...live in the moment, repeat...IMKS

I am not sure I have ever been so chill coming into a race.  I was in California the week prior...perfect taper right?  Just a couple of fishbowls beers were consumed.  Even with getting home on Friday and only having a day to prep for the race, I was just chill as can be.  #odd

I knew I didn't prep like I had last year.  Last year was a whole different caliber.  This year has been a completely different beast to tame.  My head and heart have been all over the place.  So I took the fitness I had and decided to just race to the MY best in that moment on that day.  No pressure, no major time goals, no disapointment...high five EVERY kiddo, smile, push, live in the moment, repeat.

Typically pre-race I feel sick to my stomach, have major anxiety, and sometimes cry.  Prior to the race on Sunday, there were no butterflies, no wonky stomach and not a single tear.  But there was a dramatic photo shoot at the swim start. #evenbetter  Yup, #hotmess #Imadork

Lovely Liz, of the RED LADIES, #Casey'swife

COME HERE CASEY (the stud who just rocked IMTX also on #teamBSC)

CHEEEEEESE

Sandy Brown says...look like you're gazing over the H2O...who does that with a straight face!?!?!?! #nostressinghere

high fives and two thumbs up

Was not my fastest swim at this race, nor was it my slowest.  The conditions were perfect so I might have needed to be a bit more serious and attempt to swim straight and not take the long way around the buoys.  No excuses, it was 3 min slower than my PR at this distance and for what I've put in this year...I'll take it.

The bike...hmm, despite some Garmin snaffu's the bike was pretty ok!  My legs were on fire until.mile.40...SERIOUSLY LEGS?  Well at least they warmed up right?!

I had an AMAZING cheer section at mile 35 on the bike.  at the top of a pretty good hill.  Damn my girls are the best.  #lovemyathletes It was such an epic section of cheer, I was asked on the run if I was 'the Kelly' from the bike course!  Ha!  So.much.fun.  THANKS LADIES!!!  (I'll add more pictures later, I have some good ones!)

The run...hmmm, no real major issues.  I have been running pretty good lately, if I had any expectations for this race, it would have been on the run.  Being present and in the moment was an intention I made from the start.  I wanted to make sure that I was working as hard as I could at that particular moment and if so GREAT!...if not, well I needed to get there.  My legs didn't feel great...ever during the 2 loops.  My mantra during the 2nd loop was "round 2...fight"...is that from a video game?  hmm. weird as I don't even own a DVD player, much less a video game thing...oh wait, I do have the original Nintendo.

After reviewing my race plan, Michelle wrote me to high 5 every kiddo and I did just that.  Try it!  It totally makes you smile (i.e. have fun!). 

Overall it turned out to be exactly what I had hoped.  I smiled almost the whole race, I finished in a respectable place/time and I had FUN!  I won't lie, it is was so nice not chasing PR's, world champ slots, etc, etc, etc.  & even with all the fun I had, I was only 7' slower than my PR on this course...with way less fitness.  I think there is something to be said about limiting stress and having fun in this sport.  Sounds like a good plan for the rest of the season, no? 

Post race shenanigans...

Kept my eye on the prize.

Getting the new babe (no, not mine) ready for the "LaPan medal" photo shoot.

Tuckered babe

Despicable me and aloha pants #chillin

Big thanks to everyone who reaches out every.single.time I race.  It means a ton hearing from everyone.  Lots of xoxoxo to my coach, #teamBSC and my athletes.  #lovebeingacoach 

hashtag.lotsofthem

Happy Team BSC Scottsadale Camp Eve!

It's less than 24 hours away.

Team BSC Scottsdale Camp.  My 2nd camp with this amazing crew.  My first as a coach.  EIK!!!  We have some amazing bat shit crazy sessions planned, (many thanks to Krista for all of her planning)! There will be an amazing speaker, a Mt. Lemmon climb (and the obligatory cookie), and we have a MAJOR surprise for our athletes!  I am so excited!!!!

I have not done much outside riding this year...thanks ol man winter and me turning into a wimp in the cold.  #ihatethecold  Later this week...I will have 12 hours of saddle time planned in 3 consecutive days.  Talk about a pain in the ass.  I'll be hurting for sure.  But the benefits of training camp is the huge fitness boost one gets when all has been accomplished.  I'll need it.  Race season is just around the corner for me.

This has been a stressful past couple of months for me and nothing will heal my soul more than 5 days with friends who are just as BSC as I am.  Riding long will help clear my head and get me motivated for the season ahead!  I've had to majorly adjust my race schedule, but there is still an IM on the books for this year...and maybe 2. ;)  Time to get moving!!

Cheers to BSC camp #2!!!

Consequences

To those folks getting ready to jot down your 2014 New Years Resolution such as

• "FINISH A (enter choice triathlon/race here ->) _______" 
• "COMPLETE IM # ____"
• Run a 5k

be careful.  There are a ton of consequences that you will have to deal with once you start down this path.

