I know that lots of time has passed but I needed some time to think about the race I had in Mont Tremblant. This was definitely a world class event and because it was the event's first time outside of the US there was a faster and more competitive field than ever before. All of these racers were truly world class athletes and I am so honored to have shared this experience with them. This race was a very humbling experience and because I have only ever raced in the Southwestern US area it turns out I was missing out on A LOT.
Swim-29:29
The water in Lac Tremblant was the cleanest and clearest water I have ever swam in. It didn't even taste bad and you could see all the way to the bottom of the lake for the entire swim which is not something I am used to for sure! I came out of the water in 10th place and about 3 minutes back from the leader. Marcos job is to always tell me what place I am in and how far back I am because I know I will always have to chase. I was probably easy to spot because I was one of the only people there in a sleeveless wetsuit. My Xterra Sleeveless Volt suit is my favorite suit of all time and I have been racing in it for 4 seasons. The buoys were easy to sight and I had a pretty good swim for me. In a normal tri I am swimming alone somewhere between the crazy fast swimmers but ahead of the rest of my wave but at this race I was never alone and the swim was no exception.
T1- This was the second leg of the race because this transition was so long! .7 kilometer to the transition tent where we had to grab our bag and run to another place to open it and put on helmet while putting our wetsuit and goggles into the bag and handing it to a volunteer and a run out to our bikes before running out of transition to the mount line.
Bike- 2:36
This is the part of the race that I really keep kicking myself for. Because I have Marco telling me how many girls I have to pass I usually just pick them off and this is usually done in the first few miles of the bike portion of the race. Well.... I tried to do this but the field was so crowded and there were so many people on the roads it was hard to even make a pass. In
the first mile I hit a cone because some guy wouldn't let me pass!!!!! I was so scared and pissed but I did not fall
which was nice. I continued to pass at a steady rate heading out on the climb to the main highway and turned onto the road. Now, what I saw surprised me and really aggravated me: there were drafting pelotons forty to fifty people large on the main highways. There were officials jumping in the street and waving red cards at these large packs but none of them even got penalties. My wave was one of the last to start and so I was continuously passing people on the bike but there was no way I was going to catch some of the larger/faster pelotons to catch a good ride. I was trying my best just to ride legally and pass as fast as I could but as you passed people they would hang on to your wheel and use you to sling shot forward just so you could pass them again. I am used to racing in the southwest and the races here are small and hot and hilly and hard. Usually I am racing alone with nobody in sight so this style of racing just shocked the heck out of me. Behind me a group of girls in my AG kept hanging onto my wheel and I knew they were working together. My hope was that on the last out and back in the extreme hills I could get away and that is exactly what happened. It was really frustrating but I just kept sticking to my number because that was my plan in the first place!!! I had 3 Powergels and 2 bottles with Skratch (matcha tea yum!) and 2 endurolytes broken into each and a bottle of Powerbar Perform. Praise Jesus for sea level my heart rate was it's usual 160 but I was riding 40 watts higher!!!! YIIIIPPPP!!!!
Run- 1:38:06 (7:30 mile)
Transition into run was much faster and smaller than the first thank god!!! The first loop of the run I felt great and had passed a few girls that were ahead of me. I had a gel about half way through and sipped on the Perform and Coke at aid stations. I was making good time for me and knew I would be under 1:40. It wasn't until mid second-loop that the group of girls working together on the bike passed me one by one. It was sort of frustrating to see but I know that running is my weakness and also what I need to work on for next year. I had also taken a 3 week break from running due to a hip and foot injury that was very painful and I was not sure how it was going to hold up. I was in pain on the downhill and cobble sections but it was as good as I could have hoped for. My plan was to just tell my self "shut up legs" if they started hurting. I was going to finish strong no matter what!!!!!
Altogether I had a successful race for me but yes I am a bit unhappy with how I placed. I have never placed this low at a race and it is definitely humbling and some fuel for the fire as I go into next year. My entire race I just kept remembering how grateful I was for the amazing community I have around me in Albuquerque and how I am so thankful for all the supportive people I have had around me throughout the season. Cheers.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
THANK YOU!!!!
