I have written this post about 15 times as while most of my team members are still anxiously waiting for their new Ordu’s, I was lucky enough to drive my car into a parking garage with 4 bikes on the roof which left me ‘bikeless.’  So, the great people at Timex, Orbea and Shimano took pity on me and hooked it up.  I have to give a quick but huge thank you out to the entire team of sponsors as they were extremely understanding and supportive while I was going a little crazy.  Also, this post signifies a few ‘firsts’ for me-

1. First post as a member of Team Timex (I hope I’m doing this right)
2. First post about my new sweet new ride, Orbea Ordu
3. First time in 6 years I am riding a new brand TT bike with a completely new setup

So, here goes-

Let me start by committing a cardinal sin, I am going to address the ‘bear in the room’. A lot of forum banter has centered around the Ordu, it’s geometry, how it rides, etc.   I was nervous and skeptical after reading these reviews as well. For anyone who still has concerns, I have one word of advice- go ride the Ordu; that is what I did.  In the past 2 weeks, I have put about 29 hours on this bike testing it in every way imaginable, long climbs in the Santa Monica mountains, flats, power intervals, trainer sessions, descents, and I could not be happier. Truth be told, I have actually found that although my position is less aggressive right now(due to recent injuries), I am in a more powerful position than before and am more comfortable running off the bike as well. This is in part due to Steve from PV Bike as he is a true master in the art of fitting and has really helped dial me in and just due to how this bike rides.   If you are ever in Southern California, I highly recommend a trip to see him. Back to the bike- It is very stiff in the bottom bracket, super responsive and really gets rolling.  Right now I am running the forward seat post with a 100mm stem.  It puts me out over the bike but just about where I would be on my previous setup.  As a frame of reference I have a long torso and short legs.

Shimano Di2… what can I say beyond- EXTRAORDINARY!!! I think that once anyone rides with Di2, they will never go back to standard shifting.  I have tried every way possible to make it fail and I can not. It is very smooth, extremely responsive and just a treat.  I love having shifters on the pursuit bars for when you are out of your aerobars and being able to shift both front and rear at the same time is pretty fantastic. Couple this setup with the Pro bars and I feel like my entire setup is just too good!!   Truth be told, I am feeling very spoiled as the setup that Orbea, Shimano and Timex put together for us, is much better equipped and has more advanced technology and research put into it than my other mode of transportation:

This is my 4th season coaching for the Southern WI region of Team in Training and after our kick-off meeting last night I am excited for another season with such a great organization!!

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/

A good laugh for you all…
Happy New Year’s Eve.

Yesterday, October 21, the “Day of Singularity” (as named by The Secret Language of Birthdays), I turned 40.

No need to tell me, “Oh, you don’t look 40!” because 40 looks like a number.

A few thoughts (in a list, because I’m an ENTJ, I like LISTS):

1. Never considered…
When I was young (like 10), I never contemplated 40. I thought of 30, since I’d turn 30 just prior to the millenium; I pondered 100, since that’s so cool. Never considered 40.

2. What was I doing when…
When I turned 10, I had a sleepover party and I did a huge muppet puzzle. I also broke my ankle when I was 10 while sledding down a tree- and bush-laden hill in Minnesota.

Autumn threw me a sleepover party last night. We sang math facts, watched Harry Potter, ate sushi, and read for a long time. Michael and Autumn gave me a Kindle (which Autumn has pretty much taken over already) and a 1,500-piece puzzle. I had my ankle reconstructed when I was almost 40. FABulous.
When I turned 20, I was probably playing soccer, breaking the law, and doing other things I’d now deny.
When I turned 30, I was pregnant and ate deep dish Lou Malnati’s spinich pizza (The last time I could eat cheese).
Therefore, using Birthday Logic (hey, we went for the Laffer curve in the ’80s), I’m closer to 10 than the other multiples…

3. My 40 mantra…
“Just when you think you know exactly how it’s going it gets even better.”
:) With Gratitude to my friends and family.
PS, The photo is Autumn on the Pacific off the coast of Northern California.

This was my first trip to the Big Island and it lived up to everything I imagined, both good and bad :)  I had high expectations for myself going into this race, but since I had never been there or experienced ‘Madame Pele’ I tried not to think too much about time goals.  I was lucky enough to get out to Kona 11 days before the race to get used to the weather, scope out the course, and get comfortable.  I’ll get right into the report:

 Pre-race:  Woke up at 4:30am, ate bowl of oatmeal and i was out the door w/my special needs bags.   I put up my thumb to hitch-hike my way to race start and (luckily) was picked up after a few min by a pickup truck.  Got to the start with plenty of time to check out my bike, top off the tires and relax a little.  As usual I felt fairly calm before the race and was ready to get started on a good long day of suffering.  I ran into some friends and Timex teammates before the race which was very comforting considering the huge crowd.

