Something a bit different and not written by me

When I came back from Hawaii, I was asked by my alma mater to share a little bit about myself, and where I have been since I graduated back in 2005. Kevin did a great job, and I think I should maybe hire him as my blog writer ;)

Read on:

http://mgt.buffalo.edu/about/success/richtrova

Push It!

This past weekend I ran my really first road race ever. Ok – maybe second if you count the 4 mile road race I did back in 2008 when I would run on the treadmill and rode the spin bike to stay in shape. It was a chilly snowy Superbowl Sunday morning, and here I was 4+ years later, toeing the line of a 5 mile road race  with almost 1200 people and more than half being women!  Only 5 miles, not 13.1, not 70.3 nor 140.6. How hard could this be? ;) You probably know where I am going with this – running 5 miles all out is hard! Very hard! Especially hard, when your coach decides to pace you along the way, and he can run 6:30s backwards. I am going to be honest, I didn’t think I could run 6:30s for 5 miles because I have never done it in training – heck, last time I ran a full mile or maybe some mile repeats at that pace was last summer when I was in the best shape of my life. I am not in that kind of shape right now, and though I was excited I was a bit afraid, and scared of what may happen if I start to struggle after mile 1. The race plan was simple. Shut off your brain and just run. That is easily said than done, but how fitting, I happened to stumble across Kelly Williamson’s blog earlier that week, and her message really hit home. You can read it here: http://kellyhandel.blogspot.com/ She talked about a fear of failure, and also the potential for success always including risk. She went on to say this:

“As an athlete is that we cannot paralyze ourselves with a fear of failure. If we let ourselves go there, we are finished. It is no different than quitting a session or a race because things are not going as we had planned (or hoped) and we begin to envision the dreaded ‘failure’ ahead. We start to walk the line of ‘I may not do as well as I know I want to, and how will I handle that’…which can be scary territory; but it’s realistic territory. No matter how much you win, no matter how many times you accomplish your goals, it is human nature to ‘not want to fail’ and to worry about failing; yet the reality is that every single one of us will fail to reach a goal more often than we will ever succeed. One cannot happen without the other”

I took that message to heart, and really decided to take my head out of my own ass, shut up those loud voices in my head and just do. It was a 5 mile race on the beginning of February – not my A race, and I had absolutely nothing to lose. I actually had a lot to gain regardless of the outcome, but make your head think that!  Kelly then went on to say this about her own race and she couldn’t be more right!

“The days leading into the event, I had quite a few conversations with my conscience. What I finally had to tell myself was, “Kelly, remove your head from your ass. Stop over thinking. Let go of your expectations. This is one of the most low key events you’ll do all year long. Enjoy it, race it, and finish it. Do your best, that’s it.”

So as much as I struggled with my own head all week leading up to the race, by race morning, my brain was shut off, and I was ready to follow my coach Jorge until I couldn’t. The gun finally went off, and all I had to worry about was the mini legs in front of me. I didn’t let them out of my sight, largely due to the fact that Jorge didn’t want to get too far away from me or else he could have dropped me at will. Mile 1 went by fast and we were right on pace – 6:29, I felt really good. (Or maybe it was the .5 mile that I felt good for). Mile 2 ticked off at 6:38 and I was starting to hurt, and my breathing was a bit labored. That’s not exactly the best sign when there are 3 miles left to run, but I actually didn’t think that then – I was successful at shutting that brain off! YES!  I kept trucking along and my legs were becoming heavier with each step. We crossed the 5K mat, and I really just wanted to stop right there and then – Mile 3 – 6:43. That is when the only words I have heard for the last 20 min were becoming louder and louder – Push it, Push it, PUSH IT! By mile 4 – I really just wanted to punch Jorge or tell him that maybe I have been pushing for the last 3+ miles so I didn’t really need to be reminded every 30 seconds to PUSH IT, but because a) I couldn’t catch him to actually punch him and b) I was breathing way too hard to say anything, I just had to keep on pushing.  Mile 4 was the hardest one. Combined that with a slight incline that felt like a mountain – 6:53 showed up on my watch – ouch! I am pretty sure this is where I mustered up all the energy I had to tell Jorge my legs hurt and I was done! His response – “Shut your legs up and push it” Ugh! Someone was in the world of hurt – I mean fun. The last mile – mile 5 was brutal. I can usually pick it up, and can find more energy to really bring it home in the last mile, but I had nothing. I couldn’t even bomb it on the slight downhill that mile 5 started off with. I had no spring left in my legs, and the finish line couldn’t come fast enough. My attempt for a final sprint to the finish line once we rounded the corner and could actually see it was quite pathetic as the legs really had nothing left. Mile 5 – 6:36. And with that I was D.O.N.E! 33:25 and 5.03 miles according to my garmin for a 6:39 avg. pace, 4^th in my AG, and 10^th overall female.

