#kona2014 Thank Yous

You didn't really think I'd write a race report without "a few" thank yous, did you?  :)

I had so many for Kona that I decided to just make it it's own separate entity.  It's so hard to even know where to begin.  I feel an amazing amount of gratitude for so many.  Here goes...

My sponsors:

1) Casey and the gang at CID: who would have thought, 2 years ago when we met at the Y, that this is where we'd be now?  I hope you can truly understand the impact that you've had on my career as a triathlete and my ability to chase my dreams.  You have made a world of difference!

2) Coeur: love you guys!  Your support means the world to me.  I have loved watching you grow as a company and see you flourish.  Of course I knew it was inevitable because your product is amazing AND you know how to treat your athletes well.  Best of both worlds.

We had fun at the Coeur booth at the expo.

3) PowerBar: if there is one thing I've learned about racing Ironman, it's that fueling isn't any less important than swim/bike/run!  Thanks for fueling my training and racing efforts for the past 8 years.

4) Rudy Project: like I said in the video, I owe you my life, because you saved it 7 years ago!  THANK YOU!

5) QR: when you spend as much time as I do on a bike, you only ride one you love.  Thanks for making just that bike, for me!  You guys are the best!

6) NormaTec: of all the wonderful triathlon gear I own, my NormaTecs are the only piece that I use EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Including in airports.  Yep, that happened...  THANK YOU!

My QT2 teammates:

I am absolutely honored to be a part of this team.  It was such a treat to see so many of you out on the course, crushing it.  It gave me a boost each and every time!  When I graduated from college and was no longer on a "sports team", I felt a huge void.  QT2 has filled that void plus some!  Thanks for letting me be a part of your squad!

Just a few of the group that raced.

My family and friends:

I so appreciate every note of encouragement, support, good luck and well wishes.  I read every one and they mean the world to me!  Thank you for taking the time to make me smile.

Special thanks to Cait, Mikela and Beth for taking care of me in the weeks leading up to the race.  And to Amber for making me laugh hysterically during those same weeks.  I've never seen anyone smile as much as you!

To Kim: you made Saturday more special for me than you could ever know.  We've come a long way, baby!

And to my mom: I don't know anyone who would consider a "Hawaiian vacation" to be fun when it's filled only with sitting around in a condo, helping me tape things to my bike.  Or worse yet, standing outside in the hot sun all day watching a bunch of skinny people swim, bike and run.  But you do, because you are amazing.  THANK YOU, for always being there.

I'm not usually one for high fives, but for my mom, most definitely.  :)

My coach, Tim:

There aren't words.  So honestly, I'm not even going to try.  Other than to say, "thank you a million times over" isn't even close to being sufficient.  I'm so thankful for you.

And finally, to Oscar:

I remember when I first told you I wanted to try a triathlon.  It wasn't so long ago!  You didn't even blink an eye and told me to go for it.  And your support hasn't wavered one inch since then.  It's been quite a ride, 'eh?  Thank you for loving me through all the ups and all the downs.  And for allowing me to pursue this dream, no matter the financial, physical, or emotional cost.  There is nobody in this world that I'd rather take this journey with.

And with that, the 2014 season is a wrap!  (I tried to talk my way into a fall IM but that got shot down pretty quickly)  It's been a great season.  Now time to rest up, heal up and dream of ways to make 2015 even better!

#kona2014

One of the most frequent questions I got during my buildup and time in Kona (other than the infamous "are you ready?"), was "why Kona?"  Some times asked more nicely than others, it seemed like a lot of people wanted to know why "someone like me" would want to pursue the goal of Kona, without any hope of walking away with a pay day or a top finish.

I appreciated the question, mostly because it really made me ask myself "seriously, why Kona?!"  Why not focus on races that are closer to home, that are less expensive, that don't require a ton of racing to qualify for, where I have a hope of walking away in the "black" instead of the "red"?

I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that question before the race, but after the race, I REALLY knew the answer.  Which, in short, is the simple fact that Kona captivates me.  Sure, it doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons.  But for THE MOST IMPORTANT reason, it makes all the sense in the world.  Kona excites me.  It is a race that I dream about.  The challenge of getting there motivates me beyond belief.  And I don't necessarily feel that same way about other races/goals.  I realize it's not the same for everyone, of which I truly respect.  But for me, Kona is the ultimate.  And as I tread water in Kailua Bay, with 35 of the best female long course triathletes in the world this past Saturday morning, my answer to "why Kona" was solidified.  It was one of the most terrifying, electrifying, amazing experiences of my life.  And I won't soon forget it.  I will surely need that memory to fuel me through the hard days, when I'm trying to qualify again for next year's race.

