This is WAY overdue, so I’ll (unusually) keep it brief!

Challenge Barcelona is an ironman distance race and was held for the first time this year in the first weekend of October. And it ROCKED! With a deep European pro field, and a flattish but windy bike course, this was going to be a lot of fun.

The swim was steady and pleasant. A bit of time out of the pool due to injuries from Trans Rockies hadn’t been the end of the world: rib was absolutely fine on race day, and ankle flexibility returning well. As ever, the Aquasphere wetsuit was a joy to swim in and easy to get off in T1, so I have no excuse to explain how I spent nearly 3 minutes in transition, except to say that the volunteers were very friendly! I’d managed to finally work out what was up with the bike at IMUK, and having fixed the brake/dodgy tire side wall combo (with a rather overdramatic but well timed ‘BANG’ at the doorway to the CMR bike shop a few days earlier), the Trek TTX was riding like a dream again. The aid station drinks were a little weak, and there was no evidence of coke, so I was riding a little light on calories and caffeine free, but put in a solid 4:46 split. Into my Newtons and onto the run (again caffeine free!) I put in a 40min 10km on the first loop, but then started to slow up a little… 42 mins on the second, I’ll not go into the next two - needless to say, I had to walk a couple of aid stations towards the end to get in food and fluids and ended up finishing a little disappointed at being a couple of minutes over my 3 hour marathon ceiling.

8:53 put me 19^th in the pro race (over 40 MPROs), but its good to be consistently seeing solid times again. Other pleasing things about the race: I got over my issues with two piece tri kit - the Sugoi two piece fits me perfectly so no tan belt/burn at the end of the day J ; Octoberfest tent was right next to transition… perfect planning from the organisers!

Thanks to Chris and Wookie (and Carli) for being great travel partners!

Next up: IMArizona!

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 :)

So I have gotten behind on my blogs over the past month and I’m working on catching up on race reports.

The Waupaca Triathlon is a small sprint race held in Waupaca, Wisconsin. This is my second time racing at this event. Friends of mine, Gerrard and Julie have a lake house nearby, so we make a weekend out of the race every year.

800 yard SWIM: The day began with perfect weather, clear blue sky and barely any wind. I raced in the elite wave, which they combined men and women. There were only about 30 people in this wave. We began with a gun shot and I was off with the lead guy swimmers. Half way out to the first buoy I was cut off by one swimmer and in turn lost the two lead guys. I continued around the first buoy and finished the second half of the swim between two male swimmers, swimming neck and neck. I ended up ahead of them out of the water, first woman and thrid overall. I passed one of the guys running up to transition putting me in second out of Transition 1.

20 mile BIKE: Just outside of transition the remaining guy ahead of me fell off his bike (I later found out the cleat on his pedal broke). After calling to him to ensure he was ok, I took off on the bike. I felt good and enjoyed following only the motorcycle for the first 5 miles. At mile 5 I was passed back by the biker that fell, he had somewhat fixed his pedal. I continued on, keeping up with the lead guys, a few more passed me on the bike. There were a few hills and false flats but nothing too steep to climb. My average speed was fairly decent for me. I entered into Transition 2 tenth overall and the first female.

5 kilometer RUN: I took off on the run, knowing it was only a 5k I tried to pick up speed for the shorter distance. We ran through neighborhoods with spectators and volunteers cheering us on.  I passed back one of the guys that had passed me on the bike. I ended up 9th place overall and the 1st place female by about 5 minutes.

After the race we went back to Gerrard and Julie’s house for a day filled with boating, tubing and celebrating.

Followed by a nap in the sun.

On Sunday I took advantage of the hills in the area and went on a 100 mile bike ride to prepare for my upcoming Ironman.

This was my third time racing IMWI, and I still consider it to be my “hometown” race even though now I live in Colorado. It’s great to be able to go back to Wisconsin where I am familiar with the course and venue and can have the support of friends and family. I flew from Colorado on Thursday before the race which would allow me a few short workouts on the course, as well as time to catch up with some old friends. I was very relieved to hear that the weather was going to be a perfect 83 and sunny all weekend (if not a little hot), as the last time I raced WI in was 45deg and raining!!

SWIM- 54:59

The swim start is an open water start with a very large starting area. I positioned myself between the turn buoy and ski jump where I have started previously. If you are a strong swimmer and not afraid of a little jostling at the start I think this is the best spot. I had a good start and pretty much open water infront of me. I jumped onto what was a large group of probably 20+ people and thought I would have a nice tow in the front group through the swim. Unfortunately a gap opened up about 8 people infront of me and a lead group of 10 or so were motoring away. I did make one effort to bridge but then thought better of it and dropped back into our group which was down to about 5-6 people. We were on pace for my goal swim time of 54-56min, so I was comfortable staying put. The second lap we had to deal with lapped traffic, but I made it through without too much trouble.

Bike- 5:16:53

After a solid swim it was out onto the bike. The bike course here is very tough; the hills are steep and relentless. Knowing this I wanted to take the bike out easy, because pushing it hard early will cost you serious time later. I tried to keep my heart rate down and let a few crazies go by me up the road. This year I really focused on my nutrition plan and it payed huge dividends. I knew what I was going to eat and when. I did have to make an increase in fluid intake as the day was going to be on the hot side. I was feeling strong the first 50 miles, but then onto the start of the second lap around mile 60 I started feeling a little lack of power in the legs. I was concerned as I was losing several positions and watching people go up the road. This lasted until mile 90. I tried not to panic and took in as much nutrition as possible. It did seem to help as I recovered and felt good the last 22 miles. This was a great confidence booster going into the run. I had some friends giving me position updates from their wireless devices and I was sitting 1st in the age group.

