Having done Kona Ironman the past four years, and struggling the last two, I planned on taking 2011 off from Ironman-distance racing. Thankfully, my buddy Kirsten signed me up for IM Lake Placid, as I did want to see how I would do at age 38. Maybe I had another 2008 performance in me.

I had raced Lake Placid 2002, still young and not that familiar with Ironman training and nutrition. I was injured in 2002 and intended to stop after the bike, but since I was in 16th place I ran out of transition, and then walked. I ended up finishing in 12:40. This year it was all about going back and running the marathon.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm. I was so happy to hear the water temperature was 77 degrees and it was a non-wetsuit race. I lined up front and center 10 minutes before the cannon, caught a good draft, and swam over the cable, about 2 feet below us, a cable lines the rectangular course with buoys. I felt strong, and exited the water in 56:40, faster than the pros! Pretty good, considering my lack of swim training — only two minutes slower than 2002.

Back in 2002, young and naïve, the only part of the bike course I remember was the downhill. I remember thinking most of the course was mostly downhill except the first 10 miles. Maybe they changed the course over the years. I did not remember the last 10 miles being so hilly (Papa, Momma and Baby Bear climbs). The Lake Placid bike course is not a fast course. Either way, despite my left leg tight and numbness within the first 20 miles, an issue I have been battling since I started riding a tri back in 2009, I held my own up the climbs and enjoyed the course. I enjoyed this ride more than any other Ironman event because of the beauty, the challenge,  the cooler temperatures, and my focus was to be able to transition from the bike to run a strong marathon. I rode the first loop fairly conservatively, keeping to my nutrition plan of PowerBites and Ironman Perform/water. I was able to push the second loop and finished strong. I finished in 5:54, the same split as 2002, 3rd in my age group.

The days leading up to Ironman my calf was giving me some issues. Thanks to Cassie and her ART technique – she treated me the previous two days – my calf tightness was not a factor. My left hamstring and glute were surprisingly giving me problems. My left leg shut down. The tightness  affected my stride. I cruised at a descent pace though mile 10. Then my legs just wanted to stop running. The only part of the course that felt good was running uphill! I promised myself I would not walk between aid stations. I really wanted to walk the last seven miles – I’ve been there/done that in Kona in 2010 – so I just focused on form and cadence and kept moving forward. I never ran at such a low heart rate and intensity level, as indicated by my Timex Pro Trainer. Despite my low effort run, I still ran 3:56, two hours faster than in 2002. Of course, I was happy – I was running!

I was so motivated to hear the cheers (Go Timex!), and see the Timex Crew on the course and in the crowd. I was internally and externally smiling the entire day. Congrats to teammates Jackie and Marie on their strong marathons and top 10 finishes. I am so proud of Marie to rally after fixing a flat tire. Keith, Dave, Max, Herbie and the rest of the crew ROCKED IT this year.

Win some, don’t win some – I am driven by the challenge of figuring “it” out, and each year brings on new challenges. Next on my calendar, back to my swimming roots, my first 10k Horsetooth swim in the reservoir above Fort Collins on August 7th. In the meantime I will tweak my tri bike position following the guidance of my bike fitter friend Scott Taylor from SBR sports in Utah since my previous fits have not done the job.  Maybe Orbea will let me borrow a road bike for Vegas 70.3 Worlds.

Thank you Timex, PowerBar and  Newton, friends and family for supporting me all these years!

This was my first year making the trip out to Ironman Lake Placid (LP) and it did not disappoint.  I chose this Ironman not only for the right timing in the season, but also because of all of the great things I’ve heard about it.  The drive went relatively quick and was super nice in the Timex Ford Edge.  The town of Lake Placid is nestled in the woods, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains, is extremely welcoming, and seems to Love Ironman! 

