Jackie Arendt - Professional Triathlete - Ironman Champion

Chatanooga 70.3 Race Report

2015-05-24T17:12:00.001-07:00

Well, where do I start! Let me say I really wanted to win this one and I learned a good lesson about not holding back. I came into this race after having a great season starter with a 3rd place and strong race in Puerto Rico followed by a solid month of training in April. I am certainly in shape and was ready to go for this one. SO....here's how it went down!

Swim: pretty uneventful, non-wetsuit and no crazy fast current like they had in the Ironman! I swam pretty controlled on Ashley Clifford's feet and came out of the water in 3rd (Ashley just ahead and Anna 40 sec. or so up).

Bike: We saw Anna in transition so Ashley and I headed out and worked together to catch up to her. Like Puerto Rico I was trying to race off feel (although I was collecting power data) so I was constantly taking an 'inventory' on what type of effort I was doing. We caught Anna pretty quick and then all 3 of us ended up riding together the rest of the bike ride. This is where I think I learned a lesson. I was riding comfortable and (looking back on data) very conservatively, for a half IM. I was telling myself to trust in my run when I should have been telling myself to trust in my bike AND my run and ride a little harder! I tried my new 'clean bike' nutrition plan, only having a strong bottle of Skratch Labs and another bottle of 6 gels diluted in water. This seemed to work well!

Run: OK, wow! Ashley and I took off out of transition, I think both of us thinking we could win this thing on the run.....and she did just that! I couldn't hold pace after a quick first couple miles. The gap just slowly grew to just over a minute by the end of the race. On the plus side I finished with a run split that I'm happy with and my highest ever 70.3 finish!

Thank you to Mark for being my #1 supporter and helping me believe I am actually in shape and can do well :) Also to Team Timex for the continued support and the gear that made my day:

Blue Seventy - Swim Skin and goggles

Rudy Project - Wing57 helmet

Trek - Fast Bike

Shimano - Fast parts, wheels and bike shoes

Castelli - very comfortable kit

Newton - Distance Run shoes and luckily having a visor for me at the expo

Feetures - best socks out there

Powerbar - gels

2015 Spring Update

2015-03-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm getting a quick update out before starting one of the funnest time of year, Team Timex camp! I'll hopefully have some fun camp updates over the weekend. But for now, here's what I've been up to.

Highlights:

Off Season recap, training and Injury free

Snowshoe Women’s Half Marathon National Champion

Puerto Rico 70.3 3rd place

After a VERY busy Iron distance racing season last year, ending with a pretty slow and super tough time at Kona, I took some time off. I got married. I slept a TON. I did plenty of hot yoga and just did ‘normal’ things. Now I (along with most triathletes) have always struggled with off-season, but last fall was a totally different story. For the first time ever I was completely DONE. Mentally and physically, I had nothing left. For the first time ever I didn’t even feel like working out. This lasted for 6 full weeks. It was actually a little concerning to me and I really started to wonder if I had done some serious damage. Turns out it was just after the 6th week of rest that I started to come back around.

In December Mark and I tried a 30 day run challenge to jump start our fitness and get motivated to work out again. Since we were both coming from nothing, we started with 1-2mile runs and built up from there. I didn’t do anything too long or fast that entire month (longest run was 12 miles) and was diligent on maintenance (rolling, icing, stretching, yoga). This really worked for me. I kept it going through January, and even pretty much all of February....I think I’ve only missed 4 days. This is just crazy to me since I have always dealt with little nagging things. Somehow committing to running MORE has actually gotten my body to adapt.

Anyhow, I only rode bike during my coached classes at Speed (1 hr m/w and 1-2hr Fri) and was seeing the power numbers actually come up. I was well rested and not training at a volume that was wearing me down. Consistency without burning the candle too low. We mixed in snowshoe running when we could (with our low snow year) and had fun out on the trails each week marking our Snowshoe Scurry Courses.

We ran our first half marathon snowshoe on Valentines morning to see how it felt....OK for me, maybe not as great for some. Regardless, 2 weeks later we (March, Justin D. and I) headed north to the Snowshoe National Championship in Eau Claire, WI. I was the only one for sure going to race, but by Sunday morning the guys were in! It was a nice day and fast snow conditions (not much of it). Mark and I ended up running a little together (he waited for me) and I ran better than I ever had on snowshoes, finishing the 13.1 miles in 1:46....enough to earn the National Championship title and a sweet chalice! The guys both also finished very well - all happy to come out with no injuries!

After that it was 2 weeks until Puerto Rico, my first tri of the year and in complete opposite conditions to what I’d just raced in. This race was good for many reasons, but the main thing was that there was such a large group from the Madison area. Having support out on the course, and knowing you have a ‘team’ is a great feeling. I was racing hard knowing my athletes and friends were out there doing the same. As for the race itself, I can give a little report!

Swim: Non wetsuit, beautiful! I lined up right next to who I knew to be the fast swimmers and was just going to try and hang on some feet. I’ve worked a lot on race strategy the last few years and I am getting better :) The gun went off and instead of barreling ahead I started steady and moved right behind some feet (either Kelly or Dede’s) as we took off. I knew Sarah Haskins would be way ahead of us all, but I knew being in the first group out of the swim was VERY important for this race. So I hung on and swam a little hard through the first couple turn bouys and was happy to have the pace settle for the long back stretch. I just hung in and conserved to get ready for the bike ride. I was surprised to see that when we came out (group of 5 or so) most of the other girls had lost their timing strap - theses were a new thing, HUGE, and apparently didn’t work well in water (duh)....so hopefully IM didn’t order these for all the races!

Transition: It was a long run to get to our bikes and these girls weren’t messing around! So I ran a bit quicker than I wanted to not loose them...got to T1 and nailed it through there!

Bike: This is a flat ride, but got windy the last 20(ish) miles....windy and my legs died a little, so the wind probably felt worse than it was. Anyhow, I was racing off of feel here and I quite enjoyed it. I rode conservatively the first 10 miles, staying with the group, then one got let off the front and I went after her. Very soon it was all spread out for us and we were on to the VERY congested second loop. There was plenty of AG pack action going on, but I just kept hammering away, thinking (or pretending) that I saw the next girl right up there. I finished the ride really excited to get out for a run, I think coming into transition 4th or 5th off the bike, but with the next 3 girls within minutes of me.

Run: OK. My time goals were out the window as I could tell I was in an oven. This was a survival activity and a run of attrition. I didn’t look at my watch a single time, just listened to breathing and kept my eyes forward and focused on getting to the next ‘pick-up’ (aid stations, friends, music). Overall it went pretty well and I happily ended up coming across the line in 3rd with the 2nd fastest run behind Sarah Haskins.

After the race I was surprised to hear of of the events during the race, but am very thankful everyone is ok!

Thanks for reading and happy training!

My 5 Step Process to Be Merry.

2014-12-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

It has been at least 10 days since we have seen sun in southern WI. It is extra rough given the fact that we also don't have any snow. It's just been plain dreary! If you are like me, sometimes this can get you down, in a slump, or feeling blah....whatever you like to call it. Although I'm on the seasonal emotional roller coaster, I have had pretty good luck fending off the blues the last couple years by using these tricks:

1. Get fresh air....for me exercise is great, but it is the fresh air that really helps. Even if it's pretty bad out, getting out for a walk, snowshoe or just playing in the snow can do wonders.

2. Building on the first point, EXERCISE. This is the season for parties and drinking. You can do those things, but make sure you are exercising. It's a bummer sometimes that you can have a lot of fun seeing friends and enjoying the holidays, but then you start to feel down if you had too many snacks at the party, then your clothes don't fit right, or you are feeling 'gross' just wearing bulky sweaters etc. The answer to this is exercise. Start up some sort of 30 day challenge with friends....just something to get you to move each day. We are currently 17 days into our #30dayrunchallenge and it has been awesome!!