...here are some of the ones I've run into in no particular order...

friends...You'll meet some really good folks.  The triathlon community has become some of my best friends.  The majority of people in the triathlon/running world are very TRUE and KIND.  You will actually WANT to get up at 5 am to spend the whole day with them on the bike.

weight loss...it took me 3 IM's before I figured out the secret of weight loss during all the hours of training and if you do it right, you'll loose some of those pesky lbs...bummer, I know.  Trash in = trash out.  Feed to fuel.

passion...More than likely you'll develop a sense of passion for sport.  It's what lights the fire in your belly when that pesky alarm blares at you at 4:30 am M-S.  It's a common thread that unites us as athletes.  You may not even be able to describe this devotion to your training and racing.  Feeling something stronger than just day to day living is pretty incredible.

confidence..."i cannot believe I just did that...I just took my body across 140.6 miles, self propelled"...I often say this when I finish a race. What else can I accomplish?  "'Belief in one's abilities to perform an activity comes through successful experience and may add to, or consolidate, a general sense of self-confidence."  **Studies have also found a link between high levels of confidence and wages. Terrible, right?

It's pretty powerful stuff, this journey to YOUR finish line.  I wish everyone a successful 2014, no matter your sport/hobby of choice.

DREAM BIG

“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” – Peter McWilliams
 

 “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Anonymous
 

 “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Reflections

 2013 was a BIG year, huge.  A ton of gains were made, plenty of tears to go 'round, a couple of AG wins, 2 trips to the big island, and the granddaddy of them all, crossing that Kona finish line.  What you'll see I didn't mention, injury, burnout, DNF.

I attribute this to several things...my coach and my (gr)attitude.  See I really wasn't supposed to q'fy for Kona.  No where in recent years has anyone qualified for Kona in Arizona with a 10:50 finishing time (in my AG).  HOWEVER, don't take that to mean I don't think I didn't earn my spot.  Oh it was earned for sure, I fought for that finish.

"Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose.  Work hard, apply yourself and be ready.  When an opportunity comes you can grab it." - Julie Andrews

Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.

Julie Andrews

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/julieandre393020.html#uVbTIosYJbTxIJvT.99

Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.

Julie Andrews

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/julieandre393020.html#uVbTIosYJbTxIJvT.99

Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.

Julie Andrews

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/julieandre393020.html#uVbTIosYJbTxIJvT.99

After I took the slot, talking with Michelle, she mentioned to me..."things will be different now".  I had no idea what she meant until training ramped up.  Not because she coached me any different (that I could tell anyway ;)) but because I knew I had to step it up.  No more missed workouts, no more late nights, no more half assed workouts.  I was about to step onto the biggest stage of my life and I wasn't going to let any 'what if's' cross through my mind on October 12th.

So I worked hard.  Missed VERY few sessions, ate well, slept well, basically said goodbye to my social life..that is unless I saw you at the pool, on the bike, or while running...oh and if you came to my house to watch the game and didn't mind if I fell asleep in the middle of it.  Bless my true friends who stood by me.  xoxoxo

Consistent training and fierce focus got me across the finish line...my FOURTH ironman....in KONA.  What a deal. 



And guess what I've done since?  Hmmm...REST, REST, REST.  Mostly for the mental side.  I decided before Kona I would be taking it easy the rest of the year, doing what feels FUN (surf class), and not beating myself up over a missed workout until after the 1st of the year (there has been a LOT of those).  I've said 'yes' to social events.  Only the past couple of weeks have I gotten back into the pool...last week was my first week of 3 swims.  Ha!  I have been keeping up with my long runs as the first race of the year is a 1/2 marathon with a full in April.  It's been NICE.

Big things are in store in 2014.  *teaser*  I have a first go of my race schedule.  Ironman Cozumel is happening.  Potentially this will be the year of 2 IMs...in true BSC style.  Stay tuned...

Kansas 70.3 Race Report

Emma-Kate Lidbury @ the Oread meet and greet Friday night...ignore my squinty face.

This race is one of my favorites, not only is it in my backyard, but it's THE BEST when it comes to the race director/volunteers/spectators, etc.  Plus, it's my training ground.  #homecourtadvantage

Camping
The race is located at Clinton State Park.  The run is 2 loops throughout the campgrounds.  I've debated the past several years on camping.  Even though it's only a 15' drive from my house, it's one way only into the park so the traffic gets backed up pretty quick.  That with the 1/2 mile walk to T1, it makes for an early morning.  So, this year I decided to have fun with this race and camp.  Although my sleep pattern was a bit messed up, it was the best idea!  Being at the race venue early enough to rack my bike (they allowed race day bike check-in due to some storms that rolled in Sat. night) and set up T1 & T2, hang out at the campsite, bathroom, etc. was so much nicer not having to rush around and it's quite convenient having everything I needed basically @ T2.

