Three Things I Learned in Vegas

I’ve never been one to jump much on the idea of ‘training trips’. We re-locate for about 6 weeks each summer to Colorado, but that is simply because the oppressive summers make it very difficult to put in the ‘big’ miles for Ironman. The majority of the year, living in Austin, I’m in a perfect location to do all I need to do for my job. Sure it gets hot, so I start my rides or runs early, or move a run indoors to the treadmill. I swim with one of the best Masters teams in the country (though I may be a little biased). The cycling may entail a lot of stop and go at times, but you deal with it. I figure no place is perfect; you do the best with what you’ve got. And of course, it is where my husband and my ‘kids’ (dog and cat) are. Given all the travel I do for racing, I’d just as well be at home as much as I can.

That said, Derick and I agreed that after Rev 3 Quassy, it would be nice for me to escape the heat a bit and get in a good little ‘cycling block’ (something else I had never done). So after a few rest days, I was off to Henderson, Nevada. Why Henderson? It is the site of Vegas 70.3 World Champs in September, and an opportunity came up whereby I could stay at the Westin Lake Las Vegas, right where the swim takes place and the bike starts. I made my plans and began to tirelessly research the road riding in Henderson. It seemed to be an amazing place to ride a bike, but going there alone, and planning to ride 90-100 miles a day for a week straight definitely was a little bit daunting. I tried to embrace the adventure and realized that while it may be a little lonely at times, I’d be keeping myself busy enough (and tired enough) to be able to savor the solo downtime. (I later realized that I would not be escaping the heat at all, just exchanging hot and humid for hot and dry!). 

Returning from the trip, I can look back and realize that the goal was accomplished. I don’t talk much about my training, but this was a great week in Henderson. I ended up riding 500 miles over 5 days (with 2 rest days) and I also logged my longest ride to date, 120 miles, which took me all the way out to Overton, NV (with 110 of those miles being on the same road!). Swimming and running were sprinkled in there a bit but the focus was cycling, and while I may not have crushed all these rides, I did them and I can take a lot of confidence in this. There is something very empowering about going somewhere that you know no one, and riding roads you have never seen before; I was by no means camping in a foreign country, but the trip carried some uncertainties and it felt good to embrace them. 

Which brings me to the purpose of my post, “The Three Things I Learned in Vegas”. Yes I was technically in Henderson, but ‘Vegas’ sounds better. Surely I learned more than just three things, but when you have countless hours with you and the thoughts in your head, you find certain thoughts keep coming back to you. So off we go. 

1) Do what scares you. What scares me? Long bike rides. Yeah, strange isn’t it? It has been something that has always intimidated me, ever since I started triathlon. Think about it. Only on a long bike ride can you pedal your way to 50, 60+ miles from your original spot. A lot can happen out there. Flat tires, mechanicals, etc; but what has always scared me most about long rides is the bonk. Bonking on a long ride is far more dangerous than a swim bonk or a run bonk (of which I don’t think I have ever encountered either one).  A bonk on a long ride results in suddenly feeling dizzy, light-headed, and usually comes on strong very quickly. It is the lack of focus it brings that really freaks me out. I don’t like not being in control, and that feeling is very scary when it’s just you at the helm on two very skinny tires often going 15-25+ mph. I guess you could say the fear of the bonk is why I am pretty good at downing calories on rides, 200-300 per hour, and up to 400 per hour on the bike in an Ironman. I have always been a bit afraid of huge rides (100+ miles) and I’ve often been known to stick closer to home in case I need to bail. I think this trip showed me that I can do these, even on tired legs; I was able to tackle the 120 miler on my 2^nd to last day there, albeit after a rest day, and while it was a little scary to head out to a town I’d never been to, with literally 40 miles between fuel stops, I did it. That feels good. To recognize what your fears are, no matter if they seem silly or legit, will allow you to accept them, and then work to tackle them. Empowering!

2) There is no time for emotion when racing. Where on earth would I have come up with this one? I was there training, not racing. On my final day, I opted to head to the run course and run two loops of it (just under 9 miles); first loop steady, second loop ‘hard’. I am not really one for ‘visualization’, however since I was out there, I tried to play out the various scenarios that Vegas 70.3 may hold. I always love the run segment of races, and this course really hands it to you; you are either going up, or down; albeit gradual hills, they are hills nonetheless. I was finishing up the final stretch, a long downhill segment, and I was thinking ‘what if you are winning right now come race day? How cool would that be?’ then I thought ‘or maybe you’re trying to catch someone up ahead, right there; you can see her but she’s running strong, and so are you; damnit it hurts and I can’t go any faster!…’ or maybe it would be ‘you’re holding steady Kelly but she’s right there behind you. Keep on the gas, only ½ more mile…’ I then remembered back a few years when I used to often wave or smile at my parents mid-race, feeling like a rockstar, only to crumble minutes later and come hobbling home. I came to the realization that, when racing, there is no time for emotion (at least for myself). The minute that emotion starts to creep into your race, I have found a few things can happen. Excitement can get the best of you and you start to think about ‘the finish’, when it’s not yet there; you get ahead of yourself. Another thing that can happen from too much emotion is feeling sorry for yourself, which never does us any good, in any circumstance, much less in a race when we’re physically, mentally and emotionally pushing ourselves. Now don’t me wrong, it is not a bad thing to remind yourself how hard you’ve worked and you’re not going to let this one get away from you… but the ultimate focus has to remain process-oriented. Nutrition, pacing, hydration…one step in front of the other, one mile at a time…are you going hard enough? Can you go harder? Should you dial it back? Long and the short of it is, if there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that if you have a big goal for a race, you’re best served by trying to maintain a focus the entire race; as we all know, it’s not over until you cross that finish line (or at the very least, you can see it within your sights!). It’s good to be reminded of this.  