It wasn’t quite the 6:30s that my coach thought I could run, but I was reminded that I can indeed suffer a bit when running for a bit longer than just 2 or 3 min at a time, and although 2 days post race, my hamstrings feel like 2 gigantic bricks ready to pop out of my legs, I am ready for more! Funny how that works, isn’t it?  One race that was by no means perfect, but I am ready for more. More importantly I have a new level of confidence that the mega legs of mine have potential for some serious speed! As Kelly said in her blog:

“In short, this one is summed up by simply saying that failure to try will always result in failure; we will carry that with us… but the potential for success will always involve risk. Ultimately, living your life and trying new things is one big risk. So get out there and risk something! And don’t forget to have fun in the process.”

So I am ready for more FUN while keeping my big picture in mind! Next up – Hyannis ½ marathon in 2.5 weeks, and I am already contemplating if I can keep track of how many times I will hear the words “PUSH IT” over the 13.1 miles. Any guesses? 

Quick Look Back on 2012, and what’s in store for 2013

I have had an amazing 2012 season, and have accomplished my long term goal of getting to Kona! I raced my first ever Ironman in Kona, Hawaii this past October, and it was the best experience ever! I watched myself grow not only physically but also mentally day by day throughout the year, and ended the year by placing 6th at the Las Vegas 70.3 World Championships in the ever so competitive F30-34 AG, followed by a 15th place finish in my AG at my first ever IM in Kona, HI. I owe a HUGE thanks to my coach Jorge Martinez of E3 Training Solutions whose guidance was like no other, and I couldn’t ask for more! He knows his stuff, and I owe a lot of my success to him! Thanks coach! 

Throughout 2012, I continued to surprise myself and checked of many firsts along the way!

Swim:

·         1^st ever open water swim race (I didn’t finish last)

·         I learned to swim the butterfly although it may not the prettiest stroke you have ever seen, I can make it from point A to point B (Thanks Karen ;))

·         Every once in a while I even attempt flip turns too which is a danger in itself! ;) I really am “challenged” when it comes to the water, but I am working at it hard one day at a time!

Bike:

·         1^st time I actually took my bike apart, and put it back together! (I am very proud of that)

·         1^st of many 112+ miles on the bike (there were a few of those throughout the summer). Some were with friends, some were alone, and those long lonely rides were tough but definitely kept me going through those relentless Kona winds! 

Run:

·         Longest training run ever for many consecutive weeks leading to Kona starting with 16 miles – yeah that’s right – I have never ran more than 14+ consecutive miles until this past summer

·         1^st ever marathon (during Kona)

The big one for me in 2012 was definitely my first IM! I had a blast racing there, and I smiled the entire way! I fell in love with Hawaii, and I'll be back there when it's the right time with my eyes on the big prize.

In the mean time, Santa brought me the best gift ever, so that I will NEVER forget my first trip there!

I love puzzles, but I definitely never thought I would be putting together one of myself!

As successful as 2012 was, the journey doesn't stop here!  New goals have been set, and I have a very strong fire burning in my belly for more! 2013 will be very fun, and very fast. I have some BIG goals, and I am not afraid to share them so buckle up! :)

Here is the list of 2013 Races I am registered for:

Northeast MultiSport Indoor Time Trial - January 26th

BTT Indoor Time Trial - February 10th

Hyannis 1/2 marathon - February 24th

Great Bay 1/2 marathon - April 7th 

Rev3 Quassy 70.3 - June 2nd

Patriot 70.3 - June 15th

Timberman 70.3 - August 18th

Rev3 Anderson 70.3 - October 13th

IM Cozumel - December 1^st

I am looking to improve in every sport, and in process collect W’s. You may notice no Vegas or Kona on the list this year, and that’s by design. I thought about it long and hard, and the decision wasn’t easy – not at all easy, but I decided to skip out on trying to qualify for both Vegas and Kona in 2013, in hopes of working my little butt off and returning to Vegas and Kona in 2014 with my eyes on the big prize – the podium! ;)  I fully understand and recognize that it will not be easy, and many things can happen in 2 years, but I want to give it a shot, and I believe that  Jorge and me have a master plan that will get me there!

Bring on 2013!

What are your goals? 

IM Kona 2012 - Pre-Race Week

Wow! 3 weeks removed from THE race, and I am still having a difficult time putting it into words. It really truly was an experience of a lifetime that will be very difficult to top!

