2013 Sponsor Update & the Race Schedule

Well, it's been over a month since my last update and I feel like I'm finally getting my race schedule finalized this year, so I felt it was time to go into more detail about the Snapple National Team sponsorship and share my race schedule!  And from the numbers I'm seeing as of late, I may try to squeeze in a bike race (road race, obviously)

I was very fortunate this year to be named to the 2013 Snapple National Team.  We are working with many companies that have products I used before having a sponsorship agreement with them, so I really couldn't be more excited. My first box arrived from Xterra Wetsuits, so I had that Christmas in January feeling :)

The wetsuit has plenty of room for my broad shoulders - YES! 52' @ IMLP this year :)?

I've listed below some of the additional companies we are working with, so you can click on the links to learn more about the companies. And for companies that I have codes to share, I've also included those.

www.clifbar.com

www.mizunousa.com

http://www.louisgarneau.com/lang_select.php

www.nuun.com - Code 2013snappletri (case sensitive) for 30% off

www.finisinc.com - Code snapple for 25% off

www.xterrawetsuits.com - Code c-lyte

www.e-rudy.com - Code snapple for 40% off

www.tunefootwear.com - Code TUNESNAPPLE2013 for $20 off

I've held off for a long time finalizing my race schedule because I have a hard time deciding what I want to do a year in advance. I think a part of me is always scared I'm going to get hurt, and I'm also just slightly indecisive. Luckily I only had to sign up for a few in the summer of 2012 (and those are repeats), so I've had time to debate on the others and add some new, exciting things for 2013.

04.06 -  Charlottesville Half Marathon
04.25 -  Snapple Team Camp
05.05 -  Monticelloman Half Ironman
05.10 & 05.11 - Tour de Skyline
06.09 -  Eagleman (why do I always do this race??? Oh yeah, I want the BIG eagle)
07.28 -  IMLP (this WILL BE ironman marathon redemption)
rest tbd

My major goals for 2012 were to be the top amateur at an Ironman and get on the podium at Ironman Hawaii. I only checked off one of those goals, so hopefully my season will end with a trip to Kona. And with Hines Ward doing Kona, that's extra motivation for this life-long Steeler fan!

Happy Shopping!

The End of 2012

The last few months have been filled with family and friends. While I haven't been good about blogging, I finally have a few updates and pictures to share.

Post Kona, I was ready for a few weeks of doing very limited activity. So the first weekend back, we went and visited my sister in Williamsburg and I got to meet my new nephew, Logan. Poor Logan has horrible acid reflux and has not been the happiest baby, but he's slowly feeling better (as is his Aunt who's on an 8 week prescription dose - YIKES!)

October 2012 - Preston, KT, Logan

In November, Chris and I headed out to California for Thanksgiving. We went mountain biking with his brother and sister-in-law, and thankfully, while I was pathetically slow and stopped many times on the downhill section, I only managed to crash once and didn't cry.  I would have never lived that down!

Chris checking his phone

 December started out with the exciting news that I'm on Team Snapple for 2013. I couldn't be more excited to race with this team.  I've followed a few of my teammates' blogs for years, so it's fun to now be on their team. We'll be racing in Rudy Helmets (YAY), Xterra Wetsuits and using Clif products.  Awesome. 

And since clearly my bike and kit needed to match, I finally got a new bike. The bike is still at my sister's until this weekend, but I can't wait to start riding it and getting used to the aggressive aero position (free speed - WAHOOOOOOOOOOO!) And thank you Joanna for bringing it back from CO for me!



Have a Healthy and Happy New Year!

SVSR Winter Series 5K #3

Ironman Hawaii 2012

This is the third time I've been fortunate enough to race on the Big Island; however, I feel like this is the first time I've finally been able to enjoy myself and feel like I belonged at the race. Leading up to the race, I was calm and ready to go. I knew I had done everything I could in training, so I didn't worry about all the little things I couldn't control. As long as I went out and gave it my all on October 13th, I didn't care what the outcome was.

Pre-race went smoothly and before I knew it, I was getting in the water with Adam Otstot (go Tribe!). I was a little concerned when the Ford vehicle wasn't in the water to line up at, but I made a point of going fairly far left and lined myself up behind a male wearing Sweedish goggles. I got fairly cold while I was waiting, but remembered this was the only time I'd be shivering all day so I embraced it.