3) Learn to spend time alone. In college, I used to love to go out to dinner solo. My place of choice was Texas Roadhouse. I would walk in and hop up to the bar where I’d order a peach margarita, eat peanuts and then order a huge grilled chicken salad. I’d watch people; I may chat w/ a bartender; and I even made friends with a cute little old man, who came in even more frequently than I did (shocking); he even had his own coffee mug at the bar. One day, I came in and I found out that he rarely came to the bar anymore because he had ‘met a lady’; that was good news. I would look forward to these solo dinner outings. My friends told me “Kelly, you shouldn’t do that; it looks like you just want to hook up.” I’d say “Really? Because I am wearing jeans or a long denim skirt, or some hippy looking skirt. I don’t really exude that vibe.” Maybe I enjoy the fact that it’s something that you are ‘not supposed to do’, but in my opinion, why not? It’s refreshing to sit down in a public place and just be with yourself; watch people. It’s good for the soul. 

In Henderson, my days looked something like this:  Wake up at 4:45, eat breakfast, drink coffee, and head out the door at 5:30. The next 5-7 hours were spent on my bike. I wasn’t totally solo, I had my musical friends in my right ear; but predominantly, it was just me and my thoughts. And for some odd reason, I really never got bored. If anything, I’d get bored moreso in my hotel room at times; but even then, I would come back, lay down on the floor and recover for about 10 minutes, eat, then sit in my Recovery Pump boots on the bed with mindless TV in the background; check up on emails; drink more coffee. I may read my book. Call someone. But all in all, it was pretty peaceful. If I started to go stir crazy or I had an easy day to ensue, I’d venture ‘out of room’ to one of the restaurants and have a beer, order food, and read my book along with more people watching. Point being… racing triathlons (especially those in the range of 4-17 hours in duration) is not a terribly exciting, stimulating endeavor. It’s a hell of a lot of time with you, yourself and your own head. It is a very valuable thing to be comfortable spending that time with yourself, knowing what kinds of thoughts may come up; and with regards to training (or racing),  knowing how to combat the negative ones. No matter what happens in life, you always have ‘you’ (we’re kind of stuck with ourselves) so you better know how to be comfortable with that person. 

So that wraps up the Three Things I Learned in Vegas. Here are a few pictures of my trip, including the amazing lake where I finished most of my days, some of the food I enjoyed and many of the endless roads I bonded with. I will admit, while it was a great trip, it’s good to be home! I missed my husband, my cat and dog, and of course the Mexican food. Some things I’m not willing to give up for long!

Swim Venue (Lake Las Vegas)

Road out of Overton, Nevada

Burger night (& a beer)

Laundry Day <roughing it!>

Salad & Pasta night (& a beer)

Rode with a camelbak every day

View from Goodsprings, an old ghost town

Northshore Road; we did a lot of bonding

View from Boulder City, 'The City that Built Hoover Dam'

 

 

 

Packing up & enjoying a Tenaya Creek IPA - After 500 miles I earned it! :)

Active MSers Feature: Alain Virlouvet

In continuing with my fundraising efforts through Can Do Multiple Sclerosis , I have reached out to the ActiveMSers community to receive various stories of individuals who are living with, and staying active despite of, multiple sclerosis. I have received so many incredible stories of people who are deciding to take action to live the best life they possibly can; so thank you to all of you who have submitted your stories, I will continue to post them in the coming months.

Please check out my personal fundraising efforts through Can Do MS. My goal is $10K by October; we are almost halfway there, every little bit helps! Please spread the word.

Here is Alain Virlouvet's story. Alain happens to be a fellow Texan! He lives near Austin in the town of Brenham, which is the the hometown of Bluebell Ice Cream. I have to say, my husband and I definitely support the economy of his town through our ice cream consumption! A big thank you to Alain for allowing us to read his personal story, and best of luck to him with the MS 150 Bike San Antonio this October. In Alain's words:

"Thank you for helping the MS cause.  Here is my story that I hope will help in your fund raising efforts.

    In 2009 at the age of 62 and out of nowhere, I started experiencing extreme fatigue, vertigo, dizziness, balance issues and that tight constricting feeling in the mid-section of my body that is known as the “MS hug”.  Finally, after 4 months of seeing different doctors and all the tests, I was diagnosed with Relapsing/Remitting MS and started treatment on Betaseron.  One year on Betaseron resulted in elevated liver levels so my medication was changed in late 2010 to Copaxone, and I have done quite well on this medication.

    It took me about a year to accept and adjust to my new life.  I decided to help myself as much as possible to slow down this monster MS.  I had been doing yoga and meditation for some years and have continued both as I’m certain they are a big help.  I was walking every day, but that became laborious and not much fun, so a year ago I started riding my bike.  And to my surprise I found that I felt absolutely no handicap while riding my bike.  So I had found my new love!  I am now riding about 80-100 miles per week and last October I did my first MS 150 in San Antonio.  I plan to do it again this year and will try to do the 100 mile course.

