Success is not a Staircase

It is hard to believe sometimes that my husband Derick and I have been coaching athletes for 6-8 years now. I believe that the ability to ‘learn to coach’ is not dissimilar to anything else in life. You may have the appropriate tools (a physiology-based education, experience as an athlete) yet it is the accumulation of years of working with people, learning how to interact, learning that every person is different, and figuring out how various people respond to training that allow you to offer the best possible guidance for each individual who comes your way.

I have also learned a lot through the years about ‘expectations’. Some people come to us with very specific goals in mind and likewise, they expect that they should reach these goals (understandably so). Others may approach a coach simply looking to improve their current fitness and in the back of their mind, they have goals that they would like to address in a year or two. No certain approach is necessarily better than the other, as it all comes down to your personal ideals. One thing however is certain. Everyone who comes to a coach is looking to be successful, in his or her own way. Maybe that means winning their age group at a key event, or maybe it means improving a time, or eventually qualifying for a certain event. Maybe success is simply finishing their first marathon. I have found that some people think this success can happen in a certain time frame; as if it is an equation. What I am here to tell you is, there is no given time frame for success, and the road to it is not a stair-step climb.

Improvements as an athlete are made through the very basic principles that we have all heard numerous times before: consistency, dedication, hard work, following a plan, and patience (to name a few). You must sketch out some sort of a plan which includes where you currently are, and where you would like to go. This entails a ‘road map’ of sorts. Whether it is you individually or a coach doing it, this is a necessity if you would like to get from point A to point B. You must then figure out what needs to be done to get you there (ie: the training plan) and this needs to be implemented and followed as consistently as possible. There will be road blocks along the way (family obligations, unexpected injuries, small setbacks) but this is all part of the process. You manage the small road blocks, you take them in stride and you stay on track as best as possible. You find that you have good days and bad days; some days, the dedication part is easy. You feel great, you nail the workout and you know that the plan is working; you believe in the plan. You believe that success is just around the corner. Life is good on these days; but these days are only made so great by those that counter them, the tough days… when you may not hit the training, when your body is not giving you what you need from it, and when it does not come easily. These are the days that test our patience, make us ask ‘why am I doing this’, and often may make you want to just throw in the towel. Again all part of the process, and if you do not have these days, then you have not been at it long enough, and I guarantee you, you will.

As much as we would love to buy into the philosophy that ‘doing everything right’ will lead to ‘success’, this simply not the case. If it were this easy, then realistically speaking, we would all be world champions if we stuck to the plan for a long enough period of time. This is where talent, reality and of course patience come into the equation. The reality of it is, if you work hard and stick to your plan, you will likely improve; if you get to the point where you can train a bit faster, you will likely in turn race a bit faster. Goal accomplished! But along the way, there will be setbacks (damn that word is back!). You’ll get faster; then you may have a mediocre race. You may have a mediocre year. You stick it out, you figure out what may not be working, you assure that this is what you WANT to be doing, and you carry on. You look at various factors, you try to utilize all the possible tools around you, and you push forward. The overall profile will likely be something to the effect of (we hope) up/up/down, up/up/down, up/up/down… repeat. Rather than our profile of success looking like a staircase, it may more realistically look like many small staircases lined up; and of course, there will be times when our road to success may involve some valleys.

But getting through the valleys are what makes us able to rise up again towards the end goal; it is hitting the bottom and finding it within yourself to climb back out that will elicit success. Nobody, not even the best athletes out there, experience a road to success without some low points along the way. And the overall journey? It is just as tough for the strongest of athletes as it is for those who may never win their age group… we all work hard, we all push through, and we all have to keep our eyes set on the end goal, having faith that we will get there, though we cannot unfortunately predict the time frame. That is the exciting part. Put in the work, keep your head down, keep your eyes firmly focused down the road, and one day, when you may least expect it, that is when it all comes together; and the moment is made truly special from the mountainous journey you took to get there.

The Final Mile

It happens when nobody is watching. It's just you, your thoughts, and that one final mile. Nobody is holding you accountable. Nobody is there to cheer you on. Nobody is there to encourage you. Nobody is watching. Twitter doesn't care. Facebook doesn't care. Some forum post doesn't care. These people don't know you anyway. What matters is you, right now, and you're the only one who knows it. You're the only one who knows what you have done; what you can do.

It's staring you in the face; it's saying "I am going to break you", and you're saying "Hell no you're not." You are 95% there, but that last 5% takes everything you have. It all comes down to this. 95% won't get you anything in the end; stopping at 95% makes you a quitter. The job isn't done, and the thought of giving up makes you sick to your stomach.



You know you have saved up a little bit, but is it enough? Is it enough to kick it up a notch for the final effort? This is when it all happens. This is when it truly matters. The rest of it is important, but this is the crux of it all. This is when everyone else breaks. This is when most let it all get to them. Those thoughts you have been dreading start creeping into your head. "I can't finish this. There's no way I can go any faster. Oh shit, this hurts so bad. I can't breathe. Make it end. Make it stop." The pain you've been staving off and denying starts to accumulate and your legs hurt, your breathing hurts, your head hurts. You're hot, you're uncomfortable, and you're doing this to yourself. Why? What for? And while physically you are about to break, physically you may start to crack, it all comes down to your head. What will you do to combat those thoughts? What will you throw back at them?

