Crappy front range weather and 20-30+” in the mountains = had to trade in the bike for the skis!

And just when I thought I was getting into good shape, I am hiking at 12000′+ in thigh deep snow, moving at 5meters/min and just about at max effort! Too bad I didn’t have my HRM on.

Sorry for the delayed race report…I spent a week in La Jolla after Timex camp and I have been a little behind.

I have kicked off the last 2 season in Oceanside and 2009 was no different. The Timex Multisport Team holds it’s annual training camp in Carlsbad following the race and aside from getting some California sun, going to team camp, and having some fun racing, it is a great chance to test my early season fitness against some of the best athletes in the world. This year was no different, only instead of just 1 or 2, there were several world champions and Olympians racing.I arrived in Oceanside Tuesday night and was hosted by a great family, along with 7 other athletes racing! It was a fun environment to be in prior to the race and we were very well fed. A huge thank you to Felicia! ☺My race week was unremarkable and I was excited to race and see the results of my training the last 4 months. A visit to the expo, a few short loosen up workouts and lots of lying/sitting around. It was especially fun to see some great friends who were also racing/spectating whom I had not seen in a long time.I arrived at the race site at about 5am, plenty of time park, get settled and do a short mental prep. It was about 45 with a pretty stiff wind and I was freezing and not at all looking forward to getting into the 59 degree water.

However, before I knew it I was in my wetsuit and standing on the boat ramp. I felt pretty good in the brisk water, I lined up right on the front and off we went. I found a pretty good group and cruised along expecting about a 27 minute swim, however, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to read the clock at 25min as I exited the water. Over the last 4 months I have been working very hard on my swim with the help of the NCAC masters group at UNC as well as on my Vasa Ergometer.

Cali 70.3 has a great bike course and I felt phenomenal during the first 45min or so as we flew up the coast with a slight tail wind. This winter cycling has been a key piece of my training, however, I was not expecting anything amazing. I pushed pretty hard these first 45min and then I settled down a little and still felt great. The back side of the course is rolling and has a few climbs, but some newly paved roads made for a very enjoyable ride. The last 15min or so of the bike I again let my power fall a little to make sure that I had something left in the tank for the run. In many of my races recently I have pushed pretty hard on the bike and I think that my run has suffered a little. As a result, I decided to give up a few minutes on the bike in order to run well.

I was into T2 and onto the run course before I knew it. My T2 was a little slower than I would have liked, but it was primarily a result of taking a few extra seconds to put on my compression socks, which certainly allowed me to more than make that time up on the run.

I knew the run was going to be fast, especially give all the ITU athletes that were racing, so I dug in and kept my cadence up. There was section of beach that we had to run on (4 times) and it was miserable, but aside from that I was pretty satisfied with my run, not quite where I wanted it to be, but I was pretty satisfied.I finished in 4:13 which was about 10minutes faster than last year and was good enough for 21st place overall. Given the fact that it is only April I am happy with my results and it is a sign of very good things to come this season.

Making this race even more special is that my wife and dog were able to watch me race! My dog was also very thirsty after so much excitement so she helped herself to some water from my FuelBelt.

above: Dad — Jason and Ally — Ally, Jen, Elle, Henna, Autumn, Juli — Autumn and Zach

Sometimes, when I quiet my mind, I’m amazed by change over time. Regardless of our choices, our paths, our intentions, our fantasies, our journey moves onward. Perhaps overstated, nonetheless, the words that keep coming to me are epic + journey. I considered this in three microcosms which are touching my life, although somewhat tangentially.

Books.
Well, someday I might just have to write a book. In the meantime, I sure like to read. Autumn and I have the same experience. We just fall in and devour the books we love. Don’t start talking about that OCD stuff, either, we know, we know. Anyhow, at the moment, I’m reading the newest Richard Russo book, Bridge of Sighs. It’s in the ‘epic’ category for me. A total Len-book. Len Fiocca is my dad. A digression, but to understand: he has his masters in literature and did his thesis on Mark Twain. Although he’s 66 and he can’t remember what plans you made with him for today unless he writes it down, you can call him right now and ask him any literary or grammar question (or any rule of golf) and he will nail it. It’s remarkable. He’s also a superb story-teller (mythology or his own). His preferences: Russo, Annie Proulx, Cormac McCarthy (but seriously, we don’t understand why, of all of his books, The Road was decorated – so depressing!), Thomas Harris, Elmore Leonard, Jon Krakauer — you get the picture. In return, I gave him Edgar Sawtelle, a well-told Hamlet knock-off. Oprah now has it as one of her ‘O’ books, but don’t let that thwart you. She does tend to have solid literary taste.
Autumn and I are reading Hatchet together, which consumes my thoughts at times…
Books that are in my epic journey category follow the character through a figurative or literal journey where regardless of our character’s flaws, follies, or fantasies, his/her life progresses. Change. Age. Chapters. Death.

Ally.
My friend, Ally, is on an epic journey of the literal kind. And maybe one of transcendence. She and her friend, Jason, are riding their bikes from Austin to New York. Follow their blog (Autumn and I get a mention in the ‘Ally’s gear’ section, as Autumn got Ally a fashion + function headband):
A2NY –
Facebook — Ally Brandt and Jason Reitz

Bike.
Ankle surgery. Recovery. Blah Blah Blah. So, I’m a few weeks into “you can ride as hard as you want”, which really means as hard as I’m able, as my fitness temporarily skipped out on me. To test my fitness, I rode my favorite IM-training hill-repeat workout. But I only did 5 repeats (not 10) and aero on my TT bike (but no power cranks). It was a fabulous suffer-fest.
To get it back, there is only one way. TOB. Time on bike.

