Red Top Rumble Race Recap 2012

Humbled by the trails yet again!

Every year I go into the 11.5 mile Red Top Rumble trail run with big dreams of redemption. I picture myself cruising through the trails with ease. But every year I find myself scrambling up, and gingerly tip-toeing down, the "non-techical" trails. Man! I think even "easy" trails are tough!

But even though I struggle, I do actually have a lot of fun running trails! And I think my move up from 5th place last year to 4th this year means I am getting a little faster!

Highlights of the day included:

*Finishing without a single cut, scrape, or bruise

*Taking a wrong turn, but being quickly caught and re-routed by a friendly volunteer

*The really delicious finish line breakfast (it's made by a real chef!)

*Hanging out with Kevin and SuperDave post-race:



*Watching Michael claim his podium spot! (2nd year in a row!):



*And the following succession of absolutely amazing tweets:

First, Michael tweeted a pic of me excitedly collecting my 4th place gift basket:

My friend EJ never misses anything. He's a lawyer. He immediately fired back:

Wait, what? Let's see that award pic again!

Yes, it does in fact appear the Red Top Rumble now awards participants with children in red jump suits. I bet the race will sell out in seconds next year!

Blood Lactate Testing Day!

Blood and needles are pretty much my least favorite things in the world. Yep, right up there with spiders and insects. So when my Coach (who I fondly refer to as El Diablo) suggested I do a blood lactate test, I had only one thought:

"No way Jose!"

I resisted for a really long time. But eventually I gave in for 3 reasons:

(1) I actually do want to become a faster Ironman triathlete



(2) Diablo is usually right about things

(3) Everyone else was doing it!

So, what is a blood lactate test? I stole this from the Dynamo Multisport website and highlighted the important parts:




Basically, the test would give me an idea of my current fitness level and help me figure out what kind of training I need to do going forward.

I would be riding my bike on an indoor trainer (with power, to allow for measured intensity). Every couple minutes Diablo or his cronie, Shanks, would prick my finger, squeeze out a drop of the precious red stuff, and take a blood lactate reading. The number would show how hard I was working. Over time, the bike intensity would increase, and so would my blood lactate level and heart rate until...

(Just kidding. Sort of.)

When I showed up for my test I got a little preview courtesy of my training buddy, Michael. He was almost finished and was seriously killing it! Everyone else in the room was cheering him on. FIND A WAY MIKEY!!!

I was actually very happy to see Michael's anguish seemed to come more from his effort on the bike and not the tiny pin pricks in his finger. Hey - I can handle that kind of pain! Things were looking up!

I got on the bike and did a quick warm-up before the games began.

In the beginning, everything was really easy. I just focused on my friend, Kathryn's, awesome music mix and maintaining a good cadence. But gradually things started getting harder and harder and harder.

Before I knew it I was drenched in sweat, practically drooling all over myself, and using every single muscle fiber in my being just to keep the pedals turning over. I could hear people cheering and Diablo calling for 30 more seconds. I tried to keep going, but eventually...CRASH. The train wreck came to a screeching halt. My legs had had ENOUGH.

The good news is Coach and I actually got some really good data from the test. It turns out I'm in a really good spot for February, but I still have plenty of room for improvement. I also have some new heart rate and power zones I'm ready to put to good use!

The other good news is the pin pricks really didn't hurt that bad. Or maybe I'm not that afraid of needles anymore? Now if only I could figure out how to toughen up around roaches...

Ironman Season

My life is seasonal. The year starts with “busy season.” (That’s what auditors call “tax season” because “audit season” sounds like the subtitle for a bad movie sequel. -Wall Street 3: Audit Season) Given that I’m an accountant – a certified professional one – I know I’m going to spend the first couple months of every year buried in work. Lucky for me the weather is usually as miserable as my workload, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on much.

About the time the mercury starts creeping up I start spending a little less time with my calculator and a lot more time with my bicycle. That’s when I know it’s “training season” – the time of year when I try to regain the fitness I lost while fulfilling my financial Kona qualification standard during busy season.

And now I’m on the cusp of “Ironman Season.” It’s a short season – just under two months – but it’s my favorite time of year. This is when I get to dig into the inner reaches of my soul. I get to learn about myself – How do I react when things go right? How do I react when things go wrong? Am I stronger than last year? I think I have the answers to those questions, but there’s really only one way to find out.

I’m headed to Louisville tomorrow and I could not be more excited. Ironman Louisville starts in the Ohio River at 7am Sunday morning. With 7 athletes racing, and even more on cheer duty, it’s going to be a Dynamo Multisport party for the whole 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Combine that with the all the awesome people following online and on Twitter and I’m predicting a massive amount of positive GREEN energy directed toward Derby City on Sunday.

No wonder I’ve been looking forward to this all year! Bring on the heat! We are ready!

Birthday Weekend!

Last weekend I had a LOT to celebrate! It was my 26th birthday and I made whole weekend of it!

My mom surprised me with the most beautiful and delicious birthday cake

And with all that fruit, it must have been moderately healthy, right?