I have so much I want to share with all of you, yet I am struggling to figure out where to start, and how to “summarize” what happened in the 2 weeks I spent in Hawaii! I could really write a book or at least that’s how I feel, but since I know how time crunched most of you are, I’ll do my best to make this short, though I am sure it will still be super long but hopefully worth the read :)

If you are a regular follower/reader of my blog, you know by now that 3 weeks ago, I have competed in my first ever ironman - THE ironman that anyone even outside of the triathlon world seems to know and recognize – THE Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i.  To this day it’s almost a bit surreal. Many people were shocked this was my first IM, because the assumption is that one can only qualify by winning or close to winning another full IM. So Yes – you have to qualify, yes – you have to win or almost win, yes - most competitors do so at another full ironman, and yes-  most have done many IM’s before competing in Kona! However, there are still a few half ironman races left that can qualify you for Hawaii, and that was the path I chose to follow if I was going to get to Kona this time around. I was fortunate enough to qualify back in June at Buffalo Springs 70.3, Texas. You can read that race report here. http://czechchick15.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-did-it.html

Being fairly new to the sport, I have watched this race online from beginning to end every single year since I got into the sport 3 short years ago.  I had a hard time tearing myself away from the computer screen! Fast forward to October 6^th – when I stepped off the plane in Kona, Hawaii and was greeted by the cutest airport ever seen and 7 days removed from the big day. This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but the airport is really tiny and cute,  I swear.

I knew this race was special, but watching it on the computer or on TV during the 1 hour or this years 2 hour coverage doesn’t do it justice. It really doesn’t.  It actually doesn’t even come close! This race is like no other! It really is SUPER special, and the atmosphere, and energy that comes with it is very hard to put into words. I’ll do my best to take you through my pre-race week, the race itself, and the post race activities, but I recommend to each and every one of you (whether you are or aren’t interested in triathlon) to put this on your bucket list of things to experience – it will be worth it, and you will leave energized to do whatever it is that you are dreaming of!) You don’t have to compete, but you can volunteer, or simply just spectate! This race or event is really truly like no other!

From the time I stepped off the plane, to my very 1^st sunrise, to my very 1^st stroll on Ali’I drive, to the 1^st swim at Dig Me beach, or the 1^st ride on the famous Queen K, I felt like I was at the Olympics!

1^st Swim at Dig Me beach wondering how far I really have to swim before I can turn around!

Riding on the Queen K and trying to capture some of it J (The famous “energy lab” section of run course is directly behind me)

 

And the beautiful sunsets:

The atmosphere was electric, and the energy in town is really hard to describe! And better yet, unlike the Olympics where you need to buy tickets, this “show” is free! J

Here is my attempt at summarizing the pre-race week:

I arrived in Kona exactly one week before the race. My flight was a short (or maybe not so short) 5+ hour flight from LAX. I was already on the west coast for an entire week before that in cool (super hot 100+ degree temps) of Palm Desert ,CA for our annual sales meeting. Having the biggest sales meeting of a year 2 weeks before the biggest race of my triathlon career is not exactly ideal, but I did my best to get as much sleep as possible, get in my training and eat as much ‘good’ food as I could and stay away from too much alcohol. Not the easiest thing to do, but I managed just fine or so I thought.  Saturday am before I was heading from Palm Dessert to Kona, I woke up with a sore throat and I was beginning to get congested – OMG – am I really getting sick? This can’t be right, and why now, and why me – I began to enter “freak out” mode.  I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say there were a few tears shed.  With the help of some amazing folks (Thanks Briana, Jorge, and Karen), I was surprisingly very calm come Thursday, and even calmer come Friday. I don’t know what it was, but instead of getting more nervous as race day got closer, I was getting more and more confident and so ready to experience this race of many firsts – first Ironman, first non wetsuit open water ocean swim, first marathon etc.  But that’s getting a bit ahead of myself.

Sunday morning came quickly, I went for my first swim at Dig Me beach and it didn’t disappoint. I am not quite sure how much swimming I actually did, but between the beautiful underwater scenery, the fact I could barely breathe, the swells that were rolling in and the super duper salty water, I wasn’t sure what to take in first.Quick swim was followed by an awesome breakfast at the famous Lava Java,that certainly didn't disappoint.

Later on, I went for a quick ride on the Queen K, and what an introduction to the famous winds! Flying like a superwoman on the way there, only to turn around and run into a wall, while getting smacked sideways! Wow! Just what I needed to further question my 808 Zipp Firecrest wheel combo!

The rest of the week involved more swimming, another bike ride or two just to keep the wheels spinning, couple runs, but the main focus was to get rid of whatever bug that got me! I rarely ever get sick which is super awesome, however it also means that when I do get sick I really have no clue about which medicine works best for me so it was time for some trial and error, and I am happy to report that come Friday, I felt ready to go and could breathe again!  

