Estes Park Adventure

As if arriving back in COS at 11:30pm (after 3 weeks of travel) wasn't bad enough...Jasmine, Matt and I woke up at 6:30am, put our bikes together, loaded them in the USOC van, grabbed some breakfast chow, and headed off to Estes Park to the Junior Triathlon Camp. Most of the 3 hour drive I spent sprawled out in the seat taking another well needed nap. We got a little lost on the way, nothing a stop at the Visitor's Center can't solve...they redirected us to the big YMCA camp where the USA Triathlon Junior Camp was taking place. We spent the day with about 40 future pros...we talked to them about our race results...we went on a bike ride (I worked with a group of young ladies on pace-line skills)...we did a Q&A session...then we ate lunch with the group and headed home.
I was really lucky to be able to talk to these kids...I was exactly in their shoes a few years ago...it was fun to remember goign to Tri camp and learning all the great stuff that I use in my races now!

Escape from Alcatraz Race Report

Sometimes traveling is fun...other times it's not really. This was one of those times. On Monday I departed Ft. Myers on my way back to Colorado Springs. I had 3 different connections to catch...Unfortunately, my bags did not make all the connections. I arrived in COS at 7pm with NO bags. The importance of my bags: I had another flight in less than 12 hours and I needed my clothes and gear!
Fortunately, I got a call around 11pm that my bags had arrived in COS...I drove back to the airport to pick them up...drove back to the OTC...did a few loads of laundry...packed my bike up...repacked my clothes...and got a few hours of sleep. Awake again at 5am on Tuesday morning and on my way back to the airport for a non-stop flight from COS to San Francisco.
The flight was uneventful and I was able to catch a few needed hours of sleep. Everything I checked made it to San Fran and I lugged it all over to the rental car building to pick up a tiny white car that barely held my bike box with the doors closed (it took a lot of maneuvering to get it in there...and even more maneuvering when I wanted to take it out!!).
I thought I was all prepared with my pre-printed maps from the airport to the Placak's house across the Golden Gate Bridge...it was just a whole other story when I tried to follow those directions in a rental car in a new city with a bike box blocking the rear-view mirror!!! Eventually (with a few detours to tour odd parts of the city) I found my way to Tiburon and the Placak's house where I stayed for the next 3 days. Bob Placak is the race director of the Tiburon Mile Open Water swim that I participated in September of 2004. They live in a beautiful house with a view of the mountains and the bay...and they have just broken ground on a new house ON the bay with more great views! Staying with this family was amazing...they took me out on the town, to a comedy show, to great restaurants, to Giradelli Square for a chocolate sundae (didn't really need that:) and treated me just like family. I had fun hanging out with their 4 little boys...Niko, the oldest is a great little swimmer and did the Tiburon mile last year...lil'Bob is the baby and is just a ball of laughter!
Oh yeah...I did accomplish some training while I was there. I would drive to the Golden Gate bridge, park right before I crossed it, ride my bike across and then ride the race course. The views were amazing and the hills were impossible! I would always get lunch at this cute little cafe on the bay and then ride back across the bridge. In order to practice the run course I did have to drive across the bridge...the run was so much fun...off road on this little dirt path (on race day there was 2-way traffic on the 1-foot-wide path...exciting to see 230lbs Andy Potts come charging down a hill right at you...I dove off the path a few times to make way for the top guys heading back to the finish line!).
On Friday I thanked the Placak's for their hospitality and packed up to go stay the next 3 days with another friend from the Tiburon Mile race...Christine Wilson lives right in San Francisco...on the top of Fillmore Street which is one of those HUGE hills you see photos of. She was so awesome to let me stay in her apartment...it was literally 1 mile from the park where the race was organized! I did a bit of training on Friday and then rested on Saturday. I met Shannon (my Speedo rep) and the Potts family (I train with Andy Potts at the OTC) for lunch on Fisherman's wharf. Then I headed down to the race expo to check out my race wheels on my bike, pick up my race packet and numbers (I was #81), participate in the Speedo Q&A session on stage, and then listen to the Pro race briefing. After that 'rest' day I went back to the apartment to REST before race day!
The alarm went off around 5am and I crept out of the apartment so I wouldn't wake Christine up...she was heading down to the race course at 7am because her triathlon team was manning a water station on the run course! I drove down the big hill (riding up or down that thing was not one of my priorities) and then biked with all my gear to the transition area. I actually remembered everything I needed...even the extra pair of shoes that I put in the pile for running from the swim exit to T1. After I made sure everything was set up (and made a bathroom stop) I made my way to the huge line of people waiting for the buses to take us to the boat dock.
