Pretty (Determined) in Pink

Long Time

2012-01-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I've written anything here. So here's a brief list of what's been going on around the Smith household. Gabey is almost a year and a half and is a great little boy. He loves the outdoors, playing with Sprocket, loves the water, runs doesn't walks, enjoys playing musical instruments and singing and dancing. We are still not sleeping through the night however, I hope that will be remedied soon as I really would LOVE to get at least 6 hours of straight sleep; I'd feel like Super Woman!!

I am back to training and hope to have a much better triathlon season this year than last! I still don't feel like I have the speed back, but I have my endurance. I think some specific interval workouts (which I have recently started) will no doubt get me in to race shape.

Gabey 11 months old

2011-07-12T19:09:00.001-07:00

I can't believe 11 months have already gone. Gabriel is getting so big and is learning to walk with support...actually, he took a few steps unsupported today!! I'm almost positive he'll be walking by his 1st birthday.

He has been better about trying different foods and likes watermelon, rice, black beans, chicken, pork, pita bread, and of course O's!!

We went to Denis the Menace park and he took his first swing

He has his two bottom teeth in and his two middle front teeth in and is getting two more uppers in now. Poor kid, he's chewing on anything these days to help his gums.

All he wants to do is walk, walk, walk. I think even in his sleep he tries to stand up! Speaking of sleep, we still are waking up during the night!! Jay and I haven't been strict on having him sleep through the night and I figure he'll do it eventually. I don't think it affects his sleep much, but as for me I think I'm just used to it now! However, I still will be ecstatic when he sleeps through the night.
Gabey LOVES to be outside. Every morning he goes to the door and wants to play. He has a fascination with the garden hose and loves to help me water the lawn and flowers!! Maybe his thumb will be greener than mine.

Treasure Island Triathlon

2011-07-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, July 9th I competed in San Francisco at the Treasure Island Triathlon. This year it happened to be an ITU Pan American Cup, ie. draft-legal race. Mom, Erin, & Gabey and I drove up Friday morning; Gabey was a champ on the drive up! Erin was racing the age group race on saturday morning and I would be racing in the afternoon.

My last ITU draft-legal race was this particular race in 2009. I was hoping I'd have people to swim and ride with; during the first lap of the swim I was on the tail end of a pack but after making the turn around I lost the toes I was keying off of. I felt strong in the water and exited with two other women. I was the first out of T1 and was hoping to catch some girls on the bike. As I began my first loop, Mom and Erin yelled that I was in 17th place. Ok, I had some work to do! One of the women that exited the water with me caught me and for the next 2 laps we worked together. The wind was so strong in sections that I was glad I had her to draft from, however it didn't last long. This woman from Canada had more snap in her legs than I did and when she jumped to catch a small pack in front of us I couldn't respond. I was now all by myself! I continued to forge ahead and kept telling myself that if I could just push as hard as I could into the wind I would be able to keep moving up. By the time I finished the 6-looped flat with one small hill bike course, I was in 11th place. After a quick transition I was determined to at least be in the top 10. The Canadian girl I was cycling with was just ahead of me. The run course was 3 loops on very flat terrain. I knew I could catch her. By the start of lap 2 I had indeed caught and passed her and within a few more seconds I caught two more girls. I was now in 8th place and even though 7th place was just out of reach I ran the last loop like I was going to catch her.
I'm so glad that the finish didn't come down to a sprint as I had nothing left in my legs.

Escape from Alcatraz

2011-06-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

I competed in my second triathlon since having Gabey, yesterday at the Escape from Alcatraz in San Francisco, CA. I feel "out of the loop" with the sport after taking a year off, but I think it's coming back to me. Jay, Gabriel, and I headed up to SF on Friday and had a relaxing two days before the event on Sunday. I am still nursing and poor Gabey had caught a cold on Saturday night, so we were up with him quite a few times; needless to say I think I got pretty good sleep (when I was asleep)! I was debating on whether or not to wear my HR monitor but once on the boat I decided to forgo the monitor and just race as hard as I could go. I felt choppy in the water and I think I swam too far to the right and had to back track to get to the finish. The time in the water seemed to go by quickly which was nice. I was looking forward to getting on my bike and seeing what I could do. I still haven't gotten on my trainer and am lucky if I get to ride my bike 2 times per week!! I felt comfortable on the bike and knew that I had to push as hard as I could on all the up hills. The weather was perfect, very slight breeze, sunny skies, and dry roads. It felt good to be on the bike. It took a few miles before i got my "running legs;" I didn't feel the snap that I was used to having. By the time I got to mile 3, I was feeling much better and pushing harder to run down any woman that I could. I was 9th coming out the water but heading out onto the run I was in 11th. I told myself that I could get top 10 and so I picked it up. With 2 miles to go I spotted a girl a few seconds in front of me. I caught her and kept on pushing as hard as I could. With 3/4 of a mile to go I spot another girl and caught and passed her! I ran those last 2 miles as hard as I could and it paid off. My first top 10 after having Gabey.

I'm motivated more now and will get my training schedule updated for my next event.

9 months of Gabey and my First Race

2011-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

How quickly times goes by. Everyone said it would and I knew it would too, but it's still hard to believe...Gabey has been with us for 9 months!! It's truly amazing how quickly he learns new things. He can already walk while holding on to furniture or our hands. I'm sure in a matter of another month or so he'll be walking on his own! We've been baby proofing the house as he learns new things.

He is such a good and happy little boy. We are working on giving him solid foods. So far we've tried avocado, banana, sweet potato, egg yolk, crackers, chicken. So far he usually gives us the same face: tongue out and eyes shut along with a whole body shudder, ie. he doesn't like it!

I have finally taken him to the pool and he LOVES the water. He even tries to put his face in the water all by himself.

He has his two bottom teeth already and it looks as though he's getting at least one of his upper teeth!

On March 6th I competed in my first event since having Gabey, the Napa Valley Marathon. I needed a goal and I thought that running a marathon would be the "easiest" to train for. I was happy with my time of 3:36 especially since I just gave birth 6 1/2 months before this event. I followed my doctors orders too and didn't start "training" until he was 6 weeks old. My first runs started out as 11 1/2 minutes/mile. I couldn't believe how slow this was for me. It took a few months before I felt like I was actually running and now 9 months later I feel pretty good most of the time.

I decided to compete at Wildflower (long course, of course) as I would race myself into shape!! I had a time goal of 5:15 as I thought that this would be a time that I could do considering I'm still getting back into shape. I was happy to come in at 5:11 but my goal of top 10 was WAY off the mark!! Yep, an extremely lofty goal considering I was lucky if I got to ride my bike 2x/week. I guess an 18 mph average is okay for my limited riding. I have vowed to get on the trainer to improve my cycling for my upcoming events; however as of today that has yet to be accomplished! This was a very humbling race as my mind knows that I am capable of competing at a much faster time but physically my body is not quite ready. I'm sure the lack of sleep and nursing takes it's toll but I wouldn't change a thing!

My next race is the Escape from Alcatraz on June 5th. Wish me luck as I am going to need it!

2 Months and 1 week

2010-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Cullen Smith was born on August 12 at 9:01pm! He weighed 7 lbs. and 13 oz. and was 20.5 in. long. After a long labor he finally arrived and was beautiful. He just had his 2 month check up and is doing great. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is now 13 lbs. and 4 oz and is 23.5 in. He is smiling more and making cooing noises and I can tell he is really trying to communicate. He is a happy little boy and is growing like a weed. He likes dancing to music and is a mover...we'll be chasing him around the house, no doubt.

39 Weeks

2010-08-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been pregnant now for 39 weeks and really can't believe how quickly it has gone. People keep asking me if I'm ready to have the kid yet, and I tell them that the first 7 months I was so busy with working, coaching, writing my thesis and trying to learn about what to expect that now that I've had some time to relax and enjoy the pregnancy, that's exactly what I'm doing and I'm in no hurry to rush things along. When our little guy is ready, he'll arrive. I do however think that he will arrive a few days late, which may be a good thing because 2 weeks ago at my Dr.'s appointment, I was informed that our doctor would be on vacation...anyone seen Knocked Up?!?! I not worried or concerned about it though. It will be fine; I just think it's pretty funny only because at one of my first appointments I had asked my doctor if she'd be the one delivering our child!

I wanted to give myself a pedicure about a week or so ago, but realized that I no longer could reach my toes! So, my sister Erin was gracious enough to come to the house and pamper my feet! Too funny. Also within this last week, it has been MUCH harder for me to put on socks and shoes; thank goodness for sandals!

I'm still walking 6-7 days a week anywhere from 2 miles which I did today up to 8 miles which I walked yesterday!! Boy does it take a lot longer to walk 8 miles than it did to run it; but I had company with my good friend Claudia. We take the dogs and ourselves for a walk. I was swimming 2-4 days per week and it was a lot of fun to get in the water and actually be able to breathe! Ever since baby boy dropped a little lower, I feel I am able to get a bit more oxygen in.

I have started to feel some Braxton-Hicks contractions, which feel like sharp, stabbing pains in my lower abdominal region. They haven't lasted too long, maybe a few seconds. I was thinking about contractions the other day; I'm not going to know when it comes on, I mean, I can't plan for it to appear, I just have to learn how to deal with them once they come. I'm a planner and organizer and like to have things under control (go figure) but with contractions it seems like I will just have to go with the flow!!

My hospital bag is almost packed; still need a few more items, but I'm surprised at the lists online and what they recommend you bringing...like you're going to stay in the hospital for a week (which I guess can happen, but the lists are exceptionally involved). I plan on bringing just the essentials, which again can vary from person to person!
The baby keeps moving and squirming and I'm sure he's running out of room, so it could be any day now. I now Jay is extremely excited and asks baby when he's going to come out and play!! How cute is that.
Back on July 4, mom and I trotted and walked the Spreckles 10k. Here is a photo:

5 Weeks To Go

2010-07-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe how quickly the pregnancy is moving along! I'm still feeling good and am walking at least 6 if not 7 days per week with a minimum walk of 3 miles up to a maximum of around 7 miles! I'm also able to get to the pool 2-4 times per week, usually only for about 25 minutes due to my work schedule, but at least it's something. I'm also lifting weights (light weights of course) about once per week.

This 3rd trimester though I have been a bit more tired and have taken more naps than I did in the 1st trimester! Jay can usually tell when I'm tired and on more than one occasion he has made me take a nap and I was so very grateful that he did. I felt so much better upon waking. He's been taking such great care of me and I know he's going to be a GREAT dad!

It is definitely getting harder to put shoes and socks on and I keep thinking I may need Jay's help for that too!! We still don't have a name for our little guy, still working on it, but I'm glad we have a few more weeks. I'm sure the name will come to us when he arrives. We pretty much have everything we need, at least I think we do; and the nursery is coming along nicely. I still want to decorate a bit more with pictures on the wall, so we'll see how that goes.

Baby Smith is moving around quite a bit lately. Sometimes he moves quickly with a little jab or kick, but most of the time it's a slow turning type of movement. It feels especially good (not really) when he gets under my ribs and slowly presses!! Ouch.

We're just playing the waiting game now and I'm enjoying having some down time before he arrives.

Jay and I went on a short "babymoon" last month to Cambria and Santa Barbara. Even though it was only a few days away, it was nice that it was just the two of us. We took a tour of Hearst Castle and loved it and then spent the night in Cambria. We saw the elephant seals and took a nice walk by MoonStone Beach. We then continued south to Santa Barbara; walked down town, went to the zoo and had a picnic on the beach! We had such a nice relaxing time enjoying each others company.

Week 26

2010-04-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I finally hit the 6 month mark. I can't believe it. Baby Smith is moving around so much more and with more force; it doesn't hurt, but he sometimes pack a good punch. While laying in bed on Sunday morning, Jay was able to feel baby Smith moving and kicking!! It was the first time he felt the baby move. I think I was more excited than he was!

The weather had been nice for a few days and for a brief second I almost missed riding my bike!! I still miss swimming, however and am trying to find a way to make it to the pool at least a few times/week...haven't figured out a way yet, unless I call in sick to work every morning...I think they'd catch on pretty quickly though.

School related matters: Met with my thesis advisor and I have about 3 weeks to finish my thesis...yikes!! Need to get on the ball and get this thing written and off of my plate so that I can enjoy the last few months of pregnancy. Am looking forward to being finished with school.

Coaching track at RLS is coming to a close as well, which will offer more time for me to finish the thesis and hopefully workout.

I started to get the baby registry together and was completely and utterly overwhelmed by all the baby gear. I think I added two things to an online registry list and then gave up, argh...there are 50 something baby bottles and just as many different types of nipples, burp cloths, etc. Way too many items to choose from. Think I'll look for an 'essentials' list online and start there.

I'm very excited for this weekend as even though I will not be racing at Wildflower, I will be there supporting my team, Monterey Bay Multisport, and my individual athletes! Good luck to all of you. It'll be nice to get away for the weekend!

I hope to post pictures after this weekend, so stay tuned.

Week 23

2010-04-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm 23 weeks along now, almost 6 months! Time is really flying by. I'm doing well, just trying to manage 3 jobs and trying to finish my thesis as well as maintaining some sort of "fitness" along the way. I was swimming at 6am, but I'm just not able to swim fast enough to keep warm, so I have forgone swimming for the time being as 6am was the only time I had. I am still running, well, maybe not running. I think a better word is trotting! Whoa, am I slow!! It's hard to run every day now, but I'm still managing approximately 4-5 days of running (lately it's actually been running and walking) and the remaining days going for long walks.

I thought I had a thimble-sized bladder before I got pregnant, but now it's even smaller! On my runs I can usually go for about a mile before I have to stop and pee. I know probably TMI, but this is the reality of being pregnant!

I figure that if I'm trotting at a 12:30 min/mile, it's better to just walk! I had no idea I could move that slowly!! The belly is getting bigger now and it seems as though my belly button is just about ready to pop!! So bizarre all the bodily changes going on.

The baby has been moving around quite a few times per day and the feeling is so amazing. It's just about time to start looking into baby registries and getting the shower together, before we know baby smith will be here.

20 Weeks-The Halfway Mark

2010-03-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

I am now 20 weeks pregnant and so far so good. Except for a few crazy mood swings and today being exceptionally tired. It's really amazing what hormones can do to a person!! Thank goodness I have an understanding husband.

A few things I've noticed...

1. My belly itches: I think that's because my skin is starting to stretch and expand. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it means, my belly will soon be larger ( least that's what I'm thinking).

2. My ligaments are stretching: When I run, my lower abdomen is tender. It's not painful, but it just feels weird.

3. I'm not running with my usual gait: It's hard to stretch it out on a run. Legs don't want to extend.

4. It's hard to lift my legs when I run: Not because the belly is in the way, just because I think there is more weight to lift.

5. My hips & waist are getting larger: Yep, have had to purchase a few maternity clothes. But thanks to some friends who've had kids, they've loaned me maternity clothes (thank you girls)!

6. My grandmother is going to spoil our little boy: She started purchasing baby items when Jay and I got married...2 1/2 years ago!!!

7. We have extremely generous friends: They have let us borrow baby items, furniture, toys, etc. Thank you so much for helping us.

Here are a few pictures:
WEEK 10

WEEK 15

WEEK 18

It's a baby...

2010-03-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went in for my level 2 ultrasound. The technician took about 20-30 minutes using this high powered ultrasound to take measurements of the baby as well and to count toes & fingers (yep, they are all there! She also checked the organs to see their development and little baby Smith gets a thumbs up.
The technician printed numerous photos for us and even was able to do a 3D scan of our baby's face. It's incredible what technology can do these days.

Jay and I couldn't wait to find out the sex of the baby and yesterday was definitely a surprise. With 99.9% accuracy, we are having a little baby boy! I knew it. We had an entire list full of girl names and I kept saying that even though I'd like to have a little girl, I just knew we were having a boy and I couldn't be happier!! Now the hard part, names!! Because our last name is so common, Jay and I are on the hunt for a unique boy name. Feel free to send in your suggestions!!

On a serious note, we decided to have an amniocentesis done as well. This is where a very small needle is inserted into the abdomen, though the placenta and into the uterus to get a sample of the amniotic fluid. I felt a small pinch when the needle was inserted (I closed my eyes of course, but Jay watched). The doctor pulled out just enough fluid so that they can grow the cells that are sloughed off from the baby to check the chromosomal count. The fluid is sent off to a lab where they will grow the cells and check to make sure that Baby Smith has 23 pairs of chromosomes and that they all look healthy. We should get the results back within a week to 10 days. This test will also confirm the baby's sex, like we couldn't see his umm, wee, wee (is that appropriate???) on the monitor!!

The doctor said for me to take today off from work today to relax and take it easy. So, no desk job nor coaching for me today. I slept in til 8:30am (can't remember when I did that!) and have been in my pj's all day (seriously, really can't remember when I did that last). I've worked on emails, getting volunteers for this year's Sea Otter Classic (if you'd like to volunteer this year at the VIP Hospitality Tent, the BEST volunteer job around, please email me. You will receive free entry into the event, a t-shirt & either catered breakfast and/or lunch depending on how many shifts you work...trust me, the food alone is worth it. Plus you get to meet some of the VIP's in the cycling world). Anyway, back to what I'm doing today, I will be working on my thesis here too. Oh, and I watched 2 movies while doing our taxes.

Once I scan the photos I'll put a few up so you can see our beautiful baby boy. I am at 18 weeks and 4 days. About half way through, which I can't believe! It's going very quickly.

Bun in the Oven

2010-03-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

If you've seen me on the recreation trail running and I look a bit heavier than normal and am running exceptionally slow, there's a very good explanation...I'm pregnant. I am 17 weeks along now and am feeling great. The past 4 months have flown by with no morning sickness (thank goodness) and with little tiredness. I think I felt the baby "flutter" yesterday; not quite a kick, but a little movement. Haven't felt anything today, but I guess that's normal.

Jay and I are very excited for our new addition. We hope to find out the sex of the baby within the next few weeks. We wouldn't be able to stand not knowing. It will still be a surprise!

Happy New Year

2010-01-07T18:40:00.001-08:00

January 7, 2010

As you can see, it's been quite a while since I've written anything here. I finished off my triathlon season November 1 at the Marin County Triathlon, placing 3rd. In addition to racing, I was the assistant cross country coach at Robert Luis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach. My girls team all ran PR's at the Central Coast Section (CCS) while my boys won CCS and went on to compete at the State Championship at Woodward Park in Fresno, CA.

I started a new job...not quite 9-5, but close, at a physical therapy office here in Monterey. I work the front desk 5 days a week. It's very different from what I'm used to, but change is good, right? I've been there now for almost 2 1/2 months.

I know some of you may know that I was getting a little burned out on training and competing for tris, so I decided that I would take a year off of racing. It's nice to be a bit more flexible in my "training" now that I'm working, however, like I said before, it is quite an adjustment.

I've ridden my bike twice since November 2nd...wow, how weird is that. I've been running almost every day and I plan to start swimming again soon.

I hope to update more often, so keep your eyes peeled.

Tri-Cal TV

2009-07-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a link for a 3 minute video re-cap of the San Fransisco race at Treasure Island:

http://www.tricaltv.com/index.cfm/San_Francisco_Triathlon_at_Treasure_Island_96.htm

San Fransisco Triathlon at Treasure Island

2009-07-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 9th Annual Treasure Island Triathlon in San Fransisco, CA. The night before the race, a group of us had our usual dinner at Barney's...gourmet burgers, yummy spicy curly fries and I decided that a glass of wine sounded good as well. It was a relaxing and enjoyable dinner with friends.

Saturday morning I slept in til just past 7am and then Shoz and I took a nice walk to Peet's and Noah's. My race didn't start until noon, so we had plenty of time to take it easy. I pulled up the start list for the race and noticed that I was the oldest elite female! Too funny. I was 14 years older than the youngest elite woman. I had my motivation...Show the young ones how it's done!!

We arrived at Treasure Island just after 10am and I proceeded to the bike check-in. Because this was an ITU Pan American Cup, all elite athletes had to make sure that bikes were legal (aero bars, helmets, etc). I felt pretty relaxed going into this race. My main goal was to feel good on the run as it has been a while since I've felt "fast." My other goal was to place top 3. I did a short run warm up with a few pick ups and felt okay.

There was no pontoon dive start this year; the in water start suited me just fine! We were called out by rank (not sure what ranking system they used) but as they called my name, I turned to the crowd and waved, then swam to my start position. They held us there for maybe a minute and then the rope was lifted and the horn sounded. I was surprised to notice that all 10 women stayed pretty much together until just after the first buoy. It was a pretty good start, no one hitting or kicking; however, I did feel fingernails rake across the left side of my cheek...oops got to close to! A little stinging pain that didn't last too long. After the second buoy I was able to get a draft and stayed with the girl until we made our turn to start the 2nd loop. I was feeling good, so decided to see if I could get ahead of her. I surged and noticed there was another girl just ahead, so set my sights on her. As I rounded the 2nd bouy of the 2nd lap, I passed the other girl and found myself alone, but with clear sights on the swim exit.

Slippery steps were set in place and I crawled up the first one, which was submerged in water. I felt a bit dizzy as I ran into T1 and just hoped to regain my sense of balance.The wetsuit came off quickly as I put on the sunglasses and helmet, grabbed my bike and was out. I noticed that there were a few girls in T1 with me, but as I mounted my bike, there was no one in sight. I didn't know where I was in the scheme of things, but figured I'd find out somewhere on the one small climb; as I was going up, I'd see who the women were ahead of me and how far. I felt great heading out onto the first of 6 flat, fast loops; each consisting of 29 turns. A technical course which suits me perfectly. If you know how to corner, then you can make up some time on those who don't. Friends and family were cheering frantically for me and all i could do was smile, knowing full well that no one could out bike me! At least that was what I was telling myself. By the end of lap 1, I could see 2 girls in the lead, then a few seconds or minutes behind then another set of 2 girls and then me. Okay, lap 2, chase the closest set of girls. Just prior to the end of lap 2 I cought those girls. I'm now in 3rd. Next mission, catch the 2 leaders. I think by the last lap, one girl broke away and left the other. I was able to catch 2nd place and the two of us worked together. I knew she was a little weaker and tried to drop her a few times, but she was tough and was able to hang on. We got to the final climb and I made my move and was able to get a head of her and put a few seconds on her as I made my way to T2. I must mention, that each consecutive bike loop the wind seemed to pick up and no matter how hard I tried to keep up my cadence and speed, the wind made it difficult.

Pulling into T2, I has just a few seconds. However, a quick change to running shoes and I was out; I was apparently 30-35 seconds down on 1st place and could actually see her. I kept my eyes on her. The run course if flat as a pancake with a slight wind and 3 loops. After the first loop I had gained on first place and my goal was to catch her on the second loop at the far end turn around. A couple feet after the far end turn around on lap 2, I cought the first place girl and passed her. She was breathing heavy and I knew that she was givin it all she had. I picked up the pace and eventually I couldn't hear her anymore. The third place women looked strong and I know she was gunning for first. I only had a loop and a half to go and so picked up the pace. I came toward the turn around near the finish and everyone was cheering so loudly for me, I couldn't help but smile and keep up my pace. Only one loop to go; must hold off 2nd and 3rd place girls. Once again I rounded the far end turn around and there was a new girl in 2nd place. I didn't think she'd be able to catch me with only a mile to go, but you never know. With approximately 3/4 of a mile to go, my right hand started to cramp. I tried to relax and keep breathing, hoping that that wasn't a sign of more cramping to come. As I made the right hand turn to the straight away leading towards the finish, I glanced back to see if 2nd place had made any progress. No one is sight. I kept pressing as hard as I could go. One more glance back with about 400m to go, still no one in sight...I did it!! I ran my way into 1st place at the ITU Pan American Cup at Treasure Island!!!

