Age Group Olympic Nationals...On To Worlds!!!

I've swam in large waves (age group heats) before, such as Wildflower Triathlon. Usually, as the race goes on we'll get spread out enough that you'll only be next to a couple other swimmers at most. However, that was not the case here. Maybe it has to do with how the start is. Everyone had to have a hand on the dock making all of us squish in there like sardines. Making the first 50-75 yards a fight to get a good spot. I managed to get into a nice little group and was able to do a little bit of drafting. As said earlier usually we spread out enough not to have any contact but during this entire race I was constantly next to people and getting hit every now and then, especially around the turn buoys. 

Swim warm up. I'm the one in the white goggles.

If you look by the dock you can see a wave getting ready to start.

I was very happy that the water was smooth. The last time I did Nationals was in Vermont and the water there was so choppy that it took me forever to finish the swim putting me way behind the first group. This time I believe I was part of the second group out. I swam a 24:28, which is a good time for me and set me up for a good position on the bike.  

Within the first 5 miles of the bike I managed to pass 4 or so girls and then came up on a few more that ended up forming a small group of 5 through the rest of the bike leg. This was not on purpose for the reason of drafting, which could not be completely avoided because of how many people were on the course. But if you get caught by a race official you will get a 2:00 penalty. Luckily, I didn't see any, which at the same time really surprised me. I figured they would have been all over the course. As said, it wasn't planned to ride in a group. Many times I tried to lose them and then they would pull away from me. This went on through the whole course. I can't complain though because they really pushed me and it shows in my time of 1:05:50. It's been a long time since I've biked that fast so I was very ecstatic. 

The course was over highways and some neighborhood roads so there was a little bit of climbing. There was also some headwind through the course as well. I expected this since it's on Lake Michigan, but the wind didn't bother me at all. Probably because I was so focused on staying with those girls that I just ignored it. 

Coming into transition the 5 of us were still pretty close together. I really wanted to get ahead of them to give myself some cushion just in case any of them ran faster than me but I felt pretty confident that I could beat most of them. Through transition I lost sight of them so I have no idea if I got ahead of them through transition or if they got ahead of me. 

Starting out on the run I felt pretty strong, but that didn't last long. Within the first 1-2 miles I started to fall off. I got passed in the first mile which sucked but she was the only one (in my age group) who passed me through the race. I saw a girl ahead of me that I was trying to catch but she ended up running away from me. Still not sure why I felt terrible and had no speed. I think part of it was not having enough nutrition on the bike. Also, for the first 3 aid stations they were only handing out water. I was so desperate for some gatorade or something with some calories. Finally, at the fourth aid station they had some gatorade and that was just past mile 3!

Home stretch

From there I just tried to push myself and keep a strong mental attitude because at this point with how I was feeling it was now more mental than anything. Especially, since the course was so boring. It was mostly just a very long out and back making every mile feel twice as long. I always tell myself "the race isn't over until I cross the finish, anything's possible until now and then." I managed to pass a few more girls in my age group. I ran a time of 43:36, which is my slowest time for the season. I was very disappointed in that. With my time being that slow I'm always tempted to blame it on something, such as having a cold a few weeks earlier, the mugginess, time change, etc. The list could go on and on but I just need to figure out what worked and what didn't and apply that to my next race and training.

Pretty much how I felt through the entire run

My overall time was 2:17:25. Even though my run time was less than par I still managed to get a good overall time and one of the fastest for the season. Yay! I placed 18th in my age group which qualified me for Team USA. Worlds next year will be in Cozumel, Mexico. I'm very excited for this event. Should be a great experience and a guaranteed vacation :)

Awesome new suit my sis made me :)     -    Cassandra was my support crew for the day :)

Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me along the way! I couldn't have done this alone :)

Onion Man Triathlon

I had never been to Walla Walla before this race and let's just say I was pleasantly surprised on how beautiful it is. I was expecting it to be really dry, flat and brown! Instead it has green rolling hills and was a perfect temperature. Although, it was quite warm on race day but mostly because I hadn't been in that warm of weather for several months. We ended up having to stay in Pendleton because all of the hotels and B&B's were full. I guess that same weekend the college there was having their graduation ceremony. In the future I'll have to check that stuff out. Pendleton was about an hours drive, which wasn't too bad since the race had a later start.

