Eaglemen 70.3 - That was unexpected!

I want to start this blog by sending out my thoughts and prayers to Meredith Kessler who was leading the 2013 Eagleman 70.3 until she crashed and suffered a concussion. I am a huge mbk fan and she is without a doubt one of the toughest, most talented and gracious female pros on the circuit. I wish her a speedy recovery and I know she will bounce back stronger than ever.

Eagleman 70.3 would be epic this year as my 2 sisters and cousin were competing and my Mom, Dad, Uncle, Brother-in-law and husband would all be on the sidelines cheering their crazy heads off.

I was extra nervous heading into this race because I was chasing some much needed Vegas points (in a crazy stacked pro field) and I also wanted my 2 sisters and cousin to have awesome races.  I flew into Maryland on Thursday afternoon and my bro-in-law scooped me up from the airport and as soon as the one and only Nugget (a.k.a Genny White) arrived home we headed out for an early dinner. It was the most relaxing pre-race arrival I have had this year and I think this helped me with that extra gear on race day.

We filled the pre race days with oyster eating (!), pancake eating and relaxing.

Race day arrived quickly and before I knew it I was running over to check on Genny in transition and make sure she was good to go. She had everything under control and seemed to be ready to race fast (which she did, by the way!).

I went through my normal pre race routine which included fiddling with my helmet - putting in on and taking it off like a gazillion times to make sure it fit OK and then going for a easy jog to get the blood pumping. The heat and humidity really got me sweating which was all good until I tried to squeeze myself into the Zoot Prophet.  Whoa! Now I know what a sausage feels like.  Fifteen painful minutes later which included swearing, breath holding and more swearing I managed to complete the simplest yet most tear-evoking task of the day.

I made it into the suit!

Swim - 28:29 (Not my best but the swim was confirmed as long and also was very choppy and HOT!)

I spotted Meredith and super swimmer Robin Sandos on the start line and positioned myself right next to them. The gun when off and immediately I felt strong and fluid. I found myself swimming stroke for stroke with Robin feeling like the pace was easy and relaxed. I made a move to try and bridge the gap to Tenille and after 5 minutes of this effort I went from feeling relaxed to absolutely boiling in my wetsuit. I quickly weighed my options and because I wanted to avoid lobster- in-the-pot status I let off the throttle and tucked in behind Robin. For the rest of the swim I shared her feet with Rinny and managed to bring the HR and body temp back down a bit.  

I sprinted through transition hot on Rinny, Sandos and Serpico's heels. I promised myself I would not lose them as I wanted a group to key off during the bike.  

Serpico, Carfrea and my backside (sorry!)

I had one of my best transitions, hopped on the Felt and was able to keep Rinny in sight. She charged out of the gate and I put my head down and was determined to close the gap. After 30 minutes of TT effort I finally was within 10 bike lengths of her, then 9, then 8 and then she did something unexpected and sat up for a quick second to get a drink. Because there was a referee by us the ENTIRE ride I was forced to pass the World Champion. Oh boy.  I immediately doubted myself. Was I riding too fast? Was I destined to implode?  But something funny happened after that pass.  I actually felt great. I looked down at my Garmin and my watts were right on target. I felt smooth and aero and fast. I thought of all the tips my coach taught me and that was to GO FAST on LESS WATTS, tuck your head, get aero and stay that way, keep the speed going into and out of the turns.  Rinny ended up passing me back and we would go back and forth with also Serpico in the mix until about mile 45 when I decided that I was feeling so good that today was the day that I would take a big chance on the bike. I put my head down and made a charge. I pretended that I was on a training ride and that I was chasing my great friend Ryan Kelly.  Ten minutes later I gave a rare look back and I was gaining ground. Holy moly! I actually made a move and it worked! Sweet Jalissa!  

I spent the rest of the ride thinking fast thoughts for my cousin and 2 sisters who were out there fighting their own personal battles.