On the boat, each area is designated for a group of ages. The very front is reserved for the pros...we are the first ones off the boat so this makes sense...it's also nice to have a bit more room than everyone else! The trip to Alcatraz took about 30 minutes (we don't actually go to the island, just in the water neat it). During that time I got my wetsuit on, applied some BodyGlide, drank a lot of Gatorade and warmed up as much as I could in a confined area with a wetsuit on!
Before I knew it, we were filling out the door and lining up in numerical order. Unfortunately, the men were #'s 1-50 and the women were #'s 51-100...this meant that the guys were all 100 meters to my right before we even dove in the water. With about 10 minutes to go the told us it was time to climb over the railing and get ready to go...this was all happening while the boat was still making it's way to the start area and we only had a 1 inch ledge to stand on the other side of the railing! After about 5 minutes my arms were already getting tired from holding on!! I heard a 1 minute warning and then the boat sounded the fog horn signaling GO!!!
I didn't even hesitate...I knew how cold the water was from previous swimming experiences...but I was one of the first into the water...dove right in and started hauling butt!!!:)
I meshed in with the lead pack of guys and let them do all the hard work...following the lead boat and fighting the current, all that stuff. I just hung with them until I found my way to the front near the end of the 1.5 mile swim and I started pushing the pace to the finish. I led the chase pack out of the water, about 45 seconds behind the lead 3 guys.
Tore off the wetsuit, threw on my shoes and started running the 3/4 mile to T1...BUMMER, I'm already the 2nd woman because Barb Linquist just passed me! Oh well, lots more racing to do so I focused on going strong. Had a fast T1, grabbed my bike (and according to Mom who just saw the race on TV today, I had a great bike mount...I look forward to seeing it on TV:) and started riding. I was doing great until the first hill...and until people started passing me like I was standing still...I know I'm not a GREAT climber...but this race course hammered that point into my head! I raced as hard as I could...and as safe as I could because I passed my idol, Michelie Jones on the side of the road after she crashed and broke some ribs!
Entered T2 in about 5th or 6th place and headed on the grueling run. I wasn't feeling so hot after working so hard on the bike...I was approaching my 'zone out' limit and I didn't want to do what I did in Tempe so I eased back on the run, sucked down some energy gel and made my way out to the run turnaround. Right after the turnaround at mile 4.5 is the dreaded SAND LADDER! I had climbed it a few times in previous days, but this time it was for real...and really hard! At the top, it was all down hill to the finish, I was feeling a bit more energized with some gel inside me...so I started to pick up the pace. I went through the water station where Christine was cheering and I picked up the pace even more. At this point I didn't know what place I was in, I couldn't see any woman infront of me...but I didn't want any more to pass me.
Running down the 1/4mile finish chute is a lot of fun, there are SOO many people cheering you in and I was just smiling and having fun at that point. I HAD ESCAPED FROM ALCATRAZ!
Results were posted...I finished 11th Pro woman...first woman out of the water...pretty close to the slowest times on the bike and run...but I had SOOO much fun! I hung around for the awards, cheered for Hunter Kemper and Susan Williams who were the overall winners...Barb got 2nd, Andy got 3rd.
Everyone told me before the race that your first time at Alcatraz is a learning experience. I agree with that now...I know so much more about that race that next time I will be more prepared! And I'm already excited about the NEXT time!!
After the race...lots of packing to take care of...thanked Christine for her hospitality and cheering at the race...the next morning I said Goodbye to the city of San Fran which I had started to enjoy (even if it made me lost everytime I tried to drive somewhere!). At the rental car return I was offered a direct ride to the terminal instead of lugging my bike box on the train...that was AMAZING:) Even more amazing was sitting at the terminal waiting for my flight from San Fran to COS and hearing over the loudspeaker: 'The flight to COS is overbooked, would anyone like to give up their seats for $600 in United travel vouchers??' I was the first one in line! They put us on a flight to LAX where we spent a few hours and caught a connection to COS later in the evening! One more 'thank you' to Jasmine (my training partner here at the OTC) who drove my car to the airport at 11:30pm to pick me up (after she had spent ALL day traveling from Puerto Rico to COS!!)

