Vegas 70.3 World Championships

On Being #777 in Vegas - September 10, 2012

"well at least you have the best number" someone said to me as I was entering the third (and thank heaven final) loop of the run; so far beyond my normal time for a 70.3 it's hard to even compare it to other races, and with the realization that this was going to be a much bigger serving of humble pie than I'd imagined. I knew it would be bad, but honestly in my wildest dreams (nightmare?) I didn't think it would be that bad.

The morning started out as any typical race day. Thankfully I had none of the 'usual' problems I seem to have had of late on race mornings, with the plumbing in perfect working order. Janet must be rubbing off on me.  Got to the race site, and realized I'd left all of my nutrition at the hotel. Oops. That's a big one, that I've never done before, and clearly an indication of how much my head was (not) in this game. And they had NONE in transition. I managed to beg a bottle of water off someone and I had half a gatorade in my hands, which would hold me to the first aid station. Guess it was gonna be a grab'n'go day. Then the valve stem on my front tire came out in my hands and I couldn't get it to inflate.  Started to freak just a little at this point, but the tech guy was able to inflate and make it stick. Phew. Disaster averted.

Got into the water, and thought to myself, Okay Katie Girl. This is gonna be a slow day. No point in blowing up on the swim, so we are gonna take this nice and easy. I would've bet a lot that I was coming out of the water at an embarrassing 50 minutes, or more, so was quite shocked to exit at 43 minutes and feeling pretty good. Note to self .. Buy a skin suit.  The kit I wore was like wearing a parachute in the water, at least down the front. At one point I think I actually had to put my boobs back in the suit. Love the Soas kit, favourite most comfortable tri shorts EVER, but it is not meant for swimming in.

Then the real nightmare started. As Rinny said the day before the race ..this course is legit.  Not the hardest bike course I have done, not even close really, but it was definitely challenging. What made it more so was the heat. And as I read in another blog..everything is great in the desert until the sun comes up.  It just got hotter and hotter. And the wind got stronger and stronger. So my worst bike split ever was 2:57, and that was this year at Galveston, when I got injured, and basically could barely use my left leg. My best? 2:37 at Augusta.  So as I am riding out there, left with mostly the senior men and a few women on the course, it took everything I had to just ignore how far my fitness has fallen, and keep riding. I mean, literally orders of magnitude slower. Amazing how quickly it can go. This bike split was more than 35 minutes slower than my worst to date, and a full hour slower than my best.  Damn. That is just...wow.

And then I got to run. Three loops of a pretty hellish route. Temps reached over 100 that day, and there is little shade to be had, on a painfully hilly course.. And apparently the desert heat surprised the WTC since they had very little ice on the course, and by the third loop the water was literally hot. I decided as I started the first lap, that if I couldn't have a good race time wise, at least I was going to accomplish something, and that was to run the whole thing no matter how slow I went. Ha. Little did I know. It worked for the first 5.5 miles. Even through the aid stations, I refused to walk. Then I had to pee, and that was my downfall. Once you stop, it is very hard to get going again. So I had a few additional 'good' sections, but overall it was pretty bad. I mean, I was averaging 12 minute miles. I have never run 12 minute miles in my life .. Not when I first started running, not in Ironman, ...never. But that's where I was on this day.  It was literally a death march on that final loop. I normally do a half somewhere between 5-5:40, depending on the course.  I had thought 6:15, maybe 6:30 if the day was really tough.  Again, ha. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would take this long to do a half, and honestly, I am not sure I would keep doing it if this was 'normal' for me.  My hat is off to those athletes out there who are out there this long race after race.  That is tough. Tough tough tough!

So as with everything, it seems, numbers have a hold on me, and my final time, in a race in Vegas where I ran under the number 777 was 7:07.  Odd, i know. and, Ugh.  Embarrassing to put it in black and white. But you know, there are lessons to be had here, as with everything.  As my coach, Brett, pointed out, "you basically raced the world championship off the couch".  And he is right. I had a month off after Kansas, not much in the 6 weeks that followed, and near pneumonia for the 10 days prior to the race. I guess it is somewhat of a testament that I finished at all. At least to my bull-headed-ness anyway ;) Many did not finish. And as many of you have reminded me, I did have to earn my way here.

Everyone has off days. I have had some great races and some okay races.  I have never had a terrible race.  Until this one. And I think that is a good thing to have happen to me. Sucks it had to be at Vegas, but whatever. Now I can truly relate. Most importantly to my athletes. To those that have bad races, and to those whose best race might be a 7 hr race. Now I can truly say I know what it feels like.

I guess I could have not gone at all. That was an option...save face. But that is not really who I am. This was an experience I knew I had to have. And you know, you just never know. Maybe I will never have the chance again to race the World Championship. At least I've done it once, with the medal to prove it.  And a character building experience like this has its place.

And besides, I hd an absolute blast with Janet and Kevin. Laughed the whole trip. They are awesome race buddies, and I hope to be able to race with them often. Don't forget the hot wing pretzels that really are like crack .. Can't say Kevin didn't warn me.

"Do it like I would Katrina"

Happy off season :)

Kat

...

twas the night before Vegas 70.3 world champs ... Sept 8 2012

Well I am one hurtin chick. The good thing is it honestly doesn't matter at this race. This is the end of the road for 70.3 and nobody gives a shit what time I finish in. As Andy Potts put it so well at today's pro panel "you have an experience that can't be taken away from you...it expands the experiences under your belt that you can turn to when things get tough". I turned to Janet when he said that and said that is exactly why I came. Not because I knew I would kill this race, in fact I knew that this time I wouldn't even be able to come close, but for the experience. And that is worth so much. Was cool to hear one of the pros say it so well. Also fun to hear at the pro panel? K-bomb got to ask a question and he asked "if they were to add a fourth sport to tomorrow's race, what would you want it to be and why?" The only guy who answered was the sole Canadian on the panel, Jeff Symonds, who had the best answer ever .. Skating/hockey! Gotta love the Canadian for appreciating the humour and giving a kickass answer.

Trivia challenge of the day: How do you know you are a triathlete? You are in Vegas and have eaten at olive garden twice and whole foods three times. And have not had a drop of alcohol yet. Good Lord. But look out Vegas...season ends tomorrow afternoon, hopefully no later than 1:15 pm, and we are planning on taking full advantage. The sooner I finish the sooner we can start celebrating. First stop, in-and-out burger. Second stop, somewhere with alcohol. I wonder if IAOB serves beer...

We had a great dinner tonight at Cugino's Deli ... unexpected, since we thought we would go to OG again. Some intoxicated patrons left more than a tip for the waitress there and so we moved on to the unknown, which turned out to be a fabulous little deli serving awesome pasta.

Now it is 730 and we are all but in bed. Ready to rise at 345 and face the day.

Tomorrow's plan? Just make it through. Start slow. Keep the heart rate low. Hydrate. Enjoy the experience. Stay in the moment. Finish. Get my medal. Bask in the privilege of being able to race this race. Appreciate myself and my efforts for qualifying to be here. Life is good.

Best of luck to Janet and Kevin. Thx for another great race experience. Thanks Brett for helping me through the summer.

Here's to making it here.

Happy racing everyone
Kat

Checking in to the World Championship

Today was a day of ups and downs, peppered liberally with laughter. I am here with two of the best traveling buddies ever. This is my second race trip with Kevin and my third with Janet; and we have all three been together twice now. We seem to really travel well together and I am really happy to be sharing this experience with them both.

We checked in this morning...definitely a high. My race bib is pretty freaking Cool ... 777 and that I get to have the Canadian flag on it to boot is simply awesome.

We ran this afternoon. Definitely a low. :( I think this is why I did not run before leaving ATL. It was not pretty. Very low energy and very hard to breathe under exertion. Lungs just have been compromised too much with this illness. Add that to the 100+ degrees in full sun ... Well let's just say it was a good reality check. I keep telling one of my athletes that you can't race at more than you've trained and that you only have so many matches in your book. Once you have lit them, that's it. So maybe my matchbook has more matches or bigger matches than some, but I still have a limited number. My matches this Sunday will be fewer than usual. And I will have to race accordingly. After today's TWO mile run...yes just 2...it is crystal clear to me that Sunday will be a slow day. I will race to finish this time. That will be a first for me.