Relaxing also included few official and if you are ever on the island must do pre race activities:

Parade of nations was up first and I think this event further made me feel like I was part of something special – very special. I have never been in the Olympics, but that’s sort of how I felt. Walking down Ali’i drive with the rest of the Czechs  and just taking in the indescribable energy of everyone that was so happy to be there and ready to race was very special. 

Maybe next time I too will get my own “float”, I mean Mercedes! J 

Then there was the famous underpants run, where pictures are worth more than a 1,000 words!  Don’t skip this if you are there!

Somehow I even made it into someone’s article! http://www.prettytough.com/kona-underpants-run-ironman-world-championship-and-bragging-rights/

And what about the awesome TYR party that we were fortunate to get into? No worries – I kept my extra special swimming abilities on the down low! We got to meet whole bunch TYR employees, pro athletes, and the food was simply amazing!  And look who was there? J

I also got to make my very own custom goggles – hard at work here:

And here is the final product or two - one of a kind czechchick TYR goggles as well as E3 team color once J

I am saving both of those for when I graduate from my turtle stage! J

Thursday night was the opening dinner and ceremony, and for the first time ever,I can actually say it was worth attending (for the most part). The stage alone was unbelievable, the local acts were the best, and the stories were very inspirational.

I definitely was reminded again that this is not just another race. I really began to realize that I am very fortunate to be one of the almost 2,000 athletes that would get the chance to take on this challenge.  It finally started to sink in. I was to finally be able to see what I can do with this distance and just how tough I really am or am not.  As my friend Ed would say – I would finally have the chance to play in the big leagues, and I was going to test my limits against the best of the best. Those countless morning swims, those long bike rides, and runs – I was little over 24 hours away from putting it all together, and all I could think about was “ Is it Saturday morning yet?”

One last swim on Friday morning before the big day was followed by slightly oversized and overpriced breakfast (food in Hawaii is just a tad bit expensive – wow!), and the rest of the day was spent by relaxing, getting my pre-race bags ready, and dropping off my “Fireball”

Even dropping off my fireball was a process and we were each taken through the transition area by a volunteer. That’s right – 1 on 1 tour guide through the entire transition area.

This is where my “Fireball” spent the night.

Bike bags: 1^st row on the left – I think my volunteer was a bit surprised when had to take a picture of every single spot I dropped something off J

Once “Fireball” and transition bags were dropped off, We walked back, I took one last look at the swim start, and the swim course, but instead of feeling super nervous and scared, I grew more and more confident. Sure there were butterflies, but not the kind that paralyzes you, rather the kind that excites youJ.  I mean how can you not be excited when you watch the famous finish line being built right in front of your eyes?

Finish line in the works:

Getting a bit closer:

And finally the stage behind the finish line, and the screen that you can watch yourself on when you cross the finish line! J

To everyone’s surprise, I was getting way too hungry, so it now was really time to go feed the worm :) Thanks to super chef Briana - I had a super-sized dinner consisting of pasta with red sauce and some super duper $10 a pound grilled chicken breast and off to bed I went. I  may have read my race plan 1, 2, 3, or 10 times over and over again (whose coach writes a race report that makes you shed a tear or two when you read your race report? – mine does), replayed how the race will go in my head a few times, and actually fell asleep.

And just like that race morning was here! 

Next up - How it all went down on race day! Stay tuned :)

Las Vegas 70.3 World Championship Race Report - Keep Fighting!

I have to say that this was probably the toughest 70.3 race to date. Not because of the course itself, and how hilly/tough it is, but due to the weather conditions, and unfortunately the lack of support. Don’t get me wrong – the volunteers were absolutely spectacular, and the few aid stations that were there were fully staffed. Volunteers were great and they deserve a HUGE thank you for hanging out in the middle of the dessert in the blazing heat all day. However the aid they were supplied with or maybe better said NOT supplied with was actually a bit ridiculous. The bike course had 4 aid stations so maybe that was enough but the placement of them wasn’t so great. The bottles out on the bike course were hit or miss on whether they were chilled or luke warm, and the run course was just an absolute disaster. Think 100+ degrees, blazing heat, minimal ice if any at all, lack of cold sponges or cool liquids for that matter.  That’s just simply NOT okay, and really shouldn’t be acceptable for ANY race, and especially NOT acceptable for a World Championship race! 

But onto my own race/race weekend.