One more cool item, I shared the top podium spot with the 2000 Olympics Gold medalist Simon Whitfield!

Alcatraz & San Jose Pro Challenge

2009-06-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Escape from Alcatraz, held June 14 started with a very choppy ocean swim. After jumping off the boat, I was unable to stay with the pack and within a few minutes I found myself bobbing through the swim alone. I drank mouth full after mouth full of nasty ocean water as I couldn't get into a rhythm in the swim. I must have swam futher than I would have liked to, but was glad when I reached the shore. I started the 800 meter or so run from the swim exit to T1. Sharp shooting pains in my lower abdomen restricted how fast I could run; I was just hoping that they would disappear once I was on the bike...and they did. I wasn't sure where I was in comparison to the other women, but knew that I would catch a few; at least I was hoping to!

My Felt DA TT bike fits me perfectly and is one of the best bikes I've ever owned. I feel extremely comfortable on it and was able to pass a few women. The technical and hilly course suits me. I have yet to get on a consistent training program, but thought that I could somehow ride a faster time than last year; however, that was not this case this day. I came into T2 in 7th place and headed out onto the run.

The sharp pains once again presented themselves and all I could do was to keep relaxed as best as possible and keep running. The wind had picked up slightly, but wasn't enough to pose any sort of problem. I wasn't sure who was in front of me or how far ahead they were. This run course, with it's turns, up hills and down hills, doesn't lend itself to seeing vary far ahead. I finally made it down to Baker Beach where I coud count some of the girls. I saw Jasmine O. in front of me, but I think she was just enough ahead that unless the run was longer I wasn't going to catch her.

I held on for 7th place, however my time this year was approximately 14 minutes slower than last year...partly due to the swim currents this year and also not being consistent in training and speed work.

There's always something to take home, learning wise, after a race!!

The day before alcatraz, I was reading my email and was happily surprised by an invitation to race the San Jose Pro Challenge a week after Alcatraz, June 21. I gladly accepted.

I drove up to SJ on saturday afternoon for our pro meeting. There were 7 women who would be competing. The format was what intrigued me. It started with a 40k bike TT at 7am. We started in a very small trailer, resembling the Tour de France start, except on a much smaller scale! Athletes were sent off 90 seconds apart. My goal was to catch the woman who started ahead of me. It was pretty chilly when we started, so I opted to wear my Sport Beans/NTTC cycling kit with arm warmers. The course was mostly flat with a head wind on the way out. After the turn around on Santa Teresa Blvd. the head wind turned into a really nice tail wind. There was one hill about half way through which was a welcomed change...I was able to get out of the saddle. I had no idea how fast the other women were going, I just rode as fast as I could. I never did catch the women in front of me; bummer.

After our TT we had around 4 hours to wait around. My friend and elite athlete, Kelly C. hoped on our trainers for a cool down. The amatuer athletes completed their olympic distance race prior to the elites getting ready for their second round of competition...an 800m lake swim, 2.5 mi run, 800m lake swim, 2.5 mi run. Yep, that's correct, one event right after the other!!

The elites opted to start the swim in wetsuits. The swim also began in time trial fashion with the person who had acheived the fastest bike split. Then in the order of fastest bike split to slowest, each of the male and female athletes were sent off to start their first swim. I started the swim in 5th place and was hoping to swim/run/swim/run my way into 3rd!! I felt good on the first swim. I took off my wetsuit and proceeded to quickly put my running shoes on and tuck my cap and goggles down the front of my suit! I would need these for my second swim.

The run course was 4 loops with a small gradual up hill then down the same hill, onto a bit of trail, through the finish line and around again. This multi-lapped course was nice as you could see who was in front and who was behind. After 3 laps, I was able to catch the 4th place girl. As I was completing my 4th loop, I grapped my cap from down the front of my suit and tried to run and put it on at the same time, a sight to be seen I'm sure!! As I ran into the transition area, I took off my shoes and put my goggles on and ran into the water to start my second swim, sans wetsuit. I had managed to create a 30-40 second gap between me and the 5th place girl.

However, once I hit the water and started to swim, my arms felt like bricks. I no longer had the bouancy of the wetsuit and worked hard to find my own flotation! I saw the 3rd place girl just ahead of me and I thought I was gaining on her at the first buoy. However, once I round the second buoy, she had made time on me. As I took a breath I looked back and was suprised to see someone gaining on me! With approximately 300m to go, she passed me and I was unable to hang with her! I exited the water, ran along the beach to transition and there was the girl, still getting her shoes on. I quickly put the running shoes on and threw down my cap and goggles and I and 4th place headed out for our final 2.5 mi run together. Within 6 steps I passed her and knew that she would not be able to hang.

Next goal: catch 3rd place!! Gina K. was running well and I was unable to catch her. I ended of 4th. This was such a fun format and I would love to do this again.

If you can access this album:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=9dml6snd.4tf3jdll&x=0&y=ricfoa&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button

there are more photos here

Stand up Paddle Boarding

2009-06-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Every friday night here in Monterey, a group of us get together for our FNOS (Friday Night Ocean Swim). I will admit that this year I have yet to get into the frigid waters of the Monterey Bay. To be honest, I'm so tired of being cold!

It was a warm sun-shiney day today here and the water temp could have been nice for all I know; and by nice I mean a balmy 55 degrees, but I didn't want to take a chance. So, instead of getting "in" the water, I was "on" the water, stand-up paddle boarding.

Dad has been doing it for quite some time and even made his own board. The one that I was on, however, is from Surf-tech. It is a wide board and probably around 12 feet long. Balancing on the board was no problem and I seem to have picked it up pretty quickly. What a different perspective being "on top" of the water. I even had people on shore waving to me, which of course I had to wave back!

After trying the Surf-tech board, I "graduated" to dad's home-made board. It was lighter and not as wide. It took a bit more concentration to balance on this board, but it moved through the water a lot quicker.

After triathlon training, 40 mile ride followed by an interval run workout, I'm going to meet dad for another paddle board session. Hope to have photos up tomorrow evening.

MBM to Hold 3rd Annual Practice Triathlon

2009-05-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Monterey Bay Multisport is having a practice sprint triathlon in Monterey on saturday may 23rd if anyone is interested in seeing what Triathlon is all about! We meet at the volleyball courts by the beach( window by the bay) at 9am and begin at 10. You will need a wetsuit to swim in the bay (approx 400 meters) any kind of bike to ride 10 miles on the bike path and some running shoes to run 2.5 miles on the bike path also. It is just for fun- no awards! We supply water and sport beans( Alexis is sponsored by them). Free to anyone under 18 and a $10 donation for adults to support our junior team . Please email me if you are interested in attending or helping out.

Wildflower Long Course-The Race

2009-05-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

I got down to transition just after 7am and quickly set up. I figured that there was no need for a run warm up as I just ran up the hill to my campsite and my heart rate was most likely through the roof!!

Once I was set up I checked the time, 7:20am; I had some time to take a few deep breaths and try to relax from the chaotic morning. I took my time putting on my wetsuit and walked to the water to get a nice warm up swim. It was short, but it gives me time to make sure my goggles are set and to get a feel for the water. I lined up on the start mat behind the front row. I really wasn't too concerned about not starting on the front line, I figured this was just a hard training day! The gun went off and we were in the water I quickly found an open space to the left and held my line (to the best of my weaving swimming ability) and noticed that the usual V-formation was forming. I aim for the first buoy all the while making sure I was aligning myself with the women who were now on my right side. We made the first right around the first buoy and I managed to swim around a few girls and make my way to the inside, closest to the buoys. I felt very strong and swimming felt effortless (well, at least to some degree...I guess I was relaxed)! There was a girl just ahead of me and I set my sights on her and passed her. Then I saw another girl and went for her and passed her too! Wow, passing girls on the swim...that's new for me! Once we rounded the two furthest buoy's I set my sights on yet another woman. I eventually got to her feet and let her pull me into the boat ramp finish.

I exited just behind her in a time of 26:54. Running up the boat ramp into T1, my legs and breathing were on fire! Is it just me or did that hurt??? In the past I've left my cycling shoes on the ground and just put them on in transition and then run to the bike out mount line. I do this at this race only because there in a slight incline from the mount line and I've seen girls not able to get going on their bike. This year however, I left my shoes clipped into the pedals. Not to boast or brag, but for me I had a fast T1!! I attribute that to clipping my shoes to my pedal! As I rode through the finish chute and onto the bike course, I heard people cheering and yelling for me which only encouraged me to ride faster. I had the 5th fastest swim time, but was 4th going out onto the bike (I didn't know that until this morning actually)! I felt strong and confident as I continued to ride out of the park and through the rolling hills.

dad, mom & erin post race

Friday's weather kept us cool and wet as it rained most of the day. Luckily it stopped during the night (camping in the rain isn't exactly what I wanted to experience, especially the night before the race). Saturday's weather was beautiful sun and a little cool. There didn't seem to be any wind on the bike; tail or head wind. Only the wind that I created as I rode along the country roads did I feel. It wasn't until around mile 19 or so did a woman pass me. Then somewhere in mile 22-25 did a few other women pass me. I was okay with it as they had probably put in the necessary training to be competing at this race. I kept going steadily along every once and a while glancing at my mph average. To me it looked good, around 20.8 mph or so. For where I was at with my fitness, that was fine with me...as long as it was above 20.0 mph! Ok, so looking at results, my mph says 19.97 mph...ooohhh, slow! At least for me. Ok, note to self, time to implement operation "Speed."

the kids & christina wanted their hair dyed!

I got to Nasty Grade and just kept plugging away; it's not that it's that steep or that hard, but that it comes at around mile 41. There was an age group guy just ahead of me and I keyed off of him to get me over the top. Thank goodness for the long decent as I really had to "go." What a relief it was and just in time for the last couple of miles. Just past B-Rock store on the gradual up hill, who comes flying by me like I'm standing still??? Tyler S. What a phenomenal cyclist she is. As she rides by she yells, "I was wondering when I was going to catch you." My sentiments exactly! She rides and runs herself into 4th place!! Congrats Tyler. I on the other hand can see a women up ahead and so key off of her. Not sure who it is until I catch her going down Lynch and into T2...it's Pip T. My bike time of 2:48:14 is about 6 minutes slower than my best time. But again, that's fine with me. We enter T2 together and she gets out of transition 1 second ahead of me.

It takes me close to 2 miles before I'm able to pass her. I felt pretty comfortable on the run and continued to make strides. However, by mile 4 or 5 the up hills started to get to me and I knew that it would begin to be a struggle. The flats and down hills were okay, but of course there hadn't been any hill training, so this was to be expected. I did, in the back of my mind, think I might be able to pull something out. Needless to say, I was just happy to have run entire 13.1 miles. I caught up to John D. who was nice enough to give me some encouragement to keep going and that I did. Just prior to mile 9 my friend Greg S. caught me...I was trying to hold him off as long as I could. I think this year I was able to make it a bit further before he caught me...good on ya' mate!

mom 2nd place

Ah, running down to the pit at mile 10 and then back up again...can you say ouch! There was really nothing left in the tank as I saw 2 girls running toward the turn around as I began the ascent. I gave it everything I had to keep my pace, but I knew that it would be a struggle when I felt my hands tingling and my vision getting a little blury. Around mile 11 Gina K. ran by me and I was unable to match her turn over. Ok, I've just moved from 7th place to 8th...I'm not going to let another woman pass me...I was only passed by 1 girl and that's it!! I got to the top of Lynch and it was all down hill from there. I ran as fast as my legs could go straight to the finish line! Wheww, that was the longest run I had run all year long!! No kidding.

Overall, I had a pretty good race and am happy with my 8th place result. My next race will be Alcatraz in June!

Prelude to Wildflower Triathlon '09

2009-05-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

Because of a few injuries this season, my "training" was limited to about 9 weeks. I put training in quotes because I'm not quite sure I can call it training as much as I could call it "getting back into shape." After 2 months of just swimming and lifting weights, due to my stress fractured foot,I was able to eventually put in about 7 weeks of "getting back into shape training." Then I woke up with a stiff neck that put me out for an additional 2 weeks. Of course those 2 weeks cut into the 4 weeks I had left to train for WF. So, if you do the math, I had 7 weeks to get in some sort of shape, 2 weeks off and then 2 weeks to "train" for WF!! Did I taper??? Not really, as there was nothing to taper from. I considered this first race of the season as a training race, a baseline from which I could only improve.

I arrived on thursday afternoon and after setting up camp...yep, I still LOVE to camp in a tent...no trailers or hotels for me (at least at this race). Then it was off to pass out free gelato with Avia at the gate entrance! It was such a fun time and a really great idea from Avia to hand out free gelato and visors to race participants and their families as well as showcase their new line of shoes. When I was finished here, it was off to try and relax at camp. Relax is something that this weekend didn't offer too much of as you'll soon find out!

It's hard to sleep in when you're camping, so friday I awoke around 7am and tried to take my time eating breaki and sipping coffee. My sister Erin and I headed out for a short ride followed by an even shorter run! Erin will be competing in her first WF long course on saturday along with our mom. I met up with Rachel C. and the two of us decided to go for a swim and loosen up. The water felt great. Not sure how far we swam as we did more talking than swimming!

Friday afternoon I was once again handing out Avia gelato and then it was time for our pro meeting. I had picked up my race packet just prior to the meeting and although I had not received my new elite license from USAT, I was told that I could fill out a one day and so I did. I had emailed USAT prior to leaving for the lake asking if I needed a copy/proof of my renewal. I had mailed it in just shy of 2 weeks prior to WF thinking it would get there in time.

At 8pm friday evening 2 USAT officials find me at my campsite finishing dinner. They proceed to tell me that they gave me the wrong information in regards to filling out the one day license...that is only for foreign pros. I must show proof that I had renewed. I told them that I had emailed USAT prior to arriving and that I had not received a response. Luckily there was internet access, so I checked my email and had a reply from USAT...my paperwork had not arrived yet, so so renewal yet and my license was not valid. Next step, talk to the head USAT official. Shoz went with me and we tried to speak to the official who was a stickler for the rules. He was quite abrubt. We tried calling USAT but all we could do was leave messages. I wrote an email to USAT at 8:15pm asking if I am eligible to race and if she could call or reply to me or the head official.

I pretty much broke down after that and figured that I would not be racing the next day. There was nothing to do except wait and see if there would be a reply in my inbox race morning. I didn't do anything as far as race prep that night as I was still quite angry. I woke at 5:45am saturday morning and went straight to check my email. There was a reply. As long as the head official was okay with me racing than that would be fine. Another pro women was going through the same thing. She even received the same email as me! We proceeded to track down the head official and report in to him. He said if we filled out the pro license form and paid the fee (again) that he'd allow us to race. We went back to the computer, I printed out 2 forms and we filled them out then went to find the head official in the transition area, give him our forms and luckily he said we could race. I ran/walked back up the hill to my campsite and asked everyone there for their help in getting me race ready. At this point it was 6:30am and I had yet to eat breakfast, drink coffee, put race numbers on, etc. Thanks to mom, dad and my sis Erin, they got me ready in about 25 minutes and I was then off to transition to set up!

Not knowing if you're able to race until an hour and a half before the race is extremely stressful! I dont' want to feel like that again!

Training???

2009-04-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

So far this year has thrown a few curve balls at me, but I remain optomistic in my quest for fitness. Yep, right now that's all I'm working towards. With only 8 1/2 weeks of training under my belt, I am going into my first race of the season, Wildflower, in just over a week. Not quite sure how competitive I'll be but I know that I do want to feel good during the event.

I've had some good training days, a few weeks ago and PLENTY of rest, no speed work, my longst run is 12 miles and that was accomplished at an extremely slow pace about a month ago!! I wouldn't recommend going into a half IM with the above mentioned training plan, but it's hard for me to say no to WF; a race that I've competed at consecutively since 1996.

Race Plan: Have fun and enjoy the day. Do the best that I can do with the "training" that I've put in.

Hair Color for the weekend: Hmmm, it wont be pink...can you guess what color???

Camping or Trailer or Hotel: no brainer...we always camp!

I'll be at WF all weekend, come say hello!

Torti...what???

2009-04-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's 2am thursday March 26th and I wake up to this horrible pain in my neck. It's stiff and sore and it's hard to turn my head. I eventually fall back asleep but when I wake up to get up, it's really sore. Ok, first thing, no training today; guess I need to take a day off. It's actually been a few weeks as I was enjoying getting back into training after taking 2 months off.

Friday, my neck pain is even worse; an extremely painful sternocleidomastoid muscle had seized on me. The muscle was so tight that even a light touch to the area elicited pain. By 7:20pm, mom and dad called to check in on me and when they found out how much pain I was in, they suggested I head up to the ER. After looking in their medical books and looking up my symptoms, torticollis (stiff neck) seemed to be correct, but the possibility of meningitis (Inflammation of the meninges of the brain and the spinal cord, most often caused by a bacterial or viral infection and characterized by fever, vomiting, intense headache, and stiff neck).
I had vomited a few times, couldn't eat but really didn't have a headache (thank goodness) and wasn't sure about a fever. Best bet to be safe was to have the ER doctor check for sure.

I signed in at 7:50pm friday night and after the triage nurse took my information, the waiting game began. I was finally admitted into a bed and Dr. Harris checked me out...torticollis, for sure. Whewww, didn't want to be diagnosed with meningitis! Dr. Harris was just going to give me a script for some valium & percocet and recommended that I take 600mg of Advil!!! I don't think I've taken 600mg of Advil in an entire year let alone a few times per day AND with the other meds! OMG!! But, at that point I didn't care, I was in so much pain and if it was going to reduce it, I'd take it. After a few minutes though, Dr. Harris returned and asked if I'd like an IV of the above mentioned medications to knock me out..."YES" I said. So, out he goes and a few minutes later a nurse comes in and sticks a needle in me and before I know it I'm O.U.T.!!! Jay tells me later that I was out for about an hour or so and every so often the doctor would come in to check on me and he and Jay and my folks would ask me questions and I'd respond or I'd just correct them if they had the facts wrong...wish I had that on video!! Apparently, even when I'm knocked out I like to correct people! Eventually, in my groggy state they wheel-chair me out to the car and off I go...it's now midnight!!

Thank goodness dad's a Chiropractor, but when my neck is so stiff, the adjustment (at the moment) hurt. But a few hours later the overall pain in my neck had decreased...thanks dad! I have always wanted to try accupuncture and it turns out this was an opportune time. Jay reminded me that my aunt's friend is an accupuncturist and so I called Aunt Denise and right away Bob at Happy Toro Clinic was able to see me Monday at 8pm.

It was a cool experience and I have the pictures to prove the needles as well as the cupping (Cupping is another type of treatment. This is a method of stimulating acupuncture points by applying suction through a metal, wood or glass jar, in which a partial vacuum has been created. This technique produces blood congestion at the site, and therefore stimulates it. Cupping is used for low backache, sprains, soft tissue injuries). I was at the Happy Toro Clinic for 2 hours that night and Bob said if I wasn't so tired (meds) that he'd work on my for another hour!! I went back a few days later for another treatment that seemed to help again.

Between the meds, the Chiropractor and the Accupuncture, my neck is healing. It was locked for over a week, so it might take just as long to unlock it, but it's getting better thanks to everyone, including my husband Jay who has lost just about as much of sleep as I have over this past week and a half!

Volunteers Needed

2009-03-25T15:11:00.001-07:00

I am in need of some volunteers to help out at the VIP Tent for this year's Sea Otter Classic Bicycle weekend in Laguna Seca, Monterey. It's a fun event to help out with as we have the BEST volunteering station. I am this year's volunteer coordinator and we are looking for people to help set up and tear down (Tuesday April 14th & Sunday April 18th) as well as people to do bridge patrol, bussing and front door duties. We are the ones that will let VIP onto the island for breakfast and lunch in our tent and outside catered food area! Volunteers will receive complimentary entry into SOC, yummy catered food and time to wander around the venue.

If you are able to help for a few hours, please let me know. Again, the dates are April 14-April 18th.

Thanks!

Team Sport Beans/NTTC

2009-03-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

I recently went up to Fairfield for our Team Sport Beans/NTTC camp. This will be my
3rd year on the team and I'm looking forward to another great season. There are four returining athletes, including myself, and four newbies. It was a great weekend of getting to know the new team mates, connecting with those we haven't seen in a while and of course hangin' with our peeps at the Jelly Belly Factory!! If you have never been to the factory, I highly recommend it; even if you don't have kids! My aunt went up there last year for a tour and LOVED it!!

She raves about it all the time.

Our team camp began thursday evening with a team dinner. After dinner, however, the plans started with what workouts we'd have time for tomorrow morning!! It's always a tight fit working in training while taking care of other business at the factory, but we always manage. I knew that there would be no cycling for 3 days, so I put in a rather large week prior to going up to Fairfield. Swimming, running and lifting were on the schedule for this weekend.

Friday was an early morning and we headed off to the YMCA pool where we swam last year. We arrived at 6:15am and to our dismay, the YMCA was dark...where was everyone??? No signs posted, no lights, no people, no cars in the parking lot, hmmm. What was going on. Apparently, the Y was closed...for good, we found out when we got back to our hotel. So, we were flexibe with our schedule. A quick change into running clothes and I met Brad S., Ben H. & Daniel B. in the lobby for an hour run! It was a rather hilly run (the most hills I've run since, ummm, last year??? Yep, that sounds about right! Beautiful rolling hills on a golf course as the moon was still in the sky and the fog that had yet to burn off! I wish I had my camera with me.

The rest of friday was spent in a conference room listening to the marketing director speak about Jelly Belly & Sport Beans, going over "how to interview" protocols, lunch (Mmmmm) at the factory and photo shoot!

Friday evening we went out to dinner with our team, casual and within walking distance of our hotel.

Saturday was another early morning run, this time with the girls, Lauren J., Jessica J. & Leah D. We ran an hour and a half (my longest run) around the same hilly golf course...needless to say I was happy when we were finished as I was getting pretty sore the last bit of that run! It was nice to run with a group of girls and thanks to Lauren for hangin' in the back with me. Still just trying to get my running legs back in endurance shape!

After our run, we headed over to 24 Hour Fitness, where by the graciousness of the manager there, we paid our way in Sport Beans and Jelly Belly's!!! What a sight to see, the three of us, Jessica with her amazingly muscular arms, me with my pink, plumb, turquoise, orange and red hair and Leah, your girl next door, walking in together! I wish I had a head cam to show you how many stares we got! It was hilarious!! We proceeded to lift weights, all of us pretty much on our own routine; only sometimes working in with each other or one of us showing the others a "new move." After lifting, we had just enough time to squeeze in about a 1000yds. swimming. It was nice to float a little in the water and then it was back to our hotel and then off to 2 wineries and dinner in Napa!

Sunday morning found us back at 24 Hour Fitness for another easy swim.

It was a great weekend and thanks to Mark W. our team director and Tammie G., Stephanie S. & Rob S. from Jelly Belly!!

Back at It

2009-03-23T17:56:00.001-07:00

Me & some of my new Sport Beans/NTTC team mates at our Team Camp in Fairfield, CA
Jelly Belly Factory

After 2 months of no cycling or running, I'm back at! What a sense of renewed energy and excitement. I've been feeling very good lately and although I don't quite have my speed back, I'm at least able to go the distance. I'm sure the speed will come along shortly as I have implemented a once weekly track workout into my run schedule. It's funny, however, as my mind knows it can and wants to run faster, but my body says otherwise! Each week I feel stronger and a wee bit faster! I'm still lifting weights twice a week and since my friend Claudia and I have started working on pull-ups, I'm not up to 8 of them in the first set and 6 or 7 in the second set!! I started doing 3. It's nice adding some new things to my same 'ol repertoire; the body likes change!

My first race will be Wildflower on May 2nd. I'm going in to it with no expectations except to feel good the entire way.

