Timberman RR also known as the 3rd year annivesary

Better late than never, but here comes my Timberman race report. Timberman 70.3 was my 1st race under the guidance of coach Jorge, my 1^st race on a tri bike, the 1^st time I went sub 5 hours, and the 1^st time I made it on the podium although barely (I was 5^th in my AG). I haven’t done this race since then, so I was really looking forward to the weekend! We had booked a couple of condo’s only ½ mile from the start of the race, and had a BIG group of us racing as well as supporting and that is always FUN! There is just something special about seeing so many of your teammates/friends either on the race course or as support crew!

I was excited to finally race again. I knew that based on my training I was more than ready for a great performance. I was coming off one of my best training blocks. I was consistently seeing numbers in the pool, on the bike or run that I have never seen before and I was just feeling strong and ready to go physically as well as mentally.  I mentioned in my previous blog post that I have trained on the course a few times this summer and so I really had an idea of what I was capable of, which was a huge mental boost come race day.

I arrived in Guilford on Friday afternoon, and bunch of us went to register, followed by a quick jog. I felt good, and honestly, I was just ready to race!  The few days before the race are the worst, and I really just wanted to get the party started. One advantage of staying at a condo is that you can make your own food, which far exceeds going out to eat especially when you have excellent chef’s around! Huge thanks goes out to Jorge THE chef, and Brett THE grill master! 

 2 choices of pasta thanks to chef Jorge

 Gotta have some greens too - Thanks Jeff! 

Somehow I didn't get the pic of the delicious bison tips, and chicken, and turkey tips or the loafs of bread! (Could be because I ate them all?). Some quality time spent with teammates/friends which definitely helped to calm the pre-race nerves, and Saturday morning was here before we knew it. Little spectating during the sprint race, followed by an awesome BIG breakfast and my favorite part of the day before the race (more pancakes and bacon please!)

Maybe if I ate less, I could have been faster? Somehow this blog post seems to be all about food so far!

Some last minute bike maintenance, one last pre-ride, and run and “Fireball” was ready to spend the night at Ellacoya State park ready to rumble on Sunday.

Ready as always!

Repeat dinner from Saturday night, and the alarm clock was set for 4am! I slept fairly well till about 2am and that was that. Just let me race already! I couldn’t visualize the race any longer! Breakfast went down slowly as usual (Amazing how bagel with peanut butter and jelly can taste so good one day, and so blah on race morning), and we were off. Thanks to top notch service by super Sherpa Briana that dropped us off right at the transition area we didn’t even have to walk much. Bonus! 

Up at 4am, on her feet all day, and wide awake at 10pm. I on the other hand am 1/2 asleep! Super Sherpa!

One very long PP line later, I found myself trying to squeeze into my wetsuit as fast as I could so I had some time to warm up before my wave going off at 7:29am. 

SWIM:  37:45 (39^th AG/104, 223^rd female/638)

I was ready to have a GREAT swim. I felt very good, and I was ready to finally show what I have been up to in the pool, but it clearly wasn’t meant to be. I felt really good all the way to the first turn buoy even following some feet, but as soon as we made the turn to make the trek across the lake, couple of things happened. The water became VERY choppy which made me nauseous, and I was starting to swim right into floating objects (I mean other competitors from previous waves that were out on a leisurely float). I know I wasn’t exactly moving very fast either, but for whatever reason these peeps seemed to be everywhere and I felt like there was no way around them.  I didn’t panic, but it definitely made it hard to get into any sort of rhythm and I found myself having to actually dead stop a few times, find my way around said floaters and get back on track.  I say floaters because one minute I would sight and see them up ahead, and the next minute I was barreling right into them because they were dead stopped with their feet pointing down. Once we made the last turn towards the beach, I tried to sight the finishing arch, but that wasn’t happening because I couldn’t find it. That made getting back and bit more difficult and I reserved to following the buoys instead. As we finally got closer to shore, I was still feeling strong, but I knew deep down that I didn’t exactly have the swim I knew I have in me.  I don’t swim with a watch, but I took a quick glance at the race clock and after a quick math, I figured out I probably was somewhere in the 37 min range. Boooo! I didn’t dwell on it at all, and just kept moving.

T1: 1:54 min

I bypassed the wetsuit strippers although on a 2^nd thought maybe I should have used them, because my wetsuit got a bit stuck on my timing chip. Nutrition in the pockets, helmet/sunglasses/shoes on and I was out of there. I got slowed down a bit by other competitors walking their bikes through transition but I tried to make my way around them given how narrow the “isles” were as fast as I could. 

BIKE: 2:22:43 (1st AG/104, Fastest Amateur bike split by almost 8 minutes, and 2^nd fastest  female bike split only behind the speedy Melissa Hauschildt)  

I have been biking better than ever and if my 2:26ish that I rode during the race prep ride 2 weeks ago with my race setup on tired legs was any indication of what I may be capable of on race day, I was in for one fast ride. My goal was to ride around 2:25. I have looked up previous Timberman bike times, and when I saw the likes of Chrissie Wellington riding 2:25 or 2:22 with her fastest time being just under 2:20, I couldn’t help but to be “scared” a little. I know I am a strong cyclist, but coming near some of these pro times have never even really crossed my mind! (Ok maybe it had just a little bit, but it’s still a bit surreal) Back to the race. I hopped on my “Fireball” and of we went. The first part was a bit sketchy with coned of sections that made passing a bit more difficult, but I managed. Lots of very loud “ON YOUR LEFT”, “ON YOUR LEFT”, I said “ON YOUR LEFT” (Image me really screaming by now) and I made it through without knocking over any cones or competitors or myself, although it was close a few times and I felt like I was in a driving school where they do make you get around cones cuz that is exactly what I had to do to actually end up on the right side of the road!

Rider on the right, cones on the left, and me thankfully still upright! 

Once on 106, I just put my head down and went for it, sling shooting when I could although I was just really moving fast, and everyone else I was passing seemed to be standing so at times it was just easier to follow the white line.  I made it to the turnaround around 1:10 which I knew was fast, but I was in the lower range of my target watts, so I wasn’t alarmed. The way back was a bit cleaner (in terms of competitors, and there weree no females to be found).  I was able to just put my head down and go.