"You have another gear."
"Final mile. You can do anything for a mile."
"This is when it counts. This is when all others give up."
"Anything's possible. Faster is possible."
"You can do more than you would ever believe."
"Fuck you, pain. Not gonna break me."
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. Only 12 minutes. Only 6 minutes. Only 1 mile."
"You can always go further. You can always go a little harder."
"Don't give up. DON'T QUIT."

And you finish. It does end. You did go faster. Maybe not much, but you hung with it. You went faster than you expected; how did that happen? It feels so good to be done, everything still hurts, but damn, it feels good that you didn't give up. You finished. Today, you are a little better than you were yesterday.

Boulder 70.3

The quick and dirty on Boulder 70.3! (As quick as I can possibly make it...which may be a contradiction in terms).

This race was a bit of a last minute decision (well, seeing that I am a planner, last minute being probably 6 weeks ago that I decided on it). Derick, myself and Amico have been hiding out for about 3 weeks now in Salida, Colorado; a nice little mountain town of about 5,000 people and at about 7,000 feet of elevation. My original plan was to race Steelhead 70.3 on August 14th, but seeing that Boulder was just one week prior and it was only a 3 hr drive from Salida (and ~1500 feet lower in altitude), I figured why not give it a go. Minimal travel is always a plus when considering where to race. Plus, I had not raced this event since 2006 when it was "5430" and when I truly still sucked on a bike.


Photo by RandySadler.com
(Why am I smiling? I wished the ladies 'good luck'. Someone said 'have fun'. We all laughed, and I said "Yah right... we all know that is such a load of shit!" ...in all honesty, I figure a smile or a laugh if even forced before the gun relaxes me a bit!)

I went into this event not fully 'rested', but at the same time, definitely not 'tired'. I don't think it's so smart to go into any race of this distance fully tired, especially in the back half of a season. So we headed to Boulder on Friday for the Sunday race, and I took a few light days including a rest day going into it. Weather was awesome on race morning, and while it was predicted to be 'hot', it turned out to be very comfortable for me. The women kicked off right at 6:33, 3 minutes behind the pro men.

Swim was wetsuit-legal, so I opted for my Zoot sleeveless Fuzion. I knew I could be solo'ing this swim, but luckily the course was beautifully marked and very easy to sight; thank you to the race staff for not making us swim into the sun! I took it out hard knowing that I needed to create as much of a gap as I could on the other ladies for the bike, notably on Angela. The first few hundred yards felt good but I could feel my breathing a bit shallow given the altitude, so I tried to dial it back a touch by the time I took the first turn. I relaxed yet tried to keep my pace strong, not knowing where the other ladies were, and exited the water in 26:12, with a good 2-minute lead.


Photo by RandySadler.com



I transitioned onto my pink camo QRCD0.1 equipped with my badass Reynolds RZR 92's to the rolling yet fairly fast bike course. I loved the first 6-10 miles which were kind of a false flat, and I tried to push my intensity a fair bit to keep a lead. Unfortunately I was passed about 15ish miles into the bike by Angela, which was much earlier than I would have liked to see her! She blew by me and at first it angered me to see her so quickly, then I said, "Keep her in sight." That was a good plan yet it only lasted for a few more miles. I let it go yet tried to keep on the pace I knew was the best I could sustain. Coming onto the second loop, I actually felt just as strong, taking my PowerBar gels consistently (about 7 of them on the bike) which kept my energy levels up. When we did the final short out and back at about mile 45-50, I could see that I had maintained a gap the the other women, which I felt good about. But I needed to worry more about the 6 or so minutes that I had to make up coming into T2! As with Ironman Texas and Buffalo Springs, I intentionally dialed back my intensity just a bit the final 2-3 miles of the bike to loosen up the legs for the run. A 2:23 bike split lost me some time, but overall it was a solid effort and honestly all I had in me on the day; onto the run. Nothing I could do now about the gap but try to close it.


Photo by RandySadler.com



I transitioned and was out on a mission. I often don't mind a gap (on the flip side, I love it because it means there is a race ahead of me that I need to become a part of!) but 6 minutes was fairly hefty. The Zoot pink Ultra TT's were on and I was out of there as quickly as possible. The running legs felt great, and in that first mile I said to myself "OK, 6 minutes. If you can run 30 seconds each mile into her, you can close the gap." I am always up for a challenge, and I felt strong but tried to run smart. The quads felt like they could cramp up. I was really running in no-man's-land as I could not see her up ahead of me at any point on the 2-loop, dirt road run course. I just focused on each mile, taking a PowerGel every 3 miles, and running strong. At the halfway point, I heard a few people tell me "4 minutes back." NO GOOD KELLY! THAT AIN'T GONNA CUT IT! To be honest, it pissed me off! I said to Derick when I passed him at mile 6, "I can't run any faster!" I then came through transition right after seeing D and the announcer said, "Kelly has about a 4 min gap to Angela, and is running about the same pace!" and THAT made me angry! ha! I knew she was running very strong, but I thought about what I had said to Derick and told myself "Now or never, blow up or try to win it. Period. You CAN run faster." When I hit mile 7, I notably picked up my pace and the craziest part was, I had another gear! It was pretty cool and a bit surprising. I felt stronger and stronger as I went and I eventually was able to close the gap to just over 2 minutes, but I knew with about 2 miles to go that this was Angela's race to win; that said, I pushed my pace to the limit all the way until the finish line. That's just the way I like to race; I may not win, but I'll challenge myself as much as possible; and you never know what could happen up ahead.

