Triple 7

7^th Overall Amateur, missing the podium by 7 seconds on September 7th

Mont-Tremblant 70.3 World Championships was not just another race. It was not just another half ironman, it was not just another World Championship. I have raced my very first 70.3 world championship back in 2010, and every year since then except for last year. Last year I decided that next time I’ll go back to race a WC championship event, I won’t just celebrate getting there but I will want to win it.

Call me crazy, call me delusional, call me cocky, call me dreamy, but I like to set my goals high and then go get them. My goals are not secret. Everyone that knows me, knows what my goals are! I love to win, I hate to lose. I love to get the best out of myself, and I love the journey, the process, and what it takes. But let’s back up to this past Sunday.  

It was no secret that my goal going into this race was to win - to win my age group and the overall amateur title. Few days before the race I shared this picture on facebook. 

I wanted that trophy, and I wanted it bad. Too bad I would have had to race and win the pro race to get one but you get the point.

To arrive at a world championship event confident that I had the tools to win has been a long process. One that didn't just take days, weeks, or months but rather years – 4 to be exact. I specifically dedicated last year and this year to improve enough to have that chance and the ability to compete with the best of the best. Or at least the best that show up, and this year definitely didn't disappoint in that department. Quality field was assembled and athletes from 67 different countries toed the line.

Easy to spot czech chick I mean czech flag

It was a process throughout which I learned more about myself than I ever thought I would. This year, I raced very little, and really concentrated on putting together solid training blocks that would get me closer to my goal. I stuck to the plan. I trained hard. I paid more attention to detail not only in my training but also recovery. More importantly I was able to stay healthy and very consistent. I cannot stress enough how important consistency is! It wasn’t always easy, and there were lots of laughs, but also tears, but I had a blast! I won’t bore you with details but come September 7^th, I was in the best shape I have ever been in, and ready to show the world (literally)! 

I arrived in Mont- Tremblant on Thursday afternoon, registered, walked the expo, and went for a quick ride. On my 45 min ride, I picked up a leech (little did I know it was just a preview of what is to come on race day), and then I saw Meredith Kessler zoom by. I do have to say it took a lot for me to not catch up to her and ride with her, but I decided to save my watts for race day and stick to my training plan. 

Checking out the course on Thursday 

Once I was done with my ride, we headed to our place for the weekend, which was another 30 or so minute drive further north but it was so worth it!

Waking up to this certainly didn't suck! 

Just beautiful and so incredibly relaxing I can't even put it into words

Thank you Brenda and Noah for the hospitality.  I bet none of my competition was carbo loading while sitting around the camp fire and making or watching others make s’mores! ;) 

The only compression tights or socks in sight were my own! Thank you EC3D for your support! 

Checking in Fireball v2.0 into transition area the day before the race of course fully decked out in EC3D compression gear

Race morning couldn't come fast enough! I was super nervous, but mainly because I knew I had the tools to get it done. Nonetheless that made getting breakfast down near impossible. It was quite chilly in the morning, and I couldn’t stop shivering regardless of the many layers of clothing I was wearing. Thankfully couple of my teammates/friends were staying at a hotel right in center of the town so I was able to warm up inside their hotel room and put my wetsuit on there rather than by the lake. By the time we walked over to the start, I had just enough time to warm up in the water, and before I knew it the gun went off.

THE SWIM: 32:44

It’s no secret that swimming has always been a huge Achilles heel for me, and I very well knew that if I swim like a turtle, my hopes for winning will be over.  However, my consistent work in the water had finally started to pay off.  I have been swimming well in training, but in the end that meant nothing to me until I proved it to myself in a race. I was confident yet still super nervous about the swim. I lined up in the front very well knowing that I will most likely get swum over but I was determined to find some feet and stick with it. 