Go, go, go, go, go 

I absolutely bombed the freshly paved downhill in the 2^nd half of the course hitting 52mph at some point, and I made my way into transition, consistently riding at the bottom end of my watts for the full 56 miles. I probably could have pushed harder, but I wanted to have a great run! One that I know I am capable of but have yet to be able to show in a race. I rolled into transition, and have seen my teammate Carolyn heading out on the run (she is a speedy)! I knew she started in one of the earlier waves, so I knew I was doing well. She was now my little target because this girl can run!

Rolling into transition

T2: 1:38

I was in and out of there as fast as I could. Not many bikes if any at all in my row so I knew I most likely was towards the front of the race. Put my socks on, grabbed my watch and off I went. 

Heading out on the run! Moving Soooo Fast even the camera can't catch me (How I wish) ;) 

RUN: 1:35:54 (2^nd AG, 5^th fastest amateur run, 12^th fastest run including the PRO’s)

Bummer! I had a good run, but not a great one. There weren’t that many people out on the run course during my 1^st loop and since it’s a 2 loop out and back course you get  a great look at your competition. I ran the first loop relatively comfortable with the hopes of negative splitting the 2^nd loop, but that unfortunately never happened. I was keeping tabs on Carolyn who is a GREAT runner, and was just really trying to keep my distance between me and her the same. That didn’t quite happen, but I also didn’t see anyone coming for me which was great.  I was also on the look out for coach Jorge because given my earlier start, I knew we could have potentially finished the race together. I started to struggle a bit on the 2^nd loop and was just simply running out of energy even though I took a gel at mile 2, and between miles 6-7, and started on coke. The 2^nd loop was way more crowded but it also gave me a chance to see so many of my teammates and friends out on the course cheering me on. I was in my own little world and may have not returned some of those cheers, and I’ll try to do better next time.  Thank you guys, I heard you all! I believe I just needed to fuel a little better so I don’t let that happen again, and quite honestly I need to grow bigger balls and just go for broke little earlier than a few miles from the finish. I ran the last 1.5 mile sounding like a freight train, but I gave it all I had and good thing I did because as I was nearing the finish line, I only had a few seconds to spare before the 4:40 ticked on the clock. And let’s face it – 4:39:xx sounds MUCH faster than 4:40 …ha!

Finish Line kick - am I there yet? Tick, tock, tick, tock ... don't fall, don't fall

Coach Jorge didn’t catch me (AWESOME for me because I really didn’t want to try to match his 5 min per mile pace at the end of a race), and let’s face it, getting passed in the last mile of a race by anyone is NOT an option ;) but I didn’t have to wait for long.

We both had very good races with lots of room for improvement, and that’s what this is all about - Fun and the quest for perfection!

I know I have a 1:30 run in me, so now I just have to prove it! Easy, right? My next chance is going to be in October during the Rev3 South Carolina and I will be going for broke.

I may have not had a perfect race, but I am super-duper happy with how it turned out anyways. I may have not had a perfect race, but I am super-duper happy with how it turned out anyways. For our 3^rd year anniversary I gave my coach a new 70.3 PR, and a 15 min improvement on the same course Yeah I know – 15 min, 3 years of hard work may not seem like enough, but believe me when I say it is. If back then anyone told me that I would ever see 4:3x on the clock for 70.3 distance, I would laugh at them (unless of course the swim was with a current, and the bike and run courses were downhill only, which is certainly NOT the case with Timberman). Back then and for the longest time, breaking 5 hours was the magic barrier, but guess what – NOT anymore.That 4:2x is in there and I know it!

Final tally: New PR of 4:39:54 – 1^st 30-34 AG – the biggest maple syrup bottle award there is (YES!), 2^nd overall Amateur, and 8^th Overall Including pro’s. Last but not least another $400+ lighter and a spot for next years 70.3 World Championships in Mt. Tremblant!  #Mission #Win

 I can finally open the tiny maple syrup from 3 years ago! 

Yes, yes - the biggest bottle of maple syrup I could get = Happy Czech Chick

Aaaand the weekend wouldn't be complete with some post race FUN! 

Don't ask!

And I won't tell!

Till next time! 

Ready for FUN!

Timberman 70.3 was my 1^st race ever working with coach Jorge, and it was the first time I went sub 5 in a 70.3. It was actually my first 70.3 on a tri bike (his tri bike because I didn’t have my own and he was nice enough to let me use his). Little did he know, I had marked my territory ;), became addicted to Felt, and that’s how “Fireball” came around.

Fast forward 3 years later, and in just 5 short days, I will be toeing the start line of that same course ready to rock!  

I will be ready to swim like a shark is chasing me

Or maybe I'll be the one chasing the shark? ;) 

Bike like my “Fireball” knows how!

 And finally RUN like I stole it for 13.1 miles!

Just keep moving ;)

Due to it’s close proximity to my home, I have trained on the course! I have swam, biked, and ran the Timberman course in the last few weeks many times, and it is pretty safe I know every pothole, turn, uphill, downhill that will get thrown my way. I have biked the course with Fireball being race ready and I have ran on the course more than I can count one hand.

Sure, I have goals, few time goals, and quite honestly the possibilities are a little bit “scary” but also very realistic! I have worked my butt off and have been consistent. Day in, day out, week after week, month after month, and year after year.  The last 5ish weeks have in my eyes have been “special”. I had good days, I had great days, I thought I couldn’t, but yet I always surprised myself, and with each week I have been feeling physically and mentally stronger.  And then there were the “bad” days - the days when it didn’t come easy. The days when I had to mentally dig deep to make it happen, and the DAY when it just didn’t happen.

http://czechchick15.blogspot.com/2013/08/ladder-up.html

THAT was the day that opened my eyes. See, sometimes it’s really easy to get caught up in the numbers. That day, when I struggled through the 2^nd half of the workout really unable to complete it the  way I knew I could left me looking deeper and searching for the “why”, “how”, “when” etc.  I struggled within my own head.  The next swim workout after that was not pretty either. As a matter of fact, it was worse than the one I wrote about. I mentally didn't have it. I had no fight in me, and I gave in. I gave in to those loud voices in my head.  I so quickly forgot about the weeks and months of great training, and continuous improvement because I felt slow that day. The numbers got the best of me! Thankfully I have great coaches, and friends who talked a bit of “sense” into me.

