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!

Florida 70.3 Race Report and a new attitude!

Well I am home after a quick two and a half days in Orlando.
I am happy with my result from the Florida 70.3. I managed to finish 5th Pro in a time of 4hrs29min and a new Half Ironman PR. ( well besides Florida 70.3 Worlds but that doesn't count and we all know why).....My splits were Swim 31 Bike 2.24 Run 1.29.
Now I don't mean to be overly enthusiastic by my result as 1-4 would have been even better. But a solid performance and a pay day(especially with the new 8% rule) is always a reason for excitement!

Leanda Cave, Amanda Stevens, Migali Tisseyre,Ayesha Rollinson and me!


So to recap my day....

My day started at 3.30am, as this race starts literally as the sun peeks up over the water.With a 6.20am start means an early breakfast if you want to play by the 3 hour to digest your food rule! Also I was staying just outside of Disney property and needed to give myself plenty of time to get to the rather difficult but pretty race site at Fort Wilderness!

Breakfast for this race was a gluten free bagel with jam, vitamins(Optygen HP and Multivitamin) and a small bottle of EFS.

The morning went smooth and I had enough time to lay out my gear, make a few bathroom stops and do a little run as they were not giving us any swim warm up.(not good for me)

At 6.23 sharp the women's pro field gun went off and I high kneed into the water followed by some dolphin dives. This enabled me to stay with the lead pack for 20 seconds longer than I would have normally as running was involved.
I settled in to a nice pace that was obviously a little too comfortable looking at the time. My swim went relatively fast and I was happy as the water was warm and calm and the buoys were well set up well and easy to see! I knew I was pulling at least one girl as she constantly touched my feet which was kind of a reminder to me to keep pushing hard. I felt good on the swim and actually caught one of the girls that was swimming on her own ahead of me....I guess all the 5000 meter swims are paying are off....just not in the speed department.

T1 is always fast and a little hectic but I was pleased to see about ten bikes still in the transition area.

But most of those girls were right behind me and it was a sprint to see who could get out of transition fastest. So race on and I did a good job getting out onto my bike. I went out with Tamara, Heather Jackson, and a few others. The lead pack of Leanda Cave,Nina Kraft,Sara McLarty, Amanda Stevens and Migali Tisseyre were already a few minutes ahead. So I knew I had to do my best to stay with the girls around me. After biking alone in New Orleans and in Tennessee I really wanted to feel like I was in the race. So I chose to push harder than I normally would early in the race.
A few miles into the race Tamara passed me. I know she is a solid biker so I decided to let her get no further than 400 meters ahead of me. My plan was to always have someone in sight. A few miles later Heather Jackson passed me. I know she got the fastest bike split in New Orleans and I knew if I could keep her in sight for a while I would be gearing up for a good bike. I went into this race with goals and a new attitude...something I did not have my last two races. I had specific times I wanted to do...they weren't set in stone as I know you have to adapt according to what the day throws you ...heat, wind etc but I made myself a plan and it gave me something to focus on.

I felt great on the Kestrel and was thrilled to have my power back. I think the fit that Coach Paulo did in Tennessee really helped me get comfortable and I felt the best I have all year!
Throughout the race I was happy to see that the drafting officials kept our pro girls (well the ones that I could see at various times) racing very clean for a flat course. That made me HAPPY and at one point I thanked them for it! This was my fastest bike split in a few years and I did feel like my legs were fatiguing near the end. I rode my own race though and had to eventually let some of the girls out of my site as they were pushing a little out of my comfort zone. I also made sure to stick to my nutrition plan of 3 bottles of EFS and that seemed to work perfectly.
I was thrilled when I came into T2 and saw my 2hr24min bike split. I was also a little nervous as I was not sure how my legs were going to feel. Well there was no time to think about it as I had some girls to go try catch. Another thing I really liked about this course was the ability to see your competition over and over as it is a three loop course. This is very motivating especially when you see the girls up ahead starting to fall apart. For this race I decided to race with a heart rate monitor so I knew how hard I was pushing. I knew it was going to be hot and I had to pace myself early on. So I kept my heart rate steady and ran controlled. This course has about 8 miles of uneven grass running that gets very hot...95 degree hot! When you are tired and getting dehydrated it can be very tough! But I kept my mind so positive this race...I reminded myself about how much I love racing in the heat and how forgiving the grass felt. I was passing girls and that felt good. When Ayesha passed me around mile 7 I tried to keep her close. I dug deeper and managed to bring my miles back down to 6.40/6.45 pace. I could see the speedy Kim Loeffler working hard to catch me...she was running fast and making up time and I knew I had to give it my all! With one mile to go I was told I was in 5th place 40 seconds behind 4th. I pushed as hard as I could making up 10 seconds but just not enough to catch 4th.
I was thrilled to be 5th on a day like this with such great competition.


Last Thursday I was very undecided about racing. My knee had been bothering me for weeks and my chiropractor was strongly suggesting that I take it easy. I was thinking that I may just stay at home or do a small local race. My friend agreed with me that it was a far way to go when I wasn't feeling 100%. Instead just when I was about to not go it became very clear to me that I really wanted to race! I actually had forgotten why I race... the challenge,the excitement, the energy and...the competition. I could take the easy way out or I could go and test myself,race hard and do the best I can.
My son Tanner was going to be in his own competition while I was racing His first Tae Kwondo full contact sparring competition. I explained to him my decision to go...that the better the competition the better you feel when you do well.

