But it’s time to finally report on Augusta! Better late than never…

Racing so close to Atlanta was a no-brainer.  I can’t describe how cool it is to race with so many friends on course and lining the streets.  It made a tough day so much more enjoyable.

I rolled into town with the Italian Stallion, Moreno, and it was nonstop entertainment as expected.  I got to see most of the crew from The Sport Factory for dinner, and I knew it was going to be a good weekend.

Before the swim start with Amanda and a couple token cute pro guys…

The Savannah River, while not the most pristine of waters I’ve swam in, certainly does have other redeeming qualities. Namely, a fast current!   So fast, in fact, that you can’t tread water and stay in one place.  Amanda, Caroline, and I were holding onto the dock before our start, and Amanda blurted out something far too inappropriate to repeat here, but it caused my pre-swim anxiety to disappear and I was laughing hysterically.  I was no longer even concerned about the gators. Yes, there are alligators in the Savannah River. Google it if you don’t believe me. (I can assure you that I did my research!!)

I wanted to stay with Heather and Amanda, but it wasn’t in the cards.  As a nice consolation prize, however, I did have the honor of pulling two girls the entire swim.  I was less annoyed that I was giving them a semi-free ride and more flattered that anyone would choose to draft off me in the water. It surely doesn’t happen too often, so I tried to enjoy the novelty of it.   Swim time: 24:56– a PR courtesy of an unnaturally fast current, thank you very much.

Augusta’s bike course is rolling.  Nothing crazy hilly, but not flat either.  I caught up to Tamara (she beat me out of transition …grrrr) and Caroline about 30min in and made the pass.   That put me in 4th.  However, I didn’t hold the position for long. Throughout the rest of the course, we played leap-frog every few miles, which was frustrating for me.  They are strong athletes but I can usually pull away once I make the pass. At one point I even yelled back to Caroline “Does it look like I have a flat?!” because I couldn’t pick it up like I wanted… which in hindsight, is kinda funny.

My bike power was not where it normally is. I wasn’t THAT far off, but I expected to bike that course sub-2:27/2:26.  I finished in 2:30:05, and Tamara was still about a minute ahead of me out of T2.

Here I started bookin’ it out of T2.  I knew Tamara was a good runner, but I also knew we were close.  I was in 5th position.

I knew that my coach, Matt Russ, and the rest of The Sport Factory crew would be setting up a tent somewhere on the course. When I saw them, I ran faster, my smile was bigger, and the energy was amazing. I cannot sufficiently describe how wonderful it felt to have their support. These are just a few of the cast of characters that were out in full force:

The Zimmer Girls were by far the MVPs of the cheering section. Check out that art work!

Matt was screaming at me to keep up my turnover– focus on FORM!  I wanted to make him proud. I wanted to catch the girl in front of me. I thought I was closing the gap, but I wasn’t sure.  Then, at mile 6, I caught her and passed. For the next 2 miles, Tamara ran literally on my shoulder.  I thought, “Please god let these next 7 miles go by quickly.” There is nothing more miserable than racing head-to-head with someone when you are hurting so bad!   It was hot– like NASTY HOT– and I felt like I was running with a mask on. The humidity was oppressive.  Carnage was all over the course, and I just tried to hold on, sucking down my Powergels and praying for sustenance.  At mile 8, Tamara found another gear and pulled ahead. I kept running with everything I had, but I simply couldn’t catch her.  My pace had slowed and I was so frustrated…  but managed to come back within 15sec of 4th place… but it wasn’t enough to catch her. Run time was 1:31:20 (6:59/mi) and 5th Overall.  Finish time: 4:30:12.

I was pretty bummed about my run time.  I hit a run PR at NOLA 70.3 and wanted to keep moving in that direction (sub-1:27). However, looking at the results, only #1 and #2 girls had faster run times. We were all a bit off. Perspective, right?  I was not 100% that day. Stress plays a pretty big role in our performance (I know this, but I like to think I am exempt!), and the past couple months have been quite tumultuous to say the least.  I am grateful for what I was able to do on race day, and proud to finish “on stage” with some fast chicks.

In order of finish: Emma-Kate Lidbury, Amanda Lovato, Heather Jackson, Tamara Kozulina, and moi!

At awards, Amanda was taking up offers for photo opps with old men, while Heather and I watched from the sidelines. I leaned over and asked my fellow brunette if she happened to feel like the overweight, acne-ridden, not-so-attractive chick at the 7th grade dance. It was hilarious!!  He wouldn’t have even noticed us if he didn’t have to move AROUND us to get to her!  I don’t know if blondes have more fun, but they definitely get more photo requests from perverted old men triathletes!

Overall, seeing my friends, my coach, and feeling the most amazing race day support that I’ve ever had definitely made this race incredible.

Moreno and me post-race. Grazzie, Mo, for carting me around and being such a great amigo!

So now it’s time to do it all over again this Sunday for SOMA.  They are doing it up first-class and I’m so excited to be a part of this race.  The memory of the pain of Augusta hasn’t entirely faded yet (which would be ideal), but I’m looking forward to one last hard long course effort for 2011… in my beautiful new home state!

Thank you to my amazing coach, Matt Russ, for dealing with my crazy lifestyle, travel, less than ideal training at times, and last minute schedule changes… but more so for his constant support, guidance, and wisdom.

We’re not done yet!

Lazy Readers– Here’s the Cliff Notes Version:
– TriStar111 Female Pro Champ
– Got lost on bike course and rode 9 additional scenic miles.
– Kept head together despite biking/running flaming pissed.
– Learned that biking/running flaming pissed actually works.
– Another fun weekend with my super supportive sister Lauren. THANKS LOUIE!
– LOVED the TriStar format and definitely want to do more.

When I learned that Tristar (a new European series) was bringing their unique format to the US, I knew without a doubt that I wanted in.  The TriStar111 format consists of a 1k swim (if you have to get wet, this is about the max distance I approve of!), 100k bike (that’s 62mi for you non-metric junkies), and a 10k run.   Translation: great for crap swimmers and great bikers.  I happen to love running, but a 10k was just perfect for me.   In the strange and incestuous world of triathlon, it turns out that an athlete I coached, Todd Olson, was fronting the money for a very generous professional prize purse through his kick-ass newly opened triathlon store, Urban Tri. I was IN.

While the men’s field boasted big names like Maik Twelsiek and Chris McCormack, the female pros apparently missed the memo or already had plans.  Up until 2 days before, I was planning on a ME vs. ME race… I was the lonely female pro racing.  Last minute, Christie Sym (2011 Racine 70.3 champ) jumped into the ring, and I was thrilled to have some competition.  I figured we’d be well-matched as long as the swim didn’t hurt me too much, and it would be a fun day for both of us.

I was able to convince my sister Lauren to come for a fun-filled weekend (read: ridiculously early alarm clocks, sherpa responsibilities, and a meal plan consisting of a lot of bland carbs) and oddly, she said she’d love to!  Gotta love family.  As an added bonus, it’s always entertaining to see the photos on the camera after the event. Invariably, there are plenty of shots of random (non-female) body parts.  Good thing triathlons offer up plenty of eye candy for a dedicated sherpa to entertain herself during a long(er) course event.