I did pick up some awesome sunglasses at the expo today. Lost my 'Canada' glasses at a yoga studio...Boo...so I've replaced them with my Vegas glasses. And they rock. Got a new (matching) helmet too. Rudy project stuff...most comfortable helmet I have ever put on. Now I just need a new bike to match ;)

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I have laughed my ass off all day with these two. So many quotes today, but I think two of the best are:
1) in reference to my GPS which has Sean Connery's voice, and the fact that Vegas seems to enjoy making you cross four lanes of traffic in 50m, Kevin says in his best and actually pretty damn good Sean Connery voice, as I race ahead from a light to cross said four lanes, "Do it like I would Katrina". Yes we think it about time they made your GPS personal. And 2) in talking about gel flavours, because what else do triathletes talk about, I said that I had to move to plain last year during IM training because I couldn't handle the taste anymore, and Janet says "well what does it taste like?? a big wad of cum in your mouth??" talk about LMAO.

And that's it for today. Athlete dinner was a complete and utter bust. We are heading to bed, and will be up tomorrow to get our swim in, do our pre race workout, and check in our gear. And at least as of right now, Sunday is forecasted to be quite a bit cooler than today. C'mon 777!

Happy training
Kat

What happens in Vegas

And so we are here. It's been, I don't know, like 10 seconds since Kansas? Truly all 3 of us feel the same way. Very Cool that we all qualified in Kansas, and now we are all here together.



And people. Let me just say. It is HOT here in Vegas. It is actually cooler when the wind is not blowing, since there appears to be a large furnace somewhere just north of the airport. You'd think we were in the middle of the freaking desert or something.

I was able to get us on a much earlier flight. Free for me thanks to my gold status. Couldn't have worked out better. We have been able to get groceries, check in, eat dinner, and we'd only just have been landing now with our original flight. Our hotel room rocks, and is perfect for us for this trip. Super bonus is the laundry centre we found in one of the closets. No bringing home stinky sweaty race kits and running shoes that smell like cat pee if they don't get washed right away. We also got a great car. Traveling for work as much as I do definitely has its perks. Flying in over Vegas, it finally hit me. Regardless of what my fitness level is, and how much training I have been able to do (or not do), I am actually here. And, Klafter, love ya man for reminding me that no matter what happens on race day, I earned the right to be here. That's a huge thing, and I'm grateful for it.

So happy to be here with Janet and Kevin.  As Kevin tweeted earlier, this shit is the real deal.

Oh, and the number thing I always seem to have going on? Not only is my race number in Vegas 777, today when we checked into the hotel we were given room 613. There's my lucky 13, once again.

Happy training
Kay

On the road again ... and again ...

...and again ... seems to be the theme of the summer.  Oh, wait.  What Summer?  It is September again, and I swear I don't know how that happened.  Once again, many blogs written in my brain, none posted on the www.

So tomorrow I head to Vegas to compete in the 70.3 World Championships.  Seems actually anticlimactic to be honest.  I have wanted this so badly for a couple of years, and now I am finally here and guess what - life has happened!  I'm going into this race the most underprepared of any race I have done in the last 4 years.  A little 'backwards' considering it is the World Championship.  What can you do though.  It's been a summer of one thing after another.  Tons of travel for work, almost every week, which makes it a challenge to train effectively.  A kitchen and bathroom demo'ed but (still) not put back together yet.  Floundering some as I try to find my new place in the universe along with the double edged joy/sorrow that goes with that, and some renewed heartache to boot. <sigh>.  And then there is the actual physical condition of my body, which is just not there this year.  I took a month off after Kansas, hoping that would help, and it has a bit, but injuries still linger.  And now to top it all off I have been sick since last Friday, with fluid filled lungs, coughing, filling sinuses, constant running nose...you get the idea.

I knew when I decided to take the slot in Kansas that I would not be competitive at this race, because of the time I needed off.  But in full honesty, there was a secret part of me that hoped I wouldn't be a complete failure.  I accepted that it was about being there and that it was about participation in a race of this calibre, and the experience as both an athlete and a coach that would be invaluable.

LOL.  and blah blah blah.  So I am now several steps away from even that.  And with this pneumonia-like thing I've got, even moreso than a week ago!  Which, last week, didn't seem like it could get any worse...oh how Life must laugh at me sometimes!  I haven't put on running shoes in 2 weeks.  You do have to laugh.  Well I do anyway.  I think we all need to check our egos once in a while, and let it be okay to not always live up to everyone's (sometimes overinflated) expectations.  Bring it back to 'real'.  I guess this is my turn.  Ego checked.  Focus on fun.

Bottom line, everything I am doing now and for the next year is for my much bigger goal next year.  As Janet continues to remind me, 'as far as I'm concerned, you are starting your base training for Kona right now'.

And she's right.  It's all about Kona now.  Including just experiencing this kind of a race.

So, Vegas Baby!  Waited a long time to say that, and now it is here.  Ready or not here I go.  Plan to have a fantastic time with my buds JanetKDaly and KevIron.  We will be the 3 musKeteers in Vegas, and I am truly excited to be participating in this race.  There really is something to be said for it being an 'honour to be nominated'.

Happy Training
Kat

Kansas 70.3 Race Report

Yep, so I was going back through my blogs, and cleaning up some stuff.  Updating my blog.  Changing how it looks and adding pages.  I added a page just for Race Results, to make it easy to find all of them in one place.  And guess what I found.  A missing report for Kansas 70.3  Not surprising, since that summer was a brutal one.  So here are my brief recollections on the race that qualified me for Worlds.....


I really did not like this race.  :)

Usually there is one of the three disciplines that proves particularly challenging in any given race, often dictated by the terrain, the conditions, or something as obvious as lack of training.  In this race, ALL THREE were BRUTAL.

• Swim - we had 2-3m swells in the lake  
• Bike - we had 30+mph sustained headwinds
• Run - we had freaking hot and humid temps on a hilly course

The swim at this course requires you to swim out about 100 yards or so to the start line.  The water was so rough that I watched at least 3 people in my AG alone swim back and get out before the race even started.  I literally could not see the buoys as I swam, and honestly it's a miracle that I didn't get seasick, since I am the queen of motion sickness.  I guess I can thank race day concentration for that one ... ???  At any rate, it was rough.  My time was an abyssmal 46'17 , putting my 22nd out of the water.  Out of 66.  Pretty much standard for me out of the water. :(

The bike was worse.   I started with a small issue about 4 miles in, when I looked down and saw my tire tube poking out of the tire.  How it hadn't popped I'm not sure, but I quickly got off and tried to adjust.  I did, quickly, but it cost me a few mins for sure.  As the ride wore on, I literally felt as though I were going to be thrown off my bike at any moment.  Even the uphill had a headwind.  The noise from the wind in my helmet was literally deafening.  When you finally did turn out of the wind for a short stretch, it was like walking into a silence chamber.  At times, I was sideways on my bike, as were all the competitors in front of me.  It was a tough slog with the wind, on an already challenging bike profile.  I don't know about you, but when I think Kansas, I think Saskatchewan.  In other words, FLAT.  Apparently there actually are non-flat areas in Kansas.  Come to think of it, I do recall driving through the never-ending wheat fields of Saskatchewan and seeing 'hills' in the distance.  At any rate, I finished the bike in 2:57'55, tied for 9th fastest bike split.  Given the 'flat' I had at the start, and the shape I was in coming into this race, that's not bad I guess.  But certainly not where I'd hoped to land.

