Powerman Alabama Elite Nationals 2010

As mentioned in my previous post, I decided about a week ago that I would go back to race PMAL this year. I had a great time last year and did pretty well so with a stacked field (biggest ever for this race) and a fire burning to compete, I gave up my birthday to the least favorite activity of mine- flying in a metal box above the clouds- and headed over to Alabama on Thursday. But not without some added drama, courtesy of my least favorite airline (guess who) who charged me not only $175 for my bike, but an additional $125 because it was "overweight" (aren't all bike boxes overweight? Shouldn't there just be a one-time fee? grrr) plus $25 to check a bag, bringing my total to $325, which is ironic because that was the date, my birth date... I sobbed all the way through security, to the gate, which was located almost outside the airport (if you know DIA, it was in the downstairs area...) and then made a few phone calls and started getting upset all over again, explaining what heartless people work for this airline...

Once up in the air I promised myself not to dwell on it any longer and put on my best 'happy birthday girl' face as I was greeted by my home stay mom Angela upon arrival in Birmingham. My stay with her and her family was a blast, just like last year, even though I only gave them about 3 days notice this time around. We rallied together for a birthday dinner and then called it a day.
Bike ready to go

Race morning came and I was surprisingly not nervous. Perhaps the 12 noon start helped relax everything a little. The day called for sunshine and no rain, which was a treat compared to last year's threats of thunder storms. I didn't see the course beforehand, so race day would be my first time on it. I warmed up a little on the run course, which went uphill for the first mile, where I turned around, not knowing what the remainder would look like. The distances were a little longer this year: 10k run/60k bike/10k run. I have been putting in some miles on the run so I wasn't too concerned about the almost half marathon, split into 2 fast 10ks. I had heard the bike would be hilly, a true grit test.
Ready to go in the new kit

Moments before the Start

The gun went off and men and women started together, which always makes for a fast first mile. I passed mine in just over 5:30, uphill... But I felt good so I went with it. Past the mark where I turned back for my warm up, it evened out a little and then went up again, followed by a steep downhill and then a more gradual false flat before coming back the same way and doing it again. I was leading the women at the 5k turnaround and I felt good. I now realize that maybe I felt a little too good and should have slowed up a bit. I hauled it back into T1 with a 30sec lead over second place, even passing a couple of the guys, oops. Well, I sure have never led a race before, so it felt kinda cool. I got on my bike as fast as I could and went off to tackle the hills for 37mi.
Go Time

First into T1



The bike consisted of 3 out and backs, making it great to see where your competitors were at in relation to you. I led most of the first loop and was eventually passed by last year's winner, a strong cyclist, as well as another uber biker (who actually rides bikes professionally) and I was well aware that this would happen. What I didn't expect was just how hard this bike course was with its many ups and downs, and technical turns, mixed with some serious head and cross winds. By lap 3 I was out of my fluids and fading fast. I caught up to a guy out for a "stroll" on his road bike and go to pass him, only to have him pass me back on the uphills. I wanted to yell at him to stop racing me, because I did not want a penalty should an official see this (is it even possible to get one with a random person racing you, not a fellow racer?) but I could not muster the energy to do so. If it weren't for the emergency 100cals of nutrition consumed at that point, I might have fallen off my bike. I recovered somewhat and told myself to just keep "your head down and pedal on, almost off the bike, and then back to my favorite leg- the run". Once back in transition, I knew I was in the hole and that this second run would take alot to complete.


I did a shuffle out of T2 as if I had just ridden an IM leg (actually, I am sure I looked better in IM), grabbed some more emergency nutrition and a swig of water and electrolyte drink and at this point 'crawled' back up the first hill. In front of me was 3rd place, well within reach, yet I could not get my body to do what my brain wanted. I could feel myself fading and knew it was going to be a long last 5k at the turnaround. I treated every aid station like a buffet and grabbed water and electrolyte, throwing the latter all over myself, thinking it was the former, getting mad at myself for doing so, but then not caring because I was already a sticky spit, salt and sweat covered mess. Oh yeah, the temps were warm, especially for someone coming from snow... I popped a salt tablet and credit it with keeping the cramps at bay, but the legs still would not turn. Feeling half paralyzed, I put one foot in front of the other, and hobbled back down the last hill into the finish, where I crossed the line in 4th place, less than 30 seconds behind 3rd, and then immediately collapsed to the ground.