I am in there somewhere but this time in the mix

I was going to try to do anything to not get dropped and swim alone. I had no desire to show the world my amazing zig zag abilities. I did just that and found a pair of feet that few of us were fighting for, but I wasn't giving in this time. I was staying on these feet, and I was not letting go of the girl that was swimming directly next to me either. I was getting punched, pushed under, kicked, but I didn’t care and kept on moving. We were swimming directly on the buoy line and perfectly straight from buoy to buoy. I was seriously the happiest girl in that lake right there and then even though this was by far the most physical swim I have ever been part of! The occasional punches and fighting for space lasted the entire 1.2 miles, but I didn’t care. I was still with my swim companion even after the 1^st and even 2^nd turn buoy! We were now in the final stretch and I still wasn’t getting swum over by the super swimmers from the wave behind me. I knew I was swimming well, but sighting was becoming more difficult due to the bright sun that was now directly in our eyes. I actually couldn’t see much besides the swimmers ahead of me, but I was fine because I wasn't alone. That is until my goggles started to fill up with water. Moment of panic quickly entered my head. I continued to swim for just a little longer, until my goggles were completely filled up with water and I decided to let my swim buddy go to. I made a quick adjustment and tried to catch back up, but my goggles filled up  almost immediately again. As much as I didn’t want to swim alone for the rest of the swim, I wear contacts and I really couldn’t afford to be blind for the rest of the race so I stopped again, and this time took a little more time, fixed the goggles, and got on my way, except this time completely alone. It was also the time I started to see the super fast fish from the wave behind motor by me. I tried holding on to some feet for short periods of time, but it didn’t last long, these guys were moving.  

If you looked carefully you can see the return buoys in the distance

In the end, this was by far my best swim to date. When I got out of the water I saw the watch click over to 32 min, I couldn’t have been happier! Of course I also had the thought of “if it wasn’t for stopping twice to fix my goggles, I could have posted a better time” run through my head, but I didn’t dwell on either. I have worked very hard to be able to get myself closer to the competition at the beginning of the bike and I finally made it happen! Great start to the day. 

T1: 4:52

Out of water, quick pit stop with the wetsuit strippers, run on the red carpet

Look, I am flying

Just to give you an idea how long of a run this was, but the spectators were amazing! 

Into the tent find bag with all bike gear (too bad someone totally moved mine from its original spot), helmet on, shoes in hand

The mess inside the tent

Run some more, find bike, put shoes on, run with bike to the mount line. Quite possibly the longest T1 ever! I was just glad I didn’t trip on the red carpet because that would just be embarrassing.

THE BIKE: 2:22:10

It was time to take an advantage of my strength. I was ready! I wanted to really go for it and just see what happens. I had to put myself on the line if I was going to have a chance at winning, and I did just that. I had ridden harder, and pushed more watts than I ever have in a race of this distance and although I ended up with one of the best amateur bike splits comparable to many of the top pro’s, it was this part of the race that made me almost quit the whole race. Although physically and mentally I was ready to ride hard, I was not ready for the draft fest that this race turned out to be. It didn't even occur to me that Mont-Tremblant could become another Clearwater. I don’t want to turn this post into one about drafting, but it was so bad, that I seriously contemplated quitting the race right there on highway 117. Being passed by constantly growing pelotons full of people who I have already passed sucks! It is also highly dangerous, which is another story! Playing cat and mouse with said pelotons sucks even more! Pushing close to 4.5 w/kg into headwind, re-passing pelotons, and barely moving faster than girls on road bikes with clip-ons sucks the most! 

I kept pushing the pace and did my absolute best to ride an honest race. The hill near the turn around at mile 20 immediately followed by an aid station broke up the field quite a bit which was great, because I could finally just put my head down and enjoy the smooth roads Mont Tremblant had to offer. 

I was able to one by one pass a lot of the people that swallowed me up like I was standing earlier in the ride, some of which I was now passing for the 2^nd or 3^rd time. I was focused again on me and only me until we started to ride back into town. This 5 mile section from about mile 35 to 40 included either slow climbs or fast descends but was coned off and super narrow in spots which made it impossible to get around people. I may be light, but I can carry my power and fly downhill which was impossible given the road situation. Miles 40-50 were full of punchy climbs and short descents which included more of the same cat and mouse games but you get the point by now.

Aside from being extremely frustrated by drafting in the earlier parts of the race, I had a great and honest ride. My Fireball v2.0 showed just how fast we can fly together. Thank you Landry’s Bicycles and Trek for the speed machine! 

Fireball v2.0

I had a fast bike split that may raise some eyebrows, but I am proud to say I worked for it! I posted the highest power I ever have for this distance, and I rode my heart out. Before I knew it, I was rolling into T2.

T2: 1:21 

As long as T1 was, T2 was quick. I hopped off the bike, handed it to the volunteer, and found my bag quickly. Socks/shoes on, and I was off.