Swim:  BRUTAL!  The start was crazy and the first half was actually dangerous!  I think I must have started a bit to far to the inside because whenever we came to an orange bouy I was smushed between like 20 bodies trying to fit through the same 3ft space.  I was at 32 min at the turn around and thankfully found a good line of people for a fairly easy ride back to transition with only minor bouts of nausea.  Time: 1:01

Bike:  I was excited to get this ride over with:)  I knew I would be okay once I was off the bike, so I just had to be steady and not go crazy.  It was exciting leaving transition and it was going well…my legs felt real fresh.  I got out onto the Queen K Highway for maybe 1 mile and ‘pssssshhhhhh’ FLAT TIRE!!!???? What?  Alright, I thought, no big deal.  I had practiced for this kind of thing just the day before the race, but as you may have read in Eric’s blog about this, I somehow managed to break the valve stem.  I just stood there for a bit, waving down anything that looked like race support, and eventually one came (12min total lost from time of flat).  For some reason I wasn’t really upset or anything and just went with it.  I had a little snack and some drink while convincing the race support guy to just throw on another wheel rather than screw around changing the tubular.  He put the wheel on and I was off; cruising away witha crappy front wheel with a SWEEEET blue tire :) and no more computer.   It was actually nice not having a computer.  I know my body well and going by feeling and perceived exertion have always worked well for me….sometimes having the data messes with that.   So the ride went by fairly quickly, I was usually grabbing 2 water bottles and 1 gatorade about every aid station.  One full water went on my body and I drank the other.  I only ate POWERBAR gels and POWERBAR gel Blasts (awesome!).   I noticed the wind, but didn’t dwell on it.  I kept my effort consistent and just kept picking people off.  I figured I had no idea how fast I was going, but if I was passing people I couldn’t be going too slow :)  Bike came to a close before I knew it and I was sooo happy with how it went.  I came close to my goal of 5:30, so no complaints.  Time: 5:39

Run:  I dismounted the bike with a little discomfort and walked through most of transition to try and give my legs a chance to get ready to run.  And after a couple minutes, I was off.  I heard from enough people to be careful not to go out too quick the first few miles, so I was cautious not to go crazy here.  With all of the people and excitement it would’ve been easy to go faster, but I’m glad I held back.  The splits for my first few miles were right on and I made a little plan for the day to try and keep it under 8 min miles for as long as I could (and maybe even the whole marathon).  I was smiling and having fun for all of Ali’i drive and was mentally preparing to keep it going for the Queen K.  I was passing alot of people and trying to keep my spirits up by talking and saying good job to everyone.  Soon I started to wonder ‘Where is my half way bag?’  Of course i should have figured out before the race that we don’t see the special needs food bag until mile 18!!  By mile 15 I was sick of Coke and jonesin’ for my Red Bull!  Miles 15-18 heading to the energy lab was a tough section for me…not close enough to the end to think about it and far enough into it to be hurt (I was over 8 minute miles at this point for sure).  I even got the the point where I started saying ‘one foot in front of the other’….it eventually worked and soon I was at the Energy lab turn around!  I grabbed 2 cups of Ice, got my food bag, and poured that delious energy drink into the ice.  Red Bull does crazy things to me, and I think part of it is mental, but I don’t really care because it works.  I chugged as much as I could and decided it was time to pick it up and push it into the finish.  I hadn’t just trained all year to bite the dust.  At this point I could no longer say good job to anyone because I was doing all I could to make it to the end.  Thoughout the run I walked every aid station and took in a mix on water, gatorade, ice and coke.  I think I ate 2 bags of the POWERBAR energy blasts and MAYBE 3 gels and a bite of bannana.  I was litterally running on caffiene and sugar…but I didn’t want a relapse of my HORRIBLE stomach sickness at Ironman Wisconsin in 2008 so I was steering clear of too many solid foods.  Anyhow…all in all the run went well and I managed to bring the last mile home in 6:51.        Time: 3:28  

Overall time: 10:17.58,  10th Amature, 40th woman overall, 4th in agegroup (25-29)

This was by far the toughest race I have ever done and for sure the hardest I have pushed myself.  It was fun, painful, awesome and an even better experience than I could have hoped for.  I am so thankful to my friends, family, and sponsors (Team TIMEX, Aquasphere, Trek, Elements Massage and Powerbar) for allowing me to be involved in this crazy sport and do what I love.   As always, I can’t wait until the next race :)