Like an Artic Wolf chugging Red Bull...

This past weekend Danny and I headed up to Prospect Mountain to race the US Snowshoe Nationals.  This fun winter sport has become something I am quite passionate about.  I liken the snowshoe community to that of the trail running community: chipper andrenaline junkies that welcome the beauty and pain of each race.

I was lucky enough to earn the National title in 2010, runner-up in 2011 and 2nd in the World at 2012.  Snowshoe racing brings on a special kind of pain and as the race loomed I was honestly craving that pain. Ironically, the week leading up to the race was infused with the pain you experience only after getting 3 wisdom teeth yanked from your mouth.

The actual dental procedure did indeed have some interesting moments (completely numb face + lots of drool) but mostly it was rife with tension.  Rife with tension after the alarming realization that the tools needed to yank 3 teeth are simply:

1. Numbing needle

2. Pliers

Did I mistakenly make an appointment with a horse dentist? Anyway, thanks to Danny for holding my hand. And sorry to Danny for breaking 3 of his fingers. In the end I made it out alive with a brand new nickname: Chipmunk.

Fear The Chipmunk!

And as my coach pointed out in his business like tone: the recent dental procedure was good because I would drop some weight and be the first one up the climb. Welp, that's one way to look at it.

Despite me feeling off and unlike my usual hyperactive self all week I woke race morning hungry for the kind of pain that only racing up a snow covered mountain on snowshoes can deliver. I chugged my Infinit (which is a secret weapon that deserves a blog all of its own) and was ready to roll.

We were blessed with a Vermont winter blue bird day. The venue for 2014 Nationals was absolutely stunning. Prospect mountain loomed in the background as a crowd of 400 anxious racers warmed up around its base.

One very magnificent fact about Snowshoe nationals is there is a separate race for men and women. A women can win all the races she wants but rarely does she get to cross the line as the first human.

As the females lined the start waiting for the gun I repeated my race plan in my head: Go out as fast as you can and make yourself hurt.  I was confident in my fitness but with a brainless plan like this the race could either go very good, or very very bad. 50/50. This is Vermont Amber, not Vegas! BOOM! Start gun goes off. I sprint like a mad women.  No turning back now. :)

The brainless plan in action

Here is some great video footage of the race thanks to Level Renner Magazine. Race Video


And getting back to nicknames, Level Renner Magazine did liken me to "an arctic wolf chugging red bull and riding a snowmobile. Amber was a like a howling wolf riding a snowmobile and just ran away with the title." I laughed out loud when I read this. However, I resent the comment about the snowmobile :)  It was just me and the Dion Snowshoes.  

I went through the first mile in 6:55 which got me thinking that my winter training was going a bit better than I thought it was. Everything up to the first mile was smooth sailing. I was thinking how great I was feeling and just trying to stay focused and push as hard as my body would let me.  But the crowds and rolling terrain of the mile 1 are replaced by the abrupt uphill that is Prospect mountain. I tried to remain positive and think happy thoughts but as the ascent sharpened the positive sayings were no better than hogwash. 

My quads were on fire, I had developed a rare abdominal cramp and I started looking behind me like a crazy lady. The negative thoughts started to invade the mind. And then I saw Danny and the talented photographer Scott Mason. Scott snapped a picture of me smiling on the start line and said: I hope you're smiling like that at the top. I remembered that and as I passed Scott I forced a grin. It worked! I got my mojo back and started hammering!

I am serious when I race but deep down I always seem to remember to appreciate the beauty and be thankful for the body that I was given that can complete all these crazy races. I was hurting in the above picture but how could I complain? It was gorgeous!

I tackled the switchbacky uphill which sends you flying out into a winding section cut through a thick snow-covered forest. In all honesty I was like a little pig in you-know-what.

Before I knew it, the race was nearing an end. I saw Danny cheering (which always seems to spike my heart rate) and charged (a.k.a tried to hold it together) home to the finish.

In addition to Scott Mason, I would like to thank Joe Viger, SNAPacidotic, and Ben Kimball for supplying some awesome photos!

WOOHOO! 2014 National Champ!

