Coach G and I arranged my training schedule in these last 5 weeks to allow for free time, rejuvenation, hanging with my man friend, and short, high intensity training. Each week capped at 9-10 hours, including races. I smelled some roses, drank some beer, ate lots of dessert, sat around in PJs, and swam, ran, and biked a bit. Bliss.

And it worked! I won the amateur race at the LA Triathlon with an off-the-bike 10k PR. I went to Maryland to visit family and race in the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon, raising money for the Ullman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The focus of the weekend was honoring my sister-in-law the best way I know how – competing fiercely, having fun, and giving it my everything. I won the race there, with a .9k swim PR. The next weekend I ran the Xterra Point Mugu 7.5 trail race with some friends, won and set a course record. I celebrated the small victories of each race and training session, focused on the positive and ignored the negative for a whole month.

Just when my body and mind were about to give up, I had one last day of fun at the LifeTime Tri in Oceanside this weekend. The morning dawned surprisingly cold and foggy. I might have expected it if I’d checked the weather, but I wasn’t really thinking that far ahead. The swim was a pretty ridiculous adventure, trying to find buoys and other swimmers through the fog. The poor lifeguards chased us down all over the harbor, trying to keep us on track. I swam with my head out of water for half the time, straining to see. I wasn’t wearing a watch, so I wasn’t even considering the time it was taking to navigate. Turns out it was 25 mins and change.

The bike course was mostly flat and fast, but we were slowed down by temps in the 40s and the fog. I just focused on keeping the legs moving. I couldn’t really feel them, and wasn’t looking at my computer. Turns out my cadence was 80rpm, about 8-9 rpms lower than usual, but power was only a little low. Maybe that’s normal for numb legs? The bike time was 1:07, a little slower than usual. I had passed two ladies on the bike and was pretty sure I dismounted in first. Then, I struggled unsnapping my helmet for almost a full minute! My fingers just refused to function.

Heading onto the run it was, of course, impossible to feel my lower legs. I wasn’t really sure what they were doing, so I tried to remember what running should look like, and do that. It wasn’t super fast, and I got passed with about 2 miles to go, but I wasn’t even bummed. It had been such a great weekend, spending time with Artie and racing, that second place felt just fine.

After the race, we celebrated the season in spectacular fashion at the Stone Brewing Company’s Pour it Black Festival. The festival featured just about every dark beer one could hope for. I tried 14 new beers and loved almost all of them. My notes are mostly illegible, but I know it was great.

Thanks to everyone on my team this year, who pushed me to work every day toward my best self. Thanks to the support of Skechers, I set new PRs on the run and can’t wait to hit new lows this winter and next year. Thanks to Gerardo and Fortius Coaching I was inspired, had training partners, and had fun training hard. Thanks also to Bonk Breakers and Pur Pak for keeping me fueled and healthy, Thanks to Moo Motion for the most excellent and comfy tri kits to train in. Thanks to Cynergy and Specialized for the bike and bike support. Thanks to Dusty and Reynolds for my new favorite wheels. Thanks to Fitamorphosis and Balanced Strength for getting me strong and resilient. Thanks to Triple C, Rachael and Artie for the unconditional love and support. And, thanks to my friends and family, and anyone who sometimes reads some of these race reports. A large support network is all anyone can ever hope to earn.

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Pre-race ride with Pur Pak, Moo Motion, Specialized Shiv

Knowing what Vegas is like in September, I’d been training in the heat whenever I could, even taking a trip to Vegas in August to assimilate myself to conditions.  Race morning I had to throw out all that preparation because it was raining.  I was actually pretty excited.  I don’t mind riding in the rain, and I love running in it.  The only downside is that I have to give my bike a bath afterwards.

Rain, really?!

The Wet From Above and Below Swim – 32:44

After focusing on swim form the past couple weeks I have been feeling stronger in the pool. I was looking forward to testing it out in a good non-wetsuit swim. I got off the line without being dunked or punched, which was nice, especially after my last swim at Nationals. I felt comfortable and right on line with sighting the whole time. It was a little slower than last year, but I wasn’t too worried about the placing.

Weeeee!

The Duct Tape Doesn’t Stick in the Rain Bike – 2:41

I had a lot of fun during the bike ride, zooming around in the rain, listening to the tape on my disc wheel flapping in the breeze. I found that I was holding myself back a lot, trying to stay in the wattage that I had planned on. I’ve had too many races where I over-biked and stumbled. Determined to save plenty of energy for the run, I kept an eye on the watts, and the slick paint on the side of the road. Crashing wouldn’t help. I was more conservative than I’ve been all year, and was really happy. There was a surprising amount of drafting in the last 15 miles back to town. I spotted some ladies in my age group happily tucked in with some men in a pack of 15. That was frustrating because I’d been working hard to not draft, but realized it was silly to waste energy worrying about other people. I wanted to stay in my race, and let the chips fall where they may. Both of the draft-happy gals ended up beating me too. Oh well.