I'm really working my cycling as I feel that is my limiter during these longer events and it's nice to see I'm improving. I look forward to a few more intense weeks of training (it's all relative!) before WF.

My First Run

2009-02-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

It has been 2 months since I've ran. A little more if you count the few days of not running prior to wearing the walking boot. It was a gorgeous February day here in Monterey; a perfect day for a "perfect" run! I began with a mile and a half around the track to warm up. My friend Claudia met me at the track for my inaugural run.

We ran one and a half miles around the track; 3 laps in one direction and then 3 in the opposite direction! My foot felt fine, however it was a little stiff from being in the boot for so many weeks. I tried to run normally, but I did feel a bit lop-sided. It was a SLOW run!! I know, I know, I'm supposed to take it easy and I did...9 minutes for a mile!

It was so nice to be able to run again though and am looking forward to being able to run consective days! I'll run again on wednesday and see how it goes.

Maybe I'll have Claudia take some photos...not like you haven't seen me run, but this way I can see my progress.

Tomorrow I'll get on the bike and hope for another amazing day!

Natural Products

2009-01-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

A few years back I was searching online for natural products, oils, homeopathy, lotions, etc. when I came across a website, www.iherb.com. I bought a few items and really liked them. It had been about 2 years since I visited the sight again, but just recently I bought more items from them. They have great prices and a wide variety of natural products. I'm not sponsored by them, but I do like what they have to offer, so please check them out.

If you decide to buy from them, here's a coupon code for a $5 disount LEX332.

My First Outdoor Bike Ride

2009-01-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

The swelling on my foot has been decreasing and so I decided to venture out on my road bike for a test spin. I decided to take my stress fracture recovery extremely conservatively, so I decided not only to not run (duh) but to not ride outside either. I have, however, been riding the stationary bike indoors at the gym with my boot on (take a look at previous photos).

It was a bit chilly yesterday morning when I headed out to meet my good friend Claudia. We road along the rec trail towards Lover's Pt. and into Pebble Beach. At Bird Rock we turned around and headed home...it was only a 22 mile ride, but it felt great to be outdoors with the wind in my face! I felt strong on the bike, thank goodness, but the wind on the way back was horrible! I forgot what that feels like.

The swelling wasn't any different after I returned home than what it was when i left, so that was a good sign.

Today, however, I woke up at 2am with a scratchy throat...so, I think I will just go for a walk today with Jay and Sprocket. It's a beautiful sunshiny day~!

Jello-Arms

2009-01-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

Has this ever happened to you? You have one great swim workout after another and then it hits...jello arms. You get in the pool and you know instantly that todays workout just isn't going to be like the others. Your stroke feels off, you try harder, you try relaxing, you try adjusting your stoke...nothing. Today, you'll just float and enjoy being out in the sunshine.

For three days in a row I felt like this. I had been having GREAT swim workouts and then I got in this past thursday and I don't think I moved forward! Anything on the 1:30 base is VERY comfortable and when I can't make a 100 on the 1:40 or 1:45, I know I'm exhausted! My mind wanted to work, but the body made it very clear that it wasn't going to happen. I knew this feeling would pass and today (finally) I felt better. I think within the next few days I'll be back to feeling GOOD in the water.

I've had some people ask about my foot. And I had ultrasound on it monday and there was no pain...yippie. However, there is still some swelling around my toes. It's already been 6 weeks of wearing the boot, but I'm going to wear it another week and then reasses. I'd rather take care of this now; even if it's another 2 weeks in the boot, it's better to be safe than sorry.

After Birthday Breakfast

2009-01-19T17:38:00.001-08:00

Sunday morning found Jay and I waking up at 9am!!

The sun was shinning and it was going to be a super day. We made a yummie breakfast burrito consisting of eggs, veggies and chicken.

We set up our camping chairs in the front yard and enjoyed the sun!

What a glorious way to start the day.

My Birthday

2009-01-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

As my friend and client said, now that I'm 34, I've hit my mid-30's...yikes!!

I had a low key potluck on saturday night with a few friends and family members.

We're having such beautiful warm weather lately (70's or so) which is unusual for January, but I'm not complaining.

So, I wanted an outside candle lit and tiki torch dinner, but after the sun goes down, it's get mighty chilly and we migrated inside our small shack!

It was a nice birthday!

Das Boot

2009-01-19T17:01:00.000-08:00

My foot underwent ultrasound today and....there was no pain!! It's been 6 weeks now that I've been wearing the walking boot and although my foot feels good, there is still some swelling around my toes. So, to be safe, I've decided to keep the boot on for another week and then reasses it. The swelling has decreased quite a lot, but there is still some residual effects.

Stationary Cycling

2009-01-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2009

Although it's boring, I've been getting on the stationary bikes at the gym for an easy spin of 20 minutes to 1 hour (that's about all I can handle, even with the ipod).

It's been so nice here, around 70 degrees, which is quite unusual for January and there's nothing better than riding and running outdoors; unfortunately, I'm stuck inside for my "ride" and weight lifting regimen, but I'm enjoying our outdoor pool!

I'm swimming about 5 days per week and averaging about 4900 yds. per day; for me, that's pretty darn good! I feel I'm getting stronger and I hope that the cycling and running will come along quickly. I'll be able to take off my boot next week, but will take it fairly easy, maybe only running 1 mile on the treadmill the day I take off my boot. I want to make sure that I'm completey healed before going crazy with training.

My first race of the season will be Wildflower in May. I opted not to compete in any earlier races as this will give me plenty of time to get into race shape!

2009

2009-01-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

So this is belated, but Happy New Year!! I can't believe it's already 2009. What happened??? Well, I've been nursing a bit of an injury...and for those of you who know me, I don't get injured, but after having a swollen foot for 8 months and not knowing what was wrong (of course I knew something was wrong, but I didn't have pain) I kept racing and training on it. I found out a few days after Thanksgiving that I had a slight stress fracture in my left foot and have been in a walking boot since. I have about another week or so until I can start running and cycling again.

This has been a good thing as this is the longest break I've taken from training in over 14 or 15 years! Even though I haven't been able to ride outdoors or run I have been water running and swimming a lot (pushing off with only one foot, makes for a bit of a challenging flip turn)! In addition, I've been lifting weights three times per week and have recently started cycling on an indoor gym trainer. It's actually nice to do something different, even though it's sort of the same thing.

I was bummed that I had to pull out of the Napa Valley Marathon, but there's always next year.

I have decided to race this year (I was seriously thinking about taking this year off) and have signed on with Team Sport Beans/NTTC for my 3rd year with them. I'm looking forward to racing some different races this year, however I will be returning to the Tri-Cal Series to defend my title.

During this time off from training, I have been able to put forth more time into organizing my home as well as the coaching business.

I'm looking forward to a great 2009 and hope you are too!

Monterey Bay Multisport

2009-01-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

Alexis and I are pleased to invite you to join the 2009 Monterey Bay Multisport High Performance Triathlon Team for 2009!! Alexis has worked very hard to update our website(www.montereybaymultisport.com) to provide you with all the upcoming 2009 information as well as events that happened in 2008. We have included links to the USAT National site relevant to our junior team members and parents. With my position at USAT as one of the 3 National Camp directors, we were able to include all the information on the 2 USAT Skills camps in our region in june and july also.

We have made some changes to our business for the upcoming season that we believe will benefit all of you. We have added an extra weekend workout each month( total of 2 sundays per month), added some new locations, as well as keeping our weekly track/transition workout on weds eves( at MPC) and the open water swims on friday eves beginning in april. The 2009 season fees have remained the same as 2008! Alexis is going to be the contact person and head coach of the ADULT group and Sharon is going to be the contact person and head coach for the JUNIOR group. As always, we will meet together for our workouts and events!! We have a complete calendar of all the planned workouts beginning in Feb. We have compiled a list of team events/races also. Wildflower will be our 1st Team Race!! If you have not registered for one of the races at Wildflower, you can go to www.tricalifornia.com. Be sure to pay for the appropriate number of camp nights you plan to stay. MBM will have a special site for a team campsite, but you must pay online to be able to get in on race weekend.

Information for the 2009 MBM Adult and Junior teams can be found at www.montereybaymultisport.com. These documents can be downloaded and mailed back to us. Please fill in the athlete information sheets( detailed as possible), include the first payment( $200 per junior member, $300 per adult member) check written to MBM and snail mail the registration paperwork and waiver to:
Adult Team members- Alexis Smith- 866 Lomita St, Monterey, CA 93940
Junior Team members- Sharon Osgood- 26120 Zdan Rd, Carmel Valley, CA 93924

Please feel free to call or email us if you have any questions! If you know other athletes that may be interested in our team, please pass on this information.

We have partnered with Fleetfeet Sports in Monterey to offer a lecture series on the 2nd Tues of each month from 6-7:30PM. Fleetfeet Sports is offering a special deal if you sign up for all 8 lectures- $75 ( includes a $25 off discount from the store). I have listed the lecture subjects below-

Lecture Series at Fleetfeet MTY 6 PM-7:30PM call 372-5664 to register

Cost for the entire 8 session series - $75
Drop-in fee $15 per session.

*Sign up for an entire session and receive a coupon for $25 good at Fleet Feet Sports Monterey on any purchase over $100.

February 10th – Goal Setting
March 10th – Water Running & Injuries
April 14th – Using Imagery to improve fitness
May 12th – Race Preparation for extreme climates (heat or cold)
June 9th – Parent/Kids Coaching (What’s Right For Your Child)
July 14th -Safety for Outdoor Exercise
August 11th -Swim tips for Open Water
September 8- How to enjoy the offseason and stay fit

Big Sur 1/2 Marathon

2008-12-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2008
Monterey, CA

I raced yesterday at the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island and after the awards ceremony Jay and I drove home to get ready for an early morning race! I was up around 5am this morning, had my coffee and oatmeal and eventually made my warm up run down to the start of the 1/2 marathon which is about a mile away...so convienent. I was feeling pretty good considering the race yesterday and was ready to end the season with back to back races!

There were quite a few elite runners and I was fortunate enough to be able to start with then in the first corral...yes, it does sound like we're cattle! I had a time goal for myself that I thought was realistic and attainable.

The day started out a bit chilly and I decided to wear some capri tights and a sports bra. This proved to be a good idea and it did sprinkle a bit, but the pouring rain did come...after I finished! I felt good as we started the race and noticed that by the time I got to the 10k mark, I was on a faster pace than I ran the 10k in the previous day! I was able to pass two of the elite runners which bumped me into 9th place. I stayed here til the finish and was pleased that I did hit my time goal of 1 hr. 23 minutes and some change!! Pretty nice way to end the season, back to back races!

The best part about this course is that we run through the tunnel which is normally off limits to pedestrains and cyclists. As we ran through the tunnel on the way out, there was a bag piper playing which echoed through the damp tunnel. There were many other musicians along the water front of ocean view blvd, like the awesome drummers!

Ok, the season is over and I can take some time off. YEAH!!

San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island

2008-11-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2008
The last triathlon of the season. We had our usual pre-race meeting the night before the race and because this was an ITU continental cup, there were a few things that would be different than normal on race day...the biggest thing was that there would be a pontoon in place in the water that we would have to dive off of! I think the last time I dove for a race was back in 2004!! I hadn't worked on dive starts in a few years and even when I was working on them, diving in a triathlon wasn't my forte! I didn't think too much of it for the rest of the evening, but the next day (race day) I saw Julie Ertel and her husband in the hotel and asked if we had a dive start. She said she thought so. Great!

I was fairly relaxed race morning. Jay and I took our time waking up as my race didn't start until noon and we didn't leave the hotel until 9am. We got our usual Peets coffee and Noah's bagels and relaxed in our room.

We arrived on Treasure Island around 10am. I was the first one in transition...eager-beaver that I am! I did a short ride warm up and then went to check my bike in; another ITU protocol...making sure that I have draft-legal aerobars. I racked my bike again and got ready for a run with Kelly Couch. We had a nice warm up run together.

It was time to line up on the pontoon and I thought I chose a good spot. I was a bit nervous to dive, but figured the pontoon wasn't that high above the water, so I could do it! The gun went off and I dove in. I swam only a few strokes but noticed that my right goggle had filled with water. I wear contacts and the last thing I needed was to loose a contact in the race. I made a quick decision to stop briefly and empty the water-loged goggle. I didn't loose too much ground (water) and then decided to change positions; I took a diagonal line that I thought would be closer to the buoy (Mark, from NTTC said he saw someone swimming eratically). I finally felt like I was in a good position and was able to draft off of the women in front of me. The swim consisted on 2 loops in what usually is cold bay water, however this year, the water temp was probably aroun 56 or 57 which is about 2 or 3 degrees warmer than usual, which made for a huge difference! I stayed with a pack of about 6 or so women and we exited the water all within a second or so of each other. My time was 21:12.
I was the 3rd women in my group to exit T1 and just a second or two ahead of me was Jillian Petersen. I knew that I needed to stay with Jullian on the bike if I wanted to have any chance of getting with the leaders. I knew it was going to be a hard couple of miles at least in the beginning.

It took probably 3 laps or so before we were able to catch Julie E. and we all worked pretty well together except for one Canadian girl who I believed pulled once in the 6 laps! Just prior to the 5th lap we caught the first women, Sarah Groff. We were now one pack with a few women who were shelled off the back or who were off the back from the swim. I wanted to be in a good position coming in to T2 so I tried to get into the front of the pack just prior to dismounting the bike. My bike split was 1:05:38.
I had a difficult time getting my run shoes on and by the time I headed out onto the run I was already in 5th place. I saw Jillian just ahead and thought that I could catch her. My legs felt very heavy and i saw that Jillian and another girl were pulling away. I wanted to make sure that I had a good lead on who ever was behind me. The only person that I was wondering about was Kelly C. because she was just ahead of me in the Tri Cal Pro Series. If I could place ahead of her in the race I'd placed 1st in the Tri-Cal Series.

The run was three loops on the island. It was as flat as it could get and I ran as hard as I could. Toward the end with about 400 meters to go, I was catching up to Jillian, but I ran out of real estate! I held my position and placed 5th and won the Tri-Cal Series for the 4th time!

Triathlon Clinic to be held at San Jose State University

2008-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome novice, veteran and all those in between triathletes. Whetheryou are training for your first tri or your 5th Ironman, please comeand join us for a day long triathlon training session which will focusprimarily on skill development, progressions and techniques in all 4of the disciplines, swimming, biking, running and transitions.Workouts will take place at San Jose State University. We will haveaccess to the entire 60M pool and will have an underwater camera onhand to analyze your stroke mechanics with you. All training sessionswill include full workouts. The expert coach to athlete ratio will besmall providing you with personalized, directed feedback. If you haveany questions about the training day, please feel free to contact jay at jayanthonyjohnson@gmail.com

Please RSVP before November 21st to reserve your spot

The training day is Sunday November 23rd starting at 9:30 and ending at approximately 3:30pm.
The cost to SJSU triathletes is free
SJSU alumni $25
Community members $50

Alexis Smith (formerly Waddel), B.Sc., M.A. –in progress- completedher first triathlon at age 9. A pro since 2001, she races well at all distances. She placed 13th in the 2004 Olympic Trials, took 5th atthe Ironman USA National Championship in Lake Placid, NY in 2005 whereshe qualified and competed in the Ironman World Championships in Kona,Hawaii. Competing in Kona was a dream of hers since she saw herparents compete there in 1986, when she was 12 years old. In 2007,her first year with Team Sport Beans/NTTC, Alexis won the prestigious Tri-California Pro Series (she also won the series in 2004,2008). In 2008,she placed 5th at Vineman 70.3, 2nd at Pacific Grove Triathlon and 2nd at Tinley's Triathlon.In addition to competing, Alexis co-owns Monterey Bay Multisport, a coaching business. She has worked numerous camps and clinics for adults and children for over 10 years, is a guest speaker at high schools and triathlon clubs and volunteers for Sea Otter Classic Cycling Event and the Big Sur Trail Marathon. Alexis has a B.S. in Kinesiology from San Diego State University, is a USA Triathlon Level II (Expert) Coach and is currently attending San Jose State University, pursing a Master's degree in Kinesiology, Sport Psychology.
http://alexisnwaddel.blogspot.com
www.montereybaymultisport.com

Dr. Jay Johnson (B.A., B.Ed., M.Sc., PHD.) originally from Canada now an Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department at San Jose State University, continues to be an active participant in the triathlon and running communities and has been a member of both the Canadian national age group triathlon and duathlon teams. In addition to co-founding and coaching the University of Toronto triathlon club, and more recently the triathlon club at San Jose State University, he coached the middle distance running team at SJSU. jay has coached all level of triathletes including children, juniors and Ironman competitors. He is NCCP Level 1 certified in triathlon in addition to several other sports, a Triathlon Master Learning Facilitator for Competition Introduction for Triathlon Canada, responsible for facilitating, instructing and certifying coaches triathlon coaches in Canada. He has been the FISU (The International University Sports Federation) Team Manager and assistant manager for the games in Nanao,Japan and Erdek, Turkey, as well as the head coach for the OAT(Ontario Association of Triathletes) Kids of Steel camps in 2006, 2007 and 2008, responsible for the development, implementation and coaching of the week long camps. Jay was also an assistant coach to Mr. Craig Taylor, the Ontario Provincial Development Coach, working closely with him for two years with the provincial Junior triathletes coordinating,coaching and running training days and camps in both Canada andArizona.

Tinley's Toughest Triathlon 2008

2008-10-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

October 4, 2008

I woke up saturday morning to a slight sprinkle of rain but it wasn't cold outside; the humidity from the rain would make the air temp a bit more bearable during the race. Of course within a few minutes, the rain started to fall harder and as we were camping, we hurried to get up a canopy so that we could stay somewhat sheltered and dry! Besides Wildflower, this is the only other race that Jay, Sprocket and I camp at. We also look forward to this race as it's a great low key environment.

Before I continue with race day information, let me back up one night; Friday. There were a few of us that had decided to race and camp (like we always do) but unfortunately, no one thought to bring firewood! Well, we can't camp without a fire in the evening, so Matt H. and I and the Brigantino boys trasped around our campsite looking for branches, wood, paper plates, anything that we could throw into the fire pit in hopes of starting a small fire to keep us warm friday evening. We were successful in our efforts and before long we got a small fire started. Quite a few of us racers/campers sat around the fire talking and relaxing before our race they next day. Soon, it was time for bed and the fire was dying out.

So, back to saturday morning and setting up transition in slighty soggy conditions and then trying to get into your wetsuit when you are already wet made for some laughs! I had some time to do a short warm up swim and then pulled myself up onto the dock to wait until our wave started. I felt a sharp pain in my heel as I was walking along the start ramp, so sat down to see if I could find the source. Nothing. Our wave was starting in only a few minutes, so I hoped that I wouldn't feel the sharp pain in my heel during the race (I thought I might have gotten a spinter from walking on the dock). The gun went off and we started our swim. At this race the female and male pros begin together. I took it relatively easy (or so I thought) and was able to find a clear space to swim. A large group of us rounded the first buoy and I was surprised at how at ease I was. I had no idea where I was in the scheme of things so I kept it steady. I could see a pack just ahead of me by the time we got to the 2nd bouy and although I tried to catch them, the few seconds that there were ahead were just enough for me not to. Upon the finish of the first loop, athletes must run around one leg of the omni structure and then return for the second and final loop. The boat ramp is usually slimy and slippery and this year was no exception; I took it pretty easy as not to slip and as I ran around the omni, I could hear the announcer saying that I was in the lead of the women's race! I have led a few swims (albeit in sprint distances) but this was the first for an olympic distance race! Jillian P. was just behind me and I figured as long as I could stay in front I'd be okay. When we got to the second buoy, there were so many athletes that I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to try an lose Jillian. I took the outside turn while Jillian managed to take the inside turn and just like that, I found myself behind her and trying to catch her feet. My plan didn't work as I thought it would have and now I had to work harder to try and catch her. Within a few seconds I was on her feet and let her pull the rest of the way. I knew that to get prem points I'd have to cross the timing mat first. Eventhough Jillian stood up and took the first step out of the water, I ran my hardest up the boat ramp and crossed the mat first! This is the first time that I've received prem points for a swim!

I was out of T1 just behind Jillian as I had some issues trying to get my wetsuit off. I felt good heading out onto the bike and had my sights on Jillian. She had slowed to put her feet into her shoes and I rode past her. But before we got to the dam bridge she flew by me like I was standing still! I kept her in my sights for as long as I could; until the roads started to twist and turn. It wasn't until the turn around that I was able to see how far back I was (about a minute and forty) from Jillian and how far ahead I was from Kelly C. I rode strong through the up and down hills of these country roads in San Luis Obispo until I came into T2. I started the run on a mission to catch Jillian and to keep away from Kelly! I was able to make about 10 seconds on Jillian and held the same distance from Kelly after the first loop. The run is quite hilly and eventhough I had worked on hills in my training, I didn't quite have it today. I placed 2nd, but was happy with my performance.

My next race will be the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island on November 8th.

Poker Ride Recap

2008-09-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Poker Ride Recap

The 2nd Annual Poker Ride was held this morning at Chamisal. The riders left the semi-foggy staging area (aka the upper parking lot) at around 8:30am and rode an extremely hilly course of either 25 or 50 miles. Word was that it was sunny and a bit windy out there. Participants picked up a playing card at each aid station and who ever had the best poker hand at the end won $100. Our lucky winner was Vera N. who so graciously declined to take her winnings and instead donated it to the junior team! Thank you so much Vera. Our grand prize raffle winner of a two night stay at a family cabin in Squaw Valley goes to Russell Newton. Congratulations, we will be calling you with all the details!

We hope that all of our riders had a fun morning. On behalf of the junior team and MBM thank you very much for supporting the kids. Pictures from the day are now up in the Albums section at www.montereybaymultisport.com.

Volunteers Needed for Big Sur Trail Run

2008-09-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

My father is the volunteer coordinator for the Big Sur Trail Marathon and 1/2 Marathon and is in need of some volunteers. Please see below for more information and ways to get a hold of him.

Thanks,

Oct 5th - 8am to 2pm - Andrew Molera to Bixby Bridge on Old Coast Hwy.I need volunteers. Everyone interested get in touch with me. It's aBEAUTIFUL volunteer position!
Les

Maximum Health Chiropractic
and DOC WADDEL Surfboards
Dr. Les Waddel
425 Orange Ave.
Sand City, Ca 93955
1-800-871-7970
www.docwaddel. com

Pinky Went Orange at Pacific Grove Triathlon

2008-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

September 13, 2008
Pacific Grove, CA

It's hard to believe that this was my 12th year racing the Pacific Grove Triathlon! There were only 2 years that I hadn't competed, the first in 1995 as I was more into running on the cross country team for San Diego State University and the the second in 1999 when I was on the U.S. National team (as an amatuer) competing in the Triathlon World Championships in Montreal, Canada.

I train on this course at least a few times per week not because I'm thinking about getting ready for this race, but because it's where group rides go, runs with my dog Sprocket head this way and of course our Friday Night Open Water swims at Lover's Point are.

A few days leading up to the race I started to get nervous...those little butterflies had awoke and were starting to wreck havoc. Why was I so nervous? I've raced and trained here for so long? I think that it was because it's been a while since I've raced an olympic distance.

My new sponsor Avia set up a great promotion...Pinky Goes Orange! I dyed my hair in honor of the Avia color orange and in return Avia handed out orange wigs at their booth as well as in the transition area; for any athlete that wore an orange wig across the finish line, a prize was given. Prizes ranged from transition bags, to shoes to Avia kits! It was so great to see so many people running with the orange wigs on! What a great way to not only race hard, but have a good time doing it! Thank you Avia, it's great to be on board!!

