Cathy Ennis Yndestad

Less than ideal, but…

2011-03-09T08:13:00.005-06:00

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out" ~Art Linkletter

After three decades of athletics and adventure filled antics, I guess my first broken bone at 32 is not all bad. Unfortunately however, I must add a Grade 4 AC joint separation and a muscle stuck in between the fracture to this first broken bone. My distal clavicle fracture looked pretty aligned in the initial x-ray, but the follow-up CT scan and MRI confirmed an unfortunate scenario for my right shoulder. It’s a “unique and unusual” situation, but thankfully I have a couple of great surgeons ready to piece it back together today.

The Crash: I was out riding, doing what I love. I was finishing up a great 70+ mile ride in Scottsdale and as I attempted to make the final turn into LifetimeFitness, I looked over my left shoulder to check for traffic, and before I looked forward again I was on the ground wincing in pain. My front tire caught a rut (small gap between the concrete road and shoulder), and I was thrown over the handlebars. My front tire was still stuck in the rut as my back wheel and I where over the top. The front wheel was jammed, and it was quite the challenge just to get it out (that rim is now toast). After 3 hrs waiting to get into the ER, they took an x-ray to confirm the clavicle break and I received my first morphine shot.

Diagnosis: I got into an Orthopedic shoulder specialist as soon as I got back to Mpls on Monday. A special thanks to Dr. Margarita Sevilla (was part of the LTF cycle camp) for coordinating such great care. Dr. Klepach reviewed the x-ray, and although the break looked pretty well aligned she thought we should do a CT scan to get a better idea what’s going on. I heard back on Wednesday that a few different shoulder surgeons were looking at the results, and they were concerned with the amount of separation between the fracture. They wanted to know more so I was in for an MRI on Friday. Meanwhile, thankfully my manager allowed me to work from home all week, so I didn’t miss too much on the workfront. On Monday, March 7th I had an appt with the orthos and they showed me all the pretty images of my messed up shoulder. As she classified my shoulder as Grade 4 and pointed to a handy chart with the explanations, I knew surgery would be necessary (only pics and description for grade1-3 as 4-5 are extremly rare). Two days later, here I am, getting ready for my first hospital stay, not to mention my first surgery.

Recovery: Considering the unique nature of my injury, the surgical course of action remains somewhat unknown. My surgeons have a few plans in mind, but will make the final call once they get in and see what they have to work with. I did hear 16 weeks before I can swim again, maybe back to 'normal' in 9-10 months, but should know more after the surgery. One thing I do know is that I will be diligent with the recovery protocol and won’t be rushing back to activity early. I want to have a healthy shoulder for a long time and if my initial activity is limited to physical therapy rehab, then so be it. Being healthy and active for a lifetime is much more important than rushing into anything to defy odds and race this season.

Blessed: In the big picture, this little accident and surgery is nothing. Just this morning I heard the awful news about professional runner and triathlete Sally Meyerhoff. Just yesterday, she was stuck by a truck in the Phoenix area while riding her bike. She was just getting into triathlon, but showed HUGE promise as a 2:35 marathoner. It just makes me sick to think about how sad her family and friends are right now as they’re forced into such a tragic and early goodbye. I’ve been putting my little accident in perspective all week as I consider myself blessed and lucky for everything I still have around me, but Sally’s tragedy brings this perspective to a whole new level.

What’s Next: When I draw on what makes me happiest, it’s being able to play and train with my family and friends. My primary objective is to get back to being able to do that. As far as racing goes, I had a pretty full race schedule planned with a focus on OLY distance racing. I had been swimming a ton and making great progress with my training and fitness level, so I’m sad I won’t be putting that to good use. BUT, In my mind right now, this season will be about recovery, training for health (mental and physical) and about giving back to the wonderful triathlon community as a volunteer. I may be able to race late season, but for now, that’s not my focus.

BIG Thank-You: No matter what, I have the most wonderful people around me. All the support I’ve received this week is a beautiful reminder of the people I’m so blessed to have in my life. I’ve always considered myself blessed, but this little detour has heightened my appreciation for the life I have. Of course, I’ll be unable to do many of my favorite things for a little while, but I’ll be back in no time. I’m learning through this forced slowdown to look at the big picture and not sweat the small stuff. I special thanks to my new chauffeur (Kerry) for driving me around. The flowers, the cards, the calls, the texts, the M&Ms (had to give some away in fear of turning into one), chopped up veggies/fruit, and the love and support that’s been flowing on Facebook has been very touching and appreciated. Again, so many reminders for just how lucky I am.

Hugs!! xoxo

Ironman Wisconsin

2010-09-20T15:56:00.010-05:00

I will keep this relatively brief.

Going into this race I knew one thing with 100% confidence- I was NOT overtrained. I desperately wanted to believe this was a good thing, but deep down I knew the harsh reality. I tried my best to recall my Hawaii Ironman in 2008 when my longest ride was 85 miles and longest run was a 15mile two weeks before (I was focused on OLY distance racing that year), and it turned out much better than expected. I knew I could do an Ironman without the mega miles… BUT, as I learned in Madison, DOING an Ironman and trying to RACE an Ironman is very different. WOWZERS, and it hurt…A LOT!

So for the Highlights:

- My sister Pam came from Toronto to watch
- Unbelievable support from my friends all day
- Did a pre race swim and attended first pro meeting with Charisa W
- 10 minute head start on the 2500 amateurs.
- The PRO women received PINK swim caps
- Running up the HELIX was amazing – I must have heard my name 100x! THANKS!
- Started the bike in 4th place (made the ironmanlive updates)
- Had the Motorcycle cameras guys following me
- Coming up OLD SAUK Pass and seeing my crew going crazy … with KY at the top!
- Watching Charisa zoom by at about mile 85 and go on to have a 5th place finish
- Despite starting the run with blisters, I didn’t lose any toes
- Seeing so many fellow racers on the run course with all the out and back sections.
- State Street was fun even while in the hurt locker (Thanks again amazing cheerleaders).
- Worked as hard as I could, and didn’t quit, despite hurting SO BAD
- Didn’t end up in the Med tent
- Watched my good friend Patti finish her first Ironman (we both did the endurance double (leadville+Ironman).
- Hung out with the greatest peeps post race at the Great Dane
- Watched the final finishers cross the line at Midnight – AMAZING SIGHT.

And the Lowlights:

- Didn’t see another rider on the bike until mile 8 (a guy passed) and mile 13 (Desiree) passed- Pretty lonely out there.
- Wanting to stop and go to sleep during the 2nd lap of the bike
- Unable to stay in aero position due to extreme soreness in my upper body (my TT bike does not ride like my full suspension MTB bike)
- Did I mention how tired I felt?
- Muscles stopped working at half way point of the marathon
- Was passed with 2 miles to go for the final money spot

So the Highlights list is much longer than the Lowlights list - SWEET! I look back on the race and smile. I ended up finishing 9th Pro in 10:37ish (55 – 5:45 – 3:47). My wishful goal time was 10:20 (55 - 5:30- 3:40). It was my bike performance that let me down - Although I logged a lot of miles to prepare for Leadville, they were never hard miles. I relied on my scattered races to count as bike workouts, and that just wasn’t enough. Not to mention the fact that I didn't spend enough time on my TT bike (in aero position), which became painfully obvious throughout the 2nd loop of the bike.

Lessons learned:
- A 100 Mile MTB 4 weeks before Ironman is probably not the best training (but it sure is fun)!
- Running 20-30 miles/week (on good weeks) is not enough running for me.
- Must take advantage of knowing the BEST bike fitters in the business (Gear West) and revisit my bike fit.
- No more racing this year – Time to rebuild, get strong and work on my weaknesses.

Well... just one little race (the famous Chequamegon FAT TIRE 40) but that doesn’t really count if you ride super slow and at the back of the pack , RIGHT? It's all about the post race PARTY…

… Unless you crash over some dude who goes down right in front of you – Doh! More to come on that adventure from last weekend...

Leadville 100 MTB Race Report: Part two

2010-09-08T16:47:00.005-05:00

It’s been almost four weeks since the Leadville 100MTB race, which means I should really just skip the race report, but considering this race was one of the greatest endurance events I’ve ever done (and I’ve had more than one request for a report), I’ll do my best to recount this highly memorable day.

On race morning we arrived in Leadville about 60min prior to the 630 start time. The crowds had already formed, and we were forced to line up pretty far back from the start line. People lay their bikes in the street to hold their place, and we squeezed into the mayhem on the far side of the Main street intersection. This would be my first MASS MTB start like, and with 1600+ riders anxious to start their journey, I knew it would be tricky. I kept thinking how much I’d prefer an Open water mass swim start…

With Temps in the mid 30s, I was doing my best to stay warm. I had thick gloves and hand warmer packets to keep the blood circulating in my fingers. With just shorts, knee warmers, jersey, arm warmers and vest, I knew I’d be chilly on the 4-5 mile downhill asphalt descent out of town, but I was careful not to overdress as the first climb up St Kevin’s was bound to get the fire burning. I’d been warned that the start can be tricky as people jockey for position before hitting the double track dirt trail. I didn't want to risk anything during that section of the race, but looking back, I believe I took it out too conservatively and paid a price for it during the chaotic climb up Kevin’s. I felt strong on the climb yet was forced off my bike several times as people lost traction in front of me. I patiently navigated the masses, and was excited to start seeing more open trail towards the top of the first major climb.

After about 10-15miles into the ride, I was having a blast and loved the fact that I could finally ride without worrying too much about the mobs of people around me. I LOVED the 3+ mile asphalt decent on Sugarloaf. I had a flash back to my alpine ski racing days as I navigated the curvy roads in a deep tuck. It was so much fun to take advantage of the fat tires by taking the descent more aggressively.

The Hagerman’s Pass climb got super crowded in a hurry, but at least this time I was able to maneuver and get in a decent position before the BIG descent. I found my buddy AL towards the top of Hagerman’s and with him nearby I knew I was in good company. We finally arrived at the top of Powerline - The most dreaded downhill of the race, and although I survived without any issues during camp, I knew it would be a different story this time around with the extra riders. As we were flying down near the top, we could hear screams of ‘Rider down, SLOW down.’ This is the most dreadful sound, and I was a scary sight to see a pile of riders and people hovering around to help. They were telling everyone to keep moving. Of course people fall all the time in mountain biking, and even though I couldn’t see the rider, you could tell it was serious based on the emotions of the helpers around him. I think that slowed the pace of the entire descent as people instantly became more cautions. I was able to make it down without any issues, but seeing an ambulance rushing in the road made me queasy for a while. I knew the rider was getting the help they needed, and with that I tried my best to get positive thoughts flowing through my mind again.

Luckily I was just a few miles from the first aid station called Pipeline. With hundreds of spectators and energy from the support crew the race day energy was back at max. This would be my first time check … and I was about 10min ahead of schedule. I didn’t have any plans to stop at this aid station as I was well stocked to make it all the way to Twin Lakes

From there, I caught up with a few LTF guys; Peter S, Jeff R, Jeff Z and we worked together in a paceline for a few miles. It was really fun to catch up with these guys and see a few familiar faces. The section from Pipeline to Twin Lakes is relatively mellow, with one pretty steep descent before the new single track section. I’d seen a few riders crash there during camp, so I was a little nervous, but thankfully (I put on beefier front tire for the race) I was able to get down ok. I did find out later that my friend Coach Troy actually broke his collar bone there just before I arrived.

I was really looking forward to next aid station at Twin Lakes. This was the Main area for support, and it was nothing short of MAYHEM (in the best of ways). Most riders have their own support crew, so you can imagine all the people with tents and parties set up in this area. My crew was planning to position themselves on the other side of the dam, but I couldn’t make out any individuals in the sea of festivity. I actually rode right past my crew, and the LTF folks started chasing me to tell me to turn around. Thankfully I found them, and I was able to execute my plan, and get ready for the next MAJOR section of the race. I swamped out my 80ozCamelback bladder (with 5 scoops of Carbo pro) for another. Although I was plenty warm at this stage of the race, I’d been warned never to climb a mtn in Colorado without extra warm clothes, so I kept my arm warmers (pulled down) and my wind vest (wide open) for the hike up Columbine.

In my pace planning for the race, the climb up Columbine was the big X-factor. I felt great during camp, but that was on relatively fresh legs and with less people covering the trail. I forecasted 2:25 for the ascent, but I was really hoping that I could do it in less than 2 hrs. I was constantly passing people on the climb, but once we got to the top of the treeline, the two way traffic from the riders making their way down made it very difficult to ride around the ‘hike- a- bikers’. Even at this stage of the race (about 4 hrs in), I was passing a lot of people who were cramping pretty badly or just couldn’t ride the rocky trail. Eventually the trail narrowed and the downward traffic increased, and everyone climbing was forced into a single file ‘death march” for about a mile. A large portion of this area was in fact rideable, but there was no chance of that with the traffic.

Summiting Columbine was unbelievable! There was a neutral aid station at the top (they did not allow crew or spectators up there), and I enjoyed the buffet of Watermelon and PB&J sandwiches. Typically this is where people add warmer clothers for the descent but today was different. It was much warmer than usual, and unlike last year, we didn’t have rain and hail to terrorize us on the descent. ON the way down I was able to see more friends, and it was wonderful to hear Kerry yell my name as I passed by. I heard so many encouraging words from fellow LTF riders, but it I was pretty much 100% focused on the trail as the descent on the narrow baby head terrain was pretty scary at times.

I could smell hydraulic brake fluid and I did my best to work my brakes in an attempt to prevent overheating and loss of function. The descent took about 40 minutes, and I was back at Twin Lakes in no time. By this checkpoint, I had made up about 45 min on my goal, and was still feeling strong. I finally shed the arm warmers, knee warmers, changed into lighter gloves, and swamped my empty Camelback again with another 80oz + 600 cals of Carbo Pro. I wish I had lubed my chain at this stop, but I was just too excited and wanted to keep it moving.
Our crew was awesome. They changed out my packs, gave me a few extra gels and lot of encouragement as I took off from Twin Lakes.

In about another 65 minutes I made it to the Pipeline aid station. I refilled my camelbak again leaving me with about 80oz of fluid for the final 25 miles. This section was the final test with challenging climbs back up Powerline and Sugarloaf.

Coming out of Pipeline someone told me I was in about 12th place. This was the first time I even considered this a ‘race’ per se, and I was shocked. Of course, at this point, the competitive juices started flowing, and I started dreaming of a top 10 finish. I worked hard, on the windy road section, but I knew I couldn’t get ahead of myself as the Powerline climb was still looming.

Powerline - It was what I expected- Brutal. I was forced to walk a large portion of the lower section and I was passing many folks suffering with severe cramps. Everyone was doing their best to motivate each other upward, but it was grueling. This was by far, the toughest section of the race, and it came at mile 80… With multiple false summits, it was a mental battle as well as the obvious physical battle to keep the pedals turning over.

Once I reached the top, I looked at the clock and started thinking about the finish line for first time. I realized that a sub10 hr race was possible, and became hyper sensitive to anything that could cause mechanical failures. The rocky decent down Hagerman’s left me concerned in a few sections, but once we hit the asphalt/ Sugarloaf, I knew the likelihood for mechanical failure was minimal for a while (Great Feeling)!

The final descent was St Kevin’s, and after almost biting the dirt at a very high speed, I was quickly reminded just how dangerous this type of riding can be. I had no reason to risk injury, and I dialed it way back for the rest of the descent. Once at the bottom, I knew I was pretty much home free with just 7 additional miles of fairly straight forward terrain. Knowing I didn’t have to run afterwards was enough to keep the legs feeling strong through the finish. LOVED THAT!!

Coming up 6th street and seeing that finish banner evoked such a mix of emotions: Relief, Excitement, Pride, etc. I ended up finishing 12th Overall female, which included a slew of veteran Pro MTB riders and experienced Leadville riders. My finish time was about an hour faster than my projected time, and I was INJURY FREE!!!

I hung around the finish and watched fellow Lifetime Fitness riders cross the line. Words can’t even begin to describe all the excitement in that area. It was unreal. I heard from our crew that Kerry was riding well, and was managing his hydration to a tee. Although Kerry’s original forecasted finish time was 11:40, the latest update was closer to the 11hr mark.

Being inside the chute to watch Kerry cross the line was by far the greatest moment of the day. We BOTH did it!!!! This race was truly a celebration of our Epic Journey together, and we’re so blessed to have survived this day with no injuries and a shiny new belt buckle.

We enjoyed watching more riders to cross the line. Our dear fiends Patti and AL, ran into some trouble on the course. AL who has already broken his wrist earlier this year in a horseback riding accident had injured his other wrist (with a possible concussion), while Patti ran into some gut issues and had trouble getting calories down. Even with these unfortunate events, they persevered, and ended up coming across the finish line together –Holding hands -Incredible!

After watching all these people get their belt buckle, I received the news regarding the seriously injured rider I mentioned earlier. Well it turned out that it was in fact our friend and fellow LTF rider Gary W. He had been airlifted from the top of Powerline to a hospital in Denver. He was in very serious condition, but around 7pm, we all received the update that he was going to be ok. His family was there watching, and although his wife went with him to Denver, his two girls were still in Leadville. My heart was so scared and sad for these amazingly strong little girls. Luckily Bill D. and family took great care of them and were able to keep the emotions in check as best they could.

UPDATE ON GARY: He has finally been able to come back and receive his care in MN after a 2 week stay at the Denver Hospital. He encountered a bad head injury and multiple rib fractures in the crash, and although it won’t be an easy road to full recovery, it’s been incredibly inspiring to read and hear about all the wonderful support he has by his side. Gary- I’m checking your Caring pages every day, and I’m so trilled you’re back in MN with your family. Sending you all the strongest healing wishes possible my friend. Thinking of you and your family - Can’t wait to ride by your side again soon!

A special Thanks to Lifetime Fitness for doing everything possible to help Gary and his family through this. It was very special to be part of your team for everything that you represent. Outstanding group of people – Thank- You, Thank-You, Thank-You!!!

Leadville Adventure Report – Part One: Pre-Race

2010-08-23T20:39:00.019-05:00

For those of you who’ve been reading my blog, it should come as no surprise that Kerry and I were super excited to have the opportunity to race in the Leadville 100 mile Mountain Bike race. It’s a lottery style entry, so getting a race number is almost as challenging as the race itself. With that in mind, we did everything we could to make it count.

Although I’ve never attempted an endurance MTB race like this, Kerry and I have been racing Mountain bikes off and on for the last five or six years. We’ve done our share of Xterra’s ,Buck Hill, and MORS cup races, but these events typically range in the 10-25 mile range. The Leadville 100MTB was about stepping very far from of our comfort zone… and of course meeting and training with new friends, and bringing home a flashy new belt buckle!

We decided to drive to Colorado, and left town a week early in an attempt to learn how to breathe at 10,000ft.
After stopping in Boulder to catch up with a few friends and watch the Boulder 70.3 on Sunday (and sneak in an 18miler), we finally made our way up the Mountains Sunday afternoon.

To properly kick off the Leadville party, we enjoyed a Cowboy grill out at ‘Camp LTF’ Sunday night: Here's the view from the backyard – BA grilled our mega steaks on the open camp fire, and asking for it medium WELL was not a wise move! Many LTF folks had been in town for a few weeks (as they had exciting business to complete), so it was fun to catch up and hear all the stories from the trails, which included several Lance rendezvous and the most up to date course conditions.

After a little birthday surprise cake, we headed to our log cabin in Buena Vista to set up camp for the week. Special thanks to Merilee for giving us the keys to such a beautiful home – WOW – it was perfect!

I must admit that it was challenging staying in such a beautiful place and being forced to rest. I just wanted to ride and hike and play Colorado style. Instead, I actually worked three days from the cabin: Here's our home office
– In the end, this was probably a smart move on my part as tapering properly would have been impossible with the appeal of the adventure filled outdoors. I did in fact take the day off Monday to visit Colorado Springs and catch up with an old teammate from ISU. She hooked us up at her Country Club (CC of C) where we had the luxury of swimming in a 50m outdoor pool. What a treat - I think this was my first swim in a long course pool all year, and then add that to the glorious Mountain Views, and no pool traffic and we were in heaven. From the pool we made our way to the Iconic Broadmoor GC where Cathy works - That place is spectacular, and will host the Women’s US Open next year. We played a little golf, and enjoyed a dinner filled with all kinds of ‘blast from the past’ moments before heading back to BV.

Thank again Cathy for completely spoiling is in COS. We owe ya!

We stayed away from the Leadville hustle all week, but Friday came quickly and it was time to get ready for the big day. We drove into Leadville for the mandatory check-in and meeting. Race director Ken Clouber delivered a motivational speech to a packed house of 1600+ riders and crews. He told stories of toughness and fortitude, with the theme of “DON”T YOU QUIT”. As I looked around the gymnasium, I don’t think I saw a dry eye. Clearly the emotions of what we were about to experience, and what we’ve experienced to get there were at an all time high. My words certainly can’t do it justice, but it was a very special moment we all shared from the event.

As depicted in this photo, a race like this takes a lot of prep, and I’m not talking about training. Getting our stuff (nutrition and extra clothes, supplies) organized for our crew was an operation. We had a very knowledgeable crew and certainly owe them a great deal of thanks for what they did for us on race day.

I managed to get to bed by 9pm – and up again at 4am! Race day was finally here…

Part two: Race Day... to be continued.

Leadville 100 MTB- Truly Something Special

2010-08-17T08:39:00.003-05:00

What an amazing experience. I will get a real race report together soon, but in the meantime this photo serves as a summary of what this event was all about for me.

Sharing this truly EPIC event with Kerry was so unbelievable. Here I am jumping up and down as I see Kerry coming up to the finish line a full hour ahead of the 12hr cut-off, and 40minutes ahead of his projected finish time. I’m SO SO proud - That moment alone will be keep a smile on my face for a VERY long time.

Chisago Lakes Half Iron RR

2010-07-30T16:41:00.003-05:00

After the fat tire bonanza in Colorado, it was time to get back into Triathlon mode. Considering we enjoyed 14 hrs of High Country training in three days, we tried our best to recover quickly and get ready for the Chisago Half. Although considered a ‘local race’ it felt far from that on race morning with so many new faces in transition.

Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling very confident come race morning, nonetheless I was excited to race my first half of the year. This would be career half #6 for me, yet I still feel like such a rookie out there. As a prolific short course racer, I typically don’t have to think much about strategy and plan- I go all out from the start and drink a bottle of something on the bike- Simple!! Well, considering that’s not recommended for longer races, this would be an opportunity to learn more about how it’s done.

Swim: Straight out and back. After last year’s super short swim course, I was hoping it would be closer to the 1.2 miles this time around. It certainly didn’t look like it from shore, but I was happy when I saw 27:xx on my watch when I excited the water- Seemed reasonable to me. Although the simplicity of having an out and back course is nice for the event staff, it can be a problem for the racers. What quickly became two-way swim traffic on the course, as swimmers started drifting to the opposite side of the buoys, led to one painful collision for me. I was close to someone’s feet for about 100m when all of a sudden WHAM-I went head to head with someone from a later wave who had found themselves in the wrong ‘lane”. All I could think about was Mary’s concussion from IMLP a few years ago, and started to question if I was ok. It hurt, but thankfully the race adrenaline kicked back in and I was back on my way. I decided to veer further to the right of the buoy line and swim by myself., and amazingly I felt stronger from there and led a pack of swimmers into T1 including Jackie Arendt from Madison.

Bike: I knew this was make or break time for me. Knowing Jackie is a much faster runner, I figured I would need 5+ minutes off the bike just to have a shot. I also had no idea how the other girls compared, and at the time I assumed Heather and Marnie were racing (both strong bikers and better runners). I started off and I felt pretty good (although I had a ton of blood all over my hands from my swim crash). I read that there would be an Aid station at mile 29, and I planned my hydration accordingly. Well that was a mistake. I wized through the Aid station at mile 20 (still ok there) thinking It would be best to hold off putting a “heavy” bottle on my bike early…. Well, with no aid station until about mile 35, I had let myself go too long without fluids. With just two bottle holders on my bike (and one is my 450cal Carbo Pro), I kept holding off on taking in more calories as I knew I needed water to wash it down. Finally I saw an aid station at about mile 35, and I slowed down to nurse myself back. I really didn’t feel bad, but I knew I still had a LOT of racing left and letting yourself get depleted early is recipe for disaster. I finally got myself together and started peddling hard again.

I’m not sure where it was on the course, but eventually Jackie passed me (maybe Mile 45). I knew I was in trouble at that point, but I got my head together and moved back ahead. I tried to peddle strong, but we went back and forth one more time before I took the lead for the final 5-6 miles. We ended up coming into t2 together and it didn’t take her long to zoom by and get off in front on the run course. She took off with her long strides, but I knew I had to stay within myself this early in the race. I haven’t been doing much run training, but I had a goal to hold 7min/mile pace. The first few miles trickled by at 6:55ish, and I felt very controlled and comfortable (I figured I could hold it). Jackie had made up huge ground on me already, so catching her was not on my mind. I was however VERY concerned for what was happening behind me. I really wasn’t sure who was on the course and what was happening so I tried looking back a few times, but thankfully didn’t see anyone. It’s an out an back course with a little ‘lolly pop’ on the top. I started to fade towards the 7 mile mark (this is when I’m typically finishing my race), and noticed my pace had slipped closer to 7:20s. Ugh. I wasn’t feeling great and tried to take as much ice and water as I could in an attempt to keep myself together. I was thrilled to make it back to the finish line in one piece, and pick up an decent paycheck in the process.

