La Paz Pan American Championship
January 17, 2012
To Come!
Wedding!
January 11, 2012
I apologize for the delay in posting, I got very caught up in the Christmas holiday and my WEDDING!
Great Articles on Blood Clots and Endurance Athletes
December 3, 2011
As I continue to research I will post more information concerning blood clots, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism AND how they relate to endurance athletes. Please take time to read at least one of these articles/blogs to understand how to prevent these from occurring and what the symptoms are.
They can develop after hard training sessions if you sit in one place for too long (at an office, in an airplane, in a car, etc.) or from the physical adaptations of being an athlete. Endurance athletes especially tend to have lower heart rates which means slower blood flow and we tend to push ourselves to a point of dehydration (thicker blood making it harder to the heart to pump, and being pumped slower). These are just two factors that can make an athlete more susceptible to blood clots, compound that with how often athletes travel and the risk increases. Here are a few great articles/blogs on the subject.
DEEP VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN A TRIATHLETE
http://kierdoestri.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-does-professional-athlete-get.html
http://www.airhealth.org/index.html
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Hidden_danger__DVT_in_endurance_athletes.htm
U23 National Championships - Buffalo, New York
October 1, 2011
I had a great experience getting to race in the U23 National Championships that were held in conjuncture with the Elite National Championships! Buffalo was a great venue to have the race at and I was lucky enough to have my mom AND Coach Jennifer there as support crew.
The swim was barely wetsuit legal, which meant that the temperature was not bad with a wetsuit on. The swim was 2 laps and in between laps we had to get out, run around a boat ramp then dive back in. By the first turn buoy I thought I was right with the front pack only to realize I was with the chase pack. About halfway through the first lap I made the decision to try to put as much time between me and that chase pack as I could. The only problem with this was that I ended up swimming the remainder of the first lap and all of the second lap solo.
Once I got on the bike I was able to see a couple girls right up ahead. I caught up to them and tried to work together but couldn't get organized. I saw the next group (the true chase pack) just under 2 minutes ahead of me and decided to go for it. I was able to catch that group about half way through the bike but again we couldn't get much organized and ended up being caught by the 3rd pack. Laura Bennett and Helen Jenkins were out front putting time on us every lap - they were working together like a fine tuned machine!
Once we got on the run I settled into a "comfortable" pace a little too early but ended up finishing strong and clinched my first U23 National Title and 4th overall! I couldn't be much happier with how the race went and how the season has gone! One more race in Myrtle Beach, SC to finish the USAT Elite Racing Series then off-season!
U23 World Championships - Bejing, China
September 15, 2011
WOW, What an experience! This past weekend I competed in the ITU U23 World Championship held in Bejing, China. This was my first race out of North America and I think I was more nervous/ stressed about the long flights than the race itself. During the long international flight I walked around and stretched about every 90 minutes and tried to sleep during a lot of it. We arrived at the hotel in China earlier evening, grabbed some food and headed straight to bed. Having never traveled so far before I didn’t know what to expect regarding jet leg. (I had researched it before leaving but it’s completely different when you experience it). I never got a solid night of sleep when I was there, it was always very broken.
The morning after I arrived we headed to the pool then down to the course on our bikes then a short run back to the hotel. I could not believe how stale I felt! The long travel really does dramatically affect your body, especially making it hard to elevate your heart rate. Luckily I have a coach very experienced with athletes racing internationally and she gave me the perfect workouts to do leading up to race day that would help me feel sharp! Thanks Jennifer!
By race morning I felt back to normal and went through my usual warm up routine. The U23 Women were lucky enough to have it rainy and far from hot on race day. This really didn’t bother me since everyone would be racing in the same conditions and stress does not change the weather. I was able to keep my warm ups on until being called out to start on the pontoon which helped keep my body temperature from dropping too much right before the start.
Here is a quick course preview: The swim would be one big 1500m lap with a few left hand turns, the bike was a 6 lap course with a 2-3minute climb followed by the downhill and a few technical turns and the run was a 4 lap mostly flat course.
