New Orleans Race Recap

On Sunday I raced the New Orleans 70.3, my first “real” race of the season. Results: 8^th place in a strong field of 21 pro females, with the 5^th fastest bike split.

New Orleans 70.3 is a great race for several reasons… the incredible southern hospitality, ability to get great seafood, the fact that they give you things like this (photo below) in your goody bag… warm weather and oh yes, the fact that the swim tends to get cancelled due to extreme weather. Not that I don’t love a good swim, but it’s exciting to race and not have to work my way up from the back of the pack once in awhile!

I headed down to New Orleans on Thursday night directly from work to catch the 2-hour flight to New Orleans. Thanks to Tri-Bike Transport’s gracious support of Ironman pros, I was able to fly sans-bike for the first time in awhile, which was SO NICE. Plus, they take amazing care of your bike- I’ve used them for several events now as an amateur and now as a pro- they are awesome. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed, the shuttle and rental car fetching took forever, and so I ended up getting to my homestay at 1 am. The family I stayed with, the Chimentos, were SO gracious and wonderful, I’m so blessed to have gotten to stay with them for the weekend- they truly made me feel at home, and even left me a bowl of snacks in my room!

The days leading up to the race were not too eventful… much of my time was spent doing work (busy time at my full-time job) interspersed with a good amount of sleep, some solid taper workouts, the usual pre-race committments, a great dinner with friends on Friday night where we had some really authentic New Orleans fare, and an awesome sushi dinner (which happens to be my favorite pre-race meal!) with the Chimentos on Saturday night before the race.

The race day forecast was for a storm front to move through with very strong winds, so was talk of cancelling the swim. Sure enough, Saturday around 2pm, we received the official word that the swim would be cancelled, to be replaced with a 2 mile run prior to the bike. This was exciting as I feel like I’ve made some progress with running in the last month and was more than happy to have the 1.2 mile swim replaced with a 2 mile run. At the same time, the super windy conditions (30mph winds) that were in the forecast made me a bit nervous for the bike since I was planning on riding a disc, more nervous after they told us at the pro meeting that they would really not recommend riding a disc for the race (though pretty much every pro showed up on race day with a disc).  Sure enough, the winds really picked up on Saturday evening. By Saturday night, large trees were swaying, I could hear really strong gusts outside all night.

I like picking out a Bible verse before each race and thinking about it prior to the race and during the race when things get tough,  as they do in every race whether it’s a “good” kind of tough or a “bad” kind of tough. This time I picked out a verse from Isaiah 41:

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my righteous right hand.”

On race morning I got up at 4:30am and I was pretty wide awake. Had my usual pre-race coffee, and some liquid calories (I find it extremely hard to eat solid foods before a race… probably one of the only times I find eating difficult!) including half of a Naked tropical protein smoothie and a Boathouse Farms strawberry banana smoothie. I had planned to eat a Powerbar too, but this was just not going to be happening today. Stomach was not feeling like it could stomach any food.

I got to the race site about 5:15 and pulled out the trainer in the parking lot to do my bike warmup (thanks also to my homestay host for lending me his trainer… yet another thing I did not have to travel with this time around!!) Did a good 15-minute warmup with some 30 second pickups, then went to transition to get situated. Setting up trasition for a run-bike-run is different from setting up for a swim-bike-run, and required some thought to make sure key pieces were not missing. I then headed out for a 12-minute warm-up run, spent some time loosening up my legs on the foal roller (buoy),hydrated and took some First Endurance Pre-Race, and before I knew it, they were kicking us out of transition.

It was COLD waiting for the start. I was glad we were the first to start, and did not envy the people who had to wait around for close to an hour without warm clothing as there was seemingly no morning clothes drop at this race. Pretty soon it was time for the national anthem and pre-race prayer, which expressed thankfulness for being healthy and able to compete here today. I truly feel blessed to be healthy, injury-free, and the means and support to race as a pro, but in the hours leading up to a race, it’s sooo easy to take this for granted when all you can focus on is the pain that lies ahead!

RUN 1- 2.2 miles, 12:20

Pretty soon the pro women were lining up… felt like a track race! I chose the inside part of the lane. Then the gun and we were off! The plan was to run at no harder than a 10k effort per coach Eric, which is about a 5:50/mile pace for me. I felt like we were going about this pace or maybe even a bit slower, though I wasn’t looking at my Garmin too much since the group was tightly bunched and I didn’t want to trip over anyone. First mile was a 5:37 (a little fast!) but the second mile settled down to a 5:50 pace. This pace felt fine and not out of control… I came into transition with the first group of about 9 women, and once we got into transition it turned into a sprint for the bikes! I was definitely not the quickest one out- had trouble with my helmet, and lost about 10 seconds there- transitions are definitely something to work on.