Run- 3:35:42

I came into T2 with Hilary Biscay and a few other Euro’s that looked like strong runners. This would be a great help to help pace off of these other runners. My goal run time was 3:20-3:30, but this would be tough as the day was over 80deg. (No one ran under 3hrs on the day). My first mile I had a little bit of excitement and ran a 6:40 (damn crowds!!). Had to cool that down a bit and settled into a comfortable. pace. I felt solid going through 13 miles, but thats still a long ways to go! At about mile 16 I started to struggle a bit and had to start walking the aid stations to pound the coke and gatorade. Although you feel weak walking the aid stations, it is a good strategy if you are hurting as you can comfortably take in some nutrition. A few strong runners were going by me in the following miles but I just had to run my own race and stay steady. As even after mile 20 if you put in an effort that you can’t recover from you can lose major time in the last 6 miles. I knew I remainded in the top 5 in the age group at this point (kona slots). The last 3 miles my IT band and piriformis were really tightening up and I was praying for them to last just a couple more miles. I looked at my watch and knew I was going to be close to breaking the 10 hr. mark. This was defininate motivation the last several miles. I was able to hang on, but unfortunately a guy in my AG passed me in the last 2/10 of a mile!! I just couldn’t do anything about it. But I was fortunate enough to hang onto 4th position in AG, and a slot to Kona 2010!!

9:55:49

Mission Accomplished; 36th overall, 4th AG, ticket to Kona 2010!!

I want to give a special thanks to all my friends and family out on the course cheering me on!! Also thanks to all the Sponsors at the race including; Aquasphere, Timex, Bontrager, and Trek.

Now time for the off-season!

On August 22 I raced USAT Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home to the Univ of Alabama and city where you can get a turkey panini packed with green apple slices and gouda with side salad and bowl of fruit (upon presenting your USAT membership) for $3.81. crazy.

I earned ITU points for my 9th place finish seeing that nationals also served as an ITU Continental Cup. Why do I care about accruing precious points? Your points determine your ranking in the ITU points list–the more points you have, the higher your ranking. USAT, the governing body for USA triathlon, is inclined to send athletes with good results (thus, more points) to bigger races, like a World Cup. By consistently racing, placing well & s/b/r-ing faster, I have the potential to attend said races. If you get mediocre results (like ninth) and do 2 ITU races/yr (like me in 2009) you’ll painstakingly move up, but it’s better to race MORE and place HIGHER so progression doesn’t take a LIFETIME. That’s the goal here.

Background: Coach Paulo resides in neighboring TN and trekked to nationals to watch me and his other athletes race. I suspect the Chipotle presence in Tusca made the trip a SLAM DUNK.

The women athletes were introduced individually and jogged past the crowd to select a spot on the pontoon for the dive start. After brief deliberation, I placed myself between Hayley Peirsol and Margie Shapiro. I figured I’d get clean water on the Hayley side as she is her own front pack. 200 meters in I noticed packs forming on the ends of the field. Who can remember precisely what happend 3 wks ago, but I found myself on Jenna Shoemaker’s feet who wore a conspicuous, red race suit, and thought to myself I HOPE PAULO IS WATCHING THIS (3 consecutive wks of 28k meters/wk in the pool is good for something). I came out of the water on her feet (first out was Hayley, a pack of 3, then me and Jenna).  I have never experienced such an intense transition before–like LIFE OR DEATH to hang with her. On that day: DEATH.

BIKE (6 loops): It was a sad affair as I was alone and did not hang with the 3 women who passed me in the early laps (being dropped/passed by all on the HILL). watts/kg. blast it. Paulo knew what was going on in my head (as he has received colorful post-race texts from me) and reminded me to FOCUS & STAY IN THE RACE. Me: yea, he has a point, stay with it. At the half-way mark, it was clear I was not catching the front pack (who had likely settled down the pace now that they were a bigger group of 8ish–boo), I slowed down, per Paulo’s suggestion, to complete the ride with the pack behind me. Instead of dropping off completely in my slow-down-and-join effort, I made sure I got up that G-D hill on lap 4 and we merged around the top. Our group of 6 ‘pacelined’ like a carousel the remaining 2.5 laps and we found our way…

OUT ON THE RUN. The motor home in background indicates I am in fact in BAMA:

The run included 4 loops… I ran most of loop 1 with Amanda Hahn (effort level quite high) but I fell off our pace and slogged through the rest solo. The best I could have placed was 8th since the front pack started the run WAY in front of us (and I have not yet approached a 30 min 10k time). Paulo kept me honest with encouragement throughout and I crossed the line in 9th–it was different to race with him on the sidelines. Reality is he won’t be at every race, so I must keep myself in check from start to finish.

I have lots to take away, namely s/b/r faster, but ALSO, I over-indulged Saturday night with EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF FOOD–too much for MY stomach to handle. The following week I felt nauseous after EVERY meal eaten. To my dismay, I found little compassion as everyone just told me to not eat so much all the time.  Post-race celebration meals–don’t go overboard.

My dad sent me this lovely basket of flowers the following Tuesday as congrats/bday tidings since I turned a landmark 25 on race-day, celebrating by paying adult prices on my rental vehicle.