2014 Sponsors!!!

Hi All, I wanted to take a minute to talk about my awesome sponsors for the 2014 season!!! Sponsors make it possible for me to focus on training and racing and often provide me with the equipment needed to train and compete at a high level. I appreciate each of these companies so much, and wanted to talk about why I'm partnering up with them for the 2014 season.



Firstly, I will continue to be a Zooter! I have raced on the Zoot Ultra Team for the last 2 years and really enjoyed it. The people on the team have always been friendly and supportive. This year I will be switching over to the elite squad. The people that work for Zoot are really great and always helpful with equipment questions. I was having trouble with the fit of one of their shoes and their shoe engineer gave me some tips as well as other shoe options among their line. I've been really excited in the last year with the new shoes they have coming out. I started doing the majority of my training in the Tempo trainer. I find that it is substantial enough to withstand the high mileage (I have 300 miles on a pair right now and they barely look worn), but it is still pretty light and I don't feel like I'm wearing a "training" shoe per se. I do half ironman and below in the Kiawe. The Kiawe is very light and responsive and fits the mid part of the foot very snug while keeping the toe box relatively open. This is important in a shoe for me since narrow toe boxes cause problems with numbness in my feet. I feel like I'm not even wearing shoes when I have these on and I can fly. I use the Tempo for Ironman distance races, because coming off a 112 mile bike, my form is probably not perfect and it has just a little bit of stability to aid in any deficiencies in my form.  Beyond their shoes, Zoot has some great other stuff. Their compression is the best I've ever used, and very very appreciated after a long day of training. It's so comfy I don't even care about the strange looks I get grocery shopping in my tights after a long run. The prophet wetsuit is flexible in the shoulders and buoyant in all the rights spots to keep me streamlined in the water. Since I don't come from a swimming background, I appreciate all the help I can get in the water! Zoot's running and cycling clothing is comfortable and light. The megaheat layers have been keeping me very comfortable this winter, even in chilly RI. Their running and triathlon tops fit so well that I haven't even worried about buying body glide. I'm excited to see what they have cooking this year and am glad I get to keep training and racing in their gear.



Final Kick Sports in Virginia Beach, VA has brought Brian and I on for the 2014 season. They are a local triathlon and running store. Every time I walk in there I get a happy greeting and am always glad to chat for a few minutes at the end of a long run in the park. Whenever I see the owner, Jim, at a race he always greets me with a hug and a "good job" no matter how I did. Their bike mechanic, Wick, has been helping us to get dialed in on bike choices for the 2014 season and hopefully we will be showing off some new rigs soon. Final Kick supports a pretty large triathlon and running training group. The whole group is fun and positive, and I love being able to make it out for a workout or a cold beer with everyone. I'm looking forward to a fun season with them.



Infinit Nutrition has also brought me on for the 2014 season. I was having trouble with nutrition throughout the 2013 season so wanted to try something different. In the past I had difficulty balancing my electrolytes, as well as getting in the right amount of calories. Infinit makes custom formulas for individual athletes. I made an appointment with one of their dieticians and she talked with me for a little while to learn more about me and then developed both run and bike formulas specific to my needs. The greatest part is that if I am not feeling something, I can change it! For instance, I did my long ride this weekend with the bike formula. I was skeptical whether this only liquid thing would work for me. However, the carbs and protein the use are designed to be more slow releasing. Despite taking in  less calories, I did not get hungry like I was all last season at the end of rides! Since I concentrate bottles, the flavor was still slightly too high for me (I like it really light), but all I need to do is fire off a quick email and that can be changed! It's seriously awesome. If I find I need more sodium for hotter races, I can change that too, and I can adjust the calories if needed. I'm excited to dial in my blends and use them for training and racing this year. I also want to try the Napalm, which is their equivalent to gels. It would allow me to carry a bit less on the run. Other favorites among their products so far are Nocturne, Repair and Mud. Nocturne is a nighttime recovery drink. I have mentioned before that during hard weeks I often wake up in the middle of the night to eat a snack. Nocturne has really helped with that because it has slow releasing carbs and protein to stay fuller and aid in recovery, as well as tryptophan to promote sound sleeping. Repair is a delicious chocolate recovery drink mix with a great blend of protein and carbs. Mud is a super yummy chocolate/coffee drink for before or after a workout. I look forward to waking up for swims now so I can have some Mud! Oh and did I mention that Infinit doesn't put any unneeded stuff in their mixes? Like artificial sweeteners and artificial colors? It's awesome stuff.



Ghent Chiropractic is located on 21st St in Norfolk, VA and has supported Brian and I for the last few years. I went in their a few years ago with bad IT band syndrome. I could barely walk without pain and was not hopeful about my chances of competing that season. Dr. Clayton is skilled at a few types of Active Release Technique (ART) and got to work on it right away. Within two weeks of starting treatment, I was back to normal training. I really like that Ghent Chiropractic looks at the whole picture. In addition to the adjustments, they also look at flexibility, balance, muscle tightness/pain and nutrition. Due to my high volume/intensity of training, I go in once a week. Each visit starts off with Dr. Clayton asking if anything is bugging me. If something is, he pays extra close attention to it and works it out. He also often finds little areas of tightness that haven't started to bother me yet. He works them out before they can become a problem. If I have something that is a bit of a recurring issue, he helps me to figure out what might be causing it and gives me stretching and strengthening suggestions to do at home. In addition to the great care that we get from them, everyone that works at Ghent Chiropractic is extremely pleasant and friendly. I enjoy chatting with Dr. Clayton just as much as I enjoy chatting with the ladies that man the reception area. You can often see Ghent Chiropractic at local race expos taping up athletes, and I highly suggest going over and chatting with them, if they can help you half as much as they have helped me you will be in good shape.