The race started and since the first turn buoy was 500-600m away it was a cleaner start than usual. After the first turn buoy I noticed the packs beginning to separate and was able to make the decision to stay with the front swim pack. About 15-20 women came into the first transition together but by the end of the first lap a pack off about 30 women formed. It remained this way through the rest of the rainy bike portion of the race. Coming into the second transition with 30 women was a bit chaotic to say the least. By the first 400m of the run the front packed turned into about 15 women. Through the next 3 laps the pace would fluctuate depending on who was leading but we kept a good pace. As we ran through transition and onto the final lap, there was a surge that separated the top 5 women from everyone else. I was able to hang onto that pack and ran in 4th position for most of that final lap. Right after ascending the short, steep hill that led to the finish line I was passed by the 5th place women. I surged to stay on her heels and we passed the 3rd place women. As we neared the last 180 turn (about 300m from the finish) I could not hang onto her shoulder, and she beat me by 4 seconds. I ended up finishing the race in 4th place, just 11 seconds off the winner.
Coach Jennifer and I achieved the goal we set for this race which thrills me.. missing the podium by 4 seconds proves that we still have plenty aspects of the race to improve upon. This race motivates me to continue to train smart and hard!
Thanks so all my sponsors, USAT, Coach Jennifer, my fiancé Ed and my family for all of their support to make this trip a success!
Next stop: Elite Nationals in Buffalo New York!
Smoggy picture of the swim course a few days before the race. Transition from up above, we ran/biked through this every lap.
The front and lobby area of our hotel in Bejing.
Wonderful picture that Breanna Hemming took at the Great Wall!
You can see another section of the Great Wall in the background!
Article in the local paper about the race:
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110913/SPORTS/109130325/Shiver-s-pace-world-s-best-triathlon
http://phhp.ufl.edu/2011/09/26/physical-therapy-student-takes-her-place-among-world%e2%80%99s-best-triathletes/
Runner's Space Article
September 8, 2011
http://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=news&year=2011&news_id=20706&folder_id=recent
San Fran Continental Cup
July 11, 2011
Ed and I after my 2nd place finish in San Fransisco!
Monroe Continental Cup
July 3, 2011
This past weekend I competed in my third continental cup of the season in Monroe, Washington which was also the first U23 World Qualifying race. The main goal coming into this race was to qualify for the U23 World Championships held in Bejing, China in September.
Race morning came and I was very comfortable with the venue and course layout due to a thorough course preview the day before. The water was measured at 19.0 degrees Celsius making the swim wetsuit legal. All participants were called out to the start line to wait for the start. I had a pretty good start but about half way through the first lap of the 2 lap swim I realized I had missed the lead pack of swimmers. The rest of the swim I focused on closing any bit of the gap I could. I got out of the water with a handful of other girls and used my foot speed to get to transition and mount my bike as fast as I could (which was hugely beneficial since we did end up losing some of our pack between the run to transition and mounting).
The first 1-2 laps of the bike were very high intensity which caused some girls to fall off the back while allowing our chase pack to catch the two leaders. Once we caught the leaders we became a pack of about 7 which lengthened the gap between the field through the rest of the bike. After the first 2 laps I felt much more comfortable on the bike and paid attention to the other riders to make sure I could counter any attack that may happen. There were a couple attempts at breakaways during the bike but none were successful and we all came into t2 together.
By the first 800 of the 4 lap run course there were two girls that had put about 5 seconds on me and two other girls. On the second lap of the run Widney from Canada took a commanding lead and the other 4 of us ran together for most of the race. We were all pushing the pace and when I felt like I was starting to struggle, I forced myself to think about all the workouts I have completed leading up to this race.
At the last water station, which was about an 800 from the finish and the last turn before the finish chute, I made a move so the race did not end in a sprint finish. I made sure that when I decided to go I committed. It was hard to not look back to see if anyone was coming with me, but my track coach in high school drilled into my head that it is a sign of pain and weakness when you glance behind you. Nobody came with me and I just kept pressing to the finish line with no idea if anyone was chasing me down. I ran across the finish line 11 seconds ahead of the 3rd place finisher and closed a significant amount of time on the leader. In one week I will head back over to the west coach to compete in the San Francisco Continental Cup!
