tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33228908201409684542024-02-19T01:57:52.994-08:00triathlon training talesJBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-29117210875124874002017-12-20T08:02:00.000-08:002017-12-20T14:26:32.334-08:00The Road to Kona 2018 began in Mar del Plata, Argentina 🇦🇷About 10 miles into IRONMAN Hawaii 2017, I threw myself a pity party, broke into a walk and swore off Iron distance racing while trying to convince my husband (aka Blanco) that he should let me quit the race. Of course, he wouldn't let me pull off my chip and urged me to keep moving forward. Minutes later I came across Jan Frodeno who was having an equally tough day and I snapped out of my momentary misery... since even if I was an unhappy *hot mess*, I knew that eventually "it too shall pass" and the finish line would be upon me soon enough.<br />
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Even before toeing the line in Kona, I'd been considering a trip down to Argentina for the new IRONMAN race in Mar del Plata, either to tag along with <a href="http://sarahpiampiano.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Piampiano</a> or to race myself. If I wanted to qualify for Kona in 2018, it was pretty much my best option given work and other commitments... IM Florida has never appealed, Los Cabos and Arizona were non-starters due to my role with the <a href="http://www.islandhousetriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Island House Triathlon</a> and 2018 was already getting booked up with a role at the <a href="https://purplepatchfitness.com/camps" target="_blank">Purple Patch Kona Camp</a> in April curtailing my ability to race IM Texas or Santa Rosa and my plan to race Challenge Roth in July ruling out most other IRONMAN qualifiers.<br />
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Despite the crappy race in Kona, I decided I wanted to try to qualify to race there again and registered for Mar del Plata and booked my flights to Buenos Aires. The race was set to take place seven weeks after Kona so I couldn't just wing the training and depend entirely on my Kona fitness.<br />
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<b>Week 1</b> - The immediate focus was to recover from Kona. I remained on vacation in Hawaii the week after the race and I swam every day and even did a couple of short rides when the wind was not howling a gale... which it was most of the time!<br />
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<b>Week 2</b> - Back in San Francisco and I returned to my regular routine but played things cautiously. Looking back I trained 16 hours that week but nothing was particularly challenging and I wasn't mentally ready to push yet... particularly on the bike.<br />
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<b>Week 3</b> - I was starting to feel better and ramped the training a little more to 18 hours including a 4hr ride (75 miles), a 90 minute run (11 miles) and 20,000 yards of swimming. The ride and run would be my longest bike/runs between the two races.<br />
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<b>Week 4</b> - Another week of consistent training, peaking at 18 hours but nothing super long... I even cut a few rides and runs short as I was beginning to feel a little fatigued.<br />
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<b>Week 5</b> - Hello Bahamas! I left San Francisco for 10 days in the Bahamas as part of my role with the Island House Triathlon. Training was the last thing on my mind for most of the trip as the race typically requires long days, standing around on my feet followed by afternoons/evenings focused on media work. I did less than 6 hours of training and I drank a TON of wine!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkRiSq8PItPaU2YUyh7en8ex5yiV_ABlUQHP6gVG4uU4zjBpwndo4DkMFJFp4JC0tGjRkjzKpPUwaqfN2MiHyPGN1AGBjSPNwr-nuvT7rLuq0BdGXALpxnyM0IJybnETWOLziZbPeJZ0f/s1600/IMG_6043+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkRiSq8PItPaU2YUyh7en8ex5yiV_ABlUQHP6gVG4uU4zjBpwndo4DkMFJFp4JC0tGjRkjzKpPUwaqfN2MiHyPGN1AGBjSPNwr-nuvT7rLuq0BdGXALpxnyM0IJybnETWOLziZbPeJZ0f/s320/IMG_6043+3.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#paininparadise with Gwen Jorgensen, Beth McKenzie & Tammy Barker</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVBkcnsTAXTkJF8U0GzpFoiGV4ifuzzUASMR2ra1rFsdS8nIdP4lJb4hDj1TrNYnlope9Fl1UPZprTEfQ2B9Z3_1ZK_Wx5lQ7r4ekCiGpCK-idT7P5BPLZY-nfAp_hpT4lx-Jd_yFpusb/s1600/IMG_6090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVBkcnsTAXTkJF8U0GzpFoiGV4ifuzzUASMR2ra1rFsdS8nIdP4lJb4hDj1TrNYnlope9Fl1UPZprTEfQ2B9Z3_1ZK_Wx5lQ7r4ekCiGpCK-idT7P5BPLZY-nfAp_hpT4lx-Jd_yFpusb/s320/IMG_6090.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">post-race drinks with Beth McKenzie & Michelle Dillon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#paradise with Blanco</td></tr>
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<b>Week 6</b> - The first three days were still in the Bahamas, vacationing at <a href="http://www.the-island-house.com/" target="_blank">The Island House Hotel</a>, before returning home. With the Island House race in the rearview mirror, I was able to swim and run quite a bit in the Bahamas, before switching my attention to the bike once back in California. After 10 days off the bike, I decided I wanted to ride 112 miles to prove to myself I still could 😂🙄 but at least I did it over three days. Training totaled 16 hours that week and I was feeling pretty good from a physical perspective despite the Bahamas libations.<br />
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<b>Week 7</b> - Race week! Sarah and I flew to Argentina on Tuesday afternoon, arriving in Mar del Plata on Wednesday evening... SFO to Houston to Buenos Aires followed by a 6 hour car ride to Mar del Plata! It's a LOT of travel...<br />
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At this point, it would be remiss for me to not point out how I was feeling. I did not feel prepared to race an Ironman... particularly from a mental perspective. While being in the Bahamas with an array of fast triathletes might usually have inspired me, it had been a long season. I started training in January for IRONMAN South Africa and I was beginning to feel a little fried and ready to tune out triathlon for a few weeks. Even upon arrival in Mar del Plata, I was struggling to wrap my head around the fact that I would be racing an Ironman. The weather was unseasonably cold and windy and the surf was up, big time. In fact, I was convinced the swim would be cancelled having being pummeled by the surf in the days leading into the race. There was also talk of a day of mourning being announced in Argentina (out of respect for the missing 44 from the submarine crew) that could prompt the race organizers to cancel or shorten the race.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-riding the course with Sarah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iVx87RAdOVbN4aGULOZsiES8g8E993RdQeowKkMbZxkN6Lej7QBBQcEne25-XzNu5SL-SwkVqP877c5CD0z1Tyy_wsQ4iJBYtWjB2kDOhGSdAHSuVTFTeq9-LuU3OzGWS75fRG-bCt6y/s1600/IMG_6322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iVx87RAdOVbN4aGULOZsiES8g8E993RdQeowKkMbZxkN6Lej7QBBQcEne25-XzNu5SL-SwkVqP877c5CD0z1Tyy_wsQ4iJBYtWjB2kDOhGSdAHSuVTFTeq9-LuU3OzGWS75fRG-bCt6y/s320/IMG_6322.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing my newly found course knowledge with Jen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqA1lvUgSEgXUaF4H2YzSIeAK6I49XJYZpGU6ggLLPKN5RA8PBsHHncH009ub8pi_-DjBOI1Ln1li8J0nAuYnX1rc9YBi0QOKwdhHFbPH1tRXRoARoDj5y5fKVfoZpR2lXGrs4VbzvxsE/s1600/IMG_6324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqA1lvUgSEgXUaF4H2YzSIeAK6I49XJYZpGU6ggLLPKN5RA8PBsHHncH009ub8pi_-DjBOI1Ln1li8J0nAuYnX1rc9YBi0QOKwdhHFbPH1tRXRoARoDj5y5fKVfoZpR2lXGrs4VbzvxsE/s320/IMG_6324.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from the bike course... check out those waves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steak (of course!) dinner with Sarah, Jen & James</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50KO4IgWT6Nd08tARKtAm5VNKBjRqAFKhOyza6Kx1oPDv3Bx_91C8brsT8PTFfuEyP0noHx1VZEVsarCJZLa0z7E8UKJaC422IIoPOXSfZrqzEpv4DRhTFm6eFVkK8gqriyShU_qJaSxs/s1600/IMG_6341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50KO4IgWT6Nd08tARKtAm5VNKBjRqAFKhOyza6Kx1oPDv3Bx_91C8brsT8PTFfuEyP0noHx1VZEVsarCJZLa0z7E8UKJaC422IIoPOXSfZrqzEpv4DRhTFm6eFVkK8gqriyShU_qJaSxs/s320/IMG_6341.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining up for bike check-in... racing was beginning to feel real.</td></tr>
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Race day dawned and it was pouring with rain... so once again, I got it into my head that the race would be changed in some way and I wouldn't have to do an entire Ironman. 🤦♀️😂 Thankfully the wind and the surf had calmed down a little bit from prior days but the gray, choppy waters still seemed pretty daunting. Just as I did with Ironman South Africa, I seeded myself in the sub-60 minute swim corral and dragged my friends Jen and Maria-Luz with me. Yes, I know I don't swim sub-60 mins but I'm a lot closer to 60 mins than 90 mins so the "60-90 min" swim group is just too broad.<br />
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I've become increasingly confident in my swim ability in the last two years so even though the rough water made me nervous, I figured my swim fitness (swimming ~18-20k/week) would help me in the choppy water. Mar del Plata was the roughest swim conditions that I've ever raced in so I was excited to see that I completed the first loop in 32 minutes since it was an intense swim. I was half-hoping they would direct me to transition, telling me that they had shortened the swim to one loop... but no, I was sent back into the water which was getting choppier as the wind picked up. The second loop was slower since it included the "Australian exit run", navigating around more swimmers and rougher waters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBACAW5CuurLRpT9QlgcQFcQ9kbztocWX8BOmb_IbffNAaN5xn5yZrWqg-53ndlkOfzvfZxkbNUq-nJbdpLMXlWC_hEtW9I1zezd3U7_9aFdWm_eQO72MKr5lknU8fT7pXc7kqC6456GK/s1600/swim_lap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBACAW5CuurLRpT9QlgcQFcQ9kbztocWX8BOmb_IbffNAaN5xn5yZrWqg-53ndlkOfzvfZxkbNUq-nJbdpLMXlWC_hEtW9I1zezd3U7_9aFdWm_eQO72MKr5lknU8fT7pXc7kqC6456GK/s320/swim_lap1.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exiting after lap 1 of the swim</td></tr>
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I was fairly pleased to see my overall swim time was 1:07 which was good enough for 6th overall female amateur on the day. After a disastrous T1, which included grabbing the wrong bag and two trips to the bathroom (TMI), I was on my way with the news from James (Jen's beau) that I was about 5 minutes off the lead... of course, at the time I had no idea if that was overall amateur leader in my AG.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEOYL7xTKUveNN64uZ1ckkcip_7uUc4Zj9XZzw0R4RJOT0xjXiyrdff_HwBRKtXiQ4FOqc_rSvDEumHa1RlIJq2hHLo7NoKBQrLNGBm6shiq0JUebDpkEtT3-WnOdAEMucJUekHNLvUHj/s1600/swim_exit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEOYL7xTKUveNN64uZ1ckkcip_7uUc4Zj9XZzw0R4RJOT0xjXiyrdff_HwBRKtXiQ4FOqc_rSvDEumHa1RlIJq2hHLo7NoKBQrLNGBm6shiq0JUebDpkEtT3-WnOdAEMucJUekHNLvUHj/s320/swim_exit.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank goodness I'm out of that water!</td></tr>
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It was raining lightly but thankfully not too cold. I started to warm up quickly as I hit the bike course, with the sole focus of riding my bike well, maintaining a good aero position and holding my target watts of 170. I noted that I was mostly passing men, which wasn't surprising given just 10% of the field was women. Having earned the fastest bike split in my AG at almost every race this year (Ironman Hawaii was the exception with the second fastest bike split!), I was confident that I would be able to put serious time into the competitors in my AG... not that I really knew who my competition was! 😂 With three turnarounds on each of the two 56 mile bike laps, my only yardstick for performance, beyond watts, was taking time splits to <a href="http://thehippietriathlete.com/" target="_blank">Jen</a> who is more than handy on a bike. We're not in the same AG but we've raced 70.3s together and we always note how similar our swim and bike times are. While I had escaped the Atlantic Ocean ahead of Jen, I could see that I was maintaining a gap of ~4 minutes over her at each time check, and even stretching my lead a little bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mdzf4kpXE0_Bj7EgPgB5mN6lYgu27VVI2v_b7NptzQLZvSRIe43dUCpWrT15SWo07b5Q1rkDkCrEhht0JkcfAasTE848UEsDgN3pGSaB8vXqGo5XKubzt6Nx8XjgZ2SgOfV0bW-0iFYT/s1600/bike_ocean_backdrop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mdzf4kpXE0_Bj7EgPgB5mN6lYgu27VVI2v_b7NptzQLZvSRIe43dUCpWrT15SWo07b5Q1rkDkCrEhht0JkcfAasTE848UEsDgN3pGSaB8vXqGo5XKubzt6Nx8XjgZ2SgOfV0bW-0iFYT/s320/bike_ocean_backdrop.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gritting my teeth in the rainy conditions</td></tr>
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A quick glance at the profile of the Mar del Plata bike course will have most people believing that it's a piece of cake... completely flat and with very few turns. Before arriving in town, I had dreams of getting close to a 5hr bike split but once on location quickly realized that the winds blowing off the South Atlantic Ocean would be the key determinant of bike times. Race day was windy and the second loop brought many to tears as the final 20km of the bike was straight into a stiff headwind. With speeds dwindling to 15-16mph, I just focused on keeping the watts up and staying aero... as much as possible since my back was starting to tighten a little.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Focused heading out for loop 2</td></tr>
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Off the bike in 5:21, I received huge cheers in T2, as spectators were yelling "Mujer!" It made me think that I might be the leading amateur race but I really didn't know since I had seen plenty of women ahead of me, and I didn't know whether they were pro or amateur. It turns out that I was second amateur off the bike.<br />
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The start of the run felt GREAT. I saw that I was sub-8 pace in the first half mile and forced myself to slow and focus on 8:15-30 pace out to the first turnaround at 5km. That's when I realized why sub-8s had felt so easy... we had a screaming tailwind!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_I4bq8JIXuZvnkgV3fksgCjmqbQUsRFlnJV8vrme-RWjz-pgNDcSK3gdHxdae_qNzxB6_Z6lMuEdO10thnqtviIpGi9XWgEMMGzjKWHd__cvH4G0PqpRi7wcGm88W94CXdb83HoD-7Ne/s1600/run3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_I4bq8JIXuZvnkgV3fksgCjmqbQUsRFlnJV8vrme-RWjz-pgNDcSK3gdHxdae_qNzxB6_Z6lMuEdO10thnqtviIpGi9XWgEMMGzjKWHd__cvH4G0PqpRi7wcGm88W94CXdb83HoD-7Ne/s320/run3.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling... so must have been lap 1!</td></tr>
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The headwind back into town was strong... stronger than running to Fort Point on a summer's afternoon in San Francisco. Bay Area locals know what I'm talking about! When I reached town towards the end of the first lap (of three), I heard James yell out that I was in the lead by at least 30 minutes. That was awesome to hear. By the time I passed him again a couple of miles later and heading out on lap two, he confirmed that I was 35+ minutes ahead. My stomach had been playing up so I didn't rest on my laurels, reminding myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.<br />
<br />
When I returned for lap two, James updated me that the lead was down to 23 minutes. That started to make me nervous as I knew the split was *old news* as it had been three miles since I had last crossed a timing mat around the 16 mile marker. I told myself that I likely had a 15 minute lead with a lap to go so had to keep pushing.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey6D8GNotn5J-9d2cBHkDJIOaWBur9E60yBE5W0uKTgC3PoGMCrS4yOZDJArXnzCf1sTW2z8oVw3vJfG5j3YF3wS_kpgTyzsRCk5tb1FpYj2Y6VRbRfY5OuKANdl0yE9Gh2xNPdN4DBR_/s1600/run1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey6D8GNotn5J-9d2cBHkDJIOaWBur9E60yBE5W0uKTgC3PoGMCrS4yOZDJArXnzCf1sTW2z8oVw3vJfG5j3YF3wS_kpgTyzsRCk5tb1FpYj2Y6VRbRfY5OuKANdl0yE9Gh2xNPdN4DBR_/s320/run1.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Things are getting tougher...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I headed back around on the third lap, I tried to scan the few women I could see on the course to figure out who was running me down. I hadn't thought to ask James for a name! My hips were starting to ache but in contrast to Kona less than two months earlier, my mind remained positive, especially having seen and heard that Sarah had taken the overall win for the women.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcBfOTZ7MBRSSf3NPqmfKPpBrahsjXN0-N3rSDBtuWatvEefAyrW32GkKTQ1jkzrGiE-27iHQhp3FdFDob0tJFNjnkdVViYoDgDuUK61043m-4LLZEZUXAVI9C0FlQ3_385cRrHWpj34S/s1600/IMG_2398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="933" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcBfOTZ7MBRSSf3NPqmfKPpBrahsjXN0-N3rSDBtuWatvEefAyrW32GkKTQ1jkzrGiE-27iHQhp3FdFDob0tJFNjnkdVViYoDgDuUK61043m-4LLZEZUXAVI9C0FlQ3_385cRrHWpj34S/s320/IMG_2398.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Sarah Piampiano IRONMAN Mar del Plata Champion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was ecstatic when it was finally my turn to head up the ramp towards the finish line, rather than do another lap. Even though I had not quite executed the run that I hoped, I was fairly confident that I had won my AG. I bumped into <a href="http://www.ruschracing.com/" target="_blank">Maggie Rusch</a> as I entered the post-race area and she was able to confirm my position.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooi6aWloXrPa2l8XTq1C7YY5uHdrfn7E3qHv1ZtKi2TrnQxtdmIkoWZ8q9LdZrbYyGMEsgsFWgIENqew311ijJIfhDlVmvEWqrjUpDR2VcaEkW8VRznesqJbWti_f3j-2nHiQ9lLqzqcm/s1600/run4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooi6aWloXrPa2l8XTq1C7YY5uHdrfn7E3qHv1ZtKi2TrnQxtdmIkoWZ8q9LdZrbYyGMEsgsFWgIENqew311ijJIfhDlVmvEWqrjUpDR2VcaEkW8VRznesqJbWti_f3j-2nHiQ9lLqzqcm/s320/run4.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heck yeah... the finish line in sight!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I43rnUm1t10dyDoWkv_pmQsGPkz4O_5cCcYKaLHUGFfQ6qNVUvE3Pa8cGo6W0UtLfBkJjq2pVNkEmxKqXq-LOsOVdw4gT0yNUDP-Uv2b70nYH6vLekGM-F0g5FUc2Jz3mj9Ia15t6Fo5/s1600/IMG_6345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I43rnUm1t10dyDoWkv_pmQsGPkz4O_5cCcYKaLHUGFfQ6qNVUvE3Pa8cGo6W0UtLfBkJjq2pVNkEmxKqXq-LOsOVdw4gT0yNUDP-Uv2b70nYH6vLekGM-F0g5FUc2Jz3mj9Ia15t6Fo5/s320/IMG_6345.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race sweaty selfie 🙌</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The AG win earned me the opportunity to return to IRONMAN Hawaii in 2018... it will be my 7th visit to the Big Island for the race... and surprisingly for me, it will mark three consecutive years of racing there. My view has always been that you need to be fired up to want to race in Kona so I'll only go if my motivation is high... and for the time being it remains fairly strong with a desire to unlock my heat management and run potential.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's plenty more I could write about the Mar del Plata race as a first year event, the town of Mar del Plata and the post-race libations and sight-seeing in Buenos Aires with Sarah... but I need to save those details for another post.</div>
<div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEETsmhiZ1lRpbMITNkRnqXyOnKsL-IoyVx8__gjqwbpkS3sLpA7UIy6WdaHQojrNhZNhKu7jzIFfi75iqJQ4FlF9hnS2tRd1c0HZOk04Jz5veVJFXyGtQBJFeXSbUtckiU4YFHZtjrKHE/s1600/IMG_6355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEETsmhiZ1lRpbMITNkRnqXyOnKsL-IoyVx8__gjqwbpkS3sLpA7UIy6WdaHQojrNhZNhKu7jzIFfi75iqJQ4FlF9hnS2tRd1c0HZOk04Jz5veVJFXyGtQBJFeXSbUtckiU4YFHZtjrKHE/s320/IMG_6355.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awards with Maria-Luz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcDZav9yMnzchRBQkwOPfzU_p_DKd25JHVZ3YYW9T6O8IZFIUx3LtNcdCLwvPdleN88_wKe_lB5A6KGJUMeO89Ubwi1oOTAmB7_3TCklmEoTG3cObiTO5Z2_ZXsYomGvQ3rcblUgEcVSr/s1600/IMG_6358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcDZav9yMnzchRBQkwOPfzU_p_DKd25JHVZ3YYW9T6O8IZFIUx3LtNcdCLwvPdleN88_wKe_lB5A6KGJUMeO89Ubwi1oOTAmB7_3TCklmEoTG3cObiTO5Z2_ZXsYomGvQ3rcblUgEcVSr/s320/IMG_6358.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trophy count with Pro Champions Sarah and Matt Chrabot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQd24PZj3IOXnV44Q4INVzSLADMCFFv_0X4M8sRLhu5nOxH0_I-Zjphtvn-TdpzV03WKWGz10X96nwciKlJqz0xDbRTUdRZg1XeV8h8iUYppLXkAK0hXjNr516OMky0R71JRO6WckO060/s1600/2017+rankings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1508" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQd24PZj3IOXnV44Q4INVzSLADMCFFv_0X4M8sRLhu5nOxH0_I-Zjphtvn-TdpzV03WKWGz10X96nwciKlJqz0xDbRTUdRZg1XeV8h8iUYppLXkAK0hXjNr516OMky0R71JRO6WckO060/s400/2017+rankings.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens when you race 3 IRONMANs in a season 🤦♀️😂</td></tr>
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<br />
<br /></div>
JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-14801981454496312862017-10-20T13:24:00.001-07:002017-10-20T16:08:31.484-07:00Definition of insanity: IRONMAN Hawaii 2017 A couple of days after competing at IRONMAN Hawaii for the 6th time, I was watching one of the Real Housewives shows on Bravo and one of the women quoted the old adage: "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results..."<br />
<br />
Having just had yet another "ugly run" at IRONMAN Hawaii when I was hoping for a four hour marathon, I started to question my sanity! Of course, when I review my training, my preparation and my process for the World Championship race in 2017, I have done quite a few things differently this time, so I'll give myself some credit that I'm not entirely insane to have believed that I would run faster. However, I did just sign up for another IRONMAN race to give myself a shot at qualifying for 2018, so perhaps you can be the judge of my mental state...<br />
<br />
But before I start dissecting the run and analyzing my race, I should go back to the beginning of the race. One week out from the IRONMAN, I competed once again in the Hoala training swim. It is a perfect way to physically rehearse the swim start and swim course as well as mentally wrap your mind around swimming 2.4 miles in Kailua Bay. In this year's Hoala swim, I did a 1:07:50, a PR by almost 3 minutes on my swim time in the 2016 IRONMAN race. It was a huge confidence boost that my swim form has continued to improve this year and I was hopeful that I might finally break through the 1:10 barrier.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJUaTz41ZEZcQcbMroXSz9c4A1csZsVrNIaeSsa022FvG6ytGBTCNEtSkV90BKPjkkb0mL95umOFnHis4FAeT5RwLXttN3FHJOCu_3chHV9u4LQqsLgDJ06FWU7c0pEId7PYuN_TPNaov/s1600/Jordan+Blanco+%252816+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1600" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJUaTz41ZEZcQcbMroXSz9c4A1csZsVrNIaeSsa022FvG6ytGBTCNEtSkV90BKPjkkb0mL95umOFnHis4FAeT5RwLXttN3FHJOCu_3chHV9u4LQqsLgDJ06FWU7c0pEId7PYuN_TPNaov/s320/Jordan+Blanco+%252816+of+16%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice swim on one of the choppy days in the week prior</td></tr>
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<b>Swim:</b><br />
There had been a few rough days in the water in the week prior to the race with large swells and chop but race day looked to be relatively calm. I lined up far left and opted to target the third buoy to start the race and hopefully avoid the melée of the pier and buoy line. It was a relatively clean start and the swim conditions felt smooth and fast to the Royal Kona Hotel. As we neared the turnaround boat at 1.2 miles, the waves picked up and it seemed as if we were battling the current a little bit. I rounded the far turnaround in 33:XX minutes (compared to 30:XX the week prior) so I was a little concerned it might be a slow swim since the return trip to the pier is usually into a current and quite a few minutes slower. At this point the swim had also started to get messy as the AG women caught up with AG men from the wave that started 15 minutes prior. I had gone from following feet to now needing to check the color of the cap and then swim around a ton of men wearing blue caps. I was convinced my swim time was going to be long so when I got to the pier and saw 1:08:XX, I did a little internal fist bump!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnELY_WfJxfustC0nwJyV0SxjMBOVcgTbQuHZ1sNc4yBO8DGLCR5lVPl1erA42ATpVmTE5KFpzvqpJDtc5F-H6HFxfCYqR1daB1TKo4ZoSDmdIpsbuIfIGzELvFaBMT1H676L4Z2IoKTO/s1600/swim_exit2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnELY_WfJxfustC0nwJyV0SxjMBOVcgTbQuHZ1sNc4yBO8DGLCR5lVPl1erA42ATpVmTE5KFpzvqpJDtc5F-H6HFxfCYqR1daB1TKo4ZoSDmdIpsbuIfIGzELvFaBMT1H676L4Z2IoKTO/s320/swim_exit2.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New swim PR!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2005 --> 1:24:23</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2009 --> 1:20:17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2010 --> 1:18:21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2013 --> 1:11:12</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2016 --> 1:10:30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2017 --> 1:08:33</span><br />
<br />
There's no fluke about my swim time improvement over the years. It comes from swimming a lot more, swimming a lot harder and finally finding enjoyment from swimming.<br />
<ul>
<li>I swim 4-5x per week, including 2 swims with my coach Matt Dixon of <a href="https://purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Purple Patch</a>, 1 swim with <a href="https://teamemj.com/" target="_blank">Team EveryMan Jack</a> (3 tough swim sessions of 4k+) and 1-2 swims on my own which are often just easy 2k swims</li>
<li>So far this year, I've swum 570,000 yards so that puts me at about 14k yards/week</li>
<li>I make the most of swim toys using a buoy a lot of the time, a swim snorkel in almost every session for part of the workout, as well as fins from time to time. </li>
<li>Paddles have been a big addition in 2017 with much more swimming with paddles in most workouts to build strength</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EdbjRm800etMt-k14NBHy5ypaBHo0Ros_V2WlBWsWpATOTM1MiWtUJcihMIHPXram0j-4GmL6aGll9TleA0D_OyitDhBhhPzDZ_ni_OH8alzU1B3wZ0w-3S07ks3jKE27Igs-sjTM7uU/s1600/jordan_snorkel_swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EdbjRm800etMt-k14NBHy5ypaBHo0Ros_V2WlBWsWpATOTM1MiWtUJcihMIHPXram0j-4GmL6aGll9TleA0D_OyitDhBhhPzDZ_ni_OH8alzU1B3wZ0w-3S07ks3jKE27Igs-sjTM7uU/s320/jordan_snorkel_swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkel swimming</td></tr>
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<div>
<b>Bike:</b></div>
<div>
It's no surprise to anyone that the bike is my strongest and favorite discipline in triathlon and my bike training had been going incredibly well in the lead up to the race. I raced IRONMAN 70.3 Santa Cruz 5 weeks prior and recorded my best watts of the entire season (~190w) at the end of a big training week and felt great running off the bike. I also had some strong training rides that indicated I was perfectly primed for a strong ride again in Kona. In 2016 I recorded the second fastest bike split in my AG, a feat I put down to the separate female wave start in Kona. In the years 2005 to 2013, the men and women started together and I knew (witnessed) that the faster female AG swimmers benefited greatly from the male draft packs, and my strong cycling ability was effectively neutralized. With our own wave start, it means that it's mostly fellow women and older male athletes on the race course with me. A much cleaner race for the AG women! Having swam a couple of minutes faster this year, the course felt much more crowded from the start from even a year ago and it was a constant stream of passing fellow athletes for the entire Queen K section to Kawaihae. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjCD0pI7Tnjvqr7ETdVLnhFCllbY_NkWXf8miHKnWUqw74U2bbCI1MRzSYpB_Ip9yoALnj4nZERtwjC3S20o5LsBOALMVVagOFnS4u4c6irQeQlSeVoQRJ7-vluaq5UVdjjQPlF5AegML/s1600/palani_bike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1062" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjCD0pI7Tnjvqr7ETdVLnhFCllbY_NkWXf8miHKnWUqw74U2bbCI1MRzSYpB_Ip9yoALnj4nZERtwjC3S20o5LsBOALMVVagOFnS4u4c6irQeQlSeVoQRJ7-vluaq5UVdjjQPlF5AegML/s320/palani_bike.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing Palani</td></tr>
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<div>
The winds were light for most of the way but we did get treated to a decent headwind between the Mauna Lani and the Kawaihae turn. This section was also super crowded on the bike with lots of passing and repassing by athletes. Makes me wonder if many of my fellow athletes don't understand the "drop back rule" as I passed a few women that would then immediately repass me rather than drop back during the headwind section.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The road to Hawi was fairly mellow as the crowds thinned out as the road turned uphill. The winds were relatively light on the way up, though we did have a bit of a headwind in the final 5 miles before the turnaround. I was feeling good and believed I was probably riding my way up through the AG as I passed a couple of women that I knew to be strong swimmers in my AG (Becky and Susanne) and I had also been passed by super-biker Jana, but much later in the race compared to last year. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Urjh-qQXOOCn8b1laLeN2BVWzqGNKi2aJPeJLgy8bThuEoisGeW7qNUwMUX08-Fo4XHcUe_2W4Pk-OJxkRw9hfpK1ff0Sj_5hK9_9Td9-Z0kkEOZ2c2Z6vKFzZMaxsdhyphenhyphen8ILZmQ1ofl4/s1600/aero_bike3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Urjh-qQXOOCn8b1laLeN2BVWzqGNKi2aJPeJLgy8bThuEoisGeW7qNUwMUX08-Fo4XHcUe_2W4Pk-OJxkRw9hfpK1ff0Sj_5hK9_9Td9-Z0kkEOZ2c2Z6vKFzZMaxsdhyphenhyphen8ILZmQ1ofl4/s320/aero_bike3.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling hot on the Queen K</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I always look forward to the descent from Hawi to get the legs spinning and to feel the breeze as you crank the bike up to speeds 40mph+. There were some solid crosswinds to ensure I remained focused but nothing so crazy that I needed to get out of the aerobars. I was quickly back on the Queen K and wondering what Madame Pele had in store for the return trip. With clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight, it was starting to feel very hot. As I approached Waikoloa, I noticed the flags were almost still and knew that we would likely be very lucky with minimal headwinds on the way back to Kailua.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the final 20km, the heat of the day started to get to me and I went from feeling great to feeling very hot. I even started to throw up anything I put into my body. I dialed back the effort level to see if that helped but I knew I was overheating, in spite of pouring cold water over my neck and head at every aid station. Thankfully I was almost back to the pier but I was very worried about the run. My bike time was just over 5:30 and my watts were in the low 160s, in line with past races, but lower than the ~170w I felt I was trained for. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2005 --> 5:30:37</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2009 --> 6:11:27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2010 --> 5:35:21</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2013 --> 5:28:19</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2016 --> 5:39:56</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2017 --> 5:30:50</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Run:</b></div>
<div>
My transition was slowed by a quick outfit change, exchanging the Betty Designs aero jersey for a matching tank top, and adding more sunscreen. I was also still feeling pretty nauseous so that contributed to taking my time in T2. I started the run feeling pretty negative given the overheating and in hindsight, I counted myself out of the run before I even left T2. I'm not proud of my negative attitude for the first 10 miles of the run. Even when Rich told me I was in third place off the bike, all I could think was "well that's not going to last" rather than focusing on keeping myself cool and moving forward. There was no cloud cover on Ali'i and I just felt like it was getting hotter and hotter... and my mood was turning more sour.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7qCiBRB_Nl89kmEHktLF6oDNyLJxKD65RQu43RlOqGIytUi7EsFhC7NcUw5ul6aE49MzGTWdjiOtYdg8_cxTSen5EWmnTOvpcPB5yMhU-DQsGbjWt24izDxIPLm0W5_4M4ivh6LB85NB/s1600/IMG_6351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7qCiBRB_Nl89kmEHktLF6oDNyLJxKD65RQu43RlOqGIytUi7EsFhC7NcUw5ul6aE49MzGTWdjiOtYdg8_cxTSen5EWmnTOvpcPB5yMhU-DQsGbjWt24izDxIPLm0W5_4M4ivh6LB85NB/s200/IMG_6351.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Failing to #RunHappy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmNb_8C7q67S_XewoONor3MDtqqy-U3g96JHz5AItzt39mfV-Lgsa-kd0OPkhnjslYOmT8UPM5E-JMFFlluPmc0nuCc9uCUQdADcx8IvO0OqMOy-XNKFtsgFWQeBrBMLcJaFD7x4rwLrQ/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmNb_8C7q67S_XewoONor3MDtqqy-U3g96JHz5AItzt39mfV-Lgsa-kd0OPkhnjslYOmT8UPM5E-JMFFlluPmc0nuCc9uCUQdADcx8IvO0OqMOy-XNKFtsgFWQeBrBMLcJaFD7x4rwLrQ/s200/IMG_6352.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IRONMAN shuffle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I survived the out and back along Ali'i and saw Rich again when I returned to town, telling him that I was pulling out. Of course, credit to him for telling me that he wasn't going to let me. I walked up Hualalai to cheers from Beth and Luke McKenzie and Erin Klegstad, and was embarrassed that I was walking. As I turned the corner to head towards Palani, I was still contemplating jogging back to transition and turning in my chip. It was at that point that I saw Jan Frodeno, two-time defending champion, jogging the last mile of the race, getting it done in spite of having a bad day at the office. It was the first time during the run that I erased all thoughts of quitting the race and knew that I had to finish. I walked up Palani then pulled myself together for the last 16 miles of the race, running aid station to aid station and taking my time to cool down as much as possible while still moving forward.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having run so slowly for the first 10 miles of the race, the legs were feeling okay in the energy lab section but as I exited, I suddenly had the most awful stitch in my right side that would persist almost all the way back to Palani. I desperately wanted to walk until the stitch went away but also needed to get to the finish as fast as possible so it was more of a limping run to minimize the pain. I crossed the line with a 4:27 marathon, a time split which leaves me embarrassed and not proud of my performance. I had trained for better but I mentally quit early in the marathon. I truly believe that I have a sub-4 hour marathon in me at this race, even though 6x Hawaii race experiences would appear to suggest otherwise. What is the definition of insanity?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2005 --> 4:06:35</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2009 --> 4:46:17</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2010 --> 4:15:51</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2013 --> 4:07:24</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2016 --> 4:15:47</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2017 --> 4:27:10</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQauFvAIuUEgtD4XlIy26VJtzTK1y7WSYjZx9G8qu-qBHa4qAetbnyYyLdi_wvSp6GlY-fDzk3LVW8nas4nwEvYMflbvTRYHZLXIl6plsezfJI-1lIFZCMAOws-lJ0nFADssz1vYxRy6Uc/s1600/run_finish2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQauFvAIuUEgtD4XlIy26VJtzTK1y7WSYjZx9G8qu-qBHa4qAetbnyYyLdi_wvSp6GlY-fDzk3LVW8nas4nwEvYMflbvTRYHZLXIl6plsezfJI-1lIFZCMAOws-lJ0nFADssz1vYxRy6Uc/s320/run_finish2.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not smiling in the finish chute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Overall time:</b><br />
<div>
Having exited the swim in 22nd place, I rode up to 3rd place and then moved backwards through the field to land in 24th place in my AG. If I had run closer to my goal time of 4 hours, I would have achieved my goal of a top ten placing. It's the first time I've ever had a better AG placing after the swim than at the end of the race. As disappointed as I am with the result, I am grateful that I am lucky enough to race in Hawaii, among a group of amazing athletes and with such a fantastic support crew. I really appreciated the cheers on race day and feel bad that I did not offer many smiles in return for your support. Mahalo.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2005 --> 11:11:10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2009 --> 12:55:28</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2010 --> 11:19:39</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2013 --> 10:58:19</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2016 --> 11:15:52</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2017 --> 11:16:43</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What's next?</b></div>
<div>
Even though I was hating myself and life during the first 10 miles of the run, cursing that I would never return to this race, it took me less than 48 hours to decide that I want to give it another go and prove that I can figure out racing in the heat. In early December, I'm heading to Mar del Plata in Argentina to test racing again in the heat and humidity. With Kona-like conditions, it will be a great opportunity to test my mental and physical fitness and see if I can improve on this year's Hawaii marathon. </div>
<div>
<br />
Thanks so much to my supporters in 2017: <a href="https://www.bettydesigns.com/" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a>, <a href="https://www.brooksrunning.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BrooksRunning-Site" target="_blank">Brooks Running</a>, <a href="https://www.olyclub.com/" target="_blank">The Olympic Club</a>, <a href="https://purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Purple Patch Fitness</a>, <a href="https://www.cervelo.com/" target="_blank">Cervélo</a>, <a href="https://www.roka.com/" target="_blank">Roka Sports</a>, <a href="https://teamzealios.com/" target="_blank">Zealios</a>, <a href="http://www.pfcnutrition.com/" target="_blank">PFC Nutrition</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-84972473737015902232017-04-08T08:40:00.001-07:002017-04-28T19:16:38.914-07:00Faster at 45<div class="MsoNormal">
I recently wrote an article for Australian Triathlete
magazine about triathlon training and racing as I age. While Ironman South
Africa time was not my fastest Ironman, it was my second fastest race and
arguably in tougher conditions. I did Ironman Arizona in 2008 in 10:33 to win
my age group that year in the W35-39 age group. That compares well with my
recent W45-49 age group win at Ironman South Africa in 10:42.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx4BJOEJbOhJ_O2UUUBazQzjs8fpC5sR99Vf-w1JI6YV9YxmnGk7QCW_NskQs6ltFP3GnNwa9kojNLQ6xv7lG3zpm4SzLy5mfvA5vyfvq_FMCdLfGftEDPAFlLftRbTxMLrhDQ3hVCa9U/s1600/IMSA_finish_chute2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdx4BJOEJbOhJ_O2UUUBazQzjs8fpC5sR99Vf-w1JI6YV9YxmnGk7QCW_NskQs6ltFP3GnNwa9kojNLQ6xv7lG3zpm4SzLy5mfvA5vyfvq_FMCdLfGftEDPAFlLftRbTxMLrhDQ3hVCa9U/s320/IMSA_finish_chute2.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I figured it might be useful to share what I am doing to
maintain my times, and arguably, continue to get faster!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Swim –</b> perhaps
the biggest area of improvement for me has been the swim. Though the gains in
minutes may not be massive over a 10+ year period, I feel fresher on the bike
and for the rest of the race for being a strong swimmer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first Ironman was at Lake Placid in 2004 and my swim time
was 1:13+. Since then my two fastest swims have been a 1:06 non-wetsuit swim at
Ironman Los Cabos and 1:05 wetsuit swim at Ironman South Africa. I’ve also
raced Kona 5x and my swims have improved from 1:24 in 2005 to 1:10 in 2016.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The biggest difference in training is that I swim with a group 3x each week and I swim more yards at each session. I used to swim 10,000yds/week with just
one swim of ~4,000yds and now I swim ~15-20,000yds/week with 3x swims of
4,000yds+ and my longest swim in the 5-6,000yd range. I would describe myself
as “swim fit” and it showed in the challenging swells and chop of the Indian
Ocean at Ironman South Africa.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wKrK2CrRYTGHXw9VzMBIkFP43SinhpQh2cZ2K2Cxz2VPtgQ7Cve1gMX9edKcGGfkNHJW3us9wXSAJKUqVf_93qVZZdhofePXHWOshDKZlKSoLY06ePtZ85wJ7jnqASiql7Z-xY99aPvo/s1600/jordan_swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wKrK2CrRYTGHXw9VzMBIkFP43SinhpQh2cZ2K2Cxz2VPtgQ7Cve1gMX9edKcGGfkNHJW3us9wXSAJKUqVf_93qVZZdhofePXHWOshDKZlKSoLY06ePtZ85wJ7jnqASiql7Z-xY99aPvo/s320/jordan_swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Betty Designs keeps me colorful in the pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also swim with the pull buoy a LOT! In fact, 80% of my
swimming is probably with a buoy. I may reduce the amount of swimming with the
buoy over the next several months to see if I can gain further swim
improvements, but this “dependence” has not stopped me from seeing gains in
open water up to this point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bike</b> – I’ll be
the first to admit that the bike came naturally to me from the very beginning.