My race didn't start until 12:10pm, so I had plenty of time to cheer on friends and family (my younger sister Erin raced) before I started. Our horn went off to signify our start and the 6 women professionals (yep, there were only 6 of us!) ran into the chilly water of Lover's Point. I felt good and pushed hard so that I was leading the race for a brief moment. We entered the kelp quickly as we swam toward the first turn buoy. As we rounded the buoy I dropped back a few places and decided to draft. I didn't feel as relaxed as I thought I would and as much as I thought I could have lead the entire swim, I found myself in 4th position, drafting off of the girl in front of me. After swimming one loop we must get out of the water, run around a large rock embedded in the sand and make our way back into the water for the final loop. I felt heavy running around the rock, but managed to get into 3rd position for a while, before again dropping back to 4th place. It's hard to tell where the other 2 women behind us where, but it seemed as though we had a bit of a gap on them. I exited the water in 4th position; the 3 girls ahead of me were only seconds ahead and we did enter T1 at about the same time.

On the bike, the 4 of us quickly got organized and the 4 loops that made up the 24.8 miles began. The wind had blown some of the clouds away, which gave way to the sun as well as the wind that we encountered on the way out, towards Asilomar. The 4 of us worked extremely well together as we each took our turn at the front, pulling for as long as we could and giving the rest of the girls a turn out of the wind. I knew that Jillian and Annie could run but wasn't sure about Becky W-H, but I tried attacking on several occasions to see if I could get away, but every time I attacked, the girls where able to get back on. At least I could try to wear down their legs for the run!!

I really was impressed at how well the 4 of us worked together as each of us took our turn and no one slacked or made complaints that they couldn't work. It truely was one of the best rides (in a draft legal race) that I have ever done and I thanked each of the girls afterwards. Working together like we did rarely happens, but when it does we all benefit from working together and giving it our best...so Jillian, Annie and Becky, if you read this, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR MAKING THE BIKE PORTION EXCITING, DIFFICULT AND REWARDING!!

I tried one last break just prior to heading into T2. I thought Jillian, Becky and I had made a slight break from Annie, but once in transition, I saw Annie head out onto the run first, with Becky second and me in 3rd. Within a few seconds or so I was able to pass Becky and had my sights set on Annie. Of course it wasn't long before Jillian passed me and then proceeded to pass Annie, putting herself in 1st place as we headed out on our first loop. I kept pressing and was finally able to catch Annie after the first turn-around as the road started a to slightly increase in elevation...a false flat up hill (which hurt just as much as a true up hill). I now found myself in 2nd place and I could see Jillian up ahead. I had my sights set on her and was doing everything I could to catch her. I had a slight side ache and could feel the liquid that I drank during the ride sloshing inside my stomach. I'm sure all of us felt some sort of ache and tried to push through it...no excuses, that's what racing is all about. Finishing loop 1 I was gaining on Jillian and tried to push even harder on the second loop. I kept thinking positive thoughts and pushing forward, hoping that Jillian wouldn't be able to hold the pace she was running. Coming to the close of loop 2 i was within reach of getting her and she knew it! She immediately picked up the pace when she saw me and was able to gain more distance on me. She eventually held me off and won the race in 2:06:25 and I was second in 2:07:04; a difference of only :39!!!

I gave it all I had and was very pleased with my race. As far as I know this was even a PR for me on this course, so that was just as sweet.

It was great to have so many people cheering me on, thank you very much as it really does help. And to those of you who wore the orange wigs...YOU ARE AWESOME! I hope everyone who raced and volunteered and spectated had a great time this weekend! I'll see you all there next year!

My next race is in 3 weeks down at Lake Lopez, in San Luis Obispo; Tinley's Toughest.

2nd Annual Poker Ride September 28, 2008

2008-09-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Poker Ride on September 28, 2008 at 8am. The start and finish will be at Chamisal Tennis & Fitness Club, off Laurelos Grade in Salinas, CA. You can print and mail in an entry form, located at www.montereybaymultisport.com or you can register online at www.active.com.

Gather playing cards at each aid station along the 50 mile Poker Ride Route. The person with the best poker hand at the finish wins $100!! There is also a 25 mile Fun Ride. Both rides include a BBQ. In addition, we will be holding a raffle for some great prizes with the grand prize being a 2 night stay at a family cabin in Squaw Valley!!

This is a fundraiser for the Monterey Bay Multisport youth & junior triathlon teams. Proceeds go towards purchasing uniforms for the athletes.

We reached our maximum capacity of 50 participants very early last year, so we have decided to increase it to 75 participants for this year. Be sure to register early to get your spot.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sharon Osgood bucked off horse

2008-08-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday August 12, Sharon was horseback riding with her 3 kids in Colorado when she was bucked off the horse. Her eldest daughter Kelly stayed with her while the twins, Aaron and Alli rode back to the stables and called 911. Sharon was airlifted to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs where she underwent back surgery as she sustained a smash-fracture of T6. In addition she suffered 6 broken ribs and her breathing is currently only 58%. She is wearing a chest and back brace but is able to walk a little with a walker. She is still in a lot of pain and tires easily. Please send your positive thoughts and get well wishes to her. She will be staying in Colorado for at least a week until hopefully coming home.

Catching UP

2008-08-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I've updated my blog, so I thought I'd write a quick write up of what's been going on. I've raced a few races since the last race post; races include the Danskin Triathlon at Disneyland, Alcatraz and Vineman 70.3. I had a great time at all of them!

The Danskin race was a super sprint that started the swim in the murky and VERY warm lagoon at Disneyland California Adventure Park. I led the swim, which I think is a first! Eventhough I had a kayak leading the way and a few buoys, it was still hard to see where I was going and I hoped that I didn't miss a buoy or cut the course. We weren't allowed to look at the course prior to swimming, so it was a surprise! What was quite interesting about this race is that the spectators had an over the top view...what I mean, is that they were watching the swim from above! Jay was there with me and he said that it really was a different perspective.

From the swim, it was a short run to T1 where I got my bike and proceeding to ride along the outskirts of the park (on the city streets) for 2 loops which totaled 10 miles of mostly flat with two small inclines. I held about 23 mph which was pretty good for me. Needless to say (I say this with no ego attached...it was a sprint race mostly with first timers and no pros), there was no one near me, but I still wanted to see how fast I could go. I had a quick T2 and was out on the flat and fast run course that went through the park. My race started at 6am, so the only people that were allowed in the park where the employees which all were very nice and cheered happily for me and the other competitors!! The only place where spectators were allowed was where they watched the swim. The run was advertised as 2.5 miles, but by the look of my time I think it was maybe just over 2 miles. I was finished in 48:04!!

If you are looking for something different and short, this would be a great race!

Next race was Alcatraz in San Francisco, CA. This has to be one of my favorite races because there is really no other race like it. This was my 8th year competing here and it's always a bit nerve wracking when you're hanging over the side of a ferry, hanging on to chains while your trying to keep your footing on the one foot ledge waiting nervously for the horn to blow!! I got in with a group of people and drafted the entire way. It was choppy only briefly and the water was never really cold. I ran the 1/2 mile or so to T1, grabbed my bike and was out. I wasn't too sure how many women were ahead of me, but I was on my way to catch as many as I could. I was able to catch a few and hold them off. The 18 mile hilly and technical bike course is one that I love. I entered T2 and right behind me was Sam Mcglone. She passed me in transition, but I was able to pass her back within a mile or so. The techinical and hilly run covers pavement as well as trails and sand and the infamous sand ladder. I was in 5th place on the top of the sand ladder and thought I could hold off Sam. She passed me with about a mile to go and I couldn't respond; I placed 6th and was only 30 seconds behind 5th place! It was definitely a strong field and for the training that I've been putting in (or lack there of) I'm doing pretty well.

My most recent race was the 70.3 Vineman in Santa Rosa on July 20th. My mom and younger sister, Erin were competing as well. This was my sister's first 1/2 IM and she was excited and nervous. My mom has been racing since the mid 1980's but this was her first time at Vineman. The day before the race we went into the river to do a pre race swim. When my mom proceeded to take off her wetsuit, the zipper broke! There was nothing we could do, so she decided to get back in the river and see what it would be like to swim sans wetsuit. She was chilly at first but figured she could do it! My sister had her surf wetsuit that she was planning on swimming in. She was in the process of getting a new suit and it hadn't arrived yet. The surf wetsuit was too big and bulky, so she too decided that it would be best to swim without it! So hard core, the both of them!! Me on the other hand wanted my wetsuit!

The next day, my race started well. It took a while for me to get into the groove of the swim, but I eventually found it and was able to get in with a group for the later half of the swim. I later found out that it was a group of men that I was drafting off of and I was the second women to exit the water behind Joanna Zeiger! I must say, my swimming has improved...finally!!! I got onto the bike and it felt great. I felt strong and was able to keep a steady pace while I hydrated and made sure to eat enough. I think it was around mile 25 or 30 that Sam McGlone passed me, but I decided not to let her out of my sights. I stayed back quite a ways, but I could always see her. Shortly after that Tyler Stewart flew by me like I was standing still. What a phenomenal cyclist she is and very friendly too!! I continued to push as hard as I could until I got to T2. I headed out on the run in hopes of catching a girl or two (I still didn't know where I was, placement wise). I felt pretty good and kept a good pace (it would've been nice to run faster, but if you don't put in the training, it wont magically appear on race day, as much as we'd all like it to, right?). At mile 5 Kate Major comes running by me. I decided to keep her in sight as best as possible and maybe, just maybe I could get her towards the end!! When I got closer to the trailed figure 8 loop I was able to count the girls, Joanna was first, then Tyler, Sam, Kate and me! I was in 5th and I wanted to at least keep it that way! Money only went to 5th and rent was due right around the corner!! As I was leaving the dirt section, I noticed a woman who just got onto the dirt. I had no idea how many minutes she was back, but there was no way I was going to let another person pass me! I picked it up for the final half of the run which allowed me to gain some time on Kate. With 2 miles or so to go, my mind wanted to run faster, but my body wasn't having any of it. It was all I could do to keep going and finish in 5th place, only 19 seconds behind Kate and 5 or 6 minutes ahead of 6th place, whewww!!

As I was running down the finish chute I noticed my mom cheering me on! I gave her a look of "what the ?#%^& are you doing there?" She told me that after having a good swim and heading out onto the bike that she got not one but 2 flats at mile 9 of the bike!! What a bummer; she hitched a ride back to the finish and was waiting for quite some time. I hope that next year she'll come back and be able to finish the race.

We were able to see Erin coming in to T2. She had the biggest smile on her face! She looked good! We waited for a few minutes and was able to see her start the run. She still had a big smile and said she was feeling great! She finished in 6 hrs. 31 minutes for her first half!!

My hubby, Jay, deserves a big hug and kiss for he was our sherpa the entire weekend! He packed up our gear after the start of the race and drove to the finish all the while keeping tract of Sprocket (our dog) and Tex (my parents new puppy!) who was 11 weeks old! So needless to say he had his hands full for a few hours! Thanks sweetie for taking care of us chickens!!!

So, what else is new, you ask??? I've been working for my aunt and uncle who own and irrigation store in sand city. The needed some extra help while my uncle and cousin went to visit relatives in Spain. It's been fun and different which is exactly what I need.

My second year of grad school starts at the end of August. It's been nice to not have to travel up to San Jose, so I'm not looking forward to that. I am however looking forward to my two classes, the psychology of women and advanced sport psychology! It most likely will be a busy semester though so I'm enjoying my summer break!

My next race will be the Pacific Grove Triathlon on the second saturday in September.

PG 1 Day Clinic Online Registration

2008-07-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

Registration for Monterey Bay Multisport's 1 Day Pacific Grove Triathlon Clinic is now open online. Go to http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1605129 to register. MBM looks forward to seeing you in Pacific Grove on July 27th!

Pacific Grove Triathlon 1 Day Clinic

2008-07-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Pacific Grove Triathlon Clinic
Presented by Monterey Bay Multisport

Whether this is your first triathlon or you’re a seasoned triathlete, join Monterey Bay Multisport and 2 time (2004 & 2006) Tri-California Pro Series Winner, 2004 Overall Winner & Sport Bean/NTTC professional triathlete Alexis Waddel-Smith for a fun, informative and active clinic that will teach you about the race course, training preparations with 7 weeks to go before race day, transition work and mental strategies for success.

Sunday July 27, 2008
Lover’s Point
Pacific Grove, CA 8am-4pm
$150 * includes lunch

For more information contact Alexis Smith at alexis@montereybaymultisport.com or (831) 372.1894 or Sharon Osgood at sharon@montereybaymultisport.com or (831) 659.5639 **Please send email confirmation of participation and mail check to Monterey Bay Multisport 866 Lomita St. Monterey, CA 93940.

www.montereybaymultisport.com
** Please see our website for a list of items to bring to the 1 day clinic**

To Craig

2008-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks Craig,
I hope Sea Otter was a good time for you. What will be next for you?

Alexis

Monterey Bay Multisport to Host Practice Triathlon

2008-05-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Monterey Bay Multisport is inviting you to a practice Triathlon on Monday May 26 at 9AM. The event is going to be a low key practice triathlon of 400meters- 12 mile bike- 2 mile run. It will be an open water swim in the bay and the bike and run will take place on the bike paths. There will be no awards, but we will have your time. You can use a mtn or road bike. The workout is open to team members and non team members. If you are not a member of MBM Racing, the fee is $10 to help support our junior team. Feel free to pass on the information.Please RSVP to me asap if you plan to attend. It is a fun low key event and a great way to start the summer season!!!

WE need some volunteers to help with the course also.

Please contact sharon@montereybaymultisport.com or alexis@montereybaymultisport.com for more information

Preservestock

2008-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2008

Santa Lucia Preserve

Everyone who knows me knows that I like my road wheels planted firmly on the pavement and only when I have to, I'll ride a mountain bike. So, for some of you, this will come as a shock...hold on to your saddles...I competed in a very small (approximately 20 participants) mountain bike

Sharon & Mike getting my loaner bike ready

sprint triathon on saturday in the ultra-plush, ultra-private Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel Valley, CA.

Danielle Pre-Race

This is the 3rd year that this race, music festival and lunch has been going on and we are lucky to be invited each year. The distances are ~400m swim, 10 mi bike & 3 mi run. We had a few of our team members from Monterey Bay Multisport and athletes from Sharon's triathlon class at MPC compete including Sharon (co-owner), Mike D., Ana E., Sam & Danielle. We all finished and I think only one person went down, but was still able to finish; with only a few scrapes.

We swam without wetsuits in the 67 degree water; I rode Sharon's daughter's mountain mike and shoes that were a size too big; and I ran in my own gear!! Go figure. I can see why people enjoy mt. bike riding...the adrenaline and rush and technique that one must have and that I clearly lacked! I don't know if I'll do another mt. bike race again, expect maybe this one next year.

The music & lunch spread was awesome! It was nice to relax with friends in warm sunshine, eat & listen to music.

Fred & Sharon getting ready

Mike & I freakin' out before the Race...seriously...we were

Wildflower Triathlon Festival

2008-05-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

May 2-4, 2008

Lake San Antonio, CA

I had thought that I was prepared and ready to have a great race this year, but eventhough I had put in the distance I was still not putting in the required amount of speed work that was necessary to have a "great" race. No matter how long I've been training and competing in this sport, there in always something to learn.

My swim felt comfortable and good and I think that I'm getting the swimming down...finally! I exited the water in 25:56 with a pack of 4 or 5 other women and just a little over 3 minutes down from Linda G. My transition went smooth and I was out on the bike course in no time. However, I did notice a "noise" on my bike and for the first half of the race I was trying to figure out what it was. I eventually decided to give up listening and just ride. So, needless to say, the second half of the ride felt so much better than the first! My time was WAY off from what I had expected to do, but hoped that my run would fare better. Unfortunately, my run hurt more than the ride! Every time I came to an up hill (which are many) I felt like I was going backwards! I tried to run as hard as I could and it was all I could do. I have never felt so happy to get to the finish line. My total time of 4:51:26 is about 10 minutes slower than last year...yikes. I guess you can't "win" 'em all the time; as much as I know we'd all like to!!

There is always next year and/or the next race.

In other WF news...my husband Jay did an outstanding job, especially with limited training! Although he had a long day out there, he had a fun time!

Overall, we had a great time over the entire weekend.

California 70.3

2008-03-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2008
Oceanside, CA

The first race of the season is always an eye opener. I try not to have high expectations for this first race, but that seems almost impossible. I had put in some great training (or so I thought) during the past few months and thought that I would at least have a faster overall time this year compared to last year. Alas, it was not meant to be! My overall time was about 3 minutes slower than last year. The field this year grew from last year and although it's nice to see so many professional women racing, it is a bit intimidating and scary!

I must say though, that i felt really good in the swim and had not only a good time but pretty well placement as well (for me that is). The swim is in the harbor, but goes out just a bit towards the open ocean, so we did feel some larger swells and waves not to mention swallowing the lovely sea water; which for some strange reason always seems to startle me....salt water that is. I guess I forget that I'm swimming in the ocean!

I had been putting in some long rides that I thought would help me and I'm not sure that I could feel the effects of those long rides kicking in yesterday. I would have to say that I need to ride my TT bike more often than just the week before the race. Yep, rookie mistake! I plan to ride it more often leading up to Wildflower, which is the next race for me. I felt good on the bike starting out and although it was windy I thought I could manage at least 21 mph! Boy was I wrong! My legs didn't feel as fresh as I would have like them too and mentally I was struggling towards the end. Note to self, just because I can ride long doesn't mean I can ride long and fast!! Yep, need to work on more speedwork too. If I want to be among the top competitors, I will need to hone my cycling skills. I must say though that I was glad to be done with the wind and rolling hills of the course.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel on the run, but there were a few people ahead of me that I wanted to catch, so I put that in my mind and set to get the job done! I was able to move ahead a few spots and felt pretty good on the run. I will need to work a bit more on the hills though and maybe start some longer track workouts and tempo type workouts as well.

What can I say, it was the first race of the season for me and I now have a baseline from which to improve. If you'd like to check out the results, go to http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman70.3/california70.3?show=raceresults&year=2008&format=htm

Unfortunately, I don't think Jay snapped any photos, so we'll have to wait and see what the race photography folks got. Stay tuned.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

2008-02-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

It has been such a long time since I've written and there has been so many new things that have happened! The best way I guess would be to summarize what has been going on, chronologically since Vineman. So, as far as the racing goes, I competed at Pacific Grove Triathlon in September and placed 2nd, which I was pleased about! Next was Tinleys at the end of September where I can't seem to find my results! Oops. I think it was 4th.

To go back in time a month, I started graduate school at San Jose State University. I knew I would go back to school to get my master's, but it was just a matter of timing as well as figuring out what I wanted to study. I was accepted into the Kinesiology program and am studying Sport Psychology. It was definitely a shock going back to school after a 9 year gap from undergrad studies. It took about a month or so to get into the swing of things again as well as commutting the hour and 15 minute drive one way! So, now I'm training, racing, going to school (learning how to study and write papers and do homework again!) and planning my wedding! Wheww, I don't know how I did it all.

Jay and I got married friday October 26, with a full moon at an outdoor ceremony at Rancho Canada. It went by so fast, but we both had a great time and plenty of awesome memories, photos and video! We eventually went on our honeymoon to Whistler, BC, Canada during Christmas for some skiing and snowboarding! It's so beautiful up there.

Two weeks after we were married I had my final race of the season, The Treasure Island Triathlon in San Francisco, CA. Because of a huge oil spill in the bay, the olympic distance triathlon was turned into a duathlon with an unusual first run distance, which I thought would have helped me, but I believe I was tired and really ready for the off season to be here. I did however manage to place 6th and was happy to have won the Tri-Cal Pro Series for the second time in my career!

School finished up in the middle of December and I had some lofty goals as far as grades were concerned. I wanted to get straight A's as that is something that I never accomplished in high school or in undergrad studies. Matter of fact, I was surprised at how low my GPA was when I finished my undergrad work at SDSU...a 2.97! Yikes. Horrible. So, I worked my tooshie off and I got A's in 3 of my classes and was bummed to find out that in my fourth class I had received a B+! I know I did A work on the final, but this was a subjective class, so the professor could give me any grade. I ended up with a 3.85 GPA which is the highest I've gotten, but was still dissappointed in that B+. Oh well, what can you do???

After school, triathlon season and our honeymoon, it was nice to be at home and I began training again in January. It felt good to have a break from school and planning and just train, it was like being a professional triathlete again, eating, sleeping, training! Unfortunately, school started at the end of January. I've just finished the 4th week of school and the semester ends in May, so I have papers to write, exams to ace and more reading than I've done in a long time.

I have legally changed my name also. I decided to take Jay's name, so I've dropped Waddel (sigh) and am now Mrs. Smith!!

My first triathlon this season will be the 70.3 in Oceanside in five weeks, but I'll be bike racing in April at the Sea Otter Classic. I am again on the Sport Beans/NTTC team for the second year and we look forward to having a great season.

Vineman 70.3

2007-08-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2007
Santa Rosa, Ca

I know this race report is long overdue and because of that it will definitely be a short recap!

A mass start of men and women professionals started the early morning half ironman in the Sacramento River. After some debate the day before whether or not to wear wetsuits, the morning of the race saw all the pros wearing one. The water was a bit too warm to be honest for them, but I was glad nonetheless to have a bit more protection on.
I had a decent swim and exited the water in a pack of men and women. I wasn't sure exactly where I was in the mix of things so I just did what I normally do and try to go as fast as I can. I struggled a bit trying to get my wetsuit off and lost a few precious seconds I'm sure. I ran the long exit out toward the mount line which happened to be on a slight up hill. There was one woman just in front of me and I managed to pass her as I rode up the small incline. For the next two miles are so I felt pretty good. During this time however the woman I passed on the hill came by me and slowed to put on her shoes so I again passed her. Then a few minutes later two men go flying by and the woman is right on there wheel drafting them!! I saw this for the next mile or two and was hoping that an official would see her and give her a penalty as this was a non-drafting race. To make a long story short on this subject, the woman ended up getting 3rd but drafted the entire way!!! I, along with a few other made complaints to the head referee which to took seriously although could do nothing about it since the officials said that by the time they caught up to her, she wasn't drafting! Oh well, what can you do; except now she is branded a CHEATER!

So, back to the race, I had a strong bike although I wish it could have been stronger. I didn't see another cyclist for the duration of the 56 miles! Rolling hills, slight wind and beautiful scenery made the time go by. I was in 5th place coming in off the bike and was determined to run myself up at least one place and ideally 2 places!

I took the run out hard and was surprised at how fast I was running for the first half of the run. I was on a mission to catch a girl or two and thought I could catch the first one by mile 6. By mile 9 1/2 I had a lock on Dede Greisbaugher, but it wasn't until mile 11 that I was finally able to catch her. It took everything I had to run up to her. I saw her just ahead of me for about a mile and a half and I knew as soon as I went through one of the last aid stations at mile 11 or so I would catch her. But as I was running through the aid station, three age group men where heading towards me, not looking where they were going and on the wrong side of the street. I ducked underneath a volunteers arm who was holding out water and just then, one of the age group men ran right into me knocking me backwards into the arms of the volunteer!! Thank goodness I didn't go all the way down and that the volunteer had caught me and stood me up right. I cursed at the athlete who wasn't paying attention and tears started to fill me eyes...I was tired and so close to catching Dede! A guy on the side of the road saw what happened and apparently knew me and said, "Don't worry Alexis; you're all right, get it back together and you can catch her." Thank goodness that person was there or I don't know what I would have done. It really helped and I got back into a rhythm and ran up to Dede. As soon as I was beside her, she said, "You're KILLING ME!!" I was too tired to say anything and made a run for it, not looking back. I knew that there was a look of pain across my face, but my friend who was watching said that my form looked good when I was about 800m to the finish! I did it, I placed 4th!

I crossed the line and went directly to a shaded tent, took off my shoes and socks and lied down for almost 30 minutes. I don't think I have ever been THAT spent after a race!!