3. Take plenty of Vitamin D and B12. This is key. I take D in the pill form every night with my other supplements and B12 either in pill or in drinks. Without sun our body can't produce vitamin D and it's unlikely you can get enough from food. B12 can be found in lean and low fat animal products like fish or low fat dairy, but if you aren't getting that consistently a supplement is a great option! Both of these vitamins have been proven to improve your mood!!

4. Stay busy and make plans with positive people! Don't sit home and be lazy. This is the time we need to band together and make things fun. Something active, outside, or maybe a project around the house. If you do have some down time, or prefer to be alone, find a book that can inspire or encourage you. For a short daily read I like "Journey to the Heart".

5. Eat Healthy (most of the time). We all go out and like to have a cookie here and there....but we can also eat at home and make our own food. The more you make your own food the healthier you can be. Learn to cook if you don't know how! It's a blast and can truly revamp your diet and give you CONTROL over exactly what is going in. Good fuel in = body runs better.

If you do have a hard time this time of year and aren't doing some of these, please give 'em a try!

WE CAN MAKE IT :)

2 Week Ironman Turn-Around

2014-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Before I head into my Ironman WI race report I thought I would do a quick re-cap of what exactly I did for the 2 weeks between a 2nd place finish at Ironman Louisville and then onto racing IM WI since I sure have gotten that question a lot...usually quickly followed (or preceded by) "I could never do that" or "You are crazy". Unfortunately I have been called crazy more in the last few weeks than I probably ever have been before, and let me tell you, I have done MUCH crazier things ;)

Let me pre-face this 2 week Turn-Around info by saying that this is only a good idea (still debatable) for well-seasoned Iron-distance athletes and those with no injuries. The body is an amazing thing and truly adapts to what you make it do. Ironman takes a toll on the body, but I can say that over the years my body had adapted. Sure, I still get so sore I can barely walk, but after those first 2 days the recovery period (mentally and physically) is much quicker.

Wait, but WHY did I do this?? Well, this was my last chance at both of these races!! Ironman is changing the pro race circuit and these two (2 of my fav. races) are no longer having a pro prize purse. This, in addition to the fact that I have finished 2nd twice at Louisville AND there was a lighter field, made me want to go there and and go for the win!! So I did...but ended in 2nd (again) as you read in my last blog. Anyhow- no brainer for WI since I live here and it's the best race ever, right?!!

Anyhow...here's how it went! I was very lucky to have some NormaTec Boots lent to me from one of my swimmers, so I was spoiled with getting to sit in those at least once per day during the two weeks. I think these were crucial in the recovery and my legs coming around to actually wanting to run the second week. Mixed in there were some naps, but not a ton.

I had less swimming than I would have liked the second week due to a bad bee sting on my eye on Tuesday, which left it completely swollen shut on Wednesday and partially shut on Thursday.

As you can see from my Training Peaks input, both weeks were VERY light with the main goal just getting loosened up. I was on the roller before and after every run and making sure to stretch well.

Thank-you's to those that were crucial for recovery:

Chantry at Peak Performance Massage

Jessi Koch at Active Body Dynamics

Mark Hering - for doing some short easy stuff w/me

Speed Cycling - I needed that group ride!

Gary Geiger for the NormaTec's

Lindsey Heim for the Shorewood Pool Sponsorship during week 1

Ironman Louisville Race Report

2014-09-03T14:06:00.001-07:00

It has been over a week since Ironman Louisville and I think it's about time to stop putting off this race report since another Ironman is looming in 4 days!

This race was not on my calendar this year, however when I heard about the changes being made to the pro races and that Louisville wouldn't have a professional race next year, I had to do it. I finished 2nd place in Louisville in 2011 and 2012 and was thinking I had better go for the win since it's my last shot!! (more on these changes another time)

Swim: Men and women started separately, which I strongly prefer! The gun went off and it was a good tough go until the turn bouy. I ended up swimming mostly on my own (boo) and was a bit discouraged, but came out pretty close to the front after all! There was a great current this year so I came out at 48 min and change!

I was less than a minute behind second place through transition and thought I could hustle and get her to have someone to bike with. Well....I was wrong! She took off like a bat out of hell and my legs were not having any of that. After 5 miles of trying to push to catch, I finally conceded to the idea that my legs needed a bit of time to come around. This happens sometimes in Ironman and I've learned that it's important to go with the flow of what your body is giving you. So I let the watts come down and let my legs get into it. By 20 miles I was feeling better and by 50 miles I was feeling great! Still, it was a long solo ride (except the second loop where it was passing people the entire time...).

It started to get hot and I was making sure to keep my body cool and stay on top of hydration. It was my slowest bike time at this race...but times were slow all around, so there must have been some wind and/or heat humidity playing role there...OR the way that they changed the dismount line! You now have to dismount and run with your bike a good 100-200yards. It's pretty ridiculous. 5:19 bike.

T2 - made haste here, although I had no idea where I was in relation to anyone...except that I was in 3rd.

On the run it wasn't long before I realized I was a LONG way from first or second and the temperatures were rising quickly. This was a bit discouraging, but I knew from many hot races that things can change quickly. So I made keeping my body cool and nourished a priority - taking ice every time, filling my hand-held bottle, taking Perform or cola and a gel every few miles. This seemed to work and the miles were ticking off. Soon I heard Kate was walking up ahead and I moved into 2nd place. This was exciting! Now I was thinking ok, 2nd is much better than 3rd - this can pay for my wedding!! It was a ways back to the girls behind me who seemed to be all shifting positions, and too far to get Nina who was still running fine, so I just kept to the walking every aid station, kept it steady until the finish. I knew I had another Ironman coming up and didn't want to totally tear my legs off :) I enjoyed a nice walk through the finish chute and a very nice IV after the race.

Big thank you to Mark who came down and raced with me!! Also to our friend Will Smith who was down working with Norma-Tec and Mark's brother Paul for both cheering and encouraging us.

My sponsors are amazing and I would not be doing so well if it weren't for them!

Timex, Trek, Shimano, PowerTap, Castelli, Powerbar, Rudy Project, Nathan Hydration, Newton, Blue Seventy

Local sponsors: Speed Cycling, Peak Performance Massage, Endurance House Middleton, Sport and Spine Clinic of Madison West, David Kohli of Perfect Circle Cycling

THANK YOU! Hope to see you at Ironman WI this weekend!! Come check out the pro panel on Friday at 11am at the Terrace and the Ironkids race Saturday morning.

Check out my video from the race last year (Thanks Dave!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7uQwHAL9o4

Ironman Louisville - Gear and Nutrition Report!

2014-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Round 3 at Ironman Louisville is in the books. It seemed to be the toughest conditions I've had at this race (raced 2011 and 2012) so I am happy to come out with a finish and another 2nd place!! I'll give my full race report soon, but wanted to do this quick gear and nutrition report first as a HUGE thank you to my sponsors that provide me with arguably some of the best products out there.

Gear
Kit:
Team Timex Castelli Clothing

Swim:
Blue Seventy PZ3TX Swimskin

Bike:
Trek Speed Concept 9 series w/ Shimano Ultegra Di2
Powertap G3 SES 6.7 Carbon Wheels
Powertap Joule GPS computer
Rudy Project Wingspan Aero helmet and Rydon Sunglasses

Run:
Feetures Elite no show tab sock
Newton Distance III shoes
Nathan SpeedDraw plus insulated hand held bottle
Headsweats Powerbar Visor

Nutrition

Breakfast:
Oats with Peanut butter and bannana
Bottle of Nuun

Race:
Bike- 8 Powerbar 1x caffeine gels, ~4 bottles perform, a good amount of water, 5 or so endurolyte pills, 2x First Endurance pre-race pills
Run- 7 gels, Drank a random mix of perform, water, ice and coke, 7 or so endurolyte pills, 2x pre-race pills, 2x Myothon pills

No stomach issues this time!! Eliminating the solids seemed to do the trick.