Open Water Nationals

Back to Ft. Myers for the USA Open Water Nationals. The drive with my dad was a LOT longer than the flight when he came and picked me up a few days earlier...about 5 hours on the road. We arrived on Thursday afternoon to find out that the people swimming the 25K were still in the water because they postponed the start 5 hours for rainy weather. (not a good sign of the weather forecast for the weekend of swimming events). A quick pre-race meeting about the 5K course for Friday's race and then Dad and I went out for a nice dinner.
Friday morning I woke up to big, dark clouds and lots of ran. My mom and brother arrived about mid-day with two other guys from Daytona Beach Speed. The plan was to win some National Team titles (top 3 times combined) for DBS and hope that Dustin swam fast and made the World Champ team! At noon I walked the 100 meters from our hotel room over to the race registration area to find out what the decision was about the race. Gregg Cross, the race director, told me that because of the current bad weather he postponed the start of the 5K until 3:30pm. What else was there to do but head back to the hotel and rest for a few more hours.
At race time, it was still a little drizzly and the storm was still in the area, but the race started. Women started about 5 minutes after the men on the 2 lap course in the Gulf of Mexico. Everything was going as planned, I was in the lead from the start, creating a large gap before the next women and Dustin was up front with the guys taking the fastest line to each buoy.
The rain was starting to come down a bit harder, but it wasn't affecting any of us in the water. Unfortunately, the people on shore, the race director, and the safety patrol did not have the same feelings. As I rounded the 5th buoy to start the 2nd lap, I was stopped and told that the race was canceled and everyone was being pulled from the course because of the weather.
BUMMER! I made a big argument that the men's leader (Dustin) and the women's leader (me) had completed half the course and according to what they told us in the pre race meeting, the results should have been decided right there. Well, the decision was made that the race would be RE-swam the next day at 1pm! That screwed up DBS's entire plans because all the boys had to get home and couldn't do the reswim! I was mad about the time because the race would go from 1-2pm and then the 1mile dash for cash was starting at 5:30pm (that's a lot of swimming for me in one day!:)
Well, another night passed and the morning was totally different. It was clear and calm on Saturday morning...should have had the 5k at 8am instead of waiting for the weather to roll in after noon! We all kept our fingers crossed and headed down for the race start at 1pm. This time the weather stayed on our side and we were able to get the whole race completed. Fortunately, I was also in the lead the whole time and I finally got my USA Swimming National Championship that I have always wanted!! It was a bit of a sprint to the finish with the Canadian girls who came to the race...but a sprint is fine with me (it means I didn't use any more energy than I had to in the race:) Spent an hour after the race doing all the drug test stuff...then went back to the hotel room to get some rest for the most important race of the weekend (the paycheck race!)
The 1 Mile Dash for Cash started all the pros in an early wave so there were only about 15 of us on the line (there was about 100 swimmers who would start the race right behind us though!) I hung on to Chris Thompson and Ricky Monisterio's feet with all my might (just like the Tiburon Mile) and I was able to put a lot of time on all the other girls in the race and finish first...$1500 paycheck!
Early to bed that night...it was easy to sleep (I haven't done that much swimming in one day for a LONG time:). Early to rise...the 10K started at 8am! Sunday morning was just like Saturday, calm and clear. The race was a lot of fun...Erica Rose (25K Champion) and I swam the race together with one of the Canadian swimmers. This was 4 laps on the same course as the 5K so we swam 2 laps easy and then dropped the hammer at the half way point to drop any other girls who were still near us. The final lap was down to just the 3 of us and I made my final surge with about 400 meters to go and earned my second USA Swimming National Championship of the weekend!!
Winning both the 5K & the 10K put me on the World Championship team for both events. Erica is also on the team to swim the 10K & 25K. Scott Kauffman (Gator Teammate) will be joining us in Montreal for the 5K along with John Kenny and Sean Seaver (some teammates from the last World Champs).
I would say that the weekend in Ft. Myers was a success...I hated to say 'goodbye' to my family because it was the last time I will see them for most of the year...but it was time to head off to the next race...on the other side of the country!! Escape from Alcatraz report in the next blog!

Home again, home again!