Bennington Lake

Everyone had to park on top of the dam

The women are off!

The swim was a two loop course. I've only had one other race that did this and that was Hagg Lake Triathlon. I actually don't mind these ones too much. This is my first open water race for the season and one of my goals was to try and draft off of someone. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find anyone that was near me going at about the same pace. So I mostly swam by myself. I was able to draft off someone for about a minute and then some how lost her in a mass of guys that we were passing. The men went off about 5 minutes ahead of us and it felt like I passed the majority of the group, which was pretty awesome. There were some freakishly fast guys though that swam in the 18's. I ended up swimming a 24:43 which is a good time for me. I feel my swim is finally starting to come around. Of course it's still not where I want it to be but after this race it shows I need to do some more open water workouts. I've been doing well in the pool but it definitely takes a lot more strength for open water. Not to mention trying to swim in as straight a line as possible!

Heading up the boat ramp to transition

I ended up having some of the fastest times for transition in both the swim to bike and bike to run for the day.

Transition Area

Heading out onto the bike course

Since I had a few issues at my last race with hydration and stomach issues I decided to try something different. I have been drinking Zola coconut water for quite a few months now and I love the taste of it and it is so refreshing. I've had other coconut waters and most of them were hard to swallow (i.e. tasted bad). Plus, Zola is all natural and not from concentrate. Well, the cans are. I  know some of the big jugs of them are from concentrate but I will only drink the canned ones since they seem to be the most pure. So I decided to drink this as my nutrition for the bike since coconut water also has electrolytes, plus a bottle of water.

My goal was to get in all of the liquids I had on my bike and I was able to get in all of my Zola and most of my water. The bike course had a couple out and backs on some back roads through the rolling hills. I didn't know what place I was in once I got on the bike but with turn arounds is easier to see where your placement is. I was in 3rd place and the girls that were ahead of me had a pretty good gap and my biking legs weren't feeling super strong. I tried to make up time on them but I ended up losing some. They just had a stronger bike leg than I. Since they were so far ahead of me I didn't think there was any chance of catching them on the run. So I just decided to still try and have a fast run split since whoever had the fastest splits throughout the day for both men and women won some money. So that's what I was gunning for instead of trying to catch them. My bike split was 1:15. About 6 minutes behind first and 4 minutes behind second place for bike splits.

Getting ready to dismount

Started out on the run feeling pretty good and hitting a pretty could pace. The run course was also just an out and back. It started out on trail and then went to bike path. There was a little bit of rolling hills on the trail portion but the bike path was completely flat. Once I hit the turn around it felt like all my energy got zapped. This portion had no shade and it felt like the wind just died once I started heading back. Obviously, it's because I changed directions, but still, it made it unpleasant and difficult to try and get back to the pace I was running. As said earlier, it's nice to have turn arounds so you can see where you are placed at. The girl that was in first still had a good lead on me but the one that was in second wasn't too far ahead of me once I hit the turn around (half way mark). I couldn't see her ahead of me once I was going in the same direction. I thought that maybe she was further ahead than I had anticipated. As I kept going along I finally spotted her ahead of me at about mile 5. From there I just kept pushing myself to pass her. Once I did, I tried to put as much of a gap as possible and to try and get that run split. Unfortunately, I didn't get it. I ran a 42:20 about 50 seconds slower than the first place female run split. Ended up getting second place overall due to having a faster run than the girl who got third since she had faster swim and bike splits than I. That is one thing that I do always love about triathlon, it's not over until you cross that finish line (or in any race for that matter). Everyone has their strong suits. My overall time was 2:24:39.

Almost to the finish line

Oranges are SOOO good after racing on a hot day

Happy with my race

Won $40 for placing second overall

I'm happy with how the race unfolded, and that it's my first Olympic distance race for the year. Also, that I had no stomach problems. It appears that Zola and water works great for me. One of my biggest goals for this race, aside from nutrition, was mostly just to see what areas were improving and which ones needed some work. My swim and run are coming along nicely but from this race I can definitely see that I have been neglecting the bike. Time to get working on that!