Full report to come!! Summary: Tough hot day. hung in there for 2nd and punched a ticket to the Ironman World Championships in Kona by being ranked in the top 35 women in the world. Very excited and thankful for all the support :)

Ironman Canada Race Report & Course Tips!

2014-08-01T11:29:00.003-07:00

Well, I've had a good week to reflect on my experience in Whistler, BC Canada last weekend and I can say it was overall a fun time. Whistler is an excellent destination and I couldn't think of a more beautiful place to race!

Swim: We had a small pro women's field so I knew it would be easy to keep track of some good feet. I was shooting to swim on Karen and/or Bree's feet and that's exactly what went down. We went out hard for only a few hundred meters then I settled in nicely behind them as they swam the first loop side by side. It was a two loop swim in PERFECT water (clear and 66 degrees). The second loop Karen pulled to the front and seemed to pick it up a bit until we started hitting slower 1st loop swim traffic. Then it was just a matter of navigating. The sun was an issue on the back stretch, so having some mirrored goggles was key. Came out just behind Bree, 4th swimmer. 56min and change.

T1: It was a bit chilly in the morning, but I opted not to put on anything for the ride, which made for a quick transition! Made sure to have my bike in an easy gear as there is an uphill mount and a climb just out of transition.

Bike: I ride with power so this is always useful and part of my goals for the ride - not too many power spikes (which proved tough on this course) and keep the avg up where it should be for IM. My secondary goal was to stay up near the front of the race since these were all girls I knew I could ride with. With Anna and Karen up ahead, Bree caught me a few miles into the ride and we proceeded to stay together almost the entire ride (along with an official on a motorcycle- also the whole time). It was pretty helpful to have someone to work on pacing with and to keep motivation up when I was in a lul. She had one more gear than me, so keeping up on the descents was tough/frustrating. I had a 12/27, but would probably go with an 11/27 or 11/28 in the future. There were plenty of 10% grade climbs- including some in the last 20 miles which proved to just smash my legs! No matter how much you think you're saving, it is not enough to climb at the end of 100mi. 4th off the bike, 5:31 split.

T2: quick change into run shoes and some water and sunscreen

Run: I took off on the run feeling ok, thinking I still probably had a shot at moving up in the race. I was getting feedback that everyone looked like crap and that's always motivating to me....unfortunately it wasn't long before I also started to look like crap. Soon it seems like it was somewhat of a death-march-determination-survivalfest for all of the women and they just held on a bit better than me! I used all the tricks in my book to make my body keep running, but there were just too many porto-stops and some weird stomach pains that didn't allow for any fast running. 3:27....slowest marathon in a long time! On the plus-side, there were plenty of aid stations and it was a very well shaded trail run the whole time! Gorgeous run course!

Overall: I snuck in under 10hrs - 9:59. I was able to hang on to 4th place and am happy knowing that I did what I could with what my body had for the day. Like I said after the race, some days you're the hammer and some days you're the nail. After 18 or so Ironman races I can safely say that some feel awesome all day, some are awesome part of the day (like this one) and some are just tough all the way through. I'm just thankful my body puts up with it and I can come away healthy and ready for the next one, whatever it may bring!!

Thank-you's: First to Mark who is my biggest supporter, believer in my potential and proud of me no matter what. Next to coach Cliff English who takes time to talk me through the ups and downs in training, and helps me get to the finish line healthy and in the best shape I can be.

My sponsors: Timex Multisport team and our affiliated sponsors- Trek Bikes, Shimano, Castelli, Feetures, Blue Seventy

My personal sponsors: Powertap, Rudy Project, Peak Performance Massage Madison, Powerbar, Endurance House Middleton, Speed Cycling

THANK YOU!

Thanks for reading - next up, IRONMAN WI!! Home turf, baby!

Ironman Pre-race Report in Whistler

2014-07-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

After a little struggle getting here it has sure taken a turn for the better! This is a gorgeous venue...a little chillier than expected, but just great so far. I got a chance to check out the bike course (some driving some riding) and the word on the street seems to be true- it is going to be a challenge for sure.

As for the race, there is a very small pro field here and it's going to be a great race. Not much to say here (hard to speculate what will happen) but I am just hoping that my mind and body will cooperate and give me a great day!

The town of Whister really has everything to offer - grocery, restaurants, great scenery, gondola rides and other fun. I'm looking forward to a little more exploring after the race!

Canadian newspaper - Nice write-up of the pro contenders including me and Timex Teammate Matt Russell

There are paved trails everywhere! Made for a very enjoyable morning run :)

I found the rings! 2010 winter games (right?)

Great outdoor expo

This is the swim. Just breathtaking and a PERFECT temperature!

2 Years Ago Today...

2014-06-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today my dad took his own life.

I was out with friends when my brother called me with the news. I was completely in shock.

I didn't tell ANYONE what happened. I didn't want to talk about it.

This was by far the most shocking, sad, embarrassing, confusing, and life changing event that has happened during my short time on this earth. I knew my dad was sick, but did not know how bad. Mental illness is a strange thing like that. It grows and evolves, but there is such a stigma that it's hard to talk about, and there are not easy pathways to get help. When my dad pulled away, out of my life, I just let him.

My heart hurts so badly for the pain and hurt and horrible things that went on in my dad's head that lead him to end things. My heart hurts for those that are dealing with mental illness personally or with a loved one. If you think that someone needs help, they probably do, and it can be so confusing and difficult, but people can be helped.

When I found out about my dad 2 years ago I was set to leave for Kansas 70.3 that next morning, but obviously did not make the trip. This year I will be racing Eagleman 70.3, for my dad. When he was healthy, he was happy, supportive and loved watching sports. He wanted to be right there on the side of the soccer field, or track, or pool. I never wonder if he was proud of us, because he would be proud of us no matter what.

So I don't know exactly why I'm writing this post, except the only way to break the stigma surrounding mental illness is to talk about it. I understand the feeling of shame that comes with it (hence why I don't talk about this much), but it is an illness like any other.

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

2014 is Underway!! FL 70.3 race report.

2014-04-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

After a long winter in WI, and some time training in AZ and FL in March, the long awaited race season has finally started!! This weekend I traveled to sunny FL to see how I fared in the heat for a 70.3 season opener. Here's how it went down (sorry I don't have any race pictures....)

Pre-race: Swim called wetsuit legal! This was just a surprise (to me) after we swam in this 'Lake' Eva (it's actually a pond, but we're in FL where they also don't know what hills are) in our speed suits and it was GREAT. I actually felt really good. Well, despite that, thanks to a very generous friend, I did find a wetsuit to wear so I wouldn't get left behind on the swim.

Ok, race day!

Swim: VERY dark to start, prob should have brought some light or clear goggles, but it ended up fine. I started in toward the buoys and everyone else lined up far left. I had a great start, swam 500m hard, didn't have to deal with any swim traffic that whole first stretch, and eventually the other girls came over to join me on the buoy line. I grabbed the feet of Cait Snow (leading the chase pack) and had a fairly chill swim on her feet the rest of the way. 27:14 (only a min down from the 3 leaders...although I didn't know that at the time!)

Bike: Got out on the bike and unfortunately Cait was off and gone before I knew it :) So I just settled in and stuck to my watts and race plan. A couple other girls came up and I was able to hang with them the rest of the ride (just having someone in sight makes the ride SO much easier!). April lead the charge for most of the ride and I was feeling pretty good for being able to stick with the pace changes and hold goal watts (same as I was doing last fall) for an early season race where I really haven't had too much outside riding!! 2:25, avg 23.16 mph (yay!)