Cartagena, Columbia Continental Cup
June 20, 2011
I love going to different countries and seeing various cultures- I just don’t like the actual travel there (especially by myself). I was meeting a group of American’s in Cartagena and everything was great after I found them, but the travel there was stressful at times. It started with a direct flight to Cartagena from Miami, which seems to just be an off shoot of South America since most people in the Airport spoke limited English. The actually flight was fine but trying to communicate with a taxi driver with a bike box was a bit difficult. Thankfully, he was able to get me to the correct address where I got to carry my bike box and bags up 4 flights of stairs! Once up though the apartment that we were renting close to the race sight was very nice. We each got our own bed, it had a kitchen, living room and 3 bathrooms- Sean Jefferson did a great job finding it!
We were able to do a short run, bike and swim on the race course the day before since the roads were closed off for an age group race. This worked out perfect since I don’t know how we would have ridden the bike course if traffic was allowed on the road with us! The swim was 2 laps, the bike was 7 laps and the run was 3 laps.
Race day came and we rode from the apartment down to the race site with no problems. I did my usual warm up and soon enough we were being called to line up for the start. The swim was an ocean swim and we started in about thigh deep water. The gun went off right as a wave was breaking in front of us! I was happy with my swim and was able to find some people to work with both laps. During the bike I was in a chase pack of 6-7 girls for the first half before we caught the leader and worked with her the rest of the race. I didn’t notice the heat too much until getting off to run! I knew it was really hot from the run the day before but this was a heat like I had never felt before- and I am born and raised in Florida! The entire run I was trying to keep my body temperature down by pouring water over my head at every aid station (6 per lap). As the run went on I felt the heat more and more and just kept thinking about the finish line and with every step I was getting closer to it. I was 3rd getting off the bike, moved into second during the first lap, but then back into 3rd at the end of the second lap. I tried to hang onto the girl when she passed me during the second lap but with the heat my legs had nothing.
Overall it was a great experience to get to race in Cartagena and I can’t thank my coach, Jennifer Hutchison, my family and my sponsors (especially Kiwami for sending my new racing suit over night!) for making this trip possible!
Pineappleman Local Sprint Triathlon
June 10, 2011
It has been too long since I wrote anything, but having a full time internship at a physical therapy clinic while training full time doesn’t leave much extra time. I am finally getting to blog about the sprint triathlon I did for fun last weekend as I fly to Cartagena, Columbia for a Continental Cup.
The Pineappleman Triathlon is in Melbourne Beach, less than 20 minutes south of my hometown. I did this race as a relay while in high school and competed in it individually for the first time last year. It is a really fun hometown race that I hope I have the chance to do for many years with my family. I really enjoy traveling to compete in some of the bigger races as I continue to grow as a triathlete, but it’s also nice to race in small, no-pressure races with friends and family. Now for the race itself.
The swim went by so fast I barely remember it- it was only about 500m! I didn’t get out quite fast enough to latch onto the top male swimmers but started to close the gap about half way through and swam with my good friend and training partner BJ for the last bit of the race. I ran down the dock and into transition with no problem and even thought I had a great mount.. other than hitting down a cone! I settled into a nice steady rhythm on the bike (about a 17 mile bike) and came into transition as the second female. We ran together for the first couple minutes before I focused on my high turn over and was able to finish the race 3rd overall and 1st female. I look forward to competing in this race and the award of a fresh pineapple for years!
Collegiate Nationals on CBS Sports
April 28, 2011
CBS Sports will be broadcasting the Collegiate Nationals race held in Tuscaloosa almost three weeks ago tomorrow night! It will air at 10pm E.T. for the women's race and 11pm E.T. for the men's race! Tune in for a great show!
Interview with Triathlete.com
April 20, 2011
Here is a link to a recent interview I had the privilege of doing with triathlete.com. Enjoy!
Collegiate Nationals
April 12, 2011
You know what’s funny about racing- when you cross the finish line and have achieved the result you hoped for (and raced to your potential), you forget all the pain. I guess at that point the feeling of accomplishment outweighs the physical pain of the race. By the end of the day, not only did you forget the pain, you have the desire to do it all over again! This competitive nature is what keeps us coming back for more. When we don’t have the race we wanted, we want to do it again. When we have the race we wanted, we want to do it again-somehow better this time.
I have been looking forward to Collegiate Nationals in Tuscaloosa for awhile because it gave me the opportunity to compete for my school again! I love wearing the Gator uniform and being part of a team! The race conditions were interesting since the river was 60°F and by the time we were running it was almost 90°F with humidity!
