Ironman Hawaii World Championships

After completing this race, all I can say is that I believe it to be a race of experience. This was my 3rd ironman, and I wished that I had more than 2 under my belt before trying to attempt this one...

The Sunday before the race my GI problems (severe abdominal pain that has plagued me in the past) kicked in. All week leading up to the race I rested and tried to get it under control. Going into the race it was about 75-80% better, but still present.

We started the day with the swim, which was insanely brutal!!! People were all over each other and I got clobbered multiple times. No black eye this time, but I did get hit in the mouth, which gave me a cut and a fat lip. I also came out with bruises all over my left arm and scratches. It was not a fun swim.

After what felt like an hour in the mosh pit, I came into shore and ran up the stairs. I ran into T1, grabbed my bag off the hook and ran into the changing tent. I made it through transition pretty cleanly and headed out on the bike.

I couldn't believe how packed the bike course was! People were wheel to wheel and elbow to elbow all the way through town. The amount of packs and drafting was crazy almost all the way out to Hawi (the turn around point). The winds going into Hawi were like nothing I've ever experienced before. It was like riding into a giant wall of wind. I felt like I was working really hard and only going about 5 mph. It was also up hill most of the way. I stayed aero and rode as best as I could, but still got passed by quite a few people. Finally we hit the turn around and headed back down from Hawi. We had a nice tail wind, but still had to watch out for cross winds. At one point, the wind blew my bike over about 5 feet!





Somewhere along the way, I started to feel sick. I was having a hard time keeping my nutrition down and my nutrition plan started to fail. By the time I reached the turn to get back on to the Queen K, I had puked up stuff into my mouth about 4 times and things weren't getting any better. I pulled off to the side of the road and stopped at a porta-potty. After about 5 minutes in there, I got back on my bike and continued to ride. I knew I was still on track for a solid bike time and just needed to keep going. It was really hot, but the aid stations were frequent and well stocked. We had a head wind most of the way back into town. Finally I came into town and took my feet out of my shoes (although probably a little too early). I rode into transition and gave my bike and helmet to the volunteer. Again, I made it through T2 relatively cleanly, although the changing tent was PACKED.

I ran out on to the run course. I felt tired, but not any more so that usual. I expected my legs to feel this way and also expected them to turn around and feel better after about 4 miles (like they usually do). I ran well for about the first 10K, and was able to hold my goal pace pretty well (sub 8's).









Around mile 7 I could feel the GI pain start to kick in. Mentally I groaned, slowed my pace a bit and tried to manage it with breathing techniques. No luck. The pain worsened and I had to slow to a walk around mile 8. I knew Matt was just a little bit behind me, and I knew he would need to go slower, so I figured I'd wait for him and offer some support. I continued to try tricks to eliminate the pain (massaging, stretching, etc., etc., etc.). It was frustrating, but not totally unexpected. I decided not to let it get me down and rather to enjoy the race, the atmosphere, being in Hawaii, and being able to complete the race with my husband. Matt was having a rough day as well. He had not been able to train for this race as much as he would have liked due to back problems starting in July and a busy work schedule. We walked for a while, then ran a bit, walked for a while and then ran a bit. We tried to do a pattern of walk 1/2 a mile, then run a mile. This worked for a little while, then just walked for a LONG time. My stomach had gotten somewhat bloated over the course of the run from taking salt tablets (another failed pain management strategy). I was thirsty, but had to stop drinking water and Perform because of the bloat. For the last 10-15 miles of the run, I was only able to drink Coke. After what felt like forever, we reached the energy lab and went down in. Since we were walking, we were able to see the messages that our friends and family had written for us on the screen. It made us smile. We enjoyed the aid stations and the volunteers, making sure to thank them. I even danced a bit as we went through aid stations with music. We continued to mostly walk, and sometimes run until about the last 5 miles. We started on another run attempt and decided to just keep going (except for a couple of aid stations). The last 2 miles were really hard. I was hurting everywhere and wanted to walk really badly. Matt was battling a side stitch. Finally we hit town and ran the last mile in. The crowd was nice, but didn't help as much as I had hoped. We muscled it down Alli'i Drive and then ran through the finish line holding hands in the air. It was unbelievable to me that we were able to finish under 11 hours given that we had walked an enormous amount.

Overall, I was happy with my race. I was able to finish the race with good swim and bike splits and I am confident that I could have run much faster without pain. It was fun to be able to do the race with Matt and finish with him. I am happy with my race season overall, and feel honored that I was able to partake in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Now some time for R & R. I am looking forward to spending time enjoying the fall in Wisconsin, hanging out with friends and family, and getting my new puppy enrolled in some dog training classes.

