Winter Updates

After Lifetime Oceanside last year I started thinking about 2015 and the goals I wanted to accomplish.  I knew if I wanted to step up my game I would need to hire a coach.  Someone who has extensive experience in the sport, who coaches for a living, and most importantly, a person I felt comfortable talking to.  I did some research, talked to some athletes, and then decided that Torsten Abel would be a great fit for me.  We had some conversations in late October and I remember telling him I was excited to get started in January.  Silly, silly me.  I quickly learned we would start building a little German engine on November 3rd.  So much for that yoga filled off season.  :) All jokes aside I was really excited to get to work.  Fast forward about four weeks later and I'm off to run at the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot.

We had a long and exhausting trek from Austin to Dallas on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Stuck in traffic for 9+ hours while stuffed into the backseat of a sports car and desperately eating at a fast food chicken joint wasn't exactly how we planned it. I went to bed with an upset tummy and was hoping for the best come morning.  A quick sleep and a cup of coffee later I was ready to run through downtown Dallas.

Welcome to Texas! 

I took a packet of Generation UCAN and drank it about 30 minutes before the start of the race.  There was both a 5K and an 8 miler with over five thousand people total doing this race; it was huge! The 8 miler started first and getting to the start line was a little bit of a cluster, but we made with a couple extra minutes for one last porta potty stop.  The plan was for a nice and steady build, don't go out too hard, and start the final kick about two miles out.  I liked the course, it had some good rollers and was a nice tour of downtown.  I was kind of expecting something around 58-1:00, 7:15s-7:30s given the base miles I'd been putting in.  When I checked the watch a couple times during the race and kept seeing a six leading the pace number, I was shocked.  My final time was 55:40 for 8 miles, 6:52s...what?! I'd never run anything longer than a 5K under 7 minute miles; this was some kind of miracle!  Clearly Torsten knows what he's doing; I think I'll keep him around. :)

Happy Garmin! 

Brrr, Dallas was cold! 

I spent December putting in more base miles and enjoying the holidays.  We decided to do the Xterra White Tanks 8K on January 4th to check in on the fitness.  Those short races are hard and they hurt, but it was definitely a successful day! I took 2nd to one of my Tri Scottsdale teammates, Adrienne LeBlanc. The course was a little shorter than an 8K, 4.36 miles per my Garmin; 7:23s. I'd say the course was mostly rolling terrain; nothing super challenging, but not flat either.

Better run fast if you want a pint glass!

Love when Muscle Milk is at my races! Joey & me!

Some fast chicks.

I've been waiting to stand on that middle one for a long time! 1st AG, 2nd OA. 

2015 is off to a great start. Looking forwarding to an exciting year!!

Lifetime Oceanside Sprint

I had planned to race the Lifetime Tempe Olympic at the end of September, but there were issues with the water quality and I didn't want to take the chance.  I was okay with it considering I had the Olympic on tap at Lifetime Oceanside at the end of October.  In between there life happened and I didn't get out on the bike very much.  I wanted to end the season on a high note and not be bummed about my fitness, so I decided to switch to the sprint. Little did I know at the time the swim was only a 400...ridiculous!

We headed out to SoCal Friday afternoon. The Trek's love to travel.

Road trip treats. Gluten free cookies & healthy balls!

I was pretty familiar with the race venue because I've done Oceanside 70.3 twice.  Upon arrival, I found that the condo I booked was right by T2 and the finish; very convenient.  Saturday arrived quickly and I got in my pre-race run and ride first thing in the morning.  We drove the course, both the bike and run, and I'm really glad we did.

Some of the nicest race swag I've gotten. Loving this backpack.

Checked in and T2 all setup!

Race morning came quickly and we had an early 4:30 alarm.  I choked down two gluten free waffles with peanut butter and banana and some coffee.  I really don't love eating so early.  We gathered up our bags and headed down to the start on our bikes.  Unfortunately, transition closed at 6:30 am and our waves didn't start until after 8 am.  We got everything setup and then just hung out for awhile. We got to see all the pros head out on the bike which is always awesome.  Eventually we drank our UCAN and headed out on our warm up runs.