I finished 27th.  Yep, pretty far from that top 10 finish (36 minutes, in fact!).  But in my mind, 27th isn't that far away from 25th.  And 25th isn't that far away from 20th.  And 20th isn't that far away from 15th.  And 15th isn't that far away from 10th.  Who knows if I have enough years left in the sport to accomplish all of these jumps, or any of them, or even if I can qualify again and return to Kona next year.  But my answer to "why Kona" is, you must pursue in life what truly scares you, and motivates you, and what you dream of, and what enthralls you.  And Kona is all those things (and more) to me.

As for the race itself, I had what I would call a "solid" day.  Nothing spectacular.  But also nothing bad, either.  Despite a slow swim time, I swam with a group of women that I would not normally be able to swim with.  And I learned that even in the World Championships, people will backstroke if they no longer want to do the work up front.  So yeah, I was the sucker and pulled my entire group in from the turnaround.  Of course this made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER to me, because I was BY FAR the weakest swimmer of the group.  But hey, I just wanted to get out of that water as soon as possible and that seemed like the best option to do so, at the time!

Of the 3 years I've competed in Kona, this year was the toughest in terms of conditions on the bike (and swim also, actually), as the wind was WHIPPING up a storm at Waikoloa and on the ascent to Hawi.  Like "stop you in your tracks" type of headwind with a good dose of "knock you off your bike" crosswinds.  One of the biggest highlights of my day was getting to ride with Natascha Badmann, a true icon of our sport and one of my heros growing up.  She is every bit of awesome that you hear about.  And in fact, when I missed a bottle at one of the aid stations, she rode up next to me and asked if I was okay and got everything I needed.  Amazing doesn't even begin to describe.  When she passed me for good she encouraged me to "keep up the speed, let's go, let's go!"  I haven't known too many of the other pro women to be to chatty while racing so I was loving it.  Natascha, by the way, is 47 years old and had one of the fastest bike splits on the day.  Epic.

Look at that snazzy QR!

And the run?  It was a decent day although that darn Energy Lab gets me every time.  Why is it so hard to keep up a good pace in that place?  I can't explain it because it's really no different than any other stretch of road.  I struggled quite a bit in the final miles but that's how most IMs go!  And I did manage a 21 minute Kona marathon PR.  :)

It's all fun and games on Ali'i.

And then you climb Palani and the real work begins on the Queen K.

When I was finished I was happy.  Happy to be there racing as a pro, especially considering my relatively significant injury in the spring.  Happy to have finished a solid, safe day.  And happy to have the experience and all the learning that went along with it, in my back pocket.  But I certainly wasn't satisified.  And so it begins.  How will I get back next year and improve upon 27th?  Only time shall tell...

Found these two jokers to sit with at the pro meeting.  Another thing I learned about Kona?  There is a LOT of hype.  Like, a lot.  The pro meeting alone was a zoo!

Got to meet many of my QT2 teammates, Bruce included.

Kona is pretty spectacular.

What State Is This?

Lately I've been playing a little game of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.  (Am I dating myself here or does anyone else remember that awesome game?  Anyone??)

First, starting back in mid August, I went to Milwaukee, WI for a USAT coaching clinic.  I was home from Wisconsin for a few days before driving to Canada for Ironman Mont Tremblant.  After Tremblant, I was home for about a week and a half before I went Bristol, NH where I joined some of my QT2 Systems teammates for Pro Camp.

Ahhh...pro camp.  I LOVE camp and this one was no exception.  Although a much smaller group than our camp in Florida (10 vs 30 pros) and therefore a much different dynamic, it was still an awesome opportunity to train and be pushed by my teammates, under the watchful eyes of our coaches.  Having just done an Ironman 2 weeks before, I came into the NH camp needing a bit more recovery but I still got a lot of good, hard work done!

All of our swimming in NH was in a lake.  This was INVALUABLE to me because I struggle in open water and don't get a ton of opportunity to practice elsewhere.  Of course, of the pros that came to camp, they all belonged in the "A-Team" swim club and therefore I got crushed.  Daily.  I might have cried in my goggles more than once.  But there is only one way up, right?  It was good and humbling and hard and cold.  Yep, that water was cold.  I took a lot of scolding hot showers and drank a lot of really hot tea.