Pre-Race with my fab sis, representin’ The Sport Factory in style!

The 1k swim was fine.  “Fine” is the only real descriptor I can offer up.  I totally thought that I came out of the water with Christie, but I guess my goggles were foggy, because I was wrong and she beat me by just under 90sec when I saw the results.

For a change, I was ELATED coming out of the water– smiling and not cussing like I have been known to do on occasion…  I bolted to my bike to get (what I thought was) a head start.

The funny thing is that I jumped on my bike with a NEW ATTITUDE.  Even if I just THOUGHT I had come out of the water ahead, it did wonders for my morale!  I was jammin’ and things were going great . . . until . . .

WHERE IS EVERYONE??

I hadn’t seen any other athletes in a while.  I was getting nervous but pressed on.  Then, I saw two other male pros turning around.  I let out some choice words as we commiserated on what to do.  I even stopped and asked some pedestrians how the heck to get back to Maple Grove. I was beyond frustrated.  We just went straight back in the other direction and then saw some age groupers making a turn that we all had missed.  I can fully appreciate how difficult it must be to man each turn with a volunteer, and this was one turn that supposedly just had an arrow but we all missed it.  Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to know the course — of course.  I wish we had time to ride it the day before but at this point I just had to press on.  When I completed the bike course in 71miles, I was crushed. I rode NINE miles extra, but ultimately averaged over 23mph and held my highest power average for anything over 56mi to date.  Anger fuels watts, apparently.

I was concerned about my legs. I don’t overtrain or do much over-distance at all, and I think I’ve ridden 70mi only a couple times this whole year!  I stayed on top of my nutrition (pounding the x2 Caffeine Powergels throughout the bike) and I know that helped.   And then . . . back to that whole anger thing… it somehow turned something on.   My good friend Starky likes to say “Screw racing in a Zen-like State. RACE WITH PASSION!“   I ran the 10k in 39: 18 (6:20 pace) and  frankly didn’t think I could do that off a 70+mi hard bike.

This is not Amy Channeling Zen. This is Amy Running Pissed:

Turns out that my sole competitor also had her own battle with misfortune on race day. While several of us missed turns, she accidentally took a turn onto the olympic distance course, and ended up riding 56miles instead.  Such a bummer all around.  I wanted a legit race for both of us.   The thing is, I LOVED this distance and can’t wait to race more next year.

It turns out that I had the fastest female bike pace (not time!) even with my “scenic route” ride, and the fastest female run split.  With my swim deficit, it looks like Christie and I would’ve been battling it out right to the finish if we had stayed on the bike course, which would’ve been so exciting!  I wanted a legit race and an opportunity to race for a legit win, but it didn’t work out that way. However, I’m grateful that nobody got hurt, that it was a huge confidence booster for my fitness level, and that I was able to make some prize money regardless.   Christie will definitely be one to watch at Vegas World Champs this weekend as well as Cancun 70.3, where I’ll be announcing and there to cheer her on.

Maik Twelsiek and me at awards as the pro champs.  Maik crushed it!   (And ironically, I started smiling again…)

And my adorable sister was just enchanted with the cartoon-sized checks. She totally thought it “completed” her outfit, and insisted on an impromptu photo shoot in the middle of the street.

Here’s a pic of me and my good buddy and athlete, Todd Olson, owner of Urban Tri.  Thanks to Todd for his part in ensuring this was a FIRST CLASS event.   Oh, and that scrub in the middle was just dying to get a picture with Todd and me, so we let him . . . 

A big kudos to Lindsey and her team from Dare to Dream Events who partnered with TriStar for this race.  Even despite my mishap, I was super impressed with the race itself and I definitely want another shot at it.

And can I thank my coach, Matt Russ of The Sport Factory, yet again? He is my friend, my coach, my mentor, and my ass-kicker.  I’m so grateful to have him in my corner, and I wouldn’t want anyone else.  He is currently in China as the Head Coach for Team USA at World Champs, and we couldn’t be more proud of him for earning that honor.

Next up:  Arizona State TT Championships this weekend. CAN’T WAIT!   Then a “homecoming” of sorts . . . Augusta 70.3 in 2 weeks where I’ll get to mix it up with all my buddies from Atlanta.

Thanks for checking in!

OK so I’m a little late to report on this gem of a race, but better late than never (same goes for crossing the finish line).

Back to the Dirty Dirty (South) it was for Memphis in May, which, incidentally, packed up shop and moved about 45min down the road to Tunica, Mississippi.  Why change a good name though?  Memphis in May has been around for a while. I finished 6th here (just out of the money) in 2009, and this year it was a 5150 race, so the competition showed up in numbers. Payout was top 10, and once again I was the bridesmaid (11th).  Thank god for having a full time job on days like this, right?

Cliff Notes Version: 11th overall, wicked competition, more wicked weather, delayed start, TT swim, slow swim time, fast bike (sub-1hr 40K), and OK but not great run (6:28 pace for a run that was about 1k long).   Fun weekend and some good lessons learned. Read on for more dirty details of the dirty dirty.

Pre-Race: Driving down to Tunica we were greeted by lots of lightening and thunderstorms. This is what put the DIRTY in Dirty Dirty. Messy, muddy, and wet everywhere.  Feelings of dread overcame me… It was already a late start (10am for the pros) which was kind of nice in a way but definitely didn’t feel like the early start to racing.   Always trying to be a glass-half-full-kind-of-girl, I optimistically hoped that this nasty lightening would at least mean a cancelled swim. After New Orleans, I figured I couldn’t get that lucky two times in a row, but a girl can dream.  We all got in the water to warm up, only to be yanked out immediately due to more lightening. About another hour goes by and they finally get us started around 11:20am. The weather was still crappy but at least the lightening subsided long enough to get the race started.

The swim start at Memphis is always a TT (time trial) start, with pros going off every 15(?) seconds or so.  I’m not a fan of this type of swim start, as I desperately need to find someone’s feet to latch onto.  Then again, nobody forced me to sign up for this race, so shut up and swim, right?

I have no idea why  I’m smiling so much in these pre-swim photos… I guess I was oblivious to the carnage that was about to ensue.  Ignorance is clearly bliss.

And I have no idea what this dude is doing behind my head…

Ready to go…

I think the last time I raced Memphis we just had to run in the water when it was our turn to go off. That was really awesome, because you got the SPOTLIGHT for your entry into the water, which is great if you look cool and don’t end up belly-flopping (you can imagine which category I’m in– not the cool one!).  Luckily this time they had a ramp-type thing which mitigated the opportunities to look like a complete ass in front of everyone.

Overall, a pretty crappy swim time (24min!). Again, a big disconnect between my open water and pool swimming. Grrrr….