  

Having some fun in Walla Walla. That is a bunch of chickens with eggs :)

#191 - Sunkern - This was my race number

If you're wondering why I have a Pokémon on my blog, well, it's because of my lovely nerdy sisters that wanted me to put the Pokémon that was the same as my race number. So expect to see a Pokémon at the end of each race report :)   (Apparently, I'm nerdy too for going along with the Pokémon idea, which is not a bad thing :D)

2014 Tri Season

I would like to apologize to all my followers for not doing proper race write ups through my triathlon season....procrastination got the best of me. Nevertheless, here is a short write up on each race.

Wildflower Triathlon - May 4th

This year was a historic year for this race. Lake San Antonio was almost completely dried up, resulting in changing the course and having to move the swim about 2 miles away to another boat ramp where the last of the water was. Because the water was so low, it left a very long, steep boat ramp to run up once finished with the swim portion. This would now be Transition 1A (T1A).

The water was nice once you got out of the first 100 yards of it, which was almost pure mud. It was quite a weird sensation to be able to smell the mud while swimming. Fortunately, it was only for a short distance. The swim went ok for me. Was a little faster than I've swam for awhile but it was still slower than most of the girls in the top 10, which meant that I would have to try and make up that time on the bike and run. I was really excited though because after we went through T1A we would now have to run to Transition 1B (T1B) where our bikes were racked, which was about 2 miles. I made sure to take advantage of this as much as possible since running is one of strengths. I passed quite a few girls in my age group, which made me really happy and felt like I was in a good position but I still was unsure of how many were still ahead of me, if any. Swim time was 24:44

Bike went pretty well. My legs felt good through the majority of the course. I passed a few more girls but still had no idea how many were ahead of me. I thought I could figure it out by the time I got close to the turn around point so I could try and spot what girls were left ahead of me. Once I got to that point I saw only a couple ahead of me, but then lost track of them. I figured I would be able to catch them on the run. My bike time was 1:22.

Starting the bike/ Home stretch to the finish

My legs weren't feeling as fresh as I thought they were going to. Since we had the 2 mile run after the swim that distance was taken off of the original 10k. Now the remainder of the run was about 4 miles. Since it was shorter they changed the original run course. Parts of it were the same but the main part that was different was an insane hill! Even the original course has a hill but I don't feel like it was nearly as brutal as this one. Most all of the athletes had to walk it. I managed to run the entire thing though, but my legs sure were burning by the time I got over it. The rest of the course was slightly rolling with the last mile down hill. My run time was 48:11. My overall time was 2:42:14, placing 6th overall and 4th in my age group.

Was happy to be done/The best support group I could ask for!

Heart of the Valley - May 26

I originally wasn't going to do this race. Mostly because it was on the same day as my sister's birthday but she had no problem letting me race it...such a sweet and supportive big sis!

This race is a pool swim, which I don't generally like but this one is better than most since it's in a 50 meter pool vs. a 25 yard pool. My swim went alright. I felt better in the pool this year (I did this race last year) but my time was slower. I don't feel too bad about it though since after looking at the results a lot of people's pool times were slower this year. Swim time: 12:29

The bike course at this event is pretty fun. It has a lot more rolling hills and plus it is a beautiful ride. This year there was a slight drizzle during the bike making the roads a little more slippery so I had to use more caution on the turns. Bike time: 34:15

Dismounting the bike/Final stretch of the run

The run always feels fast on this 2 loop course. It's not a very spectacular course but I find it to still be fun. I ended up running a 19:33. Winning in a total time of 1:07:48.

Happy on my 1st place finish/1st & 2nd place females/Won a growler.

Blue Lake Triathlon  - June 8

The flat, fast course that is the Blue Lake Triathlon. I'm never that excited for this race because it is so flat and boring but I enjoy doing this for the fact that it is flat and you can really bring your times down and see where some of your strengths and weaknesses are.

The swim felt pretty good. I felt like I swam a good time but I don't know for sure since there was a timing malfunction through the swim and T1. The time they gave me though was 25:16.