I was able to finish with a 1:21.10 run split, and actually negative split it, which is something I was very proud of. Total time was 4:12, and she was a 4:10; Angela is a very solid athlete and she has put in her time at this distance! That said I was pleased with 2nd on the day. You cannot control what others do; this was her day, and the competition pushed me to a close to PR overall time on a solid course at altitude nonetheless. Also a shout out to Joe Gambles, overall men's winner who had a stellar day out there; seems hometown advantage worked for both of them! I see this as a good sign of where things are, and it gets me excited for the final training block for the big one in Kona on October 8th.

I feel very fortunate to have put together thus far a solid and consistent season. I felt a bit of anxiety the week before Boulder as the pressure could mount up, if I let it... I will admit it would be easy to let it. But, as with anything else in life, I knew all I could do was go in there and once the gun went off, race my race to the best of my ability. There is never a question of if I will leave it all out there; and when I knew that I was losing minutes to Angela, I had to focus on myself, my bike, and my race. Yet another good lesson in controlling what we can control and letting go of the rest; and despite maybe a large gap, believing that a win is possible; it may or may not happen but I'll know that I gave it my best go.

A big shout out to my amazing support team: Zoot, Quintana Roo, PowerBar, Reynolds, Recovery Pump, ISM, Road ID, Katalyst Multisport, Durata Training, Jack & Adams, Oakley, Xcis, Hill Country Running, Advanced Rehab, Go with the Flo & 3 Cosas. The next order of business is a few more weeks in Salida then we'll mosey on back to the oven (Austin) for final Kona prep. Unfortunately, I'll not be at Vegas 70.3 Worlds; it was a very tough decision to make but I just don't think that one is a smart race for my overall plan. I may toss in one more low-key race, but we'll see how the coming weeks pan out.

...and this is where we get to retreat to for two more weeks!...



Thanks for reading & be safe out there,
Kelly

Muncie 70.3 : Controlling the Controllables

Muncie 70.3 - The site of my first half ironman distance race back in 2004, The Muncie Endurathon. That one played out something like this. I lost all my nutrition on my bike (one gel flask) but was too frazzled to stop and get it. Some random guy on a cruiser (not racing) kept passing me on the bike (I could not shake him), laughing; I yelled at him to stay away from me so that I would not get a drafting penalty (as if they would have cared where I was... far, far behind...). My dad yelled out to me when I racked my bike "Kelly, where you been?" and laughed loudly to which I replied "Shut UP, DAD!". And to finish it off, Derick caught me with about 100 meters to go. He started 30 minutes behind me. I was not happy about that. Our parents all thought we had 'planned it'. No, I told them, we didn't plan it.

So coming into it this year, I figured it couldn't be much worse than the last time. In all honesty, I was hesitant to race this since I had come back from Ironman Texas strong at Buffalo Springs just 2 weeks prior. I knew I did not need to race for points, and I am at the point where it is about time to do the big build for Ironman Hawaii. But, I had been planning on this race, and I like to try to stick to my plan as much as possible; race BSLT 70.3, recover, do a few big training days, race again, relax in Indiana then head out to Colorado. I was very laid back going into this, which I think is a good thing; the question I had was if I could snap into 'race mode' on the morning of the event! As usual, that was not hard to do. It was very cool to arrive to Prarie Creek Reservoir early on Saturday morning; driving through the cornfields with my parents to get there, it really felt like 'home' to me and I could feel the excitement starting to build.

I'll just get right to the race details. The swim was a nicely marked course, a simple rectangle, in a calm, clear lake; non-wetsuit which made it perfect. We had many strong swimmers assembled! So, I knew there would be a pack of at least 3-4 of us; more if people snuck in behind. We were off right at 8:03 AM, and I felt amazing on the way out; myself and Tenille led the pack. We made the turn back in and I fell to the back of the pack and suddenly thought "I'm tired, this feels hard." Not good! But, I told myself to snap out of it and keep on moving. We were swimming directly into the sun, so I was not entirely sure we were heading right to the finish; which we weren't, we were far left. We all moved over at the end and exited, heading into T1.



I ran quickly to my bike, knowing that the 3 ladies with me were ALL strong cyclists. I needed every second I could get. Needless to say, I ran out with my pink camo QRCD0.1 equipped with my Reynolds RZR 92's but was quickly in 4th place. It was all good, I expected this and just tried to find my groove. Leanda seemed to just drift off into the distance, quicker than I would have liked! But again, I just kept my head down and did my thing. I was passed by a few ladies, putting me into 6th place by the time the bike ended. I had a few thoughts out there. About 5 or 10 miles in, I thought, "This was not a good idea. This hurts. I should not have raced this weekend." Soon after I thought this, Margaret Shapiro passed me and something good happened; I was able to keep her in my sights for quite awhile. Margie is a strong cyclist, so I told myself this was a positive, my power was good, and just keep on keepin' on. You won't always feel great and you won't always be in the lead. That is racing; you give it what you've got on the day. I was happy to be out there racing and without getting too introspective, it was a pretty awesome feeling to be out there cruising along so much stronger than I was 7 years ago on these same roads. On the flip side, the run could not come soon enough for me on this pancake flat course! I did not want to lose any more time on the bike.

