A Look Back

           We’ve all been there before…a time when we were total newbies without a clue as to what this whole triathlon thing was all about.  When we didn’t know the difference between a low end road bike and a high end tri bike (other than the ridiculous price tag on the latter), when we couldn’t tell you what RPE, OWS, or Z 1-5 stood for, and when we had no idea what periodization, base work, or speed work was. There’s a lot that can be gleaned from those beginning days, so here is a look back at where it all started for me.

I played team sports all through high school and a little bit in college, but after that was all over, I needed a competitive outlet so I picked up the sport that my parents had long been involved in…running. A few years later, I saw an advertisement for the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon and thought it sounded like a pretty cool challenge. Despite the fact that I had never swam more than taking a few lessons when I was little and splashing around in the pool or at the beach and the fact that I didn’t own a bike, I signed up.

            First task was to get a bike so my husband and I headed over to the bike shop and picked one out. I got a Trek hybrid bike and couldn’t believe that I paid $400 for a bike J!  Now all I had to do was work up to riding 12 miles (it was a shorter course that year). My biggest concern was whether or not I could sit on a bike seat for that long which looking back now is so funny cause that seat was HUGE.  I remember exploring my neighborhood and eventually working up the courage to go out onto the real roads.

            When I started looking for a place to swim, I was excited when I realized that the University of West Florida, where I was taking classes, had one of the best in the area and I had free access to it. I had no idea what I was doing and I would just swim back and forth as many times as I could and hope that I could do more the next time.

            Running of course came naturally, but running after riding a bike, whoa that was weird. My legs felt like jelly, I didn’t know how people ran 3 miles after riding their bikes, it seemed impossible. The more I did it though, the more I got used to it, or at least I realized that if I made it past a mile my legs felt semi-normal.

           

Coming from having been a runner for a few years I was used to being active 4-5 days a week, but I could not believe that people would sometimes do two workouts a day, especially two workouts back to back…these people were crazy. My training wasn’t structured at all, just haphazardly swimming, biking, or running a couple of times a week each. I found out about mere mortals who were meeting at the beach every Sunday to train so I started showing up and it became the highlight of my week.

I learned so much training for that first triathlon (and even more since). I learned the difference between bike and tri shorts and that the former are NOT made for swimming in, I learned (very quickly) that when someone wants to pass you on their bike they yell “on your left” and then come flying by, I learned that swimming in the ocean wasn’t as scary as I thought, I learned how to eat and drink while riding my bike, I learned what T1 and T2 stood for, I leaned that hybrid bikes are not made for triathlons (and quickly upgraded to a road bike) and most importantly I learned that I didn’t have to be the fastest out there to have fun.  When I finally got to the race, I ended up finishing dead last in my age group (blame it on the bike J) but I had such a good time that it barely mattered. That is a lesson that is easy to forget, but as I approach the very race that started this whole journey off without having been able to run for the last four weeks due to ITB issues I’m reminded of how lucky I am just to be able to be out there.

Video Blog- Chronicling our trip to Milwaukee

Nationals Recap

   
     Wow, what a trip it has been. Me and my mom left Pensacola on Wednesday evening to start the long trek to Milwaukee, WI where we were going to compete in the USAT Age Group National Championship. For those of you who, like me, aren't the best in geography, Milwaukee is pretty much due north of Pensacola right on the shore of Lake Michigan, 16 hours of driving away.

     We didn't make it far on Wednesday since we ran into a really bad storm just past Montgomery. It was about 9:00pm so we decided just to stop and get an early start in the morning.  Thursday was a long day, but we made good time and made it past Chicago stopping about 45 min away from Milwaukee. After getting in a quick spin on my bike and a short run, we headed up to downtown Milwaukee where the race was to take place.
     We got to the venue just in time to take part in the practice swim session. They had a shortened course set up which was a perfect chance to check out the water and to get somewhat of an idea of what the course was going to entail. Even with a wetsuit, jumping into the 69 degree water was quite a shocker and I quickly realized that I was no longer in the South, though once I got going and warmed up it actually felt pretty refreshing.  Once we finished up, it was about 12:30 and we were ready to get something to eat.