Before I knew it I was cruising into transition (through the mud pit!) in seventh and heard Danny and my Dad yelling from the sidelines about the situation up ahead of me. Turns out Susan Serpico, Sarah Piampiano, and Tenille Hoogeland were all within striking distance. I caught Susan and we exchanged good jobs and then I charged on.  I fought to keep Sarah in sight which proved difficulty as she was cruising. My first 4 miles were 6:09, 6:15, 6:08, 6:10 and Sarah was pulling away from me!  I willed myself to stay strong and to not give up.  As we neared the 5th water stop I decided to try and open it up for just 3 minutes. The move worked and I got close enough to Sarah and heard her call out for ice. I opted to skip the aid station to try and open up a gap and again worked!  I was lucking out! :) Now I was on the hunt for 4th place.  I saw Tenille off in the distance and made a silent goal to try and pass her before the turn around.  Just under one mile later I found myself in 4th!  Angela, Laura and Jenna then passed me in the opposite direction (they were in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place) at the turnaround and they all looked super strong and were about 4.5 minutes ahead of me.  I knew there was a slim chance I would catch 3rd if she kept running like that so I was now in protection mode. DO NOT give up 4th place.  I hit the turn around and saw the hungry hounds behind me! AH! Move the little legs!  The tides had turned and now I  was running scared.

Arm swing, leg turnover, arm swim, leg turnover. The aid stations were great and fueled my fire!  I put my head down and did some work. At 10.5 miles  I saw Danny and my Dad. They were jumping up and down and yelling "45 seconds to 3rd!" Holy Moly!!!!  That got the adrenaline going.  I surged for 20 seconds and around the bend was Jenna. I decided right then and there to make a move because my legs did NOT have a sprint finish in them.

I moved into third at mile 11 and ran like mad to the finish.

 My Dad and Danny greeted me at the finish. I was so happy!  A hard effort on a hot day with some big Vegas points as a bonus :)

The energy after the race was high. I ate, changed clothes and then got back on my bike and cheered my cousin and 2 sisters to the finish. I was impressed how strong they all looked and really did ROCK it in a big way!

Eagleman 70.3 is a great race and I will definitely be back next year. May even make it a dirty double with Raleigh 70.3 the weekend before like my crazy friend Beth Shutt. :)

St. George 70.3 : Keep on Chipping Away

St. George 70.3 is absolutely gorgeous! (Just as a disclaimer the pictures I have do not even come close to doing it justice.)  A championship field on the most ferociously fierce course I have every raced: A perfect Championship venue!

We started the day in the 59 degree water of Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane Utah.  I got a good warm up in ( I was secretly doing a little jig in my neoprene because I love cold water!)  The normal jostling at the line went down and when all was said and done I found myself perfectly positioned next to Kelly Williamson. The gun went off and I went to work keeping Williamson's feet in sight. Everything was falling into place until someone took a 90 degree angle and swam right over me. What!? Ha! I had to laugh to myself. Now this is more like the water brawl I remember. Ironman never disappoints.  I managed to recover from this and grab hold of the chase pack. It was a perfect position to be in but the work in the water today felt hard. Every stroke felt like effort. And I'm learning, that at times that's just how it goes.  Racing makes you tougher. Especially if you're constantly having to dig!

Swim Venue - Gorgeous!

I exited the water in 26:55. Not bad, but the effort it took to get me there felt too high. I tried to think positively and get myself out of transition to chase down some girls I had in sight.

I actually felt great during the start of the bike. I eventually caught the speedy Jess Smith and we rode back and forth for the majority of the course.  The bike course is absolutely perfect.  It's super hill and has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. It's a fair course that you can actually gain major momentum on if you're having a strong day. At around mile 35 Lesley Patterson caught us and the Scottish rocket brought the riding up a level. She is such a beast on the hills and it was fun to chase her up through the winding Snow Canyon.  I stole the below pics right from google image. But this was the one race where I was wishing I had brought a camera ;)

I can't really explain what happened on the bike but I was lacking a little zip in my legs. I felt flat. My mind kept saying "push!" but my quads were not having it.  Overall my bike
was decent but I wish I could have been a bit more aggressive out there.  I have to admit, my bike has come a long way. All in all, with the beautiful scenery and wonderfully fierce competition - how could I complain?

And while I was out on my bike Dan had turned all Mountain Goat on me. I would hear my name and look up only to see Dan on the side of a cliff! What the?! How in the heck did he get there?