And then the run.  This course is a two-location transition race.  Just hate these.  The run was hot, hilly, humid, and windy.  No shade here at all.  It was a slugfest the whole way, especially since we had to climb one massive hill twice.  I ran a 2:03'25, which is an indication of my fitness and the heat.  Not happy at all with that performance.  Although it was the 10th fastest run split in my AG.  Still, pretty sad.  Even running down the yellow brick road, (WoO is one of my all time favourites), did not make up for the conditions at this race.

So all in all, I ended up with 5:50'43, in 10th spot.  My 2nd top 10 at a Half.  But not one to really write home about.  I guess it is an indication of how tough the conditions were, but also an indication of where my fitness was, mostly due to all the injury from this season.  

Having said all that, this race was the lucky recipient of 100 slots to Worlds.  And with some massive roll-down, I got a slot to Vegas.  In retrospect I can say that I absolutely should NOT have taken the slot.  I had agreed (with myself) and accepted going in that I wouldn't take one if by some miracle I got one.  But I will tell you that when your name gets called, it's hard to say no.  But it really was the nail in the coffin for me.  I had dug myself into such a deep hole from IMC training, and what followed, and I just kept on digging.  Such is life.  I can retrospect on it now though, and see what damage I did to myself, and how long it took to climb back out.  It was absolutely a lesson in knowing and honouring your limits, and this was a lesson I needed to learn in life as well.  It's okay to say no.  

The best part of the trip was by far racing with Kev and Janet.  And all 3 of us were going to Vegas.

Do or Do Not

Race is tomorrow morning.  Aside from some, ahem, 'minor pre-race athlete-type' issues, all is well is Kansas.  I'm hoping things will 'flush through' by morning and work themselves out.  <sigh>.  Getting ready to hit the hay here in Kansas, no pun intended ;) ...just a quick blog post and then I'm ready to get some zzzz's.

So tomorrow, I'll be heading out there to race my own race, against myself.  We drove the course today, and it's definitely not the flat Kansas you might expect.  No doubt it does not really compare to riding in Roswell/Alpharetta, but it is also not flat.  Our best secret weapon is the lower humidity here compared to Georgia.

Tomorrow's race looks like this:

1. I tread water effortlessly waiting for the gun to go off.  I am pretty thrilled that I am actually starting my race early, as I head off at 6:46. As soon as my race clock starts, I am swimming a little harder than my race pace to get to the first buoy.  Once I hit that, I settle in to my race pace, swimming strong and steady, with long smooth strokes, getting me through the swim with an efficiency that sets me up for a strong bike.
2. My T1 is quick and effortless and I have a seamless flying mount.
3. My bike is a steady effort with a normalized power between 160-165.  Regardless of my speed, I am focused on the power I am pushing. I drink fluids every 10 minutes, and maintain a good level of hydration throughout the bike.  The wind is not bothering me
4. My T2 is lighting fast as I hang my bike and grab my run gear.
5. My run is a steady effort for the first loop, as my heart rate stays under 160.  I hydrate at every aid station and keep cool with ice and cold water.  I consume a gel at the 30 minute mark, and again at the 1:10 mark.  On the 2nd loop I allow my heart rate to rise as I push the pace and give whatever I have left to give the triathlon race gods.  :)  

It's gonna be a hot one tomorrow, and looks like we'll have a pretty stiff wind.  But I'm ready.  Today on our pre-race brick, I felt some twinges from the hip flexor, reminding me.  So instead of worrying about it, I put some good visual imagery to work.  My friend and guide, Joseph White Wolf, and I have a 'rainbow connection', and I simply imagined two butterflies floating a rainbow over to the pain point and wrapping the rainbow around it.  Laugh if you want, but I'm telling you, it stopped hurting.  And when we were changing after, a butterfly flew over and landed on my ankle.  All I know is the mind is a powerful thing, we only need to harness that power for amazing things to happen.  The butterfly from today and the monarch I saved a few summers back will be flying with me tomorrow wrapping rainbows wherever they are needed.

Have had a great trip so far with JanetKDaly, KevIron, and CoachBrett.  (add that to CanadianTriGirl and it sounds like a new cartoon crew coming to a channel near you!)  Looking forward to partying it up tomorrow night in KC with the crew.

Do or Do Not.  There is no try.  

Happy Racing!

Kat

Following the Yellow Brick Road

Well here we are in Kansas.  Four happy racers, all ready to rock and roll on Sunday.  Brett, Janet, Kev, and myself.  We are hanging at Janet's tonight in Manhattan, KS, and heading back down to Lawrence in the am to get all our pre-race stuff done.  It was a pretty good ride in, better than I expected, and aside from the truck tire blowout in front of us, pretty uneventful.  "Uh, excuse me homes...I'd really appreciate it if you could give me directions back to the freeway..."

I saw a finish photo from previous years, and saw that you run over a Yellow Brick Road at the finish line, which I think is just awesome.  Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favourite movies.  I've been watching it since I was a little girl, and I played Toto and a Flying Monkey in our high school play in grade 9 (though it was cancelled before we actually put it on).  I'm getting pretty psyched for the race, and though it is shaping up to be a hot one, it just is not humid here like back in the ATL, so I think it will be fine.

I'm feeling rested, and looking forward to the race.  Right now, I am heading to bed as I am falling asleep.  :)  Good luck tomorrow James at Boise!

Happy Training!
Kat

Pain, Polish and Promise

The three P's of pre-race prep.  ;)

Pain - oh, ya, and lots of it baby! Double dose today with the incomparable Dr Sadri, working my shoulder/ankle/ab along with the typical alignment, followed immediately by the sadistically thorough Tiffany Ballew, who worked everything, including some major work on my adductors (OMG this is the definition of pain), as it seems this may actually be the source of the Galveston issue.  Tiffany is a cyclist, so she understands an athlete's body.  If you are looking for a good massage therapist, she's your girl (@Apogee18).  She told me today, as I was cursing under my breath and jumping off the table, 'a healthy muscle shouldn't hurt no matter how hard I press on it'...  :(  I guess that means I don't have any healthy muscles right now.  She also said 'Imagine what your power is going to be once you get all these issues sorted out' - is she ever right!  That said, these two amazing professionals have got me ready to race!

Polish - my 'other' Tiffany, pedicurist aficionado - fit me in tonight to make sure my nails were, a) short enough so that I don't lose any toenails on Sunday as I race myself to a stellar finish, and of course, b) decked out in TSF red (which for today is aka Caviar and Vodka).  Yes Degan, for A races, even my toenails have to match!  Kevin and Brett, I assume this got checked off your list today too ;)


and finally, Promise.  I love the days leading up to an A race, when the Promise of all you have worked for is there, ready and waiting for you to grasp.  As I sat at my desk today, visualizing my race and what I want to accomplish, I actually got my first set of pre-race butterflies.  This is good!  Sooner than I expected them, and it tells me that I am taking this race seriously.

So now I am going to go finish up my Packing, another pre-race P.  But the real pre-race prep is all about another P - PMA.  Visualization.  Mental Mapping.  Law of Attraction. Whatever you want to call it.  And that is what I am all about now.  We are off to see the Wizard tomorrow at noon.

Happy Training!
Kat

Duct Tape, Cherries and Raw Brownies ??

One week to go.  We started our taper this past week.  The shoulder started acting up on Thursday again, so scampered on into my massage therapist on Friday morning. Thankfully she was able to fit me in.  And it feels perfectly good now, even after swimming yesterday and today.  Hip flexor issue has been popping up now and then over the last week.  Nothing that has lasted, either through the ride or after, and I'm trusting that it will take me through the race as well. I've been stretching it out, using the crazy stretch that Sadri gave me.  A little tricky to get into, but I think it is working.

As I prepare for my race, I am also looking ahead to my post-race plan. I'm getting ready to really change the way I nourish my body, including moving to a gluten-free diet, since I suspect this is an issue for me.  So I bought a breadmaker and a gluten-free bread cookbook.  Yesterday I made my first loaf of bread, a nutmeg bread, and it was absolutely, surprisingly, I-had-no-idea-gluen-free-bread-could-be-this-good delicious.  Yum! I shared it with April, Janet, Ken and Mikey G last night, as the grillmaster, @thekenburkey, dazzled us yet again with some delish burgers and grilled veggies.  It was still warm when I got to the Burks, and we all dug in before it cooled down.  Today I had some with pb and banana (this one's for you Dad), and it was still fantastic.