Let’s just say I haven’t raced since Buffalo Springs 70.3 back in late June. That is a loooong time, and I was really itching to get back out there. I had a GREAT long training block focused on both Vegas, and Kona, and for the first time ever I was so ready to taper, with Vegas week showing up just at the right time.  I had left for Vegas Thursday night with my bicycle in tow, and spent the whole weekend with Mr. 7:20s also known as Dan Arnett. He is also coached by my coach Jorge, and except for the time when he decided to let me hang out at the Las Vegas airport in the middle of the night, while he was taking a power nap, we had a blast! Thanks Dan for everything!

Friday:

•  Dan helped me to put my bike together so it didn’t take all day! Thanks Dan!

• Minor hick up - front wheel not holding air, but fixed within minutes (or so we thought)!

•  Major hick up – my joule was DEAD – and I don’t mean not charged, just plain DEAD showing either a grainy screen or lines going right through it!  NOT GOOD! I immediately went into freak out mode, because this would be race number 3 out of 3 where I have had problems with either the new wheels (the hub) or the computer (joule) – Seriously? The joule worked perfectly fine just 24 hours ago!

• I then went to register, and got the wheel rental place guys let me borrow one of their joules! Awesome and super nice of them, however the joule didn’t have the new software on it so it wouldn’t talk to my new G3 hub! I spent the next 3 hours freaking out and trying to fix it to no success , and that is when I finally decided to call CycleOps and they were super helpful however my issues were unfixable  CycleOps was so nice to overnight me another brand new joule, but I was at the mercy of FedEx delivering it on Saturday am! Riding without it wouldn’t be an issue, but I like to look at the data afterwards, and honestly I didn’t spend all this $$$ for nothing! I wanted to race with power!

•  Dan and I also went for a quick run on the course, went to the opening dinner ceremony.

This was actually drawn life as we watched - pretty cool

•  After the dinner we went to see great show at the Wynn. We went to see La Reve  – awesome, awesome show that helped me take my mind off they non working joule!

Saturday:

•  Morning practice swim on the course followed by a gigantic breakfast – I am pretty sure I put Dan to shame. How does this sound – Bagel, Scrambled eggs, huge plate size waffle, bowl of oatmeal with banana, walnuts, and cranberries, mini muffin and OJ – yup I call that a SUCCESS! I probably should have taken a picture, but I destroyed it before I thought about it!

•  Breakfast was followed by a nap, and I spent the almost entire rest of the day waiting for Mr. FedeX guy and annoying the front desk staff asking them maybe every 30 min if he showed up yet.

• We finally went to drop our run bag at T2.

• When we got back to the hotel around 2:30, I saw Mr. FedEx guy – I have NEVER been so happy – I literally ran out of the car while it was probably still moving and almost tackled Mr. FedEx – my joule was here, and wait for it – first try, it synced with my wheel! Yes! All was good with the world and I was much better to hang around – just ask Dan

•  We packed up our T1 bags, and bikes and were going to head over to T1, when I realized that my front wheel is leaking air AGAIN with a brand new tube in it. Really? Quick stop at T2 on the way to T1, problem solved, but not without a bit of an additional stress – gosh – why can’t things just be simple! When we arrived at T1, we took a little 20 min spin around to make sure all is good to go and “Fireball” was dropped off for the night

"Fireball" is ready for tomorrow! 

My name is there somewhere on that sticker though I was melting and could barely even take a good picture!

• We then had a great Italian dinner where I ate my weight in pasta and bread sticks, and race morning was almost here. Again - I destroyed all of it before I even thought about taking a pic! 

Sunday: Race Day

I actually went to bed super early and was able to fall asleep in no time! Score! I woke up at 4 am and had the usual pbj bagel and banana, and almost ate it all. Unlike the day before the race when breakfast is my favorite food, nothing really tastes good on race morning. We made it to transition, set things up, made a few PP stops, and I let a volunteer rub sunscreen all over me! Thank God I did because the day turned out to be super hot, and I have no idea what they were using, but unlike last year I don’t look like a red lobster post race! I was in wave #8 going of at 7:10 – 40 minutes after the PRO Men. I was ready to go and couldn’t wait to get the race started. 

SWIM: (41:57)

For the first time ever, I wasn’t dreading the swim. I have been working on my swim (I know it may be hard to believe but I have), and I was in a great place mentally.  I was confident and I was excited to just get going. After my 2 mile swim race last weekend, I figured this swim would feel “short”, and I was determined to swim my own swim, and keep my head in the game. None of the “is the swim over yet”, or “where is my bike” thoughts. I was really determined to just stay in the moment and race – race my own race, without trying to follow whoever passed me. I almost wanted to treat this like its own race. We got in the water maybe 10 min before the actual start, and the water so warm – 83 degrees to be exact that nobody even really warmed up. We all swam towards the bridge and sat right up on it for good 5 min before we were called to the start line and treaded water for another 5. 