The way I felt towards the end of the bike I was thinking: this run is going to be an adventure for sure. However, as soon as I put on my  lime green Zoot Kiawes on I felt like I was flying! Maybe it was all in my head but those shoes make me feels light and fast!  And if you're wondering if the run course had hills the answer would be NO: It had MOUNTAINS. It was just silly.

Umm, yeah.

I was able to pull off some 6:20s on the flattish sections but those were few and far between.  This was hands down the hardest run course I have every done.  But once again, very pretty.  So we forgive you race director.  You're not that evil. ;)

To sum it up, I had to fight tooth and nail for just an OK result.  I was slightly disappointed when I crossed the line because I KNEW that if I had biked a few minutes faster and ran just a couple minutes faster I would have been nipping on the heals of top 10.  But that is what you get in a field which is absolutely chock full of World Champions and Olympians.  The positives: I closed very strong today and I need to LEARN to accept those races and those training days when the work doesn't come easy.  Learn from them, recover up and then move on.  And the St. George crowd support was AWESOME. It's days like these where I reminded most that what I do is not a pursuit of a selfish goal, but an exciting journey that allows me to motivate, inspire and encourage others.  

Homestay and Me and Svenla Bazlen (2nd Female Pro!)

Next up is Eagleman with my whole family!  I will have a solid month to put in a good training block. And I need it because as like to put it, when God was handing out biking skills I was over in the corner picking my nose. However, when he was handing out work ethic I was front of the line. So after I rest up from St. George it's back to the old training game because I'm just getting started!

Quabbin Reservoir Bike Race: Wits Not Watts.

For my birthday weekend I decided to race the Quabbin Reservoir 65 mile bike race.  The venue was absolutely beautiful and the race was so outrageously fun it got me wondering why I hadn't done this before.

Of course I tried to enter as a PRO with my PRO triathlon license but apparently you can't do that in cycling. So I was forced to race Cat 4.  This was all well and good except now that I was the newbie in the sport (and causing a raucous) it was imperative that I avoid newbie cycling embarrassment. So, I got down to business in the parking lot before the race start. I took out my new Felt F4 and gave it a good look over.  First things first; remove the reflectors.  After that was done I went after the cassette guard (until I realized you needed a knife to take that darn thing off.  A knife, or you needed to remove your entire cassette.)  Hmmm.  The male pro next to me looked handy and I asked if he could help. He hastily threw me some pliers and Dan was able to saw the cassette guard off...one plastic thread at a time.

Felt F4 sans reflectors and cassette guard! That's at least a 20 watt gain!  I was psyched and ready to go. The sun was warm as the race director gave us our last instructions.  The female PRO/Cat 3 went off 5 minutes prior to my Cat 4 wave, which was also the last wave of the day.  I felt relaxed but also had a secret goal of catching that pro wave...

Cycling has this really cool thing called a "Neutral Start."  Meaning, when the gun goes off your wave just casually soft pedals along until the real "start" of the race. So basically you just chat it up with your neighbor, position yourself, and enjoy life. As we all relaxed down the long descent I was thinking: HELLO IRONMAN...can we all agree to have a Neutral Ironman Start?  As much as I love the barbaric water brawl at the start of a 140 mile journey, my heart rate does not.

As the descent plateaued we rounded a corner and...BOOM! Like a cannon we are off. NO more nice girls I guess.  My mantra for the race was something my coach had texted me that morning: BIKE RACES ARE WON ON WITS, NOT WATTS.

I promised myself I would follow his advice and behave.  After all, this was my first bike race and I had no teammates to lean on.  I found myself in the middle of the pack repeating: Bike races are won on wits, not watts.  Bike races are won on wits, not watts. Bike races are won on wits, not watts.  And then after about the third repeat I realized that I was quite bored. I looked down at my Garmin: I was exactly 3 minutes into the race. That's it! I can't take it anymore! I wiggled my way up to the front and didn't look back. I justified this bonehead move by remembering at the last second that I don't necessarily have an excessive amount of watts but I do have even less wits.

So there I was. At the pointy front of my first bike race. Pulling the pack like a little donkey.

I actually played some games and tried really hard not to let people pass. Dumb move.

And then I tried standing on the flats to see if I could break away. Dumber move.

And then I tried sprinting every hill. What a dumb dumb I am!