I celebrated with friends AND family since my awesome cousins Karen and Collin were in town.

Collin, who braved the crazy trail run with me in Montana last month, actually just moved to Atlanta. I've promised to show her some of our Georgia running trails - which I've told her are completely wolf free!

My top birthday weekend priority was seeing the new Harry Potter movie! My friends Alexis and Loren joined me for the Potter Party - and Loren even dressed the part!

And of course I did plenty of swimming, biking, and running - all fueled my my latest shipment of Element Bars!!!

Cake, friends, family, Harry Potter, and Element Bars - sounds like the perfect birthday weekend to me! Thanks to everyone who made it so great!

Louisville Training Camp!

What happens when Coach Diablo and his carbohydrate-loving German coach, Chris Hauth, join evil forces?

The AIMP/Dynamo Multisport Ironman Louisville Training Camp!

A handful of my Dynamo Multisport teammates and I joined a few of Chris' athletes for a long weekend of triathlon training in Derby City.

We covered pretty much every inch of the bike and run courses - which were even better than I remembered!

The bike course heads out of the city through the beautiful rolling hills on the outskirts of Louisville. The course winds through horse farms and cute little towns - and it's so much fun to ride!

The flat run course goes right past a few famous Louisville landmarks like the University of Louisville and Churchill Downs.

We skipped the swim course in favor of the gorgeous U of L pool - but do not worry, I plan to make some serious waves in the Ohio River in a few weeks!

The best part of the camp was the camraderie. And of course, getting some inside tips from Diablo and the German - including Ironman nutrition!

Now I'm feeling better than ever about racing in Louisville next month. I know I'm a bit fitter and wiser than one year ago, though there is definitely still LOTS of room for improvement (especially in the wisdom category, hah!) But one thing is for sure - I am having the BEST time training for this race. And racing with my teammates on August 28th is going to be an absolute BLAST!

Howdy from Big Sky Country!

I spent last week at my family's cabins in the "Last Best Place" - MONTANA!

I traveled to Big Sky Country to visit my family. And since I come from a long line of endurance sports junkies, it was only natural that the week kicked off with a trail run! Ebeth convinced my cousin, Collin, and I to join her for a "not-really-that-difficult" 8 mile race along the continental divide.

Unfortunately, I forgot my mother's definition of "not-really-that-difficult" is completely insane and the run was BRUTAL! The first 5k were completely uphill, followed by some quad crushing downhills, and the entire race was at 7000 feet elevation!

And if that wasn't enough, the race director actually thought it would be funny to have a guy dressed as a wolf scare people on the course! My poor oxygen deprived heart almost couldn't take it!

Ebeth, of course, crushed the course and won her age group!

And once we escaped the wolf unscathed - even Collin and I were all smiles!

I spent the rest of the week enjoying some scenic rides, running along gorgeous trails, and teaching my cousins how to make perfect S'mores.

I even paid a visit to the world's best sandwich shop and enjoyed the world's best tuna sandwich!

It was absolutely delicious!

I was sad to leave my family and Montana, but I know I'll be back, and I have lots of fun training to look forward to in the next few weeks!

There's Going to be a Rematch: My Eagleman 70.3 Race Recap

Mark your calendars! October 8th, 2011 is the official date of the 2011 Kona Swim Rematch! I've lived the past eight months as "the girl who lost the swim," but 2011 is going to be a whole different story.

Thanks to solid performances at the Eagleman 70.3 Half Ironman Race this past weekend both Coach Diablo and I nabbed our Kona Slots! And now I am lazer focused on being the fastest stairclimber the Big Island has ever seen!

I think the 2011 picture is going to look something like this:

Going into Eagleman I had one goal: RACE. I wanted to push the pace and be agressive all 1.2 miles in the water, 56 miles on the bike, and 13.1 miles of the run. The Cambridge, Maryland race is known for being a fast course with fast competition, and that was exactly what I was looking for.

Racing with my Dynamo teammates Kathryn, EJ, and Alberto meant lots of pre-race laughs. And Garth Brooks playing on the loudspeaker as I got in the water meant I was already having a GREAT day!

The Eagleman race course is FLAT. I think the biggest bumps may have been the waves in the Choptank River, but even those were pretty whimpy. This was a bit of a change for a girl who loves riding uphill, but I did not learn to pack my bike and travel all the way to Maryland to race within my comfort zone! I just tried to keep the pressure on and keep racing mile after flat mile.

Luckily, I love flat running courses. But a flat run does not mean an easy run. What the Eagleman run course lacks hills, it makes up for with HEAT:

Thank goodness for amazing volunteers handing out plenty of ice and cold beverages along the course. I managed to survive the run, win my age group, and claim a Kona slot.

HUGE thanks to my Coach and teammates, who inspired me throughout the race, with a special thanks to Alberto's fiance Jill, who logged the fastest run split of the day en route to getting my wallet so I could pay my Kona entry fee (which was nearly $300 cheaper than the IM NYC entry fee - no racing in the Big Apple for me anytime soon!)

Now I'm more excited than ever for summer training and fast racing in Louisville and Hawaii!