We (Brett, Janet, me) did the 100 miles to nowhere ride today - 10 loops of 10 miles through Mountain Park.  Of course, since we are tapering, we only did 2 loops :) and a quick run.  Not sure I have any desire to do 10 of those loops.  Phew!  I did make a fabulous post-workout smoothie chock full of cherries - it was scrumptious, and a great post workout option with the anti-inflammatory properties of cherries.  MMM. Much better than ibuprofen, and really ... can you eat too many cherries?  This is my question.  I'm thinking NO.  

Try this after your next workout:  Cherry Bomb courtesy of CJ Hitz (Smoothies for Runners)

1c vanilla rice milk

1/4 c tart cherry juice (unsweetened)

1/2 c frozen cherries

1/2 c vanilla yogurt (use greek, or if you are vegan, use cultured coconut milk yogurt)

1 banana

1tsp vanilla extract

1tbsp flaxseed

And my final culinary masterpiece of the weekend - raw brownies.  OMG.  Change your life stuff, seriously. Brownies that are healthy for you.  Made of walnuts, raw cacao powder, and dates, you'd never guess these weren't actual brownies.  WOW.  http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/04/raw-brownie.html  I love this woman, and I think she is Canadian to boot.  (of course!)  

So now my job is simple:  lots of rest (check, just napped for 3 hrs), hyrdrate (check, drinking water right now), nourish my body with healthy food (check check check) and PMA (the secret ingredient). Yep, bring on the positive mental attitude!  Dr Sadri said back in February that he thought I might need duct tape to get me through this season, I was in such bad shape.  Will I need duct tape to get me through this race?  Not on your life.  (mostly thanks to him and Tiffany!)  I'm excited to get out there again.

Happy Training!!

Kat

Sprint to the Finish - on two counts

So, I am way overdue on posting this post, no doubt.  Last week I was in St Louis for work and it was a crazy busy week ... so busy it feels like the week didn't even happen.  'Cra-cra' to quote my buds April & Janet.

Ok.  Count 1.  Peachtree Supersprint - I did indeed sprint to the finish.  And sprinted into 2nd place overall female, much to my pleasure.  It was a fun race, and I had a blast.  Well, at least as much fun as you can have racing for about 52 minutes in zone 4-5.  :)  Tons of SF teammates racing, and I enjoyed cheering them on as much as I did racing myself.  Turns out though that the folks running the race don't know how to either a) measure distances accurately or b) advertise distances honestly.  When I exited the water and saw 9:xx on my watch, I was mightily confused to say the least.  No matter how slow I claim to be on the swim, I would have had to swim backwards to take that long to swim 300 yards.  For pete's sake, my t-pace the thursday before the race on my last 100 of the set was 1:40.  do the math.  And yes, it's true I wasn't "quite" on course ..hehe.. my right goggle flooded on entry, and so it was hard to see, but still...  After the single buoy turn, I simply couldn't see the flags, swam to the yellow 'end buoy', which turned out *not* to be the right direction, exactly.  Oops.  I eventually made the course correction, but still, even that could not have doubled my time.  As I headed out on the bike, I admit I did start to get a little worried...but saw Klafter within the first 2 miles. This was about where I expected to pass him (we started together), so I figured I was fine.  Turns out the consensus is that the swim was almost double.  Klafter took 7.5 minutes, instead of the 4.5 he should have spent.  We figure the course was really a 500 yard swim.  Still a short course - but on both ends of the spectrum, kind of a problem.  On the one end, we have Beginners, of which there were many, probably freaking about how long it was taking and not really prepared, and on the other end, those of us trying to win, our pacing was thrown way off.  At any rate, it was what it was.  The bike was fine, only frustrating part was the prohibition of passing in the first section - which was actually quite long.  Bike was slightly longer than advertised.  And I almost missed the entrance back into transition.  (can you tell I wasn't taking this race very seriously...need to fix that).  Run was also fine.  Though, Tracy Palmer, not what I would call 'flat as a pancake'.  But, per my agreement with Degan, I was not a 'ho', and pulled out 7:30's in the first two miles, and a 6:30 in the last (unadvertised) quarter mile.  ;)  let me tell you, when your heart rate is 180+, a quarter mile is a LOOOOONG way.  But I busted it out (don't be a ho, don't be a ho, don't be a ho was my mantra).  My goal of 47ish minutes was not achieved, obviously because it was a longer course than I expected.  So 52 and change was the final tally.  Didn't quite make it to 22mph on the bike, though I think that would have been achieved without the 'no pass zone'.  And I pulled out better than I hoped for on the run.  Congrats to all the other SF athletes that represented so well on the podium, including 1st and 2nd OA female, and all the SF team members who raced, especially those for whom it was their first triathlon!

Now.  Count 2.  10 days is all that is left to get to Kansas 70.3, my only A race this season.  All the long workouts - Done.  My body will get it's promised rest starting about noon on June 10.  Just hang on a little longer hip flexor, ankle, rotator cuff, and whatever else is lurking in the shadows ready to pop out.  Thanks to Dr Sadri, as always and my new massage therapist Tiffany, for keeping me able to do anything for the last month. 10 more short days, 1 super 5 hour effort, and we are there.  To the land of doing what I feel like for a few months, and maybe racing a few more supersprints.  :)

Happy Training!
Kat

Love me a good Sprint!!

Nothing like a Sprint race really - and a Super Sprint even better.  They hurt like hell, if you do them right, but they are so much fun!!  I haven't done a sprint race in two years, and I sure miss them.  They're all about pure adrenaline and getting to the finish line as fast as you can.  Not that every race isn't about that, but this is different.  There's no pacing, there's no nutrition, there's no holding anything in reserve.  It's just balls-to-the-wall, lay it all on the line, bust your ass for - in this case - 47ish minutes.

Tomorrow I race the Peachtree City Supersprint.  Most athletes tomorrow will be racing the Oly.  But me and a couple of my buddies - Klafter, Kev, and Vallee - and maybe a few I don't know about yet, will be out there with me going as fast as we can for under an hour for the sprint.  Well, Klafter will be hobbling along in his skinned knees, but the rest of us will be busting it out.  ;)  Sorry dude, I couldn't resist!!

It will take me longer to drive there than it will to race but man, I can't wait!  Good luck to everyone, and especially my TSF teammates!!

Happy Racing!
Kat

Target to the rescue, again ;)

Okay.  Every once in a while, when you have to get ready for work at the pool, you leave things, important things, at home.  by mistake.  Once, back in the days when I lived in Smyrna and worked in Alpharetta, (aka a helluva long way), I left my entire outfit at home.  It was either show up at the office in spandex, drive all the way home again and be way late, or go to Target and buy some new clothes - literally everything including shoes.  Obviously, I chose Target, and yes, certain co-workers still find this to be one of the funniest stories from PMO row.  I took quite a ribbing for this 'incident'.

Today, Target once again came to my rescue.  All I had to buy this time was underwear.  At 8am.  hmm.  Not sure that is better than having to buy the whole outfit.  Yes, I got quite an odd look from the cashier.  But hey - the good news is I swam today!  1500 yards!  And my shoulder is still not hurting!  Hooray!!

I'm sure she was thinking 'oh she probably is coming from the pool and just forget them at home'...

Happy Training!
Kat

Waterlogged

Been a few weeks since I posted...though in my mind I've posted a lot.  lol.  Sometimes I just don't quite sit down and type all the posts I think about.

Four weeks to go till my last scheduled race for the season - I've decided that Kansas needs to be it for me, and then I need to rest and recover my body.  I may do some races, short ones - aka sprints only - but I am not going to plan any, and I'm not going to do any structured training.  I'll do whatever, have fun, work on my weak spots, and recover my body fully so that I am ready to take on a full again next year.

