A 2014 Update

Almost seven months have passed since my last post, wow, life got busy. After a busy 2013 race season that ended with a PR at IMAZ, I was certainly ready for a break. And what better way than to ring it in with a puppy!? Amos joined us mid December as a fluffy 9 week old baby. I now know that puppies and human babies have much in common. It has definitely been a learning curve but we love our boy (now 65 lbs at 7 mos!) and his sweet face saves him from most of the trouble he gets into. I was ready to hit training hard again by mid winter, but constant sleep deprivation due to puppy baby made it difficult at times :) I had planned to do some early season races, head to St. George for the US Champs and then into the summer season with IMCdA kicking off my IM race schedule. But life doesn't always work out the way you have in mind. I have had to learn to adapt this year. Big time.

Sweet Baby Amos!

Just as I was getting into a training groove, one of the most stressful times I have experienced, hit. I was out with Amos, our puppy, for his usual afternoon walk at the local park, when I caught him eating something suspicious. Completely unaware I picked up whatever leftovers I could find from what he had just devoured. I brought it home and thought it looked like meat laced with something weird. Later on, friends told me it looked like rat poison and that's when alarms went off and I raced to the ER vet. It was confirmed there that poor Amos indeed had eaten poison, so luckily, since it was discovered early enough, it was still sitting in his stomach and he was able to throw most of it back up. The bad news was that rat poison is plain evil. It can cause seizures and blood clotting issues, all delayed in onset. Amos stayed at the ER for the night to be safe and I went home worried sick.

For the next month the poor thing had to take Vit K tablets each day to help clot his blood, and visit the vet more times than I can count.  News and media invaded our little neighborhood and wanted to talk to us. It was stressful and draining to say the least, and training took a back seat. However, I am happy to report that Amos is healthy and free of the poison in his body, and I do hope that whoever did this ( there were numerous poisoned meat balls found at our park) will be found and pay. (my vet bills especially…)

By spring, we decided that our condo was not going to be ideal for housing a big puppy and us. We went through the selling process and were able to find a house to call home, which we will be moving into in the next few weeks. Renovations will be mixed with training, but that's no longer a daunting task after the events that unfolded last week.

It was just a regular Sunday morning and I was able to sleep in, when B burst in the room with a serious look on his face to tell me (still half asleep) that my mom had been in a CAR ACCIDENT on her bike. I immediately sat up, trying to understand what he was saying. It was followed up with "She will be OK", "but she is in the ICU right now". Thoughts ran through my head like crazy. Most of all it was shock. There, completely being caught off guard, I got the message no one ever wants to receive.

We made arrangements to go see her in the hospital and luckily she was released the day we arrived, letting us help her back into the comfort of her own home. I got to play Nurse for a few days (and actually quite enjoyed it) and helped feed my mom liquids and medication (her mouth is wired shut so the broken bones around there can heal) through syringes into a tiny opening in her mouth. I helped keep her wounds moist (important for healing) and clean. Good news is she is improving every day. Although her face will soon be all the colors of the rain bow as her black eyes fade and her facial bruising/ swelling recedes, she will certainly be awhile until she is allowed to train again. But she wouldn't be related to me if she didn't already have goals. IMAZ will be her comeback race. I plan on racing it as I do every year. I can't wait for us to cross the finish line!

What I learned from this experience is that family is everything. If someone near and dear is in serious trouble, it changes your perspective on everything. Nothing matters more than your family. I am so grateful that this accident wasn't any worse than it could have been. Don't drive drunk, just don't. It takes one second to change someone's else's life forever. I owe a big thanks to friends near and far that have offered their kind words and help along the way.

As for my racing, I would be lying if I said I have been able to do my usual loads of training. I am feeling a bit frustrated that I am not as fit as I should be this time of year, but I still have half the season ahead of me and IM Boulder is still a race I would really love to do well at. I have just over 2 months to  prepare, but I will give it my best shot. My mom plans on cheering me on.

Thanks for reading and I promise another update real soon!

IMAZ- 8th Place- Recap

This year was my fifth time racing at IMAZ, including a painful DNF in 2011 and a rib pain- slowed second to last place a year ago. I needed to make things right in AZ and I felt good going into the race, and knew I was a different athlete from a year ago. With an IM win now under my belt, I didn't feel the usual intimidation by the jam packed start list this race is known for. I had goals, which included a sub 5 hr bike leg, and a good marathon run to back it up , which would hopefully net a top 5 result, and a time between 9.05-9.15, which would all be a PR at the distance.

But things rarely ever go perfect in an IM. Who knew that the harmless looking burrito Brandon I shared from a food truck at his job on Thursday would have us both up in the middle of the night, running for the bathroom? (my second food sickness related incident this year, too.) Needless to say, we had a short night as we needed to leave for the airport by 4.30 a.m. to catch a flight to Phoenix for the race. Arriving somewhat (very actually) depleted, I managed to get my stomach under control with light foods and lots of liquids. All seemed good to go for Sunday's race.