And the run did come, and my dad did not yell at me this time; though, he could of. I thought I was at least 8th place, but I later found out I was in 6th. I flew through T2 knowing that I had no time to spare if I wanted any chance of getting back into the mix. Zoot visor and Ultra TT4.0's on, PowerGel's in hand and I was outta there. A friend told me right out of transition that I was 8 minutes back, to which I replied "9?" and he said, "8", and I said, "shit". (I wonder if he and all the others heard that?!) I figured I had my work cut out for me, and a podium would be good!

I headed out on the winding, rolling out and back course. We were told we ran 'around the reservoir', but I recall thinking out there that we could not actually see the reservoir, which was kind of a bummer. Anyhoo, back to the run. I was able to slowly pass a few women, and by the turnaround, I had worked my way into 3rd. I was feeling very strong and loving this run course; definitely challenging, especially compared to the bike. By the time I hit mile 11, I could see many age groupers heading out on the run course the opposite direction. It was cool to hear quite a few yelling my name, but the stressful part was they were all saying "You can catch her!" It was stressful because I could not see 'her'! So I knew that I still had to stay on the gas, hoping I could reel someone else in before the finish.



I finally hit mile 12 and I could barely see the lead bike ahead of me, which meant that was 2nd place (there was a lead bike for both
1st and 2nd woman). When I hit the mile 12 marker, I started my watch as a motivator to try to run a very fast final mile! I started pretty much sprinting as fast as I could, which is quite painful after 4+ hours of racing. As we crested the hill just past mile 13, I finally passed Leanda (I am sorry, I know that is so mean... but as we all know, it's racing and I am usually on the receiving end of this one!) and took a left turn down a long gravel hill to the finish.

On the final stretch, I saw this:





which was so awesome! My parents, sisters, Derick's parents, nephews and niece were all right there cheering. I was afraid Leanda may answer back, so I moved right along to the finish, sprinting all the way; and stoked that I had redeemed myself to finish 2nd in a PR on the distance of 4:12! A good day without a doubt.

At first, all I could think was "WHO was the girl who won?" as I believe many others were too. Turns out, Melissa Rollison is one legit athlete! She was an Olympic level steeplechaser, and she is an amazing runner who has also seemed to pick up the bike much easier than some of us... :) But I knew that I had put together a very strong effort, within myself. Being the competitor I am, I of course was a little disappointed to find out she had also out run me! But again... how do we all get better? The bar gets raised, and she set it high today, by putting up a time of 4:08; it made me run very hard in turn to try to catch her. I found it a bit humorous to see that a few media outlets had mentioned what a 'slow bike' I had, and how I must have been having an 'off day'. I literally laughed at this. I knew I would give up some time on the bike, and I did the absolute best I could do; I truly could not have biked any faster out there. That said, I ran like hell to get back into the mix and that I did! So it's all good. I love to race! And this was the epitome of racing, being forced to push it until the very end. I could sit here and be upset that I was 2nd to a girl who I never expected to be so far ahead. But in reality, we cannot control what others do, in any situation; all we can control is what we do and how we react to the given situation. When looking at it from this perspective, I am all the more proud of how this race turned out.

A huge thanks to my sponsors, Zoot, PowerBar, Quintana Roo, Reynolds Cycling, Recovery Pump, Katalyst Multisport, Road ID, ISM Saddles, Jack & Adams, Xcis Software, Oakley, Giro, Hill Country Running, Advanced Rehab, Go with the Flo Acupuncture, and 3 Cosas.
It was so special to be able to have my entire family at this race! The only person missing was Derick, but he is off in Colorado preparing for our upcoming camp. Next up is a few weeks out west to enjoy some cooler weather, big mountains to ride up, and the Arkansas River for the pup to play in every day; accompanied by a big training block to prepare for Kona!

Thanks for reading & be safe out there,
Kelly


~Post race hanging out at 'The Cabin'~


~Fireworks over Cordry Sweetwater Lakes~

Buffalo Springs 70.3 - 5th Time's a Charm

(This is my one lone photo... if you have any please send my way!)

Why have I always loved Buffalo Springs Lake triathlon? Gotta start simply with the race director, Mike Greer, who just sets the tone for the event. I dug into some Slowtwitch forums to get a few quotes directly from the man himself, on his pride and joy, this course...

1. "But, here are the elements that make Buffalo Springs a challenge...There is always a wind, normal 10-15 but can be much greater. Normal prevailing wind is SW, but if it comes from the NE the course changes complexion like Angelina Jolie without makeup."

2. "It was also mentioned that we had changed the bike course and had taken one of the hills out(the hairpin called "Golf Course Hill") of the course. While it is true that this is being done in 2011, please be assured it is only temporary for this year. Also, it is not being done to make the course easier, heaven forbid that any race director would do that."

3. "Again, the comments have been appreciated very much, especially comments like, 'This race has no hype, not a WTC corporate love fest, and no flash. It is a real racing, like it should be. It's a great race.' In my pre-race meeting my way of saying basically the same thing is, "Thanks for coming to Lubbock to race an old school race course. This is not Starbucks racing and never will be, hitch up your saddles and get ready for a challenge!"

In my own words, not quite as eloquent or entertaining, it is an honest, hard, grassroots kind of course that always brings tough elements; and it has character. I raced here in '06, '07, '08, '09 and finally 2011; my placing went 8th, 6th, 4th, 2nd and finally 1st. I am nothing if not persistent!

