Recovering from Injury, Endless Travel and 2008 revised

Right now I am sitting on a plane bound for San Diego. It is 8:45 AM Eastern Time (5:45 AM Pacific Time) and I should already be in San Diego getting ready to start my first race of the season, IM California 70.3. Unfortunately I will not be at the start line today as I am recovering (am almost recovered) from a “sprained Sacroiliac joint”. Although frustrating, I am looking on the bright side. For one, it is almost completely recovered with 2 weeks of laying off the running and getting treated by my acupuncturist (Dr. Yang) and Chiropractor/Active Release therapist Dr. Lembo. In addition to these regular treatments, I have taken the advice of my friend and PT Don Rourke who noticed a weakness in my right Glut/periformis muscle, which has lead to a slight instability and change in gait. Don (and Dr. Lembo) suggested some exercises that have already begun to remedy the weakness. I have no doubt in my mind that getting hit by a car a few months back while riding my bicycle has contributed to this injury. As I said earlier, however, I am looking on the bright side. I am still headed to California as my Zoot Team is getting together for a camp this weekend to get to know the sponsors and other team members as well as the coordinators of Team Zoot…it should be a blast! After that I am headed out to Tucson to take part in a training camp with my friend Tara Norton and some other triathletes. I’ll be there for 6 days of training before heading back up to Tempe for some more training (and meeting up with my good friends Wolf, Nic, Michelle, Travis and Erin all-except Erin who is pregnant-who will be competing in Ironman Arizona on April 13th) then flying back home April 14th.
So, life isn’t so bad, the more I do this sport the more I realize that injuries are “part of the job”. It’s just a matter of getting over them and treating them quickly and “smart”. By this I mean resting when you have to. This can make you crazy, but I look at it as “part of my training”. I have to be smart, or my little injuries will become major. A positive of this little “set-back” is a complete season change. After sitting down with Mike yesterday, I have a whole new list of races that I will be competing in, and I am psyched! First up will be IM Florida 70.3 on May 18th (this is a favorite of mine and I cannot wait to return), next is IM Boise 70.3, a new 70.3 race for 2008 held on June 1st. After that I will return to Ironman Lake Placid in July, and really, I couldn’t be happier. To be on a top podium spot in Lake Placid this year will be a dream come true. Last year, I raced IM Lake Placid which was the US Women’s Pro Championship race. It was also my first Ironman as a pro triathlete. I finished 7th overall with a 10:09. I was thrilled, but this year I have bigger goals at Lake Placid, and for me, there couldn’t be a better place to do it. Lake Placid is a “home-town race” for Long Islanders. EVERYONE on Team Runner’s Edge is there to watch, so there are literally hundreds of spectators that know me personally as well and tons of athletes racing that I know! It’s such a great feeling. Also, my family will be there (of course) as well as my coach Mike, and hopefully George if he can get off work. The season looks fantastic and I couldn’t be more excited for the line-up! With running starting up again this week, and with my cycling and swimming being the best and strongest than ever, I am set for an amazing 2008 season and this is all because I had an injury that forced me to re-adjust. This is a great lesson for me of turning something bad into something positive. :-)
Just one last thought: as I type this I am thinking about all of the travel that I have done this year so far, all the travel ahead of me the next few weeks, as well as for the 2008 season! Travel can be “bittersweet”. I love the experiences that I have on these trips and this is the life that I have wanted: traveling often, meeting new people, training in new places, escaping cold weather, etc. Of course there is the aspect of “leaving home” that can be a bit of a downer. These past 2 weeks at home have been great though. I got to watch George race in (and win) one of the Spring Series Cycling Races. This one was held in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The series lasts from March through April and is held in Central Park and Prospect Park. So far he has won three of the four races that he has competed in and it is always a blast to go watch one of these cycling events, especially when he dominates like he has. His team (Team Babylon Bike Shop) consists of George, Mike, Lou, Randy, Matt, Skip, Don and Ken. The race I watched was on Easter morning, so we had Lou, Don, Randy and George out there racing. George won his race with a sprint that separated him quickly from the rest of the guys, and Don got third in his. For info on the races as well as race pictures see http://www.nyvelocity.com/. In addition to watching a race, I got to ride with friends, which is always a treat. Thankfully, Mike is back on the road after being hit by a car 6 weeks ago and it was great to be out there with him again. Also, it was nice to see everyone at Runner’s Edge as I miss them. In all it was just nice to be home. As I mentioned earlier, travel is “bittersweet”, I realize now however, as I am typing this, that it actually forces me to reflect upon, and appreciate home that much more. Spending time with George; watching him race; riding with Mike, George, Don, Lou, etc.; seeing friends from work (Nancy, Dave, Bob, Gary, etc…); and just being home is appreciated much more when I travel like I have been. :-) So, with the injury healing up and almost behind me, the 2008 season “re-adjusted”, great training ahead of me as well as great races, I am back on track and ready to rock!

