Austin 70.3 RR

Last weekend I enjoyed a brief recurrence of summer as I traveled to the land of Texas for Austin 70.3. It really is true what they say, it's hot down there, no matter what time of year. I have gently de-acclimated myself over the last few weeks as the thermometer in Colorado has finally gone down to seasonably, enjoyable fall temps, making sweat fests of workouts a faint memory for now. I knew it was going to be significantly warmer where I was headed and hoped to a) trick my body into thinking that I was still used to the heat and b) use this race as a practice run for Clearwater, temperature-wise at least. Judging from the entry list of the pros, this race would serve as a CW warm-up in more ways than one...

Around 22 pro women had signed up for the race and about 22 pro women showed up on race morning. This was my first serious competition since IM Canada in August, and having more entrants I knew I had my work cut out for me. Since Austin was one month out from CW and 5 weeks out from IMAZ, I didn't do much of a taper for it, hoping that my easy travel day and brief pre- race workouts would do the trick. As the end of the season nears, I am pushing myself to get in those last few key swims, rides and runs before scaling everything back, and getting that sling shot effect I will need for the CW/ IMAZ double. But it's the end of the season and no doubt is my body telling me that it is (almost) ready for a break. (one more month to go!)

Anyways, back to the race: The swim was wetsuit legal for pros (according to the new rule of 76.1 degrees F or cooler), which was great news for me, as I tend to have much better swims in wetsuits. It was however borderline too hot, as I exited the lake with a face red like a tomato. With 22 women at the start, and most being strong swimmers I really wanted to find a pair of feet to stay on and get a good draft off of. All season long I have swam by myself, in every race. Sadly, this day would be no different as I was once again in no man's land, not fast enough to catch up to the lead group, yet speedier than the group behind me. It wasn't until the last few hundred meters that I caught up to another swimmer, Heather J., who ended up exiting the water just a second or so back of me. Still I managed a swim P.R. of 29:3X so I'll take it.

swim exit

The run up to transition took forever and by the time I got to my bike I was frantically trying to get wetsuit off, while throwing on helmet, sunglasses, belt and shoes, and for some reason getting covered in grass. Got out of T1 in 10th place or so and immediately had to go to work, as this race was going to be a fast one. At this point the air temps were still relatively cool and it seemed like there was even a bit of fog, making it pretty hard to see through my glasses at some spots. I settled into a rhythm a few miles in, catching up to another girl, who ended up sitting on my wheel for a few minutes before I told her to please back off and not draft (seriously, why? Thankfully she did drop back and I didn't have to deal with her again) then came the loneliest part of the race, just me, myself and I. While this is nice for tuning out and just riding, it's not so great when you have no clue where the rest of your competition is and how hard you should ride to close the gap.

Nice crack in the road

Finally, a few more miles along, 2 other girls caught up to me and we ended up switching off leading for most of the remainder of the bike, which is something I have not done before. I ended up trading the lead with Annie G. and Lauren H., both very strong riders. The roads in TX are not like the roads in CO. After having done BSLT 70.3 a few times I knew that Austin might be similar, and it did not disappoint. Between rough road surfaces, re-patched areas, and riding on packed dirt for a few miles, I kept busy trying not to lose my aero drink straw that kept getting pushed out of the bottle. I never got into a great rhythm and felt pretty zonked coming into T2, just a few seconds ahead of Annie.

Starting the run, I had really no idea where it was headed, other than out the road that I saw coming back from the bike. The lead women were way up the road and I knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to move up the ranks. The air felt hot and sticky at this point and my hand held drink was warm. After having Annie hot on my heels for the first few hundred yards, she made the pass and kept me at around a 10ft distance. After 1.5 miles of rolling up and downs we made a turn into a park where we would run on grassy, uneven terrain for a good part of the race. I am used to running on roads, so to all of a sudden be greeted by narrow trails/ jeep roads with weeds growing in uneven patches and the sun beating down into the meadows, was a challenge, as I tried my best not to twist my ankles. Aid stations were plenty and entertaining along the run course, thank goodness, because it got hot and the run was draining (it never actually felt flat) and I was starting to get goose bumps (never a good sign if it's hot out). At one point during the first of two laps on the run, I had to pull over and take a leak (as best as I tried to ignore it, I just could not hold it anymore) and right there I knew I was going to have to let Annie get away. This whole time she was just a few feet ahead, but with my stop for about 30 secs or so, I lost more ground.