While I’ve learned to love swimming and I tolerate running, I truly love riding
my bike and I’ve always been a strong age group cyclist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I began working with <a href="https://purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Matt Dixon and purplepatch fitness</a>
three years ago, he diagnosed a “lack of range” in my cycling. While I was a
solid diesel engine for 70.3 and Ironman racing, I needed to add some top end
watts to my cycling range. I rarely saw 250w+ and anything over 200w+ was
challenging. That has changed now as I spend a lot more time above 200w and
even 300w in training sessions both indoors and out.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuNfaxfzAI9TJfZrXOKSSlVlT_yxeDqYwwr4cjFM85f_M-e0433vm-v9q-iMGA10oBXdal2lItWsJu8Fnxa2wrD0vlEutleGtTaPfQPCemCUu5qnsEU0wqaxARto7eWKJdW6Eb-57fMJO/s1600/IMSA_bike4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuNfaxfzAI9TJfZrXOKSSlVlT_yxeDqYwwr4cjFM85f_M-e0433vm-v9q-iMGA10oBXdal2lItWsJu8Fnxa2wrD0vlEutleGtTaPfQPCemCUu5qnsEU0wqaxARto7eWKJdW6Eb-57fMJO/s320/IMSA_bike4.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A much improved TT position in recent years</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My Ironman builds also used to include lots of long 6hr
rides prior to working with Matt, and while those are still an important
component, I now include endurance work on the bike via double rides in a
single day. Typically it’s a challenging 90-120min trainer session in the
morning followed by a 2-4hr “endurance” ride in the afternoon. These second
rides are challenging since I often tag along with the PPF pros and try my
hardest not to get dropped by <a href="http://sarahpiampiano.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Piampiano</a> and <a href="http://sarahcameto.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Cameto</a> - two phenomenal cyclists in the female pro
ranks! Overall, I ride less than I used to do 4-5 years ago, but every session is very focused.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, the devil can be in the details on the bike and
I’ve paid more attention to the little things in the last few
years. By that I mean, improving my bike position to be more aerodynamic, using
a lubricated chain in racing and selecting wheel, tube and tire combinations
that are proven to be faster for given race conditions. Though I’ve still never
ridden a disc wheel!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Run</b> – This
element is still my major “work in progress”, and I just began to see some
improvements in the final six weeks before Ironman South Africa. In recent
years, I’ve struggled with some foot and hamstring issues that have inhibited
my ability to train the run properly. I also think my personal challenges with
health and anemia show up most quickly on the run (see nutrition below).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My left foot will continue to be a problem, as I need
surgery to remove a bone spur. While I have had this surgery in the past on
this very same foot, the surgical solution being recommended this time around
is a bigger deal with a longer recovery time. It would likely prevent me from
running for 6+ months. I’m not yet at the point where I will elect surgery but
it may be necessary in the next 12 months.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2015-2016 I struggled with a very sore hamstring after
any run longer than 3-4 miles and I even had an MRI to see if there was some
sort of tear… there wasn’t and I felt like an idiot when my radiologist told me
that my hamstring looked absolutely fine! In consulting with my chiropractor
and physical therapist, <a href="http://avanzaresf.com/" target="_blank">Mike Lord</a>, the recommended solution was to strengthen
the hamstring and glutes, as well as activate my core (see strength below).
After a year of focused strength sessions 2x/week, I no longer have any pain or
aches in my hamstring! It’s been gradual and I’ll admit that I was a bit of a
skeptic that it would work but I never feel anything in that hamstring any
more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Strength and
conditioning </b>– I’m currently 2 years into a dedicated strength and
conditioning program. For the first year I did 30mins 2x/week but have
increased that to 2x 60mins a week since last April, working with <a href="http://movement-as-medicine.com/" target="_blank">Brendon Rearick from Movement as Medicine</a>. The sessions are highly functional in nature
and are tailored to my specific abilities and range of motion. Every single
session begins with activation work focused on the core, hips and glutes. We
also integrate stretching into the sessions to work on my specific challenges
(tight calves, restricted range of motion through the upper back, quadriceps). <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn17NQISMYQMVVRY2Ck3B-e79euxjKHKLVMX7WDk2n9EaPphEgtElIQK2Qq-mjZXyMrSEo65c89NpmftRbC5VI6lqxDd55V3izYbpx2DGOHe2EnFaDFrmWgiFOCQirAzCfUPls5un8O32/s1600/jordan_strength1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn17NQISMYQMVVRY2Ck3B-e79euxjKHKLVMX7WDk2n9EaPphEgtElIQK2Qq-mjZXyMrSEo65c89NpmftRbC5VI6lqxDd55V3izYbpx2DGOHe2EnFaDFrmWgiFOCQirAzCfUPls5un8O32/s320/jordan_strength1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nutrition – </b>If I
had to point to one single area of focus that has had the greatest impact on
performance in the last year, it’s nutrition. I thought I had a good diet,
balanced but not overly strict, with a decent amount of daily protein, but upon
closer analysis, I was falling woefully short. The headline news was that I was
under-fueling both my training and daily life and not consuming enough protein
to properly aid recovery from training sessions. We could also talk further about
my penchant for wine and chocolate but candidly, that’s still a work in
progress!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVmtMNQyEkASDOSdeRTj_ch9so7kFU6oouqtLfsP6f6yOzAta30cKeNDnFDmUKtZZ-zNd7hnpqRN-6mJHOPB5Qw2rEmhJHJU-2jCun0LxgOzYnbm5iHD0Ev7Pavr_7JmWqoZH_VArJmt6/s1600/fish_veggies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVmtMNQyEkASDOSdeRTj_ch9so7kFU6oouqtLfsP6f6yOzAta30cKeNDnFDmUKtZZ-zNd7hnpqRN-6mJHOPB5Qw2rEmhJHJU-2jCun0LxgOzYnbm5iHD0Ev7Pavr_7JmWqoZH_VArJmt6/s320/fish_veggies.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I alternate fish and steak each evening dinner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwS3doIscnGktxPKjIoIxaJXhjVx8KJeMXlOJLkcyMEFsRR72zDHrHokrR7L_Hhud23CrOLgSWDBUC8fbYHAklC9qLyRI1wKWhhyphenhyphenSqJsOYWm13nPPtcTVeFe6DKuI1Nbl9M9bAoQiQmOL/s1600/flank_steak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwS3doIscnGktxPKjIoIxaJXhjVx8KJeMXlOJLkcyMEFsRR72zDHrHokrR7L_Hhud23CrOLgSWDBUC8fbYHAklC9qLyRI1wKWhhyphenhyphenSqJsOYWm13nPPtcTVeFe6DKuI1Nbl9M9bAoQiQmOL/s320/flank_steak.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flank steak is my *go to* red meat </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Working with <a href="http://www.pfcnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Phil Goglia of PFC Nutrition</a>, I now have a
daily eating plan consisting of 8-9 meals a day and a target of 160-180g of
protein. It's a simple plan to follow... in fact, I'd describe it more accurately as "eating rules of thumb", identifying when I should be eating protein, fats, veggies, starches and sugar. What’s more, having had a history of anemia, I’ve worked closely with
both Phil and my personal physician, <a href="http://www.boulderpeakhealth.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Kiki Silver</a>, to ensure that I am
absorbing the nutrients that I’m eating, and supplementing where necessary,
essentially taking an iron pill each day.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Overall, I don't train any more than I have at any time in the past 10 or so years and my weekly training totals remain in the 12-20hr range, depending on where I am in the season. There might be a week or two where I top out at 25hrs (e.g. during Kona camp) for an Ironman build but the norm is closer to 15-18hrs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-68910423724131405482017-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:002017-04-08T08:55:51.388-07:00Success and Safari in South Africa<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2011 I purposely DNF’ed after the swim at Ironman St.
George. After racing in Kona in 2009 and 2010, I was a little burned out on
Ironman. However, Blanco was keen to return to Kona (he first raced there in
2010) so we were hoping to repeat our 2010 plan of both qualifying at Ironman
St. George. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The St. George race day coincided with my birthday AND our 1<sup>st</sup>
wedding anniversary and at the start line I felt so emotionally wound up, I
just knew that I didn’t want to suffer through an Ironman that day. I completed
the swim, soft pedaled my bike back into town and spent the rest of the day on
the side of the road cheering and drinking beer. I never regretted pulling out
for a single moment, even though I’d banked all those training miles. That year
I went to Kona and cheered for Blanco and post-race we made a soft agreement
not to return to race Ironman Hawaii in consecutive years. The decision stemmed,
in some part, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from not wanting our
entire existence and relationship caught up in an endless cycle of qualifying
for and then racing Ironman Hawaii. We both enjoy and love triathlon but I
didn’t want it to be our life together… <o:p></o:p></div>
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Therefore, it was with some trepidation after Kona in 2016
(we both raced having qualified at Los Cabos in 2015), that I said to Blanco
post-race: “I want to race here again next year.” It meant breaking our little
promise! I had just finished 16<sup>th</sup> in my age group in Kona with my
best ever relative performance. It was not my fastest time, but after the swim
and bike, I was actually in the mix in my age group… though I didn’t know it at
the time, I got off the bike in 3<sup>rd</sup> place. The desire to return in
2017 was a competitive instinct… could I re-qualify and have a shot at the top
ten?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ironman South Africa became the qualifying race of choice
after dismissing New Zealand (March race was too early and I’ve already raced
there) and Ironman Texas (non-wetsuit swim and unappealing course). After
chatting with friends who have raced there previously and with British pro Tim
Don, I decided to make a *<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">race-cation</span>*
of the trip, spending time in Stellenbosch pre-race to adjust to the time zone
and then heading on safari post-race because “why not?” I’ll leave those
details to a separate travelogue…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ironman South Africa is located in Port Elizabeth on the
Eastern Cape. It’s not a particularly attractive destination in its own right
so my schedule was *all business* while there. I drove into town on Wednesday
afternoon for a Sunday race and that was more than enough time to preview the
course conditions, register and prepare for the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Race morning was a beautifully clear day with light winds
and temperatures heating up to the mid 80s Fahrenheit in the afternoon. Between
the lack of race shuttles to get to the start and too few porta-potties, I felt
very rushed in transition and was convinced I had forgotten something. So be
it. I was hustled out of transition before the pros started and I would have a
20-30min wait on the beach.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a rolling start race, I was choosing between two swim
corrals… sub 1hr or 1:00 to 1:30. As someone hoping to swim a low 1hr swim
(1:05-1:10 range), coach Matt Dixon told me to line up towards the back of the
sub-1hr group. Fighting my way through the crowds, I think I wound up somewhere
in the middle of the sub 1hr group<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">*Side-note:
self-seeding is precarious in these rolling swim starts. 1:00 to 1:30 swim is a
huge range so I didn’t want to get stuck behind the 1:20-30 swimmers in that
corral and I also didn’t want to be starting the race 20 minutes later in the
day on more crowded roads. Sub 1:00 was an unrealistic time for me but joining
that group was probably the right call given my race ambitions.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The starters released 7 athletes every 7 seconds into the
Indian Ocean… it made for a very clean start. Even after lining up in the
middle of the sub 1hr group, I think I waited 5-6 minutes after the gun for my
turn. It was a smooth, clean start, navigating a small surf wave at the
beginning but then quickly getting into my stroke. The first thing I noticed
was that I was passing quite a few athletes… yeah, not many of those in the sub
1:00 group were capable of swimming that time! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The ocean swells were rather large so sighting on the guide
buoys is close to impossible. In a pre-swim earlier in the week, I had made a
note to sight off the far right most crane during the race and not stress too
much if I couldn’t see a buoy when sighting. The alignment worked perfectly and
on the way out I found some feet that seemed to be doing the same thing so I
was happy to follow as long as I could. I inevitably lost those feet at the far
end turn buoys, but quickly established myself in a small group of 3-4 guys for
the return journey. Again, I knew to sight off the Radisson hotel rather than
strain to sight the orange guide buoys which were not always visible given the chop
and large ocean swells.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The swim felt long and having not checked my watch at any of
the turns, I prepared my mind to see 1:20 on my watch as I exited the water…
seeing 1:05 as I surfed onto the beach was a total thrill, especially given the
large swells and choppy water.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I navigated transition deliberately, even asking a volunteer
to track down some Vaseline for my chafed neck. Yes, I forgot to apply body
glide in my rush out of transition for the swim! However, I’d rather give up a
minute in transition to ensure I’ll be comfortable for the rest of the race
than be riding for 5hrs+ with my neck burning from the hot sun and the chafing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once on the bike course, things didn’t seem too crowded and
I was easily able to focus on my pace and my watts without worrying about packs
of riders. Within the first 5 miles, an Italian woman from my age group that I
knew was a likely contender for the age-group win passed me. I do my homework! I let her
go as she was riding pretty hard up a slight incline and it seemed too early to
be so aggressive. I admit that I thought to myself that I’d see her in the
latter stages of the bike… I never did, she rode 7 minutes quicker than me (it
also turns out she drafted).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw6cqZ8VtIudryf0fm27QomKQxN8wqzEUK6-kzm9kJUhd443Zo0hdHqwSaEBJkCgnXnVVZfuLXo0-wphmu7-rZRQYKV-jIGt2kZ1NP8lLVOyi-FW12criP1gFXmOOpyIn9xI8uGbDuYGv/s1600/IMSA_bike3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw6cqZ8VtIudryf0fm27QomKQxN8wqzEUK6-kzm9kJUhd443Zo0hdHqwSaEBJkCgnXnVVZfuLXo0-wphmu7-rZRQYKV-jIGt2kZ1NP8lLVOyi-FW12criP1gFXmOOpyIn9xI8uGbDuYGv/s320/IMSA_bike3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out on lap 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The South Africa course is not challenging at all from a
terrain perspective with only a couple of small inclines (rollers) on each lap
of the two lap course. The challenge is the wind, which changes direction as
you navigate your way around the coastline. I did get a flat tire during lap
one of the bike but with sealant in the tire, it was a complete non-issue. The
course was noticeably quieter on lap two and I found myself riding largely
solo. As I climbed Heron Rd for the second time, there was a stillness in the
air, and a South African rider that was passing me remarked: “the winds are
changing, we are going to get a tailwind on the way home too!” Of course, I
thought he was teasing or being hopeful but it turned out he knew his “winds”
and having faced a headwind on the return during lap one, we were treated to a
mostly tailwind on the second lap.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBFeHzCROvb3NH5eYCiFyuLas_zhXCiiyFGiAvorwvcuhqr5RagfPVzeM_-RhWGKCgqtWmCP_fVNc0btDRW-Dna0oMJiM4_MKFSGo5cft11IGCZVpTBPyTv3OJIwVkGjeBU-3f_sK3iS5/s1600/IMbike1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBFeHzCROvb3NH5eYCiFyuLas_zhXCiiyFGiAvorwvcuhqr5RagfPVzeM_-RhWGKCgqtWmCP_fVNc0btDRW-Dna0oMJiM4_MKFSGo5cft11IGCZVpTBPyTv3OJIwVkGjeBU-3f_sK3iS5/s320/IMbike1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking the athletes ahead of me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My goal time for the bike was 5:20, chosen only because
that’s the time I’ve ridden on other flat courses (5:21 at Cozumel and 5:18 and
5:19 at Arizona). Of course, time is somewhat arbitrary given fluctuating
conditions but seeing my bike split of 5:27 when I reached T2, I was fairly
happy, especially when added to the 1:05 swim!</div>
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<o:p></o:p>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvaborBVFu8JN8lvOcAPFuQI9kiRH7Jdjc-V7-ry2s47bjkj0SkWZOWqdoXTADEEr9TbJ5roZ6aeKxFy5rnM4K2lekrsDvs6Ms_H9UzZSw7huMJM_kMBHxLgerle_csVqfPnhai66LR5/s1600/IMSA_bike5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvaborBVFu8JN8lvOcAPFuQI9kiRH7Jdjc-V7-ry2s47bjkj0SkWZOWqdoXTADEEr9TbJ5roZ6aeKxFy5rnM4K2lekrsDvs6Ms_H9UzZSw7huMJM_kMBHxLgerle_csVqfPnhai66LR5/s320/IMSA_bike5.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't stop smiling on this beautiful course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I’ve never run a great marathon off the bike but training
has been going really well, especially the run, so my goal was 3:45.
Admittedly, I was expecting slightly cooler weather when I developed that goal,
but the plan called for 8-8:20s off the bike. While the first mile came in
sub-8:00 (whoops!), the remaining miles for the first half were just behind
target, although they did include a potty stop and some aid station walking to
manage the heat. The four loop run course is lined with spectators the entire
way so it’s quite different from many other races where there are stretches
with few crowds. Wind also plays a factor on the run and the major hill on the
run was doubly cruel as it was straight into a headwind!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I ran through the first 13 miles in 1:53. I had passed my
Olympic Club teammate, Mary, halfway through loop 2, but couldn’t persuade her
to come with me. I’d also seen the Italian girl in my age group well ahead of
me and running very well so I assumed that she had first place locked up. My
pace had drifted by lap 3 and the mile splits started to come in above 9min/mi
as the day heated up.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgnqw9zzzuD8vIbqHHbJY9J41TR8NJhDNJ7h3tw9W16KPCQEMaZUNKaMxpzcG8mGmxgJMZ07Wnawo97hLfDXfSgLY599ZZbw7RHI8mhza6wmzHEdmEbxxV1J2jtGQbYgK4zV3hvn8dqQ8/s1600/IMSA_finish_chute2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgnqw9zzzuD8vIbqHHbJY9J41TR8NJhDNJ7h3tw9W16KPCQEMaZUNKaMxpzcG8mGmxgJMZ07Wnawo97hLfDXfSgLY599ZZbw7RHI8mhza6wmzHEdmEbxxV1J2jtGQbYgK4zV3hvn8dqQ8/s320/IMSA_finish_chute2.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both feet off the floor in the finish chute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The finish line is in the middle of each loop and when I had
half a lap to go, I thought I heard the race announcer call out the second
place finisher in W45-49. I shoved the information out of my mind and focused
on keeping cool and keeping every mile split under 10 and as close to 9 as
possible. With 2km to go, I passed Mary heading in the opposite direction for
one last time and appreciated her cheers of “you’re so close!” A 3:45 marathon
was off the table but I knew I was going to be close to 4hrs. I was trying to
remember whether a marathon was 42.2km or just 42km and wondering if that extra
0.2km would deprive me of the secondary sub 4hr goal.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv406kMIv_rteLQxY1lZXroATPk7E3gkHHdV1j1hQyNflIZ0C4xnNuwCT0s5cILRkRtrMhcDy_q3hFd-E5xlag5wDTggYwT4pUP98C2WEOk-fuOals9KDp2tKXXsxjZjBjSZKQzJS5JWR/s1600/IMSA_finish_chute1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv406kMIv_rteLQxY1lZXroATPk7E3gkHHdV1j1hQyNflIZ0C4xnNuwCT0s5cILRkRtrMhcDy_q3hFd-E5xlag5wDTggYwT4pUP98C2WEOk-fuOals9KDp2tKXXsxjZjBjSZKQzJS5JWR/s320/IMSA_finish_chute1.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah... happy to be done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I entered the finishing chute, I looked over my shoulder
and saw that I would have the finish line to myself… I didn’t waste any time
over the last 200m but I gave a couple of fist pumps and had a huge smile on my
face, glad to be finished and proud of my race performance. As I crossed the
line, Paul Kaye, the announcer, noted I was second across the line for W45-49
so that was good news. While I couldn’t be sure there would be two Kona slots,
I knew there was a high probability of it given the 75 slots in total.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Swim – 1:05:56 (PR)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bike – 5:27:33<o:p></o:p></div>
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Run – 3:59:41<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Total time – 10:42:31<o:p></o:p></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujztUqCFoCGmB_hcIxL-NcdWI0uBtmH-dvnmYtoZJThO8rRzZ2SWdjecdr2TIniBM6YW2wLRZQ9qQy0v3Y7kplniKp4idg_d1t5tT1IqFcU3_aV10ayNj6AdNhf44z_1ESomyfbn1Fb-q/s1600/imsa_finish_line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujztUqCFoCGmB_hcIxL-NcdWI0uBtmH-dvnmYtoZJThO8rRzZ2SWdjecdr2TIniBM6YW2wLRZQ9qQy0v3Y7kplniKp4idg_d1t5tT1IqFcU3_aV10ayNj6AdNhf44z_1ESomyfbn1Fb-q/s320/imsa_finish_line.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line reflects first athlete to leave with rolling start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I went to bed that night, sore but happy and somewhat
confident there would be two slots in my age group but not entirely certain.