Winter Training in Tempe, Arizona: More travel and warm weather training!

I am now in Arizona and have been here for a little over a week training in the land of sun and blue skies. After spending a week and a half home in New York from my last excursion to the Tour of California, I flew across the US again. This time I ended up in Tempe, Arizona where my friends Nicole and Wolfgang have been staying. Nic and Wolf (see http://www.nicandwolf.com/) have been staying with a wonderful couple, Travis and Erin. Nic and Wolf were lucky to stumble upon Travis and Erin last year as a “home-stay” for Ironman Arizona. They became fast friends and next thing they knew it, Travis and Erin were signed up for Ironman Canada 2007 with Nic and Wolf! Amazing what a home-stay can lead to! Erin is now 6 months pregnant and looks awesome! She has more energy that most women. Travis is doing Ironman Arizona again this year and despite holding down a time-consuming job (don’t know how people with full-time jobs do it), seems ready to rock! I was lucky to be “put up” in a great Townhouse with their friend Michelle. Michelle, like Travis, holds down a super time-consuming job and has been training hard for Ironman Arizona. She seems ready for a huge PR in Ironman this year. I’ll be here to cheer them all on (as well as friend and fellow Pro, Tara Norton who finished 12th in Kona this past year). It should be a blast…I can’t wait!
I find that since my training has truly become a “full-time” job for me, my days absolutely fly by! Quite surprising, really, but I find that every minute of the day can be filled with some sort of “training”. That includes stretching, core, analysis of workouts, prep for upcoming workouts, contact with my coach Mike, swimming, biking, running, personal work such as coaching, etc… An example of a “typical” day for me follows: Today, I got up at 5:15 AM and went to the Masters Swim Team practice at the ASU pool. The team is called the Sun Devils and the coaches are awesome. I was lucky to find them and I have been joining them every morning. After swimming, I came back to Michelle’s and made some breakfast (oatmeal with berries, bananas, soy milk, raisins, nuts and honey) mmm… After breakfast I did some stretching (my Sacroiliac joint has been a bit inflamed and I have been getting treated for it). After stretching, I got ready for my bike. Today wasn’t especially long (about 50 miles). I had three-2o minute intervals at a bit above my 70.3 pace. The intervals went great today and the power came “easy”. Off the bike, I ran a “not so long” transition run of 5 miles which included two-1.5 mile intervals. The run went well today as well! I was running fast without “red-lining”. Exactly what I wanted to do! Once I returned from the run, I took an “ice bath” to cool off the legs and lower back (it was in the 80’s here today). Then, I stretched and downloaded my workouts, writing descriptions for my coach. After eating (turkey and Swiss sandwich on whole wheat) I went to Dr. Brown, a Chiropractor and Acupuncturist located on Baseline Road in Tempe. Dr. Brown has been treating my inflamed S.I. joint with electric stimulation, acupuncture as well adjustments. He is an athlete as well, which I find to be really great. He’s been very helpful and I am quickly feeling better! I must admit though, that I am anxious to get back home to have my friend and PT, Don Rourke (who helped with my post bike/car accident rehab) check out my back. After e-mailing my workouts to Mike and making dinner, I find myself here, writing this Blog at 7PM. Soon, I’ll go to bed and get up early tomorrow to do it again! Bonus for tomorrow is my massage with Martin Giacalone. He works out of Sole Sports (a running store in Tempe) and is without a doubt the best massage therapist in town, if not in all of Arizona! I highly recommend Martin. His contact number is (602) 524-2295. After seeing him Friday I know I will be feeling great and ready-to-rock for my workout Saturday.
I find myself so “out of the loop” that I am absolutely amazed when I see amateur athletes with full-time jobs (such as Travis and Michelle) training for these long events. I believe that what I do takes a lot of focus and energy, but to train after completing an 8+ hour work day is simply grueling. I see it when I am home with George as well. Wake at 5:45, commute to work, work all day, home by 4:15, on the trainer at night, eat, bed…Yikes! Compared to the “average Joe” and to the typical pro athlete whose day revolves around their training, these athletes are truly remarkable. This past weekend, I was lucky to join the local tri team (Landis tri Team) here in Tempe for a “race day simulation” on the Ironman Arizona course. While my body is used to regular long bike rides, the majority of the athletes fit them in on the weekends. The coach, Tim Bowlin of Excel & Beyond Coaching had aid out on the course which included Gatorade, cookies, gel, bars, bananas, pretzels, water, etc. There were well over 30 people completing the 112 Mile Bike and 8 Mile run. It was awesome for Wolf, Nic and I to have company out on the course (especially Nic and Wolf as they are competing in Ironman Arizona next month). I took some “wrong turns” and ended up completing 123 miles (yikes!), but I always had athletes in view or by my side on the course which was uplifting. Tim and his volunteers were fantastic cheerleaders and supporters. I felt like I was in the race every time I passed them cheering like mad! After my “over-distance ride”, I decided to run 4 miles at tempo. We ran on the actual run course for IMAZ. Most of the tri team completed 117 miles on the bike and 8 miles of running. What a solid day! I’m sure they all feel much more confident after a great training weekend and I look forward to cheering them on in 4 weeks.
As for myself, I will finish training here in Tempe and fly home on Monday before heading to California to race the California 70.3 in Oceanside on March 29th. As long as all is well with my Sacroiliac joint (it should be good to go) I will be ready to start off the 2008 season with a super-stacked field in California. After the race, I head to the Zoot Team Camp 2008 which should be a blast as all team members who can make it will get to know one another, as well as get to know the Zoot team coordinators. I am so excited to be racing with such a great team and I look forward to the weekend camp! Tempe has been awesome and I am psyched to return in April! Thank you and good luck to: Michelle, Travis and Erin (good luck with the race as well as the new baby on the way), Tim (coach of Excel & Beyond) and the Landis Tri Team, Nic & Wolf and thanks to the Sun Devils Masters Team, Dr. Brown of Brown Chiropractic and Acupuncture and last but not least, Martin Giacalone, massage therapist extraordinaire. Tempe has been a great home away from home! I look forward to returning!