And then I came across this quote:

"If you want to be your best, spend a lot of time exploring what is more than enough. Push yourself right off the edge of your capacity."

Aaaaand, the light bulb went off. 

I really let numbers get the best of me which is so easy when very specific goals are involved. What I am really trying to get to (and I know it’s taking way too long) is that sometimes it’s important to take a step back and realize WHY we do what we do.  For me personally, I am competitive – always have been and always will be.  I have short term goals. I have long term goals. At Timberman, I want to win and I want to qualify for 70.3 worlds next year, but none of that is going to happen if I just chase numbers. 

Those few workouts when I struggled really opened up my eyes, and made me realize, that I need to “forget” about the numbers a little bit. I need to just go out there and have fun, because that is really why I do this – it is FUN! It is FUN to watch myself grow as an athlete and person whether it be physically or emotionally, while along the way hopefully motivating some of you too because YES – anything is possible if you just want it bad enough. 

The day after I took a step back and stopped chasing paces or watts, I had the best workout I have ever had. It so happened to be on the Timberman course itself, and it gave me a huge level of confidence going into Sunday’s race.

No, I will not bore you with graphs, fitness curves, or paces or watts, but I can tell you that I cannot wait to race! I feel more ready to race than I ever have before, and I am ready to have a blast! Whatever happens happens, but I know one thing – I will leave it all out there … in that water, on that bike or the run course, and I’ll cross the finish line having no regrets! I am going to relax and I'll let my training take me through the day. I am ready for some FUN, and I am ready to RACE my heart out. I am ready to WIN! (And I really want some maple syrup ;) ) 

Who else is excited for this weekend?  

Ladder Up!

Also known as the title of yesterday’s swim workout that kicked my ass, but more than anything “fried” my brain to the point of no return.

The Workout:

100-200-300-400-500-600-700-800-900-1000 at race pace with 10 sec rest after 100, 20 sec after 200 etc.

The red guy is me! You will soon know why!

Not that bad, right? I was super determined to make this happen, and I really wanted to live up to my self made goal of treating every single swim workout like the 6 by 4s or 4 by 10s on the bike. Why you may ask?  Because I do have a unique ability to hurt on the bike more than I can hurt (I really mean have tons and tons of fun) anywhere else. I have no idea why, but that is just how it always has been.

Grossness alert: I can get myself to the point on that bike where I can lose my cookies before giving up in my head, and if I can just translate that into the pool, and have just a tad bit more fun each time, I will be in business. Not the chase mode business, but the catch me if you can business.

But back to the awesome workout that I knew was going to test my both physically and mentally. I purposely waited to swim after work for 2 reasons. One – the water tends to be cooler at night because there is no water aerobics class to follow, and two – the Y swim team usually practices which tends to help my motivation. I mean I still get lapped all the time by kids half my age or younger but something about seeing those guys working just as hard as me instead of seeing aqua joggers and breast strokers enjoying their morning float helps when the going gets tough.  Plus the hazard of getting kicked or punched from the lane line over by an excessively wide breast stroke kick or super wide arm flying back strokers is minimized.

Both of the reasons for an after work swim where a major fail yesterday, which had messed with my head a little bit before I even started, but I was able to quiet to demons down like a champ. The Y team didn’t practice today (I guess their last day of swimming for the summer was the day before), and as a result water was warm because there were too many kinds playing around in the pool.(code for you know what)  Ok – whatever – I had the just get it done attitude.

I am happy to report I made it through the 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 right on race pace which I should add is a little challenging and yes is a pace that I have never been consistently able to hold for a very long time at all. Yesterday – I lasted 2100 yards – 1.2 miles – perfect! Perfect for 1.2 miles, not so perfect when you are not even half way through your swim workout.  (I had to get reminded of this because my head automatically went to the “fail” you are about to read upon)

And then it happened! My head got the best of me and my brain said enough is enough.

The conversation went something like this: “Do you really think you can swim 5500 yards at this pace? You are out of your mind if you think you can. (SHUT UP BRAIN!) You still have a 700, and then an 800, and 900, and then there is the 1000 (SHUT UP BRAIN!!!!!!)  Quick math and I realized I wasn’t even half way done” (SO WHAT BRAIN – ENOUGH IS ENOUGH).  You are HOT, you really can’t do this. What makes you think you can?  (I AM SO DONE WITH YOU BRAIN) … FIIIIIIIINE – I hear you loud and clear and you win – are you happy now?

That so positive “what is another 100 yards thought” quickly disappeared, and as much as I tried to fight those very loud “you are on crack” voices, they had overtaken my brain! I was done! I lost! I was disappointed.  I stood at the wall a tad bit longer than I should have before heading out for the 700 trying to regroup, but I had no fight in me. Physically I was ok. I had done work, but I know I could have done more work. Mentally, I was way over the edge to the point of no return.  I quickly made the decision to JUST swim, float, whatever you want to call it. I didn’t watch the clock, I was just counting down the 100s. I didn’t even try to aim at my race pace. My effort was non- existent. In between trying to not lose count, and those loud voices in my head, I tried to pick it up towards the end of that 700, but it just wasn’t there. My brain was really starting to hurt, and it took all I had left to not get out of the pool and call it quits. The negativity of my brain was overpowering, and after fighting through the 800, I finally threw on fins for the 900 while negotiating with my brain on how to make the last 1000 count!  It was just ugly. I timed the 700, and the 800 on my watch, but I didn’t look at the time. I didn’t care. I set out for the last 1000 yards, swam the 1^st 100, floated the next 100, and called it a day!

Hugely disappointed in myself I texted my swim coach:

“You are NOT going to be happy with me! I made it past the 600 on pace and then it got “ugly”. I then spent the rest of the swim NOT even giving myself a chance to swim that race pace”

In my head, I failed! I hate to fail. In retrospect – I did swim 2100 yards faster than I ever have, and my floating pace was my race pace just a few weeks ago, but I continue to be disappointed in my own head. I am not disappointed in the times, I am more disappointed in the fact that I didn’t even give myself a chance starting with the 700. If I blew up half way through the 700 I would be ok with that – I had reached my limit, but I didn’t do that. I just stalled – completely stalled and gave in. Hate is a strong word, but I hate that. The thought of having to swim another 3,400 yards at that pace just completely overtook me and I couldn’t quiet down my head.