BIKE- 52 miles, 2:13:45 (5^th fastest)

I tried to get on the bike quickly and catch up to the group of women who had beat me out of transition. I gradually worked my way up to 4^th place in the first 10 miles of the bike. It was definitely windy, especially with some mean crosswinds when descending off the bridges, but overall not too bad at all in terms of bike handling. My Rudy Project wingspan helmet was awesome in the wind- even though it was so windy, I felt like it was slicing through the air with little disturbance. Things were going pretty well for the first half of the bike and I was able to hold my goal power output, but this started to drop in the latter half especially in sections with a tailwind- I couldn’t find the proper gear to really put out a good wattage – kind of odd, since I felt like my effort was pretty high. After the race, I also realized I only comsumed half my bottle of calories- which would probably play a factor later on during the run. I came into T2 in 4^th place, with the 5^th fastest bike split of the day despite my issues, which I was fairly happy with though I need to work on being able to sustain my power throughout the bike in different conditions.

RUN- 13.1 miles, 1:27:06 (70.3 PR)

Into T2 and a quick change into my shoes, and I was off running… in the wrong direction. Quickly turned around but by this time Mirinda Carfrae and Magali Tissere, who came into T2 right behind me, had caught up passed me as we exited T2. It was clear that I was NOT going to be keeping up with them-  they ended up running a 1:19 and a 1:22- My first mile was a 6:15 and they had already gained over 100 meters on me by that point- so I tried to settle into my goal pace of 6:30, which I was able to hold for the first 7 miles. Around the 5 mile mark, Caitlin Snow came clipping by (she would run a 1:18 half) and I just tried to focus on my form and effort level- and on keeping cool and hydrated- it was starting to feel pretty warm out there! Around mile 9 I was passed again and my pace was slipping to 6:40 or so. The last 4 miles were not so fun… I think my lack of calories on the bike was starting to affect my legs… around mile 10 I started to get foot cramps/ charlie horse in one foot…. I prayed that this would stay at bay for the next few miles since it was really uncomfortable and messing with my form, making it hard to push off and making me feel like I was going to trip. Getting in some sports drink at each aid station definitely helped, but then the foot cramp would slowly resurface during the next mile. Not something I've ever experienced before during a run- only during swims! Finally, I could hear the announcer in transition and there was the finish! Came across in 8^th with a 1:27:06 run (a 6:38 pace, and though I definitely think I’m capable of going quite a bit faster, is actually a 70.3 PR for me). Definitely happy with the way this race went, but also motivated to improve some things with my biking, running, and racing, not to mention swimming.

I didn’t have time to do too much exploring after the race but did make it to a Bikram Yoga class in an incredibly cute part of New Orleans on Sunday evening, which really helped me loosen up and feel better after the race.

Many thanks to Coach Eric for such a solid training plan and great guidance on training and racing, and to all of the fantastic great sponsors that have supported myself and the Fast Forward Triathlon Pro Development Team and helped us achieve our goals: Inside Out Sports, Rudy Project, Cervelo, Computrainer, First Endurance, Skin Sake,CEP Compression, Training Peaks, Prevail Conditioning, SPaRC, and FSSeries.

Thanks also to Will Jones of 4D Fitness for lending me a shallower front race wheel which made my bike handle much better in the wind, TriBike Transport for supporting pros this year with bike transport and doing such a stellar job at it, Lee Ann Leblanc for the great dinner at Mandina’s, and to my incredible homestay hosts, the Chimentos! 

Next race: Columbia Triathlon on May 20^th.

FFT Team Camp and Oceanside 70.3 Recap

I spent the end of March in Southern California at the FFT Pro Development Team training camp and racing the Oceanside Ironman 70.3. It was a challenging week filled with training, learning, getting to know my FFT teammates, racing and some quality time with good friends- all in a very scenic environment.