The bike felt ok. My legs were feeling a little heavy and seemed to fatigue pretty quickly through bike. I pushed myself hard but was frustrated at how the legs felt. My time on the bike was 1:06.
It's always interesting to see how well my legs will respond after the bike. When I went through transition my legs were feeling fairly tight and fatigued. When I was changing into my run shoes I tried to stretch out my hamstrings at the same time to see if that would help.

Once I took off it felt a little painful but once I got through the first half mile they seemed to feel a bit better. I really wanted to break 40" on this course. I managed to have a guy ahead of me that was pacing pretty well and had a watch to help him. I ran a time of 40:05. I was happy with that but was a bit taken aback when I saw that I placed second overall to just 6 seconds! The girl that beat me was in a different heat but I know that if we were able to be in the same heat I would've got her. I was happy with the day's race. It was a step in the right direction since my training several weeks before were not very good. Clocked in a total time of 2:16:14.

Starting the bike/ On the home stretch

Tri at the Grove - July 26

I had been wanting to do this race for quite awhile but always had another race that was the same weekend or too close to this one. Same holds true for this year. I originally didn't have this race on my schedule but it made it on when I wasn't able to go to the race I had planned on racing. I am glad I was able to compete in this event though. The venue is absolutely gorgeous. The lake was clear and flat, surrounded by trees and hills.

The lake's temperature felt perfect. However, the first half of the swim I felt really stiff. I'm not sure if I didn't have my wetsuit on quite right or that I just didn't have my stroke. Finally, I was able to loosen up and got into a better rhythm. I knew my time was probably a little slow but I wasn't expecting it to be this slow....28:55.

Exiting the swim/ Starting and Finishing the bike

Now it was time to get to the bike and try and make up some time. The course was relatively flat, which I don't mind. I tend to like hilly courses a bit better but I also enjoy the flat ones. From the start of the bike my legs felt tired which is unusual for me. I worked through it and did the best I could on the day. I ended with a time of 1:11:11. I gained some ground and passed a few women that were ahead of me but I still had a couple more to catch on the run.

My legs didn't feel too bad coming off of the bike. The run course was an out and back. Most of the time these courses are a little boring but it served me well considering that I would be able to see who was ahead of me and how much ground I needed to cover in order to pass them. I passed a couple more women before the turn around and now I just had to catch one more. I had already gained a lot of ground on her and I knew that it was possible to catch her because she didn't look very strong. Unfortunately, I did not catch her. If I had one more mile I would've got her. My run time was 41:22.

Slipped going up the little slope....oranges are the best for immediate recovery.

After the race my family told me that she kept turning around. So at least I made her nervous! My total time was 2:23:07 which placed me second.

Won two pint glasses and a pair of socks!

Best in theWest - Sept 6-7

This is one of my most cherished events. Not only because of the beautiful venue but because I have been racing it since it's birth, and since then my family and I have helped with the race and are always excited to see how we can help it grow every year, while making sure to keep the western theme! :)

Like last year I decided to race both the sprint and the olympic. The sprint on Saturday and the olympic on Sunday. Last year I wanted to win both but ended up finishing third in the olympic while still winning the sprint. So it was a must to win both races this year.

I have one the Sprint race every year that Best in the West has existed. I felt I could win it again this year so I made another goal for myself and that was to try and get my time under an hour, which I knew would be hard on account of my previous course record being 1:06. Also, since I didn't want to completely waste myself considering I needed to race the next day, and being that that race was twice as long!

Day 1: I never wear a wetsuit for the sprint. I feel that the swim is short enough (500m) that I can tolerate the lake temperature just fine, and usually the temperature is around 72. However, this year they let out water from Green Peter making Foster considerably colder. I felt great for the swim. I was relaxed and found an efficient rhythm. I ended up swimming an 8:20, which is about a minute or so faster than I've swam at this race.