Team Atomica is the coaching company that my coach Tara Norton works for, and is headed up by Ayesha Rollinson. I LOVE being coached by Tara. I have seen such a huge improvement over the last 2 years and know that I have so many more barriers that I can break through with her help. I was telling our friend Mike that I love a workout that scares me a little, and Tara definitely delivers. She challenges me weekly but never gives me more than I can handle. She helps me to balance being a full time PhD student, puppy mom, wife and professional triathlete. She is always available if I have any questions or concerns or just to chat about how cute her little daughter or my puppies are :P Tara and Team Atomica are going to be heading up several camps this year and I'm really hoping to make it to one. The first is Epic Woman Camp in Lanzarote in February and then Epic Woman Camp in Kona. She gave me my own little epic camp last year to do in Chesapeake, VA and as awesome as it was to push the limits of endurance for a week, it would be wayyyyy more fun in one of those locations with friends and massage and great food. Tara has made some excellent changes to my training program this winter and I am already seeing the difference. My schedule for the 2014 season is looking to be pretty awesome and I can't wait for her to guide me through it.



I was soooo excited to find out that Biotta Naturals would be sending me some juice. As a scientist, I always skeptical of huge claims that something will increase your ability. I started looking into the beet juice claim and read the research (yes there is actually research on exercise and beet juice!) and was pretty impressed. I started using it before hard rides and although there are many factors, I've been seeing improvements in my cycling. I then started drinking it before races. The only problem with drinking it before races, is that I had to travel with it in a mason jar. Biotta has sent me these sweet bottles of beet juice that not only taste better than my homemade juice, but are also easy to throw in my pack to bring to races or training trips. Now to just keep from drinking it all at once :)

Winter Fun

Hey all, so no race report this time, or information on training per say. Just a fun blog to let you know what Brian and I have been up to so far in the off season!

Probably the most exciting thing that has happened, is that we adopted another English Setter! Her name is June (we nicknamed her June bug) and we adopted her from the Southwest English Setter Rescue. She has been so much fun and is such a sweet little pup. Gunther is a little disappointed that he has to share the cuddles and pets but he loves having a live in play buddy. They both love to run with me but we are working on running nicely instead of pulling me over whenever they see a squirrel. They will both be starting with Offleash K9 Training soon and we are excited to work with them.


June


Gunther and June playing in the backyard

One of the athletes I coach and that Brian trains with quite a bit is a pretty avid rock climber. He took Brian out on a trip to do some climbing and Brian came back hooked. Since then, he has gotten me into it as a fun, cross training type thing to do in the off season. We have been going to the rock gym in Virginia Beach and have both been learning how to be better technically. It's really fun and a great strength workout, plus we've gotten to meet athletes from a different group.

See Zoot tights don't have to be just for running and cycling!

We spent Thanksgiving in Virginia but I headed up to RI with the dogs for Christmas. Brian had to work an overtime job so he stayed in Virginia until New Years. It was weird spending the holiday without him but then he flew up to RI for New Years and we had a really fun few days with family and friends. The dogs got very spoiled with always having someone around to play with. I think they only had to stay in their crate twice, and we went for several long walks along the ocean to get coffee downtown. It was pretty chilly while I was home so I was thankful for my Zoot megaheat layers. On Christmas morning it was 19deg (without the wind chill) and I headed out to do a set of hard hill repeats. I was thankful that I didn't have to find a bridge to run over like we do in Chesapeake to do hills. I was also able to do my favorite running route by a couple of the beaches on the island and then up and around the lighthouse (where our wedding ceremony took place). Jamestown is so beautiful and I'm thankful to have grown up there and be able to go back and visit.

Beavertail lighthouse

I stayed on the trainer for my cycling workouts and was able to get some really quality interval training in, including a hard VO2 max set. When I was almost through the workout I received this in a text from our friend Kristen. Besides making me laugh when I was feeling pretty tired it also motivated me to get through the last few.

I did all my swim workouts across the bridge in the YMCA pool where I first started my triathlon training. It was neat to get back there as a much stronger athlete than when I started. Coach Tara Norton, ever the creative workout extraordinaire gave me a cool 12 Days of Christmas set to do on Christmas Eve. I may have been thinking a few choice words at her during the 12x50 butterfly though :P

We also did some climbing in RI in the Rock Spot gym up there. It was a good opportunity to spend some time with my brother Nate and his girlfriend Gillian before he heads off to Coast Guard boot camp (so proud of him for making the commitment to serve). My sister, her boyfriend Joe and my best friend Kendalyn and her boyfriend Adam also joined us one of the days which made for a really fun evening of climbing and catching up over dinner after.

A snow storm blew in after New Years, so of course Brian wanted to go for an "adventure run" in it. When we started out it seemed like a really bad idea to me...but it ended up being really fun even if I couldn't feel my toes or fingers after. We ran through the golf course (including Brian diving head first into a snow drift) and then made our way to my favorite coffee shop downtown for a little break before running home along the water.

The day before we had to drive back home, my cousin (his parents are my dad's cousins) Mikey was putting on a trail 5K race. I did my long ride workout on the trainer and then Brian and I headed over to the race. It was pretty cold out and the trail was covered in snow. I borrowed a set of Yak Traks from Mikey and paired up with his 9yo daughter Ellen to run with. Mikey and Becky have the coolest little girls, and they are into all sorts of outdoor activities. I'm pretty sure both of them can outclimb Brian and I pretty easily. This was a really tough 5K and Ellen was a trooper. She rolled her ankle a little bit but refused to quit and it was awesome to be able to share that experience with her. Fortunately there was hot chocolate and cup o noodles to warm up with after.