I have struggled with the swim at IMAZ the last two years and this year I finally managed a decent time, mostly due to the fact that I had other people around me to swim with! This was just such a treat after always swimming alone for 2.4mi. And man does it save energy just to have someone next to you, let alone in front of you. I was happy, and the swim was way more enjoyable this way as well. My time out of the water was still a minute off from what I swam in 2010, but it wasn't disastrous and I came out middle of the pack. yay!

On my way to a 4:52 bike split

The race was on. I started the bike leg in 17th place and had moved up to 11th after the first of three loops. The course is pretty good for pacing and I knew exactly what splits I needed to hit to get under 5 hrs. During the second loop it seemed like the wind had picked up some and it felt a little tougher to keep pace, but I attributed it to getting tired. I was on top of nutrition and hydration and found a second wind on lap three, coming off the bike in 8th place in 4:52. After my run at IM Canada, where I felt like I struggled for most of it, yet ran a 3.06 on hilly terrain, I was confident I could manage a 3.05 or even better, as long as my body played along.

It seemed a little warm this year.

Well, it wasn't to be my day, as I immediately felt the urge to run to the nearest porta potty upon leaving T2. I had nearly caught up with two other women ahead of me but had to let them go to use the loo. After a good minute or so I was back on my way, feeling much lighter on my feet and ready to tackle the beast. I even caught and passed the other ladies, and was running in 5th place at the 6mi mark. But then the urge hit again, ugh so frustrating. I had no choice but to run to the porta john again and got passed back by two of the three women I had caught. This little game continued on and one racer got completely away. I started to make deals in my head about my placing and how I just needed to hold it together, but at the halfway mark my calves began screaming at me in such a way that the last 10 mi became all mind over matter.

I underestimated the effects of running on concrete, and unfortunately my choice of shoe, which worked great for my other two IMs this year, was not the best on this course. The pain became pretty intense and I had to literally tell my brain to stop sending pain signals, which didn't work, so I gritted my teeth and put one foot in front of the other as best as I could, while getting passed by faster girls, and there was nothing I could do. My body had reached its pain threshold and I had no choice but to obey.

Pain at the finish line is apparent.

After two porta john stops and pain in my legs that I have only experienced in my first IM, I reached the finish line in 8th place. I PR'd. 9:15 flat. The perfectionist in me knows I could have done better, but on this day it's all I could do. I managed to hang onto a 3:15 run, not the time I had in mind, but decent considering my stops etc. And, five of us finished within three minutes of each other; it was a fast race!

So while I am still nursing sore calves (everything else feels great!) I am already putting this race behind me and looking forward to next year. And I am already excited! Some exciting changes are ahead, I will be working with a coach for the first time and can't wait to share more soon. My race schedule is in the works and new goals are being made. This year has been a stepping stone in my career as a professional and sometimes I still pinch myself that I won an IM.

Big thanks goes out to everyone who cheered for me near and far this season, my family for supporting me at every IM this year, Brandon for being a super sherpa, and to my sponsors who have helped make this year as successful for me as it has. Thank you for giving me a chance to represent you and I look forward to more successes ahead: BMC, HED, ZOOT, RUDY PROJECT, and POWERBAR.

And while the snow is falling here in Boulder and the temps are sub 20, it smells a lot like Off-Season! I'll be checking in again soon!

Sunny, warm skies earlier this week!

IM 70.3 Vegas World Champs "Bonus Race"

I made the decision to take a Vegas slot after I was informed of one the day before leaving for IM Whistler. It was the world championship after all, how could you pass it up? I knew my chances of setting any kind of PR were unlikely as the race would take place just 14 days after the Ironman. My mom had qualified for the second year in a row and would be racing, and that helped solidify my decision to give it a go.

Recovery from Ironman Canada included a lot of days of no exercise at all. I "trained" for a total of 5 hrs the week after Whistler and barely doubled that the following week. The goal was to rest and recover as much as I could. Although just a half, it was the world championships and it would most likely be a race of attrition with the famous heat and difficulty the Vegas course is known for.

Pre race was hot. I felt my ears burning walking around packet pickup. Oh man, was this really the right decision for me? Some doubts crept in but I reminded myself that I chose to race and that I probably shouldn't put too much pressure on myself, I did just win an Ironman 2 weeks prior! I focused on getting enough salt into my body, along with plenty of fluids to stay as hydrated as possible.

While eating breakfast at 4 a.m. on race morning, I heard a strange sound outside the hotel room window. I asked my parents if they thought it sounded like rain. After looking out the window we couldn't quite believe our eyes. Yes, it was pouring rain! In Vegas! It's not supposed to rain in the desert. Oh boy, now I was really doubting my decision to race. (Visions of crashing on my bike haunt me every time it rains, as I have crashed twice in rainy races.)