Day 1: Getting ready for the sprint swim/ Exiting the swim

I flew through transition and was headed out onto the bike. Usually, there are a couple women that beat me in the swim and get ahead of me on the bike. This year though, it felt like I passed a lot of them through transition. I think I only had to pass one woman on the bike and passed her within the first mile (12mile course). Legs felt pretty good on the bike. Again, I really wanted to bring my time down and I did take off a couple minutes on the bike leg. I clocked in at 33:51.

Coming in on the bike/ Happy with my first place finish and my oranges!

My legs didn't feel too bad going out on the run. The course is an out and back with a few smaller hills. The way out felt good and most of the way back was fine too. With about 3/4 of a mile to go my legs were starting to feel some fatigue. But once I got over the last hill I was able to use that momentum to coast on in and try to save a little for the next day. My run time was 20:22. Finishing in a total time of 1:03:42. Didn't quite make my goal of going under an hour, guess I'll have to meet my goal next year!

One of the awesome trophies my sister made!

Day 2: I was feeling a little tired and my legs were definitely not very fresh. After the sprint race the previous day I tried to do as many things as I could to try and get my legs to recover faster; ice bath, massage, legs in the air, drink lots of water with electrolytes and while I was still at the event to stay in the shade and stay off my feet. I believe that everything I did helped but I knew I wouldn't get my legs back completely. 

Wetsuit time for the swim. It's always such a tedious process to put them things on! But nevertheless they are essential and do help out a lot. I actually wasn't too nervous for this race. I think the only thing I was really nervous about was seeing how my legs would hold up through the race. 

The water felt perfect today with a wetsuit. I got a good spot for the start of the swim and was able to get out towards the front without too much fight. I felt good through the swim. Got a good rhythm and felt fairly fresh. I ended up coming out of the water in 3rd place. Only about 2 minutes behind the first woman. I had the fastest transition time by almost a minute so I was able to save some time there. My swim time was 25:00

Day 2: Olympic Swim

Going out on the bike my legs felt pretty decent but once I got to the turn around my legs were starting to suffer. I managed to pass both women that were in front of me though by that point. I pushed through and I tried to put some distance between them but then I got passed about mile 15. I tried to hang on to her but my legs weren't letting me. I at least was able to keep her in sight for almost the remainder of the bike leg. However, at about mile 23 I got passed by another girl and she went flying past me. There was no way I was going to be able to keep up with her. So I just stayed calm and kept telling myself that I'll catch them on the run. I ended up biking a 1:11:59. The second girl that passed me biked a 1:04:52 which was faster than any man or woman that day. After seeing that I didn't feel so bad.

Just over half way on the bike course/Dismounting on my way into transition.

Started out on the run and my legs didn't feel too bad or at least as good as they can feel after coming off the bike. Within the first mile I saw both girls and they weren't too far off. I passed them at about a mile and half and from there I didn't look back. I felt I had to make as much distance as I could because I didn't know how well my legs were going to last. Every little hill I went up my legs would start to cramp. Thankfully, there are only about 4 hills. I ran a 42:21, which I guess is the new run course record. I was pleased with this considering how awful my legs felt. I finished in a total time of 2:20:44.

Just passed the 2 mile mark/ Happy with my first place finish!

Overall Season:

The 2014 season was a lot of fun. I wasn't able to do some of the races I originally wanted but I gained more experience and knowledge. I didn't hit some of the times I had set out to accomplish this season either but I feel that I am now ready to take my performance to the next level. Plus, I can't be too down about it since I had my amazing support group (a.k.a. sisters) at all of my events and even more of my family/supporters came to my final races of the season at Best in the West. I couldn't ask for a better support group!
I also need to mention that the suit I am wearing at Blue Lake and the one at Best in the West were designed and made by my very own sister, Shavonne. She has made some awesome designs for me along with letting me pick out the colors. If you think the suits are as awesome as I do, she will have them available in 2015 when she launches her company!
I would like to thank my sponsor, blueseventy for the awesome gear I have. The wetsuit, goggles, swimsuit, transition bag and other goodies that have made my life easier. Plus, are comfortable, durable and top quality!
Thank you to all my family, friends and follows for all your support! I wouldn't be where I'm at if it wasn't for you. Thank You!
Now time to look forward to my 2015 season. Should be an amazing ride!