Ready for Battle

Swim - 57:54

The cannon wasn't working this year, so they yelled go and we were off. The first 200 meters were mayhem, as expected, so I forced myself to keep my head down and keep swimming regardless of how many blows I took (quite a few). I got on the feet of a fairly large male and concentrated on breathing every other stroke. Unfortunately he took us a bit wide, but it was better than the brawl on the buoy line. I only saw one other pink cap, so I figured the pace was fine and just kept swimming. I felt strong the entire way, but started getting really disoriented with about 1,000 meters to go. I picked up the pace and passed almost everyone in the group I was in and was thrilled to reach the stairs. I broke my cardinal rule of looking at the time and was ticked to see I swam slower than last year.

I was pretty disorientated going through T1, so I felt like I was taking forever. I made sure to thank the volunteers as they put layers of sunblock on me, and ran out of the changing tents only to get plowed into by a male running full steam from the males' changing tent.  Seriously, you're not going to make up much time running 10 mph in T1, so really folks, unless your Andy Potts, be polite and at least get past the changing tents before you start running hard.

Bike - 5:24:18

Ummm, apparently I thought I should stand & rest before mounting my bike ???

I actually remembered to put my bike into my little gear, so I took it easy coming out of T1. The first thirty miles of the course flew by, I was continually getting passed by a stream of men and started getting very concerned I was riding poorly. Then I realized my average watts were right at my target range, so I told myself to ride within myself and started ignoring what was going around around me. We hit crosswinds around mile 75 of the Queen K, so I knew we were in for it. I made sure to get ahead of my nutrition before I hit the road up to Hawi figuring the crosswinds would be similar to 2010 where I was getting blown across the road. While the wind was strong, I stayed in my aero bars and hardly got blown around at all. The difference from 2010 was simple, I was riding faster and had a much higher power output. Weight really isn't as big of a factor as I once thought, especially considering how much weight I've lost since then.

I saw Haley Chura at the turnaround, so I knew I was having a good ride. I mentally prepared myself for the way down Hawi, but I hit 45 mph and really only got blown across the road twice. I'd do Hawi any day over Skyline. Once we made the left after the road down from Hawi, the headwind was back and I'm really not so sure when it went away. I have rode countless rides this year where I had a headwind for the last two hours, so I ignored it and while it was surely frustrating to be downshifting in some instances while going DOWNHILL, I didn't worry about it. The coolest thing of the entire day was when the TV cameras came by and taped me for a bit. I like riding near the front of the amateur pack :)

Last year I was very unhappy by mile 90, but this year was an entirely different story. I felt strong and in control and passed quite a few males at the end.  I was at the low end of my ranges, so I was excited to see if this was the day I would finally run the Ironman marathon.

Run - 3:57:08

T2 was uneventful (thank goodness!) and I was in and out before I knew it. I didn't have the back pain of Placid and while I didn't feel good starting out, I didn't feel horrible. I met Shawn around mile 1 and stayed running with him until almost mile 8. That was awesome.

My parents were stationed at roughly miles 9.5 and 10 on the course and I was very happy to see them both. I felt good when I saw my mom, but by the time I saw my dad at mile 10, I knew something wasn't quite right. I was starting to get the chills and my face felt so hot. I realized soon after I was badly burned on my face. I had had signs of heat problems at Eagleman and was able to manage it, so I attempted to do the same thing here with fluids and ice. Unfortunately around mile 13, my luck ran out and my stomach started turning south quick. I've been having problems with acid reflux since August, so I'm not sure if it was that, the sunburn or simply my body revolting after 13 miles of running. The last 13 miles were my typical Ironman death march and while it was discouraging to go from 4th to 8th in the 25-29 AG over those last miles, I did not give up like I would have typically done and kept the walking to the minimum.  I still ran my second fastest Ironman marathon ever and it was the first time I ran the first 13 without walking. I will certainly take an Ironman PR on a hard day and know that the best is still to come.

Final time - 10:25:28

As always, thanks to my family and friends for supporting me.  Thanks to Lindsay for developing me as an athlete and always being there when I need to talk. I can't thank my office mates enough for the office decorations and cake upon my return. Thanks to Powerbar for the nutrition products to keep me fueled,  H20 Audio for keeping me entertained in the pool and Cyclelops for helping me be the best rider I can be.

Kona

With the exception of some mechanical issues that left us sitting on the plane for FOUR hours at the Denver airport, this trip has been nothing short of amazing and I will say again how grateful I am to be here competing.  I haven't had one person ask if I received a roll down slot or if I was competing this year, so that is an accomplishment in itself.  In fact, the only thing I've heard is how young I look.