This weekend we have had a lot of rain.  To say the least.  Yesterday I headed out for a 3.5 hr ride from SF.  Brett was supposed to lead with me, but he ended up sick.  I too was sick earlier this week, sick as a dog on Monday night.  Seems it has been going around the city, I'm told.  At any rate, I showed up since others may have been planning to join.  As it turns out it was only me and Jason, a 22 yr old elite athlete who has just graduated and heading home to Manhattan this week to take on the real world.  We had a great ride, chatting on the way out.  It started to rain lightly about an hour in.  By the time we turned around it was raining pretty heavily.  But what can ya do?  Ride through it of course!  And although I'm sure he could have gone faster I don't think I held him up too much.  Not bad for a 44 yr old woman.  :)  We averaged 18.6 mph, which is not too shabby for an endurance ride.  And my normalized power was way WAY better than I would have expected, which is quite encouraging.  Maybe things are starting to come back.

Today, I had a long brick on the schedule.  The forecast called for rain all day.  I woke up, and sure enough it was raining.  I also needed to do this workout on my own, since it was a pretty targeted race-specific workout. 15 minute run, 3 hr bike at race power, 30 minute run at race pace.  At 730 I headed down to the clubhouse - still won't run up or down that hill on a brick.  Sat in the car for a few minutes, wondering just how crazy I was, and finally just decided I needed to get on with it.  So, out I went.  It actually was pretty good.  The rain did get quite heavy at times, and I cut it a few minutes short because I really was just TIRED of the rain.  All told, I did 3:30.  It actually reminded me of playing soccer in grade 9/10.  I always did better in the games we played in the rain.

It felt good to get out and do my long rides this weekend, rain or not.  Made me feel committed!  I've been off swimming all week, with some rotator cuff issues, hoping to get back in this week.  Between massage and Dr Sadri, things feel okay.  I really want to show up at the race as ready as I can possibly be and end the season strong.

Happy Training
Kat

Perspective

I had a dear old friend tell me something important this week.  She is a relatively new mom - well, not new new, but compared to me, new.  Her son is 5 (4?), and like most 5 yr olds is a handful right now.  A wonderful handful, to be sure.  She told me that whatever I accomplish in triathlon is fine, but she will always admire me most for raising Kayla on my own.  Talk about putting things in perspective.  I certainly made my share of mistakes as a parent, we all do, and there is lots I would do different.  But that statement really hit home with me, and helped me focus back on the things that matter.

I also watched some of the Kona-dream entries.  And shed a few tears.  I remembered that I am grateful to be able to do this at all.  Grateful that I have been given the physical ability to compete, and the mental ability to persevere.

Today I got out there and put in 50 miles on the bike, and felt pretty good.  A few small twinges in the hip flexor, but nothing major.  The bike fit seems to have made a huge difference, as has the new saddle. It was nice to ride with Michelle and Mark for the middle hour of my ride.

I'm reinvigorated for the training I have left for Kansas, and continue to be grateful for being able to swim, bike, run and all the other things I do.

Thanks Jenann for the reminder.  xoxox

Happy Training!
Kat

This Triathlete needs a little AA

Attitude Adjustment that is.  Either be in it or don't be in it, but none of this half-assed bullshit.  Gotta shake this and get back to myself - and that means all in.  Cuz that's the way I roll.  :)

I've already decided that I'm going to Kansas, and I'm not planning on reneging on that...so come on Katie girl, if you are gonna go then stop whining and just get in it.  I feel great once I am out there, but getting my butt out the door seems to be a challenge these days.  So enough of that.  Got myself in the pool today, despite my 'no way in hell am I getting up at 530 am on a saturday' declaration to Brett, and then went right on through to a good healthy brick.  Felt good!  Nice ride in the mist with JLess, followed by a pretty strong hilly run.

So.  No more whining.  Just Do It.  I'm fakin it till I make it, April!  Six weeks is more than enough to get myself where I need to be for Kansas, and the truth is, wherever I am performance-wise, it doesn't matter, I am going to go with my PMA and have a great time.  Then it will be some time off.  Till then, I may be calling on some of you to be my accountability training partners :)  And KevIron, I'm excited you are in for Kansas!  Yay!

Now to the yard work that is waiting for me...

Happy Training!
Kat

Proper Bike Fit = Bliss

Like a good Agile practitioner I have followed through on my action items to improve.  This week I got re-fit on my tri bike.  Of course I've always known that a good bike fit is worth its weight in gold - doesn't matter how much money you spend on a sweet ride, if it doesn't fit you it is like throwing your hard-earned cash down the garburator.

http://thesportfactory.com/site/trainingnews/properbikefit.shtml

And of course I've had my bike fit, several times.  I haven't played with the fit in over a year. And the fit has been fine up until now.  Who knows what changed.  I think it is fair to say I am not the same athlete I was when I got my last fit.  What I do know is that for whatever reason, suddenly something was not working.  So, back to drawing board for me with an expert bike fitter.

Several hours and many tweaks later, I am riding with my new and improved bike fit.  We didn't change anything drastically, but we changed many things slightly. Which of course is the magic of the right bike fit.  It's obvious when someone needs a drastic overhaul - and believe me, even to my non-master eye, I see lots of riders out there who desperately need a bike fit.  The magic really comes when you are mostly there, but need a few tweaks.  My seat height and lateral position was the biggest change.  I can feel a huge difference in my ability to recruit my gluts, which along with my current weakness in that area (which I am also working on!), may have contributed to some of my physical issues.  I'm sitting more over the pedals, which feels better, and at least it seems to me like I am able to produce more power.  Hopefully this will also alleviate some of the lower back pain I've been living with.  We changed out my saddle too.  The Adamo I put on at the beginning of last season was certainly an improvement over what I had before, but it still wasn't right, and I think it has been contributing to my left leg issues. It was just too wide for my body.  I'm still not 100% sure this is the right saddle for me, but it at least has promise. The other 'big' change was my aero bars.  I seriously didn't even realize how wrong it was until it was right.  Now I fold down into aero and it just fits like an old pair of cowboy boots or my favourite pair of jeans.  Like it was meant to be!  I love it!  Curtis is the man!

So I've got a few road rides on the calendar for this weekend.  Certainly it felt better last night, with a lot less shifting on the saddle to find a comfortable position.  I'm excited to see how I feel on Sunday afternoon.  It certainly goes to show that regularly evaluating your bike fit is necessary.  Get yourself over to a good bike fitter, Curtis at Cannon Cyclery or Matt at Sport Factory, and Get Fit!

Happy training!
Kat

On The Loose

Just finished a really fabulous weekend...much as I enjoy my job these days, this was one of those weekends that you want to never end.  Took the motorcycles up to the Georgia Mountains and spent the night at the Amicalola Falls Lodge.  We had perfect riding weather.

Yesterday was beautiful sunshine and blue sky, not too hot, and not too cold.  I haven't been on the bike for over a year, but it was amazing how quickly it all came back to me.  Enjoyed a delicious lunch in Dahlonega at our regular place - Crimson Moon Cafe.  After checking in to the Lodge, we went for a quick hike over to the falls, sat in the sun for a bit, and then rode back to Dahlonega for dinner.  I rode on the back of my own motorcycle so I could enjoy a glass of wine with dinner - Very different perspective!  Tried to watch a movie back in the room, but that mountain air did its job and put me right to sleep within about 15 minutes, and I had a fantastic night's sleep.  But not before I looked out the window to see one of my favourite constellations, Orion, as big as all get out, fully framed in my window view.  Stunning!

The Falls at the top

This morning I got up and had a really nice run, albeit HILLY, down and around the campground and forestry road.  I was surprised at just how warm it was; I'd been expecting a cold morning up in the mountains, especially given how cold I was yesterday morning back in Alpharetta on my bicycle ride, when I had to tell myself to stop being a pussy and keep riding.  lol.