I wanted to just get out and go ride my bike. Just turn myself into a cyclist because maybe just maybe if I rode my bike more than 3x a week, I could ride stronger/ faster and then who cares if I swim 30 min or 40 min – I could just let mega legs do the work. I had few other thoughts which I will spare you but you get the point.  I was mentally done before I could physically reach my limit, and that’s a big no no in my head.

So now I am trying really hard to focus on the positive – that 2100 yards at a pace that will get me to where I really want to be for the 1.2 miles come Timberman in 2.5 weeks, and forget about the rest of the workout because tomorrow is another day and I have some business to take care in the pool again and yesterday’s attitude will not help me …. but I am curious …

How do you deal with your head? How do you fight the mental daemons that just want you to stop! How do you “forget and learn" from the tough days/the ‘failures’ and focus on the positive next time you get out there? 

My venture into short course racing

I had posted this on facebook few hours after the Mass State Olympic distance tri on Sunday after the race:

"The venture into short course racing was FUN, but not where I am at home. Pretty happy with my swim (Just another of many steps to come in the right direction), "sad" bike although I did have the fastest female bike split, and surprising to me 9th fastest bike split including men , and a "sad" run. What I was a little afraid of became reality, and 70.3 watts and 70.3 run pace proved to be hard to shake today although the effort was there. 4th Overall, 1st AG making me the Northeast Olympic AG regional champion, and 3rd Overall Massachusetts resident had however earned me the right to represent the state of MA at the 2014 Best of the US Amateur Championship Race since this was the designated race for MA and the top 3 female/male regardless of age qualify ... could be a cool experience! THANK YOU ALL for the cheers along the way! It sure is awesome to race a local race with so many friends around! Next up - Timberman 70.3 in 5 weeks”

I knew that posting a status update like that may raise some eyebrows. In reality that is how I felt about my own performance on that day, and I knew I was capable of much more.Yes – I still came 4^th overall, 1^st AG, and 3^rd Overall MA resident giving me the opportunity to represent the state of MA in 2014 at the “Best of US Amateur Championship series” (http://bestoftheustriseries.com/), but as silly as that may sound, and as much as I LOVE to win, I race because I love to test myself, because I love to give my best and I love to chase my next best race, my next best performance. Every race is about giving it my all (whatever that happens to be on that day), test my training, and push myself to the limit so I can push that limit further next time. So Yes – as awesome as it was to stand on top of that podium on Sunday, and as much as I love to win, solely winning is not the reason why I race. There are so many races out there, that on any given day, someone can beat you – it just depends who decides to show up on race day. I love to race because not only do I get to test myself physically, and mentally, but because I am always in search of the next best performance, that perfect day when everything comes together! You know that super fast swim, great bike with watts being the watts you know you can hit, and a smoking fast run – that run you know you are capable of because you have done it in your training! If you know me, you know that I am also very realistic and sometimes maybe too much. Sometimes that brain of mine holds me back, but I am working on that. Yes – I LOVE to train, I love to train because it is FUN, and based on my training, I know that Sunday (if I had THE perfect day) would have looked a bit different in terms of that final time on the clock. 

I am by no means disappointed because I gave what I had yesterday, but I have now added a bit more fuel to the fire in search of that next perfect race, which will be Timberman70.3 in 5 short weeks. I have learned a few more valuable lessons, which will help me be better come August 18^th. Until then, it’s time to buckle up, and train my little butt off.

THE SWIM: 26:56 (48th/222 female, 161th/541 overall men & female)

Not the fastest compare to the girls that kicked my butt, but a very good swim for me. Even if the race was just a swim race, and I would be nowhere near the podium, I am the happiest with the swim leg of this race, and THAT is a first! (See it’s not solely about winning, but about your personal best effort/performance).

Water temperature was 77 degrees which meant a wetsuit legal swim. I actually was not very happy with that because I am a champ at overheating in my wetsuit, and I really wanted to put forth a solid effort.

I contemplated forever between wearing the wetsuit or not, but since everyone else including the top swimmers wore one, I decided it would be silly not to and put myself into potentially even more of a disadvantage right at the start of the race. Good thing I had an awesome support crew out there including my swim coach Karen, who suggested I put some ice cubes down my wetsuit – EXCELLENT idea! I stuffed my bra with some ice cubes, and I put a few on my calves too. I couldn’t get the ice to drop any further but it did the trick at least for a little bit.

I navigated well for most part, I didn’t zig zag like last time and I didn’t overheat. I probably could have swam a bit harder, but I didn’t want to get to the middle of the lake, and feel myself burning up, so I made the choice to swim hard, but not so hard that my body temperature may burn the wetsuit off me. Yes – next time I MUST swim harder, but I am working on that too. (Shut up brain)

I am borrowing Gracie's swim cap for my next race! I think that will automatically make me faster!

T1: 1:17 (9th/222 females, 59th/541overall male & female)

Not bad, not great. I got out of there as fast as I could.

How does this wetsuit come off again? 

BIKE: 54:37 (Fastest female bike split, 9^th fastest overall bike split including men)

Sadly, as fast as my bike was in comparison to my competition on that day, I am quite disappointed. Yeah – I know sounds silly, I had a fast time, BUT I was nowhere near my potential. If you don’t know why, read above. I am disappointed because this was a 22 mile bike course, and my power output was VERY similar to my 56 mile power output over the last to 70.3’s I have done. I have ridden at Sunday’s power for an hour in the middle of a 100 mile ride just last week and ran just fine getting off the bike. So yes – I had a very fast bike, but far off what I am capable of on a perfect day. I just didn’t seem to be able to get my legs under me, and my breathing was labored from the get go. I would be fine with the high effort for a race this short, but the power associated with my heavy “freight train is coming like” breathing wasn’t even close to what it should have been. It was time to suck it up, ignore the numbers as much as possible and push on.  Other than that the ride was quite uneventful, and it was over in no time. 

