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!

2014 Race Opener- Lifetime Tri Marquee + Arizona Fun

This year's first race came up fast. The goal for this race was to see where my fitness was and what things I need to improve on for the upcoming season.

We swam in probably the only body of water in Arizona, Tempe Towne Lake. Although, it's not really a lake, more like a canal. I viewed the race course before race day to get an idea of what to expect. When viewing the "lake" it looked very unappealing. It was very green, dark, and a had a few floating fish. This made me wonder if it was safe to swim in; other people must have asked about it too since the race committee announced to everyone that it was fine.

Race day came and I was a bundle of nerves....as always. I was excited for this race. Especially, the swim since I've been working at it a lot during the off season and my times in the pool were looking good. So I wanted to see how it would transfer in a race.

The swim was a wetsuit legal race. I wasn't sure if it was going to be since it had been really warm but luckily it stayed in the right temperature. We had an in water start. I made sure to try and get towards the front to try and avoid getting trapped in the middle. Although, when the gun went off I still got thrashed around a bit. To avoid that in the future I need to get a faster start.
After I got myself out of the thrash zone I was able to get into a good rhythm and stay near a small group of girls. I had a little difficulty sighting some the buoys since I try not to rely on anyone around me that we are going in the right direction. In order to get out of the "lake" you had to hoist yourself up onto the stairs that were placed there for the race. Thankfully, they had people there to help you out. Even with someone there it was still a little difficult. Also, at this race was the Leadman race that went off an hour before us. Since that distance is similar to an ironman they had wetsuit strippers there and I thought they were only there for those participants but they were there to help anyone that wanted it. So of course I took advantage of that. My swim time ended up being 26:36. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't faster because I know I'm in shape to go faster.

Keeping my nerves in tact

Transition went well up until I mounted my bike and went to slip my feet into my shoes. One of the straps came completely out so I had to fiddle with getting it back into the loop while trying to get going. Not sure how long it took but I finally got it back in and was able to start chasing people down. The bike course was two 14 mile loops making the course 28 miles, which is a little longer than a normal Olympic distance. The course was pretty flat making it a fast course. Since it was a two loop course there were a lot of turn around spots. The first loop went really well. My legs felt good. I was passing a lot of people. One thing I like about loop courses is you can see what position you're in. However, I had absolutely no idea where the leaders were. So I just keep pushing through the second loop and that's when my legs started to fatigue a bit. My bike split was 1:17:55.

Heading out on the bike

Second transition went smoothly as well. The first couple miles of the run went well. I caught one girl that was ahead of me. I felt strong and felt like there was plenty of juice left in my legs to keep up that pace. My pace started to slip a little bit halfway through the run, but I was able to pace off some other guys and get my pace back. Once I got to about the last two miles I really started to struggle. I don't know if the heat was getting to me or if I didn't take in the adequate amount of nutrition. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. I got passed about less than 1 mile from the finish, which was a bummer. My run time was 42:39. It wasn't as fast as I wanted but it was faster than most of the other girls who beat me. So that was encouraging. I ended up coming in at 8th place with an overall time of 2:29:14.

This mist machine felt so GOOD after the race!

After the race I stayed in Arizona for a week to meet up with my coach and have some fun training in the desert. He's in Tucson, which was a little less than 2 hours South of Tempe. I had a couple swim sessions with him and they have made such a huge difference in my swimming. I found I was swimming several seconds faster per 100 than I had been, which is HUGE! He also taught me how to do a flying mount. I've been wanting to learn how to do that for quite some time. I've watched videos on youtube but was always a little scared to try it myself without any tips. I'm glad I waited because what he taught me was a lot easier than what I had seen done in the videos.

My sisters came with me on this trip and we made sure to make the most of it by discovering as much of Tucson and surrounding area before we had to come home. Since we were so close to Tombstone we made a trip down there. Tombstone is about an hour south of Tucson and almost to the Mexican border, which I had no idea until we got stopped at a check point on our way back to make sure we were all U.S. Citizens.

We also went and saw an Ostrich ranch which was a ton of fun. They had other animals there such as donkeys, deer, goats, prairie dogs, and some birds. We got to feed all of them which was a fun experience. It was cool to see the how different each of those animals with take food from you. Although, you didn't hand feed the ostriches. They made me a little nervous. It looked like would peck your hand off.

Another amazing thing about Tucson is that they are in the Saguaro desert, which is the only desert that has the Saguaro cactus. These cactus are absolutely amazing. They grow extremely slow and don't grow any arms until they are 70 years old. I don't really want to give you a history lesson on them (plus that would take a bit to type) but you should look them up. They are very fascinating!!

A Saguaro cactus

Our hike on a windy day

I didn't think I would like Arizona that much because there aren't really any trees, grass, flowers or any bit of green vegetation. But after spending a week I really loved it. Seeing all their dried up river beds really makes you thankful for all the water we have here in Oregon. I would also love to see their rainy season. I saw so many signs that said "Do not enter when flooded".

Also, saw some wild burros

New Coach and Sponsor

I am happy to say that BlueSeventy is sponsoring me again this year. I love all of their swim gear, especially their swimsuits. I am still amazed at how long they last from swimming in chlorine. I am still swimming in the same suit that I purchased from them over a year ago and it still fits like the first day I got it. I even raced in it at Wildflower last year. Along with their amazing swimsuits, their goggles are great too. Others I've had in the past put too much pressure around the eye socket and leave them feeling almost bruised...not to mention making you look like a zombie when your done. With blueseventy's googles, they are comfortable and I don't feel like they are ever suffocating my eyes! The last product I will mention before sounding like a salesman, is their wetsuit. It is very comfortable and allows for good arm movement. The wetsuit I had before felt constricting in the
shoulders, so with this wetsuit I get a larger range of motion. Since most all of the triathlons I compete in are open water this suit comes in to great use! So if you are looking to get some good quality swim gear at a good price, blueseventy is for you! (Last salesman comment, I promise :) )


Blueseventy is not the only thing "new" for me this year. I just recently got a new coach, Cliff English. I have been training with him for about a month and so far he is great! He relieved me of the stress of training myself since I was getting to the point of frustration and making no gains. Every workout he gives me has a purpose. At first it was a little hard to adapt to since I wasn't use to it and therefore made me constantly tired. For instance, usually I do a long run on the weekend that would be from 70-90 minutes long, and the goal was just to run that length of time at a steady conversational pace. Now instead of just one pace it's usually in the form of a tempo type workout for that length of time. Longer warmups and cool downs but also some good tempo work, like 3x8mins or 2x15minutes at 10k effort. They usually leave me pretty tired when I'm done but I know that I'm making huge gains with these kinds of workouts. I guess in other words you could say that now I am doing more quality over quantity for workouts.

My first race is in a week. I'm really excited to see how it goes and also a little nervous. But I feel very prepared for it. Much more so now than I did a month ago! It is in Tempe, AZ. I'll be driving down with my sisters on wednesday. It should be a fun trip as we plan to stop quite a bit and make more of fun journey down rather than our normal straight shot down. Let the season begin!!! :)