It's been a great 2010!

I always like to thank the wonderful sponsors and friends in my life who make my training and racing possible.
Firstly to my husband and family who allow me to explore my passion to the fullest. Thank you for being proud and believing in me.


Secondly to Coach Paulo who has been coaching me now for the last 4 years and keeps me healthy and ready to race...

Thirdly a big thank you goes to Trakkers. Being a part of this team really made my 2010 special. I was proud to be on a team of great athletes...including Amanda and Michael Lovato, Dede Griesbauer, Richie Cunningham,Brian FlesIchman, Mary Beth Ellis and Carole Sharpless.




Not forgetting the wonderful athletes on the age group team that became new friends.

With Trakkers came the introduction to a new race series The Revolution 3. A race series that proved that it is here to stay. Rev 3 puts on first class races with a strong feeling of family and caring behind them. The venues were fun and the new friends I met along the way were amazing! From Knoxville to Connecticut to Cedar Point Ohio it was a great race series!!! I managed to secure a third place in the series which was icing on the cake!!



I was also introduced to new and wonderful sponsors.
Firstly my nutrition sponsor. First Endurance!!!!
This has been the best complete nutrition support system I have used in ten years. They offer a complete range of products that left me feeling confident that I was receiving the right combinations of vitamins/minerals and electrolytes for training. It was great having a recovery product that I felt confident about that would refuel my exhausted muscles and would get me ready to train hard the next day! I raced alot this year and always felt great about my nutrition. I strongly urge any of you who have nutrition training/racing questions to go on their site as they have endless answers to probably every nutrition question you may have.


Secondly big thanks to Kestrel for a sweet new ride and Saucony for their great support throughout the year. Triswim kept my skin smooth and chlorine free!

Brielle Cyclery has been with me for the last ten years and I thank them for their endless support and warmth. Clarence the best mechanic in the world always has time for me and it is MUCH appreciated!
A big thanks goes out to Freddie from Oakley who has been a supporter of mine and providing me with the coolest of shades for the last 5 years!!!!!!! I love my Oakley's!
Also to Suunto watches for their second year of support and whose watches are clearly outstanding!


So I look ahead to 2011 and another great year of racing! Lots of good things in store!

Time to get back to training!!!!

I have enjoyed three weeks of chilling time and I am happy to report I am back to a training schedule. Now different coaches have different philosophies on how much time to take off. Some athlete's just take a week and get back to training. I usually get 3 - 4 weeks to do other fun things with the family and to give the mind and body a break from the structured routine of training. When I first got into Ironman I would take a week and get right back to a schedule, but found it became a very long winter and sometimes I felt I really missed out on a well needed break. Also there are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made throughout the year to compete at your best level. In my break I like to spend as much time as possible doing fun things with friends and family and really finding the balance in my life again.

After Ironman Florida I was feeling particularly run down due to racing sick and instead of pushing onwards to go race a very difficult 70.3 in Phuket, Thailand. Coach Paulo thought it best to take a break. This was a good idea!!!

Me being me I quickly found other things to fill my time. Out came the mountain bike....which I love!!!!! The woods are so calm and the rides are always fun and challenging. Mountain biking for me is LIFE at it's best. I love to ride fast and hear my heart beat, finding new trails and exploring old ones. I like to work on the climbs or try some jumps I am afraid of. I like when the trails diverge and I have to pick one that I don't know where it might take me. I face my fears on difficult sections. I go back to them again and again trying to conquer them.
So as you can tell I got some good rides in!
I too got a little swimming, easy and in our indoor pool which means short swims followed by long hot tubs and steams. The pool I train in has no luxuries!
Lastly I really discovered Yoga. A friend of mine suggested I try it and that I may love it. I have and I spent three weeks going to yoga everyday....!!!! Pure bliss. There is nothing like walking into a Hot Vinyasa Flow class when it is cold and rainy outside!!!! I really needed to get some flexibility back too and all the stretching felt great!