Chris and I flew into San Diego on Friday night and spent a day and a half with my friend Maureen and her husband Iggy. We were treated to some awesome meals and some great relaxing time in their outdoor hot tub! In addition to great friends, they are amazing hosts. Maureen took us on a great long ride on Saturday with lots of climbing, and a great run on Sunday morning. On Sunday morning we made our way up to Santa Barbara, a 5 hour drive, stopping along the way just outside of LA to see my friend (and college track teammate) and now pro cyclist, Devon Gorry, compete in a bike race with the NOW/Novartis women’s cycling team at the Redlands Cycling Classic (they won the race!) After a quick lunch with Devon, we completed the traffic-y drive up I-5 in the pouring rain and finally made it to the awesome Santa Barbara home that would be our training base for the week (many thanks to the Warrens!)

TEAM CAMP

Monday AM started off bright and early with a blood lactate test on the bike. This test is done on the Computrainer and involves cycling at progressively higher wattage while monitoring both heart rate and blood lactate levels. This helps to determine your lactate threshold, approximately the level of effort you should be able to hold for a 1 hour TT on the bike, which is then used to create training zones (measured by wattage and heart rate) for various types of workouts. The team then headed out for a 4 hour ride with some good sections of climbing at a tempo effort. Unfortunately at the beginning of the ride, Chris crashed and landed on his side and left wrist. He seemed to be OK (though in pain) with likely a sprained wrist. Since the ride took longer than expected, we rode straight to Prevail Conditioning for functional strength assessments, which involved performing various movements while being videotaped. I was feeling pretty beat and hungry at this point, and was forever grateful to Moose for bringing over a whole assortment of lunch ingredients for us! After our functional strength assessments, we then headed straight to the pool for a recovery swim workout at a beautiful long course meter outdoor pool. By the time we got home and had dinner, made by Mrs. Warren, which was excellent! I was so tired I fell asleep at 9pm.

Tuesday we did the always exciting bike-run-bike-run brick workout at a hard tempo pace. The bike loop included some beautiful views of the ocean, which we didn’t get to enjoy much once the workout started but could certainly appreciate on the cooldown. I tested out First Endurance Pre-Race for this workout (along with my usual EFS Drink), which I felt made me more alert and focused, and made my legs and lungs forget about all the hard workouts I had done in the days prior and able to ride and run at a relatively hard effort. The afternoon included a swim workout with some all-out 100s, and a sport psychology talk by Dr. Steve of SPaRC. Among other things, he encouraged us to think beyond simply what time or place we want to achieve in a race, to how we want to be remembered as an athlete and person in our sport, and what values we want to express during our training, racing, and interactions with others. He also talked about overcoming mental and emotional obstacles to training and competing at our best. After that it was dinner time (with another amazing dinner prepared by Mrs. Warren) and then cake time as it was Erika’s birthday!

Wednesday included another long ride (80 miles with a long climb partway up the well-known Gibraltar route) out to Solvang and back with a 20 minute brick run, then to Prevail Conditioning for a great session where they showed us how to do some great preventative strengthening exercises and how to self-treat various issues we’re having (or example, a tight IT band or tight plantar fascia) using a foam roller, tennis ball, lacrosse ball, golf ball, etc (painful but so helpful!) and improve our mobility. Their work with us all week was so helpful and I learned a lot.

Thursday held another LCM swim workout followed by a track workout in the afternoon. The Prevail crew came and showed us many great drills to do to help us both warm up and instill proper run form before our workouts, and videotaped us as well. Most of the group then did 6x1000m intervals at VO2 Max effort, while I did a bit shorter workout since I had Oceanside 70.3 in two days. Then we all headed down to downtown Santa Barbara for dinner. Chris and I went to The Natural Café where we got some really awesome fish tacos and an amazing salad- and got to eat outside!

Friday AM we did a team run photo shoot on the beach (beautiful backdrop for it!) with Chris as the photographer. We then packed up and headed back down to San Diego so I could make the Oceanside 70.3 pro meeting, get my race packet, and get my gear and bike situated for the race. After browsing the expo, getting some free samples, visiting some sponsors, checking in and attending the pro meeting, I took a short icebath in the ocean (which at 55 degrees, was the perfect ice bath-ing temperature, though a bit disconcerting that it was also the temperature we would be swimming in the next day!) We then drove further south to San Diego to Maureen’s house where we’d be staying for the night, where she was preparing an amazing salmon dinner on the grill. After getting the bike and gear all ready for the race, Chris prayed for me and for my race the next day, and it was time to get some sleep.