Ellen and I running in the snow scottmasonphoto.com

Although we both had an excellent time in RI, I'm happy to be back into a routine home in VA. Training for the 2014 season is ramping up and races are getting closer and closer. We will be looking to start up some breakfast rides in the coming weeks so look out for those. As many of you know Brian is a team captain for the Zoot team this year. I will also be staying with Zoot as an individual athlete. Check back in my next blog for some other exciting sponsor announcements for the 2014 season. Stay warm everyone and enjoy the base training, it sets you up for an excellent season.

Ironman Florida

A phone call from Brian on Sunday morning encapsulated the whole weekend. I had talked to him the night before, after I finished but hadn't heard from him yet that morning. Our friend Robert showed me his phone so I could see that Brian was calling him. They spoke for a few minutes about Robert's race and then Robert said to me "Brian says I got a call first because my race was more important." This could not be more true, so in that spirit for this post I will get to my race eventually, but first I want to tell you about the people I traveled there with, so sorry if this post is a little long.

I started riding with the Fat Frogs Chesapeake shop 4 years ago when I moved to the area. I used to get dropped by the B pace group and was known as "the girl that can't turn." I have come a long way since then and really appreciate all of their support throughout the last 4 years.

Robert was one of the first cyclists I met. He's a pretty happy guy, friendly to everyone, encouraging of everyone. Every time I walked in the shop and heard a "hey baby" I knew he was probably hanging out on the couch post ride. He has been one of Brian and I's biggest supporters over the years and I was really excited when I found out he would be doing Ironman Florida to celebrate his 50th birthday. Robert has struggled in the swim in the past, and has had to overcome fears and doubts after being pulled from the water at Rev3 Williamsburg. He told me his biggest concern was not making the cut off for the Florida swim. Well he made it with 49 minutes to spare, posting a 1:31 swim split. And it was no easy, calm swim either, I even got a little rattled after being thrown under by a wave after the first lap. It was amazing talking to him after when he said "I really didn't know if I could do it, and then I looked up and saw the first red turn buoy and at that moment I knew I was going to be an Ironman." I almost got really emotional when I was a few miles from the finish and I saw him on the run, because I knew he was going to make it. He did make it, and with plenty of time to spare with a 15:16 finish time. I think the picture below pretty much sums everything up.



Another Frog doing his first Ironman was my training buddy Keith. Keith had done several long rides with me (including a lot of my epic week) as well as some hard run workouts. He is really good at making sure I pace myself more evenly on mile repeats since I tend to try to sprint from the go. Keith also has a wonderful family that seemed just as excited for me as they were for Keith. I even had an awesome sign that said "Your feet hurt because you're kickin so much ass-phalt." What impressed me the most about Keith's training all year was how he balanced it with spending time with his family and flying long trips as a FedEx pilot. Keith had an excellent Ironman debut, finishing in 11:12.





Kristen is also part of the group and drove down with me to the race. She had driven to Steelhead with me as well and makes an excellent travel buddy. I was actually a little concerned that my abs would be sore from laughing almost the whole 13 hr drive. She had made special "badass" outfits for us to wear. The most memorable part of our trip though was running out of gas on I-95 South, and Kristen changing into running shoes and shorts to run down the highway to get gas at the next exit. We had some pretty interesting conversations, including theorizing what each athlete was like back in Kindergarten. I love traveling with Kristen and others like her because she's so positive and light hearted, it really helps to calm the nerves pre race. Kristen has done Louisville a couple times and had an hour and a half PR this past weekend at Florida (13:39). I'm looking forward to many more race trips with Kristen in the future.





While I know those three the best, it was really fun experiencing race week with all of the other frogs doing their first Ironman. David H came in at 10:36 with an awesome bike split. Dixie overcame losing her Garmin in the swim and finished in 11:30. Scott struggled with stomach issues all day but still finished in 15:03. David L. came in with Robert in 15:16. Mike struggled to run a couple of miles not too long ago and finished the IM in 15:25. Walt coached the group and sacrificed his own training and still came in in 16:05 with Ava. Everyone from the group finished and it was incredible seeing them come across the line.



Ok so now I'll go over my race a little. The pro meeting shortly after I got in was insane. It was standing room only, they were saying the biggest pro field for a non championship Ironman. I forced myself to see it as a way to push myself and not let the nerves take over. Another potentially nerve racking issue was the storm that blew in the day before the race. Double red flags meant the beach was closed and palm trees were bending with the wind, sand was whipping across the road and rain was coming down. I took shelter in the condo and just trusted the forecast that it was going to be clear the following day.



Race morning came and the waves and wind had calmed considerably, there was still some swell coming in but not the magnitude of the day before. The men went off at 6:50 and the women a few minutes later. It was a bit hard getting out and keeping track of the group on the first couple hundred meters. I latched onto the small group (not the first group) and tried to hang on. Coming in after the first loop I was on Whitney's feet (I was on her feet at Louisville too so it felt like dejavu), when we both got picked up by a wave and slammed together underwater. We eventually surfaced and she kind of looked at me and asked "are you okay?" It rattled me a little and I didn't get back in the water fast enough for the second lap and ended up on my own. With it being difficult to get back in I thought my swim time was going to be horrible, when I saw 1:04 I thought, well not good but definitely not horrible. My friend Jonathan yelled to me in the wetsuit stripper line and almost dragged me down the beach trying to get it off, they had to have another volunteer hold my arms.