so thankful cold, wet sponges were plentiful

For some reason I was able to reduce the gap a little again, passed a few more girls who seemd to be suffering as well, and found myself again, just about 10 ft back of Annie, running out of real estate since we were entering the home stretch. (the finish was INSIDE a rodeo arena, yeee haw!) At this point I saw that Heather J. was also just a few seconds ahead, but running on fumes, I could not get into that next gear and so we all three ended up finishing within 17 seconds of each other. I officially was 10th out of 21 finishers and still managed to go under 4:30, even though I felt like I never got into a rhythm the entire race, and was feeling like garbage for most of it.

As soon as I crossed the line I mouthed to my catchers/ volunteers that I was over heating (although pics have me crossing the line with a white face) so they helped me limp over to the med tent where I received the luxury of a bag of ice, water bottles and cold towel to cool off. 20 mins later I was fine enough to get up and mingle with some of my fellow racers and rehash some of the race's high and low lights.

As for the race itself, I later heard that the run course had been changed from last year and that this was the 4th year the course had been modified overall, so I guess times are irrelevant. It's fast, but it's a tough course. There are plenty of hills and terrain changes, on both the bike and run, literally keeping you on your toes the entire race. I didn't get to see too much of Austin, so I might need to make a return trip someday. I did however, check out the monstrous-sized Whole Foods- you could easily spend 3 hours in there food shopping- wow! I also must say I did not have a Lance sighting, although I did meet a bunch of great people while there.

Although I was initially a bit disappointed in my overall placing, I know this was the toughest  and most competitive field I have faced all year, with Ironman winners, 70.3 champs and runner up's, former Kona top contenders etc. Definitely a good tune up race for CW, where I'll be fully rested and loaded for a great performance, followed a week later by what appears to be a super stacked field at IMAZ. There are only 2 more months left in the year, but lots of great racing yet to be had!

Ironman- My Journey So Far

My first claim to fame :) Blueseventy picked me for their Kona Ad- Startline of the 2008 Ironman Hawaii, a million and one emotions are going through me there.

Alii Drive in the last mile, still a blur

  It’s hard to put into words why I do Ironman. When I qualified for Hawaii in 2008 there was no question whether or not I would even consider giving up my slot. Ironman Hawaii is THE biggest show in triathlon, you’d be foolish not to go if you qualified to take a slot. So I did, not knowing what would await me. I thought I put in the training in order to succeed, but I would find out that I’d barely survive the day, the most grueling event I have ever done to date. After Hawaii, it took some weeks and even months to fully digest the monster of a race I had completed, and one thing became clear: I had to do the distance again. There were too many unfulfilled quests. I knew I had it in me to go faster, I knew I could get better if I started training exclusively for long distances and I knew I wanted to succeed. Most of all, Kona shaped me into the athlete it takes to race Ironman. Whenever a task seems too hard and nearly impossible, I think back on those very trying times out on the Queen K Hwy, where the winds and the heat owned me, and the run that had me dig so deep inside to keep on trucking, suddenly these challenges don't seem so tough anymore. 

In 2009 I did my second Ironman, IM Arizona. I had a goal of possibly breaking 10 hrs 30 min as my previous finish saw me at 11:25. I wasn’t sure how much faster I would go. I crossed the line in 9:47, eclipsing my goal by nearly 45min, and overcome with joy and elation, as well as disbelief, I covered my face as I cried myself across the finish. It meant so much to have conquered the distance successfully this time and to do it in the exclusive sub 10 hr club was almost unfathomable. I proved to myself that I was stronger than I thought. A 10^th place overall finish in a loaded women’s pro field would top my result for the day. 

"Did I really just do this?!"

The feeling about to be experienced here is indescribable.

2010 and my second year of racing pro, I signed up for IM Canada in August, my first ever Summer Ironman. This forced me to train through most of my earlier races and train in the heat day in and day out. I was prepped for a hot race in Penticton, but the weather gods had different plans as the day would unfold as one of the coldest and rainiest and windiest on record. I persevered and although borderline hypothermic coming off the bike where I lost 2-3 spots, I ran my way up to 7^th, finishing the day with the 3^rd fastest marathon in 3:10, with an overall time of 9:46, on a much tougher course than IMAZ the previous year. Once again, the Ironman spirit prevailed and I pushed through the darkest of times to get to the finish line and reached success along the way.