A few weeks ago I was feeling pretty bummed out and unmotivated in my training. I was qualified and signed up for the World Championship 70.3 in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada but I could no longer afford to go. This was supposed to be the one year I was going to be able to go but the winds had changed direction and I was no longer going. Feeling discouraged I was telling a friend about my dilemma when she suggested to set up a Gofundme.com account and raise some money for my trip from friends and family. Originally I told her it would never work because nobody would donate. I was getting ready to start washing some cars in my bikini or to start making cookies and have a bake sale. I would have to sell a few truck loads full of cookies to make $3000.00 and I have never washed a car so I set up the website. Man was I wrong!!! I emailed out the link and the first day it was up on Facebook I had raised $1500.00.
Words cannot begin to explain how happy and special and wonderful and loved this makes me feel. People are still writing me the kindest words of encouragement and are donating far more than I could have ever hoped for. People I have never met have also donated. I was losing motivation to train or race again this year and this has given me renewed excitement for my end of the season race. For those of you who know me, you know that I am the biggest cry-baby and cry during anything happy or sad or during any ASPCA commercial or Disney movie. Heck, I am crying writing this. With each donation I tear up a little bit and I am not ashamed!!!!
I am so stoked to represent all of you who have donated by racing on a World stage. Your donation and support means I get to represent all my Burquenas y Burquenos and my home town of Albuquerque NM. Previously I have just gone to races within driving distance that I could hitch a ride to. Your donation really means the world to me. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Words cannot begin to explain how happy and special and wonderful and loved this makes me feel. People are still writing me the kindest words of encouragement and are donating far more than I could have ever hoped for. People I have never met have also donated. I was losing motivation to train or race again this year and this has given me renewed excitement for my end of the season race. For those of you who know me, you know that I am the biggest cry-baby and cry during anything happy or sad or during any ASPCA commercial or Disney movie. Heck, I am crying writing this. With each donation I tear up a little bit and I am not ashamed!!!!
I am so stoked to represent all of you who have donated by racing on a World stage. Your donation and support means I get to represent all my Burquenas y Burquenos and my home town of Albuquerque NM. Previously I have just gone to races within driving distance that I could hitch a ride to. Your donation really means the world to me. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Reflections on hard races and lessons learned.
It is a fact that you learn way more from your bad races than your good races. Here are some lessons that I have learned from my last few races. Some of the mistakes I made seem like common sense but I suppose I had to make the mistake myself in order to learn from it.
Captex Olympic tri-
After St. George 70.3 I was signed up to compete in Captex tri in Austin Texas 2.5 weeks later. I felt that this would be a fair amount of time to recover and gain a little speed for an olympic distance. Well, I was wrong. I was completely wrong. I had been doing my workouts and recovering as best as I could during the 2.5 week span but it was not enough time for me to recover properly. During the race I felt very sluggish and couldn't even get my legs moving, My heart rate was at a resting rate and I couldn't push it up and my power was so low my legs were burning and I was at a resting power number. I felt like a complete dud that day and like I was letting people down by not performing at my best level. I still came out as 5th overall female but was 5 minutes slower than last year at this race and was hurting a lot more.
Lesson learned: You can do a shorter race before a longer race as a tune up but you cannot gain speed and recover at the same time after a long hard effort like a half Ironman. Also, I have a difficult time racing at sea level. I feel sluggish and feel as if I can barely breathe every time! I thought being born and raised at 5800ft was supposed to give you an advantage?! Will probably stick to higher elevation races and avoid the humid/sea level climates.
Deuces Wild Olympic Triathlon
This was my favorite race last year so I made sure I returned to do this fun race this year. It was the weekend before an "A" race so I trained right through it and felt great. I had done some open water practice and was feeling comfortable in the water and came out of the water in 2nd place! I was able to summon some power from my legs on the hilly bike course and passed the lead girl around mile 10(she had a bad ass swim time). Coach Jaime and I had agreed it would be best to just chill out and rest my legs on the run if I had a decent lead so I was able to cruise the run comfortably and finish as the 1st female finisher. The run course on this race was marked really long so everyone ran a little extra which was challenging in the heat but it was fun and challenging.