Exhibit A: cold lake.  It looks harmless but now I know better.

Cycling in NH is pretty awesome.  Much like home, it's quite hilly, which I love because it's one (very fast) way to make the body strong.  And riding long (and sometimes very hard) with teammates is much better than going it alone.

The running was also spectacular, of course.  And then there was "the hike".  One of my favorite workouts, we drove north into the White Mountains for a 2 day overnight adventure.  This included a 2.4+ mi TT swim, a 95 mile ride with tons of long, sustained climbing and an hour run, followed the next day by a sunrise-ish 4+ hour hike in the mountains.  I had never been hiking before (like "real" hiking where you are scrambling up and down rocks all day) and it was a BLAST!  Of course it also made me more sore than I ever remember being, but the views atop the mountain were well worth it.  Later, after the hike, a swim, a ride, and more running back in Bristol.  Yep, that's QT2 camp for ya!

I came home from camp fitter and smarter - I always learn so much from my teammates, not just in training but from living with them, recovering with them, eating with them, etc...  It's like no other experience and I'm truly thankful for our coaches who give of their time to make these camps happen.

I also came home from camp ready for one last BIG week of training.  It was probably the most challenging week of training I've ever seen - not the biggest volume wise, but nonetheless, filled with workouts that really made me dig deep.  That's my favorite kind of training.  And did I mention I finished the last 3 days of this tough week in Kona?!  Yep, I had this past Thursday off training so that I could fly to Hawaii and spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday re-learning what Kona is all about.  Indeed, it was a good (very hot) way to finish the heaviest load of training.

So here we are, in Hawaii!  It's pretty awesome to be out here this early and to have the opportunity to acclimate to the heat and humidity, the time difference, the course, etc... well before the race.  I feel so thankful and spoiled all at the same time!

In many senses, the last 6 weeks of travel for racing and training have seemed surreal.  It was not long ago that I was just like most people, working from 9-5 with a long commute, trying to fit in training around work, counting my vacation days to see how many I could use to get to each race.  How I got to this point, I'm not exactly sure!  What I do know is, there have been many people that I have helped me get here.  Add to that some hard work and a ton of passion and perhaps you really do get to live your dream.

Not to say it is all rainbows and lolly pops though.  For me, the very real struggle is being away from Oscar for so long.  Of the 22 days that have already happened in September, I was home with him and Roxy for 5 of those.  Skype is awesome, but I still miss my best friend terribly.  And unfortunately I won't see him until October 14 (so yeah, that's 5 days of being together in the span of 44 days!)!  This is certainly one of the hardest "sacrifices" for me in sport.  Yet I have found that I can use it as very good motivation to make the VERY most I can of the training and racing opportunities.  When the going got tough out on the Queen K on Saturday's long/hard ride, I reminded myself that I needed to make it happen, make it count and make the sacrifice worth it.

Not only is this water amazingly beautiful, but it's also not cold.  No hot showers/hot tea required!

So right now, Carmen Sandiego is on an island in the Pacific.  Just a little less than 3 weeks.  HERE. WE. GO!!!

Kona

This morning my alarm went off at 4:40 am, just like most Monday mornings.  I got up and put food in the dog's bowl (but no sign of dog, she sleeps in these days), put on my swimsuit, collected my things for masters practice, and then quickly checked my email.  And there it was, the email that I had been hoping and working hard for, an invitation to compete this year in Kona.  I smiled.  I told Oscar on the way out the door.  He smiled and gave me a kiss.  I drove to masters.  I had a great workout with my good friend Chad, who I've been doing triathlon alongside for 8+ years.  I talked to my friends and Coach Jen.  I took a shower.  I got in my car to drive home.

And then, unexpectedly, as I turned the keys in the ignition, I burst into tears.  I think all the emotion that I've pent up these past couple weeks and months, finally came bubbling to the surface.  This year is turning out to have some of the very highest highs I've ever felt, but also some of the very lowest, lows.  And while I would never consider my "problems" to be on the same level as what many go through on a daily basis, I also don't want to minimize some of the emotional turmoil I've felt this year.  No matter what it is you are down about, being depressed is a real condition that needs to be treated.  And it's not a small thing.