I was helped up by two lovely volunteers over to the med tent where vitals were taken and fluids administered after I amazed the staff with my blood pressure readings which were well below what they should be after just having finished a 3+hr event. Eventually I made it over to awards and the much anticipated post race food table where I made sure to get my blood sugar levels back up. I am happy to say that despite my dreadful visit to bonk town mid-race and feeling like crap for the last run, I did get a coveted spot (awarded to top 4 finishers) on the 2010 World Duathlon Team, should I accept. The race will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland this September, so I might have some thinking to do... Overall, I am happy I stuck it out and didn't give into the discomfort. If anything, this was a huge character builder going into the season. It was by far the most grueling duathlon I have raced, and I am glad I got the chance to compete against some of the best in the sport and hang in there, even if it wasn't my best day.
Post- IV

Here are some links to a few articles and results. In the meantime, I hope to recover (legs are still not happy at this time) so that I can toe the line for another hilly race in 2 weeks.

USAT Press Release


News Article

Results

Thanks to all my sponsors and special kudos to team mates Jessica (who ran away with 2nd overall) and Brad, who represented Team Sport Beans/NTTC with me this weekend!

Thanks for reading, and last but not least, a few pictures of spring- from a visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Enjoy!

Blizzard, Sun and 60 degrees, Blizzard

... seems to be the pattern here lately. I know March is supposed to be the snowiest month for Colorado, but I want to refuse to believe it. Because a) it's spring and b) March is so close to race season and when it snows it just puts a damper on things and makes everything seem like winter again, which to me, is depressing :(

So here we are again in the midst of yet another blizzard. Let me take you through a typical Boulder day in Spring Storm season:
Beginning of ride, sun!


2 hrs later...


and we're back to the white stuff...

We are expecting up to 20 inches with this one, no joke! I luckily get to escape the weather on Thursday for a few days to head to Birmingham, Ala. for Powerman, which I am very excited for! It was a total last minute decision and *someone* surprised me with a free plane ticket (using their own air miles) to go race. Now all I can really do is rest up (hello, it's blizzarding outside) and hope to make my plane on Thursday!

Early April Fool's?

This is what us Coloradans woke up to today. The forecast seems to be right on- 6 to 12 inches possible! I woke up briefly at 2 a.m. and everything was still rain. Looks like it's snowing about an inch an hour right now! Bet anyone not here right now is extremely jealous :) Talk about going out with a bang! (winter that is) Tomorrow is the first official day of spring... and we've been in the 60s all week. What a tease.

Meanwhile, this is what other parts of the country look like:

Team Sport Beans/NTTC Team Camp

Last weekend I traveled to lovely California (once again) for the annual Team Sport Beans/NTTC Team Camp, held at the Jelly Belly factory World HQ in Fairfield, CA. The days were fun filled with various team/media activities and getting to know my team mates and sponsors. I got to tour the Jelly Belly factory and learn the ins and outs of how a jellybean is made (trust me, it's a 1-3 week process, no joke!) and pretty much feel like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
Team newbies (Jessica, Nicholas and I) on the JB factory floor, complete in hairnets and lab coats!

Training was usually done early in the morning and I even stepped on the treadmill once or twice... Our last night as a team was spent having delicious dinner and wine at the Vezer Family Vineyards, followed by some serious games of bocce ball; where, I must say, I am naturally gifted at! (some might say otherwise, ha) We also took our team photo at the vineyards, which turned out pretty nice!

Vezer Family Vineyards- it was that beautiful!


The team is going to be working with a variety of great sponsors this year and I am excited to be represent them all in my racing throughout the year. They include Sport Beans, blueseventy, Rudy Project, Pactimo (team apparel), Flex Power. I will also again be supported by K-Swiss for my run footwear and training apparel. As for my bike sponsor, it's still in the works, but it will be a good one, so stay tuned!