Trip Report: Tour of California

Last year, George and I decided to head out to California to watch and ride some of the stages of the Tour of California. We had such a great time that we decided to do it again this year. We headed out on Tuesday, February 19th, day 3 of the Tour. We flew into San Luis Obispo which is a a great little city located South of San Fransisco and North of L.A. It's a great place to spend some time, especially if you are a cyclist. It's located on the coast and is far enough away from the bigger cities that it has a "quaint" feel to it, while at the same time having a feel of an eclectic college town. ART's Cyclery is the main bike shop in town and we headed there first to hear about the possibility of a group ride for the next day. Some of the guys in ART's remembered us from last year, and they told us about a group ride (that we did last year) going out the next morning. So, we headed out for a quick 2 hour spin to get the blood moving after a long flight and got ready to ride early the next day.

Unfortunately for us (and even more so for the guys in the race) the weather wasn't quite as cooperative as in the years past. Rain was on the forecast every day. Bummer... Wednesday morning we met up with the group at the park, despite the grey sky. We pulled up just in time and just as we were getting on our bikes, the group rode by us. We hopped on and chased the group, realizing that they were probably trying to "get rid of" the two visitors...no such luck! ;-) The group ended up being nice, for the most part and we rode North along the coast. Soon the rain came and we found ourselves riding back in a good downpour. Just a side note on the group ride...it was definitely "conversation pace". When I say "conversation pace", I mean that I was averaging 98 watts. Now, while I enjoy this type of ride sometimes, we were looking for a bit more on that particular day. After 2 hours, the rain cleared and George and I decided to keep going. I felt TERRIBLE...I knew something was wrong when I was being dropped and was finding it hard to hold 130 watts...not a good sign! So, we headed back and decided to visit Hearst Castle, an old historic mansion located just north of us. Hearst Castle is located on a beautiful spot of land overlooking the pacific.

Pool on Hearst Castle property.

You can only see the mansion with a Tour Guide, so that's what we did. About 20 minutes into this 2 hour tour, I realized why I felt so terrible on the bike. I was sick...nauseous sick and I did my best the remainder of the tour to keep my composure and not embarrass myself by getting sick right there! Long story short: Stomach Flu. Not only did I get it, but a bunch of guys in the Tour of California were dropping out with the same thing! Guess it was "going around Cali". The next day I was recovered from the terrible night...poor George was cooped up in the motel room of the Vagabond Inn with me as I got up to get sick periodically throughout the night...nice, eh?!