However, around mile 42 (just when I was about to implode) I got a glance of someone I knew up ahead. It was Dan! That gave me enough energy to surge on and when I looked back again it was just me and three others girls. All 3 of use were able to really work together. It was so much fun to lead and then follow and zip around the corners and fly down the flat stretches with these girls. So many surges and red line efforts but at the same time really feeling like I was working as a team. Around mile 50 the race director drove up along side our little pack and informed us that we were within minutes of catching the Pro girls. That news got the juices flowing. Even more so than the 2 Cherry Lime GU's I had just inhaled. Now this was really turning into a race!  Our little group put our heads down and pushed!  In about 10 minutes we caught and passed and road away from the Pro group. From then on it was head down and no more fun and games. Get me to the finish line.

The race was totally meant for me as it ended with a 3 mile stretch uphill. There were numerous occasions where I tried to stand and sprint but my little ham-hocks had had enough. It ended with a sprint (kind of) to the finish and I ended up getting edged at the line.

Did I tell you that bike racing is awesome!? Well it's about to get more awesome.  When you finish, you walk/crawl to this RV/mobile home and some lady comes out and hands you cold hard cash. And then you go home. No waiting around for awards, no filling out W4 forms. Show up, bike hard, RV, $, home.

The day would have ended if I was a pure cyclist, but I'm not. So I changed into my running shoes and headed out for a nice little jog:

 And then it was off to go play some birthday mini golf which also served as a wonderful way to deal with getting nipped at the line... Happy Gilmore Style:

Next up: US PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS in St. George UTAH. May 4, 2013.

Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

I love going to Oceanside for the North American season opener for many reasons. First, the weather is absolutely perfect and a little on the chilly side (good for me). I get to see all my sponsors and my west coast family (Jim Johnson and PJ!).  This year my Uncle Larry was also stationed at Camp Pendleton before he was due to leave for Afghanistan.  The one caveat: I had to pack all this craziness into a 2.5 day adventure.  I was excited for the busy weekend and also a wee bit nervous due to the amount of racing/meetings/sponsor obligations I had ahead of me.

West Coast Family!

And did I mention the tremendously STACKED field?  I did a double take in the pro meeting - holy talent!  But I love a good race and the fastest women in the sport are really raising the bar....and slowly gaining on the men :)

I was absolutely ready to race and felt like I had something to prove after running like a little bit of a turd in San Juan.  So game on.

Day 1: (Let the chaos begin) Danny and I arrived the night before the race and just made the pro meeting. Immediately after, Ry helped me put my bike together, we spun out our legs making sure nothing was clicking or clucking and then it was time for dinner with my Uncle Larry and then off to bed. I didn't even have time to get nervous! I slept like a baby and, thanks to the time change, woke before my alarm feeling like I was ready to ROLL!

I got to transition about 2 hours too early which is what I prefer. I set up my area and was excited to rock my new Zoot kit.  Zoot has been the most amazing sponsor- I can't thank them enough.  They make amazing products and are absolutely dedicated to the sport.

And every race after this I will be sporting the PBM coaching addition:

5:30am: Clarification: I was in transition 2 hours before everyone else because I. am. neurotic. However, the time went by quickly. Before I knew it I was lining up for the swim. This time I promised myself to not lose the front pack. Actually I repeated it over and over to deal with my nerves. We were able to enter the water exactly three minutes prior to the start of the race. So considering it takes me about 3 seconds to say "do no lose the front pack" I got in a good 60 repetitions.  Neurotic.

The second after the cannon sounds the world seems to go completely silent and this ONE second seems to take so long, which I guess is good because then the craziness starts; flailing arms, white water, do no lose the front pack!  Just as a disclaimer I apologize for those that may have suffered black eyes/broken noses. It was an ugly swim. Every time I would bump someone I would say "I'm sorry!" underwater and then every time I got punched back I would growl. And that was the cycle for the 24 minute swim. But I did it!  I stayed in the front back and ran through transition with Paterson, Carfrae, Wurtele and a few others.

