Colossal Cave Omnium & IM Los Cabos Race Reports

The 2013 season is off and running and from the looks of it, it is shaping up to be a great season so far!  I got to race my first Omnium with my new Sabino Cycling teammates, Alisha Welsh & Chloe Black.  Both are highly experienced and fun teammates (not to mention FAST!).  We tore into the criterium race of the Colossal Cave Omnium and swept the podium with a 1-2-3 finish!  Believe it or not, the triathlete of the bunch took 1st that day.  Go figure. :)

Day two of the Omnium brought us to the road race, a 6-lap, 9 mile circuit that includes Pistol Hill and of course, windy conditions.  We managed to whittle the group down to us and 1 other girl and cleared 2nd-4th on the day.  Still good enough to give our team the overall win, 2nd and 3rd place for the Omnium GC! Not bad for our first go as teammates.

Next up for me was Ironman Los Cabos, my first tri of the 2013 season and my way of testing my fitness for the season to come.  I ended the 2012 season with a DNS at Rev 3 Florida, due to what I eventually learned was a bulging disc problem. I had to get over my extreme disappointment and depression of not being able to run or ride for many weeks in order to rehab my back. So, I decided to take advantage of this time and work on my swim. So, I swam all winter long under the guidance of Streamlined Performance's Jeff Utsch, switched my tri coach to longtime friend Jimmy Riccitello and I discovered at IM Los Cabos that the hard work and change paid off! 
The first race of the season is always a nervous one. I had just finished a solid training block and was feeling pretty good overall. We arrived in San Jose del Cabo the Thursday before the race with lots of time to sort out gear and get settled. We also found a great little taco stand and restaurant that we visited a few times during the trip and I got to break in my new Keen sandals #bravenewtoes. 

Both Friday and Saturday I took advantage of the practice swims at the race course to check in on my swimming and was pleasantly surprised that I felt much stronger in the water than normal. Good sign. A few short runs and one bike ride (lots of traffic so riding was a little scary for my liking) and I found myself the day before race day. I always bring my design work with me and take advantage of the "feet up" time to get some work done, so I got caught up on some emails, grabbed some dinner and off to bed early.
Race morning was going smoothly and I had plenty of time to warm up before the gun went off.  We lined up on the beach waiting for the gun, and then we were off!  It's always a foaming frenzy to start off the swim and my position wasn't great to start with, so I never made the lead group of swimmers.  So, I hung with the second pack - which for me is a great achievement since I have never stayed with them before!  I was feeling very good at this point and hung with the girls till the end of the swim. 
It was a long run up the sand, up steep stairs and to the bike.  I didn't grab a water on the way up to rinse off the salt water and that came back to haunt me later with some major chafing.  Good transition and off onto the bike.  I was 8 minutes back from the lead, which again was a first for me since I'm usually 20 minutes behind the lead!!  Yay for swimming!  At 8 minutes back, I not only had several girls in sight on the bike, but I was able to ride my own race.  So, I stayed well within my limits on this very hilly, very windy and very hot bike course.  No sense in pulling yourself inside out on this bike course; it will come back to bite you later.  I came off the bike with the 2nd fastest bike split of the day.  I also lost count of how many water bottles I went through, as the temperatures rose throughout the afternoon.  I went through all my Gu and all my Zipfizz for sure!
Ahhhh, on to the run.  My favorite.  After a somewhat sloppy transition, I wiped myself down with my Energy Towel for a good pick-me-up and refresher at the start of the run (believe me, it WORKS!) and off I went to run down as many girls as possible.  I believe I was 9th off the bike.  I found my rhythm quickly and proceeded to click off the k's and simply execute my run as I knew I could.  I knew the fitness was there and each time I looked at my watch, I was still on pace.  And one by one, I started to pass the girls who were ahead of me until I was in 4th place with 3 miles to go and 3rd place was only 40 seconds up the road.  So, I put in a little more oomph into my step to get that next place and got it, with 1.5 miles to go! 
My first IM podium finish - how awesome!!!  I posted the fastest run split on the day and absolutely soaked up the race festivities and award ceremony.  This was a long time coming for me and I am grateful for my friends and family who continue to support me, even when I am down.  Big congratulations to Erika Csomor and Michelle Vesterby for their 1-2 finish as well; I'm looking forward to seeing you all again!

Next up, a few more bike races and then off to 70.3 St. Croix.  I will be sporting my new custom Champion System race kit there. It's gonna be awesome.

Women's Adventure Magazine Article

Thanks to the editors and my support team for contributing information for this great article!  Women's Adventure is a great magazine, packed with ideas and information for all things adventure!  Check it out. 
View my scanned article here.

What "to do"?

I know of people who are bored. I am not one of them, but there are those out there who are. Frankly, I don't understand it when there are so many great things out there to experience, attempt, witness, and even avoid. But yet, boredom persists.