    Since I’ve been riding I have seen an improvement with fatigue, cognition fog, dizziness and just overall wellness.  I feel that I’m lucky (if you can say that about an MS patient) in that my diagnosis came later in my life.  Each MS patient’s progression and symptoms are different, but I like to believe that with my Copaxone treatment in addition to the yoga, meditation, vitamin D, vegetarian diet and regular cycling have helped at the least to keep me stable and possibly may even be slowing down the progression.

I hope this has helped and again your support of MS patients is deeply appreciated.

I wish you all the best with your races.

Alain

Rev 3 Quassy: Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stone

If there is one 'fear' that I have before any race, it is the unknown of if my body will give me what I want it to on the day. Nerves I can deal with. Anxiety will always be there. I know I prepare the best I can, do all the right things, take adequate rest, and stay off my legs the day prior...but despite all these things, there is always that question mark of, even though I know I am 'ready', will the legs be there when I need them? As with nerves, I try to push this worry aside since it is out of my control, and most times it is a non-issue. This past weekend, unfortunately, it was 'the' issue.

I went into Rev 3 Quassy rested. I dialed the training back just a bit more than my previous races, as I knew this would be the most quality field I had yet raced, not to mention the largest prize purse and the most challenging course thus far for 2012. I did all the things I knew I needed to do. We arrived Friday, and awoke Saturday to a cool rainy day, perfect for a long sleep in and not too much activity. All seemed on par, except for little bit of a talking stomach. I skipped breakfast (also due to the fact that we slept until 9am, a full 11 hours of sleep!), did a light swim at the hotel pool and had my breakfast for lunch; probably not ideal, but not a big deal. At the pro meeting, I felt tired. I recall shutting my eyes a few times. Not totally like me. Dinner was at a local Italian place, and I picked at my pasta dish. Again, not like me; even if my appetite wanes, I eat. It's fuel and I know I need it. I got back to our room at 7 and was in bed and asleep by 7:30. Again not like me. I tried to write it off as my body just needed rest and I'd feel great come race morning; but, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I knew this was atypical. I love to race, and I get very excited to race. This didn't seem quite normal.

I woke up, ate my usual breakfast, and laid back down at 5am. (We were set to leave then and I am pretty anal when it comes to race morning arrival). I was just so damn tired. But again; nothing major was happening. A gurgly stomach, a lack of appetite and some fatigue. Big deal. We headed out the door, it was a beautiful cool morning and the sun was about to rise. This is an incredible locale to race; hilly, green, and a clear clean lake to swim in; my favorite. But the energy was just not there and it was pissing me off to say the least.

I of course debated starting or not, but the decision is much tougher to make when you have no viable 'excuse'. I was not violently ill, I just didn't feel quite right. Really, who can not toe the line because of that? To me, that was an awful reason. We won't always feel great on race day and we all know we can still have great performances. When the gun goes off, I go into a mode that I simply cannot find otherwise. I just tried to roll with it. The swim kicked off and I managed to get right into the lead along with Laurel Wassner, and we swam great together; truly my favorite kind of swim in a clear lake surrounded by lush green trees. Picture perfect! I tried to take momentum from the fact that she and I were leading the swim; maybe this would turn out to be a great day and surprise me a bit.

Onto the bike and it was cold! A 50+ degree morning meant chilly temps to start the bike, but I tried to appreciate the fact that I was out here doing what I loved and work harder to warm up. There is not much warming up on this course, as you are hit with the big hills right off the bat. I hammered up them only to get passed by a few women in the first few miles. No big deal, I'll come around, I told myself. About 1 hour into the bike, I realized that there was no coming around. I was taking a bit less calories because I was worried the stomach may go south. I started to push them more mid-way, but there was nothing in the tank. I realized that it was going to be a day like this; a day like I had imagined was going to happen, but I had 'hoped' wouldn't. By mile 20 I wanted it to end. By mile 30, I'd moved further back. Each time I got passed, there was no desire (or ability) to try to keep that woman in sight. It pissed me off, but I knew there was nothing I could do; today the body was just not giving me what I wanted.

The end of the bike could not come soon enough, and when it did, I had moved well back through most of the field, after exiting the water first. I felt extremely dejected and I knew I was at least 10 minutes behind the lead women. I figured what did I have to lose; hell, go for the best run split! Maybe that would feel good. Off I went like a bat out of hell, and did what I could to make up any time possible. I passed Derick at about mile 10 or 11 and I recall saying "how far up?" and he said "to the lead?" and I said "to anyone!" That right there about says it all! I just wanted to claw my way back, but I'd be damned if I quit. It was the easy thing to do, and my body had wanted to for the past 50 miles of the race. I ran and I ran and I ran, and when it hurt, I tried to run harder. The rhythm felt decent, but I knew that no matter how hard or fast I ran, I'd likely not be in the mix today. I finished in for 6th place, and I cannot tell you how much harder that 6th place was for me to get than any of the wins I have managed this season.