I too got to enjoy time with my family going into NYC and spending time at the beach,hiking,sleeping in and just having no where to rush too!



The time off always goes so quickly but I am always thrilled to get back to my training schedule.
I am planning my year and setting new goials. Lots of exciting things in the works!!!!
I will be updating soon.
First I will need to give out some big thanks to my sponsors and then secondly I need to put together my traditional good bye to 2010 photo collage....then plans for 2011!!!!!

Ironman Florida Race Report...

I arrived in Florida with a bit of a cold. This was the first thing that had gone wrong in my Ironman build but I figured when it arrived I had 10 days for it to clear. I was looking forward to leaving the cold of New Jersey and heading down to some warmer weather to dry out my sinuses and get me healthy. I had no doubt in my mind that race day I would be 100% ready!

Well as some of you know the days leading up to Ironman were cold and rainy and I spent most of my time resting.
Not a bad thing. The day before race day I was finally feeling better and I was really hungry. I felt like I was eating so much food and by nighttime my tummy was feeling a little upset. I shrugged it off and got a decent nights sleep.

Morning came quickly and I got up at 4.30 to eat. My stomach was still feeling full and I was not very hungry and ate a very small bowl of oatmeal and a few scoops of apple sauce.
Scottie, James and I headed down to the start at 5.30. We did not want to spend too much time waiting in the 30 degree weather so instead it ended up being a bit of a rushed morning. Before I knew it we had 20 minutes to start and I was still out of wetsuit looking for a bathroom. With 10 minutes to go I finally begged someone to let me go to the front of the line, got my wetsuit on, dropped off my morning bag and got onto the beach with minutes to spare.
I got a 2 minute warmup swim and then lined up for the day.

The swim was pretty uneventful. I stayed with a small group pulling the first loop coming in around 29 minutes. The run on the beach was quite tiring and I decided to sit in for the second half. The pace seemed so slow so I eventually just swam off on my own and zig zagged around the age groupers.
I ran in around 1.01, a minute slower than the last time I swam this course. It was ok though as the water was a little rougher.

Running into T1 the volunteers were awesome. So many clothes dropped out of my bag and it was so hard to put them all on with my wet body. First was a long sleeved shirt. I just could not get than on...so I opted for just a bike jersey and arm warmers...knee warmers and thick Saucony compression socks. I too had toe caps on my shoes so I figured I would be reasonably warm. Once on the bike the camera guys were filming me and that kept my focus on catching up to Tamara in front of me and not on the cold. By mile 7 I had passed her and had my sights on a girl in front of her. We were riding into a head wind and I was feeling strong and pushing comfortably hard. A few guys came by in a tight group. I was amazed how blatant the drafting was. I stayed 100m back until I was dropped. Another pro girl then came by in a pack and I once again thought I should go with them. It was significantly easier in the pack but instead I went to the back and stayed too far off the back that I lost the draft and biked on my own. My stomach was starting at this point around mile 35/40 to really feel very bloated and crampy. When I got to the turnaround I saw a bunch of the guys that had been riding in packs that had received drafting penalties and I was happy I did not go with them because I had failed to put my race belt on and I was worried if they pulled me over I would get DQ'd.

The next section of road was super bumpy and back into a headwind. My stomach was feeling so upset by this time that I was holding back throwing up. A mile of bumps and I started vommiting uncontrollably. I pulled off the road and lent over with my stomach in pain.
I continued on pushing into the wind trying to keep my watts up. Every time I thought I was starting to feel better, it kept coming back. I could not consume any fluids. The cramps were strong and I started looking for a short cut back. I knew we had an out and back and I was thinking I would just ride straight back. Instead I headed out on the loop once again throwing up halfway through. I was so dissapointed as I was so ready for this race and I could not believe I was feeling so bad. I tried to just drink a few sips of water and basically just cruised home pushing 140 watts to the finish. I was riding so much slower with a big tailwind than with the wind in my face and I just wanted to cry! My friend Danielle and many others rode by and asked me what was wrong...