I have to say despite loving this course, I was having a tough time finding my race mojo going into it. It was 5 weeks post-Ironman Texas. Those 5 weeks entailed 1 week of hobbling around, 1 week of very light training, 2 weeks of trying to snap back into it (harder weeks), and 1 week of a few days of quality followed by a few days of rest. I had some good workouts, and I had some crap ones. Exactly a week out, I planned a 4.5 hour ride, yet fatigue from having raced a 'fun' 5K two days prior and the extreme heat in Austin forced me to whittle it down to 3.5 hours. I know it doesn't sound like much of an alteration in training, but it definitely made me question my 'coming back to normal' from the smash-fest 5 weeks prior.

Needless to say, Derick was racing his first half Ironman in 2 years, and I have always loved this event, so I tried to not let this get to me and just carry on as normal, hoping I'd 'snap to' when the gun went off. Here's how it all went down.

The swim was wetsuit-legal, which is still ludicrous in my opinion that professionals are expected to need wetsuits in 76-degree water; but I have tried to get over that lame fact and just focus on racing; it's just negative energy wasted if I get worked up over it. I opted of course for my sleeveless Zoot suit, the Fuzion, and it felt great. The group of 15 or so women started to Mike's "Set, Go!" right at about 6:30, 2 minutes behind the men. We took off and I had to fight a bit to the first buoy to find a good position; the first buoy which was of course added so that the pro's would not run down the beach for the first 200 meters. I was able to find some clean water by the second turn buoy and swim pretty much solo (just how I like it!) for the remainder of the swim, exiting in 24:01. It was a nice surprise to see later when looking at the results, that was the fastest time overall for pro men and women; which was quite a shocker! Not sure I've ever done THAT before. Thank you Whitney & all of my UT Masters swim buddies! Onto the bike.

I tried to hit the bike hard from the start, as we had a few good climbs out of the park. I love this course because of the hills. At one point, I looked down at my SRM and almost went off the road. Actually I did go off the road, but I caught myself. This was about 5 miles in; I didn't look at the SRM much the remaining 50 miles. I was pushing hard, and trying not to think who was behind me and when they may catch me. I was passed by Margaret Shapiro maybe 10, 15 miles in, but then she proceeded to ride off course a few miles later. Which totally sucked for her, but knowing how strong she is, I have to say I was a little happy; and I say that in the most respectful sense to Margaret! We did a short out and back section, and I saw Jess Meyers and Amanda Lovato both barreling down on me; which forced me to stay on the gas. I felt strong, but not stellar. The winds were out of control; just unrelenting. I was riding my Reynolds RZR 92 rear and the morning of, I switched out to my 46 front just to be safe; I was glad I did, though I think I would have been fine with the 92 front, this was probably a bit safer given the big descents and insane crosswinds. I continued to try to push the intensity, up and down the stairstep climb, maintaining the lead but I feared not by much. We hit the homestretch before we turned into the park when the inevitable happened, Jess Meyers passed me. I told her great job and joked that now I could ride her ass. :) I really like Jess and she has paid her dues and is just a good person. It was awesome to see her racing so well. We then hit mile 50, at which point I said, "Are you f'ing kidding me?!" thinking we were much further along than that. We were coming into a headwind the final 5-6 miles; for some reason I expected a tailwind (I've never been much good at navigation) so that came as an unpleasant shock.

When we finally turned into the park, I dialed my intensity back significantly; much like I did at Ironman Texas the final 5-10 miles. I wanted to assure that my legs had something left for the run. In transition, I was told that I was about 1 minute behind the leader. I think Jess picked it up when I dialed it back! But I tried to be patient. The first couple of miles are winding and a little undulating; and of course, it was windy. At one point I lost my Zoot visor, as it flew off my head. I ran back to get it quickly, not wanting to run with the sun in my face for 13 miles. (It again committed visor suicide at mile 5; when I decided best to just let it go). I was able to pass Jessica at about mile 2. I pushed on out of the park, up and down the huge hills before the turnaround, and finally made the halfway turn at mile 6.5. The real treat was turning back in with a strong tailwind! I tried to pick up the pace then, as I had been keeping the first half very controlled, not wanting to blow up. I saw Derick on the out-stretch here and when he yelled for me, I yelled back "Come and catch me!" We have had an on-going joke about us competing at this race. (Unfortunately for D, I won today... more on that later). I broke the course into sections coming back in; first the hills, then the park. Mentally this helped a bit; the hills made up about 1 mile, and the park was the final 3 miles. I honestly never consider a race 'in the bag' until I can see the finish line, and here, the treat is that you cannot see it until you are upon it. I knew I had a lead, but knowing ANYTHING can happen, I knew it was not a 'win' until I had actually crossed the line. Soon enough came the finish & I was able to cross in 4:26, with a 1:24 run and a huge PR on this course. It was a great feeling to have finally tackled this course and come out on top!

Then came the waiting game. I figured D would be maybe 5-10 minutes behind me. I waited, and waited. And waited. A few friends crossed the next 30 minutes, whom I asked about him. It was not until about 1 hour later they started saying "I saw him, he's fine! Just walking. Spirits are good." So I walked on out a bit and found him, just walking along... talking to people. He went on to tell me that he kind of blew at mile 6 at which point he decided to take his time; even stopping to talk to our friend Lon, the PowerBar rep, and sit down in the shade with him for 15 minutes! Love it. His consensus was two-fold: 1) the best way to improve in a half-ironman is probably not to do one every two years, and 2)that he is cursed on this course! But it was fun to have him out there racing with me, and he was glad he got out and did it (but even more glad when it was over). On the flip side, it was a little less exciting when I didn't have someone at the finish line to share the excitement with!