It was a great day with a lot of fun people. So many fun cheers from spectators and racers alike. Sorry if I couldn’t return the favor of cheering on my return leg back to town. I was in a world of hurt at that point.

As I look back on the results, I’m pleased with the numbers. There’s not much I could have done to hold off the talented Jackie Arendt out there. At only 25years of age, she has incredible potential- having the legs to race back to back half Ironman’s, and a top 10 OA at Ironman St George (super hard course) is extremely impressive. She’ll has a great triathlon career in her future. It will be fun to watch her kick butt on her 'home course" at Ironman Wisconsin in a few weeks. If the weather is right, I predict she'll pick up an amateur CR.

These race results also remind me of how much I must improve to compete at that level - I’m super excited to keep learning and gaining more experience with the longer distance races. Fun Stuff.

LTF Leadville Training Camp

2010-07-21T16:30:00.012-05:00

I love Colorado - What a beautiful place! This past weekend, Lifetime Fitness hosted a High Country training camp in preparation for the Leadville 100 MTB race. As many of you know, I’ve been very excited about the opportunity to race in Leadville, however without having done anything like it, I’ve also been very nervous. Needless to say, having the opportunity to attend camp would be HUGE for us.

Kerry and I flew out Thursday afternoon, and arrived in Leadville around 8pm. Thankfully a fellow camper (Bill in the photo below) from MN provided bike transport services, so the travel was a breeze.
Thursday night included a quick camp kick-off meeting, but the real fun started early Friday morning when we rolled through town just after 8am. Our two day ride plan included covering the entire 100 mile course: Day 1 was 25miles out (down Powerline to Fish Hatchery) and back. Day two started near the Fish Hatchery (also known as the Pipeline) and lead us up to the famous Columbine mine (at 12,600ft) and back.

Although clearly some riders were all business, I was on total casual mode heading out of town. The race starts with a ~3 mile downhill (pavement) section, and from there we turn onto a dirt trail which leads to the first real climb (St. Kevin’s). This is where the group separated in a hurry. With over 35 riders of various riding abilities we simply had to split into small groups. I felt pretty good on the climb and was able to ride St Kevin’s without much trouble. I expect this section of the course will be VERY different on race day as 1500 riders jockey for position early in the race.

The next fun section included 3+ miles of fast downhill known as Sugarloaf. We were flying down that thing. Although I loved the speed, that little voice upstairs was reminding me that I would be climbing all the way back up later (which is about mile 90 in the race)!

I was expecting the impact of the altitude to knock me down in a hurry, but thankfully I was feeling OK. Of course I was breathing like a chain smoker, but I wasn’t feeling nauseous- Huge plus! As we climbed up Hagerman’s Pass I was smiling ear to ear while admiring the beautiful views- It was unreal. Although I loved the climb up, knowing the infamous Powerline descent was just around the corner, was a little nerve wreaking. I had no idea what to expect, but as the stories go, this is the most technical and steepest section of the course. There were a few sketchy sections making my hair stand on end, but I managed to keep the wheels rolling. Not sure how that will be with hundreds of other riders around me- It was tricky enough when I had the liberty of choosing MY own line. Once down Powerline it was a simple road section to the day's turnaround point (and aid station).

Then it was back up Powerline….
I took off behind Cole, and tried my best to keep him in sight as we started upward. The bottom section is the worst, and although many people had already started walking, I tried to stay close and follow Cole's line. I was quickly out of gears and out of lungs, but our videocrew was mid way up the steep section and I didn’t want to dismount in front of them. I pushed myself harder than I think I ever have, and thankfully I saw Cole stop not too far ahead. That was my destination...

Well I made it up to Cole, but to this day, I’m pretty sure I left half my lung in that area. [my breathing has been impaired ever since] My breathing was louder than I think I’ve ever heard it, and I can guarantee that I’ve never pushed myself like that before. From there, it was hike-a-bike for about 10 minutes to the first of 3 (maybe 4) false summits. Once I hopped back on the bike I was thankfully able to keep riding to the top. I believe the climb took over 45minutes (maybe 3 miles). It will be interesting to see how that feels at mile 80 of the race…. Epic indeed.

I felt great the rest of the way back to town, including the long climb back up Sugarloaf. After about 6 hours of riding (we also got lost a few times so ended up riding closer to 58 miles), I was ready to be off the bike.

It was time for Ice Bath #1 and burrito #1… This shack kept us fueled all weekend :-)

DAY 2:
We rode 6 miles (all downhill) to get to our ‘official’ start point. We could see off in the distance (up in the mountains) our ultimate destination for the day, and although it was an extremely beautiful view, I knew it would be a real challenge climbing up there. The stories about that climb, about what it takes, the impact of minimal O2 @ 12,600ft got me fired up in a weird way. Bring it on!I rode with Bahram and Jeff to the Twin Lakes rest area. Just as we arrived, the lead group was starting to leave and head up the Mountain. I waited at the aid station for a few minutes, then Kerry and I then set off towards the summit together. From Twin Lakes, I wanted to break 2 hrs to the summit. I was super excited to start the journey, but I had to conserve-had to be patient - Had to fuel and hydrate. It was steady.…. Climbing is definitely the best part for me, as I think my years of high intensity tri training translates perfectly to this department. I just kept trucking along, and before I knew it, I could see the summit. I was able to ride most of the way, but with about one mile to go, there were multiple sections of hike a bike required. I think my Garmin announced a 23 min mile… but as a whole, the trip from Twin Lakes took around 1hr 40 minutes. I felt (relatively) great!

Anyhow once you summit, you get to ride across a flat section (aka, the 'Ride Across the Sky'), then descend down to the old mine shack. That feeling I expereinced while coming down the hill to reach the official turnaround point was unreal. I was so excited. I stayed up there for over 20 minutes taking in the sights. The descent was a little tricky at the top, but not too bad with limited uphill rider traffic…. Again, that will be another story on race day as the packs of riders will be making their way up the small rocky jeep road while riders are descending….

It didn’t take very long to get back down, but my hands cramped from riding the brakes the entire time (I'll be moving my brake levers a little closer to the grips for race day). Once at the bottom, I sort of hit a mental wall - The excitement was over for the day, but we still had to retrace our tracks back to the starting point. That sections seems to drag on forever, but we finally met up with the rest of the crew and called it a day at mile 56.

Time for Ice bath #2, and Burrito #2 of camp…. Then it was time for Burrito #3

I was feeling pretty smoked from the 12+ hrs of riding over the past two days, and was ready for bed.

Although I had plans to 'rest' on Sunday morning, I couldn't stay put... We had some free time to do our own thing, and as most campers left early or did another ride, Kerry and I decided to explore Turquoise Lake. I think the altitude was starting to affect me at this point, but I couldn't pass up the chance to run in such a beautiful area. It was a great opportunity to appreciate the amazing views. I LOVE IT there!

It was such a fun weekend. The Camp support and riders were great, and I can’t wait to head back out there in a few weeks. This time, I know what to expect, and have 35 new fiends to share the experience with.

22 days until race day!! YEAH

Lifetime Fitness Race Report

2010-07-13T10:47:00.005-05:00

Earlier this year, when I had plans to cut back my racing, The Lifetime Fitness triathlon was NOT on the chopping block. As I mentioned before, this year would be the 9th edition of the race, and my 9th time racing. It the only race I’ve done every year, and I wanted to keep the string in tact. Originally my coach was reluctant to let me do it… He knows how much pressure can be placed on my for that race and with my focus on the long races, he thought it would freak me out…. In the past, I would get bent out of shape with all the pressure and expectations, but thankfully for many reasons it really does not faze me anymore.

With that said, I was not willing to do a real taper for this race, as this is prime Ironman training time. When a holiday long weekend rolls around, I need to maximize my training time. Sprint Race Sat morning -A tough 15 mile run on Sunday - 5 hours of climbing/30 min T run in Prescott WI on Monday. I was pretty smoked after those big days, so the remaining four days leading up to the race were all about maximizing recovery…. No shortage of ice baths, massage, High quality fuel , and rest. I did a few short workouts to keep the blood flowing, but that’s about it. I had NO idea what kind of legs would show up on race day, but regardless, I was SUPER excited. I just love that race.

It was a non-wetsuit swim for amateurs (hasn’t been that way in several years). Water was 81, so I’m so glad they did not find a ‘magic’ place in the lake to get a 78 reading- I would have roasted in my wetsuit. Instead I had my trusty blueseventy swimskin and I was ready to go. I love this swim start shot. I’m usually not this aggressive, but I guess I was excited! The elite Amateur women started with the elite masters (both men and women), so I was lined up next to the famous Spinervals founder Troy Jacobson. I had a good start, but it didn’t take long for several people to swim on by. I knew Tami would have a super fast swim, but I really had no idea what kind of swimmers the “out-of-towners” were. I knew I had to work hard, and just kept moving along. I didn’t find much of a draft out there, but ended up swimming next to Susan Willams and a girl from Ontario, Leanna Lee. We all excited the water together, but I was able to get out of T1 in front. I didn’t hear any updates on what was happening in front of me, but I assumed at minimum Tami was making her way around the bike course already. I think last year I passed her before hitting the Parkway, but I knew she was a much faster racer this year. My bike legs felt pretty good, but this race is all about being smart and being heads-up. These are urban city streets and with that comes nasty potholes (these roads are NOT bike roads- there are miles of bike trails along the side). If you’re not familiar with this course, it can bite you at any time. It’s pretty technical with a lot of corners and little climbs. It’s also just a tad long. This of course, has worked to my advantage over the years.

I passed Tami on the St Paul side of the Parkway shortly before crossing the Ford bridge, and I hammered hard to move ahead. Once I crossed over Cedar Ave (about 13 miles into the ride), KY told me that I was in second place. I had no clue who was up there, but I was in full pursuit mode. I ended up catching Abby on that short climb before crossing Lyndale. I was not feeling overly confident in my run legs, and having no clue what kind of runner she was, I just kept hammering knowing full well that I’d much rather work extra hard on the bike than endure a shoulder to shoulder 10K run. There’s no doubt my experience on this race course made ALL the difference this day as I was taking the corners aggressively and I knew exactly how to take the lines. I felt like I was having a smart and strong ride. I came into t2 in the lead, but I was very nervous for the girls coming behind me. It’s a two loop (around the lake) run course, and at about the 1 .25 mile mark there’s a ~500m out an back on the Cedar bridge. That’s always the moment of truth…. I could see Abby on that section, as she was looking much better than I was feeling. Someone rode up and told me that I had about a minute on her at that point. I was doing the math, and quickly realized that it was no gimme. At the pace I was running, and with extremely heavy legs, I was very nervous she’d be running me down. Then on the next loop on the same out and back section (~mile4.5) I noticed Tami had already passed Abby, and appeared to be running well. After not even seeing her on the first loop, her pace was obviously MUCH faster than mine. With less than 2 miles to go, I knew I had to dig. I was running very scared, and I was hurting. With about .5 miles to go, I looked back and I (thought I) saw Tami just 10 yds behind me. That was it…I thought it was over, but I did what I could to pick it up. When I came down the home stretch people kept telling me “You’ve got it” “nobody there” “you can cruise it on home.” I didn’t believe them and kept focusing on the finish line. Finally I arrived to the generous applause from the crowd and high praise from Jerry’s microphone. I was exhausted… I think Tami ended up finishing 30 seconds behind me.

I was greeted at the line by Kerry, Braham (Lifetime CEO) and many other friends. It was great to catch up with everyone. I enjoyed watching all the other finishers come across the line, but I quickly realized that something must have happened to Julie. She hadn’t crossed yet, and I was getting kind of nervous. Kerry then told me that she had crashed on the bike but is still running…. What a trouper- I saw her come down the finish chute with bandages all over her arms, scrapes all over her back and chin, and her first words...“I’m pretty sure my wrist is broken.” Well sure enough, she was right. Such a bummer- Here’s a little story on Minnesota tri news about the accident. I must add that the crash happened with about 20yds left (she was already out of her shoes) when a spectator decided to drag her family across the road right in front of Julie…. I get angry just thinking about it, but of course, Julie is in good spirits. We even celebrated Erik and Jen’s B-day the next day on the St Croix… She wasn’t about to miss the party boat!

Minnman Race Report

2010-07-13T10:46:00.002-05:00

.3mile swim – 13mile bike – 3 mile run

I’m a little late with this report, but what can I say… There’s been a lot of stuff going on lately. I missed this race last year, so I was pretty excited to test my high end speed on this super fast sprint course. In an attempt to come up with specific goals for the race, I looked back at my results from 2008 when I set the course record, and was trying to figure out where I could make up time to break that mark. That year the swim seemed a tad long, my transitions were fast, I had a good bike, my run was marginal. I really couldn’t find much wiggle room to break that 1:02:30 record, but I was going to do my best. I knew that much of the outcome would rest on how the swim was measured. For such a sort race, it can make a huge difference….

And that it did. As it turns out, I’m pretty sure the swim was at least 150m short. Although that does not sound like much, as a percentage, it was probably 35% shorter than last year. To make it even ‘better’ you could pretty much dolphin dive the entire course. How the heck else would I be able to come out of the water with a BIG TEN champion/ All-American swimmer. When I came up from my 50th dolphin dive to exit Lake George, it felt like entire elite field was there with me. Many guys who typically pass me in the middle of the bike were coming out of the water with me… and then I looked at my watch and saw 5:10. OK, well that will help my quest to break the record, but this triathlon has basically become a Bike-Run Sprint with a little splash at the beginning. Again, I love numbers, so here’s a good stat for you…my combined transition time was 48% of my total swim time… and THAT’s why I practice my transitions!

Bike was good- I used a PowerTap wheel, which I’m learning is extremely valuable on flat bike courses. I tend to drift off into ‘comfort zone’ pretty easily when I’m flying down the road at 25mph, but then I look at my wattage, see 150 Watts and realize that the tail wind is doing most of the work. I picked it up and managed to post a faster bike split than I did back in 2008… Progress. Now off to my ‘favorite’ part… the out and back 3mile run that seems to drag on forever. Thankfully after making the turn at the halfway point I didn’t see any women in threatening position, but I was still working as hard as I could. My adjusted goal was to break the hour mark, but as I felt my feet dragging along the ground, I didn’t think it was possible. When I rounded the final corner, I could see the race clock at 59:54…. I tried to pick it up, but ended up crossing at 1:00:02.

It was a beautiful day, and it was so refreshing to have the whole weekend left to play… I love Saturday races!

And the man behind all the awesome photos...

The PRO card application has been submitted...

2010-07-12T17:05:00.006-05:00

Well I pulled the trigger…Why the heck not. My PRO card application is in the hands of USAT. I have to admit, this is something I’ve considered for the last two years, but for many reasons I never really believed it was the right move for me.

Originally I was planning to do it after my first Ironman World Championship back in 2008. I had to check that KONA box, but after the race, I realized how much fun I had just being out there…not racing anyone, no pressure or expectations. I wanted more of that, so early in 2009 I had plans to step back from all the racing (I think I raced 16 times in 2008), to seek out new adventures and challenges.

Well my Love for the sport shined through, and I found myself on the start line weekend after weekend as soon as the season started. It was still one race at a time- I had no real goals aside from doing the best I could each week. I don’t think I even registered for AG Nationals until about 3 weeks before, and I ended up wrapping up the year as the 2009 USAT Amateur Triathlete of the year (although there were plenty of other amateurs whom I believe were more deserving).

So again, in 2010, I longed for something new. I barely swam all winter, and when I got my ticket into Leadville (100 Mile MTB), it was all about the bike. It was just the change I needed. Then I decided to enter a few early races just for the speed workouts. Everyone kept saying that although Leadville is a 12 hr race, you need to do LOTS of threshold work as the altitude (10,000+ft) induces threshold like feelings all day long! So the season rolled around - It was late May, and I decided to sign up for my first race of the season- The Gear West Duathlon. My goal was Top 5, but I ended up surprising myself and defended my win from the prior year. So one by one (and typically just days before each) I would register for another race. With my 2010 racing goals being “survive Leadville”, all self imposed pressure to perform at a high level was removed. I raced to give myself the best training day possible. I was much better off-Both physically and mentally. It was a completely different mindset from previous years and a very welcomed change.

Over the last few years, most of my hesitation with getting the Pro card was simply that I love my current lifestyle. Having a full time job enables me to do more of the things I love; such a travelling with friends, eating high quality organic food, frequent massage, buying new gear, supporting others etc. I love my current training buddies and my ‘whatever goes’ approach to group training/outings. I felt the only way I could do the Pro thing was to give all that up. Had to FOCUS AND BE DISCIPLINED! I’m very realistic (I’m no Olympian or World Champion athlete), and I just wasn’t ready to make that kind of sacrifice just to call myself a Pro triathlete.

So since early May, I’ve been focused on surviving Leadville, and all thoughts of getting my PRO card had disappeared- Well, that was until this past Saturday.

I was racing in my 9th Lifetime Fitness triathlon, and after finishing the race, I hear my biggest fan (he’s every triathletes biggest fan), Jerry MacNeil announce that I had won my 5th straight LTF race. Although I was running VERY scared (I’ll try to do a race report soon), and I never took it for granted, I felt sort of embarrassed by the announcement, and thought to myself-TIME TO MOVE ON.

When I think about why I race, it’s truly about the experience and doing the best that “I” can do. I’ve been very fortunate in my 9 year amateur career to have picked up a few wins and special awards, but that stuff is not as important or motivating to me anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it and it feels good, but it’s not what gets me fired up. Personally, I don’t feel like I have any unfinished business in amateur racing. In fact, I sort of feel like a schmuck staying in the amateur field. Although there will always be faster racers coming through the amateur ranks (I can easily name 10+ amateurs that could crush me), I still feel like I’m expected to win or else I’ve ‘LOST’. I remember last year after the 1/100 second come from behind photo finish at GW duathlon, someone (who I know didn’t mean any harm by it) said, “wow Cathy, I heard you almost lost…what happened?” HUN- I was pretty darn proud of that race… Now I realize that it will always be that way if I stay in the amateur ranks.

I race to be the best that I can be, and more importantly to enjoy new experiences. With that said, turning pro will provide more unique racing situations and new challenges. For instances, getting into closed WTC races, priority start times, priority transition locations, VIP treatment etc. and meeting the best athletes in the World. I know racing as a Pro is a whole different deal, especially at the long WTC races, when the AGs have the benefit of thousands of other athletes all around them on the bike course. I know where I stand (very scary) and I’m ready to thrown to the wolves in an attempt to get better, to learn, and to experience something that I have the unique privilege to do.

So yes, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can still race as a pro, AND keep my job and my lifestyle just the way it is. I have no concerns about finishing at the back of the pack as long as I have a good race, as long as I’m improving, and most importantly as long as I’m having fun. Life can be taken from us at any moment, and there’s been too may reminders of that lately-SO yeah, NO Regrets. Today I did something that was unexpected and a little scary…USAT now has my application.

I expect IM Wisconsin will be my first pro race…. 4 weeks after 'Racing Accross the Sky" in Leadville. YEEE HAWW!

My Tribute to Lifetime Fitness

2010-07-08T10:37:00.002-05:00

In honor of the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon this weekend, I decided it was fitting to do a proper shout out to the great people behind the scenes of a company that’s had such a wonderful impact on my life. I know that sounds hokey, but just the other day I was thinking about all the opportunities that have come my way as a result of Lifetime Fitness, and I even surprised myself as to how significant it’s been.

First off, Lifetime Fitness was my first employer after I graduated from Iowa State in 2001. The sister of one of my teammates was a Personal Trainer at the Plymouth Lifetime Fitness club, and she loved it. I visited her during my spring semester and I fell in love with the club, the people and the location. I moved from Ames to Minneapolis for my first real job, and I thank Lifetime Fitness for that.

It goes without saying that the next part is the most important to me - I met my wonderful husband at Lifetime Fitness. It’s hard to believe that almost 9 years ago while swimming at the Plymouth LTF club, I found myself in a lane next to my soul mate. I vividly remember swimming a 400m set, and at each flip turn I would see this guy flipping at the same time. Sort of annoying really - I would speed up, he would speed up- Eventually I stopped and sure enough he stopped as well. I think the conversation stared when Kerry said something like “you’re a good swimmer, are you training for anything?” I think we’ve all heard that one before… but it was probably my response that piqued Kerry’s interest. “I’ve never done a Triathlon before, but I’m thinking about doing one someday…I’m a golfer! “ Sure enough a few weeks later, I get a voice mail from him asking if I wanted to join him and a few friends for 18 holes. Well as the cliché goes, the rest is history.

Although, I enjoyed my 2.5 year employment with Lifetime, I was at a point in my life that I desperately wanted standard work hours. There’s nothing I wanted more than to spend as much time as possible with Kerry, and it killed me to be working random/unpredictable hours. I would be training people VERY early in the morning, throughout the day and late in the evenings. I loved the work, but I needed more structure to my days. So from there I left the fitness industry and moved into the finance world…Big change I know. It was actually one of my loyal clients (now a great friend) who got me my next job, which is where I’ve been (same company-different positions) for the past 7 years.

This weekend’s event will be the 9th year for the Lifetime Fitness triathlon. It will also be the 9th time that I will be racing alongside the world’s best pros in the heart of Minneapolis. There’s something special about urban races, and Lifetime Fitness does it better than anyone. I think the first year, I managed a 3rd place AG finish (the girl who originally finished 3rd got a penalty) so I landed a little hardware. In 2004 I moved up into the Elite Age Group wave, and in 2006 I picked up my first triathlon pay check and my first Elite amateur win. Lifetime fitness was one of the very first triathlons to offer prize money to amateurs! I love how that’s caught on with many other local races.

In 2006, Lifetime Fitness continued its tradition of supporting Triathlon and producing BIG events, by creating the Lifetime Fitness Series (now known as the Race to the Toyota Cup). This new series links the NYC, Chicago and LA Triathlons (Philly was added this year) with an end of year series Championship at the US OPEN in Dallas. Lifetime’s support for amateur racing continued as they invited (and paid for) the top three amateurs from each of the series races to attend the US Open in Dallas. I’ve been fortunate to have raced in EVERY US OPEN Series Championships and each Lifetime Fitness Triathlon since the beginning (that’s 11 races), and I have no plans to deviate from that trend anytime soon. Even this year with my intentions to step back from mainstream racing to focus on Leadville and Ironman, I just couldn’t break my streak of consecutive LTF Triathlon events.

After the race this weekend, I’ll get my Leadville hat back on, and join the Lifetime Fitness Crew for a training camp in Leadville CO next weekend. We plan to preview/ride the course during our three day camp, but more importantly we’ll have an opportunity to meet fellow LTF team riders. Kerry and I owe our Leadville adventure opportunity to Lifetime Fitness, as they hosted a contest for their members to earn coveted Leadville 100MTB race entries. This will be an epic challenge for both of us and something we are so proud to be doing as part of the Lifetime Fitness team.

Aside from all the great events, it goes without saying that I frequent their top notch fitness centers on a regular basis. With convenient locations all over (and now in the AZ area) I’m always covered- MAC (LTF Minneapolis Athletic Club) and Target Center during the workday, and Eagan and Lakeville for everything else. At the risk of sounding too much like an advertisement, I better cut it off here… But again-THANKS Lifetime Fitness for doing everything FIRST Class!

Best of luck to all the racers this weekend and special thanks to all the volunteers and event staff that will undoubtedly produce another exceptional race.

No BarnBurner = Play day in Sedona

2010-07-02T18:28:00.009-05:00

The Barn Burner 104mile MTB race that was originally scheduled for June 19th was postponed due to forest fires in the Flagstaff area. Thankfully race directors gave us plenty of warning, but Kerry and I still wanted to get out of town, so we took off to Arizona anyhow. It was unfortunate we didn’t get our pre-Leadville reality check, but we made the best of a weekend away. We started the weekend early with an 80 mile road ride in the East Mesa area- Even though it was 90+ degrees during our ride, we had plenty of fluids and the simple reality that we weren’t in the office on a Friday, was enough to survive the heat.

The next morning we loaded up our gear and took off for Sedona. If you’ve never been to Sedona, I highly recommend adding it to the bucket list. The new age vibe combined with endless hiking/riding trails and amazing red rock views makes it a wonderful getaway. We found a few new trails and set off on an adventure.
Here are a few photos from the day:

Just a dirt road climb- A great way to get the legs moving without trying to find trails etc. Took us about an hour to reach the top… On the way down we stopped on a fun single track section and played on the “cow pies”. I took my first digger of the day coming out of there, but thankfully it was nothing too debilitating - Just have a few funky bruises to show for it.

We made our way to the Jim Thompson trail which eventually lead us to this bridge. From the top, we could see people hanging out by the edge of Oak Creek below and decided we had to find a way down there. After some steep gnarly single track and a few river crossings, we found ourselves at waters edge.
We found our own little swimming hole, and set up camp for a while. After the refreshing dip in Oak Creek, we took the Oak Creek trail South back to town. This trail was pretty rocky and downright unrideable in many sections, and as a result there was no shortage of 'hike -a- bike' opportunities. Prep for the death march up Columbine at 12,500ft … Well no, nothing can really prepare us for that…

We stopped a lot, jumped in the river, had snacks etc. It was not a 'big' day as far as workout intensity goes, but we had a blast. Just two big kids playing on bikes… Refreshing.

After 6+ hours of 'riding', we had enough sun and it was time for REAL food. Powerbars can only go so far. We found a great Korean restaurant (Mago Cafe) in the heart of downtown Sedona. They had the most amazing FRESH spring rolls and my huge plate of veggies, chicken and rice was delicious!