The next day was Thursday and the Tour was to see the finish of Stage 5 right there in San Luis Obispo. It was the longest day in the Tour (approximately 130 miles long). I was going to drive up 80 miles and drop George off so he could ride the last part of the stage in. Once we got up on the coast, the rain started. It was cold and it was rainy. George had the luxury of calling it a day...the guys in the race did not. The cyclists ended up riding the entire stage in the rain and 30+ mph headwinds. It was estimated that it would take them 4 1/2-5 hours to finish the stage. It took them 7 hours! Eighteen guys dropped out of the race this day. We watched live coverage in a coffee shop in downtown San Luis Obispo with a bunch of other people until the riders came close. Then, along with thousands of other people, we headed out and watched Dominick Rollin win with George Hincapie second. To put the day in perspective, Levi Leipheimer, the eventual winner of the Tour, described the day as, " one of the top 3 worst days on the bike". The stage was that brutal. Tough way to make a living...

Looks like snow, but it's rain falling as the Top 3 get their awards...George Hincapie closest to the Camera.

The next day was the Time Trial in Solvang. Solvang is an AWESOME place to ride. In fact, it's the place that Team Discovery and this year, Astana had their training camp. You can see why. Open roads, rolling hills and sweet climbs! We got a nice window of weather in the morning and headed out to ride "Foxen Canyon". George started pushing the pace right away and I thought to myself, "now how am I supposed to hang on for this ride"?! I did though...I hung on, sometimes cursing him in my mind for the constant steady hard pace that he pushed for the 2 hour 45 min ride (OK...he gave me a break for the last 25 min. of the ride). We ran into a group from ART's Cyclelry, but quickly left them in the dust. They did ride from San Luis Obispo, but honestly, it was a good strong pace and I don't know if they would have been able to match it regardless. We finished the ride, happy to get in an awesome effort in the beautiful hillside and just in time to walk into town and watch the Time trial.

Solvang is a perfect town for the TT. We watched Christian Vandevelde smoke the field. We thought it would be impossible for Levi to match it, but he absolutely shattered the time, by over 40 seconds! Amazing performance. One that he labeled as his "best TT ever"! Pretty sweet! After the TT, we walked around...got some autographs from the Rock Racing Team (Tyler Hamilton and Freddy Rodrigez), got a pic with Bob Roll (yes...did the dorky fan thing)!

Picture #1-Me watching the TT, #2-George Hincapie, #3-Chris Horner being interviewed by Bob Roll, #4-Geo and Tyler Hamilton, #5-Me and Bob Roll.

The next day was our last day (Saturday) to ride before getting ready to fly out on Sunday. We were still in Solvang and decided to ride up Figueroua Mountain. A huge climb that we only did part of the previous year. This climb is over 4000 ft. and 9 miles long. It's steep...it takes over an hour to complete...more like and hour and 20 minutes! As we started the climb we came upon some guys wearing "Carmichael Training" jerseys. It ended up that there were over 30 people involved with that group doing the climb. They had cars following them for aide and for moral boosting. It was good for George and I because it gave us people to catch, making the 9 miles go by faster! After about and hour of climbing, we thought we had reached the top. We got dressed preparing for the descent, went down for about 3 min and realized that we had to go up again...we still had about 20 minutes of climbing ahead of us! This cracked me mentally. I quickly turned " grumpy". Something about thinking that I made it and then having another brutal 20 minutes ahead of me really messed with my head! We did it though and it was a great climb. George and I climbed side-by-side and were able to catch a lot of the other riders on the mountain. The descent ended up being a nice break and we headed back to to hotel after about 3 hours on the road (half of that time on the Mountain)! The day wasn't quite done yet, as I still had a run ahead of me, and we both did a little swim in the nearby pool. A great way to end a trip that looked "questionable" from the beginning! We ended up taking advantage of the weather when we could and "rolling with the bad weather" when we had to, making the most of the trip. In all, a great time and some great riding!

View from Figueroa Mtn, and me getting ready to descend (for real)!