After breakfast we packed up the bikes and headed out.  Definitely did not want to leave, and next time I will have to find a way to make it a full weekend.  If only I could figure out a way to strap the tri bike to the motorcycle!  It was a little chillier today without the sun, but still a wonderful ride.  Stopped at Starbucks back in the ATL, mmmmmm, and then headed home to do some more work in the garden to continue trying to make this yard of mine liveable.

I had thought before I took the scooter out this weekend that it might be time for me to sell her and buy a smaller bike.  Now I've ridden again, and I just can't.  I love my bike!  Instead, my plan is to ride more and get more comfortable so I feel good about taking it out on my own.  I really just love riding it, and want to do more of it.  Really brings me back to me, and what I want out of life.  When I was a girl, I spent about 9 years in Guiding (Brownie, Girl Guide, Pathfinder...aka Girl Scout for my American friends), and when I was about 12 I went to Doe Lake for a sailing camp.  It was one of the highlights of my childhood, and our camp song for that year was called On The Loose.  All these many (many) years later, it still rings true for me, both figuratively and literally, and continues to define the wanderlust that has always been at my core.  It's weekends like this that remind me of that, and really do make me very happy.

Have you ever watched a sunset turn the sky completely red, Have you slept beneath the moon and stars a pine bough for your bed, Have you sat and talked with friends though a word was never said, then you're just like me and you've been on the loose.... 

On the loose to climb a mountain, On the loose where I am free, On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be, For I've only got a moment and a whole world yet to see, I'll be looking for tomorrow out on the loose. 

There's a trail that I'll be hiking just to see where it might go, Many places yet to visit many people yet to know, For in following my dreams I will live and I will grow, On a trail that's waiting out there on the loose...

So in search of love and laughter I'll be travellin 'cross this land, Never sure of where I'm going for I haven't any plans, So in time when you are ready come and join me take my hand, And together we'll share life out on the loose...

Thanks David.

Happy training all
Kat

Welcome to the Dark (Roast) Side

For 44 years I have been a non-coffee drinker.  In fact, I've taken quite a bit of pride in declaring that I don't drink coffee, and have enjoyed the shocked looks on people's faces.  And truthfully, I don't take in caffeine in any way, with the exception of some occasional dark chocolate.  No pop, no black tea (I only drink peppermint), no coffee.  I'd only ever drunk coffee twice in my life - once when I was 12, and my family were volunteers at the Pope's visit in Toronto, where it was so cold and miserable and raining cats and dogs, that even the children were being given coffee to keep them warm, and once when I was in University, and I had one of those exam weeks from hell where all 5 exams were within the first 3 days of the exam period.

Then two weeks ago, April happened.  :)  And Galveston.  And a 15 hour car ride the day after the race.  And she introduced me to the White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks.  MMMMM.  Non-fat and no whip, of course. And a few days later I had another one.  And another one a few days after that.  I was worried.  I'd now officially drank more coffee in 10 days than I had drunk in my entire life.  <GASP>.  "when do I officially have to stop claiming to be a non-coffee drinker" I asked my wise teacher.  "Once you start drinking latte's you are a coffee drinker".  Problem is, I looked up the calorie count to that oh so good WCM from starbucks.  Even nonfat nowhip, it was an ungodly 350 calories.  Holy Mackerel!  So yesterday, on my 44th birthday, which also happened to be Friday the 13th, it happened.  I officially crossed over to the Dark Side when I ordered a Grande Non-fat Latte.  I am now a coffee drinker.

Hello, my name is Katrina, and I now drink coffee.

So my ride for the day is finished.  As I was showering, I found myself thinking how nice it would be to have a latte waiting for me.  Yikes!  Perhaps life is about to get better - after all, people keep telling me life is better with coffee.

I think I need some java.

Happy training!
Kat

Galveston 70.3 - Another one in the books

Well, I should have written this race report days ago, but I've been too busy napping.  LOL.  So here it is, better late than never.  This was an interesting race for me from many perspectives, and overall the best race experience I've ever had - surprising to hear, I know, for many of you, since my placement overall wasn't that great, and certainly not what people have come to expect from me, nor me from myself.  But racing is more than just your placement, and I think that may be the biggest thing I learned from this race and the last 4 months.

The Swim:  I went in, pretty much accepting that I was going to have a slow swim.  I figured 40+ minutes, and maybe a little heavy on the + side ;)  So as I had to JUMP OFF THE DOCK (I guess that will teach me not to go to the pre-race briefing since I had NO CLUE), and I treaded water waiting for the gun, I thought to myself, we are going to take this steady and slow Katie, if you have to hold back on the bike, no point in jacking your HR on the swim for an extra minute or two, and just have to hold back even more on the bike.  So out I went, nice long smooth strokes (thought of you Klafter and that conversation we had about IM last year), and just kept my focus on that and my stroke.  The hard truth is I have not spent nearly enough time in the pool, certainly not enough to claim I am training for half ironman races, and there was a little part of me that honestly wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.  Seems silly after all I've done, but that is the truth.  And while I did have that bicep tendonitis, that is no excuse for all the times previously that I didn't get in the pool.  Anyway, I passed people from 4 additional age groups, which kinda surprised me, since most of them were men.  And imagine my surprise when I got out of the water in 37 minutes!  Absolutely thrilled me, and tells me that if I actually spent time in the pool, that 34-35 minute goal for the swim is in my reach.

T1:  My transitions were awful time-wise.  I limped out of the water to my bike - ankle was hurting badly and I simply could not run on it. It killed me to walk! Me, the queen of transitions, walking to my bike.  That really messed up my time in T1, where I normally am first or second.

The Bike:  Good Lord.  And it didn't go well for the reasons you are thinking if you read my pre-race blog.  First 30 minutes were great.  I was doing very well on my mission, and keeping it below the HR and power targets that Brett had given me.  I was quite encouraged, and felt like, ok, this will be doable.  My average power was 151 and climbing. Target was 155-160, and I started out a little easy to bring the HR down.  My heart rate, for the most part, was staying below my threshold of 153.  Then it all went to hell in a handbasket.  The pain that I had experienced the day before turned out not to be a phantom pain.  I thought it was a run issue because it started there, but I realized, it was not a run thing, it was a bike thing, I just happened to get off the bike 30 minutes in on the Saturday.  Left hip flexor I think is the culprit.  Never had an issue with it before.  It just hurt to turn the crank, and applying any kind of real power was excruciating.  And we were riding into a pretty good headwind, so that made it even more challenging.  I tried shifting position, I even came out of aero to help it, but I could not make it go away.  I was literally crying in pain by the time I got to the turn around.  I actually thought I would have to DNF, because I did not see any way I would be able to run with this. With my PMA, I tried to find something good, and the only thing I came up with was that beer would start sooner, and maybe I'd get to see Lance in the pro tent after all (which thanks to April I had a VIP wristband for).   I took every ibuprofen I had with me - only 3.  Once we turned around and had the wind at our backs, it got a little better, but I could only push 90-120 watts for the most part.  The sad thing is that even only pushing that (and my FTP is about 210), I was cruising along at 22 mph in sections.  Imagine if I had power!  One interesting thing to note - somewhere around 45 miles, some guy went by me and said 'lookin strong Katrina!', and it really lifted me.  After that I started to encourage everyone I passed.  I have to just tell you that my pain subsided a bit when I started doing that.  The power of PMA!!  That's probably what kept me under the 3 hr mark - yes, shocking, I just made it under 3 hours.  2:56.  Although, we all showed 57 miles on the garmin - the course was long, so even still, it would have been 2:53 then.  Just to show how bad it was - my swim placement was better than my bike placement!  24th out of the water (again, amazing!), 26th off the bike.  I'm usually top 3-5 on the bike.