The swim was not as physical as other races I have been in which is always nice. This was also the first race I have ever done in a wetsuit, although I never thought about the wetsuit once during the race thanks to Aquaman! Although I have never raced with a wetsuit I have completed numerous open water swims with one and this was by far the most comfortable wetsuit and allowed for the most flexibility. Aquaman really makes an incredible wetsuit! I was able to find some feet right before the first buoy and stayed right on them the rest of the swim. The run to transition was really long and I was able to catch a couple girls that I exited the water with.
Walking down to the in water start -thanks Aquaman for the AMAZING wetsuit!
I ran straight to my bike in transition and threw on my helmet, grabbed my bike and was out of transition. I had a clean mount and could see the leader right ahead but as soon as I went to get in my shoes I somehow popped my left shoe right out of the cleat. I think I got my foot caught between the shoe and the strap. I quickly turned around, put my shoe on and continued racing. I could still see 2nd and 3rd just ahead so I focused on closing the gap. On the way back on the first loop of the bike (it was 2 loops) I was able to catch the leader on an uphill. The rest of the race I was biking (and running) for my life!
I ran into transition after the bike and heard I had put 45 seconds on second place. Within the first ½ mile of the run we had to get up the biggest hill of the course. The whole way up all I could think was “Although the hill repeats at home were not fun at the time- thank you Coach Jennifer (Hutchison)!” It was still tough to get up but I knew I just had to not slow down as much as everyone else. The rest of the run I just kept pressing and trying to stay cool. The best part of the race came at the end where I was able to run through the finish shoot doing the Gator Chomp. That is a moment I will never forget! I am so blessed to have shared this experience with my Gator team as well as my mom who was there supporting me the whole weekend!
GO GATORS!
Collegiate Nationals to be aired on CBS Sports April 29th 10pm E.T.!!
Clermont Draft Legal Challenge
March 9, 2011
This past weekend I raced an ITU sprint race right here in central Florida. It was really nice to race so close to home and not have to stress about traveling. It was also beneficially that during the weeks leading up to the race I was able to not only see the course but do some key workouts on the course. When the race came around I found my familiarity with the course to be extremely helpful. The day of the race it was a bit overcast and our race ended up being the first race of the day that was not wetsuit legal. This meant that the water temperate was just above 68°F so it was a bit chilly but with the swim only being 750m long there wasn’t much time to think about the water temperature.
One of my biggest mistakes at the beginning of the swim was starting to dolphin dive a little soon. I have been practicing dolphin dives since I knew this was a very shallow swim course but I just started a little early this past weekend. Luckily for this race I don’t think it affected my swim/race too much but it could in other race. The rest of the swim felt good and I got out of the water with a good group of girls. The first transition was pretty long; we had to run through the water (since it was so shallow) then up the beach of the lake and down the board walk to transition. This benefited me since I come from a running background and I was able to get towards the front of the pack going out of transition.
During the bike I ended up with a group of about 20 athletes. We were unable to get organized through most of the bike so didn’t make up much time on the lead pack; we also didn’t lose very much time either. I felt strong on the bike and although pulling/being at the front on the pack may have affected my run, I learned a lot from the race and am happy with that part of it.
The run didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped and I know I am capable of much better. During this past off season I have made huge gains in my running fitness and am very confident in my abilities. When I got to the run I just felt very flat which may have been caused from my high effort during the bike. Just like the past ITU races I have done, I have learned a lot from this race and I now know what I need to tweak before the next race.
I still find it amazing that I learn so much from every race, both draft legal and non-drafting triathlon as well as open events in the individual sports involved in triathlons. There are so many aspects/skills involved in triathlon (as well as other sports) that you cannot be taught- you just have to learn from experience. I cannot imagine the vast amount I still have to learn about this type of racing considering how much I have already learned. I look forward to a fun and exciting racing season ahead!