 What T2 looked like

THE RUN: 1:34:58

Getting off the bike, my legs felt great. No brick like feeling that one could expect after taking a little bit of a risk on the bike. I left T2 with the eventual overall amateur winner Ashley, who deserves a shout out! She brought her A game, and totally killed it, especially on the run! She showed me how it’s done and quickly left me in the dust!  

Starting the run

The Mont Tremblant run course was 2 loops of either up and down with very limited flat surface. There were spectators everywhere, and especially on the cobblestone climb that went through the center of town.  

Good thing there were a ton of spectators or else this hill would have been a lot tougher especially the second time around

Looks way more intimidating when empty!

I would have liked to run faster, but I laid it all out there on the line, and with that I can’t be upset. I knew I had a girl closing in on me fast in the last mile of the run, and I gave it my all. When she ran by me on that last cobblestone section with about 100 yards left, I tried to go with her but just had nothing left. She ended up beating me by 7 seconds for the final spot on the age group podium.  Not how I imagined this race would end. I was upset, I was quite emotional, I was frustrated, and I quickly came up with many scenarios on where I lost those 7 seconds. I will never forget that cobblestone section of that run course.

Thank you to all my sponsors - BlueSeventy, and Castelli for keeping me chafe free, Landry's Bicycles and Trek for the speed machine now known as Fireball v2.0, PowerBar for keeping my belly happy and energy levels high, Beet-It for being a big part of my pre-race nutrition, RacePak for always making sure I have enough snacks everywhere I go so I don't ever get hungry (those guys know that if that happens it's not pretty), and EC3D for being my go to pre and post race choice of recovery attire. My E3 coaches, teammates, training partners, and of course my supporters at home (you all know who you are), thank you! I couldn't do it without you, and your support is appreciated more than I could ever explain. Kona is less than 30 days away and I have big plans so buckle up because this was just an appetizer! ;)

I’ll leave you with a sentence that summarizes my Mont-Tremblant race experience, which I borrowed from a blog of a fellow racer:  

“It was an awesome venue, with many amazing athletes, and I raced clean with all my heart and soul”

 

Overall time: 4:36:06 – 6^th AG (30-34), 7^th Overall Amateur, and 29^th including the pro women 

Patriot 70.3 - Kicking of 2014 Racing Season in Style

Last time I saw my “Fireball” dressed up with these sexy wheels was in Cozumel last December!

 Ready to fly!

It has definitely been too long since I toed a tri start line, which can only mean one thing – lots and lots of excitement, some nervous but positive energy, and of course a bit of healthy pressure that comes with being the defending champion! 

 Not a great number to fly under the radar with! 

It also meant I had to conquer taper week! Thankfully once you actually train a bit more, taper weeks aren’t all that boring, and between work and still training twice a day on most days, my taper week crankiness has been limited to a minimum.  

Before I knew it, Saturday morning rolled around, and it was go time. Seeing lots of familiar faces on race morning made the time before the start go by that much faster.  I also got to warm up on my Fireball in what felt like my own warm up area! Yet another perk of local races thanks to the pro set up by coach Jorge.

Fireball just waiting for me 

My first PR of the day was visiting the porta potty only once the whole morning and that is some serious record right there! 

THE SWIM: (35:56 – 1.35 miles – 1:31/100yards)

2^nd PR came on the swim! Yes – I know the time may not seem fast, but when you are dealing with longer swim course (confirmed by the RD) that time is huge for this swimmer wanna be! My new toy – Garmin 910XT told me I swam 1.35 miles which is highly likely a bit extra than the course really was, and 100%  due to my inability to swim straight, but outstanding ability to zig zag my way through the entire swim course.  I however didn’t get dropped like a hot potato in the first few hundred yards of the swim, and only came out of the water 40 seconds behind Carolyn who usually swims at least 3 min faster than me on any given day.

 I felt great the entire swim, although seeing Carolyn and her swim buddy in front of me the whole time and not be able to catch them because someone with bacon or maybe some chocolate coconut rice cakes was surely hanging out to my right and way off the buoy line (I never found them) was a bit frustrating. I would catch up to her and her swim buddy, then decide to go look for my bacon friend,  look up and find myself waaaaaaaaaay to the right, correct my course of action back towards the buoys, get closer to the white goggles of Carolyn and repeat for pretty much the duration of the entire swim! 