Racked and ready

     Not being familiar with the area, we spent about 30 minutes looking for a place to eat, but eventually found a nice little sandwich shop. By then, there were obviously lots of triathletes around town. The locals were probably wondering why all these crazy people walking around in spandex, tall socks, and triathlon t-shirts were taking over their city. Milwaukee was a great a great venue though, I was a little skeptical about it beforehand, not knowing much about it, but it's really a cool city. It's clean, has some great architecture, lots of attractions, and even has its own river walk.
   

Checking in

     Thankfully our hotel was right downtown less thn a mile from transition so race morning we were able to sleep in a little and not worry about fighting traffic and finding a place to park. We got down to transition around 7:00am to do all the last minute bike checks and to get everything set up. The first wave was scheduled to go off at 7:30 and mom's wave was only 20 minutes later, so once we were through in transition, we found a spot where we could watch the start and mom could get ready to go. After a 15 min delay due to the roads not being closed yet, the first wave was off and mom's wave was making their way down the ramp onto the floating dock. I watched mom's wave take off and then walked over to the swim exit so I could catch her coming out. I had plenty of time as my wave didn't start until 9:30, an hour and a half later.

Mom's wave getting started

   
When it was getting close for my time to go, I pulled my wetsuit on and nervously/ excitedly lined up with the rest of the fluorescent yellow capped women waiting to walk down the ramp. We were allowed to get down to the dock and into the water about 10 min before our wave started so just enough enough time for a quick warm-up. With a couple minutes to go, we all gathered, anxiously treading water until the horn sounded and we were off. There were 147 girls in my age group so it was a pretty big wave that didn't really get spread out until the turn around buoy. Once through the 1500m swim, we exited up a steep ramp lined with volunteers to pull us up, it was that steep. After a short run past the cheering crowd, we were into T1.



     Wetsuit swims and I have a love hate relationship. I love the advantages of swimming with one, but I hate trying to tear the thing off in transition, I always get my feet caught up in it. Once I wrestled it off though, I was ready to take on the bike. The course for the most part was relatively flat, good for a Florida girl, with just a few small rollers thrown in and one big bridge to climb over. The bike course had some beautiful views, I just wished I had the time to enjoy them. Most of the course was along a highway and the road was completely closed which was awesome. They also did a great job covering the grates on the bridge with mats and they had tons of volunteers out letting us know of any upcoming bumps, potholes, or turnarounds. I came through the bike feeling pretty good, but ready to get off and start running.

     Heading out on the run course, I saw the top men from the first wave coming in to finish and I couldn't wait to be where they were. The run course started by taking us next to the water, down a jetty, and then onto a paved sidewalk along the beaches and road, passing by a beach volleyball tournament and a yoga in the park session. I made it through the first 4 miles feeling fairly decent and holding a steady 7-minute pace. Over the last 2.2 miles the fatigue started setting in and I was just trying to hold on, eagerly waiting to get the finish line in view. I finished up the run in 44:02 for an overall time of 2:27:13, good enough to finish just inside the top third of my age group in 47th place.

Ready for race #2

A couple weeks before going up to Milwaukee, I decided that since I was going to be up there anyways, that I would make the most of it and race in the Sprint Championship (the day after the Olympic Championship) as well. I knew I obviously wouldn't be at my best, but thought it would be fun. So Sunday morning we headed down for round two. This time mom wasn't racing so it was nice to have a cheerleader along the way, not to mention someone to keep my bag while I was racing. Normally it's not a problem to bring a backpack and check it into the bag drop area, but due to increased security after the Boston Marathon bombing, those who had to check bags had to cram everything into a provided clear plastic bag and check that, which was what we had to do on Saturday.
 


