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!

I ventured back to Pewaukee this last weekend to defend my title and mix it up with some people during my long weekend of training.  I put in my longest swim session of the season on Friday, a solid 5 hr bike and run Saturday, and used the sprint tri as a warm-up for my long run on Sunday.  Although I was using the race as part of a workout, I was still looking to have a good race…especially since there was some $$ involved!  

I was a bit worried about how my legs would feel on the bike after such a hard day the day before, but once the gun went off it was actually a great day.  I was surprised how strong my legs felt on the bike and run.  I’m so happy my body is responding well to the more focused training this year and am just so excited about what’s to come.  This was by no means a big or important race, but certainly a nice tune-up and confidence builder going into the next big one…Ironman Lake Placid :) 

We are all so blessed to be able to do what we do every day.  Remember this from camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxqe77-Am3w&feature=related   (gets me every time…)

Happy training!

Everything's bigger in Texas!

Teammate Andrew Hodges and I shared a rental….so sweet!  This truck was perfect for hauling 4 people, plus bikes, around all wkend.  I shared a room with the amazing Whitney Garcia, a boulderite who I had just met briefly at Kansas 70.3.  We got along great and shared some laughs, race stories, and things we’re learning racing pro this year.   She’s one tough cookie :)

We had a nice dinner the night before the race with friends and teammates Christine, Denny, Andrew, Chris Thomas, Henry Heisler and  Gavin Anderson.   This was my first sighting of the new Ford Edge paint job- LOVE IT!

Best Italian in Lubbock

Whitney and me race morning - SO EARLY!

Race Day!!

With Andrew at the wheel it was an early morning.  I was literally the second bike on the rack.  We all wanted to be early or at least on time to not have to rush in the morning, but we found ourselves with just a little spare time for this one :)  Anyhow, got all ready to go, was sufficiently intimidated looking at everyone and their set up, and headed into the water.  I had gotten out for a swim the day before and knew the water was great.  My wetsuit is amazing and I was feeling ready to go.

25: 14 Swim   I started in front and went out strong to the first bouy.  Perfect strategy for a beach start, since it’s easy to get caught behind with people dolphin diving.  I ended up swimming most of it in 3rd just on the feet of 2nd.  I was working, but felt generally about right for a half.

T1: 1:27  good.

This picture looks way better than I felt...

2:47:21 Bike….not real good at all.  I always am shooting for around a 2:30 bike split and this was far, far off.   I’m sure the heat and wind make up for a little of that time, but generally I just couldn’t get my legs going.  They just felt flat the entire time and I was doing all I could just to TRY and stay in it.   I have been going hard for a while now, and I’m just going to attribute this one to not being rested.

T2: 1:13 good.

1:37:20 Run…slow, but I’m okay with it.  This is much slower than I usually run, but the conditions were not ideal and I knew I was having a rough go at it…so this was the best I could do to hang in there and not give up.  I wanted to stay in the top 10, so that included passing a few girls on the run.  I felt better the second half, with the wind at our back, and managed to negative split the half marathon.

Survival running...

Overall: 4:52:35, 9th place pro woman.   Certainly not one of my best showings, but I am proud that I hung in there when my body was not feeling anywhere near race ready.

Gotta get ready for the next one!!  Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Stretch it out!

3 days, 526 drive miles, unpacking at a strangers house, napping under a tree, instant coffee, and coke.

Unpacking at a Strangers house: We didn’t get the Edge out on the road from Madison until ~4pm Friday, which put us into Lawrence, KS at ~1:30am…only slightly later than the year before.  Needless to say we were all tired and driving with extreme caution since we hit a deer (or the deer hit us…depending on who tells the story!!) the year before.  We made it through deer-free and pulled into the driveway of the only house on the street with the lights on.   Bikes off the roof, bags out, pretty much ready for bed….and the door is locked.  OH MAN…check the address…yeah, it’s the wrong house.   I have never hustled out of anywhere that fast!   My aunt and uncle got a big kick out of this story in the morning :)

Napping Under a Tree: We pulled into the campgroud mid-day Saturday, found our campsite, and got settled in.  I got out on a little run while the guys set up the campsite and got the bikes ready to go.  We took the bikes out for a test ride – mine was feeling so good and lookin’ sharp with some new blue grip tape :)  I showered off and laid down under the BEST shade tree ever.  We got SO lucky with our campsite this year!  We were we at a great spot on the run course, very close to the bathroom/showers, and, like I said, had the BEST shade tree.  I got in a killer nap and woke up just in time for dinner with the WellFit crew, teammate Christine and her speedy bro Gavin.

Instant coffee: I slept like a rock and the 5am alarm came quick.  Our little tent community all unzipped and staggered to the picnic table.  After bagels, peanut butter, and coffee all around everyone was ready to go.  With a 6:30 pro race start and separate T1 and T2, time was flying and I was a bundle of nerves!!  After a major rush and powerwalk to T1 I made it into the water in time for a few min of warm-up.  There was a small pro-womens field, which was nice for my first 70.3 pro swim start.   The swim turned out to be real choppy and tough…..I posted my slowest swim time ever, 30:06.