Looking ok for lap 1. You don’t want to see lap 3 pictures…

The Confusing Run – 1:45

Dismounting I was really excited to run in my flashy GoRUN Speeds, even though the sun was now out. The first loop went well, and I was running in 7th place in the age group. I was aiming for top 10, so I figured that I had a little cushion to still reach the goal. I was counting down the hills from 6. With 2 uphills left, I was still feeling confident. Then I ran through transition headed for the final loop and went up the short steeper climb that took us out of the transition and finish area to start the next loop. And there, it all went weird. All of my muscles felt like they were giving up, my breath was catching in my throat, and I started seeing colors oddly. Whites were too bright, and everything else was too dark. I figured I’d get it together on the next descent and took in more coke and honey, what I’d been fueling with. Then I tried to go uphill again and just couldn’t get the legs to lift. I spent the last two uphills shuffling, watching people speed past, and not being able to respond. I stopped thinking about my placement and started thinking about one foot in front of the other. I got to the finish, and promptly had an asthma attack. Thankfully, I was near some friends who got me to an inhaler quickly. I ended up running myself down to 16th age group and finishing in 5:04 and something like 30th amateur overall.

When you have high expectations, it’s easy to never be satisfied with your results. There’s always something to improve, something to do differently, and something to learn. But it’s also important to celebrate victories. It’s a victory that I could race, and celebrate being happy and healthy. I’m glad that I got to spend time with Triple C. One race doesn’t erase the work that went into the whole season, and that effort alone is a victory. I’m ready to evaluate the mistakes I made that led to a tough final 3 miles, work to fix them, and come back strong. The elusive confidence is out there somewhere, waiting for me.

Thanks for having my back Skechers, Fortius Coaching, Cynergy Cycles, Specialized, Bonk Breaker, Pur Pak, Balanced Strength, and, as always, Artie and Triple C!

Pre-race – Pur Pak. Post-race – Beer!

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I was a pretty late entry into Nationals, when I realized I couldn’t pass up the excuse to go to Milwaukee. As an avid beer drinker, this is one of those must-visit cities. It was everything I’d hoped it would be, and I was ready to move on day 1. Hopefully Artie the man-friend will figure out a pilot to write about the city so we can move there while it shoots.

My hotel was walking distance from the race site, so that made logistics very simple. I went into the race with a goal of hitting the top 3. I’d never had a good race at previous Nationals, so I was hoping for a solid weekend, as part of my build into 70.3 Worlds in September.

MKE and the awesome art museum

Race day came quickly, but the morning passed by slowly. Transition closed down at 7:30 or so, but my wave didn’t go off until 9:50. I was at the race site 2.5 hours before I could even get in the water. Luckily I had two bottles of new formula Pur Pak and two (no longer) top secret new flavors (it’s Coconut Cashew!!!) of Bonk Breakers to keep me fueled. It was a long morning and all I could think about was the beer I would drink afterward. So many good breweries, and only one day to discover them.

The Swim Start

Dad and I tried to relax and watch the first 2 hours of the race in shade and sitting down. I eventually started a leisurely warm-up around 9:15 and went down to get in line 20 minutes later. But the race was running late and I had another 30 minutes to wait.

The Black Eye Swim

The water was wonderfully cool, and pretty protected. I have no excuse for coming out of the water in 47th place, except that I am not that great a swimmer apparently. I was anywhere from 1-4 minutes down on the main competition in the age group. That was a bummer. But, it was pretty awesome that I got punched hard enough in the eye to give me a sweet bruise and tender eye sockets for a few days. The girls are rough getting to that first bouy, and if you aren’t fast enough to get away early, or slow enough to fall back early, it’s a shit show.

It’s a blur!

The Cynergisitic Bike

I’m so grateful to Cynergy and Specialized for the Shiv. I love riding it, I feel fast on it, and the Body Geometry fit has me so comfortable I never feel like I need to get off. I had a PR ride in Milwaukee, thanks to a pretty flat course and some cross winds that I could catch onto with my sweet HED disc (thanks Dusty!). It was especially fun to ride through the 46 ladies who came out of the water in front of me and dismount to a completely empty bike rack in T2. That is a great feeling.

Had fun running for the first time in awhile!