Once in T2 I sat down on a chair bent over while the girls yelled can we help, can we help? They were basically putting my shoes on and pushing me out the door. So I figured let me stop at the bathroom where I can have a private moment to contemplate what I really should do.
I stood in there hating the thought of a DNF. But my body was so completely drained. But in the end I decided to head out and push for a bit and see what happened. My stomach was so sore but I ran hard and surprisingly my legs felt so much better than what they did when I first got out on the run at the Rev3 full distance 6 weeks ago.
I stopped again at mile 3 to use the porto...as I had gone from throwing up to a complete upset tummy. I tried to drink lots at the water stops and even stopped at the paramedics at around mile 6. I gave them my symptoms and they suggested I should stop. I told them that I would run the out and back and then see them at mile 9. They insisted I stop at every aid station and hydrate well and to check in with them. So off I went and I was surprised at mile 7 to see that I was running pretty well.
But the reality was that I was really dehydrated and depleted and I could feel my heart rate rising. So I just ran comfortably and stopped and drank at every station and stopped every few miles at the bathroom. My lower stomach was still so crampy and it was really a struggle the whole way. At the turn around I was prepared to just go back out and try my best to just keep trying to pass people and get to the finish.

The crowds cheers kept me going and seeing my buddy James out front was so inspiring. Scottie D too was having a great race and I was so happy for them.
So I jogged into the finish and was proud of myself for my perseverance. I came across in 10.09 a few minutes faster than my Rev 3 full distance.

So while I was terribly disappointed I understood that what I accomplished was good!

Back in medical I continued to throw up after a nice cup of soup and I stayed there for a few hours recovering with some well needed IV fluid.

After a lazy day spent trying to recover Sunday I had fun celebrating with so many friends at the awards and Spinnakers the next night. I am truly happy and fortunate to beable to do what I love!

Thank you to coach Paulo who always gets me ready to race. I hope one day I will beable to put together the race that we both know I am capable of!
Thanks to to Trakkers for all their support this year and Kestrel, Saucony and First Endurance, the best Nutriton ever!

Me, James Cunnama (Ironman FL Champ), Scott D, Arland M

Ironman Florida Taper time!

It does not feel like too long ago that I was tapering for Rev 3 Full....and now six weeks later I am tapering again.
I am loving my decision to race another Ironman.
IM Coeur d 'Alene was disappointing as a back issue lead me to DNF at mile 16.
So Rev 3 Full was a well needed back on track race for me.
Now I am definitely looking for the race where it all comes together, where all the hard work I have done this year pays off!
To have the perfect race you need to be healthy, have got good uninterrupted training in and your head has to be in the right place.
This year I have raced quite alot and have loved being on the start line. When you are forced to take time off sometimes you come back with more passion and desire than ever.
I knew this year was going to be tough but my intentions were to race myself into shape. I enjoy the energy and excitement of racing and this year sure has had alot of that. Racing on the Trakkers team and doing the Rev 3 series was truly a nice addition to my racing calender.

These six weeks have gone very well and I am happy to say I feel more ready for this race than any other this year.
So with great anticipation I shall wait patiently for race day. I look forward to whatever the day brings me. I shall have fun,work hard, and enjoy each moment...and at the end of the day I will come out knowing I gave it everything I had.

Rev 3 Race Report!

Well I have had a week to think about my race and it was all very fresh in my mind this morning when I decided to ride for the first time since racing.

Coach Paulo has given me some time to enjoy my folks who are still out visiting me. So with trips to NYC, and Atlantic City, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia,soccer games and football games....tours to the Statue of Liberty,kayaking,swimming,biking and other fun things this ....this has hardly been a recovery week.....but it has been filled with lots of fun and little training!

REV 3 race week started with a 10 hr drive to Ohio. We arrived in Sandusky Thursday morning. Things were pretty quiet but it was cool driving into the Cedarpoint Amusement Park and seeing where our race venue was going to be. What an amazing park...I have never seen so many large roller coasters.