The volunteers in transition got me out of there quickly, handed me my bike and I was off. I felt a little queasy from the salt water but got into a rhythm quickly, started hitting my power numbers and taking in little bits of nutrition at a time. I love my GU brew because it has a light taste that is really easy to get down after the swim. I started eating my chomps as well, never seem to get sick of them and I especially love the new lemon flavor, as well as my peanut butter gels. The conditions were very similar to my 2011 race, some periods of headwind and some period of tailwind. I tried to keep my spirits up in the headwind and my power fairly consistent, and then I tried to use the tail wind advantage as best I could. I tried to remember to stretch a little and loosen up periodically because riding in that exact position for 112 miles can be hard on the body. I was fortunate to have some other pro women near me that I could pace off and use as motivation. Coming in off the bike, I was really happy that I had been able to maintain a good steady effort and was coming off the bike with my best split ever and very close to 5 hours which I had really wanted. All the work on the bike this year is really paying off, and I'm just beginning to realize that potential so next year is going to be even better.



I ran into the T2 changing tent and was frantically getting my stuff on when I looked over and saw Rinny, and thought huh that's cool. Since Rinny had won the Ironman World Championship, she is guaranteed an entry into Kona 2014, but needs to do one Ironman to validate her slot. I thought she showed a lot of class at the Florida race, she didn't have anything to prove and instead made it a sort of well deserved victory lap. I ran out of transition before her, so when she caught me on the run looking like she was out for a jog, she was very nice and asked me my name. Every time I saw her after that she would say "hello again." I appreciated these little exchanges during some of my dark moments on the run. The first 6 miles of the run I was feeling awesome, it felt easy and my pace was faster than expected. I went with it, thinking maybe I would surprise myself. About 6 miles in I started to feel off, it was hard to pin point but I started to take in some extra salt and coke hoping that would help me get out of my funk. About 15 miles in I started to come out of it. I wasn't able to drop my pace back down to quite what it was, but my turnover was improving and I was hanging in there. Seeing the frogs, their families and my friend Jeff really picked me up. My Canadian friends Gord and Judy were about 1.5 miles from the finish and every time I passed them they had a kind word and a high five. I started looking forward to that little spot on the run, and it was so great having them out there.



While I did struggle more than I expected to on the run, I was so ecstatic to run down the chute to a 13 minute PR. This race is so special to me, I would have teared up at the finish if I had any fluids left. I hope to come back to Florida again and again.



Now that the triathlon season is over for me, I'm looking forward to some rest, relaxing, yummy food and time with my hubby and puppies before getting into base training. I have learned so much this year as a rookie pro. I appreciate every opportunity I've had to become a stronger athlete and better person. I know I say this over and over, but we appreciate everyone that supports and encourages us. When it gets hard in racing and training, it picks me up knowing how many people are behind us.

I want to write a special sponsor highlight blog next but for now, thank you to all our sponsors. Zoot for all their support, I had no discomfort in my kit, my prophet kept me buoyant, warm and fast in the water, no blisters in my tempos and they were super responsive even with my tired legs. Fat Frogs Bike and Fitness Chesapeake, for getting my bike race ready and even helping with any concerns I had during race week. Ghent Chiropractic for keeping me healthy and always making sure no injuries are creeping up on me. GU for the tasty nutrition, I was fueled from start to finish. Garmin for my 910XT giving me accurate info to gauge my effort and pace. Stages Cycling for a power meter that allowed me to gauge my effort on the bike so I could pull off my PR bike split.

I want to write more on this later, but my coach Tara has truly been an amazing friend and coach to me this season. I have felt challenged all season, she talks me through everything and I can't wait to see what is in store for next season. Stay tuned for what we will be up to in 2014.

Ironman 70.3 Augusta

This report is a little delayed, but in my defense I had the second part of the biggest exam of my life last week (and I passed!). I wanted to make sure I wrote up a report though, because once again, I learned a lot and had a great deal of fun along the way.

A friend Jeffrey and I decided last minute to drive down to Georgia together. We didn't know each other super well beforehand, but I'm really glad I was able to get to know him better. Jeff very graciously did most of the driving so that I could get some studying done. He has his PhD in exercise science so we were able to talk a bit about what I was studying and the differences in our fields. Even though my background is marine biology, I am really interested in exercise physiolgy and have actually considered working on human swimming biomechanics and/or wetsuit design after grad school (my work involves a lot of fluid dynamics). We also had a ton of fun, pretty sure we laughed most of the way down to Augusta. It's really nice to be able to joke around before a race, given how stressful race weekends can sometimes be.



I was able to get in the river Friday and Saturday, and the current was whipping, especially on Friday. Although it had slowed just a smidge on race day, I was still excited to have a super fast swim. The only problem with a super fast swim, is that since it's my weakest discipline, the other girls are still going to be faster. More on that later.

My homestay, Brittany, was wonderful. We actually met in line for the port a potty before Rev3 Williamsburg. I mentioned I was doing Augusta and she offered me a homestay. She is on the Rev3 tri team and has an incredible story of resilience and hard work. It was very inspiring to learn more about her journey in the sport and I look forward to staying in touch.



So on to the race. I got to transition really early and had my area all set up and ready to go with plenty of time left to hang around until race start. I felt a little awkward just standing around my bike, but then I met a very nice pro named Helen and chatting with her before the race really eased my tension and made the time go more quickly. In retrospect I probably should have practiced diving off the dock at least once, but was worried about standing around cold before the start. The men went off first and when they dove off the dock, the force pushed it back and all the pro women nearly fell in after them. We lined up at the edge and three minutes later, dove in. Immediately my goggles flooded because I didn't tuck my head enough. I hastily cleared them and tried to keep track of what the group was doing, who was breaking away etc. I just couldn't get on any good feet, and ended up by myself with a few women on my feet. I put my head down and just tried to make sure I was staying on the line of buoys which was a little tricky with the angle of the sun but I managed ok. They had told us to keep the yellow/orange buoys on our left and then go around a red buoy at the finish. I had been counting buoys and knew I was nearing the finish, but then I saw 3 red buoys, which one do I go around?! I didn't want to get a penalty so turned one way, and then a kayaker pointed me another way and I finally saw the finish.