Lesson learned: Don't panic and race super hard to catch the girls in front of you!!! Its not worth the effort it will cost your legs. I maintained composure and made sure my power was smooth and even the entire ride.
Buffalo Springs 70.3
The only place hotter than Lubbock Texas is probably Hell. It was hot, humid and very windy all weekend which makes the tough course that much tougher. I made so many rookie mistakes for this race I pretty much set my self up for failure. Long gone are the days I can do a race on a package of Hostess Donuts. The fitter I get the more I need to eat all the time. I didn't eat enough the day before the race or the morning of the race to even partly cover the calories I was going to burn. I spent the day before the race on my feet doing hair for a wedding in high heeled sandals. I skipped lunch because I was busy. I then did my final workout on an empty tank the night before the race in 100 degree weather. Then the morning of the race all I ate was a PB&J. Yeah..... I know.... I'm an idiot. I had come off the bike in 3rd place but began getting passed by so many people I had no idea where I stood int he rankings. I get so emotional at these races that even though I felt terrible I felt compelled to finish. After all, there are people out there with no legs and 100 other problems worse than mine! Who am I to drop out of the race just because I am hungry and tired and way to hot. I spent the longest 13.1 miles of my life shuffling, walking,and dry heaving but hey I finished!! I ended up winning my age group and coming in 7th overall so not bad but definitely not what I am capable of.
Lessons Learned: EAT!!! EAT A LOT!!!!! I needed to be filling my tank with better food and a lot more of it. It just seems hard when you're busy with 2 jobs and trying to train and do 100 other things. I am trying to make my nutrition a bit more of a priority. It's not OK to spend my day hungry because I am so busy. It makes me evil and cranky and leads to poor performance. Also, Drink more water. Coffee and Diet Coke are not OK substitutes. Lastly, race nutrition. It was too hot to be only having a few gels and 2 bottles with Osmo. Osmo is great and I like it for hydration but it does not have enough calories and it was so windy and the roads were too crappy to be letting go of your handle bars to drink and eat enough (aero position was out of the question in the 35 mph winds). I should have had more calories in my bottles as well as eaten more food at the beginning of the bike.
Hopefully, I can put it all together for the 70.3 World Championships in 5 weeks. I have not had the most successful past few races but I have learned a ton from them.
Captex Olympic tri-
After St. George 70.3 I was signed up to compete in Captex tri in Austin Texas 2.5 weeks later. I felt that this would be a fair amount of time to recover and gain a little speed for an olympic distance. Well, I was wrong. I was completely wrong. I had been doing my workouts and recovering as best as I could during the 2.5 week span but it was not enough time for me to recover properly. During the race I felt very sluggish and couldn't even get my legs moving, My heart rate was at a resting rate and I couldn't push it up and my power was so low my legs were burning and I was at a resting power number. I felt like a complete dud that day and like I was letting people down by not performing at my best level. I still came out as 5th overall female but was 5 minutes slower than last year at this race and was hurting a lot more.
Lesson learned: You can do a shorter race before a longer race as a tune up but you cannot gain speed and recover at the same time after a long hard effort like a half Ironman. Also, I have a difficult time racing at sea level. I feel sluggish and feel as if I can barely breathe every time! I thought being born and raised at 5800ft was supposed to give you an advantage?! Will probably stick to higher elevation races and avoid the humid/sea level climates.
Deuces Wild Olympic Triathlon
This was my favorite race last year so I made sure I returned to do this fun race this year. It was the weekend before an "A" race so I trained right through it and felt great. I had done some open water practice and was feeling comfortable in the water and came out of the water in 2nd place! I was able to summon some power from my legs on the hilly bike course and passed the lead girl around mile 10(she had a bad ass swim time). Coach Jaime and I had agreed it would be best to just chill out and rest my legs on the run if I had a decent lead so I was able to cruise the run comfortably and finish as the 1st female finisher. The run course on this race was marked really long so everyone ran a little extra which was challenging in the heat but it was fun and challenging.