I had a solid transition, clicked my Garmin 910xt and jumped aboard the Felt DA.  Hands down the two best pieces of equipment I own.  I am stealing this quote from one of my Zoot teammates but in regards to the Felt: "As far as cycling goes, if you have the RIGHT bike you can be even faster. Contrary to what a formerly respected cyclist one claimed, to some degree, it is about the bike." Well, maybe the bike and the coach.  And maybe the quads too. :)

However, as much as I love that bike, sometimes the riding just doesn't come easy. And let me tell you, the first 10 miles the race this dude passed me:

Mr. Turtle 

I was honestly questioning my decision to race again just 2 short weeks after San Juan.  I couldn't get comfortable on the bike, my quads were cramping, my back was seizing.  I tried riding the nose of the saddle, then sliding back, than cinching up on the aero bars and then laying out.  Nothing worked. I was just shy of a screaming a four letter word but instead I did the only other thing I could think of.  This was to repeat over and over: "Amber, if its tough, it's good for you!" So considering it takes me 3 seconds to say, "Amber if it's tough, it's good for you" I got in a good 3000 repetitions on the bike. I'm a special kid.

I also concentrated on cadence and staying aero and thinking fast thoughts. Around repetition number 984 Mel McQuaid caught me. She is such a strong, powerful rider and I knew she would be battling like heck to get back up to the pointy end of the race.  What a fighter she is and with that she inspired me to just go!  I was back in the game! Like magic my quads started to come around and I refused to let her out of my sight.  Before I knew it I caught and passed three more girls.  We were now at the hilly section and this is where I come alive!  I have been on the trainer all winter (my first outdoor ride was in San Juan) so standing up on the pedals and charging uphill felt great!  I could tell now I was riding fast but also killing my run one pedal stroke at a time.

I came off the bike and immediately saw (and heard!) my husband cheering loudly. I know exactly how well I'm doing depending on the pitch of his voice. His cheers were hovering around 'male soprano' status so I knew I was in the game. I also felt amazingly light on my feet and fresh!? Racing is so perplexing at times...I will take feeling good though.

At the first turn around I spotted Rinny behind me running like she stole something. She had served a 4 minute penalty on the bike so she was charging!  She ended up passing me at mile 8 and I tried in vain to stick with her. I threw all cards in and built to a pace that should have killed me.  I kept her in sight until mile 10 but just couldn't hang.

 

Oceanside run course is great for spectators. I saw and heard my Zoot team and sponsors, Jim Johnson, my Uncle and Danny about 8 times during the run.  I also heard an unidentified spectator yelling from the sidelines: "Kurt says to hurt yourself!"  I focused on form and staying positive and one by one moved up to place 10 overall.

A good feeling to cross that line in 10th.  Solid points for Vegas and more confidence in the durability that is necessary for being a pro triathlete.

Thank you to Zoot, Garmin, GU, PR bar, Fuelbelt, Felt, MC Cycles and, of course this guy:

Next up: US Pro Championships in St. George, Utah.

Puerto Rico Does It Better - San Juan 70.3 Race Report

It's True!

The 2013 race season has begun! I chose to start with San Juan 70.3 for a number of reasons. I had heard wonderful things about how the race was organized, it had plenty of Championship points and a big old prize purse and the climate would be warm! I need to learn how to race well in the heat because Half Ironman and Ironman Championships take place in similar environments. Racing fast in hot weather is an entirely different beast than racing fast in cool weather.

We arrived in San Juan on Thursday, unpacked and than walked across the bridge to have a light dinner with fellow racers: Gina Whipple, JR,  Keith Shields and of course my partner in crime/training partner  Ryan Kelly (who was here to get some BIG redemption on last years race. And just for the record - HE DID!)

After a long day of travel we hit the sack early only to wake to the most beautiful view of San Juan right outside our hotel balcony. The sun was shining, the water was crystal clear and the breeze was warm.  Our room overlooked the swim course which was good and bad. Good because I got a birds eye view of the swim section and bad because I was thinking: Boy, that looks far! And, is that a Manatee?

After some tasty PR coffee I headed off for an easy, relaxing swim on course (unless of course you count the minutes of sprinting after I nearly swam head on into a big water creature. Yes, it was a Manatee).  Manatees are harmless and love-able and exceptionally slow moving...but scary enough for me to sprint back to shore.  Next up was a shake out jog in which I realized that I was not in New Hampshire anymore. This race was going to be HOT!