Run: I came into T2 w/April and Amber F. and we tore out of there. Amber was heading out at a good clip so I worked a little to try and stay with her but unfortunately reality set in that I was just not used to that heat!! I was able to run fairly even throughout the run, but I don't think it was very pretty.

1:30

Overall: I'm happy with the race! It's always nice to get the first one out of the way, blow out the cobwebs and see where your fitness is at. I ended up finishing 6th woman (just 40 sec out of 5th) in a field with some great girls.

"Why didn't I go faster?!" lol

I am thankful to be able to do what I do everyday. I know support comes in many forms, and I have a TON of it!! THANK YOU!

Next up: Ironman Texas, May 17

I also have some talks and events coming up and would love to see you:

TOMORROW, Tues Apr 15 Endurance House Middleton, Swim Training for Triathlon, Free swag! 6pm talk, 6:30pm fun run

May 23-25 Weekend Tri Camp! All levels welcome - supported swim, bike, run, guest speakers and meals provided! Madison Area, more info or to sign up: Tri-Camp

May 30 Wetsuit Clinic, Fireman's Park in Verona, Blue Seventy suits on hand to try out, free!

Some fun after the race :)

Full results:

Swim, bike, run, burrito. Day 2 CEC camp.

2014-03-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today we met at Ventana Canyon with our cars packed to the hilt for day 2 of CEC pro camp. I won't bore you with the nitty gritty, but lets just say we did it all and enjoyed some great mild weather today!

(Big thanks to Wattie for the photos)

We swam.

4400yd strength swim

We biked.

~3 hrs, including climb up to Windy Pt. (14 miles) on Mt. Lemon.

We ran.

Short run off the bike w/a 5 min build to something much faster

than the recommended half IM pace we were instructed :)

We ate some awesome mexican food.

mmmm. it was a good day.

Escaping Winter - Training Camp!

2014-03-03T20:32:00.002-08:00

It's about time I get back on the 'blog' wagon, and it seems that training camp is always a time that I feel like sharing.

To rewind a bit first: This has been the best winter of my adult life :) I have the best man I can imagine, a lifestyle I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, and am healthy! Putting on the snowshoe races proved to be just what I needed to stay busy and motivated during the coldest January we have had in WI. We had growing numbers and I am PUMPED to find out that the Snowshoe National Championships are in WI next year! SO I will do my best to make at least one of the Snowshoe Scurry races a qualifier.

Additionally, on the training front, I have been able to get in a great groove and am probably in my best 'winter' shape ever. This has got me super excited to start racing but also motivated to continue to try and make some improvements all around before rushing into anything. There is always so much work to be done!!

So last week I was able to visit my sister and her great fiancé Travis in the Miami, FL area. We had a great time running, laying on the beach, and checking out their favorite restaurants. I do love a recovery week :)

Now I'm here in sunny Tucson for my 3rd adventure at Cliff English's pro camp. He puts this on for his athletes each year and it's a great time to get some face time with coach (only a couple athletes actually live here) and reconnect with everyone from previous years :) I am excited to get to it all this week, especially getting some miles in on my new Trek!!

Check back all week for stories, pictures, and video! You can also find another perspective from fellow camper Chris Bagg

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

It's FULL ON Winter!

2014-01-07T07:31:00.002-08:00

Well, my FB and twitter feed is full of people pictures of the temperature and weather....in their car, on their phone, from the TV...it's pretty crazy around here. But, we live in WI, where we should expect it to be cold, so let's just move on.

I haven't posted since IM Cozumel, which feels like it was a year ago! I took a really nice few weeks off and enjoyed the holidays and some fun with friends and family. It felt great to take it easy!! I'm back into a bit of training now, but have also kept very busy with planning of the Snowshoe Scurry. This has been a fun new project and I'm so excited with how it's going. We have snowshoe races every Sunday in January here in the Madison area.

If you live here, I hope you will come check it out!! This Sunday we are at Donald Park.

In other news, I am still in the works of planning the 2014 race schedule, but right now I am looking at a spring IM (which I haven't done in a few years!), some 70.3 in the summer months, IM WI and then maybe one more IM at the end of the year again.

If you know me, you know I am always thinking and planning new projects, businesses, or you name it...well, this works well as a pro triathlete, since we truly have to get creative with how we make money....since we all know there is actually very little money in triathlon. Because of this, I have added a 'Donate' button to my blog here to try and raise funds to pay for my pro license this year. It costs $800 just to race pro on the WTC (Ironman) circuit. I know I am very lucky with Sponsors and am lucky to be living my passion but I am also very thankful and appreciative of all of the support I get and believe that relationships are truly what make the world go round!

Thanks for reading :)

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Buddha

Ironman Cozumel 2013

2013-12-03T15:27:00.001-08:00

Hey! I made it to off season!!

I was lucky enough to travel to Mexico again for my last race of the year. Ironman Cozumel is truly an amazing race, venue, and community. The volunteers go above and beyond and the community support top notch, a close second to Madison (of course). I came into this race feeling more fit than last year, and with another year of racing under my belt I had that much more experience of how to race and make it the best race possible. I didn’t go into the race with any expectations except to execute the race the best I could. I ended up in 8th place (made enough to pay for the trip!) and am overall happy with the day....like every race, I learned plenty of lessons :)

Pre-race prep with Jennifer - nice easy ride to the east coast of the island.

We found a pool! Super happy for this since the Ocean was 'closed' because of the current and waves.

On our way to Bike/T1 drop on Saturday

SWIM: The swim was shortened due to an unsafe current and swim conditions. After my struggles in the current last year, I was actually happy to hear this news. It seemed like a logistical nightmare to have everyone get to the T1 (old swim start) and then re-load on busses to the new swim start 1.9 miles down the road, but somehow they seemed to pull it off flawlessly. It was an in water start and a point-to-point swim with the current. All went fairly smoothly and I had some nice feet to hang on almost all of the swim. I came out in 37:22, a perfect spot right with the girls I wanted to be with!

BIKE - 3 loops, 112miles, 5hr14min: I flew through T1, determind not to let this group leave me in the dust. Since racing with power at Ironman Florida and Rev3 Florida in November, I had a good idea of where I wanted to be and luckily the girls were riding in just that zone. It is truly a completely different race when you’re out there as a pro. It can be a lonely bike ride, which is why you see small groups form during the race. It is amazing how just having 1 or 2 other people in your sights or nearby can make it seem easier. The headwind was much worse than last year on the far side of the island. I think it’s a 12 mile stretch, but it felt like FOREVER. By the 3rd loop there were some serious packs (peleton’s) of men age-groupers catching up, that proved to be extremely annoying, disruptive, and dangerous. They were riding with no regard what -so-ever to the rules of passing, drafting, or even just general cycling ettiquite. There was almost no way out of it and at many points I found myself just riding on the far left (oncoming traffic) lane to avoid getting mixed in or knocked off my bike. Ugh. Finally an official did show up and threw out plenty of warnings, however I only saw 1 penalty go out.

Out there on the bike is where I think I started to chip away at my chances for an awesome race. Between the wind on each lap and trying not to get hit/mixed up with the guys on the last 20 or so miles of the ride I completely ignored nutrition. I wasn’t used to the gatorade so I wasn’t drinking much, it was windy so the sweat was evaporating quickly, and I just didn’t eat enough calories. I got off the bike in a deficit, which made for an extremely challenging last leg of the race.