Equipped with trash bags as rain coats, mom and I arrived at transition. It was raining, and coming down pretty good. The good news was that the temps were warm, so it felt like a warm shower mostly. I attempted wiping my bike off but there wasn't really any point to it as the rain kept falling steady. How odd, really, what were the chances. On the bright side, it would keep the hot temperatures at bay for most of the day.

Sonja and I exiting the swim, so glamorous!

I entered the water with 34 of my peers and we waited for the 6.34 a.m. swim start that would send us through the puddle like water of Lake Las Vegas. For the first time all year I found myself some feet on the swim, despite zero visibility in the murky water. I knew I wasn't quite swimming to my potential, but not knowing how my body would respond just 14 days post IM, I held back and settled into the small pack of 4 women. I think we swam slightly wide, which may have cost some time, but it's a tough call when you are part of a pack. To veer off on your own to swim a straighter line, or to stay with them and use less energy. I opted for the latter.

I exited the water with Sonja and a few other girls in over 32 minutes. Yikes, not my fastest day. The rain was still coming down and I made sure to cautiously run around every slick looking corner on my way to transition. The run to the mount line was interesting as it was uphill on what was by now mud covered carpet. My main objective for the bike was to stay rubber side down, as I had noticed earlier that the roads were slick as could be.

It was rather nasty on the bike

The bike ride had some early back and forth between Sonja, Rebecca and I. I initially let both go as I was playing it safe, but caught them back and passed them, once in Lake Mead State Park. The course proved to be challenging. I rode without sunglasses as the rain was so strong it only fogged them up and made visibility nearly impossible. The challenge was to keep my eyes open as riding downhill at 30 mph hurt with the rain pelting my face. I played the game of fast blinking in an effort to be able to see without the rain hitting my eyeballs.

Hills, hills, hills.

I didn't ride my disc for this race and in hindsight probably gave up a few minutes because of this. I had figured my legs would be dead and I needed my bike to be as light as possible to get up the hills. I caught a few women in the park and upon exiting and in the last few miles back to transition. When I looked down at my bike time I was a little disappointed as I figured to be about 5min faster, but on a day like this with the rain, no disc and a body not yet back at 100%, it was OK. After checking the other pro women's splits, most seemed somewhat slower than a year ago.

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Right as I dismounted my TM01 into T2, I could tell that my legs were not there. I have never felt such heavy bricks after coming off the bike. Oh man, this would be a long run. My IM effort was definitely still in me, no doubt. I gave up two spots in T2 as I took longer than the other two women who entered with me. I quickly caught back up to them, and used the downhill first part of the run course to reel them back in. But I could tell I'd never be able to hold this pace. The rain also seemed to have finally eased up and the sun was making an appearance by now. I would need to pay close attention to my hydration  in order to make it to the finish line.

One of those painful downhills

The run course was hard like people had said. It was either a long gradual up or a long gradual downhill. While I felt completely flat for the uphill part, it was the downhill part that would hurt more. On the first of the three loops I felt a familiar pain that almost stopped me in my tracks at IMAZ last year. My ribs seemed really unhappy with the jolting of the downhill, and my breathing was labored, and I could feel my chest tighten with my ribs just caving in around my lungs. I haven't had this happen since last year and I initially wrote it off as post IM fatigue, but after reading about two other competitors' experiencing similar symptoms and figuring it was asthma, I might have been in the same boat. I got through the rest of the downhills by running rather gingerly and telling myself to relax, as well as taking in as much fluid as I could, at each aid station. I'd be lying if I said dropping out didn't cross my mind. But then I quickly thought of my mom who was out there racing as well, and I knew I wasn't going to quit because I knew she would finish.

Airborne with brick legs!

I crossed the finish line in 20th place. Was I disappointed? Just a little. Its my competitive nature. I passed Kate B. in just the last mile and I knew exactly how she felt, as we both raced (and won) IMs 14 days earlier. Instead of Vegas being my "A" race this season, it was a "bonus" race I had only been informed of qualifying for 2 1/2 weeks prior. I knew that my competition was on their A+ game, and it was a humbling experience for sure after coming off my big W. But it was a personal test to see if I could manage to race again so soon, and I did, even if my body hated me. For now, I can't wait to relax at home, sleep in, enjoy the cooler weather (finally!) and recharge my battery for one last go in November. I signed up for IM Arizona and I plan on giving it my best shot.

A sunny Finish

A special thanks goes out to HED and BMC for their quick help in getting my bike and wheels race-ready after they received some damage in transit from IM Whistler. And thank you to Rudy Project, Zoot and Powerbar as well for your support all season. I missed a Kona slot by 2 spots this year, and with the new qualifying year upon us, I will be putting all my focus towards acing IMAZ in 2 months and getting a head start on points for next year. I have been looking at a tentative race schedule for next season and I can't wait to share it soon.

Thanks for reading!