Steelhead Race Report

I'm not gonna write too much about this race, mainly because i'm just really disappointed and i don't want to bring anyone down with my post.

Coming into this race i felt so ready, so prepared and i couldn't wait to see what i could do. The swim in the Great Lakes was pretty cool! It was a little choppy, well for me anyway! I've never swam in the ocean, and this is kinda what it seemed like! I thought i had a pretty decent swim until i realized what my time per 100 meter was. YIKES! 1:34 Per hundred meters is much slower than what i should be swimming! UHG! I know i can swim much faster than that! I guess i need to practice more open water swims! I was kinda all over the place out there!

The bike was great until about the last 20 or so miles. We had a terrible headwind and it just completely wiped me out! I had gone through all my calories on the bike, so i had nothing left going into the run!

The run course was actually pretty good! If i had eaten more calories, i probably would have liked the run course alot! However, i was bonking bad, and i'm sure i was a little dehydrated. I kept getting really dizzy, and my heart rate dropped into the 140's(for those of you who know me....that is crazy low for my HR when i'm running, even just jogging)! So the run was a huge battle for me. I was so sad during the entire run cause i knew the race time i was hoping for was long gone!

This race was definitely a learning experience for me. I know now that i need more calories!!! I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, i just know when i feel the right kind of race pain, and the wrong kind of race pain. This was definitely the wrong kind of pain!

The best part about this race was having my coach Amanda Lovato there!!! It was so great to see her and have her there after the race. She really did make me feel much better afterwards! For example....as soon as i was done, i swore to myself i would never do another 70.3! I just figured this isn't my distance. Maybe my body just isn't made for anything longer than an Olympic! Then after talking to her, i was ready to sign up for another one! So i may be doing Longhorn 70.3 in Oct!

Amanda is definitely right about one thing "I AM MY OWN WORST ENEMY" she told me! And that's so true! I will be beating myself up for quite a while after this race! I'm not giving up though. I will try this distance again! Just have to EAT MORE!

Hello All!

Sorry for getting lazy in my posting. Sometimes i just get wrapped up in everything and i don't feel like writing.

Since my last post i have raced in a sprint(Dragonfly Triathlon) and came in third overall. I was very happy with that. I didn't go as fast as i would have liked, but again i finished the race with no major problems or stomach issues! One very exciting thing for me that happened was that i qualified to race in the Best of the US Championship in CA! I wasn't even sure what was going on until my friend Damie told me what it was. I have never been to CA and can't wait to see how i will stack up against the other states! After all of my problems last year i really needed this boost! And now that i have this race to train for, Steelhead doesn't seem quite as scary!

So right now, i'm just trying to adjust to the heat and stay focused on my training. Thanks for reading. More later....Promise!

MIM Race Report

My alarm went off at 4am and i hit the snooze a couple of times before i got up. I Made my breakfast(yogurt and granola) and made sure i had eaten all of it before 4:45, about 3 hrs before i would start. Duane took a little longer getting up, so we were about 10 min late when we left the house. Surprisingly, i wasn't worried. I knew i would have plenty of time to set up, and warm up before the start.

It was pretty darn cold and WINDY, when we got there so i thought....great, its gonna be a tough ride, but at least it won't be hot on the run. YEAH! So after i set everything up, i ate half a power bar and did an easy 10 min jog. Felt Great! At this point i was not sure if i was gonna wear my wetsuit or not. I really didn't want to because it is just a little too small for me, constricts my stroke, and it takes FOREVER to get it on! I"m not talking normal 10 min, it takes sometimes 20 min and it wears me out trying to pull and pull, then i get stressed out thinking i will miss my start. So, once i heard that the water temp was 73 i decided NO WETSUIT!

Standing in line waiting to go i was freezing! So i couldn't wait to jump in that water cause i knew it was warmer than the air so it would feel good. Got to the mat, then ran and dove in! AHHHH! As soon as i started swimming i felt great! I had so much energy! I was able to swim hard the whole way. The water was extremely choppy and i accidentally swallowed some water a few times and thought....uh oh, i hope i don't get sick. I had to crawl through a few packs,but over all it was a good swim.