The Poker Ride

2007-07-09T20:53:00.001-07:00

Monterey Bay Multisport is proud to announce The Poker Ride on September 16, 2007 at 8am. This fun 50 mile bicycle ride through Carmel and Salinas and the 25 mile Fun ride will begin and end at Chamisal Fitness Center off of Laurelos Grade (hiway 68, Salinas/Carmel Valley).
Please go to www.active.com and look under cycling events to register.
For the Poker Ride, there will be 5 aid stations where you will pick up a playing card. Once the ride is over, you'll take your cards to be verified (no swaping cards with anyone else on the ride) to see who has the best Poker Hand!! The winner will recieve $100.
The entry of $40 (no matter which ride you choose) will culminate with a BBQ of Chicken or Hot Dogs, Beans, Salad, Bread, Soda and a no host bar at Chamisal. If you'd like to partake of the BBQ and not the ride, you may purchase a BBQ ticket for $20.

We will also be holding a raffle with the grand prize bein a two night stay at Squaw Valley family cabin. Raffle tickets are being sold by Monterey Bay Multisport team members or you can contact Laurie McLennan at lm93908@aol.com for more details. The raffle tickets are $5 for 3.

All proceeds go towards the Monterey Bay Multisport Junior team to help with uniform and entry fee costs.

For more information, please email me at trigirlcali@montereybaymultisport.com or Laurie McLennan at lm93908@aol.com or Christina Brigantino at cbrigmail@aol.com.

We look forward to seeing you on September 16 for The Poker Ride!!

Lane Lines to Shore Lines

2007-07-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

A new DVD on open water swimming by Gary Emich and Phil Digirolamo is out on the market. It's called Lane Lines to Shore Lines. The website is www.lanelinestoshorelines.com. Please check it out and when you watch the video look for a guest appearance by yours truely...can you find me?

Tri 101

2007-06-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Lakeport, CA

June 10, 2007

A new series began this year called the One O One. If you add the distances of a 1.86mi swim, 80.6 mi bike and 18.6 mi run, the total equals 101, clever, isn't it??? Not only are the distances unique (3/4 IM length) but the prize purse is one of a kind in our sport. I skipped out on the first race in Bradenton, Fl; but when I looked closely into the race, the June event in Lakeport, CA looked pretty appealing. After researching the course and the participant lists I decided to sign up. It's been about 2 years since my last IM and about 6 years since I've completed this 3/4 IM distance.

I should also mention that I have decided to terminate my quest for the 2008 Olympics. Briefly, my motivation was low to train for the specific races (ITU & World Cup) as were my funds to chase these races around the world. I was in debt after the 2004 Olympic Trials and with my wedding a few months away my goals have changed. I do not regret my decision as there is always the possibility of an Olympics in a different sport...

Race morning in Lakeport saw clear skies and a small participant field. It's also been a long time since I've raced a small race and it was great!! The race organization as well as the plethora of volunteers through out race day and the the entire weekend was absolutely superb!

I was a bit more nervous than usual probably due to the fact that this was a long race and I was a bit under-trained. I was out to race this race and not merely to finish (although that is always the first goal, no matter what!)

The men and women pros had an in water start and a 5 minute lead on the amatuers. It was a wetsuit swim, but very quickly into the start I wish it wasn't as it got pretty warm as we swam the two loop course. I felt as though I couldn't quite get my rhythm together but managed to get in with a pack. I tried to keep it comfortable as I knew the swim was only the beginning of a long day. My time for the swim was 40:05 with a T1 time of 1:00.

I came out with a pack of men and women and was pretty quick upon exiting T1 as I eventually found out within a few miles of the bike course that I was in 3rd place. The bike was advertised as a flat course done three times. I don't know where these reports came from but it wasn't all that flat of a course. I'd actually call it rolling hills! It was a nice course although the roads were quite rough in spots and with each consecutive lap the wind began to increase. During the second lap, I noticed that the velcro that was holding my spare tubular had come loose and the tubular had slipped out of it's velcro grasp. I fiddled with it for about a minute and knew that I had lost some time on second place; but I couldn't afford to loose my spare, just in case.

These long races are always a learning experience no matter how many times you've raced. So, my learing experience during this race came on the second loop when I knew I needed to eat. I had started to feel sleepy during the ride. If I could, I would have stopped and taken a nap on the side of the road. It was the most bizzarre experience. I knew at that point that I needed food desperately if I was to hold onto third place. I missed food at a few aid stations and had eaten all of my gel that I had taped onto my bike. I was finally able to pick up my special needs bag as I rode through transition on my way to the third and final loop. I had a bit of trouble getting my goods out but eventually was able to. While digging around I was passed by a women. I tried to keep my eye on her for as long as I could, but my main concern was getting in the nutrition.

After eating and drinking I felt much better and was now focused once again to keep my mph as high as I could keep them...oh and not to get passed again!

I could tell that my cycling miles were not enough in the weeks leading up to this race. Note to self: Ride more in the months leading up to a long race!!

I came into T2 in fourth place after riding 80.6 miles in 3:51:23 (20.9 mph) and was glad to get off and start running. After my :43 transition, I was on a mission to run some girls down!

The only flat section of the run was in the beginning and it only lasted for a mile at the most. The rest of the run was either up hill or down hill! I kept a strong pace and at the only out and back section (maybe a mile each way) I was able to see how far ahead the women in front of me where. I didn't see first place who was minutes ahead of me, but I did see second and third place probably a minute ahead of me and as I made the turn around I saw fifth place like a bullet train out of control. How long could I hold Kim off??? Maybe a little over a minute. She eventually came up along side of me just long enough for each of us to say "good job" to one another and then she moved ahead. We were on a gradual up hill where you can see a good distance in front and there about :30 ahead was second and third place. I was now in fifth place, but that would only last for two left hand turns as I passed Karen Holloway and Heather Wurtele (Kim had ran into second at this point). I was now back in third place by mile 7 of the run. Now all I had to do was at least keep myself in this position for the second loop of 9 miles.

I should mention that as you complete the first loop of the run, the course takes you the outide of the transition area by the crowd of spectators before heading out on the undulating course. The mantra that I remember saying to myself for the remaining loop was "top 3 for me, top 3 for me!" Over and over I kept repeating this little saying until it was a constant hum in my mind. At the turn around I kept a watchful eye on who was behind me and how far away there where. But to my surprise I saw no one. I was safe for now. Towards the end of the run, even though I knew I was tired and I'm sure my pace had slipped, I had a renewed burst of energy as "Top 3 for me" was now a solid reality! I looked one last time as I rounded the last corner and saw no one...I had finished in 3rd place with a run time of 2:18:21 and an overall time of 6:51:31. I was approximately 12 minutes behind 1st place and 9 minutes ahead of fourth place!

I had forgotten how long these races lasted but I know what I do a half IM it will feel short...at least I hope!

After this fantastic race, the organzers and the volunteers I am contemplating on signing up for another 101.

Articles about the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz

2007-06-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

For full results go to www.tricalifornia.com

For pictures of the race go to: http://www.velonews.com/IT_PhotoGallery/2007_Alcatraz/smaller%20jpeg%20DSC_0523%20Alexis%20Waddell%20runs%20GGB.html

http://www.velonews.com/IT_PhotoGallery/2007_Alcatraz/smaller%20jpeg%20DSC_0576%20Alexis%20Waddell.html

For articles about the race: http://www.insidetri.com/portal/news/news.asp?item=109297

http://www.thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070604/SPORTS/70604008/1006

ttp://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/ci_6056629

Accenture Escape from Alcatraz

2007-06-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA
June 3, 2007

This year's race started an hour earlier, 7am, due to the projected fast currents. It was an early morning, but I was wide awake at 3:30am (or as wide awake as one can be at that hour!)
Once again I decided to drop off a pair of shoes for the long run from the swim exit to the transition area.

Jay in our hotel room

After getting my transition together I got a ride over to Pier 3 where after body marking I boarded the San Francisco Belle...our ride out to "The Rock." This will be my 7th time "Escaping" and every year I have placed higher and had an overall time that was faster than the previous year. I am always excited for this race as there is really nothing like. If you have any inkling of completing or competing this race I highly suggest it!

Linda & Dan at dinner

With about 15 minutes to race start the pros were escorted outside and were lined up according to numerical bib order. The horn blew signaling for us to jump off the small ledge where we were standing about 5 -6 feet from the water. I began swimming as soon as I hit the water. Now most people think that the water is cold here, but I always find it to be just right!
It took a bit of navigation to finally keep my eye on the lead boat, but it wasn't very long until the chop of the water started. I felt jostled and tumbled for most of the swim and was having trouble getting into a real rhythme. You could only see the lead boat if you were on top of the wave and nothing when you were in the trough. It definitely made sighting a bit of a challenge. I ended up swimming by myself for a short period, but then some of the age group men came by me and I tried to stay with a pack. With about 5 yards to go to the swim exit the water temperature got drastically colder and I was glad that it hadn't been that cold for the duration of the swim. The swim took me 28:38 and only 2:10 back from first place.

Jay & Me at awards

I ran the 800m from the swim exit to transition, got my bike and headed out onto the course with the second fastest T1...I was on a mission to catch the women ahead of me. I was able to pass at least one girl on the way into T1. I headed onto the first part on the course...a straight road that paralled the ocean and quickly found out that I could not shift my big chain ring; it was stuck! I saw my dad on the side of the road cheering and I yelled out "I can't shift to my big chain ring!" Luckily he heard, but there was nothing he could do. For the next 4 miles or so I tried with all my might to get the darn thing to shift but eventually made the decision that I'd have to spin like Lance Armstrong and do the "super tuck" on the down hills. That would be my only chance to catch a few more girls on the ride. Just prior to the Legion of Honor I was able to pass Gina Kehr while Joanna Lawn and I where playing leap frog. If there was any chance at all for me on the bike, I had to ride as quickly as I could on every up hill; if I was not to have the use of my big chain ring, then I'm glad that this was the course I was on because there are more up hills than flats or down hills. My bike split was 54:52 only 1:06 behind Becky Lavelle's split (which was the fastest of the women).

Sprocket, Jay, Mike, Erin, Lauren & Mike at Awards

I rolled into T2 and now with the quickest transition I headed out onto the run to see if I could catch any more women. I had an idea of where I was but wasn't sure until I got to Baker Beach and the turn around. There I could see Leanda, Pip and Becky just ahead of me. I quickly formulated a new immediate goal...to catch Becky before the top of the sand ladder. I pushed harder and tried to run up the majority of the sand ladder. For the second year in a row, I had the fastest sand ladder time...this year it was 2:08 and :08 seconds faster than the second woman!

Once I ran past Becky, I didn't look back, I just kept on going in hopes of maybe catching Pip. I got to the top of the sand ladder and made the left hand turn onto the single track trail that continued to climb. Running on the road in the opposite direction I caught a glimpse of Erin Reed who yelled "Go!" But quickly realizing that Becky was behind me and not knowing (most likely that I had caught her) yelled again and this time it was long, loud and drawn out, "Gooooooooo!" I knew exactly what she was refering too and it make me laugh a little; not too much though, or I wouldn't have been able to run!!

After the trails and steps leading towards the Golden Gate and back on flat ground again I briefly saw Pip ahead of me and tried to pick it up even more. The crowd was yelling and cheering and so I kept on running. I had the fastest run split for the women in 51:34. I made the turn into the finish chute and gave the crowd a few waves before crossing the line in 2:20:29; less than 2 minutes from first place. I finished in 3rd place, the best finish so far for me at this race!

My next race is sunday June 10 at the Tri One O One in Clearlake, CA.

Wildflower Olympic Distance

2007-05-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lake San Antonio, CA

May 4-6, 2007

I had a great day on sunday watching our team members from Monterey Bay Multisport have a great showing. My younger sister, Erin completed the course in 3:36 and that is with having a flat on the bike and riding it in with three miles to go!

We had many other team members who had great races and congrats to all of them!

Wildflower Triathlon

2007-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

25th Anniversary of Wildflower Triathlon Festival

May 4-6, 2007

Lake San Antonio, CA

The 25th Anniversary of Wildflower Triathlon festivals brought a lofty goal to mind; to win the long course race. I had won overall female as an amatuer back in 2000 but since turning pro in 2001 I had yet to win this coveted race.

Our race started at 8:05am only 5 minutes after the pro men. I started to the outside left just behind Linda and Becky. The gun went off and I think I stayed with them for maybe 25 meters but that was okay as there was clear water in front of me and no one to get tangled up with. I made it to the first buoy and shortly after found myself leading the second pack. I felt strong and actually swam in a straight line! Once we made the turn around I think it was Miranda who passed me and took the lead for a while. I tucked in behind her and let her do some of the work while I settled in. I was vigilant in making sure that I did my own sighting as it was a good idea because she ended up vering to the right towards the start banner while I kept to the left and made it a straight shot directly to the finish ramp. We exited about the same time (in 4th place) though and as I struggled just a bit to get my wetsuit off, I was able to run though T1 and mount my bike and head out onto the 56 mile hilly bike course. It was too terribly hot, probably mid 70's throughout the day but the wind on the other hand was hellacious!! A nasty head wind all the way out on Interlake Road. I stayed in my aerobars for much of the race as it was so comfortable! I passed Linda at about mile 6 and then another few miles I was able to catch and pass Mirinda. I felt extrememly strong and even though the wind was crazy I was relaxed and able to push a big gear comfortably. I must attribute my bike to Jim Felt and Felt Racing (www.feltracing.com). If it hadn't been for him and the bike I wouldn't have finished the bike course in second, just 6:30 down from Becky!

My T2 was a bit slower than I would have liked, but I did take some extra time to put on socks and make sure there were on straight and not crinkled. I felt good heading out onto the run with everyone cheering for me. I had a decent pace for the first few miles. Mirinda quickly passed me though within the first mile which now placed me in third. I didn't know where anyone else was on the bike or in relation to where I was. I just kept running. I saw one of the male pros in front of me and keyed off him. I tried to stay with him but on one of the hills at mile 4 he slowly pulled away and I couldn't keep up. The wind on the run was also strong and in some spots almost felt like it was pushing you backwards. Just prior to reaching mile 9 I heard someone behind me...Kate Major. She passed me and kept on going. I tried to stay with her, but there was nothing in my legs to propel me up the hills. I stayed as strong as I could rounding the turn around just before mile 10. I think it was then that I tried to really push the last up hill in hopes of trying to catch Kate and to also hold off Erin Ford who was behind me. In the end I was unable to reach Kate who placed third only 26 seconds ahead of me. AAAHHHHHAH. It was a great race!

My overall time of 4:43 was a 12 minute PR for me. I must say that I was extremely happy and couldn't contain my emotions as I cried when I saw Jay, Sharon and my family and friends waiting for me at the finish line.

I had the second fastest bike split and I can attribute that to my new Felt DA TT bike! It made the cycling almost effortless...I said "almost!"

In addition, Wildflower also served as the USAT Long Course National Championships and I was the runner up!

Sea Otter Classic

2007-05-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

April 12-15, 2007

Once again the Sea Otter Classic returned to Laguna Seca. Not only do I volunteer every year at the VIP tent I also race the Road Race and Circuit Race (which is the only time a cyclist has the opportunity to ride on the race track!).

I finally was achieved my cat. 3 upgrade, so these two races would be my first in this new category. I was a bit nervous, but knew that riding with this new group would be beneficial to my overall training.

The circuit race was held on friday in the afternoon. It was too windy and there seemed to be a large group of women with whom to ride. The race is 50 minutes long and I think we were able to get in about 7 loops. The pack mostly stayed together for the entire race. I made a few small attacks to see what would happen but otherwise stayed as close to the front as possible. On our final lap one girl broke away on the first gradual climb. I tried to go with her, but didn't quite have it. A small group of us however got together and managed to work together down the cork screw and up and around the final climb. I saw the girl in front on the flat section just before making the final right right hand turn; I decided to go for her as she seemed to be slowing just a bit. I rode up on her right and kept hammering for a sprint finish with my taking my first cat. 3 win! It was a difficult race but worth it!

Saturday saw dark clouds, heavy rain and gusty winds. Lauren, Erin and I wondered if we would even race. We went to the officials who were hiding under the bridge to keep from getting soaked. They said they weren't sure but to suit up just in case!

I was surprised when I got down to the start and we actually had quite a large field. The road race was 5 loops in the former Ft. Ord with an up hill finish. The weather conditions make it extremely hard to see especially when descending. The rain would pelt you so hard that it actually hurt your eyes and face. By the second loop or so there was a small break away of about 9 women, myself included. It was hard to work together because of the conditions but we did try our best despite one women yelling at us to get organized and work together. Eventually Patty yelled at her and that was the end of everyone yelling! The course was quite difficult and I think it wore people down.

After the 5th loop we made our way back down a nice long descent to a sharp right hand turn and the final climb of the race. With just about 200m to go, one of the girls jumps. I go right after her and kept pushing until she cracked and I got to the line about a wheel in front of her! It was definitely close and very hard.

I was glad to win both races and I look forward to more bike racing in the future.

70.3 California

2007-04-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

March 31, 2007
Oceanside, CA

The first race of the season is usually just a test of fitness to see where I am at and what I need to work on. I found out this weekend that there is much work to be done! I must say that I am quite pleased on my swimming as I was able to exit the water just behind a very strong swimmer and in front of some other strong swimmers. My cycling however needs some work and I think that will come along just as soon as I build my new Felt DA time trial bike! My running was steady, but I know I can be a lot faster. So, without too much whining, the race went like this....

No matter how often I wake up before the crack of dawn on race morning, I always wish I had more time to sleep! I stayed with my friend Rachel Sears and am glad to say we were pretty much both on the same morning schedule. After a quick stop at Starbucks for a bagel and water, (yep, I brewed my own Peet's coffee at the hotel) we were on our way to Oceanside (we stayed about 15 minutes north.)

After driving around anxiously trying to find a parking spot (we were misdirected for parking) we eventually found one and rode as quickly as we could amongst all the other athletes trying to make their way to the transition area. After setting up, I did a quick jog around to try and warm up, it was pretty cold despite the clear conditions. Yes, I said clear conditions as opposed to the two years prior when it was rainy and overcast. I believe however that it was much colder due to the fact there there wasn't a cloud cover.

I must say that the night before the race while getting my gear bag together I had completely forgotten to buy elastic laces!! The one most important thing on my list (yes, I even had a written list of items that needed to be taken care of) and I forgot. What was I going to do???
I luckily had a pair of lace locks that I could use, so I put those on and just accepted the fact that I had to race old school! There was nothing else I could do. Thank goodness I had the lace locks or I would have had to tie my shoes...heaven forbid!

This year there were double the number of women pros racing...36 of us on the line. We swam out in between the start buoys and waited for the gun to go off. I really need to work on positioning myself better as I was squished between the hordes of women all vying for the pole position. I was surprised at how rough this swim start was and quickly found myself in a slower pack than I had wanted to be in. I was able to maneuver around a few women and get on the inside and saw a few women ahead of me and chased them down. I stayed with them for a while, but noticed that I had a lot more in me so decided to attack again and go after a smaller pack. This time I moved to the outside and finally caught up with them. I stayed there for a bit and then I noticed there was still more women ahead of me and they weren't quick that far so I decided to make yet another jump. I was now in front of my little pack just prior to the turn around buoy. I tried as hard as I could to catch the women in front, but I was unable to and swam the rest of the way by myself; there was however one woman who went by me and even though I wasn't able to stay on her feet (she weaved too much) she was only a few feet ahead of me for the duration of the swim. I exited the swim and ran the approximate 600 meters to T1 where I quickly took off my wetsuit and grabbed my bike to head out. After mounting my bike and riding not more than a few feet I heard people yelling that my tire had fallen off. I stopped and notice that two guys were running past me as my tubular tire lay on the ground. I spun the bike around and ran back to grab my tubular and stuff it into my rear pocket on my singlet as two girls rode past! I had used electrical tape to secure the tubular but unfortunately it wasn't strong enough to hold it in place. I had lost about 25 seconds, but it was enough not to be able to catch Malaika on the bike. She had a great ride out there!

It took me just over 20 miles to finally get warm. I can't believe how cold I was and I think that it hampered the beginning of my ride. I did however start to feel much better towards the end of the ride once we started a bit more climbing. My back was also starting to hurt so I had to keep making adjustments to my position as I rode. I was happy to be pulling into T2 and after a not so speedy transition; I forgot to put elastic laces on my shoes so only had regular laces with lace locks...what a difference! I felt pretty good for the first couple of miles but with about 3 miles to go I noticed that I was slowing down. I kept an eye on the women behind me in hopes that I could hold them off but no such luck as one women passed me with about a mile and a half to go. I was however able to hold on to 9th place. My total time was the same as last year's which was disappointing, but it was the first race of the season, so it was nonetheless a good marker of where I am and what I need to work on for future races.

First Tri of the Season

2007-03-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

My first triathlon of the season is this coming weekend in Oceanside, CA. The 70.3 (www.ironmancalifornia.com) race consists of a 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi ride & 13.1 mi run. This will be my 3rd year competing down there and my goal is top 3. The previous two years I've placed 4th and am looking to improve on that this year.

Looking at the start list, there are more women competing this year than the last few years which will make it a more interesting race!

Check back next week for an update on how the race went!

Cycling Upgrade

2007-03-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yippy!!! Just a quite note to let you know that I received my upgrade...I can race as a Cat. 3!

Cantua Creek & Pine Flat RR's

2007-02-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Me, Lauren & Erin warming up for Cantua Creek

February 17-18, 2007

In my quest for upgrade points I decided to compete in back to back road races, the first in Coalinga.
I left for Coalinga on friday afternoon in hopes of getting down there early enough to have some time to relax before going to bed. Erin and her husband Mike got to the hotel before I did as I ended up taking the LONG way!

Lauren arrived a few hours after I did as the three of us were going to race saturday morning at 8:50am. Both Erin and Lauren are getting used to bike racing and are having a good time and are doing very well.

It was an early morning on saturday and a little drive to the local Starbucks before arriving in the middle of nowhere for our 52 mile bike race which actually ended up to be only around 48 miles approximately.

The course was mostly flat and two loops with an up hill finish. The pace was pretty slow for almost the entire ride which made it seem to take a long time. I had to pee so bad and one of the women, Jessi, tried to organize a stop. We were all almost in agreement as I wasn't the only one who needed to go, but one women didn't want to stop, so we all kept going. The night before the race in Coalinga

I jumped at one point up a small incline to see what would happen and the pack jumped also. I slowed down at the top of the rise and let them catch me and we rode together for the final loop. I saw the sign for 1k to go and so I took a chance and went for it. I glanced back a time or two and no one was with me. I pushed as hard as I could and ended up finishing first! Lauren was right behind in second and Erin I believe placed 6th! Overall it was a great race and warm up for the next day.

We got back to our hotel and changed into running clothes. Erin and Lauren ran for about a 1/2 hour while I ran about an hour. It was so warm out and the terrain was rolling hills that it was great Wildflower training.

I got back with just enough time to shower, pack and grab some food before Erin, Mike and I left for Fresno. The drive wasn't too bad and we arrived at our hotel in time to relax for a bit, take a dip in the pool and then go grab dinner. We got to bed early as tomorrow would be yet another early morning.

Since we don't have matching jersey's, Erin

bought us matching "Team Heart Socks."

We made our way to the start of the Pine Flat RR; approximately 62 miles of rolling hills in the misty morning. Erin and I warmed up on our trainers and talked excitedly about today's race. We both felt pretty good on the trainer, but the true test would come as we start the race with an up hill. I'm not exactly sure how many of us there were, but we did have a pretty good group who actually worked together. Erin was having some trouble during the first half of the race with the down hills; she is getting better, but was still a bit nervous. She is strong on the flats, she if there was a gap, she'd always catch us...pissed her off she said, but she's a tough girl and I know every time she gets on her bike, those down hills will get easier!