   With respect to not letting this post get too out of control long, I won't go into too much detail about Sunday's race. It was much smaller, 1100 athletes versus 3200 on Saturday, and held on the same course with each leg being cut in half, 750 meter swim, 20k bike, and 5k run. I went into it feeling much more relaxed and just out to have fun.
     My swim wave consisted of females 29 years old and under and with this being the sprint distance, there were a lot of juniors and I got my tail kicked on the swim by a bunch of high schoolers. I didn't feel too bad through the swim and the bike, but could feel a little bit of residual fatigue on the run.
     I came out of T2 about 150 meters behind another girl in my age group and was only able to make up about 50 meters of that over the first two and a half miles. By then I figured I had to go for it if I was going to get past her, I caught her with about two-tenths of a mile to go, sat on her shoulder and then battled it out over the last tenth of a mile. It came down to a sprint finish and I just couldn't catch her. I finished 7/29 in my age group, 1 second behind 6th place and unknowingly 5 seconds behind 5th place...argh so close to the podium (nationals award through 5th place).
     Overall, it was a great trip and I had a great time racing. Though it was a far ways to go, it was well worth it and I hope to be able to do it again next year. As always, it was an adventure and we made some great memories. I have to say a HUGE thanks to the board of the Santa Rosa Island triathlon for making the trip possible, their support was a huge blessing!

Stay tuned for the video blog of our trip...coming soon.

Training Zones

              Triathletes in general are great at finding some sort of training plan or hiring a coach and following the prescribed sessions to a “T,” almost to a fault. However, how often do athletes sit back and consider why they are doing what they are doing? Any decent plan or knowledgeable coach will have a rhyme and reason for placing certain sessions at certain times and for the most part they will fall under the categories as either an aerobic, threshold, or anaerobic session.

                Training aerobically teaches your body to more effectively take up and use oxygen, improves your body’s ability to deliver blood to the working muscles, and improves your body’s overall economy leading to the ability to sustain higher paces at a lower effort level. Aerobic training can be targeted by performing shorter (3-5 min) intervals paired with a short recovery (1-2 min) or by performing low effort steady runs.

                At threshold effort, also known as tempo or lactate threshold,  your body cannot clear lactate as quickly as it is being produced and therefore it starts to accumulate in the blood. Generally this is an effort level that you can sustain for about an hour, typically closely correlated with 10k run or 40k bike time trial effort level. While you cannot train your body to clear lactate at a faster rate, you can train your body to delay the point where the accumulation begins. This is done through longer intervals (6-12 min) with 2-3 min rest or longer sustained “tempo” runs of 20-45 min.

                Anaerobic training consists of short (less than 2 minute) bursts followed by a long (3-4 min) recovery and is used to build leg strength and power and to improve your ability to buffer lactic acid. At this intensity, the body has to breakdown sugar without the use of oxygen which results in lactic acid quickly accumulating. This effort level should not be used in a race other than in a sprint to the finish because once that build up of lactate fatigue begins to set in, you have to dramatically slow your pace in order to recover if you can recover.

               As you can see, each type of training has its benefits and will all fit into a well-rounded training program at one time or another. The trick is figuring out how to place them into your training in order to optimize your training and improve your racing performance. 

 

Thanks to SRI Tri

   
     Just wanted to say a huge thanks to the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon (SRI Tri) board who has for the third year in a row chosen to generously sponsor me. Once again, they have blown my expectations out of the water in the support that they have given me. The SRI Tri is one of the best races in the Southeast if not in the nation and I'm blessed to have such a prestigious race in my own backyard. The SRI Tri board not only puts on a great race, but they also actively pursue promoting the sport and have been crucial in building the local triathlon community. I can't say thank you enough for the continued support that they have given me! The SRI Tri takes place at Pensacola Beach on the first Saturday in October and if you haven't yet, be sure to sign up soon because it will sell out. Click here to register

Chattanooga Waterfront Tri

     Matt and I left Penscola 11 days ago and drove up to visit my sister who recently moved to Pennsylvania. It was a long trip up, but so worth it. Matt spent a good part of the week we were up there working with Jon (my bro in-law) around the house, busting up concrete, replacing a floor, digging out stumps, and sanding their kitchen table and chairs while I got to spend most of my time playing with the kids, taking them to swim lessons, and doing some cooking and organizing around the house with Devon. We had an awesome visit, it just went by too fast!

