#4 to start 2014!

It was bound to be a perfect trip because our homestay had lemon trees in their yard and I. LOVE. LEMONS. I eat them like apples and I got to pluck those babies right from the tree. Mike and Pixi were the proud owners of the lemon trees and they welcomed us into their home and were very accommodating. I sincerely apologize that your lemon trees are now naked.

The days leading to Florida 70.3 were hands down the most relaxing and focused to date.  Of course when I say "focused" I'm referring to the fact that Andrew, Ryan and I were goofing off, making each other laugh, and creating some quality you tube videos:


And eating lemons.

Eating more lemons. 

Side Note #1: My friend Andrew Fast (uber-biker- never tapered in his life- hippy) kept us really laughing.  He was totally ready to have an OUTSTANDING race but unfortunately he DNF'd due to a mechanical. All you male pro's better watch out because this guy is ready to take some names (if he can every make peace with a proper taper).

Side Note #2: My friend Ryan Kelly (no hyperlink because he hasn't written a blog in 4 years) had an AHHHHMAZING race and he is bound for a great season. 

SIde Note #3: I have some great training buddies.

Back on track! We ate well, stayed hydrated, stayed out of the sun, and stayed away from caffeine. If you are a coffee lover like me I urge you to try a caffeine taper pre race to help you gain a little speed during the race. Avoid caffeine race week and early on the day of your race. This caffeine "fast" will help keep your sensitivity to caffeine high so that you can maximize its effect come go-time! 

 The process starts painful: life without caffeine turns Crazy Amber into Zombie Amber.

You know what's in that cup?  Herbal tea. BLAH!

  But watch out come mid race because Zombie Amber turns into a blazing ball of fire. 

Andrew and Ryan were surely ticked that I initiated this caffeine-free week but in their newly slug-like stupor there was nothing they could do about it. And to re-iterate what I touched on above, our special friend Andrew had also never completed a proper taper so he was in a world of hurt. We assured him that he was supposed to feel like a heaping pile of dung pre race. He assured us that he was never racing another triathlon again ;)

Three hundred and forty one lemons later and it was race morning. I was happy to be wearing the TYR wetsuit but NOT happy to be boiling in 74 degree water.

I got in a solid warm up and felt ready to GO. When the gun went off I sprinted off the line and found myself leading the chase pack. However, someone kept hitting my feet every stroke which made me crack up under water. That tickles! I moved aside and had a fairly easy swim behind Cait Snow and Jackie Ardent. Fairly easy until of course we made a turn. And this course had SIX, (6), (six!!!) turns. Can someone message me and tell me if there is some kind of secret special trick for making turns? Because EVERY turn they would drop me like a hot potato and then I would be forced to sprint up on their feet again and then promptly get dropped on the next turn. Oh and I was getting hot. Hot dropped potato. Time to get on the bike.

Notice the clothes INDOORS? It's even cold on the trainer in New Hampshire.

I sprinted through transition to my bike. I mean: MY BIKE!!! My Argon E-118!! HOLY MOLY that is a sweet bike. This was my fourth ride outdoors on it and I was psyched nervous to be biking in 85 degree weather. I live in New Hampshire and we had one hell of a winter. Awesome for winter sports but frankly un-awesome for prepping body for hot Ironman. Oddly enough the bike felt amazing out on the hot open roads and even handled the multiple twisty turn-y windy course like a champ.  I was cruising along on the Argon with the ENVE wheels and feeling comfy all day on the Cobb Saddle. Totally the perfect set up.  In all honesty the bike portion was so amazingly fun I (almost) forgot to start into the caffeine.  Napalm bomb!

It was hot and I was slightly nervous to see how I would run due to my lack of heat training. I jumped off the bike and into the ZOOT Kiawes and was determined to chase some girls down. After 1 mile I had moved to 7th and I was feeling controlled and focused. The run course was so hilly and hot with sections of loose dirt. Isn't this entire state flat? Where the heck did these hills come from?  I pushed on and started to pick off some girls and finally with 4 miles to go I heard I was 1 minute down to Laura Bennett (the Olympian!) Time to turn the hurt up. The last 4 miles turned into a semi-controlled train wreck of ice down the shorts, chug the Infinit, water over the head, push, push, push.

I made the pass with 2 miles to go and then it was just a mental test to stay strong to the end.

I crossed the line 4th female PRO and was totally satisfied with the 1st result of the season in HOT conditions.  This result is hugely due to my OUTSTANDING coach. Without him I would just be a lemon-eating-crazy ball of fire.

Congrats to Cait Snow, Margie Shapiro, Lauren Goss and Laura Bennett for rounding out the top 5 and pushing me all day long.

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!