T2: I could not walk when I got off the bike.  I stood there for a good 10-15 seconds once I got through the mats, and then limped/hopped my way over to my rack (which was a long way away).  On the bike I had thought to myself, okay, there is pain you run through (mental) and there is pain you do not run through, or you make things worse.  Which is this?  I really wanted to be able to call Brett.  But of course I couldn't.  So I had decided that I would start the run - no way was I DNF'ing without at least trying.  I took every ibuprofen I had in my little ziploc bag of goodies - 5 this time - and I limped out of the transition area.

The Run:   First mile actually went well - probably in part due to the initial ibuprofen from the bike, and partly from mental determination that I was not dnf'ing.  I actually slowed myself down to keep the heart rate in check.  I have run only 123 miles since Jan 1, and only 260 since Oct 1.  With all my injuries, that is literally it.  You guys know that is ridiculously low.  And, aside from one 10miler the week before taper, the longest I've run since November is 7 miles, and most runs have been in the 4-6 mile range.  So I had no idea what the run was going to be like in the race.  The plan of course was to have an easier bike, and then kill the run.  Killing the run was not really on the table anymore, but I was going to do what I could.  So the first lap went well.  The airport section sucked, the wind was so strong and we were running straight into it.  It was also getting hot, and humidity was high.  The second lap I planned to raise it up a bit.  Although I seemed to be putting out a lot more effort, the numbers weren't getting better :)  And I was watching the HR trying to keep it lowered, and out of zone 4.  With the humidity and heat, this was hard, but I did it, though pace suffered.  All I could think after the 6 mile mark was how much I wished this was my last lap.  I was doing no walking, except through the aid stations and this was not intentional really, it was just so damn crowded you had to walk/slow way down to get anything.  I started on coke around mile 6 - first time I've ever had to do that.  I just kept focusing on my run form, and I have to say I think I looked pretty good out there, certainly better than most I ran by.  Final lap, I was still running, and I planned to just throw it down, HR be damned, and if I went too hard oh well, I'd walk to the finish.  And I did pick up my pace.  I managed an 8:30 at the start of that loop.  About halfway through that final loop, I just kept telling myself, you have less than everyone else behind you know, and many of those in front of you.  Just keep going.  I hit mile 12 and really just started to bonk I think.  The last bit through the airport, where the wind had gotten ever stronger, I felt like I was barely moving, literally, but there was no damn way I was walking now, and I pushed through.  I seriously thought to see a 13 minute mile when I looked at TP, but it was not nearly that bad, and as I turned out of the wind, I picked it up, and that last mile ended up being a 7:20 pace! Perceptions!  And where my final burst in the chute came from I have no idea, but I saw some woman racing me into the finish, and I was like, no damn way anyone is passing me now, and I found some rocket fuel from somewhere and brought it home.  Not sure how, but I managed to run 1:53, and I was SHOCKED.  Less than a minute off my best run in a 70.3.  So again, with the right training, this is very encouraging and bodes well for my run if I can get healthy.

So in my daily life, I am an Agile Consultant and Coach.  Agile is a different way to develop software (vs the waterfall method.)  One of the things we do is at the end of every Sprint (usually two weeks long), we look at what went well, what didn't, and what we are going to do to improve.  Pretty cool eh?  So I think I am going to do my race report as an Agile Retrospective.

What Went Well:

1. I had the most fun ever for a race.  My roommates were Awesome - Janet, April, James, Sylvia, Missy - thanks for such a great pre-race experience.  No drama, no stress, just good times and a shared passion for triathlon - AAAAWEsome.  My driving partner was even more Awesome ... aprilisawesome is not just a website name people!  April and I sure did get to know one another during our almost 30 hours in the car.  :)  I'm sure she was like, uh, why did I think driving would be the way to go?  Bah ha ha ha ha. 
2. My swim rocked.  I mean, for me.  Let's face it, I'm never going to 'ROCK' the swim, but for me, this was a great swim.  
3. The run.  What the hell?  Not sure how I managed to finish, never mind in 1:53 so this was great.
4. My PMA.

What Didn't Go Well:

1. The Bike.   Really, the pain on the bike.
2. Transitions.  It's not that I really did anything wrong here, everything actually went quite smoothly.  Reality is, injuries were the issue.  

What I'll Keep Doing and Change to Improve:

1. Keep having fun!
2. Continue to improve my PMA
3. Get in the pool and take the swim seriously - time in the pool will get me to my goal time.
4. Get my bike refit - although I believe there are several factors at play on the bike, this is probably one of them.
5. Get with Sadri and figure out what the hell is wrong with my hip flexor.
6. Rest and recover - basically get healthy before we add any speed or volume.

This was a great race. I had so much fun. I love the course.  I definitely want to come back here and race it to my potential, as I think it plays to my strengths, and I could do VERY WELL here.  Next year, Galveston is definitely staying on the race list.   Overall, I placed 24th in my AG.  top 19%.  Given what I've been through, and the issues I had, that actually is very good.  I just have to keep convincing myself of that.  :)   I truly am quite encouraged by both the swim and the run.  The bike is a health issue, and hopefully we can fix that soon enough to get in some quality training for Kansas.  #PMA.  Oh, and Hey.  I learned how to tweet for real.  Thanks April.  Makes it all worth it!  LOL.

Happy Training!

Kat

Patience is a Virtue .. and my coach is making me learn it

Well, bikes are checked in, we've long since eaten dinner (de-lish if I do say so myself), my transition bag is packed, and now I sit here with that pre-race energy waiting for the gun to go off.  Soon it will be bed, though sleeping does not always come easy on these nights.  Thankfully I had a fantastic night's sleep last night, and actually each night since we left ATL.

The pre-race brick went mostly well today.  Ride felt fantastic - this is one smokin flat fast course!!  Saw Lance, waved at him, and he waved back!!! - kinda made my day.  Yes, I know not everyone is a Lance fan anymore, but I am; and not because he's doing Ironman now, either.  The run was not so perfect :) had some issues with my left hip flexor, left ham, and right knee.  All felt better by the end of it, but not exactly what you want in the pre-race brick.  I stretched it out, and I'm going with Janet's diagnosis of pre-race phantom pain :)  PMA!!

The swim was less of a swim and more of a good time jumping in the waves, lol!!  A bit crazy, and really impossible to get a quality swim out of it.  But whatever, we were in the water with our wetsuits on, and that's better than not.  We all got a kick out of the fact that after fighting our way out, and fighting our way in, I announced that we'd been at it for a full 6 minutes.  HA!  At that point I simply accepted the fact that my swim is likely to be a little long.  C'est la vie!

So.  My race plan.  I've known for some time that this race was not going to be what I'd hoped it to be when I first signed up.  The season has been quite bumpy for me so far, with illness and injury, and continuing symptoms of overtraining from last year, along with what I suspect is low iron again, though I have not yet had the blood drawn.  Brett and I decided a while back that this would be a race to try some different things and see how it went since I am not going to be a contender here in Galveston, I am simply going to be a participant.

That all sounds 'good' as you are talking about it.  Then the Coach gives you the marching orders, and things seem a little different :)  Essentially my race plan is this - Be Patient.  Yes, me.  Be Patient.  You all know how good I am at that!  More precisely be patient on the bike.  Even worse ;)  He says to me, "I know you don't like being passed, and I know your strength is on the bike.   But.  Your only job in this race is to have a good run."  Ok! After riding today, I texted Brett "it's going to be very hard to hold back on the bike...it's very fast".  His response - "lol. your mantra tomorrow is patience".   Argh.  Ok.  I know I know!!  My target is 155-160W, and if HR goes above 153 I am supposed to hold back.  <GASP>. Seriously?  Holy mackerel! I don't think I have ever raced at a HR that low.  Nay, I KNOW I have not.  Patience Patience Patience.  But then I get to give it on the run.  First loop conservative, 2nd loop turn it up a bit, and 3rd loop give whatever I have left.

So, I've been telling myself for a while that there are lessons to be learned from this race and being where I am at the moment, mentally and physically.  Like, every race CANNOT be an A race.  And, have fun.  Seems like the other big lesson will be Patience.  I could stand to learn a bit on that, no doubt ;)  ...as in tri, so in life...