The weather worked out perfectly for race day.  Early race morning, for the first time in LP history, the call was made for a non-wetsuit swim with the water temperature up to 77 degrees F.   I ditched the wetsuit for a speedsuit and was ready to go!  I had a plan for the swim to take it pretty easy and stay with the front women.  With ~40 pro’s at the swim start I thought it would be a fairly gentle swim start, but I was seriously wrong.  This was by far the most vicious first 500m I have ever dealt with.   It seemed that everyone was out for blood (for some reason) and battling to get into the perfect position.  After having to stop a couple times to choke, I decided to put in a little effort to bust out of this crazy battle zone and try and get out in front to connect with the lead group that was pulling away.   The effort was a mostly a success and I lead out a chase group for most of the first loop until catching a straggler from the lead group to draft the rest of the way in.  The rest of the swim continued pretty steady.  I came out on the feet of Heather W with a decent non-wetsuit swim time. 0: 57:20

T1:  This was a little messy….When the call was made for a non-wetsuit swim I threw my calf sleeves into my T1 bag since I had never swam with them on.  In hindsight, I would probably swim with them since putting on tight calf sleeves on wet legs is incredibly difficult.   They went on (finally) and I ran out of there, frustrated that I had been passed in transition, but ready to have a good bike ride.   I looked down on the way to my bike, and oh yeah, still had my speed suit around my waist!! Ahhh. Epic transition fail.

My goal for the bike ride was to ride my own race, not go out too hard, and stay on top of nutrition.  My biking still needs some work and is not at the level it needs to be to stick with or pass the leaders.  Anyhow, even with this in mind I still went out relatively hard knowing Tyler Stewart would eventually pass, but determined not to let anyone else past me.  I finished the first loop still in 3^rd place, but was very soon passed and into 4^th. My legs felt ok, not amazing, so I was very worried about the second half of the ride.  I saw a couple girls within minutes on those little out and backs on the ride and was riding scared and in damage control the rest of the way.  I will be adding more long rides to my training so I can stay with it better those last 20 miles rather than just hanging on.   I was still climbing well the last bit into LP, but I was out of power for the flats.  I came into T2 in 5^th, not far off 4^th. 5:30

T2: nothing exciting here. Put on some shoes and a visor, shoved a couple things in my pockets, and put on a race belt.  Done.

I took off on the run feeling great; not really thinking at the time it was because the first 6 miles are slightly downhill.   I was running well, thinking about a high cadence and before long made a pass to move back into 4^th.  I worked the rest of the run to stay there and keep up a decent pace.  I could have probably used another gel or two on the run to keep the steam a bit higher the last 6 miles or so, but luckily I had enough juice to hang on.  3:22

Overall:  9:56, 4^th woman.  I’m happy with my time, staying steady most of the day, and to be able to easily see areas where I can make up more time in the next IM.   This placing moved me up in the Kona Pro rankings, but I am still just a few places away from qualifying for Kona this year.  I’m not sure if I’ll throw in another IM in hopes of qualifying this year still or just rest up and make a plan for next year….gotta see how recovery goes.  Motivation is higher than ever and I can’t wait for my legs to get back to normal and get working on that bike!

What an incredibly HOT day!!  Who every would have thought that an Olympic distance race could become a battle of attrition!!  Music City Triathlon 2011 was nothing short of a suffer fest!  I was sweating before I got out of the car to transition, BUT this was a hometown race and it was literally 5 miles from my house.  There is just something to be said for simple race day logistics!  The race was scheduled to begin at 7:30 with numbers 1 to 600 consisting of a sprint distance.  The swim was a rectangular course both with and against the current!  I have been in a funk with my swimming lately so I was NOT looking forward to hitting the water.  The race managment crew used a time trial start, which was different but ok.  I got in the water seeded 754 and much to my delight, finished with my best Olympic swim yet!  The water was 81 degrees so my Orca speedsuit was a huge help!

I jumped out of the water in just over 25 minutes (great for me) and made the run up a long hill to transition.  I passed my wife as I ran and she would later tell me that I was sweating more than she had ever seen me.  I started the bike after a 3:00 total transition and was off for a 2 loop course.  The air was so thick I felt like I was wearing it!  I had a very minor surgical procedure on Wednesday and was a bit nervous on how it would treat me on the bike.  I don’t need to tell you the specific type of surgery performed but let’s just say it occurred in the place that counts when it comes to comfort in the saddle!!  I held back a bit on the first loop and felt pretty good, so the second loop was all out!  I finished the bike course in 1:04 with a 23.1 average speed. 