Regardless of being the best zig zagger ever, I wasn’t done with entertaining the crowd at the swim exit. My hand very unexpectedly hit the bottom (water was so dark you could not see the bottom), which is normally a queue to standing up. I stood up only to realize the water was still way above my knees but now not deep enough to dolphin dive so the slowest exit out of the water ever began. I felt like I was trying to get out of quick sand! The icing on the cake would have been the face plant I almost awarded the crowd with for cheering for me so loud. Thankfully I saved myself a little bit of embarrassment by just barely stopping myself from smashing my face on the ground, and once my feet hit the land, I ran out of there as fast  as I could. 

Face Plant just barely saved! Now get me out of here! 

T1: (1:17)

I got into T1 and saw bikes! Lots of bikes! More importantly, Carolyn was still there, and Amanda’s bike was too! I did a little happy dance, and was out of there fairly quickly. I knew both of these girls can run so I needed to not be too far behind out of the water (mission accomplished) and put some cushion in between myself and them before the run! 

THE BIKE: (2:26:16)

Not to disappoint any T1 spectators, I continued with the entertainment theme of the day. Apparently clipping my shoes into pedals is now also an issue and I had struggled to actually clip in what felt like forever! Once I got that out of the way, the show didn’t stop! I was trying to get my potatoes that were carefully taped onto my handle bars to my pockets. The plan I had carefully rehearsed over and over in my head didn’t work at ALL, and I spent the first mile losing the wrestling match! Potatoes: 2, Jana – 0.  After few minutes of quality swerving all over the road, and almost knocking over the race photographer, I made a comeback and while one potato went into the back pocket, the other straight into my bra and soon my belly.  Probably not very aerodynamic, but easily accessible! The first loop was quite uneventful and just like I remembered this course being from last year. It’s flat and fast although not as fast as one may think looking at the profile. Great roads but with enough turns (most of which are right hand turns at which I suck unless I come to a near dead stop), and false flats to keep you honest and break up the rhythm. I kept looking for carrots to chase and found one! There was a guy that absolutely flew by me maybe around mile 10 or so, and from that point on he became my carrot. My goal was to just keep him in my sights which I did for a while, but I eventually lost him most likely due to my inability to make quick right hand turns which there was no shortage of especially in the first few miles of each loop. 

Beginning of loop 2

 I was having a descent ride and my legs felt good, but my watts were hovering just a little below where I really wanted to be. I couldn’t quite reach that “magic” number.  With about 10 miles left, I caught up to few men who seemed to be on a fun little group ride. I knew as I was getting closer that they wouldn’t just let me go by, and I was right. I spent the last 10 miles trying to figure out what the fastest way to get to T2 would be without burning every single one of my matches and my level of frustration kept growing when every one of my attempts at breaking away was squashed almost immediately.  I eventually let go of my frustration, established legal distance, sat up, and rode all the way to T2. I had my focus set on the run.   

T2: 1:44

I rolled into T2 behind one of my “friends” that I made on the bike, ready to run! Bike racked, socks on, and off I went. 

THE RUN: 1:32:10

Of course all 3 of my bike friends took off and left me in the dust, which didn’t sit well with me at all. Not to worry, I eventually got 2 out of 3 of them back, but I struggled through this one. My legs felt great, but I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t hot, but I simply couldn’t get any air. I felt like I was breathing through a very small straw for pretty much the entire 13.1 miles and it became apparent that my run goal time was not going to happen.  As much as I wanted to just roll up into a ball on the side of the road and cry in exchange for some oxygen, I fought. I kept trying to pick up the pace, but every time I did, or the road went even slightly up, I was frantically searching for air that wasn’t there. Given the situation, I continued to move as best as I could.  I knew I had to keep moving because both Carolyn and Amanda were most likely coming after me and they can both run! I had no idea how far behind me either one of them were until about mile 9 when Jorge told me (thankfully he told me the truth this time instead of lies which he has been known to do, to have me hopefully find the extra gear), but until then I made up in my mind that they were most likely running together which meant they were running super duper fast, and if I didn’t keep moving, I was going to get caught which wasn’t an option. I also knew that given my run training, I could hold my own against both of these speedsters, but I just wasn’t ready for my sudden inability to breathe. 

Sucking air from mile 1 

Total Time: 4:37:24

Although, I didn't have the run I was hoping for, I ended up defending my title from last year, going 7 minutes faster, with most of the improvement coming from my swim, and run, but also improving my bike time, and setting a new 70.3 PR in process. 

