Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Xterra Moab

It was so nice to get out of town this week into some sunshine. It was snowing yet again the two days before we left for Moab. Needless to say we were ready to get out of town and actually ride our bikes. Drew, Ashlyn and I left on Thursday and drove till we hit sunshine and warmth! We arrived a little later than we hoped but we did get a great camping spot at Ken's Lake where the triathlon was being held. Our spot was actually right on the run course! Because we got in late we weren't able to get riding that day but we did manage a post dinner hike up to Faux falls which was the run course.
Friday morning, Kim and I set out for a little pre-ride. At first I was a little worried when we climbed the road for awhile and I knew that it was out and back double track. I was hoping it would be a good technical bike course. We got on the Steelbender trail or "Flat Pass" and it turned out to be a very technical bike course. I had a fairly relaxed afternoon with Ashlyn and getting thing ready and nice camp dinner.

Race morning came and it was a little chilly as we rose early. I wasn't really pumped on jumping in the 58 degree lake (glad it wasn't 55 like out in Santa Cruz!) I got a little warm up in and was feeling pretty good my sprained ankles were not feeling bad and I was ready to race. I allowed plenty of time to get in the water and get my feet and face used to the freeze.
The swim went pretty well, I felt good and was about the 6th woman out of the water!
I hit the bike hard to try and catch those top girls! Felt pretty good all the way out and saw that I was 4th at the turnaround and then I had a little bit harder time on my return. Had a few small crashes but also stopped for a fellow racer who went down hard just ahead of me. I stopped to see if there was anything more I could do he hit his head pretty hard. Continuing I came to the end of the bike and out the last little climb both quads cramped really bad but I pushed through I tried to fill up on water and nutrition down to transition. I was really excited to use my new Newton's so I slipped them on and headed out onto the run course feeling pretty strong. My shoes felt great! Light and fast and my ankles felt good however, I was getting some occasional cramps during the run and had to keep taking shot blocks. I felt good going into the second lap. I made it to the water fall and was on the final couple miles when I rolled my ankle all the way over again and went down in a heap. I was so mad that I just re-sprained my ankle (mix of fatigue and over confidence in it) but all I could think was "get up and run quick before the pain sets in!" So that is what I did. I grunted my way to the finish and ended up winning my age group! It will be really great to actually be able to run a race with out and shot ankle!

So the rest of my time in Moab which was supposed to include lots of time on my bike turned out to be just some quality time with Ashlyn while Drew got some good time on the bike. I wasn't allowed to ride at all in case I came off my bike on the rough stuff. Ashy and I had a great time though and enjoyed the warm whether and some ice cream!

Now I have 2 months to focus on rehabing my ankle I only have bike races until Beaver Creek on July 16. I am really hoping to get this ankle strong by then and have a strong race!



Thursday, May 05, 2011

South Central Championships in Waco.

I decided to make a trip south to race in South Central Champs this April. I really wanted to get an early season race in this year and I also wanted to have a chance to qualify for worlds earlier in the season. I have family about an hour and a half from Waco, TX so this race made sense.
It was a long road trip with a two-year old but I brought along my crew (mom and my 12 year-old niece, Alyssa). After a night with Grandma we headed to Waco on Friday to pre-ride. It was a super fun course! I had heard it was a good course but I didn’t have high expectations for TX. The course was really fun and twisty single track through the trees with short steep climbs and it suits me well even though I have only been on bike a handful of times. Saturday I was feeling good and excited for the race on Sunday. I went to the venue listened to the race brief for tips on the course and all then headed out for a little run. About 20 min into my run I rolled my ankle pretty bad. I was really upset as I made my way back. I found some ice and talked with the man in charge of the med stuff for XTERRA, he was really nice. I iced like crazy that night, but I have to say my confidence was not real high.
Race morning I got up extra early to try to stretch my ankle and get some of the stiffness out. Set up transition and tried to prepare myself to race through some pain. The swim was in the river which is something I have not done before. My plan was to swim hard so I could get on the single track early. I felt pretty good on the swim but felt I was all along alone only to look and find that on the upstream portion I was swimming way inside of everybody which would be more in the current and that isn’t fast. I didn’t feel too bad though. I got out made a good transition and hopped on the bike but when I looked at my watch I was not impressed.
I love the bike portion and as I said I knew this was a good course for me. However, being from Winter Park, where everyone is still skiing, I haven’t had much time on my bike yet. I hit the bike hard and felt good with only a few minor “oops” one over the bars and one to the side. I tend to do that on the bike I get to amped and I make silly mistakes. I made some passes but felt pretty alone out there so I had no idea where I was in the pack. I did turn in 9th fastest bike split (including pros). I finished strong and prepared myself for what I knew would be the hardest part. My run has always been my weak link so that didn’t help. I slipped on my Newton’s and headed out. As soon as I started I just tried to change my mindset and tell myself that I am not a bad runner and I can pass people on the run. I was surprised at how strong I felt despite the ankle. I knew it was hindering me some but I felt good. That early season focus on my run is paying off, big shout to coach Jared. The last part was hard mottled clay and that was the worst. I made it through the finish and went straight to the med tent for some ice. I still had no idea where I had finished then my mom went and got my time card and I found that I was 2nd in my Age-group which means I qualified for worlds!
I ended up 12th overall 4th Amateur. Not a bad end to a roller coaster weekend.


Big thanks to everyone who helped.
• Newton, the shoes felt great even with a sprained ankle, light and fast.
• Marie, my reflexologist who helped with oils on my ankle.
• Jared, my coach, obviously all the run training has paid off so far.
• My support crew, my mom and niece Alyssa who not only take care of my crazy two-year-old but help me out a lot.

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

It has been too long!

Sorry about the lack of blogging. I guess I am not very good at this. However, I am going to reclaim this blog and try again. I am hoping to make this a good place to share life including updates on family and race reports!