I was happy to drop off my dry clothes bag and get my wetsuit on because it was pretty cold and windy at the start.  I lined up at the front of my wave so I could get in the water as soon as possible.  I did a little warmup, got some water in my wetsuit, made sure my cap was without air, and headed toward the start buoys.  I get out to the buoy and the kayak-er says good morning to me; I repeat the sentiment and a couple seconds later I'm hit upside the head.  I turn around to see what's going on and at the same time the kayak-er is yelling, 'woah, woah; hold up'.  A girl stops, looks up, and says, 'stop why; what's going on'.  The kayak-er lets her know that we haven't started yet.  I just laugh out loud and she turns to me and says, 'oh man, I thought we already started; I was chasing you'! I didn't really know what to say other than, 'nope, that was just the warmup'.  Have mercy.

The gun went off and I got off the line as quickly as possible.  That was possibly the shortest swim I had ever raced and my goal was push the pace the entire time.  I'm not an ocean lover so I was happy it was over quickly. I threw my wetsuit in the bag and was off on the bike.  To get out on the highway we had to maneuver through the harbor, which included a tight right turn over some speed bumps and a short steep turn.  I was happy to get passed those obstacles quickly and without incident.  My only complaint about the bike was that people didn't seem to understand to the ride on the right and pass on the left rule.  Riders were all over the place and I spent a majority of my ride saying 'on your left'.  There were a couple of dudes who didn't appreciate being chicked and decided not to move; so irritating. I had to ride over the rumble strips onto the shoulder to pass; those dudes deserved blocking penalties.  There were quite a few people who had no idea how many laps they had to do out on the highway and I could hear them asking the volunteers where to go.  Come on people; it's your job as an athlete to the know the course!  I headed back into town and was excited to get running. Another quick transition and I was out of T2.  I love running on that boardwalk; it's filled with people and it's flat and fast.  I had no idea where any of my competition was and I just kept pushing the pace the best I could.  The entire race I was looking for my parents, but they were waiting at the finish.  I saw my friends Jill & Bill just before I entered the finish chute and that was awesome.  The best part of my day was crossing line and seeing my run time was 20:53...6:44s! Phew, nationals wasn't a fluke.

Sooo happy to see my parents at the finish!

Successful season.

Since our condo was so close to the finish we headed up to shower before the awards.  I was just getting out of the shower and I heard everyone talking about how I was listed as disqualified in the results. WHAT?!  We run out of the hotel room and back down to the finish to find the timing official. They are looking at penalty lists, consulting each other, reviewing messages from race officials; it was the longest five minutes of my life.  They have no idea.  Fantastic.  They finally see that there was a disqualification for a bib number one different from mine; they keyed in the wrong number.  So dramatic! We got everything corrected and they let me know that I was 1st overall! WOW. So shocked.

It was a good Tri Scottsdale day in Oceanside! Fun to race with my teammates outside of AZ.

Happy to see that I do possess a couple of fast twitch fibers.

Erica had a fantastic race landing on the overall Olympic podium.  The flowers were a really nice touch, Lifetime!

I really think it's silly when races don't pull the overall winners out of the age group results.  Why not give more athletes the opportunity to podium?  Anyway, Lifetime didn't pull me out so I ended up with two awards.

A solid 2nd AG & 6th OA for Brian!

I love these two; haven't had them at a race in awhile!

Lifetime always puts on great races; this was no exception. This was also the pro championship race so it was awesome to see them crowned and earn their well deserved paychecks.  Next up: offseason!

Thank you to all of my great supporters; Generation UCAN, Tri Scottsdale, Zoot, Tribe Multisport, Muscle Milk and Fitletic for the support!

Age Group Nationals

My early season hopes included securing a 70.3 Worlds slot at Boise in June and following that up with Mt. Tremblant in September.  Long story short, the spot in Boise didn't happen and I changed my race focus mid season.  Following Boise, I rode out my fitness for about two weeks until Deuces Wild in Show Low.  I had a decent race there, but suffered on the run.  I decided Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee at the beginning of August would be my next race.  I had six weeks after Deuces to find some short course speed.

I did work; lots of it.

Fast forward to August, we were off to Milwaukee.

This sport requires a lot of crap!

This was the first time I'd ever raced at a national event; I was excited and nervous. I knew the best of the best would be here.  I was impressed with the swag to start.

Compression socks and a nice pullover.

Friday we headed out for a warm up ride/run followed by a nice swim in Lake Michigan. 

Is this silly helmet really necessary? 

Gorgeous swim venue!

Ready to roll.

Bags packed; time to sleep.

We got a simple dinner of chicken, rice, and some veggies and got to bed early.  I woke up race morning and was excited to race; this is always a desired mood.  I had an early breakfast sometime during the ridiculous 4 o'clock hour consisting of almond butter on gluten free bread, a hard boiled egg, a banana, and coffee.