We spent the rest of the day in the Yunque Rain forest which was a sight to see.

San Juan monkey's sure do look human-like

And so do the San Juan frogs

The monkeys were all over the place!

The coach's orders: STAY OFF YOUR FEET!

The guidebook states: Puerto Ricans DO NOT LIKE TO HIKE. Therefore, they will pave everything they can. So this is the paved, winding path in the Yunque Rainforest.

  

But this paved path led us to a beautiful waterfall....

See what I mean!? Puerto Rico is absolutely beautiful.  After the rainforest and waterfall we found a hole in the wall cafe called: Juice and Vegetables.  It was an outdoor lunch place that looked like you were still in the middle of the rainforest. We ordered fresh squeezed carrot and ginger juice and salads that the cook prepared right in front of us by cutting the greens from the garden. SO GOOD!

It is actually quite hard to fine salad and greens in PR but we made an effort!

But there are tons of coconuts

On to the race!  All in all in it was an awesome experience.  The race directors put on a great event and the people of Puerto Rico were so welcoming and showed up on race day smiling and cheering: Vamos! My goal going in was to execute a steady opening day and I think I did just that. I got in a good swim warm up and said good luck to Ryan as the male professional left 5 minutes prior to the females.  Right before the gun went off I spotted some girls I new I should be able to stay with and positioned myself next to them. The swim started off especially fast due to the three olympians in the race.  Boy, I need to work on my start speed. Once again I missed the lead pack and swam solo for 1.2 miles. I tried to remain positive and considering this was the first open water swim of the year I actually felt strong and relaxed.  The swim goal for this year will be to get MY BUTT OFF the start line and swim with the first pack. Or sprout gills and a dorsal fin. Either or works for me. Before I knew it I was exiting the water and than Carfrae goes flying by me in transition. That girl gets in and out of transition like she stole something. I, on the other hand, spend enough time in transition you can liken me to my Manatee friends.  Slow and sloth-like.  Gotta work on that.

I left T1 and immediately saw Danny and gave him a big smile and also asked if I was going the right way in which he answered: Seriously? There is only one road here Amber. :)

I have been working REALLY hard on my bike for the past year. My coach has been awesome and he is such a wonderful resource I owe him a lot.  But still, I always pray before the race that my bike quads will surface and today they did! I felt very strong and in control the entire bike which is great because the bike course was hot, windy and flat (I like cold and hilly.)  I spent the majority of the ride going back and forth with Kim Schwabenbauer and Carfrae.  The bike course was definitely flattish but had enough rollers and jumbo sized iguana to keep it interesting.  I guzzled down 3 bottles of EFS and GU Roctane, 2 Cherry Lime GU's and before I knew it - RUN TIME!

Fortunately (for sunbathers) and unfortunately (for Ironman racers) San Juan is HOT. And because I neglected to apply the American Academy of Dermatologist recommendation of 1 shot glass full of sunscreen every 2 hours I am looking a little crispy these days. It's hard to comprehend how much a shot glass full of sunscreen is unless you actually go test it out. Do it, I'll wait. Still waiting.  So needless to say the run was hot, very hilly, but also extremely gorgeous. The most beautiful run on the ironman circuit if I do say so myself. Part of the course takes you through one of the most historic gates in San Juan and along the sea wall which holds the heat but gives you a breathtaking view of the crystal clear waters of San Juan. Except for the fact that I ran like a complete TURD I would say the race was a success. I crossed the line and promptly submerged myself in the GIANT sized iced bath the race organizers had waiting. Ahhhhhh.

The rest of the trip was spent in Old San Juan exploring the forts, soaking up the energy of the city, swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach!

Now it's back to work because I have just 10 days until Oceanside!

Racing the Quebixans and Riding the Trainer East German Style

The winter is flying by! I have mixed emotions about this as the International Quebec Snowshoe Race and 2013 Winter Carnivale was so fun and is still fresh in my mind.

Danny, J Mass and his wife, Steph and I traveled up to the winter wonderland that is Quebec City on February 1st.  The winter Gods really wanted to give us a taste of Canadian weather and didn't let it get above 1 degree the entire weekend. Brisk! To keep warm you either stayed under the sheets OR (and the far better option) bundled up like an Eskimo and drank copious amounts of the below beverages.