     We left PA on Friday and drove to Kingsport, TN where we got to spend some time with our friends the Osteens. Allison was one of my coaches in high school and has a great family. We try to take advantage of any chance we get to see them. We left their place early Saturday morning and headed to Chattanooga where my parents were waiting for us. Thankfully it wasn't a long drive, just a little over 3 hours, which was much better than the 8.5 we had done the day before.
     After a quick spin on the bike and a short run along the river we went to grab lunch. Our hotel was right downtown and just a couple blocks from the race start so we were able to walk everywhere which was so nice. Good find mom :-). That afternoon we went up lookout mountain and did some exploring. It was such a beautiful place. By the time we made it down the mountain it was time for dinner and then back to the hotel to get ready for the morning. We put out tri tat race numbers on, filled up water bottles, and got all of our gear together and ready. It was a pretty packed hotel room with 4 people, 3 bikes, and all our luggage and gear.
     Race morning we got up and again, it was so nice not having to load the bikes on the car, fight traffic, or having to find a place to park. We just walked the few blocks down to transition and got everything setup and ready to go. Bikes racked, water bottles and nutrition in place, all our numbers attached, and shoes set out, we were ready to race.

As a friend once said, "like sheep being led to the slaughter" :-)

     We headed down to the start line ready to begin the first leg of the race...a 2 mile run...oh yeah I didn't mention it, but after the massive amount of rain the southeast has gotten over the last two weeks the water level of the river was at 300% and deemed unsafe for kayaks and swimmers not to mention the fact that the swim start area and the steps at the swim exit were completely underwater. We were notified the day before the race that we would be competing in a Duathlon. I have to admit, I was bummed, but thought that the race organizers did an excellent job of making the change.

Excited to get going

     We still started in time trial format, with athletes staring about every 2 seconds. I was number 310 so I had just enough time to watch the elites start up front and then find my place in line. The first run started up a hill and then was just a straight out and back. I was over pretty quickly and we were out on the bike course.
I've done this race several times and I'm never fully prepared for this course coming from flatland Florida. It is no joke and is rolling the entire way with some hard, long hills thrown in there too. I felt like I was able to pace myself well though and was able to steadily pass people throughout the first half. I was glad to hit the turnaround and not long after took in a little bit of food and was able to finish strong.

     Going out on the run, I really wasn't quite sure how my legs were going to feel with the initial run already in them and the hilly bike, but I was pleased to find out they didn't feel too bad. Don't get me wrong, they weren't fresh by any means, but better than I expected. The run course at this race is one of my favorites. The first mile is a little tough with a decently long, but not too steep hill right out of transition, a set of stairs that we have to climb not long after that, and then a pretty steep descent right after that but past that, the next 4 miles are along a flat, paved walkway along the river. In the final mile we had to climb the steep descent that we started with and climb the stairs again, but then got to fly downhill to the finish line. Overall I felt pretty good on the run and felt I was holding a good, solid pace, but I was ready to see that finish line!

     Once across, I found Matt and we went back to find a place where we could get some good pics of my parents finishing. They both did awesome and I was proud to see them finish strong! It's so fun to be able to share these adventures with them. We enjoyed the post race festivities, Team Magic always does a great job and then waited for the awards to begin. I was able to snag first place in my age group and was able to round out the top 10 overall women, coming in 10th.

Training and Traveling

    

It's mid-summer and travel season is in full swing. As a matter of a fact as I type this, I am sitting in Pennsylvania 1200 miles from home. I love traveling for races or taking trips to see family, but fitting training in when you're out of your normal routine can be difficult, but not impossible with a little planning and creativity. 

First of all, when your mapping out your season early on, try to get as much of your traveling plans on the calendar as possible so that you can schedule around them. For example, if you know you are going to be taking a family vacation and won't have a lot of time to train make that a recovery week and squeeze in what you can. Or if you know you are going to be gone for three days and won't be able to ride your bike go heavier on the bike earlier in the week before you leave. If you know that your training is going to be limited and for example you are only going to be able to swim twice during a week while you're gone try to spread those sessions out. Do one session on Monday and one on Thursday instead of doing them Monday and Tuesday and then not swimming for 5 days straight. 

Before leaving for your trip, try to research the area where you are going. Try to get an idea of what the roads are like and if they are safe for riding and running. That is easily done if you know someone in the area, but if not, you may need to resort to calling your hotel or asking on internet forums. You'll also want to try to find a convenient place to swim. The best places I've found have been a local high school or junior college since they don't usually require an annual membership. Lastly, while doing your research you might want to find a local training group that will allow you to tag along that way your route is already planned for you and you can find out from the locals where the best places to train are. 

