3 for 3 at Hawaii 70.3

It's Monday, and I fly back to the mainland a little later. On one hand, I wish I could stay & train through every inch of the Ironman course until I can see, taste, feel, & smell it only by closing my eyes....but, I'm very much looking forward to an awesome summer with my little brother, some time with my mom, & of course logging lots of miles with all my SD buds that will also be gearing up for Kona in Oct.
This was my 6th trip to the Big Island, & my 5th time racing- the other was a training camp. Three times the 70.3, twice the Ironman. Now, considering this Island is known for its variable weather, you would think that before Saturday, I'd have at least experienced some rough conditions on the 4 prior races. No. 2007 no wind, heat was eh, just the 80's. 2009 the half was really hot but again no wind, and in the fall there was some headwind on the bike, but run had plenty of cloud cover.
...Saturday, however, I was finally presented with some wind! I don't mind it, because it's not like I'm in some isolated chamber, everyone gets the same dose of Pele's medicine. It was none other than great practice for what could be a windy Ironman this fall.

Anyway...onto the trip...
I got to rent a cool blue PT cruiser, which is actually a very smooth ride and really gas efficient. Wednesday night I slept over at Cassie's, my homestay. She lives ALL the way up Palani at like 4,000+ft in a gorgeous house with a beautiful view of the coastline. Thursday morning I went ahead and headed up to the Fairmont as lava Java didn't open until 630 & it was 530. I needeed coffee asap, & better to drive up than sit in the car waiting. Kristin was up so we headed to Hapuna for a nice swim & as usual (for me) the water was super calm. Then we rode a bit and spent the day laying out by the pool- perfection! After dinner, I drove back to town for a good night's sleep and to prep my stuff as Friday (night before race) I was going to stay the night at the Fairmont.
So Friday morning I check in & am greeted with the awesome news that I was upgraded to "Fairmont Gold" haha sweet! I got a cool room on the 6th floor that required a special elevator key card. As it was only one night I wouldn't get to enjoy the extra ammenitites: lounge, free hors d'oeuvres, etc....but it was cool nonetheless!
Friday night I went to dinner with Mike, Laura, Kristin, & Luke at Macaronni Grill- really yummy!

Finally....Saturday!! I was soooo ready to race. I could not believe I was in Hawaii without injury & at my fittest. Laura was nice enough to drive us to Hapuna so we avoided the shuttles. The winds were BLOWING!!! I set everything up, headed down to warm up in the water, and right away it was clear- it's gonna be a slow swim, chop, chop, chop.

However, it was all good because mentally I wouldn't be phased. I wasn't racing with HR, power, Garmin...nothing...just my watch that would tell me how close I was to noon so I could hurry to be able to shower & check out before 1pm hehe.
OK so the quick play by play before I bore anyone to death:

SWIM
Great- didn't get beat up, drafted the whole time, came out in a good position. Not my fastest swim here time wise, but definitely relative to the field and for the conditions it was my best swim. Got out feeling completely unphased- good sign of fitness.

BIKE
Absolutely no complaints, felt excellent the whole time, fueled great, and it was my indeed my fastest bike here on top of the fact that it was the windiest of the 3 times I've done this race :)! The only bummer for me was the slightly cooler temps and drizzle we experienced climbing up to Hawi because the hotter, more humid, the better I do (when I'm not fat haha), and the more most other people drop like flies :D

RUN
Well, first T2- took a bit of time to sit down and pull my short slightly compressed socks on- scientific benefit or not I don't care, I like the slight tightness and that they're also very thin so my feet can breathe. Ok so outta transition I went with only a quick stop to pee.

Right away "Oh F*&%K!!!" my legs felt incredible- like I had not ridden my bike at all (again, sign of good fitness yay!)...however, my stomach or I guess you could say both obliques cuz it was on the sides, hurt like hell!! It was sooo frustrating because my legs were saying "I wanna run, let's gooooo!!!" and my stomach would barely let me jog. So in the first 2 miles I stopped a few times, to bend over and try and dig my hands in to work out the stitch, I swallowed 4 salt tabs at once thinking maybe it was dehydration, I walked 2 aid stations to slowly drink coke thinking that would settle it. No no no. At one point, I thought I cannot continue to even try to jog, so I might either have to walk for quite a while or perhaps the whole half- great c'mon Hawaii cut me a freakin break!!