I've had a few comments from people like "ah, we all have shit races." It's true. I have told myself, that's life. Life isn't easy, it isn't fair and you sure as hell cannot win them all. But that doesn't mean that it didn't upset me. I thought I was being too hard on myself, but Derick wisely pointed out, "Kelly you are upset because this means something to you...that is OK..." The frustrating part for me was that some of the best 70.3 women were here, and I wanted nothing more than to see how I measured up against them; toe to toe. How did I measure up? They spanked me, hard. That stings. But, after a few days, I have come to realize, I feel as though in a strange way, I needed this race. I knew that it could be ugly, and it was, but isn't that racing? Every time we step up, we put ourselves on the line. We'll either succeed brilliantly, or we'll fail miserably  (or of course fall somewhere in between). That is part of it. It is nerve-wracking, it's scary, and especially if we have doubts, it's even more daunting. But how do we learn how deep we can dig if we quit or even fail to start? I knew if I had pulled out just because 'I had doubts', I would never be able to forgive myself. So, I stepped up, and I got it handed to me; but that was all I had, on the day, period. And I had no choice but to accept it and move forward. You have two choices: you can let a crap result define you, or you can let it motivate you. I am trying to do the latter.

I've said it numerous times. The mental fortitude it takes to finish on these days is exponentially greater than on the days you win, no matter how hard you have to dig on those days! When you feel good, you have adrenaline...you're pushing and your body is letting you...you are in that zone, even if it hurts like hell. On these days, you go through mental battles constantly "I want to quit. But I can't quit. But my result will be shit. But that's ok, you're human. But people expect me to win. But that's not realistic all the time. But I want to win, I am here to win. No, I am here to give it my best" etc etc. If not for days like this, we'd never realize how great it is when it all comes together. I gave it all I had, and for that, I am proud of the effort. On this day, it was all Mirinda, Heather Wurtele and Angela, who were all stellar; they deserved the podium and fought hard for it. Thank you the hard-working Rev 3 crew, who put on an awesome event as they always do; to my sponsors and Derick, who both support me endlessly through the ups and downs, and my mom who allowed me to cry my eyes out to her post-race (we can only do that to our moms, right?!). I think I have learned more about myself from this race than I have any race thus far this season. So on that note, let's raise a beer to the character-building races!


Thanks for reading, see y'all in Muncie.

Active MSers Feature: David Gillikin

As some of you may know, Multiple Sclerosis is something which is close to me and I have tried to help raise awareness and funds over the years. A few months ago, I came across a website called ActiveMSers. It was started by Dave Bexfield who was diagnosed in early 2006 with MS, in his late 30's. A writer at heart, he is also an avid traveler and an adventure seeker. His MS, as he said, 'burbled merrily along' for the first few years, but in 2009 it became very aggressive. He started taking part in a clinical research trial called Halt-MS (an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant using his own stem cells from his bone marrow, paired with high-dose chemotherapy). Since his transplant he has had zero progression physically. In Dave's words: "I'm on no daily medication for MS or for anything else, and the only supplement I take is Vitamin D. I'm still gimpy, using one or two forearm crutches or a walker when the legs get too stubborn. And for those wondering, yes I still exercise hard every day for 1.5 hours: cardio, strength, and stretching. And I still travel. What does the future hold? I'm as excited as you are to find out. Be active, stay fit, and keep exploring."

His story and the community he has created through ActiveMSers fascinated me. It is a place whereby those living with MS or recently diagnosed can communicate with one another and gain useful information on living with and more importantly staying active with MS. I contacted Dave and told him that I was intrigued and impressed with what he has done, and I am honored to be able to help raise awareness for ActiveMSers, Can Do MS and also funds to help Multiple Sclerosis.

I have started a fundraising effort which will culminate in my Ironman Hawaii World Championship race on October 13th. Leading up to the race, I would like to feature various people's stories on my blog; people who have been helpful in telling me their personal story with MS, and ultimately how they are striving to stay active in the face of it.
Any donations are much appreciated, and absolutely no donation is too small.
My fundraising site is here on MS Can Do
Please feel free to share it with others!

An with that said, I would like introduce you to David Gillikin and his personal story with MS.

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I just wanted to tell a little bit about my story. I was diagnosed with MS in 2004, and at the time, I lived in Michigan. A new job took me to Colorado, and the fact that I have MS, and moving to Colorado, probably saved my life. Shortly after moving there, my girlfriend and I signed up for the 5K MS Walk/Run, and we raised money and did the walk together. While we were there, we observed the runners doing the 5K Run, and I said to Diane (my girlfriend), "I'm going to do that next year. At the time, no one would have guessed that I'd be able to do it. I was 50 pounds overweight, a smoker, and I drank vodka like it was water. Add the MS to the mix, and I was a mess.

But I did it. I lost about 30 pounds, stopped smoking, and stopped the drinking (now I'll have some beer, but I don't drink liquor anymore). Diane and I took up hiking, and we joined a gym where I would go to the treadmill and walk some, run some. It then came time for the MS 5K Walk/Run, and I signed up for the run part of it. Not only did I finish, but it inspired me so much that I've since run 7 marathons, about 28 half marathons, and many other 10K's and 5K's. I did all this after I turned 50 years old too.

So I can surely say that finding out that I have MS, may have saved my life. Well at least added a few more years to it!
I am now a RRCA certified running coach too so I am looking for others to inspire them to try and do what I did. It's not easy, but it is worth it.

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David's personal website is MS Runner, take a peek.
Thanks David for your submission, & thank you for inspiring!