Carolyn wasn’t too far behind and we went 1,2! You can read her RR here, and you better watch out for this girl, because she will run you down!

Now that the cob webs are off, I am walking away from this race with lots of positives and also things to work on as  I continue to work towards the September/October WC double.

Huge thank you goes out to all my supporters near or far, E3training and coaches Jorge and Karen, and of course SunMultisport for putting on a top notch race! Can’t forget my awesome sponsors: Landry’s Bicycles,  PowerBar for keeping me fueled on race day, Beet-It for giving me that extra edge when it counts the most, EC3D for keeping my mega legs happy at all times whether it be pre or post race, Castelli for almost making me forget I was wearing a kit on race day, and Race-Pak for one of the coolest prizes ever! 

Happy racing and training to all! It’s time to do more work!  

"I am proud of how I ran"

With the Boston Marathon and the amazing running that was put on display by everyone, especially couple of Americans: Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan, I was inspired and highly motivated to have a great race this past weekend. My training has been going really well all winter, and the Twin Lights ½ marathon was the first checkpoint along the way to my two A races this year – Mt. Tremblant 70.3 World Championships in September, followed by Kona in October. It also has been almost 5 months since I actually raced, so it really was time to dust off the cob webs and put myself out there.

Twin Lights Half Marathon although not a major half marathon is an easily accessible local race that holds a special place in my heart because that is where I got that sub 1:30 monkey of my back.  It is where last year I absolutely crushed my then goal time of 1:29:59 by running 1:27ish. Naturally, the goals were bigger and faster this year, and 1:24:59 was the new “scary” goal! I knew I had the potential to run that, but I also had my doubts. Training has been great, except the week before the race my mega (cycling) and mini (running) legs have gone missing. EZ /Steady efforts felt like too much work, and anything nearing my critical power or marathon pace running was hard to sustain for more than a few minutes. Eventually I stopped trying to test the legs to find my top end speed, and hoped for the best on race day!

Then this quote showed up in my inbox:

"I'm proud of how I ran.  When it comes to racing you need to test your limits and put your mind and body on the line. Whether you're a newbie or an elite athlete, everyone needs to race like this from time to time to truly begin to understand racing, pacing, and what your body is capable of."  Shalane Flanagan

What better time to test that statement than now! Lucky me, Jorge instead of breaking course records because he can, decided to pace me because why not when running 6:30s is your EZ pace.  Come race morning, I had successfully shut my brain off, and was ready to run because that was honestly about the only way to stay warm! It was barely 40 degrees, and on and off drizzling rain.  Acceptable weather for January but April almost May? (I think the weather deserves a blog of its own). I only felt a little less uncomfortable lining up in the very first row of runners than last year, and before I knew it, we were off. The picture below summarizes how the day went!   I was in the chase mode from the very first step, and unfortunately whoever borrowed my legs never returned them in time, and I was left on my own way too soon. 

Struggling to keep up and realizing my legs would rather be sleeping than turning over and running at mile 2 of a 13.1 mile race is trouble, but I still had hope that my legs would come around.

Just trying to hold on ... (you will not see this again)

It was early, and I wanted to be fearless today. If I blew up, I blew up. I pushed on but when each little roller felt like a mountain, and I watched everyone I took off with slowly disappear in the distance, I knew Sunday wasn’t going to be a PR day.  Not much later, I heard steps behind me, and a female voice chatting it up.  Sure enough, I got passed like I was standing on another roller (read mountain for my legs).  Jorge was out of sight at this point, but I wasn’t ready to give up my lead just yet. I was going to fight. I went back and forth with the girl that caught me for about 2 miles – she would pass me like I was standing on anything that even remotely was going up, and I would return the favor on the downhills. Miles 1 through 4: 6:37, 6:47, 6:57, 6:36). 

Making my move on a downhill ... 

Come mile 5 which included a few steady climbs, my legs that had absolutely zero willingness to move uphill had enough, and the eventual winner of the race dropped me like a hot potato. Watching her disappear in the distance was frustrating, but my legs just wouldn’t go.  Somewhere in that same section, I was passed by another girl, and as much as I tried to respond to her passing me (the freight train like breathing was a great indication of my effort, but not much return in speed) my legs had nothing besides boat load of pain to offer. My mega legs could have started a fire and keep everyone warm – I was feeling the burn like never before! You know when even the PowerBar double latte gel doesn't give you a boost you are in for a long day! Thank you PowerBar for always keeping me fueled! :) 

I suffered and shuffled the uphill rollers between miles 5, 6 and 7 (7:07, 7:15, and 7:10) and I threw myself down every downhill or flat section I could ignoring the pain. 