Warm Weather Training Part II

I have 2 more days here in sunny Florida and the training looks tough...I love it! I've accumulated the largest training volume and intensity during these past 2 weeks that I have ever completed. Two more days of "living to train" and I feel like I can't go back to sacrificing any training days for other activities (work, etc)...so how do I do it? How do any pro triathletes do it? Well, coaching is one way. I really love to coach the two athletes that I have right now...it's great for sustaining "life as a pro" as well. My anticipated high finishes at my races this year can be another way to at least "justify" this goal of living to train and race. Hey, if I train like this, I should improve in my racing therby making it a necessity to "live to train" so that I can improve even further!
The first race for me this season is in a little over a month. California 70.3 on March 29th...always a super-stacked race, but a good one to gauge where I am at this point in the season. Next up is Ironman Brazil on May 25th. Here, I am hoping for a spot on the podium as well as a wicked fast time! Next will be an "altitude training camp" in Boulder late June/early July and a race in Rhode Island on July 13th (Providence 70.3). After Brazil I will have a better idea as to where my season will be going...Canada? Wisconsin? Kona? Time will tell...in the meantime, I am getting the best winter training ever!

This week, Mike sent me my schedule "over the phone" as he got hit by a car on his bike last weekend. As a result,typing for him is no fun right now. Luckily he is "OK" (I say that in qoutes because he did sustain a nasty gash to the face and a broken arm and shoulder, bad enough of course, but LUCKILY nothing worse)...the driver screeched away and no one on the group ride had time to get the lisence plate. A real shame. No mercy for Mike though...he had my weekly workouts ready to go. ;-) The schedule this week included some VO2 Max sessions up Sugarloaf Mtn Rd (see pictures) producing the highest wattage ever! Also, some lower wattage (but painful enough) intervals the very next morning as well as a "tempo run". Already I have completed two hard swim sessions prescribed by Rick Ferriola, along with "Don Rourke's Core", of course. Up next: a hard swim with Wolf tomorrow, followed by a hill repeat run workout and then a ride with one sustained interval equivelent to "comfortably hard". Friday is a 100-mile ride (hoping to ramp up the watts throughout the ride, followed by a 40 minute run off the bike and a recovery swim. Saturday I fly home, but it isn't so bad...George and I head to California to watch the Tour of California and do some great riding on Tuesday! Life is good... :-)

Sugarloaf Mtn. Road

Warm Weather Training Part I

So, I headed out to Clermont, Florida last Friday to escape the cold and do a 2 week training block in warmer weather (I must add that this trip is thanks to George who I know doesn't want the credit, but gets it...if it weren't for him, I would be suffering in the cold wet weather of New York right now). As I prepared to come down to Florida I wasn't sure what to expect as I didn't have any "specific plans", but a friend Andre Lapar (and manager of the web-based coaching website http://www.workoutlog.com/ which I use to manage my training programs for my atheltes) offered out his house as a place to stay. I must say that I completely "lucked-out!" Andre's house is awesome! It's located a little over a mile from the National Training Center which has a gorgeous 50 meter outdoor pool and weight room facilites (I don't even have to rent a car) ! Andre's house is also super close to the lake and to the bike path that goes all the way to Orlando and is an ideal spot for an easy spin or for running. As if this weren't enough, super biking is only a couple of miles from his house! North is a great way to get in some serious hills on really quite roads (yes, this is a VERY hilly section of Florida...maybe the ONLY hilly section of Florida?), and south is endless roads in farmland where I can ride for hours without stopping. It is an IDEAL place to train!
The best part was stumbling on some great roommates!! Canadians, Wolfgang and Nicole Guembel, who happen to be husband and wife as well as professional triatletes, are staying at the house as well. They are truly fantastic folks and have been phenomenal company! They recently started their own tri team called "Nuw Theory (two dots on top of the "U" as Wolfgang is German). They also coach, run training camps, and are probably the best resources that I have come across for anything and everything involved in making a career out of racing as a professional triathlete. I've learned a ton from them already and they have become great friends...I hope to visit them this summer at their house in Canada for some great training up near Niagra Falls!

My training thus far has gone fantastically as I am able to completely submerge myself in doing "everything right". I sleep 9+ hours at night, eat well, swim everyday (some days just for recovery...I love swimming outdoors!) rest when I have to, bike hard, run hard, swim hard and do daily stretching and core routines. My coach, Mike has my training so dialed in that he knows just how to push the limits of my training to make huge gains without "wrecking myself". Also, I have zero distractions here and it has paid off as I have completed some of the best training days to date! Tomorrow I have Vo2 workout #2 on the bike (I did a similar workout last week). I'll be doing hard intervals up "Sugar Loaf", which is a huge hill that is located on the bike section of the Great Floridian Ironman DistanceTriathlon. I'll update the blog tomorrow with some pictures of Sugarloaf, but in the meantime, here are some pictures that I have taken so far:

Nic and Wolf in their Altitude tent, the NTC pool and Wolf loading their car which is a traveling billboard...