Those who are bored say they can't  find something "to do". There is quite a difference between finding something "to do" and "doing" something. Doesn't sound like it, but look at this comparison of definitions:

"To-do":
Definition: commotion, excitement Synonyms: agitation, bother, bustle, clamor, disorder, disturbance, stir, tumult, turmoil, unrest, uproar, whirl

"Doing":
Definition: achievement
Synonyms: accomplishing, accomplishment, achieving, act, action, carrying, execution, exploit, handiwork, implementation, performance, performing

The difference is "doing" something implies some kind of meaning behind the act itself, while "to do" is merely an act to stay occupied (and sounds a bit chaotic)

Some people may say that I am too busy, I have too much on my plate. And yes, sometimes I get myself caught trying to accomplish too many things at once. But you can bet I'm not doing any of it to keep me from being bored. Each and every thing I do is because my heart is in it and I think it is something worth "doing". Now, if I could just find a few more hours in the day to get it all done. :)

Don't be bored! There are plenty of things worth DOING. Get out there and do them!

2013 Season is taking shape!

Putting in the time, putting in the miles.  That's been the name of the game these past several weeks, getting myself ready for some early season bike races and upcoming triathlons.  I'm pleased to say that I believe all my hard work during the offseason swimming is beginning to pay off.  Having an improved swim will completely change the way I race triathlons and I'm looking forward to it.  I look forward to being closer to the lead group of ladies out of the water and put my bike racing and running skills to the test.

I am also happy to say that I officially upgraded to a Cat 1/2 cyclist and joined the Sabino Cycles racing team this year!  I finished my first criterium race, the UofA BioPark Blast Crit, with my winning teammate Alisha Welsh last weekend in a somewhat disappointing 6th place, but overall I was happy to just get back into the bike racing scene - it has been a couple of years now and it's good to return.

Lots of triathletes and cyclists are in Tucson for the next weeks and months to train, so I love jumping in with different groups and people I wouldn't normally get to train with.  What a nice change and a fun way to motivate my training.

Next up on the calendar is the Colossal Cave Omnium, Old Pueblo Grand Prix, and then IM Los Cabos.  I'm tired and sore (but smiling) just thinking about it!  :)

Here's to a great 2013 season of racing!

Great pic below, Mason Ibas!  You do such great photos of our races here, thank you. (that's me in the front of this pack)

Off Season Fun & Rehab

I am writing this post as I am being driven to Cusco, Peru on a week long trip with my friend Leanda. This is my last hurrah of relaxing and fun (at 12,000 feet nonetheless) before I return home and begin back on a proper training schedule for next season.
I ended my 2011 season with a bulging disc issue that had finally forced me to DNS my last race of the season (Rev 3 Florida). After the disappointment of that lessened, I resolved myself to fix and manage my lower back issues or else risk not racing at all in 2013.
So, off to the physical therapists I went. And went. And went......and went. After a week or so the anxiety of not running and biking started to get to me, but I was at least able to swim. And swim I did, every day, under coaching instruction by Jeff Utsch, a swim consultant to the Navy Seals. After a few weeks of only swimming (and once I was able to do flip turns without excruciating pain) I began to realize that this nagging injury may be the best thing for me; making me focus on my swimming. For anyone who knows me (or has even looked at my results) knows I'm not a strong swimmer. I've lost more podium finishes from my weak swimming than I care to recall. But, just as I have resolved myself to fix my back issue or stop racing, so have I done the same for my swimming.
Seeing improvement each week both with my back issues and my swimming has revived me for 2013.
I am now starting to look forward to hard training again; a good sign that I've rested and recovered enough and its time to go again!
Just remember that despite the bad things that happen to you, there is always something better around the corner. You just have to keep walking and turn to see it!

The Kit....

I absolutely LOVE my Champion System kit for this season.  I designed it myself and although I have a few ideas for changes next year, I have to say that working with Champion Systems to get the layout and ordering done was a breeze!  It was my first time ever putting together a racing/training kit and they made the process very easy and fun as well!  Oh yeah, the LJ Design logo that's front and center - that's my landscape architecture company.  We rock.  :)
I wear my cycling kits almost daily and have raced in not only the one-piece kit, but the two-piece tri kit as well and have ZERO, count that, ZERO chafing issues.  The chamois is very comfortable, the pockets are well placed and sized and overall it just stays in place well - I'm not always fidgeting around with it while I'm racing.
I highly recommend Champion System as a company for their customer service and attitude and their clothing for a reasonable price, fit and comfort.  All around, two thumbs up!

How music helps

I always say triathlon training is a lonely man's venture.  It is really rare that the stars align and I get to train with a few friends or a group, but I'm always trying and I always enjoy when I get the chance to train with friends.  But, the majority of the time it is me, myself and I.  I rely quite a bit on music to keep me entertained (sometimes I'm sure I entertain others if they happen upon me and I'm singing a tune at the top of my lungs) and many times I use particular songs to keep me at a certain cadence either running or cycling.  I just discovered a Gavin Degraw song "Sweeter" that is perfect to hold about a 90 cadence while running - good 6min/mile pace when I need it!  And, you can't beat a good Johnny Cash playlist for motivation either.  My playlist is quite random, eclectic and "interesting", some may say.  I've got everything from Roy Orbison to Ministry on there and each has its special time when I need it most.

I've also started loading up French lessons onto my ipod so I can take advantage of those long, aerobic training running days to learn a new language.  So if you see me out there on the riverpath or trails one morning, I may give you a good "Bonjour!".