AHHHH....finally at like mile 5 after continuing at a very frustrating jog, the stiches/cramps started to go away. I think what it was is my stomach shut down and didn't assimilate the last gel and about half a bottle of my liquid cals I took in the last few miles of the bike. Luke told me after the race it was probably the heat/humidity that I haven't been exposed to yet in San diego screwing with my body's ability to assimilate calories while racing. Whatever, it still pissed me off.
At least it started to go away, & I was slowly able to increase my pace and satisfy my legs that were getting extremely bored. Nearing the 10k mark I began to pick people off, and had a good run to the finish.

Still managed to cross in 4:58, and run my fastest run here of 1:37 despite the pedestrian first 5miles. 1st in 20-24 AG, 11th F. Plus, at best, I think my run could've gone down to the low 1:30's so in the grand scheme of the 70.3 miles, I can only say it was a good solid day for me :) That in itself gave me huuuuge confidence for the rest of the season. With some more big training days where I'm taking in calories at high efforts, & now in summer temperatures, the stomach issue should be gone & I will be able to have my best RUNS. My fitness is SOOO there and I could not be happier. There's an insane amount of time and work to be done before October & coming to Hawaii now once again offered priceless lessons for the fall.

After the race we had some lunch by the pool, then I enjoyed an awesome sushi dinner with Janna & Blake- who despite a flat & a hand me down replacement wheel from sag, finished 8th overall & won his 25-29 AG for a ticket back in Oct!!

What's even better is that along with fitness and multiple Ironmans and 70.3's comes the beautiful short recovery window :D!!! I have ZERO SIP ZILCH soreness and am only a little tired overall, partly due to not being able to CRANK that half marathon. I think what will require most of the downtime this week will be the effects of travel.

Alright that's it- back to work tomorrow! Cannot wait to see my mom & brother!!!!

IT IS TIME

This is it. It's finally here- race week!!!!!
My next update will be from paradise, aka Kona :D
Random stuff in my head....

- I haven't packed. Actually, I haven't done my 2 massive loads of laundry, cleaned my car, my apt, organized stuff in order to pack, or even taken the suitcase n bike box outta my terrace closet. THIS WILL BE DONE TOMORROW. It'll be easy tomorrow cuz I only have a swim on schedule.

- Speaking of swim tomorrow- 8am instead of 6, sweet. & a special Memorial Day workout that'll be longer than usual and likely bring a large crowd which will make it even more fun....taper's all about fun, ha.

- I don't really feel super, which doesn't have me too worried considering it's 6 days until the race and the DRAMATIC decrease in volume before then will likely having my jumping out of my own skin. Overall I feel pretty good energy, but my legs only started to feel more like in taper vs recovery-from-a-big-block in today's ride.

- The bike, which will be crowned with a Hawaiian name once Honu is in the books, is ready to rock. The race wheels are in their bag, so all I have to do is tune the bike, give it a good clean, take it apart, box it, and pray the airline people are having a good day at work when they touch my sh*t!!

- I'm uber uber uber uber uber uber excited and happy and confident going into this race. I AM THE FITTEST I HAVE EVER BEEN GOING INTO AN EVENT. That, plus, I'm not injured, I haven't been sick in who knows how long, I'm right at the weight I want to be for mid season/first peak, I've slept & eaten as perfect as possible, & I've added that infamous "balance" thing to my life which has included some fun times with friends & a little bit of vino here & there....I do love my wine, ha ;)

- today there was a lot of "8%" talk going around as Brazil unfolded & thus I created my own little experiment for Honu- my initial goal was top 5 F, but I'd like to see if I would make the hypothetical cut (as Honu I believe doesn't give out prize money). So, motto for Sat: "don't get (hypothetically) 8% 'ed". If I want this to be my career some time soon, it'd be good to know if I would be bringing home even a little bit of dough!

- Nervous thoughts: that some new rule requiring some visa/passport/stamp/Mexican ban from Hawaii whatever the heck, hasn't sprung & I get on my damn flight this time! ....that the airline doesn't loose my bike box or do any damage!....in other words, that my entire TRAVEL is smoooooooth.