The date for the Barn Burner ‘take 2” is still undecided. Although it was primarily on my schedule to prepare for Leadville, I still hope to participate if it gets rescheduled sometime this fall. Here’s the updated buckle photo… Who wouldn’t ride 10 hours for one of those…

Optum Health Performance Manitou RR

2010-06-15T12:46:00.006-05:00

It was another jam packed weekend: With Liberty Half being contesting on Saturday morning, a VERY SPECIAL wedding Saturday night and the Manitou Sprint on Sunday morning, I knew it would be a great, but very busy weekend. I didn’t opt for ridiculous back to back racing, but I did make the drive to Baker Park on Saturday to watch and cheer for a few friends. It was a cold, wet and chilly morning, and watching those athletes make it happen on the race course was very inspiring. My friend Jen L. had a great race, and more importantly she was thrilled with her performance-Such a great breakthrough for her, and only a small preview of what’s to come this year (yeah, Ironman Kentucky)! It was also fun to watch my teammate Suzie in her Half Iron Debut. I’m just getting to know Suzie, but her positive attitude, big smile, and ‘say it as it is’ approach refreshing. You just can’t help but smile whenever you’re around her. Her motivation and passion for the sport will undoubtedly lead to GREAT things down the road for her. She’s also a ‘juicer’ (the legal kind-ie. lots of veggies and fruits), so I’ve been using many of her tasty recipes and ideas lately. Check out her blog here…

I got home from the race around 2pm, and had to quickly 'transition' to wedding mode for the 3pm ceremony. Despite the rainy afternoon, the outdoor wedding was PERFECT and beautiful. When you see warm, giving and loving hearts blend together, a little rain has no impact, and maybe it helped hide the tears of happiness I shed for such a special couple. Good times had by all.

Thankfully my Sunday morning race wasn’t too far away, and with a later start time of 8:30, it wasn’t too bad in the morning. I still had my race wheels and transition bag packed from last week’s race, so truthfully there wasn’t too much prep required. I guess that’s a benefit to racing so frequently.

I arrived at the race venue to see a much different look to the Manitou Tri. This year, it was branded with Optum Health Performance (formerly known as SCS Multisport) colors, and the transition area was set up for the Youth F1 Race and Junior Elite race. These kids are so fun to watch; in fact I was so consumed with these guys, that I was pretty far from race mode myself. I didn’t really have any specific performance goals (besides go fast), which I’m learning is not the best thing for me. I do much better with specific performance objectives.

It was time to get my head in the game. The water was a little chilly, but the colder ambient temp of 57 degrees made the 66 degree water feel OK. This is a two loop course 2x400m, which is unique and fun. The Elite wave finally took off- I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I lined up in the thick of the pack, and paid a big price for it once we hit the water. Man…the first leg to the turnaround felt like BEAT ON CY time. Finally on the way back in, I went way wide to avoid the mayhem and finally found some open water. I came out of the water at the half way point just behind John Shelp, and a lot of folks right on my heels. Unfortunately the next few waves had already started, so when we hit the water the next time, we had to swim around all those additional swimmers. That was a headache, but I was able to make up some ground on the 2nd loop and come out of the water right behind Kevin O’Connor (pretty typical at this race). The run to T1 was much more painful than I remember it, and again, I struggled to have a smooth transition. I finally took off, and started the 13.5 mile out and back ride. I used a Power Tap wheel, and was disappointed I couldn’t keep my wattage where I wanted it, but my legs just felt dead. I didn’t give up and just tried riding with a higher cadence to see if that would help. I was able to pick it up a little bit, but after a near death encounter with a truck coming into T2 a few years, I cautiously came out of my aerobars and in comfy mode as I approached T2. Again, my transition wasn’t super slick, but I grabbed my hat and race belt and took off for the 3 mile out and back run. My legs felt ‘Ok’, and I thought I was having a decent run, but in the end I was slower this year. My total race time was over a minute slower, but with all things considered, I’m happy with the day. I did a 3 mile cool down run before awards, where I gladly accepted another paycheck. This time is was one of those monster size CHECKS.
The actual check might as well be signed over to Apple… I told KY that if I won, I’d be pre-ordering my new iPhone 4 on Tuesday!

Now it’s back to focused LEADVILLE/IRONMAN training mode, and we’ll hold true to that this weekend, when we travel to Flagstaff AZ to do the BARN BURNER 104 mile Mountain bike race. Apparently this is not a technical ride, but at 7500ft elevation, it should be a good reality check for us. Not sure I've ever been on a bike for 10+ hours....A new adventure and hopefully a new belt buckle to come!

Congrats to all the racers this weekend- My productively on Monday mornings as taken a serious dive while catching up with all the exciting news!

...more photos to come...

Buffalo Olympic Triathlon Race Report

2010-06-15T09:56:00.004-05:00

The one problem with racing every weekend is that keeping up with race reports becomes increasingly difficult. These past few weeks have been a blur. We enjoyed a special graduation ceremony at Eastview Saturday night, raced in Buffalo (about 60 mile Northwest of home) early Sunday morning, and hosted a Graduation party at our house Sunday evening. No time to spare…We were organized and on a mission..
Here’s the fun cake for the Special Graduate! The Party was great fun, but I was certainly ready to crash come nightfall…of course, it was all well worth it

After two duathlons in two weeks, I was very eager to get back in the water and start a race where I belong!! Unfortunately I ripped the arm of my BlueSeventy Helix wetsuit just a few days earlier, so I was a little worried what I’d end up with for raceday. That wetsuit has been my saving grace, and although I knew I could still race with the fist size hole in the arm, it wasn’t going to help me reach my goal for the day. I needed a great swim to get it done, and thankfully I was able to pick up a new suit at Gear West on Saturday morning. I’ve been a huge Blueseventy fan for the past four years, so there was no question on brand, but this year, b70 introduced a new line of suits designed specifically to help “triathletes” (added buoyancy in the leg area-Think built-in pull buoy). I talked to the Rep, and a few pros who’ve tried it, and it’s been very well received. Knowing full well, I do not classify as a real swimmer, I opted to give the ‘triathlete’ suit- the BlueSeventy Axis a go.

So much for that age old advice”Don’t try anything new on race day”. I took the tags off the wetsuit in transition on race morning, to go with my brand new shoes and race kit for the day.

I couldn’t believe how warm the water was (June in MN is typically freezing). I headed to the lake pretty early to get a feel for the new suit. It was very buoyant, but it felt a little looser in the upper body than my old suit. I could feel a little water coming through the arms, and I’m not really sure if that’s by design or if the suit is too big. Anyways, it was finally time to take off, and the Elite men and women started together. It was a rough, fast, and congested start, but after about 200m, I had open water. I could see a pack of two swimmers about 25m ahead, and was able to bridge up to them fairly easily. I stayed on their feet for a while, but I just couldn’t find any rhythm there. After the final turn back to shore (maybe about 500m left) I decided to work on my own and go around them. I was happy to see a sub 20min swim when I exited the water, but at that point, I still had a lot of work to do to reach my goal. It’s a long (uphill) run to T1… I was very surprised to hear someone say I was the first female out of the water, as I would have expected Heidi or Susan to be in front of me. I guess the suit worked its magic-It’s a keeper.

T1 was nothing exciting-I usually pride myself on fast transitions, but I struggled to get my suit off as efficiently as usual. I guess I’ll be cutting the bottoms after all. I jumped on my bike and tried to settle into a groove. Well that didn’t happen, but in the end I’m fairly pleased with my bike split. I rarely have any mechanical issues, as I’m pretty diligent about checking things over, but my self made areo drink system (between my areobars) came loose and was forced to hold it up throughout the early part of the ride (sure wish I had a regular bottle cage on my bike at that point). I drank as much as possible (it was my only bottle) and finally pitched it at the 9 mile aid station. Once the bottle was gone, I could finally focus on the important stuff-RIDING STRONG. I had a few moments of doubt out there as I couldn’t get things going, but eventually things started to feel better…or maybe it was the tail wind back to T2 that did it for me.

I figured if I arrived in t2 by the 1:28 mark, I would have a good shot at breaking my goal time of 2:10. I was pretty close at that point and took off out of t2 on a mission. The path heading out of the park gets pretty congested with all the short course athletes already on the run, but just up ahead I could see my favorite athlete in motion. I snuck up behind Kerry and after a little loving butt squeeze, I told him to stay with me. We ran together until the 1.5 mile mark, where he got to turn around. Unfortunately for me, I had a lot of running left with a delightful climb mixed in for good measure. The course did not have any mile markers or an exact turnaround spot, so it was really hard to know if I was on pace. I tried my best to maintain good form and keep moving. Once I hit the short course turnaround on my way back, I was able to look at my watch and see if I was on track. I think I had 11 minutes to get home, so I had no time to waste. The roads were so congested (imagine bike traffic and two way run traffic (1500 racers)) on one side of the road. It was so chaotic, but my focus on dodging traffic was taking my mind off the world of hurt happening in my legs. The path to the finish line was a zoo of people, and I came around the final corner and saw 2:08:50 on the clock, heard Jerry McNeil giving an enthusiastic welcome and Kerry there to give me a big hug. Perfect.

Buffalo Tri is a local race gem. The community embraces the event like no other and the race directors are so diligent about making it a top notch event. For the third week in a row I was able to walk away with a nice paycheck. This race gave away $1000to the winner, which is just wonderful. It’s so awesome to see these Race Directors support the athletes like that-Wow. Kerry also took home great prizes for his Podium AG finish in the sprint- He finished 15th overall and third in his AG… Pretty impressive considering he just rides his mtn bike these days.

I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to race a great course, see great friends without the added headache and expense of travel. We are so lucky here in Minnesota to have so many great choices for summer racing. See you next week!

Apple Duathlon

2010-06-01T14:39:00.003-05:00

Two Duathlons in six days!

After a fun day at the Gear West Duathlon, I decided to register for the Apple Du. For me, there’s no replicating the intensity and focus required on race day, and that’s exactly what I need right now to whip myself into shape. It was hard to believe that after a day of recovery, a few key workouts and then a ‘little’ rest, I was back on the start line for what turned into a great dual with my good friend Julie.

We were greeted by above normal temps and a light breeze-Ideal conditions in my opinion. There were a few unknown athletes on the start line, who all looked fit and fast. It’s amazing how intimidating those tiny girls can be! We started with the Elite men, and I knew full well that meant it would be a blistering pace. I’ve been around the block a few times, and knowing full well what happens when I try to climb a hill at sub 6min/mile pace, I cautiously settled into a more conservative pace. This worked to my advantage as I gradually picked up the pace throughout the first run arrived in T1 in 3rd. I was pretty happy with that run (averaged 6:20pace), and I didn’t waste any time in transition. I was able to catch Marlo climbing the first hill, and overtake the leader within the first mile (or two). Again, I was off on my own, which is not the best place for me if I’m looking for a great bike split. With a trailwind for the first half, I felt like I was flying (I didn’t have a computer or power tap to tell me otherwise), which made it easy to settle into MY groove… Well, that grove was short lived as Julie woke me up in a hurry as she went ZOOMING by just before the turnaround. She was flying, and I could do nothing to stay close to her. Thankfully, I was able to keep her within sight (~400m), which helped me keep the intensity dial on MAX. That 10 mile home stretch seems to drag on forever, and the headwind certainly didn’t make it feel any shorter. Needless to say, I was eager to hit T2 and see what I could do on the second run.

By the time I racked my bike, I could hear Jerry announce how wonderful Julie looked climbing the hill-I looked up and she was most of the way up. I HAD my work cut out for me to catch her, and I had no idea what was happening behind me. I figured even if I didn’t catch Julie, the process of trying would only help me stay ahead of those in the chase group. My legs felt like LEAD WEIGHTS as I climbed the first hill, and it’s a good thing I didn’t have any gadget telling me how slow I was running and how high my heart rate was at that point. It would have been easy to give up there, but instead, I just kept plugging along. Thankfully, there’s a nice downhill to help get the cadence back up, and it was at the bottom of that hill where I took my first split on Julie. I saw 40 seconds, and I figured we had about 2.4 miles to go… Oh man…. I tried my best to focus on quick feet, good posture and breathing. I could see Julie up ahead, and I hadn’t yet turned around to see who was in pursuit. I took another split, and noticed that I was now about 30seconds down. Although 30sec does not sound like a lot, she looked SO far away.… Eventually, with about 1mile to go, I took my final split. I saw 12 seconds…. I looked behind (nobody there), and dug deep. It’s sort of a bittersweet to make the move to pass your good friend in the final stages of a race, but I guess that’s what we train for. I knew we’d both be getting nice checks, which made it just a little bit easier.

I must admit that on the way up to the race that morning, I said to Merilee that my goal was to break 1:36. Although weather conditions make it impossible to really compare race times and make any kind of assessment of fitness/performance, I had that number in my head… When I crossed the line, I saw 1:35:57. Mission accomplished!!

I did my best to get home as quickly as possible as it was PROM day for Kiersten. I came home to the kitchen turned into YndeSalon, the smell of acetone and hairspay, and a flurry of last minute modifications to attire and accessories…. Shane (the BF) ended up wearing Kerry tux…. Karin did Kiersten’s hair, Kerry painted Kiersten’s toes, and I started digging through my jewelry to find earrings for Kierst, and cufflinks for Shane. It was a team effort to get the two cuties off for pictures… Here’s one of my favorites… Not until I got home from photos did I realize I still had and E on one calve and my race # on the other… Nice touch I know!!

Next weekend is Graduation, where Kiersten will walk across the stage wearing a special sash, and cords announcing that she graduated with Highest Honors… We’re so proud of her!

Gear West Duathlon

2010-05-24T10:08:00.008-05:00

(Thanks Christine for the photo-Love your style behind the lense)

Despite my best intentions to wean myself off the constant racing this season, I couldn’t resist any longer and registered for the Gear West Duathlon. I’ve been enjoying the steady stream of race updates from friends, and I wanted IN on the action. I guess I love this sport even more than I thought!

After feeling pretty good after a group 112 mile ride in River Falls last Saturday and a 4 mile run race the next day, I figured what the heck…A least it will be a good speed workout for me. Thankfully, as a result of winning the MidwestMultipost race series, you earn free entry into all ten series races for the following year… This makes the decision to race an easy one, especially when you need a good butt kicking.

I knew the competition would be fierce, and as much as dislike duathlons in comparison to triathlons, I had my strategy in place, and was ready to go. This was also the first race on my new Felt DA. Thanks to Gear West and Felt, I sold my 2006 Cervelo P3 and I’m now riding a missile. It was fun to get it dressed up with race wheels for the first time-That certainly contributed to the excitement factor.
Race morning was pretty typical except for one small detail- the WEATHER. It was already getting close to 80 degrees with close to 85% humidity. Certainly makes you wonder what July will bring…

My race plan was to start out very controlled on the first run, and not get too caught up in the intense energy. For the first time, the Elite Men and Women started in different waves, which certainly helped keep the pace in check. I was actually very pleasantly surprised at the relatively controlled start. Jenny Wilcox quickly realized that we were moving much too slowly for her, so she went off the front, but there was a pack of about 4 or 5 of us that stayed pretty close together throughout most of the first run.

I came into T1 just behind Marlo, but out transitioned her and was able to get on my bike in second place. With Jenny still in sight, I was able to put the hammer down early and take the lead within the first mile. My bike felt great, and I just loved the feel of my new ride. I only saw a few other guys on the course, and I had no way to tell what was happening with the women behind me. I tried to push as hard as possible; knowing full well, several bikers behind could easily outrun me. I’d rather hurt on the bike than suffer through a shoulder to shoulder type run, so I just kept peddling as hard as possible.

I came into T2 to see Kerry running his bike up the street- he started in the wave in front of me, but was forced to run about .25 miles in his socks up the street after his chain dropped and was stuck between the small cog and fame (total drag as he just missed an AG podium by 30sec). (Stole this photo from Terry Lee...That's me coming up on the bike behind KY)

I figured he had a flat, but regardless I was looking forward to running the 2nd run together. As I was leaving T2, I’d yet to hear the announcer make any mention of who was behind me, so I was pretty excited to get going, and felt good about my position. This run is XC style (up/down, twist /turn, grass, mud, gravel) and there’s plenty of opportunity to see what happening behind. Once around the softball field I could see the string of ladies in pursuit. I tried my best to pick it up, but I certainly wasn’t feeling overly zippy. Regardless, with less than a mile to go, I could see that I had a decent lead, and was able to cruise my way home. Thank goodness, as I was not prepared for another dual down the line like last year !!

It was fun to stand near the finish, and watch everyone finish…As I watched the Top 10 women come across the line, it was obvious that on any given day, it could be any one of us taking the win. I’m so thankful and fortunate to have such a great group of local athletes to train and race with. We even enjoyed a post race 35 mile group ride/ Picnic at Baker Park afterwards. I was in my happy place.

SO, what’s next??? Well, now that the TCMC Century ride is moved to Sunday, I’m considering doing the Apple Duathlon on Saturday morning. I still get my mega ride (ie LEADVILLE prep) on Sunday, but Saturday can be the speed session of the week…I think racing myself into shape is the best way to go!

Whiskey 50 Race Report

2010-04-27T17:54:00.013-05:00

Do One Thing A Day That Scares You-CHECK!

When I registered for the Whiskey 50 several weeks ago, I significantly underestimated the challenge ahead. As someone who spends 90% of their riding time on pavement and skinny tires, 50 miles didn’t faze me. After more research I discovered the course includes over 7700ft of climbing, but again I remained oblivious as I lOVE to climb. I heard there was a good mix of single track, rocky jeep roads etc, but it never really donned on me that what goes up, must come down, and single track/rocky steep descents is not my strong suit.

With no opportunity for a course preview, I had to rely on stories from others and those comforting words from the race director during our pre-race meeting..."BE careful, don't ride outside your abilities etc..."
At 7:30am, the start gun blasted and we were off. Morning temps registered in the 30's, but it quickly warmed up. I didn't have any way to drop clothes at the start, and midway through the 10 mile climb out of town, it was obvious I had significantly overdressed (long sleeve thick jersey, vest and knickers).

The hard top climb out of town was great. It provided plenty of opportunity to get a decent position in the crowd before dropping into single track. The course was a lot of fun with plenty of stream crossings (there was snow in the mtns the day before) and fun technical stuff. I was in great position at the top of the first big climb, and there was a fun section of 2.5 foot drops as we started down the mountain. That stuff is great, but once we hit the rocky jeep roads, it was a different story. That just scares the crap out of me. You’re flying down so darn fast, but the terrain is completely loose and rutty. You hit the brakes and you're out of control, but if you don’t you’ll be even more out of control…yup-GREAT choices there. After working my way up through the pack on the climb, I could feel the fast guys just barreling down on me on the descent. Eventually, I just pulled over and let people go by, but once you stop, there’s a long string of folks bombing the decent, and it’s impossible to get back in. I saw 3 women pass me at that point, but I didn’t care-This was about surviving and it was still very early in the race.

After that monster decent we climbed again…this was about the 11-13 mile mark, and the low point of the day for me. I felt so defeated from watching 30+ people pass me on the descent, or maybe it was the uncertainty of what kind of terrain I would face in the miles ahead. The first aid station was at mile 14. I was overheating in my long sleeve jersey, but knowing we had a 12 mile fast (therefore chilly) descent ahead, I opted to keep the jersey on until I hit the turnaround at the bottom. This descent was much more enjoyable-These were actual dirt roads. Not in great shape, but at least I could ride without fearing for my life. I used this time to catch up with my calories and hydration. I had my bento box filled with Power gels, and my camelback loaded with 100oz of water (with Nuun). This was the first out and back section, so it was fun to check in on the leaders. Those guys/and gals can ride. It’s amazing that this little race in AZ attracted such great riders.

At the turnaround in Skull Valley, I decided to shed the long sleeve jersey. Although the 'Vest only' look is not my style, at this point I didn't have much choice. I checked on my fluid levels and figured I had enough left for the 12 mile climb back back up to 6900ft. I certainly didn’t want to add any additional weight for the climb.

As people started fading around me at the 35(ish) mile mark (4hour mark), I was feeling my best. My altimeter said I was at 7000ft, so I knew we had a lot of descending left to get back to town (5500ft). Most people would be trilled with that reality, but I was pretty anxious, knowing full well there would be a few hairy descents ahead. The vista views were spectacular, so I had to stop and take a few photos along the way (actually I was just letting the fast guys get by me).

I was having fun weaving through the single track/downhill roller coaster section, but again, the rocky jeep roads were brutal for me... I had managed to stay upright and on my bike for most of the ride until we hit a nasty stream crossing with less than a mile of single track remaining. I was riding too close to the dude in front of me, and once he went down midstream, I was forced to veer left into a pile of slippery boulders. My bike slid out and I smashed my elbow and hip on the rocks. I remember these guys who were watching say something about how much my elbow would hurt the next day, but at that point, I was just trying to get myself unclipped and out of the water. I was able to get myself rolling again, but my riding was significantly impacted... I’m grateful the crash happened at the end of the race, because my confidence in the technical stuff went to pot. Once I hit the pavement and the comfort of predictable terrain a new source of energy found its way to my legs. I peddled hard to the finish, and passed at least 5 people in the final 4 miles. It was great to see that finish line (and great to break the 5 hr mark). I finished 4:56:XX, and 9th female overall, behind several big name pro's (2009 Leadville Women's Champion was 4th).

We all had our share of unique experiences and challenges on the course, but before too long, we were all together at the finish area listening to music and enjoying great food. We spent the night checking out the Cowboy bars on Whiskey row, and even managed to take down the obligatory Whiskey shot to commemorate the day’s accomplishments.

A New Adventure- The Endurance Double

2010-04-16T12:32:00.006-05:00

Although my blogging track record has been pathetic to say the least, my go-forward plan is to post more frequent commentary or should I say ‘the random scoop’ from the road as I prepare for a new adventure in 2010.

Minnesota Tri news found early interest in my 2010 race plans, but for the short version; Kerry and I both have coveted entry into the LEADVILLE 100 Mtn bike race! Thanks to Lifetime Fitness and their member essay contest, I earned a spot the old fashioned way… By begging!

An excerpt from my essay:

“...My desire to race Leadville is twofold. As previously stated, I’m ready for a new and exciting challenge in 2010. Completing the Leadville race requires a different level of strength and mental endurance- A true test of resilience. In addition to the physical demands required to collect the coveted belt buckle, I’m also looking forward to sharing this unique endurance test with my husband and fellow cycling friends. The camaraderie that forms among the racers is something special, and I would love to experience that first hand with fellow LTF cyclists this summer...“

Although Kerry and I had been dreaming about doing Leadville for many years…Even before the Race Accross the sky movie was released last summer, the second part of my summer endurance adventure plans came to fruition while riding with Patti (2x time Leadville finisher) the day after Ironman Wisconsin. She’d been pumping me full of Leadville stories for the past few years, but on this day, she surprised me by stating that she had just registered for her FIRST Ironman! After returning from Madison and the inspiration that comes from watching an Ironman, Patti provided the final push I needed to go for it. Our ‘Endurance Double’ as born: Leadville August 14th and Ironman Wisconsin September 13th.

Of course we had to wait in anticipation all winter before the lottery and contest winners were announced, but in the end, we were all in!

Here’s a photo from our first training trip to AZ back in Feb: A hiking excursion after our 5 hour Mtn bike the day before. I think AL has SIX Leadville Belt Buckles, so there's no shortage of experience with these two.

Next weekend, we all head back to Arizona to do the Whiskey 50 Mtn bike race in Prescott. With over 7000ft of climbing and Whiskey and live bands afterwards, I expect it will be a weekend to remember…

Races/events I have on the radar:
April 17th: Trail Mix (team 50K running event), Bloomington, MN
April 24th: Whiskey 50 Mtn bike- Prescott, AZ
May 11th: TNT- 12 mile Time Trial, Medina, MN
May 15th: The Brute 200k Road race- Arcadia WI (12,000ft of climbing)
May 25th: TNT- 12 mile Time trail, Medina, MN
May 29th: TwinCities Multisports Club Century ride
June 6th : Buffalo (Olympic) Tri, Buffalo, MN
June 13th: Manitou Sprint, White Bear Lake, MN
June 19th: Barn Burner 100 mile Mtn bike, Flagstaff, AZ (first test of altitude)
July 10th: Lifetime Fitness Tri, Minneapolis (maybe a relay)
July 23-25: Colorado Mountain getaway with Kerry (Leadville preview)
August 14th- LEADVILLE!!!!
4 week to recover
September 13th- Ironman Wisconsin

Can’t wait to see you at the races!

Ironman 70.3 World Championships Race Report

2009-11-16T14:29:00.011-06:00

What a super weekend! Where do I start? This was the end of year race celebration for me and I’m so happy with the outcome. It was the opportunity to travel to Florida with a group of amazing friends, race with the best in the world, and make another boatload of memories.

Jules, Jmac and I accepted our Worlds Qualifier slots at the Buffalo Springs 70.3 back in June. We had an amazing trip then, and we were looking forward to another fun group getaway. Although Clearwater has not established the respect of a true World Championship Race (due to the less than challenging bike course), we accepted our slots and knew November would be a great time to get out of Minnesota and play in the sun.