Kona Race Report-3 months Later

All of this cold weather winter training has made me reflect upon my last race in warm (hot and humid) Hawaii. 2007 was my fifth time racing the Ironman World Championships, but my first time racing as a pro. My best finish in Kona prior to 2007 was 2005 in which I placed 2nd in my age group and 4th amateur overall. That year I also happened to place 31st female overall. It was a break-through race for me and one that encouraged me to pursue a pro card. Hawaii is SO special to me and I look forward to racing there every year. The conditions can be extreme and the best Ironman athletes in the world are there racing. In the sport of triathlon, there is nothing like it.

This past October I arrived in Kona 2 weeks before the race. My good friend Simon and his wife, Ingrid arrived the same day as me, which was nice. Simon and I got to do some of our last training days together as we awaited some of our other friends from Long Island to arrive the week before the race (Nancy Lipira, Harry Slutter and Nandine Crane). This year was exciting not only because it would be my first year racing as a pro, but also because my brother Tom was coming to watch. He had never watched me race before and I was psyched to have Tom and his girlfriend, Jen there. My parents would be there again to watch, and I couldn't imagine a race in Kona without them. I hope they make it out every year!

Race day arrived quickly and I found myself nervous as usual, but oddly calm as well. I got my early morning phone call from George who was on a bike ride with Mike back in New York. It was great to talk to both of them as well as see my family on their spot on the pier before the start of the race. There is something about Ironman that makes you so sentimental the morning of the race. The appreciation of all of the support that you receive from loved ones comes to the surface the morning of the race. It's true when I say that without the key people in my life racing as a pro would not be easy and would definitely not have much meaning as it does with each and every one of them. This includes my family, boyfriend, coach and friends that are constantly there for me...I find that I just want to see and talk to everyone that I love before I head out for a day of intense racing, focus and at times major suffering! Once I touched base with everyone that I care about I was ready to go.

The pros start at 6:45 AM in Kona, so I was in the water at 6:30. As I was treading water, I reflected on my past years there in Kona. This year was no less special. Looking back at the pier packed with people and the helicopters up above gave me goosebumps. Here I was at the Ironman World Championships in my first pro season! The cannon went off and I was clawing my way through the other pros for position. I found myself leading a pack of swimmers and just ahead of us was a really large pack. I tried to catch the pack right in front of me, but I found that they were getting further and further away, so I decided to stick where I was and make the best of it, so I drafted a woman who made her way in front of me. Soon I found myself side-by-side with Nantasha Badmann fighting for the feet of the woman in front. We both ended up sharing her feet and finished the swim together. 1:02...not what I was looking for, but I had to move forward. I found myself in the changing tent struggling to get my tri shorts over wet skin (mistake not to wear them in the swim). Finally I headed out on the bike.

I know the course REALLY well now after having raced the Ironman there before as well as stayed in Kona for weeks on end in previous years, so mentally I break the course up in my head to make it more manageable. With the power meter, Mike and I have certain "watt goals" for the day...even on specific sections of the course. Coming through Kona, we first head up the Kuakini Hwy, which is a nice steady climb. My legs felt great already...good sign! Heading out of town can be tough because the rest of the course is on the famous "Queen K", which is HOT with NO SHADE. It is a desert-like environment for most of the bike. You can see the ocean far away, but surrounding you is lava fields and miles and miles of highway in front of you. You can see long climbs awaiting you and way in thedistance you can see your destination: Hawi (the turn-around of the bike). It looks impossibly far away. Many times the bike is a real mental challenge for me, but this time was different. I just took each section of the road as it came. The aid stations break up the course nicely, coming every 10 miles. They become something that you get mentally psyched for. "Yay!! Another station coming up ahead!! People handing out cold drinks!" I look forward to seeing people, to grabbing more cold drink, to eating a gel and trying to get some water through the vent in my aero helmet to cool off my head a bit. Every second of the bike is paid careful attention to: how do the watts feel? Do I need another salt tablet? I feel a bit nauseous, time for some water...now time for some Gatorade Endurance. Thirty minutes passed...time for some gel and a couple of salt tablets...OK the watts are feeling EASY!