I have to give a huge thanks to Mike and Marti Greer, who truly make this course what it is and have done so for 20+ years. Additionally a huge thanks to my amazing support team, Zoot Sports, PowerBar, Quintana Roo, Reynolds, Recovery Pump, Road ID, ISM, Katalyst Multisport, Jack & Adams, Hill Country Running, Durata Training, Xcis, Oakley, Advanced Rehab, 3 Cosas and Go with the Flo. I was a bit unsure of how this one would play out, but it seemed the harder the race became as it progressed, the more excited I was to be back out there competing and the better I felt. I still love this distance as the intensity is just about as hard as you can sustain without blowing up. More fun than an Ironman which seems to be a 'hold back your pace' kind of game. Luckily, I get to do a few more of these before October!

Next up: Muncie 70.3 in just 1.5 weeks. Back home again in Indiana!
Thanks so much for reading & be safe out there,

Kelly

Ironman Texas: When it All Comes Together

*Photo courtesy of Courtney Livingston/Training Peaks*

If there is one thing I have learned after 10 years of racing triathlon, it is that on the days when it all comes together and it just feels like you are along for the ride, we have to appreciate and savor it. I feel fortunate to say that Saturday at Ironman Texas, it seemed to be one of those days. Not that it was easy, but it felt like despite some ups and downs going into the event, everything came together and I could not have been more pleased with the outcome.

I have to start by saying that going into the event, I was dealing with some 'head issues' on the bike. Not that training wasn't going well, but I just knew that this was the one area of the three disciplines where I was a bit unsure of myself. As the race drew closer, I kept thinking how really FAR 112 miles is... not good! Maybe due to some mediocre bike splits at the past couple of races, maybe because my long rides the power numbers were not quite what I had wanted to see (training with power has its ups and downs!). I gave myself up until race week (the Monday prior to the event) to deal with my insecurities; and I tried my hardest once I was 5 days out to relax and focus on the positives. I was healthy (despite almost 2 weeks off, unplanned, after Galveston), I felt strong swimming and running, and most of all, I had the unique opportunity to get to race a huge Ironman event in what has become my 'home state' of Texas, a mere 3 hours from our home in Austin. I never thought I would say it having lived in Colorado, but I have come to have a bit of Texas pride and I was stoked at the chance to get to race in the conditions I was used to, knowing there would be awesome support from friends. I also liked that it seemed few eyes were on me for the event; I prefer to go into big races keeping a very low profile.


*Photo courtesy of Courtney Livingston/Training Peaks*

Derick and I made the big 3 hour trek into The Woodlands on Wednesday, arriving to our hotel and settling in. I did a short trainer spin that evening in the hotel room, and we hit up dinner at BJ's Brewhouse, where we would end up eating for the next 3 nights in a row. I tend to lose my appetite going into a race like this with a big taper; activity levels are so low it seems my appetite is non-existent, but I know I need to eat. I am best off just doing something familiar and simple; hence, a brewhouse was perfect. :) Thursday entailed a full rest day, visiting with a few sponsors at the expo, the pro meeting and of course, more resting and more eating. Friday I went off of my 'usual' bike and run routine and opted for a swim and spin; it just sounded more enticing. I got into the swim venue for about 20 minutes and did a 20-30 min ride near our hotel. I definitely got my openers in, as I had 3 dog chases on the ride; might I add, I hit my maximal power output ever at 630W. I may have learned something because after these, I cruised along at race power and it felt effortless!


*Photo courtesy of Courtney Livingston/Training Peaks*

Race morning came quickly and before I knew it we were all treading water for the deep water, 6:50AM start in Lake Woodlands. Those few minutes before we go, I feel extremely nervous; if there is anything I 'hate' about racing, it is the night before and the morning of the event. I just want to get it started, because I know what to do once the gun goes off; it is controlling what is between your ears up until that point. We were off promptly at 6:50 and it was go time, finally!


*Photo courtesy of Courtney Livingston/Training Peaks*

In the swim, I knew that Dede Griesbauer was my girl, as we have swum together a few times and she and I seem to just have the same exact pacing and rhythm. She started further left than I did, as I always have a fear of getting boxed in, so I made a slightly longer line to the first turn buoy. I could see her to my left, but I tried to swim my own pace and about halfway through the swim, we finally met up. I fell in behind her feet and knowing that I wanted to push myself a bit on this swim, I tried to get around her to 'take a pull'. However it seemed she sighted so well that every time I tried to get around her, it was a lot of energy to take a line that was not spot on! So, I cruised along behind and beside Dede (thank you Dede!) until we entered the very narrow canal. When I could finally see the yellow finish buoys up ahead, I decided to make a small move to be the first one out of the water. I am fairly realistic in the sense that I don't often do this, knowing that it will not make or break a race, especially an Ironman. However, I knew that many women would be hunting me down on the bike, so I figured for my own confidence and the excitement of it, I would make the surge to exit first. It was pretty cool to hear the crowd and run into T1 winning!