I thought of my son often while I raced. I raced for him....I raced hard as I felt the need to make the most of my day...I did not want to feel like I had anything left over. He was doing the same. He took a challenge...he faced the big boys and he got beat up ....but he hung in there and proved that he had heart and that he deserved to be there. He won his round against a boy 2 years older and a foot taller than him who kicked him in the head and stomach repeatedly. Tanner was tough and I was racing to show him that you have to be tough to do well. I am so proud of him and the athlete he is becoming and I was proud of myself on Sunday and the athlete I work hard to be!

So all in all a good positive weekend and some good lessons learned. Next up Quassy Rev3 race in a few weeks!

The Good,Bad and the Ugly of my race in Knoxville!

REVOLUTION 3 RACING!




Well as I expected Knoxville was going to be that tough Oly challenge that I like to throw at myself at least once a year. Short course racing is very intimidating for me especially knowing my swim is not my strongest event. Looking at the stellar women's pro field prior to the race start I knew that this was going to be a hard day for me and I was going into this race to support and represent the Trakkers Team at the First Rev 3 race of the year. What Rev 3 is doing is incredible and I wanted to be a part of it! It's an exciting new race series and it is first class. Next event I shall definitely bring the family as they had so much set up for the kids to do prerace and during the event itself. The race was well organized,clearly marked, and a nice scenic challenging course. The details that Rev 3 showed from the flowers for moms,to the boxed lunches and big slides set up for kids are superior to any other race I have done and a real nice touch!

Well to the race...all went smooth race morning. I had a great night sleep....rather unusual for me...and awoke at 2 in the morning to realise I had not even set my alarm. I was relieved to see it that I still had a few hours sleep and set 2 alarms and fell right back to sleep. I awoke at 5am to eat my new breakfast prerace routine of gluten free oatmeal, apple sauce and half a bottle of Ultragen which I sipped right up until race start.

My Kestrel all ready to go...


My name in lights...No 66


I headed out at 6am only to find out that it was in the 40's and freezing. We had found out at the pro meeting that it was going to be another non wetsuit swim which I was dreading. Being the eternal optimist I took my wetsuit down to race start anyway hoping that they would take the cold air temperature into consideration but they didn't.





So sadly we all headed down to the waters edge. I decided after shaking uncontrollably in New Orleans prior to race start that I was not going to do a warm up in the water as it looked to cold. I was not alone and a bunch of us waited on the deck until a few minutes before race start. The swim was pretty uneventful. The group split into two right from the start....I as expected ended up pulling the second group to the finish only to have everyone sprint by me at the swim exit. This was a very fast T1 and I realise I definitely have to remember that T1 and T2 is actually part of the race and not a time to catch my breath.





By the time I got onto my bike the 4 girls that had come out of the water behind me had taken off. I too also noticed that Olympic distance means pushing hard right from the start of the bike not just easing into a nice steady pace. Right from the start of the bike I was freezing. Now being in this position a few times before I am definitely learning that this cold racing and I just don't work together very well. As much as I tried to think warm thoughts my mind was not prepared for this scenario and it refused to co-operate. It wanted no part of this race and the result was extreme shaking, numb hands and feet, and loss of power. I was too distracted to even notice how hilly the bike course was. To those few age group guys that may have heard me moaning out loud I apologise as I forgot I was racing at times as I contemplated which sunny spot I was going to stop and sit and wait for a ride at. I decided it was going to be best that I just rode my bike back into town. In all my races I have ever done I am yet to DNF and I pride myself in that and yet the thoughts going through my head were exactly that. Entering T2 I was still thinking about stopping but then I saw Coach Paulo yelling at me to hurry up and I figured I had to try suck it up. So T2 was a blur I ran out yelling to Paulo that I could not feel my feet....of course he told me to run faster....and that's how it went. I ran as fast as my body would let me while running on stumps and by mile 3 when my feet thawed out I realised I had something rather large in the toe of my shoe. Ended up that it was a whole gel pack that I am very happy didn't explode in their but did make for some squashed toes. By mile 4 I realized I was going to make the finish of another race...even if not a perfect one! I was happy to run through the Rev 3 finish shoot in 11th place...sadly once again just out of the money!

All in all a great experience. Bonus of the day was that Team Trakkers pulled out a big win in the Trakkers versus K-Swiss Challenge!

Thanks to Fred my home stay for these great pictures....

This is a classic finish between second and third place....Terenzo and Lieto



I thank my wonderful home stay Fred and Ali for all their hospitality. They are two great people who opened up their beautiful home to me and Dede and they made my stay in Knoxville that much better! I look forward to seeing you both again and good luck with your racing Fred and your new baby!

First Endurance

I am the luckiest girl to be sponsored by First Endurance. This is nutrition products at their best. I am so impressed by all the information you can get from their site and the research that goes into their products and finding the best solutions for us athletes. It is unbelievable. There is a wealth of knowledge on the First Endurance site and I encourage you all to go and look as" knowledge is power". All the time we spend swimming, biking and running only to let a race slide because of poor nutrition is such a waste. A few simple changes can make all the difference in your training and racing.
Go to www.firstendurance.com and see what they have to offer. They talk about gluten free diets,race day nutrition,electrolytes,sodium....and much more!!!!!