Race week went so smooth and there was such a good vibe around the park. That is one thing about the Rev 3 races that I love. They have a warm feeling like you are among family. Seeing all my Trakker's peeps around, and the whole Rev 3 team was amazing! A lot of my friends were racing too which also made it fun!

All week I felt great and I really enjoyed the taper after having a big week of training. I was feeling very good about racing and had come to peace with the idea that I was going to race with low running miles.





Race morning arrived and we all gathered on the beach waiting for the sun to rise. It was a stunning morning and we were all happy as the water had finally calmed down due to a wind direction change. The water had been pretty crazy all week, like a washing machine.

My dad and I

One minute to go...



Us pro women all lined up anxiously awaiting the start. We were trying to figure out the course as the sun was coming up.
Soon the gun went off and we ran and dolphin dived for a long time. Shortly after we all started swimming, one of the pro girls was yelling help....it was confusing and a few of us stopped to check if she was ok. I then proceeded to swim hard to catch a few of the other girls who had not heard the screams. The next strange thing that happened was I was working so hard to catch my friend Lauren when I noticed that the kayakers told her not to go around the red buoy. Turns out when I reached the red buoy they told me that we had swam about 200 meters too far, to the second loop red buoy......AHHHHHH! I could not believe it. So once again I put my head down and swam as hard as I could to make up time. I felt good about my swim as I managed to catch a few girls in the second loop. My eventful swim was not over. At the second turn around I had caught up to one of the pro girls. I was just about to pass her when I got kicked so hard in the nose. I heard a crack and I thought my nose was broken. My nose was swollen and my teeth even hurt. I back stroked and breast stroked and contemplated the situation. But I had had this same thing happen on my very first Ironman in Lake Placid and I went on to finish the race. So with or without the broken nose, I once again swam as hard as I could to the shore.

I was totally dissapointed with the 1.09 swim........but put things into perspective as I knew I felt really great the whole swim and I felt totally fine as I ran out of the water.

Once on my Kestrel I reassessed my nose. It hurt like hell and it gave me an intense headache but thanks to Advil it definitely helped the pain. I had driven the bike course two nights before and I loved the course. It was pretty flat with beautiful apple farms and quaint little towns. This kind of course I love. Rev 3 had marked it very clearly and it was an out,two loops of roughly 35 miles, then a back section. This gives you riding both into the wind and with wind at your back. I knew the last 35 miles were going to be in our face so I did not want to push too hard too early.
I was feeling so good and I was very confident about my nutrition plan. Robert from First Endurance and I, had sat down a few days earlier to go over the perfect plan for me. I followed the plan to a tee....water first half hour, then 2 bottles EFS mixed with EFS liquid shot. At the 50 mile mark I had finished my nutrition just as planned and waited patiently for my replacement bottles at special needs. Losing a minute or two can save you later in the day by sticking to your nutrition plan.
The next 40 miles ticked by and I finished my next 2 EFS bottles pretty quickly. I think the heavy wind was making me extra thirsty. I started with my last bottle of water and EFS liquid shot and then sipped on Cera Sport for the remaining 20 miles. The last hour was pretty brutal wind wise and without any company on the ride I was really feeling it. I kept refocusing but my speed/power definitely slipped the last hour. Bike time 5hr 18 min.




I was thrilled to see the amusement rides in the distance and received a nice welcome back into transition by my folks. I then ran out feeling pretty good and ready to get the last section of this race over. I am always relieved and happy to start the run.
The first few miles went well and then I turned into the wind. It was like I was biking again....a big effort. My pace slowed and pretty much stayed even for the rest of the marathon. The course was flat and fast in sections with the wind at your back...but unfortunately my pace just stayed steady. I needed to finish and get the work done so I used all the energy from the great volunteers and competitors and pushed ahead. I ran to the finish ending up in 7th place in a time of 10hr 12 min.

I was truly happy to finish this race. This distance is so mentally tough and so many obstacles can get thrown your way...but you have to persevere and always challenge yourself...and push your limits. My achilles held up and I am so thankful for that!