2014 National Team Headed to Quebec City for 2015 World Championships

Next up was Danny's race where he managed to beat me by a mere 21 seconds. (He most likely took that snowmobile Level Renner eludes to...)

And then it was the Citizens 5K race which of course I bullied my mom and dad into doing. My Dad executed a strong, well paced race to nab 6th overall and mom only tried to cheat once.

Overall it was a great day!  Up Next: ITU Winter Triathlon in Quebec City. No, there is not a swim portion. Phew! But there is a speed skating portion and at best I am sub-par at this discipline. Therefor, my next blog will likely involve less winning and more whining.

Post Race Interview

Giving 110%

I have a quote written on the backside of one of my race numbers that reads: “The generality of mankind is lazy. What distinguishes men of genuine achievement from the rest of us is not so much their intellectual powers and aptitudes as their curiosity, their energy, their fullest use of their potentialities. Nobody really knows how smart or talented he is until he finds the incentives to use himself to the fullest. God has given us more than we know what to do with.”

And that is truth. But you can’t just want it, wish it, hope for it…you have to LIVE IT 110% of the time.

There is progress being made toward my winter goals this year. Some are farther along than others but not for lack of trying. I have been nose down in training and giving it my all.

Here is my current status:

#1: Master The Pull Up.

I am plugging away at this one. Pull-up after painful pull-up. I have the calluses to prove it. I may have overestimated myself on this one. (20 pull ups in a row!?  What the heck was I thinking?) Presently I am at 2 sets of 10.  I've got some work to do.

Goal #2: Master the Butterfly

Check! Done and dusted. I swam 200 METERS of butterfly at the NE Masters Swim Championships.  Not only did I avoid drowning I actually pulled off the win in my heat. Downside: between pull-ups and all of the butterfly practice my lats are magnificently massive.

Goal #3: Complete at least 4 Monster Winter Hikes

This goal has been revised due to a very exciting update. I received an e-mail from the United States ambassador for Winter ITU and got a special invite to race the inaugural event in one of my favorite cities: Quebec!  The unique winter triathlon consists of snowshoe racing (totally got that):

Speed skating (totally have no clue what that involves) and skate skiing (I'll let you make your own decision regarding my skill level based on the picture below):

uh oh

So it is safe to say I have to get my butt in gear and at least become somewhat proficient in 2 new sports. In my opinion, this new winter adventure is equal to at least 3 winter hikes.

Goal #4: Take Back the National Snowshoe Title

Working hard in this Artic Vortex we call Concord New Hampshire.

Goal 5#: Learn to shake my booty!

I was absolutely honored to be chosen to be a contestant for Concord's Dancing with the Stars 2014. This great event raised $50,000 for the local college and was an absolute blast to be a part of. My partner and great friend Jay Hauser studied in the ins and outs of Swing Dance for 3 months and in my honest opinion I think we nailed it:

 

So get out there and give 110%! Worst case scenario you'll be stronger than when you started.  

The Only Way To Know How Strong You'll Get...

The Only Way To Know How Strong You'll Get...is to keep on testing your limits. (Yep, I stole that quote from Jon Kent. You know Jon Kent? Father of Superman. It's got to be good advice...)

The training volume and intensity may be just picking up speed but that doesn't mean I haven't been hard at work doing all sorts of crazy things. My big season goals have been etched in stone and duck taped to the refrigerator.  BUT in the mean time I needed some short-term winter goals to satisfy my hyperactive self. The goals listed below are slightly smaller - slightly crazier - may not make me a better triathlete-but they are too fun to pass up- in no particular order:

Goal #1

Master the Pull Up. And I mean I want to be able to do 20 in a row.   Right now I can do maybe 7. On a good day. And I look like a wiggle worm on the last 2.

Wiggle Worm!

Goal #2

Master the Butterfly. This weekend I will be participating in the New England Masters Short Course Championships. Yeeehawww. I get to start off the blocks and try and complete 200 METERS of butterfly. If I don't drown it will be a good marker of forward progress.

It is a MASTERS meet so I will likely be getting schooled by this guy.

Goal #3:

Complete at least 4 MONSTER WINTER HIKES. Just because! And because I live in New Hampshire. And because the mountains are right outside my doorstep. And because winter hiking makes you strong like bull. And, and, and...

the mountains are BEAUTIFUL...