Throwing myself downhill - ouch for the mega quads. 

 My quad just doesn't look right! 

Miles 8, 9 my PowerBar Double Latte goodness must have kicked in and I was able to tick of couple of faster miles - 6:46, 6:47.  At about mile 9 or so, I got passed by the 3^rd girl like I was standing again – except this time on a downhill! I tried to stay with her, but I had zero chance. She was flying!  This was even more defeating because it was on a downhill! I watched her disappear in the distance. Then there was one more guy that passed me before the last bigger hill at mile 10. (7:13 pace) That one felt like Mt. Everest to me!  As we started to climb this .5 mile uphill, this dude stopped and started to walk half way up the climb! It took every fiber in my body to not follow suit, but I kept shuffling. My shuffle was just as slow as his walk because the gap between me and him didn’t get much smaller!  Once I finally made it to the top of the hill, I knew I had roughly 3 miles left which were mostly flat or slightly down, so as soon as my legs allowed me to open up my stride, I began to push the pace with whatever I had left. I had set my sights on the walking dude but it took me the entire 3 miles to catch him. He obviously wasn’t walking anymore. Miles 11 – 13 were 6:45, 6:37, and 6:40.

1:29 and change later, the sufferfest came to an end. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed because I was, but after some thought, I was able to put the race in perspective, take out the positives and let go.

Definitely glad this one was over! 

Even though I didn’t run anywhere near my goal time of 1:24:59, I still managed to run a sub 1:30 half marathon, on a day when I could have very easily quit, get discouraged by my splits that kept getting slower with each mile and pack it in. Instead, I was able to pick up my quickly falling (the wrong direction) pace, and finish miles, 11, 12, and 13 at descending pace that nearly matched the pace of my first 4 miles. I was able to suck it up, deal with what was given to me - shuffle when my legs didn’t want to move, push the pace where I could and I still ended up with a time I would be ecstatic about barely a year ago.

I too am happy to say that I am proud of how I ran even if it wasn't a PR day! I was as fearless as my body allowed me to be on that day. I didn’t just pack it in because the day wasn’t going my way, and I am walking away with a new confidence level that I can and will run that sub 1:25 next time I toe the line.

For now, it’s time to recover quickly, which thanks to the most comfortable compression/recovery tights I have been living in the last few days is a piece of cake ( mmmmm cake) , and get ready for the next one. 

Thank you EC3D for helping me recover quickly

Oh and that cake? This one is to die for and even on the healthy side! ;) Also, the only way I'll eat black beans! Czech it out! 

http://www.somastudio.net/2013/04/black-bean-chocolate-cake-flourless-and-gluten-free/

Living the dream if only for 5 days!

This past week I attended our team’s 2^nd annual team training camp in Tucson, AZ. This was by no means my first training camp, but it was one that was very hard to leave. Training camps are always a blast, but this was the first one, where I really got to swim, bike, and run every single day.  I was literally living the dream – too bad it was for only 5 days! Weather was perfect, and I essentially had everything at my finger tips thanks to the great support of my coach, the wole E3 group that put this whole camp together and of course our team sponsors. My pre, during and post nutrition was taken care of by a combination of many different PowerBar products, and Beet-It shots, while the EC3D recovery tights were my fashion choice for when I wasn’t in my swim suit, bibs or running shorts. All I literally had to worry about was being ready for the next session.

 This is literally what was left (not much), but I love the variety of different gels PowerBar offers and I like to mix it up during all my rides whether it be the flavor or caffeinated/non caffeinated selections. Choices are good! :) 

Yes please! Say goodbye to juicing and the dirt like taste that comes with straight up beet juice! 2 Beet-It shots a day, make any mountains go away! ;) There is a reason I am not a poet, but 2 of these a day (morning and night), and I was ready to conquer the world day in and day out

Always so fashionable! I can't confirm nor deny that there were multiple trips made to WholeFoods in this very same attire! 

Every morning, I would be swimming within 15 minutes of waking up! This sure beats driving to the pool and back and was a huge time saver!  Watching the sunrise over the mountains every morning while swimming wasn’t too shabby either!