Huge congrads go out to James Cunnama who won his first big IM distance race....and fellow PS athleteand friend, Lauren Harrison who had a huge PR race. My Trakkers teammates out on the course also were very inspiring. Lastly the Rev 3 team did such a great job out there cheering and working hard all day and into the wee hours of the night. A big thanks goes out to Charlie, Heather and Todd, Krista, and Carole and the whole Rev 3 Team! You guys are amazing!!!!!

After a few hours of rest a bunch of us headed down to the finish line to cheer the last competitors in. This is always a good way to laugh,cheer, cry and feel good about the whole day.

I was happy to learn the next day that I got 3rd Overall in the Rev 3 series. Pretty awesome! I am thrilled that I chose to race in all the Rev 3 races as each one was better than the first! This race series is here to stay and is well worth putting into your 2011 schedule!

Reflecting on Timberman 70.3

I have been slack about updating as life has been crazy. So before I update on Rev3 Iron distance race I wanted to fill in the time between my last post which was August 8th. (One month ten days ago. )

With a calf strain very much present I managed the week after I last posted to start building up my run mileage. My longest run going into Timberman 70.3 August 22nd was a 6 miler. Of course this for me was not a confidence booster knowing the stellar field of girls that always show up for this race. I knew despite the low miles that my fitness was good as I was preparing for Rev 3 Iron distance race and had been getting some good biking and running in.

In good spirits I headed out with Sydney to New Hampshire, picking up my parents at JFK, who were traveling from South Africa to visit with me for 6 weeks. What better than a trip to New Hampshire, some sight seeing, and a race on top of it.

My families presence kept things nice and relaxed and fun and I felt no pressure.
Race day came....and I raced with what I had that day. On the swim and bike I pushed hard but felt the big weeks of Ironman training in my legs. On the run I surprised myself with how good I felt and ran hard for a 1.31 split on some good hills. So I came away with a little boost of confidence that despite my low miles of running I still could run the distance.

With Rev 3 3 weeks away this was an important race for me.

We then all jumped in the car and headed back via Boston then New Haven for a little more sight seeing.

Where did a month go???

I was in the pool last week when the sweetest yoga instructor told me he really enjoyed reading my blog. You see he's a first year triathlete and he said he found it helped him to know that even the pro's have tough days. A sense of guilt overcame me as I have been putting my blog on the back burner. A few days later my friend Judy reminded me of the fact that she reads my blog and is missing the updates. So I knew I had to take some action and let everyone know what's been going on with me.

You see when training and racing is going well it is motivating and inspiring but after IM CdA I went through a few weeks of feeling a little down. It's hard when you invest so much time into something and the result is not good.
I was hoping to get right back into training and had my eye set on IM Lake Placid. But Coach Paulo did not like that idea and he normally has a good sense of what's good for me and what's not. So I spent a week getting massage/ART and acupuncture to try get rid of the low back pain and after 2 weeks I got back into a hard training schedule with a 2 week build. The plan was for me to race Steelhead 70.3. Training was tough as the heat was intense. I think we had 90 plus degree's for a month straight in NJ.

While in my second week of training my body started to break down and I was getting some really sore achilles/calves. Now these muscles are ones that you really have to take care of as you need them for everything. But I chose to ignore the ever increasing pain until one day I went for a run, I got 3 miles out and then I had to walk home. My achilles just refused to be co- operate anymore.


TEN THINGS THAT CAN LEAD TO ACHILLES/CALF STRAIN ( ESPECIALLY if you are me) Now one or two of these may not cause any problems but try failing at all ten....TROUBLE!

1. Try avoid doing any fast running for 2 weeks after an Ironman. I did a 3 mile race with no warmup....I may have been fine if I did not do the next nine things!

2. Avoid heels as much as possible... 2 weeks post IM I went out and danced with heels on....yes occasionally I love to wear them. They always look SO good but hurt so bad! They really shorten the calf muscles...especially when you are dehydrated.