When I woke the next morning, I received emails and Facebook messages to say
that I had won my age group… I checked the results and saw that I had been
promoted to first place and that the Italian girl’s results had been zero’ed
out and a DQ added to her name. At Kona slot allocation, the revised results
were confirmed and I was named the winner of the age group. There were two slots
so I took one and the new second place finisher, a South African, took the
other slot.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also got an update as to what happened with the Italian
girl from Andrew Messick, CEO of WTC… she seemed to be a super strong
athlete and from my perspective had deserved the win. She finished almost 30
minutes ahead of me, mostly due to a run that was 20mins faster. However, she
was awarded a drafting penalty on the bike that she failed to serve and
therefore was DQ’ed.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HEtCmYTM8t3Oowada_JiUBbIzL0LihUrLTAl1kOxGGTyYzRA9NIUKV4Ac5oVIvPdfDfy4IwUN47WAyBRyAfVSxRDW1P9Ci2BBare6_iER2jMtwkljGKH4wqIM9dIDLqTJo3WHRo87SJz/s1600/IMSA_podium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HEtCmYTM8t3Oowada_JiUBbIzL0LihUrLTAl1kOxGGTyYzRA9NIUKV4Ac5oVIvPdfDfy4IwUN47WAyBRyAfVSxRDW1P9Ci2BBare6_iER2jMtwkljGKH4wqIM9dIDLqTJo3WHRo87SJz/s320/IMSA_podium.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">45-49 podium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With that long story… I’m heading back to Kona in October
for my 6<sup>th</sup> go at the Ironman Hawaii World Championships!<br />
<br />
This is now so long that I need to save the safari and race-cation details for a subsequent post!</div>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-76954778940324804052016-10-11T13:31:00.003-07:002016-10-11T17:05:21.710-07:00Aloha! Kona #5 is in the booksEach time I race in Kona, I swear off the event forever... as I sit here on the lanai of our friends' house at Hualalai 48 hours later, I'm casting my mind towards what I will do differently next time. Ha! I'm already reversing my words even before the soreness from chafing and DOMs subsides. It's unlikely that I will try to qualify for 2017 but maybe 2018 could be on the cards ;)<br />
<br />
This year I was fortunate to arrive in Kona 10 days out from race day which I had hoped would help me acclimate to the hot and humid conditions. But, who am I kidding, the environment here does not suit me, and however many days I spend in advance sweating my ass off, I still feel like I'm going to keel over whenever I run. Completing a marathon in these conditions seems unfathomable... until of course, you get off the bike after 112 miles and it's suddenly your reality.<br />
<br />
The Saturday prior to the race I participated in the Ho'ala swim for the first time... essentially, a practice swim that takes in the full Ironman course. I was in two minds whether to do the race since I didn't want a *preview* of my swim time the following week but coach, Matt Dixon, encouraged me to do it and gave me a 5,000 yard swim workout the day before to ensure I was fully tired! It ended up being a great idea for me to race, mostly for the mental practice of the 2.4 mile swim. I *cheated* and wore the Roka SIM shorts as my back had been giving me some trouble for the last few weeks and I was trying to spare it as much as possible. I finished the swim in 1:12:59 (4,214 yards) and felt like I swam it fairly easily, though I must admit that I was bummed with the time. However, it was a healthy reminder that swells and conditions in Kona can result in highly variable times.<br />
<br />
<b>Ironman Hawaii: swim</b> --> 1:10:30 (PR for the course, Garmin 4,193 yards)<br />
Fast forward a week and I was stoked for having done the Ho'ala swim and having a better sense of what it feels like to swim out to the far turnaround. It was also useful to experience another mass swim start, though, the Ironman race with 700 or so women was a much rougher start! I was pulled and clawed a few times to the point where my watch strap loosened so I stopped at the far turnaround point to reposition it and glance at the time. I hit the second turn buoy at 33:50 which was similar pacing to the week prior, however, in contrast to that swim, I was feeling fresher and more effortless in the water. There were people around me the entire time, including lots of men from the prior wave to swim through. I saw 1:10 on my watch and I knew immediately that it must have been a fast swim but I also had a mantra for the race of *not judging myself*... which meant in this case, don't read anything into the swim time. However, a PR always helps the mindset!<br />
<br />
In 2005, I swam 1:24:23 here so you could say that my swim has come a long way in the past several years. Take a look below at the evolution...<br />
<br />
2005 --> 1:24:23<br />
2009 --> 1:20:17<br />
2010 --> 1:18:21<br />
2013 --> 1:11:12<br />
2016 --> 1:10:30<br />
<br />
The consistent improvement in my swim times have stemmed from some simple things in the last few years:<br />
- <b><i>swimming more</i></b> --> I now average 12-15k per week of swimming whereas in the past it was less than 10k<br />
- <b><i>swimming with a group</i></b> --> I swim 3x a week with a group of people that kick my butt in the pool<br />
-<b><i> swimming with a pull buoy</i></b> --> I swim about 80% of the time with a pull buoy. I feel better, it protects my back and it makes me enjoy swimming more.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking my own sweet time out of the swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ironman Hawaii: bike</b> --> 5:39:56 (not a PR but watts were solid)<br />
Someone asked me pre-race what my bike split might be and I answered +/- 5hrs and 30mins. With the exception of 2009 (when I had crashed my bike badly a couple of weeks out from the race), I seem to bike around the 5:30 mark!<br />
<br />
2005 --> 5:30:37<br />
2009 --> 6:11:27<br />
2010 --> 5:35:21<br />
2013 --> 5:28:19<br />
2016 --> 5:39:56<br />
<br />
Out of the swim, I got to work on the bike in a calm as fashion as is possible when you're riding through town and there are people screaming your name everywhere! On the climb up to Hawi, I passed a friend, <a href="http://sweetsweatlife.com/" target="_blank">Erin</a>, and was promptly passed by another friend who is a super biker, <a href="http://czechchick15.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jana</a>. I actually picked up the pace and stuck with Jana to the top of Kuakini as the power felt okay but perhaps a tad aggressive for how I wanted to start. I let Jana go on the downhill and settled back into my personal race plan! I was all smiles on the bike... I really was having fun and trying to enjoy the day... there's even photo evidence! Thanks to a great family friend, Alex Wassman, my bike was tuned to perfection. He assisted me in choosing wheels (Zipp NSW 404/808 combination), tires, tubes and sealants for the race, as well as dialing in the shifting pre-race. It was a joy to be on a perfectly tuned machine. Mahalo Alex!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palani</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was my first time racing at Kona since the amateur field was split into two waves, men's and women's, and it was a very noticeable difference to me. The course was much less crowded and it was mostly a case of me yelling "on your left" as I passed fellow competitors on the bike... female athletes and men from the older age-groups.<br />
<br />
I felt super comfortable but the headwinds on the way out to Kawaihae were making themselves known so I knew it could well be a slower year on the bike. I passed a fellow W45-49 competitor, <a href="http://angesdrivetotri.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Angela Bancroft</a>, near Puako and tried to yell hello but not sure she heard me! On the road to Hawi, the winds were modest, even during the last 6 miles when a block headwind can make it a real grinder. Don't get me wrong, we had some headwinds (unlike 2013 when it was a tailwind) but it wasn't harsh and there weren't many challenging sidewinds to contend with. The turnaround at Hawi was still a welcome relief and this is where I caught up with some AG women that I know - Mary Knott, Becky Paige, Erica McClurg and Julie Dunkle. All of those women were, in my mind, 1 hour swimmers, so it was a nice indication that I was making progress on the course. I even allowed myself to think that I might be riding well!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWxLy6Kn-Vz9MO5fzMng6xlRamWXblw7ma8Ntxu24hiX4OGesMpW9MU1hmyzmPfCVxD9_xGbJj8JEUvzS-QHGDegW3qDfRVwSy7PwCtFtNLJqQsCj9oKgrpdZ7zPe-Oxq5TGNdrH_o40-/s1600/kona_bike3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWxLy6Kn-Vz9MO5fzMng6xlRamWXblw7ma8Ntxu24hiX4OGesMpW9MU1hmyzmPfCVxD9_xGbJj8JEUvzS-QHGDegW3qDfRVwSy7PwCtFtNLJqQsCj9oKgrpdZ7zPe-Oxq5TGNdrH_o40-/s320/kona_bike3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still smiling on the road back from Hawi</td></tr>
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I love the descent from Hawi and I think I ride this section well in races... I can be a bit wimpy in training but come race day, I'm head down, full aero position, focused on keeping up the watts and not worrying too much about the potential side gusts. The field had thinned out quite a bit by this point but I passed another friend, Kayla, just before Kawaihae and was feeling good that I was still making progress to catch up to the swimmers in the race. Once back on the Queen K, I was hoping for some epic tailwinds after Hapuna Beach, given the headwind on the way out, but it wasn't to be. We had a decent but not terrible headwind all the way back to town forcing me to focus on managing my power while keeping up with nutrition, hydration and cooling the body. My lower back was painful in the last 20 or so miles so I felt that I was riding a little compromised... the legs felt good but the other parts of me were not doing as well. Three weeks ago, I could barely ride aero so I was stoked to get as far as I did before having to deal with the back pain.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTVpEwws98S56b8JXI-h7qd0ewR3h514OzwpgMRS4TBxyih06OOKAqdx6Tr2EKWhmv368qEgMmx_JYt9kDUWUlsM3x-vmcAWunMH3J5yeyf8NBTmMkZfIAdheIOBG4i1JrnY6zOclKwnA/s1600/kona_bike_dark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTVpEwws98S56b8JXI-h7qd0ewR3h514OzwpgMRS4TBxyih06OOKAqdx6Tr2EKWhmv368qEgMmx_JYt9kDUWUlsM3x-vmcAWunMH3J5yeyf8NBTmMkZfIAdheIOBG4i1JrnY6zOclKwnA/s320/kona_bike_dark.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding on the bullhorns is not aero!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the last few miles of the bike, I caught up with former pro athlete competing in my AG, Erin McCarty and I let myself believe I was having a good day. In fact, I came off the bike in 3rd in my age-group which was easily the highest up I have ever got off the bike in a world championship race (70.3 or Ironman). I wonder if the split waves made a difference in my relative bike performance on this course? Since I'm a 1:10+ swimmer, the stronger male athletes are usually up the road by the time I exit the swim, but the groups of AG men likely helped women swimming around the hour mark in past years as the course would have been so much more crowded around them.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsUrdW7vM2vT2T9yjG9Ys9YCAeHS_LHST9NP9w-KhRPKxomqinAjIVbqhrkxIwGzZk4hEtSwFQ4XcF_VhTWQuCJNXWlR0TamFatA-7q8pS4zkTzywg7d6oWAyCrs-7v6izdVnTtU5T5vr/s1600/Kona_readytodismount.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsUrdW7vM2vT2T9yjG9Ys9YCAeHS_LHST9NP9w-KhRPKxomqinAjIVbqhrkxIwGzZk4hEtSwFQ4XcF_VhTWQuCJNXWlR0TamFatA-7q8pS4zkTzywg7d6oWAyCrs-7v6izdVnTtU5T5vr/s320/Kona_readytodismount.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slipping out of the bike shoes - excited to run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ironman Hawaii: run</b> --> 4:15:47 (sub-par)<br />
I got off the bike and I could barely move as I tried to navigate my way through T2 as my back was completely locked up. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to run a single step. However, I hustled as best I could to the change tent and put on my run gear, hoping that run shoes would feel better than barefoot and that I would be fine.<br />
<br />
I clicked off the first mile at sub 8 pace (dumb!), trying to ignore the lower back issues but that didn't last long and by the 1.5 mile mark I was ready to be done. I told myself I would run until I saw Blanco... but I missed seeing him on Ali'i Drive so suddenly I was 5 miles out and had to run back to town before I could quit... yes, the mental battles had started already!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-gdw2dbmaIB0K5cbsb9cflLvzJVEWGJmZLUlFOcCoZHIv7PdHdgtCo64eNU6lqf9u0TiBp2OhmfktBXVzDf7jfM6UdKdgmU7jP0H9ILhVjz7okRYFXLkIQg39PgiDX8Da87S_61b4JZr/s1600/kona_alii_run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-gdw2dbmaIB0K5cbsb9cflLvzJVEWGJmZLUlFOcCoZHIv7PdHdgtCo64eNU6lqf9u0TiBp2OhmfktBXVzDf7jfM6UdKdgmU7jP0H9ILhVjz7okRYFXLkIQg39PgiDX8Da87S_61b4JZr/s320/kona_alii_run.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ali'i Drive running</td></tr>
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By the time I got into town, the pro women were finishing and I saw Rinny run down Hualalai in 2nd place. I thought to myself that I should keep running since I would get a full update on the women's pro race as they passed in the opposite direction... I thought I saw the entire top ten but somehow missed seeing Sarah Piampiano so I was slightly bummed about her race. Turns out she had a solid race and placed 7th once again but I somehow missed seeing her.<br />
<br />
By the time I got to the top of Palani, a 16 mile run out to the energy lab and back didn't seem like a big deal so I committed myself to finishing and stopped the negative, "I should quit" talk. However, walking aid stations and a couple of porta potty stops forced my pace to be around the 10 min/mi mark. 9 min/mi pace should come much more easily but I find the process of cooling and getting nutrition in costs me 30-40secs per mile in the back half of hot races. It's something I need to keep working on.<br />
<br />
The run was a little bit of a disappointment and I fell from 3rd of the bike to 16th in my AG by the time I crossed the finish line. However, that was by far my best AG performance at Hawaii, having never finished in the top 20 in the past so I'm thrilled with the result. Perhaps, if I can avoid slowing down over the next 5 years, I can dream of a podium finish here one day :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwICSuaU_tLEplF_uynJLtk2pPc7kTDFRvv8F9cnI8WVaRe498cSTIo-mF0kmw_zIagtj-Tf8IWWRVMpHh_8wLjgfs8uFTT8teo8i9u1zV1Bc7Nk7wfKsxdX-NsEIbUv6j5DyeXgikXAf6/s1600/kona_run_finish2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwICSuaU_tLEplF_uynJLtk2pPc7kTDFRvv8F9cnI8WVaRe498cSTIo-mF0kmw_zIagtj-Tf8IWWRVMpHh_8wLjgfs8uFTT8teo8i9u1zV1Bc7Nk7wfKsxdX-NsEIbUv6j5DyeXgikXAf6/s320/kona_run_finish2.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing chute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2005 --> 4:06:35<br />
2009 --> 4:46:17<br />
2010 --> 4:15:51<br />
2013 --> 4:07:24<br />
2016 --> 4:15:47<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Ironman Hawaii: total time</b> --> 11:15:52 and 16th in my AG<br />
Below are my past times for comparison and this was my 3rd best time on what appeared to be a more challenging day given the winds and warm conditions during the run... especially compared to 2013 which was very favorable.<br />
<br />
2005 --> 11:11:10<br />
2009 --> 12:55:28<br />
2010 --> 11:19:39<br />
2013 --> 10:58:19<br />
2016 --> 11:15:52<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRR5uGi2HY-dTC0uG1AKKOIXFMA8alEFzDi3F5g4am5s0rddYm8PGVSzl7TN-jYkvfLUO-v-RZCWjiSxNlNiGjq3tdcGDNCLO_vlKaDfJvvpTW_-FB71djWfJVXmZtM6p8W_neT9qP3rA/s1600/Kona_finish_hands_hips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRR5uGi2HY-dTC0uG1AKKOIXFMA8alEFzDi3F5g4am5s0rddYm8PGVSzl7TN-jYkvfLUO-v-RZCWjiSxNlNiGjq3tdcGDNCLO_vlKaDfJvvpTW_-FB71djWfJVXmZtM6p8W_neT9qP3rA/s320/Kona_finish_hands_hips.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glad that's over!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanks as always to my number 1, #supportivedude and fellow member of #TeamBlanco, aka Blanco.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM1U1j-vhyphenhyphen_82eMHWIaaSvKrtFhoTJHNJuRzV_IYABfj_nVLxZ27bQP4yQVIJ_tHy4wZTegFOzOyfEdoAPuVZF9h4hyku1_S7eyOioD8jwoObDBgRJV_cC0m_vQMPIBTXhKxmQhK_d6nQ/s1600/tri_equal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM1U1j-vhyphenhyphen_82eMHWIaaSvKrtFhoTJHNJuRzV_IYABfj_nVLxZ27bQP4yQVIJ_tHy4wZTegFOzOyfEdoAPuVZF9h4hyku1_S7eyOioD8jwoObDBgRJV_cC0m_vQMPIBTXhKxmQhK_d6nQ/s320/tri_equal.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supporting #50womentokona and TriEqual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjxYUsbJnIZUcjBg0tW1PM9tT_eFGkWyrFm5yj2ilC8H0ZrGtFKMwRXjRxfH4u6-kbViUaCkvMRShg3ZySvGxIg8_tcqxOHeUA2OKh_8ibVGoyySMQJSYeH8LrYNvVaRm3A4rhgioUffY/s1600/supportive_dude.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjxYUsbJnIZUcjBg0tW1PM9tT_eFGkWyrFm5yj2ilC8H0ZrGtFKMwRXjRxfH4u6-kbViUaCkvMRShg3ZySvGxIg8_tcqxOHeUA2OKh_8ibVGoyySMQJSYeH8LrYNvVaRm3A4rhgioUffY/s320/supportive_dude.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Supportive Dude!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyBkfDLfHtuqn6itlu6b0aYO7HZ7RTJkfgcc-lu_sWwoWF58x6NZvV7KouYHiZgYwA6bl_DE_J_zq4JCca2ZTLPtV6-P0Y90R9oOfwXmQ943L6WHVcH6zKx2azsDUq4kC6dpRYz18D0lQ/s1600/wrist_bands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyBkfDLfHtuqn6itlu6b0aYO7HZ7RTJkfgcc-lu_sWwoWF58x6NZvV7KouYHiZgYwA6bl_DE_J_zq4JCca2ZTLPtV6-P0Y90R9oOfwXmQ943L6WHVcH6zKx2azsDUq4kC6dpRYz18D0lQ/s320/wrist_bands.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#TeamBlanco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I also couldn't look this good while racing without the support of Kristin Mayer of <a href="http://www.bettydesigns.com/" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a>. Her World Champion kit and Kona 16 kits were some of her best ever designs and I was stoked to be wearing it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodcfsr7ipSONewtF38XffxbEvK3lEaqE9ucqz77CIIX783lMXWmJdlBWRXiyVvcVVZEzo0Zyu7VjUjiWxSvGxRFDHZmk3nKOcOFI1h5JPKUlEgBZHdnQtPERB1p8Z-tUjGQqP8yPp9V7v/s1600/UPR_Pia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodcfsr7ipSONewtF38XffxbEvK3lEaqE9ucqz77CIIX783lMXWmJdlBWRXiyVvcVVZEzo0Zyu7VjUjiWxSvGxRFDHZmk3nKOcOFI1h5JPKUlEgBZHdnQtPERB1p8Z-tUjGQqP8yPp9V7v/s320/UPR_Pia.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pia and I ready for the Underpants Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaic0tzPrcuFzwXZ8HJA7U7Ovc_x-Byu2A3L89AafIiWgRyP4OHRrMGAA7TinmXmoRE1qbqcPq2zGd0TJSUFjsTGiezXam7TMTnmaqEkSNK9KrYUBPc3CWmTA7J5AxjEppjQGS9xA-SKd/s1600/UPR16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaic0tzPrcuFzwXZ8HJA7U7Ovc_x-Byu2A3L89AafIiWgRyP4OHRrMGAA7TinmXmoRE1qbqcPq2zGd0TJSUFjsTGiezXam7TMTnmaqEkSNK9KrYUBPc3CWmTA7J5AxjEppjQGS9xA-SKd/s320/UPR16.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ab Show with friends from all over the country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-13499280636368446972016-10-11T13:31:00.002-07:002016-10-11T17:05:37.606-07:00Aloha! Kona #5 is in the booksEach time I race in Kona, I swear off the event forever... as I sit here on the lanai of our friends' house at Hualalai 48 hours later, I'm casting my mind towards what I will do differently next time. Ha! I'm already reversing my words even before the soreness from chafing and DOMs subsides. It's unlikely that I will try to qualify for 2017 but maybe 2018 could be on the cards ;)<br />
<br />
This year I was fortunate to arrive in Kona 10 days out from race day which I had hoped would help me acclimate to the hot and humid conditions. But, who am I kidding, the environment here does not suit me, and however many days I spend in advance sweating my ass off, I still feel like I'm going to keel over whenever I run. Completing a marathon in these conditions seems unfathomable... until of course, you get off the bike after 112 miles and it's suddenly your reality.<br />
<br />
The Saturday prior to the race I participated in the Ho'ala swim for the first time... essentially, a practice swim that takes in the full Ironman course. I was in two minds whether to do the race since I didn't want a *preview* of my swim time the following week but coach, Matt Dixon, encouraged me to do it and gave me a 5,000 yard swim workout the day before to ensure I was fully tired! It ended up being a great idea for me to race, mostly for the mental practice of the 2.4 mile swim. I *cheated* and wore the Roka SIM shorts as my back had been giving me some trouble for the last few weeks and I was trying to spare it as much as possible. I finished the swim in 1:12:59 (4,214 yards) and felt like I swam it fairly easily, though I must admit that I was bummed with the time. However, it was a healthy reminder that swells and conditions in Kona can result in highly variable times.<br />
<br />
<b>Ironman Hawaii: swim</b> --> 1:10:30 (PR for the course, Garmin 4,193 yards)<br />
Fast forward a week and I was stoked for having done the Ho'ala swim and having a better sense of what it feels like to swim out to the far turnaround. It was also useful to experience another mass swim start, though, the Ironman race with 700 or so women was a much rougher start! I was pulled and clawed a few times to the point where my watch strap loosened so I stopped at the far turnaround point to reposition it and glance at the time. I hit the second turn buoy at 33:50 which was similar pacing to the week prior, however, in contrast to that swim, I was feeling fresher and more effortless in the water. There were people around me the entire time, including lots of men from the prior wave to swim through. I saw 1:10 on my watch and I knew immediately that it must have been a fast swim but I also had a mantra for the race of *not judging myself*... which meant in this case, don't read anything into the swim time. However, a PR always helps the mindset!<br />
<br />
In 2005, I swam 1:24:23 here so you could say that my swim has come a long way in the past several years. Take a look below at the evolution...<br />
<br />
2005 --> 1:24:23<br />
2009 --> 1:20:17<br />
2010 --> 1:18:21<br />
2013 --> 1:11:12<br />
2016 --> 1:10:30<br />
<br />
The consistent improvement in my swim times have stemmed from some simple things in the last few years:<br />
- <b><i>swimming more</i></b> --> I now average 12-15k per week of swimming whereas in the past it was less than 10k<br />
- <b><i>swimming with a group</i></b> --> I swim 3x a week with a group of people that kick my butt in the pool<br />
-<b><i> swimming with a pull buoy</i></b> --> I swim about 80% of the time with a pull buoy. I feel better, it protects my back and it makes me enjoy swimming more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FS6r4RVkDGrKwmg6W3KN49NCFquKrhpYwTDE8iT1GGd3QleWXIM8s5NBNH9qJkRDV_BgSY1K7m2geoPKXhezq1-EafAol82Vjd7Clov5mFG0-SD-Pi8ueelzMxOX8BhT5iH0S1e8dw5I/s1600/kona_swim_exit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FS6r4RVkDGrKwmg6W3KN49NCFquKrhpYwTDE8iT1GGd3QleWXIM8s5NBNH9qJkRDV_BgSY1K7m2geoPKXhezq1-EafAol82Vjd7Clov5mFG0-SD-Pi8ueelzMxOX8BhT5iH0S1e8dw5I/s320/kona_swim_exit.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking my own sweet time out of the swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ironman Hawaii: bike</b> --> 5:39:56 (not a PR but watts were solid)<br />
Someone asked me pre-race what my bike split might be and I answered +/- 5hrs and 30mins. With the exception of 2009 (when I had crashed my bike badly a couple of weeks out from the race), I seem to bike around the 5:30 mark!<br />
<br />
2005 --> 5:30:37<br />
2009 --> 6:11:27<br />
2010 --> 5:35:21<br />
2013 --> 5:28:19<br />
2016 --> 5:39:56<br />
<br />
Out of the swim, I got to work on the bike in a calm as fashion as is possible when you're riding through town and there are people screaming your name everywhere! On the climb up to Hawi, I passed a friend, <a href="http://sweetsweatlife.com/" target="_blank">Erin</a>, and was promptly passed by another friend who is a super biker, <a href="http://czechchick15.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jana</a>. I actually picked up the pace and stuck with Jana to the top of Kuakini as the power felt okay but perhaps a tad aggressive for how I wanted to start. I let Jana go on the downhill and settled back into my personal race plan! I was all smiles on the bike... I really was having fun and trying to enjoy the day... there's even photo evidence! Thanks to a great family friend, Alex Wassman, my bike was tuned to perfection. He assisted me in choosing wheels (Zipp NSW 404/808 combination), tires, tubes and sealants for the race, as well as dialing in the shifting pre-race. It was a joy to be on a perfectly tuned machine. Mahalo Alex!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXefkG3IWy0nibj3Bo6MeFguComXQVcjKopko6Fbofry5Pl6wWfJJINIHX1P9gwhV6aQj4AhAq9WQf252-f_NJle7Tei92PAtPCOO28LfwPhf1Wfl5xKWfy-3d6iPX7ls3rfK7wLtA0SD/s1600/Kona_bike_palani_smile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXefkG3IWy0nibj3Bo6MeFguComXQVcjKopko6Fbofry5Pl6wWfJJINIHX1P9gwhV6aQj4AhAq9WQf252-f_NJle7Tei92PAtPCOO28LfwPhf1Wfl5xKWfy-3d6iPX7ls3rfK7wLtA0SD/s320/Kona_bike_palani_smile.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palani</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was my first time racing at Kona since the amateur field was split into two waves, men's and women's, and it was a very noticeable difference to me. The course was much less crowded and it was mostly a case of me yelling "on your left" as I passed fellow competitors on the bike... female athletes and men from the older age-groups.<br />
<br />
I felt super comfortable but the headwinds on the way out to Kawaihae were making themselves known so I knew it could well be a slower year on the bike. I passed a fellow W45-49 competitor, <a href="http://angesdrivetotri.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Angela Bancroft</a>, near Puako and tried to yell hello but not sure she heard me! On the road to Hawi, the winds were modest, even during the last 6 miles when a block headwind can make it a real grinder. Don't get me wrong, we had some headwinds (unlike 2013 when it was a tailwind) but it wasn't harsh and there weren't many challenging sidewinds to contend with. The turnaround at Hawi was still a welcome relief and this is where I caught up with some AG women that I know - Mary Knott, Becky Paige, Erica McClurg and Julie Dunkle. All of those women were, in my mind, 1 hour swimmers, so it was a nice indication that I was making progress on the course. I even allowed myself to think that I might be riding well!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWxLy6Kn-Vz9MO5fzMng6xlRamWXblw7ma8Ntxu24hiX4OGesMpW9MU1hmyzmPfCVxD9_xGbJj8JEUvzS-QHGDegW3qDfRVwSy7PwCtFtNLJqQsCj9oKgrpdZ7zPe-Oxq5TGNdrH_o40-/s1600/kona_bike3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWxLy6Kn-Vz9MO5fzMng6xlRamWXblw7ma8Ntxu24hiX4OGesMpW9MU1hmyzmPfCVxD9_xGbJj8JEUvzS-QHGDegW3qDfRVwSy7PwCtFtNLJqQsCj9oKgrpdZ7zPe-Oxq5TGNdrH_o40-/s320/kona_bike3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still smiling on the road back from Hawi</td></tr>
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I love the descent from Hawi and I think I ride this section well in races... I can be a bit wimpy in training but come race day, I'm head down, full aero position, focused on keeping up the watts and not worrying too much about the potential side gusts. The field had thinned out quite a bit by this point but I passed another friend, Kayla, just before Kawaihae and was feeling good that I was still making progress to catch up to the swimmers in the race. Once back on the Queen K, I was hoping for some epic tailwinds after Hapuna Beach, given the headwind on the way out, but it wasn't to be. We had a decent but not terrible headwind all the way back to town forcing me to focus on managing my power while keeping up with nutrition, hydration and cooling the body. My lower back was painful in the last 20 or so miles so I felt that I was riding a little compromised... the legs felt good but the other parts of me were not doing as well. Three weeks ago, I could barely ride aero so I was stoked to get as far as I did before having to deal with the back pain.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTVpEwws98S56b8JXI-h7qd0ewR3h514OzwpgMRS4TBxyih06OOKAqdx6Tr2EKWhmv368qEgMmx_JYt9kDUWUlsM3x-vmcAWunMH3J5yeyf8NBTmMkZfIAdheIOBG4i1JrnY6zOclKwnA/s1600/kona_bike_dark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTVpEwws98S56b8JXI-h7qd0ewR3h514OzwpgMRS4TBxyih06OOKAqdx6Tr2EKWhmv368qEgMmx_JYt9kDUWUlsM3x-vmcAWunMH3J5yeyf8NBTmMkZfIAdheIOBG4i1JrnY6zOclKwnA/s320/kona_bike_dark.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding on the bullhorns is not aero!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the last few miles of the bike, I caught up with former pro athlete competing in my AG, Erin McCarty and I let myself believe I was having a good day. In fact, I came off the bike in 3rd in my age-group which was easily the highest up I have ever got off the bike in a world championship race (70.3 or Ironman). I wonder if the split waves made a difference in my relative bike performance on this course? Since I'm a 1:10+ swimmer, the stronger male athletes are usually up the road by the time I exit the swim, but the groups of AG men likely helped women swimming around the hour mark in past years as the course would have been so much more crowded around them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsUrdW7vM2vT2T9yjG9Ys9YCAeHS_LHST9NP9w-KhRPKxomqinAjIVbqhrkxIwGzZk4hEtSwFQ4XcF_VhTWQuCJNXWlR0TamFatA-7q8pS4zkTzywg7d6oWAyCrs-7v6izdVnTtU5T5vr/s1600/Kona_readytodismount.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsUrdW7vM2vT2T9yjG9Ys9YCAeHS_LHST9NP9w-KhRPKxomqinAjIVbqhrkxIwGzZk4hEtSwFQ4XcF_VhTWQuCJNXWlR0TamFatA-7q8pS4zkTzywg7d6oWAyCrs-7v6izdVnTtU5T5vr/s320/Kona_readytodismount.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slipping out of the bike shoes - excited to run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ironman Hawaii: run</b> --> 4:15:47 (sub-par)<br />
I got off the bike and I could barely move as I tried to navigate my way through T2 as my back was completely locked up. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to run a single step. However, I hustled as best I could to the change tent and put on my run gear, hoping that run shoes would feel better than barefoot and that I would be fine.<br />
<br />
I clicked off the first mile at sub 8 pace (dumb!), trying to ignore the lower back issues but that didn't last long and by the 1.5 mile mark I was ready to be done. I told myself I would run until I saw Blanco... but I missed seeing him on Ali'i Drive so suddenly I was 5 miles out and had to run back to town before I could quit... yes, the mental battles had started already!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-gdw2dbmaIB0K5cbsb9cflLvzJVEWGJmZLUlFOcCoZHIv7PdHdgtCo64eNU6lqf9u0TiBp2OhmfktBXVzDf7jfM6UdKdgmU7jP0H9ILhVjz7okRYFXLkIQg39PgiDX8Da87S_61b4JZr/s1600/kona_alii_run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-gdw2dbmaIB0K5cbsb9cflLvzJVEWGJmZLUlFOcCoZHIv7PdHdgtCo64eNU6lqf9u0TiBp2OhmfktBXVzDf7jfM6UdKdgmU7jP0H9ILhVjz7okRYFXLkIQg39PgiDX8Da87S_61b4JZr/s320/kona_alii_run.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ali'i Drive running</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By the time I got into town, the pro women were finishing and I saw Rinny run down Hualalai in 2nd place. I thought to myself that I should keep running since I would get a full update on the women's pro race as they passed in the opposite direction... I thought I saw the entire top ten but somehow missed seeing Sarah Piampiano so I was slightly bummed about her race. Turns out she had a solid race and placed 7th once again but I somehow missed seeing her.<br />
<br />
By the time I got to the top of Palani, a 16 mile run out to the energy lab and back didn't seem like a big deal so I committed myself to finishing and stopped the negative, "I should quit" talk. However, walking aid stations and a couple of porta potty stops forced my pace to be around the 10 min/mi mark. 9 min/mi pace should come much more easily but I find the process of cooling and getting nutrition in costs me 30-40secs per mile in the back half of hot races. It's something I need to keep working on.<br />
<br />
The run was a little bit of a disappointment and I fell from 3rd of the bike to 16th in my AG by the time I crossed the finish line. However, that was by far my best AG performance at Hawaii, having never finished in the top 20 in the past so I'm thrilled with the result. Perhaps, if I can avoid slowing down over the next 5 years, I can dream of a podium finish here one day :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwICSuaU_tLEplF_uynJLtk2pPc7kTDFRvv8F9cnI8WVaRe498cSTIo-mF0kmw_zIagtj-Tf8IWWRVMpHh_8wLjgfs8uFTT8teo8i9u1zV1Bc7Nk7wfKsxdX-NsEIbUv6j5DyeXgikXAf6/s1600/kona_run_finish2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwICSuaU_tLEplF_uynJLtk2pPc7kTDFRvv8F9cnI8WVaRe498cSTIo-mF0kmw_zIagtj-Tf8IWWRVMpHh_8wLjgfs8uFTT8teo8i9u1zV1Bc7Nk7wfKsxdX-NsEIbUv6j5DyeXgikXAf6/s320/kona_run_finish2.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing chute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2005 --> 4:06:35<br />
2009 --> 4:46:17<br />
2010 --> 4:15:51<br />
2013 --> 4:07:24<br />
2016 --> 4:15:47<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Ironman Hawaii: total time</b> --> 11:15:52 and 16th in my AG<br />
Below are my past times for comparison and this was my 3rd best time on what appeared to be a more challenging day given the winds and warm conditions during the run... especially compared to 2013 which was very favorable.<br />
<br />
2005 --> 11:11:10<br />
2009 --> 12:55:28<br />
2010 --> 11:19:39<br />
2013 --> 10:58:19<br />