- Excited to see Cassie & her family! They are the nicest, coolest people on the island, and I feel right at home when I'm there :) :)

- Excited to se friends from TX, and elsewhere that I haven't seen & are also racing, as well as some fun times w/ my west coast homies.

- I can taste the sweet reward of hard work at that finish line on Sat. I've been visualizing every meter of that course & possible good & bad scenarios.

- Finally, triple duper excited that two days after I get back my mom & brother come for the summer!!!!!!!! well, my mom only for like 10 days but still :)

I AM THANKFUL FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY I HAVE BEEN GIVEN. FEW PEOPLE GET TO TRAVEL & RACE IN HAWAII. MANY HUGE THANKS TO:

My sponsors: Newton, Nytro, Powerbar, BeakerConcepts, Raha Sports

My coach: Paul R.

My family, & friends that constantly care for & demonstrate their belief in me.

This first big race of '10 is for ya'll!

Yep, I found my 2010 theme song....

Winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMFegf6tT2s

Biggest Brick & Helloooo Taper!!

What a gorgeous day it was for my last big training session before taper! I'm sooo happy I waited out the psycho (& cold) winds & opted for a mere 1hr run on the treadmill to recharge my batteries. I didn't get back to 100% by any means, but hours in bed coupled with a yummy steak dinner at casa Walsh, and I was nearing 75%.

I hit the pool first thing, just 45min, as I only wanted to feel the water, and let it get a little later in the morning before heading out on the bike.

I broke up the day into 6 sections: 1) warm up to Pendleton 2) 3x20min(10min) efforts in the Base 3) ez/steady back down the coast to Saxony Rd. 4) 6x saxony hill repeats 5) home at 4.5hrs........

6) Run! :D

As for the ride, my legs were basically flat. I didn't have much power, yet overall my body felt pretty good, not unmotivated or really tired. So, I was able to do the efforts and hill repeats just fine- a bit in the "get through it" mode. I got a flat halfway through my second 20min interval, & since I suck at changing clenchers, I was on the side of the road for about 15min :/ I only had one spare and CO2 so was praying I would change it right and not flat again otherwise my day would be kind of ruined.


All in all a decent ride but, by the time I got home, I was more than ready to be off the bike, and quite honestly I thought I'd have a pretty harsh time on the run. It's interesting, because on the bike I had that torn-muscle feeling where you know
you're on the verge of doing more damage than good if you try and push a little too hard....

However, as soon as I hit the pavement running I was elated! I guess doing a series of short runs in the 6min/mi range does wonders for your long runs in a very short window of time, because holding low 7s was the most comfortable, almost effortless thing. Time flew by as I was having a ball :D Suddenly I was by Ki's on the coast at just under 1hr, and ready to turn around...the way back is always a bit longer as it's mostly uphill home. I never once faded, and I couldn't help but sing songs in my head, and just be so grateful at getting to spend a whole day outdoors in the sunshine. It was by far my best run across any distance. I ran strong the whole way and actually negative split!

Stoked, I showered and darted to Rimel's for the best fish tacos in the world!! It's my usual refuel spot after a big day


Done, & done! Into compression, lots of sleep today in intervals, ice, and rolling into taper.

9 days....

TCSD Sprint & girls ride

Early in the week I had asked coach Paul if I could race the TCSD Sprint on Sat and he had given me the go for the thurs Aquathon but not the sprint. "Okay" I responded...but by Friday evening Andrew had put my TT bars on the pretty Slice and I just could not pass on the chance to do a little test on it. Plus, coach had an open water swim scheduled for me anyway, which given my reluctance to become a victim of a shark attack, and the low probability of finding a swim buddy, the race made perfect sense.
So Saturday morning I headed down to Fiesta Island to join several other Tri Club peeps for a little throwdown. The beauty of a small just for fun race is the utter relaxation before the start, and no aero wheels, helmet...just good ol' fashion hurt :)
Plus, there is a lot to be said about racing frequently leading up to a key event, because honestly practicing transitions makes it just robotic after a while, so that come the important race, you just go with a natural flow.
Anyway, it's been non stop intensity mixed with volume since I can remember, and the late afternoon aquathon on Thurs really put me into fatigue mode. Therefore yesterday was all about just pushing through it and seeing what my body could do. I didn't expect any sort of spark like I had last weekend, and that definitely was the case. However, I am stoked to report that the whole race I felt "solid" - it's just the perfect word to describe it. I didn't feel fast but I did feel strong and fit- a very very good feeling and sign of what's in store for Honu.
A brief layout of the race:
- got in a good 2mi jog, and about 10min in the water to warm up
- had an ok swim, got onto the bike behind Julie D.
- 5 loops around south loop on the bike, saw Julie who is a rockstar for racing 3wks post her awesome race in STG near the end of the first loop
- passed her and continued riding strong, feeling surprisingly good and came off the bike in the lead
- the run was good, my legs didn't have any niggles to worry about and they felt, like I said before, "strong/solid", a little heavy so didn't have the 4mi SPRINT speed, but all in all an excellent training brick
- Beth...other stud who just got done with a killer STG race...caught me soon into the run and was outta sight
- I knew I had second in the bag, so continued running at a hard effort but nothing stupid or overkill