I've swam three times from Dig Me Beach, the start of Ironman.  The water went from being calm on Sunday, to downright wavy on Wednesday, so I guess only time will tell what Saturday will be.

Dig Me Beach

I have rode the Queen K twice - once with Alyssa on Sunday and once alone on Monday. I was quickly reminded how generous the tailwind is on the way out, and how strong the headwind is coming back into town.  I also made a trip out to Hawi to ride the toughest part of the course; unfortunately, the ever prevalent crosswinds were nowhere to be found on Tuesday.  While I'd like to think that will happen on race day, I'm mentally prepared for strong gusts blowing me across the road.

Out on the Queen K

I ran out at the energy lab on Wednesday and proved to myself that I could run the hills coming back up to the Queen K. According to my Garmin, they weren't exactly hills, so apparently I had a bit of a mental breakdown last year. I.WILL.RUN. on Saturday. Seriously.

I've worked the Powerbar booth, made custom goggles at the TYR house, and have been fortunate enough to talk to vendors of some of my favorite products.

Alyssa and I were lucky enough to be one of 400 that received Rudy Helmets to wear this weekend. I absolutely love this helmet, so I'm very excited for my new one.

New helmets!  Thank you Rudy Project

We've done a mix of cooking in the condo and going out, the best discovery has definitely been the acai bowls. I could eat these everyday.

The Banyan

I wouldn't be here without the support of my family and friends, so I can't say thank you enough.

 

Almost go Time!

AHHHHHHHHH, Kona departure is tomorrow! And as you may expect, I'm just a little EXCITED! My bags are almost all packed and I'm using my awesome new TYR luggage.

I've had a pretty awesome last week and I am feeling fit, fresh and happy that I have somewhat maintained a balanced lifestyle in the midst of Kona training. And unlike years past, I have not had ONE breakdown this entire training cycle.

Saturday morning was my last long run and I'll be honest, I felt like crap that morning. Absolute crap. I had the awesome idea a few weeks ago to ask Lindsay if we could extend the scheduled time of 2:30. I felt like mentally I needed to run 20 before Kona. Grumpily I started out a little before 8 am (late for me), but the miles ticked by fairly quickly and I had the most successful long run I've ever had and a huge confidence booster.

Later that day, Chris and I headed to the park for Apple Cross setup. While I was tempted to enter the CX race (HAH!), I watched everyone preride the course and enjoyed catching up with friends. It was great to see everyone and even more fun to go out for drinks and dinner that night (I am seriously the world's worst picture taker)! Kenny made a humorous toast that I will definitely draw strength from! :)

On Sunday I went to a winery. Fun! Since my typical Sunday involves riding my bike for hours on end, this was a very nice change of pace and a great way to start my taper. While there was some mention of Ironman, that conversation was limited.

This week has been filled with work, picking up a few last minute things I needed and getting some pretty awesome emails, pictures, etc. wishing me good luck. Lindsay sent me the plan last night and unlike Placid where I completely freaked out, this time around I felt completely comfortable and think it's totally doable.

I'm feeling very grateful to have the opportunity to go to Kona next week, compete with the best in the world and hopefully in the process, push myself to new limits. But regardless of whatever happens next Saturday for me, the sun will still set and nothing in my life will change.

Finish - 2011

Training Weekend with Beth

Ok, so I am a bit slow on the blogging front these days! Beth wrote a great recap up of our training weekend here, but I wanted to share some of my own lessons I learned from training with someone far more experienced than me.

So two weekends ago, I was absolutely overjoyed to have Beth come train with me. Oscar may have given Beth a tough time for inviting herself down to ride Skyline, but I was thrilled to show her one of my favorite riding places. And I was even more excited when she came down Friday evening to do a 6 hour brick with me Saturday. The only way this weekend could have been more perfect is if Libby was here to join us!

Kona 2011 - Lava Java with Beth and Libby

I woke up extra early Saturday, so I had lunch pre-made before we headed out right around 7a for the 95 mile route I had planned. I do this route almost every weekend and like usual, we had very little traffic, which allowed us to ride side by side for almost the entire way and talk. Because Beth now races pro, I definitely picked her brain a bit on why she made that decision, what it was like to race pro, etc. I may or may not want to race pro someday. . . :)

Riding by one of many orchards

I was a little worried what Beth would think when I got my miniature Reeses Cup at the 7-11 stop, but much to my surprise, Beth got a Snickers and a Coke.  It was a perfect ride since we are fairly evenly matched (besides the ever present headwind), so the nearly five hours flew by. I had a one hour run scheduled after the ride and in typical fashion, I started running much too fast, but Beth helped me manage the pace and before I knew it, the hour was done and I didn't walk at all. 