Climbing to Hawi always includes some crosswinds. This day had winds, but nothing compared to what I experienced the week before while Simon and I were training up there. I was deciding on my Zipp 606's, or my 303 in front with my 606 in back. After getting blown off the road during training, I decided on my 303 in front. The 606's are SWEET, but for Kona I am just too small to gamble with a really windy day and potentially getting blown all over the road. With my Zipp 606 on the rear and my Zipp 303 on the front I feel fast, light and secure that I can handle anything...and I do. I climb Hawi fast and descend down (with a gnarly crosswind) even faster. I'm psyched as I descend down, heading back to the Queen K and to Kona. Again this year is different...usually the last 30 miles of the bike are pure torture to me. I just cannot wait to get off the bike. Not this year...aside from the fact that my foot is aching in my shoe (swollen from the heat?) I feel great and I am psyched. I remain aero in my Profile Design Cobra Wing Aero bars nearly the entire ride. I feel comfortable and I feel strong. My family is waiting for me at the turn onto the Queen K and I find myself getting choked up and psyched at the same time. It is so awesome to see Tom, my brother, cheering for me as well as Jen and my parents. It's uplifting and it makes me want to get back to town to start running!

As I approach town, the crowds are awesome. I get off the bike, and get into the changing tent where the volunteers throw wet towels on me, lather me up in sunscreen and help me to get my running shoes on. I'm off and running. The transition from biking 112 miles in a focused effort to running a fast marathon is one that can be down right scary, but with all of the hard training behind me, I always seem ready to go. It's amazing, really...
It's HOT and HUMID! One of the worst days I can remember... As I make the turn onto Alii Drive in the first couple of miles of the run I turn from feeling good and strong to feeling sick to my stomach. I start to worry for a few minutes and then quickly realize that I need to eat and have some salt at the next aid station. After downing a gel and taking a few salt tablets, pouring water over my head, putting the cold wet sponges in my singlet and putting ice in my hat I start to feel better. Soon I am cruising down the road feeling strong. As with the bike, I am constantly monitoring my body and how I feel. Every aid station is like an oasis...I pour anything and everything over my head to try and cool off, I put ice in my hat, I put sponges in my uniform. One aid station is for salt tablets and the next for gel. I drink Coke every single station. These aid stations come every mile and by each mile I am more than ready...it's that hot out! I ran a 3:22 marathon in Kona this year...that means that after 7+ minutes of running I am trying to cool off already! As I climb Palani Road to head out to the Energy lab I see my family...they are going nuts and I am psyched to see them! I feel great and I tell them that. As I run, it is amazing to me to see some of the biggest names in the sport having a bad day. That's the incredible thing about Kona. It humbles the best athletes in the world every year. This reminds me to keep focused. As I head into town (and toward the finish) I see my family...they tell me I am close to breaking 10 hours...as I pass my mother, I decide to go for it...who knows? maybe I can do it! As I am running to the finish I pass a few pro women that I know. It becomes a close race between a handful of us...I am aware of this and am running with all I have left. I am also running against the clock...I want to see 9:59.

Running down Alii Drive to the finish is ALWAYS surreal...this year it's even more amazing. I cross the finish line with a time of 10:00:24 seconds! 25 seconds away from the 10 hour barrier, but I am PSYCHED!!! I crossed the line as the 23rd fastest female pro. This is exciting and super encouraging for the future. After talking to Mike and going over the race, then talking to George and going over the race, I get back to the condo, talk more about the race, eat, shower and head to the finish line where I stayed till midnight watching the other athletes finish along with my mother, brother and brother's girlfriend Jen. This was my 9th Ironman and the first time that I went back (I had always wanted to go back, but never did it!!)...I will try to never miss it again as it was one of the most incredible experiences.

Now I am getting ready for my 2008 season and I am entering it with more confidence to race against the top women in the sport and finish among the top. I am racing California 70.3 on March 29th and Ironman Brazil on May 25th. My training is excellent and I am stronger than I have ever been. Next week I'll be heading to warmer weather for quality training (not that the long hard training in sub-30 degree weather hasn't been fun)! Entering my second season as a pro and reflecting on 2oo7 gives me butterflies in my stomach and gets me pumped at the same time. I'm doing what I love and I know it'll be a season to remember.

Winter Training (and memories of Boulder)

As the winter has progressed I have already logged some memorable miles in the cold, wet weather. While I cannot say that I enjoy doing this one bit, I have to admit that I have created some funny memories already and some grueling training days to reflect back upon when the going gets tough in a race in 2008.