2016 --> 11:15:52<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRR5uGi2HY-dTC0uG1AKKOIXFMA8alEFzDi3F5g4am5s0rddYm8PGVSzl7TN-jYkvfLUO-v-RZCWjiSxNlNiGjq3tdcGDNCLO_vlKaDfJvvpTW_-FB71djWfJVXmZtM6p8W_neT9qP3rA/s1600/Kona_finish_hands_hips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRR5uGi2HY-dTC0uG1AKKOIXFMA8alEFzDi3F5g4am5s0rddYm8PGVSzl7TN-jYkvfLUO-v-RZCWjiSxNlNiGjq3tdcGDNCLO_vlKaDfJvvpTW_-FB71djWfJVXmZtM6p8W_neT9qP3rA/s320/Kona_finish_hands_hips.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glad that's over!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanks as always to my number 1, #supportivedude and fellow member of #TeamBlanco, aka Blanco.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM1U1j-vhyphenhyphen_82eMHWIaaSvKrtFhoTJHNJuRzV_IYABfj_nVLxZ27bQP4yQVIJ_tHy4wZTegFOzOyfEdoAPuVZF9h4hyku1_S7eyOioD8jwoObDBgRJV_cC0m_vQMPIBTXhKxmQhK_d6nQ/s1600/tri_equal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM1U1j-vhyphenhyphen_82eMHWIaaSvKrtFhoTJHNJuRzV_IYABfj_nVLxZ27bQP4yQVIJ_tHy4wZTegFOzOyfEdoAPuVZF9h4hyku1_S7eyOioD8jwoObDBgRJV_cC0m_vQMPIBTXhKxmQhK_d6nQ/s320/tri_equal.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supporting #50womentokona and TriEqual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjxYUsbJnIZUcjBg0tW1PM9tT_eFGkWyrFm5yj2ilC8H0ZrGtFKMwRXjRxfH4u6-kbViUaCkvMRShg3ZySvGxIg8_tcqxOHeUA2OKh_8ibVGoyySMQJSYeH8LrYNvVaRm3A4rhgioUffY/s1600/supportive_dude.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjxYUsbJnIZUcjBg0tW1PM9tT_eFGkWyrFm5yj2ilC8H0ZrGtFKMwRXjRxfH4u6-kbViUaCkvMRShg3ZySvGxIg8_tcqxOHeUA2OKh_8ibVGoyySMQJSYeH8LrYNvVaRm3A4rhgioUffY/s320/supportive_dude.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Supportive Dude!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyBkfDLfHtuqn6itlu6b0aYO7HZ7RTJkfgcc-lu_sWwoWF58x6NZvV7KouYHiZgYwA6bl_DE_J_zq4JCca2ZTLPtV6-P0Y90R9oOfwXmQ943L6WHVcH6zKx2azsDUq4kC6dpRYz18D0lQ/s1600/wrist_bands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyBkfDLfHtuqn6itlu6b0aYO7HZ7RTJkfgcc-lu_sWwoWF58x6NZvV7KouYHiZgYwA6bl_DE_J_zq4JCca2ZTLPtV6-P0Y90R9oOfwXmQ943L6WHVcH6zKx2azsDUq4kC6dpRYz18D0lQ/s320/wrist_bands.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#TeamBlanco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I also couldn't look this good while racing without the support of Kristin Mayer of <a href="http://www.bettydesigns.com/" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a>. Her World Champion kit and Kona 16 kits were some of her best ever designs and I was stoked to be wearing it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodcfsr7ipSONewtF38XffxbEvK3lEaqE9ucqz77CIIX783lMXWmJdlBWRXiyVvcVVZEzo0Zyu7VjUjiWxSvGxRFDHZmk3nKOcOFI1h5JPKUlEgBZHdnQtPERB1p8Z-tUjGQqP8yPp9V7v/s1600/UPR_Pia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodcfsr7ipSONewtF38XffxbEvK3lEaqE9ucqz77CIIX783lMXWmJdlBWRXiyVvcVVZEzo0Zyu7VjUjiWxSvGxRFDHZmk3nKOcOFI1h5JPKUlEgBZHdnQtPERB1p8Z-tUjGQqP8yPp9V7v/s320/UPR_Pia.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pia and I ready for the Underpants Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaic0tzPrcuFzwXZ8HJA7U7Ovc_x-Byu2A3L89AafIiWgRyP4OHRrMGAA7TinmXmoRE1qbqcPq2zGd0TJSUFjsTGiezXam7TMTnmaqEkSNK9KrYUBPc3CWmTA7J5AxjEppjQGS9xA-SKd/s1600/UPR16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaic0tzPrcuFzwXZ8HJA7U7Ovc_x-Byu2A3L89AafIiWgRyP4OHRrMGAA7TinmXmoRE1qbqcPq2zGd0TJSUFjsTGiezXam7TMTnmaqEkSNK9KrYUBPc3CWmTA7J5AxjEppjQGS9xA-SKd/s320/UPR16.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ab Show with friends from all over the country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-39048259208648770892016-09-16T17:18:00.004-07:002016-09-16T18:00:44.935-07:00Racing down under: Ironman 70.3 World Championships<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Ironman 70.3 World Championships were not originally on my radar for 2016. Ironman's decision to relocate the 70.3 championship race on an annual basis has made the 70.3 race-cation a staple on the Blanco calendar. However, this year's event in Australia would require long-haul travel just weeks before Ironman Hawaii... and team Blanco had qualified for Kona in 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It will be my 5th time racing Ironman Hawaii and while the race is usually a celebration for me and I have zero performance expectations, I take the race pretty seriously and get anxious in the weeks leading up to the race. It's a tough race that doesn't play to my strengths... hot, humid, not-wetsuit swim... all of that causes me great anxiety! The last thing I wanted to do was travel halfway across the world just a few weeks before Kona, disrupting my Ironman build and dealing with jetlag, pre-race taper and post-race recovery.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll back the clock to Oceanside 70.3 in March this year and I attended awards with my husband, mostly to chat and hang out with friends since neither Blanco or I had podiumed (I finished 6th and Blanco was 16th in his AG). I was half paying attention to the 70.3 Worlds rolldown while chatting to someone when suddenly, Blanco's name is called for a Mooloolaba slot and he thrusts his arm in the air to accept the slot. WTF? They turn to my age-group and the slot rolls down to me and suddenly I'm accepting the slot too. How the heck did this just happen? I think I turned to Blanco at the time and said something to the effect of "we just spent at least $5k!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been to Australia at least three times in the past but Blanco had never been and the country was *sorta* on our destination bucket list so once the slots were accepted, I launched into my typical travel agent, hyper-organized, planning mode and had flights booked, accommodation reserved and dinner plans with Aussie friends confirmed within days. We also had to withdraw from the Santa Cruz 70.3... I was not about to do back to back 70.3 races and this was supposed to be the year of California racing with the exception of Hawaii! I suppose I was 50% excited and 50% frustrated... LOL!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">We flew to Brisbane, via Sydney, on the Monday night prior to the Sunday race... however, crossing the international date line meant that we arrived on Wednesday morning. The travel was not without incident, we missed our connection in Sydney and then Qantas seemed to have entirely different baggage rules to United and even though our luggage was checked and paid for through Brisbane, it took some discussion to persuade the airlines that we should not have to pay twice. However, I will say that on our return flight from Brisbane, Qantas didn't bother (or forgot) to charge us for the bikes.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanco eating vegemite on toast... when down under!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was pretty stoked with our condo location... random internet search FTW! It was on the beach just 500 meters from transition and while the interior was dated to the late 80s, it didn't really lack for anything. The location also meant that on race morning, I could wander down to pump my tires, put bottles on the bike and then walk back to the condo and chill for a couple of hours before my wave... all while watching the pro swim from my balcony!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surf's Up! Day prior to race-day... those ripples are big waves</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Aussie surf had been up for the two days leading into the race and I was nervous about the surf conditions but I woke to see that the winds had shifted and the ocean was almost glassy. I lined up on the front row of my swim wave and for the most part, it was a clean and tussle-free start. However, it didn't take long to catch up to prior swim waves which dispersed the small pack I was swimming with and disrupted the rhythm a little. I was slightly worried about the surf exit but it was pretty straightforward and as I exited I saw 32 and change on my watch but with the timing mat at the end of the run up on the beach, my swim time was 33 flat.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race day sunrise and clear skies</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Transition was long at more than 750 meters and crowded with narrow lanes to pass. I reached my bike and was about to run out to the mount line and I was asked to stop as the pro men were returning from their ride and I had to let the pack of 10 or so guys go by. Once on the bike, as the second to last wave, it wasn't too crowded for the first few miles but as soon as I hit the freeway section, the packs of AG men riding in the opposite direction were huge. 50+ men per pack. Thankfully, at the back of the race, the roads were quieter for me and it was just a question of calling "on your right" as I passed by. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Plain sailing that is, until we hit the rolling hills, double loop section where we merged with athletes on the second loop. It was a cluster as I was trying to pass athletes that were passing other athletes passing others... all on fairly narrow roads without a shoulder. The steep hill was also a bit of a disaster with people on both sides of the road hiking their bikes and dropping chains. D'oh! I felt better during the hilly section as it was a chance to change up the muscles I'd been using. Also, given all the Ironman training I've been doing, I think my legs were finally starting to warm up after mile 30. Just as I finished the second loop, I passed a friend and AG competitor. It caught me by surprise as I usually swim a few minutes faster than her. Of course, my conclusion was that I must have had a bad swim and I was at the back of the age-group race. Stupid how those things mentally play with you. It turned out that she missed a loop on the bike in all the crowded confusion (along with about 50 other athletes) so I felt awful to hear that post-race</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once back on the freeway section to return to T2, the wind was strong but the wider roads made it easier to navigate traffic until we returned to town. In T2, I was excited to run but I was also anxious to find out who won the pro races. Last I had seen was my friend, Holly Lawrence, out front on the bike. As I ran out of T2, a volunteer told me that Holly had won so that was a nice little boost as I stared down 13 miles. The legs felt great and the first two miles were in hit in ~7:15-7:20 pace and felt so easy. Downhill with a tailwind will do that! </span><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elusive *both feet off the ground* shot</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I finished in 5:12 which was good enough for 10th place in my age-group after running yet another 1:45 half-marathon. 3rd time this year that I ran a 1:45. My pace is closer to a 1:42-43 but stomach issues keep costing me minutes each race. You would think I have this dialed by now... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Next up is an Olympic distance race next Sunday in Santa Cruz... the day after that, we fly to Kona for Ironman Hawaii on Saturday October 8th!</span><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWU4lpNW07yQ5Y3gOxCsuTfCQxgP8WES4Hc-88OSeq1dArb-jHcX7HDftHOkcuYa8KGF08Bmtfi6V_WadENWIargsiPwmxm_7d0Uq_In8sDmUDC8rv0dRjOBvJ-vD8jGF8bKfPG8SMe6F/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWU4lpNW07yQ5Y3gOxCsuTfCQxgP8WES4Hc-88OSeq1dArb-jHcX7HDftHOkcuYa8KGF08Bmtfi6V_WadENWIargsiPwmxm_7d0Uq_In8sDmUDC8rv0dRjOBvJ-vD8jGF8bKfPG8SMe6F/s320/IMG_0461.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner Winner! World Champion, Holly Lawrence</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race celebrations with college friend and *Team Blanco Groupie*, Helen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too many cocktails later...</td></tr>
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-50822328117637252812016-07-12T14:37:00.003-07:002016-07-12T19:13:00.150-07:00Re-finding my race mojo: Vineman 70.3 race recapI can't hide the fact that I've had a few frustrating seasons of triathlon racing recently. While some things have gone okay, I've never quite felt at home in my "racing body" since I did Kona in 2013. It has basically been three years since I felt in control in a race, rather than pushing myself to give more than I was able to give.<br />
<br />
Finally this past weekend at Vineman, I feel closer to my old self than I have in 5 years and it showed in my race performance, my self-talk during the race, the results and how I am feeling and recovering post-race.<br />
<br />
The CliffsNotes version is that after 8 attempts (I thought it was 10x but I missed more years than I realized!), I finally won my AG at Vineman 70.3, in a time that was just a minute off my best time. I still missed the elusive 5hr mark at this race, but it's given me more determination and faith that I will get it next year! Yes, I'm kicking my mid-40s in the pants :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W45-49 podium</td></tr>
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<br />
The lead-up to the race was less than perfect as a sore hamstring after every run in the last two months prompted coach <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Matt Dixon</a> and PT <a href="http://avanzaresf.com/staff" target="_blank">Mike Lord</a> to tell me to stop running for a couple of weeks pre-race. Which I mostly did. Of course, Thursday pre-race, I decided that I need to check whether I was still capable of running, so I ran a quick two miles around the block... only to leave me with a very sore hamstring. Oops!<br />
<br />
Fast forward to race day and Blanco zipped me up in the new Roka Maverick X before heading to his own swim start. I waited for my wave, chatting with Betty team-mate, Alison Keple, and excited for the day ahead. In the last few years, the swim starts for my AG wave has become less hectic as I am now one of the faster swimmers in regional races these days. I find this rather comical as I was the chick doing head-up doggy paddle too scared to put my face underwater in my first several triathlons. It's great to acknowledge that I've worked my way from a 38-40 minute swimmer to a 32-minute swimmer. People, it's possible and I thank Matt Dixon and my purplepatch lane-mates for helping me get there. High-five to lane 3 --> Sarah, Scott, Vanessa, Kathleen, and Jerome!<br />
<br />
A gal that I didn't know took off very swiftly at the start and Alison also got a gap on me, but I found myself in 3rd place, swimming calmly towards the first buoy. Things stayed that way to the end and I exited the water in 32:02, a PR for the Vineman course.<br />
<br />
Exiting the swim in 3rd, I passed Alison in transition but knew there was a woman in my AG ahead of me but had no clue who it was so would not know if I passed her. On the bike, I really wanted to take the first 10-15 miles to settle into my pace and navigate the traffic of other cyclists as safely as possible. The first 30 miles included a lot of passing as I worked my way through W30-34 and M45-49 waves that had started ahead of me. Of course, Blanco was long gone but there were plenty of other folks to pass on the winding Sonoma County roads. A solo TT effort with lots of "on your left" was pretty much the story of the bike ride until a few of the M30-34 (a couple of swim waves behind) caught me on the approach to Chalk Hill. I knew I was on track for a slower ride than the last two years as a strong headwind during the first 25 miles was out of the ordinary for the course but I still made it back to Windsor HS with a sub 2:40 bike split (barely).<br />
<br />
Time to run and this leg of the race has been a major question mark for me in the past 5 years. Would my run legs show up? Had I nailed my nutrition to get me through the next 13.1 miles?<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Jene Shaw</td></tr>
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I clicked off the first mile in just over 7:30, running at what felt to be an easy pace. Same thing happened in mile 2. In fact, I made it all the way through 7 miles with sub 8-minute miles. Yay... I was doing it. My run legs have returned... It was great to see coach Dixon on the course, Sarah Piampiano and the OC cheering crew and hear their positive comments on my run form and pace. It helped shore up my confidence.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I did not nail my race day nutrition (I was testing out eating more calories than usual) and I was paying for it by mile 8 with a potty spot that resulted in an almost 10min mile. Oops! I got back on track for the final 4 miles of the run, though my pace slipped to north of 8min/mi as I stopped ingesting more food for fear of disturbing my tummy once again.<br />
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I crossed the line and saw that it was a 5:02, stoked to race as fast as I did 5 years ago. With two waves for my age-group, I had a strong suspicion I won my wave but needed to wait for confirmation of the age-group win. I was ecstatic to check my phone after about half an hour and see the 1st place ranking against my name, with almost a 14min gap to the next gal. Betty teammate, Polly Crawford took second so it was sweet to share the podium with a fellow Betty.<br />
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I caught up with Blanco post-race and, as his coach and wife, was pumped to learn that he was off the bike in 1st place and held on for 3rd in his AG with a solid run (way better than Oceanside). We started cheering that we'd be taking home a couple of bottles of La Crema wine... except, WTC ditched the unique awards in favor of generic plaques. Boo!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIvuSIM19b4czhsKXvgHyLYpndWMM7hC2I2DU0S9rIT1bmoo7XMqQKlSYsZTi4XbFEr-43txPveblURXuJwlvQDnon0s7CNvFVlpbT4ESuA28Fk3q_jQ4XbjhRGSqO9qZto6G2pHo5irp/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIvuSIM19b4czhsKXvgHyLYpndWMM7hC2I2DU0S9rIT1bmoo7XMqQKlSYsZTi4XbFEr-43txPveblURXuJwlvQDnon0s7CNvFVlpbT4ESuA28Fk3q_jQ4XbjhRGSqO9qZto6G2pHo5irp/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#ProudCoach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next up is the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba Australia and I now find myself looking forward to it... I just need to deal with this pesky hamstring and get down to World Championship season race weight (i.e. Kona abs)!JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-63655963117596897792016-07-12T14:37:00.001-07:002016-07-12T14:37:44.008-07:00Re-finding my race mojo: Vineman 70.3 race recapI can't hide the fact that I've had a few frustrating seasons of triathlon racing recently. While some things have gone okay, I've never quite felt at home in my "racing body" since I did Kona in 2013. It has basically been three years since I felt in control in a race, rather than pushing myself to give more than I was able to give.<br />
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Finally this past weekend at Vineman, I feel closer to my old self than I have in 5 years and it showed in my race performance, my self-talk during the race, the results and how I am feeling and recovering post-race.<br />
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The Clif notes version is that after 8 attempts (I thought it was 10x but I missed more years than I realized!), I finally won my AG at Ironman Vineman, in a time that was just a minute off my best time. I still missed the elusive 5hr mark at this race, but it's given me more determination and faith that I will get it next year! Yes, I'm kicking my mid 40s in the pants :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHcYDemb2Pg0LOGQJDb58RNtgVPcq6lNsETQPpX5TZmmOegxevihlgI6CvDHlpQsNHUWoPzwRdkI1WsuS54rw-XxEVcYOwsBW7EzEn6bxzhh6y3LHSIOzsA5fKpFw7D7iHuMye_rvI4sG/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHcYDemb2Pg0LOGQJDb58RNtgVPcq6lNsETQPpX5TZmmOegxevihlgI6CvDHlpQsNHUWoPzwRdkI1WsuS54rw-XxEVcYOwsBW7EzEn6bxzhh6y3LHSIOzsA5fKpFw7D7iHuMye_rvI4sG/s320/IMG_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W45-49 podium</td></tr>
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The lead-up to the race was less than perfect as a sore hamstring after every run in the last two months prompted coach <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Matt Dixon</a> and PT <a href="http://avanzaresf.com/staff" target="_blank">Mike Lord</a> to tell me to stop running for a couple of weeks pre-race. Which I mostly did. Of course, Thursday pre-race, I decided that I need to check whether I was still capable of running, so I ran a quick two miles around the block... only to leave me with a very sore hamstring. Oops!<br />
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Fast forward to race day and Blanco zipped me up in the new Roka Maverick X before heading to his own swim start. I waited for my wave, chatting with Betty team-mate, Alison Keple, and excited for the day ahead. In the last few years, the swim starts for my AG wave has become less hectic as I find that I am now one of the faster swimmers in my wave. I find this rather comical as I was the chick doing head-up doggy paddle too scared to put my face underwater in my first several triathlons. It's great to acknowledge that I've worked my way from a 38-40 minute swimmer to a 32 minute swimmer. People, it's possible and I thank Matt Dixon and my purplepatch lane-mates for helping me get there.<br />
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A gal that I didn't know took off very swiftly at the start and Alison also got a gap on me, but I found myself in 3rd place, swimming calmly towards the first buoy. Things stayed that way to the end and I exited the water in 32:02, a PR for the Vineman course.<br />
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Exiting in swim in 3rd, I passed Alison in transition but knew there was a woman in my AG ahead of me but had no clue who it was so would not know if I passed her. On the bike, I really wanted to take the first 10-15 miles to settle into my pace and navigate the traffic of other cyclists as safely as possible. The first 30 miles included a lot of passing as I worked my way through W30-34 and M45-49 waves that had started ahead of me. Of course, Blanco was long gone but there were plenty of other folks to pass on the winding Sonoma County roads. A solo TT effort with lots of "on your left" was pretty much the story of the bike ride until a few of the M30-34 (a couple of swim waves behind) caught me on the approach to Chalk Hill. I knew I was on track for a slower ride than the last two years as a strong headwind during the first 25 miles was out of the ordinary for the course but I still made it back to Windsor HS with a sub 2:40 bike split (barely).<br />
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Run time and this leg of the race has been a major question mark for me in the past 5 years. Would my run legs show up? Had I nailed my nutrition to get me through the next 13.1 miles?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEN6hYMTQlHhopQQ6ak0MjEhoA1CqTPkakgbQofbo2mnyEwg-tDfvybTc9LhbrmfdyKJNrZG4RlJSlcn3yEg9RndD96-yjdhU2T3b8uEWrDCYmfM62WI0gxniL9A5gP1q_QdXBQmDzDBT/s1600/IMG_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEN6hYMTQlHhopQQ6ak0MjEhoA1CqTPkakgbQofbo2mnyEwg-tDfvybTc9LhbrmfdyKJNrZG4RlJSlcn3yEg9RndD96-yjdhU2T3b8uEWrDCYmfM62WI0gxniL9A5gP1q_QdXBQmDzDBT/s320/IMG_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Jene Shaw</td></tr>
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I clicked off the first mile in just over 7:30, running at what felt to be an easy pace. Same thing happened in mile 2. In fact, I made it all the way through 7 miles with sub 8 minute miles. Yay... I was doing it. My run legs have returned... It was great to see coach Dixon on the course, Sarah Piampiano and the OC cheering crew and hear their positive comments on my run form and pace. It helped shore up my confidence.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I did not nail my race day nutrition (I was testing out eating more calories than usual) and I was paying for it by mile 8 with a potty spot that resulted in an almost 10min mile. Oops! I got back on track for the final 4 miles of the run, though my pace slipped to north of 8min/mi as I stopped ingesting more food for fear of disturbing my tummy once again.<br />
<br />
I crossed the line and saw that it was a 5:02, stoked to race as fast as I did 5 years ago. With two waves for my age-group, I had a strong suspicion I won my wave but needed to wait for confirmation of the age-group win.<br />
<br />
I finally caught up with Blanco post-race and, as his coach and wife, was pumped to learn that he was off the bike in 1st place and held on for 3rd in his AG with a solid run (way better than Oceanside).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIvuSIM19b4czhsKXvgHyLYpndWMM7hC2I2DU0S9rIT1bmoo7XMqQKlSYsZTi4XbFEr-43txPveblURXuJwlvQDnon0s7CNvFVlpbT4ESuA28Fk3q_jQ4XbjhRGSqO9qZto6G2pHo5irp/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIvuSIM19b4czhsKXvgHyLYpndWMM7hC2I2DU0S9rIT1bmoo7XMqQKlSYsZTi4XbFEr-43txPveblURXuJwlvQDnon0s7CNvFVlpbT4ESuA28Fk3q_jQ4XbjhRGSqO9qZto6G2pHo5irp/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#ProudCoach</td></tr>
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Next up is the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba Australia and I now find myself looking forward to it... now just need to deal with this pesky hamstring and get down to World Championship season (i.e. Kona abs) race weight!JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-58547764832455124362016-02-11T11:33:00.001-08:002016-02-11T11:33:19.556-08:00Pura Vida in Costa Rica: Training camps for the win!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello 2016 and my 16th season of competing in triathlon! Where did the time go? I cannot express enough gratitude to the sport of triathlon and how it has helped me discover so many new and interesting things... friendships, partners, health, wellbeing, entrepreneurship, daring, competition, drive, travel... not to mention a ton of fun and laughs over the years. </div>
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I don't take any of it for granted. After 16 years, it's still exciting and fresh to plan for another new season of racing with dreams of where I might go and what I might achieve. I should probably restate that in the plural form since Blanco is always along for the ride!<br />
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The role of triathlon in my life was further underscored yesterday with a message from a Bristol University friend who just signed up for her first triathlon, crediting me with the inspiration! Given that she lives in Noosa Australia, I am sure that there are plenty of influencing factors besides me that spurred the decision... but it was a nice reminder that by sharing my passion and putting myself out there, I can help to bring others along for the ride!<br />
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For many of the past 10 years, I've invested in a training camp in the February-March time-frame to help kick-start the season's training in a focused environment and to continue my learning in the sport from fellow athletes. More often than not I have visited Tucson, AZ to train with a variety of coaches but I've also traveled to Ojai, CA and Kona, HI. This year Blanco and I decided to add an international training camp to the plan.<br />
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Given that our race schedule would be confined to the US (3x California 70.3 races and Ironman Hawaii), when friends <a href="http://bethgerdes.com/" target="_blank">Beth Gerdes</a> and <a href="http://lukemckenzie.com/" target="_blank">Luke McKenzie</a> announced a camp with RaceQuest Travel in Costa Rica, I jumped at the chance to sign up. Costa Rica had been a bucket list destination for a long time so the idea of combining swim, bike and run training with great friends in an exciting, tropical locale was a no-brainer!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxK9uhXuzWnriJJyED9EV2LNnximP9pecubwEceNzkaJ7uDk1jimfOOUefDhLWY_uQfp8iFM1FvBA1dRU8F6hEbOlzVg0g8v-c768acxnAsZ5387KkTMBtxsYtXfO1_lDy44HSf-voWUJ/s1600/day+one+bike+pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxK9uhXuzWnriJJyED9EV2LNnximP9pecubwEceNzkaJ7uDk1jimfOOUefDhLWY_uQfp8iFM1FvBA1dRU8F6hEbOlzVg0g8v-c768acxnAsZ5387KkTMBtxsYtXfO1_lDy44HSf-voWUJ/s320/day+one+bike+pose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cycling group on day 1 - Four Seasons Resort</td></tr>
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The camp was only 4.5 days long but we were busy from pre-dawn to dusk as we would set off early on the bikes to escape the heat and traffic, both of which would build as the day wore on. The roads were remarkably well maintained for Central America with pavement no worse than San Francisco and Marin County cycling. The terrain was rolling with the occasional very steep hill which was fine with my 11-28 cassette but I was definitely out of the saddle, all of my weight forward on a number of occasions! Apparently, I was also ahead of Blanco ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8eY5OpI0ojen7Kw7cmJ6Bg7oOP2S9-haZk9-KvCidq80iFBrtKk5mD9IXjVybLjYmEd1N9yt_03JoKgfAmCNtXCi2ms53AJgG9PklBmdn17e0-Jbg9mox9UizJmWBEznivI3MZiCqIZN/s1600/Jordan+beating+Blanco+uphill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8eY5OpI0ojen7Kw7cmJ6Bg7oOP2S9-haZk9-KvCidq80iFBrtKk5mD9IXjVybLjYmEd1N9yt_03JoKgfAmCNtXCi2ms53AJgG9PklBmdn17e0-Jbg9mox9UizJmWBEznivI3MZiCqIZN/s320/Jordan+beating+Blanco+uphill.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the saddle! 2min power of 285w </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLowOJTvAxRt1hVvtU2EoaCMeAIBWIBmaFxeilrwaOtak1Kaabpt2p0AGnv4xtLF45cmq-mawwgJhGNtw3OyUKXyVXGWrQmS908i9IE4jK554MC7Cr-MVE4eS7QaC98jb8oNzOwSq1Gzph/s1600/team+blanco+costa+rica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLowOJTvAxRt1hVvtU2EoaCMeAIBWIBmaFxeilrwaOtak1Kaabpt2p0AGnv4xtLF45cmq-mawwgJhGNtw3OyUKXyVXGWrQmS908i9IE4jK554MC7Cr-MVE4eS7QaC98jb8oNzOwSq1Gzph/s320/team+blanco+costa+rica.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green hills in spite of the Costa Rican dry season.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9uhy1Zy0kXbnChA6lKq8nySIfSgzFr7fxFU4iRg3N4ddZQRwRrMrKst44spUANHIUIOswWTi4OX5KFO2V4fCIg1WoT2Z42cLpuSmNxcqmiC8Idpwxq6lx1PUbvEX3PG0q_R_FmznH1f8/s1600/pack+climbing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9uhy1Zy0kXbnChA6lKq8nySIfSgzFr7fxFU4iRg3N4ddZQRwRrMrKst44spUANHIUIOswWTi4OX5KFO2V4fCIg1WoT2Z42cLpuSmNxcqmiC8Idpwxq6lx1PUbvEX3PG0q_R_FmznH1f8/s320/pack+climbing.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steeper than it looks! 1min power >300w</td></tr>
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Running included some sandy trails, beach runs and loops of the local neighborhood as well as some parking lot drills that speedster coach Beth put us through! What's more is that Beth and Luke were very open about their training plans and what works for them and the athletes they coach. As an athlete and coach (to Blanco and a few others), I love to bounce ideas around with coaches to compare notes and understand what works for different folks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG7tK2ViqDAAjqP9DoRkKZMxVYfzLHpUXVj_iYyLVIzVWBvzpRfUMWg_zSWbKGfdxJTddzCnt4rGpjv52CoJHxYrC9nWGyKPEurj9MDde8kB7tByRjUU2w609mu1X1t2lMGCytCvenp6o/s1600/luke+blanco+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG7tK2ViqDAAjqP9DoRkKZMxVYfzLHpUXVj_iYyLVIzVWBvzpRfUMWg_zSWbKGfdxJTddzCnt4rGpjv52CoJHxYrC9nWGyKPEurj9MDde8kB7tByRjUU2w609mu1X1t2lMGCytCvenp6o/s320/luke+blanco+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dusty trails in the zip lining eco-park </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2y6zs0iyrgWQ2JYbVhSyd50fBxHKrV3eajKbjRayD7juKxCumrY0SSnjumN1M0E6sDSpcfP1jn3NflTbbgxjky8QR7gRvvEc_bz9D-PDweqD2c1yhC2uzvzLOOE81KVq8qf9QUfImSEO/s1600/trail+run+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2y6zs0iyrgWQ2JYbVhSyd50fBxHKrV3eajKbjRayD7juKxCumrY0SSnjumN1M0E6sDSpcfP1jn3NflTbbgxjky8QR7gRvvEc_bz9D-PDweqD2c1yhC2uzvzLOOE81KVq8qf9QUfImSEO/s320/trail+run+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run group</td></tr>
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While we were lacking a lap pool in the Ocotal area where we were staying, a local resort did have a 33m pool which was perfect for a technique session led by Luke... it was also just right for splashing around with Wynne McKenzie as well :) However, you don't really need a lap pool when the Pacific Ocean is just a few hundred yards from your condo door. On the last day of camp, we took a boat trip two miles around the coastline from where we were staying... with the sole purpose of jumping off and swimming back home! Fatigue had caught up with me by this point in the camp so it was not my best swim but I did make it to shore safely, in spite of many tiny jelly fish stings. Ouch!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlDI5lWBoGImXkxb6-TnqAm9QwCdqhj6c9xzl7kDOX6bkd9U9vXQCxFBPkQCMSLE55ogj3FKY7Dw2nuSBporT6kdz-1j5XzG6udpgL2JTrbE1SncNcLOTQcpJX3nBaHbDpntqMMJPvjIv/s1600/blanco+crocodile+eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlDI5lWBoGImXkxb6-TnqAm9QwCdqhj6c9xzl7kDOX6bkd9U9vXQCxFBPkQCMSLE55ogj3FKY7Dw2nuSBporT6kdz-1j5XzG6udpgL2JTrbE1SncNcLOTQcpJX3nBaHbDpntqMMJPvjIv/s320/blanco+crocodile+eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanco practicing "crocodile eyes"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDchPyRnIgKas-8mzhcLsBSTewNLoQFOOQHZkjBwYWGXirDs84BAI6nAPyGTVsAgDpUphFGmKq9LS5MN3nmjZgii_QhudX-wltIX9x-bCIpuyPSIEHu9zrrJ9gpLi1VsuGcUizAppggkDC/s1600/Luke+Bike+Talk+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDchPyRnIgKas-8mzhcLsBSTewNLoQFOOQHZkjBwYWGXirDs84BAI6nAPyGTVsAgDpUphFGmKq9LS5MN3nmjZgii_QhudX-wltIX9x-bCIpuyPSIEHu9zrrJ9gpLi1VsuGcUizAppggkDC/s320/Luke+Bike+Talk+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33 meter resort pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYr9MrkS9sUMD_I1KgpYIYx2V-rjFTOlLhshgz_KhIqsD4eqrB2XDJguQoauoxaoYujkYYrOUj4h6QsSqaRKFlwFasvBlRL4plm9E8gBW-PfiCYJzhRyDh8yK6UF0pbu-ceXzcNJjyyW0/s1600/beth+SUP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYr9MrkS9sUMD_I1KgpYIYx2V-rjFTOlLhshgz_KhIqsD4eqrB2XDJguQoauoxaoYujkYYrOUj4h6QsSqaRKFlwFasvBlRL4plm9E8gBW-PfiCYJzhRyDh8yK6UF0pbu-ceXzcNJjyyW0/s320/beth+SUP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open water point-to-point swim - Beth on the SUP</td></tr>
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The days flew by and by the time we had to pack up to head home, I was kicking myself that I didn't tack on an extra day at the end of the camp to see a little bit more of Costa Rica. I know Blanco would have loved a visit to the surf beaches of Tamarindo... and I would have been happy to sit on the beach and watch him surf!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaMgXyOhSQTfMzN4CrB7Z1kIwwhKJgJVEkTzIrtxnDXBIT351M9yVDxuPLaMMUSDLODlcTb_TQ1_OZnbrhenQcps2peySIIl6xflOcvHkg8m9uM61pkSDesS6d1VtXKiz1TVKR0nY6JS_/s1600/zipline+top+of+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaMgXyOhSQTfMzN4CrB7Z1kIwwhKJgJVEkTzIrtxnDXBIT351M9yVDxuPLaMMUSDLODlcTb_TQ1_OZnbrhenQcps2peySIIl6xflOcvHkg8m9uM61pkSDesS6d1VtXKiz1TVKR0nY6JS_/s320/zipline+top+of+hill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zip lining group at Diamante Eco-park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlMDt08Sc5v_adl7DcFrqXj1g_AqUW6yr7bD65bZowQyDRMN_KApgEvGOAD75ljtOROosivymngxkM8-6KYjNK7Vux2MIp5fiAweGgL7hNIkCJWTaoVpvVKqP48FX-pvO0HZwT_mhivrl/s1600/beth+and+luke+superman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlMDt08Sc5v_adl7DcFrqXj1g_AqUW6yr7bD65bZowQyDRMN_KApgEvGOAD75ljtOROosivymngxkM8-6KYjNK7Vux2MIp5fiAweGgL7hNIkCJWTaoVpvVKqP48FX-pvO0HZwT_mhivrl/s320/beth+and+luke+superman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2x Superman - Beth & Luke tackle the 1mile zipline</td></tr>
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Now I'm back home in San Francisco and my body and mind are absorbing the camp experience and appreciating the value of spending time in a new environment while investing in my swim, bike and run skills. 16 years into the sport and I continue to learn lots about myself and my body on the triathlon journey.<br />
<br />
I have one more training camp planned for the first half of my triathlon season and it will be here in San Francisco and Marin County. <b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">purplepatch fitness</a> </b>is repeating its successful <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/blog/womens_tri_camp" target="_blank">women's camp</a> from 2015 with a 3 day triathlon camp based in the Bay Area on April 22nd-24th. While we will be swimming and running, this camp is particularly good for anyone wanting to work on their cycling skills in a gorgeous place to ride bikes. The camp also includes nutrition and health seminars focused specifically on women... Check out the details <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/train-with-us/camps-clinics/2016-women%E2%80%99s-tri-camp" target="_blank">here</a> or message me with any questions!<br />
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-26106155497809544812015-10-27T14:41:00.003-07:002015-10-28T20:08:30.031-07:00Muy caliente! Theme of the day at Ironman Los Cabos 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, hello blog! I've been neglecting you... I guess I have book-ended my
season on the blog by writing about Oceanside and then finishing up with my
last race of the season, Ironman Los Cabos, and skipping everything in the
middle! That's not because there wasn't anything to say... in fact, I've been
on a fact-finding, problem-solving mission all season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you checked in this time last year, I'd just gone through a series of
blood tests to reveal I was "hormonally depleted". Unfortunately, it
takes a while to build back one's hormone levels and iron levels, let alone
feel fit! It hasn't been a straightforward path either... I was on track in
late March and early April but I didn't realize that I hadn't been absorbing
the iron I was taking very well so by mid-July (Vineman) I was back to being
slightly anemic and struggling to run at anything approaching what I would
consider race pace. Thankfully, my doctor diagnosed the problem quickly,
suggested a different iron supplement that got me back on track... I bounced
back enough to take an AG win and third overall amateur in PR time at a local
Olympic race (Santa Cruz). I even managed 6x 7:30min miles in a row!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ironman Los Cabos had been on my radar ever since they announced the move
from March to late October... It had all the attributes that I was looking for
to try and qualify for my 5th Ironman Hawaii... Easy travel from San Francisco,
ability to qualify almost a year in advance, wetsuit swim, challenging bike
course, fairly flat run and high temperatures forecast in the low 80s. Of
course, what looks good on paper doesn't always pan out in reality. The reality
for this particular race was temperatures in the mid 90s and water temperature
of 82f making it a non-wetsuit swim. This was not playing to my perceived
strengths. However, I did remind myself that, as an experienced athlete (my
11th Ironman), I was prepared to handle whatever the day threw at me and my
mantra would be to #prevail.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dinner at Flora Farms a few nights pre-race</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fun to be racing with so many girlfriends - Barb, Rachel, Pia, Tatiana and Laura.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was my first experience of a rolling swim start and I ran down the beach
into the water into the surf alongside my friend and bike phenom, Pia Scaroni.