A word on the last bullet point: when we near taper time and are peaking for a key race, we walk a fine line between holidng onto that peak and getting into "form" through taper and being overzealous and pushing a little too much- leaving our race on the training grounds, or openning the door to an injury.

I've learned my lesson, so am being utterly careful that leading into taper at by the end of next week, every training session's purpose makes total sense, and I don't overdo anything- not to prove fitness to myself or anyone else.

Well, after the race i joned Julie, Jen, Beth, and later on John came along, for a mellow 2.5-3ish hr ride from Fiesta to Del Mar & back. It was so much fun, we chatted away, and it actually helped flush the race out of my legs.

*This wonderful pic is of Beth, sporting the utmost fashionable riding attire. Thanks to me joining in on the ride, she had wear her aero helmet as well- that's what ya get for getting me on the run Beth!

*OK ok, I also looked super intense with my speedsuit ;)haha

After lunch, and a nap, it was time for some relaxing & wine with friends :)

That brings us to today- have a 4.5hr ride and 2hr run on tap, but mother nature brought GNARLY wind & cold to Southern Cal in mid-May WTF?!?! So, that coupled with the solid day yesterday, and my philosophy of no stupidities before I get to Honu, I've decided to hop on the treadmill for an ez hr run, and swim later...saving my big brick to be done with higher quality tomorrow when it's warmer and not windy- remember it's 80s and humid in Hawaii...not training for Arctic 70.3 here!

Ok so now the gym is open so off I go!

Encinitas Sprint

Once again,I got to race in my backyard at the Encinitas Sprint Triathlon. It’s an incredibly fun event, that also features a 5k, mile swim, a mini sprint tri, and paddleboard race!
I decided to race Elite, as in all the local races that allow me to do so, because there’s no better way to gain experience and challenge myself as I continue to try and make a career our of this sport than by racing against the best.
After crossing the line, in an absolute SPRINT finish, I can say this was by far the most fun and exciting short course race experience I’ve had! It has always been a wish of mine to come neck and neck into the chute with another girl, going all out, and taking in the thrill of raw racing. Wish granted :D…

The weather was overcast but not cold so actually perfect for racing. Also, the surf was really mellow which made for a good swim. I lost touch with the front pack but still managed a good swim- spending 6 days a week in the pool is really paying off! Onto the bike, I was beyond excited to be racing on the Cannondale Slice, I loooove it! It fits me perfectly, and though I just made the switch a couple of days ago, it’s like I’ve been riding it for years.

I was sitting in 4th, then about mile 3 Katya caught up to me and there was no sticking with her- she took off like a bullet. My legs felt pretty trashed from the whole week’s training, but in a sprint the good thing is it’s short enough that you can just push through that without much consequence other than physical discomfort (unlike an Ironman where you’d pretty much be walking come the marathon).
Into T2, it took me a bit to find my shoes as they had been scattered to opposite sides away from my spot. Finally got in my Newtons and hit the pavement. Running actually felt fabulous- the bike had woken up my dead legs just enough! I had, for me, a great run, clocking 19:32.

At the turnaround of the first loop (2loop course) I saw a girl- Darlene Hunt- that I knew I could catch, though it’d be close to the end, if I kept pace. At the bottom of a tiny steep pitch before turning toward the finish on the 2nd loop I was right behind her and chose to make my move.