RUN - 3 times out and back: I knew I was already in tough shape starting the run, but sometimes I can salvage things. I pushed all my worries aside, reminded myself it was the last race of the year, and planned to give it all I could. I left T2 with another pro (girl in red, Celine I think, ended up 4th) and thought “ok, run with her”....this was not a good idea! Another lesson - stick to YOUR OWN RACE. Chick went out hard and stubborn me was like ‘Just stick with her, you’ll settle in’. First mile was ~6:30 and yep, then I knew I needed to not worry about this chica. Maybe she would die and come back to me :) After that first one the miles really just got slower and slower as the marathon went. I was taking everything I could at the aid stations thinking something would get some snap back in my legs, but nothing worked. I slugged it out, and experienced what it feels like to bonk and cramp during an Ironman. I don’t wish this upon anyone!! One false move, or running too fast and one or both quads and/or my right hamstring would just shut down. Wow, it was tough. I went through the 2nd loop still in 5th or 6th and knew it would take all the mental and physical gusto I had left to keep a run going for the last loop. I was on the aid station to aid station plan, which soon turned into the walk the aid station plan, which turned into only walk once between aid station plan. It was not pretty...and I know it never is toward the end, but this was a new version of the ‘Ironman shuffle’ that I really hope to never do again. I ran (and walked) a 3:31 giving every single thing I had and managed to hang on for 8th place.

Overall: 9:27, (swim 0.5mi short), 8th place woman

This race panned out much differently than I thought it would (obviously didn’t envision the run going that way), but I am very happy with how it turned out. I love racing as much as ever! There are lessons to learn at each race, and just because it doesn’t go as planned doesn’t mean it isn’t a success. This was another lesson to me in racing my own race and another true test of mental toughness and motivations for finishing. When your body wants to give out and stop so bad YOU have to be the one to make it go. No amount of cheering, support, friends, or anything else can make you go. The motivation and drive has to come from you. How bad do YOU want it? What are YOU racing for? You need to be so strong in your conviction to complete what you came to do that you can’t be derailed, whether it’s finishing the race before the cutoff, reaching a time goal, or improving in a certain area, fully commit to it.

ANYHOW! I am excited for off season and to get back at it for another great year next year. Huge thanks to everyone for the support throughout this entire year: Mark (love you), Cliff English Coaching, Timex Multisport Team, Powerbar, Endurance House, Speed Cycling, Computrainer, Rudy Project, Powertap, Peak Performance Massage, and everyone else who had a hand in helping me live my passion. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks for reading!

Ironman Cozumel Travel Guide

2013-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

This post may be a couple days late for some traveling to Cozumel this year, but some things may still come in handy. This is my second year taking the trip to Mexico for an end of the season race and I know there are many people, like me, looking forward to some warm sun!

Travel Logistics:

Avoid Flying with your bike - it turns into a HUGE hassle. I use Tri-bike Transport.
Flying into Cancun is generally cheaper and makes for a bit of an adventure getting to Cozumel. When you land, collect your luggage and find the ADO bus (ask for 'ahh-deh-oh') to take you to Playa Del Carmen for the ferry. You will be approached by MANY taxi/bus drivers from private companies wanting to take you to the ferry. You can haggle price with these guys, and if you are a small group, this can be an affordable option. If you decide on the bus, you can purchase the tickets online before your trip, but I think it's easier to buy them when you get there incase you have delays in travel or get there early. After an hour bus ride you are dropped at the bus stop in Playa Del Carmen, which is just a few blocks from the ferry stop. You can easily purchase ferry tickets as you approach the ferry.
If you have ever had motion sickness, take precautions for the ferry ride. I like the motion sickness bracelets, or just regular dramamine. It is ~45min ride to Cozumel.
When you get to Cozumel there are plenty of taxi drivers waiting there to take you to your hotel/house/condo. You need to have the address of where you are going (and maybe even a map so you can point to where it is if you don't know much spanish) and make sure to have pesos to pay them.

Ferry to and from the Island!

Entrance to the Ferry in Playa Del Carmen

Money:

Check with your debit card on charges for using ATM in Mexico, most charge a small fee and something like a 3% charge for the total removed. There is an ATM right by the ferry at Playa del Carmen if you didn't get to convert any money before that.
You can bring cash to the airport and use a money conversion station there...usually a small fee associated with that, but nice to have it done.
Any taxis and many vendors are cash only in Mexico.

Plenty of nice relaxing ocean front space...especially on the southern part of the island.

Phone:

Probably best to keep your phone off. Even with an international plan, there are usually some charges still associated with calling, and especially data usage. Things that seem very simple, like checking Facebook, add up on data very quick....for example, Verizon charges $5.12/MB. Accepting texts are much cheaper than sending, and this is a cheaper option than calling... (on Verizon it costs 0.05 to get a text, 0.50 to send, and 0.99/min to talk)
Most hotels and condo's you stay will have wifi, so just take yourself back to the pre-smart phone days and do your computing on the computer, and use Skype to talk to your friends and family at home :)

Race Logistics:

Swim start at Practice swim pre-race

Nice paved bike path to ride to swim start from town!

The swim start and T1 are a few miles south of the expo/finish/T2 area. There are plenty of shuttles provided by the race and hotels that leave from the main expo area to get you to the pre-race dinner and swim start race morning. You can ride your bike to the pre-race swim if you are up for it, or you will probably have to get a taxi. This is one of the the only Ironman races where I think it somehow works to go without renting a car....BUT if you need one, you can find one from most major hotels that have daily rentals available.
Separate transitions means that when you drop of that T2 bag you will not see it again until during the race...make sure everything is in there that you need.
3 lap bike and 3 out and back run = an awesome race with tons of spectators. This is a good thing. This race rivals the BEST crowd support of any Ironman.

Athlete check-in.

T1, hanging bags that you grab on the way to the changing tent.

Great bike racks!

They give you water in bags on the run. Yep, bags. You have to bite off the corner and try to spill water into your mouth. It's great, ice cold water.

Where to stay:

Cozumel has PLENTY of places to stay for all sorts...there are your all-inclusives which tend to be busy with people and entertainment, there are homes for rent or small condo style rentals. Last year I stayed in an AWESOME place, Villa El Encanto. It's a small place, with ~8 condo's where the family that runs it lives on the same property...gated, pools, hammock, very tidy, nice rooms, and a perfect location for the race. Very competitively priced and walking distance to the grocery store. I like the condo/home rental for racing so I can cook my own food :)

The bakery section ROCKS.

Peacocks roaming at Villa El Encanto!!

VERY relaxing :)

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions! I may learn more on this trip and update my post. Happy travels!

Florida Train-cation / Racing into shape

2013-11-10T15:48:00.002-08:00

After all the fun in Hawaii (2 glorious weeks!) at the beginning of October, I realized it was time to get down to some business to get ready for my last race of the season, Ironman Cozumel. I love racing, so of course I had to plan some epic training around some races to get motivated!

THE PLAN: Wisconsin is cold...so I thought it might be nice to get a bit more outdoor training. I volunteered to drive my grandma down to her winter home in Naples, FL...IF we could detour for a couple days for me to do part of Ironman FL :) She agreed. After Panama City Beach, it was a day drive to Naples, a week of training, then Rev3 Florida Half Ironman (just over an hour from grandma's) and I fly home Tuesday. Sounds good, right??

IRONMAN FL: I executed my plan of trying to swim hard and just survive the ocean swim (more on this coming), bike hard and try to 'stay in the mix' and run a couple miles. WELL....I did get dropped from the pack I wanted to swim with, but it was still an ok swim. I was happy with my starting position and did get out well...I only got dropped really when we had to get out at the end of the first loop, run around a table, and get back in. This just zapped my energy! FL Ironman was my first bike under 5 hrs (4:49) and I am happy to report it was competitive w/the other women pro's, which were also fast due to the great conditions! Another plus is that I felt just fine getting off the bike (maybe a little light on nutrition, but ok). Props to my friends that raced and fought for some awesome PR's and finished strong!!

Side note on the Ocean Swim: I get motion sickness and often puke in salt water swims. I have notoriously had horrible ocean swims (3xKona and Cozumel last year) and really want to fix this! The only way I can figure is just to do more of them, since I don't actually live by an ocean to train in.