Goal #4

Take back my 2011 National Snowshoe title. Did you know snowshoeing racing was a national sport? :) Oh yeah!!! And this year Nationals are in Vermont!

My atomic face plant happened shortly after this great pic was snapped. 

Goal #5

Learn to cook....

Just kidding!!!  I hate reading recipes and I prefer the little of this, little of that method....and then a little more of this... Which is why when I attempted to cook Thanksgiving Turkey the bird came out looking a little like this:

Half raw, half blackened. And then a small house fire ensued....

Test your limits this winter!!!!!!

A pair of 7's and 9:07!

Phew, what a week!  I first got the idea for the dirty double (Miami 70.3 followed 6 days later by Ironman Florida) after the boss sent out an e-mail entitled: Use It Up! Meaning, use up the fitness you spent all season gaining on some end of the season RACING. The wheels starting turning and soon after the Miami 70.3/Florida IM double was set in stone.

I have been wanting to go back to Miami 70.3 since about 5 minutes after my race there in 2012. I had a tough day last year complete with groin cramping and stomach issues and I wanted to redeem myself. The goal for Miami was to better my 2012 time and prove to myself that I can compete with the best (the international field this year was STACKED).

The adventures started early as the swim was non-wetsuit and full of weeds! I laugh now but at one point I was completely immersed in swamp like willow weeds.  I exited the water thinking this was the toughest swim of my career. Never did I imagine I would eat my words in 6 days at Florida Ironman.

Out of the water and onto the speed machine I put my head down and got to work. The flat course is ironically difficult because of strong winds and the thus need to constantly produce power. Aggressive biking was the goal for the race however it became clear half way through that I was totally over biking. I decided to play the odds (it was the end of the season after all) and continued to push hard on the pedals and pound down the GU Roctane. I was feeling quite good.  However, the wind and heat were turning up their A-games and finally I allowed myself to look at my average power for the ride.  After seeing the number I usually hold for 10 minute intervals I bolted straight up and laughed out loud. Somebody (me) might be doing a death march on the run.

Not thinking, just biking.

As happy as I was with my ride entering T2 was very scary because it would be the first time I would really see how much damage I had done to the run legs. And yes, the quads had taken a beating.  Two strides into the run and I was already having to chase off the demons. The bike had sapped the legs and I was absolutely suffering the first 2 miles.  I reminded myself to think positive and put one foot in front of the other and before I knew it things started to come around.  Danny was cheering his head off and informed me that Leanda had 4 minutes on me but he thought I'd catch her.  This gave me a jolt of adrenaline and soon I was hearing splits that I had closed the gap to 3 minutes and then 90 seconds and then with 2 miles to go I was within 45 seconds of her. GO legs GO!  Finishing the race stronger than I started was a huge confidence booster considering the craziness that went down on the bike.  I just missed catching the one and only Leanda Cave by 25 seconds but I cross the line with a smile.  70.3 PR done and dusted! 6 days till Ironman Florida.

ouch

Two of the tricks in pulling off a double like this is to enter well prepared and then to take full advantage of all the recovery protocols.  Usually post race I indulge in an obnoxiously large burger and fries. This time it would be different. I crossed the line of Miami 70.3 extremely happy with my race but so much of me wanted an even stronger performance at Ironman Florida. So I hydrated and took a cold bath, squeezed into the Zoot compression and then it was off to Java and Juice for some wheat grass, lemon and beet juice smoothies and huge organic salads. (Oh just slightly less exciting than a burger and fries). I also spent a solid amount of time with purple teeth (and poop!) from all the beet juice I was ingesting. Sorry, I know, TMI.

All for the love of the sport.

Next stop - Panama Beach City for Ironman Florida!

We had some driving to do but we also had a week. In that time we made it to Java and Juice again (and again), got 2 massages, surprised my doctor cousin at work, took advantage of a water park, explored a self-tour Alligator park (yikes), snorkeled, road the speed machine a little, splashed around in the gulf of mexico, ate oysters, rode some waves, tickled the sand with our toes, spotted a bald eagle, discovered 2 great coffee shops (I chose decaf), got my hair cut, indulged in fresh seafood, and attended the HUGE pro meeting for Ironman Florida. Phew!