Transition went fairly quickly and I was on the bike right with the women I had come out of the water with. I rode a little back for awhile and then 2 of them went off ahead. I kept riding at my prescribed watts to avoid blowing up too early. Coach and I have since determined that the watts I was riding are probably closer to what I should be doing in fulls, but it's still something that we are working to dial in. Once I hit the hills about 10 mi out, the road got rougher and the riding was tougher than I had anticipated. I lost a little focus here and didn't regain it until about the halfway point or so. I did really enjoy the last half of the ride. One of the pro women had been riding a little ways back from me and all of a sudden passed me with a couple miles left. I kept her in my sights, hoping to get out on the run with her.

I started out on the run with that pro woman just in front of me, I was hitting my target pace and my legs felt good so I let her go, I knew that my target pace would be challenging enough, and if I tried to catch up to her I would do myself in. I was feeling pretty good and for the first time in a half this year, really felt like I was going to nail the run. At about the 3 mile mark, all of a sudden I just didn't feel so good. I got cold and something was just off. This was frustrating for me because I could see that great run split slipping away. I came out of this eventually and picked my pace back up but wasn't able to get fully back to that target pace. Though this was frustrating, I am happy that I was at least able to come out of it. I often forget that my 70.3's this year are still much faster than previous years. They aren't quite as fast as I want them to be, but I am at least making progress, and slowly dialing in what I need to do at this distance. My coach, Tara, has really been incredible this year. She helps me learn from each race and helps me to put things in perspective. I loved something she said to me after Augusta. She said that she was glad I wasn't satisfied with 9th, that it was a good race for me, but that I should want more. She is always reminding me to be patient, that I am young in this sport, and I am really grateful for these reminders. I really believe in my potential, and am excited to see where this sport takes me. All in all, although I was looking for a little more, this wasn't a "bad" race for me, but I love that it made me hungry for more.



After the race I was able to meet up with my team mate Danielle (who killed it, and got a 70.3 Worlds slot) along with friends Gisela, Sarah, Susan, Jeff, Brittany and her daughter. We enjoyed a really fun dinner out, swapping race stories. Part of the reason I love this sport so much is that you just meet the coolest people. I am always so touched by how many amateurs use precious breath during the race to give me a bit of encouragement. The other pros are very welcoming as well, and quite a few of the pro men that went by me on the run, and were obviously running hard, still managed a "good job" as they went by.





Thank you to Zoot for the awesome kicks (Kiawe 2.0) and comfortable kit, my prophet wetsuit kept me warm and buoyant on the swim and was super easy to get off. GU fueled me on the bike with my favorite peanut butter gels and then some roctane gels on the run. My nagging foot discomfort didn't bother me on the run thanks to Ghent chiropractic. And my bike was tuned just right thanks to Fat Frogs Bike and Fitness Chesapeake.

Last race of the tri season is Ironman Florida on Nov 2, and after Louisville I am definitely looking forward to it. I'm excited to see all the Fat Frogs race their first Ironman, and it will be nice to wrap up the season with a race that is so near and dear to my heart.

Ironman Louisville

Ironman Louisville was my 4th Ironman and 1st Ironman as a pro. This was Brian's 5th Ironman. I really enjoyed traveling to the race with Brian and spending a weekend in Kentucky with him. We were also able to meet up with several Zoot Ultra team mates as well as some friends from back home. All those people, combined with an awesome homestay, made for a really fun and relaxing trip.

We arrived in Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon, which gave us a day or two to enjoy the area before really buckling down into race mode. We strolled around the city, had some delicious food and even made it by the Louisville Zoo. Brian even got to visit a giant Cabela's store, one of the highlights of his trip haha.

                                outside the science museum              Brian and the Tapir

compared to a gorilla, wish I had that arm span for swimming!

 

                                  selfie with a meerkat                                 trip to Cabela's

We were blessed with a wonderful homestay with a great family. Kelly even rode with me for one of my pre race rides. We really enjoyed meeting her and her husband Garry and their three kids Trey, Parker and Olivia. The kids were a lot of fun. They all played our traditional pre race mini golf with us, and Olivia brought me some green nail polish so my nails could match my tri kit. Most of them came down to the finish line area to give us high fives before crossing the finish line. Late that night, exhausted from the race and hanging around after, we got back to find that the kids had made us really sweet signs. We took the signs home with us and they are going to go up in our training room.

                                    pre race mini golf                           our signs from the kids

Our pre race preparations went very smoothly, and I arrived to transition on race morning feeling nervous but relaxed and ready. I like being a bit nervous because it shows how much I care about the race.

Brian and I walked down to the start with his coach Jesse and Jesse and I got ready to get in the water. We jumped in a few minutes before 6:50 and I splashed around a little before lining up. As soon as the gun went off the group of pro men and women started to break up. I desperately tried to latch onto someone. Just as I felt like I was losing the pair of feet I was on, a male pro passed me and slid into the gap so I could catch on. The three of us, Whitney, male pro from US pro tri team then me, swam in this line until right before the finish. Every time I thought I could maybe get around them, someone would throw in a surge and I was hanging on again. I'm pretty sure I drove the male pro a little nuts with my continuous foot slapping but I didn't want to lose those feet! I came out of the water and glanced at my watch, a six minute swim PR! I know part of it was the current, but it was still nice to come out of the water knowing I wasn't super far behind. I heard the announcer say, "and Rachel Jastrebsky is another one of our female pros out of the water, one of the favorites for the day." I thought, huh?! Since when am I a favorite?! Even if he was mistaking me for someone else it was still pretty cool to hear.