Lessons Learned: Pick races with better chances of cancelled swims (JOKING! Joking!!). Practice more OWS whenever possible.  SWIM AGGRESSIVELY!! This is where I think I have the biggest area of opportunity. I realize that I’m not going to be the next Amanda Beard anytime soon, but I have no problem biking/running aggressively. I tend to get pretty passive in open water.   Also, I must remember to KEEP MY HEAD IN THE GAME always! The weather may be crappy, the start may be delayed, but we are still there to RACE!

Bike: The TT start left me a bit in the dark as to where I was in the race, but since the majority of girls were short course specialists, I was pretty confident that I got dusted in the swim.  The good news is I had a 40k bike to try to catch up. The bad news was it was ONLY 40k… need more bike miles!   It was still raining and there was standing water on the roads, and while I love this sport dearly, I don’t love it enough to risk another head injury.  I decided to GUN IT on the straight sections, but was super conservative on every turn.  I’m not losing sleep over any time I lost w/ that decision.

I decided to just take in sports drink on the bike instead of gels this time.  I’ve used this particular drink before in training, but not much.  Why not try something new on race day?!  I had a few spit ups but no major vomiting… just keeps things exciting.  It turned out to be a good bike for me: 59:xx for the 40k, and I was happy to break the hour barrier. That’s always the goal for a 40k, and since this was a flat course, I knew I had a shot at it.   I finally passed a group of about 4 women around mile 20 and just tried to keep the pressure on.

Lessons learned: Duh- don’t do anything new nutrition-wise on race day. Perhaps increase the calories a bit more since it was a later start (tough to plan for those).  Continue to work on cornering more aggressively (at least where there aren’t puddles)- every turn can add up to seconds, and especially in short course, those seconds count!

Run: This was what I was most excited for, actually. There had been lightening on the bike and puddles on the road but now I was on my own two (rubber-encased) feet and ready to run. I was actually looking forward to this due to the previous 2 weeks’ training, where I had hit some new encouraging numbers on my run.  Plans can change on race day, though! It wasn’t the run I had hoped for, but I hung on and avg’d 6:28 for the 10k +1k (yes it was a tad shorter than 1k long). They are so generous in the South– more run for your money!  I was a bit disappointed but I did the best I could with what I had that day.

Lessons Learned: I hate to go back to the swim, but I really think that my swim wore me out more than it needed to (despite my less-than-blazing speed in the water…). I avg’d 6:37 off the bike in New Orleans for 13.1mi, and 6:28 for a 10k here?  No swim in New Orleans.   I am happy I hung on and didn’t fall apart completely, even when I knew I wasn’t having the race I had hoped for.  Our heads can help us or hurt us, and in an endurance event, we can’t seem to escape them.  Might as well put them to work for us.

And lastly, I was coming into the last quarter mile of the race and saw another woman in front of me. Spectators were telling me I could catch her. Keep in mind at this point I knew I was not likely finishing in the money (top 10) and I already knew my race was not one of my best.  But THIS is where I just went back to RACING.  At THIS point, all I cared about was pushing MYSELF as hard as I could to try to catch this woman. It wasn’t even about HER;  it was about ME.  What else pushes us when we’re training alone? Moments like this.

It was pouring, the grass was wet, mud was flying, and in that moment, I remembered why I loved this sport. It’s not always about where we finish, what we win, or what we lost.  I wanted to see if I could squeeze something more out of myself . . .  even (especially) when things weren’t going my way.

I ended up catching her RIGHT at the finish line, and then immediately went into projectile vomit mode. Not joking. It’s been a long time since I had one of those moments.  There’s vomit, and then there’s PROJECTILE vomit.  In a strange, disgusting way, it’s slightly gratifying.  (We are a strange breed, aren’t we?)

The conditions in this race were less than ideal, but then again, when are they ever ideal? My hat goes off to my fellow competitors, as we pulled the best out of each other on that given day. It was a bit of an adventure, and I’m so grateful that everyone finished without injury or crashing. A big thanks to Pip Taylor for being so sweet at the start when I was Debbie Downer about swimming in lightening, and to Jenny F. for putting up such a good fight at the end. I would’ve said more but I was too busy vomiting.

Thank you to my coach, Matt Russ of The Sport Factory, for his continued commitment to my development, and for being not only a great coach, but also a friend and a mentor.

Lazy Reader’s Recap:

• 10th overall finish of 21 pro women who started (most of whom were pretty bad ass); 3:53:09 for a bike/run race. Swim was sadly cancelled.     (Still trying to work though my disappointment)
  
• 2:24:17 bike split (23.24mph)
• 1:26:47 run split (6:37/mi)-   a big PR for me! (Who’s gonna give me some beads for that?!)
  
• Great race venue, fun friends– all around awesome weekend

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” Yo no hablo Frances… but according to Urban Dictionary:  a Cajun expression meaning “Let the good times roll!” It strongly conveys the “joie de vivre” (”joy of living”) attitude that pervades south Louisiana. It is mostly associated with New Orleans.

So obviously, this race was a no-brainer. Just as we did two years ago, the plan was to let G-Money MikeyG run the show in his hometown. (Good thing, too, because Yo No Hablo Cajun, so he served as our translator.)  A fun group of friends from The Sport Factory in ATL made the trip down, and it was awesome to hang out with old friends for the weekend.

Friday night included an intro to Bourbon Street with the gang. As you can see by the hottie to our left, we were way underdressed.

Bourbon Street kinda feels like an aid station at the later stages of a race– everything smells like urine, vomit, or stale beverages.   True to my dorky roots, I bailed early to hit the hay. Two days out is mucho more important on the sleep end. More on sleep later…

Saturday: I was thrilled to also hang out with my homegirl Lauren Harrison and hubby extraordinaire Matt, who incidentally had an unspoken “Sherpa Contest” with Danny. Winner has yet to be crowned, as both men were pretty awesome. We figure if don’t award a winner, we’ll keep the morale and motivation high for the next race.  Anyway… Tornados and triathlons don’t mix well.  NOLA was spared the twisters in the SE last weekend, but it did receive some feisty winds that shook up the game plan a bit. So, Saturday we took one look at the water all churned up and quickly made a (very difficult, I might add…hahaha) executive decision to bypass the swim warmup.

Nobody likes to miss an opportunity for a sponsor shout-out, so I’d like to throw a bone to my very unofficial sponsor, Lunesta, for helping to shut  my head up and get some sleep before race day.  Lunesta doesn’t know that it sponsors me, but I’m a big fan and am happy to sing the praises of pharmaceutical intervention whenever appropriate (and legal, of course).  Post race pharmaceutical support is sponsored by Celebrex, by the way.

Race morning I’m jamming to my beats and was completely oblivious to everything that Dave Ragsdale was saying over the mic.  As a race announcer myself, I find my type of athlete to be highly irritating:  uninformed, completely unaware of what was going on, and the first person to ask the question that has been reviewed now multiple times. At any rate, Yvonne jumped into my interlude with Eminem and told me in her cute Dutch accent: “Amy, do you know they cancel the swim?!”  To which I replied, “Shut the __ up! Are you kidding?!”  (I am still wondering if she understands that the translation of my response was not literal…) Matt and Lauren piped in, “Yep, the swim is cancelled!”  I figured those two would joke with me, but not Yvonne. I went for a third opinion, and low and behold, my dream race was now a reality!  (The race director made the call as a result of not being able to get the safety boats in place.)  My demeanor and morale improved significantly.  I have made some big gains in the pool over the last six months, and of course I’m anxious to see the translation (hopefully) to improved open water swim times… but I wasn’t about to lose any sleep over pushing that back to the next race!!