St. Anthony's 5150 & Rev 3 Knoxville: Race + Race = Vacation

I have had a few questions about my recent choices of races, those being St. Anthony’s 5150 and Rev 3 Knoxville, both Olympic distance events (on consecutive weekends). Seeing that the past two years have been focused ‘around’ Ironman events, the most common question has been “So what is your best event; what do you like most?” After trying to explain why I race what I race and why my schedule is as it is, I finally come back to the simple statement…I just love to race. Ultimately, I feel like I can span the three distances well, so I figure…if I love to race, then…why not? The first of my two Olympic distance events was St. Anthony’s 5150 on April 29. I had not raced this distance since about 14 months prior, but that made it all the more exciting…it would feel so short! I had raced this event back in 2004, so I was vaguely familiar with the course, location, etc. I chose this specific race because it was a 5150, and I needed to race at least one of these events to ‘qualify’ for HyVee 5150 Champs in Des Moines, Iowa. I had the points from 70.3 events, but I needed to ‘validate’ so to speak by doing a 5150. This was also a higher points event (1500) so I figured if I could just finish strong here, then it would take care of getting me to HyVee in the most efficient manner. Derick stayed home for this one, and when I told my mom I’d just do it solo, she of course decided she should come and be with me for it.  It didn’t take much coercing when it was in a beautiful and convenient locale like St. Petersburg, FL. We met there Friday, enjoyed a great dinner on the water, and Saturday I slept in and spent some time with sponsors; at the ISM Booth in the morning, and doing a short interview for Recovery Pump (along with pro meeting, yada yada yada). It was great to feel such light pressure on my shoulders going into this, knowing it was not ‘my distance’, however I did still want to do very well; but I knew that the intensity would be a shock to my system come race day. I really wanted to be a factor here, knowing that on paper, I’d be a bit overlooked on such a stellar start list. We kicked off right at 6:55AM, and I swam simply awful. It was humorous, really. I think I had taken myself out of the swim before we even started. I knew there would be fast ITU women here and they start would be quick and a little ‘messier’ (more aggressive) than I preferred. Therefore, I stayed to the side and before I knew it, a huge swarm of women just swam alongside me, drifting up ahead. Idiot, Kelly, you are absolutely stupid, I told myself! We turned into a good bit of chop when, of course, having lost the group made it even tougher. I stopped at one point to clear my goggles because they were filled with water and kept plugging along. Luckily the finish came a few minutes sooner than I am accustomed to, and when I ran into T1 and heard “2 minutes to the lead!” I actually laughed out loud. OK, moving on.  It can’t get much worse, right? I hopped up on my new Quintana Roo Illicito and was off for the 24 mile bike. I tried to hit the gas from the gun and dang did it hurt! It was fun, but it was definitely a gear that I had not had to use in a few months and I could feel it. I just pushed as hard as I possibly could and overall it felt fairly good, but I knew there were many women up ahead of me and I just had to minimize any time lost to them and put myself back into contention for the run. I took two Powergels throughout the bike and barely finished one small bottle of water! It almost felt like nutrition was useless at this distance compared to a 70.3 or an Ironman, where it is essentially the ‘fourth discipline’!

The bike came to an end and I was excited to get out there and see what my run legs had in them. Only 6 miles! What a treat! I threw on the Zoot Ultra Race 3.0’s and was out of there. I heard someone yell what sounded like “40th place Kelly!” and of course I said “What the HELL?” to myself…did some quick math and realized… “There are not 40 women here. That must have been 14th. Still. That ain’t so great.” I bombed out of there, probably a bit too fast on the first mile, and managed to pass women fairly steadily throughout the 10k run. I felt strong, but I never once looked at my watch, and I also took about 1.5 Powergels through the 30+ minute effort. I didn’t feel I needed it, but I knew it would not hurt me. As I closed in on the final ½ mile, I passed one more person and the final 400 or so, I could see another in my sights. I was told I was in 4th or 5th at this point, and I was working really hard…I ‘maybe’ could have kicked it up a notch to catch 4th, however, I didn’t…I knew I had another race the next weekend, and truth be told, I was very pleased to run into 5th place. I will not be so over-confident as to say “I didn’t care about catching her!”…it was a race after all! But, I had dug extremely deep to get to the end and I was pretty tapped out. I wound up 5th place with a very strong 34:26 run split, so all in all, it was an extremely successful day for me, and I was proud to have gone out and mixed it up with the speedsters. It felt good to see that I still have this gear in me, and it also made vividly clear what I need to work on to be a bit more competitive at HyVee. I won’t say that I did not have any expectations for this event, but, I knew that it was a bit of a crapshoot and I needed to be realistic with myself. All in all I had a great time, found that extra ‘gear’ when I needed it and it reminded me that it really is fun to go shorter, as it entails so many less details! Less thinking, more RACING. To top it off, my mom and I had an awesome weekend together. It was nice to punch the ticket for HyVee, which is an event that will kick off my streak of a big finish to my season with HyVee, Vegas & Kona come September. In the shorter term, it was time to head back to Austin, train a bit, and rest again for Knoxville in just one week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had raced this event (Rev 3 Knoxville) its inaugural year in 2010, and I had great memories of the event. It was extremely convenient with the hotel backing right up to the expo and finish chute, and you could walk to transition in about 5-10 minutes on race morning. I used to think I wanted to stay as far away from the race site as possible to ‘stay relaxed’… no more! I try to be as close as possible and if I need to hide away, I just stay in my room as much as needed. The event is near the University of Tennessee campus and the Tennessee River, and the setting is hilly and beautiful. Additionally it is so central that my family was able to drive to the event from both Southern Indiana and South Carolina. It’s always a bonus when I can race and see family and/or friends at the same time.