Lifestyle Tri Clinic
February 28, 2011
This week my fiancé Ed and I launched the information about the weekend triathlon clinics we will be conducting in Brevard County. I am really excited about this experience to share my knowledge with triathlon and fitness enthusiasts! We designed this camp as three, weekend clinics instead of 4- or 8-week long camps for a variety of reasons. We are targeting the working mother, father and business professional. Many people are very dedicated to their job and/or family which make it impossible for them to attend workouts a couple nights a week. This does not mean they do not want to be involved in group training, but training solo allows for a lot for flexibility when you have a busy schedule. I completely understand this since in my family, my parents have always made mine, Ashley’s and Nicole’s activities first. This often meant that my mom was up before some people were going to sleep just to get her long run in when training for the Boston marathon. Ed and I designed these triathlon clinics for those with family and/or business priorities.
Lifestyle Tri Clinic will incorporate various aspects of triathlon into each weekend as well as providing significant course specific workouts. This will be the official camp for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series in Brevard County and we look forward to providing a course preview of each of the trifecta series races to all participants. Throughout the three weekend clinics we will be providing all participants with in-depth swim, bike and run instruction, injury prevention methods, race day tips, nutrition topics/FAQ, knowledge of triathlon specific workouts and a training plan to follow on your own schedule in preparation for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series Races. We will also be conducting various time trial events to have an accurate measurement of participant’s current fitness level so we can set realistic and obtainable goals! Ed and I are also more than happy to answer any questions even after the clinics are over! During one of the weekends we will also have an optional swim video and analysis!
I am very excited about this new opportunity and experience pertaining to these weekend tri clinics!
For more information about the Surf Coast Trifecta series as well as how to register for our clinic, visit www.surfcoasttrifecta.com
Lifestyle Tri Clinic is also partnering with Soles4Souls, inc.! This non-profit organization collects gently used shoes and distributes them to millions of children around the world who desperately need them! For more information about Soles4Souls and to find a shoe collection drop box close to you visit www.soles4souls.org
Disney Half Marathon
January 15, 2011
This winter I have been focusing on my running endurance by training for the Disney Half Marathon. It was the first half marathon I have run and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I was a miler all through high school and college and never imagined racing such a distance. It went by so fast though! You just tune into your own rhythm and click off the miles one by one- it would be overwhelming if you stood at the start line thinking about the 13 miles ahead of you, but if you break it up into 5k’s it is very manageable. My fiancé and I (yes, I got engaged right before Christmas to my best friend and training partner Ed) decided to compete in the Disney Half Marathon after being invited as guests of a VIP selected for Florida’s Finest- Thanks Jessica!
During the winter, I have been doing longer runs than I ever had and workouts I never thought I could complete. In the end it all paid off! Thanks to my amazing coach Jennifer, I finished the half marathon mentally positive and with a “good taste in my mouth” for the distance! My final time was 1:21 and I was the 6th female- I am definitely not complaining!
The start of the race was incredible with all the fireworks and the 27,000 people! It was a bit chaotic with so many people and with the race starting at 5:30 AM, which meant a 3:00AM wake up call, but it was a great experience. The first half of the race went by really fast as we ran to Disney’s Epcot and through Cinderella’s castle. I remember looking around at one point during the race and I was running by Splash Mountain and It’s A Small World! My race plan was to go out conservatively and pick it up after the 10K. This was a great way to run my first half marathon since I only started to feel the distance and pace with a mile to go and turned in a time under my goal of 1:25. I would definitely recommend this race for the experience by be mindful of the vast number of people!
I also want to thank one of my sponsors Running Zone out of Melbourne, Florida who provided me with an amazing uniform to race in and post-race gear! Throughout the race I had numerous fans cheer for Running Zone as I ran - very motivating! Running Zone is a running, walking and triathlon specialty store that just moved to a new and BIGGER location to help better serve Brevard County. They have a very wide selection of the latest footwear, apparel, accessories and supplements AND put on the best road races in Brevard County! You can check out all they have to offer at www.runningzone.com!
Now it is time to leave the long distance running training and move into triathlon specific training. Time to work on transitions, mounts and wetsuit swimming!
Ed and I at the start! Ed and I after the finish Mom and Dad did the race too!
PATCO - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
October 17, 2010
First, without any hesitation I would like to thank Running Zone of Melbourne and my parents for making this trip happen! Without them I’m not sure if I would have been able to make the trip down to Mexico.