Before long, we were lined up for 30sec send-offs (amateurs went every 2 seconds– messy!). I remember standing there in line, looking at everyone crowded around the start, and just smiling, thinking “This is so cool– I’ve never done a race like this!”  I wasn’t even nervous anymore; I was REALLY excited.

The bike was super windy.  A small price to pay for a cancelled swim, so I kept my whiny mouth shut.  I would say I’m “happy” with my bike split, but not “satisfied,” as I KNOW I have so much more in me. My bike split is typically at the front end of the females, and I was definitely in the top half, but I can be much more aggressive.  I know exactly where I lost some time on the bike:  I was a pansy in the wind!  There were several times when I felt very unstable in the crosswinds and didn’t stay as aggressive as I normally do.  Also, Coach Matt wants me putting in more time on the bike. Work and travel have kept me from doing the longer training rides that I need to be doing to stay competitive with these girls. Despite that, I was definitely in the mix with my bike time, so no complaints. It’s a good place to start.

This race was a first for me as I got to witness first-hand some world-class drafting taking place about 200m in front of me. This chick was sucking wheel for the entire first half of the ride, sparing herself from the headwinds and taking advantage of a pretty fast cyclist unintentionally giving her a free ride.  I was infuriated, and couldn’t believe the blatant cheating. I motioned to the marshalls the first time they came around in exasperation, but she pretended to go for a pass and escaped justice.  The 2nd time they came around, they must’ve seen my frustration through my dorky face shield (ha!) and finally busted her, but she had already gotten a good 30+miles of free ride into a headwind.  I was happy to play a small part in justice being served, but she then went on to run a phenomenal half marathon on fresh legs, passed a bunch of us, and took home some loot.  How very fitting for my Big Sleazy race report . . . what can you do?

I headed into transition and came out elated to see Danny, Mike, and Shane (the latter 2 still half drunk from their 3:30am bedtime) on mountain bikes as I ran past. Because I’m also vain and terrified of having a leather-handbag-face, I smeared on some thick zinc sunscreen as I ran out of transition. Horrified, Danny yelled to me right here, “Wipe that $hit off your face!” He takes his photography quite seriously!  I was cracking up.

The run felt good. The oxygen, particularly, tasted delicious!! I live at 6300ft altitude, so coming to BELOW sea level really felt amazing.  I was super excited to be clicking off 6:30s, and secretly wondered how long it would last. I just kept pounding my Powergel Double Latte (x2 caffeine) and hung on the best I could.

The course was flat as a pancake, and went through the city park. I really wanted to see a gator here.

The boys rode parts of the course and would stop to cheer me on along the way. Danny even rode through a few aid stations ahead of me, letting the volunteers know that my name was Amy, so that they would shout out my name as I ran by!  Someone give these boys some beads!! Extra credit since they were still buzzing!

My 6:30 pace was good through 10miles, then I slowed a bit but still hung on. Apparently Mike and Shane slowed down around Mile 10, too… as they were busted stopping at this “aid station” along the course.

I was elated to finish with a big PR run off the bike for me, as well as a PR-sized blister on my foot (I’ll spare you the images).  I felt in control for the large majority of the race, which doesn’t always happen.  I also got a taste of what I want to replicate now, and improve upon.  I know I’ve said it so many times over the past five years, but I’m so grateful to work with such a knowledgeable coach like Matt Russ at The Sport Factory.  I would not want to work with anyone else. Not only is he an incredible coach, but he always keeps it real, which I appreciate and respect.  Thank you for all you’ve done over the years, Matt, to help me reach my goals and continue to set new ones.

This man welcomed me at the massage tables.  He apparently was just hanging out.  This town is nuts!

Post race debauchery was actually pretty tame. There’s only so much jumping around you can do with Texas-sized blood blisters, but I tried to hold my own.

Thanks to these guys, I had the best race support out there, as well as some good friends IN the race to high-five along the way.  An awesome weekend in every way, and a great start to the season.  Thanks again to Coach Matt and the whole Sport Factory crew, Roswell Bicycles, Powerbar, Mix1,  and New Balance Atlanta, and congrats to my fellow competitors and friends out there; racing against such incredible competition only helps us raise the bar ourselves, and see how far we can push ourselves to be a little bit better.  I am hoping there’s still more to squeak out… gonna keep trying!

Thanks for reading (if you made it this far)!

~ABK

Time to get caught up so I can get back to bloggin’ on a regular basis.  First, how about a Spring Cleaning Update — a pictorial of the highlights (in my opinion) of the last couple months?  (The beauty of a blog is the one-way conversation. I don’t believe I heard any objections, so here we go…)

September entailed a trip back to Cancun to announce Ironman Cancun 70.3 once again. Hot, sticky, sweaty, and lots of fun.  No pictures because I was too busy habla-ing on the mic.  Back to Mexico for Ironman Cozumel announcing. It is a grind of a job but I have to say that I do enjoy it… it’s just the 17hr race day that tests your endurance!  Again, too busy working to snap a few pictures, but with the way my hair responds to humidity, that’s probably a good thing.

Some time in between I had a visit from my younger sister, Lauren, who came to see what all this high altitude living is all about. Here we are at the Crest in ABQ… about 10k-ish feet.  Pretty awesome.

Here we are hiking around the foothills. This is literally like 1/4 mile from my house.  Pinch me.

And then I had a visit from Danny . . . who was scoping out his future home.  We took a little road trip and were just giddy when we saw this sign.  Truth or Consequences is actually a town in New Mexico, which we thought was hilarious. An impromptu photo shoot was to be had, and we swerved off the road…

My 13yr old amusement continued when I read that the ELEPHANT BUTT was right down the road.  Butte, Butt… tomato, tomaaaaato.

Then, someone and a UHAUL made the trek across country in December.

I headed back to ATL for a couple days with my coach and friends at The Sport Factory . . .

And all the while at home, my poor dog was being tormented by a man and his football. . .

It was not without a protest on her part, though. I was pretty proud of my lil’ girl.

Then, Danny and I headed to Costa Rica to work the Rev3 races. What an awesome inaugural event.  We were too busy announcing 4 races all weekend to get too many photos, but someone snapped this pic of me and Michael Lovato, who happens to be a trip on the mic, as we awaited the pros at the finish line.

Costa Rica was a blast. The Ticos (Costa Ricans) are full of life and really made it easy to get everyone fired up in the morning.  We had a pretty competitive pro start list, but it seemed like everyone was pretty laid back and really just soaking up the experience of an early-season, low-pressure, fun event.