I stole this pic from Angela Bancroft who was lapping me in the pool like I was swimming backwards ;) Yup, she is a FISH! 

The pool had no actual lane lines which means at times it turned into perfect open water swim practice.

The calm before the storm! 

 How can one not smile! Outdoor pools rock! 

Swims were followed by big breakfast– eggs/bagels/pancakes/bacon/orange juice – you name it, I probably ate it and sometimes even a little nap! I wish I had a picture of my breakfast, but surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), it was always gone before I even thought about documenting it!

By 9am we were usually riding, and the distances varied each day. Tucson has some seriously awesome riding, but it also has some seriously crappy roads. Think chip seal, plus these horizontal bulging lines that make riding quite uncomfortable. The weather and size of the shoulders or bike lanes and the number different climbs are unbeatable and more than make up for the crappy roads.  

With Kona being one of my big focuses this year, this trip was more than perfect and the weather couldn’t be more Kona like (All we were missing was the humidity ). Heat and strong head and cross winds especially in the first couple of days were the name of the game!

Night time was reserved for running, and we made sure we ran ever y single day. No excuses, one session, one day at a time, just getting it done. For those familiar with Tucson we did the following rides all of which included some sort of a climb of course. As mentioned before all bike rides were preceded with a swim, and followed by a run. 

Day 1: Gates Pass – 46 miles – I would describe this as relatively rolling 46 miles with a short but pretty steep climb known as the Gates Pass. Perfect ride to shake out the cobwebs since last time any of us rode outside was a very long time ago. (December 1^st for me ).

 Aaaah yes, hello AZ scenery! 

 Getting closer and closer to Gates pass

Once we were done riding, it was time to replenish the lost calories, and take a nap! Unfortunately my  15 min planned cat nap turned into much longer than that, so when we headed out for a run at 7pm it was pitch black out! Tucson doesn’t believe in street lights and we didn’t bring head lamps so dreadmill it was. I was certainly not very happy about that, BUT Jorge actually made it fun and mixed some easy running with different sets of plyos that we did every 5 minutes before hopping back on the treadmill. With that, a new secret (maybe not so secret anymore) protein shot before bed and some more food, day 1 was in the books. 

Day 2: Shoot out ride – 42 miles as we turned the ride into an out and back and didn’t complete the entire loop. This was near perfect simulation and just a shorter version of what I remember the Queen K in Kona as - relentless and very strong head/cross winds that turn any flat road into an uphill for 22 or so miles.  Very lonely ride with only a few cars going by making this again a perfect practice for when the going gets tough in a race.  The way back was fast, as the tail wind gave us a nice boost of energy, and we were finished in no time. Quick bite to eat, maybe another little nap (I’ll let you take a guess), and it was time to run. Tonight’s run was the official kick off the camp. Staying on top of a hill is great for awesome views BUT it also means flat running is hard to come by. Little over 6 miles of essentially 3 miles downhill, 3 miles uphill were completed and my legs felt awesome and fresh! More food, another protein shot which was something I started to look forward to everyday, and it was time to sleep, so we could do it all over again the next day.

Day 3: Kitt Peak ride – 103 mile ride with a 12 mile climb up to the top of Kitt Peak. Coach Jorge wasn’t riding today, so he served as my personal sag vehicle for at least the first 40 miles to the base of Kitt Peak! I can’t thank him enough. I headed out on the ride a bit later than everyone else, and alone so seeing Jorge every once in a while making sure I was still alive was awesome and made the 40ish mile ride to the bottom of Kitt Peak go by fast!

How can you not smile? 

I was holding my power steady anywere between 70-75% of my CP and legs were feeling great. As I was getting closer to Kitt Peak I wasn’t quite sure if I already crossed the border into Mexico or what as many border patrol vehicles were cruising by and even doing random car checks. The climb itself was legit! 12 miles of steady up and up and up. Not too steep, but steep enough that you had to work the entire time. The views were amazing, but at some point I just had to stop looking down because it was actually making me a bit uncomfortable. 

Not yet almost at the top! Aaah the amazing views :)

Jorge was again all over the mountain which was awesome and it made the ride up feel that much faster. He may have even played my pre-race song a few times which definitely cheered me up and may have caused some power spikes in otherwise very steady climb for me.