3. Try avoid wearing no shoes. The day after heel wearing I walked around all morning with no shoes on. NEVER a good idea as it now lengthens the muscle.

4. Don't run super fast intervals on a 100 degree day. Someone next to me was on a bike giving me splits which was making me push very hard....and of course that was while my achilles were already irritated.

5. Stretch, (controversial) but not too much....

6.Try avoid running too many days on the road.

7. Do not ignore the pain!

8. Do ice regularly!

9. Wear compression socks if you need to, but don't think because you can hardly walk they will help you get through a 1hr.30 run.

10. Listen to your body!!!!



All that resulted in me having to take 16 days off of running. Yep that is a long time when you are watching your races come and go...



Well I am happy to say while I am not officially out of the RED zone I am on my way to recovering. I am back jogging/running and hope to be at full speed soon. I am doing all the right stuff in order not to get injured again.
Sometimes we really take your body for granted and push them way too hard. I think endurance athletes get so used to a certain amount of discomfort...it's important to pay attention at all times to your aches and pains.

What I have come to realize over the years is that my training has highs and lows and if I can time the highs together with racing...good things happen! But things happen, obstacles arise that stand in your way. You need to be patient and deal with what's thrown at you. There are ALWAYS more races! What is important is your health and happiness!

So be smart, train hard but keep it REAl!

IM Coeur d Alene Race Report

Well a DNF was a result that I have always prided myself in NOT having. I remember a friend of mine saying to me a long time ago when I decided to turn pro that he hoped I would not start DNFing my races because I could get into another race soon. I assured him I wouldn't and continued that pattern of racing with all I had until the end, for 14 Ironman, and many other races.

So why did I make that decision on Sunday. It was a tough decision...and new ground for me.

From my awful delayed travel to Idaho, five nights of poor sleep in the nights prior,to every part of the race day...things did not go as planned which left me in a position where I felt my focus had been lost! The idea of me running a slow 10 miles to finish the race in 10th or 11th place did not mean enough to me. Especially seeing I felt I was comprimising my health as a back/neck issue that has been bugging me this season, since my crash last year ,was acting up on the bike and by the time I hit mile 13-15of the run my back was in a deep spasm. I could shuffle along and finish but when you have raced and know what it feels like to feel good it became clear that I did not feel the need to push my body through the pain just for a slow finish. My first Ironman I ever did was a 11 hour flat while totally falling apart on the run. Thus when faced with the thought of a slow painful Ironman finish I decided to save my body. Staying healthy is so important for the longevity of this sport.

I sat in transition with fellow athlete Desiree who herself had made the decision to pull out due to feeling sick/dizzy. We both felt awful about our decisions. It was a tough decision for me and I even got some ART done before I handed my chip in. Half an hour had chipped away and I decided to call it a day.

Here is my race day recap!

3.30 Wake Up
Breakfast Gluten Free bagel with peanut butter and a bottle of Ultragen
4.45 Rolled down to transition.
Sipped on a bottle of EFS while getting wheels pumped, and Kestrel bike set up.
6.20 Pro Start
Water was quite choppy heading out and I swam with a small group , Lauren Harrison (7th Place) and Haley Cooper(4th Place) and a few guy pro's.
6.53 We came across the second loop mat and I thought oh sh###t we are going to get beat up by the mass start of age groupers waiting on the beach.
6.55 Slam dunk....the pack came swimming right over us. The mass start is getting very dangerous and you all need to give each other some respect and space. it is not OK to hit ,kick,dunk people in the face just because it's a race. At the turn around I heard a women yelling in panic..this is not what IM should be about!
7.25 Swim exit

7.28 Bike Exit. While on my bike the plan was to drink 5 bottles of EFS with 3 scoops and 1 bottle of EFS for a total of 1900 cals. Rookie Mistake, my stomach did not handle the concentrate well after drinking a huge amount of the lake and I opted for 2 bottles of water to dilute the drinks. Result was too little calories on the bike....