Here’s a fun video with the age groupers at the start of the half rev race on Sunday.  The Ticos didn’t disappoint, and made my job pretty darn fun.

http://vimeo.com/20136192

My sister Lauren and I decided to run a half marathon in AZ in February.  It was fun, except for the long-ass climbs on this course, which were not entirely represented on the course profile. Grrr…  but I did my best and finished 2nd female in 1:26:41… off my target of 1:25, but given the very tough course, I’m grateful for what I did! And I’m happy with my nutrition- Double Latte Powergels kept me buzzin’ and the tummy didn’t revolt.

Once I had finally made peace with the stupid long climbs on this course, I approached the last two miles of the race and found myself weaving through headphone-wearing (they can’t hear you yelling) walkers and joggers finishing the 5k.  Adults, kids, stroller, dogs, and even a TURTLE were part of the obstacle course (most of it on a 3ft wide sidewalk) of the last couple miles of the race.  Great for a family event; not so much for a fast or competitive race.

Here’s a visual of what we ran through to get to the finish line. No joke.

What? You thought I was joking about the turtle?

I found Lauren and ran her to the finish line.  She hit her own PR, and then hit the couch. Such a drama queen!

Thanks to my mom who came to cheer us across the line, as we dodged turtles, dogs, and kids.

And then, of course, she tried to rope us into some ridiculous photo shoot, which of course had us squealing in horror.

I could not stop laughing. See far right of photo for proof.

And we got one with our MVP – Thanks for the pics, Danny!

The 2011 Season has begun!  First up is New Orleans 70.3.  Ahhh!  Hard to believe it’s time to go already. REALLY excited to put in a full season this year as this “PTP” (part-time-pro) has been working her tail off.  Normal blogging will commence now, so that the marathon photo blogs do not continue… thanks for sticking in there!   Best of luck to all those racing Oceanside next weekend.  Here we go, people!

As promised, I planned one last sprint triathlon in my extensive 2010 race plan.  When I discovered the Amica 19.7 Phoenix race was about 20min from my mom’s house with a pro race/purse, it was a no brainer.  But before we get all triathlony on you, can we just please acknowledge how incredibly gorgeous these two girls are?

Mom was demonstrating how to really “work the camera,” and well, Shaina is just naturally photogenic without trying.

OK, back to triathlon.

Danny and I drove to beautiful Lake Pleasant the day before to check out the course, and I laughed when I realized that I had believed this was a flat course (descriptions weren’t posted till just before the race).   (You laugh at these things when it’s a sprint;  with an Ironman, maybe not so much.)  Whatever — it’s a sprint! That became the phrase du jour.  But yeah– it was all either up or down.

I was super excited to see my favorite housemate from our Eagleman weekend in 2009, Courtenay Brown, who was also racing.  CB and I have shared some very special moments together… like the purchase of my first mankini. She is a trip and one of my favorite homegirls. Here we are in all our post-race glamour.

Mom and Lucky # 7 before the start.

Swim was uneventful, up until the end.  I was actually feeling really good. Of the 9 pro women who started, I knew that I was towards the back but there were at least a few athletes behind me… I realize that I’m not setting the bar tremendously high with my excitement over my swim placement, BUT for a short course event (and short course swimmers), I was just happy to be where I was.  So here I am thinking I was a stud, swimming like a champ, and headed to the swim exit. The sun was in my eyes and I apparently overshot the runway. Next thing I know I almost ran smack into a big orange kayak with a dude yelling that I swam to the wrong side of the dock.  OOPS. Damn sun in my eyes!!  Crap…there goes my fab swim. I backtracked while cussing (you can indeed swim and cuss at the same time), and swam around the dock, admonishing myself for my stupid blunder for losing time.  For the record, though, 750 meters is an awesome swim distance.  Now if only the bike was a bit longer!

The bike was short and sweet (16 miles!), and all up or down.  3 full and somewhat tight u-turns that almost had me unclip… but then I knew that my coach would harass me to no end if I ever admitted it. He already tells me that I corner like an ocean liner.  True… I prefer flat, fast, and hammering! But this was fun and I did my best to catch up, making up some time and one place on the bike.

Can you tell how much fun I’m having? I BOMBED down those hills and had a blast the whole time.  Until, that is, I was coming up the last hill and found this annoying pontoon-boat-pulling truck in front of me.  Are you kidding me?  And on a hill, no less.  This may be a recreation area, but don’t they realize that I’m ON A MISSION!  Out of my way dude!!

This was right about when I yelled “ON YOUR LEFT!!!”  Yeah, seriously. I did.

My demeanor improved drastically once I passed… and I was actually laughing at my pontoon boat buddy’s look of bewilderment at this lunatic screaming “on your left” and passing up the hill.

The transition (and the steep up/down hill) were covered in chipped seal and lots of loose gravel/small stones which made for a fun (and profanity-filled) interlude between sports.  Loved the race, Amica, but how about a good sweeping or maybe some cheap outdoor carpet for next year?  A pedicure is in order for sure.

But back to the run… fun fun fun! It was hilly as hell (they said one of the beauties was 16%) but hey, you can do anything for just 3.1 miles, right?  I made up some more time and caught another one on the run.  I felt surprisingly in control despite the ridiculous hills and was just enjoying the fact that it was all over in 3.1 short miles.  My god I love this distance!

Check out that gorgeous backdrop!

Super stealth local girl Elizabeth Rich came out of nowhere and I was pleasantly surprised to hear her out on the course. She got this oh-so-gratuitous finish line fist pump photo. Hey, my Mom, Alex, and Danny were waiting for me at the finish line, and I had to let ‘em know I was coming! Love me a good fist pump.

Thanks so much to the best race sherpa, photog, and partner in crime. 

Back at the crib (mom’s crib), we cleaned up and showed the “Active Adult Community” how to shake it on the dance floor.

Although these two seem to be doing just fine themselves. . . (identities are concealed to protect the not-so-innocent.)

A BIG thank you to my coach, Matt Russ, for tolerating my sprint aspirations.   I promise to go back to 70.3 racing in 2011! This has been a year of transition and the best kind! I love my new job and I love being so engaged and challenged. I will figure out a way to balance it all, because I am not done with this racing thing just yet!  I am so grateful to be able to compete at this level– I want to make the most of it.

Overall, a 5th place finish among some FAST chicas, posting top-3 bike/run splits and some loot to boot!   I was shooting for top 5, so no complaints at all.   Sprints are so much fun– fast, furious, and you can keep it simple. A few Powergels were all I needed.  Having the support of my favorite people was the best part ever.

Actually, being able to walk the next day was the best part ever.  In my next life, I want to come back as a fierce aquatic beast so that I can rock out short course, not walk funny the next day, and still have a life.  A girl can dream. 

I never did think those “Bloopers” shows were very funny.  And, well, neither is this one. The title was fitting, however, so we’ll keep it.