We had a beautiful Condo for the six of us about a mile from the race start. We arrived Wednesday evening and this extra time to unwind and reconnect was priceless. I had Jimmy Buffet tunes playing in my head as soon as I arrived, and needless to say, I had some difficulty cultivating any competitive mojo. I’ve been sort of checked out of racing the last few weeks, but I still had a goal to make the podium in my AG, and finish under 4hrs30min. My previous 70.3 PR was at BSLT (4:46), and I knew there was no better place than Clearwater to shatter that.

We certainly didn’t waste any time on race morning. We arrived at transition about 6am (just 30minutes before they closed), and I quickly attached my bottles, PowerTap, and shoes to my bike. I really didn’t do any sort of warm up (they didn’t let us in the water before the start), so it I just walked to the swim start and put on my wetsuit. Some could argue that getting into a wetsuit counts as a warm up, and at that point, I had no choice but to go with that theory. It was a time trial start for the Age Groupers (they grouped everyone according to their AG wave, and then just sent people off one by one). I like starting at the back of the AG in these situations, and was happy I was able to position myself there on race day. I really like these TT swim starts- I can do my own thing without worrying about finding the best feet or about dropping the people on my own feet. I simply jumped in and enjoyed my own journey. The swim was into the sun on the way out, making it very challenging to stay on course. I just kept swimming around people and thankfully quickly found the first turn buoy. I felt pretty smooth, and did my best to avoid swallowing the nasty salt water. The swim exit was a tad chaotic, but I was happy when I saw 26;xx on my watch. That was faster than expected, but it was a longer run to T1, so I had to get going to ensure I was out on the bike in 30min. I quickly grabbed my bike and was ready to start the journey on this infamous bike course. I didn’t pre drive the course, so I had no idea what to expect.

I will refrain from ranting about the drafting, the packs, and the precarious nature of that bike course. We’ve all seen it and heard it before, but… COME ON WTC, PLEASE MOVE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO A FAIR, CHALLENGING COURSE!!! This course would be great for a standard 70.3 but a WC???

I am proud to say that I rode fair, and I feel very good about my relatively slow (2:21) bike split. One of the advantages of starting in an early wave, is that there are simply not as many people on the course. I had my own space until about mile 45. After that, well like I said… I will not rant!

The highlight of my ride included being able to pee on my bike. I’ve never been able to do that before, but I knew it would be important not to waste any time in a porta potty. I know its gross…and for you non-triathletes reading this, this is common practice in the long events. I took down about 475 calories, 85 ounces of fluids, and 3 or 4 Thermolytes during the bike.

While coming into T2, I knew I was on target to meet my sub 4:30 time goal and I figured I was about 3rd in my AG at the time. I knew the hardest leg of the race was about to start, and I was a little intimidated by the distance and the course. We didn’t pre-drive the course, but I was well aware that we had 4 big climbs facing us. My run plan was to go out conservatively, and then hope to build strong to the finish. My goal pace was about 7:10, and I was pretty steady holding that pace early on. I took a PowerGel at mile 2, and again at around mile 5, and fully utilized the stocked aid stations taking water, cola, sponges etc. I did everything I could to keep my body temperature down with sponges and water- That really helped. After Beth passed me at mile 4, I was worried that I was losing sight of that podium. She was moving so fast, I couldn’t even fathom staying with her. She immediately bridged a significant gap. I really wasn’t sure where I was in the field, but I knew I had to keep it together. At no point did I even consider the possibility that I could move back up, but at the 6.5 mile turnaround, I saw a girl closing in behind. I really wanted that podium, and somehow I was able to keep my legs moving. I saw Lars F. at the top of the bridge on the first loop and again on my way out for lap 2. With a surprised tone, he said “you look stronger the 2nd time around-Go for it.” His tone helped me realize that it was probably a unique situation, and that provided the confidence to keep it together. To my surprise, at mile 8.5 I spotted Beth up ahead. I truly did not expect to see her again after watching her speedy feet go by at mile 4. I came up to her at about mile 9, and this was probably the point in the race when I was feeling the strongest. I think that was a 6:40 mile, and I was confident I could stay relatively strong till the end. After the final climb over the bridge, it was just 2 miles to the finish. The finish line was a beautiful sight. I figured I was about 3rd or 4th in my AG, and saw my watch at 4:24. I still felt great and could have kept running- that’s a first!! Mission Accomplished.

After making my way through the finish chute, I met up with an old HS friend Melissa who came over from St Pete’s to cheer. It was so fun to catch up and watch the rest of the field make their way to the finish line. At that time, Kerry pulled up the Ironmanlive results and to my surprise, I had actually finished 2nd in the AG. Just 3 seconds ahead of 3rd. I guess that’s the good and the bad of the time trial start…It certainly worked out in my favor this time around. Evidently when ELF yelled at me around mile 8 that “every second counts” she knew what she was talking about!

The afternoon was filled with great food and beverages which started at Crabby Bill’s.

We finally got back to the condo, then off to the beach to watch the sunset.
Before too long there was a great crew assembled in the condo, and as the laughter continued, I realized I was late for the awards ceremony. It started at 6, and I’m pretty sure it was close to 7 when we checked the time. We flagged down a cab and made it there just as they were calling the AG winners to line up on the side of the stage. It was perfect timing on our part, but I’m a tad embarrassed that I’m still holding my ‘slurpee’ cup on the podium.

With the party in full swing back at the condo, I picked up my award, then loaded back into a cab and rejoined the gang. I just love these folks and I know I’ve said this before, but it’s truly because of them that I do this sport.

With prefect weather on Sunday, it was the ideal day to truly relax and recover: Laid on the beach for a few hours, enjoyed a delightful beach walk with Mary, and consumed one final Grouper meal before heading to the airport. There were no shortage of great memories made in Clearwater, and that’s what it’s all about for me.

Although this weekend was such a high, I’m thankfully not experiencing the crash back to reality today. I’m very excited for the off season and the changes I have in store for next year. We’re also headed to Arizona Friday afternoon to cheer for all our friends at Ironman Arizona. We have Julie/Erik/Jen/Merilee joining us at the condo…. There’s no doubt the Fun Factor will be high once again.

Congrats to all the racers in Clearwater and Best of luck to those racing in Arizona this weekend.

US OPEN Race Report

2009-10-28T19:26:00.014-05:00

I know I'm a little slow to get this report up. These days with so much race coverage being posted on Facebook, I feel my blog has become a little redundant. Even so, I want to keep my string of race reports alive…

For someone who typically races every weekend, the 6 week gap between Nationals and the US OPEN was certainly a change. With Kerry and many friends racing Ironman Wisconsin, I was busy playing full time Sherpa. Kerry is ALWAYS there as super support guy, so it was nice to finally have the chance to be on the sidelines and return the favor. That day certainly deserves its own post, but I’ll lazily point to a few favorite peeps who shared their journey across the farmland: jmac, Kerry, Erik.

I’ve attended each US OPEN since the inaugural race in 2007. Lifetime Fitness does an amazing job supporting top Amateurs by rewarding the top 5 finishers in each of their series races (Minneapolis, NYC, Chicago, LA) with complimentary race entry, airfare and hotel for the Championship race in Dallas. Like last I couldn’t turn down the offer even though it was just 5 days before the Ironman World Championships. I'm pretty sure only Andy Potts and I did the double!

After winning the race in 2007 and finishing 5th last year, I was eager to go back and try to regain the top spot on the podium. I knew it would be a very competitive race, but I was excited to face the best from across the country.

Kerry and I arrived on Saturday, and while staying connected to the Ironman World Championship coverage most of the day, I was able to get my bike together, get checked in, and somehow prepare for my race the next day. I’m not really sure if it was good or bad, but I was so consumed by the events in Kona that I didn’t think too much about my own race until I boarded the bus the next morning. I actually watched the final finisher cross the line in Kona as I walked out of my room just before 5am CT. Just the inspiration I needed!

Weather was less than optimal with a light mist and temps in the 50s and the water temp hovering near 68 didn’t improve the situation. Luckily there wasn’t too much idle time and before I knew it, the race was underway. The Championship wave was small but fierce. I knew I needed a great swim/bike to be in contention, so I didn’t hold anything back. I was swimming off the front, feeling pretty strong, but when I excited the water in the lead, there was a pack just behind me. YIKES!! We were all racked in the same place, so with 4 or 5 of us in T1 together I was pretty nervous for how the race would unfold. I typically like to get out on the bike ahead using the “out of sight out of mind” philosophy, but that was not happening this time. I was on the bike first, but the pack was right there. Despite freezing on the bike, I managed to find a groove early on. I stayed in front until about half way, when both Lindsay Whalen and Mandy McClane passed me. That sort of woke me up, and then there was a little back and forth action between the 3 of us. Eventually, it was just Mandy and me, but with wet roads, and some wheel sucking potholes it was hard to get too aggressive. Knowing Mandy is a great runner, I knew I had to build up a lead heading into T2. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. I managed to come out of T2 in the lead, but within the first half mile, Mandy came zooming by. She looked great, fit and motivated. I did my best to stay with her, had one of my best 10K splits of the year, but still fell about 45 seconds short.

Here’s the race recap from Jerry MacNeil.

I have the Monster Dash Half Marathon this Saturday. It’s my final strong run before Clearwater, but there’ll be no shortage of hilarity out there. Facebook has spoken, and my costume has been chosen. Kerry is on photo crew, so I’ll be sure to provide a little comedy here next week.

Have a FUN Halloween!

USAT Age Group Nationals Race Report

2009-08-23T16:38:00.016-05:00

After starting this season with the intention of cutting back the serious racing, I really didn’t expect to be back at Nationals this year. Of course, that changed about four weeks ago: I figured I was in decent shape so why not go after it. There was a good contingent going from MN (including my coach), and I knew it would be fun to see fellow racing buddies from all across the country.

Kerry and I arrived Thursday morning which provided plenty of opportunity to check out the venue. The bike course was thankfully hillier than I was expecting, however the hills on the run were significantly less welcoming. With mounting pressure and expectations leading up to the race, I was becoming increasingly nervous. With the help of my great support crew, I was able to put it all in perspective: The pressure is a privilege and being in a position to race for a National championship is a great honor and gift. Yes, I do know this, and after everything is said and done, this is ALL FOR FUN.

Finally it was race day: We had extreme humidity greeting us in the early morning, but as race time approached, the sun came out, temps increased and the humidity dropped closer to ‘normal’. Although the monsoon rains helped lower the water temp to 83, it had a more serious impact on the race course.

As we watched the early waves from shore, it was obvious that something goofy was happening in the river. Swim times were insanely slow, and it appeared as though people were just not moving as they should. As it turns out, the Army Corps of Engineers opened the upstream flood gates due to excessive rains, and the current was MUCH more than we bargained for. Beth and I had the the best armour for the journey up the river.

Here’s a swim map: I felt very strong in the swim and swam solo the entire way. Of course the first leg (with the current) was amazing, but when I made the turn on the back stretch I felt like I was swimming in an endless pool. I just kept telling myself that it’s the same for everyone. Well apparently not so much: I came to find out afterwards that the trick of the day was to swim along the shore. The blue line on the map was my swim line. The red line on the map was apparently the correct place to swim. When I hugged the buoys, the shore looked so far away and figured there was no way I would save time by swimming there. Well I was WRONG… In addition, when we made the final turn into shore, the current was pushing everyone back off course, which meant another upstream swim to the exit. Again, I heard after the race, that the trick was to swim 30-45 strokes past the final turn buoy and then cut across letting the current take you into the finish. black arrows represent CURRENT!

It was an interesting swim to say the least, and I certainly learned something about swimming in rivers. When I saw 27 minutes on my watch at the swim exit I was a little shocked (this is close to my 1.2 mile swim time), but I figured it could mean a greater buffer on the rest of my Age Group. Onward...

The run up to T1 was killer, but I was excited to jump on Big Red and go. It’s a two loop bike with six 180 degree turns. This provided a good opportunity to check in on the competition. We started 6 minutes behind the 25-29 AG, so I was looking ahead to gauge my position against a few top girls in that AG. I felt very strong and smooth on the bike, and was informed after the first lap I had about a 3 minutes lead on that field. I was very pleased with this position and decided to scale back the intensity slightly for the second loop in an attempt to save something for the run. It’s always tough to know that fine line, but thinking back, I wish I had continued to push the pace on the bike (regardless, I know it wouldn't have been enough to move up in the OA standings). On a fun side-note, Devon forgot his race suit at home and needed a backup. Of course, I came prepared and was so pumped to see him out there with Yndestad on his bum. devon picked up the bike preme (new Blue frame) and we both finshed 3rd OA. I think the suit works for both of us.

I was feeling good with my position coming off out of T2, and figured I just had to hold my own on the run for a good shot at the AG win and was within reach of the OA title. With fellow competitors all over the course, it’s impossible to know what’s happening, but I figurd that a 3 min lead over the top girls in 25-29, was a great position. Well the run was TOUGH for me. I’m not sure what it was, but I just couldn’t move my legs. There were NO mile markers on the course making it difficult to gauge pace during the race. Maybe as part of Garmin’s sponsorship, they pulled the mile markers to encourage wearing GPS units. On the first big hill, superstar Bruce G (one of the greatest guys in the sport), ran by and provided some much needed encouragement. After the race he said he thought my heart was about to pop out of my chest [due to my uncharacteristic breathing pattern]. With that, I know I gave it everything I had, and can’t say I didn’t try my hardest out there. (Running downhill-maybe the only time both feet were off the ground.)

We really could have used more ice (they had none) and water on the course, but unfortunately the aid stations were understaffed. With two way run traffic, the volunteers just couldn’t keep up. I missed getting fluids at two aid stations, and that didn’t help ease the suffering. I guess I’m spoiled by the Midwest hospitality and the Ironman buffets. Anyways, I kept trying to motivate myself to run faster, but nothing was working. I figured I still had a decent comfort zone for the AG title, but I knew the OA was slipping away. I tried my hardest out there, and was completely shelled at the finish line. I was immediately informed that I had stayed ahead of the 25-29 AG, but I knew I didn’t put forth an OA title worthy performance. I checked the results and sure enough there were two 20-24 girls who kicked my butt. I really didn’t expect my 3rd OA to hold up to the fast 35-39 AG, not to mention the legendary Linda Robb, but once the official results were drawn up, I was pleasantly surprised that I stayed on the OA podium.

We stuck around the venue for the men’s and women’s pro race. I always enjoy that about this race as it provides not only a chance to watch some of the best in the sport, but also a great opportunity to catch up with fellow racers. With the race behind us, everyone is so mellow and it’s always fun to share war stories from the day. The MJET team had a tent on the ‘Hot corner” so it was a great meeting spot and a perfect place to cheer. In addition to the MN gang, it was super to hang with the awesome duo B & O from PA and Bruce G from TN-Such awesome spirits and attitudes all around. I can’t wait to do it again in Clearwater!

During the Pro race, the MJETS were eager to help motivate Jas to the Elite National Championship crown. Their cheers were simply loud at first... Then it turned to this! I guess it worked-She picked up the Victory!

After a very long day in the sun, we finally made it back to the hotel around 4pm. I was exhausted, dehydrated and very under fueled. Typically that’s a VERY bad combination, but once I got back to my phone, I was immediately revived with all the supportive comments and cheers. I’m so thankful and truly appreciative for all the support this week. I know its cliché, but I’m truly blessed and I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m always touched by the kindness out there.

After a quick bite and shower it was time to return to the University of Alabama campus for the awards ceremony. As you can imagine, going 10 deep with awards in 14 different age groups takes a while-And these start after the thanks-you, top 3 OA, Masters, Grandmaster, Top SBR splits etc. Needless to say, it was a long process, but we made the best of it. Team MN decided to get very enthusiastic for our fellow Statesmen on the podium, and we had plenty to cheer about.
Minnesota's Medalist's

Dennis Dane kicked butt on the run to take 2nd behind defending champ Mark Harms from WI.
OA Top 3. I'm on the podium with two Florida Gators.
Masters podium-Rhett Bhonner (also won his AG), with our friend Bruce from TN.
30-34 AG.
Devon takes 3rd OA, and 2nd in the AG.
He's Lauren getting second in her AG (19U. It's her first year in the sport.

Way to go Team Minnesota!!

Next up…A break in the racing action and onto serious spectalatlete training for IM Wisconsin-Good times ahead!

TURTLEMAN

2009-08-09T08:43:00.004-05:00

I knew I was in for a challenging day when RD Dan Conway announced that PLAN B had become PLAN A. With severe weather looming to the North of us, the decision to cancel the already shortened swim was made. This is always a very tough decision for race officials, but I believe they made the right one. In order to keep some organization to the bike/run Time Trial, racers had to run across the start mat; across the beach; through the swim exit arch; and into T1. They let people start in 1-2 second increments, and the bike and run course remained the same.

I had the honor or kicking off the 26th Anniversary Turtleman. Of course, I loved going first, but I also knew that the women behind would have a time buffer at the finish. With the amazing cyclists in the crowd I knew it was going to be a challenge to stay in front. As a swimmer, the swim serves as the PERFECT way to start a race. A natural way to get the HR from 75-175… and without that, there’s a true ‘Fish out of water’ response. Or yes, I biffed it running through the water (kicking it off in style). Brook when by me right out of T1. She looked strong and focused. I just couldn’t find my groove that quickly, and had to work to keep her in sight. With a lot of standing water on the roads, riding conditions were pretty sketchy, and cornering was a test. I got back in front of Brook on the back stretch (maybe mile 1.5), but it didn’t take long for Julie to come blazing by. It was a little crowded on the roads at that point. Most of the top guys were passing us, and the impaired visibility caused by the downpour certainly didn’t help. I was pretty nervous out there, but tried to stay focused on powerful pedal stokes and played it safe in the corners. I passed Julie back again (mile 5), but it didn’t take her long to drop the hammer on the rest of us-She was amazing out there. I did everything I could I try to keep her within sight, but she disappeared in a hurry. I was very happy with my effort on the bike, yet Julie kicked my butt by over 2 minutes (on a 21 mile course). Way to go Julie!

I was EXTRA careful on the final corner into the park this year…Last year I put on a little show that included road rash and blood, and was having no part of that this time around. As I made the corner I could already see Julie at the top of the hill on the run. I worked hard through T2 (always interesting when all your stuff is soaking wet) and I was told I was 1:17 back. I figured she had about a 20 second buffer on me from the TT start, so I knew it would take a solid run effort to defend. The run is a big square, and just after the 2 mile mark I could see Julie ahead. I was feeling pretty smooth and zippy (as much as possible for me), but like any running race, it was painful. Seeing a best friend ahead does interesting things for your motivation and self talk: I caught myself thinking, “Ah, Jules is doing great, she deserves this win.” but I snapped out of that remembering that I have a big race in two weeks and running strong will be a requirement there. I kept digging for a little extra and finally caught Julie just after mile three. It’s tough to see your friend suffering (I assume the monster bike and the plethora of half ironman’s in the last few weeks took a toll on her run legs), but I give her tons of credit for going after it. I kept up the pace looking anxiously ahead to the finish line. Despite the VERY dark ominous sky, I was greeted by a bright welcome at the finish.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long thereafter that the skies opened up and basically wreaked havoc on the race for many Age Group participants. It was a crazy day at Turtleman, but race organizers did a great job keeping people safe. This is always the number one priority and although many may be disappointed with their modified race, nobody can out sprint Mother Nature.

Photos to come… Highlights posted on YndeCam.Kerry is filtering through video footage and photos clips, so I expect he’ll be posting another fun video to Facebook soon enough. But for now, we’re off for bike ride…
Have a Super day!

Heart of the Lakes Race Report

2009-07-19T21:04:00.003-05:00

I can’t imagine more Perfect conditions for the 24th running of the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon (AKA the MN State Championship). Initially I was worried with early morning temps in the 50s, but as it turns out, it made for a very speedy day on the course. Course records fell, and that created and enthusiastic buzz in the crowd.

For the first time in many years, it was actually a wetsuit swim for the Elites. That typically doesn’t help me vs. my competition, but I was ready either way and figured breaking the 1:40 mark would be much easier given the wetsuit ruling. DKT and I lined up on the far inside line and I stayed on his feet for all of 5 meters! Last year I remember the swim being extremely rough so opted for the inside line this time around. By the time I was on line with the Swim Buoys, I was surprised to see what appeared to be, the entire Elite wave in front of me. Man those guys took off at a crazy pace. I finally got myself back in the pack and kept pushing my pace for the remainder of the 800m swim. The run through T1 was tough (I think it’s the toughest part of the course), but I hopped on my bike and was ready to push the pedals for the 21 mile ride.

My legs felt pretty good, and having the men zoom by in the early miles really helped motivate me to push the pace. As I arrived into T2, I put on my flashy new Nike LunarLite shoes and took off on a mission. That mission was to put together a good run split and in doing so, break the longstanding amateur course record set by Becky Gibbs (now Lavelle) back in 1996. I didn’t catch the first few mile markers to see my pace, but I was feeling strong and steady. With a few early climbs I was happy to stay close to a few guys ahead and stayed focused on maintaining a strong pace. The course is a 5.3 mile loop around the lake with the final 1.5 miles flat and fast. I was checking my watch along the way, and I knew there was no room for a slowdown. I would have to find the ‘hurt box’ and keep at the constant self coaching. As I approached the finish line I was greeted with the enthusiastic voices of Jerry MacNeil and Coach Kris announcing that I had broken the Amateur record. Mission Accomplished!

It was fun watching the rest of the top women cross the line, then I went back out on the course to watch Kerry make his way to the finish. He worked hard on the run and earned an AG podium spot!

To cap an already prefect day, Kerry won the Bike in the generous Gear West raffle. This raffle is top notch. Can you believe that Gear West and its generous sponsors give away the following items at ALL TEN SERIES races:
• Kurt Kinetic Trainer
• QR Wetsuit
• TYR gear bag loaded with Bell helmet, Shimano Carbon shoes, yanks, Trek Bike computer, pedels, goggles, sunglasses, Speedo Fastskin, Hammer products.
• Zipp 808 Tubular race wheels
• QR Tequilo Bike.
Yes folks, its worth registering for these races just to be entered in the raffle (but you must be present to win). Have I mentioned how wonderful it is to be part of this amazing Triathlon community??? Yeah, I know.

Lifetime Fitness Race Report

2009-07-13T21:22:00.008-05:00

You’d think I'd be sick of this race after all these years, but the Lifetime Fitness triathlon becomes more and more enjoyable each year. I’ve participated in the race every year since Lifetime took the bold step to produce a top notch event here in the Twin Cities eight years ago. The home course advantage and knowledge has certainly made the difference for me the last few years.

In contrast to last year, I was not feeling very confident going into this event. Last year, this was my early season A race. I was training specifically for short course, and I was bursting at the seams to go after it. This year, with my early season focus on the half ironman distance, and with Buffalo Springs 70.3 recovery taking longer than expected, I was feeling less than zippy. Regardless, I couldn’t miss this event, so I had every intention to go out, play the cards I was dealt and do the best I could.

Pressure was rising during the week, but despite being the defending champion, I actually felt like the underdog to Lindsay Whalen. She’s been having a super year so far, and I didn’t think I could get in front of her. Deep down however, I held on to the hope that course knowledge and my tremendous support crew would make the difference on Saturday.

As race time approached, I was feeding off the amazing crowds and enthusiasm of the great venue. We started shortly after the pros, and once the gun went off, all my nervous energy thankfully turned into something more useful. The swim start was pretty rough, and directly into the sun. It took some time to find a decent line and clear water, but luckily it wasn’t too bad once I hit the first turn buoy. I swam on my own the entire race, which I think is a good strategy for me. Several times last year, I would get comfy behind someone else and simply enjoy the ride. I couldn’t quite find LW’s feet, but I noticed there was someone from my wave about 20 yds ahead. I figured it was her, and tried my hardest to catch her. That didn’t happen, but when I came around the corner into T1, I was amazed that Lindsay was still at her rack space.

I quickly shed my wetsuit grabbed my bike and managed to take off with her, I rounded the last corner in t1 and jumped on my bike just in front. Knowing how much easier is it to fuel off someone in your sights, I hammered the start of the bike to try to create an early gap. With all the corners etc, I knew this course made it much easier to get out of sight. I figured that was my only hope to get any ground on her. Although I typically enjoy hilly bike course, I find this fairly flat course very enjoyable. The opportunity to ride these roads without traffic is special for us locals.

I had friends cheering all over the course, and therefore loving every minute of it. I had no idea what was happening behind me, but kept working hard. Although I felt strong and smooth, I felt like such a rookie in the corners. I used to ride much more aggressively, but since I crashed in a corner last year, I’ve become such a wimp. Anyways, I’ll be working on that over the next few weeks.

It felt wonderful coming into T2 in the lead, but I knew the run was not going to be much of a party. The first opportunity to check in on the competition comes just after the first mile where there a short out and back before continuing around the lake. I saw Lindsay and figured she was about a minute behind me. This made me pretty nervous, but I didn’t see anyone else behind her. I did my best to focus on decent run form and high cadence, but I still wasn’t seeing the splits I was hoping for. Although its very hard to explain here in writing, coming around the top of the lake and passing through the first lap was very exciting. With SO many friendly cheers and support coming from the sidelines, I did everything I could to pick up the pace. I’m pretty sure I negative split the 2nd loop, which is something positive to pull from my lackluster run split. When I came around the final curve at the top of Lake Nakomis I had several people tell me there was nobody behind me. This was music to my ears, and coming into the finish chute was so much fun. That feeling never get old, and I’m go grateful for all the wonderful cheers and support out there.

Here's JH enjoying the race best bike split-AWESOME!