Of course, right as we hit the water's edge, a breaker hit so I waited briefly
to time the next wave (note to self: should probably practice these surf beach
starts a little more). Thereafter, the swim was a bit of a cluster. It was 400
meters to the first turn buoy and as I got close, the pack I was swimming with
started veering left, whereas, the buoy was over to the right. A paddle-boarder
was yelling something but I couldn't make it out... not wanting to cut the
course, I continued on my path to the turn buoy. Next thing I see is a jetski
dragging the buoy back to it's rightful spot ~150meters back to my left! That
was just the first of three buoys that became detached during the course of the
swim causing my swim to be quite the zig-zag! I was seriously expecting my swim
time to register as 1hr 20mins or more as it felt like I had been in the choppy
water forever, so I was shocked to see a swim time of 1:06, a PR for me and in
a swimskin no less! Was it short… nope. Garmin has me swimming over 4,000m. We
did have a current assist on the way in, but that is balanced by swimming into
the chop on the way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Net result is
that I think my swimming has improved a lot by working with Matt Dixon and
swimming 4,000yards+ 3 times a week with a great crew of lane-mates. Thank you
lane 3!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Once on the bike, I noticed the heat immediately as we climbed out of
Palmilla beach and onto the highway. I felt crappy for the first 30+ miles and
I even stopped to check whether my rear tire was flat. My watts were lower than
I had planned and it seemed that people (including a few other women) were flying by me. While my alter ego inner voice was telling me to just quit now, it was not going to be a good day, I knew better than to judge myself during the first few hours of racing. It was merely a bad patch and I hoped that I would come around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The course has two
out and back sections to make an L-shaped course that you repeat twice. The
first leg of the L is an out and back to Cabo San Lucas from San Jose El Cabo
on a rolling highway. There was a slight headwind on the way out and a tailwind
on the way back, which made the return trip feel particularly hot. The second leg of the L
is a big climb and descent to and from the airport. As I hit this section, my legs
had started to come around and I was feeling much better, perhaps aided by some
occasional cloud cover. However, I also made a course error, missing the
turnaround adding a couple of minutes to my time on the bike (d’oh!) so that
made me a little frustrated too! I had seen that <a href="http://gosonja.com/" target="_blank">Sonja Wieck</a> wasn’t too far ahead so
it lifted my spirits a little to see a familiar face that I could work on
catching. It took me all of the airport section and the outward-bound leg to
Cabo San Lucas to catch up to Sonja. I felt great on this stretch and my watts
were on target and I was in a happy place. However, hitting the turnaround in
Cabo for a second time and heading back to San Jose, the tailwind and the accompanying heat hit
me again. By this time, I was riding with Sonja and we tag teamed this section
at legal distance, along with an Argentine rider who refused to leave Sonja’s
wheel… he was stuck like glue! The pattern of how I was feeling repeated itself and as
we hit the airport section, my legs started to feel better. I gapped Sonja on the hill but was still losing time to Pia, who was way ahead at the front of the
race with a scooter and camera escort!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I got off the bike after 5:45 and as I came out of transition, the crowds told me
that I was in 3<sup>rd</sup> place overall for the women. There was zero shade on the first 4
mile out and back section in town… the sun was high in the sky and not a cloud
to be seen, just as we had had for the past few days in Cabo. Staying cool was
my number one priority so each aid station (approx. every km) I dumped at least
two cups of ice cold water on my head. For the first run lap, I ate a Clif Blok
with water each mile and ran through the aid stations barely slowing enough to grab
cups of water. Sonja and one other person passed me but it was generally men
around me. Lap two was equally hot and as I came through town again and saw
friends, Barb and her boyfriend Rod, I whined that I wasn’t even halfway
through the run. Of course, they dismissed my whines and told me I looked great and just needed to keep
moving forwards… as good friends do! They also told me that Blanco was winning his AG
which helped boost my mood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">My pace was slowing rapidly… I kept lap one under 9min/mi pace but lap two
was sliding closer to 10min/mi pace. I had seen that third place in my AG, Alana Kennedy-Nasser (whom I met at the start of the race and Pia had mentioned to me that she was a great runner), was a
good 20mins behind me during lap one but I hadn’t seen her since. My mind vacillated between wanting to just be over and done and stopping on the side of the road and knowing that I was still in second place and a Kona slot was on the line.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lap three required
complete mental focus for me… I wanted to quit but I was so deep into the race
and still in second place that I had no good reason to quit besides being
tired. Heck, "tired" is never a good reason <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Times; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Times; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">to quit!</span></span> With daylight savings time, the sun had set as I
neared the end of lap 3 and while I appreciated the cooler conditions, my body was
struggling to maintain 11min/mi pace. So slow! At the final turnaround with a
mile or so to go, I noticed several women behind me but I was no longer sure
what lap they were on. I also had still not seen Alana. Regardless, seeing women running close to me was enough of a mental kick up the arse to
rally my pace as much as possible and get to that finish line <i>pronto</i>. I managed an 8 min last mile and crossed the line in 11hrs 23mins and was announced as 6<sup>th</sup>
overall female. Good "note to self" that even though I thought I was pushing,
there’s definitely more in me… I need to take that thought with me into races
next season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">After crossing the finish line, I was sitting having my chip removed when
Alana crossed the line and came through the finish chute. I
overheard her husband tell her she had finished in 2<sup>nd</sup> place. I knew
that Pia had won the AG, so did that mean that I had placed third? I wondered
if the rolling start had put her ahead of me… though we were close together at
the start line so that that didn’t necessarily make sense. Shoot... 3rd place was likely not a Kona slot :(</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">A sweet Mexican man, Antonio, was helping me navigate the finish area and
assist me through the "behind the scenes" maze of massage, food, finisher t-shirts
and medical when Blanco found me and confirmed that he had won his age-group but that he didn’t know my placing. I told him that I was 6<sup>th</sup>
overall and that I must have placed third, feeling slightly despondent as
I figured there would only be two Kona slots. We collected our bikes and gear and
wandered over to a bar to regroup with Barb and Rod. Rod was kind enough to
lend me his phone so I could review the results… I was marked down as a DNF…
which made no sense. WTF??? I briefly wondered if my extra excursion on the bike had
triggered something but I had actually ridden an extra half-mile so again that couldn’t be an issue?!? When we finally got back to our condo and I could
access my phone, I found Michael Lovato’s email address (pure luck that I had
it and he was announcing the race here in Cabo) and shot him a quick note to
ask who I should reach out to about the DNF. Thankfully, Michael responded very
quickly to confirm that the timing team had me down as finished and that the
results would reflect my 2<sup>nd</sup> place just as soon as the servers
refreshed. Phew! That was about an hour of stress that I could have done
without but I’m glad it all got resolved in the end!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">With 40 Kona slots and the biggest female age-group, W40-44, I figured we
would have two slots but I didn’t want to celebrate until it was confirmed the
following day. With Blanco’s age-group win and my second place, we did indeed both qualify for Kona and Team Blanco will be toeing the line at the 2016 Ironman World
Championships in Hawaii! A slot from W65-69 also rolled down to W40-44 so Alana got a well deserved slot, especially since we finished so close together.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Hello off-season!</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKDFan1BNrk5OYm9p_UcZvG0Gext6WIhZBcH6jJCJ4W5B4Z_9UNvyoXk3ojkwUCnncgxjCPadvtckn4QAKW0DhHp91BVJcnhz9wPXUIgOaCY6FqFyfhoYFjFMO5C3zTeof2nerOO3-H3q/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKDFan1BNrk5OYm9p_UcZvG0Gext6WIhZBcH6jJCJ4W5B4Z_9UNvyoXk3ojkwUCnncgxjCPadvtckn4QAKW0DhHp91BVJcnhz9wPXUIgOaCY6FqFyfhoYFjFMO5C3zTeof2nerOO3-H3q/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pia on top of the podium, me in 2nd and Alana in 3rd #Kona16</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD901iTVKqhi-NPgoTe39_iJ0AC8P0v8HAtzhW6J6LkLPm66XfkyR2i0wQqagbM35hiMwkELknVxLV_XZvY8fFrvIvKwDvrwjaeXHbmorGH57c7RWI80jJ8aw8RGYQN_zaeQO35pki_AJb/s1600/IMG_6293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD901iTVKqhi-NPgoTe39_iJ0AC8P0v8HAtzhW6J6LkLPm66XfkyR2i0wQqagbM35hiMwkELknVxLV_XZvY8fFrvIvKwDvrwjaeXHbmorGH57c7RWI80jJ8aw8RGYQN_zaeQO35pki_AJb/s320/IMG_6293.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official confirmation of Kona 2016</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvadxXgkScSQ4DUy7k2CXxZ6eINmawIPFjpFC8qKlxfi-lj_Mx3WahGzqg8D5UT6w1BmD_frsVC0TjSeBBHis-Vy00CGc99rwjO0IKR3gm4zhINMgZ4fNUNcXh1LWnWYTNdkmSot0z-I-/s1600/IMG_6294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvadxXgkScSQ4DUy7k2CXxZ6eINmawIPFjpFC8qKlxfi-lj_Mx3WahGzqg8D5UT6w1BmD_frsVC0TjSeBBHis-Vy00CGc99rwjO0IKR3gm4zhINMgZ4fNUNcXh1LWnWYTNdkmSot0z-I-/s320/IMG_6294.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanco crushed his AG (again!) winning by over 20mins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcEa1PNuBqbyKoevCWFh3eGciw3UT2aw_SxIgVw5M-dAquItYMdKjr_HUyZxSJBfMGFaLXhx3lhFK6Y9DAE0aof4VgIxdjS8qPuDmE2NNWzQDzRnNfH1Y5Xpvi0DVUPNg4esEkZOUuRbz/s1600/IMG_6323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcEa1PNuBqbyKoevCWFh3eGciw3UT2aw_SxIgVw5M-dAquItYMdKjr_HUyZxSJBfMGFaLXhx3lhFK6Y9DAE0aof4VgIxdjS8qPuDmE2NNWzQDzRnNfH1Y5Xpvi0DVUPNg4esEkZOUuRbz/s320/IMG_6323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Blanco bringing home the trophies!</td></tr>
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-78815010962707119842015-03-30T10:04:00.003-07:002015-03-30T10:28:20.662-07:008th time's the charm - Oceanside 70.3 race reportSaturday was my 8th time racing at Ironman California 70.3 and it was my fastest outing yet! Does that make me a slow learner?<br />
<br />
Six months ago, I felt that my triathlon racing was on a decline and that improvements were no longer a possibility for me. I felt as if I was working incredibly hard, being smart about training but I continued to get more fatigued and slower. It just didn't make sense. Thankfully, I found an amazing <a href="http://www.boulderpeakhealth.com/" target="_blank">doctor</a> who spent hours with me to figure out what was going on hormonally in my body. We did blood, saliva, urine testing until she had a complete picture of what was working... and what was clearly not working. I wrote about some of the findings <a href="http://jbtriathlon.blogspot.com/2014_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
From October to January, I trained relatively lightly but really eased back on swim, bike and run in order to allow my body some rest and recovery... if I didn't feel like riding on Saturday morning, I would skip it and spend the day on the couch and not feel guilty about it either. It was as much mental recovery as anything.<br />
<br />
At the beginning of January, I was back on the plan with Matt Dixon of <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">purplepatch fitness</a>. I can't say enough great things about how Matt supported me when I was feeling less than stellar last year and believed that there was a solution besides "getting older and slower"!<br />
<br />
While training for Oceanside had been going fairly well, I did have a few hiccoughs in the final weeks of preparation. I'm noting them, not to make excuses, but as a reminder of the details that go into training and racing for triathlon.<br />
<br />
<b>Bike fit </b>- I made the switch from a Specialized Sitero saddle to an ISM saddle in February and worked with <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/train-with-us/individual-coaching/become-better-biker" target="_blank">Paul Buick</a> to refit my bike position. Unfortunately, I was experiencing excruciating back pain after 2 or so hours of riding. After the Tucson camp experience in early March, I did a couple of 3-4hr rides in San Francisco pain-free... the difference? Blanco had accidentally rebuilt my bike in a higher saddle position... which turned out to be better for my back but didn't compromise my pedaling.<br />
<br />
<b>Synovitis</b> - I have been experiencing tenderness in my left foot that made it painful to run for much more than 45-60 minutes. While a podiatrist recommended new orthotics to try and relieve the pressure, they didn't work as were merely treating the symptom and not the root cause. In contrast, chiropractor, <a href="http://avanzaresf.com/staff" target="_blank">Mike Lord</a>, has helped me strengthen my foot so that I was able to race pain-free.<br />
<br />
That was an incredibly long preamble to a race report!<br />
<br />
Saturday morning dawned misty and foggy and while the temperatures were not cold, I was slightly worried while setting up in transition that I might be underdressed for the bike ride. My wave departed at 7:17am, the first female AG wave, and luckily by that time, the sun had begun to break through... and the wind began picking up too!<br />
<br />
The swim start was uneventful as I was barely touched getting off the start line and had clear water to the first buoy. That *space* did not last as I quickly caught up with prior waves (just 3mins between waves) and the swim course began to feel incredibly crowded. Swimming up, over, around back strokers, breast strokers and strokes that I couldn't name. The swim felt fairly rough near the turnaround point where the water is less protected by the harbour wall so that's my justification for a slower swim than last year... 34:36 was 16 seconds slower. I was vaguely disappointed with the swim time but I've been in this sport long enough to dismiss my time and "move on".<br />
<br />
I was excited for the bike. With the exception of being sick in early March (end of Tucson camp), riding had been going well. I'd even ridden with purplepatch pros <a href="http://hollylawrence.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Holly Lawrence</a>, <a href="http://eklidbury.co.uk/" target="_blank">Emma-Kate Lidbury</a> and <a href="http://sarahcameto.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Cameto</a> the weekend prior and didn't get spit out the back on the hills... though they were riding easy! The goal was to focus on 190-200w and ride closer to 230-240w on the hills. That seemed fairly reasonable given recent training. I felt like I was flying on the bike in the first hour, you always do on the flat terrain with the tailwind out to Christianitos Road. However, my back started to hurt and I when I hit the first climb on the course around mile 28, I realized that I couldn't climb seated because my saddle height had slipped. I felt as if I was riding like a circus clown! I ended up riding the hill out of the saddle, asking the guys around me if I could borrow a multi-tool since I wasn't carrying one. A very sweet gentleman offered to stop as he wanted to stretch his legs and he kindly loaned me the allen key so I could raise the saddle ~2" and tighten it up a lot more. I was on the side of the road for about 2 minutes so not a big deal but I had lost the guy (51 year old Roger!) that had been riding legally back and forth with me. Back on the bike, I set about making it back to Oceanside as quickly as possible. I really wanted to ride sub 2:40 on this course as I had never done so. With about 5-6 miles to go I pass a guy and all I hear is "she's back... way to go Jordan" and I realize that I have caught back up to Roger... it made me laugh and I really appreciated his cheers and support.<br />
<br />
Back into Oceanside town and I glanced at my watch and saw that sub 2:40 was happening, and the actual bike split was 2:38:50... but I did slightly curse myself for the pesky 2 minutes on the side of the road fixing the saddle... I had under-tightened the saddle when adjusting it the day prior.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike file for Oceanside - 190w average power</td></tr>
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Once onto the run, I felt pretty good... the on course support is pretty amazing at Oceanside and I can't possibly list everyone that was cheering but thanks to <a href="http://bethgerdes.com/" target="_blank">Beth</a> and <a href="http://lukemckenzie.com/" target="_blank">Luke</a>, <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Kristin Mayer</a>, Monica Moreno, Jen Temperley, Stephanie Artis, Libby Bradley, Ben Travis, <a href="http://jdunkle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Julie Dunkle</a> and many others that called my name or shared a word of encouragement.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: Luke McKenzie</td></tr>
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The first four miles went well and I was on pace... my spirits were lifted seeing Holly running behind the 3rd place female pro bike guide... she was having a fantastic race. The middle miles seemed to be my undoing and I think I was a little undernourished. I hit the coke at the aid stations earlier than I typically would... which turned out to upset my stomach in the final miles... oops! I definitely need to work on the longer run... now the foot is better, I should be able to do so!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ragged looking run form but great kit! photo credit: Jen Temperley</td></tr>
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I saw plenty of people I knew out on the run course but as usual I was completely oblivious of how I was doing in my AG. I hadn't ridden close to any girls and I had not seen anyone ahead of me on the run course so when I hit the final chute and seeing my total time of 5:07, I figured I was probably top five in my age-group. It was a nice surprise to hear Mike Reilly announce me as the first female age-grouper across the finish line... which must mean that I had won my AG... it got me a little excited!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40-44 podium - finally an AG win at a 70.3 race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a hug from Rachelle Jorgensen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race celebrations with Jesse Thomas</td></tr>
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While I am a <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a> athlete and I raced in the awesomely bright new Betty kit, I chose to wear the <a href="http://www.triequal.com/#!brands/cwbg" target="_blank">#50womentokona</a> t-shirt on the podium... of course, paired with a Betty Designs trucker hat! In case you missed the announcement last Friday, I am a founding member of <a href="http://www.triequal.com/" target="_blank">TriEqual</a>, an organization dedicated to fairness and equality in triathlon. Our first goal is to get equal slots for female and male professionals at World Championship races but we have a broader goal of achieving access and diversity in triathlon for all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's pro podium plus some Supportive dudes wearing #50womentokona tees!</td></tr>
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Huge thanks to Blanco, my main squeeze, for letting me follow my passions. To Matt Dixon for his support and coaching knowledge. To Kate Ligler for helping to make me strong. To Kiki Silver for helping me get healthy. To the entire Purplepatch community, pros and amateurs, that provide so much support in training and racing. To <a href="http://sagmonkey.com/" target="_blank">SagMonkey</a> for taking care of me all weekend. To Jess of <a href="http://www.harmonybar.net/" target="_blank">Harmony Bars</a> for making the best tasting bar ever. To Kristin Mayer of <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a> for making the best and brightest looking kit.<br />
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-58516610244181674562015-03-22T19:41:00.003-07:002015-03-22T19:52:41.241-07:00#50womentokona + it's time for me to race! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spent most of my Saturday afternoon and evening with the Ironman Melbourne coverage projected on the TV, hitting refresh on Ironman's Athlete Tracker and running math on estimated finish times and placings... and then messaging this information to friends on course. Well, actually messaging back and forth with Luke McKenzie because I was mostly interested in Beth Gerdes' placing. I was betting on top 5. And I was right! Beth placed 5th overall in the race, ahead of World Champions, Ironman Champions and Olympic medallists. She had a fantastic race which included the fastest female run split! That's not the only fantastic race she's had recently either... She took 5th place at Ironman Malyasia (just 4 months after giving birth to daughter, Wynne) and 4th place at Ironman Western Australia (she ran a 2:58!) and 2nd place at Ironman 70.3 Philippines. In fact, she's racked up some 4,500 points in the Kona Pro Ranking, the system that ranks professional triathletes that are seeking entry to the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Btw, that's a lot of points! However, even after those amazing results, she still probably falls short of the ~5,000 points she will need "as a female pro" to qualify. If she were a guy, she'd probably only need ~4,000 points. That's because there are only 35 female pros slots versus 50 male pro slots in Kona. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgmux6T8gtRlU_j_Q3Kvv1h4jzKZJze4t5hGF3OBlw8V5ecHS0CB2BH63IJYNQ2hlp2n9XZyzxT56hAfopFeSk5dLM6mJl2oUcvDtyLz4e99ESpVOdtsHhpfdtM89kKPO0Gwl8p2vf7fA/s1600/luke+&+beth+at+IMM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgmux6T8gtRlU_j_Q3Kvv1h4jzKZJze4t5hGF3OBlw8V5ecHS0CB2BH63IJYNQ2hlp2n9XZyzxT56hAfopFeSk5dLM6mJl2oUcvDtyLz4e99ESpVOdtsHhpfdtM89kKPO0Gwl8p2vf7fA/s1600/luke+&+beth+at+IMM.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth with her partner and biggest fan, Luke McKenzie (photo: Delly Carr)</td></tr>
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This is why the #50womentokona is tremendously important to me... it bothers me that Beth Gerdes, as a pro triathlete has to spend more money, take more risks and race more races for a shot at qualifying for Kona as a pro, relative to her male partner, Luke McKenzie. She's one of the women that might just be ranked #36-50 in Ironman's KPR at the end of this season... one of the 15 women that, even though she raced more and scored more points than many of the men, falls short because Ironman has a policy of inequality at the professional level of our sport. Of course, it's not just about Beth, it's about all the other talented female professional triathletes that are training hard, racing hard and raising the level of competition in the sport. Heck, the women's race was easily the most entertaining viewing yesterday with podium placings being decided in the finishing chute... after 9 hours of hard racing! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium tees - would love to see the Pro podium wearing these at California 70.3 next weekend!</td></tr>
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On Wednesday, I am flying down to San Diego (solo - Blanco is racing an Xterra in Folsom) in order to race the Ironman California 70.3 for my 8th time. The last year has been challenging, dealing with health/hormone issues but I think I finally have everything under control and I'm feeling much better than I did just a few months ago. The details of the road to recovery deserve a separate blog but to suffice to say that I'm excited to race and see what my body will give me next Saturday.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD0RTBZff_k9HaBQMf74HEVJUcMdeiEWeLe7jF8yw9UaD_M6JuFcQ09pTVG4hrwMotqH_ooOEGP7IOassFzPE9X1yZ-cnwUExjcHVxFnV67_v3vJHq6J6vrvdwZzxmVP_AZ_u7AQ8dzwF/s1600/jordan+and+amy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD0RTBZff_k9HaBQMf74HEVJUcMdeiEWeLe7jF8yw9UaD_M6JuFcQ09pTVG4hrwMotqH_ooOEGP7IOassFzPE9X1yZ-cnwUExjcHVxFnV67_v3vJHq6J6vrvdwZzxmVP_AZ_u7AQ8dzwF/s1600/jordan+and+amy.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Betty matchy-match</td></tr>
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Training has been on a mostly positive trajectory since completing the Coast Ride in January with some good work recently in Tucson at the Hillary Biscay Smash Camp, chasing the GCM (Maik Twelsiek) and Blanco on the bike, as well as meeting up with fellow Betty Designs athlete, Amy, and other great friends.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemmon climb when I started to get sick :(</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, towards the end of camp, I started to get sick, and while I was hoping to shake it within a few days, it ended up being 10 days of laying low, backing off training and taking things fairly easy. Fortunately, I started to come around last week and got back into the the swing of things. Some wonderful late winter weather in California helped, as well as the rockstar Purplepatch pros that I get to train with (behind)... btw, they might also be some of the #36-50 women too! #50womentokona</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jHDwKzrln9YhkJ30OerC-wr16RzQ858Wxmgah7umJSCLZsrWozzuxJYmvJsKs1z7s7et_DHAVomilF0E1vl-u5a2nWSjUeh1EY0k1Gx6GnB94T0X8Ue5F_8V4eaffDBnqRDNS_yJJZbv/s1600/jordan+and+pp+pros.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jHDwKzrln9YhkJ30OerC-wr16RzQ858Wxmgah7umJSCLZsrWozzuxJYmvJsKs1z7s7et_DHAVomilF0E1vl-u5a2nWSjUeh1EY0k1Gx6GnB94T0X8Ue5F_8V4eaffDBnqRDNS_yJJZbv/s1600/jordan+and+pp+pros.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">75f and sunny in winter - riding with fellow Brits, Holly Lawrence and Laura Siddall</td></tr>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-59560825995205941992015-01-31T08:28:00.003-08:002015-02-03T18:46:47.036-08:00100 things about me... you may or may not have known!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvFtOeP5BQDmueVAWuBDDHiocwDfNqdqnOtP9BIEOoXNN24_4YmutNZU2MnuLd0j-Masl29FglzxwSj38H9BYFS8M-pn3p5OiUImpRgWZ6t5Lp8j2g1qz8h1N1nn8qGRIMorG3c8RTuO2/s1600/wine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvFtOeP5BQDmueVAWuBDDHiocwDfNqdqnOtP9BIEOoXNN24_4YmutNZU2MnuLd0j-Masl29FglzxwSj38H9BYFS8M-pn3p5OiUImpRgWZ6t5Lp8j2g1qz8h1N1nn8qGRIMorG3c8RTuO2/s1600/wine.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine: NZ sauvignon blanc, Sancerre and Falanghina</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrswLYgSe7U6TjxjQX8QQGp3TIpSKJr3AYiKnS-dxDTat1X-TntiXZ95DaZspZxmZrMXP7wpsutN6cBZ-h13QQ5vgO8lu_0K0RD_ttWzUU53CAbPBbJ5Z5bEtJJLGbb4RV8Z1mERfbMKZ8/s1600/JR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrswLYgSe7U6TjxjQX8QQGp3TIpSKJr3AYiKnS-dxDTat1X-TntiXZ95DaZspZxmZrMXP7wpsutN6cBZ-h13QQ5vgO8lu_0K0RD_ttWzUU53CAbPBbJ5Z5bEtJJLGbb4RV8Z1mERfbMKZ8/s1600/JR.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partner in biking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR677xOKw7WAgWGlMcr4Og2bwYVPitJB5QmsL4Uc4J3lxMCIlsOBgrDlFpu-7zW-iRlUOBOg8Jd4EAcJDYCFCV5thpYmsUSjQH6UP7pCFcHvuYtTegu_rpfTYjF8XoUoBwv3tVZpDzNyE/s1600/gold.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqR677xOKw7WAgWGlMcr4Og2bwYVPitJB5QmsL4Uc4J3lxMCIlsOBgrDlFpu-7zW-iRlUOBOg8Jd4EAcJDYCFCV5thpYmsUSjQH6UP7pCFcHvuYtTegu_rpfTYjF8XoUoBwv3tVZpDzNyE/s1600/gold.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackpot! #winning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yX8nT0_XY5xKJqbth3Pkscd-8HrrxObnjpUw8dlOz5CzF_fPFNsEW6zz47FiwcYuWe9gC3nQTsZ2TAYSyQD2TOVnh4g9aY56BUOgLvLF1Tw4fEAuRC4ykUhWAXC0OhWYiXQVk5LQqaC2/s1600/runsf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yX8nT0_XY5xKJqbth3Pkscd-8HrrxObnjpUw8dlOz5CzF_fPFNsEW6zz47FiwcYuWe9gC3nQTsZ2TAYSyQD2TOVnh4g9aY56BUOgLvLF1Tw4fEAuRC4ykUhWAXC0OhWYiXQVk5LQqaC2/s1600/runsf.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SF #outsideisfree</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I changed my first name to Jordan when I went to
college because I had never liked the name my parents gave me.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I had never heard of Stanford University when I
visited the football stadium in 1994 but I decided it was a place I wanted to
study.</span></li>
<li>I got married on my 39<sup>th</sup>
birthday so I would never have to celebrate my 40<sup>th</sup> birthday</li>
<li><span style="text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">I hate eggplant.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My college major was initially
Mathematics with Statistics but I switched to Modern Languages after a year.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">As a child, I wanted to be a
British diplomat.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I am the 3</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> of 4
daughters in my family and they would probably agree that I fell furthest from
the tree.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I was vegetarian for 12 years.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At age 13, I weighed about 170lbs.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At age 14, I weighed about 125lbs.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My favorite sport as a child was
netball and I loved playing the position of GA (Goal Attack) or GD (Goal
Defense).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My husband is 3</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
generation Mexican but I speak and write far better Spanish than he does.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I first visited the United States
in 1989 and my sister took me to watch Madonna in a play on Broadway.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I worked on Wall Street… actually
on Wall Street, the address was 60 Wall Street, New York</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I have a 17 year old stepson.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I wish I lived closer to my nieces and nephews
so I could be a bigger part of their lives.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m from the north of England.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I went to the University of Bristol, England,
for my undergraduate studies.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I won the jackpot when I met and married my
husband.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I never went on vacation with my parents after
the age of 12.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I spent my third year of college splitting time
between Oaxaca, Mexico and Lyon, France.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I have scuba-dived once and I hated it.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I suffer from mild claustrophobia.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I learned to swim at age 7 but wouldn’t put my
face in the water.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I re-learned how to swim (exchange air under
the water) at age 32.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I worked at Disneyland, Paris, for a summer
during college.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I paid my own way through college. 2x</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m the only member of my family ever to go to
college.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I dreamed of being a writer in college because
college boyfriend was a writer.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My college boyfriend had a best friend with the exact
same name (Richard Kelly) so he </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">became Richard T. Kelly.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I saw my husband compete in a triathlon and
took a photo of him (because he was cute!) 7 </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">years before I met him.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ve visited four of the five continents and I’m
dying to go to South Africa.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sweet potato fries.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At age 8, I suffered briefly from Bells palsy,
which partially paralyzed my face.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My husband proposed to me at the end of a 2
week and 1700mi cycling/triathlon adventure.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I didn’t get totally comfortable with myself
until my mid-30s.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I attended a Church of England school through
high school.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ve lost much of my English accent.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ve lost my Yorkshire accent.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I have a Prada dress in my closet that is 17
years old and I still wear it.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I rented my London flat to a prostitute (by
accident).</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I traded my pacifier for my first bike at age
4.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">All of my parents (mom, stepdad, dad) were
only children.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My first ever job was picking potatoes at age
12.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I hate cooking for myself and rarely do so.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Carrots and hummus for dinner is not unusual.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My first marathon in 2000 took me over 5 hours
to complete.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My second marathon in 2002 took me 3:38 to
complete.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I regret not taking the Boston slot from the
2002 marathon.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I first heard of Ironman while at Stanford
Business School when friends competed at Ironman </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">California.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I watched my first Ironman race in Canada in
2001 and thought that I would never be able to </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">complete the swim by the cutoff
time.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I wish I had travelled more around England
when I lived there.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">One of my favorite vacations was a backpacking
trip to Chilean Patagonia while at Stanford.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I was practically deported from the US in 2006
due to an immigration snafu.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A 3 week trip to England turned into 5 months
in 2006 due to immigration issues.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I received my green card in 2009 just weeks
before I met my future husband.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I didn’t think twice about giving up my maiden
name when I married.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I used to work with my husband’s ex-wife.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Co-parenting is impossible.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sparkling water.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">When working in Investment Banking, I would
have an annual shopping splurge at Armani.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Now that I work from home, I barely change out
of Lululemon capris.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A weekend in Minneapolis for a wedding was one
of the most fun trips I made last year.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I second guess my decision not to have
children of my own all the time.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I think I could be a good mother.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I organize EVERYTHING in our household –
travel, bills, finances, cleaning, social </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">engagements.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We never have leftovers. Even when I think I
cooked a lot of food, my husband eats up.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The only musical instrument I ever learned was
the recorder.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I rarely listen to music.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My husband loves playing the guitar and
singing. He even writes his own music.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I do not enjoy going to music concerts.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My husband loves going to music concerts.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I am incredibly stubborn and determined.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m racing an Ironman this year without qualifying