When I decided to move to New Mexico, start a new job, and try to develop this territory, I realized something had to give.  Working full-time and training to race at this level is hard enough when I have a “system” and a regular schedule.  Throw in all the other variables and I knew I couldn’t do it. Actually, I didn’t even care to try.  Why do something half-assed?  Coach Matt and I decided to back off the original plan (mostly 70.3 racing), get settled, and then commence a most vigorous sprint triathlon training plan!    I really wanted to end the year with at least a couple races, and I could commit to the time required for a sprint, so it was back again to beautiful Santa Rosa Island, FL for a great weekend at the beach with a fun little sprint race thrown in.  And some bloopers.

Before I start whining, let’s set the scene with an image that depicts how idyllic this place is:

Santa Rosa Island is a real panhandle gem.  Unlike its coozie-toting, airbrushed-tshirt-sporting stepsister city (Panama City Beach), Santa Rosa Island is mostly blanketed in pristine, angel-dusted-white beaches, and miles of untouched, protected land.  I did, however, spy the token “beach crap shop,” and wasted no time in capturing my best Snookie pose as I tried on their wares.

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Danny and I nearly got blown over on the pier, and I really think that these photos would’ve been far better had I bought that hat, but we made do with what we had.

Friday night the wind was pretty wicked (as evidenced by my windswept-hair-in-the-face glamour shot) and I was questioning my beloved disc wheel choice for race day.  Not a fan of the crazy crosswinds while riding a disc.  The bike shop dude at the expo assured me that the mechanic would be able to change out my cassette to ride the 808 rear on race morning.  (Do you hear the ominous foreshadowing music playing in the background? You should… this is where the Bloopers come into play…)

Like the helpless soul that I am, I decided to take him up on it. I am pretty good at pedaling, but am decidedly worthless when it comes to anything else bike-related.  The dude does this for a living– I figured he could handle this, right?  I even told him to be sure to check the space between my brakes to ensure no rubbing. That was a GREAT call on my part. . . would’ve been even more fab– had I checked myself.

He changed my cassette, popped on the 808, and I cheerfully racked my bike.  (Is there something missing here? No test spin, no reviewing it . . . nothing. Brilliant!)

This was me trying to suck some swim-mojo before the start from my badass teammate and sick-fast swimmer, Sam Morgan.

So I had a fabulous blooper-worthy belly flop into the water but swam just fine (for me). I was 2 minutes down from the first female out of the water.  I was hungry to get on my bike and catch her. It was just 18 miles of deliciously flat road, out-and-back, and my ideal type of bike course to hammer.  Within about 30 seconds of riding, however, I heard that dreadful rubbing noise; my brake was rubbing on the wheel.  For a split-second, I comically considered stopping to attempt to fix it myself, which would’ve likely resulted in nothing being fixed but only more time being wasted.  So I rode . . . I rubbed and I rode. And I cussed. I was so mad.  Mad at the mechanic, but way more mad at myself. Ultimately this was my responsibility to check it.  I did my very best with the situation at hand; I put my head down and just grinded it out. Unfortunately, my efforts were enough for a decent ride but nothing of what I would expect of myself (and what I was counting on!).  I was still 2 minutes down coming out of T2, and only had a 5k to run. I didn’t lose any time, but I made up NO time on the bike… blasphemy!

Six days before the race I was in urgent care w/ bronchitis. That was my biggest concern all week. This was, after all, my big bad sprint race!!    Thankfully, it mostly was gone by race day, but it turned out that my small little oversight (that’s a nice way of saying dumbass mistake) was my biggest issue.  Despite the disappointment, I couldn’t help but smile as I headed out of transition, because after all, I was in Santa Rosa Island– one of my favorites– and this was just a fun weekend at the beach.  Who cares that I screwed up? I was just happy to be racing after my four month sabbatical.

I didn’t think I’d catch her, but I was going to try my best.  I had about two minutes to make up in 3.1 miles. I closed the gap down to 23 seconds, but ran out of real estate.  One more quarter mile. . . !!!    Oh well, you live and you learn.  Let’s hope that this Bloopers– Race Day Edition is a one-hit-wonder and we never revisit it again.

So here we are, the two “bridesmaids,” with our 2nd place awards.  Sam, incidentally, ripped it up and came in 2nd to Brian Fleischmann.  Sam is one to watch!

There were some other decidedly worthwhile moments of the weekend.  At the top of the list was driving along the gulf coast beaches, and seeing first-hand the powerful action of BP’s dollars hard at work in the oil clean up efforts.  I was able to capture this particular go-getter;  It was tough to get a good shot as he and his coworkers were moving so quickly.

We weren’t moving so quickly, either.  This was my personal fave. It’s just so hard to smile in a place like this. 

So . . . a few bloopers, a little race, a lot of sun, and a great weekend overall.  A big thanks to Charles of SRITRI Race Director fame for putting on another great event, and of course a big thank you to my coach, Matt Russ, for not strangling me for my bloopers (the geographic wedge between us now prevents him from lodging his foot up my ass at whim, thank god).   I’ve got one more big bad sprint race in November before I retire my 2010 racing shoes (they’re barely worn in!), and it will be in my mom’s backyard in AZ.  Can’t wait!!  And then I’m very much looking forward to jumping back into the 70.3 ring in 2011.

A general ABQ update is long-overdue, and that’s in the pipeline. . .  Hope you’re all doing well. Thanks for checking in.

Bad photo, but I love my girl April. Race morning.

I had planned to return to race Eagleman this year, but due to a lot of changes taking place (stay tuned), I had to make some adjustments in the schedule. Travel for a race was no longer an option, so I turned to the local/regional favorite: The GA Rock ‘N Rollman Half Ironman in hot, sweaty, and sultry Macon, GA.

There is probably a reason why I never considered this race before.  Perhaps it has to do with the 5000% humidity, combined with the hilly course with zero shade.  Suck it up, Buttercup. I jumped in.

As a side note, I would just like to mention that the volunteers were awesome at this race. It’s not easy to get people out there in those conditions.   Volunteers can come in all shapes and sizes, and from any demographic. I thought I had seen it all . . . until I saw these guys.  They were awesome!  Hey, what’s more morale-boosting for an inmate than to get to spend the day with half-naked athletes?

There was not an official “pro field,” but rather an Open/Elite wave to qualify for the smaller prize purse; about half of the Open/Elites on the men’s and women’s side had a pro card. It’s a cool opportunity for amateur elites to also race for some prize money.  So it was a bit of a surprise, to say the least, to see Nina Kraft’s name on the start list.  I raced at Steelhead with her last year, and she stomped me on the swim (as did most), I passed her on the bike, and the returned the favor on the run.  I figured it would be a fun chase at the very least.

My coach, Matt Russ, has killer skills when it comes to motivational pep talks. Two days before the race, he was in top form when he delivered one of his best lines ever:  “Shut the ____ up and just get out there and race!” Girls can be so whiney (just sayin’).  He is pretty good at dealing with me.

Coming off of my wretched swim at Gulf Coast, my aquatic confidence was a bit shot.  So you can understand my delight to see my good buddy, Mark Maclachlan, at the swim start. I had no idea he was racing in the Open wave!  Mark and I are perfectly matched in the pool. We swim masters together and share a lane, and I have been known to actually beat him on occasion!  However, I am “open water special needs,” so I knew my best bet would be to stay on his feet and draft like a champ.