But before we could enjoy the Winter Carnivale we had a little 10K race to get on with. J Massa had been hot on my heels at the Whitaker Woods snowshoe event and promised to give me a run for my money in Quebec. The course was a 4 loop flat-ish, fast-ish course with modest amounts of snow because Quebec had suffered 5 days of rain prior to the weekend. However it was cold and there was enough snow so we really could not complain.

Looking at the start from the bridge over the outdoor speed skating rink.  Quebec is a winter wonderland!

The race it self was a challenge and a half. I had developed a smoker's cough and couldn't breath through my nose. I some how managed to survive the pre-race bike ride I had on the training schedule but all I wanted to do post ride was sleep...not race. I didn't drive 6 hours North to be a big wimp so I bundled up like the kid from the Christmas Story and tried to get psyched up! However, racing with the inability to breath through the nose OR the mouth (blame it on the face mask) proved to be hard.

 I spent the first half hacking up a lung as J Massa ran farther and farther into the distance. The second and third lap I spent trying to hold off the second place girl.  Halfway through the final lap she passed me despite my best efforts and yelled something at me really loud in French.  Bonjour to you and I now I am a little hard of hearing. The rest of the final lap I spent trying to catch the now first place girl and NOT get caught by girl number three.  I crossed the line happily in second place and decided I had just did my own little test of altitude training.  I may have also lost some brain cells due to the time I spent being anoxic but hey, now I'm fitter.  A little dumber, but also a little faster.  I will take it.

J Massa did indeed give me an A$$ kicking so I went all Luo Ferrigno on him post race until he cried uncle.

The rest of the Quebec trip was spent at the CARNIVALE! Which was grand and full of arctic spas, beaver tails and ice sculptures.

Beaver Tails?

The FAMOUSLY SPEEDY KEVIN TILTON and a little Beaver Tail snack.

The remainder of February was spent preparing a 2 hour presentation on How to Treat the High Level Athlete in the Physical Therapy Clinic for the APTA and....TRAINER RIDES! Biking, biking and more biking on the trainer! Oh for the love of the sport. No secrets just some old fashion work.  Sometimes I go East German style (no music, no t.v and bike facing 2 inches from the cement wall.)  And if you read my last post about the central governor I did indeed give him a run for his money at my second indoor TT of the year.  I love when hard work pays off! Whatever you are working at keep working!

And yes I am biking with my helmet on. Just in case I fall off ;)  The interval work does get intense.

The racing season is almost underway with 4 weeks until San Juan and 6 until Oceanside!

Set Your Central Governor Straight!

This morning I finished the first of two indoor time Trials that will take place in January.  After my initial season opener Time Trial in December I had a discussion with my coach about the central governor.  I was arguing that I pushed as hard as I possibly could in that time trial and I had nothing left to give. His response? "You always have more in the tank!"  

The proposed CG theory is a constantly occurring process in the brain that regulates exercise and calculates safe exertion by the body.  We crazy athletes NEED this or we would all go threatening homeostasis by causing anoxic damage to heart and muscle tissue. The CG limits exercise and thereby thwarts off death by reducing the amount of neural recruitment of muscle fibers.  This reduced recruitment = fatigue. 

However studies have shown that even when riders bonk or DNF from seemingly insurmountable fatigue, they still have glycogen stores and fresh muscle fibers at their disposal.  The Governor simply decided it was best to not to go on. He is an overbearing mother hen! So it's time to teach your Governor that your tougher than he thinks!  Prove to him that you do have more unrecruited muscle fibers and extra glucose stores and that your not a big wimp! And how you ask?  Listening to music or even just BELIEVING IT. You have to make the decision that today is your day. Once you start doubting, you change your brain chemistry and you’re done.  And practice makes perfect. You can train the governor in a bit of a role reversal. 

So even though I'd rather race the Mount Washington Hill Climb, complete 1000 repeats in the pool, run a marathon, race an IRONMAN over doing an Indoor TT I will be at it again in 2 weeks. 

It's me versus the governor and he's going down!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

One more thing! Make sure to put Ironheart 5K, 10K and mile on your schedule for 2013!!!!