Almost go time! Just waiting to be called up to the line though this is not my wave, but it's the bridge that saved us from treading water for another 5 minutes! 

This was also the last time I had to pee for a long, long, long time. (not good). I seeded myself in the middle of the pack to the left of the buoy line because the buoys were eventually curving left anyways.

The gun went off, and for the first time ever, I didn’t even get beat up! Sweet! I had a great first half of the swim. I was sighting well, swimming on course, and was surrounded by purple caps! I even had someone tickling my toes, and I unintentionally drafted of someone for a while too. I didn’t even get caught by the wave behind us until after the turn bouys and I was so excited!  But then something went wrong, and the wheels literally fell off! And by off, I mean off. I have never felt like this before, but I thought my race was over right there and then. It wasn’t the usual feeling you get when you are tired, my arms didn’t feel like bricks, they didn’t feel heavy. Instead they sort of just turned into jello arms, noodles, almost like they weren’t there, and I was getting a bit warm.  Maybe 85+ air temp, combined with 83 degree water could have something to do with that? I kept on swimming but I don’t know that I was moving much and the negative thoughts started to creep in. The buoys seemed so far away, and I literally didn’t think I was going to make it. I wanted to stop right there and honestly called it quits, that’s how crappy I felt. I was huffing and puffing, yet I wasn't even trying to move at this point. I felt so weak that sighting became something impossible to do, and in the effort of trying to do anything to make my arms feel better, I started to breast stroke. Yup – I sure did – I just had to keep moving forward, and I figured that maybe a different movement will make me feel better but to no success. I rotated between freestyle and breastroke for the rest of the way and pretty much the entire 2^nd half of the swim, and I still couldn’t swim straight!  I was just so happy to make it out of that water alive.  I didn’t get into negative space, I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I somehow kept my head and didn’t get frustrated. I stayed in the moment, and I am so glad I did because the race was just beginning. I did make the quick math when I got out of the water and the huge digital clock was staring right at me, but I glanced at it, and let it go – it was in and out of my head, and I didn’t dwell on it.  

T1:3:42

Super long run out of the water to get to your bike. One good thing about it is that it was pretty much all carpeted so it felt good on the feet. It was actually almost half a mile! I was huffin and puffin big time, but I ran pretty hard. It was time to get on my “Fireball” and catch Dan that started 5 min behind me but put good 10 min into me on the swim. I know that now, but I didn’t know it then. There were few bikes left on the rack but not many, but it actually didn’t affect me – I was so concentrated on my own race, and minding my own business, I was back in the zone.

BIKE: 2:36:57

The bike starts with a 2-3 mile climb out of T1, loops around and then you head into the Lake Mead Park area, where the hills begin. This course is literally either up or down with close to 4,000 feet of climbing. I love the course! 

Part of the bike course but most of it pretty much looks like this! 

I kept on moving along, but I didn’t feel great. My legs didn’t have the same energy like they did the day before. I was pretty sluggish and pretty hot already. I went through my fluids very quickly and with the first aid station not coming till mile 14, I had just enough to get me through. I fueled, and settled into the lower end of my wattage range, which I usually never do. My legs felt like crap and that was hard to deal with especially after what just happened on the swim. I still kept passing tons of people, whether it be guys or girls, but I just didn’t feel like myself. Sure it was hot, but I didn’t think it would affect me so fast. My skin was literally on fire boiling. It wasn’t even my head that was hot, it was just my face and the rest of my body that was exposed to the heat.  The aid stations were at mile 14, 28, 40 and 47, and I went through every single one of them and grabbed a bottle of perform, water, and another water to just cool myself off. That cooling affect however lasted about 10 min and I went from looking like I just got out of the shower, to looking like I fell asleep on the beach! I literally went from soaking wet to dry in no more than 10 minutes if that. I was covered in salt stains in the first 5 miles of the bike, and it just kept getting hotter and hotter. I kept on moving along, coasted the long descents more than I usually would, but still continued to pass everyone in sight.  I went through some feel good patches, and I thought my legs finally returned but those moments were not long lived.  I wasn’t impressed with the power I was putting out, as it was on the low end of what Jorge and I thought I should ride, and it actually was the same power that I have been holding for pretty much double the distance in training on much more tired legs.  As I made it to mile 50, I started to do the math, and I realized that even though my mega legs didn’t feel on, I still had a chance at beating my split from last year. As we hit roughly mile 52, I also spotted Dan who kicked my ass in the water, so I returned the favor like I said I would, and I slapped his butt as I went by encouraging him to come with me.   All we had left was 4 uphill miles! Seeing Dan actually gave me a bit of a boost, and my legs all of a sudden started to feel better, at mile 52 – just in time!  I ended up beating my time from last year by roughly 3 minutes, and now it was time to rock the run!

