Gulf Coast Triathlon and Ironman Florida are my most favorite races. I love Panama City Beach for its warm weather, beautiful beaches, clear water and very nice people. But what I don’t like is the humidity, wind, and rough water that were all present on the race day. Also the water was too warm and the pros were not allowed to wear wetsuits.
 
The water was very rough and I am not used to swimming in big waves. Unfortunately the waves were so high that I was unable to stay with the lead group of pro-men. I had to swim alone throughout the swim course and it wasn’t always easy to find the buoys. It was easier to swim back after the turn around and I was quite happy that I did not get nauseous. My time was slower than usual but I was glad that I was the lead woman to come out of the water.

I knew I had to push as hard as I could on the bike because I had to put as much time as possible between the other competitors and myself. I had no time to waste because I knew that Amy was a good cyclist and was also able to run fast. It was very hot and humid and it felt like I was cycling in the sauna. The sweat was pouring down my face throughout the bike leg.The bike course was out and back with a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back. I was surprised to see my lead had increased at the turnaround, but I knew that I had to keep going strong. It was much more difficult riding into the headwind but I was aware that if I was able to ride strong I could keep my distance from the other competitors and be able to finish the bike leg in a first place with a nice lead.   

At T2 I was satisfied with my bike time of 2:31, several minutes better than last year. However I had no idea how far the other girls were behind me. My husband was racing too and there was nobody to tell me the situation. I started the first mile slow to allow my body to get used to the run. I sped up after one mile, according to my plan, and kept checking to see what was happening behind me. I didn’t see anyone and I didn’t have to run at a maximum effort.  It was wonderful to cross the finish line as the first professional woman! 

I was not the only one to win from the TIMEX Team. Bruce Gennari won Masters in 4:18 and finished 5th overall!   

I am looking forward to going back to Panama City Beach in November for Ironman Florida. I hope the conditions will be much better.

   So I woke up this morning, and I could hear, sorta, thank goodness. I spent the last 3 weeks posing as a blonde bobblehead- nod and smile, nod and smile. I don’t think I could have survived without hearing much longer because the only sign language I know is a one fingered invite for a butt-kicking.
   It all started nearly a month ago, at a bar, on my birthday. I had my party pants on, my hair was big, and I felt sick. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a “I just had 6 Coronas” sort of sick. So, I took my safe ride home at 10.45…lame. I called the people I was suppose to run long with the next day to tell them I couldn’t get out of bed, “and it is not because my birthday party was last night and I spent the night at the Rio where the margaritas are so big you could take a bath in them…honest!”
   On Monday I decided I didn’t want to be sick any more, so I went for a swim. After a grueling 50 meters I went back to my bed, where I was super busy. I had to alternate between sweating, freezing, blowing my nose and trying not to die. At 3 in the morning blood started dripping out of my ear, apparently I was better at sweating than trying not to die. I sent out a few text messages to my loved ones to let them know I was about to kick the bucket, but no one responded. Maybe they were sleeping. So I drove my carcass to the hospital.
   Apparently if your temperature gets in to the quadruple digit territory, your eardrum can rupture. Then, I am pretty sure my brains were gushing out…it was sick, like, cool sick, in a Discovery Channel sort of way. The next day my coach called to see if I had done any training, “yeah” I told him, “I did an hour of Dr. Phil and an hour of Oprah.” He told me not to eat any cookies until I was back training…real training, and watching Oprah doesnt count as excercise. Not a problem, the only thing I had eaten in the last three days was prescription pain killers, you know, the good stuff.
   By Friday I had decided that I wasn’t sick any more (for the second time that week) and I got back to business. The kind of business that earns a bobblehead a cookie. I have felt great ever since, and training has been going well…and then…this morning….I could hear! Sorta!

Happy Mother’s Day!

My wish for Mother’s Day-my 2 girls do not argue with each other for this one day (yeah, right!)

The homemade gifts children make for their moms on Mother’s Day can be quite revealing.  Since I have a 13 y/o I know that my years of receiving these special homemade gifts from my 7 y/o are limited…and while Hallmark cards can be quite nice, they just don’t make the ones that say things like this…

 My Special Mom: by Hanna

My mother’s name is Kim.  I call her Mummy.  She is 8 feet tall.  She looks pretty when she wears dresses (and not her workout clothes).  The thing my mom cooks best is CHICKEN NUGGETS.  My mom likes to run, bike, and swim.  My mom does not like to do dishes.  My mom is the queen of the world!

Have a good one Moms! 

She finally arrived…my new Trek Madone WSD 6.5 (http://www.trekbikes.com/women/wsd_products/bikes/) and she is light and comfortable.  The engine is in need of some repair-work, but the bike is ready to race.

Last year I took most of the year off for health reasons.  That was the easiest way for me to focus purely on recovering.  I see too many people, including myself, rush through recovery and compete at 75% of their best effort instead of just taking some time off so they can come back and compete at 100%, and I was going to change this pattern for me.  