So on Sunday, Coach Chann planned a 4.5 hour ride (the longest ride since Kona/surgery). 80% chance of rain, so I packed my rain jacket and got Zach to agree to ride with me.
As another aside, Zach Fiocca is my brother. In the genetic shake-up, he got most of the height, resourcefulness, and chick-magnetism (not that I wanted exactly that). I’m older and smarter, so na-na-na-na-boo-boo. We argue about who is more athletically and musically gifted, and cite each other. To argue my point, on Saturday, we were out for “ATC”, which is a group ride that somewhat simulates a road race. He’s hardly been out on the road lately, and he hung with the first group on a fixie. Seriously. He only got dropped because he had to unclip and hang on for dear life on the descents. So, when I want my butt kicked, he’s my go-to guy.

At 7:25am, I rolled out and rode downtown. At 8am, Zach bailed on me. At 8:30, I had tried to find group rides – without any success. I went east, I went central, I rode all over the city. Not sure if it was the date or the rain, but no one was showing up. Ended up riding through a thunderstorm, rain+sun, sun, a flat… During my ride, I contemplated my journey.

Saturday, April 11th I ran my first race in the new Team Timex Gear. Being a “newbie” on the team for 2009 this was an exciting day for me.  As you can see on recent blog posts by team members we all met up last weekend in Carlsbad, CA for the official team training camp where we received all our new gear. This includes any piece of race clothing you can imagine custom made by Suguoi.  Due to the cooler weather in Illinois I choose to wear the running singlet and arm warmers.

This was my first marathon. My decision to race in the inaugural Illinois Marathon held in Champaign-Urbana, IL was to prepare for Ironman Wisconsin which I plan to race this September.  University of Illinois is also my Alma Mater which made it an even more exciting race.

The run started off just South of Memorial Stadium. I expected the course to include long stretches through corn and soybean fields although surprisingly I didn’t see either one the entire longevity of the race.  We ran around campus passing many sorority houses, bars, fraternity houses, libraries and lecture halls where I attended class just five years ago.  I kept my mind occupied by reminiscing college years spent in lovely University of Illinois. Before I knew it I was passing the ninth mile marker.

Throughout the first half of the race I was averaging 7:23 min/mile pace. I joined the 3:15 pace group and enjoyed chatting with them while running through Urbana. Pacer Josh was our pace leader, it just so happens that he competes in Ironman Triathlons. He qualified for Kona in 2005 at Ironman Wisconsin, so I took both marathon and Ironman advice from him while we ran through the middle miles of the race.

The third quarter of the race ran through neighborhoods in Champaign, I continued to stay with the 3:15 pace group.  It was great to see so many supporters outside their homes with signs, guitars, cow bells, and bugles to cheer the runners on. I especially loved those that cheered “Go Team Timex!”

We had ideal weather conditions, beginning the race at 8 AM in the high 30′s and by noon it reached the lower 50′s with the sun shining. I have heard from so many fellow marathon runners that you hit the wall around mile seventeen. Therefore I was pumped to be cruising through mile nineteen. Then mile twenty approached, yep there was the wall I had heard so much about. I struggled through the last ten kilometers, my legs felt heavier than ever before. I dropped behind the 3:15 pace group slightly off pace at 8:29 min/mile, although I was happy to be nearing the finish. I kept chugging along and soon I was back on Green street at mile twenty-four. I ran the last two miles with a huge smile on my face. Finally I was turning into Memorial Stadium, I entered and ran the last 0.2 miles on the field with a surprising burst of energy for the last stretch.

I finished the marathon in 3:20.24 a personal record! This was a great race and I loved running in my Timex gear. I am now one step closer towards the Ironman.

Thanks to my boyfriend Mike I have all these pictures to share. My biggest fan.

Team Timex mania has taken over the household. My dog, Maddie, has been known to pick through my clothes from time to time (see this post here), however I was still a bit shocked to come home yesterday from the market with the Mad Dog prancing around in my team kit

The kicker, however, was turning around to the sight of her best friend, the Mookster, running around with my new Rudy Project sunglasses.

I seriously have to do a better job of hiding stuff around this place. Although the thought of the dogs out hiking with hydration belts and coming home to work out those muscles with TP rollers makes me chuckle….

About that market trip… So I have decided once and for all to clean up the diet and try to follow the guidelines from May’s Bicycling magazine. Cleveland’s West Side Market is an enormous farmer’s market with fruit and veggies around the perimeter and meat, cheeses and specialty foods on the inside. It’s truly a sight to behold and you have to come prepared to weave through hundreds of people holding up money and trying to get the attention of the vendors. The place rocks. I tend, however, to show little purchasing restraint. I mean, I’m eating healthy, right? That means I need a TON of healthy options….right?

I can’t wait to see how much weight I am going to lose this week eating 2 avocados, 2 mangoes, 2 pineapples, 2 pounds of grapes, a cucumber, box of spinach, fingerling potatoes, a cantaloupe, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, a bunch of bananas, garlic, basil, strawberries and a spaghetti squash (there was a watermelon, but I ate that already…). By the end of the week I’m sure my agent will be getting calls from the Victoria’s Secret swimming suit catalog for their upcoming photo shoot…