A very special thanks for all the kind comments (Facebook rocks). There’s no way I could have pulled it off this year without my awesome support crew. Kerry is always at the top of that list, but my awesome friends, the best crew at Gear West (thanks for hooking me up with the fast Zipp Sub9), and all the fun competitors make this so much more enjoyable. A huge kudos goes out to the Lifetime Fitness Athletic events crew for once again putting on such a World class event and for their continued support for amateur racing.

Next up: Heart of the Lakes on Sunday. I WILL have a better run on Sunday-That is My main objective.

Buffalo Springs 70.3 Race Report

2009-07-13T21:20:00.006-05:00

Texas Girls Weekend!

The two Julie’s and I set off Friday morning for our weekend adventure to Lubbock. I’d been to Lubbock in my college days (played golf against Texas Tech), so I knew this trip was more about quality chick time/racing and less about sightseeing. All three of us signed up for this race late last year, after watching the Ironman World Championships recap and after our friend Merilee picked up her Kona slot in AZ. We all wanted to try and join her in Kona and figured this would be a great place to go after it.

We enjoyed a course preview Saturday morning. I can’t stress enough how important it is to drive a bike course before a race. It was so helpful. I counted eight climbs/descents on the bike, and with my love for climbing I was really looking forward to pushing it on the bike. The run however was very intimidating. With 3 significant climbs (at mile 3, 5 and 9) I was pretty nervous about what would happen out there. To add to the anxiety, it was over 95 degrees on Saturday, so I was getting worried about how my body would hold up in those conditions.

Race morning came quickly and we were on our way to the Lake bright and early. Not quite early enough however, as the traffic coming into the park was a brutal, and I had minimal time to get myself in race mode. By the time we finally arrived in transition I was pretty frantic trying to get my stuff organized before the kicked us out. I had to skip any form of a warm up, but in the end, that worked out. Thankfully the weather took a turn Sunday and we were greeted by much cooler temps, high winds and rain.

The water was very warm, but age groupers were still allowed to wear wetsuits. I think they know where the ‘Springs” are to drop the thermometer. Of course of love the buoyancy of my awesome Blue Seventy suit, but would have been very happy with a non-wetsuit ruling this time around. Swim was pretty uneventful- on my own most of the time. Once into T1, and I noticed one person in my AG at their bike. I quickly peeled off my wetsuit and managed to get off on my bike in front. My plan was to stay ultra conservative on the first 5-10 miles, and I stayed true to that. I felt great, and with the W35-45 starting 5 minutes ahead, it was great to have a few targets on the course.

This course has three turnarounds, so it provides plenty of opportunity to check in on the competition. With the hills nicely spaced, this course seems to pass by very quickly. The winds didn’t bother me out tere, but the wet roads made a few of the technical descents rather tricky. I felt good with my effort on the bike and came into T2 feeling strong and leading the AG. It was really cool to see Jules in T2. She got out about 30sec in front of me, but I was excited to have the chance to run with her. Again, being pretty new to this distance stuff, I wanted to start off very conservatively on the run. It felt effortless, and was happy to see my first 2 miles right on the 7min pace. I was very happy with that, but I knew there was a lot of hard work ahead. Julie and I had a chance to run together for a while, which was a real treat. I climbed the first big hill still feeling in control, but when I hit the climb at mile 4.5, I felt like 100 lbs were added to my back. That was a tough one. At the top, there’s a 1.5 mile flat out and back, so I worked hard to get myself back in a rhythm and back on pace. At the turnaround, I had a chance to check in on the swift footed Charisa in serious pursuit. I knew it was just a matter of time, but I kept trucking along hoping to hold her off as long as possible. I felt ok-no gut or body issues, just getting pretty tired. C eventually passed me at the 9.4 ish mark on the big climb before turning into the park. We ran shoulder to shoulder for about 10 seconds, and when we hit the turn, she was off in true C style. I didn’t think there were any other Amateurs ahead of us and by looking at my watch, I knew that if I held it together for the last 3 miles I could get myself a PR and a Kona slot (C picked up her slot in CA earlier this year). I suffered through to the finish and crossed the line in 4:46. I was Very pleased.

After the initial excitement wore off, my body started to shut down. I was pretty dizzy, and I was having a tough time seeing. Thankfully for me, the med tents folks were handing out IVs like candy so I was quickly offered a pick me up.

After thinking back over my nutrition for the day, I realized that I had consumed less than 450cals during the race, and I was obvioulsy dehydrated. I went to the BR before the race, and not again until 2+ hours after the race (and that’s with the 1L IV). I’ll do a better job with that next time.

So the Kona slot was mine…What to do??? The decision took a few hours, but after a few Margaritas I decided to pass on KONA, and the three of us accpeted Clearwater slots. Another big party in the making!!

I’m just not fired up for an Ironman this year-I love the OLY distance, and I’d like to do a few more 70.3 this fall. When I decide to invest the time and money into an Ironman, I want to be really jazzed for it. I know it will come, but just not this year.

CHEERS :-)

Midwest Sprint Classics-Double RR

2009-06-15T15:37:00.020-05:00

Pigman Sprint (.5K swim, 25K bike, 5K run)
As much as I love the super sprints, they still make me a little anxious come race morning. There’s NO room for error and its 110% effort from the start. When I checked in Saturday afternoon, I noticed Jenny Garrison from IL was on the start list. Knowing her accolades, I immediately assumed that the equalizer was between her and Daniel Bretscher. Deep down however, I held a glimmer of hope-I figured this was not a focused race for JG, so if I kept it together, there was a slim chance I could do it… It was amazing to me that despite all my years of racing, the nervous butterflies were out in full force. I hadn’t felt like that in a long time. Like I said these sprints put me over the edge. The women received ~ 9minutes head start over the elite men.

Once the race started, I took off like a madwomen to find open water. I was truly expecting JG to come out of the water with me, so when I got though T1 by myself I was stoked. I hammered the beginning of the bike in an attempt to get out of sight to those in pursuit. I know it’s much easier to turn it up another level with a target in sight. It was fun to be following the lead vehicle through the rural IA roads. There's a short out and back section towards the end of the bike about mile 12 of 15, and I noticed there was nobody close behind and the chase group (I think there were 4 or 5 pretty close together) was about 2.5 minutes back. I tried to ease up a little to get my legs ready for the run, as I really wanted to put together a strong run. The run course is an out and back on the bike course, so I had another opportunity to check in on the chase group as I started my run. I figured I had a good cushion, but I still wanted to work as hard as I could in an attempt to hold off the fast charging DB for the equalizer bonus. My legs felt pretty good initially on the run, but about 3 quarters of a mile into my run after stopping for ~30-40sec (I had a really good reason) I had a little more difficulty getting my run stride back. I tried my hardest to dig, and I didn’t feel overly slow, but got passed by DB within the last half mile-This guy made up around 4min on me in a 5K. That’s embarrassing!! I was initially disappointed with my run split, but in the end, I took away so much more from that race then what’s posted on the results page. It was a super day.

Manitou Sprint (.5mile swim, 13.5 mile bike, 3.1mile run)
Race morning conditions were PERFECT, but for some reason I could not get myself fired up to GO GO GO. I was truly in a deep fog all morning: A mix of fatigue and nerves I guess, but luckily shortly before the start I snapped out of it. Due to extremely low water levels in White Bear Lake, RDs decided on a two loop swim. This was actually quite fun for me. As always the Elite start was rough-Those boys are tough, but they also provide great drafting potential. I wanted to get on Kevin’s feet, but I lost those pretty early in the frenzy. First person to make the turn-MW obvioulsy carved his way through the weeds. Kerry as always having lots of fun out there.

I came around the 1st lap on Kevin's heels, but I managed to get through the masses a little easier (the 2nd wave had already started so we had to swim around them). I ended up coming out of the water a few steps ahead of KO, therefore I knew I was in good company. I eagerly busted through transition, jumped on my bike and started to hammer…Well I tried to hammer, but my legs and probably mostly my mind could not get it going. I had difficulty finding the right gear…caught between the big gear grind and not working hard enough. I had borrowed KO’s Zipp Power tap Disk, so I was interested to see what kind of watts I could put out in real race conditions. Well, it was not pretty folks. I have no excuse, but my race day power was almost 15 watts less than my half ironman goal wattage. I’ve been doing long rides with 3x30 at stronger wattage than what I did yesterday!! Anyways, my legs had no gusto-Simple as that! I was also feeling my right hamstring tighten so I was starting to get worried for the run. I tried to stay mellow (relatively- It’s a sprint after all) through T2, and slightly ease into the 5K. I felt pretty good at the start, I focused on my form and came though mile one around 6:09. I was pretty happy with that, and wanted to hold that pace. Again, this is an out and back run course, so I had an opportunity to check in on the race behind me (I love out and backs). I was confident I could hold my position with a strong pace though the finish, and in the end I picked up the win. Also, there’s nothing that makes a race day more enjoyable then having the opportunity to watch my favorite triathlete in action. Due to the wave structure Kerry started almost 50 minutes behind me, so I was able to see him come into T2 and I was able to cheer in multiple sections during the run. For the third race in a row, Kerry made it to the podium in his AG! AWESOME.

Now, I’ve already been told by several people that I need to work on my champagne popping skills. Maybe I never quite came out of my morning fog, but I couldn’t get the darn thing open until all the guys made it up to the podium, and the gals had taken their seats…or maybe that was planned. Spare the ladies the alcohol soak and leave the boys with the sticky clothes…hum…I like that excuse. CHEERS

I want to commend John, Dan and Kris from SCS Multisport for a super event. I also owe major photo credit to Erik and GC from Triathlete.com and Greg Fleck for all the photos. Also, for your viewing pleasure, Christine Wood takes the most amazing photos... and if you're racing with Curt, you may be lucky enough to get caught behind her lens. Check them out at her blog.

NEXT UP: Buffalo Springs 70.3 in two weeks. I’m still so intimidated by that distance, but very much looking forward to the challenge.

2009 Racing Plans

2009-06-05T11:56:00.006-05:00

I’ve been getting so many questions about my race plans for 2009, and although the season is in full swing I still don’t have a concrete race schedule. Or better stated, “I have a plan to NOT have a plan”.

After racing 16 times in 2008, and pretty much burning up my competitive juices, I’m not sure what to expect for the upcoming season. Last winter, I had every intention to significantly scale back my racing to enjoy a larger variety of adventures… I wanted to participate in fun training camps, spend more time doing yoga, maybe the Leadville 100 Mtn bike race etc. etc.. BUT here I am, at the start of the season already registered for five triathlons, with more on the horizon. How did that happen???

It’s Simple…

I guess when it really comes down to it I love triathlon. Most importantly I love the people in the tri community, and I love how training and racing makes me feel. I believe we have the BEST local races/local clubs and it’s easy to get energized by each other’s enthusiasm…. On the flip side, it’s also easy to let pressure and expectations take away some of the enjoyment, but it’s truly how you manage that which makes the difference. Just last week I had someone come up to me and say (any I know they did not mean any harm), “Cathy, what happened at Gear West Du-I heard you almost lost”…. WHAT?!?! I came away from that race energized and feeling wonderful about what I did-And it wasn’t about the victory, but that I didn’t give up. If I finished last but believed I raced the best I could , then I’m happy. Winning races is NOT why I race-In fact, If I NEVER win another race, BUT I’m still having fun, and I’m ABLE to participate then that is MY VICTORY. I know there are so many amazing amateurs out there that could kick my butt on any given day, but that does not change anything for me-I do this for FUN.

Don’t get me wrong, I have every intention to still go out and train my butt off, and race HARD each race. I have goals to improve-That's what's FUN for me right now.

Recently, I’ve heard a lot of very tragic stories, reminding me how fragile life really is. I can’t stop thinking about Cynthia Brochman: A local athletic goddess, who one day during a training run starting coughing up blood and then spent the next 6 days in the hospital charting course for the hardest and toughest fight of her career-the fight for her life. I’ve only met ‘Broc” on a few occasions, but her story is very sad and very real. It serves as a painful reminder that ‘things’ can and do happen…Things which can drastically change your life. With these unsettling reminders, my days of worrying about the little things are over (well, as much as possible). I will not take anything for granted-especially my health. I certainly don’t want to make anyone sad with this message, rather hopefully bring forth these reminders as inspiration to make the best of what you have. Go after dreams with no regrets, but most importantly ENJOY the journey.

So with that, this is what I have on the horizon:

Pigman Sprint (series race): Although it seems strange to drive 4.5 hours for a 70 min race, there is something special about Pigman. This will be the third year for the popular equalizer format. Women get a head start and bust a lung to stay in front of the Big Boys. $750 bonus for the first person to cross the line.

Manitou Sprint (series race): This was the very first triathlon I did in MN, and holds a special place as the local tri opener. I missed this race last year because I decided to drive to IA for a big $$ race (which ended up getting cancelled on race morning), so I’m very excited to be back in 2009.

Buffalo Springs 70.3. It’s been an adjustment getting ready for a 70.3 in June, but I’m excited to go after it in Texas. I still feel so inexperienced at the half distance, but I’m very much looking forward to the challenge. This race serves as a qualifier for both Kona and Clearwater, bringing out a competitive field. I’m going with two great girlfriends so it should be a super fun weekend.

Post Buffalo Springs remains unknown at this point. If I enjoy the 70.3, then I may decide to spend time working on Distance training/racing. I’ll do Pigman ½, maybe pick up another September half, or even a late season Ironman.

OR, if after BSLT I decide that I like the simplicity of OLY racing then I will shift into short/speed mode and maybe go to USAT Nationals at the end of August.

SO many great options… I am so blessed.

ENJOY THE RACES!

Twin Cities On Bike

2009-06-01T19:36:00.007-05:00

After my four hour trans city bike tour, its not hard to understand one of the many reasons people live in the Twin Cities. If you can survive the Winter you become blessed with a beautiful playground! I had an easy ride on my plan last Saturday, and decided to do something a little different. Skip the big group ride, and simply take off on my road bike with no agenda...

Here's a few photos I took along the way. I ended up travelling through seven different cities.

Here's the view of Downtown Saint Paul from the top of the High Bridge. This was about an hour into my ride. Kerry works in the tall building in the middle.

From the same vantage point, here is a view to the West which includes the Cathedral and the High Bridge. Repeats on the high bridge=local cyclists boot camp. I skipped the bridge and took Ohio down to the River. Crossed into downtown and then took Shepherd Road towards Minneapolis.

Here's a view from the Ford Bridge. I'm crossing over the Mississippi to the Minneapolis side of the river. This is part of the Lifetime Fitness bike course.

Lower West River road getting closer to Minneapolis.

The newly rebuilt 35W Bridge.

Getting closer to downtown Minneapolis. The Beige building in the middle is where I get to spend 40+ hours a week.

Hennepin Ave Bridge from the Stone Arch Bridge.

I couldn't resist a stop at the Mill City Farmers market.

YUM...Veg dumplings

Dancers outside the Guthrie.

Heading South on East River road. This is also part of the LTF Bike course. You know you want to register...Come join me :-)

Ok-I felt a little lost here. I wanted to get over to Fort Snelling, but couldn't find the way to the pedestrian path (the road is freeway). I eventually found the stairs, and in cyclo cross style put the bike on my shoulder and went to down.

After cruising through Fort Snelling, then across the Mendota Bridge, I took Hwy 13 home to Apple Valley. A great 70 mile tour. It was such a plesant escape from the routine ride.

1/100th of a second

2009-05-17T19:52:00.009-05:00

Each year when I register for an early season Duathlon, I question my sanity. Running is not my thing and I really enjoy swimming, so why DU it? Well I know they’ll make me stronger in the long run, and you certainly can't beat the fun filled atmosphere at the Gear West Duathlon.

It's the local season opener (part of the Midwest Multisport series), so it’s the perfect opportunity to see everyone again. Great crowds, great volunteers, and GREAT competition is guaranteed.

This run starts with a 400m sprint on asphalt before turning into the park with mostly XC style running. The first run is 6K with plenty of twists, turns, and little climbs. I tried to stay conservative on the first run, and came into T1 about 40 seconds out of first. With a good transition, and full throttle on the pedals, I passed women's leader Marlo Crosby-McGaver within the first mile of the bike. Having fallen victim to Marlo’s bike prowess before, I immediately realized she was off her best form. This woman typically bikes with the big boys, so it’s a rare treat to actually pass her on two wheels. I tried to stay strong, but she passed me back about halfway through the 18 mile course. We flip flopped a few times, and came into T2 together. I blazed through T2 (for the fastest T2 split of the day in :21sec), and immediately gained a 20 yd lead. I knew it wouldn't be too long before she passed me, and I was basically just waiting for it. I also knew there were at least four very strong women close behind, leaving me with no room for a slowdown. The second run is only 4K but still XC style. Marlo passed me halfway, and she immediately put 10yds on me. Due to the twisty, woodchip terrain, she really could not build up her usual speed. Although I stayed within 10-15 yds of her heels, I never thought I would catch her and I was just trying to run hard to maintain my second place position. Just before the final 500m homestretch, there‘s a super steep 15 yd climb. It’s the nemesis hill for many, and when I finally caught my breath at the top I realized that the climb took a toll on Marlo. For the first time, I looked ahead I thought…THERE’S A CHANCE! I started running a little faster, I started gaining on her, and with about 100 yards to the finish I really went for it...This is totally out of my character (I'm not much of a fighter on the run), and took the Win at the line. Our times were the same in the results...1:26:01, but the official timer said I had Marlo by 1/100th of a second.

I was shocked. Of course it’s great to win and pick up a winner’s check, but I'm primarily excited that I didn't give up. Here are a few shots to get a feel for the finish (Thanks Greg!).

Of course I can't end my post without reference to the yummy cupcakes I enjoyed post race. I commented on Julia's decadent Birthday cupcakes on FaceBook a few weeks ago, and what does she bring us today...SUGAR BLISS. Thanks Julia, and GREAT job out there today! These DU's make triathlon seem like a piece of (cup)cake!

2009-05-03T19:49:00.007-05:00

From the two readers I have left (thanks Mom and Dad), I’ve be told an update is due. It’s been a busy few weeks, with no signs of a slowdown. No complaints of course; the race season is here and the spring weather in Minnesota ensures most free time is spent away from my personal computer. Tonight however, desperately needing a night with my feet up, HERE I AM.

Last weekend Kerry and I had a wonderful trip to Florida. Although I wasn’t feeling too confident in my race fitness, I was really looking forward to the vacation. Through Facebook, I found an old High School friend who lives in St. Petersburg, so the excitement to reconnect dismissed all pre-race anxiety. It’s so funny how it works with old friends. We hadn’t talked in almost 10 years, but once we saw each other, there was an immediate reconnection. We had so much catching up to do, and so many great high school memories to laugh about. Melissa is a former collegiate tennis player who’s recently been bitten by the triathlon bug… It always fun to answer all the newbie questions.

Kerry snapped a photo at one point during our 4 hour dinner!

Indeed it's old news now, but the swim cancellation at St. Anthony’s was a disappointment. I believe it was the right call by the RD, but after hearing the news it was really tough to get in the game mentally. I have a lot of work to do on my running, so I looked at this as the perfect opportunity to ride/run as hard as possible without any self enduced placement pressure. Before they called the swim, my pre-race goal was a top 5 finish. Considering I didn’t get to swim (my favorite event), I was very pleased not to mention surprised with my 4th place finish. There are so many things I could share about the race, but I’m just too lazy to write a real race report.

Post race R&R at David's Homestay.

Despite a very relaxing vacation, I returned to a frenzy at work. Once our division EVP uncharacteristically requested everyone’s attendance at his quarterly meeting, we knew something was coming… People were skittish and speculation was rampant. The news was official on Thursday afternoon. Job cuts are looming, but reassurance was supposed to come when he announced that the cuts wouldn’t happen until the end of the year. Now the pressure is on to make the cut. The jockeying for position is in full force, and therefore squeezing in all my workouts has suddenly become more difficult and of course less important. More time in the office and excessive studying for my professional certification is on the horizon.

…well not quite yet.

The weather was perfect this weekend and I was ready to play. With 9 hours of training in the last two days, I didn’t let the news of the work week get me down. Thanks to my training buddies for all the support. It’s amazing how much easier it is to do the mega sessions in the company of great people. I love you guys.

Jules and I thinking about an ice bath in the St. Croix…

And although very late, I just found this photo from the epic climb up Mt Lemmon. This one couldn't go unposted...The famous Pie Shop means we made it!

well...It's time to switch to my work computer. Cheers until next month OR Year...

Fun in the Sun

2009-04-02T22:11:00.005-05:00

It’s hard to beat the clear blue skies and the warm temps here in the Valley, but the fun factor rocketed yesterday when we picked up Julie and Erik at the airport. It was officially play time! We all took 3 days off work to hang out, train, and catch a few rays. We did this last year as well-YNDECAMP take two!!

We kicked off camp with 800s on the track, 20 miles on the bike, 2000m in the outdoor pool, and most importantly, a very enjoyable Mexican dinner at Tia Rosa.

Today the main event was a ride to Tortilla Flats along the Apache Trail. After a nice swim we saddled up around 11am for our ride. Its 28 miles to Tortilla Flats from the condo, and the final 10 miles from Apache Junction to Tortilla Flats is absolutely spectacular. The scenery is breathtaking; and combine that with challenging climbs, fun descents, and a classic southwest Saloon, and you’ve got a great adventure. We pulled into the Tortilla Flats Saloon almost 2 hours after departure and fully enjoyed the opportunity to refuel.

It was a little daunting knowing we had to turn around and climb ourselves back out of there, but once the blood returned to the legs after our layover, it was a fabulous and equally spectacular ride home.

Today epitomizes why I train and participate in triathlon. Fun Challenges shared with friends!

Now it’s time to recovery and get ready for another epic day…Mt Lemmon in Tuscon is on the agenda for tomorrow. We learned a lot from our maiden voyage up the Mt last year… and pray for a smoother experience this time around.

Here’s a link to my blog post from the Mt Lemmon ADVENTURE of 2008!

2009-03-22T19:48:00.012-05:00

As hard as it may be to believe we actually forgot our camera this morning, so these iphone photos will have to do.

Well there’s nothing like a good butt kickin’ to get the season started! Earlier this week, I decided to register for a low key triathlon in Carefree Arizona (just North of Scottsdale). We didn’t know anything about the course or anyone else participating, but we figured an Oly distance race would be a great way to kick off our escape to the Valley of the Sun. We arrived Saturday night, but thankfully with the two hr time change, it didn’t hurt too badly when the alarm rang at 4:45. We didn’t bring our race gear, and opted for the simple approach of using our old training bikes/wheels that we leave at the condo.

This made it much easier to get everything ready to go. This race was just about getting out and testing ourselves… Well there was no shortage of that. WOW, is all I can say to describe the incredible race course. I had no clue what was in store but the drive into the Bartlett Lake Reservoir was a good indication that it was going to ONE CHALLENGING Day!

The water felt very chilly when I first hopped in to warm up, but luckily once the gun sounded, it was very comfortable. With perfectly clear open water and nobody around me, I really enjoyed the swim. I came out of the water 3rd OA with the men and quickly shuffled through transition. I jumped on my bike and started climbing….and kept climbing!! The climbing pretty much lasted for the first 5 miles, then a slight break, then 5 more miles of climbing. I was averaging well over 250 Watts, but that was translating into a meager 9mph . I recall a slight break in the slope, seeing 12mph, and I truly felt like I was cruising!! I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had my zipp 303’s strapped on for the ride. It was basically up or down. I was either riding 39-23 (could have also used a more forgiving cassette today), or 53-12 gearing. Those middle gears were not touched today.

Pro triathlete Angi Axmann went by me at about mile 13 on the bike. I tried to stay with her on the climb, and did a decent job initially, but it really didn’t take her very long to get well out of sight. I kept working hard doing everything I could to maintain a good margin over 3rd place. Despite the challenging course, I really did have a great time out there on the bike. I love climbing, and figured this training will prove valuable when we attack Mt Lemmon next week.

I finally arrived into t2, and was honestly scared to start the run. I’ve been challenged with my running this spring, and this course would have NO sympathy on me. This sign did not help my inner desire to stop!! Once again, it was straight up for the first 1.5 miles. I didn’t even feel like I was moving, but kept reminding myself that it’s tough for everyone so just keep going. The next 1.5 miles were straight down before the turnaround. Of course with each downhill stride towards the turnaround, I could only think about climbing back up. I think I was in 10th OA with the men at the turnaround, so I tried to hold that position. It was a brutal climb, but I knew that once I hit the 4.7 mile mark, it was all downhill to the finish. Unfortunately another guy passed me and I dropped to 11th OA as we crested the final climb. My finish time was 2:41 (which is a good 30 min slower than my standard Oly time), and I ended up 2nd among the women. I think I was a good 9 minutes behind Angi, but in general I’m pleased with my overall effort. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the season, but I’m looking forward to it.

It was great to have Kerry out there racing with me today, and there was no shortage of R & R afterwards.

…Back to the grind tomorrow. I’ll be working in the downtown Phoenix office for the next two weeks, but hopefully, I can still find time to get out a enjoy this amazing weather.