The Run for Dad and beer

Skechers was awesome enough to get me some beautiful new GOrun Speeds before the race. I love these shoes, and haven’t found any that I feel faster in. I brought a fresh new pair to MKE and couldn’t wait to rock them. BUT, I forgot to install some elastic laces before the race. Coupled with a cut on my foot that made it impossible to race barefoot, and I had a relatively slow T2 time, as I had to put on socks and tie shoelaces. I still left transition first and tried to settle in. Coach G and I had done a series of fast 100s in the final track workout before the race, and I was counting on those to make 6:45 pace feel easy. I figured that was the fastest I could maintain, since I’d mostly been training to run half marathons all summer.

I got passed back by the first two girls in the age group before mile 2. I focused on just keeping them in sight, and not getting passed again. There was another girl close behind me, and I really didn’t want to let the podium go by. I kept trucking along, thinking of how happy my Dad would be at the finish line to see me come in third, and how happy Mom would be when I called her after. And, also how good it would feel to have a strong race during a build phase in the training plan. My GOrun Speeds carried me to the finish in 41mins and change, with a 2:11 finish time, 3rd in the age group.

Thanks for the support Pur Pak!

Thanks to Skechers, Coach G and Fortius Racing Team, Cynergy, Pur Pak, Bonk Breakers, Balanced Strength, training partners, Triple C, and Artie for helping me on this road and keeping me healthy and sane(isn). Thanks to Catharine for keeping me inspired!

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IM 70.3 Muncie Slow Swim

I’m not really sure what’s been going on with my swimming recently. My times in the pool have been holding steady, and my race times have been getting steadily slower. My swim in Muncie was in the calmest water of any race so far this season, but my time was still 32 and change. I realized when I was watching the penguins at the Indy Zoo, maybe I’m not enjoying the water enough. I tend to dread swim practice, I swim by myself a lot, and I make excuses to cut swims short. If I can learn to enjoy the water like penguins, and swim with friends at the TriFit Masters classes, I would probably swim closer to what is necessary to get faster, and have swim times like the normal people with big goals.

The Shiv-ulous bike

As usual, I came away from the race with most positive feelings associated with the bike ride. I rode 2:28, which I think was one of the faster bike times overall for women. It was a personal best in the distance. The course and wind were in my favor, as the cross winds just caught the disc nicely and helped propel me along (Thanks Dusty! and thanks Shiv!). The course was also one of the flattest I’ve ever done. My power was about 15 watts lower on average than the rest of the 70.3s I’ve done this year, but the time was 2 minutes faster than my previous best. I thought that would set me up for a good run, and a PR at the race distance. It did not. I figured out why at the zoo when I saw the elephants. With thighs like those, I couldn’t expect to run well! But really, I did notice how efficiently they were cooling themselves in the 90 degree heat, and I wondered if I could have managed my cooling and nutrition better to set myself up for a better run. And their strong thighs probably would help riding bicycles.

The GOrun run

My traditional struggles on the run continue. I had been running better in both training and races recently, so I actually thought I had turned a corner. But I realized almost as soon as I set off that I could be in trouble. My quads were cramping, and I felt pretty flat. The hills that seemed minor during my ride the day before were suddenly mountains. I chalked it up to accumulated fatigue from racing more 70.3s in a shorter time period than I am used to. But I tried to play mind games, yelling at myself to suck it up, pain don’t hurt, pain is temporary, it’s all in my mind, etc. It would work for short periods of time, then I would slow back into a plod. I know I still have plenty to work on. The sport is never dull, because something always needs attention. Visiting the butterfly house at the zoo reminded me to float like a butterfly when running, and to try not to get stung by a bee. That would slow me down even more.

All I ever needed to know about triathlon, I learned at the zoo.

Stats for Muncie:

4:47:19, 2nd Age Group, 7th Overall Amateur, 19th Overall Female. Oh, so much work to do. But I’m looking forward to it, and I welcome the challenge. The best is yet to come. Thanks for helping with the journey Skechers, Pur Pak, Fortius Coaching, Cynergy Cycles, Bonk Breakers, Balanced Strength, Specialized, and as always, Triple C!

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I can thank Christine of Balanced Strength for helping me through injuries in the past, and teaching me how important foundational strength is key to staying healthy in endurance sport. I’ve taken that lesson and started really putting effort into strength sessions with a trainer. That that don’t kill me, will only make me stronger. Right Kanye? Though I’m still only doing an average of two strength sessions per week, they are high intensity and high quality.