What a view...Can you see my house in the background?  Yeah, that's the view I'm referring to...;)

Swim
With no rush getting to the swim start, I was pretty calm.  Weird for me for pre-race as this is usually my panic mode.  I got in the water with the plan to bust ass.  Of course I lined up behind my so freaking fast BSC training partner Lynsey.  A couple of 'good lucks' and we were off.  It was pretty choppy heading out the first leg and I was either running into folks or they were running into me.  Nasty...but for some reason I wasn't ready to raise the white flag like I usually do at the swim start.  Yay!  That's progress right there!  All I could think of was 'get your ass moving..you just swam a 10k in worse conditions...keep going!'  I took a second to check my watch at ~ the halfway mark and saw I was capable to pull of my goal swim time of 35'.  Seriously folks, this is the infamous 35' mark I've been shooting for, for like ever.  My swim times here have been pretty slow (think 40' and 40'+).  With nothing to lose, I just SWAM!  Unfortunately we had to swim around the previous waves and the younger guys were swimming over me, but I knew I was still in the game if I kept moving.  And before I knew it, I was done!

I was stoked when I saw my garmin with the time of 35:11 (19th AG) my day was made.  Finally!!! 

Bike
I love this bike course, I'm on it every weekend.  Lot's of hills, wind, heat...perfect!!  I really surprised myself on this bike.  My watts (power on the bike) stayed well above where I thought I'd race, but I felt good, so I kept it up.  I stayed on top of my nutrition.  It proved me well @ IMAZ so I took in 1.5 scoops of infinite/3 bottles, 2 powerbar gel packs, ~2/hour e21.  There were a lot of guys around me...of course several who couldn't get chicked, but there were others who hollered out encouragement (which is awesome btw, guys take note).  There were several stud women who I attempted to keep in my sight, but man there were some fast girls out there!!! 

Kept my head held high and worked hard the whole time...only felt a twinge of a cramp at the dam(n) hill coming back into the park.  I was a bit worried if I had blown out my legs, but I popped another e21 and kept on.

2:43:39 (10th AG)  Almost 2 minutes faster than my goal time and 7' fast than LY.  I was convinced I was going to have a good day.  Now would my run legs show up after that bike...

See that smile?  That's cause I eat that hill for hill repeats regularly.

Run
Oh the run.  This has been my nemesis for years now.  It can really eat you up and spit you out if you aren't prepared.  This year was GOING to be different.  I planned for the heat and the hurt.  I made sure I was out on the race course regularly prepping for this one.  I knew every turn, hill, shade spot on that course...mentally I had hurt here many times before.  I had this one.

My run had been pretty strong leading up to the race.  I had some confidence.  And I had a plan.  Since the heat has gotten to me in the past, I decided to be proactive and start cooling off at mile 1.  Ice down the top/shorts/hat (hat vs. visor so I could do this...see?  planned).  This run course is so rad cause of the spectators.  Every turn there are folks lined up cheering for you.  And since I had planned this one out, I knew where my family and friends would be...AT OUR CAMPSITE!  yeah!!!  They were the best, really.  Diana had my favorite songs on the ipod to pump me up!  My friend Kelly was at the top of the nasty hill.  Being a local, I knew the folks at the aid stations.  It was sooo cool!  A huge thanks to everyone for being out there!  The spectator and volunteers really make this such an awesome race.  I digress.  Nutrition, I took water/ice/coke @almost every aid station.  Gu @ mile 3 and 9ish (I actually almost forgot to take the 2nd one, I was feeling that good, or the heat was starting to get to me ;)) e 21 ~ 4 throughout the run.

I was hurting, but for some reason I was able to keep pushing.  It was going to be over soon.  It was supposed to hurt, it's a race and I had trained for this.  I could stop when it was done, NOT before.  Plus, I'm super motivated by the numbers and I was on track to hit my fastest 13.1 in a 70.3.  I was about to have a major break through race!  Nothing moves me more than that.

I don't know who took this photo, but I love it!!

1:49:56 (11th AG)
5:13:38 (compared to 5:36 LY)  Woah.  This turned out to be a PR in this distance by ~3', course PR by ~23'.

Still on cloud nine thinking about race day.  Super motivated now to hit another milestone (hopefully later this summer).  I have some serious competition out there in my AG.  These women are just STUDS.  Super proud to be among them.  Top 6 in my AG this year were <5 hours...holy smokes that A LOT of fast women.  I was 12th AG last year with 5:36 and I was 11th this year with 5:13...we are ALL getting faster and that's pretty cool. 

Super stud and teammate Lynsey...Vegas baby!  She rocked it out there!

Could leave without saying hello to Hines!

Smashfest Queens representing

A huge thanks to everyone who supports me and my 'crazy..why do you train so much training' day in and day out.  You know who you are.  You are near and dear to my heart and I am so grateful you are in my life.  Thank you to Sunflower Bike Shop for all the love you give to my dear Ali.  Michelle thank you for instilling this bat shit crazy mentality in me...I love being your athlete and a part of this team.

For this moment, right here, be grateful.  #always

What will be your Space Jam???

Everyone needs a pep talk every now and again.  This made my night and I wanted to share.

'You were made to be awesome.'