 That's it? No more riding? 

Fireball really wanted to continue to fly - Here we are both still flying! 

T2: 0:37 (5th/222, 5th/541 overall male & female)

I was definitely in and out of there as fast as I could. Putting on socks slowed me down a little bit, but those few extra seconds are worth blister free feet.

Someone was hot before the run even started

Run Forest Run! 

RUN: 44:40 (8th/222, 46th/451 overall male & female)

Aaaaand another not so great performance. Why you ask? Let’s just say my overall pace during my half marathon at the Patriot 70.3 was faster than what I just showed on Sunday for 6.2 miles and less than half the distance. Yeah – NOT good! I have run that pace in training almost backwards (ok – I am exaggerating a little bit), but my pace should have been at least 30 seconds faster per mile than what it was on Sunday. I fought for that time on that day, and that is all I had, but now I am hungry! Like starving, famished for a GREAT run off the bike because I know I have it in me! Heat or no heat, these mega mini legs can run. That 1:27 half marathon few months ago didn’t run itself and so the quest for the perfect run off the bike continues. The run was quite uneventful. I saw the top 3 girls running opposite direction at the turn around, and they looked like they were moving. I thought I could make up some time on girl #3, but I just didn’t have it.

In summary, yesterday was one HOT, but FUN day. I haven’t raced truly a local or short course race in 3 years, and I am so glad I did yesterday. I got to see many familiar faces before, during and after the race, met some new teammates, and new faces that follow me online. 

Some of the E3 crew post race

I didn't have a perfect race, but today that was still good enough for the top of AG podium. 

In the end, it’s all about having a FUN time, and achieving success – whatever success means to you! So go out there, give your best every day, and dream! With dreams come goals, and there is nothing sweeter than achieving your goals! The sky really is the limit if you want something bad enough. 

If you still need a bit more motivation, watch this video:

http://effortlessswimming.com/mindset-2/the-greatest-swimming-video-ever-made/

My own version of a "Dirty Double"

My sort of “Dirty Double” - two races 13 days apart (instead of 7 days apart) is in the books, and it’s most likely the closest two 70.3’s I would ever want to do.   I really wanted to avoid flying to races early in the season this year, but I also wanted to race more than once pretty much all summer long, and that’s how the idea of racing a local 70.3 came about. Patriot 70.3 is a very popular local race that usually sells out early, and also one of the few races where you can race in the “pro” wave without actually being a pro. It’s actually called the open/elite wave and bonus – the top two finishers earn a little bit of $$$ so why not give it a shot! I did sign up back in maybe December last year and I really thought it was the best idea ever!

Fast forward to last week, and after finishing Quassy 70.3 and the subsequent recovery week, I found myself tapering again, and let’s just say I didn’t like it very much. I was really starting to miss the fun of hard earned sweat and the consistency of training that I am used to and love so much! Good thing I can still manage to break a sweat during a 40 min easy ride with some pick ups. 

Come Thursday, I had realized that the starting list of athletes was already posted on the site, and I wished I never looked at it, because the elite/open line up of both male/female athletes caused me a bit of (lot of) nervousness and I did freak out a little. I knew I could hold my own, but since swimming comes first starting in the very first wave presented an unknown challenge for me.  I simply didn’t want to be the last person out of the water, and I didn’t want to swim alone for 1.2 miles. Combine that with the announcement that water temperature was 60 degrees (in my head that means 58 or 59), and I was in a total freak out mode. At the same time, I knew that I have been making progress in the pool, and I am way more confident about my swimming than I ever have been, so I continued to fight that mental battle between my confidence and uncertainty of what is about to happen.  Come Friday afternoon, I was in peace of with whatever was going to happen, and ready to race. I had a great last swim at Walden, and legs felt ready to go. I had also downed my last gigantic glass of beet juice, and the new beet-it shots arrived which made me super happy because lets’ face it – my stomach can barely take in my usual pre-race breakfast, and 16oz of beet juice just don’t make my “favorite food” list.

16oz of straight up beet juice - yuck! 

My saving grace - Beet  It! Much easier to stomach that the 16oz class above! Yum!

The 3:30 am alarm on Saturday morning came way too quick! We arrived at the race site with plenty of time to spare, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. Before I knew it, it was time to warm up and get the party started.

Setting up transition in the am 

SWIM: (39:28, 45^th/559 female)

Water temperature somehow made it’s way to 64 degrees overnight (Friday afternoon announcement was 60 degrees!), so that was a bit of a relief. I got a good warm up in, got used to the cold water , double capped it, and before I knew it we were standing in the water knee high ready to go. 

Small group of about to get started - oh boy 

I wasn’t nervous at all (I am pretty sure I got all that stressing out of the way earlier in the week), and was determined to stick with a group, while swimming within myself.  I was confident. The water was very dark, and in the midst of the starting chaos, I somehow swam on top of somebody and boom there went the goggles. They didn’t fall of my head but definitely both filled up with plenty of water. I swam few more strokes along with the rest of the group while contemplating if I can make it 1.2 miles with half full and still leaking goggles and stay with the group or if I need to stop and fix the issue. I made the decision to stop, dump the water out, and re-adjust.  I was treading water, putting my goggles back on while watching the group disappear right in front of my eyes not more than 100 yards into the swim.  I wanted to scream and the why me, why now thoughts started to creep into my head!  

And just like that, I was left alone and swimming 1.2 miles by myself. It was literally just me and the buoys and a few purple caps in front of me. They were close enough I could see them, but far enough for me to catch up to them. I was definitely a bit frustrated but determined to still have a good swim. I was sighting well the first .5 mile to the first turn buoy, but once I made the turn to go across and then the turn to go back towards the finish line, I just couldn't swim straight. I was sighting quite often but I was starting to feel like that with every time I would look up the buoys had moved to somewhere else, and that only increased my frustration.  I know I ended up swimming an awesome zig zag! Too bad that’s exactly what NOT to do and you don’t get any bonus points for that!  The water had quite a bit of chop, and maybe that’s what made me think that, I just can’t explain what happened.  No more details needed, it was a long swim, and by the time I reached the shore, I was quite frustrated with myself because I know I am better than that!