Calming my pre-race nerves with pictures.

I got in a warm up jog, took down a bottle of UCAN, dropped off my bag, and it was GO TIME.  I got lucky being the second wave to start.  I was definitely nervous, I knew these girls were going to be fast from start to finish.  I lined up in the front and off we went.  There was a lot of craziness in the first 200 yards and then it mellowed out; I would say I swam with a pack of 2-3 girls, which was exciting for me.  I bridged a gap to someone around the last buoy and sat on her feet the whole way back.  There was another girl that dropped all of us; I think she had about 45 seconds on us out of the water.  I had a quick and easy transition and was off on the bike.  The bike was fun; there were a couple of short climbs and we got to ride up and over an awesome bridge in downtown Milwaukee.  You head out to a suburban area before turning around and I got to see Brian heading the other way.  I headed back in for another quick transition to the run.  Oh...the run. I had a decent first half and then I lost steam; I still struggle with the back half of that 10K.  I got passed a lot and it was hard to not check out.  I saw Brian when I was at about mile 4.5 which lifted my spirits and I told myself to finish strong.  I finished in 20th, qualifying me for Worlds!  It was a great race and a PR for me, but I was irked by my run.

This short stuff hurts!

Great to see Joan & Bryan at the finish.

We both had great races & PRs.

We headed out for some food and headed back to the hotel to clean up.  We had to get back downtown for the sprint bike check-in that afternoon.  It's weird to rack your bike again right after racing, but it was definitely worth it.  After checking our bikes back in, we headed over so I could sign up for Worlds!!

See you in Chicago!

Helping the legs recover between races!

The day flew by and it was time to sleep.  I woke up feeling pretty good with just a little stiffness.  I got in another early breakfast of almond butter, banana, a hard boiled egg, and coffee.  I was less nervous on Sunday, but I'm not really sure why.  I got in a warm up run, took my UCAN, and was luckily the second wave again.  The swim seemed so short and I pretty much swam with one other girl the whole time and we came out 1-2.  A very quick transition and we were on the bike.  My legs were definitely lacking some spark, but I pushed with what I had.  I came into T2 with three or four other girls and thought maybe two to three more were out in front somewhere.  I racked my bike quickly and ran out with a pack of girls.  One got out in front of me and I worked to bridge the gap and then made the pass.  There's a short out and back and I looked forward to seeing how many girls were ahead of me.  One, two...wait, that's it; I was in third?! I couldn't believe it.  I got really excited and then I made the turn around and saw how many were coming for me.  Around 2.5 miles I could feel yesterday's race and was starting to lose pace a bit.  I started to hear footsteps getting closer behind me, but refused to turn around and see how close she really was.  I put my head down and ran as hard as I could; I wasn't going to give up third that easily.  The finish chute was pretty long and as I ran in a guy yelled, you're third and it's in the bag.  I was too scared to let up, but it definitely put a smile on my face.  They announced me as third for 35-39; yay success!

Great days for both of us!  We both qualified for Worlds!

My first race with these fancy tattoos!

We headed out for some celebratory food before heading to the award ceremony. 

We do NOT mess around with food.  Yes, those are fried pickles and no it wasn't gluten free and I loved it!

The awards ceremony was really neat.  There are some ridiculously fast girls (and guys) in this sport. The overall sprint was won by a 16 year old and my Tri Scottsdale teammate Adrienne, who is 45 & will kick your butt, was 3rd overall.  I love this sport!

The icing on a really great race weekend.

Our loot from the weekend.

2015 USAT Nationals are being held in Milwaukee again and I highly recommend going if you have the opportunity.  The venue is great and the competition is steep.  I can't wait to race at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago next September!


Thank you to Muscle Milk, Tri Scottsdale, Zoot, Tribe Multisport, and Fitletic for the support!

Nutrition Success: Generation UCAN

It's been almost ten years since I got involved in triathlon/endurance sports.  It's been an awesome adventure and I've dialed in quite a few things related to racing.  However, there's been one thing I've never gotten a handle on: training and racing nutrition. I have run the gamut of trying pretty much everything or a combination of it all in some form.  Gels, bars, real food, sports drinks; you name it, I've tried it.  It's not to say that I've never had a race with good nutrition, but there's never been any consistency to it.  I couldn't tell you what I did in any specific race because quite honestly there was no rhyme or reason to what I took in.

Don't get me wrong; none of these products are bad. I just couldn't find a combination that worked efficiently for me while I was racing. 