City of the Lakes 35Km Ski Race

2009-02-02T13:28:00.005-06:00

A beautiful day-I’m pretty sure I was spoiled for my rookie ski race. With temps in the low 30s, and abundant sunshine, conditions couldn’t get much better. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m not really a Nordic ski racer, but regardless I was very excited to give this a try.
The nice thing with ski racing is that they frequently start mid morning. No 4am wake up calls like you experience for triathlon, and the leisurely wake up was appreciated after a fun filled Saturday evening with friends.
After finishing my breakfast of Champions-Left over rice and a side of Guacamole (Kerry’s team is sponsored by Chipotle this year, so after their team meeting on Saturday he brought home a few extras), we were on our way to Theo Wirth Park for the 1030 start.
Kerry came along to cheer and take photos, and as usual he did a great job of both. We watched the Elite wave take off and then waited a full 30 minutes before it was my turn. It was a tough start: Straight up a sledding hill, and the first couple km were especially busy and hectic.

Some of the downhill sections were getting icy due to all the skiers ahead of us, but thankfully my alpine racing experience proved valuable as I avoided the trees and the other skiers. My lack of regular skate skiing technique prevented any real racing. I never really taped into Zone 5 because if I tried to go much faster I would’ve undoubtedly ended up on my face.

Dr. Sarah Kolpin coming off a week of brutal Board exams, enjoyed a nice release out on the ski course.

It was a hilly course, but certainly beautiful and unique. We skied over interstates, around 3 or 4 different lakes, through neighborhood parks, and finished on the street in Uptown. It’s pretty neat to have an urban 35KM ski course. I guess there’s an advantage of having “America’s fittest Mayor” in Mpls.
Jan Gunther and Karl Schultz. Jan turned 50 last year, and remains one of the fastest triathletes, and skiers in the State-Any age.

I would certainly do another ski race…. But I’m not eager to register for anything else this year. It was nice to just go out and have fun with the crowds, but I’ll need a few days to heal. Thankfully my lower body feels fine, but lifting my arms over my head is quite painful today.
Thanks to those who came out to cheer-Kerry, Jmac, Julie, Merilee, Sarah and Dave. You made me smile each time I saw you, and I sure hope I returned the favor. Your position at the top of the climbs was the perfect place to see me flailing for extra comedy value-THANKS for being out there! Additionally, I want to extend big thanks for the supportive FB comments… Much appreciated!

Here are the stats
Total time: 2hrs 16 min-- 47 minutes behind women’s winner Caitlin Compton.
Age Group-12/24
Gender-72/166
Overall- 518/846

“Do One Thing A Day That Scares You”

2009-01-30T12:03:00.001-06:00

I as I read that off my Lululemon manifesto water bottle, I’m confident I have THAT ‘scares you’ part covered for this weekend!

Experience: That’s what it’s all about right?? When I started XC skiing I was pretty adamant that I was not going to race. Skiing is my winter survival activity. While focused on training and racing all summer with triathlon, the last thing I needed was another competitive sport. I ski when I want, when the weather is perfect; without worrying about equipment, heart rates, intervals, technique. It’s playing in the snow - That’s all it represents for me. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of overlap between the local tri and ski community, so last fall I joined a few tri friends in a XC dry land clinic with Olympic hopefuls Caitlin Compton and Johanna Winters. I figured it would be a great way to support these amazing athletes, not to mention to do a fun group workout together.

But then it happened…The Post Clinic Raffle: Free Entry to the City of the Lakes Loppet (35km). Jmac and I looked at each other laughing because it was the LAST thing we wanted to win, but sure enough my name was drawn! I didn’t give it much thought at the time, but a few months later, and after 5-6 outings on skate skis, I figured it could be a ‘fun’ experience. My longest ski to date is ~15K, so what’s another 20K right???!!! Of course I had to wait to see the race day weather forecast (remember good conditions are required), but with temps forecasted in the 30s on Sunday, my entry HAS BEEN SUBMITTED!

I told my coach last week that I was going to do it- I’ve never had a XC ski column in my training log, but I suddenly I had 6 hours of skiing on the plan for the week including all kinds of V1, V2, Double polling drills…HUN? I don’t even know what that stuff means… THIS IS GOING TO BE INTERESTING.

I dropped my skis at the shop last night for waxing. First waxing since I picked them up from Gear West in November. I feel like such a rookie… Some advice from friends: “Protect your poles at the start,” from someone else I hear…”it’s like a bike race, get out in front at the start”. I’m now visualizing myself as the non-swimmer at the start of a triathlon, and suddenly I have much more sympathy for those folks! I have no idea what to wear, what to expect, but I guess that’s all part of the experience. It reminds me of the Inline Marathon Kerry and I did a few years ago. We showed up in St. Paul for the inaugural race, had hardly rollerbladed in our lives, but ended up having a blast at the back of the pack rolling through Downtown St. Paul for 26.2miles. It’s a very different atmosphere at the back of the pack in these endurance races, and I’m hoping to find the same fun, inviting vibe in WAVE 6 (the last wave) on Sunday morning.

This race course it pretty hilly for the first 8.5K, but then it flattens around the lakes and finishes on the streets in uptown (yes, they put snow on the roads for this race)- URBAN skiing at its finest.

Kerry will try to get photos on Sunday morning, but I’m considering bringing my own camera. I’ll be looking for photo opps (ie rest breaks) along the course!

Have a super weekend folks.

Alive and Well !!

2009-01-20T14:20:00.002-06:00

I know I’ve been neglecting my blog, and many other blogs for that matter, but on that note, I want to thank many of you for your kind emails, and Facebook comments asking if things are going OK. These notes served as a very pleasant reminder of why I joined Blogland in the first place.
I’ve been blogging for about a year now… It was shortly after Marit’s terrible bike crash last year, when I became truly amazed with the outpouring of support and camaraderie amongst the tri blogging community (I was a periodic 'lurker' back then). I immediately realized that joining this world was something I wanted to do. Many of us know each other’s names from the races, but blogging helps bridge the gap between competitor and friend. I wanted to establish additional relationships outside the local tri community, and keep existing friends and family in the loop at the same time. I found blogging to be an effective vehicle for that. As I reflect on last year, I remember how many people (both local and national) who would introduce themselves at races, thanking me for writing and sharing my experiences. People I didn’t even know, and would have probably never met without the connection established through blogging. I recall getting together with fellow bloggers at races (for both racing and spectating) and it was like we were long lost friends. This is a wonderful way to increase the fun factor of this amazing sport. There’s nothing better than having more people to follow and support especially during Ironman events…
As many of you know, my desire to write and share my stories has been seriously challenged over the course of the year. ‘One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch’ so to speak. It’s obvious this person’s continuous obsession will not subside; therefore I have decided to remove the comment option from my blog. Thankfully with the help of Facebook, I’ll be able to stay connected with many fellow bloggers without the poison of the Bad Apple, as well as hopefully keep you all out of her Line of Fire!
…and to answer the question… Yes, Things are going very well. I’m enjoying the new job, despite the longer hours and information overload, and I remain confident that this was the right move for me. Training is coming along…We enjoyed two weeks of outdoor training over the Holidays in AZ which helped jump start the conditioning (from post Ironman hibernation), and thankfully Kerry and I are on our way back to the Valley on Thursday. Bring on the warmer temps!!

December 15th—Really??!!

2008-12-15T22:38:00.005-06:00

It’s hard to believe we've hit the middle of December already. It seems I was just finishing my Thanksgiving Post, yet here I am two weeks later?? I’ve been in a whirlwind lately, and I expect this coming week will be much of the same.
This post is random and scattered…sort of like my mind these days, and its primary purpose is to simply ramble about some of the fun things going on lately. Sort of a “mom its too late to call you back tonight (2.5 hr time change to NFLD), but this is what I’m up to” post.

Last weekend I did an impromptu visit to my big sis in Toronto. I didn’t take many photos in Canada-Hands were too cold to take off the mittens, but it was indeed a fabulous trip. Classic sister time filled with relaxation, running, shopping and dining. Here’s one of my favorite self photos with Pam as we toast to sisterhood and the warming effects of Starbucks Lattes! “CHEERS” It was just a 3 day trip, but it won’t be long before we’re back together again under much warmer conditions.

After arriving home late Sunday night, I decided it was time to embrace winter. I had recently picked up my skis and bike from Gear West, and therefore it was time to play with my fixed up toys. Check out my Toy Trunk-Anybody want to play? It’s sort of like the ispy game. FIND the roller ski…what else can you find????

This past Saturday was a beautiful day for skiing. Our skis were waxed and after a short 60 min spin in the basement (my first ride on my tri bike since Kona), we loaded up the van and headed to Cleary Lake. Kerry and I are both very new to XC skate skiing, but we really love it. I spent my early years Alpine racing (Slalom and GS), but now I prefer Nordic skiing. I’m pretty sure that’s because it’s much easier to stay warm; you don’t spend time on freezing chair lifts, and you can really work up a great sweat. We skied for about an hour, and enjoyed post ski refreshments with our friend Denny. Denny is also new to skiing and it was fun to have him out there with us.

We rushed home from skiing in prep for the Ironman World Championship Broadcast. Lucky for us, we had a few friends show up at the YndePad to watch the show. We especially enjoyed having our out of town visitor - “the south”. Personally, I don’t think it was the best coverage from NBC, but it was inspirational nonetheless. Afterwards, we quickly moved onto Guitar Hero, and enjoyed a fun afternoon together with the peeps.

With Sunday’s miserable weather, we opted for indoor workouts, and LOTS of ELFing. By ELFing I do not mean trying to be Liz (yes, of course I do secretly wish I could be her, well at least write like her), but in this sense, it means I was shopping, wrapping, singing, decorating etc. Holiday Cheer…All gifts were purchased, wrapped and under the tree in one day- PROGRESS.

This week will be a flurry before heading back to AZ for the Holidays. Tonight, I had dinner with the South of the river gals, or as I like to call them "Life Lines". Good times, great chatter and festive consumption. I did find it sort of funny that among the 5 of us, we had difficulty finishing off a bottle of wine. Well I guess it was a Monday night, or was it the 5:30am Masters swim practice looming over people’s minds?? Either way, that’s how we roll, and I love it!!

We have our Holiday work party tomorrow afternoon (70 Technology folks hitting a bowling alley in Minneapolis), which should prove to be somewhat entertaining… Immediately following, we drive to Wisconsin to do an early Christmas celebration with Kerry's parents in Hudson. Certainly no shortage of yuletide glee.

So yes, this post if for you mom...we've exchanged too many voice mails the over the last week......We'll see you soon in Sunny AZ, but in the meantime...to answer the first question; this is what I'm up to!

Cheers!

Arizona Thanksgiving Fun

2008-12-01T19:48:00.017-06:00

Despite working from home Tuesday and Wednesday, we made plenty of time for Thanksgiving fun in the Desert. We hadn’t been to AZ since July so as soon as we realized the kids were with their mom for the Holiday, Kerry and I jumped at the opportunity for a much needed getaway.

Kerry and I are as easy going (and non-traditional) as it gets, so I expected our Thanksgiving dinner to consist of a turkey Sandwich on the top of some mountain in Sedona. However, after a rainy morning, and a generous invitation from our friends Paul and Laura, we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast at their abode. Paul and Laura are from the Twin Cities, and ironically we spend more time with them in AZ than we do at home. They also purchased a place in our community and it’s been great fun spending more time together. While digesting our wonderful meal, we came up with a plan to forgo the chaos of Black Friday shopping, and challenge ourselves to a new hiking adventure in the Superstition Mountains.

Aside from viewing the summit from the ground, we didn’t know much about the hike. We welcomed the unknown, however I was a little intimated early on as I saw one hiker with a 9 mm handgun on his belt. “Cougars” he said?!? Despite some reservation, we continued onward. Luckily no scary wildlife to report, but we also saw some guy carrying a SHOTGUN over his shoulder. Yes, this is the Wild West, but a Shotgun for a hike?! Deputy Jen, maybe I’ll have to take you up on those shooting lessons after all.

We started out from the base at 0830, and we wobbled back into the car at 1430. 6 hours to go just over 6 miles!! It was an epic hike to say the least.

Here's the view to the summit from the half way point.

The summit was remarkable. Despite low clouds obscuring what would have been spectacular views, it was amazing to make it to the top. There were several moments of uncertainly, but we stuck it out and enjoyed the reward. Unfortunately, it was a little chilly at 5000 ft.

Yes, the exclamation point on the rock WAS appropriate.

I must admit that the decent was much more challenging than the ascent. There was a lot of tricky bouldering, with sharp rocks and vegetation keeping us on our toes. We were all pretty exhausted towards the end, and after doing was equates to hours of squats and lunges during the hike, our legs on Saturday morning were barely functional.

Sunday was originally slated for more fun in the sun, however after deciding to print our boarding passes at 0850, we realized that our flight back to MSP departed at 1010. CRAP!! Our place is 25 miles from the airport, we had to return the rental car, our condo was a mess, and I was still in my PJs. We thought we were on the Sunday evening flight (the typical situation), and after a quick check, there were no Sun Country flights until Monday morning. I HAD to be back in the office Monday morning, so I threw my work laptop in my bag and off we went. Kerry dropped me at the airport and I made it through security without a problem. It sucked to leave my favorite sidekick behind, but there was no way we could have both made it. I guess, on the positive side, I didn’t have to do any cleaning!!

Thanks Jen for picking me up at the airport...The Door to door service was much appreciated.

Now at 18 degrees F, I guess its time to readjust the internal thermostat! BURRRRR...

Ironman Arizona 2008 Photos

2008-11-26T13:21:00.014-06:00

We arrived in Arizona Friday evening, and its been non stop ever since. We hosted two Ironman participants (Merilee and Neil) and had a blast cheering for everyone on Sunday. Kerry and I took a ton of photos, and although many of you have seen Kerry's FB albums, I wanted to post a few of my favorites here.

While temped to stand in line to register for IMAZ 2009 Monday morning, my arm was twisted (thanks JH), and I'm excited and finally COMMITTED to my A race for 2009-Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3. Most of you know why we'd pick that one...Yup, we will give it our best shot to earn the opportunity to head back to KONA next October. Thanks for getting that ball rolling Merilee, and congrats on your Golden Ticket! You made us ALL so darn proud on Sunday!

TriMama in T1 before heading to the water.
It was still pretty dark for the Pro start at 6:50am.

Notice the athlete sitting on the right side...The race had started, but I think he was having second thoughts...Was it the 62 degree water, or the 140.6 miles ahead???

Gear West teammate, and first year Pro Neil Miller heading out of T1.
First Year pro Haley Cooper. After Kona, I knew she was ready for a big day... She ended up finishing 6th and taking home $$. Awesome.
Casey heading out on the bike. Total Mayhem at the start... It looks like a bike race?!?

Tanya Knoll heading out on the bike
Heidi Grimm-I first met Heidi when she went flying by me on the run of the 2006 BOUS Championship. She went on to capture the title before turning pro later that year.
Lars holding true to running the entire marathon. According to FB, he's now in hibernation.
Tri Super Hero Joe Boness...Amazing doesn't even begin to describe him.
Rappstar in the lead after a smoking 4:26 bike split.
Lieto
I'm pretty sure Haley was a little scared...I cheered like crazy for her all day, but she has no idea who I am.
After a flat tire on the bike, Anthony rallies back for a great finish.
Go Tanya GO!
Here I am cheering for MN Tri Ambassador Steve Gunther.
Doe...or no socks guy. Let's not forget that the IMAZ course is mostly concrete...OUCH!

Best buddies Nate and Carl. It was so neat to see them running togther.
Pam Neilson sporting her Corporate Target attire.

Casey running her way to a PR 11 hour Ironman. Congrats!
Merilee, 48 years young, running her way to a PR 10:54 and KONA slot. We love you Merilee, thanks for making it such a fun weekend.
Pam in her first Ironman finishing in 10:35. WOW!
I was able to do the finish chute catch for Merilee!

HAPPY Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Tri Night Photo Recap

2008-11-17T20:31:00.010-06:00

As expected, it was wonderful to see so many friendly faces come together to celebrate our wonderful Tri community. I was buzzing around most of the night taking care of loose ends and managing the silent auction so I didn't get too much time to chat, but I did manage to sneak into a few photos throughout the evening.
The wonderful MCs for the evening. Julie and Steve dazzling the crowd with their matching ensemble and classy charm. You guys were great!

The amazing Jeremy Sartain accepting the Thorpe Running Inspiration award. Jeremy is such a deserving recipient after he demonstrated what it really means to overcome adversity and use God given spirit and strength to defy the odds.
Julie and I with 3 time Olympian Hunter Kemper. It was such a special treat to have Hunter in attendance. He told great stories and most importantly used the platform to spread awareness and raise fund for his favorite charity. The AT Children's Project. We raised over $1600 in the silent auction and generated close to $3000 in T-shirt sales with all $$ going straight to the charity.
BFFs Jen, Julie and Julie. There's no way I would love triathlon without this crew. This girls make it all worthwhile

Kate Monster and Marky Mark...A spirited Duo indeed!!!

The Brains behind Tri Juice and Tri Mapper. Nick Moralis.
Lenarz...thanks for the photos girl (pulled them off your FB album).

Sarah, Merilee and Jmac. I get to Sherpa for Merilee this weekend at IMAZ. I can't wait to watch her put on a show around Tempe town Lake.

IronMom Jenny (middle) always makes me smile! She's one of the most unique, free spirited, fun loving people in the world (not an exaggeration). She looked smashing modeling the new clothes coming to Jeremy's new bike store. Trimama on the right...I'm just getting to know Kerri, but I'll be cheering loudly for her this weekend at IMAZ.
The Banquet Planning Committee posing with Hunter Kemper

To cap a great evening, I captured my second consecutive Triathlete of the Year award and also picked up my 2nd Performance of the Year award for my AG win/2nd OA at AG Nationals. It was a real honor considering all the amazing nominees this year. None of this is taken for granted, and I'll be working very hard to stay in this company next year. We have a lot of great developing talent among the local tri scene, so there's plenty of excitement ahead.

I think we pulled into the driveway at 2am Sunday morning... Enough said!

TRI Night 2008- This Saturday!!

2008-11-14T10:16:00.012-06:00

If you're looking for a good time, and a little inspiration, join us for the 10th Annual Tri Night Banquet Saturday night. Currently we have Approximately 250 people registered, and 300 is our capacity. I believe its shaping up to be the greatest yet!

Although this event was Jerry and Trudy's (midwestevents) creation, in 2006 the community stepped in to assist with the production. Many of you know, J&T as the creators of the Best Of The US RACE, and with that gigantic endeavor in its infancy, we knew they wanted a little help keeping the banquet alive. A committee of Die hard Tri geeks was formed (jerry included), and we've been running the show ever since.

Here are a few highlight on tap for the evening:

HUNTER KEMPER : First of ALL, we have an amazing guest speaker; Hunter had an amazing 7th place finish in Beijing in August, which was his third Olympic games. In addition to being a three-time Olympian, Kemper is a six-time US Elite National Champion, 2005 United States Olympic Committee's Sportsman of the Year, 2005 World Ranked #1, and 2003 Pan American Games Gold Medalist. And he's coming right here to Minnesota to talk to you, bringing some really cool one of a kind items to auction off for his favorite charity. Bring your Kleenex and your checkbook, you may never get another chance like this.

The MENU: Most ingredients are organic and/or sustainable. Think about how much you would pay for this food, and with a $30 ticket price. It's like we're paying you to show up! Appetizers include: Lox, Small chicken Skewers, Cheese Tray,Fruit Tray, and The Dinner Buffet includes: Gumbo w/dirty rice, Roasted Butternut squash soup w/ candied pecans, Thai Carrot Ginger Soup (Vegan) , Roasted Pork roulade Chef Carved w/ jus, Seared Sole Roulades w/ vin blanc, Braised Pearl Barley, Tabbouleh w/Quinoa, Paella of chicken, shellfish and linguica, Grill roasted vegetables with pine nut pesto, Jerk chicken and tofu , Caribbean fried rice, Spinach salad with smoked tomato vinaigrette, blue cheese and bacon, Endive Salad with roasted shallot vinaigrette and toasted walnuts, Assorted Dinner Rolls and herbed butter , Assorted dessert trays. ANYONE HUNGRY YET?

The RAFFLE: You must attend to win the stuff. Our awesome sponsors have donated over $3000 of prizes for you to win. Things like Louis Garneau custom molded carbon tri shoes, custom foot beds, fit kits, aero helmets, Speedplay pedals, thermic footbeds (nice toasty feet warmers with rechargeable battery), wetsuits. and all other kinds of stuff like free entries to races, etc.

The ATTENDEES: You will get a chance to mingle with many of your friends and competitors in a super setting where no one is wearing spandex (at least not the tri suit kind). Make some new friends for off season and next season training and socializing. Triathlon is a lifestyle and it's the people that make it fun. Come experience it even if this is your first year in triathlon, over half the attendees at any given event will be newbie's and Tri Night 2008 is no exception. Who' knows what's in store for you: I know at least one couple who met on Tri Night (LARS & EMILY/married in KONA in 2006)!

The AWARDS: Although this may sound a little crazy, I credit this banquet (specifically the work of Jerry and Trudy), for the majority of my triathlon specific development. I remember receiving a call from the famous Jerry McNeil 6 years ago inviting me to the Banquet. Awards are presented Academy awards style, and I had received a nomination for Rookie of the year. Although I did not win the award, and despite knowing very few people in the tri community, I had a wonderful time. As the awards were presented for Triathlete of the Year, Duathlete of the Year, Master of the year etc. and I watched the amazing athletes (Jan Guenther, Emily Deppe, Kim Fordham-Lien) graciously accept their awards, I found myself thinking about how I could get myself back on the nomination list the following year. Then I heard it...The Most improved award...That was it:: It had become MY motivation to figure out this crazy sport... and for that I am so grateful!!

This year, we've added a few meaningful Peoples Choice Awards. These awards are voted on my the community and include: Volunteer of the Year, Spirit of Triathlon, Most Enthusiastic Rookie, and Best Race Swag.

I've also received word that the Thorpe Running Inspiration award will BE A REAL Tear jerker this year...I guarantee you, you DON"T want to miss this!!!!

The PARTY: ...just trust me on this one! See you there. a few photos from Tri Night 2007.

Tri night 2007-based on Julie's baseball cap, i'm pretty sure this was at the end of the evening.

Our hotel room Pre banquet.

SWAT team member JL. LOVE you girl.

Severe Endorphin Confusion

2008-11-11T15:56:00.003-06:00

It’s hard to believe I’ve been enjoying my off season for over a month now. We had the most amazing post Ironman vacation in Hawaii; however as you can imagine, re-entry to the real world was a challenge. While being focused on planning, training, and performing all season (I raced 15 times), the off season initially proved to be a shock to the system… Severe Endorphin Confusion (SEC) to say the least!

I’m happy to report that I’m currently well adjusted to my off season, maybe just a little too much. This time has proven extremely valuable for me as I’ve had time to think, reconnect, and start planning for what lies ahead. Some specific activities include: Participating in Happy Hour at work, visiting the in-laws, taking off beat web development classes, learning new tricks on FAT tires, crashing on roller skis, helping plan the EOY Tri banquet, joining FCA huddles, and experimenting with some unusual RAW recipes. Oh yes, and more significantly I interviewed and was offered a new job.

This internal job opportunity was brought to my attention at the end of September. It sounded like a great position, but I only had one day to get a resume together and submit my application. It was a rushed operation, but figured it would be a good learning experience regardless of outcome. I was invited to a first round interview the Monday after the US OPEN/ also the day before I left for KONA. I felt extremely scattered, and wasn’t expecting to hear from them afterwards. Off to Hawaii I went, and didn’t think much about it!! To my delight, I was invited back for Round 2, and the next day I was offered the job. To be honest, I was hopeful, however realistically, not expecting to get the job. When the offer arrived, reality kicked in and the decision has been much harder than I thought.

The offer came last Wednesday, yet I find myself waiting until the last day to sign the letter. The new job comes with the daunting uncertainly of a new team, manager, and responsibilities. In addition, it’s an entirely new field for me, and with that comes a drop in pay. This is justified with the new learning, development and exposure, but it certainly heightens my indecisiveness. It’s tough to leave the comfort of a manager I love, who has given me the felixibilty to frequently work in AZ during the winter and is a huge supporter of my racing. Deep down however, I know my current work environment is not for me. I’m currently part of the Data Warehouse team, and my current career development path pushes me down an unappealing road. I’ve never been a big Relational Database/ Unix/ Datastage fan, and that’s where they NEED me to be. As I look around my current office and see people stressed with the constant problems and issues (that’s Technology), I realize that it’s not MY place to grow.

This new job is with my existing company; however the position is structured as a Rotational Development program with Audit. I expect to be initially placed with the Technology Audit team, but I won’t know until the program starts in January. I believe it will be a great field for me based on my experience and interests....I also spotted a poster inviting people to join their Tri/Run group- Impressive indeed!

SO....No plans for the pro card for now. I’ll save that story and my 2009 race plans for another day (hint: Ironman Wisconsin and Leadville 100 Mtn bike are on my mind in addition to a whole bunch of fun training camps).

Cheers!

Nothing Like It!

2008-10-12T10:34:00.008-05:00

What an amazing day. Although impossible to fully express the joys I experienced yesterday, I wanted to share a few photos and simply thank-you for the amazing support. It was wonderful to see all the fun comments to Kerry’s Facebook updates, and all the great messages and texts. Each time I crossed a new timing mat, a rush of emotions swept through, as I knew my friends were with me all the way. Thanks for keeping me going out there!

I’m typically not one to ‘sandbag’ but my initial goal from yesterday was to finish in less than 12 hours. I received a little crap for this, but I honestly had no idea what to expect considering my ‘case study-Volume is overrated-Race OLYs every weekend’ training plan. As race day approached and I felt good physically I shifted my target to break my first IM time from 2006 (11:21 IMAZ), but deep down there was indeed a part of me that dreamed of breaking 11 hours.