*Photo courtesy of Aminator*

It was through the change tent and onto the long and lonely 112 mile ride, but I had my fancy pink camo QRCD0.1 along with my new Reynolds RZR 92's so I felt super confident in my setup; I just hoped the talked-about winds were not too strong. I settled into a rhythm and was of course passed by a few women in the first 5-10 miles of the bike. I immediately began taking my fuel, which over the course of the bike would consist of 3 gel flasks (4 Powergels each), 3 gels taped to my top tube, and 2 bottles of Powerbar endurance each with 2+ scoops per bottle (about 200 cal/bottle); ultimately 1900-2000 calories, along with salt tabs. I chugged along the scenic route and tried to just take it 10 miles at a time; and I made sure that after each 10 miles, I had consumed 'x' amount of nutrition. The plan worked well, as before I knew it I was nearing mile 90! I got a bit frustrated about 3/4 through the bike after having realized that I had probably been passed by about 10 women, but I tried to keep my head in the game and remember that it is a long day, and to be successful, you must race your own race; within your limits; and you cannot let what is going on ahead or behind you get to you. My body felt strong and I realized the final few miles that my bike split would be just over 5 hours, which for me, is FAST! I dialed back my power and effort quite a bit (ended up being apprx 10-15 Watts) the final 10 miles to prepare myself for the 26 miles left to run.


*Photo courtesy of Aminator*

The first thing I liked was that when I ran my bike into T2, my legs did not feel like total lead. Good sign. I transitioned quickly and threw on a fuel belt, which I had used in Kona, with one flask of 8 Powergels and of course my salt tabs. I tossed on my Oakleys, Zoot visor, and Zoot Kapilani's and was off. I started pretty moderately and tried to let my body find a rhythm, not forcing the pace. I forgot to start my watch so about 1 mile in, I started it to check my pacing. I was clicking off approximately 6:50 miles for a few miles, which I knew was a great place to be, but I tried to make sure that it 'felt easy'... which it did. I was actually trying to pull back the throttle just a bit, as I knew that at some point, it would get hard. About 4 miles into the run, I realized that the fuel belt was annoying the hell out of me. For some reason, it was bouncing a lot, which it did not do in Kona. So, I decided to ditch it, just taking out my gel flask and carrying it. Every 2 miles or so I would sip the flask and try to take salt occasionally. I came through the first loop feeling great; 1 hour down! Onto the next one. Lap two felt similar, still fairly strong, comfortable. Yet suddenly sometime between miles 16 and 18, it 'got hard' as I had predicted. I noticed my left quad starting to cramp up quite a bit. At this point, I flipped my watch to 'time' mode and stopped looking at my paces. I did not want a slip in pacing to get into my head. I knew I was still running strong, but I need to really take care of myself. By mile 20, I was definitely starting to hurt. It was here where I started taking a salt tab along with a Powergel every 2 miles, at least; that is 400 mg of sodium a pop! I was trying to really ward off any cramps. The exact words I said to myself at mile 21 were these. "This hurts really bad and I may need to walk. You know if you walk, you are risking your finish spot. You are in 3rd. Just HOLD THIS. You can dial it back a bit, but do not blow up. You have 5 miles to go. If you run 8 min pace, that is 40 minutes. You can do anything for 40 minutes. Take 40 min of hell to assure that you don't have to put yourself through this kind of pain again for 5 more months. You do NOT want to have to do another one of these for as long as possible." :)


*Photo courtesy of Courtney Livingston/Training Peaks*

The mantras continued, the nutrition continued, and before I knew it I was nearing mile 23 which was by the crowds and the canal; a very good place to be when the body was hurting. I knew nothing was assured until I crossed the finish line, so despite all of the amazing cheers and spectators, I kept my head down, my turnover up and my upper body relaxed. I tried to stay in the moment, focusing on just seeing that next mile marker sign. It was not until Mile 25 when I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I had moved into 2nd place and this was going to be my day; to me, this was just as good as a win.

The finish chute was amazing; hard to describe. A huge crowd, many cheering my name, and the realization that I was about to secure a huge PR and the highly sought after ability to return to Kona. I didn't cry like I figured I may have; I think I was too tired; but I don't think I could have smiled much bigger or felt much happier. I raised my hands in success and relief, and crossed the line in 9 hrs 7 minutes, which turned out to be a best time by almost 30 minutes.

I definitely learned a few lessons from this race.
1: Things have an odd way of 'happening for a reason' and unplanned events can often be a blessing in disguise. I had to take almost 2 weeks entirely off from April 11-April 22. It was not ideal, and I highly questioned pulling out of this race. Once I was able to ease back into training, I tried to realize that there are things out of our control and we have to listen to our bodies; and, I had to trust all of the fitness I had gained up to that point.
2: Race your own race. Have a plan for yourself, especially for a race of this distance, and trust your plan. Have faith in your plan. Realize that what you do is independent of everyone else, and vice versa. Control your emotions; this can be one of your greatest advantages in a long event such as this.
3: Don't limit the possiblities. One of my biggest limiters used to be that I was afraid of succeeding too much. I would get in a position to win, get anxious and excited, and blow it. Over many years, I finally came to terms with the fact that "I could win." Know that your potential is far greater than even you realize; and on the day when it all starts to come together, do not question it; own it.