The actual travel to Mexico was quite stressful.. I almost missed my flight into Mexico and my connecting flight from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta. With this being the first time I had ever been out of the wonderful USA, the procedure of immigration and customs was completely new to me (as well as it being in Spanish). After finally arrive to my hotel late Thursday night, things only got better!
Buffet overlooking the beach
Having never gone out of the US to race, I had no idea what to expect coming into this race. In my opinion, for this race that was benefit since the organization and race preparation for the race was terrible. The swim was suppose to be a dive start but ended up being an in water start due to an unexpected low tide (I thought we knew exactly when the tides come and go but apparently not). Also, there were many sections of cobblestone on the bike course which caused the technical delegates to develop an alternate bike course in case the cobblestones could not be paved over during the night. It turns out that the solution to the cobblestone problem was to pile dirt on top of them, so we rode on sections of dirt around round-abouts instead of cobblestone. The decision to ride this bike course instead of the option B was made at 7AM race morning!
The race itself I was pleased with as a whole. I felt great during the swim and was able to find some fast feet to stick to going into the second lap. I felt more comfortable during the swim compared to Nationals since I was right with a moderate sized pack and knew I would have people to get on the bike with. I also learned from Nationals the swim does not determine the race; keep working hard no matter what. The bike also turned out to be a good leg of the race. The first lap was hard as everyone tried to find positions but after that the pack I was with was able to catch the lead pack. This meant that 12-15 girls were all working together for about the last 2 laps on the bike and came into T2 together. The run was so hot and I got water at every station just to pour over my head to keep my core body temperature down but my run just wasn’t there. Some days you have it and some days you don’t. There are always things to work on and that will be one of my focuses going into the off season.
Bike set up and ready! Transition- we came through 6 times on the bike
Part of the course right after transition.
Overall, I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to race in Mexico and I think it was more than worth the trip! A huge thanks to my family for all their continuing support and Jennifer continuing to help me grow as an athlete!
"Sometimes when you bring the thunder, you get lost in the storm"
-Kenny Powers
September 30, 2010
I saw this quote as I was running to the track a couple days after the race in Tuscaloosa and I think it is a great description of my race. Now I will have to admit that I had no idea who Kenny Powers was until I looked him up on google after seeing his quote (this is besides the point though).
I showed up in Tuscaloosa ready to rock n’ roll and did everything but that. I was extremely focused.. on everyone else and not myself.
This was the first race I have ever been in where you have a crowd watch you run to the start as you are announced. This was a bit intimidating since I had only read about how great these athletes were and here I was lining up with them! When the announcer started calling people out, I was more worried about whether the other athletes had their goggles on their head or over their eyes already, and where they were putting their water bottles before they ran down. When my name was called I jogged down and found what I thought was a good starting position (even though there were only 3-4 left to pick from).
The swim started and I felt pretty good. There was some pushing and contact but that can be expected when you put 30 competitive girls right next to each other in the water. I was able to get on some feet and thought I was doing well; until at the first buoy when I sighted and thought I was in the very back! I focused on a harder, faster pull and tried to work my way up more towards the front. As I sprinted to my bike, I noticed I was about mid-pack and hurried to throw my swim equipment down and run to the mount line.
I came out of T1 with a couple girls, but the hill right out of transition split us up and I never saw them again. I slowly made my way into “no man’s land” and convinced myself the race was over since I had no pack to work with. My legs burned, my hips burned and I couldn’t get my breathing under control ( I think these became very mental side effects of the race). A few more girls passed me throughout the laps and I tried to jump on their wheel but was unsuccessful everytime. Eventually, the lead pack caught me and I exited the course.
This was a very disappointing race for me. Not because I got lapped out, but because that was not my best. I have done the work and know I am better than what I showed in that race. Now, with that said, I learned so much from that race that will help me with future races. There are so many little differences between non-drafting and ITU draft-legal races that I don’t think anyone can teach you- you just get thrown in with the sharks and see how you come out!
As upset as I was with this race, it has only made me want to do more! I want to use the knowledge I have gained to compete at a level I know I can. Time to get back to work and fix the problem!
Here are a couple pictures..
Here is the river we swam in.
Practicing starts. Mom AKA the support crew!