for Kona as the goal.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I am currently writing my husband’s training
plan. Does that mean I am coaching him?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Not everyone should go to a four year college.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m a morning person and love being in bed by
9pm.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I probably drink too much wine.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I learned to drive at age 21.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I never owned a car until I moved to
California at age 28.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">NPR</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At night, I need complete darkness to sleep so
will unplug electronic alarm clocks in hotel rooms because I hate the glow.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I stopped drinking coffee about 8 years ago.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I stopped drinking diet coke about 3 years
ago.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My husband wants us to move to Santa Cruz when
we retire.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’d like to spend more time in Europe when we
retire: France, Italy, Spain.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I took a year of Portuguese while in college
but I barely remember any of it.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I wish I had studied history in college.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I pretty much write all articles, essays,
papers in my head before ever setting pen to paper.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I still have love letters from my college
boyfriend saved in a box titled “memorabilia”.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I hate running at altitude.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I don’t like climbing Mt. Lemmon on my bike.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We got engaged in the New Zealand town of
Invercargill, not a very romantic city.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My father died when I was 2 years old.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m a bit of a control freak.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I don’t like surprises but I keep asking my
husband to surprise me. He refuses to.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m really happy that I had a British
education.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I don’t miss much about England.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I hate being cold more than being hot.</span></li>
</ol>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-39629160763203941892015-01-22T17:59:00.001-08:002015-01-22T18:00:12.715-08:00Coast Ride 2015: #8I've written about the Coast Ride before... just look <a href="http://jbtriathlon.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://jbtriathlon.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://jbtriathlon.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a>! Apparently it was the 8th time that I've done the Coast Ride... which seems crazy to me. The Ride also gets bigger by the year and I heard numbers as high as 225 riders participating in this organized, non-organized ride...<br />
<br />
Much of that growth is presumably attributable to #socialmedia... There are so many people that travel from out of town to do this ride these days that have heard others blog, tweet, Facebook and instagram about the ride. It's also presumably because of the amazing January weather we have had in California for the past three years. I know that we really need rain... and we got it in December... but it's really nice to not worry about the weather on a destination ride like this!<br />
<br />
In spite of the number of riders, the Coast Ride felt like a small affair for me this year. I rode mostly with Blanco, <a href="http://bethgerdes.com/" target="_blank">Beth Gerdes</a> and <a href="http://lukemckenzie.com/" target="_blank">Luke McKenzie</a> with occasional appearances by Katya Meyers and other groups of folks. Luke has quite the eye for a great photo (and I don't take pictures while hanging on for dear life!) so here are some of his shots from the ride.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhYuze4YrPg0bOfT05SXGo9-41YIPzeoatRurZnlNyVhuxsvyzTAcRiOphyphenhyphenF1R91q7B7NMTYbzJt3KMnbM-zUhZDyvbu7egGv3NSGag0KWDXo2u9EMpXCiq1JcVz_G14G9fgR4CneTMw8/s1600/2015-01-18+07.42.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhYuze4YrPg0bOfT05SXGo9-41YIPzeoatRurZnlNyVhuxsvyzTAcRiOphyphenhyphenF1R91q7B7NMTYbzJt3KMnbM-zUhZDyvbu7egGv3NSGag0KWDXo2u9EMpXCiq1JcVz_G14G9fgR4CneTMw8/s1600/2015-01-18+07.42.57.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2 - highway 1, Big Sur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEAjm-UFBueAllbVFteAAkgv48oa8oR9hCyW-JW79m0akEWmsvh-PZn4SR0Lc0eeEqx0JoGugs9eg0DfTHOrStu9D5Z4AZJB_JCF3STKso-AD-xvT1dBXCbrovOFgmy5ZPfByKGg6Z7bS/s1600/2015-01-18+07.56.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEAjm-UFBueAllbVFteAAkgv48oa8oR9hCyW-JW79m0akEWmsvh-PZn4SR0Lc0eeEqx0JoGugs9eg0DfTHOrStu9D5Z4AZJB_JCF3STKso-AD-xvT1dBXCbrovOFgmy5ZPfByKGg6Z7bS/s1600/2015-01-18+07.56.57.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2 - amazing morning sunlight</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFYTjCdw7tXipogVNaWRf0f62oPPuzAxEQMG_6E8B-9ng464oEF5vBOp2rxb5YcM83om5Br4gRdznHskbgsUtMZexhOGgbTcg8he1c870akok3H-0Xe4WmlpvEpMpdErgg491YvyFtPWQ/s1600/2015-01-18+18.38.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFYTjCdw7tXipogVNaWRf0f62oPPuzAxEQMG_6E8B-9ng464oEF5vBOp2rxb5YcM83om5Br4gRdznHskbgsUtMZexhOGgbTcg8he1c870akok3H-0Xe4WmlpvEpMpdErgg491YvyFtPWQ/s1600/2015-01-18+18.38.09.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanco, myself, Beth crossing the famous Bixby Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 3 - early morning rollout on the McKenzie wheel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 3 - Blanco rolling into Guadalupe</td></tr>
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So how was the Coast Ride for me? I have to confess that I was a total stress-case leading into the ride, convinced that I would bonk, be riding 8hrs+ per day and would be solo most of the time. I spent October-December focusing on healing my body and while I worked on strength in the gym and on the trainer, I also blew off several outdoor rides in recent weeks and/or had mechanical issues interfere with my rides. Our January destination ride to Carmel did give me some confidence about my fitness but I was exhausted on the return ride and I wasn't sure if that was my health or the derailleur/mechanical I had to deal with (only had about 3 gears!) for those 180miles! Even in the week leading up to the Ride, I talked to the SAG guys about possibly riding just 60-70mi a day.<br />
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Why does this ride cause me such stress and lack of confidence? I think in the last few years, as the ride has increased, it's evolved away from mostly triathletes and the pace has quickened dramatically. The number of riders on the road and the large groups also scare me a little... unfortunately there were a couple of accidents during the course of the weekend.</div>
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With all that said, I did much better than I expected in terms of ride time, power numbers and how enjoyable the ride was for me. I think it leaves me in a good position of readiness to tackle the Ironman training I have on tap for 2015... Ironman Texas in May and Ironman Los Cabos in October... I'm not fit just yet but I think I have a good foundation of strength and good health from which to start Ironman training, after a season away from the longer distance.</div>
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It was also great to spend time with good friends, Beth, Luke and their daughter, that I don't get to see year-round. I met Beth on the Coast Ride 4 years ago and we became fast friends... we make for compatible training buddies on the bike, as well as off the bike! We share similar tastes in wine :) I'm still in this sport after 14 years because of the people and friendships and so I am always psyched to share training and racing adventures with great friends.<br />
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-37968873494439329092015-01-05T17:50:00.003-08:002015-01-05T17:55:17.800-08:00Making progress on the bike...I shared recently that my theme for 2015 is to get stronger. After 13 seasons of triathlon, my *aerobic engine* is not generally in question, so if I am to extend my athletic boundaries and continue to improve in the coming season, I need a stronger platform. With my physical and adrenal health slowly getting back to 100%, I have been loading up the weight in the gym.<br />
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- Lots of single leg pistol squats (TRX to stabilize)</div>
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- Weighted squats</div>
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- Hang clean to push press</div>
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- Renegade rows</div>
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- Lots of core - plated sit-ups, push-ups and plank (60s alternating every 10s), V-ups, Russian twists</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night strength session at the Olympic Club, SF</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVftOlU9GLHNXgVd47HXTDcYd7nLi6m43FrLfXOZ1elP0RrJ0gN9Q9Tt08beU2Ogis8Gl5bm4AmyQl5W7WeWJOmFZrPAipZ3Qnp4UHTsVqCrg2I2mYP6j9zutudBlW4UHK49KMXOUi6n_/s1600/2014-12-25+09.06.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVftOlU9GLHNXgVd47HXTDcYd7nLi6m43FrLfXOZ1elP0RrJ0gN9Q9Tt08beU2Ogis8Gl5bm4AmyQl5W7WeWJOmFZrPAipZ3Qnp4UHTsVqCrg2I2mYP6j9zutudBlW4UHK49KMXOUi6n_/s1600/2014-12-25+09.06.51.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found some heavy weights at our Park City hotel gym</td></tr>
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With more time spent in the gym each week in November and December, I've had a little less time to focus on endurance miles on the bike and run. This lack of time outside also happened to coincide with some very rainy weeks in San Francisco and a Christmas vacation in Park City and Alta. </div>
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Most of my riding in late November and December was done indoors. I definitely squeezed in a couple of 3-4hr outdoor rides in the past 6 weeks but more than half of my bike training was on the Computrainer, either at home or at <a href="http://www.shift-sf.com/" target="_blank">Shift</a>. My indoor bike training has also been focused on helping me build strength and pushing my top end power abilities. And most of my rides have been no longer than 90-100 minute sessions.</div>
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There are two types of key sessions that I've been doing on the bike to build strength:</div>
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<b>Session 1:</b> Alternating intervals of very low rpm (45-50rpm) in zone 3 with very high rpm (105rpm+) in zone 1-2. </div>
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I think of this workout as muscularly challenging but you're never breathing hard. As Matt Dixon would say, the focus is downstairs, ensuring each pedal stroke is as good as it can be and that you engage the hamstrings and glutes in the latter part of the pedal stroke. It's a great session for working on technique.</div>
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<b>Session 2:</b> After a solid 20-30 minute warm-up that reaches into zone 4, do 8-10x maximum effort 1min intervals (zone 5+) with full recovery (~2:30-3:00 recovery between each interval). </div>
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This type of session has been my nemesis over the years, as my zone 4-5 power efforts usually taper off into failure pretty quickly. My power files for sprint races are very similar to my Ironman effort! I am committed to change this year so I started out doing these 1min max efforts in November at around 275-280w and I've slowly increased to 310w. I still would like to find another 15-20w in this session to be happy with my progress for the season but I'm already seeing the benefits of this work when riding outside.</div>
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With drier California weather (so far) in January, my husband and I decided that we wanted to kick off the New Year with a cycling adventure and so this past weekend we embarked on a destination ride! Just before New Year's we Fedexed a box of clothes (cycling kit, jeans, tee shirt, swimsuit) to a hotel in the Carmel Highlands. This past Saturday, we rode ~85 miles from the Bay Area to the hotel on highway 1 at the start of Big Sur. We stayed the night and then rode back via a slightly different route (~95miles) on Sunday. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChCozdegt1sTT_B8xyxZD2DjWXKNHiZOu6XGq4LGSsXiVupMNqKuZQFzzEaFsovqIGxLGvG0CMfHfT8N2N_K28eI8Kgck-8t64q8Kv4pBUoyW2iNIvRnylV7SibzjztG7XwibWFBbMpIa/s1600/2015-01-03+14.43.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChCozdegt1sTT_B8xyxZD2DjWXKNHiZOu6XGq4LGSsXiVupMNqKuZQFzzEaFsovqIGxLGvG0CMfHfT8N2N_K28eI8Kgck-8t64q8Kv4pBUoyW2iNIvRnylV7SibzjztG7XwibWFBbMpIa/s1600/2015-01-03+14.43.41.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the Betty 2 kit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMGUgEzMxU5VwKEGxNvk1fx83p7AYehuLkoXRlzhFXC_bJiIpDPbQlqLHSbajBJlpDm16IveVc-UjIj8LG-ktdD012GfRNeOV1J0F0wpkgMewgw5BfK_l6YK0rveJGyYuu6JfbXzNNUo8/s1600/2015-01-03+14.43.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMGUgEzMxU5VwKEGxNvk1fx83p7AYehuLkoXRlzhFXC_bJiIpDPbQlqLHSbajBJlpDm16IveVc-UjIj8LG-ktdD012GfRNeOV1J0F0wpkgMewgw5BfK_l6YK0rveJGyYuu6JfbXzNNUo8/s1600/2015-01-03+14.43.24.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike path in Seaside</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdj8VjZiauliCPs2R2LxRrKn1XHyA_GPuWdAyuw0hOfVgElVTg03zH7MOsP5qIJOsgSpEqg0XNifuUN4v3h6Dv6VPaP5GSVmSZFxCzbUGWvBMI3mQ9YvimKzxdR8yMnPqaC-cgCbgh493I/s1600/2015-01-03+15.53.38-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdj8VjZiauliCPs2R2LxRrKn1XHyA_GPuWdAyuw0hOfVgElVTg03zH7MOsP5qIJOsgSpEqg0XNifuUN4v3h6Dv6VPaP5GSVmSZFxCzbUGWvBMI3mQ9YvimKzxdR8yMnPqaC-cgCbgh493I/s1600/2015-01-03+15.53.38-1.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A room with a view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscifz-BXbAjWRPb6YoZoJGL_wshA6Iv-1RhKxKB9PK80gagP5RNse6MDgkm5I-uL-qeblLo1R8U-KbDhSCPozCZkL2m5mb7-UMl8k45fyDn0GG25DmYwoS_gRl-e6u5BaAJim5CqKCbG_/s1600/2015-01-04+07.11.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscifz-BXbAjWRPb6YoZoJGL_wshA6Iv-1RhKxKB9PK80gagP5RNse6MDgkm5I-uL-qeblLo1R8U-KbDhSCPozCZkL2m5mb7-UMl8k45fyDn0GG25DmYwoS_gRl-e6u5BaAJim5CqKCbG_/s1600/2015-01-04+07.11.20.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on highway 1, Big Sur, CA</td></tr>
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Day 2 was pretty hard with a more challenging route that included a steep climb on a single lane road over Mt. Madonna (1600ft climb over 4mi or ~8% grade). This time, I lost Blanco's wheel as I was grinding up the steeper sections that were 11%+ grade but he waited patiently for me at the top.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW0tHm_WdsoxJulkaRe3atAQczUFc2fV_AfnvXVaSeCwflgHBKKJ7i_nQR3rCSO8Q5G3fv5VluEhgPAA8uhyphenhyphenwpfpfEHw686bOYiBamH3nyMleCiH4RM22xFVPer6cHmKPnfDSGaFHnrH1/s1600/2015-01-04+11.38.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW0tHm_WdsoxJulkaRe3atAQczUFc2fV_AfnvXVaSeCwflgHBKKJ7i_nQR3rCSO8Q5G3fv5VluEhgPAA8uhyphenhyphenwpfpfEHw686bOYiBamH3nyMleCiH4RM22xFVPer6cHmKPnfDSGaFHnrH1/s1600/2015-01-04+11.38.30.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the big climb on day 2 (Mt Madonna)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzDNhO6DDOZBMBCc8H99Ek-QaxmjfDH7uP69naOJAUwW5sXUnzl_OIYFB0mXgxszVSuQoiuo-PeF20G6SBRCaeTRKe_XBjhw3SJu7x-ZdRI949knCgBZIPEji-GAmtEYkELxBPCvxeHLR/s1600/2015-01-04+07.29.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzDNhO6DDOZBMBCc8H99Ek-QaxmjfDH7uP69naOJAUwW5sXUnzl_OIYFB0mXgxszVSuQoiuo-PeF20G6SBRCaeTRKe_XBjhw3SJu7x-ZdRI949knCgBZIPEji-GAmtEYkELxBPCvxeHLR/s1600/2015-01-04+07.29.53.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I recommend reserving a hotel with pool/hot-tub when doing destination rides!</td></tr>
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The adventure ride was a great test of where my cycling fitness is (especially with the 375 mile Coast Ride coming up in two weeks!) and I was excited to notice that Blanco's wheel didn't disappear up the hills ahead of me... for the most part, I stayed right on his wheel, holding watts that usually have me freaking out. Now, perhaps my SRM was reading favorably so I won't get too excited but it did boost my confidence that my lack of road miles in the last few weeks has not been a bad thing ;)</div>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-528082883866516822014-12-16T15:23:00.000-08:002014-12-16T15:33:21.384-08:00Strong like bull...In my thirteen seasons of training for and competing in triathlon, I've learned a few things about myself and my body...<br />
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- If I swim 3x week (10,000 yards), I can survive an Ironman swim<br />
- If I swim 4+x week (14-16,000 yards), I actually improve and get faster!<br />
- Deep bike fitness produces my best running in triathlons<br />
- I get huge jumps in bike fitness from a few days with big miles, followed by recovery (e.g. coast rides, training camps)<br />
- Consistently running 30+ miles a week manifests in injury (ITB/plantar issues)<br />
- Hard track workouts will leave me sore for days<br />
- I can run in a race faster than I can run in training (taper? race day magic?)<br />
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The above are truisms for me, they may not be for you. One thing that is not included in the above is anything about strength training since I've never really submitted to serious strength work. I didn't compete as a serious athlete in college and since then, most of the things I've done that fall into the *strength bucket* are things like core work and occasional push-ups.<br />
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Last year, when I switched triathlon coaches, I committed to a strength training program, enlisting Kate Ligler to help me work on *functional strength*. Unfortunately, my fatigue/hormone issues prevented me from really building pure strength but I did spend the year working on core and hip stability issues that have helped me stay injury-free.<br />
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For the 2015 season, as my health is getting back on track, Kate is pushing me to evolve my pure strength fairly dramatically. Last week we established some benchmarks for squats, bench press and pull-ups and we'll be looking to improve on those marks in the coming weeks.<br />
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With a lot of work, in 2015 I will be strong!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Core workout to warm up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm9r_GcooEFJ8lUQycxEMijxMIqCA7c2OdgwjmRO17vKtghP1W3_4I1ztYUncBxsFwmSGtVrtz66XvA_Nay72R7bT-zt_I7w0N6EgTh1Bk2EuQf9sc0FC-BbdUUTsg2eonP0gt_4AcezJ/s1600/2014-12-12+10.25.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm9r_GcooEFJ8lUQycxEMijxMIqCA7c2OdgwjmRO17vKtghP1W3_4I1ztYUncBxsFwmSGtVrtz66XvA_Nay72R7bT-zt_I7w0N6EgTh1Bk2EuQf9sc0FC-BbdUUTsg2eonP0gt_4AcezJ/s1600/2014-12-12+10.25.29.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single leg deadlifts & lunges to activate the glutes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NkIAfBonusDw7RMPpEFmQQBvk9fYUgOF7RPlGsljm7014kjrC0WZWwW-B_q0iWbmHLnANqW6R4hDP8EHPJ5zFsaqmhLgMkPMZBCq-xtpkmXydKsQVKVysnoMyQj5si7WcocaQfLN19iK/s1600/2014-12-12+10.25.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NkIAfBonusDw7RMPpEFmQQBvk9fYUgOF7RPlGsljm7014kjrC0WZWwW-B_q0iWbmHLnANqW6R4hDP8EHPJ5zFsaqmhLgMkPMZBCq-xtpkmXydKsQVKVysnoMyQj5si7WcocaQfLN19iK/s1600/2014-12-12+10.25.05.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySrWqjbI-RXl4tB-9no1I0zFwNQ5zJSFtegNKySZmVP4rH0tDWW9qlGh2Lh76FFEZF3VPrHy5e2rpath6ZRPWawTBvRfbXvU1vpgNJjJp-m_A63GGSbIiBAvSLaln2ygD4Ec7rB982Rl/s1600/2014-12-12+10.30.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAySrWqjbI-RXl4tB-9no1I0zFwNQ5zJSFtegNKySZmVP4rH0tDWW9qlGh2Lh76FFEZF3VPrHy5e2rpath6ZRPWawTBvRfbXvU1vpgNJjJp-m_A63GGSbIiBAvSLaln2ygD4Ec7rB982Rl/s1600/2014-12-12+10.30.36.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Widowmaker - 20 squats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuVgJh2yBOKxoPTHa9mA082XUYgtzC6A28JV6bDOd4kJmX7YqOYgdsAwDN5OVemDSeP4lsfhwC6xsDJTJxrhaul3j33in9pGW2k7uOppE2Y2S2EXIkn5bvhmwPhi4CMW-vDS7nKqTqQTL/s1600/2014-12-12+10.43.17-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuVgJh2yBOKxoPTHa9mA082XUYgtzC6A28JV6bDOd4kJmX7YqOYgdsAwDN5OVemDSeP4lsfhwC6xsDJTJxrhaul3j33in9pGW2k7uOppE2Y2S2EXIkn5bvhmwPhi4CMW-vDS7nKqTqQTL/s1600/2014-12-12+10.43.17-2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assisted pull-ups to failure</td></tr>
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Finally, I am back as a <a href="https://bettydesigns.refersion.com/c/a66047" target="_blank">Betty Designs</a> ambassador in 2015 and I'm totally excited for more fresh, colorful and badass designs from Kristin Mayer. Below are some of my favorite designs from the past year... <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/collections/sup-paddle-surf/products/world-champion-h2o-capri" target="_blank">colorful capris</a>, <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/collections/cycling/products/world-champion-cycle-jersey" target="_blank">world champion bike kit</a>, <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/collections/triathlon/products/team-betty-sexy-back-1pc-swimsuit" target="_blank">swimsuits</a> and a <a href="http://betty-designs.myshopify.com/collections/running-1/products/mens-signature-t" target="_blank">bright Betty tee</a> for the man in my life! Click <a href="https://bettydesigns.refersion.com/c/a66047" target="_blank">here</a> to shop all things Betty!<br />
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-61970461807003684462014-10-19T19:37:00.001-07:002014-10-19T19:56:59.956-07:00I want my body back... and I think I'm finally on the right track!I have been feeling "off" all year and have talked about it a little bit on this blog as I've visited with doctors and attempted to find solutions as to "why I feel absolutely awful when I train and race"... Of course, I know that when training hard, it doesn't always feel good, but this year it has been much more than that... a feeling that I was always stuck in second gear, and this feeling manifested itself most of all in the run. However, I also struggled with breathing in the swim and had many bike sessions where I would cover or remove my SRM as I really didn't care to know what the power was.<br />
<br />
People, including my own husband, offered me many reasons as to why I might be feeling off:<br />
- I was overtrained<br />
- I didn't get enough sleep<br />
- My nutrition must be off<br />
- Allergies<br />
- Anemia<br />
- I need more recovery than others<br />
- Too much stress<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7okGkwAsimcgzPuuP1DBt-D8Y5DGvQQck3vvz94DrTfD8FmZjWAiBVENXFr_7sdHMnll2coLX5Cgz1V0T0cL-w9Oh5LZGknrT_yr109FTOHeYeykRO0sHfeI6xojeKVw3hA_aOmqu6x0/s1600/CBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7okGkwAsimcgzPuuP1DBt-D8Y5DGvQQck3vvz94DrTfD8FmZjWAiBVENXFr_7sdHMnll2coLX5Cgz1V0T0cL-w9Oh5LZGknrT_yr109FTOHeYeykRO0sHfeI6xojeKVw3hA_aOmqu6x0/s1600/CBC.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard CBC test results - "I'm totally fine"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ydd8nbETcpz_ITCVqt-6fiR1YZAZIa6wQ97iUn5Gn0HiF8aE3oz3k5YJFXknlI_VqUzkSzZvtg1HXkvKJJNg_1QQLAdz7_SvX3zwts-UO_eDdLOP38DmAKsyiPUJBnucDqw6lMNVYAx1/s1600/Ironandthyroid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ydd8nbETcpz_ITCVqt-6fiR1YZAZIa6wQ97iUn5Gn0HiF8aE3oz3k5YJFXknlI_VqUzkSzZvtg1HXkvKJJNg_1QQLAdz7_SvX3zwts-UO_eDdLOP38DmAKsyiPUJBnucDqw6lMNVYAx1/s1600/Ironandthyroid.jpg" height="217" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron, B12 and ferritin values - "highest values I've ever seen"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I consulted with my coach, <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Matt Dixon</a>, I had three sets of blood tests, I visited an allergist, I consulted several different specialist sports doctors and they all had ideas to <b>treat my symptoms</b> (take B12 and folic acid supplements, use a nasal spray) but no one offered solutions that were comprehensive or demonstrated a true understanding of my health situation. By *normal* standards, I was just fine and the fact that I could no longer run a mile well under 8 minutes (never mind 13 miles) is not considered cause for alarm.<br />
<br />
From the outside, things probably didn't seem all that bad. I podiumed a few times this year, my race times were only off by 10 or so minutes here and there, I qualified for 70.3 Worlds. It would appear that I was doing just fine. But I know <b>how much I invested</b> in training, nutrition, strength all while going backwards in training. After 13 years of calling myself a triathlete, I <b>know what it feels like to be training and making progress</b>, I know what it feels like to have gears in training and racing... this year I was always in survival mode, trying to chase fitness that my body was not permitting me to accumulate. After yet another mediocre race at Mont-Tremblant, I just broke down in tears to my husband, saying: "I want my body back, I don't recognize any of these sensations".<br />
<br />
The return from Mont-Tremblant coincided with catching up with a long-time friend, Kiki Silver. Kiki and I met while running at Kezar track with SFTri Club in 2003... we go back a long way! She's a super smart doctor and a kick-ass triathlete, having placed 2nd at Ironman 70.3 worlds and 6th at Ironman Hawaii over the years. She's also the sweetest and most caring person you'll ever meet. She and her husband relocated to Boulder, Colorado about 3-4 years ago but we've kept in touch via email and occasional visits. She updated me that she was leaving the general practice where she had been working since arriving in Boulder in order to open up her own practice... my immediate thought was "can you be my doctor? I need help!" After a quick legal check (since I'm CA-based), she confirmed that she would be able to help me and we could do everything remotely. She would order a bunch of labs that I could get done at my local LabCorp office, and she'd also send me some other testing kits.<br />
<br />
Kiki's practice, <a href="http://www.boulderpeakhealth.com/" target="_blank">Boulder Peak Health</a>, opened on October 1st so I scheduled a phone consult for October 3rd, the day before I flew to Kona. I completed the first set of bloodwork and a very detailed questionnaire beforehand so Kiki had some preliminary results for us to review over the phone. Here are some excerpts from the blood tests.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQGu3K22_gR34WVNbM9e7XqHIgLGO0r8vX4kyAjzEUbYuhwLPnB_3c4tYkFAlsrbTgIyWEODG1AwmPS7yUD03bViL-650h5A6LpFgsxxAmTui1hEAP7S4xa9aFAHN23kUG9dvOX1_UWhE/s1600/DHEAandcortisol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQGu3K22_gR34WVNbM9e7XqHIgLGO0r8vX4kyAjzEUbYuhwLPnB_3c4tYkFAlsrbTgIyWEODG1AwmPS7yUD03bViL-650h5A6LpFgsxxAmTui1hEAP7S4xa9aFAHN23kUG9dvOX1_UWhE/s1600/DHEAandcortisol.jpg" height="228" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzT-Ux2CznOgu-Z3tHYIR4leqP78IM7NCU4HIQMs-xgnP4HwUNqvCy1xdbLvNdO9G8K4UeWydYjoP8xnQ3tORNsPSQHpOgAaovQqmCpU0RUjuw0fs9ep3Rlmj3g-88cJMBMdS2ulISkw3/s1600/testosterone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzT-Ux2CznOgu-Z3tHYIR4leqP78IM7NCU4HIQMs-xgnP4HwUNqvCy1xdbLvNdO9G8K4UeWydYjoP8xnQ3tORNsPSQHpOgAaovQqmCpU0RUjuw0fs9ep3Rlmj3g-88cJMBMdS2ulISkw3/s1600/testosterone.jpg" height="52" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testosterone is zero </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDij9jkPPfFWJYclLWRvE7U8gBtujCW3pmSIIG7k1p_Fody3zvdRxGHNqEsjJRs5wZsIx4mIDhjyW0H1rX9l0k7aUA_MLUOsGHzPHorkpoUwH1QPM4DTfx2L_yyYFiKglDMKpn4ts_-Mxv/s1600/TSHandprogesterone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDij9jkPPfFWJYclLWRvE7U8gBtujCW3pmSIIG7k1p_Fody3zvdRxGHNqEsjJRs5wZsIx4mIDhjyW0H1rX9l0k7aUA_MLUOsGHzPHorkpoUwH1QPM4DTfx2L_yyYFiKglDMKpn4ts_-Mxv/s1600/TSHandprogesterone.jpg" height="202" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thyroid, while in normal range is NOT optimal for an athlete, progesterone is zero</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The first thing I noticed in our hour-long phone consult is the much broader range of tests and results that Kiki had ordered compared to other doctors I had visited. She also included an awesome summary discussing both the test results and aligning them to the symptoms I had reported in a very holistic manner. See the excerpt below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebCHbj2CqRe7Mq0RTUpnEop0v3uaOtYQ2MfGCS8S9-qvv4H0n0Gq0rpMAz3ZXIyEuye3b75goc-aNc4jpfLGxp_Wu1cEjHkPMFJJycFzk4PzqJL8BeQ8ZruX6G8dHJyWw6IFwTbVk7HVm/s1600/review1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebCHbj2CqRe7Mq0RTUpnEop0v3uaOtYQ2MfGCS8S9-qvv4H0n0Gq0rpMAz3ZXIyEuye3b75goc-aNc4jpfLGxp_Wu1cEjHkPMFJJycFzk4PzqJL8BeQ8ZruX6G8dHJyWw6IFwTbVk7HVm/s1600/review1.jpg" height="193" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjNbsQcpgVDpe-9V0LTAIHJXo9x5SZoe9e9jtONntH8euTP9ita2q9agC1vdjiojaDp5Aw4qsveVPjBCsULI3m-GJBbsMT58pFVb7g_6n4oUlGpCDZjut4aAgRb66mR-OkEDY7aDR7bIb/s1600/review2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjNbsQcpgVDpe-9V0LTAIHJXo9x5SZoe9e9jtONntH8euTP9ita2q9agC1vdjiojaDp5Aw4qsveVPjBCsULI3m-GJBbsMT58pFVb7g_6n4oUlGpCDZjut4aAgRb66mR-OkEDY7aDR7bIb/s1600/review2.jpg" height="361" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We discussed all of the explanations in detail with Kiki pointing out that the BCP was probably contributing in large part to many of my symptoms... and had probably been affecting me over the last five years... From what I understand, my body has slowly depleted many of the hormones that I need for normal functioning... in particular what I needed to function as an endurance athlete. The largest culprit is the BCP... and while I appear to only have minor symptoms on a monthly basis, I was unaware of the long-term damage it had been doing to my body, in particular as an endurance athlete. Few people talk about it... in fact no one had ever told me and no doctor (before Kiki) had even suggested that this might be the culprit. Note that <a href="http://angelanaeth.com/" target="_blank">Angela Naeth</a> had conducted a <a href="http://angelanaeth.com/menstruation-and-contraception-survey/" target="_blank">survey</a> earlier this year and many other women reported issues on the BCP, though I had dismissed this thinking it was merely bloating or headaches as the key symptoms fellow athletes were reporting.<br />
<br />
My lesson here is that it's hard to know exactly what's going on "under the hood" unless you have <b>a doctor that is committed to you and your health for the lifestyle that you choose to lead</b>... running 9 minute miles was not good enough for me :)<br />
<br />
Another particularly interesting part of Kiki's assessment that the allergy symptoms that have become increasingly worse in the past 5 years (having never had hay fever before in my life) are likely due to "estrogen mediated mast cell degranulation of histamine". Basically, the low level of estradiol and progesterone in my body due to being on BCP have been activating mast cells and causing allergy/hayfever-like reactions. What's even worse is that the Afrin and Nasocort that the allergy doctor had been recommending offered merely temporary relief and were in fact exacerbating my symptoms.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInnpztb-RCxViYjV2uazAEm-W7eD0CBMLwKq61oPgX9X7HeQpOkVv2Ia5g1UiE09byH-uyROS1fvYON22K7PTvtJ7ac3Py2XQ_Ab1tBiZ13WpiqqEPqTfN5DhW6juc_W1UalR_25iHm56/s1600/treatment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInnpztb-RCxViYjV2uazAEm-W7eD0CBMLwKq61oPgX9X7HeQpOkVv2Ia5g1UiE09byH-uyROS1fvYON22K7PTvtJ7ac3Py2XQ_Ab1tBiZ13WpiqqEPqTfN5DhW6juc_W1UalR_25iHm56/s1600/treatment1.jpg" height="267" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkg7PoxkJh1_n8WzTNVmUUdtzgSwW4rppFUjJCi8D7WqiLwypHf_hrwm8AlRkmImpZqj6AsM0zRR9qJukZ1ubNnJZ_dIbI8sGcE8kZLib2qkc1mxhop8mpTbr69c_LIfTF6c1-CBgdpU4/s1600/treatment2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkg7PoxkJh1_n8WzTNVmUUdtzgSwW4rppFUjJCi8D7WqiLwypHf_hrwm8AlRkmImpZqj6AsM0zRR9qJukZ1ubNnJZ_dIbI8sGcE8kZLib2qkc1mxhop8mpTbr69c_LIfTF6c1-CBgdpU4/s1600/treatment2.jpg" height="100" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiki's detailed "treatment plan"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I just returned from Kona and I found it really hard to be out there feeling very unfit relative to how I felt just twelve months ago, running loops around our house at Hualalai and seeing the difference on the Garmin in 2014 compared to my Kona-fit self in 2013. But I could finally sense that I was beginning to feel a little bit stronger... not great but getting there. I even managed to hang on for 75 bike miles with the studette triathletes in the picture below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48S_cZrE2UzjBYCS77JrNrD9yDIgY2ncJonrTwA9Nfz-7ROUvZcEAK_MlpZiuTyWKBSzhnzrhQzB2GMlK_vvxpi4BQREsJ04X1djHgwgbo97IsdBTJ3QKfH-t9ggZItLNtqaRUcLJGcgk/s1600/witsup+ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48S_cZrE2UzjBYCS77JrNrD9yDIgY2ncJonrTwA9Nfz-7ROUvZcEAK_MlpZiuTyWKBSzhnzrhQzB2GMlK_vvxpi4BQREsJ04X1djHgwgbo97IsdBTJ3QKfH-t9ggZItLNtqaRUcLJGcgk/s1600/witsup+ride.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Witsup ride with Chrissie Wellington, Mel Hauschildt, Emma Snowsill, <br />
Belinda Granger, Stef Hanson, Beth Gerdes, Laura Siddall<br />
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It's now been just over two weeks since I consulted with Kiki and have been following her plan and advice and I'm happy to say that I threw down a couple of 7:4X min/miles in today's easy run. I also didn't feel like I needed to stop and sit on the curb 3 miles into my run. That's huge progress! The testing is not yet over as I still need to complete some saliva, urine and more blood tests, but I am beginning to feel that "I am getting my body back"...<br />
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It was fun to be in Kona and I was very happy to be spectating and not racing... that was always the plan. However, a part of me would like to return at some point and I can only do so if I fully resolve the issues I've been dealing with this year. I have a good feeling that I am finally on the right track and for that I owe Kiki, aka Dr. Silver, a huge thanks!<br />
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If you need help and are searching for an athlete-minded doctor to do a thorough review of your state of health, I cannot recommend Dr Silver more highly. She can be reached via her website: <a href="http://www.boulderpeakhealth.com/" target="_blank">Boulder Peak Health</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Betty Girls at the Underpants run</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Kona to cheer and support Pia!</td></tr>
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JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-13246863997057356242014-09-12T16:33:00.004-07:002014-09-12T21:58:17.362-07:00Mont-Tremblant 70.3 World Championship race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Heading into Mont-Trembant, I had few expectations for myself, with the exception of ensuring that I enjoyed the race and stayed positive, whatever my body was giving me. While this season has not been terrible for me... I made it to the World Champs so no complaining... but it didn't go how I wanted and expected it to go. I've been battling with some nasal breathing issues and have felt as if I've had a low-grade cold all year. More on where I'm at with that later...<br />
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Rich and I flew to Montreal (via Chicago) the Thursday before the race. It was a long travel day but the delay in Chicago was made tolerable by bumping into <a href="http://jenharrison.com/" target="_blank">Jen Harrison</a>. I seriously barely noticed our 90min delay because we were too busy chatting away!<br />
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We had a pretty late arrival into Mont-Tremblant that evening (after ~90min drive) but since it was still 3 days before race day, I didn't become a stress case. We stayed at the Ermitage du Lac hotel in the pedestrian village and we loved it. A few hundred yards to Tri-Bike Transport, maybe 1,000 yards to transition and less than a half mile to the swim start.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local bike shop in Mont-Tremblant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lake where we would swim</td></tr>
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We used the few days to do the usual check-in and race course reconnaissance. I wasn't feeling particularly sharp on the bike and run prior to the race but I was just going to go with what I had on the day... I have few aspirations of being competitive in this world-class field! </div>
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In the lead-up to this race, all I heard about was how much climbing there is on the bike course... which I couldn't correlate with the fast bike splits that I'd seen for the June edition of this race in past years. There's almost 2x the climbing compared to a course like Vineman 70.3 but the bike splits are quicker. I realized why they were quicker... there are barely any turns on the course making it technically a relatively easy race. The last 10 or so miles are hilly for sure and we pre-rode this section but the rest was a series of rollers and flattish, perfectly paved freeway.<br />