So, once I took care of my health, I decided to tackle some ongoing issues I have been having since my knee surgery in 2005.  Well, and to be fully-honest here, the decision to address my knee was really instigated by Kyle’s remark at our Team Timex Camp earlier this year when he point-blank told me that I ”run like a duck.” 

I rushed through my rehab post-knee surgery because I was so focused on RACING rather than being patient.  Following knee surgery I had some swelling that impinged a nerve and my VMO basically shut-down.  I could NOT get a full extension with my left knee.  After many weeks of therapy and a LOT of atrophy, I just got frustrated and figured that ’eventually’ my leg muscles would start working properly.  I mean…at least I could swim, bike and run, yes? 

Fast forward 2 years and well…we all know what happens when there is a discrepancy in leg strength.  Other muscles soon start taking over and doing the job others should do, injuries begin to occur because one leg is working more than the other, the run gait is causing a problem with knee tracking, and performances always remain sub-par. 

I promised myself a ‘no-excuse’ triathlon season this year, and Kyle’s remark prompted me to seek help.  I recently went to Tektonic Sports and began working with Dr. Sutton and had a Wingate test, a VO2/LT test for both the bike and the run, in addition to receiving sports-performance rehab on my knee.  The test results have not been pretty but at least I know what needs to be corrected!  My Wingate test came back at…I am almost embarrassed to say this…a leg discrepancy of 65% vs. 35%.  I was also videotaped running and cycling and that has really helped me to actually see what I was (or was NOT) doing.  I have had to have some thick skin when analyzing all these results, and I know I have some work to do to get this engine back into form, but I finally feel like I am on the right path. 

The Powertap (http://www.saris.com/) is an invaluable training tool for me as I work on rebuilding this engine.  The Powertap in conjunction with my Timex Bodylink help keep me honest when training on my bike.  I am really a work in progress but I am hoping I will no longer be running like a duck.  Until then, waddle-on!  :)     

The race this year was a good one.  I really like where I am now after battling the flu a month and half ago.  I feel like I am coming right back into form.

I am going to start this from the pre-race.  For more details on the trip itself, go to roger-thompson.blogspot.com.  But it’s looong.  Anyway, I got down to transition in plenty of time.  But like in all races, that time seems to slip away pretty quickly.  I looked at my watch and noticed that I was about 15 minutes from the start.  It was time to finish up and get on my B70 Helix wetsuit…I love that thing!  I walked down to the water and was able to get in a 100 yard swim and was ready to go.  I normally feel quite nervous before a race… especially one of this caliber.  But I wasn’t.  Maybe it was the wave start and I knew that it probably would not be too crazy at the start… but I knew that the traffic that would be ahead in the water, and on the road, would be a little problematic.  But it would be the same for everyone. 

As I stood on the start line I could see some of my friends that had weaseled their way onto the dock for a prime viewing spot, as well as photo opportunity.  Again, nice to see faces in the crowd that you know.  With 15 seconds to go, I started my watch.  Then came the horn and bodies were flying.  I ran up to my knees and dove in.  Apparently I did not tuck my head because I got a little water in my goggles, but not enough to cause any problems.  I took off like I was being chased by sharks.  After about 200 meters, I was next to this guy that eventually got in front of me so I started drafting. Perfect.  Then, he swam away from me, not so perfect.  So now I was by myself swimming steady and maneuvering around the people from the waves ahead.  In doing this, I accidentally sighted off the buoys on the other side of the course which directed me ‘across’ the course.  Oops.  I was wondering why I was seeing so much open water.  Fortunately a kayaker got me redirected.  Probably lost 15 seconds… who knows.  It happens from time to time and you just deal with it.  I rounded the last corner, which always feels good, and started heading for home.  There were still so many people in the water in front of me that I had to get around.  I finally saw the boat ramp and started heading towards it.  I stood up as soon as I felt the ground and unzipped my suit. I heard my friends yell ‘you’re in 2nd!’  Whew, the guy that swam away was still the only one in front of me. 

I ran anaerobically up the ramp and into transition.  I spotted the red flag that indicated my isle and I headed down.  I knew I was near the end, but still would need to ‘see’ my bike.  Big problem here, I did not see my bike.  I ran back and forth again…and nothing.  I ducked under the other rails thinking that I might be an isle off… still no bike.  CRAP!  I asked some people that were staring at me where my bike was… no help.  So I stopped, stood there, took a deep breath and tried to relax.  I looked again and then I was able to locate it.  Someone had moved it around from the front wheel pointing out to the rear wheel which was my disc.  I was looking for my front wheel, helmet, glasses,… the image that I had when I left it there.  Still don’t know what happened, but it did.  No time to worry about it, I needed to get out of there fast.  I literally jumped out of my B70 suit, threw on my Rudy Project helmet and glasses, and was off. 