Coming out of the water i still felt really good, and i was off on my bike. YIKES the wind was strong. Then some stupid truck got on to the course and got stuck between me and the people in front of me, so i couldn't freaking pass! I was getting really frustrated going 16MPH! Finally the truck turned and i took off! Part of the course we had a really good tail wind, and when i looked down at my computer i was going 31 MPH! However, most of the way back there were strong headwinds and crosswinds. I almost got thrown off my bike at one point. So of course my speed went way down, it was really tough for me to stay above 20mph most of the way back.

Got back to transition, slipped my shoes on, grabbed my race belt and visor and took off. My legs did feel a bit heavy, but not nearly as bad as i expected. I just kept thinking to myself that after a few min i would find my rhythm. And i did. This run course is pretty tough. There are quite a few hills and one really long one on the way back right after the turn around. When i got to that long hill i was hurting pretty bad. I kept telling myself "just get up this hill, its much better on the way back after this stupid hill, don't you dare walk!" Before i knew it i was back in the park and i could see that beautiful long levy and i knew i was on the home stretch! I Ran as hard as my body would let me across the grass and crossed the finish! Thank goodness!

I was disappointed that i didn't go as fast as i did in 2007, but I told myself that I'm just trying to get back into racing after having such a bad time in 2008. It was a good day! A solid race with no stomach problems, no bonking, and having a decent run! Finished 8th in my AG with a time of 2:20:06.

I'm excited about 2009. Hope all my races go well! Thanks for reading!

Lady Lite!

LADY LITE 209!

It's here! The saddle i have been waiting for is finally here! The major problem that i have on my bike has always been my saddle! I have never been able to go on a long ride without having major crotch pain, and having to move and adjust myself constantly. So, david Lacek suggested this type of saddle. Because of my anatomy, i would need something really scooped out, and this saddle looked perfect! So i can't wait to try it out! It would be so nice to ride without pain!

Well, i'm done with the Twilight series, and i'm not very happy about it! I can't wait for the second movie to come out. I guess i could wait a few days and read them again, but i may not get anything done. Ha!

So Duane and i had a great time on our trip to Branson, it was much too short though. Four days is just not enough time for a vacation. It was absolutely beautiful. I love Table rock lake. I was thinking i may try to get in some open water swimming, but it was a little too cold. We went down to the swimming area on our last day, i had my suit on and everything, but when i put my feet in, i was like HELL NO! Yes i have swam in water that cold, but after my experience with Natchez Trace, i was feeling pretty wimpy.

We had a great time just hanging out, eating and drinking, and shopping! Yes, i bought some clothes, shoes with an actual heel on them, and even had my nails done(the second time in my whole life!) I think i may be turning into a girly girl! My sister would be so proud. We even saw an Elvis Impersonator. Now, i'm not really an Elvis fan, but this guy was amazing! He sounded just like him! He was funny too.

We also saw a Titanic exhibit. It was pretty cool. The re-done ship was cut in half, the inside was made exactly like the real ship. Looking around at all the pictures of the people who had died was very sad. It was even kinda spooky. I just can't even imagine going through something like that! The water temperature that they fell in was 28 degrees! Man! The fifty degree water at Natchez was extremely painful, i can't imagine what 28 degrees would feel like. It was a very interesting exhibit.

Yeah, i was really sad to come back home, but i'm looking forward to getting back into training for Memphis in May! More later!

Twilight

Sorry i have not updated in a while. I have been in my own little world. I'm reading the Twilight series! Thank you Damie, and Suzy for getting me hooked on these freaking books! I understand everything now! I am in LOVE with Edward Cullen. HOT HOT HOT! If any man out there wants to know how to make a woman go weak in the knees, then read these books! And take notes! Just so everyone knows, i am NOT a reader. I hate to read. But i started the first book last friday, and i'm done with the third one already! That should tell you something!


So, more later......when i'm done reading Breaking Dawn. HA!!

My Inspiration! ROCKY IV

This is probably my all time favorite movie! Whatching it gets me so fired up! If this doesn't make you want to run out a train your ass off....something is wrong! I listen to this soundtrack when i'm running, and if i'm feeling like crap, it always gets me through!

I know, i'm a Nerd. I LOVE ROCKY!

Click Below:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UaLL79KJEc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDko7Utfqdg