*Photo courtesy of Aminator*

I have to thank the many people who have helped me get to this point in my career. I have an amazing network of sponsors, including Zoot Sports, Quintana Roo, PowerBar, Reynolds, Recovery Pump, Katalyst Multisport, Jack & Adams, Road ID, Xcis Software, ISM Saddles, Oakley, 3 Cosas Massage, Advanced Rehabilitation, Hill Country Running, and Go with the Flo Acupuncture. My husband Derick has been my training and especially running partner the past few months; he is like a metronome, and he has helped me really up my running game a notch; not to mention my belief in myself. I would also like to make mention of my new Honorary Fund for Multiple Sclerosis which I just started, in my efforts to raise awareness and money towards Multiple Sclerosis research. After 9 years of racing professionally, it is amazing to see all the years of hard work paying off; and indeed very self-satisfying; but I hope to stand for something bigger than results, times and places, in the long run. Please take a moment to check out my Honorary Fund for Multiple Sclerosis Research, and help find a cure for this unpredictable disease.

Thank you for your support! Next up is a few solid weeks of R&R and then the second half of the season! Race schedule in the works...
Be safe out there & thank you for reading,
Kelly

Recovery Pump 'Review'

It has now been 4 months that I have been consistently and religiously using the Recovery Pump boots, therefore, I thought it was about time to do a little write up on why I am a believer in this product. *Disclaimer: My goal is not to 'push' readers into running out to purchase one, just because they are a sponsor of mine!* But I know there are so many gadgets out there on the market (to aid in recovery, make you faster...give you better balance...make your muscles bigger without doing anything...make you look better, ...you get my drift) and in my opinion, if you were to looking to invest in something to ultimately help your performance (especially if you are training for longer events such as Ironman, where recovery is as if not more important than the training itself), this is an extremely useful product to consider.

First off, in simple terms, what is the Recovery Pump? The brief description straight from the website is: "An FDA approved, medical grade compression device with 4-chambered sleeves that inflate sequential from the toes to the base of the buttock. Device used for recovery in maximal, endurance sports. The Boots massage the muscles to improve circulation during use and help reduce swelling, soreness and fatigue." It was originally developed as a medical device to help patients to increase lymphatic flow and venous return. Doug Weatherby is the man behind these who you will see at many events this season, be it a WTC/Ironman event, Rev 3 event, and even a few others. If you see Doug and the Recovery Pump booth, walk on up, introduce yourself, and pick his brain a bit. He is extremely knowledgeable and if you want to know the science of it, ask him (or peruse the website). I, as the athlete, will tell you personally how I use them and why I am a firm believer in the effectiveness of them.



I started using these in January, upon training for the USA Half Marathon National Championships in Houston, TX. I would do as was instructed, which is simply sit in these post-workout for anywhere from 20 minutes up to 1.5 hour (time dependent). As you can see from the photos, set-up is extremely simple. You plug the device into an outlet (3-prong outlet), lay the legs out on a couch or an ottoman with a chair, sit down, zip up and turn them on. From taking them out of the bag to actually pumping my legs is maybe a 3 minute process. This is huge for us busy individuals; the ease of setup and usage makes it that much more practical. The event came and went, and I was fortunate to finish in the Top 20 with a 1:16.59, about a 30-second PR (mind you, I trained for about 3 weeks for this event, coming off of a nice long Christmas vacation!). Of course, some of this success can be attributed to fitness and solid training, but I cannot question the added benefit I had of even better recovery going into the Houston Half.



The season progressed into February, and this is when the cycling kicked up a notch in preparation for the triathlon season, and ultimately for Ironman Texas on May 21. The regular usage that I have continued is essentially using the Recovery Pump boots on all of my harder days, Tuesdays and Thursdays, which entail a morning long and/or hard bike ride (2.5-4 hrs in duration) and an afternoon hard run (often times 8-12 miles with 4-8 miles of this at tempo to threshold pace). I will sit in the boots for between 45 min and 1.5 hrs post ride/pre run. I also try to sit in them on the lighter days when I find I am simply sitting working on my computer, simply to prepare for the next day. What 'results' have I seen? Almost every time I have these key sessions (bike/run days), I have nailed the run. For the past 4 months. I have hit the intended paces, and most of the time, exceeded the goal pace. You can ask my husband Derick; he has been with me and seen it. The interesting thing is, it is not as if I get out of the boots and suddenly feel amazing and not fatigued. Quite the contrary, my legs feel 'better', but I start my run thinking "Oh man, I sure hope the legs are there today... they still feel a bit heavy." Then we start the workout and bam, there they are. I sit in them between workouts or immediately after a hard workout and the next time I need the legs, they are there for me. So, my impression is that the boots are truly doing their work; increasing venous return, reducing swelling, soreness and fatigue in my legs so as to allow me to train stronger, faster, and more effectively. Period, that simple.

I know that many people are very busy with full-time jobs, families, etc. The one thing I can tell you is that, even if you can manage 20-30 minutes in the evening after a few key workouts that day, you can benefit from these. Training for an Ironman? Use a bit more time on the weekends post-long ride and run to sit in these for up to an hour. Having been a professional triathlete for a 9 years now, I have learned that recovery is an integral part of success. "Success" being whatever it is to you; it does not mean you have to be aiming to win the event, but maybe you are looking for that long-sought after PR in the half Ironman distance. Maybe you want to get through your first Ironman with a respectable time. What I can tell you with absolute certainty and total confidence is, the Recovery Pump boot is a useful tool to help you get to where you want to be in the sport. If you do not believe me, step into one of the booths at the next event! They will be at Rev 3 Knoxville, Florida 70.3, Ironman Texas... and that is just the next 2 weeks! Plenty of chances to try them out for yourself.

Until your next race, best of luck with your training and recovery, and thanks for reading...
Kelly