Lesson learned: Don't panic and race super hard to catch the girls in front of you!!! Its not worth the effort it will cost your legs. I maintained composure and made sure my power was smooth and even the entire ride.
Buffalo Springs 70.3
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| Black beauty and I before the sufferfest at 70.3 Buff Springs. |
Lessons Learned: EAT!!! EAT A LOT!!!!! I needed to be filling my tank with better food and a lot more of it. It just seems hard when you're busy with 2 jobs and trying to train and do 100 other things. I am trying to make my nutrition a bit more of a priority. It's not OK to spend my day hungry because I am so busy. It makes me evil and cranky and leads to poor performance. Also, Drink more water. Coffee and Diet Coke are not OK substitutes. Lastly, race nutrition. It was too hot to be only having a few gels and 2 bottles with Osmo. Osmo is great and I like it for hydration but it does not have enough calories and it was so windy and the roads were too crappy to be letting go of your handle bars to drink and eat enough (aero position was out of the question in the 35 mph winds). I should have had more calories in my bottles as well as eaten more food at the beginning of the bike.
Hopefully, I can put it all together for the 70.3 World Championships in 5 weeks. I have not had the most successful past few races but I have learned a ton from them.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
St. George 70.3 race report
I want to be corny for a minute and just say that I have been so extremely lucky in my short triathlon career to end up in such good hands. My coach Jaime Dispenza (swtricoaching) needs to take all of the credit for all of my successes thus far. Also Angie Kandalaft and her company Centerpoint Events for putting together an amazing team and giving me the opportunity to go to some great events over the years. Without these two people I don't know where I would be. Thanks for always believing in me guys.*tear gently rolling down cheek*
Now for the race report:
The 70.3 St. George race is the toughest triathlon course I have ever done. Period. The 4000 net ft of elevation on the bike is tough and the additional net of 2200 ft on the run was even tougher. I was hoping for a top 5 overall finish and a qualification to 70.3 worlds in Mont Tremblant in September. Climbing is one of my strengths and one of the reasons I signed up for this race to begin with but I knew that in order to crush this race I had to climb during my workouts whenever I could. I did all of my intervals up tramway and la luz and spent long rides in the saddle behind the mountain over the rollers on S-14, up Placitas, and even once in the Gila from outside Hillsboro where I climbed Emery pass twice(this was brutal). I rode with some great training partners(thank you Mindy!) who helped motivate me and push me and also rode with the High Desert group ride occasionally to partake in the roadie test-fest and get my butt kicked several times. I did lots of base running and some race pace and tempo type stuff but didn't step onto the track or do too much speed work to prepare for this. I knew that keeping a good solid effort on the bike without overdoing it would be key to having a strong run.
Swim-
The swim is just not my best event. I have been working on it and have had some great coaching from Coach Tim and put in a few longer workouts over the winter and am definitely stronger than last year but still am not able to compete with top swimmers. I came out of the water in 31:03 and in 3 place in my age group which is pretty typical for me but I was not fatigued at all from the swim. I felt like it was a good warm up for the bike and I wasn't even winded. This may mean that I need to swim harder while racing which is something I am working on but I kept a 1:36/100meter pace which is the same pace I swam in an Olympic distance race a few weeks ago. I felt relaxed and excited to catch the next 2 girls on the bike. Chasing after the swim is not a new thing to me.
Bike-
This course starts off with a little bit of climbing to open up the legs as you climb out of the Sand Hollow reservoir. I immediately began to pay attention to my heart rate and power number so that I wouldn't over do it on the bike. It was sort of hard to keep my power low because the wave of men that went after us was beginning to pass me and I hate being passed!!! However I just kept reminding myself of MY power number and passed these big guys at the end of the bike;) I passed both girls in my age group about 15 miles into the bike and then knew I was in the lead and wanted to stay steady and strong and remember to drink both of my bottles as well as stay fed before the last big climb. I drank both bottles of Osmo hydration with 2 endurolytes broken into each as well as a vanilla crisp Power Bar and 3 Strawberry banana Power gels. Snow Canyon is a tough climb toward the end of the bike around mile 45 that is about 5-8% grade and about 8 miles long. On paper it doesn't sound too hard especially with all of the climbing here in New Mexico but it was harder than I expected and I had to keep reminding myself of all the climbing I did to prepare for this race as I climbed because it was long and hard and extremely hot. I was happy to make it through the bike portion safely and with decent legs for the run. I went 2:40:28 and about 21 mph. This was not a PR but I didn't expect a PR on this course.