2010 Team- from left to right: Nicholas Thompson, yours truly, Daniel Bretscher, Mark Wendley (team director), Lauren Jensen, Jessica Jones-Meyers, Jessica Jacobs, Ben Hoffman and Brad Seng

Training

I don't think I ever really talk about my training on here, but for those who are interested in reading, I'll post some thoughts on how I personally train. I don't usually compare myself to what others are doing and how much more or less they might be training. In Boulder it's too easy to get all caught up in the "more is better", especially in Ironman training, and I have been there, done that with running. I learned my lessons running 100-120mi weeks in my early 20s. I didn't get faster, but I got injured and consequently stopped focusing on just running. Now I run half as much volume and am racing faster than I did back then. And through the years of my own trial and error I think I've learned a few things from my body. As cliche as it sounds, I now listen to my body. I know that when I'm tired I'm not going to try to push through some 'epic' workout, but rather let my body "heal" and go harder after I've adapted and feel a little more rested. But lets be honest, in triathlon training (especially ironman stuff) you're going to be tired alot, for alot of your workouts. I think the key is to make sure after a long session (ride/ brick or other) to give yourself enough time to recover before doing another workout (speed, intervals, hills etc) and vise versa. Otherwise there's a risk of digging a hole for yourself that you will dig deeper and deeper. I always keep in mind something my college coach once told me regarding marathon training: "Always end a workout feeling like you could do one more. (interval)"

I keep my training pretty basic and common sense. ("Keep it simple, stupid") I don't have any fancy technology (GPS, Powermeter or even a HR monitor) so I am kind of forced to go by feel and by how my body responds to various workouts. And for the most part it seems to be working. I rely on my wrist watch for run time or interval splits at the track (when I run on the track) and perceived HR for various efforts. Speaking of track, I don't think it's necessary to go to the track much at all. I vary my running and feel that for me, throwing in tempo runs a few times a month is much more beneficial to the race distance (13.1, 26.2) than running around the track for an hour or more, risking overuse injuries from putting too much stress on one side of the body. (again, something I learned in my running days...) I am also a big believer in hills. I love running/riding hills. It hurts so good, especially at 5400ft! Like the saying goes: "Hills are speed work in disguise". I will go to the track if I want to see where my speed is at, since I don't have a GPS watch and cannot measure out a mile on a run. But I probably only go a handful of times throughout the year, if that.

I try to build each season on the previous one and I feel that I get stronger each season and am able to endure harder workouts and recover better as I adjust to new stresses. I think back on when I had my first season of triathlon under my belt, thinking that a 3hr ride was sooo long. Now I do double that time and it seems doable and I am not completely wasted after :) Patience with training and improvement has been a key to training and success for me. I am building this season on last year's, focusing on improving my speed in all 3 disciplines, and building into more endurance type stuff when spring finally rolls around. I have also kept up my long runs/rides/swims somewhat over the winter, something I haven't previously done. I didn't hit the treadmill once this winter but did ride the trainer (and still do) more than I care to admit. We shall see how that all comes together this race season. I don't have much to go off since I haven't raced since November, but my run seems right on track, my swim still feels like I'm drowning half the time, but I am holding a base pace faster than last year, and the bike, well we'll see how all those "hurt locker, pain-cave" sessions on the trainer pay off.

When I feel an injury coming on (my S.I. joint is my achilles heel) I now make sure to stop it in its tracks the quickest way possible, even if that means avoiding any exercise that may aggravate it. I have learned that trying to push through it will only make it worse and delay the healing process. (a no-brainer you'd think) It's one of the hardest things for an athlete, but listening to the body and strengthening whatever part is weak and therefore injured, is how I deal with the dreaded 'I'. And speaking of strengthening, I for one do NOT like the weight room, but I know that I need to keep my muscles and skeletal system in balance in order to stay healthy. I have found that yoga is just as beneficial, if not better, than lifting weights at the gym. I used to have my "opinions" on yoga, much like those who laugh when I bring up the fact that I do yoga, but it does the trick for me in keeping my core strong and my tight muscles somewhat loose. And besides, it is a hard workout if you do it right!

One last thing: Regarding nutrition I do not have a special diet. I have no food allergies (that I know of) so I eat pretty much whatever I want (although I stay away from most meats, especially red- personal choice) and I do not count calories. I try to get a healthy mix of everything, and being German I love my breads and my chocolate! I do not do any supplements and try to get all my necessary nutrients through 'real' foods. One of my "secrets" to having a great workout is to get a pizza the night before. Cosmo's here in Boulder is Brandon's and my choice :) So, these are my 'insights'. Probably sounds caveman style to some, but for me for now it's working. In the end, all that matters is covering a given race distance in the fastest, most efficient way possible and this is how I go about it. Happy training, spring's almost here!