Derick and I arrived on Thursday and headed to Chattanooga so I could visit Quintana Roo, who has now been my bike sponsor for 3 years. I spoke with the Chattanooga Tri Club that evening, at HUB Endurance, which was a nice informal Q&A; a great group of people with awesome questions. I love doing this kind of stuff! I forget how much I have learned over the years of doing triathlon! Friday, HUB hooked us up with a tour guide (fellow triathlete, David, who knew the area) who took us out on a 1.5 hr ride, which was incredible. If I had not had to race Sunday, I could have easily kept riding; beautiful country roads, rolling terrain, tucked in the mountains of Tennessee. HUB then helped me get the QR Illicito race-ready for Sunday (a HUGE thanks to Andy and the gang there!) and sent us on our way. We swung by American Bicycle Group in Ooltewah to see where they make all of the titanium Litespeeds (where all the ‘magic happens’) and check out the factory and then moseyed on up to Knoxville that afternoon. We met my sister and brother-in-law and my new niece Avery that evening for dinner and settled in. Saturday family arrived, I did a signing with Reynolds (my wheel sponsor), a quick pro panel and it was off for an early dinner… the usual. Sunday morning I felt very relaxed…it was a nice change from the previous nervous energy that say Texas 70.3 and even Panama 70.3 (my season opener) carried with it. I almost felt a bit too relaxed! But for me, that is a good thing. I knew that I had a lot of huge races to come throughout the year, so the less emotional and mental energy I had to expend here, the better…I knew that once the gun went off, I would go right into race mode and do my thing. It was a gorgeous morning and I was very excited to tackle the hilly course.

We got into the water at about 6:55 for the 7:03 start, and it was a brisk 66 degrees. I had on a Zoot sleeveless suit, and I was definitely the only one with a sleeveless…and I would have been just fine in a full suit, as I was pretty dang cold! Not sure what I was thinking when I packed it, except that maybe I think I am tougher than I really am?! But, I didn’t notice the cold after about 5 minutes of swimming; I always like the more natural feeling of my arms in a sleeveless suit if possible in the swim. That said, the first few minutes, I felt awful. Sara McClarty dropped us all like a bad habit so that never makes you feel too great about your speed. I also could see a large swarm of women right alongside me, which I didn’t like! I wanted to try to stay as close to Sara as possible, but alas, that was not even remotely possible. I think being a little cold added to that lack of ‘feel’ from the start. I tried to keep my head down, keep flailing away and try to move up. As we turned around (about 1/3 into the swim), I could see Becky Lavelle up ahead (in a yellow cap) and I slowly made my way back up to Becky. She is not only a great person but a smart, experienced racer and she was taking the most direct line. By the swim finish, I had gotten near her feet and she, myself and a few others exited onto the swim ramp together. Into T1 and out onto the bike, I was angry and driven which you could tell by the look on my face! I felt like I had swum pretty mediocre and I was anxious to see what the legs had in them for the hilly bike course. I attacked it from the start and absolutely loved this course! Hilly, green, winding and a little bit of technical to it. I felt strong, especially on the shorter steeper climbs, and when we descended or it flattened out I tried to just stay on the gas. The ‘stagger rule’ is interesting because it results in you passing people on both sides, which can get dicey given half of a country road into some winding turns. I find you just do the best you can do to keep distance from the other ladies and ‘stay staggered’. I tried to break away from a few women but while I would pass on the hills, they would pass me back on the descents. Needless to say it was a fun bike course and I put all I had into it; but I realized by the final 5 miles or so, there was no point in expending a huge amount of energy over what I was doing to try to make a gap (which I was seemingly very unsuccessful at, even if I wanted to!), better to bike strong but smart and have some run legs left in me.

I exited into T2 and was excited for the 10k run to come…I was all ready to tackle the hills we had run back in 2010. We started out on a road out from the parking garage where T2 was when Derick said “1 minutes to first Kel, just settle in”, at which point I pulled back the throttle a bit and told myself to just ‘let myself catch women’ but not to force it. We then headed out onto a running path about 1 mile in, when I realized “Hmm. This is a different run course.” Goes to show you how much homework I do on the course. Not enough! The course was pretty flat the entire time compared to 2 years ago, an out and back on a nice paved path but no major hills. Huh. Whaddya know. (I was expecting bigger hills!) Anyhoo, I continued running and managed to move into 1st about 2 miles into it. I told myself “Chill out and run strong until you take the lead, and once you turn back halfway in, then you can try to pick it up.” This was a good strategy as it just prevented me from digging too deep too soon. I always want to post as fast a run time as I can, however, I also know that the bigger goal is to WIN THE RACE and I try to be smart about my approach to make that happen, without getting greedy and stupid, risking a huge blow up! I finally hit the road which told me I had about 1 mile left. I made my way to the winding path, which was precisely where I passed Sam Warriner in 2010 (into 2nd) and she then re-passed me with about 300 meters to go! So, I tried to actually pick up my pace from here on in, knowing that it ain’t over until you cross the line!! It was an awesome sight to see as I made the final turn, the typical Rev 3 colorful finish chute and my family and friends there alongside to throw out High 5’s!