Run-
I ran 13.1 miles on this day with the biggest cheesiest grin on my face ever. I just couldn't stop smiling and not just because I was in first place but I just felt amazing and I knew that I could flatten out those hills because I had trained hard and am in a great place in my life and in my training. I just felt great!!!! It was blazing hot out there so I just kept dumping water over myself and putting ice in my sports bra trying to cool down. I drank 2 cups of the sports drink they had on course and ate 1 gel. I sipped a tiny bit of water but most of it just went over my head. After the turn around I was able to see the lead I had and run safely into the finish with sore cheeks from smiling so big. Now, I was the first female to cross the finish line and the announcer announced it 3 times!!!! It felt so cool to hear him announce me as the amateur winner. I knew it was unofficial and may be short lived but I had 10 minutes of glory!!!!! I ran a 1:35:15 half marathon which is a PR for me. 2 more women from a later wave (35-39) eventually beat my time but I finished within my goal and qualified for professional status which is cool.
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So I was 3rd overall and had won my age group by 9 minutes securing my spot for World Championships in Canada in September!!!! Nothing to complain about here. I had solid splits throughout the race and felt strong and that is what matters. I admit I was worried to be running such low power on the bike for this race but it payed off big time(my coach is always right). I know that I still have improvements to make this season but I look forward to my next race! I will be at Lifetime Captex in Austin, TX on Memorial Day and then Deuces Wild on June 21 in Show Low, AZ.
Now for the race report:
The 70.3 St. George race is the toughest triathlon course I have ever done. Period. The 4000 net ft of elevation on the bike is tough and the additional net of 2200 ft on the run was even tougher. I was hoping for a top 5 overall finish and a qualification to 70.3 worlds in Mont Tremblant in September. Climbing is one of my strengths and one of the reasons I signed up for this race to begin with but I knew that in order to crush this race I had to climb during my workouts whenever I could. I did all of my intervals up tramway and la luz and spent long rides in the saddle behind the mountain over the rollers on S-14, up Placitas, and even once in the Gila from outside Hillsboro where I climbed Emery pass twice(this was brutal). I rode with some great training partners(thank you Mindy!) who helped motivate me and push me and also rode with the High Desert group ride occasionally to partake in the roadie test-fest and get my butt kicked several times. I did lots of base running and some race pace and tempo type stuff but didn't step onto the track or do too much speed work to prepare for this. I knew that keeping a good solid effort on the bike without overdoing it would be key to having a strong run.
Swim-
The swim is just not my best event. I have been working on it and have had some great coaching from Coach Tim and put in a few longer workouts over the winter and am definitely stronger than last year but still am not able to compete with top swimmers. I came out of the water in 31:03 and in 3 place in my age group which is pretty typical for me but I was not fatigued at all from the swim. I felt like it was a good warm up for the bike and I wasn't even winded. This may mean that I need to swim harder while racing which is something I am working on but I kept a 1:36/100meter pace which is the same pace I swam in an Olympic distance race a few weeks ago. I felt relaxed and excited to catch the next 2 girls on the bike. Chasing after the swim is not a new thing to me.