White Sand....Ahhhhh

Dinner on the Bay at the Shrimp Boat

Coffee! It excites me even when its Decaf

FINNS: local, fresh, organic, fish tacos!

Pre race Oyster. Yeah, that's right.

Evening Sunset from our room.

Before I knew it race morning was here and I was getting my butt handed to me in the swim:

IM Florida: Flat Bike Course, NOT flat swim.

I took one look at the swim course on Ironman morning and was pretty much jumping with the excitement of a coma patient.  Normally I love challenging things but this was a little scary.  But how could I complain when everyone had to deal with it? Gun goes off and I'm attempting to tackle race #2 as the angry Gulf of Mexico rears its ugly head. After multiple run ins with giant waves and nauseating swells it looked like I had been practicing a new swim stroke which unfortunately resembled something more like an out of control somersault.   I exited the water sick to my stomach and so beat up my first thought was: I am in for a looooonnnggg day.

Endurance racing has taught me a lot including the power of positive thinking.  The mental component is crucial to master in order to have success in long races.  It is absolutely true that the mind can either win or lose a race.  So I kept repeating a 6 word mantra my friend Andrew e-mailed me a few days before the race: 

Steady, Primal, Consistent.

Focus, Hammer On, Be great. 

Over, and over and over I repeated those 6 words. After 10 miles of biking I was totally feeling the mojo and I was just hammering on!

If racing Miami 70.3 6 days prior did anything positive for me it gave me a great deal of confidence in my current bike fitness. I broke through a barrier in that race and was determined to continue with the aggressive riding. At times I laughed to myself because I knew I was taking crazy chances on the bike but it was the last race of the season, go big or go home right? I was chasing girls down, guzzling the Roctane, dumping water over the head, staying cool and going after it.  I had a bit of a low point at mile 90 but other than that the energy was steady and I knew I was in for a great bike split.

Not thinking, just riding.

I stopped the Garmin after 4:48 of riding. Yeah!  I sprinted into transition, zipped into the Kiawis and started moving. Danny reported to me that I was currently in 10th. I smiled and tried to relax. I slowed at the aid stations and focused on fueling, cooling and steady breathing. I was clicking off 6:45 miles and if felt like a jog. So much of me just wanted to GO! And this may have been due to the fact that I was still in half ironman race mode or possibly due to the awesome crowd and Danny support.

After a few miles I moved into 9th and then caught 8th. I went through a bit of a rough patch around mile 16 but regrouped, cooled off with ice down the shirt and tried to remind myself that I only had 2 x 5 miles left. Easy!  At around mile 18 I moved into 6th place and I was about 20 seconds down from 5th when the wheels started to come off. The mind was willing and wanting but the legs were not responding.  In the last 4 miles it was if slowly but surely each of my little mitochondria crossed their arms and called it quits.  The Ironman demons were out in full force.

Ironman Demon

But Danny reminded me that I only had 4 more miles. Run, Amber Run!

Double Ouch

 In the end I crossed the line in 7th and really could not have been happier. I went 9:07 and was absolutely jumping for joy. This was a huge breakthrough race for me that stoked the fire.  I feel so lucky to be racing these super girls and it just goes to show how the sport is growing. In 2010 9:07 would have been 1st, 2011 it would have been 2nd and 2012 it would have secured 3rd.

Of course I really don't deserve the credit because I have a HUGE team of support: Kurt Perham (PBM Coaching), Danny Ferreira, Zoot!, GU, Garmin, McCyles (Myles Chase), super friend and training partner Ryan Kelly!

Quick Update: The Dirty Double - Florida Edition

In 7 days this crazy kid will toe the line of Miami 70.3 ready to fight hard and then recover harder because after Miami, and just 6 days later, I will be toeing the line of the Florida Ironman. The purpose of the dirty double is to try and scoop up some points for the 2014 season, use up my fitness, and to honor my crazy self! I am lucky the boss OK'd my request even though I'm sure multiple eye rolls ensued after he got my e-mail begging to race back to back.