The bike starts with a pretty fast section, and then about 20 miles out of town you do an out and back with a couple bigger downhills and uphills. After that, its rolling hills until about you start to head back to town around mile 90 to 100. I kept thinking about what Brian's coach had said before the race, don't go crazy on the first 70 miles and you can kill it on the last 40. I held back a little on the climbs, trying not to tax my legs too much. Looking back, I probably could have and should have pushed it just a little bit more on the two loops in the middle of the course, but am still ok with my effort on the bike. About mile 60 or so we started the second loop and collided with the amateurs. This was a tricky section for me, because it was difficult to get around everyone. There were many times when people were riding 3-4 wide across the road, and descending with riders in the middle of the road made me nervous. I managed ok though, and as soon as I split off to head to town I was able to pick up some more speed.

coming into T2 - picture by Kelly Smith, her husband Steven (a friend of ours) was racing 

starting out on the run (picture also by Kelly Smith)

I have a bad habit of booking it out of transition, and this race was no exception. Fortunately I was able to catch myself pretty quickly and reign it in. I remember hearing the announcer call out that I was starting the run and that my husband was also racing, it gave me a bit of a lift being reminded that Brian was out there. I was holding a good pace and feeling pretty good until about the first turn around. That was when I started to notice the heat and I could feel that my legs didn't quite have the spunk they started with. I was able to hold pretty steady though, and started making sure I was staying on top of nutrition. It made a huge difference with the heat to put ice down my top/shorts every chance I got as well as dumping water over my head. Although, I'm pretty sure one of the photographers got a not so flattering picture of me putting ice down my shorts. Every time I started to think I couldn't possibly hold the pace, I did one of a few things. 1. I did a little self assessment and discovered that my legs weren't really as tired as I kept thinking they were. 2. I remembered what coach Tara said and repeated to myself, this will pass. 3. I prayed that my legs would keep moving. It seemed to work, because even though my pace slowed a little, I was still holding fairly steady.

thank you Ali Engin Photography for the sweet photo

On the second lap, I started to notice that 6th place wasn't incredible far ahead. I thought, if I can hold this I might just be able to catch her. After the turn around on the far side of the second lap I kept thinking where the heck is this girl!? A little before the 24 mile mark I could see her just ahead. Shortly after, I passed our team mate Diana and she yelled out, you can catch her! And it gave me that little extra umph I needed to make the pass. I did my best to keep it together to avoid a pass back and ran pretty strongly to the finish. About half a mile from the finish I decided I was going to really enjoy the last few minutes. Too often, we get tunnel vision during these races and we forget to really soak it in. I reminded myself how lucky I am to be able to do this and tried to slap as many high fives as possible. One lady was holding a sign that said "For super powers, press here" and I almost knocked the sign out of her hand I slapped it so hard. WTC played a mean trick on me by switching the clock to the amateur start time before I finished so I thought I'd done a 9:46, but surprisingly, after seeing on my watch that it was 9:56 I was not disappointed. I hadn't fallen apart, I hadn't given up on myself, I had been smart. There are things I can do better next time, there always are, but that doesn't change my happiness about this race. I made it into the money in my first pro Ironman and that to me was awesome. I went to the awards the next day expecting to see the top 5 on the stage and was pleasantly surprised to get a trophy for 6th! The other pro women/men were all very positive and inspiring and I enjoyed getting to chat with a few of them, especially fellow rookie Brooke who absolutely killed it.

I always enjoy racing with Brian, it picks me up seeing him on the course and it was great to get a high five and an "I love you" from him about halfway through the run. I also got to put his medal on him at the finish which was really special. I was so proud of him for his 6 minute swim PR (he has come sooooo far), his blazing fast bike (5:06!) and then for toughing it out on the run even though he hadn't run in almost two months.

I was overwhelmed with the response from our friends and family about our races this past weekend. The support and encouragement really does mean so much to us. Thank you also to our awesome sponsors. Zoot, the swim skin, shoes and kit made for a fast and comfortable day. GU my nutrition plan was just about spot on thanks to you guys. Fat Frogs Chesapeake, thanks for checking my bike over! Ghent Chiropractic, keeping us healthy so we can train and race. Stages Cycling, using power to gauge my effort on the bike is very useful. Big thank you to my coach Tara for believing in my potential and for helping me to develop into a better athlete and person. Looking forward to continuing to work with her!

Last but not least huge congrats to our fellow team mates that raced this weekend, Cathy and Diana both placing in their age groups and Jesse making top ten for the male pros. Congrats as well to Steven and Adam, doing awesome in their first Ironman! And of course our friend Shane for toughing it out once again in Louisville. Congrats as well to our team mates and friends that raced elsewhere this weekend.

Steelhead 70.3

A lesson in patience, that is the major thing I have taken from this race last weekend. This has been a difficult lesson for me to swallow because I'm not a very patient person. Pretty sure my impatience ended in stitches a few times when I was younger because I refused to wait for my dad to help me use some tool. I've realized though that if this came too easily and if there were no lessons to be learned, than I probably wouldn't appreciate it very much. Instead, each obstacle is something to learn from and when that endurance and speed does evolve over time, I'll be a much better athlete and person from those struggles.