Thanks to friends and family for support both on-site and from a far on race day. I was lucky enough to have my parents, 2 aunts (Nancy and Mary Lou--who came all the way from IA), Matt's brother John, and our friends (Paula and Travis from La Crosse) in attendance on race day. I also know that I had countless other supporters cheering for me and rooting me on race day on-line. Also, thanks to my cousin Brent for designing some cool race day t-shirts! I really appreciate all of the support and could not have gotten to where I am today without you guys.

Thanks to Zoot for all of the support and team commaraderie this year. I've had a great time being on the team and am looking forward to next year.

And last, but definitely not least, thanks to Mike Pierson. You have pushed me beyond what I thought I could do in workouts all year long. I have enjoyed the training, the racing, and the challenge. Thank you for helping me achieve so many goals this year in racing, personal/mental challenges, and in balancing life. It has been a great learning experience and I look forward to continuing to work with you for next year.

Things to remember for IM Hawaii (if there is a next time):
1. The first 1000 meters of the swim I need to go all out to get out of the masses.
2. I need to work on swimming in a straighter line and consistently drafting off of people in front of me.
3. Body glide the upper tongue and around the upper inside of my bike shoes.
4. The first 1-1 1/2 hours there were HUGE bike packs. I need to push along with the bike packs and deal with the congestion better. I need to understand that much of the time people will not be riding legally and there is not much that I can do about it; especially when I am coming out of the swim ahead of much of the field and there are men who are pushing for a 5 hour or less bike split. In the future, I need to try to stay exactly draft legal at 7-10 meters directly behind (not off to the side) of the person in front of me (vs. staying further back).
5. When I approach a hill, and I have to go from aero to upright position, I need to sit upright on the saddle while seated. Somehow I got into the habit of standing up first and then pedaling for about 25 pedal strokes, and then sitting down to climb the hill.
6. I need to seriously consider taking more NSAIDs for my GI pain, although it is not medically recommended due to possible negative side effects. Will continue to have to try to sort this out on my own, although I do believe that a GF diet has helped.
7. I will keep my life a little simplier. The last 2 weeks prior to this race, we rented our house, bought a new house, moved in with a friend temporarily, and had our dog die suddenly the day before we left for Hawaii. I don't know for sure how much this affected my race day, GI issues, etc. but I am sure that less stress is better. (YIKES!!!)
8. I ran in socks provided by the Super Run in Milwaukee that I got in summer of 2010. These socks were awesome and I had less blisters than ever before. My Ultra Kalani Zoot running shoes were comfortable and worked well for the race. I had no issues with my turf toe or other feet problems.

70.3 World Championships Las Vegas, NV

Matt and I headed out to Henderson, NV (just outside of Las Vegas) to compete in the 70.3 world championship race. We arrived in the Las Vegas airport on Friday afternoon only to find that my bike had missed the connection in Minneapolis. (Despite this, the airline was able to get it to our hotel later that night.) We picked up my registration packet and checked out the expo. The weather was warm--in the upper 90's, which was quite a bit different from WI!

Later that night, we got together for dinner with a bunch of the Zoot team. It was great to see everyone again and meet some Zooters who were unable to attend the camp last spring.

Saturday was spent putting the bike together, packing up transition bags and dropping off gear at the race site. I was able to get in the water and do a practice swim. It felt good to swim in open water without a wetsuit. The resort was beautiful and the weather was overcast, but comfortable--much cooler than the day before. That night before bed, I pre-loaded with 6 salt stick salt tablets to prepare for the warm race weather.

Race morning...
I ate the usual breakfast (2 bars, a bottle of pre-race, and took another 4 salt stick salt tablets). I checked over my gear, pumped up my tires, and went for a 10 minute warm-up run. I was a little nervous because everyone looked fast and fit.

Eventually I lined up with the other girls and we were herded along and into the water. The swim start was an open water start rather than a beach start. The waves were 5 minutes apart, so we had to tread water for a little bit. It wasn't too bad though because there were only about 115 of us and the water was around 80 degrees. There were a line of flags strug overhead signaling the starting line. About 6-8 girls drifted out in front of the flags, but I held the line waiting for the start. All of a sudden the horn went off. There was no count down! I was taken by surprise and lost some ground on the other swimmers (who were floating out in front of the flags) right away. I pretty much swam alone the entire way (which had its pros and cons) and made sure to swim straight, buoy to buoy. Without the other girls it was hard for me to really tell how I was doing. I hoped for the best. I rounded the last buoy and ran up the ramp and onto shore. The transition was fairly long (about 300 yards) so I took my time getting my speed suit off. I ran into the transition tent, grabbed my bag from the volunteer and got to work with getting ready for the bike. Then I grabbed my bike from the rack and ran it up a fairly steep incline to the road.