T1 was also not too impressive, but I was still middle of the pack…so on with the bike ride.  Not much to say about the ride…Kansas is filled with rollers and this year I managed to ride fairly evenly paced the entire way and held my own with the other girls.  2:32:43 bike split

Coke: As usual I was feeling a bit rough coming off the bike during the first mile or two of the run.  I had a girl on my heels and was working hard to make some space between us.  There’s only one big hill on the run and despite my normal routine of power-walking up the hills I slogged up it to avoid getting passed.  I snatched up a few cups of coke at the first few aid stations and by mile 3 it was a whole new ball game.  I spent the rest of the run trying to catch the girls in front of me and managed to close the gap and make a pass within the last mile.

This run was another big learning experience…with pushing the limits and really racing the whole way.  Not my fastest time, but still alright.  1:27:06

4:32:39 overall, good enough for 5th place pro.

Full results: http://ironmankansas.com/results/?y=2011&rid=363

Check out the sweet video (also posted by Christine): http://animoto.com/play/mczF7PHs913XrnL1DCrPcw

And individual photos, compliments of Shawn Haley :  http://haleyphotography.zenfolio.com/ironmanks11/h2f0c4ccd#h2f0c4ccd

Despite the forecast for thunderstorms all day, today turned out to be one of the best days (weather-wise) this year!  No better way to enjoy it than to drive out to Blue Mounds State Park.   Blue Mounds is a great park for running, but for this bike ride its purpose was that it sits on top of a HUGE hill.   I had never done a time trail (or a bike race), so this was new all to me!  Here are some things I dealt with/learned:

- Need to bring a bike trainer to warm-up. …or know the area to have somewhere to safely ride.

- It’s tough to gauge how hard to go.  This was a very short distance, but the almost the entire second half of the ride was climbing.  I rode my training wheels just out of curiosity to see the power/HR data and I was shocked to see my average HR was 179 for the race.   This is probably a combination of me not doing many (or any) short races so i’m not used to such high intensity efforts, not being rested at all, and going out WAY too hard :)

- Bring friends and teammates!  This race was so fun because of the people I was with.  After the race we all headed out for ~20 mi to commiserate about the steep climbs and brutal up-hill finish.

I LOVE fun little races like this…it’s really what keeps the motivation high and keeps it fun!!

Happy training and racing :)

For those that don’t follow Ironman races or know much about my triathlon career, this was my first Ironman distance race as a pro.  I raced St. George last year, so I was familiar and comfortable with all of the ups and downs of the course.   Here’s a little bit about each part:

Orca 2.4 mi Swim:   Although I usually don’t worry about the swim at all, I was strangely nervous for my first Pro swim start.  I was worried about starting with the pro guys and about getting dropped in the first 400 meters .  I did get dropped/stuck behind a bunch of people, but I put in a good effort until the first buoy and managed to catch Heather Wurtele’s feet.  Since I knew it was her and was pretty much positive she would stay on course, it was a nice draft all the way in.  I posted my fastest IM swim time. 55: 03

T1: 2:11  my fastest ironman transition by far :)

Orbea and Shimano 112 mi Bike:  I LOVE this bike course!  The climbs keep you honest, the scenery is amazing, there are fans at all the right places, and there is a good long decent with the wind at your back (or sometimes side…but still good).  I went out a lot harder on the bike this year vs. last year, mostly because I didn’t want everyone to pass me :)   The bike has been my weakest part of the race, so I have been working hard the last couple years to get up to speed with everyone.  I knew I was riding at a point where it would either work out to be a great day or I would blow up.  I felt strong the whole ride and was being very diligent with my nutrition and staying cool ( I think temps went from 50′s to 80′s during the ride).  I cut ~20 minutes from my 2010 bike time on the same course, and rode the whole way as 4th place woman.  5:39:17

T2: 1:48!!! fastest for the women, I’m usually around the 3-4 minute mark for IM races…

Zoot and Nathan 26.2 mi Run:  Ugh!!  This started out horrible and HOT…but overall was pretty good.  I felt motivated to run well to keep my 4th place position.  Unfortunatly, I had to walk a bunch those first couple (uphill) miles to get my breathing/heart-rate under control and at mile 3 was really doubting that I could hang on for a whole marathon.  Some swigs of Coke, water over the head, and over a couple hills and I was feeling a million times better.  It wasn’t long before I was over half way and knew I could keep it up until the end.   A couple girls in front of me dropped out of the race and before I knew it I was in 2nd place.   At that point I was so happy and excited there was no stopping me!   I only cut a couple minutes from last year, but with the heat, I’ll take it.  3:28:20

Overall results :  10:06:36, good enough for 2nd place.

Special Thanks:

-Doug – for spending time getting my bike all ready to go, throwing on those SWEET Durace wheels

- My boyfriend John for being an amazing supporter before, during and after race, for fixing me up with a better climbing cassette (without telling me!) and for mooning me at mile 95 on the bike course :)

-Friends, family, and training partners that kept my motivation high during the LONG Wisconsin winter.

-All of the above mentioned sponsors, as well as:  Timex, Peak Performance Massage,  Powerbar, Eric at Fast Forward Triathlon, and Speed Cycling

Thanks for reading and see you at the next one!!