Bike-
This course starts off with a little bit of climbing to open up the legs as you climb out of the Sand Hollow reservoir. I immediately began to pay attention to my heart rate and power number so that I wouldn't over do it on the bike. It was sort of hard to keep my power low because the wave of men that went after us was beginning to pass me and I hate being passed!!! However I just kept reminding myself of MY power number and passed these big guys at the end of the bike;) I passed both girls in my age group about 15 miles into the bike and then knew I was in the lead and wanted to stay steady and strong and remember to drink both of my bottles as well as stay fed before the last big climb. I drank both bottles of Osmo hydration with 2 endurolytes broken into each as well as a vanilla crisp Power Bar and 3 Strawberry banana Power gels. Snow Canyon is a tough climb toward the end of the bike around mile 45 that is about 5-8% grade and about 8 miles long. On paper it doesn't sound too hard especially with all of the climbing here in New Mexico but it was harder than I expected and I had to keep reminding myself of all the climbing I did to prepare for this race as I climbed because it was long and hard and extremely hot. I was happy to make it through the bike portion safely and with decent legs for the run. I went 2:40:28 and about 21 mph. This was not a PR but I didn't expect a PR on this course.
Run-
I ran 13.1 miles on this day with the biggest cheesiest grin on my face ever. I just couldn't stop smiling and not just because I was in first place but I just felt amazing and I knew that I could flatten out those hills because I had trained hard and am in a great place in my life and in my training. I just felt great!!!! It was blazing hot out there so I just kept dumping water over myself and putting ice in my sports bra trying to cool down. I drank 2 cups of the sports drink they had on course and ate 1 gel. I sipped a tiny bit of water but most of it just went over my head. After the turn around I was able to see the lead I had and run safely into the finish with sore cheeks from smiling so big. Now, I was the first female to cross the finish line and the announcer announced it 3 times!!!! It felt so cool to hear him announce me as the amateur winner. I knew it was unofficial and may be short lived but I had 10 minutes of glory!!!!! I ran a 1:35:15 half marathon which is a PR for me. 2 more women from a later wave (35-39) eventually beat my time but I finished within my goal and qualified for professional status which is cool.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Black Beauty!!!!!!!!
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| HERE HE IS!!!!! |
This baby is a 2014 Specialized Shiv Pro with Specialized carbon aero bars, SRAM red (except for s works chain rings) and clx 60 Roval wheels. Nightrider right? but you know what they say... once you go black.....
All of my bikes I have owned had all had Shimano so I felt partial and didn't want to try SRAM. I felt like it worked so why switch it? SRAM red is a HUGE upgrade. OMG!! This bad boy shifts beautifully and so quietly sometimes I look down just to make sure. Another sweet upgrade is the SRAM Return to Center(R2C) shifters. Not only do they look cleaner but I can shift up or down 3 or 4 gears at once without reaching my wrist around. I didnt even know this existed!! So cool. I switched from 170 to a 165mm crank arm length with Stages power meter in order to open up my hips a bit more and also am using the new Sitero saddle which allows for more hip opening as well. After spending the latter half of last year spun out on my bike I had to switch to a mid-compact (52/36) chain ring up front. This got me really excited and made me feel like a powerful woman! Look out boys!!!! (ha!) The SWAT technology from Specialized is pretty sweet. I have hydration inside the frame as well as an aero fuel cell(bike tupperware) which stores my tubes, co2, and has an easy to reach open pocket on top for quick-access nutrition. I also upgraded aero helmets and will be using an S-works evade this year instead of the Giro helmets I had used the last 2 years. I am over the moon excited about my new BF! This bike has so many sweet upgrades and features I feel like I cant even share them all!!!
None of this would have been possible without the help of my human boyfriend Marco and all of the boys at High Desert Bicycles. They put it all together and made sure that everything was perfect. Johnny Bargeron from the east side location got me fit perfectly on this bike and made sure I was completely comfortable. This guy is a pro! He did a whole body analysis and checked my flexibility and limitations to make sure my fit was comfortable and powerful and also conducive to triathlon. I tried liking a ski-bend aero bar for a while but Johnny made the switch for me back to a flatter s-bend style as well as got me situated on the Sitero which I was unsure of at first. OK. So obviously the bike portion is my favorite part of triathlon racing. I really love pushing my limits on the bike. Nothing like a soggy chamois and the burn in your legs while the wind blows through your helmet:)
A few other fun things have happened including the Black Dog Tri winter camp in which I got to go to Tucson and hang with teammates and my coach Jaime. I had a blast climbing Mt. Lemmon and escaping the freezing cold weather here in Abq. I also survived running the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon where I ran a 1:30:36 which is a good off season time for me.
