Well after a LONG rough winter in WI, it seemed like spring/summer was never going to come!  It’s been hit or miss here with the weather and will go from 80 one day to 40 the next.

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 :)

I have been thinking of things to write for this blog since the race (almost a week ago now) and there is just too much on my mind to get it all down!  I’m extremely happy with how the race went and don’t know if I have ever felt more proud of myself for really sticking it out on such a tough day. 

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

Nathan Hydration- Swift Hydration pack:

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 can’t BELIEVE it is already August and most of the race season has come and gone.  I have had a great year so far and have made some real improvements, both mentally and physically.  Since I have been behind on race reports and for the most part have been in my WI bubble, I’ll share some highlights.

 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