...I had the best cheerleaders at the end of the race...love you all!

Britt, Laura, and I

As we are nearing the end of the triathlon season I couldn't decide whether or not to do Yuba. I had just come off an A race in Burlington, had a 2 week break, and then had just ramped up training for Austin 70.3. But, as I learned that most of the TriEdge-Kestrel team was going down I couldn't pass up the chance to race with my team...and I had never been to Yuba! So with 20 miles of running and 75 miles of biking on my legs that week I headed to Yuba knowing this race wasn't going to feel nearly as good as Age Group Nationals!

We packed the cars, loaded the bikes, and we were off with some Cafe Rio in the car for dinner (my favorite prerace meal!) We camped on the North Beach of Yuba which was the coolest campsite! We drove the cars out on the beach and just picked a spot. We found a great spot in a grove of trees with a picnic table, fire pit, and awesome view of the lake! We pitched our tent, started a fire, and made a cobbler. It was so much fun visiting and laughing around the campfire. Knowing we were still there to race I suggested we head to bed at 10:15. I am a stickler with my sleep!

Race morning was cold! And without a microwave I couldn't have my normal prerace meal. So...it was plan B for me...which was hard when you are gluten free! No bagels, no toast....so it was a banana and two oatmeal balls. We headed down to the race start, set up transition, and headed into the bathroom to have breakfast. Yes..on the floor in the bathroom...it was MUCH warmer in there and we caused a bunch of noise as we ate our breakfast. I definitely wasn't in my normal prerace mindset...I was having so much fun with the team! Shortly after breakfast I knew it was time to make sure I had everything I needed...I had a race to do!

I was excited to be racing with so many locals that I knew! I love seeing people that I know on the course, and today was going to be great. As I walked down to the water I thought the buoys looked a long ways out there, but I figured I always thought that. There was a mist coming off the water which made it VERY difficult to see the buoy. I figured this was going to be an interesting swim...and that is exactly what it was! As I started to swim I literally couldn't see anything which was discouraging..but I figured as long as I saw green caps in front of me I was going generally in the right direction. As I swam I felt like this was my first open water triathlon. I couldn't see the buoys, I felt like I was swimming forever. I was in a good rhythm but I felt like something was off. When I came out of the water in 48 minutes I about fell over. (In a matter of one second I thought, did I swim that slow? What was I doing out there! Did I swim way off course?) Then....I looked at how far I swam...1.63. (It was supposed to be .90) I later found out the buoy floated away making for a VERY long swim! This did not fare in my favor as swimming is my weak point.

I figured what was done was done...all I could do was ride and run a good race. As I rode and started playing with numbers in my head I figured out I had a really good swim....and it was a great swim with Austin 70.3 in my near future. (I am an optimist and am always looking for the good in things.)

I had a great bike and averaged 21.3 MPH...which was fantastic on my tired legs. They felt VERY tired! But, I was enjoying my day and loving the sport. As I came off the bike and onto the run I knew I was about 7 minutes off the lead woman (Thanks to Tony and Laura). I ran a good pace for the first 3 miles and then decided since 3^rd place was about 3 minutes behind me there was no reason to kill myself when it didn't make a difference in placing. So...I just ran a comfortable pace for those last 3 miles. I ended up still averaging a 7:17 minute mile.

I ended up with 2^nd place which was great. What mattered most was I had a great morning with my team, a great morning with friends, and a great morning doing what I love...TRIATHLON!

A special thanks to our team's amazing sponsors: Kestrel, TriEdge, FlexR Sports, HEAD USA Swimming, Bearpaw, GU, Kswiss, Darn Tough. These sponsors have helped my year be amazing and successful.
Also...a big thanks to my awesome husband and kids who put up with me and this crazy sport that I love.  I couldn't do it without their support!