Nutrition wise, I went through almost 4 bottles of perform, 4 bottles of water, 4 bottles of water I just dumped all over myself in an effort to stay cool, 3 gels (one every hour), almost a whole pack of gel blasts (3 every hour), and I took 2 salt pills. With as much fluids as I had, I am usually like a clock and have to pee at mile 20 but yesterday, I didn't stand a chance. 

T2: 1:16 

Pretty uneventful. Volunteers caught my bike, gave me my bag, I threw my socks/shoes on in trasition, packed up my helmet and off I went. I did lost a bit of time because there was noone helping in the tent, but it was minimal. 

RUN: 1:44:41

Oh where to begin. 100+ degrees, no shade, and a 3 loop course - 1 mile downhill to start, 2 miles downhill to follow and repeat that 3 more times.  Yes – the run course is tough, but what made it that much tougher was the lack of ice, cold sponges, cold fluids period.  I have been feeling really strong running lately, and I wanted to have a killer run split, one that I know I am capable of. Last year, I totally melted on the run and the temps were about 10 degrees lower. I didn’t want to repeat that experience again, but I came pretty close, though I ran a lot stronger this year. With temps over triple digits, and the inability to cool of your core temp, it was ugly out there. I have never seen so many people either walking/cramping (that was the best case scenario), puking on the side of the road, falling over and literally passing out and being carted off the course. I have also spent some time outside of the medical tent waiting for Mr. Dan, and have seen things I wish I never did. The heat got to a lot of people. Just to give you an idea, one of the pro’s at the post race press conference said this:

 "This course was harder than the Cozumel full marathon I ran with a split jaw and concussion”

My legs felt great, but with each loop, I kept getting hotter, and hotter and when I was finally able to get a cup of ice, it literally melted in about 30 seconds. I felt “relatively speaking “ good for the first 10 or so miles, but the last 2 uphill miles were brutal, and especially the last uphill mile! With 2 miles left (1 uphill, 1 downhill), I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. That’s when Kris came up and ran with me for about 10 yards, and tried to lift my spirits up (Thanks Kris – your support was great). I literally spend the last uphill mile talking to myself and it was as simple as “You can do this” … I laugh now, but if I let myself stop, I would have never started back up. All you guys tracking me, following me at home –you would have been waiting in front of that computer for a very long time, so I just couldn’t have stopped then. I somehow willed my way up that hill although not very fast, and with the last mile pretty much being downhill, I just let it go, and gave it all I had. I may have sounded like a freight train coming by, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to cross that finish line on empty, and jump into a bucket of ice!

I ended up running 4+ minutes faster than last year which again is a huge success in the conditions we had this year and I am very happy with that. Heck even Craig Alexander ran 3 minutes slower this year than he did last year.

Overall I went from 5:13:xx to 5:08:xx and though I didn’t accomplish the sub 5 performance I was hoping for, everyone suffered just as much as I did, and I was super surprised that I ended up 6^th in my Age Group, and 21^st overall amateur female.

I gave it all I had, and I have definitely grown mentally stronger today.  I really wanted to give in at mile .5, but I ended up pushing through the full 70.3 and looked what happened. The moral here – whether you are an athlete or not: “Don’t ever give up”, “Don’t ever stop fighting” “Don’t ever stop competing” “Do your best and leave it all out there” because you never know how your competition whether it’s in sports or work or your every day life is doing or feeling! Do you best on the day, learn from it, and build on it! 

Again Thank you AlL for your support. It means a lot as I continue on my journey. You ALL know who you are, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without each and every one of you.

Now it’s time to recover, and put in a few more solid weeks of training, and onto Kona! Wow – I can’t believe it’s only 4 weeks away! 

 Tights on, feet up - now hurry up and get me home Jet Blue! :)

Never say never!

Where to begin.

Few shorts years ago, I swore that I would never do a swim race in my life. Fast forward to yesterday, there I was signing up for a 2 mile Merrimack River swim. Merrimack is not exactly the cleanest river around, and one thing I knew about it is that it does possess and nice current. How fun! Or maybe not so much – I had these images of myself being taken by the river, taken from Lowell (where the race started) to Newburyport (few towns over), and being spit into the Atlantic Ocean! Sounds like a one long Disney water ride, doesn’t it? The race was only $40 so way cheaper than a trip and ticket to Disney too! That could have been a win- win J

The goal for this race was to just really swim the distance in prep for Kona, and feel what it’s like to swim with currents. I spent good 3 weeks trying to convince Karen – the swim master, and Jorge that I could just as easily swim 2 miles in the good ol’ Walden pond, but to no success.