MORE DRIVING: After Ironman FL, we booked it (9 hr drive the day after the race) to Naples, FL. I was SPENT and immediately zonked out for 12 hrs when we finally got there! Anyhow, it was a nice week of some volume, sunshine, swimming outdoors, and flat bike rides.

REV3 Half Ironman Venice, FL: This was today. Solid training day and made some monies. I did have a horrible swim, which sucks. It just was not going well right from the start....no good explanation, but I think when I got dropped and was swimming solo I was probably swimming just a little crooked here and there :) Anyhow, it was a solo mission on the bike...really, I only passed a couple people and only got passed by a couple. TONS of turns and 180 degree turn-arounds which I really don't think are good for me, but I tried to be technical :) I got off in 9th I think and just wanted to finish the thing. It was getting hot and I forgot my hand-held bottle so I was really noticing the distance between aid stations! I was using all my normal cues, but I just couldn't muster the normal 1/2 speed that usually comes pretty easy. Oh well, hung on and even passed a girl in the last mile to take 8th. Maybe I can just run that speed twice for a full!!

swim: 29min :/ bike: 2:28 run: 1:30 :/ overall 4:34 (I think)

GOING HOME and MORE! I am excited to get home for a little bit of normal life :) I've got 2 days then Mark and I are off to my girl Christine's wedding in Colorado next weekend. Then it's 10 days home before Ironman Cozumel where I get to celebrate a Mexican Thanksgiving for the seconds year in a row.

Thanks for following!!

AND my usual Thanks to my sponsors!! Check them out HERE on my NEW website!!

Huge thanks to Eric Engel for re-doing my site - please consider him if you need an update or site made.

Check out pictures from my travels and follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jackietrigirl

2013 Kona Hawaii Report

2013-10-21T21:57:00.004-07:00

Well...we are FINALLY home from one of my favorite places to visit - Kona, Hawaii. This was my 5th year going to the Big Island for the Ironman World Championships, and I can safely say we packed plenty of new experiences into this one! I actually feel like I could be a tour guide or trip planner for Kona, I've got this down! Maybe there will be more on that in the next post :)

If you are following me on twitter or instagram you have probably seen plenty of updates...but here are some of the highlights!

1. Mark made it through his first Ironman race in Kona! This was the main reason for actually being in Kona this year, so obviously this is a big one :)

Age-groupers getting in for the swim

Happy Campers at the Finish Line!

2. We hiked -- After a winding drive around the north most point of the island, I emerged from the back of the SUV slightly car-sick, but excited for a fun new place! We made it to Pololu Valley where we hiked down to the black sand beach and up the other side of the valley. This was a super scenic hike anyone can do!

We also had a short hike up to an awesome view point at the visitor center at Mauna Kea - super steep and windy, but worth it! Mauna Kea is a volcano standing 13,803 ft above
sea level, its peak is the highest point in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

3. We swam with dolphins! We hopped in Kayaks and traversed Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook monument....getting lucky with a couple pods of dolphins joining us on the way there and the way back!

4. We got 'stranded' for 2 extra days. We first tried to leave on a red eye Thursday night. After a dead battery, maintenance, and sitting/waiting on the plane for OVER 3 hours, our flight was cancelled. After waiting in multiple lines, we made it to our new home at Waikoloa Village where they put us up for a couple days. It was a pain to be up all night with a cancelled flight, but we certainly made the most of our 'bonus' days on the island :)

5. Charter fishing boat! We went out with Captain Shawn of the Night Runner, per a recommendation, and it did not disappoint! They were all about catching as many fish as possible of all different types.

Check out a couple videos of the fun!

Thanks for reading and let me know if there are other things from Hawaii you want to hear about!!

-Jackie

Ironman WI - My First IM WIN!!

2013-09-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

WOW! So I'm writing here about my first Ironman VICTORY, right here on my home turf in Madison, WI. I'm so happy and thankful I don't know where to start!!

This year certainly started slowly - if you read any of my earlier blogs this year it was a long process getting back into 'race' shape and getting my run back up to speed. Winning an Ironman was the farthest thing from my mind in February, where I could barely run a 7 minute mile! I put in a lot of work this year, day in and day out, and even though I was tempted to try a earlier IM, I waited until Ironman Mont Tremblant (IMMT) in August. At that race I felt it, I was ready. My run was back and I my mind was strong to push through an Ironman.

This was my first time racing Ironman WI since 2010 (where I was an age-grouper and raced in prep for Kona that year) and it was just 3 weeks after IMMT, which would make it my shortest time between Ironman races. In 2011 I raced Ironman Lake Placid and then 4 weeks later went on to have one of my best races at Ironman Louisville - putting up my fastest run (at the time) and somehow nabbing 2nd place. So with that in mind, I was hopeful for this short turn around between races!

Ok- so I have a TON to say....but I'll go through the race quick here!
SWIM: Love the 1 loop. Don't mind the chop, as it favors 'swimmers' and usually leads to a larger gap from the 'non-swimmers'. I got out hard (too hard) and was quickly in recovery mode - reminding myself I was in an Ironman and not a swim race :) I settled it as much as I could w/the choppy conditions and found myself behind some feet that were just swimming all over the place!! We did not swim straight AT ALL...BUT it's pretty crazy how swimming alone in a straight line is just way harder and no faster than drafting easy on some feet that just happen to be swimming a little whacky. So I just went with it and had a fine swim. At the last turn bouy I bailed on my crazy lead train and took a beeline to the finish, in hopes of losing as little time as possible to the lead girls. Time: 57:00

BIKE: I headed out 3rd female on the bike and was on a (controlled) mission to ride smart and not lose time on the ride. I ride on feel, and the plan was to just push the bike harder than I normally do in Ironman. I was feeling great, loved the support on the course, and knew it was going well when I was nearing the end of the first lap and wasn't getting passed by any women! YAY! So I kept on with the 'harder than usual' effort and stayed on the hydration/nutrition, just trusting that if I kept the fuel going in no matter how spent I felt at the end of the bike my fitness would take me through the run. I certainly had some low points in the ride, like everyone, but just pushed them away and kept on the mission of finishing the ride strong. Time: 5:27:30

RUN: This is where you find out what you're made of. This run happened to be one of the toughest IM runs I have had. I thought I was coming off the bike in 3rd, but someone dropped out either at the end of the ride or in transition, so I was in 2nd, only 5-ish minutes down! At that moment I was thinking 'oh man, I think I can do this!'. So this run was interesting because I was pretty sure I would catch Malaika, however I knew there were strong runners coming from behind...and for the first part of the run I really didn't know how much space I had. So goal 1 was to catch Malaika, then it was to maintain so I didn't get caught!! It was a serious mind/body struggle, with my body wanting to stop SO BAD. My legs have never felt that awful during a race. I kept my mind from wandering and just kept at it, concentrating on nutrition and keeping 'steady'. My newest saying is "just like this, all day long" which seems to work :) Wow, so here is where I was SO THANKFUL to know so many people! I took in each and every cheer and tried to truly BELIEVE what people were saying. Each time someone told me I could do it, I tried to take that and literally run with it. The last few miles were a mix of amazing and painful. The crowd support was UNREAL and my legs were each like 50lb cement blocks :) I was convinced I was running 11 minute miles (turns out I wasn't, but geeeez)!! Time: 3:16

FINISH: AMAZING!!! I was told I had a 5 min lead on 2nd, but still found myself looking back in the finish shoot in complete disbelief that this was actually happening!! I was greeted at the finish line by my Grandma Mary, Aunt Kiki and Mark :) I was interviewed by Dave Erikson, the Madison Newspaper and taken to drug testing.

THANK YOU!!! Friends, family, training partners for loving me and keeping me motivated!

SPONSORS: Timex, QR, Shimano, Blue Seventy, Rudy Project, Powerbar, Computrainer, Powertap, Nathan Hydration, Training Peaks, Peak Performance Massage, Speed Cycling, Assocaited Podiatrists

I would not be doing this without the support of my amazing sponsors!!!!

