“Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows” -TriRock Philadelphia

In light of the race taking place around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rocky’s infamous steps I felt this image suited the weekend quite well. “Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows”… and it wasn’t. Shortly after I arrived in Philly, the rain started and continued through the weekend. The afternoon prior to race day, I received an email saying the swim had been cancelled and the race was now going to be a duathlon; a 40k bike and 10k run with a time trial start. I didn’t let the change of events shake me, drawing on the lessons I have learned from my past two years in the sport I just focused on “going with the flow”. The morning of the race was still rainy and transition was sloppy. I set up, warmed up and waited for my start time.

A tap on the shoulder by the race director was my signal to start. I sprinted out of transition and hopped on my bike. The roads were still slick and the descents were a little sketchy. Then it happened. 5.5 miles into the race, I heard a strange rattle from my rear wheel. I had a flat and my day was done. I pulled over to the side, unclipped and reminded myself “this is a part of racing, its not a big deal, make the most of the day”. With my cleats and helmet in one hand and my bike in the other I proceeded to walk and cheer on the other participants as I slowly made my way back to transition. At one point I stopped and chatted with a volunteer, she didn’t know much about the sport so I answered as she asked. Eventually we realized there was no sag car, so she gave me a stick of gum and I thanked her for volunteering and continued my trek.

Eventually, I made it back to transition. My feet at this point were bleeding and blistered. Though I was disappointed that I didn’t get to finish I was grateful that 1. I didn’t crash on my bike 2. I am privileged to share the journey of triathlon with my boyfriend (who had a phenomenal day finishing as 4th Pro!)  and 3. I was able to meet his grandfather, aunt and uncle while on our trip and begin to develop a relationship with them.

Next up, Live Love Tri. A local New Mexico reverse sprint tri, just for women! Looking forward to sharing the passion of triathlon and the inspiration of the female spirit with all those women!

Everything Plus the Kitchen Sink

So I have been meaning to write a blog for a while and at this point all topics will be clumped together.

1. January 17^th – 1 year anniversary of moving to NM
   1. A year in Albuquerque has come and gone and I still believe this move has been the best decision of my life. I grew so much this past year from who I was when I first arrived that it is mind-blowing to look back at that person. I am so blessed and grateful for the relationships that have supported me over the past 365 days.
2. February 2-9^th – iTz Triathlon camp in Clermont FL
   1. This trip was a much-needed kick in the butt to get out of my training rut. While there I discovered that my fitness is better than I had anticipated (which is always a nice surprise) but also that I needed to focus and think hard about how I wanted this season to unfold.
3. February 10^th – My 30^th Birthday
   1. Ugh, this has been a daunting mile marker for me. For me 30 needs to mean something. It’s time to start making plans and taking life serious (or at least more than I have in the past – which seems hard considering how “Type A” I already am). I have goals for a career and future outside of triathlon and it’s time to start working towards those goals as well. Henceforth a career hunt has begun, as better finances help get all my ducks in a row.

      

      “Farewell to the 20’s” birthday party and new race wheels!

4. March 2^nd – Career opportunity!
   1. I have been searching and pining over jobs for about 6 months, hoping I could find something in Albuquerque (I could not fathom moving yet again). I applied for a position at the University of New Mexico back in January and was called in for an interview but then never heard anything further. To my surprise they contacted me at the start of March just after I had started to give up hope! The position could not be better; I will be in the IRB department (Internal Research Board) helping oversee the safety and efficacy of ALL human studies conducted on campus! Boom! I get to use my degrees, my brain and it’s a 5min walk from home! I will still work for Sport Systems on the side as needed; training associates on gait analysis and helping during sales and holidays, collectively it’s a win/win for everyone.
5. March 5^th – Lifetime announces that it will be dropping Pro Races
   1. This was the Debbie downer news of the season. Suddenly my race plans for pro card qualification drastically changed. With next to no pro races available in the US, there is next to no chances for me to qualify. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails! Thankfully, I have been able to scrape together two potential opportunities, both are pretty early season so I have to be on my game much sooner than I had originally intended. It would be amazing to still achieve this goal (especially since I missed it by seconds last season) and then just see how the future of U.S. Triathlon shakes out the following year. So here is to getting all your ducks in a row and then throwing all their eggs in one basket!