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| Campers at the run clinic. Beautiful Tucson! |
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| A camper crushing Mt. Lemmon! |
Friday, January 17, 2014
A lot to catch up on...
OK... so you could call my ability to blog a total fail for 2013. Blogging was just sort of something I thought I would do you but then never kept up with... sort of sums up my life....weird. The truth of the matter is I have had absolutely zero time to do anything and through the end of 2012 and into 2013 I was spread so thin between 2 jobs and school that I put triathlon in last place at times which makes me sad because it is my number 1 favorite thing to do. So, I am ready for 2013 and a clean slate but first I want to take a minute to thank all the people who helped me have a fun and awesome season last year.
Number 1- My awesome coach Jaime Dispenza. It was my second year working with him and the improvements I made especially on the bike were incredible. He is one of the most laid back and generous people I know and I am so incredibly lucky to have him always putting up with my bullshit, whining, and anxiety.
Second I would like to thank my homegirl Angie Kandalaft and Chasing 3 for putting on an awesome season of open water races. The races in my home state of New Mexico have been where I learned everything I know (which may or may not be much) and are some of my most treasured memories from triathlon. It breaks my heart to not be able to race in my home state in 2014 however I look forward to new adventures and successes.
Lastly, I would like to send a huge special thank you to High Desert Bicycles. The staff here is knowledgeable, funny, kind, and super cute(I would totally date the manager at the Rio Rancho location). I purchased a Specialized Amira from them this year and I LOVE IT. Not to mention these guys kept my bikes in tip-top shape all year and they too put up with my bullshit, whining, and anxiety.
So for this season...
First things first. I am breaking up with Menchies, Dairy Queen, and Frost after I am finished with this large bowl of chocolate caramel turtle with heath bar pieces. I have somehow managed to sign up for a half marathon this weekend and felt that my glycogen stores needed topping off. If I can survive through 13.1 miles this weekend then on Monday my serious training will start. Man oh man. I cannot wait for 5:00am swim practices, 5x5's up tramway till I puke and calling a piece of fruit a desert(can you hear the sarcasm?) Only a few races this year are set in stone for me but I will be at Desert Classic Duathlon, St. George 70.3, Deuces Wild, and Buffalo Springs 70.3 for sure and I will add more to my calendar eventually. Also, I promise to blog more often.... for a while.
It is super important to support your local bike and run shops. Check out my favorites!
High Desert Bicycles
ABQ Running Shop
Number 1- My awesome coach Jaime Dispenza. It was my second year working with him and the improvements I made especially on the bike were incredible. He is one of the most laid back and generous people I know and I am so incredibly lucky to have him always putting up with my bullshit, whining, and anxiety.
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| Captex Olympic in Austin 2:16:00 |
Lastly, I would like to send a huge special thank you to High Desert Bicycles. The staff here is knowledgeable, funny, kind, and super cute(I would totally date the manager at the Rio Rancho location). I purchased a Specialized Amira from them this year and I LOVE IT. Not to mention these guys kept my bikes in tip-top shape all year and they too put up with my bullshit, whining, and anxiety.
So for this season...
First things first. I am breaking up with Menchies, Dairy Queen, and Frost after I am finished with this large bowl of chocolate caramel turtle with heath bar pieces. I have somehow managed to sign up for a half marathon this weekend and felt that my glycogen stores needed topping off. If I can survive through 13.1 miles this weekend then on Monday my serious training will start. Man oh man. I cannot wait for 5:00am swim practices, 5x5's up tramway till I puke and calling a piece of fruit a desert(can you hear the sarcasm?) Only a few races this year are set in stone for me but I will be at Desert Classic Duathlon, St. George 70.3, Deuces Wild, and Buffalo Springs 70.3 for sure and I will add more to my calendar eventually. Also, I promise to blog more often.... for a while.
It is super important to support your local bike and run shops. Check out my favorites!
High Desert Bicycles
ABQ Running Shop
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