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Race day dawned a chilly 43f so my fingers were numb (in spite of gloves!) after I spent a few minutes in transition pumping tires and installing nutrition, bottles and my bike computer on my bike. Fortunately, we just headed back to our hotel room to stay warm and relaxed until about 40mins before my wave... such a luxury to not have to line up for a porta-pottie!</div>
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I jumped into the lake for some warm-up yards but stopped my warm-up to watch the pro waves start their race. I was bummed to see that MBK did not get off to a good start tripping (or being tripped) as she entered the water and then having some gal clamber over the top of her!</div>
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Soon enough 8:16am came around and it was time for the gun... I lined up at the far left, having no illusions that I could swim with my speedy AG swimmer friends, Jen Harrison, Kristin Schweiger and Becky Paige. Kristin and Becky would end up as 1-2 out of the water for my wave. My 33:17 swim time placed me a distant 56th out of the water and my swim included being swum over many times by the green caps of the wave behind (M35-39?). </div>
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On the bike I was excited as I knew this bike course could play to my strengths... great aero position and ability to ride steady over rollers and then just let fly on the flats (I may have to go back to IM Cozumel next year as I love just hunkering down and riding flats with few turns, I just love that course!). I had talked to Matt Dixon before the race and said that I was super excited for this course, none of the turns and corners that slow you down on race courses like Lake Stevens and Oceanside. </div>
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Unfortunately, the reality of the race situation quickly took the joy out of the bike course experience. My 100+ age group of W40-44 started just 4 minutes before 224 M35-39 athletes, 8 minutes before 73 18-24 male athletes and 12 minutes before 248 40-44 male athletes. While some of those guys clocked me and passed me on the swim, a decent number of those 545 men would swarm past me in packs on the bike. It was ridiculous that a World Championship race was so tightly bunched from the start. In hindsight, perhaps the race course should have been reversed, starting us with the challenging rollers out of T1 and finishing with the freeway section. What's interesting about the packs (male and female alike) is that they seemed to hammer the uphill sections of the rollers and then just freewheel down the backside. In contrast, my steady watts approach and maintaining momentum OVER the roller would have me fall back from competitors on hills and then just fly by them on the downhills or have to put in a 20-60 second surge to get by the entire pack on the flats. Looking at my power file, my 20sec max power was 322w, 30sec was 291w and 60sec was 272w... some 20-30w higher than usual in a race situation.</div>
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On the return portion of the freeway leg, I passed a couple of the speedy swimmers in my AG, Jen Harrison and then Becky Paige and I briefly allowed myself to think I was having a solid race. Of course, I'm a bit of a one-trick triathlon pony so I knew it wouldn't last once on the run! I finally got back to town and was ready for the rollers. While the packs on the freeway were scary, this section was even worse given the narrower roads. I was almost ridden into the ditch on the right hand side of the road at one point as a pack of guys swarmed past me up the hill... maybe I should retract my earlier comment of reversing the course and riding the hills first since these guys seemed to ride together regardless of the terrain! It was in this section that I caught and passed Kristin Schwieger, recognizing her Soas kit and introducing myself as we rode the steep rollers. I also noted to myself that I made a poor gearing choice, having just a 25 cassette and wishing that I had a 27! However, the 11 was certainly helpful as I made the return trip down the rollers and flew back to T2. Bike time of 2:33:57.</div>
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Once on the run, I knew almost immediately that the legs were feeling as flat as they had done during our 5am jog earlier in the day. It quickly became a question of finishing with a smile, ending my season and focusing on getting healthy for next year. I was also intensely curious about the women's pro race, desperately hoping MBK was crushing dreams on her way to a win. Thankfully, within the first mile I spotted Siri Lindley and asked her for a race update. Thank you Siri! Little did I know at the time that Siri had been single-handedly updating the entire world about the state of play among the women's pro field via her instagram account since the World Triathlon Corporation had failed to offer live coverage. Yes, really... I also got a personal update on the women's race a few miles later when Mary-Beth Ellis, Heather Wurtele and then MBK passed me (of course, cheering me on and checking how I was doing as she went!). I completed the run in 1:53:02 and ended with a total race time of 5:08:00 and 42nd place in the world. Good to know I wasn't last!</div>
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Post-race it was fun to catch up with Blanco and a Portland-based EverymanJack (EMJ) team member and friend, Brian August and hear their race stories. I was also super excited to hear that Ritch Viola, the leader of Team EMJ had won M40-44 and was a world champion!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team EveryManJack hosted a post-race Taco-fest</td></tr>
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We went to the awards banquet to celebrate Ritch's victory and Meredith's 4th place position. The EMJ guys are an impressive bunch... I think 17 of them were racing Worlds but it was quite a crew!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team EMJ</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race catch-up with Meredith</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Witsup - Blanco and Laura Siddall</td></tr>
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<b>Footnote</b></div>
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For those that are interested and have asked, here's the quick health update: I'm still seeing the allergist and trying to figure out what is going on with my breathing. For the past three weeks I've been on a "no dairy, no citric acid, no chocolate/coffee" diet. I relapsed quite a bit the night before the race (pizza!) and in the post-race chow down and I felt worse for it in the last several days. I just caught up with the allergist again and he started me on a food challenge. For one week, I have to eat as much dairy as possible with each meal... hello triple creme cheese, ice cream and chocolate milk!</div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-66118785071310799382014-08-18T19:51:00.004-07:002014-08-19T09:33:15.946-07:00The backstory to Lake Stevens 70.3... and the race report!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I noted in my Vineman 70.3 race report, I've been feeling "off" all season... in fact, in spite of some *lucky* podium appearances, I've been off ~5-10% in training and racing since mid-February.<br />
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One morning I was running with my coach, Matt Dixon, talking through the fatigue I was feeling and how badly training and racing were going and how I seemed not to be able to handle a workload and volume that would have been considered easy for me last year.<br />
- Swimming further than 75yards left me feeling like I was breathing through a straw<br />
- Riding would start off okay but I would tire quickly... after an hour or two<br />
- Running 9min/mi pace would feel uncomfortable and not "easy" like it should feel<br />
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I would have occasional good sessions, but mostly I was going through the motions of the workouts, failing to hit some very basic metrics that should come easy to me, and I was making zero progress. In one 20min bike test, I went backwards by 20w! Matt and I brainstormed all the usual stuff: recovery, sleep, nutrition, stress, anemia. I went back through my workout logs from the past 5 years, to make sure that I wasn't delusional that I can push more watts and run faster than my current paces. I saw my GP for several blood tests but nothing was showing up as irregular. Not happy with the feedback, I went in and saw another GP in my practice. The second doctor prescribed an inhaler to see if that would help - some days I would feel a little better and other days I would go back to feeling awful. I also consulted with two different sports medicine specialists but no one had any ideas... in health terms, no longer being able to run 8min/mi or faster definitely falls in the #firstworldproblem category...<br />
<br />
Two weeks ago, Blanco and I went to Tahoe for a long weekend and on the Friday, the two of us did my favorite ride, a loop around Lake Tahoe. I started off okay but started to feel tired pretty quickly. By the time we stopped in South Lake Tahoe to refill our bottles after 2+ hours of riding, I burst into tears, sobbing because I didn't recognize my own body. I've been doing triathlon for 13 years, I've learned to know my body pretty well, and this just "wasn't the body I know".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cCIadDLdMvXjjA9gwP1K71AkVhX2GelusTFrsiZkOoy89HwSc8qFd3WqbERh-RQ2yRHqmcgBJ7-sYjo5MIo0i5-ElU7HzUgWBp9hRWeJrUpOMp63JlgJb4uehARnWSTdfx3KyoTN1x_5/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cCIadDLdMvXjjA9gwP1K71AkVhX2GelusTFrsiZkOoy89HwSc8qFd3WqbERh-RQ2yRHqmcgBJ7-sYjo5MIo0i5-ElU7HzUgWBp9hRWeJrUpOMp63JlgJb4uehARnWSTdfx3KyoTN1x_5/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our little cabin on Donner Lake</td></tr>
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The next day, we met up with some friends to ride another of my favorite Tahoe rides... Yuba Pass and Gold Lakes. I rode up to Yuba Pass with what should have been relatively easy power for me and yet I still felt awful... I described the sensations to my friend, Galyn, and she thought it might be some sort of allergic reaction as she had felt quite similar about 4 years ago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGN41Z6QrJmmU-kMCH2_9Oj16vInKLfKD8wc1WnqMq5ptuIwT5b6_8ZR-Ea6z0KyZwKTJS1rPObaVwOOtbIlZbaIM-7MBD8jCGVApRyeClPktRhAPKwey8xxmSXFnTB5b7l-vadYIaDVP/s1600/IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGN41Z6QrJmmU-kMCH2_9Oj16vInKLfKD8wc1WnqMq5ptuIwT5b6_8ZR-Ea6z0KyZwKTJS1rPObaVwOOtbIlZbaIM-7MBD8jCGVApRyeClPktRhAPKwey8xxmSXFnTB5b7l-vadYIaDVP/s1600/IMG_1456.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuba Pass with Galyn</td></tr>
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Galyn recommended her allergist and I called and arranged an appointment as soon as possible. I met with Dr. Vadim Kvitash the following week and he explained the process... blood tests, 3 sets of skin tests, spirometer test and a physical exam... and it would take several weeks and he wouldn't be able to tell me much before he had examined and reviewed all of the above. I wanted answers quickly... this was not going to be quick... sigh! On my second visit, last Tuesday, I let Dr. Kvitash know that I was feeling particularly bad and had really struggled on what should have been an easy taper run. He asked me if I breathe through my nose when I run... yes... then he inspected my nasal passages and commented that they are extremely swollen and he's surprised I can breathe at all! He recommended a couple of over-the-counter nasal sprays (Afrin and Naso-Cort) and sent me on my way. That evening, Blanco asked how the appointment had gone and I shared that I felt better just sitting on the couch than I had in a while. I really had forgotten how it felt to breathe in deeply and take in oxygen...<br />
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The next several days, I was using the Afrin/Naso-Cort daily as the doctor prescribed and was beginning to feel better in my workouts, though with the race a couple of days away, none of the workouts were real stressors so it was hard to judge if there was an improvement. I hated to think this way, but there was a lot of pressure riding on the run at Lake Stevens to see if I could feel/sense any improvements relative to recent training and racing. I was nervous... I just want my old self back... to enjoy training, to reap the benefits of training and not to feel like I'm just wearing myself down.<br />
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If you've never done the Lake Stevens 70.3, you should know that the swim is quite delightful due to the presence of the rowing lines a couple of feet under the water, guiding you along the entire course. No sighting required. Of course, on race day when you're one of the last waves to go, sighting is required to navigate around some of the 1,000+ athletes that started ahead of you. I felt good in the water, swimming efficiently at a good but not hard effort, carefully navigating around the multi-colored caps of the prior waves. I came out of the water in 33:26, my fastest swim of the year and 8th in the AG out of the water. Once on the bike, I knew I was in for a long ride as Lake Stevens is probably the most challenging course I've done on the 70.3 circuit. The first 40 miles don't seem hilly but for some reason, the course rides slow. And the last 16 miles are hilly for sure so you might think you're on track for a great split but your speed will slow during the last miles. I felt like I rode fairly conservatively and definitely backed off in the second half, knowing that I desperately wanted a decent run, if possible, though knowing that I wasn't really in control over what happened on the run.<br />
<br />
The sun came out to greet me as I hit T2 and the results tracker indicated that I had ridden from 8th place to 2nd place. 13.1 miles stood between me and a hug from Blanco so I set about the run course with mixed feeling of hope and apprehension. This was my 4th time at Lake Stevens and so I know the run course relatively well... a challenging start with some hills but overall not too bad. I ran the first four miles in sub 8min/mi pace... that's better than any training run I have done since February! Admittedly, I slowed down from thereon to 8:30 pace and dilly-dallied a little too much at aid stations, but I felt like I was running again, even racing! I completed the run in 1:49, slow for me on this course, but my best run of the year! I crossed the line in 5th place for my age-group, 10mins off my usual time on this course but happy that I felt like I was actually racing and not just surviving.<br />
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It's now less than three weeks to Mont-Tremblant 70.3 Worlds so I don't have high hopes for much change in my fitness between now and then but I am hoping I've made some progress with my health issues and regained some confidence. Tomorrow is my 3rd appointment with Dr. Kvitash so I'm looking forward to sharing my experience of the last week and getting his thoughts... we still need to figure out WHAT is causing the allergic reaction... my guess is that it's the JCC pool as I always feel worse after swimming there... but I need to remain open to other information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaj9Uoh-GF6WNIQrBYsfaP-UpryxnpgjPt1SAfSgQj770SZjuxPdOhE60XIF3QUk4Yyi4U_EItQoeY3LdepNjNjwPuvKjHC3fePXh1rfWL8IK8ryn28DsQqjnBfFFk0BvZD5DgfshTcm3/s1600/IMG_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaj9Uoh-GF6WNIQrBYsfaP-UpryxnpgjPt1SAfSgQj770SZjuxPdOhE60XIF3QUk4Yyi4U_EItQoeY3LdepNjNjwPuvKjHC3fePXh1rfWL8IK8ryn28DsQqjnBfFFk0BvZD5DgfshTcm3/s1600/IMG_1495.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race with fellow Betty, Nancy Clarke</td></tr>
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Blanco came 4th in his age-group and picked up a slot to 70.3 Worlds in Austria in 2015.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktH5Z0yOf5r9a3-nS8et7EutcN5ERNnrQopyrfryHgiWDafmVE1NWITR0lMIIyuc7X1QTfVxgv0SN4uUc9JYv_f00dUCiuzJyzbDCwbCjLSmrJLk9UzyFIZdGCsV8dMnsusFUAmvAQnPP/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktH5Z0yOf5r9a3-nS8et7EutcN5ERNnrQopyrfryHgiWDafmVE1NWITR0lMIIyuc7X1QTfVxgv0SN4uUc9JYv_f00dUCiuzJyzbDCwbCjLSmrJLk9UzyFIZdGCsV8dMnsusFUAmvAQnPP/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race chillaxing lakeside, waiting for awards</td></tr>
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Pro Betty, Erin Spitler came 3rd overall with a smoking fast run, so it was great to meet Erin and get a photo with the three racing Betty's on the day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLcNb0t1zopuf7LTFsyesIHQrN1icyn2T9BJ2onBWjGJ5VCRM-Q5vBT-7jviMOD6kVS9VTNRZf3R4Clw6pII4cUvr0XZaIrKtUnSznFeqB47CRUulWaEHEwcLOu1MOINWlvgpYVarrlm8/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLcNb0t1zopuf7LTFsyesIHQrN1icyn2T9BJ2onBWjGJ5VCRM-Q5vBT-7jviMOD6kVS9VTNRZf3R4Clw6pII4cUvr0XZaIrKtUnSznFeqB47CRUulWaEHEwcLOu1MOINWlvgpYVarrlm8/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy, Erin and myself waiting for awards.</td></tr>
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It was also awesome to hang out post-race with members of our favorite men's triathlon team, EveryManJack!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L8KpKkbXrS9JcN8jPsqgAtBxqWrPtpTAqFaG4YkiBKEMUob-Ffo9hYDtSUA4Zp7OgSI_KUWa_YVpXvKa1m-VVr9CYO_80F2uJ1uonRfUTvOm0PY4fp_KNXHrSlNu4x-jSc1dwESW6-jc/s1600/IMG_1504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L8KpKkbXrS9JcN8jPsqgAtBxqWrPtpTAqFaG4YkiBKEMUob-Ffo9hYDtSUA4Zp7OgSI_KUWa_YVpXvKa1m-VVr9CYO_80F2uJ1uonRfUTvOm0PY4fp_KNXHrSlNu4x-jSc1dwESW6-jc/s1600/IMG_1504.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorothy, Ollie, Dana, Brian, Jordan, Rich</td></tr>
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Finally, I was psyched that I scheduled a Monday morning flight so Rich and I could have a Seattle date night, checking out a new restaurant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3kEp3BZTz8WumWPzRqTcWAHaBY4ZSX01Mtae7_st-Ri7tep3xnBGWavrZj0HglCBmGkouM5K1rzVXAkKSv6zTwnqqOtZXBKdX6lkNOMbPSkBUbFSInyqmPSG6xbxU4B2siK2uH9QCV4W/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3kEp3BZTz8WumWPzRqTcWAHaBY4ZSX01Mtae7_st-Ri7tep3xnBGWavrZj0HglCBmGkouM5K1rzVXAkKSv6zTwnqqOtZXBKdX6lkNOMbPSkBUbFSInyqmPSG6xbxU4B2siK2uH9QCV4W/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Champagne on the house to toast our racing - Lark restaurant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dsJJQ_WuXgdnfuDu4zUkTyPQ6daixWzKfj_nFfgwQ5LcjdpCT9z0BhHJVDYxs0o7KgGmKQVYO9tF5J0gCscxJXIYT7ry0r-iEFRzAK3tcM7_P6p30itAqmn_60rcROAKn8prh7jtpYS4/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dsJJQ_WuXgdnfuDu4zUkTyPQ6daixWzKfj_nFfgwQ5LcjdpCT9z0BhHJVDYxs0o7KgGmKQVYO9tF5J0gCscxJXIYT7ry0r-iEFRzAK3tcM7_P6p30itAqmn_60rcROAKn8prh7jtpYS4/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last dessert before Mont-Tremblant!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 232px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2138px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 232px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2138px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-26939743726711753252014-07-16T17:29:00.001-07:002014-07-17T18:16:10.190-07:00Problem Solving in the Vineyards: Vineman 70.3 2014I think I forgot to write a race review of St. George since I was busy writing a <a href="http://www.witsup.com/the-heat-is-on-for-st-george-70-3/" target="_blank">race preview</a> and review of the women's pro race for <a href="http://witsup.com/">witsup.com</a>. In fact, this blog might have been forgotten since I was delighted to be asked to write for them again about <a href="http://www.witsup.com/hometown-gal-meredith-kessler-wins-at-vineman-70-3-for-a-three-peat-victory/" target="_blank">Vineman</a> ... My dear friend, Meredith Kessler, won both races so the writing came easy!<br />
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However, a flurry of race reports from twitter friends (Muncie, Hilo, Vineman) reminded me of the cathartic process of writing about my experience. Besides, I've been in "problem-solving" mode all year and I still haven't quite figured things out so writing about it may help order my own thoughts... and possibly elicit suggestions and ideas from others!<br />
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My goals for the year were all focused around 70.3 racing. There's no Ironman on the agenda for a while (October 2015) so I figured by focusing on the 70.3 distance, I could have a breakthrough race at this distance... WRONG! I've been setting almost "personal worsts" on the run at every race.<br />
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<b><u>Background</u></b><br />
- Blood tests in January indicated I could stop taking iron supplements, so I did (my doctor said so!)<br />
- I changed triathlon coaches, going from a personalized plan from <a href="http://www.aimpcoaching.com/" target="_blank">Chris Hauth</a> to the PurplePatch Virtual Training Squad<br />
- Allergies (that I never had as a kid) have taken hold of me this year and I was diagnosed with asthma in June<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k78jbp-RpIbj6iemXO5FhTS7N4lpQgqBgX1VMHvFx7889dWeJIml0msRm_CejNYy5F1n2I7s-I52_g_dQi3r0n7xJtND4uQFVY0WwdMG39hysZ2TAl2R3SHVguAGsiAEmDPP5vRzxiDH/s1600/Jvineyards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k78jbp-RpIbj6iemXO5FhTS7N4lpQgqBgX1VMHvFx7889dWeJIml0msRm_CejNYy5F1n2I7s-I52_g_dQi3r0n7xJtND4uQFVY0WwdMG39hysZ2TAl2R3SHVguAGsiAEmDPP5vRzxiDH/s1600/Jvineyards.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race dinner, we drove by my favorite "J Vineyards"</td></tr>
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<b><u>Vineman race recap</u></b><br />
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<b><i>Swim 34:14</i></b> - it might be the easiest swim to navigate and safest swim on the 70.3 calendar. You could probably walk the entire thing because the river is pretty shallow in places. But I know from experience, standing up is ALWAYS a time-losing proposition so I resort to dragging my knuckles along the river bed for the 100 meters of the course that is particularly shallow. The awesome part of this year's swim was that Rokasports (swim sponsor) had put numbered flags on every buoy... if only I had known this pre-race so I knew when we could start counting down. For the record, the last buoy was #11 but there were still a few more yards after the 11th buoy to the turnaround.<br />
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My age-group was split into two waves and I was in the second wave, 6 minutes after the first. I lined up on the front row on the very left hand side, but no one else was around me. I took off swimming aggressively and waited for swimmers to pass me in the first couple of hundred yards, perhaps coming from the right hand side... except only one person did. Seriously, I'm the second fastest swimmer in the wave? That's unheard of! Another swimmer (fellow PP athlete Sandrine Micoleau?) came up on my side and we did end up swimming relatively close to one another most of the way, though I swam a more direct line to the swim exit and just beat her to the line, for the second fastest swim in my wave! It made me hope that I had swum a 31 or 32... nope; 34:14 was 20 seconds slower than last year. Sigh.<br />
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<b><i>Bike 2:36:50</i></b> - I was most confident about the bike at Vineman since I had been able to ride the course a couple of times in the weeks leading up to the race. The first time was with Blanco and a Team EMJ friend, Pierre Billa. It was a pretty quick ride, riding from Windsor HS to Guerneville and then riding the full Vineman course (~72miles) in 3:30. I headed back up to Windsor to repeat the same ride with PP pro <a href="http://laurasiddall.com/" target="_blank">Laura Siddall</a> the weekend prior to the race, and it was comforting to feel that I knew the course well... it's quite a roller coaster so you need to be confident about maintaining momentum over the rollers and not lose time. What I had not taken into account on my pre-rides of the course was the volume of race-day traffic. My race had started at 8:18am, the last female wave, and it meant that some 2,000 athletes were already on course, as well as tons of cars. Put together narrow roads, cars (following their athletes???) and lots of cyclists riding at very different speeds and it all feels very cluttered and a little dangerous. I tried to stay on task, remain aero, pass politely and not get too frustrated when stuck behind cars and multiple other cyclists... though my voice may have been slightly hoarse from yelling "on your left" by the end of the bike! Of course, my fellow AG competitors experienced the same challenges, so the conditions are fair, if slightly scary. I was secretly hoping for a 2:35 bike split but I was happy to get off the bike under 2:40 and was curious to see if my newly prescribed inhaler might be my secret weapon on the run!<br />
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<b>Run 1:53:41</b> - It was just after 11:30am when I hit the run and the sun was high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. A week earlier, Laura and I were running around midday and the temps were in the 90s, it felt about the same when I set off from T2 (after a puff on the inhaler!). I don't have much to say about the run except that it felt like a death march from step one. I have not been running well in training or racing this year and my expectations for today were pretty low, with the exception of finishing, preferably sub 1:50. I clearly missed even that low expectation goal by a margin!<br />
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<b>Finish 5:11:08 - 5th place AG </b>- I felt rather disappointed at the finish line but I'll admit to perking up when I discovered that I had snuck onto the Ironman podium (5 deep in my AG), especially since Vineman is one of the few races that gives a prize to the podium finishers.<b> </b>My wooden box contains a bottle of La Crema pinot noir... that has not yet been drunk! I was also ecstatic to hear that MBK had won the women's race and that PP athletes and friends, Ritch Viola and Sarah Cameto had won the amateur races. Congrats to my speedy training buddies!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfjMWdrmnQa9XT56pl8s2omDtmcuuwlgWoIWWnxHi0kjCMj1dv4XSNG5ebfWAyOYpAiesUz4B0Vj9oKNfXoRTjkQfrRHflzUOtwlmyLSqerUL7fTJb9T97k5C8ZOXSIUiC0gm5NfBiCfC/s1600/Betty_podium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfjMWdrmnQa9XT56pl8s2omDtmcuuwlgWoIWWnxHi0kjCMj1dv4XSNG5ebfWAyOYpAiesUz4B0Vj9oKNfXoRTjkQfrRHflzUOtwlmyLSqerUL7fTJb9T97k5C8ZOXSIUiC0gm5NfBiCfC/s1600/Betty_podium.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awards ceremony, congratulating Betty team-mate, Jen Temperley.</td></tr>
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<b><u>Takeaways</u></b><br />
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Since I titled this post "problem-solving", you'll be forgiven for thinking there'd be a solution at the end of the post... I'm trying to solve the problem of my run... why am I suddenly 10 minutes slower than last year? Of course, I have some thoughts and ideas that I am going to put into practice ahead of my next two races (Lake Stevens and Mont-Tremblant):<br />
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- more race-pace (and longer) tempo running off the bike, as I need to re-find my fast feet<br />
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- I think of myself as a “momentum runner”… I just need to get going out of the gate and try not to slow down too much. I’ve never been a strong hill runner but I can gut through things if I am fit enough. I've been working on hill running for strength but it's not having the expected impact<br />
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- my best 70.3s have come about when I am training for Ironman. I always think that I’ll race 70.3s better when I am focused on 70.3s but it doesn’t appear to be the case! D'oh! I hate generalizing about things but after 13 years of triathlon, I think I have learned that I respond to volume more so than intensity. I've been trying to inject more intensity this year and it just leaves me exhausted. I respond better to load/big gears with only a dash of speed<br />
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- the inhaler is helping... I can once again breathe when I swim and run<br />
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- go back to taking an iron pill, B6, B12 and folic acid, as long as my doctor says it won't hurt<br />
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-18607947793881177412014-04-02T19:44:00.003-07:002014-04-02T21:26:20.805-07:00Ch..ch..ch..changes! Oceanside and more...I stole the title from my dear friend <a href="http://bethgerdes.com/" target="_blank">Beth Gerdes</a> who, along with her boyfriend, <a href="http://lukemckenzie.com/" target="_blank">Luke</a>, were fantastic hosts to Rich and I during our SoCal visit last weekend to race Oceanside. It really is pretty awesome to have a *homestay* when racing a triathlon away from home, especially when the hosts have ample supply of all things triathlon! I forgot my Garmin 910XT and Rich forgot water bottles... Luke and Beth to the rescue on both counts... not to mention cooking a delicious, healthy pre-race dinner on Friday evening. Aussies know how to barbie! Many, many thanks...<br />
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As for the changes, the last year has been tumultuous in a whole host of ways, incurring stress and challenges that at the time seemed insurmountable but that I knew would eventually be a distant memory thanks to the passage of time and my stubborn (tenacious) attitude that there is a way through/around anything... as long as you have a plan and the right attitude... and some great friends!<br />
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The "unwanted" stress was my company's decision to move the product and trading team that I managed to New York City... sorry but, I've been there and done that. NYC was a blast in my 20s, straight out of college and working on Wall Street. NYC would not be a blast with a husband and stepson in California and my athletic, outdoors lifestyle. Thankfully, a long and generous separation package allowed me the luxury of time to figure out what was next on my agenda. More about what came "next" at the bottom!<br />
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The "brought it on ourselves" stress was the decision to renovate a house that we bought in San Francisco... I've interrupted the triathlon tales enough on this blog with our housing story but all you need to know now is that we finally live in the house of our dreams and are always happy to host friends and family. Come visit!<br />
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The "as if I didn't have enough" stress was the disruption I most welcomed and was excited about. Perhaps when everything else in your life seems to be changing, it opens you up to making even more adjustments? After Ironman Hawaii in October 2013, I parted ways with my triathlon coach of the last 8 years. <a href="http://www.aimpcoaching.com/" target="_blank">Chris Hauth</a> has played a huge role in my <i>athletic <strike>career</strike> hobby</i>, helping me qualify for Ironman Hawaii 4 times... I never thought I would qualify once!<br />
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I decided to join <a href="http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/" target="_blank">Matt Dixon's PurplePatch Virtual Training Squad</a>. I've known Matt almost as long as I've known Chris and he's based in San Francisco so it wasn't a radical shift but Matt definitely gave me confidence that he can evolve me as a 70.3 athlete. I've been frustrated at this distance for a long time... my PR was set in 2003... but it's the distance I will focus on in 2014. If you spend any time talking with Matt, the words "evolution" and "progression" will crop up frequently. In the first three months of the year, Matt has asked me to change quite a few things about how I train, including how I ride a bike... my sanctuary! Thankfully, I've been swimming in Matt's SF-based triathlon swim program for the past two years so that would not change but my approach to riding has already changed and now we have Oceanside under the belt, we will start to evolve the run. There's also been zero race preparation work to date...<br />
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For last Saturday's race, the only thing I had any confidence in was my ability to complete the swim without significant energy loss. Once I was on the bike, I had zero confidence that I could complete the ride. Matt and his bike guru, Paul Buick, have been helping me *evolve* my TT position but a combination of sickness and out of town travel (without a bike) in March meant that I had only ridden the bike outside once before shipping the bike to SoCal. I had ridden it on the Computrainer a couple of times but those efforts were a disaster and left me uncomfortable, frustrated and close to tears.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbha_lkgT74bDzhi2lLwpW0KbQFrq1hJjHMskj9zjXvDxVNU82kk3zyUt3E22qHdz6-Uj0q-vS9icHHgawDMlIsv1Nhrrwf4UE3BZeejJhQndkBHIUjEyJBG0Tv_zWiMsBZo8e9Y9oBuZ/s3200/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbha_lkgT74bDzhi2lLwpW0KbQFrq1hJjHMskj9zjXvDxVNU82kk3zyUt3E22qHdz6-Uj0q-vS9icHHgawDMlIsv1Nhrrwf4UE3BZeejJhQndkBHIUjEyJBG0Tv_zWiMsBZo8e9Y9oBuZ/s3200/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike position before... all scrunched up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXRtxIA7NGVJOejNF3tGkQKVZXAuT9mml515WhXCRH0ujVKemQvyqlkxcqIRg5sEFrcpfifqmIHfaacm4hyPz4BRGrPd_3-mAYPb3TExRMflvYsePj4rgBYTRu8-hb4_vPJcY_lA3K2Ti/s3200/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXRtxIA7NGVJOejNF3tGkQKVZXAuT9mml515WhXCRH0ujVKemQvyqlkxcqIRg5sEFrcpfifqmIHfaacm4hyPz4BRGrPd_3-mAYPb3TExRMflvYsePj4rgBYTRu8-hb4_vPJcY_lA3K2Ti/s3200/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike position pre-race in O'side... flat back, more stretched out!</td></tr>
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I'm not normally one to freak out prior to a race but Matt sensed that I was not happy about the bike and even about my fitness, given the week+ of training I had missed in early March due to sickness and a hamstring niggle (another story!). His advice was "not to have any expectations for the race but also not to hold back".<br />
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With that plan, I raced Oceanside 70.3 for the 5th year in a row (and for the 7th or 8th time in total). Results-wise, it was my slowest time of the 5 years but not by much... all of the races are in the 5:08-5:12 range... but it was my fastest swim (except last year's freakishly short/fast edition) and my fastest ever bike split (2:41). Of course, it's a triathlon, so I should add it was personal worst run, but I have high hopes and confidence that that the run will *evolve* as I start to actually focus on it.<br />
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The other good news is that I placed 3rd in my AG at Oceanside... albeit a little off the pace of #1 and #2. Speedy and cool chicas, Janine Wills and Amy Larson! It also scored me a slot for Ironman 70.3 World Champs in Mont-Tremblant in September. Yay... and Blanco did too with a 2nd place in his AG. Oh Canada :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq_XrVyV7S1rpWg4Br6eWb_0Rso2NygcHsfPun9klycEcgncCQuzxdNkMDiNofDU3osOWVvysPWaqwIBt39jryFafnQAT2l5oX2jWSVyyLzjpkmAH_euvoaJS3hyOKXw6AF8r6-VkOVPW/s3200/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq_XrVyV7S1rpWg4Br6eWb_0Rso2NygcHsfPun9klycEcgncCQuzxdNkMDiNofDU3osOWVvysPWaqwIBt39jryFafnQAT2l5oX2jWSVyyLzjpkmAH_euvoaJS3hyOKXw6AF8r6-VkOVPW/s3200/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast hubby scored 2nd in his AG - M45-49.</td></tr>
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Thanks for making it this far, especially when the triathlon portion was less detailed than usual :) At the beginning of this year, I also accepted a new kind of challenge, working with a start-up. While I had several "finance" career options, none of them were truly appealing when I thought about the lifestyle and culture that were important to me. Last summer, when reaching out to my Stanford Business School network I came across a friend's new venture, <a href="http://byus.com/">byUs.com</a>. The company is focused on reviews and recommendations from trusted friends, a concept which resonated with me as a new homeowner that had relied on feedback from friends and personal connections to help us through the renovation process... I wasn't going to rely on Yelp! or Angie's List for our contractor! The site is currently Bay Area focused but if you want to check it out, please go to <a href="http://byus.com/jordan">byUs.com/jordan</a> and share some of your favorite recommendations.<br />
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<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-3554530249367074422014-02-17T09:34:00.001-08:002014-02-17T15:09:53.852-08:00Whole 30: finale & recipesIt's been a few weeks since we finished Whole30 but we did make it and had a very positive experience. My goal was to reset all eating and drinking patterns in the hope of breaking some bad habits (cut back on chocolate, drink a little less wine, curb sugar cravings after meals) which I succeeded in doing. Even though I did not monitor calories or the quantity of food I was eating, I lost about 6lbs, going from 132.4 to 126.6, though I've since added back 2lbs, which feels more sustainable. I feel leaner and stronger... but I don't think I look any different. I can't really tell!<br />