My finish at Pine Flat

I felt really good and did my fair share of pulling especially toward the end. There was one other woman who was pretty strong on the up hills; she used to race Cat. 2 in Canada but hadn't been racing for quite some time. She and I rode away from the pack towards the end when the climbs got a bit steeper. We worked really well together (she was crazy fast on the down hills and I worked extremely hard to stay with her) and rode almost all the way to the finish. It was probably just over 200m to go when she jumped from behind but just didn't have quite enough to keep her momentum and I saw my chance...jumped and rode as hard as I could on the up hill finish for the win. I can't believe how good I felt and it was great to have Cara to work with. Erin finished in 5th place and she felt great!

My next bike race won't be until Sea Otter Classic in April.

Sport Beans/NTTC Camp

2007-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

February 8-11, 2007

Fairfield, CA

I walked into the Tangerine Room at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield and what an amazing presentation! I met Mark, our team director and Stephanie from Jelly Belly. Then moved right along to meet some of my team mates who had arrived earlier. We proceeded to take head shots in our polo's and in our singlets and got a chance to talk with each other. The other half our team finally arrived after getting stuck in traffic and after more introductions it was time to head to our hotel and get ready for dinner.

We met downstairs at our hotel to have dinner with Stephanie and Deborah from Jelly Belly. What a great dinner it was too. After dinner we made plans for an early morning swim or run. I decided on the run! My room mate was Kathryne Bertine from Arizona. We had such a great time getting to know each other and chatting about everything under the sun. It's great to click with another female athlete with similar goals. Like I said, it was an early friday morning waking up at 5:30am to get a quick 45 minute run in on the treadmill in the small, stuffy fitness room of the hotel. Those two treadmill's were a hot comodity too!! Jenna & Mark Wendley

We got to the Jelly Belly factory at 8am and just in time for the factory tour!! I can't believe all that it takes to make a Jelly Belly! It was such an amazing thing to watch. How much time and energy is needed to produce this candy and also the Sport Beans. For those of you who don't know or haven't tried a Sport Bean, it's larger than a Jelly Belly and is fortified with electrolytes and vitamins. It tastes great and is used similarly to a gel. You must drink water with the Sport Beans and 14 beans are 100 calories. Our Factory Tour outfits!

Friday was such a busy day. After the tour of the factory, we had a nutrition talk by Dr. Liz Applegate followed by lunch; then a media talk by Tomi Holt. After a day at the Jelly Belly factory it was time to head back to the hotel, relax for a bit and then it was off to dinner.

Saturday morning was scheduled for more photo shoots, but because of the non-stop rain the entire weekend, it was cancelled. So, what do athletes do...train. Half of us decided to go for a run and the other half for a swim. I met 3 of my team mates down stairs in the lobby at 7am. Lauren, Alison, Kirk and myself left for a run in the cold drizzling rain. We had an idea of where to run, but pretty much made it up as we went along. Lauren and Alison ended up running for an hour and 20 minutes and Kirk and I continued on for another hour!! It was a bit longer than I had planned to do, but I had a great time. After having a huge breakfast Kirk and I headed to the YMCA for a swim. We had about an hour and a half and eventhough the workout was easy for Kirk, some of it was hard for me. It was nice though to have another person to swim with.

That afternoon Stephanie booked a Wine Tour for us in Napa. After the tour we headed to a nice Restaurant for dinner and met up with Rob (also from Jelly Belly) and his wife. What a dinner...I ate so much, I should I have been rolled out of the restaurant!

It was nice to sleep in on sunday! We met in the hotel restaurant for breakfast and then goodbye's. I drove home that afternoon thinking about the wonderful people I met and how excited I am to be a part of the Sport Beans/NTTC triathlon team!

Patterson Road Race

2007-01-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2007
Early Bird RR

Lauren

I've been bicycle racing for quite some time, but only as a cat. 4 (beginner). I know what some of you are thinking, beginner???? I tried to get my upgrade last year but missed it by two points and even tried to request an upgrade only to be denied! So, this year I've decided to do a few more bike races than normal to get my cat. 3 upgrade. The first one was yesterday in Patterson, which is near Modesto.

Lauren, Me and Erin the night before

Two friends of mine who've never raced bikes before were going to race and I was glade that there were people I knew and that maybe we could work some technical majik!

My friend Erin and her husband Mike had invited me and Lauren to stay with them at their hotel which was awesome because I wouldn't have to wake at the crack of dawn to drive 2 hours to race. Lauren and I arrived in the evening and chatted before going to bed.

We woke up early, 6am , got coffee at Starbucks and then had a bagel and almond butter for breakfast before spinning on the trainer for about 20 min. Lauren warming up

I was a bit nervous and I think I made Erin and Lauren more nervous than they should have been! Sorry girls.

We got down to the start line about 10 minutes prior to our send off. There seemed to be about 10-12 women racing in cat. 4. There were no other women competitors though.
We rolled out at 8:45am to crisp clear skies with little wind (or so I thought). Our entire group cruised for quite some time and even sang Happy Birthday to Bobbi who turned 50 that day!

Me, Erin and Lauren before the race

Lauren was very ansy and when she'd get in the front to take a pull (we eventually got organized and picked up the pace slightly after about 10 miles) she's start to pull away and at one point one of the girls got jumpy and raced after them (they were maybe 10 yards away!) only to be caught in a few seconds!

Lauren, Erin and I had a plan though...we were hopefully going to break away about mile 18 or 19 (when the climb started to get steeper). Well, we kept waiting for an opportunity to present itself and it eventually did. It was just prior to getting pretty steep when Lauren was in front and I was right behind her. Erin was a few people back and I was unable to see her. Lauren and I gapped the others by just a bit but it was enough that I told her that we had to go now. I pulled around her and she got on my wheel and

we made our move. I'm bummed though that Erin wasn't near us; Us before the start

I couldn't communicate with her that we were going. I later found out that she was blocked by two other riders and she was unable to get around them and chase us down.

Lauren and I made steady gains and eventually I looked back and couldn't see the rest of the womens field.

Start of the race

There were many cattle guards that we had to cross and I almost slipped at one point but I was lucky and recovered. The climb continued to get steeper and steeper and I eventually pulled away from Lauren. I wasn't sure if I should wait for her or just go on ahead. I decided to keep going and hope that she'd be able to catch me at some point so that we could work together on the way back. Me after the race

I crested the top of the climb and started on a long downhill and finally the turn around. There were a few men spread out in front of me and it was nice to catch them and/or key off them at least for a while. As I was climbing back up the downhill I just cruised down, I was able to see where everyone was. Lauren was a ways behind me then Bobbi was a ways behind her and it was strung out like that with the entire womens field...no one was really that close to another person.

I was now on my own and it was approximately 24 miles to the finish with a slight downhill and horrible head wind! I proceeded to ride as quickly as I could in hopes that the women behind me wouldn't get organized. I maintained approximately 23-25 mph for the duration of the ride. It even started to rain a bit and I thought that'd be good for me as I'm used to riding in the rain and that maybe it might slow some of the girls down!

Erin says "I did it!"

The advertised distance of the race was 48 miles, but I think it was a few miles short (~45-46 miles total) which was fine for me because my legs were screaming! I crossed the line in 1st place by about 15 minutes or so! I hope I receive points for my upgrade for this race!

I was waiting to see Lauren come across in second, but it was two other women who finished together and then a fourth woman came across the line and no Lauren or Bobbi? I hoped they were alright but didn't know why they hadn't finished second and third, respectively. I eventually found out that Lauren had a rear flat and that Erin came upon her and decided to stop and help. They worked together and Erin finished just in front of Lauren who rode the rest of the way with only 25psi in her rear wheel!! Lauren, Erin and I after the race

We all had a great time and for Erin and Lauren, their first bike race, they learned a lot and are looking forward to the next one as am I!

Rio Resolution Run

2007-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2007
Rio Resolution Run

It's been tradition to run the 10k race every January 1st. I can't think of a better (or sometimes painful) way to start the new year than a running race.
It's the competitiveness in me that makes me want to win this hometown race every year; although I know that someday there will be some young girl who'll fly past me, but I'm trying to hold that moment off for as long as possible!

It was a pretty chilly morning, but of course I got warm during the course of the race. I wanted to win this race, but didn't know who my competition would be and wasn't sure of my fitness. I had been putting in some good miles but hardly any hill work.

I took it out fast as usual and I felt good. I eventually found myself running alone and could barely see the next person in front of me. The course wasn't marked all too well and eventhough I've raced here before it's always nice to have direction out there. I was only past by a few men along the way and my legs were screaming up the last few hills! Note to self: start more hill work!!

I finished 11th person overall and 1st female overall in 39:33 an improvement from last year on the exact same course! (Results can be found at http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/156667_184494_2007.html.

I hope that there is more of this to come this year!

Down Time

2006-12-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

After a much needed two week break of no training (and I mean NO training!) I am finally in my 5th week of base training and despite the chilly temperatures here ( 30's -40's) I have managed to get out and get some solid workouts in.

My cousin Serena is home from University of Hawaii where she is on full ride scholarship for swimming and she is putting the hurt on in the pool. I'm bummed that she's only here for a week though and then it's back to the grind for her!

Track & Field at MPC

2006-12-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Starting mid-January I will be helping to coach the distance team at MPC (Monterey Peninsula College). Although this will be my first time coaching collegiately, I have coached high school cross country and track & field. There are at least 8 men and women on the distance team and I will be working about 3 days/week with them.
I am very excited to be able to help out and gain experience coaching at the collegiate level.

To Bri: I'm glad you are excited too and I look forward to meeting you when track starts!

Thank You

2006-12-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

I received an email the other day and I just would like to say Thank You to RJ for your support. Keep on walking and I'll see you on the recreation trail.

Ford 70.3 World Championships

2006-11-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2006
Clearwater, FL

Usually Treasure Island Triathlon is my last one and by the time it rolls around, I'm ready for the season to be over with. This year, however, my season was extended one more week for the 70.3 Championships, an inaugural half ironman series. I'm glad that there is this series, because it's long overdue. This is such a great distance and by the look of the numbers of athletes I'd say I'm not alone in that.
Jay and I caught a red-eye flight out of SFO on wednesday. I think we slept a grand total of about 3 hours before eventually landing in Tampa. We made it to our hotel and then to my pro luncheon just in time; the reason for us taking the red-eye...my meeting and the fact that Jay had taken so much time off work. After getting our packets and quickly perusing the expo, we went back to our hotel and put our bikes together. We then went for a short ride to make sure that the bikes were in order and then I went for a short 15 minute run to loosen up from the plane ride. There was an opening ceremonies dinner provided by the race management at 6pm at the Sand Key Park, so we decided to check it out...free dinner??? Hey, we're there! This event is put on by the same organizers that do IM Hawaii, so the format was pretty much the same; entertaining and a good show.
By the time the dinner was finished, Jay and I were exhausted. We headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

The Swim Course

Friday morning rolled around and we found a cute diner to have breakfast at. After, we went for another short ride and I went for a run. Since we didn't have time the day before to check out the swim start, we did it today. The water was comfortable enough to probably swim without wetsuits, but because it would be a wetsuit swim tomorrow, we decided to put ours on. It was a short swim, but enough to test the water and loosen up.
After another short ride and run I was ready to relax, have dinner and then prepare my gear for tomorrow's early awakening.

We were up at a little after 4am. Our bikes were already at the transition area (we had to drop them off yesterday) so it made it quite easy to grab our bags and go...after breakfast that is!
It was still dark out when we arrived at the shuttle bus stop at Sand Key Park. We got on a bus and they took us to the transition area, about 2-3 miles away. I made sure that I had my gels for the bike as well as my electrolyte pills and that my extra tubular was on securely. I did a short warm up run with a few pickups before dropping off my shoes in my run bag. The way the transition area worked here was very similar to all of the IM races; what I mean is that there are specific bike and run bags and your gear must fit into these bags. Upon finishing the swim you run towards the bag pickup and enter change tent. Every person must go through the change tent and then on to where your bike is racked.
The pro men started about 5 minutes before we did. It was a beach start with a one loop rectangular course. The gun went off and we all ran into the water and jockyed for position for quite some time. I found myself in the middle of a pack and wanted to get out into some open water. I finally made it to the inside (closest to the buoy's) and proceeded to work my way up.

The further I swam, the better I felt. I kept telling myself to relax as I thought I was too tense and spinning my arms instead of gliding through the water. I eventually got behind a group of girls and I followed them into the swim finish. I was exciting to figure out that I had exited quite well, top 7 in a time of 27:32. I had a quick T1 and was out of the changing tent and running to my bike while putting on my helmet and race belt. I left T1 and was out on the ride. Within only a few miles I had caught two women. I was now in 5th place. I felt quite strong for the first 10-15 miles and then I had a few women pass me and then a pack of 3 women pass and I got irritated that they were drafting when this was a non-drafting race. I kept on pressing doing my own thing. The course was relatively flat with a few small rises...usually these were across bridges. With about 15 miles to go I got swept up in a huge age group pack of men and women. I want to make it perfectly clear that this was a pack of at least 65 people and there was no place for me to go except with them until it was clear enough for me to move around them or they continued their pace and left me. I was quite frustrated with it all because not only were these age group athletes drafting, but there were pro women mixed in as well which is not fair for anyone involved. I must point out here that if it's a drafting race (which is normally for pros only) then I'm all about drafting as it's part of the game. BUT...when it is a non-drafting race, it is NON-DRAFTING and I will abide by the rules. This is a bit off topic of the race, but I have read many arguments on drafting versus non-drafting and I often read about age group athletes who are against drafting, but when it comes down to it who do I see drafting in a non-drafting races??? Age groupers! So, I don't think it's fair for age group athletes to bash drafting when they themselves are out there breaking the rules. This is just my thought on the matter.

Now, back to the race!

I entered T2 (bike split of 2:29:58) ready to run and after grabbing my bag and heading into the change tent, I was off to catch some women! The run was mostly flat, like the bike, with 2x up and over the hill bridge. I felt good and was able to hold a steady pace and catch approximately 6 women on the run. With a mile left to go though I caught a glimpse of a women just ahead of me...could I catch her?? I was going to try. I picked up the pace and with a determined look on my face I kept her in sight and kept pushing every step a bit closer to her. I was in the finish shut now (and let me tell you, it was one long finish shut!) and I was just behind her; I decided to go for it knowing that there was approximately 100m left to go. As soon as I was just in front of her and she was able to see my number, she picked up the pace and I was unable to hang with her...she out sprinted me by only a few seconds!(Run split of 1:28:03) I finished in 4:29:28 (My predicted time was 4:30..right on!).

I was glad with my performance knowing that this year was a bit of a stuggle to remain motivated and it only showed how well I will do next year with a specific plan!

I didn't want to miss Jay coming across the finish line, so I waited for just over an hour! I was thirsty and hungry, but I didn't want to miss him! And I didn't...he had a great big smile on as he ran by me and into the finish line!

We enjoyed the post race awards ceremony and dinner and instead of going out that night to celebrate...we went to bed early knowing that getting up at 3:30am the next morning and flying home would be an ordeal in itself and we needed to be as rested as we could be.

Treasure Island Triathlon

2006-11-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

November 4, 2006
San Francisco, CA

I wasn't sure how well I would do here, but I wasn't too nervous when we lined up in the 54 degree water at a little after noon. There were only 9 of us competing and the money went 10 deep, so I found some comfort in that I would at least make a little bit of money this weekend! I did however have one goal in mind and that was to move one spot up in the overall Tri-Cal Pro Series. Now for me to accomplish this task, I had to finish in front of one particular competitor. It seems as though Kelly Couch and I seem to flip-flop in each race and by that I mean, I will finish in front of her at one race and then the next race she will finish in front of me! So, it was up in the air at this point.

The gun went off and I found myself in a pretty good position to draft off a few women. Once we rounded the first buoy, I was still in a pack of three other women and I felt pretty good. A few times I tried to manuever around them, but decided that it might be a good idea to sit in. Once around the second buoy though I noticed that there was a slight gap between the girl directly in front of me and the two other women. I decided to make a move on the inside and pass the girl that I was with. I was surprised how good I felt and how easily I was able to catch the other women by the turn around buoy. I had created a gap of approximately one minute and now found myself exiting the water with Mirinda Carfrae and Malaika Homo, whom I've never come out of the water with before.

In the past I would be about a minute behind Malaika, but today was different and I was exited that I would have some people to work with on the bike. Before we started the race, my friend Beth had said that if I can come out of the water with Mirinda, that she's a pretty strong cyclist; so I was pleased that it happened to work out like that!
I exited the water in 21:32 with a :52 T1, the fastest of the girls!!

Mirinda, Malaika and myself worked well together for about a lap or two before we dropped Malaika. We had passed Karen and picked up Linda and the new group of three worked well and we were making time on Becky, the first place woman. The course for those of you who have never been here is quite technical with approximately 21 turns per each of the 6 laps. The turns are not very sharp as you can pedal through most of them except for the u-turn at the top of a small climb. The sun started to peek through the clouds at about half way through the ride to help us thaw from the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. A lap or two before we were finished I saw Kelly walking her bike...she must have gotten a flat. She was no longer a threat to the overall points, but it is bittersweet luck; you never want to see someone flat out in a race.

Linda, Mirinda and I entered T2 at the same time; with Mirinda and I tying for the fastes bike split of 1:05:59! Mirinda had a quick transition and was out. I was just behind her but knew that I would not be able to catch her on the run. I was in third place and wanted to at least keep it there. I didn't have the snap in my legs that I'm used to, but if I could just keep a steady pace I'd be okay and hold onto third.My run time was 37:20 and total time of 2:06:22.

I was able to do just that; 3rd place and I moved myself into 2nd place in the Tri-Cal Pro Series!!

Now, there's just one more race to go, the 70.3 World Championships is Clearwater, Florida on Saturday.

Monterey Bay Half Marathon

2006-11-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

October 29, 2006

I was graciously invited to compete amongst the elite runners in this year's presentation on the Big Sur Half Marathon in Monterey. I last ran this course in 2004 where I placed 2nd. I felt though that this year might be a bit more difficult as there were 2 Olympians scheduled to compete. I wanted to run this as a training race considering I was to race the triathlon at Treasure Island, SF the following saturday.

I woke up at 5am so that I had plenty of time to eat and have coffee before the race. My sister Erin was so excited about her first half marathon 3 weeks ago that she had decided to sign up for this one as well; so she arrived at my house a little after 5am and we got ready. I live about a mile from the start of the race, so we decided to jog down there for part of our warm-up. We got there in plenty of time to drop off our bag and run a little more before lining up in our specified corrals (like cattle!!). I was in the first corral and Erin was in the second. The gun went off at 7am and the pace didn't seem too fast in the beginning. I stuck with a few of the lead women for a few miles before I decided that I was just going to run my own race. I figured if I could hold close to a 6 minute mile average I'd be very near my PR.

The course is relatively flat with a few small inclines, but not hilly. The high-light of the course is running through the tunnel that connects Monterey to Pacific Grove. This is normally a car only tunnel, but there have been a few times where I've gotten to ride my bike through and now run through! There were a few musicians along the route which was entertaining, but nothing like the Rock N' Roll halfs. Nonetheless this is one scenic half marathon.

The turn-around point is near Asilomar Beach. There is a gradual uphill before the U-turn and I belive this is approximately at mile 8. About a mile or so before the turn around I saw one of my competitors who had passed me a few miles back stop and stretch her calf...she had cramped up and had to stop!! This gave me motivation to pick up the pace and see if there were any other women who might have "run" into trouble...pun intended!!

I began counting the women in front of me and quickly found that after passing the girl, I was now in 8th place! There was prize money to be had and 8th place was the last place to win money. I wasn't sure if I could pick off any more of the women in front of me, but I wanted to make sure that no one could come from behind. After I made the turn I kept my eyes open to see where the next woman behind me was and baring nothing happened to me, it looked as though I was good as gold to maintain my place.

I had no expectations for this race because I had been having some breathing issues for the past week and a half. Come to find (just recently) I had severe allergies, but to what I haven't figured out yet. That will come hopefully after my last race of the season.
I felt good during the race; no breathing problems, but I could tell that with about 2 miles to go that I was not in the best shape that I could have been in. I did however come very close to my PR; I was only slower by about :45. I also wasn't as sore as the Rock N' Roll half I did 3 weeks ago and even recovered quicker too.

My time for the half was 1:22:05 and I was able to hold on for 8th place!

Monterey Herald Article

2006-10-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

October 30, 2006

Records tumble at Big Sur Half-Marathon
By DENNIS TAYLOR
Herald Staff Writer

Course records tumbled, quite predictably, at the fleet feet of the world-class cast of runners populating the pack Sunday in the fourth running of the Big Sur Half-Marathon, a 13.1-mile gallop through downtown Monterey, along Cannery Row, down the scenic coast and back.

A star-studded field included former Olympians, numerous NCAA All-Americans, a U.S. champion, and, of course, a couple of Kenyans, a combination that resulted in the fastest pace ever in both the men's and women's divisions.

The overall champion, former Stanford star Ian Dobson, broke the tape in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 32 seconds in the first half-marathon he's ever run. That time was the fastest ever recorded on the Big Sur course, besting the 1:05.12 set in 2004 by Michael Aish of Gunnison, Colo.

"A 10K was as far as I'd ever gone. I'm more of a track runner," said Dobson, a nine-time All-American in college and an NCAA runner-up at 5,000 meters. "I knew I wasn't going to run away from these guys early, so my strategy was to sit behind the lead as long as I could and hope I could last. I knew I'd probably be faster than the other guys for a mile, so I figured I'd be all right if I could stay close until the end."

Dobson was pushed to the finish line by Fernando Cabada, a U.S. champion at 25K, who finished in 1:02.45. McDonald Ondara, a Kenyan now living in Santa Fe, N.M., was third overall in 1:03.12.

"We've run against each other many times. I ran against him a lot in college, mostly in cross country, so I know a lot about him," Dobson said. "In fact, we're really good friends."

The women's race, equally loaded, featured a one-two finish by U.S. Olympians Jennifer Rhines and Kate O'Neill, pro teammates who, like Dobson, are training at 8,000 feet in Mammoth Lakes.

Rhines loped to a course-record time of 1:12.18, and placed 16th overall, finishing with a solid lead on O'Neill, who was clocked at 1:16.33. The previous women's best at the Big Sur Half was a 1:15.13, set two years ago by Nicole Aish, of Gunnison, Colo.

Brooke Wells, a 2002 Carmel High graduate, now living in San Francisco, placed fourth among the women with a time of 1:17.58. She was 25th in the field. Piedmont's Heather Gibson finished third in 1:16.56.

"The women's pack broke up pretty early, actually. I was running with a man during the first part of the race, but basically ended up running by myself the rest of the way," said Rhines, a Team USA marathoner. "I pulled away from the other women during the first mile or two. I knew where I stood because I saw Kate (going the opposite direction) when I was coming back (toward the finish line) after the turn-around."

O'Neill, an Olympic 10K runner, was competing at the longer half-marathon distance for the first time in her career, and wasn't necessarily focused on winning the event.

"I tried to be conservative today to make sure I'd have some energy left at the end," she said. "I've been a 10K specialist until now, but I'd love to move up in distance, so this was a good place to start. But once you get to six miles, you're usually done. And at that point (in a half-marathon), you're only halfway. So, for me, it was mostly about getting past that, mentally."

Monterey's Alexis Waddel, a world-class triathlete and former runner-up in this event, said she ran her own race, avoiding the temptation to keep pace with the nation's elite distance runners.