I believe that the increased strength work deserves lots of credit for the recent improvements in my racing and training. With the increased muscle mass, decreased fattiness, and much better core strength, I’ve been able to hold my form better on the bike and during the run to allow for faster times and less pain. Sometimes you really need someone to yell at you to work it harder, make it better, do it faster, make me stronger. Our work is never over, thank God.

(Work it harder, make it better)

N-n-now that that don’t kill me

(Do it faster, makes us stronger)

Can only make me stronger

(More than ever ever after)

I need you to hurry up now

(Our work is never over)

‘Cause I can’t wait much longer

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To back up a bit, I was in Lawrence, KS last weekend visiting dear friends from college Brooke and Mario to celebrate Brooke’s 30th birthday and her first half-ironman race. The race has been on my calendar since she announced her intentions last year.

My lead up to the race was less than ideal. I worked a lot that week, and hadn’t slept well since then. The time difference oddly affected me much worse than usual, and I felt a sore throat and cold coming on the day before the race. I got to the point where I asked my man-friend Artie if he would still love me if I didn’t finish the race. He said “No.” So, I steeled myself for the worse and figured I’d better get to the line.

Race morning I surprisingly felt good. After a few hours of sleep I awoke filled with adrenaline and instant espresso. I was unorganized and panicky all-morning, while Brooke the first-timer was cool and calm. After I forgot to do at least 8 things in transition and made us a little late, we finally got into line at the start and prepared for the day.

The Swim for Izzy

The wind was gradually picking up through the morning and we got into a fairly choppy lake. I had some trouble finding a swim rhythm, as per my usual. I felt like I was swimming like Brooke and Mario’s 3-legged dog walks. But I settled in on the return trip, to a slow but comfortable pace. I emerged in 31 minutes. This is a limiter, and should be a focus for the next few months. “I got this feelin’ / Time’s just holding me down”. Gee thanks Kevin Bacon.

The Bike for Kevin Bacon

I happily jumped on my Shiv-tastic Shiv-Bot for a rolling ride through the real “Merica. I was happy to see cows and cornfields, and remembering Kevin Bacon, vowed to “tear up this town”. I had some water and a 1/2 Bonk Breaker fairly soon out of transition as I was a little hungry. Once settled into a nice pace, I took my first peek at my computer and realized I was riding about 30 watts higher than usual for a 1/2 IM. I tried to rein it in, and made sure my breathing stayed measured and HR was low. Each time I took a peek I was at the same elevated wattage. Figuring my power meter was broken I just kept on singing, picturing Kevin Bacon dancing and pedaling. It never felt hard and I was still energized by the end of the 56 miles. Kevin told me that I “can fly if I’d only cut loose” and he was right! I dismounted in 2:31 with a normalized power that was equal to my 60 min pace from my lab test at Trio 2 weeks ago.

The run for my marriage

Since Artie would leave me if I didn’t finish, I starting running at a comfortable clip, not wishing to crumble like cookie. I knew that I was second off the bike in my division. The mind-numbing course brought us through three different out and backs per lap, in a two lap course. Needless to say I could keep an eye on #1, but she was so far ahead I knew that I should just focus on not slowing down. He (Kevin Bacon I mean) kept telling me“Dig way down in your heart / You’re yearning, burning for some / Somebody to tell you / That life (the girl in 3rd place) ain’t passin’ you by!”

The good part of the run course is that I could see our entourage of Artie, Mario, Katie, Annette, and Izzy 6 different times during the run. That helped keep the spirits high and feet quick. Reminding myself to cut footloose with each step, I just focused on form and cadence and trucked on to a PR in the 70.3 distance with a 1:35 run. My Skechers GOrun Speed shoes felt light on my feet, and Artie’s constant encouragement kept me moving. It would be a bummer to lose him over a race!

Post-race we had a phenomenal camp site set up and a cooler full of Free State beer, local to Lawrence. We partied on until the awards, where I was really happy to find out I was 2nd in the division and 3rd female amateur overall! Because we had the absolute best weather conditions that one can hope for in the mid-West, I may end my run at this race on a high note, but I’m extremely glad we made the trip to race with Brooke and experience a new part of the country.

Thanks Skechers for the super support and fast feet, Gerardo at Fortius Coaching for the great plan, Pur Pak for the vitamins and overall health, Bonk Breaker for the breakfast and bike course fuel, MooMotion for the training gear and for outfitting Brooke, and of course Cynergy Cycles for the job, bike case and bike! And thanks for the cheering Katie, Mario, Artie, Annette, Izzy, and Triple C from afar!