Hammerhead Olympic Triathlon-Jacksonville
September 10, 2010
I have competed in the Hammerhead Olympic Triathlon in Jacksonville the past two years now and each time it has been a wonderful event! So this year since there are still a few weeks before Nationals, I decided to race again. The morning was very unusual for this time of year in Florida with it being overcast and rainy!
The swim was in a lake on an Air force Reserve Base so there was almost no chop and the water was clean. I had to swing out a little on the long backstretch of the swim to avoid the wave before me but it was not a big deal. Overall I felt very comfortable throughout the swim.
The bike was a great workout to say the least! The course was rolling hills the entire time. It took a few minutes for me to bring my heart rate down at the beginning but then I was able to fall into a reasonably comfortable pace. The bike was uneventful other than the hills, and almost having my chain pop off about half way through the second lap! It was different/great to be back on my TT bike after riding my road bike so much the past few months. When I first starting biking I didn’t even know there was a difference between a TT bike and a road bike-now I know there is!
There were some rolling hills on the run course but I just settled into a good tempo pace. It was nice that the weather was so overcast and it started raining at the end of the run! I remember the past two years at this race being brutally H.O.T.!! I thought the best part of the run was the encouragement I got from other participants. There were athletes starting out the run that cheered for me, but there were also women in 2nd and 3rd that said good job at the turn around. I think it’s incredible to have that kind of sportsmanship throughout an event.
Overall, the race was a success! I also got to chat with Drew Johnson of City Cycle, my main sponsor, for awhile after the race while chowing down on some bbq with Mom and Dad!
Elite Development Race-Colorado Springs
August 1st, 2010
Before describing the race in Colorado Springs, I think I need to first review the week leading up to the race. I was invited to a Collegiate Recruitment Camp held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The week leading up to the race we all worked together on different components of a triathlon. This ranged from working on pace lines on the bike to swim technique in the pool to transition work . Without this week leading up to the race, I don’t think I would have been properly prepared to race my best since it was my first ITU style race (draft-legal on the bike).
The night before the race I reviewed how the next day would go with my coach and training partner. This eased my mind a bit the night before but I was still nervous race morning. Once over to the race site, I was able to watch the men start before going to warm up. After a short bike and run warm up I made my way down to the lake for the swim. Now, being from Florida, I thought the 70 degree water was very chilly and was wearing a jacket until being called out to start!
Take your mark, GO! The race begins. There was a lot more contact at the start than other races I have done but I was able to find some clear water and get to the first buoy. I finally was able to find a rhythm about half way through the swim and started to make my way to the front group. I was fourth out the water and sprinted into transition.
The bike was a four lap course. The first lap I thought was the hardest since I was trying to catch the lead swimmers to work together. By the end of the first lap I was with one other girl and we soon caught another. I was pleasantly surprised at how much team work there was on the bike. At this point the four of us were working together and taking turns pulling the group. About half way through the bike there was a breakaway but none of us went with her. We just kept pushing the pace until another pack caught us at the end of the last lap which meant there were 7-10 girls coming into transition at the same time.
I was able to get into transition at the front of the pack but had some trouble racking my bike so was fourth out of transition. I saw my coach within the first half mile of the run and she said to just relax. I moved into third for the second and final lap of the run. With a little less than a mile to the finish I moved into second place up a small grass incline. I was catching the leader but thought I just wouldn’t have enough time in the race to catch her. That is until I heard my coach again with about 500-600m left to go in the race. She gave me the motivation I needed and I was able to find another gear I didn’t think I had. I still had 200-300m in the race and was closing fast but it was still going to be a close race. With about 150m left I took the lead and was running for my life, the finish line couldn’t come fast enough.
Right after crossing the finish line all I could do was thank my good friend from camp for bringing out absolutely everything I had during the race. I cannot be more thankful for all of the girls that pushed me throughout the race and the friendly competition created. I believe this race was amazing due to the atmosphere and camaraderie throughout the event. Even though we were all competing against each other, we were racing as a team. Years from now that is what I will remember about my first Elite Development Race in Colorado.
I cannot thank everyone enough! The learning experience the OTC created was incredible and without Cannondale and City Cycle I would not have a bike to race on!
2009 - The Beginning
http://www.fleastcoastrunners.com/News-Kaitlin_Shiver_Wins_Nationals.html
http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=16437