Until next time! Happy Training and Racing!

2014 Season Recap

 

 

 

I suppose it is time to take a look back at the 2014 season…

Having just finished my second year in the sport of triathlon it has been pretty fun to look back and see my growth as an athlete. 2013 was a year of growing mentally, I went from a nervous little head case in races to learning how to roll with the punches and make the most of any racing situation.

 2014 has been a year of growing physically. With my head in the right place, the season has been about putting in the work, being patient with the process and never letting up. Aside from reaching the pinnacle goal of earning my pro card (which I missed by only 40 seconds my last race of the season) it has been really exciting to meet my individual swim, bike and run goals.

 The season started shaky with Lifetime Marquee: I had high hopes that I would be crushing right out of the gate but that didn’t happen. I finished 7^th overall that day. My swim was a 24:43, my bike was 1:21, and I ran a 40:46 for a total time of 2:28:53. I had a lot of work to do to get to the level I wanted. Furthermore, I needed to be patient and willing to adapt to circumstances if progress didn’t develop as quickly as I hoped.

 I went to St. George next for the 70.3. This race was not a huge focus for me this season. Still I struggled on the bike and finished a little slower than I had hoped.

 I was really excited for CapTexTri. I enjoy racing in Austin and I looked forward to seeing X2Performance friends and racing with fellow Albuquerque(ians) and training partner, Alex Willis. I made a tactical error in the bike that cost me some time but overall I was relatively happy with my performance. My swim had improved as I went 24:06, my bike was better with a 1:14, and my run went 39:12 for a 6^th place 2:22:14 finish.

 

 Chicago was a huge disappointment as I got disqualified for messing up my laps on the run course…. It’s amazing how fast you can be when you don’t run the whole way!

I went to Boulder Colorado in July. Swimming my heart out, I came out of the water with a new PR, 23:23. It cost me though as my fitness was not up to par to carry me through the rest of the race. I struggled on the bike with a 1:18 and on the run with a 42:05. Frustrated with my 2:26 finish, I knew it was time for my coach and I to start the much needed bike focus. From mid July through the end of October I rode and swam everyday.

Slowly I felt myself getting stronger, trusting the process and putting in the work. I couldn’t wait to toe the line in Oceanside. I wanted a measure, how much stronger had I gotten? How far away was the Pro Card qualification? Finally, it was October26th! I was as ready as I could be at that point and excited to take the test.

The swim started and I thought I was doing terrible! I tried not to think about it though and just keep hammering away the best I could. I saw Trista on the dock screaming at me and waving me into shore… was I last?! I charged out of the water and into transition, the swim was over however good or bad it may have been. I switched gears and turned my focus to the bike. After catching one girl on the bike right away I was in no mans land for awhile. Since the bike course was multiple laps I started coming up to men from the age groups. I don’t know what their problem was with having a girl pass them but some of the men kept trying to pass me back and then block me as they couldn’t hold the pace.

Fearful of a penalty, a few times I had to hit my breaks and wait to pass them back. At one point a guy tried to race me to keep from breaking his pass zone. Furious and taxed as vomit stuck to my face from my efforts earlier I screamed “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET ME PASS!!” He let up and I pressed on. Since I had GPS on my bike I knew I had a new PR for the bike, I was psyched. 1:09! Now it was time to run, my best event, and the course had some steep hills, my specialty. I set my pace early, and charged the hills. It wasn’t going to be a PR run but it was going to be the fastest time of the day.

When I push myself to the limits the GI system is the first to go, I had puked on the bike and had further “issues” on the run, being used to this I shrugged it off and ran through it. By the time I was nearing the end of the run I had figured out that I was in 3^rd! I couldn’t believe it! I pushed harder as I knew every second counts. When I crossed the finish line my coach came over and told me my time… 2:13:12. I started crying, the work had paid off!

Unfortunately, an age group girl bumped me back to 4^th and I lost my pro card qualification. Still, I had set a new swim PR of 21:57, a new bike PR of 1:09 and held the fastest run of the day of 40:09. Overall my 2:13:12 was a new best by over 5 minutes! Finally I knew that a pro card qualification was a tangible goal.