It felt really good to come back here and manage the win at this event. Coming into it, I knew this was my 6th ‘major’ race of the season (3M Half Marathon, Panama 70.3, San Juan 70.3, Texas 70.3, and St. Anthony’s 5150). Everyone was asking me how it felt to be the race favorite…I was hearing a lot about how ‘on fire’ I was…and while I did not so much feel pressure, it is easy to think ‘ah, this is just fun and it won’t be ‘as hard’ as my previous races.’ The minute I let that thought enter my head, I counter it with ‘Every race is a race, and when we toe the line, it is anyone’s game…NOTHING is EVER handed to you…’ I have total respect for my fellow competitors, and I know that the minute you get comfortable or think that it’s in the bag, there is someone right there on your shoulder ready to take the win…rightfully so, that’s racing! So I knew it would be a tough race, which it was; and I am extremely appreciative of not only a solid result, but to top it off, a win here in Knoxville. It feels good to know that I still have that ‘speed gear’ in my body, despite two years of Ironman racing. A huge thanks to my sponsors, Memorial Hermann, Zoot, PowerBar, Quintana Roo, Reynolds, Recovery Pump, ISM, Road ID, Vision, Katalyst Multisport, Durata Training, Jack & Adams, Oakley, Giro, BMW of Austin, SRM, and Hill Country Running; and to HUB Endurance for helping get my bike ready to go. And to my husband Derick, who without his support and guidance, I would absolutely not be where I am today. The best part of these two back to back races is the 4 days we have gotten to spend in Indiana with my parents this week. It is quite possibly the most relaxing place we can go for downtime; a cabin in the woods with a huge deck overlooking a small private lake, where my only exercise entails a 20 min lake swims in the evening or a walk down the driveway with my mom!

Thanks so much for your support…next up is Rev 3 Quassy, June 3…’til then, train safe and enjoy the journey... ~Kelly

Ironman TX 70.3 : A Big Ol' Texas Sized Victory!

I've always said that to truly be one of the best in this sport, you have to be able to race all kinds of courses well; not just those that suit your strengths. I also plan my schedule on 'what makes sense'...financially, logistically and relative to the overall goals of my season. These reasons are largely why I opted to race Ironman Texas 70.3 over say an Oceanside. Sure, I love hills, I love cooler climates; but it didn't make sense to travel all the way to California when there was a great event with a lot of points and prize money just 4 hours south of Austin. It is pancake flat and likely to be windy on the bike; but I figured all the more challenging for me! I actually got pretty excited to head back to Galveston for the third year in a row, and to hopefully turn around the past few results (3rd in 2010 and 5th in 2011) to something better. I'd be lying if I said that the bike course didn't intimidate me, but I figured suck it up, go race as hard as you can and see what you can do.

Derick and I drove down on Friday mid-day from Austin. We enjoyed some amazing Italian food that evening with some great company (and of course a beer or two...Peroni of course, that's become my 'race beer'...nice and light!). Saturday I slept in and did a 30 min mellow spin on the trainer (since we were staying out by the interstate; just easier). I also did some stretch cords to move the arms a bit, and then it was off to the expo for some commitments. I did a signing for a new sponsor of mine, Memorial Hermann, from 12-1 and a signing for WTC from 1-2. It was really cool to meet so many different people and even a few kids; nothing better than seeing young kids involved in sport! The Pro Panel was at 2:30, pro meeting at 3:30 by which point I was rather wiped out. We opted to get take out and stay in because I just felt like I needed to put my legs up. It was a great plan; I got back to the hotel by about 4:15, sat down on the bed in my Recovery Pump boots, and Derick delivered dinner (a salad and a huge plate of pasta, veggies, chicken; and a Peroni) to me by about 5:45. I'm pretty sure I didn't get off the bed the rest of the night and was asleep by about 9pm. Perfect!

Sunday came early as usual; 4am wake up, forced down the bagel, jam, peanut butter; banana; strong cuppa joe and we were out the door by 5 or so. This race is very easy logistically to get into; they did a great job with parking, so there was no backup getting into Moody Gardens (or maybe I am just that uptights when it comes getting there so early!). I got everything setup and then laid down on the expo state near transition with my legs up and listened to my music. I did this before San Juan, and it was a really great way to relax and chill out a bit on race morning. I may make this a regular part of my routine! Derick and I wandered down to the swim for the 7am start, and I got into my Zoot Sleeveless suit (Fuzion) and prepared for the warm swim. I couldn't believe so many others were in full sleeved suits; I get warm so quickly that if the water is over 65 or 68 I am usually in a sleeveless. I made the right choice as I heard many say they felt they overheated.





We lined up between the buoys right at 7am and off we went! We swam out at an angle to the first turn where we took a hard left, so I was far to the outside. I can't stand getting buried and pummeled by people and it was a great choice, as I actually had some speed to get up front and avoid any fighting. Around the first turn, I found some nice feet and there I sat for the next 1200 meters. It was pretty calm compared to past swims in the Galveston Bay, and my mind started wandering a few times to random stuff (like the recent video Lesly Paterson did, "Shit Triathletes Don't Say"...I was rehashing parts of the video and laughing to myself!). Then I would look up and see the feet start to drift off and say "Snap to Kelly. Focus." Not really sure what was going on there. Maybe I was bored? Can't say I've had that happen much in races before!