After a very disappointing day at Boise 70.3 that included the most awful cramping I've ever experienced and landed me in the medical tent at the finish line, I knew something had to change.  I didn't want to continue struggling with my nutrition in this manner.  Brian had been telling me about something called Generation UCAN that had been really successful for him.  I picked up a couple of individual packets at Destination Kona to give it a shot.  While I've done a lot of research myself, I'm not going to go into all the specifics of the product; I'll leave that to the experts on the website.  However, I will mention that UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, which stabilizes blood sugar and still allows you to burn fat.  It doesn't give you that sugar high followed by the crash and it's gluten free.

Take UCAN in a mason jar to work for an afternoon snack!

I didn't have much time to experiment with the product since I decided to race two weeks after Boise at Deuces Wild in Show Low.  I trained with it twice before giving it a go at Deuces; not necessarily the appropriate formula for success, but I didn't really have much to lose in this area.  Race morning at Deuces, I had an early morning breakfast of protein pancakes and peanut butter.  I wasn't due to race for about 3 hours after that, so I mixed two scoops of Trop Orange UCAN with water and drank it 30 minutes before the race start.  I did prepare a one scoop flask to have in T2, just in case I felt depleted.  I grabbed it for the run, but promptly trashed it when I realized I had no need for it.  I felt great the entire race, outside of general fatigue and racing at altitude.  My two favorite parts of racing on UCAN were that I could stay focused on racing and I wasn't sick to my stomach after the race.  I never had to be concerned about when to eat or counting calories; I just had to race and drink water.  Not having a bloated and upset stomach after the race was awesome as well.   
 

UCAN nutrition success at Deuces = 2nd Overall.

Since Deuces, I have switched to using Generation UCAN for all of my training and racing.  For shorter/less intense workouts, I use the Sports Drink Mix.  For longer/more intense workouts, I use the Chocolate Protein-Enhanced Drink Mix.  I also use the Chocolate mix as a snack during the day.  You can blend it up with a couple of your favorite things and it's a great afternoon treat. 

Try this combo of Chocolate UCAN + banana + scoop of peanut butter + coffee for some kick!

After training with UCAN for about six weeks, I raced again with it at AG Nationals in Milwaukee.  I raced the Olympic followed up with the Sprint the following day.  I drank a protein packet for both races; 30 minutes before each start.  I had great races and again loved that I got to focus all of my energy on racing and nothing else.  I successfully completed two more races with no stomach issues or post race headaches using this product.  I will have to experiment with the product a little more when I add some long distance racing back into my schedule.  There isn't one magic product that works for everyone, but if you're struggling with your nutrition and want to try something simple while adopting the less is more philosophy, give Generation UCAN a try.

Two successful Generation UCAN racers at AG Nationals.

Mountain to Fountain

This is one of my favorite races of the year and if you haven't done it you're missing out! I didn't really think about the consequences of running an early season half marathon followed up by a hard and hilly 15K the next weekend.  I paid for the decision to do these two races back to back with an injured hamstring shortly after, but I'll save that story for a later date.  News flash: I'm not 25 anymore.  :(    

Mountain to Fountain is run by a great group of people who have everything very organized and well run.  You are bussed out to McDowell Mountain Park and you run back into Fountain Hills.  The first couple miles are a fast downhill, followed by some rolling hills, and one major climb back into the city.  The race always attracts some super fast, 'real' runners as I like to call them, with prize money on the table.

Packet pickup was easy and simple at Sole Sports Scottsdale.  Lots of PowerBar product for the taking and great shirts as always.  Race day morning went smoothly.  We drove out to Fountain Hills, got on the bus right away, and next thing I knew it was start time.  The start is always a little crowded, it's not big enough for corrals.  Per normal standards, a lot of people try and move up to the  front who shouldn't be up there.  I just find a spot and settle in because it will clear out quickly. I tried to be fairly conservative on the downhill section because it's easy to blow your legs out.  Once the rollers come it's fun to reel back in the folks who went blasting past you on the downhills.  The big hill seemed harder this year, my legs were heavy and my breathing was very labored.  By the time I crested the top of the climb, by HR was pushing 190.  OUCH. I tried to recover quickly on the downhill section so I could hold it together for the final stretch.  Unfortunately, the wheels were falling off and I was definitely hurting coming into the finish shoot.  I finished with a PR, barely, in 1:07:00. 

One of the best parts of this race is that you can win lots of Four Peaks beer.  My Zoot teammates and I raced as part of a team and we lost by only three one hundredths of a second!!! Look out next year!