Once on the bike, there wasn't much of a flat stretch before we started climbing up hill. The 56 mile bike route wasn't much different as there was 5200 feet of elevation/climbing over the course of the ride. Several girls in my age group passed me within the first 10-15 miles. This irritated me, but I knew it was going to be hot, and chose to stick to my pre-determined race power so that I could still get off the bike and run well. We pretty much biked through the desert and a (state?) park area. I was beautiful, but warm. I made sure to stay hydrated, stick to my nutrition plan (gel every 30 mins & 2-3 salt tablets per hour), and remain focused. It was harder than I thought it would be. I pretty much rode the entire way alone. At Steelhead it was much easier to ride hard when I could see where the other girls were in my age-group and when I knew approximately where I was place-wise in the race. Here I was all alone and I had no idea how I was doing. I just kept plugging along.

Finally we approached town and neared T2 (T1 and T2 were in different locations). I was glad to be almost done with the bike. I took the last left turn only to discover that the dismount line for the bike was RIGHT THERE!!! I hadn't prepared well for this and had to run through T2 with my bike shoes on. A volunteer took my bike (which was very nice) so I didn't have to rack it myself. I ran to the T2 tent and got ready to run.

I ran out of T2 feeling tired. I knew my legs would eventually come around. I just needed to be patient. The run course pretty much was up and down a 2 mile long hill 3 times plus a little extra (for a grand total of 13.1 miles). Thank goodness that we started in the middle of the hill and headed down hill for the first part of the run. As expected, around the start of the 2nd loop (around mile 4), my legs decided to work better and I got a 2nd wind. I also learned at this point that I had just cracked the top 15 in the age-group and that I was catching people on the run. This was very encouraging (considering that I was 13th out of the water and around 20th coming off the bike). I ran strong for the rest of the race, but was definitely tired the last time going up the hill. The last 1.25-1.5 miles was down hill to the finish line and I was trying to push the pace and catch up as much as I could. I wanted to break the top 10 and maybe even get to top 5 in the age-group. I could start to feel goose bumps developing on my body as I ran and started to see stars. I needed the finish line to be there. I ran down the finishers chute and through the finish line.

I had the volunteers walk me to medical, just to make sure that I was ok (since I've never had this happen to me before). I was ok, but just a little dehydrated. I hung out in the medical tent for a short while and clearly observed that I was pretty well off--others were shaking uncontrolably, hooked up to IV's and 1 guy was unable to even state his name for the medical professionals! Race day temperatures were in the mid-upper 90s and it was hard to stay hydrated. I made sure to drink at every aid station.

In the end, I ended up 13th in the age-group. I felt I had a good, solid race and was pleased with my performance. It was a great warm-up for Kona!

Steelhead 70.3--another duathlon :(

We arrived at the race venue on Saturday afternoon. Within a few minutes of checking out transition I learned that the race officials had announced at the pro meeting that there would likely not be a swim the next day on account of the waves that were being predicted. Ugh, but oh well. I hoped for the best.

We stayed at a nice cottage on a small lake approximately 30 minutes from the race venue with our friends. Race morning we awoke to no wind and great weather. I was optimistic that we would swim. We drove to the race site and the wind was CRAZY! Sand was blowing everywhere and there were white caps out on Lake Michigan. I knew right away that we were not going to swim. Sure enough, they announced that there would be no swim and that there was a small watercraft advisory. I didn't even bother unpacking my swim equipment and just took extra time to set up my bike, do a run warm up, and hit the bathroom.

Similar to NOLA, we lined up by age group on the start line and were sent off 1 at a time, approximately 3-5 seconds apart. My goal going into the race was to really push the bike and see if I could still get off the bike and run. With the swim being cancelled, I knew I really had to push the bike. I decided not to let any other girls in my age group pass me. For a while there was a lot of jostling. At one point another girl and I had to slow almost to a stop to allow an ambulance to pass. This allowed some other girls to coast past us. I got on it and muscled my way back into contention. The bike pretty much went on like this until the last 5 miles or so. I had run out of salt tablets in my dispenser and needed to pull some out of my back pocket. This resulted in me having to coast and soft pedal. Needless to say, about 4-6 girls in my age group passed me. Again, I muscled it back into contention, but was unable to catch one of them. I rode into transition, and was pleased with my power average, my cadence, and my bike split.