I am pleased to announce that Mark accepted my proposal and kindly came on board as my NEW SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR. I cannot believe I waited this long to pursue this important type of sponsorship.  He was FAB. I tickled his toes all the way around that gorgeous, flat-as-glass lake, and emerged from the water in a SHOCKING 28:24.  Shocking for me, that is.  My previous PR was 30+, and that was with a wetsuit and a current at Steelhead.  I didn’t care what happened the rest of the race; I finally wasn’t cussing coming out of the water, so it could only be a good day!

I jumped on my bike and screamed to Danny on the side of the road “CALL MATT AND TELL HIM MY SWIM TIME!!!”  — that was my only concern at that point. I wanted my coach to know the freakish swim performance I just miraculously pulled off.  Again, whatever else happened was a moot point.

I passed my good buddy April early on (another testament to the power of a Drafting Sponsor– April can crush me in the water and I didn’t expect to see her so soon) and yelled something to her cute pink ass about LET’S GO.  I had never ridden that course before but it was pretty much all up or down.  After about 40 miles I was irritated that I hadn’t caught anyone else, because I can usually reel in some more women by that point.  Then at mile 50 I caught Nina and it occurred to me–  I was 3rd out of the water.  This was like an act of God.   I put as much time on Nina as I could in the remaining 6 miles, and came into transition with a 2:30 bike split– very pleased as this was a tough course, and it was the fastest by over 5min.  As I rounded the last corner into Transition, I saw Danny, Sam, and Matt and they were all screaming and jumping up and down. I was cracking UP!! I don’t think they expected to see me come into T2 first– it was pretty cool.

I’d need that cushion, though (and more!), because the run was just miserable!  Macon is like The Trifecta of Hell:  Hot, Hilly, and Humid.  My goals of a run in the low 1:30s were soon dashed as I struggled to hold a pace at least 20sec off my goal pace.  No biggie– the conditions were very tough and I was still grateful to pull that off with the crazy schedule I’ve been maintaining the last few weeks.  I ended up with a less-than-stellar 1:37, and Nina beat me by just over 4min.  4:38 overall time and 2nd place.  Always the bridesmaid . . .  ha!

Photo by sammorganphoto.com

I’m actually thrilled. I’ve been juggling things like a circus performer lately with a LOT of changes going on.  This was a great race given the conditions and the amount of focus I’ve had on triathlon lately.  There is no such thing as balance in my opinion; it’s just a juggling act!

I was happy. I swear.

My teammates rocked it out in the Sprint race and it was just awesome to race (again) with so many friends and acquaintances out on the course.

Dr. Sadri and super ultra-marathoner bad-ass, Jennifer Vogel, of First Choice Healthcare, were there to take care of all the athletes in all their nastiness. These guys are the best and I have Sadri to thank for keeping me injury free since 2008.  If you are an athlete in ATL, definitely seek them out.

Of course, a huge shout-out to my sponsors (ha!), especially my SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR, Mark Maclachlan, for really taking one for the team.  I’ll be adding your logo-face to my website shortly . . .       Here’s my new sponsor and I post-race.  And yes, there are about 50 cold towels, a visor, AND a ghetto-style, backwards hat full of ice on top of my head.

Swim Draft Sponsor Mark

My former marketing professor from my MBA program, Dr. Jim Linck, has since taken the dive head-first into this crazy sport, alongside his equally awesome twin brother, Paul Linck.  I ran past Paul at one point and wasn’t sure which one it was . . . it was funny.  “Go Ji… go Pau. . . GO LINCK!” These guys are a trip and it was great to see them out there.

Last year I did mostly all big 70.3 races and nothing local.  This race was a great reminder of how much fun a local race can be.  Pretty low-key, but surprisingly VERY well run, despite four different races going on at the same time.  A big thumbs-up to GA Multisports and SetUp Events.

Of course, thank you to my kick-ass coach, Matt Russ. We’ve been through it all and I feel like he knows me so well (more than he’d probably prefer to) and I wouldn’t trust anyone more than I trust him.   If you have a great coach helping you achieve your goals, don’t forget to show them some love.  When it clicks, it clicks.  I feel very lucky.

ps: I’ll be accepting applications for a FEMALE Swim Draft Sponsor moving forward to fulfill my sponsorship needs in the pro wave of most bigger races.  Please submit your proposals as soon as possible; I expect this to be a very competitive application process.

And then I have one of those races that just doesn’t seem worthy of a race report.  But, a deal’s a deal, and I am a race reportin’ kind of girl.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the (horror) show.

Ahhh, the return to Gulf Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach. What is it about the Redneck Riviera that I find so enchanting?  With its white sand beaches, beer coozies, airbrushed tshirts, long hair (on men), and nascar-esqe parasailing, it just draws me back for more–  what can I say.  GCT was my very first half ironman back in 2004, as a Team In Training member.  I had so much fun that I came back for more in 2006.  And then I won the race as an amateur in 2008, which was a big surprise for me, and even more awesome because I got a picture of this fab car decor on the way back home.

BEST PHOTO EVER.   How many races can keep you this entertained? Of course I had to go back.

I had the best couple training blocks I’ve ever had leading up to the race, and I was FIRED UP.  I was ready to break some personal barriers.  I had a very busy week leading up to the race with work and travel and not the ideal amount of sleep, but I was still confident, excited, and happy to be there as I warmed up the day before.

I even pushed aside my (valid! valid!) fears of being ripped apart by one of the testosterone-fueled bull sharks that calls the Gulf “home” . . . and got into the water for an (albeit very short) swim the day before the race. It is no secret that I am terrified of untimely “encounter” with a man-eating beast.  I know what you’re thinking– but it could happen!

I absolutely fell in love with my new XTERRA Vendetta wetsuit.  I can’t believe I’ve been wearing the most ghetto wetsuit all this time.  I feel like I have been driving a Ford Pinto for years, and someone just gave me the keys to a Lamborghini.  (Proof:  I never smile like this when in water.  Wrap me in flexible, buoyant rubber, though, and you can’t wipe the grin off my face.)

Unfortunately, the Lamborghini stayed parked in the garage on race day, as only the age groupers were allowed to wear wetsuits.

Race morning was authentically PCB.  We were sitting in the hotel lobby wasting time and contemplating why I got up so damn early when I glanced a few tables over and saw two guys who were clearly not battling race day nerves.  What is it about these two strapping chaps that gave me a sneaking suspicion that they were perhaps not about to embark on an endurance adventure?  It could’ve been the overwhelming stench of alcohol that made its way across the room. Or perhaps their joyous, almost raucous approach to ripping into an ice cream bar and a RockStar Energy Drink at 5:44am.  Everyone has their pre-race nutrition plan; you just never know.  They were clearly endurance junkies, as they had been on a marathon of an evening and weren’t about to DNF before the sun came up.  I cracked up and asked them, “You guys are probably not racing, right?”