Finally, on the bike.  Immediately we headed up the steep 1 mile long 8-9% grade out of transition.  A tough climb on any account, but tougher when you feel like you are behind and then the guy you are chasing just was given a 40 second bonus.  I was passing people like they were standing still… some were actually :).  By the time the adrenalin wore off, I was still climbing and really needed to get things settled down.  There was plenty of time to make things up, or screw it up by blowing too much on this hill.  My mind was gently swayed from the pain in my legs when I saw 3 college girls dropping their shorts and exposing their rather ‘tan’ rear ends with something written on them.  Can’t say that I really noticed what was written, but if I saw those bottoms, I could probably identify them.  That helped me smile a bit and collect myself. 

Once over the top, it was all business.  I was wound up and was all about making time.  I was passing groups of people, individuals, everyone and anyone I could.  I was not saying ‘hello,’ or ‘good job,’ I was moving forward as fast as I could.  There were people that were riding 3 abreast and in packs… I was passing them on the left, right, yellow line, and in between.  Some I did not say a thing to when I came up to them because I did not want them to move.  But I think the sound of a thundering disc, thanks to Robin at Fitness Fanatics, kind of blows your cover.  This bike course is pretty tough.  I found myself using every gear I had.  From a 53×11 to a 42×25… I needed them all.  As I came back into the park, about 4 miles from transition, I could see that I was going quite well.  There were still quite a few rolling hills to get over, but I was riding well.  My bigger concern was would I be able to run well.  Did I put too much out on the bike?  My powermeter did not indicate that, but it’s hard to tell on a course that has so many ups and downs.  Very difficult to maintain a steady effort.  I came to the final descent… man that is fast.  I stayed in the aerobars and just focused on people in my lane.  I was actually more worried about the masses coming up the hill.  It would not take too much for a person to accidentally swerve across the yellow line and hit me going 45-50 mph.  And brakes were not an option on this hill.  Especially when you are trying to make up 40 seconds  :)

I leaped off my bike and ran it into T2.  Legs felt pretty good.  I racked my bike, threw on my shoes, grabbed my TIMEX visor and off I went.  There were still people leaving T2 from prior waves so the flow was good leaving T2.  One of the first challenges you face is a set of 15 stairs up a hillside.  This is a good place to see where your legs are and where they are not.  I took them 2 at a time and was ready for a quick turnover.  I was running well cutting the corners as tight as I could.  I saw the first marker come up and it was ‘1.’  Nice, that came quick…then 2, then 3…man, this run is going by so fast.  When I started this run I did not want to look at my HR or the time.  I wanted to run off of feel for a bit.  I felt good and was passing many people. But they all had younger age groups on their legs.  Still, I was passing people and that is always motivating.  Sometimes when I am running I wonder if I am really moving forward or just bouncing up and down.  This was proof that I was moving forward.  As I approached 5, I knew something was not right.  That’s when I realized that the run was marked by kilometers.  Crap!  I had to smile because if I would have looked at my watch at the first one, I would have known that.  But it did not matter… I was running hard and it felt pretty good.  I hit the aid stations fast grabbing as many cups of water as I could.  I think I avg’d about 4 cups per station.  Some went in, but most went on.  It was hot and it felt good.  So now I knew that I had about 4k to go…keep it steady and run with a purpose.  The last 4k has a lot of hills and is run on dirt trails.  The dirt was more of a powdery silt, the type that you would cringe at when training, or even avoid.  But in a race, you run the shortest line and land on whatever is fastest.  I finally got to the highest point on the course and was now ready to descend to the finish.  1 mile to go, and mostly downhill at an 8-9% grade… here we go.I tried to turnover my legs as fast as I could but man this is steep.  I know I was going fast, but I wanted to go faster.  I think I could hear bones cracking as each foot slapped down, but I needed to get to that finish line.  At the bottom of the hill it flattens out for about 400 meters to the finish.  I was running with everything I had wanting to get to that finish line asap.  As I rounded the last corner, and onto the blue carpet, I just started striding it out as much as possible.  I knew I was racing people I could not see, and every second would count.  I crossed the line and bent over… DONE!  I had a cool towel placed on my back and someone apparently placed a medal on my neck as well.  I guess I finished.  Now I would wait.

After all was said and done, I ended up 1st in my age group, 2nd amateur, and 3rd overall.  But the best part is this.  The difference between second place and me… 1 second.  I missed 2nd place by 1 second!  1st place was occupied by John Dahlz who is an ITU pro that was 2+ minutes ahead.  But 1 second to second place.  I bet the guy who got 2nd feels pretty good about that, and in all reality, so do I.  Things happen in races to everyone.  It just depends on how we choose to handle them.  Heck, the guy who got second might have had a flat?  Who knows. 

My splits were as follows:
Swim:  19.14
Bike:  1:04:14
Run:  36:50
Total:  2:04:41 

I am very happy with all my splits.  Transitions were a little funky, but easy fixes.  I am looking forward to racing some more Oly races.  Hopefully all will come together for Worlds in June.