After a not so fast transition, I racked my bike and headed out to the run. I felt a little more tired than usual, but still felt good running. I was able to hang around my goal pace until I hit a big hill on the 2nd loop of the run and had to slow up by about 20 seconds. The last 2-3 miles were tiring, but I made it in, and was happy with my run split.

Overall, it was a good race for me. I achieved my goal of pushing the bike and still being able to run. I PR'ed both my bike and my run split and feel pretty strongly that I could have achieved the same performance (or very close to it) even with a swim beforehand. I placed better OA than I had at NOLA, but it is still very clear to me that not swimming negatively impacts my competitiveness relative to the rest of the field.

My nutrition worked well, and I had no GI/stomach/pain issues--which is a huge accomplishment for me!

I gained more confidence in my racing abilities at this event and learned even more which will help me prepare for the upcoming world championship races in Las Vegas and Kona.

* I need to better organize my nutrition on the bike to have quick access. This time I taped gels on my top tube, and that worked well, but I need to move my salt stick dispenser to a different, more easily accessible location. I also think I will add another salt stick dispenser to my bike to prevent the pocket digging issue. I am going to investigate getting a gel flask to mount on my bike to see if that will make the process more streamlined.

* I know that I can push the bike a bit and still get off and run well. I can bike just as fast as the other girls and be competitive in all aspects of the race.

* Given that the weather was overcast and cooler that day, I probably didn't need to visit every aid station. I was passed by another girl on the run and noted that she seemed to put time into me at each aid station. In the future, I will take the weather conditions, etc. into consideration and may run through every other aid station to improve my run split.

* I continue to need work on getting my transitions faster. I will practice this in preparation for the next 2 races.

Ironman 70.3 Racine

-- 9th Overall and 3rd Amateur --

My main goal for this race was to maintain a positive mental attitude and focus throughout the race. Being in "the zone" has happened for me in the past in swimming, but was always very elusive. I wanted to see if I could make it happen in triathlon.

So...I did a fair amount of mental preparation and correction going into the race. I knew that I had done the physical work to have a good swim, bike, and run, but I needed to do some mental work. Thus far my biggest enemy has been myself.

In preparation for the race, I loaded up on some salt as I knew it was going to be a hot day. I took 6 salt stick tablets before bed, went to bed early, got a really good nights sleep, and took 4 more salt tablets and 2 Ibuprofen with breakfast in the morning. I ate my usual breakfast of 2 sports bars and drank 3/4 of a water bottle full of sports drink with caffiene on the way to the race.

Race morning I felt calm and relaxed. I had rehearsed my race in my mind and was confident that I would do well. I set up all of my gear in transition, made the usual bathroom trips, and hung out at a picnic table with some friends after transition closed. I waited to put on my wetsuit until later because my wave didn't start until over an hour after the pros. It was warm and I didn't want to add any additional heat to my body. It was fun to catch up and visit with people while I waited. Eventually I got my wetsuit on and headed down to the swim start.

I started to line up on the far right side of the start, but it was a bit congested. I told everyone over there to watch out for my super fast ex-collegiate swimmer friend Mary, and then proceeded to go line up by her. I think everyone gave us some extra space then :). I was pleased with my swim start. In the past, I often had a slow start because of poor reaction time and mistakes made with timing of dolphin dives, knowing when to start swimming, etc. My plan this time was to run into the water a ways and then start swimming. Once we started, I noticed that all of the other girls around me were dolphin diving and getting ahead. I changed my plan and started dolphin diving and then swam at a strong pace. Soon I was out into clear water. I spotted another girl in my age group out ahead of me and made a slight push to catch up to her. Along the way, another girl gently brushed the left side of my goggles with her hand. I caught up to the other girl in my age group and then hung on her feet for most of the race. The water was fairly calm and smooth, so it was nice swimming. My left goggle started to get a slow leak (probably from when it was bumped earlier). Eventually I could only breathe to the right because otherwise the water drained into my eye. As I rounded the last turn buoy, I had to shut my left eye completely because of the water in my goggle. I decided to continue on like this as there was only a short distance left to go.

I got out of the water and ran at a moderate pace into T1. I had a little trouble getting my wetsuit off because it got stuck on my timing chip and my watch, but I eventually made it out ok. Matt and I had practiced transitions the day before in the basement, but trying to get through transitions quickly when I was tired from swimming was a little harder!