Take the swim for example. I taught myself to swim when I was 18, I even used a nose clip for a few years. Ask my college swimmer friends, they teased me relentlessly (all in good fun of course). They were also the ones most excited when I did start to improve in the swim, and they were the first to give tips and advice. My swim start in my first pro race at Williamsburg was almost comical. I didn't really know what to do in the start and as a result lost the entire group. Since then, every time I got into open water, I practiced swim starts. Coach Tara was great about teaching me how to go right from the gun and get onto feet. It must have paid off, because my swim start at Steelhead was probably the highlight of my race. I dolphin dove with the best of them and latched onto feet right away. The water was choppy and we were swimming against a light current but I didn't lose those feet until the very last part of the swim. By then, another group had caught up and I came out with them right on my heels. Speedy swimmer Radka had gone way off the front, followed by a few women in a group and then I came out with the next group.

It was a long run up the beach and down the lines of bikes through transition. I didn't sprint and instead thought about what I needed to do to get on my bike. Some of the other girls in the group out of the water had gotten up the beach before me and had already left on their bikes. Once on the bike I set my sights on a couple girls just ahead. One of the girls I was back and forth with almost the entire ride. I would catch up and pass on the hills and then she would pass back on the flats. I took the last stretch a bit conservatively to see if it would help my run and she pulled away a little. Not sure if this more conservative approach was best, but I am just starting to train with power (Stages) and that should help me to gauge my efforts better.

Another long run through transition and then I was able to get my stuff together much more quickly and get onto the run. I felt pretty good for the first few miles, my legs were turning over well. After those first few miles though I had trouble getting my legs to open up and find that half ironman gear. Good news I guess for my upcoming full but not so great when you're trying to do a speedy half. I have three main races left this season: Ironman Louisville, Augusta 70.3 and Ironman Florida. I feel like I'm better at the full distance so I'm excited to change gears and focus on those more. With less than 3 weeks until Louisville, the main goal right now is to stay healthy and maintain the edge.

I had a chance to talk to several of the other pro women and men. They were all very encouraging and all had the same advice: patience.

The weekend was made very enjoyable by my travel buddy Kristen, and our homestay hosts Sean and Jann. Kristen made me laugh all weekend, and her positive attitude was infectious. She raced as well, and got a PR! I remember walking from the parking lot to the expo and a nice gentlemen offered us a ride on his golf cart. Kristen replied "we are not allowed to receive any outside assistance." She and Brian helped me find perspective after the race. She also helped me research causes of peeing blood, because to be honest it was the first time its happened to me and it genuinely freaked me out. I was reading off the potential causes: enlarged prostate, tumors or long distance running. She replied "well it can't be the long distance running, maybe you should get your prostate checked." Haha so much ridiculousness.

Sean and Jann (and their kids) were wonderful. It must not be the easiest thing to open your home to strangers, especially athletes that tend towards type A personalities. They were also racing (Sean the half and Jann running for a relay team) and both did awesome. Kristen and I missed our puppies and they shared their goofy pup Blue with us for the weekend. Their friends were wonderful and fun. I really enjoyed meeting their friend Andrea, who is also just starting out as a pro. She and I shared some similar thoughts and experiences and its nice to have that camaraderie with other pros that are trying to find their way.

I also really enjoyed seeing a couple of our team mates. Zoot Ultra team mates Rick and Dana were both racing and both made it on the podium in the 30-34 age group. Our team is full of positive and fun people and its always great to catch up at races. I was also finally able to congratulate Rick and his awesome wife Brittany on their recent wedding :)

Thank you to my sponsors for their continued support. Thank you to my family and friends for your words of encouragement. Huge thank you to coach Tara for helping me to develop as an athlete.

Savageman Training Camp

We heard about this camp through my coach, Tara Norton. Savageman 70.0 is one of her favorite races, and she was going to be coaching at the inaugural training camp on the course. We figured it would be a great way to meet her halfway and see her for the weekend, as well as get some great training in.

The Savageman triathlon is pretty aptly named. The bike course for the 70 covers 55.7 miles with an elevation gain of 6717 feet. Most of the major climbs have max grades between 15 and 25%, with one max grade of 31%.


The 31% grade is called the Westernport Wall. The wall itself is not very long, but the pavement is rough and is famous for riders falling attempting to climb it. If a rider makes it up the wall during the tri without putting a foot down, they will get a brick laid into the top of the wall with their name on it.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and I went out for a quick run to shake off the drive. I saw a few arrows for the savageman course and remembered thinking hmm these are some serious hills! Well those were baby hills compared to what was in store. Friday morning we headed over to Deep Creek Lake to do an open water swim. Brian and I were swimming fairly relaxed out to the bridge, and then on the way back we ran into Coach T. She had me swim behind her (and then Brian behind me) so I could practice staying on fast feet (something I've had trouble with). With some difficulty (and I doubt she was even swimming hard :P) I managed to hang on..until Tara got on the feet of John Kenny, the camp's swim coach and excellent open water swimmer. After we had dried off and changed, I headed out with a few of the guys, including Brian and the camp's run coach Josh, to do the Savageman 70 run course (two loops). The run course goes through a campground that has quite a few good hills and then rolls for a bit before going up a steep dirt incline to the turn around point. I was running pretty well considering and enjoying the company and getting some tips from Josh. Kyle (the race director) was waiting for us at the turn around with water, nutrition and was nice enough to take some of our shed, sweaty shirts. The course winds back along the lake and is tough but it really is beautiful.


trying to hang on to coach's feet



the group headed out to run

We were able to head back to the hotel and get some food and a quick nap (we almost slept through the ride!) before meeting to ride the 30 (olympic) bike course. It was a really fun ride, great company and awesome scenery. After a really fast downhill (I got up to 45mph and was being a bit conservative even though it wasn't technical), we went up the few shorter, steep climbs. Josh and John gave us some input on the course since they have both raced the half multiple times.