Lastly, go into the trip with a willingness to be flexible and creative. Be happy when you are able to squeeze some training in rather than getting upset when you can't train exactly according to plan. In between family time or business meetings, you may have to get creative to get a session in. Keep stretch cords with you for a quick "swim session" when there is no pool available, use the hotel gym weights and go back and forth between lower body exercises and jumping on the treadmill to simulate bike run bricks, or find a local gym that offers a spin class that you can join.

Most importantly, enjoy your traveling, enjoy your family, and train when you can. 

Grandman Tri

Yesterday was the Grandman Triathlon in Fairhope, AL. This was my fifth time competing in this race and I love it. Not only is it really well run and a great course, but it is also a chance where because of the location, I get to see a lot of friends and it is so fun catching up with everyone.




The day started out a little cloudy and overcast, but quickly cleared up and heated up. They changed the swim course this year which was a much needed improvement and instead of starting on the beach, we started in deep water off of the pier. When it was time to go, we all nervously and excitedly made our way down the pier to the spot where we would be jumping off. They used a time trial start, so we all lined up based on our race numbers and entered the water one after the other 3-seconds apart. 


I have mixed views on the time trial start. On one hand I like it because it takes away the stress of starting in a big wave and fighting for position all the while getting battered by everyone else around, but on the other hand it can make it a little more difficult to judge where you are in relation to other competitors during the race since you start at different times. If the athletes are seeded accurately, which this race seemed to do a pretty good job of, though that isn't much of a problem. 

The course was pretty simple, just one turn which made it easy to navigate, other than the fact that once I made that turn bam, the sun was right in my face and I couldn't see a single bouy. Thankfully there were a couple of flags at the swim exit that I could pick out so I was able to sight off of them and make it in without any issues.

After a quick stop through T1, it was on to the bike course. I had racked my bike in one of the easiest gears and if any of you have ever been to the Fairhope pier, you'll know why. As soon as I left transition, there was a large, steep hill waiting to be tackled. Once up that, the course goes a short ways through downtown and then out into some of the farmland with some rolling hills and then back along the water. The course is one big loop, so there were no chances to see where I was in relation to any of the girls in front of me, just had to ride my race and see where I ended up. I didn't feel great on the ride, for some reason I just felt a little flat and like I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to.

Once off the bike it was on to the run and you guessed it, the big hill again. This is a pretty tough run course with the big hill at the beginning and a couple more throughout and I had a hard time finding my stride until the last mile where it flattened out. There is a turnaround at mile 1 which was the first place that I got a chance to kind of see who was in front of me and where they were. I think there were 4 girls in front of me at that point, 2 of which I was fairly confident that I would pass soon and 2 of which I knew it was a long shot to catch. Jacqueline was in front and even with the fact that she had started several minutes in front of me she had a sizeable enough lead that I didn't think I could make up. Jules was the other girl in front. She had started a minute or so before me and I knew our gap was pretty close to that. Jules is a tough competitor and I enjoy the chances I get to race with her, she is such a gifted athlete and yesterday I was able to just barely edge her by 30 seconds to finish as the 2nd overall female.

Perspective

Reading Coach Mark’s recent article on taking our sport too seriously got me thinking about an interview with an elite age group triathlete that I listened to recently. This athlete came into the sport just looking to lose weight and get fit after having a baby. However, it didn’t take long for her to realize that she had quite a gift for the sport. She was experiencing a tremendous amount of success without much direction and guidance and that was only escalated when she decided to hire a coach.

She trained and raced under that coach for four years, topping her age group in most of her races and qualifying for Kona for the last three years, with her best finish there being 10^th in her age group. She described herself as a perfect fit with her coach, believing in and fully committing to his coaching philosophies.

After he left the sport about a little over a year ago, however, she was forced to find someone new. She began training with this new coach and realized she just didn’t agree or mesh well with his philosophies and the way he coached. She stuck it out with him for close to a year and was just miserable and ultimately ended up unmotivated and not enjoying the sport at all.