I got out on the bike course and focused on my cadence. In the past I really grinded it out at a low cadence, so the goal was to maintain a cadence of 90-95 the entire bike. Mike told me to cover my powermeter with a piece of electrical tape to hide the watts. I did, but I was a little nervous about riding just on cadence alone. I trusted him though, and did it anyway. I used key words to help maintain my focus on cadence throughout the bike ride and focused on nutrition as well. I took 3 salt stick tablets per hour and made sure to hydrate consistently. I also did 2 gels per hour, taking a total of 4 gels on the bike. My method of storing/taking gels was definitely subpar and will be addressed in the future. I thought it was a good idea to store them in a ziplock baggie so that I could just grab the whole thing and stuff it in my back pocket. This ended up not being such a good idea because the baggie got all smushed around in my pocket and I had a hard time finding the opening to get the gels out. Eventually, after taking 2-3 gels, I ended up taking the entire baggie out, holding it in my mouth while I rode, taking the gels out, putting them back in my pocket, and throwing the stupid baggie away at an aid station--ugh! My stomach felt a bit nasty towards the end of the ride and I thought I might have to make a pit stop, but decided to push through it and risk the possible consequences. I was so focused on biking and getting my feet out of my shoes coming into T2, that I forgot to start my Garmin in order to get the satellite connection.

I successfully got my feet out of my shoes (although it was a little too early) and rode into T2. Once at my rack, I struggled a bit with which direction to rack my bike (something to work on in the future). I finally got the darn thing on the rack after turning it around a couple of times, put on socks and shoes and ran out of T2. This is when I remembered that I forgot to turn on the Garmin and also that I had forgotten to take some Ibuprofen in preparation for the run (which I usually do on the bike). I hit the on button on the Garmin as I ran and figured it would locate the satellites eventually. I also took 2 Ibuprofen from my pocket and threw them into my mouth, thinking that the first aid station would be in approximately the same place as it had in years past, near the purple concession stand. Unfortunately it was not, so I tried to swallow the Ibuprofen without liquid. One went about 1/2 way down my throat. I choked and coughed it back up into my hand. I threw it back into my mouth as I ran and was then able to see the first aid station (thank goodness!!). I grabbed a cup of water and washed them down. Meanwhile, my Garmin was still trying to locate the satellite. Finally it asked me, "Are you indoors right now?" "No!" I thought. I turned it off and kept running. I waited about 10 seconds and turned it on again. This time it found the satellite right away, but then lost it almost as soon as it had found it. I figured, "oh well" and continued running. I just wanted it mainly for pacing purposes anyway. I knew that I was running well, just off of feel because I was not getting passed by anyone and I felt strong. I thought about picking up the pace during the first 6-7 mile loop, but told myself to conserve, given the heat, and see how I felt when starting loop #2. This ended up being a smart decision. After a while I had some phlegm in my throat, so I decided to spit. My spit was reddish/orange! For a split second I thought, "Oh my God! I'm spitting up blood!" Then I remembered that the Ibuprofen coating was that color and laughed at myself a bit for thinking so irrationally :)

I made sure to be a good gatherer at the aid stations, and took 2-4 cups of water per station (when I could--the areas were pretty congested) to dump over my head. I tried to alternate water and cola with water and sports drink when I could and hit the sprinklers that people were spraying as often as I could. I used my pre-planned strategies to keep my thoughts positive and stay focused.

I started loop #2 of the run. I still felt strong, but decided to keep the pace the same. My effort felt a bit harder, and I thought I might be going faster, but the watch said that I was staying consistent with my previous pace. I decided to reassess at mile 9. Mile 9 came and I decided to continue at status quo with another reassessment at mile 11. I looked and looked for the mile 11 marker, but it was no where to be found. Eventually I saw mile 12. I picked it up as much as I could (not too much though) and ran what felt like the longest 1.1 miles ever to the finish line. Whew!

Overall I was very happy with my race results and finish. I did a great job staying focused on the task at hand, staying in the moment, and maintaining a positive mental attitude. All of these helped to make the race easier physically and mentally. I had a lot more fun during the race and was really proud of myself for achieving this goal.

I continue to have areas where I can improve in the future:
-transitions can still be faster
-I need to continue to focus on maintaining a cadence of 90-95 during training rides and racing as it is much easier than riding at a cadence of 83-88 as I have in the past
-I believe my bike can get faster
-I believe my run can get faster
-I can continue to improve my timing with small things during the race (starting my watch at the appropriate time, taking Ibuprofen at appropriate time, better storage of gels, racking bike in T2, timing of taking feet out of bike shoes, etc.)