RACE DAY

Saturday morning we awoke at 3:30am, which is I think the earliest I’ve ever gotten up for a race. I was so glad Maureen was racing too, as that made the early wakeup much more tolerable. I was still feeling really tired by the time we were ready to leave so I skipped the coffee and napped on the 45-minute drive up to Oceanside (thanks to Maureen’s husband Iggy for driving, and to both Chris and Iggy for getting up so early to support us at the race!) I felt better after that and had my coffee and breakfast and some EFS and Pre-Race. It was about 50 degrees out and clear, but when we got to transition, it had started to drizzle. Since the weather forecast had not called for rain, I assumed this was just a momentary patch. As I got my wetsuit on and prepared for the start, it was clear that it was only getting ranier, but I hoped it would let up before we got on the bike. I was definitely a bit nervous for the swim, as in addition to the cold water, they’d told us at the pro meeting that there would be 3-foot swells during the middle section of the course, and sighting is not my best talent as it is. My goal was to swim with a pack to make this easier.

When they let the pro women into the water, it indeed felt like we were jumping into an icebath, as I'd anticipated the day prior- the water was COLD! I had to swim with my head up for a minute or two as the water was so cold I couldn’t breathe with my head submerged. Finally my body semi-adjusted to the temperature, just in time for the starting gun. The start of the swim was pretty violent- I got kicked directly in the face pretty hard twice and my goggles partially filled with water. Good thing I’d had plenty of practice swimming with salty water in my goggles earlier in the week at team camp, when we did 100s off the blocks and my goggles filled with water on every one! I was able to stay with a couple girls which helped immensely as we neared the rough section of the course, but sighting and staying in a straight line was still pretty tough for us. By the end, my head and feet got pretty cold, even with two swim caps on. I came out of the water pretty close behind the little pack I was swimming with at almost 34 minutes and struggled to get my wetsuit off and socks and helmet on with numb fingers- not a quick transition! 

As I began to bike, I thought of the verse Philipians 3:13, as it was how I wanted to approach this race- “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” Though I’d put a lot of training in this week, I did not want to use this as an excuse to have a sub-par race or not push myself as much as I was capable of. During the race I tried not to think about the training we’d done that week, but just about pushing myself and moving up throughout the race! I knew the field was pretty large and strong, but I tried to focus on my own race, and moving forward, not on the week behind or what I could have done differently in the swim or earlier in the race.

Out on the bike course I couldn’t get my Garmin to pickup my power meter, odd since I've never had this issue before. I tried to re-set it in order to get it to pick up, but it took several tries. The rain got a little stronger which made corners (which there were many of, and which I’m not that great at anyway!) tricky. About 5 miles in, I dropped a bottle, thankfully not the one with all of my calories for the ride. I also had to make do with the one cassette I’d brought for the week, an 11-23, which made the course’s decent-grade climbs tough standing climbs for me. Despite the rain, the bike course was beautiful! Green mountains and foothills were the only sight for miles. I tried to keep up a good level of effort but in retrospect, my average wattage for the ride was at least 20 watts lower than I wanted it to be, and I would have liked to have ridden more strategically as well. However, I was really loving my new Rudy Project aero helmet- so much more comfortable and lighter than my old one, and I like the fact that I could close up the front air vents to stay a little warmer on a cold, rainy day like this.

On to the run, I was not feeling very energetic. This had the potential to be a really long run… I tried to think of ways to keep pushing myself. First I focused on my run form, then focused on staying with anyone who passed (mainly fast age group males at this point). At the out and backs, I could see the pro women ahead of me so tried to focus on narrowing the gap between us. I began to feel better with each passing mile, and gained about 3 or 4 spots on the run. Amazingly, my pace stayed even throughout the run and my last mile was the fastest one. It was great to have Chris and Iggy cheering out on the course! Overall 14^th place out of 21^st- not my best race, but my second-fastest 70.3 run and I think I more or less accomplished my goals for the day. Still, I’m looking forward to racing again, an opportunity I will have in a couple weeks at New Orleans 70.3.

          Overall a challenging week with some great fitness gained! Thanks to coach Alex for all the work that went into planning and leading the camp, Moose for planning and coordinating our activities and rides for the week, Mr. and Mrs. Warren for the accommodations and wonderful meals, coach Eric for the training and racing guidance, and to the FFT team for pushing me during workouts - congrats on great week of hard work. Thanks also to our great sponsors- Inside Out Sports, Rudy Project, Cervelo, Computrainer, First Endurance, Skin Sake, CEP Compression, Training Peaks, Prevail Conditioning, SPaRC, and FSSeries for helping us to train, race, and recover better this year!