9.45(estimate) Came around the half way point and was feeling OK but my stomach was bothering me and my legs were not feeling strong. I was not riding like I usually ride...it was an effort to keep my watts I wanted to hold. Although I had rode the course two days before by car I was surprised that the course was as hilly as it was and I think the hills followed by a headwind did not help. There were some slow climbs that on the second loop alot of age groupers were walking up. My back and neck was really tightening up which resulted in me riding up and out of my aerobars alot.


1am start run. Running around 7 min pace and feeling ok. Ran with a bottle of EFS liquid shot. Stomach really wasn't doing to good so I stopped at the porto potty around mile 3. Felt a little better so kept going but with the pace starting to slow.
I got to see the intensity of my competitiors up ahead. Linsey Corbin, Desiree,Kelly were all having great races and looking very strong. It motivated me and I tried to push. Andy Potts ran by me on his way to a win....that motivated me too...and I pushed hard staying right behind him for a mile. I saw him suffering and stop and it made me realise that we all suffer even on a good day. So I pushed...but my back was tightening up and my form was not good. Stomach bothered me again and I made porto potty stop number two. This was probably dehydrating me and not helping with my back issue. As I approached the crowds into the second loop I did not feel motivated any longer. I had stepped out of the competition and was very distracted. I bent over and tried to stretch my back and I my back went into a tight cramp. I saw Hillary Biscay up ahead and I thought let me just catch up to her and run with her and finish this thing. I only had 11 miles to go. But my back wanted no part of that decision so I stepped into transition and got some ART with the thought that I could still go out again.
Once inside T2 I made the decision to call it a day!
I was 9hours into it.

Even though the decision hurt and the disappointment was huge I feel it was a good one. For me it is no longer just about finishing an Ironman but about doing the best I can and placing well.

After handing my chip in I was extremely tired and fell asleep in transition. My body was exhausted mentally and physically. While I lay there in my disappointment, I watched the age groupers who were just coming in off the bike and heading out to run. I can't imagine what it's like to be out there for 15,16,17 hours. I applaud all of you who became Ironman that day, or who battled through mentally or physically and finished the race. Ironman is never to be taken lightly and always to be respected!

Congrads again to my friends Linsey Corbin who raced her heart out and was so deserving of this win! Kelly Williamson who got 3rd place and her first kona spot. Also too Lauren Harrison ,PS Triathlete and friend who finished 7th with a new PR. Also team mate Michael Lovato for his 3rd place finish.

Coeur 'd Alene is a beautiful town and the volunteers out on the course were amazing. The race was so well run and I would recommend it to everyone. Even the lake was tolerable at 60 degree's. I really enjoyed my time spent in Post Falls with good friends and I thank John Fell and his wonderful family for all their support,understanding and hospitality. Keep up the great training/racing John!

Quassy Race Report

Firstly, I would like to thank Heather, Todd and Charlie for putting on an another amazing race! I am really enjoying this series and think the details they are paying to the races/athletes/and families are exceptional!
Here the kids got 2nd place in the Kids Adventure Race!


Race day for me was kind of an" out of body experience." It is tough mentally to do a race when you are not rested or tapered.
I am preparing for Ironman Coeur d Alene in 2 weeks and due to my racing/training schedule I really had to accept that some races I could focus on and some would just be hard training days. Coach Paulo reminded me that this race was not to be my focus and that I should just race with what I had. Now sometimes you can surprise yourself with how you feel. Last year I won Tinman up in Lake Placid after a very heavy training week. But that race was way more low key and there were not 4 World Champions there!

Race morning however after two noisy nights in a hotel room and little sleep I felt more fatigued than anything. My warmup run was on heavy legs and I tried my best to ignore them. Watching the stellar field of girls all warming up didn't help either, but I too put my game face on and tried to ignore what my body was telling me.

Sydney with breakfast on hand giving me a last hug before entering the water!
My race morning nutrition had consisted of a gluten free bagel with almond butter at 4am and a bottle of Ultragen that I sipped on and the a small bottle of EFS right before the swim.