Mmmmm, beer!

Thank you to Muscle Milk, Tri Scottsdale, Zoot, Tribe Multisport, and Fitletic for the support!

XTERRA Trail Run: McDowell Mountain

The XTERRA Arizona Trail Run Series is one of my favorites.  It's a low key, inexpensive, and challenging series with four different runs throughout the year.  The races always offer a shorter and a longer version.  In my opinion, the best race is the one at McDowell Mountain in February.  I love Pemberton Trail because it's not super rocky and the course flows nicely.  The hardest part of this race is that it's so early in the season.  Coming off some down time, it's challenging to be ready for a 15 trail run on February 2nd, but definitely worth it.  This year it was also my first race being apart of Team Zoot Southwest!

Packet pickup was really simple at Sole Sports Scottsdale.  PowerBar provides nutrition for the races and there were plenty of goodies available at packet pickup.  Race morning was easy and uneventful.  It's about a 45 minute drive out to McDowell Mountain Park and I made the trek with a couple friends. A visit to the 'ol porta potty and it was race time.

The beginning of this race is always pretty crowded.  There's no need to worry and jockey too much for a spot because it will quickly sort itself out.  I just tried to pick a consistent pace and stick with it. It's an upward grind for about five miles until a nice reprieve as you head down Dixie Mine for the turnaround. The out and back on Dixie Mine is tight single track so you have to pay attention and be considerate of people going the opposite way.  Once you climb back out of there, it's pretty much rollers all the way back.  The wheels started to fall off around mile twelve.  I was still running fine, but there wasn't much speed left in my legs.  Early season racing definitely caught up with me and I tried to hold it together the best I could until the finish.

Reuniting with my girls post race!

Me and my super fast friend, Erin!

I was very happy to see a seven minute PR on this course, which was lucky enough to land me 2nd AG/6th OA.  One thing I think is silly about Xterra races is that they don't remove the overall winners from the age groups.  Removing the overall winners gives additional people the opportunity to get on the podium. I wore my Fitletic Single Pouch Running Belt with two hydration bottles added on; it was the perfect setup.  I drank from the aid stations when I passed them and used the hydration bottles when I was out in the middle of nowhere. 

Such a fun day at the races. Always awesome to have Muscle Milk at the race!

Thank you to Tri Scottsdale, Tribe Multisport, Zoot Sports, Muscle Milk, and Fitletic, for all of the support. 

Flagstaff, Again

After Napa it was back to reality.  A couple short weeks later we were off to Flagstaff for the Mountain Man Olympic Triathlon.

Race travel essentials. Pro Compression, Starbucks, new mani, & lucky bracelet.

Arizona beauty.

We rented a gorgeous house with two other couples.

We got up North late on Friday night. Saturday morning I got up to do a little shake out walk/jog.  We decided to head into downtown Flagstaff to do a little walking around and grab some lunch.

We came across this gem and may have gotten a couple of goodies.

 Brandon, Eric, and I headed to the race venue to pick up our packets.  This race is very low key, you can literally run in and out for your packet in five minutes.  Since we've both done these races multiple times, we didn't mess around. We had a nice home cooked meal on Saturday night and then played some games. One more sleep and it was game time.
 

I find it hilarious that I end up with a job as a 5-0.

Race morning went smoothly.  The only snafu was that I hadn't tried my race wheels on my new frame yet.  When trying to put them on, the brake area was too small and they didn't fit! Training wheels for me; not really a big deal in the scheme of things.  Brandon and I got setup in transition quickly and headed down to the start.  A month or so ago when I did the sprint in Flagstaff, I had an awful swim where I felt lightheaded and my legs like lead, so I was a little nervous about that at the start.  Luckily, I didn't have the same experience.  I started out nice and steady towards the first buoy and then tried to get after it a little.  I got out in the lead and held onto it going into T1.  The bike was okay; nothing genius, nothing horrible. I held the lead heading into T2. I felt like I was running okay, but I knew the girls were closing in on me.  Karleen passed me around the two mile mark; shortly before the picture below. 

 

I focused on moving forward at a consistent pace, but SheriAnne caught me less than a mile from the finish.  It was frustrating, but I had nothing else to give. My quest to becoming a runner continues.  Overall, I was happy with the race and finishing 3rd Overall.

Karleen and I at the finish

Thanks for everything Coach!

We packed it up quickly and headed home because this princess was waiting for us!

A little thank you for Addy's doggy sitters.

We're off to Santa Barbara next!