A brief Race Report:
I found Carrie H. in Transition and it was great to hang together as we eagerly waited to get in the water. We had a small MN reunion on the beach (Rich, Melinda, Amy, Jeremy, Carrie), and with a few memory creating tears of joy, we embraced then swam to the start.

Of course, I don’t need to describe the mayhem of this swim start-WOW!! Thankfully I didn’t need the Eggers helmet, but nevertheless, it was a rough ride for the first 1.2 miles. After exiting, I did a quick watch check and was very happy with my 1:01 swim. Did I mention I LOVE THE OCEAN!

I decided to go with ultra coverage from the elements and raced in my Gear West TT suit. I cut the arms off, and went with the white arm coolers. Although LOW on the cute OR cool factor it placed very high on function, and that was my priority. I didn’t need to waste any energy dealing with sunburn on my fair Irish complexion.
The bike was tough yet amazing at the same time. I stayed very controlled most of the way out, but once we made the right turn towards Hawi, the gusty crosswinds were downright scary. I spent plenty of time out of my aero bars, but I was still feeling very good with my progress. While making the climb and watching the Pro Men and Women getting pushed all over the road on the decent I was getting a little nervous for what laid ahead. Although I’m not sure how these winds compare to other years, I can’t imagine those gusts getting much worse. I guess that’s what makes this race a World Championship. Despite the brutal cross wind on that part of the course, it was the final 20 miles that got me. I knew I was making great time, but I NEEDED to get off my bike! One pedal rotation at a time, and finally it was hot corner and I was into T2.
I exited T2 at the 7 hour mark, so I knew I had a shot a breaking 11 hours. I didn’t let myself get too far ahead, as I knew the marathon was the biggest unknown for me. I’ve been battling a few lingering “niggles” so I just had no idea how my body would hold up. I felt solid on those first few miles, but I kept it under control and settled in around 8:15min/mile pace. That run out and back in Alii Drive was spectacular. The only bad thing was that my socks and shoes completely filled with water. My feet were very heavy and with each step I would see water squirting out of the toe box. I was getting increasing worried that I would lose the bottoms of my feet with blisters. Luckily my feet held up fairly well, and I was able to find some relief when I picked up a fresh pair of socks at Special Needs. Disaster Avoided! Once back on the Queen K, it was a tough battle to keep it going. Knowing I was on pace to break my goals and exceed all my expectations, I stayed focused and kept plodding along. I knew once I reached the top of Palani, the energy and excitement would get me to the line. Those were indeed the most amazing miles. I dreamed of running up that finish chute all week… The time had finally arrived and it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life!

A BIG special thanks to my on the ground cheering squad-You guys Rocked!
After a stop back at the Condo for a shower and food, we returned to the finish to watch the inspiring Jeremy Sartain become a KONA finisher. It was an Triumphant showing for what was truly an everyday Hero story. Jeremy was severely injured in May in a Motorcycle accident. With numerous plates and screws to rebuild his pelvis and lower legs, it was a very tough battle to walk again. According to his doctors Ironman was out of the question, but if anyone could defy the odds, it’s indeed Jeremy. With extensive rehab and an mind boggling will to recover, Jeremy made it to the start line and stuck it out for what he describes as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done-No question” WAY TO GO BUDDY, we are all so very proud of you!!
We stayed on Alii drive to experience the midnight party at the finish line. They pumped out great tunes, and it was inspiring to watch those folks finish. I don’t think it will ever get old hearing Mike Reilly announce “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN” as the clock approaches 17 hours. I doesn’t matter how long it takes, but getting to that finish is all the matters!
I WILL be back to do this race someday!! There is nothing like racing the Ironman World Championships!!

I’m off to swim with the Dolphins and Snorkel with a large group of MN folks this morning… The REAL vacation is all about to begin!! Oh yes, and TODAY is our 6 year wedding anniversary. What a perfect way to celebrate here in Hawaii! It’s unbelievable how fast the years have flown by, but as they say “time flys when you’re having fun.” There’s certainly been no shortage of that. ALOHA!!

Over and out for a few weeks...I'm checking out of blog land for a while as I enjoy the rest of my time here in Hawaii.

(running out of time so I'm just dumping a few photos-Sorry no captions).

Race # 1614- Perfect!

2008-10-10T23:33:00.007-05:00

Bike is checked, dinner is settling and legs are up...This is it! I'm SO excited for tomorrow.

Karin was quick to point out that 1614 was the perfect race number for me because Kieresten is 16, and she just turned 14. I would have to agree.

Keeping the words to a minimum tonight-Here are a few photos from the day.

The kidos enjoying their first day in Hawaii.

Finally had a chance to see the gorgeous RR at the pier this morning-She's ready to rip it up tomorrow.

Additonally, thanks to the artisitry from Splish I also found the inspiring Kerrie W. sporting the appropriate Wonder Women suit.

Pam and I pre swim

The Germans invading Lava Java

The three kids (Kerry, Kiersten, and Karin) playing in the window.

I was one of the last few to rack my bike

Ann, my wonderful transition guide.

A beautiful sunset...Good night all.

Oh My...This is it!!!

2008-10-10T09:44:00.008-05:00

OK, emotions have been on overdrive. I've been having a blast so far enjoying the Kona Ironman experience, but admittedly my excitement has shifted to fear! This is it... I read ELFs report from her 112 mile ride on Wednesday, and figured my big girl hat (or helmet) better come out. It was an awesome report: she found this quote to help embrace what lied ahead "Essence is what is left behind when all of your defenses are stripped away." So True, and I'll be reflecting on that tomorrow.

She also painted a vivid description of hurt vs discomfort...Liz-Thanks for the great reality check for the very difficult task ahead, but also the valuable insight. Its not hard to tell why you are such a great athlete and coach!

I drove the bike course yesterday and rode the 5 mile decent out of Hawi to get a feel for the legendary crosswinds. Not too bad yesterday, so I'm hoping Madame Pelle will provide much of the same tomorrow.

We picked up the Yndecrew from the airport last night and immediately an enhanced sense of calm swept over me. Wow-the power of family.

On tap for today: short SBR, BIKE check and REST. I expect the family will be on full photo mode, so check back for additional views from the ground!

Additionally, I want to thank you all for the emails and facebook comments. The constant encouragement and support means the world to me and I'll be reflecting on those awesome notes throughout the day on Saturday. A couldn't do this without you. Lots of love...

Underpants Run

2008-10-09T16:06:00.008-05:00

It is so amazing to be here during race week. The last time I was in Kona (2006), we arrived the Friday night before the race and missed some of the fun pre race hoopla. Although I'm trying my best to take it easy this week and not get too caught up in ALL the activities, I couldn't pass up spectating the underpants run.

CH showing her buns

Pam and MJ

Pammie lovin it

Voice of Ironman

Carrie's gang

The girls havin' fun

The Crew

PNF and Lovato

Lava Java pre run & Hula Bean post run

Jeremy and Rich (13x Kona finisher)

I think I'll take a drive to Hawi today, then I get to pick up my family tonight. I'm so excited they can be here to share the Ironman experience with me. I am truly blessed!

Kona Bound…WHOO HOO

2008-10-07T15:51:00.005-05:00

I just touched down in Seattle en route to the Big Island. Despite flying solo today (Kerry and the girls arrive Thursday night), I am bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm. Not just for the obvious reasons:

-The opportunity to race in the most prestigious Triathlon in the World.

-The chance to enjoy a week long Triathlon festival/party in KONA.

-The joy of meeting and seeing many friends.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I get to see my two big sisters tonight! Susie’s coming from St. John’s and Pam from Toronto, and we’ll connect in Kona tonight. I cannot wait! We have a condo on Alli Drive close to Lava Java, so if you hear endless laugher while enjoying your Latte, you’ll know the Ennis sisters are together!

Admittedly I have more than one foot off the blogging bandwagon (the FaceBook influence), but I’ll do my best to keep it rolling this week. As requested. I’ll post tons of photos (I’ll be the annoying tacky tourist on Alli drive with the camera), and will also seek out more candy for the ‘You know what” facebook group.

Here’s proof that I’m a little snap happy today:

I didn’t unpack my bike after Dallas, so I sure hope BIG RED’s in there!

I’m going with Zipp 303/404 wheel combo for Saturday. I was supposed to use DKTs 404PT wheel but ran out of time and didn’t pick it up. I’ll be flying ZEN…no computer/no Power Tap.

At Whole Foods picking up the always important snacks.

Do you think my lunch bag is big enough? Spinach salad, with wheatberries, Gogi Berries, Apricots, Apples, Larabars. YUM.

KOMBUCHA-I guess I’ll need to drink that before I get to the airport. GREAT STUFF.

This is what I left in Minneapolis this morning: 53F and rain.

Curbside service courtesy of my sweets.

The flight necessities: Laptop (NON WORK), iPhone, Game boy DS (Suduko, Brain Age, Crossword, and of course Super Mario Bros), NUUN, Lunch bag, and my Book.

OK-I better find a place to charge my gadgets. It's a 6 hour flight from here to Maui (then I go to Kona).

The adventure continues...US OPEN

2008-10-05T19:57:00.011-05:00

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, but that's certainly nothing to complain about! First of all, Thanks for all the nice comments about Nationals. That means so much to me. That was a big high, but admittedly, I lost a little focus and momentum after that race. I accomplished my biggest goal of the year, and I was ready for down time...

Not yet, says coach. Instead; I started and finished my Ironman training last week! Wednesday included a big brick (40mile ride/15 mile run) and Saturday I did a 3500m straight swim/90 mile bike and 7 mile run. I was feeling pretty smoked after that session, but it was a good taste of what's to come.

BUT wait...I still have the US OPEN in Dallas before KONA!! I know, not ideal, but this race was very fun last year, and knew it would be a great experience and opportunity. While in a frenzy at work and with preparations for Kona, I was on the verge of cancelling midweek. However I re-read the commitment letter I signed with LTF when I accepted my slot, and also thought of all my friends who's season have been cut sort due to freaky accidents and injury, and quickly decided against that. I was GOING and I had every intention to make it count.

We flew in Saturday morning, and spent Saturday on Social mode. It was great to see some Friends from LTF Corporate and other friends I've met throughout the years. A perfect start to the weekend.

Short Summary report:
Swim-felt good, and swam with my usual threesome, but we all came out about 2 minutes slower than normal. No good reason, just slower??

Bike-Didn't have a chance to preview the new course, and ran into a few nasty surprises, but in general I felt pretty strong out there. Surprisingly my bike remained in one piece and I came into T2 ready to GO.

Run-came out of T2 in 2nd place and had a decent opening mile (6:18), but the wheels fell off it a hurry. I felt heavy and that pretty much made for a painful run. I dropped to 6:45/50 pace and that was all I had. I had no desire or ability to dig deep and hold my position. I just had no fire today, but I'm fine with that and finshed 5th OA.

Despite the lacklustre performance, I learned a lot this weekend. I had great opportunities to chat with some inspiring athletes and most importantly I learned a lot about myself while suffering though the run. Important things I will consider as I make some triathlon decisions for next year.

My wonderful Husband Kerry came to Dallas and of course he was behind the lens taking awesome photos. He was the prefect Sherpa too-He's getting so good at that!!

Here are a few shots from the day-more photos on YNDECAM

It was an early morning, but temps were near perfect:

Kate McCann and I enjoying a few relaxing minutes before the start:

Beth Shutt and I in the Womens Elite Championship wave! I love it when I get to meet blogger friends for the first time.

Brooke Davidson AKA "the fastest amateur in the world" according to Jerry McNeil, did an amazing 2:03:50 today- SMOKIN'

DKT shows up at the last minute sporting a lovely cast for his broken hand.

I'm not the only crazy person doing the DOUBLE: USOPEN & KONA. Although I think Potts received a hefty bonus from Toyota to show up today.

Beth cruising to the finish line-Awesome job girl!

Always fun to race when Cindi shows up.

Catherine Sterling battling down to chute...Who's chip crossed first?? I'm not sure.

The finish line party with the girls...or as I heard someone say "The Fast Chicks Photo"

Coach Jared was in Dallas to watch. Sorry I couldn't put on a better show coach!

I get to go to work tomorrow, then I'm KONA bound on Tuesday-Aloha!

Frequent updates from the Big Island ahead.

USAT Age Group Nationals Race Report

2008-09-21T16:47:00.015-05:00

What an amazing day!! Pressure was high, but as Billy Jean King says "Pressure is a Privilege". I gave it all I had, and I'm trilled and honored to be an AG National Champion.

I decided early this season that I would forgo the long Ironman specific training and go after my goals at Nationals. Initially, I was dreaming of a podium AG finish and a top 5 overall, however as my season progressed, and I continued to feel strong (and when RR decided to stay home), I adjusted my goals. I was going for it!

I was extremely nervous and anxious race morning. Those of you who’ve been to Nationals know: Everyone looks super fast/fit and therefore very intimidating. Despite the nerves, I was trilled to be out there. I was confident and ready to see what I could do.

Here’s the 30-34 start. We started 8 minutes behind the 25-29W and 8 min ahead of the 35-39W.
Cindy Bannick and I lined up together at the far end of the wharf and ended up doing the entire 1500m together: Thanks Cindy for the fast ride. I knew if I came out of the water with Cindy and Catherine Sterling I would be in a great position. I hurried through T1 and started hammering on the pedals. With the endless roller coaster hills, I was having a blast!!
The course is two loops and when I came through the first loop in 30 minutes, I figured I’d better ease off a little to save something for the challenging run. I had to remind myself that it was in fact a triathlon and not just a bike race. I still worked very hard on the climbs, but tried to flush the legs a little more on the descents.

To be honest, I was very intimated by the hilly run course. I didn’t have a chance to check it out before the race, but based on last years run splits I knew I had to set my expectations appropriately. I just gave it all I had and didn’t worry too much about pace. It’s an out and back course, so after the turnaround I was able to see how things were shaping up behind me. I saw a few people in my AG, but I remained confident that I could hold my pace and my position to the finish. Of course, I wish I could run like 30-34 AG winner Mark Harms!
When I crossed the line, I was the “leader in the clubhouse” but I knew the strongest of the AGs, the 35-39 AG, started 8 minutes behind me. Of course I figured Super Star Brooke Davidson would be crossing soon (in fact, I made the comment at the start of the race, that my goal was to just cross the line ahead of her)!! Sure enough, about 4 minutes later, Brooke was crowned Overall Age Group Champion in her very first season. Not only is this women fast, but more importantly, she’s absolutely delightful. I can’t wait to watch her improve, and turn heads in the pro ranks next year. Here I am tying my hardest to convince her to turn pro before the US OPEN in two weeks-Sorry folks, didn't work!!

The Men’s and Women’s Elite race was held in the afternoon, so we stuck around Hagg Lake to enjoy the days festivities. All of these Pro's are amazing athletes, and so fun to watch, but my heart went out to Mary Beth Ellis. She spent most of the time riding on her own behind the 1st pack, but used her unbelievable bike strength to significantly bridge the gap. She was a machine, but on the last corner heading into the park she went down. It was brutal to watch as she scrambled to get herself up and rolling again. She is such a fighter and I was amazed at her strength. She put it all on the line, and despite her crash, she got up, and ran incredibly well.

A few more shots: I'll let the photos do most of the talking!

Love this "pro march" to the pontoon. This was the beautiful hill we had to climb out of the water into T1.

Lead bike pack...check out the deer in the background.

Chillin with the coolios from the Timex team.

The most amazing athletes of all. Unfortunately Sister Madonna will not grace us with her presence in Kona this year. She told me she'll be attending her 60th HS reunion. How cool is that??!!

Coach Kris from SCS Multisport at the finish line. He was there on official USAT business, but it was great to have the local cheer squad during the race. Thanks!

Here I am with Becky Lavelle. I had to get a shot with the Local MN Tri Heroine

--------------
I have a big training week ahead. 2 hour bike/2 hour run on Wednesday (longest run of the season), and then a 5 hour ride on Saturday. One last chance to cram in Ironman training.

I have another big decision ahead for next year: Stick with the short course and go to AG Worlds in Australia, or do Ironman Wisconsin. I have a few weeks to decide…I’ll save the pro’s and con’s list for another post…Time to unpack my bike and get ready for the week ahead.

Kerry posted a highlight slide show on Yndecam

The Ironman Fix

2008-09-08T13:43:00.005-05:00

Just last week I was starting to feel the effects of the LONG season. Thirteen races completed this year, 3 BIG races left, and thoughts of being undertrained, (but probably overtrained) were starting to enter my mind. The classic signs of late season burnout! THE CURE?? Go watch an Ironman, and preferably Ironman Wisconsin. That quickly restored heightened motivation!!

Initially I was going to skip the road trip to Madison this year: I was there in ‘05, ‘06 and ’07 and well, I have a few VERY busy weeks ahead. As the weekend approached and the ironman buzz was floating among the ranks, it didn’t take long to fill Jmac’s car with cowbells, snacks and energized “spectathlets” (thanks for the term ELF) en route to Madison.

I’ll skip the crazy details of Saturday night, but there's indeed a good reason Madison is frequently called MAD TOWN. Luckily I was the self appointed designated driver, but the lack of sleep certainly had an impact on my race day spectathlon SPUNK!

We arrived at the race in time to see the sunrise and hear Mike Reilly encourage the athletes “INTO THE WATER”. As always, the Start was something else, and the energy was amazing. We met up with a few additional friends and then made our way to “Cowbell Hill”, where the grills were plentiful and the party was ON. It was wonderful to see so many athletes putting their heart and soul into their race day performance. We were fortunate to witness hundreds of amazing stories unfold...

As we moved to State Street to watch the run, my interest in ‘racing’ another Ironman started to creep back. WHAT?? There’s just something that happens when you watch an ironman that reminds you of the magnitude of such an event and challenge. I am doing the Ironman World Championships this year, so yes that counts, but I will not be racing in KONA. I made the call early this year to stay focused on Short distance racing in preparation for USAT AG Nationals, and the US Open, so my goal for KONA is to simply eliminate expectations and enjoy an inspirational day.

Madison would be such am amazing course-I LOVE hills and I thrive on spectator energy. This course has both, and what makes it even more appealing is that Erik, Jmac, Kate Monster, Cathy and Terry are IN!! It would be an amazing summer training together (I’m sure Kerry would do it too) with frequent road trip to Madison and sharing the ups and downs of the long and emotional training... HUMMM…Well I missed online signup-I wasn’t ready to make the commitment this morning, but I WILL decide after Hawaii. If its in the cards, I’ll do a charity slot (this is what I did for IMFL) or attempt a 70.3 qualifier next spring. SUCH FUN!!

A few photos...

The Crew at the Finish line ( Julie, Erik, Jmac, Myself, Merilee & Jen):

THe famous Helix ramp leads to T1, with the lovely Cindi Bannick waving from the top:

Erik taking his volunteer duties very seriously:

Hanging with Kate Monster (love the Gear West Kit):

Elizabeth (E.L.F) & Jen Harrison being So Cute at the start:

Celebration of Life Ride

2008-09-02T11:25:00.011-05:00

As I left work Friday afternoon I knew it was going to be a great weekend. The weather forecast was perfect, plans were quickly shaping up, and well, the Monday Holiday speaks for itself.

The entire weekend was action packed, but a purposeful outing included a Memorial ride for Julie Casey on Monday morning. I did not have the privilege of knowing Julie, but we shared many friends in the cycling community. I’ll spare the gut wrenching details of how Julie passed, but at least she was doing what she loved. Lifetime Fitness helped coordinate a ride in her honor and it was really special to be part of it. The route map included a photo of Julie and her Husband John: it was so meaningful to see the photo of them together (in cycling clothes) sharing their passion. I couldn't help but think of the thousands of photos Kerry (my husband, my best friend, my side kick) and I have in the same exact pose (like this one). With plenty of refection, hugs and kisses were flowing freely among the riders all morning. Just the way it should be.

I heard someone say there were about 40-50 people riding. The ride started off very conversational, and before too long a few small groups formed. I had the opportunity to ride side by side with Marta (like the Brazil Soccer star, this Mpls Marta is also famous by first name). Marta, a fellow Gear West team member, is one of those women who you could spend countless hours with. She is the epitome of positive energy and vibrant spirit. She’s an extremely talented athlete, yet it’s her wonderful social spirit and top notch attitude that really make her AWESOME!!

Marta and I eventually joined up with Kerry, Sue and Chris and we had a nice pace going, but then TWO REALLY fast guys decided to join which certainly changed the dynamics. Before we knew it, Marta and I were hanging on the back for dear life…going 27mph uphill. I’m sure my PowerTap thought my bike was hijacked because numbers were popping out that I have not seen before. Conversation had ceased except for the occasional acknowledgment that I was still “ON” the back. This insanity lasted until the “gift from above”... I was saved by the Rest stop at mile 35!! The second part of the ride my much more manageable. We had Braham (LTF founder and CEO) with us stirring the conversation in the group. After 50+ miles, we were greeted at LTF corporate HQ with great music and refreshments to keep the celebration going. It was amazing to meet so many new people and share such a great ride and memory together.

Of course I did get the guilt trip from Braham (in photo below with Patti and I) regarding my plans to skip the US OPEN in Dallas. Must have been that bear hug/head lock when he said something like “I’m paying, you have to go” … that got me back on board. Indeed it will be a fun trip, and who cares that it's just 5 days before KONA. PARTY ON!! This ride, made complete with all the amazing people, was yet was another reminder to take all of the opportunities and GO for it. More adventures ahead!

MY CELEBRATION OF LIFE WEEKEND:

Kiersten completed her 2nd Tri on Saturday morning. I couldn't believe she was so fired up to do it, and it was so nice to be able to cheer from the sidelines! After her first track speed session on Wed, and her first XC meet on Friday, she was definitely POOPed Saturday after the tri.

Of course, NO Teenager is too pooped for Back to School shopping! I skipped the mall frenzy and opted for the post Mall of America fashion show.

We enjoyed a great Backyard BBQ at DKT’s Sunday night. It was fun to see everyone, but of course as the crowd thinned, it was time for us to battle on the Guitar.

Post Track workout recovery Float Sunday afternoon: 600 lbs of Epsom salts for the fried legs.

Gunther’s Annual Labor day TRI party. Steve and Helen are so amazing to open their beautiful home to the Tri Geeks. Aside from the frequent parties, they also host weekly OW swim workouts from their dock. Here's Helen driving the escort Pontoon.

Good Bye party for Hector at Brit's Pub. iwilltri will be studying hard at Kellogg for a few years, but plans for a reunion in Australia next September are in the works!

Monday Night Cap…A prefect reunion with buddies. Julie and Erik were back in town and we enjoyed a fun evening catching up.

I'll find more photos later, I'm off to make my favorite Raw Kale Salad (the kids are SO excited-NOT).

Perspective

2008-08-25T16:28:00.002-05:00

As I was enjoying a beautifully simple weekend off from racing, I certainly did not expect to find myself writing another philosophical reminder on Monday regarding the Fragility of Life. Yes, here I go again, but it seems these reminders can never get old, as we frequently hear stories of hatred, fighting and anger in our world.

It was 2:00am Sunday morning when I received the message that one of my dear friends sister’s has suddenly passed away. A seemingly healthy 41 year old woman died suddenly of a massive heart attack. No time for family to say goodbye or to prepare for this. Of course, dealing with a loss is never easy no matter how much time you have to prepare, but for me, this serves as yet another reminder to have NO REGRETS. I’m very grateful to have a very loving family, but I’ve heard stories of long term feuds with parents, siblings, in-laws etc, and I can’t help but think how those people would feel if they were to get the message one night that ‘their’ person is gone… Forgiveness is such a powerful thing.

…AND yet another reminder to never hold back the LOVE!!

Here we are loading up the "fun bus" before hitting a party Saturday night. As always, enjoying every minute with friends.

“It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts”
-Adlai Stevenson

Have an extraordinary week…Extra big hugs all around!!

Pigman 1/2 Race Report

2008-08-20T10:37:00.010-05:00

This past weekend, I raced my first Half Iron Distance of the year. I love the challenge of new things and I was so excited to get out there and see what I could do. Although I haven’t been training specifically for the long stuff, I figured by dialing back the intensity I would be OK for the longer distance race. WHOA, I was mistaken! Each and every time I attempt a long distance race, my respect for the distance and for the athletes that repeatedly race it, ratchets up another notch.

We took off for Cedar Rapids around 1pm Saturday. It’s a long drive, but somehow the trip goes by much faster when Deputy ‘you know who’ is driving. She thinks I drive like a grandma, so she was behind the wheel the entire time. Nice deal for me! We pulled into packet pick up just in time to grab our stuff and meet up with our buddies for dinner. I think we had 10 people around the table at Biaggi’s which made for a great soirée.

We made it back to the hotel just in time to watch the finish of the women’s marathon and to see Phelps win his 8th medal of the games. Indeed, pretty special moments in sports history.
I am enjoying watching the Olympics even more that I thought, but it’s certainly taking is toll on my much needed sleep. 0500 Sunday morning came very quickly, and the 5 of us were packing up our stuff and heading out the door before the sun came up.

For the second week in a row, water temp was 77.999 and wetsuits were permitted. It was very warm, but my fear of getting hit (still very tender from last weeks fall) and my inability to sight made for a slower than expected swim. While heading into T1, I received the update from Kevin that I was 1:45 down from the first female, so I knew I had plenty of work to do.