I really had to fight with myself quite a bit to actually go and do the race. It wasn’t even as much about the distance, or the river and its current, but more the fact that I am way too competitive, and also realistic and knowing  I had no chance to win this one didn’t sit well with me. I wasn’t giving up by any means, but reality is reality, and I really don’ t like to lose! As a matter of fact, I hate it.

It took a lot of back and forth in my head to do it! I knew that the only way I was going to have a good experience was if I let go of the time (not easy for me), and just race my own race. Embrace the opportunity to just swim, work on some of the things I have been working on with Karen – the swim master, keep my head in the swim the entire time regardless of if I was first, or last, and when it came down to it, I really just had to swim!  Then I saw this:

And THAT was exactly what yesterday was all about. 

I showed up at the race, and it was just so different from any other race whether it be tri’s, running or cycling. Very laid back atmosphere that helped to calm my nerves a tiny bit though the fact I couldn't see any buoys anywhere was a bit concerning.  Karen – the swim master who was also racing though it’s really just a warm up for her (anything shorter than 5 miles is a sprint for her) gave me a couple of tips and before I knew it we were in the water and off we went. I think I took the tips a bit too literal, and found myself hugging the concrete wall of the Merrimack! At one point in time I actually swam into a tree branch that was hanging off the wall. I had to laugh at myself! Pretty ridiculous since the river is as wide as it gets, but the lack of buoys – I think 5 for the 2 mile swim gave me nothing to sight. In addition to that, since most people were in front of me, and yes – there were a few behind me too though not many, I found myself really swimming all by myself. It was a bit weird, because at least in triathlon swims there are always people around you, but this race gave me a good opportunity to swim my own swim, mind my own business, and try to keep my head  in it the whole time, which is what I need to do regardless but rarely ever do.

When I finally made it to the turn around buoy (I did take a little de-tour to get to it), but at least I got closer to the 2.4, I tried to find the current that I fought with for an entire mile, and I did, but not for very long. Not one, but two kayakers one by own proceeded to stop me and tell me I needed to move over closer to the buoys – WHAT BUOYS? I didn’t see any J. I just wanted a free ride. To no luck, I made my way closer to the two buoy, buoy line and was no longer getting any help from the current, but at least I didn’t have to fight it anymore. Now it was just a straight up swim. I could go into way more detail, but I’ll spare you of it.

In the end, I did accomplish bunch of goals that I had for this race. I saw a big group of people getting away from me during the first half mile of the swim, and though it tried to get me down, I didn’t let it, I stayed in the swim, I didn’t look at my watch once (ok – I did once at the turn around, but I didn’t let it get to me and that’s a huge win), I didn’t freak out when I was in the middle of the Merrimack pretty much all by my lone self, and just kept on moving, I truly approached this as a training race, and ignored the clock for the first time ever. Once I actually saw buoys and knew where to go, my comfort level definitely sky rocketed, and though I didn’t win, and got my ass pretty much handed to me, I am ok with that. I am taking away many more important things that I’ll take with me to Vegas this Sunday, and Kona in a few weeks.  There, I’ll have my bike waiting for me J.

Getting out of the water, and being done with no bike to get on, was super awkward, and I know I definitely didn’t swim hard enough because I could have kept on swimming and I had plenty of energy left, but yesterday wasn’t about that. Many lessons were learned, and confidence gained from one little swim race. I’ll continue to work on it just like I have been, and one step at a time, I’ll get there.

The whole point of the post besides my own personal experience and mental battle is that you should NEVER say NEVER. There is always that first time for everything, and if you put your mind into it, and work at it, you too can surprise yourself, and reach new goals, new heights!

I almost don’t want to type this out, BUT sitting here 24 hours later removed from the race, I almost want to do it again next year just so I can see how far I will come.  Did I REALLY just say that?

And finally, I do have to give a HUGE thank you to Karen – The Swim Master, who was behind this whole Merrimack swim idea. She had to listen to me bi%$c and complain for the last few weeks when I was really trying my best to get out of this swim pretty much on daily basis, but she didn’t back down, and helped me to get my head in a good enough place where I could actually toe that starting line.

Who knew this swim could have had so much positive effect on me regardless of the outcome. I now feel like this is a beginning to a new swimmer wanna be me, and I can’t wait to finally race Vegas 70.3 in just 6 short days! Then it’s few more weeks of some work, and then Kona here I come!