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As part of my race-specific prep for Kansas, I sought out some heat and wind this weekend. As long as tornadoes stay away, that’s most likely what is awaiting us on the yellow brick road. I went out to the Piru 40k Time Trial on Saturday and raced in the heat and wind, with a 20min transition run. My pace was what I would hope to hold during an Olympic Distance tri, so I was happy to see my legs weren’t too dead after the ride, and I was able to get into a good running rhythm.

Piru 40k TT

Then went to the valley today and found similar conditions. I laced up my GORuns and went for 60 minutes at tempo pace, after a good warm up. This pace is what I hope to hold for the half next weekend. It felt very do-able, and my heartrate was low, which is reassuring.

60 Minute Tempo Run

All of my training days in recent months have started with either a PurPak smoothie or a PurPak water bottle, and I’m thankful this habit has kept me healthy, strong and training fairly consistently. I’m sure this consistency will help greatly as the race season moves on and the stakes become higher. Here I come Toto!

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The race came two months later in the year than my first triathlon of 2012. I’m hoping that the longer build-up, focusing on training and health will benefit me late in the season. As part of my health focus, I’ve been taking Pur Pak daily to aid in recovery and keeping my energy levels high. I’ve also been controlling my diet more closely than I have in the past. Though I’m still balancing a healthy love of craft beer in my life, I’m taking care to indulge slightly less frequently. I’ve had a few set-backs in training, including a bout of shingles, but I still went to Vegas excited to try out some “early” season fitness.

The race proved why the Lake Mead area is one of my favorite training/racing venues. The swim in Lake Mead was absolutely perfect, with temperate water around 64 degrees and water so clear and clean we could see the bottom throughout the entire swim. Though winds tend to make the lake a bit choppy, it’s only enough to keep things interesting. I came out of the water second and all alone, unable to find a group to swim with. My time wasn’t as fast as previous Olympic swims, so I know that is something I need to continue to improve on.

The bike course is all rollers on perfect roads, with a view around every turn. The fierce winds always provide a bit of extra challenge as well. I was caught before the turn-around and played leap frog for a bit with the girl in second place. At the turn around, I realized I had enough left in my legs to push harder, and worked on getting back to T2 faster than I had reached the turn-around. I made it 7 minutes faster! That made me realize I hadn’t really been pushing, and I desperately need to put my power meter back on my tri bike!

The run works over loose rocks for the first mile, then climbs for just over two miles. At the 5k turnaround I had about a minute over the second place racer who I had passed at the bike turn-around. I put my head down and tried to push harder for the downhill two miles. Mild cramping held the pace slower than I would have like, but I kept working. The loose rocks on the final mile were almost my undoing, but my Dad was there shouting that a girl was about to catch me, so I sprinted hard in the last half mile. The run split was about the same as mine at Wildflower Olympic last year, and I was pleased with the effort. To meet my goals at St. George, I just have to keep the same pace for another 7 miles!

Since Pur Pak helps me recover quickly, I got back up the following morning and went on a three hour bike ride around the gorgeous Lake Mead National recreation area. Between that and quality time with my Dad at the Hoover Dam, I can’t think of a better first race weekend. Onto St. George!

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Let me say that I a eat very healthy diet, lean proteins and vegetables, with a few treats here and there to keep me sane. But nonetheless, because of the loss of nutrients in today’s food, supplementation is necessary. Even with my healthy diet.  I’m the guy who had a cabinet full of vitamins and minerals. I literally took a handful of capsules and pills everyday, several times a day.  I carried them around in my workout bag, and would take them before and after workouts.  Now I have Pur Pak. I haven’t taken another vitamin or mineral pill in months. Pur Pak fuels my life.

I actually have to admit to using two packets a day.  I know it’s popular with many of my fellow ambassadors to have their Pur Pak in the morning to start off the day.  I’ve found that I prefer my Pur Pak as fuel and recovery. I’ve been taking a single packet and spreading it between two 24 oz water bottles and using that as my hydration during rides and runs.  The only thing not there is the sodium…but like I said…there’s word through the grapevine.  I also like to take a full packet with 24 oz water bottle post-workout.

However, today was a rest day.  Meaning I didn’t train at all.  But I still got my Pur Pak in.  Yup, i found myself in statistics class feeling a little bit sluggish, and what did I do? I turned to my trusty Pur Pak, and that big does of B12 had my mind firing on all pathways in no time.  I love this product.

The post Fueling Mind, Body, and Life…..believe it. appeared first on Pur Pak.

We have a song back home that goes, ‘We’re happy little vegemites as bright as bright could be . . . etc’. Maybe we could rebrand that one for the future? Or at least get our own.

There will be more from me in the coming months as I go about life, training, mentoring all powered by Pur Pak.

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