Thinking back, the smartest thing would’ve been to stick quietly behind her, at a more relaxed pace than the one I had been running to catch up, and once we crested GO! But, I went at the bottom, she responded and we ran flat out side by side to the line. She managed to nick me by 0.1/sec!!! AHHH!!!! Haha. Regardless, it was the coolest thing ever and added unspeakable amounts of fuel to my fire for Hawaii 70.3

After the race, I rode home quickly to change, refuel, and then headed back down to hang out at the awards as our local studs took the podium, overall, and in their respective age groups. I had some time to kill waiting for Beth to finish her 3hr ride so we could do an afternoon run on some trails I've been wanting her to show me.

At the start of our run my caffeine high was beginning to die down but that's the beauty of training partners....without Beth I likely would've napped first then felt pretty out of it to run after that.

Once we hit the trails though, I felt awesome. Following the sprint effort, an aerobic run felt so great, I could've run through the night- literally! 75min flew by.

Immediately I took my disgusting self to Frog's for a long hot shower then blasted to Encinitas Ice Cream/Yogurt for a monster "fro-yo"....it's actually Only8 which is supposed to be all natural, fruit/fructose sweetened, & dairy free. If it's not a scam, it's the best thing man ever invented!!!

The day ended with a fun night drinking wine and catching up with good people.

....2 wks to Hawaii baby!!!!!!!!!!


*photos by Brightroom

Summary of the last cpl days

I'm tired- my brain can't function at all right now. But in a few years I'd like to be able to look back and see what I was up to right about now...

1) Ran the Irongirl 10k on Sat. That was fun :) They give out sooo many things, you really get your entry fee's worth! Also, there are tons of first time 5k and 10kers out there...literally HUNDREDS of women out there enjoying a gorgeous SoCal morning in a healthy way.

I raced OK- pretty much screwed up what could've been sub 40 in the first 1/2mile of the race. I was just feeling so good and wanted to just go out hard, totally didn't even think about pacing. Also, to my defense hehe I got caught up with the fact that PNF was the leader's cyclist for a second there I felt like Heather Wurtele at IMSG....yea haha not quite ;)

Anyway, came in 3rd overall, 40:22...garmin actually showed 6.3 miles, a solid workout and with warm up and cool down got in 10miles for the day.

After a delish Jama Juice smoothie, I was feeling sooooo energetic like someone spiked my coffee that morning or something. Or, it could've been the insanely awesome 70degree weather that made me jump on my bike and ride down to Solana B&G's club for an outdoor swim.

2) Sunday was overcome with absolute exhasution- babysat Saturday night and by 10:30 when I got home I was a zombie. A couple hours of procrastinating Sunday morning, and a 3hr nap later, it was clear I needed a day OFF. So I emailed coach, and listened to my body. Fabulous move- yay me :D!

3) Yesterday, Monday, was EPIC. I had a ride to Palomar planned, but given my recharge Sunday I asked coach Paul if I could make it a big day and swim and run off the bike as well. Fortunately I got the go ahead....so 5:40am, I hopped in the pool, had a super swim, then was off with a group of about 7 or 8 to ride Palomar. We parked just off the 15 and San Pasqual- headed up Wohlford and back for 4.5hrs total. I was the only one on a tri bike, which made me really jealous halfway through Palomar when my back started to get quite angry. However, as soon as I put on my Newtons for my trun, I felt awesome! My legs were uber loose, my HR at low steady, and holding a good 7min/mi pace. I ran through the San Pasqual trails which was something new for me, and loved it. Perfect little out n back from where we parked.

Then it was off to shower, & hit Rimels for a BAMF meal of fish tacos, veggies galore, and a glass of red wine that I savored like never before.

4) Despite the big day and the glass of wine, I slept kinda crappy, but thanks to my Zoot recovery tights, once again my legs surprised me 2hrs 15min of strong/steady running. My best long run to date! My HR was on point, mentally I never faded, and neither did my pace. In fact at 1:55 in I upped it another gear to the end- sooo cool!!

5) Now all refueled and ready for noon swim. Swim only tomorrow, some tune ups stuff Thurs/Fri ez Saturday, and Sprint race Sunday :D What a great week.