If there is one thing that triathlon and especially Ironman racing has taught me, it’s that it’s never over till it’s over. As cliché as it sounds, it is so true. So many times I have had a bad start, a bad swim, a mediocre bike, but believing in that I still had a chance, that I could still have a good finish, pushed myself to my limits and ended up having a great run, renewing my excitement and love for the sport, and coming out on top. It is the soul searching in the darkest moments, the raw highs and lows (and believe me, they get very low before they get high) and the absolute thrill and emotion when coming into the finish, that make Ironman so magical and special to me. There is absolutely nothing else like it. You have to experience it to truly know. It’s what gets me out the door each and every day, putting in long, and sometimes lonely miles, over and over again. I have learned a lot about myself, and my abilities since becoming an Ironman athlete.

And as another year draws to a close, I am making my decision on a late season IM. I love the distance too much to not give it a go again before the year is done. I have it in me to go faster than last year. I have specific goals and times in mind. But I also know the timing will not be ideal. However, I do not want to ever have to think “what if only I…” so in true Ironman spirit, I will most likely be at the start line of this year’s IMAZ, a race near and dear to my heart, as it was my redemption last year after Kona 08. I know the course, I know the conditions. The only thing unclear right now is whether or not the lake will be refilled in time and whether or not a week after Clearwater will be enough time to toe the line. You never know until you try, right? Time to think about Kona 2011 starts now, and boy have I been thinking! I will be back racing on the big Island, I have unfinished business there :)

Ironman World Champs Start and Finish

Endless Summer in Boulder

Just saw an article in the local paper that we are on track to break a record for hottest September in Colorado. Yup, we've had every day in the 70s, 80s or even 90s and the average temp of 84.2 just went way up today as we hit well above 90. While it's nice to have summer here just a bit longer, unfortunately the creek beds are all dried up and lakes emptied of water. Without a cloud in the sky, it has been easy to get motivated to train though.

This past weekend marked 4 weeks post IM, and had on tap sprint tri #2, as well as a 5k run race for a "warmup".  On Saturday, B and I got up before sunrise to travel to Aurora to see if I could still put down a decent 5k time on these IM legs. I wasn't sure how I'd do since I have not done any speed work for as long as I can remember. Races like these serve as my speed work- more fun and much more challenging in a real race setting. I came away in second place at the Southlands 5k, after what felt like the hardest 5k I have ever raced. My throat is still sore today! The course turned out to be a tad long (3.17mi), which would explain why my time of 18:25 hurt much more than it should have, but I did get a nice prize in the form of a mall gift certificate, which was spent after the race.

Pre race, me in my Ruuz and an antique beetle :)

Ready, Set, Jump...

Pain and Agony up and down the hills of the Southlands Mall roads

Awards

After getting back home it was time to pack the bags again for race number 2 of the weekend- the Oktoberfest Sprint Tri in Longmont. It was the same course as the Summer Open Sprint, which I won in May, setting a new course record there, which was later reset by Nicole DeBoom in the Outdoor Divas Sprint. I wasn't so sure about how speedy I would feel as I woke up a bit tired and throat still burning from the day before. However; after a pep talk from team director B, I realized that I wanted to do this, no one forced me, so I grabbed my coffee, threw my bag in the car and off we were, once more enjoying a sunrise in the car.

The weather was near perfect for the race, maybe a bit chilly in the water, but I managed a win and a new course record, despite never having started my watch due to some tumultuous times at the start ( elites started with collegiate racers, who were rather excited to be swimming) and thus not knowing any of my splits at any point during the race. For some reason I can't explain, my legs were all there, allowing me to run an 18:18 5k, which was 50 seconds faster than the one I ran in May on the same course. Which leads me to believe that I am indeed in better shape ;) These shorter events are great prep in the pain cave, both mentally and physically, giving me a boost for the longer stuff.

Thinking of a fast T1- strip suit before taking goggles off :)

one piece tri suit and KSwiss Blade Races for another race-best run

Up next is Austin 70.3, which I am racing with 2 other Team Sport Beans/ NTTC team mates, Brad and Jessica (your 2010 IM Augusta 70.3 champ!), then onto Clearwater. I am pretty excited to see how the remainder of my season will play out. Stay tuned~