Now that I'm in a bit of a taper mode I am able to look back at the past 4 weeks with a smile. The volume during the past 4 weeks was LARGE! Big rides, big runs, copious amounts of GU, lots of laughing, a little pouting but nothing that these 2 staples couldn't fix:

COFFEE!

FOOD!

I am happy to report that I stayed mentally tough and nailed every workout. This does NOT mean every workout was pretty but I made a habit to train the MIND during rough patches and practiced positive thinking when the going got tough.  Because unless your super human there is nothing easy about a 6 hour ride...in the rain...with 2 flats.  

After 70.3 World Champs, the house cleaning, phone calls and blogging went out the window because I was either here:

OR here:

OR Here:

And sometimes I really wanted to be here on the back of this:

But now that the work is done I'm super excited to race! I have nothing to lose and I am going to put up a great big fight!

70.3 World Championships: Giving my inner critic a swift kick in the booty!

Danny and I arrived in Vegas for the Ironman 70.3 WorldChampionships on Wednesday. And then it hit me: I would be toeing the line with the best Professional female triathletes in the world on Sunday.  Yay! To say I was a little excited was an understatement. I felt fit and ready to fight a honest battle.  This year has been one of mini breakthroughs and benchmarks and I felt motivated to race aggressively against some of the fiercest girls in the world in fabulous Vegas.

The training on Wednesday was a swim session and shake out run.  Since we were both tired from travel I decided to complete my swim workout in our hotel pool since it was quite large.  I did briefly forget that I was in crazy Vegas vacation land which meant I spent the majority of the swim dolphin diving and zig-zagging over/under/through the copious amounts of tipsy Vegas goers.  Just picture dozens of bikini/speedo wearing drunkards and ME with my swim cap, goggles and one piece.  I was happy to have made it out alive. 

Big Dork

After the scorcher of the shake out run (temps hit 105!) we spent some time wrestling the one arm bandits.  I chose the penny slot machines because that’s the kind of high roller I am.  And I would like to point out that at one beautiful moment in time I was 360 up. And I’m talking 3 dollars and 60 big cents. And then I lost it all.  But you know what they say in Vegas? Fold and forget.

On Thursday I completed my swim workout at the local YMCA. It was a beautiful facility with no drunkards. Perfect. I then hopped on the speedy Felt DA for a ride which was very short lived because I couldn't shift.  I dismounted thinking I would give it another check over since yours truly assembled the bike and that is always a fingers-crossed-hope-I-did-it-right ordeal.  Soon after getting off the bike I noticed the pulley system of the rear derailleur was in bad shape. 

First I cried. And then I got down to business. Luckily my great friend and bike mechanic, Myles Chase, would be flying into Vegas that day.  

Short story: we ended up over-nighting a rear derailleur. 

Long story: the derailleur did NOT arrive in 24 hours and fell subject to Murphy’s law.  And the long story also involves a grand UPS mix up, a lazy loading dock, an incompetent stripper, a large annual gay parade and the sketchiest back alley Vegas has to offer.  What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. All you need to know was I got my derailleur.  ;) 

My sister was also competing in the race and it was awesome to have her there. Our parents came down to cheer/Sherpa as well so the positive energy was flying high.  We filled the days with lots of relaxing, laughing, eating and of course wrestling some one arm bandits. 

Race day came quickly as always. I miraculously was able to sleep the night before which may or may not be due to the VERY strict caffeine taper I had completed. I started 2 weeks out and made an honest effort to wean my way down to 0 mg of caffeine for several days pre-race.  And if you know me and my coffee addiction this was a big win for me.

Race morning I woke with good energy at 3:30am, showered, massaged my muscles, ate my breakfast and had my first coffee in weeks. Ahh, the sweet nectar of the Gods!  I was totally ready to go and then someone gifted me the best race day present: As we drove to Henderson it started to sprinkle. And then it started to RAIN. It was raining in the desert. Sweet Jalissa!  I was psyched, smiling ear to ear. I LOVE racing in the rain and to go from expecting race day to be a dry 105 degree scorcher to getting rain and humidity made me giddy.