Afterwards we took Beth out to Marker Miller Orchard so we could all get some fresh apples and samples of apple cider donuts.  I tested out her recovery boots that evening and can attest that they do wonders. I was a bit worried how I would feel Sunday, but I woke up feeling fresh and couldn't tell I had done a six hour brick the day before.

Skyline Drive

Sunday was an equally awesome ride. We headed down to Front Royal to ride Skyline Drive. I ride Skyline quite often, but hadn't gone up to mile 32 on my TT bike since August of 2011. I was beyond excited to realize Sunday evening that our time on Sunday was 34 minutes faster than what I did last year.  YES. Progress is definitely a good feeling and the confidence and lessons I got from training with Beth will definitely stay with me, and hopefully, we'll train together again.

hmmm, I should learn to put my helmet on properly

Beth and I come from different backgrounds; I grew up swimming and she grew up running, so I think for both of us it was good to get some tips on each of our respective sport. It was very enlightening to realize that even for a true runner, you still don't feel great running off the bike. I've always enviously watched runner after runner pass me, especially in Ironmans, and it's easy to get very discouraged. This past year I learned my running form as a big limiter, but after some conversations with Beth and Chris, I think part of it is I need to be as mentally tough running as I am swimming and biking.

So this past weekend when I went out for my hour run after a 75 mile ride, instead of being nancy negative, I told myself to focus and I'd start feeling better. Not surprisingly, I did and had one of my best ever runs off the bike. This doesn't necessarily mean I'll run any better off the bike at Kona this year, but I at least finally have some confidence that I can do it.  23 days to go and I'm dreaming of this!

2011 Finish

Fun Things

I typically experience a post Ironman let down. You feel incredible when you're crossing the finish line, only to hardly be able to stand let alone walk 20 seconds later :)  It's still hard to walk for the next few days, you have cankles and people tire quickly of hearing about your race. This year was different, I had a few awesome surprises in store for me!

I had the top female amateur swim time at Ironman Lake Placid (for finishers), so I won the TYR swim prize. When I first spoke to the TYR rep, he said I was getting a set of the Convoy Luggage bags (I assumed the two suitcases) and a sleeveless wetsuit. While super appreciative, I didn't have a wetsuit so I was thrilled when they agreed to let me upgrade the Category 5 Wetsuit to the sleeved version and pay the difference. 

TYR Hurricane Wetsuit & T-Shirts

What I didn't realize until I ordered was I got the FULL SET of convoy bags including the transition and rucksack bags.  Since I didn't have a transition bag either, this is AWESOME.  Thank you TYR. I will now be going to Kona in style and have plenty of room to pack all my stuff.

TYR Convoy Set

While my shelf was already overflowing with Powerbar products, I really needed some Protein bars, Ironman Perform and Energy Blasts, so I got on the Powerbar Team Elite site and ordered a few things (I like the feeling of Christmas I get every time I receive a package from Powerbar). I've used the Energy Blasts on four long rides and I absolutely love them. The Cola Blasts are like having a mid-ride cola without actually stopping for one and gummy bears have always been my favorite candy, so it's a WIN WIN.  I will be well fueled for my next few weeks (and then some) of training.. . I've told myself I won't order anything unless I'm out of something I plan on using for Kona. Let's see how long that lasts.

Thank you Powerbar

And the biggest news is I got a new job with an OFFICE! I've worked for Valley Health Systems for the past two years as a Senior Financial Analyst for the physician management group. Right before I left for Placid, the Corporate Accountant position for Valley Health came open, so I nervously applied and hoped for the best.  Lucky for me, they told me soon after my interview that the job was mine. My effective transfer date is September 4th. Until then, I'm doing dual roles, but I got to move into my new office. No, I swear, I'm not Ironman obsessed.  I didn't hang all six posters, just three :)

My Office

And since I typically post mostly triathlon training babble, Kona is SIX weeks away - YAHOO! Ironman Canada Ironman Louisville were this past weekend, and I'm the most pumped today I've been all year to race. I've had some incredible long runs (for me), hit a power number I've never hit on a long ride two weekends ago and have managed to get in some good swims between all the thunderstorms. All in all, I'm getting excited for round three of Kona and am hoping this is the year I will RUN the marathon.