I racked my bike, threw on my shoes with my new laces (thanks to Denny!!) no tying required…. This is when I knew it was going to be diffucult.  By the time I started the run it was roughly 10:30 am and the heat and humidity were through the roof!  The run in downtown Nasvhille is one of the toughest I have EVER done all over the world.  My legs felt heavy and my lungs were burning.  There was NO ice on the course which I have grown accustomed this season, so that put my mind in an unhappy place!  The run was also 2 loops and after loop 1 I wanted nothing more than to take the small left turn and head down the finishing shoot!  I gained composure as best as I could and just kept going….. I made a much better effort to take in fluids the second loop (even walked through one of the water stops.)  I was able to manage a 44 minute run, not even close to my best but a finish. 

I finished 5th in my age group and top 15 overall.  My time of 2:19 was pretty dissapointing but then again, I survived!!

This year since I will be racing the ITU Age Group World Championships in Beijing, China during Interbike, I decided to take a trip West and check out DealerCamp.  I must say, I was quite impressed.  There were many of the top players in the industry there and a very solid retailer turn out.  The venue in Park City, UT is more than ideal for such a show and bike demo.

TIMEX was my first stop of the day.  No surprise here =).  I had been out running earlier that morning and ran past Robin Barsante, the Tech Rep for the Southwest Region in the Timex Ford Flex.  He b,b,b,beeped at me as I ran past him and just made my run!  So fun seeing family in the middle of some random street in Utah!  TIMEX had a prime stop at the front of the expo and it was great to listen to Robin tell all about the new TIMEX RUN TRAINER soft launching in October!

ORBEA was my next stop.  It was so exciting speaking with Tony Karklins about the new Ordu launch for 2012.  It sounds like we might get a preview in about 6 weeks.  I am really anxious to see what the Orbea team has come up with after being a part of the Ordu Focus group a year ago. I have a feeling its going to be SWEET!

SHIMANO/PRO was up next.  It was great speaking with the Shimano Sales Representative and good friend Matt Thompson about the HOT Ultegra Di2 that is hitting the market and will retail for $2283. They also have a NEW XT and Cyclocross Groupo on the mountain side.

ORCA Wetsuits and SwimSkins have to be the best I’ve swam in, hands down.  John here is demonstrating how their new Breakaway Zip System works.  When you flip the zipper up, the zipper pulls apart with with a tug on the fabric.  So fantastic for fast removal of the Skin during transition!  Awesome Orca, I’m loving it!

The TRISHOP.com owner, Scott Par was there taking care of business as usual and I was so excited to run into him at the site.  He has a great online model and there has been good growth since he launched it in partnership with the TIMEX MULTISPORT TEAM in February.  Be sure to check them out for all you online Triathlon needs.

POWERBAR was there with ours truly, Tim Hola.  Always good seeing my peep and Team mate everywhere!  Powerbar has GreenTea Power Gel for 2012 and will bring their Power Gel flavors to 1o now!  I love this stuff as it keeps me moving during my training. Note: Tim and I both sporting our amazing NATIVE EYEWEAR!

I finished up my visit at the Tri America Event hosted at the St. Regis.  I enjoyed this time catching up with friends in the industry and discussing somethings that are up and coming.  Power Tap is launching a synched HR strap that will reflect watts based off HR feedback through any ant+ device for only $200!  I should be getting my hands on one soon, so keep posted!  Also, Contour is a new Sports Camera that has GPS and Bluetooth capabilities and a lower profile than others on the market. Lastly, I spent a lot of time with John Cobb, the founder of the new Cobb Saddles.  I am very excited to be mounting the V Flow on my Ordu to give it a ride as well as getting the brand new SHC Dirt saddle on a Clients MTB 29′er who is at the top of the Amateur Xterra Field.  Stay tuned…

Thanks DealerCamp, I will be back in 2012. Enjoy your training =) www.tristafrancis.com

Here are a couple of pictures of the Timex Ford Edge in Nashville, TN (a.k.a. Music City USA).  This was before the Music City Triathlon.  Believe it or not, the Music City Triathlon is one of the oldest triathlons in the country.  Back in the day guys like Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Brad Beven used to come and compete in it.  I’ll post more on the race in a later post.