"I'm a triathlete first, and I just can't compete right now with Olympians. It's two different types of training, so I really didn't attempt to hang with them today," said Waddel, who said she's also been fighting mysterious respiratory problems recently. "I figured if I could hold a six-minute pace, that would be good, and I came within 45 seconds of my (personal record), which is very satisfying."

Her time, 1:22.05, was good for eighth in the women's division, 37th overall.

The first Monterey Peninsula runner across the finish line was Jeff Magallanes of Seaside, who was second in masters, in 1:15.11. He was 21st overall.

"I ran with my solo coach, Dwight Smith. We were working together today, but he did almost all of the work," said Magallanes, who was 19th overall in the 2005 race. "Dwight was willing to sacrifice himself today for some of the rest of us, which is the kind of guy he is, and the result was that I ran the fastest I've ever run. I did a 1:15.12 three or four years ago, and never thought I'd run that fast again, so I'm really ecstatic."

Smith crossed the line right behind Magallanes at 1:16.45.

Local runners who won their age division included Kevin Magallanes of Seaside, (male 12-15, 1:42.59), Ashley Madison of Monterey (female 12-15, 2:04), Daniel Tapia of Castroville (male 16-19, 1:16.19), James Migletz of Seaside (male 35-39, 1:17.36), Lisa Miller of Pacific Grove (female 40-44, 1:30.06), Dan Zulaica of Carmel (male 45-49, 1:19.39), Stella Gibbs of Pacific Grove (female 45-49, 1:31.26), Don King of Salinas (male 60-64, 1:36.48), Nelly Wright of Pacific Grove (female 60-64, 1:44.18), Ignacio Perez of Soledad (male 50-54, 1:26.44), Rod MacKinley of Pebble Beach (male 65-69, 1:37.53), Hansi Rigney of Carmel (female 65-69, 1:44.07), Frances Sackerman of Carmel (female 75-79, 2:26.00).

Dobson and Rhines each won $2,000 as overall male and female champions, and each also got a $1,000 bonus for setting course records.

Article about BS half in Salinas Californian

2006-10-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Runners take to the coast
Half marathon is Sunday
By GLENN CRAVENS
The Salinas Californian
October 27, 2006

This Sunday's Big Sur Half Marathon is expected to attract 4,500 participants, the most since it began in 2003.

The event calls on entrants to run, jog or walk along a 13.1-mile stretch of the Monterey Peninsula.

Participants take part in the 7 am. contest for a variety of reasons. Some will use the race to help get ready for next month's New York City Marathon. Others will use it as a measuring stick to prepare for April's Big Sur International Marathon. And some will just enjoy the peninsula as they walk.

"We're expecting the usual enthusiastic crowd," said Franca Gargiulo, director of media relations with the marathon.

Coordinators with the Big Sur International Marathon created the half marathon event four years ago because the full marathon event, a 26.2-mile run along with various other running and walking events, continued to sell out at a rapid pace. Sunday's half-marathon also has sold out.

"The numbers have grown every year," Gargiulo said. "There are a lot more walkers, a lot of baby boomers that are injured but still want to be in it. And more people are getting into fitness."

Some of Sunday's competitors took part in last weekend's Chicago Marathon or the Baltimore Half Marathon earlier this month, although Gargiulo said she doesn't know how many.

Steve Sundell of Redwood City is last year's men's champion, winning the race in 1 hour, 5 minutes, 20 seconds. Marina's Heather Hanscom won the women's title with a run of 1:17:24.

Among this year's female challengers is Pacific Grove professional triathlete Alexis Waddell, a runner-up in 2004. Former Olympians Jen Rhines and Katie O'Neill are also slated to participate.

Ibrahim Limo, a Kenyan who trains in Cary, N.C., and who won the men's division last year, is a scheduled participant. In 2004, Limo won the Big Sur International Marathon . Another participant originally from Kenya, Richard Kimeli of Albuquerque, N.M., has a personal half-marathon record time of 1:03:15, which would have bested Sundell's time last year by two minutes.

With a mostly flat course, runners won't have to worry about steep hills. It begins at Del Monte and Tyler streets in Monterey and goes toward Lake El Estero. The course continues along the coast toward Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. The course then runs through parts of downtown Pacific Grove before going back to Monterey. The finish line is the Custom House Plaza on Fisherman's Wharf.

Weather won not be a problem (although Gargiulo said runners would come even if it was raining, as it did two years ago); temperatures are expected to be in the mid 50s at the start of the race. No rain is expected.

"Runners should be aware of exhaustion," Garguilo said. "Slow down and enjoy the course. Take it easy and have a good time."

Along with the half marathon, there's a 10-mile walk and 5-kilometer run that takes place at the same time.

The men's and women's winners earn $2,000; the top eight men and women all receive money. An extra $1,000 is awarded to the runner that breaks the course record in his or her gender.

Contact Glenn Cravens at gcravens@thecalifornian.com

Big Sur Half Marathon --Monterey Bay

2006-10-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Franca Gargiulo
Director Media Relations
415-564-2600
Franca.gargiulo@att.net

Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay Announces Elite Field

(October 24, 2006 – Carmel, CA) The Fourth Presentation of the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay once more embraces a sold-out field that includes a world-class group of elite runners from around the country. On October 29 over 4,500 runners and walkers will participate in the Half Marathon and 10-Mile Walk on a scenic course that winds through historic downtown Monterey, along world-famous Cannery Row, and continues along the Pacific Grove coastline. The race will end at Custom House Plaza, adjacent to Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf.

A revamped prize purse for the 2006 race has drawn interest from world-class runners around the United States. A strong women’s field is headlined by Jen Rhines, a 2004 Olympian competitor in the marathon event who owns a marathon PR of 2:29. She will be joined by another Olympian, Kate O’Neill, who represented the U.S. in the 10,000 meter event in 2004 and has a PR at that distance of 31:34.

These two female runners will be challenged by Hannah Mitei, a Kenyan training in Albuquerque, NM whose half marathon PR is 1:16 along with Heather Gibson of Oakland, CA who claims 5K/10K PRs of 16:34 and 33:59. Rounding out the women’s field are Camille Herron of Corvallis, OR, 2005’s third place finisher at the Big Sur Half; Angela Strange, a triathlete from Palo Alto, CA and winner of the 2003 Detroit Marathon in a time of 2:43; local professional triathlete Alexis Waddell who placed second here in 2004; and the 2005 female masters winner, Christine Kennedy of Los Gatos, CA.

The men’s race is equally impressive with two Americans headlining the field. Fernando Cabada out of Tennessee is the U.S. 20km record holder, while Ian Dobson, also of Tennessee, holds a fast PR of 13:12 in the 5000m. They will be joined by Ibrahim Limo of Albuquerque, NM, a former Big Sur Marathon winner and 2nd place finisher at the 2005 Big Sur Half. Kenyan Richard Kimeli, also of Albuquerque, has a 2004 half marathon PR of 1:03:15 and has run 10 miles in 49:07 this year. His training partner McDonald Ondara placed fifth in the recent Baltimore Half Marathon and hopes to improve his time at the Big Sur Half. The field is completed by Christian Hesch, Sergio Reyes, Jeff Gardina, and Miguel Nuci, four fast Central Coast runners with PRs in the 1:06 range. Vying for the master’s title are local runners Jeff Magallanes and Dwight Smith, both of Seaside, CA.

In addition to the Half Marathon and 10-Mile Walk, the Run Forrest Run 5K will take place on Sunday, October 29 as well. There will be a Health & Fitness Expo on the Friday and Saturday preceding the races, held at the Monterey Conference Center. Race participants as well as the general public are invited to this fun and informative event with a focus on health screening checks and demonstrations, sports medicine and fitness programs, the latest in fitness clothing, shoes and training aids and a variety of other run and walk related products and services.

To learn more about the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay, visit www.bsim.org.

The Big News

2006-10-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2006

In August Jay and I went on holiday to Canada. This trip was originally meant for Jay to compete in IM Canada, but unfortunately he had to pull out about two months before the race. We deicided to go up to Canada anyway and have a nice holiday.
Our first full day there after getting coffee, we walked along the Okanagan Lake in City Park. We decided to take some pictures of us, so Jay put the timer on the camera and we got positioned infront of the lake. After this first picture, Jay decided to take another one and the picture says a thousand words:

Yes, he proposed! I couldn't believe it, but of course I said yes!! We have yet to set a date but it will be sometime in 2007.
Oh, and this is the original proposal...no re-enactments here!

San Jose Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon

2006-10-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2006

Erin at dinner the night before the race

In April my younger sister Erin decided that she wanted to run in a 1/2 marathon, her first. She saw a flyer for the Innaugral San Jose Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon and signed up for it...then she thought, "I guess I should quit smoking now." And that's just what she did. It's been about 5 months on non-smoking and I'm happy to report that she completed her first 1/2 in 2 hrs. 5 min.

Erin at our hotel

After volunteering at the Big Sur Trail Marathon, 1/2 Marathon and 5 miler on Saturday (event organizer Dave Horning, www.envirosports.com) Erin and I drove up to San Jose and while she checked in, I decided that I would run also. A last minute decision on my part, but I thought it would be a good training day.

Our huge tub in the hotel

Erin and I stayed at a hotel a little over a mile away from the start. We woke up early (Erin wanted to make sure that she was up and awake)...5:15am!!

Erin, race morning

The race was to start at 8am and Erin would start in corral 7 and me in corral 1, just behind the elite runners...and let me tell you, there is a huge difference in body type of elite runners and elite triathletes! The course was mostly flat with local bands playing approximately every mile or so, which helps keep you motivated! I can't believe people were actually wearing iPods during the race???

Andrew and Erin and the Train concert

From what Erin told me about her race, she had a great time and was able to negative split her entire race! As for me, I took it out way too fast!! It felt comfortable and so I ran with it, but eventually I felt my legs begin to get heavier and heavier and even felt the soreness setting in. I had a feeling I might be the first "amatuer" female and I was until I got passed at about mile 10! I ended up 2nd overall "amatuer" female and 1st in the 30-34 age group with a time of 1:22:21 (about a minute slower than my PR).

Me and Erin at the Train concert

Both Erin and I were so pleased with how we did and mom and dad were there to see us compete. We hung out in SJ after the race...went to eat, check out of the hotel, visit the Tech Musuem and then went to the HP Pavilion to see Train in concert (free entry with 1/2 marathon registration!). I was very impressed with their performance and we had a great time! We drove home afterwards...actually I drove while Erin snored in the passenger seat!!

Train

Erin is so excited that she signed up for the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay in 3 weeks!

Tinley's Triathlon

2006-10-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

September 30, 2006

Tinley's is the only other race besides Wildflower that we get to camp. And as far as I know I am one of very few pro athletes who take on the challenges of camping the night before a race.

I got a ride with the Brigantino's because Jay had to work a bit late and I wanted to get down to Lake Lopez in the daylight hours to pick up my packet and get my gear together for the 8am race the next day.

I didn't get the greatest of sleep that night due to the fact that skunks had invaded our campsite and were rummaging through the trash that was left by the table. Our dog, Sprocket, kept barking at the skunks all night long. Oh well, at least non of us got sprayed!

I woke up early, around 5:45am to make sure that I'd get some coffee and have enough time to eat some oatmeal before I headed on down to the transition area. There was a small group of professional women most of whom I know. I got a short swim in...I should have swam longer in retrospect.
The air temp was cold while the water temp was a bit warmer which usually happens at this particular race. Here the men and women pros start together and it was a bit of a mess. I started out okay but then got bumped quite a bit and eventually found myself spit out the back just after the first buoy. I need to work on my skills within the first 400 meters...how am I going to do that you ask??? I haven't figured it out yet, but when I do, I'll let you know!! I tried to catch the pack that was just in front, but I felt so sloppy in the water that I wasn't able to and swam the rest of the 1 1/2 loops by myself. Upon exiting the water after the first loop, the ramp was covered in algae that I almost slipped a few times. Coming around the second and final loop I encountered some of the back-of-the-packers of age group athletes. I exited the swim in 22:34 and quickly was on my bike to catch as many girls as I could...sounds familiar doesn't it??

The bike course reminds me of Wildflower in that it's a two lane road in the country, undulating hills and a semi-looped course.

As soon as I left the park, I saw two women ahead of me and decided to go after them. I couldn't tell who it was, but I found my immediate goals. There was something else going on this weekend because there were more cars on the roads than in previous years...suv's towing trailers and boats. Matter of fact, I was almost run off the road by a suv towing a boat...he came so close that I had about another foot before I was in the dirt. Of course this made me angry and so I pushed the pace a bit harder and eventually caught and passed Karen L.

Now, I raced this course 5 years (this year makes 6) and I've never gotten lost or mis-directed. The volunteers have been great, but as Karen and I rode past the first left hand turn, which looked familiar, I saw a police man standing there holding up traffice and watching us ride by. In the nick of time I yelled if that was where we were supposed to turn and he non-chalontley said yes...so I yelled at Karen to turn around, that we missed the turn. We flipped and headed back (thank goodness it wasn't that far, maybe 30 sec. off our time)and I yelled at the officer again that there should be someone here directing the athletes. So, again I pushed the pace looking for my next competitor to pass. I was in 6th place after the bike turn around and Kelly C. was just ahead. I wasn't sure how fast I was going because the computer on my bike decided it wasn't going to work today!

I unfortunately didn't catch anyone else on the bike (1:09:31), but once in T2, Shozgood said that I was about :45 down from Kelly. I knew she was a fast runner and that Malaika and Linda were in front of me and that maybe I could at least catch them which would put me in 4th place. Within less than a minute I saw and passed Linda and was on my way to see who was left in front of me.
The run course is challenging because of not only the two loops but because of the rolling hills that you must go up twice! I figured if I can stay strong on the uphills I'd be better able to catch the next person, Malaika, which I eventually did. In the past, I've been able to catch up to Malaika on the bike, but she has been working extremely hard and as I found out after the race while talking with her, it was her goal to not have me catch her on the bike, and it worked.

I kept going thinking that maybe I could see Kelly once I rounded one of the corners or got to the top of a hill, but no such luck, she finished :39 ahead of me to take 3rd place while I finished in 2:11:59 for 4th. It's now a battle between me and Kelly for 2nd place in the Tri Cal Pro Series.

At the Awards

I've stepped up my training...actually, I will be consistent and have a plan for the next few weeks until Treasure Island and hope that this last minute training will pay off!

Yosemite Trip

2006-10-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Jay and I on our way to Yosemite

September 22-24, 2006

Sometimes you just need a break from training and racing. That's why I opted to go to Yosemite with a group of friends and forego training for a weekend. I know, sounds funny, but I was so glad to be where I was and not off in some far away country.

Mark in the Cabin

Jay and I drove up friday afternoon and got into Curry Village a little after 8pm. It was dark and we didn't know which cabins were ours. Jay thought that it'd be a good idea to wonder around in the dark listening for voices that we might recognize but after walking around and noticing that there were more cabins that he though, we decided to walk towards the parking lot when in the distance I noticed Mark T. I yelled his name and he turned around! Whew. No moe wondering around in the dark looking for our party...we had found them!

Jay in bed at the cabin

After setting into our cabin, we made our way to Brandee's cabin where we proceeding to have wine, bread and cheese and great conversation for the next hour or two before calling it quits and going to bed. It was going to be an early morning for sure.

Getting ready to hike Saturday morning

There was a knock at our cabin door at 5:34am...Shozgood was frantically looking for her stove so that she could make her morning coffee! We slowly got up ourselves and we too made coffee and breakfast and sandwhiches for the rest of the day. There were a total of 16 of us on the trip and the plan was to hike up Half Dome. We all left at about 7:15am and proceeded to the beginning of the trail where we took a "before" picture!

Scenic Waterfall

It was a great morning; a bit cool, but you could tell that it would get warmer as the day progressed. I'm not sure how many hours it took us to reach the saddle of half dome...but we stopped quite a bit to take photos, rest, wait for the rest of our group and have lunch.

Climbing to Vernal Falls

Jay on top of Vernal Falls

It was so crowded though when we reached the saddle that there was a line to climb the last 400meters or so up the side of Half Dome. Some wanted to wait in line and others, like Jay, Mark, Laurie, Macy, Brandee and myself decided to hike back down and go to the river!

Shozgood and I on top of Vernal Falls

We made it back to our camp at close to 5pm or shortly there after and all of us were in need of a good shower and some hot food!

Scenic Lake near Vernal Falls

Those that stayed to climb up the last bit of Half Dome followed home shortly after and when they were clean, we all headed to the pizza pub for dinner. 5 pizzas later we were full to the gills and ready to relax back at our cabins.

The Beauty of Yosemite

Sunday we slept in til about 7am and after having coffee and breakfast we took the shuttle to Yosemite Falls which was dry! We walked around and at the visitors center hiding in a tree was a relatively small black bear!! I tried to get some photos, but it was hard to see.

The line to Half Dome
We then went to find some spider caves of which we crawled though! It was eventually getting late, so Jay and I said goodbye to everyone and we headed home.

This is just what I needed...a little break from routine training; oh, my legs were still sore though after that 18 mile hike!

PG Triathlon

2006-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

PG Elite Awards

September 9, 2006
PG Tri

It's that time of year for the PG Triathlon. I was excited not only to race, but I had two friends who were coming to compete at this race for the first time, Beth Hibbard and Flo Chretien. The three of us have been racing together for at least 4 years and it was great to have them here in my hometown.

Erin & I before her race

Saturday morning, Jay left early as he was swimming in a relay with Taylor Tolleson (cycling) and Mikah (running). Flo, Beth and I hung around the house and waited anxiously until 10am before riding down to Lover's Point. It was only a 3 mile ride down there, but was enough to get the legs moving. After setting up transition and checking in we went for a short run of about 10 minutes and then proceeded to the water for a short, cold swim warm up. The pro men left about 15 minutes before we did.

Mom was 1st in her age group

There were 13 women who started and finished the race. I started out the swim in a good position, but found myself locked between a few girls, so decided to roll over one of them to get in a clear spot...I happened to roll over Flo!! We laughed about it afterwards. I soon found myself caught between two packs and swimming by myself. I exited the water after the first loop and saw the girl infront of me. I was gaining on the girl towards the end and exited only 8 seconds behind her. My time was 22:42. I had a quick transition and left before Erika (the girl who exited the swim before me) did. I didn't know how many women were ahead of me but as usual, I was in the chase. Erika rode up to me and we worked for a while before I pulled away and continued my quest for the next person...who happened to be my friend and phenomenal swimmer, Linda Gallo. The two of us worked for a while and by this time I could see who was ahead of me, Becky, Sarah, Evelyn, Maliaka and Karen. Linda stayed with me for a while and I could here she was really working. Unfortunately, she couldn't hang (she sliced her foot awile back at the half vineman and is still recovering) and I again found myself alone. I continued to push the pace until I reached Karen and the two of us worked together. I looked back at one point and there was no Karen; alone and now the wind is starting to pick up on the 3rd loop. I saw behind a chase pack of Flo, Beth, Kelly, & Linda and with every loop I think they were gaining on me. I kept pushing the pace and noticed on the last lap the Evelyn had dropped Malaika and had caught up with Sarah and the two of them were working together. With ~2 miles to go to the finish, I caught Malaika and we worked briefly until we reached T2. My bike time was 1:07:37 which is 22 mph and good enough for the second fastest bike split after Becky with a 1:04:42!

Dad won his age group too!

I entered first but had some trouble getting my run shoes on, so Malaika headed onto the run first. I got myself together and gave chase and within a minute or so caught and passed her. My legs didn't feel too bad when I started, but they weren't the get up and go that I've had in the past. I didn't want anyone to catch me, but I didn't know if I could catch any of the girls ahead of me. I was in 4th place heading onto the run and I at least wanted to keep that. After the first loop I noticed that Kelly was gaining on me. I worked the 2nd loop as best I could and at the closest I think Kelly was about 30 seconds behind me. It took everything I had, both mentally and physically, during that last loop to push myself as hard as I could. I could feel liquids in my gut sloshing around as well as side cramps that wouldn't go away. I knew though that if I could make it up 12th street one last time with enough of a gap and run down 13th street with gravity that the crowd on Ocean View Blvd. would carry me to the finish line holding onto 4th...which I did! I ran my heart out and everyone at the finish could tell I put it all out there that day. Kelly finished only 14 seconds behind me to take 5th place.
My run time was 38:17 for a total time of 2:10:40.

Me at the Awards

Don, once of the race announcers wanted an interview after I crossed the line, but it would have to wait as I doubled over with abdominal pain...luckily nothing came out and with a few minutes of recovery I was standing beside Don for an after finish interview.

Erin-pre race

My next race will be at the end of this month at Tinley's Toughest down at Lake Lopez in San Luis Obispo.

Pictures to come soon.

The Boston Tri That Wasn't

2006-09-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

Rip & Suzie- My homestay

September 3, 2006
The Boston Triathlon

My last race was in Long Beach about 2 months ago and I had put in some consistent and solid training and was ready to test my fitness in Boston this weekend. I was also very excited to see my homestay family and good friends, the Reeves and well as my friend and fellow pro athlete Flo Chretien.

Rip & Suzie at dinner

I arrived in Boston on the evening of September 1 (friday). My homestay, Rip, picked me up and took me back to his house where I was greeted by Suzie (his wife) and their three girls, Taylor, Emily and Claire.

The kids at dinner

Saturday at 2:30pm Flo and I were at our pro meeting where we found out that due to inclimate weather the swim had been cancelled and there was now the possibility of a duathlon. We wouldn't find out for sure if there was going to be a duathlon or if the race would be cancelled completely.

Taylor & her friend

The high winds and rain from Hurricane Ernesto was apparently coming up the east coast and beacuse the bike course goes through downtown and the Big Dig where there are numerous potholes, the organizers were worried that a terrible crash could happen.

Me at Walden Pond

At 5 minutes after 6pm I checked the race website to find out that indeed the race was cancelled. It's unfortunate for all of us athletes that came from far away as we won't be reimbursed for our expenses.

Walden Pond

I must say I was a bit excited to not have to get up early the next day and race. The Reeves family, Flo and her son and I went out to dinner.

Suzie & Taylor

I woke up to rain on sunday morning, but I don't think it was that horrible that the race should've been cancelled. We are professionals that have trained and raced numerous times in the rain.

Emily & Me

After having some coffee and a lite breakfast Rip and I drove out to a park where we started our rainy run on trails, but after stepping in plenty of puddles we decided to run on the road. I picked up the pace a few times to get in some kind of workout, but it just wasn't the same as a race. After our 35 minute run, I got my wetsuit on and we walked to Walden Pond for a swim in the lake. It was absolutely beautiful, with trees surrounded the entire lake. We covered about 1.5 miles total.

I had a very early flight home on monday morning; plenty of time left in the day once I got home to celebrate Jay's birthday!

Long Beach Triathlon

2006-08-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been quite some time since I've written about my races and to be honest there is only one race that I need to write about, so here it goes...I caught a ride with Brandee the day before the race. We left early enough but ran into a few rough spots along the way...the first being a large piece of rubber from a tire that was kicked out into the air by an 18-wheeler and happened to just miss the passenger side of the windshied (where I was sitting) and hit the right front of the car. We pulled over quickly and determined that it looked okay and that we were very lucky that it didn't hit the windshield. I did however notice a slight dripping of something under the car but didn't pay too much attention as I thought it could have been there before the car got hit. So, we continued our drive south on I5 only to discover that just prior to one of the major exits on the freeway that the temperature gage had skyrocketed and we needed to pull over; so, we did just that and let me say that it is pretty scary to be on the side of I5 on a friday afternoon! We had plenty of water and were trying to figure out where it went when a guy pulled his car over and came over to help us...are you sure we're in L.A.??? That doesn't happen here, right? Apparently his brother is a mechanic and he worked with him some time and knew a bit about cars so for about 30min. this guy proceeds to fill the cars resevoir with water and help us out!! Eventually, we got the temp. gauge down a bit and thanked him and decided we'd take a chance and finish the drive to Long Beach.
Well, we made it and in time for the 5pm meeting too. I was able to catch up with a college friend/roomie of mine whom I hadn't seen in about 8 years! After dinner, it was back to the hotel to pack up my gear for the following day.