One such day included a very good friend of mine, Jess. Jess came from Boulder for the holidays to visit family. She just moved to Boulder in July and the decision seems like it has been one of the best ones that she has made. Not only does training in Boulder beat riding the L.I.E. of Long Island, but at any time of day you are sure to find a fellow cyclist, runner, climber, snowboarder, etc...(the list goes on) to join you in whichever endeavor you might want to partake in for that given day. The social scene is very good to Jess as well, which she seems to be pretty happy about! When opportunity strikes, I try to get out there and do some sweet training at altitude, staying with friends such as Jim Dougherty and Simon Butterworth. In fact, the last time I was there was 2 weeks after Ironman Hawaii. My friend Erin and I stayed with Simon and his wife Ingrid. It was a great opportunity to do some different activities (other than swim, bike, run).

One such day we decided to do a hike up to one of the highest peaks in the Flat irons (the Mountains that are visible from almost any point in Boulder). The hike went up to Bear Peak and it was magnificent! I thought I was in top shape until I did something like this...the hiking really uses different muscles than I am used to and I was sore the days after!!! Once we reached the summit and rested for some food, we got a "fly-by" over head from a glider plane that was out for a ride! The views were extraordinary and it was just the thing that Simon and I needed after racing Kona 2 weeks earlier (Simon is a stand-out age group triathlete, placing among the top in the world in his 60-64 age group). Erin had just completed a grueling Chicago marathon 3 weeks earlier and she welcomed the hike as well. The weekend in Boulder was just the kind of "off time" that we all needed. In the spring and summer i'll return to train hard at altitude again, but for this trip it was all fun and no serious training. It seems that Boulder definitly has it all!

Back to winter on Long Island though...It was a Thursday and I had to do a 3 hour ride. Nothing in particular for the workout, really...just go out and ride steady for 3 hours. It was a "mild day" of low 40's, but the forecast called for rain showers. I swam with my team at 6AM and decided to go back to George's take a nap and then get out on the bike at 11 (hoping the rain would subside). I was meeting Jess at the bike shop at 11, and when I left it didn't seem too bad. I wasn't particularly psyched about the grey day, but it looked like the roads would be wet, but the rain wouldn't be a factor. I was so wrong... We started out in a "mist". I didn't have a rain coat, so that "mist" turned out to be pretty soaking. After 30 min we looked at each other and said, "this isn't so bad", and, "I wouldn't be out here is it weren't for you!...you're the best"! Basically we were feeling pretty good about ourselves and pretty tough. We were out training in cold wet weather and we were psyched! After 45 minutes I realized that my tights and jersey were completely wet from the "mist". After 50 minutes, I turned to Jess and said, "I'm cold". She agreed and we decided to cut the original route down from 50 miles to 40. At the next light my fingers were getting really cold, my gloves were soaked and I said, "we should try and get home". She agreed, told me she was miserable.

As we started riding back I got wetter and colder. I was contemplating calling George to pick us up, but decided against it "I got myself into this so I have to get myself out"! I was trying to ride hard to stay warm, but trucks would come by at fast speeds spraying us with water, downhills were unbearably cold, and my attempts at warmth were failing. I was so miserable, but every time we stopped at a light I laughed hysterically. Looking back at Jess, she had dirt and water all over her face from the spray of the road and the spray that my back wheel was giving off. The scene was to much to take...it was hysterical! I was miserable, but bursting into laughter at the same time! In fact, I am laughing as I think about it now!

We were on a mission to get home. I didn't think it would ever happen. I didn't eat, I didn't drink, I couldn't move. I just hammered along with the thought of a warm house and a warm shower to thaw me out. Once we got to Babylon, we said a quick good bye (through laughter) and I rode to George's. Once I got to the door (of which I could not open with frozen hands) I walked inside to George's hint of sarcasm...with a big smile on his face he said, "How was the ride?! Fun?!" I walked in the door and went hysterically laughing for a few minutes before I gained my composure (I think I was losing my mind!) I hopped in the shower (that didn't even feel good for a few minutes...until the freezing parts of my body thawed out), and was welcomed with the best soup and grilled cheese ever! (Thanks George...).

So the ride was absolutely miserable, but on the bright side, I got some good quality in, something to look back upon when the going gets tough while racing, and some fond memories with one of my best friends... Oh, and George and Mike ended up repeating our cold rainy ride on new years Day when they joined a group of cyclists in an "unofficial race" up 9W to Bear Mountain. Cold and miserable, they were, but apparently it ended up being put on a list of funny memories as they tried to warm themselves in the McDonald's bathroom after the ride! As for me, I am planning on a "warm training trip". While the memories of training in the cold wet weather are fond, I (and i am sure I can speak for George and Mike as well) do not wish to repeat this cold rainy ride any time soon!