Danny and Myles had scored themselves VIP passes so they were in transition helping the sisters out. The rain was cooling me down, but even so, right before heading off to the swim start I shoved a mound of ice down my Zoot speedsuit. The water was 80 degrees and I had no intention of overheating 20 minutes into a 4+ hour day.  I said good luck to my sis, my awesome teammate Heather Jackson, my friend Magali and then I was diving into the brackish water that is Lake Las Vegas. They announced the pros, gun goes off and I’m feeling great! And then trouble strikes. I am on the front line but a distinct pack is forming to my right and my left. I want to jump on a lead pack but I have to literally make a split decision. I chose the pack to my right because the course eventually turns right but I got caught up on some slow feet and had to swim to the very edge of the big pack until I moved myself up to the top of the 12 girl pack. I spot Magali and Heather Wurtele so I know I’m swimming strong. Gotta love aquasphere goggles for allowing you to actually survey your environment.

The pace felt easy and relaxed.  Actually, a little too easy so I swam out to the side of the pack to test some open water and tried to make a move. That’s when someone swam over me and then another grabbed my feet and pulled me under. Never had that happen! I calmed my breathing and made the executive decision to expend as little energy as I could in the swim.

I exited the water and sprinted through the long transition. I mounted the Felt (with the disc!) and immediately had to discard the glasses. It was dark and pouring. I laughed out loud. It’s raining in Vegas!  

The first 5 miles of the bike I dealt with some bad luck and got stuck behind some girls who were sitting up going down the first descent. I lost some time navigating around them and it frustrated me as I knew my teammate Mandy Mclane was just up the road and I wanted to bridge the gap. Cat Morrison passed me around 20 miles in and I tried my hardest to keep her in sight. I stood up on the hills and tucked my head and pushed hard on the pedals.  I was trying to stay aero and do all the little things the head honcho Kurt taught me but at the same time my stomach started to revolt. After that point I had trouble keeping any liquid down and I spent the ride vomiting the GU I tried to take down. At one point I wanted to put my head in my aero bars and cry.  My worst enemy was giving me 100 reasons why I should throw the towel in.  I was way out in no-man land, feeling sick and not very powerful. I knew how important nutrition is on the bike and here I was unable to take anything down. Would I be able to even finish? And then it happened. I smartened up and clubbed my inner critic over the head.  

I began to think of all the POSITIVES. All the wonderful people I have in my life that had helped me get here: my husband, my coach, my training partner Ryan Kelly, Myles Chase/MC cycles, my mom and dad and so many others along the way.  If I wimped out, I would not be honoring them.  At that moment I quieted my mind and regrouped.

Of course it’s easy to have self-confidence when the race is going great.  But I am a strong believer that BIG breakthroughs rarely take place in that environment. The most worthy breakthroughs happen when you dig yourself out of very uncomfortable/tough situations.  During the race, I believed that even on a day of vomiting my nutrition, getting T-boned on the swim and getting caught in no-man’s land, a breakthrough was possible but not if I quit.  I was going to fight tooth and nail if I had to and get myself to the finish line.    

I finally dismounted the bike, slipped into the Zoot Kiawis and sprinted out of transition. The miracle of this day was I felt OK on the run.  Except for the 4 emergency bathroom stops - at least I wasn’t throwing up - I felt better than I thought considering I had zero nutrition in me. My cadence was up and I was chasing girls down. The course was an intense roller coaster and an absolute quad buster. My Mom, Dad, Danny, Myles, Jim Johnson and PJ (my wonderful homestay/friends from Oceanside), Jake, Kim and other Zooters were cheering like crazy and it was so helpful. I was smiling on the run and absolutely loving that I was finally getting in a groove!  

I crossed the line hurting, suffering and smiling. The moral of the story is there is ABSOLUTELY no harm in giving 100%. Ever. Even if 100% on that day does not live up to your expectations. After giving my inner critic a swift kick in the booty I was able to move past the challenge of the moment and strengthen myself as an athlete, physically and most importantly, mentally.  I stayed tough, stayed engaged, gave 100% and got what I was looking for: a world championship worthy mental and physical battle.

Next up: The dirty double of Miami 70.3 and Florida Ironman!