T1: (1:51, 1st/559)

Fastest female transition of the day but boy was it a long one. This time I fumbled with getting into my bike shoes instead of messing with the helmet strap like I did in Quassy, so next time I hope to be perfect!

Bike: (2:27:02, 1^st/559)

Fastest female bike for a 2^nd race in a row! I LOVE my fireball and the guys at Fitwerx always do an AWESOME job tuning it up - I may have to start taking them with me to all my races! Cozumel in November/December anyone? ;) 

Fireball is on Fire! :)

Coming out of the swim, I was 7 minutes down on the leader, and I was on a mission. One thing that I am good at is leaving my swim behind and not letting it get me down. Instead I use it as fuel. This time however, I admit that my frustration got the best of me, and I may have gone out a bit too hard. On top of that, starting in the first wave and having a not so great swim, there were minimum people to pass on the bike, and no people to chase. (At least not within sight) I must say, I definitely got the taste of what it feels like to race in the pro ranks and how lonely that can be.  I give you all pro’s out there a lot of credit for doing what you do!

My legs felt crappy, and my adductors were on fire for the first 15 miles. I wasn’t feeling great, but I wasn’t letting up. I was right where I wanted to be power wise, and perhaps a few watts higher than I should have been, but I was on a mission. Mile 7 – I passed girl #2, and bunch of lonely miles later, at mile 21, I passed what had to be Kim Shattuck the leading girl. Since this is a two loop course, I knew that if I can keep my power output the same or even little less on the second loop, I should have a descent lead going into the run.

I was really hoping that I would see few more people on the 2^nd loop but no such luck. 

Another lonely 28 miles. My legs weren’t quite coming around as I was hoping them to, I wasn’t doing all that great on my nutrition (5 scoops and super concentrated bottle of perform just didn’t work for me), and I was feeling quite empty perhaps hungry. The 2 aid stations on the course were serving Heed or Water, and Heed doesn’t agree with me so I was out of luck. Somehow I just couldn’t bring myself to drink more Perform either (I had actually only drank about half the bottle by the end of the bike), which would explain why I was feeling the way I was – a bit empty and flat. 

I am guessing there are good 2 to 2.5 scoops of perform left with about 40g of carbs - NOT good as those should be in my belly

The combination of “ok” legs, non-cooperating appetite to the nutrition I had, and the loneliness made me think a little! Imagine that ;) The conversation in my head went something like this – hey you don’t feel so great, you are in front of the race and based on the time you made up on the rest of the field on the first bike loop, little slowing down so you can actually run instead of walk the ½ marathon may not be a bad idea! Ok fine, let’s try that – I did back of a bit in hopes of having a descent run.  I don’t usually get to think tactics during a race because I am always in chase mode and with the AG race you just never know where you stand but today was different, and I absolutely LOVED that tactical part.  My 2^nd loop ended up being a little over a minute slower than the first loop but my power output was full 6 watts lower although my overall average was exactly the same as at Quassy. I rolled into T2 ready to get off the bike, and honestly a bit scared of what the run course had in store for me or maybe what I had left in store for the run course!  

T2: (2:03, 1^st/559)

Another fastest female transition on the day. I wish these transitions were a bit shorter, but I didn’t waste any time. This one included a LOOOOONG run with the bike from the dismount like to the bike rack, and then back out on the run course. I just racked my bike, put my new Swiftwick socks on, which btw were super awesome and if you are looking for a super light/blister free socks these are the socks for you! I put my shoes on, grabbed my watch/gels/visor and dealt with all that on the go. Visor on, watch on, gels in hand … run forest run ... 

RUN: (1:34:09, 3^rd/559)

I wanted a good run, one that reflects my running as of lately, which I didn’t believe happened at Quassy. Like I said on the bike, I wasn’t feeling the freshest so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I huffed and puffed my way through mile 1, and then was able to settle into a great rhythm. The next 4 miles I was feeling good not great, but I was hovering right around sub 7s, which I was very happy with. I just couldn’t get rid of that hollow, empty feeling. Gels, coke, water, ice, more coke, more ice, more water, you get the idea. The spring in my step just wasn't there, and not even jet fuel (coke) was bringing it back. Just like on the bike, the run felt like a long lonely training run. With the run being a single loop, I saw pretty much noone except for the awesome volunteers at aid stations until my coach showed up on his bike at mile 5, again at mile 8 and 11. Hey – can we trade? I wasn’t wasting any energy talking. Besides, he knows me way too well and could probably tell you better than me what was going on just from the way I was running.  

Volunteer chasing me down with a cup of coke. Good news - he did catch me - THANK YOU! 

I held it together for 8 miles, before my mile splits started to drop (the wrong direction). At that point it became one mile at a time to mile 12 (and I am happy I still kept the mile splits sort of respectable). Mile 13 is where I just gave it all I had all the way to the finish. In the end I PR’d my 70.3 run, my overall 70.3 time and icing on the cake – won my first race overall! 

Running on grass when legs don't want to move anymore is hard! 

That podium was hiiiiiiiiiiigh! 

Saturday was far from perfect, but I am very happy with my race, and also super excited about what’s to come because there is a lot more speed where that came from J

Two 70.3’s in two weeks are in the books, and once I recover, and take it super easy for a week , it’s time to put in a solid training block in before Timberman 70.3 in August. I have a fire burning in my belly ;)  and hey, I may even race something a bit shorter in hopes of finding some real speed soon! The theme of this season #mission #win is off to a great start! 

 Cool little trophy and little bit of $$$ to go with it

My first ever overall podium at a 70.3 race

Aaaaah the Quassy weekend was finally here and I have very much been looking forward to finally racing again! My last tri race was Kona last year, so I was totally ready to jump back into it and test my early season fitness. I knew I have been swimming, biking, and running better than ever, so my goals were high. I love to compete, and it was no secret to anyone that I was going for it. I am by no means cocky, but I am not afraid to say what my goals are either. I am just honest and I dislike to hide behind excuses. My motto was go big or go home (within my limits of course).  I really wanted to win it all. I knew the field was going to be competitive as it always has been and especially now considering that both Mooseman 70.3 and  the Olympic distance races that would fall on the same weekend in the past have been cancelled this year, this race definitely attracted  talent from not only New England, but also the New York City area. Awesome! The more competitive race, the better – let the fun begin!