• First long road trip (>8 hrs) to a race…It took us ~17 hrs on the way down, luckily with an overnight stop just south of Memphis.
• First triathlon of the year, so first time racing on my new Orbea, trying out my new Orca wetsuit, and racing in a new pair of Zoots
• First time being part of a race with a cancelled swim….so it was then also my first duathlon.  This format made for a very different race feel.  Pro’s were sent off in 30 second increments, so it was pretty lonely most of the race.
• First race as a pro
• First time racing a triathlon before May

So with all of this considered, I am happy with how the weekend in New Orleans went.  I see a lot of room for improvement and excited to see where this year will take me.  It was fun traveling with friends and training buddies from Wisconsin and also meeting friends and teammates at the race and am looking to many more run-in’s throughout the year!

Next stop, Ironman St. George!

Thanks for reading,

Jackie

A review by a non-waist-pack girl.

I have tried numerous types, brands and sizes of waist hydration packs and have never found one that really FITS.  Either it’s the moving, the sloshing or the rubbing that lead me back to the hand-held bottle.  Despite my previous experiences, I gave the Swift a try last weekend for my 16 mile run.  Here is what I thought:

Pros:  Nice one-size fits all adjustable waist band, bottle is easy to get in and out and doesn’t move at all while running, pocket stretches and easily fit 2 gels (could probably fit a little more)

Cons:  I don’t really  have any product related cons because I really enjoyed having it on my run.  I can say that because it is most of a light-weight belt, there isn’t much room to carry extra food or drink.  I did have a little low back pain after the run, which I think is due to the fact that I’m not used to carrying anything around my waist.

Overall:  LOVE it and if you have never been a ‘waist-pack’ runner, this might convert you!

 I started the year off strong with an overall amateur win at Ironman St. George in May and have since competed in 4 half Ironman races, 1 sprint, and 1 olympic distance race.  I have seen improvements in the swim, bike, and run this year and am more excited about this sport than ever! 

A couple weeks ago I competed in my second half Ironman distance race in 2 consecutive weekends (as I did last year, with these same races).  In theory this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but I ended up racing well both weekends.  

Weekend 1: Door County Half Ironman (Egg Harbor, WI)  Reason(s) for doing this race- for fun and to measure improvement from last year.  I  have only been racing a few years, so having the opportunity to race the same half ironman two years in a row is a great way to measure improvement.   I cut 8 minutes off my time from last year and set a new course record with a 4:33.  Most importantly I felt strong and happy the whole day.  Overall just a great, fun weekend with friends.

Weekend 2: Chisago Lakes Half Ironman (Chisago, MN) Reason(s) for doing this race- same as for weekend 1, but with the possible bonus of prize money.  I was nervous going into this race because my legs felt like bricks for the entire week up until the day before the race.  I knew there would probably be some people showing up to race too, with a $1000 pay out for first place!  

Swim/Bike:   I made it to the start line feeling a little worried, but determined to push myself as much as I could handle.   My pre-race nerves were put to ease as former teammate Carole Sharpless (Sharpie!!) was there!!  What an awesome surprise…all the way from Colorado :)  Anyhow, she kicked my butt in the swim as expected, and I came out of the water third (just behind Cathy Yndestad).  It took me a bit to reel Sharpie and Cathy in, but eventually I got up there.  My legs were definitely not all there and I was worried that any sort of acceleration or climb would suck any life out that was left….but it turned out alright as I came into T2 just out of first.  

Run:  I had an awesome T2 and took off on the run like it was a 10k.  This sounds crazy, but I knew if I could just put a little distance between me and second place I could probably hang on.  I ran a couple fast miles (thankfully I have been good about doing track workouts this year, because I actually have a little more speed than I used to) and managed to pull away.  I didn’t look back from then on and managed to run my fastest run split ever of a 1:24.  I came to the finish with an 8 minute lead!!   I finished with a 4:27.

Since these races I have been in recovery and now training mode heading straight into Ironman WI and the Ironman World Championships in Kona.   It’s been my longest year of racing, starting off with the Ironman in May, and I would not have been able to do any of this without having the support of such an amazing network of family, friends, and teammates.  I know every triathlete can agree that this is not a sport you can do alone. 

Good luck to everyone in the rest of your season!!  Thanks for reading :)

Jackie

Team In Training (TNT) is the signature event of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is the largest endurance training program in the world!  Since 1988, more than 420,000 TNT participants have raised over $1 billion for life saving cancer research and services to help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives.  These days everyone is affected by cancer in some way, and it is through the fundraising that we can raise the money needed to help.

I am currently training a team of athletes for 3 different marathons/half marathons (San Diego, Vancouver, and Seattle).  Many of the runners or walkers have never done a race or ran more than a few miles before, so it is quite a challenge for me as a coach and for them as aspiring marathoners. 

I am so glad to be involved with TNT and be able to help make a difference in the lives of people suffering from blood cancers.  The survival rate has increased dramatically and I know each season that the money we raise is making a difference.   It’s great to be running for a reason!

For more info:       http://www.teamintraining.org/