Oh, by the way, I'm chillin' at the farm in DeLand right now...surprise! I've been home for a few days, hanging out with the family, and training in the humidity!
Long story (yep, you're gonna get the whole thing, not just the short version:) When we got back to the OTC in Colorado Springs after the race in Tempe...I emptied my bags, did some laundry, and started packing again. I did some light training during the first few days of the week. Nothing too strenuous or long...it was a recovery week and I my body need serious recovery after the meltdown in Tempe.
On Thursday morning I did a 2 hour bike ride on my own while the rest of my team was at swim practice. It was the last time I would get to ride my bike for a few days (and the LAST thing I need is extra swimming:). I had a beautiful ride up Gold Camp road. It is a long climb, but not very steep, and the view that you get at the top is amazing!
Around 11am, I hopped in the shuttle and headed to the airport. Fortunately, my flight was from COS to Chicago so I did not have to fear another experience on the HOT plane (read 'Tempe Pre Race blog if you don't know what I'm talking about:). The flight was uneventful, as was my connection from Chicago to Ft. Myers, Florida which got me there around 10pm.
What am I doing in Ft. Myers, you might be wondering. It's on the opposite side of the state from where my family is...and a good 5 hour drive! Well, I was flown in by USA Swimming to be the National Team Athlete at the Southern Regional Distance Swimming Camp. The camp went from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. But first, I was picked up by the Kennedy family...parents of my totally awesome Gator teammate Katie Kennedy...who live in Ft. Myers. I stayed in Katie's room for the night before the camp started the next day at the local college. Thanks Kennedys for you hospitality!!
On Friday morning I slept in really late...woke up around 10:30am and attempted a jog around the neighborhood. Bad Idea! Florida is HOT and HUMID...running at 10:30 was not wise! I was thirsty before I got around the corner of their subdivision:) After guzzling some water and showering, I got a ride to the Florida Gold Coast University campus and checked into my dorm room for the weekend. No surprise at the 'distance camp' that we were in the water at 5pm cranking out some yardage (meterage actually because we were in a really nice LCM pool). I think we put in 6500m in under 2 hours! These kids were all high school or younger...but they reminded me of, well, me at their age...little wind up toys in the pool!
Saturday morning was another solid swim practice (after I did a little jogging in the EARLY morning) of about 7500m. After lunch I gave a little talk to the campers about my life story, school, swimming, triathlons, open water, teammates, etc. Then, for afternoon practice, we headed to the beach (Gulf of Mexico) to do an Open Water training session. It was a lot of fun and I was able to swim in the exact place that I will be racing in soon (more on that in the future). The water was not too warm, but definitely the Gulf in the summer. I got used to the small, choppy waves that will be happening in the afternoon races.
I'm 3 swim practices into this camp and I will easily admit that I was DYING! That was already more swimming in 1 1/2 days than I normally do in 1 week now. Things were hurting and throbbing all over! But that's not the end of the story...Sunday morning practice was a big warm up, 3000m for time, and big warm down (7100m+)!! 3000 for time...yikes! I almost got my butt kicked by this 14 year old phenom girl...but I swam a 35:10 and had 30 seconds on her at the finish! I was pretty pleased with that time...it's holding an average of 1:10s...Unfortunately, I know that I was doing 33 minute 3000s when I was at UF...but that was then and this is now:)
I really don't think I could have survived another practice with the camp...good news is that I didn't have to find out because my Dad borrowed a friend's plane and flew to a small airport in Ft. Myers where I was waiting! It was sooo much fun to be flying with Dad...and so much fun to be going home for a few days! So that is where I am now...hanging out with the family...training on my old bike...swimming with Daytona Beach Speed...taking care of my pet bird Angel...eating homemade ice cream!!
But the fun times are short lived...I am all packed up again and counting down the last few minutes before we pile into the car and start driving back to Ft. Myers. The schedule of racing this weekend looks like this: Friday @ 1pm: 5K open water nationals; Saturday @ 5:30pm: 1 mile open water Dash for Cash; Sunday @ 8am: 10K open water nationals. I will be competing in all 3 events (the only thing I am not doing is the 25K nationals...I think they swam that today) and I hope to make the World Championship team to compete in Montreal! More info on the weekend of events here: http://www.usa-openwaterswim.com/.

This is just an example of the HILLARIOUS (and scary) photos at The Oops List. Check them out: http://www.micom.net/oops/

(Another example from The Oops List)

Last one I give you for free...if you want to laugh more, click here: http://www.micom.net/oops/