Thank You's:
-Mike for helping me keep my head in the game
-Matt for listening and assisting me in helping to mentally prepare for the race
-Rick and the other Zooters who were out there racing and cheering
-TriWisconsin, GearGrinder, and other friends for their support while racing and spectating

The Mighty Wolf ...Grrrr!

Last weekend I raced the Mighty Wolf Tri in Winneconne, WI. I think it was the most low-key race I have ever done. There were no timing chips, you just racked your bike anywhere you wanted, and there were only 250ish athletes. It was great! It was nice to have a low-key race, although kind of weird. I kept looking in my race packet for my timing chip and swim cap because I thought I was missing something!

SWIM: I started off in wave 5 with coach Mike Pierson. He had better reflexes than me, so beat me off the start and into the water. No worries though, as I soon passed him. Coming around the back side of the swim course, I got caught up in a bit of traffic and took a hand or foot to the face (ouch!), but otherwise was ok. Came out of the water ahead of Mike...only to get smoked in T1!

BIKE: I decided not to look at my power meter for this race other than for cadence. I was not super impressed with my bike split at KS, so I wanted to try to up the cadence and see if that made a difference. My average cadence ended up where I wanted it to be, 91, but my time/pace was still a bit slower than I'd like. Despite this, only 3 guys passed me on the bike and no girls. I did, for the first time, manage to get my feet out of my shoes prior to coming into T2. It worked realitively well, although I will need to continue to practice to make it faster. I'm just psyched that I didn't crash while doing it!

RUN: I made it out of T2 only to realize that I forgot my race belt and number. This was not good because the race number was how they got your time and place at the end of the race. I decided to keep going anyway and face the consequences if needed. We ran on grass for about 1/4-1/2 mile and then hit the road. The grass was a bit wet (although not too bad) because of all the rain we got last week. I was glad when I got to the road because I felt as though I could pick up the pace a bit without worrying about footing. Only 1 guy passed me on the run at the very end (mostly because of footing on the grass on the way back), and he had tried to make a move the entire run, but ended up hanging just behind me until the very end. I have no idea how fast I ran because my watch battery was dying and my watch just kept asking me if I'd like it to run in English or Deutsch...oh well. I was fortunate that they were forgiving and held my finishing spot on the tags while I went back to transition to get my race number after I crossed the finish line.

All in all, it was a fun race. I was happy with the OA win and new course record. It was great to meet and see everyone from Your Training Zone team!

Things I'd like to improve/work on:
1. Transition time--ugh
2. Biking harder--I need to be less cerebral and just put the pedal to the metal and bike 'till I puke.
3. Staying out of traffic on the swim or just being meaner and swimming over people :)

Kansas 70.3

My uncle Ed lives near the course, so my plan was to visit with him as well as do the race. In the end, my family and I decided to make the weekend into a small family gathering. My two aunts (Mary Lou and Nancy) from Iowa came as well as my parents. I appreciated the support as it was my first time doing a bigger race without Matt (who was called away for work).

Ed was a gracious host, and helped me prepare for the race. He drove me along the bike course in his 2010 Z06 Corvette. Vroom, Vroom. Ed's car isn't just any old Corvette; it's pretty slick: There were 12,194 Corvettes made in 2010, 518 were ZO6 Corvettes, and 231 of these were painted with the Crystal Red Metallic paint (which his car has).



Race morning, my dad and I were up bright and early at 3:30. After a small breakfast, I showed up and did the usual morning routine--pump up tires, check bike out, make sure PitStop is electrical taped to top tube, Salt Stick dispenser loaded, water bottle in holder. The weather that morning was a little questionable. Heavy storms were predicted and there was lightening when we showed up at the race site. They even condensed the waves a bit as race officials were concerned about the weather.

My swim was marginal. Upon lineup, another athlete seemed pretty determined to take front row and charge into the water once the horn sounded. I asked her what she planned on swimming and she replied 27. At the sound of that, I knew who I'd be spotting for (she did manage to swim fast and took the age group win). The wind was up so I had to battle through the waves. I finally exited in 32, an okay time for me.

Biking was hard. My legs felt tired with little pop. I wanted to push about 170-180 watts. I ended up averaging 165 watts with cadence of 85. I was little bummed that my bike time was mid 2:4X. It seems like I need to be a little more slippery (go lower) and ride a little harder.