Following the race I sat down with Trista to discuss the race and plans for next season. She asked me if I wanted to cherry pick races next season. I said “no, I want to toe the line with the best, I’m not afraid to work hard and push the envelope. I want to EARN my pro card.” With that said, I really don’t know yet what my season will look like as funds are limited. However, what I can predict is that if and when I do toe the line all chips will be in. Never Quit, Never Give Up.

 

Huge thanks to Elevate PHW, for making me stronger and keeping me healthier than I have ever been before, to X2Performance for your support nutritionally and Rudy Project for keeping my eyes protected and looking good! 🙂

Furthermore, thanks to my coach, training partners, and friends/fans for your unwavering support and guidance. I couldn’t do this without you!

October Update with X2

September Update with X2Performance

July Update with X2Performance

X2 June Update

Finally got the video to attach! wohoo!

June update with X2Performance.

May Update with X2

March Update with X2Performance

My interview skills need some serious work, but here is the latest and greatest on training with X2Performance!

Mind Over Matter

 

In the months leading up to Ironman Arizona things hadn’t developed as originally planned. Following my race in September I had been struggling with some IT band issues and a bit of end of the season burnout which caused me to dial back on training and re-think race goals.

 Upon arriving in Tempe I met up with my X2PERFORMANCE teammates, my friends JC and Haylee and my coach Trista Francis. Trista and I talked about race plans, nutrition and surveyed the course. I wasn’t all that nervous or excited really, it was the last race of the season and I was going into it just to participate. I didn’t think I really had a shot of anything “great” because my training had been so limited leading up to the race.

Race morning:

I was instructed to start on the front line. That was cool and all until you think about how you have 3,000 people behind you. If you are slow to start you are going to get pummeled. That is exactly what happened too… video footage showed that although I thought I was whipping my arms around at lightning speed I looked like I was in slow motion compared to the rest of the field. As I began to get pummeled I obviously started to panic. So I stopped and floated as the masses swarmed around me. Regaining composure I worked my way out of the main stream and started swimming again. From that point on the rest of the swim went well and I came out of the water in 1:04.

 

I was psyched with the swim and quickly preceded to the bike. I’m not the strongest cyclist and anticipated a fairly long day on the bike. People of all shapes, sizes and ages passed me as I had expected. However I stayed true to my plan and spun away; slowly but surely clipping off the miles. About 50 miles in my IT bands started to hurt.  The nagging pain began to wear on me so I set my goals smaller “just get to the next mile marker” I’d tell myself and then extend the goal out to the next marker. I continually reminded myself that I was just participating in this race, so whatever the results may be it was no big deal. I didn’t have much hope for my run coming off the bike due to the knee pain but had already mentally prepared for that scenario as well.

 

Onto the run. The IT band pain seemed to dissipate at first, so I plugged away with a goal of running for an hour which was my longest training run leading into the race. When I made it an hour my next goal was to make it to the half marathon marker based off the longest distance I had run all season. By the time I was approaching the 13mile mark my knees were screaming. I wanted to walk and was planning on it when my coach screamed “you’re in 7^th and can catch 5^th!” My first thought was “you’re kidding me”. I evaluated the pain in my knees and thought “ok, let’s give this a try” I kept running and by the time I passed my coach again I was in 5^th. This time she yelled “if you maintain this pace you’ll hold 5^th”. Well now I’m in a pickle. I’m 16 miles into this race, my knees are screaming and I don’t want to loose my position. I went back to my tactic of promising myself I would walk at the next mile marker but then when I’d reach that marker I’d extend my goal out another mile. I was running on guts and fear. I had no idea how much longer my body would allow me to keep moving and I had no idea where 6^th place was. I bit my lip and kept going, praying I’d make it to the end. Finally I saw mile marker 25. Upon seeing mile marker 25, I was all smiles, I knew I could make it to the end and was going to hold 5^th. I crossed the line in 10:52:31, a 3 hour PR in and of itself.

 

I guess the take-home message of this race was that. With a flexible mindset and some good ‘ol guts and determination you can overcome any adversity and find yourself accomplishing more than you ever dreamed possible.

Special thanks to X2PERFORMANCE, iTz Multisport and my boyfriend. Without your support and guidance none of this would have been possible. Thank you for making this first season more amazing then I could have ever dreamed.