Beautiful courses, we are the little specks on the road at the right

On Saturday, we met at the lake in the morning to start the Savageman 70 course. The start of the course is along the river and mostly descends with a few smaller undulations. This part was really fun, we were flying (though I was still taking it slower on some of the more technical areas) and the river was very pretty. As it started to flatten out, we could see the smoke stacks that marked the town of Westernport. Heading into town, John warned me to get into my small chain ring and start taking it easy.


start of the 70 ride

This was the part of the course that I was most intimidated by, but it did not end up being the hardest section. Coach Tara and John had advised us to take it easy leading up to the wall. The wall is at about mile 18 and is sandwiched between two 20% grade climbs. Once we were at the climb leading to the wall, John, Brian and I (and a few others) started to zigzag up. Right before the wall a little dog came out of nowhere and started chasing John. He had no choice but to start gunning it up the hill, and I followed close behind. I There is no sitting while climbing up Westernport, you're in the small chainring and last gear in the back going as hard as you can and leaning forward so you don't tip backwards. I was so excited to make it up without putting a foot down, and stopped at the top to cheer on the other campers. Once wasn't enough for Brian and John so they went back down and climbed it a few more times.


John in front up the wall and then me at the base, coach Tara at the top cheering


Brian and John going up...for the 4th time

Once everyone was through, we started the climb up Big Savage Mountain. This was a long, slow climb, mostly in that last gear still, with several very steep areas. I have my watch set to auto pause once it gets under I think 4mph, and it paused several times during the climbs. Towards the top of the mountain I had worked my way back to John and Brian (climbs have a way of evening the playing field) and we rode the rest of the course more or less together. Coming up on Coach T's aid station around mile 40 or so I remember saying "this is challenging but its manageable!" She then told me the section we were coming up on is where she realized she had asthma. Little did I know that we hadn't hit what I considered (after the ride) the hardest section. "Killer Miller" climb is sandwiched between two other pretty difficult climbs and is very steep. All three of us were cranking away and all going about the same speed...which was around 4-5 mph... Made it though, and then once those few climbs were done, it was smooth rollers for the last 8-10 miles. Once we made it back to the lake, Brian and John headed out for some more punishment on the bike and I headed out to run up the fire escape road (that steep gravel road followed by a nice winding trail). I was able to see some of the other campers finishing the bike and it was very inspiring to watch everyone finish up a really tough ride. Once my stomach stopped being angry at me for not nailing my nutrition, I had a very enjoyable run and was surprised that my legs felt pretty good.


top of Big Savage Mountain

After the run, I had to hurry back to where we were staying so that I could eat something and then listen to the talks by the coaches. Tara spoke about climbing/descending, as well as mental strategies. A lot of the mental strategies she talked about are things she and I have discussed and implemented in my own training. I love having a coach with the depth of experience she has, and she has been a very positive, encouraging, supportive influence on my training and racing.



Next up was coach AJ Morrison, a USAT level 2 coach, and she spoke about nutrition. She was also nice enough to speak with me outside of the seminar about my own nutrition. She gave me some pointers that I tried out in my last ride and I think they will help. Last up was John Kenny, the camps swim coach. We all had our swim stroke video taped and he went through each video and gave tips on how to improve. It was nice to hear what he said about each swimmer and not just our own tapes. It gave me a better sense of what a good swim stroke is supposed to look like. He was also nice enough to take some time to give me some additional advice on open water swimming and descending hills (baby steps on this whole descending fast thing :P). Josh had videoed everyone's running stride and went over them individually. I didn't have a chance to go over mine with him but he handed the video over to Tara and she was able to give me some pointers.


Swimmers getting videod and also getting pointers from coaches on deck and in the water



Saturday culminated in a fun dinner out with everyone, lots of laughing and good conversation, as well as much needed calories.


camp dinner, pizza and beer at Big Mountain Brewing Company

Sunday started out with our last open water swim. I almost thought I was getting off the hook when I didn't see Tara at the start :P (just kidding coach) but she met up with us on our way back from the bridge. She and I worked on deep water swim starts, with me trying to jump on her feet right away. I was really happy that we were able to do this and hope to continue to work on it with a few fast lady swimmers in my area (looking at you Michelle, Sarah, Morgan!).

After the swim I headed out for one loop of the run course. The legs were a little heavy, but seeing all the other campers gutting it out definitely lightened them up a bit. The camp ended at noon, but John, Brian and I headed out for another ride in the afternoon: the Fabulous 44, one of the gran fondo rides. We were a little delayed by John getting stuck in the elevator... but I was happy we made it out for the ride. The ride usually ends on a climb up Wisp mountain, but we started it with that climb. There are some steep climbs after Wisp, but are fairly spread apart. About midway through we got into a little town hoping to refill water bottles. Everything was closed, but some very nice xterra athletes were going by and gave us the rest of their water and gatorade. So if you are by some slim chance reading this, very nice strangers, thank you again! After the town we started a long very gradual climb. This climb culminated in Bowman's hill. At the bottom of the hill, the word pain with an up arrow is spray painted onto the road. I looked up the hill and thought well this is steep but at least its short.... but I couldn't see around the bend...it kept going up. Midway through was another word and arrow "suffering" and then closer to the top "agony." I'm not sure if it was because my legs were fatigued, but that hill was pretty tough. The rest of the ride was pretty nice rollers, we weren't riding very hard (except for the climbs since you don't really have a choice) so we were able to chat and joke around. After we returned to the dorm, we said goodbye to John, hoping to meet up for more training together in the future, packed up and went to say goodbye to Coach T.



I am so happy I was able to spend some time with Coach T and her family (Bruce and Maya), they are all so wonderful (Maya is just the cutest) and I'm so happy that Tara has been not only a great coach the last couple years but also a great friend. We will be back to Garrett County Maryland to either race or train again!

photos by Kyle Yost (Savageman and gran fondo race director)