They enjoyed my amusement and were clearly not camera shy.  This, my friends, is what I love about Panama City Beach.

You know how they say you can’t win a race with a great swim, but you sure can lose it with a bad one?   Let that be the theme of this race report.

The waters were particularly rough (easily 3ft waves), so much so that I literally stopped four times to ask the guys on the wave runners where the hell the buouys were.  Yep– couldn’t see anything.  Nor could I see any other athletes.  Now, nobody’s ever accused me of being Amanda Beard, but I was counting on a swim in the low-30s — consistent with my swims over the past year.  So you can imagine my horror when I came out of the water in 37+! I was shocked.  Almost 8min slower than my previous race.   Given that I didn’t know where I was going, couldn’t see the buoys, and generally suck at swimming in rough open water, I am pretty sure that I took the scenic route back to shore.  We later learned the the top men came out of the water in 30min, so everyone’s times were off.  Mine was just ghastly.

I got on the bike and was ready to make up some time. As soon as I started riding, however, my aerobottle started bouncing around and I felt like I was in a slow motion horror show, trying to catch it with one hand while balancing my bike with the other, yet knowing that someone or something was going down soon.  Then it flew off and slid across the road, and I had to stop, circle back, pick it up, stop swearing, and secure it so I could get back to work.  I did all the above but stop swearing.  Just kidding.

The only good thing about this photo is the caption that was unintentionally captured at the top.  The sign was clearly referring to the go-carts, but I do love that it mysteriously landed in my photo.

I picked it up and had a good bike ride (time-wise), posting the fastest female split around 23+mph.  But it was about 10-15 watts below my typical race wattage the last 2 years.  Weird.  The only explanation for this was that the rough, long swim took way more out of me, and I was just depleted.  I don’t really care about my time or my speed. I know what I can put out wattage-wise, and I didn’t hit the mark.  I need to get stronger in the water, period, if I want to do what I can do on the bike and run.  This swim sucked the life out of me.

My tough swim was like the gift that kept on giving.  If I didn’t have it on the bike, I REALLY didn’t have it on the run.  While I’m pleased that I still finished 2nd overall, I was darn lucky to do so, because I was not where I wanted to be, where I trained to be, or where I expected to be.  BUT that’s why it’s a race; the best man (or woman) can win on any given day– and it just wasn’t me that day!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how awesome it was to be running the back half of the half-marathon and have so many athletes, just heading out on the start of their run, high-fiving and and giving me encouragement.  There is a sense of solidarity, regardless of our goals or our times, knowing that everyone is out there doing their best and supporting each other.  So while I knew I was having a crap day for me, I also knew that I was lucky to be there, was feeling the love from the other athletes which I appreciated so much, and owed it to myself and everyone else to keep on truckin’.

Perhaps as a way to LOCK IN a fun race day, about 100m from the finish line, with the homeland in sight, I get stopped by the officials to “stand down for two minutes” for mis-racking my bike in T2.   Are you kidding me?!  As if this run isn’t bad enough– now you’re going to add time to it?! Horror.

Progress is exciting, but it also raises our expectations and our perceptions of success.  That is not lost on me. I am still grateful for finishing 2nd — something that I never could’ve imagined when I ran that same course with the purple Team In Training jersey years ago.  That makes me smile, even if it’s not the same thing I expected or wanted in 2010.

PERSPECTIVE!

That’s why I love racing, and what keeps me coming back. It keeps you on your toes, working hard, and hungry for more.

Well, I’m on my toes and I’m still hungry! 

Lastly, I would like to give a shout-out to Panama City for providing the flattest, most gorgeous water — 24 hours AFTER the race!  A day late and  a dollar short — but still very pretty.

I haven’t seen the last of GCT.  I want to battle that race (or myself) again, and I will.

OK, the truth is that I want to buy a coozie, an airbrushed tshirt, and see my two RockStar guys one more time!

Pre-Head-Banging. FIRED UP!

I think it’s funny that my last post was titled “T.G.I.Don’t.Know.”

I DIDN’T know a lot of anything after the race. I was totally out of it.  So the verdict is that I had some sort of concussion, as evidenced by my complete cluelessness as to how I ended up on the side of the road.  It’s scary to think of what could happen without a helmet, if falling on a turn (at low speeds) turned me into a rambling mess.  I have been told I’m thick headed, which, when combined with a good helmet, may not be such a bad thing. 

So my little email from my blackberry in the med tent was before I totally had it together (obviously).  I don’t really remember calling Danny but I do remember crying for a long time.  After I calmed my butt down, I realized what happened.   My previously ominous post, mentioning my concern for a crowded course, was spot-on, but it wasn’t the cause of the crash.   This was a very different course to race, because it consisted of 4 x 12mi loops.  Consider so many athletes (pros and amateurs all racing different speeds) stuffed into 12 miles with 4 tight u-turns per loop, and there doesn’t leave much space for each athlete.  As a result, I was definitely over-paced and out of my typical wattage range, but I was just trying like hell to move up and keep a clean race. There were some really strong age group men, and the only way to avoid a drafting penalty was to either drop back, or push harder and go past them.  I chose option #2.  The swim was incredibly hard, long, choppy, and into the current and waves the first 1800m— all the athletes were slower, and I was wayyyy slow.  So I had some catching up to do.  And I was doing it!  By the end of the 3rd loop, I was on pace to bike a sub-2:08, which would’ve been with the top girls on the bike.  But — COULDA WOULDA SHOULDA, right?   I made the tight u-turn and one of those reflector bumpy things in the road got in my way (WHO PUT THAT THERE?!) . . . and that was all she wrote. 

Next thing I know I was howling on the side of the road, crying hysterically, and just repeating, “But I came so far!! I want to race!!”   … yet completely confused as to how I ended up there.  (Not a good way to convince them to let you back on your bike.)

The funny thing is that I am very careful on the bike. I had never had a crash or a DNF, and I attribute that partly to the fact that I am so careful (but mostly lucky— it’s bound to happen).  I’m not upset anymore; I’m just grateful that it wasn’t worse. I have friends who have been VERY badly injured in bike wrecks (Mikey, Matt, Pam…) and I am just walking away with some good bruises and road rash, all of which will heal. Thanks so much for all the nice words/notes on Facebook and email… I was really feelin’ the love.  I mean that.  The big picture is a GOOD one, and I’m feeling nothing but gratitude at this point– no longer disappointment.

A big part of that is because I have met some great people here and we have had an awesome few days exploring Perth and other areas of Western Australia.  Over the next couple days  I’ll post more photos. Stay tuned for wine tasting, kangaroo chasing, and delish pad thai on a completely deserted beach. 

Before the race: Adam Jensen, Head Banger, Becky Witinok-Huber, & Jim Lubinski.

On a mission, but headed for asphalt.

Med tent: race over.

Team USA’s Tim O’donnell was crowned the 2009 Long Distance World Champ — big congrats to this former military officer on a wicked fast race. Well done, Sir!

World Champ Tim!