Thanks for reading....more to come :)

Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report - 9th Place

2013-08-22T14:08:00.001-07:00

Another IM in the books and I'm happy to report that I'm seeing some improvements on the run and am optimistic for more improvement all around!!

This was my first trip up to Mont Tremblant, in beautiful Quebec, Canada. I was lucky enough to be able to stay VERY close to race start with Marks college friend, Chris Boettcher.

Leading up to the race was nice and relaxed, getting in some easy swims, bikes and a run while getting comfortable in Mont Tremblant. On Thursday I rode the short hilly out and back (which is at the end of each loop - map on right) and decided I for sure had the wrong cassette on my bike. Now usually last minute bike changes are not a good idea, but when you have a 12/25 and it's challenging to climb when you're rested and only riding an hour it's for sure going to suck (be impossible) at the end of an ironman. I took my bike straight on over to the Shimano tent and had them throw on an 11/28. Best decision EVER.

Saturday morning swim

Ok, we are ready!!

Pulled out the red carpet for the Pro bike racks!

AND our own personal transition chairs!

WAY at the end, but still a good spot :)

We got everything checked in on Saturday and decided all we had to do on Sunday was show up :) The transition area was awesome, one of the nicest set-up's I have ever seen!!

Race day:

SO thankful to be staying within walking distance to the start!! No hassle with parking, we woke up, breakfast, and headed down the hill. Threw our special needs bags in the buckets, pumped up tires, put bottles on the bike, and started the 10ish min walk to the swim start.

I think this is my 'YIKES!' face :) Taken just a couple minutes before swim start.

Swim: This race is a beach start, which makes me pretty nervous...I really like to avoid contact in the swim at all costs. So, I let everyone go and swam a nice clear path :) It worked...I found my friend Jess Smith's feet a couple buoys in and just hung out there for the whole swim. Thinking in my head it might be a bit easy, but hey, Ironman is a long day and I want to be strong on the bike and run!

56:14

Heading out on the bike!

Bike: Best part about this was that they were handing out Honey Stinger Waffles...this was a surprise to me! I love my nutrition plan, but also enjoy waffles during training...so I went with it :) YUM. Legs were alright, had some shining moments, but also plenty of 'blah' moments when getting passed by a few of the slower swimmers. I just hung in there and kept it rollin' steady, and stayed on top of eating drinking. It is such a different day out there depending where you start the race, can be pretty lonely for much of the ride and it's tough seeing the packs of people on the opposite side of the road. Just gotta put the head down and ride! 5:22

Run: Here is where I was looking to really be strong and test myself. This is the first race since 2011 that I have really been able to train the run correctly (no injury, etc.). I felt pretty great most of the time. It was fun not having mile markers or any real idea of pace, or at first, how many K's I had to go :) I just ran along at what felt like a solid clip and worked on keeping form in tact. I know I can be faster here and am excited to keep pushing the limits!! 3:13

Overall, I am happy with this race. It was a strong field, as it was the North American Ironman Championships, as well as the last big point race for the pro's. It's tough to leave empty handed (one spot out the money) but is very motivating to keep working and improving. I want to race where the competition is strong, but may mix in a little more 'cherry picking' next year :)

9th place woman overall, 9:38:09.

BIG HUGE THANKS to my friends and sponsors for being there for me. Namely: Mark, Timex, Endurance House, QR, Powerbar, Shimano (the Di2 shifting on the bullhorns was KEY on this course), Tri-Bike Transport, Rudy Project, Champion System, Nathan Hydration, Cliff English Coaching, Blue Seventy, Speed Cycling

Cracked a smile in the finish chute :) Always feels good to run in strong!

Done... and pretty happy about it.

Great to see the town from up high :) LOVE this place!!

IM Mont Tremblant

2013-08-14T17:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm sitting here in Mont Tremblant, Quebec Canada and finally feel like getting a blog out! I don't really know what to say or think about this Ironman that's looming....somehow almost a year between this distance race is just too long for me!

Here's what I CAN say:

- I have come a LONG way since training camp in February. I built my run up slowly and carefully and am finally getting back to decent form here. Just sticking to the consistent work day in and day out, and not forcing the racing before I'm ready, has allowed me to have a nice fitness progression.

- I have a fire in my belly to race and my body is capable. I felt it for the first time this year in Racine. The legs were working and I was able to actually race. I still have a lot of improvement to do on the bike, but it's coming around.

- I have a great support system in Madison and LOVE my busy life. I am finally in a place where I am enjoying all parts of life and am truly grateful for everything and everyone that is a part of it.

It's been a relaxing afternoon working on my computer here in a little bed and breakfast outside of town. I may not have done much 'race prep' today, but there is something to be said about getting the travel done and having a couple days to settle into where you are racing. I took today completely off of exercise and it feels awesome :)

Hope you are having a great week!! I gotta run, the guy at the front desk, who is also the owner, and the chef, just made me some sausages for dinner. I will have some pictures to post as the week goes....stay tuned.

Santé!

SUMMER FUN!

2013-07-15T09:38:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends!!

Wow, summer is busy! So much coaching, swimming, biking, running, camping, grilling, and fun I have just not gotten around to posting. SO, what's the update?

1. Triathlon - training has been going well and I think I have crawled out of the depths of out of shape-ness and am starting to get back into my groove! I am racing Racine 70.3 this weekend, which I would really consider the kick-off of some bigger races for the year. After that it's Ironman Mont Tremblant Aug 18, Ironman WI Sept 8th, and either IM Florida or Cozumel at the end of the year. Whew, I will be a tired girl come December!! But man do I love racing :)

Love this girl! Whitney and me after Kansas 70.3...she rocked it, I got the cobwebs out...

2. Coaching - I've been busy this summer w/ Open water swim training, individual coaching, and the Fourier Fitness Youth Tri Team!

This is the 3rd year for Tri-Swim Madison open water group and we just keep growing. It really becomes a close-knit group and I am so happy to spend the early mornings and evenings with such fun people.

Plenty of time in the Kayak and on the Paddleboard this summer!

For individual coaching I partnered with Endurance House this year to be able to provide more group workout opportunities as well as store discounts and a real team atmosphere. I have a great group of athletes and have enjoyed getting to know each person better and work toward goals. It's crazy how much you become invested in your athletes as a coach, and I'm excited (and nervous) every time they race!

The youth tri team is a new adventure for me this summer. The team has 25 members, ages 10-15, and meets twice a week for practice. Our team races are coming up quick:
August 10
Oregon Kids Tri, Oregon

August 17
Tri 4 Schools, Middleton

August 24
IronKids Madison

3. Other stuff- I have an amazing boyfriend and we have been just doing as much as we can this summer! It's great to have someone with a similar lifestyle and goals to spend time and go on adventures with. We are pretty much packing up my car to the brim each weekend and heading out to race, camp, spend time with family, or sometimes all 3!! I am a lucky girl :)

THANKS for reading and I hope to see you at the races or out training!! There will be many race reports coming soon :)

Sponsor Spotlight - Timex!

2013-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Timex is my main sponsor and I am so excited to be with them this year, for the 5th year!

I came on to the Timex Multisport team as an age-grouper with only 1 year of 'real' racing under my belt (2008 Racine 1/2 Ironman and Ironman WI). Timex took a chance on me and I am still SO THANKFUL for that :) The Multisport Team offered so much more than product and discounts, it offered a triathlon family. The depth of knowledge and experience on the team is unreal and really the greatest resource a new, aspiring triathlete can ask for. If there is one thing I have learned in this sport is that you have to be ALWAYS open to learning, criticism and growing. There is no one person that 'knows all' and we can really all learn from each other.