I have done this race the last two years, so I knew very well what I was in for. The only part of this race that is flat is the swim, and the hills begin as soon as you get out of the water, and have to run up a hill into T1. Sunday morning couldn’t have come fast enough. 

I know you can't see me! ;) 

We arrived in Quassy on Friday afternoon, and were able to pick up our race packets.  Bonus! And one less thing to worry about on Saturday. Saturday was spent spectating and cheering for my teammates in the am as they tackled the just as challenging Olympic distance course. Unlike last year, the weather was beautiful and it was actually getting quite hot! I got my last ride/run in and I knew my legs were ready to go. We had some lunch, dropped our bikes off, and headed to the hotel to relax a bit before our team dinner. 

Fireball in transition READY to fly 

All fueled up and ready to go

I was totally ready to go, and Sunday morning couldn’t come fast enough. The night before the race always drags on for way too long, but I think I was asleep by 11. 4am came before I knew it, and I was trying to force myself to finish my usual pre-race breakfast which never just wants to go down without a fight.  As much as I love breakfast, race morning breakfast is my least favorite. I was soooo excited but also nervous because it just has been a while, and I had some big expectations.

Making sure Fireball had a good night sleep and is ready to go!

 All business before the race

SWIM:  (36:38 – 2min 16 sec faster than last year, 83^rd/270 females)

I have been swimming well in the pool, so I was actually looking forward to seeing what I could do, but although more confident than ever, the butterflies were there. Butterflies were buzzing around more than ever because I knew the potential I had, and I just really wanted to get it done. I owed it to myself and to my super swim coach Karen and of course the mastermind behind my entire training Jorge. They both have gone above and beyond to get me to where I was today, and for that I am very thankful.  I have only been in open water once this year prior to race and I almost froze and lasted less than 15 minutes so I really wouldn't count that as the perfect open water practice. I knew deep down though that I was capable of a good (for me) swim. Since my wave didn't go off until 40 min after the pro wave, I had plenty of time to squeeze myself into my TYR Hurricane (that alone is a job of itself), and before I knew it, we were lined up to go. FINALLY! I did get in a 5 min warm up right before my wave went off which was definitely helpful. Water was super nice thanks to the heat wave from the last few days but still wetsuit legal. My wave consisted of all females 35-39 and younger plus the relay folks, so I knew that the overall winner of this race is most likely going to come from our group or perhaps the 40-44 crowd that started 5 min behind us. There were definitely some speedsters there too. 

 Beautiful swim venue

With the sound of the horn, we ran into Lake Quassapaug, and off we went. The usual kick, push, punch deal went on for a little bit and then I found myself in the middle of a pretty spread out group. I definitely have some work to do when it comes to swim starts, but I knew that going in. I didn’t really worry much about anyone around me and just concentrated on swimming my own race.  As the race went on I realized I was swimming pretty much next to someone else. That someone else was sighting frequently, which I was able to see every time I took a breath so I stopped sighting often which definitely helped my rhythm. Eventually I lost this person before we got to the first turn buoy, but I was still surrounded by many others and with the glare in our faces on the 2^nd leg of the swim, I pretty much used the group to guide me to the next turn. It worked for most part, and there was only one time where I found myself maybe a bit too much on the inside of the buoys, but nothing too horrible. Before I knew it we were headed back to shore. I did end up on some feet on the way back albeit very briefly, as I got kicked in the face and I had all I needed. (thankfully somehow my goggles stayed on) With goggles still in place, and with only a little leak as a result of the kick, I left the feet and went on my own marry way towards the finishing arch. This was seriously the first swim ever, when I didn’t think that the swim was too long. I felt good, I felt strong, and definitely in control the whole time. I am pretty sure I was on course the entire time for most part (I may have taken that first leg a bit too wide), but I am very happy with my mental headspace and the fact I wasn’t swimming buoy to buoy but rather what I thought was a straighter shot to the turn buoys and the finish line.  I didn’t swim with a watch so I didn’t know what my swim time was at the time, but I wanted it that way. I felt great getting out of the water, “Fireball” wasn’t alone in T1 when I got to it, and that’s all I needed to know. It was time to ride!

How do you get this thing off again? 

T1: (1:51, 63^rd/270 females)

One word describes T1 – rusty! My wetsuit got stuck a bit on my timing chip, I fumbled with my garmin and trying to get that on, and finally I had a hard time snapping in the buckle on my helmet – ugh! I felt like I was in there FOREVER, but apparently I still passed 20 females in transition so now I was 63^rd instead of 83^rd coming out of  T1.

BIKE: (2:38:51 – 4min 7sec faster than last year, fastest amateur bike split by 6+ minutes, 7^th overall including PRO’s, 3rd/270 females)

If my quick ride yesterday was any indication of how the bike would go on race day, I knew it was going to be fast! My legs had plenty of energy yesterday, and I had a hard time holding them back. My mega legs were ready to go! I had specific instructions (I do train/race with power), but to be honest come race day, my power meter is there to hold me back from totally hammering the uphills and  avoiding any crazy spikes I am certainly very capable off. I don’t spend my ride staring at my powermeter and riding to numbers at all. I ride by feel and if that means on the given day I am 5 watts of from my target that’s where I am at, and that’s where my legs are on that day. I know better by now to no trash my legs on the bike. With that said, my legs felt absolutely awesome the entire time. I knew some sub 30 min swimmers that were ahead of me on the bike so when I went by all of them by mile 20ish on the bike, I knew my swim wasn’t terrible and I was riding well. By mile 38.6 (The first turn around, I had moved from 63^rd overall female to 7^th overall female, and I was still feeling awesome.  There is a reason why the back of this years medal says: “You Conquered the Mountains of Quassy” but for some reason, the bike course seemed almost flat. 

