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