It was a new bike course this year. Mostly rolling, which I typically enjoy, but the rough roads made for a rather uncomfortable ride. I caught the first female by mile 17, but I knew I was not riding as fast as I would have liked. I could not find any rhythm and I was a big wimp in the corners. I was expecting super rider Jule Hull to come flying by me, but I learned later that day that everyone felt the same way.

Needless to say, I was trilled to be off the bike and on the run. The run starts along the bike course, so I had the opportunity to see what was happening behind me. I saw 3 women pretty close, so I knew I had to stay on task and focused throughout the run. I was very careful to run very conservatively at the start. I was holding 7min/mile pace for the first 5 miles and felt very controlled and confident that I could easily hold that pace for the duration of the 13.1 miles…HUM…Well, I guess that’s where the lack of training came into play, because by the time I hit mile 8-9 I started to fade quickly. I can’t even explain what happened, but I was hurting. For those of you who’ve done Pigman, you know what I’m talking about when say how mentally and physically exhausting that run can be. I tried my hardest to hold it together, (thinking about the big winners check helped) and made it to the finish in 4:50. That’s a PR for this distance, but it was a very tough day for me. I learned a lot out there, and I know that the experience will prove valuable the next time I attempt the 70.3 distance.

Here are two thoughts that repeatedly creep through my mind…

- I LOVE Olympic distance races…
- Winging Kona may not be the smartest approach if I expect to finish

I am 5 weeks away from AG (oly distance) Nationals, and 8 weeks from the Ironman World Championship. It should be an interesting training block-Coach Jared is working hard on this one!

Best of luck to all the Ironman athletes getting ready to do their thing in Penticton and Louisville this weekend!! I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to hear all about it.

Hitting the deck at 20 mph…ouch!

2008-08-12T18:05:00.009-05:00

As I wrote in my previous post I celebrated my 30th birthday on Friday. Although we celebrated a little more Saturday night, Friday was pretty mellow. Kerry and I enjoyed a nice dinner, a few girlfriends stopped by, but with the Turtleman triathlon early Saturday morning we were busy with the usual pre race ‘stuff’.

For some reason I had a hard time getting my head in the game all week for Turtleman. Maybe that happens when your doing your 11th race of the year, but regardless, I didn’t feel I was where I needed to be to have a good performance, and that sort of freaked me out. Kerry was able to get in at the last minute and engaged in a fun challenge with Coach Kris and his Ironman Canada campaign. I’ll let Kerry tell the story on his blog, but it certainly added to the fun come Saturday morning.

AS race time drew near, and they made the announcement that it was actually wetsuit legal (official water temp was 79.999), I pulled out the rally cap and I was ready to go! I was initially devoured by everyone else in the Elite wave, but I finally got things together and pulled off a great swim. It was a huge PR for me in what felt like an accurate 1500m swim. I guess those tough swim sets from coach Jared are paying off (after a conversation with him a few months ago, I realized that the intervals were indeed for me and not actually typos like I thought-wishful thinking I suppose)!

I got out of T1 with the top guys, and therefore rode very hard and aggressively on the 21 mile pancake flat course. We had plenty of tight turns which I love to ‘go after’ but it was the final turn into the park where I failed my riding test. I really don’t know what happened, but I must have lost focus with the amazing spectators going crazy. I took the corner very HOT, and down I went. My bike slid out to the side and it seems every part of my body made contact with the asphalt. I did a quick body check, pulled myself off the ground and rolled myself into t2. I was still shaking/dizzy but luckily I had no mechanical pain, just plenty of blood oozing from the wounds. The adrenaline was flowing and I used every ounce of it to get through the 5 mile run. I guess all my xterra experience is good for something! I ran with my new race running partner NICK for the majority of the run (we did the exact same thing at HOTL). Despite high levels of pain as sweat crept into the wounds, I stuck it out and picked up my first Turtleman title.

I think the highlight from the race was when two little girls (must have been 5 years old), came running up to me with their mom to see how I was doing at the finish. Their mom said they saw me go down and couldn’t believe I got up and went on to win. They were simply adorable.

My dear friend Julie hosted a fun backyard BBQ birthday celebration Saturday night. I was still riding my high from the morning, enjoying the great company, and celebratory champagne so the effects of the crash had yet to set in… HOWEVER, those effects came rushing in about 5am Sunday morning when I could hardly move. OMG- GETTING OLD SUX!! OK, this was real…no more of the ‘Oh I’m fine it’s just skin" comments, I couldn’t get my arm over my head and my right hip area was throbbing. I laid in bed for most of the morning, and couldn’t fathom doing much more than that. Eventually I got up and ran a few errands (I don’t think people are used to seeing adults with road rash everywhere-I could have used a shirt that said – YES I CRASHED, AND YES IT HURTS (but I won the fight). As I walked into the office monday morning it was much the same, but everyone there could easily guess what happened. Painful indeed, but it certainly led to some fun office chatter...oh yes, my new office nickname is SCRAPEY!

As my range of motion slowly improves in my right shoulder, I’m getting very anxious to get back in the pool. I know... PATIENCE lady, and my priority should be to heel as quickly as possible. My elbows are also very tender and riding in aero position is currently unbearable. Luckily I have my monthly maintenance session with my Osteopath on Thursday, so I except to be functional again soon. In the grand scheme of things, I’m so thankful and LUCKY that it was not worse. I've heard too many frightful stories, and have stopped whining as a result. YES, this has been added to my blessings list that I count each day.

We have a 6 family camping trip coming up in a few days. This has been a tradition with Kerry and his friends for over 10 years now, and I’m shocked we were able to get it scheduled again this summer (it gets increasingly difficult as everyone's kids get older and more involved). The kids really look forward to this each year, and it should be quite a hoot…For the last few years we rented the entire hostel at Itasca State park , but this will be the first year in a long time that we’ve done it exclusively in tents without electricity. “SADLY” I have to miss Camp clean up... I'll be off to catch a ride with 6 roadtrip buddies en route to Cedar Rapids for Pigman Half Ironman on Sunday.

It should be an action packed weekend. Just the way I like it!

Here's my birthday cake- Jen knows the way to my tummy/heart!!

08-08-08 The Olympics Begin.... and it's my birthday!

2008-08-06T21:35:00.015-05:00

In honor of the Olympic Games descending upon us I’ve compiled MY thoughts on a few defining characteristics of a Champion. I’ve been reading so many inspiring athletic stories lately, and although no one can be a champion all the time by Webster’s classic definition, ‘a winner of first prize or first place’, in my mind, everyone finding the start line with a passion and a few additional characteristics is a Champion.

A few of my favorites:

A Determination to Improve...

Each year here in MN, many athletes strive towards the coveted “Most Improved Award.” For many, including myself, this award means more than the Triathlete of the Year or the Performance of the Year awards simply because it’s a value marker for endless hard work. Determination towards improvement is one of the reasons I have such a love for sport. Regardless of anyone else, you can always compete against your own personal best as a way to truly challenge yourself. Throughout most of my athletic career, the option to play defense rarely existed. I quickly learned that I can not control other competitors, so trying to improve my game and strive for a new level has become my competitive approach.

The Ability to Bounce Back after a Fall...

Part of improving is learning from past experiences and bouncing back after some tough times. We’ve all had our
tough training sessions, tough races, and personal setbacks. I know at Ironman Florida last year, I was ready to give up and vowed to never do another Ironman (well of course my friends convinced me that I HAD to accept my Kona slot). I learned a lot from that experience, and I expect there will be other races that feel equally painful. Triathlon is a tough sport, and can be very humbling. This is one of my favorite aspects of a champion. Sport is great; maybe even easy when you’re winning all the time, but the ability to stay strong, focused, and learn from experience will make the difference in the long run. Check out the window at Scottsdale lululemon. Love the quote!

Superior Sportsmanship...

What would sport be without great competitors and sportsmanship? There’s something special about those
finish line photos that show fierce competitors embracing at the line. Look at the McCormick-Stadler rivalry, and although they frequently clash, they do in fact have a certain respect for each others amazing athletic ability and are routinely at the finish line to congratulate each other. Interestingly, I’ve had a few people ask about my thoughts on local pro runner Kristen Nicolini joining the local Tri scene almost expecting my disappointment. For me however, it’s a great honor to be able to race with such an accomplished athlete. She’s a true competitor and will undoubtedly experience huge improvements each and every time she races. I don’t expect we’ll be in the same league for long, and having someone that talented to race and train with locally will be extremely valuable.

A Passion for Excellence & Commitment to a Goal...

Passion is the Lifeline. Without it, you have to ask yourself why. Some people have passion in their career, some in their sport or hobby (you’re really lucky if they're one in the same), but having a true passion for something is so important. I know I have found passion with triathlon. As I prepare to tackle the toughest races of my season including Pigman 1/2, Nationals, US OPEN, and Kona, I know in my heart that regardless of my place on the results page, I will have utilized my passion and commitment to do MY best possible preparation.

Positive Confidence...

This is certainly a self perpetuation cycle. You gain confidence from success and you gain success from confidence…so one would ask where do you start? Training is about gaining confidence in your strengths and abilities. I remember all the classroom mental training sessions we had in college before the big championship tournaments, the endless talks about confidence, but in reality you can read and hear those words over and over again, but it’s in the heartfelt preparation and the purposeful training where confidence is fostered. Deep in your heart you have to believe that you can do it.

Ability to Eliminate Negative Distractions...

This is another big one: everyone has their “things” in life. Indeed some distractions are much bigger than others. In fact, sometimes these distractions are largely out of your control and even irrational, but it’s the ability to handle the circumstances and remove the negativity that helps you rise above. Terry Orlick, author of the great book, The Pursuit of Excellence" considers distraction control one of the most important mental skills affecting the quality and consistency of performance.

Some Sacrifice...

Nobody gets to a high level in Sport without hard work and sacrifice. Some may have a tougher road, there is no doubt about that (the inspiring Scott Rigsby and Sarah Reinertsen come to mind), but nothing comes easy for any athlete.
Giving up precious time with family and friends is a classic example. In addition, the financial sacrifices made to travel and compete, can be tough on many. Ideally these sacrifices can be used as sources of motivation for giving it your very best effort each and every time you make it to the start line.

Embraces and Thrives under Pressure...

As I think about the Olympic Games, with so many athletes converging in one place to show the world what they can do, I can only imagine all the emotions and the pressures these athletes are facing. These athletes are the best in the world at their given sport, and have been living for this moment for most of their lives. These champions have an amazing ability to embrace this pressure and turn it into unbelievable performances. I think about the Chinese Hurdler, Liu Xiang who has the weight of the country pride on his shoulder for a sub 20 second race (his legs are insured for US$13.3 million). It gives me chills just thinking about it!

ENJOY THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT AND THE ENDLESS INSPIRATIONAL PERFORMANCES!

(Insert NBC Olympic chime here-that gets the blood pumping each and every time)

A Short Break in the Racing Action

2008-07-30T11:07:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe I’m at the midpoint in my season. Starting in early May it was a constant frenzy, racing 9 out of 10 weeks straight. Of course, it was my choice, I love to race, but it certainly doesn’t lend to much more than that. Race, recover, 1 or 2 key workouts, taper, REPEAT! After my last race July20th, I was ready for a break. My body was fully aware it was done racing for a while, and therefore tried to go into full hibernation-I was a zombie. I gave myself several days to recover, and before too long I was ready to go again.

A small sampling of the simple joys I experienced during my non race week:

1) Attend all Karin’s Soccer games (STATE Tourney)
2) Joined group rides w/o worries when it got “out of control”!
3) Stayed out late with buddies enjoying post workout refreshments
4) Golf with my hubby
5) Had a chance to bike longer than 2 hours
6) Slept in past 7am on Sunday morning
7) Mountain biked with Jmac in Lebanon Park
8) Solidified all KONA travel plans
9) Solidified all Portland (USAT Nationals) travel plans
10) Connected with old High School friends via Facebook

I’m now into my second week of non-racing and Kerry and I decided to take off to our fun desert oasis. The kids are with their mom in Colorado, so it was time for us to get away. Unfortunately I don’t have unlimited time-off at work (IM-Kona is 10 of my precious 25 days), so we are working remotely for a few days, as we unwind from the hustle of the homemade daily routine. Just saving the commute time (~2 hours total for me) makes the day seem much longer; allowing MORE time to play. I can guarantee there will be no shortage of that this week!!

I have some quality training on the schedule as I prepare for my first half Iron distance race August 17th. Although I’ve been racing for 6 years, this is only my 3rd race of this distance. It’s certainly intimidating coming from racing OLYs and sprints all season, but I’m really excited for the challenge. I’ll be racing alongside my best buddies (we’re all road tripping to PIGMAN and crowding 5+ people in a room together), and for me, it doesn’t gets much better than that. After Pigman Half I have 5 weeks to prepare for Nationals in Portland, then I’ll go to the US Open in Dallas October 5th, and just five days later I’ll be toeing the line at the Ironman World Championships for the very first time!! Honestly I’m not sure where I will fit in any Iron distance specific training, but that’s part of the novelty. I’m a test case for how the body withstands an Ironman without specifically training for it (just get me to the finish line). Luckily it’s the finale for my season, and I get to spend the following week with my family on the beach in Maui.

Lord, Thank-you for giving me these amazing opportunities. I am SO grateful and I intend to make the most of them.

Miracle Kids Triathlon

2008-07-19T18:37:00.011-05:00

Kerry and I had the opportunity to witness 300+ kids racing this morning at the Miracles Kids triathlon. This race is directed by Age Group World Champion Tony Shiller, and helps raise funds for the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. This was certainly one of those volunteer situations where I gained much more from the experience than I could have possibly provided. It was truly inspiring.

The Miracles of Mitch foundation was created by the family of Mitchell Chepokas, whose life was cut short by cancer at the age of 9. I had the privilege of hearing Mitch’s story from his father and I will try to summarize what I heard from Steve today:

‘Mitch was an amazing kid, who despite having terminal cancer, wanted to help other kid’s less fortunate. It was around Christmas 2003, when Mitch heard another kid ask if they would still have Christmas. The parents responded that they would love too, but didn’t have any money. That family was sleeping in their car in the middle of winter to be with their child during the cancer treatment. Mitch heard this conversation and immediately asked his dad how much money he has saved (Mitch had been receiving a lot of support and gifts). With $600 in the bank, he told his dad to give it all to this family!! Even at 9 years old, and in spite of his diagnosis, Mitch considered himself lucky and made his father pinkie swear to help the families of kids with cancer when he’d be gone.’

I pulled this from their website, “Steve, Becky and Melissa Chepokas have created a safety net and tangible resource for the various needs of the families of these special children. MOMF provides rapid assistance (typically checks are cut within 48 hours of grant approval) to families so that they can focus on their child and spend precious time together as a family.” WOW!!

The Theme for the Miracles Kids triathlon is “kids racing for kids who can’t”
Each child wears # 1 and proudly write a child’s name (a cancer patient) on their left calf and races in that child’s honor. No race times are recorded- The kids raise money for the foundation and everyone is a winner.

With good reason, the kids were so happy and proud of what they accomplished.

These inspiring people remind me of my favorite motto “we have a choice in our thoughts and actions, so do everything you can to choose positive ones”. Mitch’s parents took a sad tragedy and turned it into something truly positive and meaningful.

I’m sure Mitch’s parents can find peace knowing their son is watching from Heaven and IS PROUD of everything his parents have done.

Lifetime Fitness Race Report

2008-07-14T22:59:00.009-05:00

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!

I sincerely appreciate all the lovely well wishes and kind congratulations surrounding my race this past weekend. I made it very public that this race was indeed important to me, and undoubtedly my KEY race of the early season. I know this added pressure, but I was OK with that. I was ready for the challenge and couldn’t wait to see what the day had in store for me.

Race morning came very quickly. I was so excited to get started and had no trouble getting out of bed at 4am. Thankfully, I was not part of the group of people waiting at the gates for transition to open (at 4:30am), but I was not too far behind. After getting my bike in Transition, Pam and I watched the sun rise while sitting on the beach eating breakfast. It was a glorious morning.

With a 7am Pro start, it did not take long for the hustle to begin. I was expecting a non-wetsuit swim, however it was announced race morning that it was actually wetsuit legal. Thankfully I had just received my new Helix Wetsuit and Point Zero 3 in the mail from Blue Seventy, so I was perfectly equipped for either scenario. I loved my old Helix (which is why I pursued Blue Seventy for Sponsorship), but the new 2008 version is something else-ABSOLUTLY amazing suit.

Thanks to this suit, I had a great swim. I came out with the front pack (3 of us) and felt great.
I worked hard through transition and made it out on the bike in the lead. I hammered hard from the start, and was enjoying every moment. Just after the 5 mile mark I lost my water bottle (my ONLY calories) after taking a rough corner. I almost went back for it, but I noticed a volunteer picked it up and got it off the road. AT this point I had plenty of adrenaline flowing and didn’t think it would be much of an issue on this cool day. I tried to slow down to grab a bottle at the next aid station, but didn’t quite slow down enough to sync with the water boy! I was still feeling great, so kept pushing along.. I was starting to feel the need for water/sugar by the 20 mile mark and came to a near stop to grab a water bottle at the last aid station. The bottle didn’t really fit in my handle bar aero holder, so I ended up holding it the rest of the ride. Not ideal, but desperate times call for desperate measures!

T2 could have been the highlight of the day. When I dismounted my bike, it was as if I had my own Pep Squad in transition. I was amazed at the abundant cheers, and was utterly grateful each and every time I heard my name-THANKS!! I LOVE THE LOCAL RACES!!

Aside from having my sister in town from Toronto to watch the race, my coach was also in town visiting from Boulder... I've been training under the tutelage of Coach Jared since 2003, and since he's moved to Boulder, I rearly have the chance to see him. It was fun to have him watching, but I expect it will lead to increased run drills :-)

The run was pretty standard. At the 1.5 mile mark I was able to get my first look at my pursuers and noticed Suzanne and Cindy about .5miles back. I was confident I could hold a steady pace to thwart any attacks on their part. It’s a two lop run course, and when I arrived at this point on the 2nd loop, I saw Suzanne approximately in the same place as the first loop. I tried to stay strong through the finish, but I was fading fast. I consumed a total of 30 calories during the entire race, but I was not about to test my intestinal fortitude against the High Fructose Corn syrup knowing water was enough to get me to the finish. I continued to hear from spectators that there was no one in sight behind me. Those are THE BEST words to hear at the end of a race, especially when you’re not feeling too strong. I finally made it to the finish chute and completely hammed it up with all the kids along the road waiting for high fives. I heard Jerry (the announcer) state that I broke the amateur course record by over 2 minutes! It was a Super feeling.
It didn’t take too long before Kristen came flying across the line in the runner up position in her VERY FIRST triathlon. Yup-First race, and she gets 2nd. I don’t know the full story, but I’ve since heard tidbits, and apparently she’s part of the Olympic development program for 10k and has trown down 32 min 10k’s in the past. Of course you couple that with a collegiate swim background and regardless of her tri experience, she’s a force each and every time she steps on the start line. Congrats Kristin-You will undoubtedly raise the bar with each race you enter.

I have decided to take my spot and race at the Toyota US Open in Dallas October 5. It may seem insane considering Kona is just 5days afterwards, but actually, I’m trilled with the schedule. Since deciding to focus on OLY distance this year as I prep for the AG Nationals, I figure another race 5 days before Kona won’t kill me. In my mind Kona will be a huge Training PARTY with 1500+ super inspiring athletes. My sisters, Kerry and the kids will be with me in Kona, so I simply want to enjoy the whole experience. I’m not a fan of Ironman Distance racing, but maybe going into it with that attitude and “winging it” will change things around! I’ve given my coach quite the task… Help me survive AND enjoy the Ironman World Championship, while training specifically for OLY distance!! A challenge indeed.

Here's a fun video clip from the finish line-Thanks Yndecam!

Tie Me Down!!

2008-07-10T10:07:00.009-05:00

The last few days I’ve been bouncing off the walls. I have that Childhood Christmas Eve excitement as I anxiously wait to pick up my big sis at the airport tonight. I have not seen Pam, since last July when she came to watch me race the Newfoundland 70.3 race. I can’t believe it’s been that long since we’ve seen each other, but we’ll be sure to make up for it this weekend. I credit Pam for introducing me to Triathlon. She was a rock star athlete growing up, always exemplifying what it means to be a dedicated elite athlete. She was an Olympic hopeful in Diving for so many years, spending more time at the pool that you could even imagine. I guess I can also thank her for my swimming ability, as I took up swimming just because I had to wait around the pool for her to finish mastering her dives. After battling injury just before her last Olympic trials, she retired from diving and took up Triathlon. It didn’t take her long to show that she can excel at whatever she decides to do. This just goes to show how much attitude plays into success. With her encouragement, we qualified together for the 2003 World AG Championships in New Zealand and enjoyed a great trip together; however it was shortly after this trip when she decided to focus her energies into her school/career and put racing on hold. This weekend may just be the weekend to spark that desire again…

To add to my extreme excitement, this coming Saturday is the Lifetime Fitness triathlon. I’ve done this race for the past 6 years, and really look forward to it each year. The race venue is just 10 minutes from my house, and you have the opportunity to race on some of the prettiest roads in the city. You wind up and down the Mississippi River, and around some of the classic City lakes. These roads are typically filled with crazy motorists, so having the roads closed for this event makes it all worth while. This year, the Elite Amateur division has attracted top talent from all over the country, which makes this event even more exciting. It’s such a great opportunity to race some of the best triathletes in the country while at home! It will be an extremely challenging race, but that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about the fastest person registered (I’ve counted at least 7 different people who could legitimately win), rather its about the fastest person THAT day, and who puts it all on the line down the stretch-A true RACE. The LTF race is part of the Toyota Cup series, which means that they take the top 5 Amateurs and fly them, including accommodations and entry to Dallas for the US OPEN. I did this last year and hope to be back in Dallas in October to defend my US OPEN title.

I’ll be surely racing my heart out on Saturday…I CAN’T WAIT ;-)

One for the Memory Bank!

2008-07-07T22:27:00.011-05:00

I’ve raced 7 of the past 8 weeks including the Minneman Tri this past weekend. I was happy to be back racing along side my local buddies. I had a solid race setting a new course record but more importantly this race day was about Kiersten.
This was her first tri, she was excited, and the memory of watching her experience triathlon is one that I’ll cherish for a very long time…

I was in the first wave and “Kierst” was in wave 10 the last wave. This gave her plenty of time to get used to the water (she basically does not like water, and her lake water tolerance is extremely low). She used my old wetsuit, which helped, but she did admit that sidestroke was her stoke of choice for the .3 mile swim.

Timing was perfect because when I arrived in T2, Kierst was exiting the water and making her way to her bike. It was great to know she made it through the swim without any sort of panic attack :) We exchanged cheers in transition and she took off on the bike just as I was leaving for the run.

After I finished I headed back out on the course to watch for her come in on the bike. It didn’t take long before I spotted the pink helmet and the huge smile. I met her at the T2 exit and decided to run along with her for a little while and see how she was holding up… She told me she felt great and was having SO much fun out there, she even expressed a desire to race again! Another rookie is hooked ;-)

There were so many people cheering her to the finish, and seeing her cross the line was truly special. We exchanged big hugs and a few tears. She was so proud…and of course I was too. That pure joy of accomplishment is WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.

Congrats Kiersten your first place Novice AG WIN!!! Let’s find you another race ;-)

Surfacing... Happy Canada Day!

2008-06-30T22:10:00.019-05:00

Happy Canada Day!! (well technically a few hours away) but it’s already July 1st in Newfoundland and that's my favorite province.

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Indeed, I've been slacking in blog land...but I live in MN and summer has finally arrived! That pretty much sums it up, and making the most of the great weather undoubtedly trumps blogging. Summer is my favorite season. I love the warm temps and the increased energy all around. This last week was a down/recovery week in my training, which you’d think would allow more time to blog. However, luckily for me, rest week meant more play time with friends and family. We even hosted a YndeParty at our place Sunday afternoon- I could get used to this rest week stuff!!

I received this greeting card in the mail last week, and I thoroughly loved the message. Sometimes its easy to get caught up in the pressure of racing, training, work and everything else,but this card helped remind me of all the simple pleasures I have each and every day- Big hugs and kisses to all my charming gardeners... You certainly make my soul blossom.

More photos coming...I can't seem to find the right external Hard Drive.

Racing update: Did HyVee Oly 2 weeks ago after Kerry and I finally decided (two days before the race) to go. We figured it would be a fun road trip, and exciting to watch the pros duke it out for the final Oly team spot. I had a good race, and I was happy to walk away with a winners check.... This past Sunday I did another OLY race in Rochester (Yup, 3 olys in 3 weeks). I'm sure its not ideal to race this often, but I took it down a notch and made it a solid training day- and managed to grab another winners check!! $1250 in two weeks-Time for a new toy-I'm thinking Power tap!!

This coming weekend will be race # 4/6 in my 6 week racing spree. I'm doing a popular local sprint, but what makes it really exciting is that Kiersten, my stepdaughter, is also racing! We'll be wearing matching Fastskins with Yndestad on the bum (thanks to Gear West and Speedo I have two), and it will be fun to watch her celebrate that special joy of reaching the finish line for the first time. …

The two of us had a fun training session together tonight. She’s now comfortable on my road bike (vs. her hybrid cruiser), which should make the 13 mile bike a little easier for her. She actually told me she wants to sign up for more races…OK-this is what she’s saying before the race. Stay tuned to see if that sticks