We exited the swim and it was out to the bike course...28 miles out, 28 miles back. I think I was third out of the swim and as we headed out of the park, I managed to move into first. This was great! Flashback to 2011, I came out of the swim and within the 1 mile or so it took us to get to the main road, I'd been passed by a couple of women. Within the next 5 miles, I was passed by many, many more women. I guess you could say this time, when I took that lead, I was determined to hold it as long as possible! The winds were whipping but I expected this. The QR CD01 with my Reynolds 46/92 combo felt great, and I just put my head down, tried to stay small and motored away. I'm an "SRM person" however I taped over it as I had in San Juan, so it was no data, just ride. I felt pretty strong, but I never ever once looked back! It was not until maybe mile 25 or so that I was passed...I was stoked that I maintained the lead so long! However, I expected that one person passing me may lead to 5 or 6. We made the turn around and headed back (with far less tailwind than I had hoped for or expected) and much to my surprise, only two more women passed me the final 28 miles. I am fairly certain that as I neared the end of the bike something to the effect of "Holy shit Kelly, it's amazing what you can do in a race when you finally learn to ride your bike. You should have picked this up years ago!" crossed my mind. I also dialed my intensity *way* back with about 2-3 miles to go to prepare the legs for the run ahead. (In hindsight, I have to wonder how much of my strong position off the bike may have also been due to the fact that it seemed to be a very FAIR race on Sunday, at least on the women's side. I have been in many a race where a few women pass me visibly riding together, and I've never been able to, in my own conscience, 'hop onto' the pack. I've always, always been one to never draft even if I could get away with it and nothing angers me more than to see small packs going by me. It felt like a fair race; the women who passed me did so sporadically and we all had a lot of distance from each other. It was really pleasant to see for a change).





Into T2, I heard that I had 1:45 down to first which was probably the best news I have ever heard, in any triathlon, ever, off the bike. I was so excited but I also reminded myself "You have 13 miles to run...easy killer." I had experienced a bizarre, sudden and pretty strong cramp in my medial left thigh on the bike that had subsided, but it seemed the kind of day where cramping could happen due to how hard I had ridden and given the hot, humid conditions. I threw on the Zoot TT5.0's and was out of there as quick as possible, gel flask in hand (4 PowerGels).



I love this run course because it's so spectator friendly! As I came out of T2, I was told I had 1:45 to first. I felt very confident I could make that up, but I was pretty excited and I knew I didn't have to close that gap immediately. I tried to settle down and I managed to work my way to the front of the race by mile 2. Good! But, I kept reminding myself that all I had to do was keep this position. The goal was to WIN... not necessarily to post a super fast run split. Again, I took the 'no numbers' approach as I had in Panama and never once looked at my watch. I looked at it a few times in San Juan and I'd see a 5:50 then a 6:30; so I figured, don't let that crap get in your head. Just run. I felt pretty good through the first lap (~4 miles) and just tried to take it one lap at a time...the body definitely started to feel it into the second lap. It was so cool to hear so many people cheering my name and see people I knew! However I really tried to keep my head down, eyes on the road ahead and focus on the job to do. I constantly reminded myself not to get greedy; to run controlled and steady. If I blew up, walked and lost the race, that would be very stupid racing!





As I neared the finish (just past mile 11), Derick yelled to me "Kel you got this...enjoy the finish" but even then, I told myself nothing was secured until I hit mile 12...and really until I saw that finish line. I continued through the crowd one last time, out onto the runway and finally back to the finish; and when I was on that home stretch, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and that goofy grin arose on my face; and it stuck there through the finish. And what a finish! People everywhere, announcing my name, and just the realization that finally, I had really nailed this race; not only in my home state of Texas, but I had put it together when I really needed to; to win, but also be the US 70.3 Pro Champion. It was also extremely satisfying to have 'mastered' a course which I felt had gotten the better of me in the past two years. It felt amazing!







When I first started winning triathlons (here and there) a few years back, I used to think it was arrogant to celebrate in any way. I'd allow myself to smile, but wouldn't raise my arms. It just felt odd. Through the years, I'd watch fellow athletes take big wins and I realized I loved watching their excitement; quite the contrary, those who celebrated seemed to show how much it meant to them. So now, when I can manage a win such as this, I let myself savor it. I often dip my head down once I get the banner; which to me is a small moment to myself; but the feeling of taking a win means so much to me, I try to really enjoy it and let my happiness, relief and emotions show. It sounds cliche, but the longer the journey, the sweeter the feeling of success. It's taken awhile to get here but I'd not choose to have had it any other way.



A huge thank you to my sponsors: Memorial Hermann, Zoot, PowerBar, Quintana Roo, Recovery Pump, Reynolds, ISM, Road ID, Vision, Durata Training, Katalyst Multisport, Jack & Adams, Giro, Oakley, Hill Country Running, and Go with the Flo. I feel lucky to be surrounded by not only a great support team, but an incredible community of friends and such a supportive family. The attention has been a bit overwhelming! I was chatting with Derick after the Pro Panel. He said that I almost seem a little bit self-deprecating; while I could see that, I think I just try to always keep it all in perspective. Within myself I carry confidence that I can do well and I believe I will; but I also realize that every time that we toe the line, it's anyone's race to win. That's what I love about racing. Nothing is ever given to you; but that is exactly how I like it.

Thanks for reading & see you at the next one!