This morning in the car, I was elated, relieved, happy beyond words, excited, and of course, thrilled.  But mostly, I was so filled with gratitude.  It's a great thing to achieve a dream, but even more wonderful, I'm learning, is to realize just how many people have helped you in doing so.  So above all else, what I feel is thankful.  So very, very thankful for all the people that gave of themselves so that I could get to do this.

So this Kona thing, it's really happening!!  Which means I get to train for another Ironman!  I hear it's a bit hot and maybe a little windy on the Big Island in October, 'eh?  ;)

Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report

I went to Ironman Mont Tremblant with one goal: get enough KPR points to qualify for Kona.  I knew that placing 3rd (or higher) would likely be enough.  Placing 4th or 5th would put me at a much less certain maybe.

But let me back up a few steps first.  I wasn't supposed to do Ironman Mont Tremblant.  At least at the beginning of this season, this race was not on the schedule.  Of course I also wasn't supposed to tear my labrum and be on the disabled list for 6 weeks (and then be VERY unfit for many weeks after that).  And so I've (re)learned, this season, that things don't always go according to OUR plan, but that doesn't mean all is lost.  So it goes, I went into IMMT with a lot of uncertainty and although I tried desperately to avoid it, self-induced pressure.  Because I VERY, VERY badly want to race in Kona, and it was hard to look past the fact that IMMT was my last shot.

The end result?  I finished in 3rd place.  After a fantastic day of close racing with several other pro women who I truly respect and admire, I made my way down towards the finish line and tried to choke back the tears.  Nope, Ironman Mont Tremblant wasn't in the original plan.  But sometimes the plans WE make are far less amazing than what God has in store.  Will it be enough for Kona?  Well, on Monday (or Sunday night), I will find out.  But either way, I can say, I know I did the very best I could to qualify given the circumstances of my year.  And it's hard to be disappointed in that.

Here we go!  Photo credit: Julien Heon

Time to ride my trusty steed!  Although shortly after this picture was taken, I dropped my chain and then spent the remainder of the race with bike grease all over my hands/face/body.

Running through the village on the mountain was thrilling!

Photo credit: Nils Nilsen

Almost done!

Those checks aren't signed.  :)

I have so, so, SO many people to thank!!  Bear with me.

To CID, Coeur, QR, Rudy Project, PowerBar, NormaTec and Fuelbelt: I am so thankful to be a part of your team.  You make this possible for me!

To Peter and Lorna Bailie: your hospitality and generosity blew me away.  I am so thankful to have gotten to know a little piece of your lives.  Homestays make this possible for me.  YOU make this possible for me!

To QT2 Systems: what an amazing family.  Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

To my friends, training partners and all those that encourage and take the time to send a message or text: it means more than you could possibly know.

To my family: you've put up with more than most would tolerate for YEARS!  Thank you for being there on race day and sharing in my joy, but also being there when things aren't so great.  Your support makes all the difference.

To Tim: when I texted you after the race and asked "who would have thought we'd be here 4 months ago, when I could barely lift my knee to my chest because of my hip pain?" and you simply replied "me" - well, that pretty much sums it all up.

And last but not least, to Oscar: what is left to say?  There won't be enough years in this life to repay you for all you've done for me.  But I'll give it a shot anyway.

The Bailie's backyard served as my swimming pool for the week.

Mont Tremblant has big chairs!

Thank you, Mont Tremblant!  The venue is every bit of awesome that you hear about.  AMAZING race!

It's In The Tweets

If Twitter (and what we tweeted about) were an accurate account of our lives, my tweets would indicate that my life revolves around triathlon training, Roxy, Oscar, and WATERMELON!  Oh wait...Twitter might be onto something...

A smattering of my tweets the last few weeks:

Seriously, he really did laugh for a LONG time.  And then had to tweet it to all his math teacher friends...  :)

She's so cute!

Cute, except for when she barks her head off.

As for training tweets, I just completed my "overload" block for Ironman Mont Tremblant.  For you non-QT2 people out there, overload is a several week period of training that is ~15% above your normal volume.  This puts me up above 30 hours (it's obviously different for everyone) which I love, but which also makes me really tired.  :)  You wouldn't think an extra 4 hours (or so) above normal volume would make such an impact but darn it if those 4 extra hours aren't exhausting!

This must have been early on in overload because I was still REALLY excited about sitting on a bike saddle.

Things start to get real during the 2nd week of overload.

Several 8+ hour training days = LOTS of gels, bars, sports drink, etc...

There ain't no crying in triathlon!

And of course, watermelon tweets!