She has since moved on and is doing much better, but one of the biggest lessons she talked about from having gone through all this is her perspective on the sport. One thing she mentioned that struck me was that you shouldn’t be putting into the sport what you are not willing to give up. In other words, is the time that you are putting into training bringing you the same happiness and enjoyment that other things that you could fill that time with would bring you. It is a focus on the process rather than the outcome.

For the majority of us, we are not out there making money in triathlon, we are in it for the challenge and fun of it. However, if you are not experiencing that enjoyment, it’s something that you really need to take a step back and evaluate. If you can focus on the process and enjoying the journey leading up to your races, then it takes all of the pressure off of you come race day. Of course you will still have goals that you would like to accomplish in your races, but in cases where you have a bad day and don’t meet those, you won’t be devastated, rushing home and listing your bike on Ebay. And on those days when you do meet the goals that you set out, that will just be the “cherry on top.”

All of us came into this sport looking for something fun to do, but some of us have gotten distracted and started taking triathlon and ourselves a little too serious. I challenge you to go out and have some fun this week. Ride a new route, meet up with a new group, or sign up for a race with a friend, whatever you do, just go out and enjoy the sport.

Pensacola Beach Tri

About a week ago, I had some spare time and was looking around on the tri calendar to see what was coming up when I came across the Pensacola Beach Tri occuring the next weekend in my own backyard. I had heard of the race but never really looked into it or really considered doing it. I mentioned to my parents that I might jump in and they were interested, so we all three signed up. I changed my training for the upcoming week, a little but not much, even doing some hard sessions early in the week. With it being a short race and a last minute decision, I planned on just training through it.

Race morning I was up around 5 to get ready for the 7am start time. It was so nice to be able to race locally, sleep in my own bed the night before, and not have to worry about navigating around a strange city. We packed up and got over to the beach by 6:15. It was open racking and most people had racked their bikes by then, but I was still able to find a decent spot right next to the swim in/bike in area. I found my parents in transition, talked to some other friends who were racing, and then headed across the street to the water.



The swim was wetsuit legal, but with it being such a short swim (300yd) I don't think I saw anyone wearing one. Not to mention the water temp must have been right on the border because it really wasn't that bad, warmer than I expected. We started in the water and swam an L-shaped course. All but three of the women, who were in the elite wave right befor ours, were in the same wave. When it was our turn, we lined up and got ready to go. I could not hear the PA system and I was fidgeting with my watch when all of a sudden without warning I heard the horn sound, we were off. About 25 yards into it, one of the ladies next to me hit me in the face and knocked my goggles off, but luckily the water was only waist-deep so I was able to stand, fix them, and continue on. The swim seemed to be over just as quickly as it had started, which not being a swimmer, I was totally fine with.

After the swim, we had to run across the street and into transition where I promptly snapped my helmet on, grabbed my glasses, and headed out on the bike. The good thing about riding out on the beach is that it is completely flat, the bad thing about it is that it is completely flat. It's fast, but you don't get a chance to recover on downhills or change your position when climbing. That fact didn't really come into play in this race since it was only 10 miles, but something to keep in mind for longer races you may do on flat courses. I passed the women who had beaten me in the swim early on and I was left chasing the three women who had started one minute before me in the elite wave. I passed one of the girls, Amber who also had a great race, right after the turnaround and was able to begin to reel Amy who was in second towards the end of the ride, but was never able to catch her.




Amy left T2 probably about 15 seconds ahead of me. I had seen the 1st place girl heading out on the run when I was coming into transition. She looked strong and I figured she most likely out of reach. I would be battling Amy for 2nd so long as we could hold off everyone behind us. Amy gained about 40 seconds on me over the course of the run and even with having a one minute head start over me, I knew it was close but was fairly certain she had beaten me. I was happy with third overall knowing I had raced my race and hadn't had much more to give. While I was chatting with friends and waiting to cheer on my parents as they finished, Amy came over and told me that I had beaten her by 4 seconds and gotten 2nd. I was excited, but also wished that we had started together knowing it would have been fun to have raced head to head with her with us being that close. Who knows how it would've ended up.

Overall, it was a fun race and a great way to spend a Saturday morning. The only part I was disappointed about about was that my niece and nephews, and sister didn't get to come watch because one of my nephews wasn't feeling good. We made up for it later though as me and Matt got to take them to a great festival where they had a blast.