The first time I did this race 2 years ago, I had felt like I was climbing to the clouds, but not this time. My legs were on, and the heat wasn’t affecting me. I did grab water/Gatorade at every aid station and made sure to cool off and pour an entire bottle of water (not Gatorade) all over myself. When I went by the last aid station at mile 43, I grabbed a new bottle of water to have for the rest of the ride, but unfortunately had fumbled it at mile 45, which meant I was left with no water, and Gatorade only for the last 11 miles. Ugh! Taking in a gel and washing it down with Gatorade is slightly gross, and I knew I wasn’t quite as hydrated as I would have liked to be going into the run. I wasn’t exactly dying of thirst, but I am a master of peeing on the bike (yes – I said it) and normally I am like clock work, so I knew when I didn’t have to go for the entire 56 miles, I wasn’t quite hydrated enough.  However, the thought of more Gatorade wasn’t appealing either.

I suppose it’s time to stop crying about not riding my bike enough, which is something that coach Jorge hears from me quite a bit. With the crappy weather we have had this year, I had honestly not put in very many rides over 56 miles (I can probably count those on one hand), but the very focused approach that Jorge takes with me continues to work wonders.  My CP continues to improve with 2 very specific sessions every week (yes  only twice a week – the sessions are no more than an hour, but they are no walk in the park), and one longer ride on weekends. Now that it’s finally warmer out, those rides will get longer, and I am certainly excited about that – I do love to ride my bike afterall, and I can’t wait to continue to improve mega although there is nothing glorious about that except for a hell of a lot of fun pain that comes with every one of these sessions. Mega legs definitely do not come easy, but I know there is more power to be had.

I did leave some time on that course when having to deal with cars that don’t believe bikers can ride over 45 mph and decide to just block the road, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I came into T2 as 3^rd overall female and ready to run!

 Into T2 I go 

I did leave some time on that course when having to deal with cars that don’t believe bikers can ride over 45 mph and decide to just block the road, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I came into T2 as 3^rd overall female and ready to run!

T2:  (0:45 - 3rd/270 females)

As rusty as I was in T1, my T2 went pretty much perfect. Well, except for the fact that somehow I tried to put my right show in left foot and vice versa. Duh! Socks/shoes on, visor/gels in hand and I was out of there.

 Bike racked, shoes on, go, go, go ... 

 And I am out of there ... 

Brian was a GREAT cheerleader! 

RUN: (1:38:38 – 1min 32sec faster than last year,7^th fastest amateur run, 2nd/270 females)

Aaaah the run! I have been running much better and stronger than I have ever been so I am a little bit disappointed with my performance here. I definitely had hopes for a faster run, but it just wasn’t there on Sunday. This run course is no joke, and when combined with heat, it becomes that much harder. I was right where I wanted to be for the first 7ish miles, and my legs felt great! I didn’t have that brick like feeling getting off the bike at all, and I was trucking along just fine. I took the first 3 miles a bit easier, and was saving a little energy for those punishing ups and downs that were awaiting starting with mile 3.5. I felt great on the ups, and my legs were responding great, but I was starting to get really hot regardless of my cooling routine I used when going through every aid station. I would grab water, throw ice down the shorts, and hold ice in both of my hands to stay cool, which worked great until about mile 7.  I did however feel quite hungry which was most likely the result of under fueling on the bike. By mile 7, I had already gone through 2 gels, and from that point on switched to coke.  It was also mile 7 where the heat started to get to me, and the ice down the shorts, hold ice in hands routine didn’t exactly work for very long. Until mile 7 I was able to stay relatively cool with whatever I was doing, but by not having an aid station every mile (yes – I am spoiled from Kona), after mile 7, my hands and face turned into quite a bit of a heating unit. As in, my hands would get so hot, I could melt 3 to 4 ice cubes in a few minutes. I could probably fry an egg in the palms of my hands! This has also happened to me last year in both Buffalo Springs and Vegas (both silly hot races) so it’s something that I will work on going forward.  My run performance was affected a bit by the heat, and I didn’t really get to run as hard as I could have because I was afraid I would melt but I am happy about keeping it together  the way I did for  most part. The last 2 miles were tough, especially with the last one being all uphill. By then it was just about holding on to whatever pace felt manageable given my state of “hotness” ;). I know the run was tough for anyone because I think for the first time ever, I didn’t get passed by anyone on the run (girls or guys), and I had actually made up a few spots, and ran myself from 3^rd overall female out of T2 to 2^nd. 

I actually got to enjoy the finish line and made myself look presentable! 

Not yet almost

Where is that ice tub again?

Once I crossed the finish line, my number one priority was to cool off! Those ice buckets Rev3 had right at the finish line were a life saver and honestly I have never been so happy to hop into an ice bath! I sat in it for quite some time and actually thought that it was quite warm so yeah – that’s how hot I was. (I strongly dislike cold water and am usually the first one to complain about being cold so that fact I was loving this ice bath tells you all you need to know). I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Ice NEVER felt so warm! 

I seriously could have sat in there all day!

That would be a happy me 

In the end, my performance was good enough for 2^nd Overall Female and my first ever Top 3 at a 70.3 race, and a 8 min PR on this course. I finally went under that 5 hours on this beastly course and I am very happy while also knowing the potential to go faster is 100% there. My final time was 4:56:42, and I can’t wait till next year because I’ll be back J

Huge thanks goes out to my coaches Jorge and Karen, and the rest of the support team. You all know who you are. I couldn’t do this without you! Also, thank you to ALL my teammates/friends for hanging out and cheering me on throughout the day! You guys were all great!

And here is me on the overall podium along with the quite possibly heaviest and biggest medal I have ever gotten! 

The one on the left is the one everyone received, the bigger one on the right is my 2nd place overall medal

 2nd place Overall 

 Best part is - the two medals can be put together into one what feels like a 50lb medal! 

In addition to my medal, I have also received bunch of other goodies from Rev3 and my teammate/friend Tyler had given me a very cool present that all you guys should check out! It is a care package for athletes (either recovery or training) that comes in in 2 different sizes, and besides the great products that are inside, the package itself is SUPER  duper cool.

 RacePak - YUM!

I told you the packaging was SUPER duper cool!

You will find these guys at a lot of the local running or triathlon races, or you can also purchase their product online at www.race-pak.com . It’s worth czeching out for sure!

Thanks for reading! Next up – Patriot 70.3 in 10 short days!