Swim start
I got off to a good quick start( all 30 seconds of it) before the faster swimmers started pulling away. My arms did not want to turn over so I just settled into what I could do... my own pace. I didn't feel awful, my endurance felt good, but I was definitely in the Ironman swim pace....


Onto the bike, I hoped that my body would start to kick in but instead I felt rather flat. I missed the first turn 5 minutes into the ride which was annoying and my fault for not making driving the course a priority. The cop directing bikers decided to take a nap in his car and the turn said run turn so I kept going only to hear the cop honking a minute later...major bummer...enough time wasted for me to have a girl pass me and for me to totally lose sight of Amanda and Natasha. The hills were relentless and I noticed that I was riding at least 10 heart beats lower than usual. It was however a fun pretty course but I battled to keep my focus. Your mind set is so important in racing. My second wrong turn was following two bikers down a road that apparently was the wrong one. The person directing bikers had got on his bike to go chase the biker who had gone the wrong way...thus there was nobody at that spot. With such a windy course with some big fast descents it was imperative to know the course.

Seeing Julie and Kelly heading to their second mile while I was still heading in on the bike was a reminder that I needed to give the run everything I had to try make up for my swim/bike. The run course was great and challenging. I raced in the new Saucony Kinvara's and were amazed how good they felt on the hills. They are the lightest race flat I have raced in by far but the most comfortable! I pushed hard the first few miles and then tried to push hard up the big hill climbs.



My legs felt pretty solid and I ran pretty strong the whole way until the last two miles. My heart rate was abnormally high all race and was hitting 173 on the last hill climb and I was ready for this race to be over. It was so great to see my fam out on the course and it kept things real.

Coming into the finish line the Hank was there with the kids and they were ready to run with me. They have not run across a finish line since my first IM in Lake Placid probably 5/6 years ago. So it was great to see their excitement and have them there. They are the greatest two kids a mom could ask for!



Post Race kids meeting team mate Amanda

So all in all a great race! It was great to see all the Trakkers girls and guys out there working hard and having fun! This is a must do race for everyone and I will definitely go back next year ready to race!!

Training Nutrition

I believe your body tells you what you need in order to keep it strong. Now sometimes you are too busy to listen to your body and you keep going on all cylinders...eating without any thought of what you are putting in to your body. I have been known to do this. Either I eat to little or I snack to much on kids junk food. If you let this go on for too long you can really weaken your immune system.
But today Coach Paulo gave me an easier day with just a swim after racing a hard Quassy Half Ironman yesterday.( Race Report to come soon!) This gave me time to head to one of my favorite little health food stores, Deans in Neptune.

Well this is what my body was craving...

I like to juice but haven't in a while...so I decided it was time to pull out the juicer for the summer! A great drink for your immune system is apples,lemons,radish,ginger and carrots or if you feel run down and a cold coming on a mixture of oranges,lemon, garlic and ginger or even better if you can handle it a shot of flax oil,garlic,ginger,and cayenne pepper....potent but worth every drop!

I must have been craving coconut as I got coconut water,,,which is very good for you and filled with electrolytes. I also got coconut milk, a good source of fat.I love to make a Thai chicken curry with it over rice. On the good fat note I also found some divine curried cashews, guacomole, hummus, almond butter and salmon salad...and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies of course....now to just not eat it all in one go!

Coconut,cranberry, mixed greens, and a mixed fruit juice...all great antioxidants!

Oh I should not forget all the great gluten free foods I got like rice cakes, potato's,sweet potato's,brown rice,oats and some great gluten free bars and fruit/nut bread!

My weekly diet would not be complete without my First Endurance products that have got me through 3 half Ironman and no GI issues. My training EFS drink fulled with Electrolytes. Ultragen, my recovery staple, and my Optygen HP and my MultiV to ensure I am getting the neccessary vitamins in!


Yay to healthy food....although Sydney wasn't sure whether to give the veggies a thumbs up or down. When I told her we could juice again she decided to "Rock on!"
So make each mouthful count....and enjoy your food!