I figure it WILL be very hard to hold back.  But I also figure I owe it to myself (and Brett) to stick to the plan and see what happens.  I am excited to get out there, I hope my body and my current level of stamina will be enough to get me through the race.  It's going to be a hot one, with record highs here in Galveston, and hot damn the humidity is through the roof.  But I am ready to rock with my Positive Mental Attitude.  Stay in the Moment. Be Patient. Stick to the Plan.

Good luck to all my house mates - April, Janet, James, Sylvia and Missy!

Happy Racing everyone.  PMA!
Kat

Canadiantrigirl Tweets!

Today was a great day!  We all woke up around 7ish, and after a little coffee/ensure/whateva-gets-ya-goin, we headed out for a swim in the ocean.  Found our way to the recommended beach, which had an $8 entry fee, and quickly determined that we could swim for free right beside it.  Uh, THAT was easy! Quick u-turn and a bio break at Walgreens, a confused Kat ready to drive right onto the beach (doh!), and we finally managed to pull into the free parking spots.  Of course we were the only ones there, and 4 triathletes pulling on wetsuits on the side of the road do tend to get noticed.  Moments later, a car pulls in behind, and out jumps our new Swiss friend Martin - 'hey can I swim with you guys'?  Pretty funny - I've been in that situation, athlete alone at a race trying to find a swim buddy, scouring for the other fools putting on wetsuits!  So in we went.  We can't swim at the race site, and in fact we are only able to do any practice swims on the Gulf side of the island.  It was way choppy.  Some really good big waves.  Thought I'd be nervous about that, plus the first time in open water this season, plus salt water ... surprise surprise, that PMA is working overtime!  I felt awesome!  Of course the waves totally screwed up my stroke, but I felt good.  Was very relieved.  Coming back in was almost as hard, with the waves crashing right over me!  Good news is, if I could handle these waves I am gonna be just fine on the calm side.

A good portion of the rest of my day was spent doing almost nothing, which was a weird feeling for me.  :)  Janet arrived safe and sound!  We did end up going to check in today, after JLess told me there was literally no line at registration.  I was kinda glad to get out and do something...I had a bunch of energy that was starting to get out of control.  I want on the bike, but that has to wait till tomorrow!  So off we went, and honestly it was THE BEST check in experience ever.  No lines, no waiting.  I was very good at the IM Store - I have enough stuff now that I just don't need anything but a bottle and a visor.  And I did get a cool visor - looks very American actually, and as I said to James - I guess I have to do 'American' some of the time, and where better to do it than in Texas!  lol.  We also got treated very nicely by the Bike Barn where they even gave us a Blue Moon on the house.  Can't beat that! carb up ladies :)  Also tried the Bonk Busters that IM is now putting on the course.  I have never heard of them before today.  I have to say, I was kind of impressed with them, and think I could actually take that kind of 'solid' down in a race.

So one of the things that April is teaching me on this trip is how to finally start tweeting.  HAHA!!  The queen of tweets is actually getting me on it.  canadiantrigirl is my 'handle' - is that even what you call it on Twitter?  So Brett calls me this afternoon to go over the race plan (more on that in the next post).  He asks how I am feeling, and I say pretty good actually, and he says:  "ya, seems like you are in the right place, I've been following you on Twitter'.  BAHAHA - never thought to hear those words, and April sure got a kick out of it too!!  So, here I am.  Tweeting.  Who'd have thunk it??!

Finished the evening off with a FABULOUS chicken taco dinner - yuuum yum!!!  April was head chef tonight with many competent sous chefs ... we ate out on the deck, and it was completely delish.  Perfect for the two nights before a race meal.  Tomorrow will be lighter, today I feel like I fueled my body well.

So now, off to bed soon, to the all important good night's sleep, and getting more excited for this race as the moments tick by.  PMA!!

Happy Training!
Kat

#PMA

Positive Mental Attitude ... it's what makes survivors, well, survivors .. at least according to Laurence Gonzales.  Just finished reading Deep Survival over the weekend, and among other things, he says this is one of the keys.   I reckon he is right, and, I think PMA is critical to a triathlete as well.  Let's face it - this thing is at least 50% mental.  And if you are doing it to win, it hurts.

April threw another one in there today - I don't have time for negative thoughts.  I love it!  Move over negativity, PMA is moving on in.  :)

As we recounted our journey to Galveston for James over an amazing dinner at Saltwater Grill, it was just really amazing how much positive energy surrounded us on the way.  In every state, people wished us luck.  Not surprising, as we drove through LA and MS and AL and GA, we kinda stood out with our two bikes sitting up top of the HTFU wagon.  It started in GA with a question at the gas pump - you girls must ride a lot (yep, we're actually on our way to a race) and do those wheels really make a difference (yep they sure do)..and as he pulled away in his beat up truck - 'good luck baby!'.  And just about every stop after, and believe me as good hydrating athletes there were plenty'o'stops, we got a 'good luck!'  And then there was the room number/race number 'coincidence' (see last night's blog); and our run this morning in Biloxi before we hit the road - with no intentional effort, we came to a stop at the hotel door having gone exactly 3.33 miles.  (3 is my lucky number).  It was just a great trip all around!  ... and yes we are buying lottery tickets tomorrow!

And here is what greeted us as we walked into our home for the next 5 days, hanging above the kitchen threshold:

Couldn't be more appropriate!!


And so here we are, in Galveston, ready to race.  Pretty sure we saw Tim O'Donnell in the Kroger as we picked up some groceries tonight.  Cool.  Now we are headed to bed.  We are 5 so far, with two more to come tomorrow.  Should be great.

PMA my friends.  That is what it is all about.  Be it triathlon, or Life ... positive mental attitude is where it's at.  Here's to a continuing increase in PMA, to culminate on Sunday.

Happy Training
Kat

Girls Gone Tri in Texas - Day One

Ok, so we are not officially in Texas yet ... but we are at our halfway stopping point in Biloxi MS.  Quite a nice hotel for $61 a night - 4.5 star, and quite a comfy bed.  Our destination - Galveston 70.3.  I'm driving down with April, and we are getting to spend some quality hours together :)

This will be a quick post as we are both tired and heading for sleep.  But I had to write for this reason:  interesting how little things come along to reinforce what we are thinking in our heads.  As we were standing waiting for our valet tag, April mentioned our room number - 2031.  I said what???  She said 2031...  I said, uh, that is my race number!  How bizarre.  And on opening the room key holder, here is what I saw:

Weird.  Prophetic.  Whatever you want to call it.  Point is, that is what this race is for me.  I am not where I thought I would be.  I have some lessons to learn from this race, the universe is trying to teach me something...of this I am sure.  And to see such a clear and obvious message to boot, it's just all pretty funny.  In a freaky kind of way.

So, here I go.  Here to have fun, and find myself out on that race course.

Goodnight April!

Happy Training
Kat

It's about time :)

...I started blogging again.  Can't really believe it is March!  Been thinking of this blog weekly for the last 2+ months, and I'm finally just gonna start.  Lots of new stuff going on this year, which I 'll get to in time, but really just wanted to get something out here so I get back into the groove.

Looking forward to this year, and sharing it with everyone who cares to read.  First race is in 4 weeks - Galveston 70.3.  I'm not where I had hoped to be yet for the season, with one thing after another - bicep tendonitis that kept me out of the pool for a few weeks, preceded by bronchitis that kept me out of training period for a week and reduced training for another, preceded by knee-itis that kept me from running for a full week.  Enough already - no more 'itis anything.  And suddenly here I am and the race is far closer than I can even believe.  So we are putting our heads together and figuring out our best plan, how to use this race to gather data, and so on.  New coach for me this year, after 3 great years with Chris it was time for a change.  So enter Brett Daniels.  Very excited to work with him, and see what a different approach can do for me, building on a great 3-year base.

So, 2012 race season is here, and I am stoked!  Come along for the ride.

Happy Training!
Kat