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What are we eating now? While we are not continuing on a strict Whole30 path, I am endeavoring to eat Whole30 whenever we cook and eat at home. The one exception is to add Greek yoghurt to the mix as a quick, digestible (for me) breakfast before a workout. When dining out, we aim to select menu choices that are closest to Whole30 but without worrying if there's a little honey in a dressing or having the occasional slice of pizza, but our diet is generally dairy, sugar and gluten free.<br />
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Here are some of the recipes I cooked during our Whole30 month:<br />
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<b>Shepherd's Pie</b><br />
1-2lbs of buffalo meat<br />
2-4 sweet potatoes cooked and peeled<br />
1 onion (chopped)<br />
2 carrots (sliced)<br />
2-4 tbsps almond milk (optional)<br />
1-2tbps Rama Rub seasoning (http://www.ramarub.com)<br />
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg<br />
Cashew nuts<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xoT_fsBP19B_sb7xek6C8VSzhZacWmejUOB8lzt7QbxHb3Fr1Qjn_mY1bKLtUPt8x_KcEU61QbxImRSAaTUL0N2cud0JsqKhHoD3eilBRcCytEIGokVa5X-jSAjg98mmjyNnTCPc5Q9u/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xoT_fsBP19B_sb7xek6C8VSzhZacWmejUOB8lzt7QbxHb3Fr1Qjn_mY1bKLtUPt8x_KcEU61QbxImRSAaTUL0N2cud0JsqKhHoD3eilBRcCytEIGokVa5X-jSAjg98mmjyNnTCPc5Q9u/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shepherd's pie heading into the oven</td></tr>
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Bake (45-60mins) or microwave (8mins) the sweet potatoes. Saute the onions and carrots ~ 5mins until carrots begin to soften. Add the buffalo meat and the Rama Rub seasoning (or a seasoning of your choice). Cook until meat is browned. Peel the sweet potatoes and add to a food processor along with almond milk and nutmeg. I prefer to use the Cuisinart to keep some some texture to the sweet potatoes but a Vitamix will make them smoother/creamier.<br />
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When the meat is cooked, place in a casserole dish and top with the sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle with crushed cashews and cook in over an 375f for about 15-20mins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3UECkml3VhujjPHa5b6-N0DkFNSE8DTbgm1n_lhRoMQFRxeckENmFdHm6lVYH0MQCtoCR3SqsZzLYrmCaRDpbdwSWIVwOKWv3HsuHokW-Z6nTXNrria80x2LBnjcMqenUW6tpObT-LRp/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3UECkml3VhujjPHa5b6-N0DkFNSE8DTbgm1n_lhRoMQFRxeckENmFdHm6lVYH0MQCtoCR3SqsZzLYrmCaRDpbdwSWIVwOKWv3HsuHokW-Z6nTXNrria80x2LBnjcMqenUW6tpObT-LRp/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shepherd's pie with steamed broccoli</td></tr>
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<b>Brussel sprouts</b><br />
1/4 cup EVOO<br />
2lbs brussel sprouts (trimmed and halved)<br />
Coarse salt and ground pepper<br />
2tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-cznvL26cUbnWnrWTlCcrMoyCpWI1bpO-k08mKmd5kdSaaCm2gk5bRZrq16I28XVH_LG0wvcAXhvznF2-tRI8XvwGusX-YD6cZ6qllbzPeDO1p4Dzphvd6OCrwvPmDyrNbuw0zpzelDy/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-cznvL26cUbnWnrWTlCcrMoyCpWI1bpO-k08mKmd5kdSaaCm2gk5bRZrq16I28XVH_LG0wvcAXhvznF2-tRI8XvwGusX-YD6cZ6qllbzPeDO1p4Dzphvd6OCrwvPmDyrNbuw0zpzelDy/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauteed Brussel Sprouts</td></tr>
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I love brussel sprouts and in the last few years, my favorite preparation was to slather with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast for ~30mins at 400f. However, more recently I have been sautéing them as follows.<br />
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add brussel sprouts, season with salt & pepper and cook, stirring frequently until caramelized (~8mins). Then add 1/3 cup of water to pan and cook until water has evaporated (~2mins). Finally, add the lemon juice and mix to coat the brussel sprouts... serve immediately!<br />
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<b>Buffalo & sweet potato lettuce cups (adapted from Feed Zone)</b><br />
1-2tbsp of EVOO<br />
1lb of buffalo<br />
Seasoning (I used Rama rub)<br />
2 teaspoons of chili powder<br />
1 jalapeño (optional)<br />
1/2 cup of frozen peas<br />
1 lime<br />
1-2 cooked sweet potatoes, cut in large cubes<br />
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced,<br />
1 onion thinly sliced<br />
1 avocado<br />
One head of butter lettuce<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuaHS4hGi8guTJLjf6o_GC2YVr9wNTxa8WPWONY5TwVZAiUJPHkbfunERDXDCFoLT811dPXohPO0M9spG4zmciwY5OrEZ_TjMmxXt6LSUMIol09fBgDWfFhXnGXxCqvhpo4sdSZuPdecT/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuaHS4hGi8guTJLjf6o_GC2YVr9wNTxa8WPWONY5TwVZAiUJPHkbfunERDXDCFoLT811dPXohPO0M9spG4zmciwY5OrEZ_TjMmxXt6LSUMIol09fBgDWfFhXnGXxCqvhpo4sdSZuPdecT/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce cups with roasted cauliflower</td></tr>
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This recipe is simple but annoying since it takes two sauté pans... one for the meat and one for the veggies. I often double up the sautéed veggies and use them for breakfast next day.<br />
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Add EVOO to saute pan with heat on high. Add buffalo and stir to stop from sticking. Add the dry spices and jalapeño (if using). Turn heat down and cook until most of liquid has cooked down. Add peas, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook until peas are soft but still bright green.<br />
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In the meantime, to make the sweet potato filling, add 1tbsp of oil to sauté pan on med-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion and sweet potatoes and sauté until potatoes begin to crisp.<br />
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To assemble the "lettuce cups", wash lettuce leaves, add a little of each mixture then top with a slice or two of avocado. You can also add your favorite, fresh salsa for some additional spice.<br />
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<b>Dry-Spiced chicken and figs </b><b>(adapted from Feed Zone)</b><br />
1-2tbps of EVOO<br />
Dry spice rub = 1/2 teaspoon of each: cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, coriander<br />
2lbs of chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces<br />
2-4 cups of chicken stock<br />
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar<br />
2 onions<br />
2 carrots<br />
2 garlic cloves<br />
8-10 dried figs<br />
1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIKmxfhn2jsjNyCpeLvxj0sKEu4j3QB3WhLWemWJQYCT9ppCsGTZTS5OVhxZNsPJIG_ld2qM1JQaNvQblPLKfH45zqdnE6roaADq-kt-0NkDQ79Eew7H2P_4USQUzl5BeMFyjHDeDOm-x/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIKmxfhn2jsjNyCpeLvxj0sKEu4j3QB3WhLWemWJQYCT9ppCsGTZTS5OVhxZNsPJIG_ld2qM1JQaNvQblPLKfH45zqdnE6roaADq-kt-0NkDQ79Eew7H2P_4USQUzl5BeMFyjHDeDOm-x/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't have carrots so used parsnips!</td></tr>
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Add chicken and spices to large ziplock bag and mix well until chicken is well coated. Add EVOO to sauté pan and heat on high. Sear the chicken pieces until golden then remove from pan. Add stock/vinegar to pan and stir in any spice that has come off the chicken. Add back the chicken along with onions, carrots, figs and garlic. Cover and let simmer on a medium heat for 30-40 mins, until chicken is tender.<br />
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<b>Kale salad</b><br />
Green garlic dressing:<br />
2 stalks of green garlic (or scallions), rinsed & chopped<br />
1/4 tspn of sea salt<br />
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
2tbsp of ripe avocado (~1/2 avocado)<br />
1/3 cup EVOO<br />
1 teaspoon of honey (omitted during Whole30)<br />
fresh pepper to taste<br />
1 cup of farro, cooked (omitted during Whole30)<br />
4-5 farmer's market carrots, sliced thinly (I use a grater to slice thin strips!)<br />
small bulb of fennel<br />
kumquats, sliced thinly (optional)<br />
1/2 bunch of kale, washed, destemmed, chopped into bite size pieces<br />
1/2 gem lettuce (optional, to mix up the kale)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6NP4-Va5FiyBoasQNnxqKW1UNdwL6KAPBzkLDGbfuzWI2asl_vUVq5iImP1DRfhU7cVG_u5lthQ1PeLSOMBko70ztfK95h0Ig9jAfrh-QKuFhng4ft82t2kJK-MQSL4W3v7XFfmvtMUM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6NP4-Va5FiyBoasQNnxqKW1UNdwL6KAPBzkLDGbfuzWI2asl_vUVq5iImP1DRfhU7cVG_u5lthQ1PeLSOMBko70ztfK95h0Ig9jAfrh-QKuFhng4ft82t2kJK-MQSL4W3v7XFfmvtMUM/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale market salad with kumquats but no farro/carrots</td></tr>
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To make the dressing, add everything to food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt, honey, lemon to taste.<br />
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Add the kale to the bowl and add 1-2tbps of the dressing and ensure mixed well (you can even let this sit for 15mins to soften up the kale). Then add the remaining ingredients and more dressing to taste. I often find I have extra dressing which I'll store in a Mason jar and use later in the week. I've kept it up to a week.<br />
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<b>Zucchini and cauliflower curry recipe </b><br />
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http://www.veggiebelly.com/2012/08/zucchini-cauliflower-curry.html<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JMaOf3QMn8ctiezFFsMGZle2-jMx5qM7gLm2A3qoNbLJK8fH1thLQXORC-q5-fQZDeV4N7xRfO1_FE670UsVVph_A3PQILUteA_mCbgE_57hxN2s3TXIvmzsY85D7E1C_f2o4yJjGgCB/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JMaOf3QMn8ctiezFFsMGZle2-jMx5qM7gLm2A3qoNbLJK8fH1thLQXORC-q5-fQZDeV4N7xRfO1_FE670UsVVph_A3PQILUteA_mCbgE_57hxN2s3TXIvmzsY85D7E1C_f2o4yJjGgCB/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zucchini & cauliflower curry</td></tr>
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This is a recipe I found when I realized I had some zucchini and cauliflower and didn't know what to do with them... Google to the rescue! I made this dish while Blanco grilled some flank steak... a bit of an odd pairing but both tasted great!JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-75730502717145156302014-01-25T15:07:00.002-08:002014-01-25T17:19:51.707-08:00Whole30: day 25 & Coast RideLast weekend, Rich and I joined about 150 friends and acquaintances to cycle down the California coast from San Francisco to Santa Monica. We were a little concerned about how eating Whole30 would hold up while we were cycling 5-7hrs a day. We had been using Lara bars and Clif Kits Original Bars as our workout nutrition to this point in our Whole30 plan... but the idea of eating 6-10 of these bars a day (they're all date based so the taste and texture is very repetitive even though there are 10 or so different flavors!) was something I could not wrap my head around. Other alternatives (fruit, nuts, sweet potatoes, eggs) were not as portable given the small backpack we were allowed to take with us. Therefore, we decided to add gluten free Picky bars and Bonk Breakers to the mix. Thanks to a new stash of Nuun goodies, I also continued my plan of drinking Nuun for hydration on the bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefctiat4N9QZkOfvZhtRIDLJNeK8iw4pOsCUHHweG7NI3tMFcxxH3yR5fALnHOdNwKI-RjLHT1tQ-tqEJNpvtUvpD7A1UvSsVm1ZxWQ1Q-ixlnQhjkar7ggSrFmfCcgXQKEmNUTj4k5S5/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefctiat4N9QZkOfvZhtRIDLJNeK8iw4pOsCUHHweG7NI3tMFcxxH3yR5fALnHOdNwKI-RjLHT1tQ-tqEJNpvtUvpD7A1UvSsVm1ZxWQ1Q-ixlnQhjkar7ggSrFmfCcgXQKEmNUTj4k5S5/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for keeping me hydrated! #nuunlove</td></tr>
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Day 1 took us from San Francisco to Seaside... We decided to push off a little earlier than the slated 8am start with a small group of friends in order to avoid the swarm of 150 other cyclists navigating the city streets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjsj0hkOP5PsMpIISsKE2CjAnTwVmx5AQmS7DNNmBu5N3YedKuEDEdJdGplXRuoU6E66YX6iidPHNzYAzAneYRzt-FjkFioKnBb1M1e_et2lP2bpMDNA-gXRzaj85MjME-N2xmkXUsvy3/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjsj0hkOP5PsMpIISsKE2CjAnTwVmx5AQmS7DNNmBu5N3YedKuEDEdJdGplXRuoU6E66YX6iidPHNzYAzAneYRzt-FjkFioKnBb1M1e_et2lP2bpMDNA-gXRzaj85MjME-N2xmkXUsvy3/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The overnight crew leaving from CasaBlanco</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC7gvxh9J15HuvM4belCqM6OnLoPNQEmEzhgFDlc7-O7UnhX7WG-6Oh8JBN_WRk1UO76pnG11iCzyKkLtQLe0AMGtsDaXOHPpHhZdM7OVxfM_Hu10jJIeb-Glaa2W_RB4sStiC_mdOIJc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC7gvxh9J15HuvM4belCqM6OnLoPNQEmEzhgFDlc7-O7UnhX7WG-6Oh8JBN_WRk1UO76pnG11iCzyKkLtQLe0AMGtsDaXOHPpHhZdM7OVxfM_Hu10jJIeb-Glaa2W_RB4sStiC_mdOIJc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC7gvxh9J15HuvM4belCqM6OnLoPNQEmEzhgFDlc7-O7UnhX7WG-6Oh8JBN_WRk1UO76pnG11iCzyKkLtQLe0AMGtsDaXOHPpHhZdM7OVxfM_Hu10jJIeb-Glaa2W_RB4sStiC_mdOIJc/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful morning on Crissy Field</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20U9VpbPuHtOJ9S6l-i_icNUdYQektcyOtNTf0DEcxhy20WY9ICUDY9xz9fcUR2cLdvACxS4l5j2fPtYmZc_P4G3LUDRFf8zw0lhiM6xu87P1QAD04P-EKnqwWOqSuW4wIF4nTdboXMNJ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20U9VpbPuHtOJ9S6l-i_icNUdYQektcyOtNTf0DEcxhy20WY9ICUDY9xz9fcUR2cLdvACxS4l5j2fPtYmZc_P4G3LUDRFf8zw0lhiM6xu87P1QAD04P-EKnqwWOqSuW4wIF4nTdboXMNJ/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding a few miles with fellow #Betty, Christine Gould.</td></tr>
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After stopping for water in Half Moon Bay, Rich, Christine and I were engulfed by the lead group near Pigeon Point. It went without saying that Rich hopped on the back of that group. I tried to tag on the end but the pace was a little hot... however, shortly afterwards, the second group came by and I was able to slide into that pack. The pace was not cushy but it was not nearly as painful as the lead pack. I rode with this group all the way to the lunch stop at Davenport (~75mi). After a quick lunch stop (I just ate a bar!), Rich and I joined up with Mimi to ride the 50 miles remaining on the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MdifO5mpJbEU0VxeFCKEkV2_7qbUYgNVqRCwQCon9zuOQN_cjktwyURezuR50m7TfRAXVzhIPXk4kbzXJYKfUvCn82oAsnEzhk3BZpy_ggnWJqxwFRCeN0xdPkb-hq6nsz0wTYvTWsuO/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MdifO5mpJbEU0VxeFCKEkV2_7qbUYgNVqRCwQCon9zuOQN_cjktwyURezuR50m7TfRAXVzhIPXk4kbzXJYKfUvCn82oAsnEzhk3BZpy_ggnWJqxwFRCeN0xdPkb-hq6nsz0wTYvTWsuO/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordan & Mimi</td></tr>
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It was a gentle ride through Santa Cruz and the little towns south of there before rejoining highway 1 near Moss Landing. Once again, the lead pack came flying by and Rich hooked onto the back. Since I needed more water, I stopped to refill and hooked up with another couple of guys to finish up the last 15 miles of the ride... they were happy that I knew where I was going!<br />
<b>Day 1 125miles, 6.5hrs</b><br />
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We hit Chili's for dinner that night with Hailey, Jess, Christine, Laura and Sonja among others. Dinner included a steak, broccoli and sweet potato fries... this was supposedly Whole30 but in hindsight, I am guessing the sweet potato fries are cooked in canola oil (kind of a don't ask, don't tell policy).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAqhSOCRbY6iHqXucU4B2Wt39LTqO2osAkbZX67ZkK44pQI_SvJ38t1dnQOGZx9i_05o2iIiDTQpqtcG5a2Era3CTjt2eu6jknaSC6BrBokXNU2m8oFzjua7AuqG-8kchH6BC0ciqeWQr/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAqhSOCRbY6iHqXucU4B2Wt39LTqO2osAkbZX67ZkK44pQI_SvJ38t1dnQOGZx9i_05o2iIiDTQpqtcG5a2Era3CTjt2eu6jknaSC6BrBokXNU2m8oFzjua7AuqG-8kchH6BC0ciqeWQr/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner crew</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9FJ9-Q_6Y90UjflTeXH9OuWhYwwUOi5jUSkCDVb48kDSnhurW6mUAlAG2cnXoSflzOMecs_TL2UvutwfdPIJXtjrJIoF2fcv4-lfDz-bz2nW9rutcTnOkAWKpTtaNM76cRO344eLrtsc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9FJ9-Q_6Y90UjflTeXH9OuWhYwwUOi5jUSkCDVb48kDSnhurW6mUAlAG2cnXoSflzOMecs_TL2UvutwfdPIJXtjrJIoF2fcv4-lfDz-bz2nW9rutcTnOkAWKpTtaNM76cRO344eLrtsc/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chili's "Whole30" dinner</td></tr>
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Day 2 of the Coast Ride is by far the hardest and once again, Rich and I decided to push off a little early and enjoy sunrise on the road. We ended up making it almost all the way to Ragged Point before the lead group caught us, even with a couple of decent stops in Big Sur and Lucia for water refills (and coffee!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDK9zIcLHAc3lOzupvNfJOSCODfK3vAnuxIOWmNznxs3iq1OLtnS-Ibe80sf9erqhYhX6Z_EdZwrN-Tv6S_vPMv7xHDTseezdQGzZ1mhbrAOm_fnn-uhEFdeTeXs8G9x02QA_mTQWnBRK/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDK9zIcLHAc3lOzupvNfJOSCODfK3vAnuxIOWmNznxs3iq1OLtnS-Ibe80sf9erqhYhX6Z_EdZwrN-Tv6S_vPMv7xHDTseezdQGzZ1mhbrAOm_fnn-uhEFdeTeXs8G9x02QA_mTQWnBRK/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could the scenery be more beautiful?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_p7P052y-Xx03d1OaFCORybvnuigF2tUJipblXikt8iqFSXoSGYaH8GStzBXdNl3AVllSSh1_IOkem6PD4b0J7PCZ_IjrrWy3uBrYlFN_ARlUPTO7iqBx6g_CvyCqpR2QTCrtinmMyQ4_/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_p7P052y-Xx03d1OaFCORybvnuigF2tUJipblXikt8iqFSXoSGYaH8GStzBXdNl3AVllSSh1_IOkem6PD4b0J7PCZ_IjrrWy3uBrYlFN_ARlUPTO7iqBx6g_CvyCqpR2QTCrtinmMyQ4_/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ocean was on our right all day.</td></tr>
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At Ragged Point, Rich took off with a couple of buddies while I waited for the SAG wagon to hand off some excess clothing. No one else seemed ready to leave so I ended up pushing off solo, thinking a group would be along shortly to sweep me up and carry me to Morro Bay. Unfortunately, it took until Cambria for a group to catch me (I enjoyed a lovely 30 solo miles) so I was getting a little tired at this point. Fortunately the group was not riding too hard so I hooked up with them (some familiar names: Sonja, Chuck, Hendrik and Caroline) for a little while... until I dropped my chain and lost the little group. D'oh!Thankfully, we were just a few miles from Morro Bay at this point so I didn't mind.</div>
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<b>Day 2, 127 miles, 7hrs</b> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDES_X8PfRe3SrosIFxdytintOj6ZcUUMlePAp-11-YASzRVJ-ZXNgGZIAOw3y6YznpiTgr7aBezZW8KNLUILTfdUWiL6XndMVZZbGyW67DU67XMyoATwT14_Xa3-_QB2fS65qMgzigWM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDES_X8PfRe3SrosIFxdytintOj6ZcUUMlePAp-11-YASzRVJ-ZXNgGZIAOw3y6YznpiTgr7aBezZW8KNLUILTfdUWiL6XndMVZZbGyW67DU67XMyoATwT14_Xa3-_QB2fS65qMgzigWM/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date night in Morro Bay: Whole30 halibut & olive tapenade</td></tr>
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On day 3, Rich and I switched over to the AIMP & SagMonkey ride (since they were riding all the way to San Diego and the other group was stopping in Santa Barbara). We had some great food to fuel our ride today... I asked for a little avocado on my omelette.. looks like I got a whole one!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFD5mLRplggcUGUifYMF0jRLfh5c9PmqLWI_0VvQJRE6fIte-1qJegRLcwjmW5z2ndXRETUpTRg-b5UeWCQ3BRLSzl5jmI1muQpAhQ7giSHsu9G0u2rvWV90oDVemqCmUGAgNMK5FIuAD/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFD5mLRplggcUGUifYMF0jRLfh5c9PmqLWI_0VvQJRE6fIte-1qJegRLcwjmW5z2ndXRETUpTRg-b5UeWCQ3BRLSzl5jmI1muQpAhQ7giSHsu9G0u2rvWV90oDVemqCmUGAgNMK5FIuAD/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast omelette in Morro Bay</td></tr>
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The group wanted to take the freeway into town (which I hate!) so Rich and I took the *back way* into San Luis Obispo (SLO). I had never gone this way and Rich forgot to note that it tacks on a few extra miles and is bitterly cold. I saw 27f on my SRM as we were riding in one of the valleys. My fingers have never been so painful... I am used to riding in 50f+ weather so this was a shock to my system. We met up with the group in SLO and then rode with them into Guadalupe. My right knee was really bothering me whenever the road headed uphill (back of the knee, hamstring/IT band) and so I chatted with SagMonkey and decided to take a break and help with SAG for the rest of the day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd-NPKIZrrtfxQPXFuk99qaKr-X38e2h-BCdrPLDFD1MFC8YTonFuTYW9h8wTnRekCNLdQdsFhZA9zIY72zMjBjZIUkb9bq7AYbGv8SV3ZcEXO1LegnueUNAI4YGgLQissIkyVvkdv3Vj/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd-NPKIZrrtfxQPXFuk99qaKr-X38e2h-BCdrPLDFD1MFC8YTonFuTYW9h8wTnRekCNLdQdsFhZA9zIY72zMjBjZIUkb9bq7AYbGv8SV3ZcEXO1LegnueUNAI4YGgLQissIkyVvkdv3Vj/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick Nicastro is SagMonkey - best bike concierge ever!</td></tr>
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It was fun to hang out and catch up with Nick and a couple of other riders we picked up along the way, and I also truly appreciated how hard he works, keeping track of 30+ riders with differing riding abilities.</div>
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On arriving in Santa Barbara, Rich and I grabbed an early dinner (Marmalade cafe) and then went to the movies (American Hustle). It was such a treat to sit and relax in a movie theater after being absorbed in everything cycling for the prior 3 days.</div>
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<b>Day 3, 45 miles 2.5hrs</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSc7cQkd89Xipjid9fOEB7t9Hot8ytYykIonQBjeHeSCYiFahY7egfTauqgs-XsIxvbAHvziEc3y4nDuqK-wWm-H7HgWJ1dY5lFtjJb2OI7g1pWvelKaDaY_2HKEq3Oad7xR-lHQdix5S/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSc7cQkd89Xipjid9fOEB7t9Hot8ytYykIonQBjeHeSCYiFahY7egfTauqgs-XsIxvbAHvziEc3y4nDuqK-wWm-H7HgWJ1dY5lFtjJb2OI7g1pWvelKaDaY_2HKEq3Oad7xR-lHQdix5S/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding with another fellow Betty, Monica Moreno.</td></tr>
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On day 4, the route took us from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica and with just 2000ft of climbing, I was hopeful that my knee would be okay. A good night's sleep (93% on Sleep Cycle) also seemed to have done the trick! After a water stop 25 miles in, Blanco decided that warm-up was over and launched an attack that splintered the 30 strong group. That left just 6 of us (which quickly dwindled to 5) to ride to the lunch stop 35 miles down the road, and then on to our final destination in Santa Monica.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIe6mYz45z1ROkZUTxtUbOQnKRIb7zdmFw0EyIW2W4UiwAXqJ2FZJsZWO0UsQihVIqhPv-b1ldIcr81MeM8-r9eRRPtIaq-srrZDeaN2mwMO75ciEL6_GvHjTpbaH9RsTubO0HBGC7L8f/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIe6mYz45z1ROkZUTxtUbOQnKRIb7zdmFw0EyIW2W4UiwAXqJ2FZJsZWO0UsQihVIqhPv-b1ldIcr81MeM8-r9eRRPtIaq-srrZDeaN2mwMO75ciEL6_GvHjTpbaH9RsTubO0HBGC7L8f/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies hanging on to Blanco's wheel</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BfcOuLDDLGI3a2ng1expGqEG1fEgbNR0mCOeP5UeEJTxdc3W0moiisxtKrV3CjMpDhT8mgN0mT_Q9YlMIjmJ-PxHyhNkVKC3j1xvidZEN4rzUPHeVFT8VHaP5VwFhbxdjQxnFH5xo0uZ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BfcOuLDDLGI3a2ng1expGqEG1fEgbNR0mCOeP5UeEJTxdc3W0moiisxtKrV3CjMpDhT8mgN0mT_Q9YlMIjmJ-PxHyhNkVKC3j1xvidZEN4rzUPHeVFT8VHaP5VwFhbxdjQxnFH5xo0uZ/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvwvqpcogrjhr3dWKwTEgz16g-RXMECnaim_ihKC6PySVHoj38Rq5Eci_fEwrDaPSzQp1v1BtH9SimvMJOzduuvITxlTBcBW7z2f4ypoSAJ0XV0cuKnEOJe8Bs3zRvX9opxooqnjxaWLO/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvwvqpcogrjhr3dWKwTEgz16g-RXMECnaim_ihKC6PySVHoj38Rq5Eci_fEwrDaPSzQp1v1BtH9SimvMJOzduuvITxlTBcBW7z2f4ypoSAJ0XV0cuKnEOJe8Bs3zRvX9opxooqnjxaWLO/s1600/image.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katya in a sweet Betty Kit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBdtgZN-wIz3TWIOB_o1RE2hKClr7uv6K50FdUCx4xHqVamZaEz-ESNqAKwzTCXpkPNcSSJ0jhl_l3LXVOcqQw5jwHTvg6yYGNAjjBpKpeWZR4cKzEcs5xQ4RRJ6NGbfQjBqP3O2YdhYh/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBdtgZN-wIz3TWIOB_o1RE2hKClr7uv6K50FdUCx4xHqVamZaEz-ESNqAKwzTCXpkPNcSSJ0jhl_l3LXVOcqQw5jwHTvg6yYGNAjjBpKpeWZR4cKzEcs5xQ4RRJ6NGbfQjBqP3O2YdhYh/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Betty's in a row</td></tr>
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The pace was fine on the flats but Rich confirmed to me that he wanted to push the rollers so I was left working my butt off over every hill, trying desperately not to get detached from the back. My fellow Betty companions, Katya and Caroline, worked with me to keep the group together and share the pain as Blanco pushed over the rollers. Soon enough we were in Santa Monica, greeted by my father-in-law who had stationed himself to watch for riders nearby our hotel destination.<br />
<b>Day 4, 100 miles 5hrs</b><br />
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We had a few hours to clean up, grab dinner before heading to LAX for a flight home (SagMonkey drove our bikes back later in the week).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3nslxEBycw3CtCHuF8aqhQD4ft1j4xxyM_ws7yhaKV475MUOT4Yjl0c0hPzLXP__b0lCBYmONYWFYQ87W_oXk2sGJLme5WgZXfB7H1aIWDXwTdLGuTOEqp8kO8hzHmVlnpuX44efi5L3/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3nslxEBycw3CtCHuF8aqhQD4ft1j4xxyM_ws7yhaKV475MUOT4Yjl0c0hPzLXP__b0lCBYmONYWFYQ87W_oXk2sGJLme5WgZXfB7H1aIWDXwTdLGuTOEqp8kO8hzHmVlnpuX44efi5L3/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceviche was my Whole30 meal of choice to celebrate the end of the Coast Ride</td></tr>
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It was a fun coast ride, but I was definitely tired and sore by the end of it... it was great to tack on a 4th day, but it helped that I cut back the miles on day 3. Before the ride, coach Matt had told me to ride hard but be smart and avoid digging myself in a hole. I think I accomplished the goal of adding fitness and avoiding a black hole of deep fatigue.<br />
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We were able to eat Whole30 during our trip, with the exceptions mentioned above, but it was nice to get home and be able to cook for ourselves and have access to Wholefoods and our other favorite places.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7_qoDeUeLVWSSMB2aBhuCa8UYfP4oxadkAIbey7z6jCS3gZN1W-cLaSpAKUzfE8HEwxaur-bdN9Cx3Qja1KhRHgcx_-mGI-6RxOy0mmLTOdT1sek_2PMvMHs9KRSCCN5Djh8qKlrk1g4/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7_qoDeUeLVWSSMB2aBhuCa8UYfP4oxadkAIbey7z6jCS3gZN1W-cLaSpAKUzfE8HEwxaur-bdN9Cx3Qja1KhRHgcx_-mGI-6RxOy0mmLTOdT1sek_2PMvMHs9KRSCCN5Djh8qKlrk1g4/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wholefoods salad bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3JLzmM6Q9CyX-ARM87FYUwr5kIzYr2j53Ac8d_8wROVWvnO_LorMDJe2Dmz0i3agZ7Z41VkYzacVPbHMcArE_kPHhf5eju4i3k65hikqySUzsTNmqUFHX04L9VXTo__IhRUx6IumUeL6/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3JLzmM6Q9CyX-ARM87FYUwr5kIzYr2j53Ac8d_8wROVWvnO_LorMDJe2Dmz0i3agZ7Z41VkYzacVPbHMcArE_kPHhf5eju4i3k65hikqySUzsTNmqUFHX04L9VXTo__IhRUx6IumUeL6/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flank steak over ratatouille and green salad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdCH8fPw4fHUICEjMPajBhZBroj91szKnvgvWWYxUbOZ9szH-mpx6-HdWd1XmteqaT3kXeVaON958yv1JnG5hlG5-MsQEV0Qv1vIP8WtaS1V_Az1WC4dhCkwkjfLumS77XGFrfrex5JA3/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdCH8fPw4fHUICEjMPajBhZBroj91szKnvgvWWYxUbOZ9szH-mpx6-HdWd1XmteqaT3kXeVaON958yv1JnG5hlG5-MsQEV0Qv1vIP8WtaS1V_Az1WC4dhCkwkjfLumS77XGFrfrex5JA3/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale salad with carrots and watermelon radish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcmKhH5wvg-0zZa4LonEfN9zJM2xBuY0Lkel6uohFFBHaCN8jcJlyuY4UToRNF27Tlhw5zoR-TsVLVKw6a4UneAGprKBgWUeVbot6DRA3WpKjKydiWX3_mlZy6QrqpQmOJ-_y0VONScoj/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcmKhH5wvg-0zZa4LonEfN9zJM2xBuY0Lkel6uohFFBHaCN8jcJlyuY4UToRNF27Tlhw5zoR-TsVLVKw6a4UneAGprKBgWUeVbot6DRA3WpKjKydiWX3_mlZy6QrqpQmOJ-_y0VONScoj/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite breakfast scramble with eggs and fruit salad</td></tr>
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We have just five days left of our Whole30 experiment and I'll be honest that I am ready for it to be over. Rich tells me that he *can't eat another nut*! I also miss having a glass of wine with dinner! The greatest challenge has been the loss of foods that I considered to be convenient (and not necessarily unhealthy) such as yogurt, or using corn tortillas as vehicles for everything from almond butter and bananas to vegetable and buffalo sautés. I am now trying to give some thought to the re-entry to eating dairy, gluten and other foods. I am enjoying the steadier energy levels and my stomach has mostly been settled throughout the experiment (dried fruit and nuts have disturbed it lately!). I also love some of the new breakfast dishes I have created (sausage and sweet potato scramble) even though the recipe ran counter to my former belief of what is healthy (saturated fat in the sausages??)<br />
<br />
I am wondering whether we eat Whole30 Sunday-Thursday, or Whole30 before 6pm (thinking of Mark Bittman's book Vegan before 6pm). The challenge, however, is that Whole30 takes a lot more preparation and can be challenging when we are both working, commuting and training... there are not many hours left in the day when I am aiming for 8hrs sleep too! If you have suggestions, send them my way...</div>
JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322890820140968454.post-66612763399680541822014-01-13T17:46:00.001-08:002014-01-13T17:46:54.815-08:00Whole30: day 13We're in quite a rhythm with Whole30 eating right now, almost two weeks in. We have a breakfast routine down with a few options that I can cook up quickly or some things we can grab and go. If I am looking for something quick and small (e.g. before a 5:30am swim), I'll have a banana with almond or cashew butter or a Kit bar (made by Clif). Note that the Whole30 suggests not to include fruit in a pre-workout meal but I just don't feel like eating veggies at 4:45am!<br />
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If I need something more substantial (e.g. before a long ride or after an early Am workout), I've been cooking up scrambled or poached eggs with some form of veggie and/or sausage (Aidell's chicken apple) scramble. My favorite combination is sausage, mushrooms, spinach and sweet potato with half an avocado alongside eggs. Thankfully I made a huge batch of the scramble at breakfast today so I'm all set for tomorrow too. PurplePatch swim and run will require some serious post-workout refueling!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKh-EO9kREvSfy1cEqsvnIVYwiTsqanliD13-AaOTysa_4ecHIcNws9WUZL0uxHx42VTqheShlK3mjiYQuVW3wkR9b0s1y3GFeN2UL-WSTriTxh2XbpQG9zakOM5NNxEJc7uHTLOKAQgW/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKh-EO9kREvSfy1cEqsvnIVYwiTsqanliD13-AaOTysa_4ecHIcNws9WUZL0uxHx42VTqheShlK3mjiYQuVW3wkR9b0s1y3GFeN2UL-WSTriTxh2XbpQG9zakOM5NNxEJc7uHTLOKAQgW/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite breakfast: spinach, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, sausage with scrambled eggs and guacamole</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6hYn2ZlqXs64qZucWGMn6L8TuYPNceQZAYX1334WALb7Z3yy_gm4XmaxqJk3_2YgS-py6r5U6H6egjIYCz7aYmXufVYyL8aVZLZVOj2rNJp_wHQCocXjt_xJa7aCsl4n3Auk0BFl9x6Q/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6hYn2ZlqXs64qZucWGMn6L8TuYPNceQZAYX1334WALb7Z3yy_gm4XmaxqJk3_2YgS-py6r5U6H6egjIYCz7aYmXufVYyL8aVZLZVOj2rNJp_wHQCocXjt_xJa7aCsl4n3Auk0BFl9x6Q/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same sausage scramble but this time poached eggs and fruit too</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGy21-WBfByvGxC-SKL-3QGK_dBQADUIuY-cq2RjYiEnm3E0LyDqu37_yMAu9B_XEifNuZpY-WdH-L7png-vgAkhAC49qPHOo3Fa4fcBJr_dHXaH3CjhiaQ-wbutS3S2k6h-LK3cPjc9C/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGy21-WBfByvGxC-SKL-3QGK_dBQADUIuY-cq2RjYiEnm3E0LyDqu37_yMAu9B_XEifNuZpY-WdH-L7png-vgAkhAC49qPHOo3Fa4fcBJr_dHXaH3CjhiaQ-wbutS3S2k6h-LK3cPjc9C/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WholeFoods to the rescue: frittata with chicken and avocado</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXHy55dAPqCuboDETRYGdsc09E9tQ7zLks_Vy4fHT1fRNUvMLgl8wyCNyKHKtc07XA07SYCMUS8I-cC5G0mR5FUklSSCtzpS8ii-IzcpT3sP-ryvGUkYi2D99007xdk1ZfvG4WKJgq0yk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXHy55dAPqCuboDETRYGdsc09E9tQ7zLks_Vy4fHT1fRNUvMLgl8wyCNyKHKtc07XA07SYCMUS8I-cC5G0mR5FUklSSCtzpS8ii-IzcpT3sP-ryvGUkYi2D99007xdk1ZfvG4WKJgq0yk/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet potatoes, bell peppers, spinach and sausage, eggs and avocado</td></tr>
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As for dinner options, we've had a fairly varied menu and we've eaten out more times than I thought we would... and with success! I was worried that I would annoy the servers with all my questions but they tend to "get it". They are clearly used to food allergies and picky eaters in general! I enjoy cooking but on days when my schedule is nutty or on a weekend evening, it's just nice to change the scenery. We realized that steakhouses are one of the best choices... simple piece of meat with some basic sides such as steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach, sweet potatoes. At Izzy's on Saturday night, we even discovered their chimichurri sauce is compliant and delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHID7R1SDlJ8Kt_AVOVqbtC20sRi_ehFRu3tpn0Uym4cn6FY4XbW2ZUEeivHVWVyuxQvNSWGLDEIm3ExV0jn-wklQgEDBdJFLNJ7pO9ixVEZhyFkp4jCjhYApsgBMeL5DnXoLy6BRFsxf-/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHID7R1SDlJ8Kt_AVOVqbtC20sRi_ehFRu3tpn0Uym4cn6FY4XbW2ZUEeivHVWVyuxQvNSWGLDEIm3ExV0jn-wklQgEDBdJFLNJ7pO9ixVEZhyFkp4jCjhYApsgBMeL5DnXoLy6BRFsxf-/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great friends still invite you over for dinner when you are on Whole30:<br />
grilled chicken with roasted veggies and a mixed green salad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIKmxfhn2jsjNyCpeLvxj0sKEu4j3QB3WhLWemWJQYCT9ppCsGTZTS5OVhxZNsPJIG_ld2qM1JQaNvQblPLKfH45zqdnE6roaADq-kt-0NkDQ79Eew7H2P_4USQUzl5BeMFyjHDeDOm-x/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIKmxfhn2jsjNyCpeLvxj0sKEu4j3QB3WhLWemWJQYCT9ppCsGTZTS5OVhxZNsPJIG_ld2qM1JQaNvQblPLKfH45zqdnE6roaADq-kt-0NkDQ79Eew7H2P_4USQUzl5BeMFyjHDeDOm-x/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced chicken and parsnips</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XG3pR2TnAtzeTROm8QLUio9NqnfFZ5lyY8jIeZ2VVsNZiuf7wtzqTR7ufOvBbRi4tNe1wcvQyUxS7VYQAnFpBztoVhSsJahX3XaX1iok2O7BcPAC9iCIcBMA6MMBwlgLuzkJBYnXt_W_/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XG3pR2TnAtzeTROm8QLUio9NqnfFZ5lyY8jIeZ2VVsNZiuf7wtzqTR7ufOvBbRi4tNe1wcvQyUxS7VYQAnFpBztoVhSsJahX3XaX1iok2O7BcPAC9iCIcBMA6MMBwlgLuzkJBYnXt_W_/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burger, sweet potato fries and sautéed Brussel sprouts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF0-rSg-tlfP5V3-CJubC7g06nFaIasEU_5PD7Keg9ISJMmmTWl7CpNG_Fy1U8bzwR5yzBEOeNlCJjrYJQRbywLchKjcqL6AdnC1uzW0jPP1eXqqKSDu9xGhQgHbZeR3kgggzerrLAubC/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF0-rSg-tlfP5V3-CJubC7g06nFaIasEU_5PD7Keg9ISJMmmTWl7CpNG_Fy1U8bzwR5yzBEOeNlCJjrYJQRbywLchKjcqL6AdnC1uzW0jPP1eXqqKSDu9xGhQgHbZeR3kgggzerrLAubC/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cauliflower fried rice with shrimp and bok choy </td></tr>
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As far as Blanco is concerned, the best meal to date has been my "Whole30 shepherd's pie". My tweaks were to use ground buffalo rather than ground beef (sautéed up with carrots and onions) and sweet potato topping. To get some extra fat in the dish, I crushed up some cashew nuts and added to the top of the pie for some crunchiness, then served some steamed broccoli with a squeeze of lemon on the side... super simple!<br />
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Now, after all this Whole30 eating, you might ask, how do I feel? I have definitely noticed that my energy levels are more consistent. I am also not nearly as hungry (#hangry) as I used to be... After a breakfast at 8am, I used to be gnawing on my arm wondering if I could eat lunch by 10:30am or 11am, but now, I feel satiated much longer. I think I am eating slightly more quantity than I used to eat for breakfast (yoghurt, fruit, granola) and it is clearly sustaining me throughout the entire morning. Also, after finishing each meal, I no longer have that feeling of a *big food baby*! After feeling light-headed for the first few days of eating this way, I now feel back to normal... I think increasing food, in particular fat quantity helped. Thanks @gosonja for that!<br />
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During and after workouts, I have deviated from the strict Whole30 protocol, as I am using Nuun for hydration and Osmo recovery drink mixed with almond milk for a recovery drink (adding for full disclosure!).<br />
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This coming weekend will be a test of our nutrition plan since training volume is set to increase dramatically. Rich and I will be heading down the California coast to Santa Monica on our bikes... I think it's about 460 miles of riding in 4 days. I'm more worried about Rich finding enough food to get through each day's ride. We've been packing bananas, nuts, Lara bars and Kit bars on rides and runs recently but those choices will get old fast this weekend!<br />
<br />JBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708362428781073614noreply@blogger.com1