My sister assures me that a watermelon milkshake is both creamy AND slushy.  #dreamy

So while I certainly don't tweet about everything going on in my life, I think our tweets are probably somewhat indicative of what's important to us.  Happy training, watermelon-eating and tweeting to all!  :)

Muncie 2.0

After the Syracuse 70.3, I had two good, hard, (relatively) pain free weeks of workouts and then a bit of a rest coming into Muncie.  I felt good about the progress I had made in training and my confidence was in a much better place than when I had raced just a few weeks before.  And I was MUCH more excited to race and put myself out there.  

Unfortunately, on race day, my body had other ideas.  You know how some days racing feels effortless and the watts and run paces just show up?  Yeah, not so much this past Saturday in Muncie for me.  BUT, that doesn't mean you can't still race well, despite the struggle.  I had to remind myself of this many times on Saturday!

Swim:
Do we have to talk about it?  Okay, it wasn't that bad.  But I will say I was happy to exit the water and move on to another discipline.  The thing about swimming in the pro field (and especially the smaller women's field) is that if you squander an opportunity to swim on some good feet, that's pretty much it.  You *might* get lucky and get another chance but usually not.  And let's just say I squandered some opportunities on Saturday.  I then spent the next 30 minutes feeling sorry for myself, feeling tired and feeling like a boiled lobster in my wetsuit (one of those swims where the temp was right at the cutoff).  So yeah, not my best effort either physically or mentally, but I've learned you have to let the swim go.  It's a long race.

Bike:
I felt so happy to be out of my hot wetsuit!  And on my QR!  But it did take a while for my legs (and perhaps my mind) to come around.  Like, um, 15 or 20 miles.  HA!  Once I did finally get moving, it felt very good to push hard and try and track some of the girls ahead of me down. I started the bike in 9th and came into T2 in 4th.  (but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my Coeur teammate Kate was sidelined with not one but TWO flats - was a huge bummer to see her standing on the side of the road but she did still finish!)

Run:
I spent the first few miles of the run thinking I was in 6th (Oscar swears he told me I was in 4th but I don't hear or think too well when I'm working hard).  When I made a pass to put myself into what I thought was 5th (but was really 3rd), I got a lead biker.  I really like lead bikers.  They give you something to focus on, especially on a day when you need all the help you can get.  Muncie is an out and back course so as I neared the half way point, I anxiously awaited the other women in front of me to come back the other way to see if any were close enough to get after.  When I realized there were only 2 women ahead of me I got confused.  So I inquired of my lead biker what place I was in.  "3rd" he replied.  OH MAN!  Not that this changed much but it did put a little spring in my step.  And so it went, one foot in front of the other, lots of ice/water/Perform/sponges at each aid station, and telling myself that sometimes it's good to have tough days too.  Having seen at the turnaround, how far ahead 2nd place was at that point, I had made the assumption that she was out of reach and my goal was to hold onto 3rd.

Well, you know what they say about assuming things!  With about 1.5 miles to go, the people running out started to encourage me that "she's right up there, you can catch her!".  Really?  My lead biker confirmed this but I still couldn't see 2nd place.  Until I saw her.  And then it was like a switch went off in my head and I wasn't tired any more.  But would I have enough space?  Of course, the answer is "no", because I ended up in 3rd place.  But it was a very important lesson for me to (re)learn - it ain't over until it's over.

All in all a solid day and while I would have loved to swim, bike and run faster, and feel better while doing it, isn't that ALWAYS the case when we race?  Most of all, I was truly thankful to be out there racing hard and doing what I love with a hip that allowed it all to happen!  My hip and my fitness are coming around, slowly and surely and that's exciting for me!  Oscar and I had a super fun trip (including the ride home where he was so loopy from fatigue that he had me in hysterics).  And we got to catch up and stay again with our homestay from last year, James.  Muncie is a really awesome race and should the timing work out again next year to do it, I'll be there!

I know I say it every time, but without them I wouldn't be able to live this life!  So thank you to my sponsors, my family, teammates and friends, the homestays all around the country that have taken Oscar and I in and QT2 and Tim.  It takes a villiage...

Some highlights of the trip definitely include:

Getting to see and race with my Coeur teammate Malaika.

Getting to chat with THE Jen Harrison!  Jen has been a role model for me since I very first got into the sport.

And finally, getting to see Ashley take her first pro win!  (not that I saw it because I still had a mile left to go, but you know what I mean...)  Very happy and excited for her!!