The run ended up being strong (somewhat surprisingly, as I felt pretty tired coming off the bike). It took me about 3-4 miles to get my legs underneath me. I managed to prevent any major GI issues and plug along a fairly good clip. My pace was a bit slower than what I had wanted it to be and I had a bit of a struggle at times with motivation to push the 10-15 seconds per mile harder that I had intended to run. In the end, I crossed the finish line and was able to immediately walk over and thank my family for their wonderful support. (Little did I know that I was only 19 seconds off of 3rd place and about 2 minutes off of 2nd place--watch out for next time ladies!!!)

Overall it was a solid race for me, and I had a great time with my family! My uncle travels about 90% of the time for his job, and he actually convinced his company to fly him home from MI for the weekend so he could see me race. That was pretty awesome. The Corvette ride was pretty slick too :)

It was great to have some fellow Zoot team mates out on the course as well. Everyone from Zoot who raced got on the podium, so that was sweet.

Things to remember:
1. Bike harder with higher cadence
2. Take 2 salt tablets before bed the night before the race, 2 salt tablets with breakfast, and 6 salt tablets on the bike. This seemed to help as I did not have any leg cramping during or after the run (like I did at NOLA).
3. Take 2 ibuprofen with breakfast race morning and towards the end of the bike to prevent GI pain.
4. Need faster transitions--take feet out of shoes coming into T2
5. If air pressure isn't holding steady when pumping up tire, it's likely because the valve extender is loose. Righty tighty, Lefty losey.
6. Took 5 Gu's on the bike and washed 'em down with water.
7. Teflon socks + Zoot Ultra Kalani running shoes = super comfortable and NO BLISTERS!!

New Orleans 70.3; oops... I mean 69.1...

Last weekend Matt and I headed to New Orleans to compete in the 70.3 race. We arrived on Friday afternoon. Saturday we met some members of the Zoot team for lunch at Mothers Restaurant. The food was great and it was fun to hang out with some fellow teammates before the race.

Sunday morning we got up early. The weather was supposed to be great for racing--mid 50's at the start of the swim with temperatures rising up to about 75 degrees around 12-1pm. Unfortunately, the weather was not perfect. Shortly after arriving at the race venu and setting up in transition (around 5:15am), an announcement was made that conditions were too windy for the swim. Apparently the race director was told that the water personel were unable to set up the buoys because of the wind. Matt and I were less than thrilled, so we walked to the beach to get an idea of exactly how windy it really was. Conditions along the beach and a short distance into the water were fairly windy, but not terrible. Despite this, the decision had been made to cancel the swim.

I went back to my transition area and re-packed my swim gear. We learned that the race was now going to be a time-trial start with the pros going off 1 at a time 30-seconds apart and the age groupers going 2 at a time 2 seconds apart. I grabbed my bike and headed to the new starting line. It was unclear as to how exactly we were going to start the race, and I assumed that we would all start with 1 leg over the bike and clipped in. I moved up to the start line. The guy yelled go and I moved forward. A whole bunch of volunteers started yelling at me to get off my bike. I had to unclip and run the bike about 50 feet to an area where we could then mount the bike and ride off. It was very confusing and congested.

The bike course was nice. It was flat and fast with the only "hills" being the overpasses and bridges that we had to ride up and over. The road conditions were great (no freezer cracks!), and the bike course was closed to traffic. We biked on the highway, so there was quite a bit of room. Despite this, initially the ride was somewhat congested (although this was not a surprise considering how we were sent off 2 at a time with only 2 seconds between groups). I stayed to the left and passed people steadily. It was quite windy and I was unsure if I would be able to stay upright and under control if I rode in the aero position. Finally I decided to try it and was able to handle the bike well in the wind. I maintained my power goal easily over the 56 mile bike and was able to stay clear of the draft pretty well. I only had 1 mishap where I took a turn too narrowly and ended up on the inside of the rumble strips. I had to ride there for about 5-10 minutes before I was able to cut over. (The rumble strips had a short break in them to allow for a driveway.) Also, toward the end of the ride, I reached to grab my baggie full of salt tablets only to have it open and dump them all over the road. Therefore, I was only able to take 1 salt tablet on the bike.

I got into transition feeling strong, but ready to get off the bike and start running. The transition from the dismount area to my mat was fairly long. I ran on the grass with my bike shoes on. I thought about taking them off in order to run a little faster, but was nervous about how my toe would feel. (I managed to get a nice case of turf toe about 1-2 weeks before the race, and the stiffness of the bike shoe felt good.) I made it through T2 fairly efficiently (for me) and got out onto the run course.