 Finally at the top :) 

The descend back down was probably one of the coldest descents I have ever done and even though I had a wind jacket on, I was fairly frozen by the time I got to the bottom. The ride back was again way faster than the ride out due to bit of a tailwind and just like that my first century of 2014 was in the books. By now you know what happened next. Time to eat, nap and run!  Oh and maybe a little bit of this too:

Day 4: Mt. Lemmon Ride – 65 mile ride and my favorite mountain to climb and descend! Too bad my legs were pretty shot from the 240 miles I had ridden in the last 4 days. Day 4 was all about head games for me. Starting a 27 mile climb (meaning no cruising on horizon but turning over the pedals for at least 2 hours 45 minutes uphill)  feeling as empty  and tight as my legs felt was a little scary. I usually give myself at least 30 min to get the legs going, but I knew today was going to be a struggle both mentally and physically. Good thing I had a wheel to follow, and one that wasn’t going to attack or try to drop me although every time Jorge got out of the saddle, I saw trouble ;). Coach Jorge literally dragged me up the 27 mile climb and then back down.  The name of the game was to just hang on and somehow I did. I don’t usually like to sit on anyone’s wheel but I was so glad his wheel was there for me. It was quite the opposite of how I climbed and attacked this ride last year on fresh legs, but we still made it to the top faster and again right in the 70-75% range. (Although it felt more like climbing at at least 90% of CP)

Thank god the way back is downhill! 

How does one stay warm at the top of Mt. Lemmon - hug the ground!  

I may be a little tired but still all smiles! 

The descend was the bomb! I don’t think there is a descend that can top this one and it’s probably the one and only reason I would consider climbing Mt. Lemmon twice in the same ride …  just so I can go back down.

 Bundled up for the descent! You bet I stayed super warm! This was taken less than half way down

More amazing views! See that tiny little road in the middle of the pic? :) 

I would also eat at least twice in the same day at Café LeBuzz just because the food is THAT good! Again – no pics of food because it was in my belly before I even thought about a picture!  Evening run proved to be very challenging, and the pace I was holding with ease just couple of days ago was now turning into work. Hello fatigue! Ended the day with another protein shot or maybe two and it was time to zzzzzzzzzzzzz’.

Day 5: Madeira Canyon Ride – 67 mile ride and one very deceiving climb that goes on forever (17ish miles) and ends with some steep fun! We probably had 15 mile flattish section with some smooth roads before we started to climb, and my legs felt relatively good! However as soon as we began to climb, my legs started to protest. Thankfully Jorge was there again to the rescue. This climb was even more mentally challenging than Mt. Lemmon yesterday for multiple reasons. First of all – my climbing legs were even more non – existent and holding that steady 70-75% was a huge struggle.  Secondly this climb never seemed to end (maybe because it really didn’t even look like a climb, and I was struggling to hold on to Jorge’s wheel from mile 1 of the climb). I was even fine with just looking at Madeira Canyon from the bottom. I had no interest of going uphill anymore! Don’t get me wrong, I love to ride my bike, but climbing isn’t exactly my strength. I am much better on flats, and usually false flats. 

This was actually on the way from Madeira but you get the picture - I was just repeating this in my head over and over again as we were climbing - don't let that wheel go, don't let that wheel go, don't let that wheel go! 

I was ready to get off my bike, sit on the side of the road and maybe even cry a little. I fought hard to hold on both physically and mentally, but eventually lost Jorge’s wheel once the pitch got steep towards the end. I was happy to hang on for as long as I did and yes, I made it to the top although barely!

 I think I am wondering how I made it to the top! 

Just staying warm, I promise ;) Oh and feed me please .... 1 gel, 2 gels and maybe a coke to bring me back from dead

Once we made it back down we had about a 20 mile flat section to get us back home, and lets just say my mega legs came back from the dead and I returned a little bit of the favor and offered my wheel to Jorge and few others to get us home faster J. I ended that ride on a super high which made dropping my bike off immediately post ride so it can be shipped back to meet me when I return from my work trip to Europe very hard! I wanted to stay longer so so SOOOOOO badly! By now, you know the routine! Post ride food, one more run, and camp was done for me as I had to catch a plane to  Germany bright and early on Sunday am. 

I really didn't want it to end. Sure, I was tired, but I loved every single minute of it, and I can't wait for another training camp. I love to race, but I love training just as much! Many valuable lessons were learned, and living the dream if only for 5 days was out of this world amazing! Thank you again to E3 Training Solutions and all of our sponsors for making the camp as successful and FUN as it was! Till next time ...