I spent 2 years on the team as an age-grouper, both years making the podium at Kona, and then with Timex's support, transitioned to the professional ranks in 2011. This is my third year racing as a pro and I can say I have continued to learn and grow each and every race I do. I have dealt with injury, family changes, ups and downs and through everything my Timex family has been there, knowing that not every race season is your best but that with every struggle we come back even stronger.

I'm excited to race in the Timex colors again this year and hope to keep being a positive ambassador for the team I truly love :)

First year on the team! 2009 Timex team camp in sunny California :)

Fun racing w/Teammates...here Leadman Vegas 2012 :)

2012 Team Awards - Given at our annual Team Camp!

Fun Team photo from camp, 2011

2013 Timex Ladies :)

Sponsor Spotlight - RACC

2013-05-27T13:49:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a new series of posts here on my blog...not committing to a frequency, but rather just want to make a special post about each of my sponsors for this year!

My first Sponsor Spotlight is going to a new sponsor and partner this year, RACC - Racers Against Childhood Cancer. The team's "Mission is to use the passion and competitive spirit of Races to raise awareness and money for research and the fight to defeat childhood cancer". Learn more here: RACC Story. RACC is based out of Milwaukee, WI and is my charity partner for the year! If you would like to help me support the cause please let me know. I will be racing with the RACC logo on my kits in hope of raising awareness and funds for the families and children affected by cancer. I'm excited to have a cause 'bigger' than me to be racing for this year :)

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend and happy training!!

Mark and me at the Great Lakes Multisport - Cooney Duathlon (to benefit RACC) this last weekend, so fun and SO MANY RACC racers!

2nd Annual Tri Camp Success!

2013-05-21T20:33:00.001-07:00

Madison Triathlon camp 2013, hosted by Speed Cycling Madison with nutrition support from Powerbar was a hit!!

It was a weekend filled with swimming, biking, running, eating, laughing and sharing stories. We had some returners from the previous year as well as some 'new blood'. We were also lucky enough to have our friends from Peak Performance Massage provide some much appreciated massage to the campers on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

I am so thankful to be surrounded and supported by such great businesses and athletes here in Madison that truly love the sport and want to have FUN doing it. So THANK YOU to everyone that made this camp work so smoothly! An extra special thanks to: Petra for helping organize, plan and facilitate the camp, Gordy Paulson for the talks on Friday, my awesome boyfriend Mark who manned the grill for us on Saturday and helped out with the bike ride Sunday, Mark Provenzano for planning the route and sagging for the windiest ride EVER on Saturday, Lindsey for the awesome SAG (including those awesome homemade pop tarts) for the Ironman loop on Sunday.

I don't have much else to say, so here's a recap in pictures:

Still smiling after hill repeats on Observatory!

Day 1: Gordy gave talks on Riding with Power and Recovery. Very useful info!!

Clearly this is Day 3 and we are all very friendly :)

It was chilly biking all weekend, but everyone was tough!!

Functional Strength session...I watched. This looked ROUGH!

Me and Petra (Owner of Speed Cycling) at the Pool for our technique session.

Swimming in formation = great open water practice!

Getting some insight from the campers :)

Hope you can join us next year!!!

Wildflower 2013 - Can't wait 'till next year!

2013-05-05T13:48:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Endurance House Middleton I was able to travel out to sunny California for the 31st year of the Wildflower Triathlon. This race has been on my 'to do' list since I started in the sport, so I couldn't resist this chance to head out there. Heat, hills, trails, tough conditions...this race is right in my wheel house. Unfortunately, there are some things we don't have control over...and one of those is getting sick.

I am not one for excuses. I am not one to just drop out of a race. I traveled to CA with a bad cold, cough, and barely a voice with the hope (and encouragement of everyone) that it would somehow be gone by race day (Saturday). I had my doubts and was unable to do any real training the entire week before the race...and I mean I seriously couldn't breath. I couldn't run for more than a mile, couldn't swim more than a 200 easy at a time, and could ride, but slowly. I'm all for rest before a race, so this didn't drag on me too bad, but it was more the concern that how would I race if I couldn't push at all?

So I went out to Wildflower. Sick. Coughing all night each night I was there. I woke up race morning feeling my worst yet and was thinking I shouldn't race...what would be the point anyway? I messaged with coach Cliff and talked with Mark and decided that it would be a good learning experience for me to try to go out easy and treat it more like a training day than a race. This seems good, in theory, but I am a racer. Even if I'm not in the mood, when the gun goes off I somehow a magically in race mode and will go hard, as hard as I can 'till the finish.

Swim Start - from the top of the hill you have to run up to get to transition!

Transition- All set up and 'ready' to race

So after plenty of debate, I made it down to the race start. The swim was called non-wetsuit, which didn't really matter one way or the other to me. The men's wave started first and looked BRUTAL! To keep my breathing under control I was going to have to take it very easy at the start. Gun went off and I just let everyone go fight for the front. I hung in the back, swimming easy heads-up and found some clean water to the side of the group. This made for a very calm start and after the first buoy I found myself feeling ok, relaxed, and starting to pass the back group. I swam entirely my own race and just worked my way up the field the entire swim. I was thankful for the pre-race swim on Friday w/Heather where we really worked on sighting for the finish....I can't stress enough how important this is. Having a landmark (other than a buoy) can be crucial for making it smoothly to the finish and this is one of the most important things to practice before the race.

Friday morning CEC Team swim! Heather, me and Chris Bagg

Wow, so I felt great about making it out of the swim without any breathing episodes and feeling generally relaxed the entire time. It's a steep uphill run to transition...which I also took easy.

Possibly my first time using rubber bands on my shoes...so pro :)

Onto the bike - goal: just ride, don't try to race. This was very tough. I was feeling ok, riding conservative, especially on the climbs. My breathing was steady for the first 25-ish miles, and it was then that I think I tried to start picking it up. Unfortunately my body was not having it...particularly my lungs. Extremely frustrating because I could feel my legs and body were well rested, but I just couldn't get air. This led to an eventual couple times stopping on the ride to try and get my breathing under control. Not good.

Top of 'Nasty Grade'...this picture doesn't even do it's nastiness justice.

I finished the bike, but not without plenty of slow going. I knew it was medically safest to stop racing. There wasn't even a question in my mind about continuing after the bike ride...It would not have been possible. I headed straight to medical, wheezing for air, and was administered plenty of hits of an inhaler to try and get my breathing back to normal.

Top of a climb on the bike course- probably one of best views of the entire ride.

Didn't get to use this stuff!!! Bummer.

Getting sick sucks. Getting sick before a race sucks. Being sick and having to stop during a race sucks, but somehow I know that I didn't 'quit' the race. This is my first DNF. I pride myself on being mentally tough during the last part of difficult races and really just keeping going when it would be much easier to stop. This was a different situation....where my body gave me no choice but to stop. I don't regret starting the race because of what I learned/felt during the swim and bike and am even more motivated to get well and throw down at the next one!

Kids Race on Friday- so fun to watch!!

Take home thoughts and Thank-you's :

- HUGE THANKS to: Our Timex team manager Tristan for getting me wheels, gear, and all of my last minute requests, Endurance House (again) for the support, Tri-Bike Transport for making travel SO easy without lugging my bike around, Coach Cliff English for getting me into shape and race ready, my awesome boyfriend Mark for the pre-race pep talk and just everything :)....Also sponsors for my killer gear: QR, Shimano -love the Di2!!!, Powerbar, and Rudy Project.

-Wildflower is awesome, I'm going back next year! They treat their pro's so well and make you feel like a real VIP. It is a bit of a pain for travel, but the venue, people, and vibe is what I wish every race had. It was fun to see friends and teammates....to catch up and see some of them do so well :)

Thanks for reading. Stay healthy.

Just the standard view from the road heading to Oak Shores (where I was staying this weekend).

Relaxing at Oak Shores after the race