I felt pretty good running and frequently had to remind myself to slow down the first few miles. My stomach sloshed a little bit the first 2 miles, but then settled down. Around mile 4, I started to get a slight side-stitch. I backed the pace off slightly and focused on my breathing. This seemed to help. The side stitch was still there, but tolerable. As usual, I utilized the aid stations well. I ran through each one, grabbing a coke and 2-3 cups of water which I dumped over my head. Occasionally I also grabbed some ice to carry in my shirt to help keep cool. Around mile 10-11, I started to feel pretty tired. The last 2 miles my legs ACHED. It felt as though I was running on wooden legs. It was all I could do to keep running. Finally, I rounded the last corner and was able to see the finish line. One tenth of a mile never felt so long! I crossed the finish line and my legs felt like lead, but I was DONE!


Overall, I was pleased with my race. I achieved my goals for pace on both the bike and the run. I would have liked to have swam, but was happy just to get a race under my belt and test out the new equipment. I was very pleased with how my new bike (Ridley Dean) handled. I felt much more stable than I ever have in the past riding aero, even with the wind. Additionally, I can honestly say that this is the first time I have ever gotten off my bike in a race and not had a stiff/painful lower back. My new running shoes (Zoot Ultra TT 4.0) also felt good. They were easy to get on in transition and were nice and light-weight for the run. I cannot say how nice it was to have my legs feel tired and be the limiting factor for once on the run--it was so nice to not have significant abdominal pain or digestive problems! I have made quite a few dietary modifications over the last year-gluten free, eating more organic, taking stool softener medications, etc.- in addition to working with a GI specialist and spending $$$ on tests to rule out various medical etiologies. Hopefully I am close to finding the "magic combination" of factors to help alleviate my nutritional/digestive problems.

Other things to remember....

Nutrition:
Breakfast 4+ hours before the race: 1 bar, 1 bar, 2/3 bottle of sports drink with 2 scoops of caffeine
2-3 hours before the race: 2 salt tablets, 2 Ibuprofen
On the bike: 4 GU gels (1 at 30, 60, 90, 120), 3/4 bottle of water, and 1 salt tablet
On the run: intermittent small sips of coke and water
**probably should have had more salt and water, which may have prevented the cramping in my legs the last part of the race as well as after finishing??**

My coach Mike Pierson also happened to be at the race. It was nice to see him.

My New Sweet Ride

This week I was able to pick up my new sweet ride...a Ridley Dean 1113A. I took it for a test ride outdoors today and it's awesome. The feel is good. The fit is good. It just rides nice... Not to mention it looks super cool.



Thanks to Doug from Team Sports Inc (ie Mechanic/Rockstar/Keeper Of The Truck/etc) pictured below in his "talk to the hand" pose. He worked hard to put it together for me lickity split so I can race on it in New Orleans next weekend.

Zoot Camp

Last weekend I attended the Zoot camp in sunny Carlsbad, CA. I arrived Friday and got off the airplane into gorgeous sunny weather. The flowers were gorgeous! The grass was green! I checked into my hotel and swam OUTSIDE in the SALT WATER POOL surrounded by PALM TREES!! It was awesome... To make things even more awesome, I got to watch and cheer on my fellow teammates at the Oceanside 70.3 race the next day.

Race day was cooler, but perfect for racing (other than wind). Zoot had a great representation at the race. Saturday night we got together as a team for dinner. I met a lot of really neat people and had a great time.

On Sunday I got up early and swam again in the pool. Everyone on the team got together for our team picture. After breakfast we were educated on various Zoot products as well as products provided to us by our sponsors (Garmin, etc.). I was really impressed with the new Ultra TT 4.0 running shoes. Not only do they look awesome, but they feel great. They are light weight and offer great support. There's even carbon fiber in the sole of the shoe! The interior is made from a very unique fabric which they use to make the inside liner for running shorts. It's like a sock around your foot and feels great when putting the shoe on. The Garmin 310XT is pretty cool too. It is water proof and can track your time, distance, and pace on the swim, bike, and run. Later in the day we got to have a Q&A session with 3 of the pro triathletes who race for Zoot (Jordan Rapp, Kelly Handel Williamson, and Ben Hoffman). They provided great insight and reflections on their races, training, and future goals. Sunday night we had another team dinner a few blocks away from our hotel. It was delicious!

The next morning I got up early and swam again in the pool. I then checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport and back to brown, cold Wisconsin. I was sad to leave the beautiful weather and scenery. Overall, I met a ton of really great people from all over the US. I now have friends and teammates in PA, LA, AZ, CA, CO, MT, IL, etc. I look forward to racing for Zoot and seeing everyone throughout the course of the race season. Go Zoot!

Zoot Team

Ready, Set, Go!