Race morning was an early one, but I'd rather it be ealier than later as we had a long drive home ahead of us. I checked in, got my cap and chip and proceeded to my transition to set up. I must have dropped my chip along the way becuase when I went to put it around my ankle I couldn't find it. I looked on the ground and eventually went back to tell the volunteers that I'd lost it. After having to go see a few different people on this subject and receiving a new chip I actually found mine on the ground! Wheww, that was lucky.

I decided to do a short warm up swim and since it was about 6:15am the water was a bit chilly and luckily wetsuits were allowed. We finally started the race closer to 7am (a bit later than expected) and with a running start into the flat ocean we were off to complete two loops where after the first loop you got out of the water and ran around a few cones and then got back into the water for the second loop. I was with a pack of women as I exited the water after the first loop and ran hard to make sure I stayed with them. We entered the water as a group and I must say that I was out of breath as the pace seemed to quicken once back in the water! I need to work on that I think...swimming hard, running around the cones and then swimming harder to stay with the pack. I exited the water with a pretty good group of women in a time of 21:43 and ran the 400m or so to T1. I missed a group of 3 girls who headed out on the bike just before me. I did however notice a girl about 15 seconds infront of me and I knew how strong of a rider she was, so I tried to catch her; if I could catch her, I knew we could catch the girls up ahead. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen as my legs just wouldn't accelerate and the girl pulled away from me until I eventually saw her join the group of 3. I continued on my own trying to push as hard as I could only to realize a group of 3 riders coming up from behind.

The bike course was mostly flat except for two small overpasses which normally I could ride over effortlessly; but not today...my legs were so heavy and I had no energy for cycling. I had my sunny's ontop of my head (in my helmet) when I looked down at one point and all of a sudden in slow motion I saw my sunny's fall from my helmet, bounce off of my top tube and fall to the ground. I tried my best to catch them but I didn't. So I'm guessing that some homeless man/woman has a nice pair of sunny's on!!

With ~ 2 laps to go I was caught by Jessica, Beth and Kelly. The four of us worked well together but were unable to make any progress in catching any of the girls in front of us. I was struggling on every little uphill bump that we went over, but I made a point of riding as hard as I could to stay up with my pack. My ride time was 1:05:42.
We entered transition and I exited onto the flat run course with Jessica. We stayed together for about 3/4 of a mile when she pulled away from me. I had no legs to go with her. I was also passed by Kelly somewhere on the run course, but I continued to run as hard as my legs could go despite the heaviness and eventual huge blisters that lined my arches of both of my feet. The last lap of two laps on the course, I could only think about how much my feet hurt and how I couldn't wait for the run to be finished. My run time left much to be desired at 40:18! My overall time was 2:10:23 and I placed 15th.

I figured out why I was so tired; or at least I think I did. Part of the reason was because of time in the car driving down the day before. My legs were tight and I was unable to get a good warm up the day before. The other reason is that I didn't taper for this race. I kept my workouts the same as I would any normal training week. I guess there is something to be said about tapering for a race!

I Escaped from Alcatraz

2006-06-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Beth and Chris at the awards

June 4, 2006
San Francisco, CA

Swim Exit

This was the first time this year that i didn't mind getting up at 4:25am for a race. Lately, I've been questioning getting up that early for a race; why, when I can sleep in, would I choose to get up that early??? I was excited about this race and I actually felt ready.

Run to Transition

Jay relaxing at the awards

The day before (Saturday) I had a nice bike and run with Beth and a short swim in Aquatic Park with Beth and her homestay Gordon. He belongs to the Dolphin Club and invited us to go with him to the club and a swim. The water was cold and both my head and Beth's were spinning. I've never had that feeling before and it wasn't that the water was any colder than I was used to. Unfortunately, Jay forgot to bring his wetsuit (he wasn't racing, but he could have gotten in and swam the day before) so he went to grab a bite to eat while we swam.

Jay, Beth and me at the awards

Later in the afternoon I was scheduled to do an interview with IMG. It took about 10 minutes and I thought it went okay. I'm not sure if it's for the DVD or for television, but I'll find out soon. At 5pm we had our pro meeting where the announcers proceeded to tell us about the Sand Ladder Challenge. There would be timing mats at the beginning and end of the 400 step sand ladder on the run. It would time each person for the steps and then find out who was the fastest up the climb. I told Beth that I'd like to win it! I'm not sure if you get anything for winning, but it be a cool title for at least one year!

Linda Gallo

Sunday morning I was up at 4:25am like I said. I drank my coffee and ate part of my plain bagel while getting ready to leave. Jay dropped me off at the transition area and then went back to the hotel to sleep for a while longer! Lucky guy.
I was surprised to see that I was the first pro to arrive! Usually there are quite a few "early birds" but for some reason, I took the cake this morning! Not long afterwards though Beth showed up and we got our transitions set up. Because there is such a long run from the swim exit to T1 you are allowed to drop off a bag with an extra pair of shoes to run in; I usually just run barefoot and by the end of the 800m run on the pavement my feet are on fire. This year I decided I would put a pair of shoes in the bag just in case I decide to use them. After dropping that bag off, Beth and I rode our bikes for a short while making sure everything was good to go.

Bike

I was debating whether or not to carry a spare tubular with me and if I did decide, where I would put it. I finally thought that it couldn't hurt to have an extra spare with me and with electical tape and rubber bands I secured the tubular, tire irons and co2 into my second bottle cage and hoped that it wouldn't bounce out on the bumpy roads of San Francisco!

Me on the stage

After our ride, we put our running shoes on and went for about a 3 minute run as time was flying by and I didn't want to catch the last bus bound for the pier. One last glance at my transition area and we caught the bus. I don't know why, but both Beth and I were so giddy on the ride to the pier. Maybe it was nerves or maybe we weren't quite awake yet, but it was a fun bus ride!! Once at the pier we found a marking pen and body marked our selves and then stood in line for the port-o-potties. I was lucky enough to get in before Erin came around and zip-tied the potties shut forcing the rest of those in line onto the ship.

Climbing

Once on the ship there was nothing to do but sit and wait and chat with friends. It took about 35-40 minutes to get out to the island and position the boat. Then we made our way outside and lined up according to our race numbers. With a few minutes before the horn was to sound, we climbed over some chains and stood on the 1 foot ledge while holding onto the railing waiting to jump into the bay. The horn sounded and the male and female pros jumped and dove into the cold waters of the San Francisco Bay. I had a good position and decided to follow the swimmers on my right. I got behind a girl and was able to stay with her for the majority of the swim. The water wasn't cold although I eventually felt my fingers going numb, my body was warm, almost too warm at times. The weather when we jumped was sunny with an easy breeze, but within only a few minutes of swimming I remembering looking up to sight and noticing grey dark clouds. The water began to get rougher and I knew that we must be in the channel. It gets rough in the middle of the swim then usually it calms down and makes for a pleasant swim into the finish. But this year, the rough water seemed to last until the very end of the swim. It made it difficult to maintain a proper stroke especially when your hand enters air instead of water! I don't even want to think of how much salt water I swallowed out there!! After exiting the swim at the St. Francis Yacht Club and climbing the slippery steps towards our bags, I quickly striped my wetsuit off and decided to put on my shoes that were placed waiting for me. My swim time was 34:40. I began my run towards T1 and was very glad to have those shoes on my feet! What made the tranisition even longer was the run on the grass to the back of the transition area before heading to the front where my bike was racked. I had a quick transition but had some difficulty getting my feet in my shoes and ran into the fencing and had to get off my bike and start again. I could only laugh, try again and then continue with my race! How funny.

Top 10

There was such a strong head wind on the way out but I kept pressing as I had a time goal for myself on the bike. It was to ride a 52 minute 18 miler through the streets of SF. I was able to pass a few girls going out but didn't see any more girls on the way back into T2. No female passed me on the return either which I was thankful for! I was quite a ways off of my time goal (57:04)which I attribute to a very strong head wind.

Jay and I after the race

As I pulled into T2 and got my running shoes on I noticed Sam McGlone and Pip Taylor heading out on the run. I wasn't too far off and my goal was to try and catch them. Toward the beginning of the run I was able to pass two other women on my quest for Sam and Pip. I could see Pip in the distance but I unfortunately never caught her or Sam for that matter. I got to the sand ladder and completely forgot about the challenge; I was focusing on Pip who was just ahead of me. I passed a few age group men and continued to focus on Pip. We got onto the pavement and had about a mile and a half to the finish and she slowly pulled away.

The Infamous Sand Ladder

The street was lined with spectators yelling and cheering and taking photos which really spurred me on and I picked up the pace to the finish line. My run time was 52:46. I placed 8th and was happy to be in the top 10...which was my original goal. My overall time was 2:29:47.

Run Lexi Run

After the race I had an appointment with the Power Bar photographer for a photo shoot. I rode my bike down to Chrissy field and found the warehouse where they had set up. It only took a few minutes, but I had to clean myself up and redo my hair! It was fun and I hope I get to see what the photos look like!

A wave to the crowd as I finish

I made it back in time for the awards and after we stepped off the stage and were collecting our checks Terry Davis looked at me and said so and so won the sand ladder challenge. I didn't hear the name so I asked him who and he said me!! How funny that I completely forgot about it; but I won by 1 second over Becky Lavelle! Again, I don't know if I get anything for it but the honor was sure nice!

Honolulu Pictures

2006-05-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Me relaxing at the beach

Our hotel room

Our hotel room

The view from our room

The view of the swim from our hotel room

Another view from our room of the marina and swim area

Transition area and Sarah running out

First girls off the bike

T2 and first couple of girls

The first 3 girls

Spectators

Swim venue

Ala Moana Beach and swim venue

View of the Ala Wei from the glass elevator of our hotel

View from the glass elevator of the hotel

Pool at the senior meet of friday night where Serena swam

Serena won her heat at the meet

Serena driving to the meet

Honolulu Part II The Race

2006-05-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

May 14, 2006

I don't know why I woke up so early...maybe it was because I wanted to make sure I was awake and ready for my 5:50am race start. Or maybe it was because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to digest my coffee and plain oatmeal. Well, I ended up having too much time to sit and wait and be bored. I was trying to be quiet as Serena was still sleeping, but I didn't know what to do when I looked at my watch and saw that I still had an hour to kill before going down to the transition area. And by the way, I woke at 3:30am!

I had my gear packed the night before, so there was really nothing left to do but wait...finally 4:45 come and I took the elevator 34 flights down to the Lobby, rode my bike the 1/2 mile to the transition area and started to set up.

There were plenty of lights for us to see which made it easy to get ready. I had visualized my race with the swim in particular because I knew I wanted to exit the water with a pack. After my transition was set, I went to the water to get in a nice warm up swim. I think this is the first time that I've swam in the ocean when it's been dark outside! With dark goggles it made it hard to see.
This was a non-wetsuit swim in the warm waters of Honolulu!! But at 5:30am, the water was a bit chilly! The start time was pushed back til 6am for the men and 5 minutes after for the women, because the sun hadn't risen!

The was a drum ceremony just prior to the announcing of the mens race. It was pretty cool, to be up at sunrise listening to a drumming just prior to starting a race! I'm cheesy for these things.

The race announcer called each girl out individually to the start line where we could pick any number of spots on a marked carpet layed out across the sand. There were many photographers shooting pictures and I was glad they got out of the way just prior to the gun going off! It was a pretty brutal start as I was shoved out of the way as each girl was jockying for position. I entered the water and started swimming in hopes of staying with the pack. Within 500-600m of the start, I slowly started to loose the girls and I eventually was by myself for the remainder of the swim. I exited the water and knew that I would have a lot of work to do on the bike to try and catch some women. I exited the swim in a 22:25.

I did notice however that upon entering T1 not only was my bike on the rack but there was one other on the rack...yeah, I wasn't last out of the water! After a quick transition I was out on the course which started with about 8-9 speed bumps. I felt strong on the ride and kept looking ahead to find the pack. I eventually saw a lone girl and I made it a point to catch her; I did and she hung on my wheel for a short bit and she pulled once or twice before we can to a slight rise in the road and i dropped her. I pushed on thinking I would see a pack just ahead of me. It wasn't until just prior to the turn around that I saw a pack of about 7 women. I kept pushing thinking maybe they weren't working together well and that I could catch them. Unfortunately I wasn't able to and ended up riding by myself. My ride time was 1:02:35. I had a good ride and entered T2 once again hoping to catch a woman or two on the run. I kept a steady pace but wasn't able to catch anyone. The run was flat, two loops and the weather remained cool thank goodness.
The streets weren't lined with too many spectators as it was a sunday morning and I finished a little after 8am. My run time was 39:41 for an overall time of 2:06:01.

So, I now have a good idea of what and where I need to work for the next few weeks and the next few months!

After the race, Serena and I went back to our room had some lunch and then it was a good 3 hour nap before we decided to go out into the sunshine and for me to begin my mini vacation in Hawaii.

Honolulu Triathlon Part I

2006-05-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2006

I flew out of San Jose early on friday morning on my way to Honoulu. Since my cousin Serena goes to school there, she was able to pick me up at 11am when I landed. We went to her dorm/on-campus apartment and she was in the middle of moving out! Yep, another semester has gone for her and she is ready to come home for the summer. She had a swim meet in the evening about 45 minlutes away. I decided to go with her because I'd be able to get a swim in during warm ups.

The traffic here is horrendous and leaving at 4pm on a friday evening heading west didn't help either. We eventually made it and the water in the 50m outdoor pool felt great. I swam about 1700m and got out. I had a horrible headache most likely due to travel and exhaustion. I did however go for a short 20 minute run in hopes of my head feeling better. Instead I felt sluggish and my head still hurt!

Serena only swam two events, the 50 back and the 50 free and I missed both of them. She wanted to stick around and finish watching her teammates compete; there was supposedly only 20 minutes left of the meet and it was ~7:40pm when I decided to go to the car and lay down and wait for her. Oh and there was a huge swarm of termites in the air...pretty disgusting. I fell asleep in the car and only woke when Serena knocked on the door! We drove home (thank goodness it didn't take that long) and I got ready for bed and by 9pm I was aleep for sure.

May 13, 2006

Woke at 6:30 this morning feeling much better and rested. Serena was up packing more of her belongings as today is the day she has to be out of her apartment. We went down to the pool and I was able to swim 2000yds. with a few pickups. I felt better today too. Oh, and I must mention that as I'm writing this it's 10:30am and I have yet to get a cup of coffee...it's driving me nuts!! I'm sitting in the apartment typing this while Serena and her boyfriend Chris drove to storage to leave some of their belongings and then to take Chris to the airport. After that she'll be coming back here to pack up her clothes and my bike box and my clothes while I ride my bike to the pro meeting at 1pm. We'll be staying in a hotel close to the race start and I'll check in after the meeting.

I figure I'll ride down a bit early and hopefully find something to eat OR go to the meeting, hopefully be able to check in early at our hotel and then get something to eat. That way I don't have to lug my bike around with me. Although, I will be getting a large latte prior to the meeting!!

That's the update for now. Check back tomorrow after the race and I'll hopefully have a report up. Oh and the race starts tomorrow at 5:55am! Early start, early finish!! Plenty of time to go surfing!!!

24th Annual Jamba Juice Wildflower Triathlon Festival

2006-05-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

May 5-7, 2006

I can't believe that it is this time again; Wildflower Triathlon Festival is here. Jay, Sprocket and I got down there early on thursday morning to give ourselves a day extra to relax and get comfortable down there.

Friday was spent dying my hair pink before giving a transition clinic on the main stage. It was sponsored by Tri-Zone and it went really well. I even had a woman come up to me the day after and said that my tip about baby powder really worked and she thanked me for an informative clinic!

I felt confident going into this race despite the fact that I believe I was somewhat undertrained. I was on my new Felt F1C for only a week prior to this race, so wasn't sure how I was going to feel on my new set-up. I got down the the transition area about 7:10am and put it together only to realize I forgot my wetsuit back at camp...so, I made my run warm up back to camp got my suit and ran down. Then I guess the majority of the women racked in the wrong spot...so, we had to move our gear down the rack a bit; no big deal. I was a bit nervous and just wanted to start. I got a small swim warm up in, but nothing much as they called us out of the water pretty quickly. We started 5 minutes after the men and I felt pretty good. I was able to get with a pack of women and hang with them. I felt a bit choppy and tried to relax. I noticed that our pack caught up with a few women just ahead of us just prior to the exit. I had a pretty good swim and exited at 27:07. It took me a few seconds to find my wetsuit cord and get the top half of it off, but managed pretty well once at T1. I ran out towards the mount line and was off on the bike. I was on a mission to catch a few women who I "normally" can ride faster than, but it wasn't going to be my day on the bike. The longer I rode, the harder if got, both physically and mentally. I didn't have enough time on the new bike to be comfortable with it and as I said before I was undertrained on the bike. I did the best I could despite the fact that I wanted to not race triathlon again (thoughts come and go on a ride like this and that was one of them). I was slower on the bike this year by 9 minutes! My legs felt heavy and sore and my low back felt on fire! I honestly couldn't wait to get off the bike. I was excited when I did after a time of 2:56!

I felt so much better on the run and I had a goal to catch 6 women. I had no idea what place I was in and I just wanted to try to be in the top 10 ( I didn't think I was there when I started the run). I felt strong on the run and my attitude changed to the positive and I was glad I was racing now! I was able to catch 3 women and tried my hardest to catch 2 more with 4 miles to go; unfortunately I wasn't able to, but I did run myself into 10th place with a run time of 1:31 and a total time of 4:57...At least it was under 5 hours!! For complete results go to www.tricalifornia.com.

The weather was great. It started out foggy and cold and eventually warmed up about half way through the bike. It never got too hot out there and I was thankful for that considering we haven't had hot weather to train in.

At 3:45pm on Saturday, I was once again on the main stage as part of the Power Bar Nutritional Panel. Scott Tinley was the announcer and Cam Widoff, Chris Lieto, Kim Loeffler, Tim (sorry, can't remember his last name) and Julie Upton (Nutritionist) and I were on the panel. Please visit www.powerbar.com for information on nutritional goodies!

Jay had a good swim and bike but pulled out before the run due to getting sick the week before the race and a small piriformis injury. Dad placed 8th in the long course on Saturday and 3rd in the olympic distance on Sunday and mom placed 5th on Saturday's long course.

I leave for Honolulu on friday May 12 and will be racing on Sunday the 14th. It's a PanAmerican Cup ITU and you can look at results at www.honolulutriathlon.com.

New Sponsor

2006-05-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes to Jim Felt from Felt Bicycles for taking me on so late in the season. I am now riding an F1C road bike and it fits great! Please go to www.feltracing.com to find out more about Felt Bicycles.

Sea Otter Classic

2006-04-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

The weekend of April 6-9, 2006 was the Sea Otter Classic. One of the largest cycling events in the U.S. and it's held here at Laguna Seca Raceway. My father is the volunteer coordinator for the VIP Tent and I must say the best volunteer job there is! We've been volunteering each year for the past 4 years I think and we always have such a great time.

In addition to volunteering, I like to do the circuit race which this year was held on friday and the road race on saturday. The circuit race is 50 minutes long around the race track; one of the only times that one is allowed to ride their bikes on the track. Since I don't race bikes that often I am a sand-bagger in the women's cat. 4. There were approximately 30 women in my category and once the whistle blew to start I stayed as close to the front as possible. I believe it took us about 10min./lap and I eventually saw the "3 Laps to Go" sign. I was going to wait until maybe the last lap to make my move, just like I did last year....Jumped with one lap to go and rode as fast as I could and no one caught me. With two laps to go, I saw mom and dad on the side cheering for me as we went up the first incline. Dad motioned for me to jump and get away and I mouthed back, "Now???" Knowing that I had two laps to go and not sure if I could solo it for that long. He shook his head yes and I jumped. I pedaled as hard as I could up the back side hill and once I reached the top and was about to ride down the corkscrew I glanced back and saw on one behind me. I kept it strong on the back side down hill and made the left turn directly into a strong headwind...I looked again and on one was there. I kept on pushing through the start/finish area with the lead motorcycle just in front of me. One lap to go and I had to really push it up the hill because I was unsure if the pack behind was getting organized. If they were, I had to really keep pushing. Down the corkscrew again and into the head wind I went for a second time by myself. I kept on pushing through and eventually crossed the line in first place by 51 seconds!! Second and third place finished only 1 second apart! I can't believe I held off the pack for two laps!!
It took forever for the awards ceremony and we waited in the rain for three hours until the awards were given.

The next day (Saturday) I went for a 14 mile hilly run in the morning before I had to volunteer at the VIP Tent. My run felt good and I figure I'd have enough time to relax before my 4pm road race through Ft. Ord.
At 3:45pm I made my way towards the start line on the track. Today I was racing in the master's women 30+ category. I thought that it might be a bit more challenging! The official grouped the 30+ and 40+ women together to make it a larger pack and we were able to work together. There were only 8 women racing in 30+! The course was 4 loops in Ft.Ord. A 46 mile hilly course at that. There is a great uphill finish (Barloy Canyon Rd.) and since I train out there, I think I had a slight advantage.
The race started late and instead of starting at 4pm, it was closer to 4:30pm.
A group of us broke away after the first loop; Three 40+ women and three 30+ women (including myself). We finally got organized and were never caught by the chase pack. One woman broke away and got a small gap, but it didn't last long as we caught her. We made the right hand turn up Barloy Canyon toward the finish. The six of us stayed together until one woman started to get away (her name is Monica and she raced the 40+ for Velo Bella). A women who raced for Galaxy Granola jumped on Monica's wheel and the two of them were a few feet away from the rest of us. I decided to go with them and broke from the other 3 women. Just before we reached the 200m mark no one had jumped yet. I didn't want this to come down to a three-way sprint, so once we got just inside the 200m mark I jumped with all I had and crossed the line in first place!!

I looked at my watch after I crossed the line, it just after 7pm; thank goodness it was still barely light outside. I wasn't sure if awards were going to be given out tonight considering it was getting late and all the vendors had gone home and the only people left were those that raced and maybe some of their friends and family. I rode my bike to the grand stand with Patty and Flavia, two women who raced in cat. 3's and who placed 2nd and 1st, respectively. We wanted to know if awards were being given or not. Apparently they were, but results had yet to be posted, so I had time to ride back to my car, change into some warm clothes and then walk back. The results still weren't posted and by now it was 8pm. I thought mom and dad had left, but when I got back to the stage I saw my mom waiting for me! She had decided to stick around and watch the awards.

Well, when the results were posted, finally, they were wrong!! It had me in third place. I had to put in my protest to one of the USA Cycling officials to get it corrected before they could hand out awards. I think most categories results were messed up because officials ended up not allowing some participants to finish

the final loop of the course because it was getting late. So what happened was, these people who didn't finish the required amount of loops ended up crossing the finish line with their timing chips and getting a time and finishing place. That's why the two women who finished 20 minutes

Patty Selbicky

ahead of me were put in first and second place and me in third...those two women were down a lap each. Mom and I ended up waiting, along with some of the other participants, until 8:35pm when our awards were finally announced. It was horrible. I know some of the other women were cold, tired and hungry and we all just wanted to get home! Mom and I ended up walking to our car in the dark at 8:40pm and couldn't wait to get home to eat dinner and take a shower!!

the 3rd place woman and Me

Besides the awards fiasco, the weekend was extremely fun. It's great to volunteer and race and we also met some very nice people! Oh and I even ran into Derek Wiback, who used to ride on the SDSU cycling team with me. Crazy who you meet at these things!

I am preparing now for Wildflower Long Course which is on May 6th.