Angela Naeth Elite Triathlete

Update for Richard and Lil' Rafael Bautista...

2011-12-29T05:06:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks I've been overwhelmed with boxes, parcels and packages from UPS, Fedex and the post office! Two large boxes were shipped out last week via another supporter for this request, Trisports! They made it safe and sound.

Thanks again to everyone who reached out and helped make this happen for Richard!

Here's a quick note from Richard:

Hi Angela and to all the people who makes an effort to help us! Your generosity overwhelms me Thanks for not only taking the time to think of my son, but to send (bring) a gifts as well. Please accept our sincere thanks and God's blessings for the lovely gifts. Me and my wife are so excited for the 2 big boxes that you've sent for us. We can't thank you enough for all the generosity that you've done to us. You are all our ANGEL! Who look after us, not just the gifts but for the prayers that you all been giving us. We're still far from reaching our goal for us to take home our son, but with the support and your help we are so blessed that with the people like you makes so big difference in my son's life and ours. GOD BLESS you all!

A Request...

2011-12-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

This morning, I was on Facebook and a friend of mine popped up: Richard Bautista, from The Philippines. We'd met there three years ago when I was training in Subic Bay with Team TBB. He worked at The Bike Boutique (TBB) and took great care of all our bicycles.

Anyway, our conversation went as such...

Richard: "hi how are you? it's me Richie of tbb subic before!"

Me: "Hi! I'm good, you?"

Richard: "my son is still in the hospital since birth."

Me: "So sorry to hear that. What happened?"

Richard: "he's 6mos. premature 800grams only. his more than 3mos. in the hospital now."

Me: "I hope he continues to get healthy. Sorry to hear this."

Richard: "I just send you a message if you can help me to go back into running? All my running gear has been sold to use the money for my son. I don't know how we cope up with this. I stop running because of this. I can't even afford to buy a shoe. If you can help me or if there's someone you know to give me an old shoe for me to use. Its really much appreciated. It's one way to divert myself in all of this problem that we have. Sorry to disturb you. Thank you. Be safe!"

Me: "What size shoe are you? And what's your address?"

Richard wrote back. He's a size 10 men's and size small top, medium bottom. I decided to post his request on Twitter and right away received four responses offering shoes, clothing and funds to help him out. It quickly made me realize how small this large world can be and how easy it is to help someone in need.

I asked Richard to send me his story so that I could post it here and continue seeking requests on his behalf. I'm putting a big package together for him and his family that will be sent out before Christmas. If you're interested in helping please post to this blog or email me directly (tri3angela@yahoo.com). I can give you my shipping address. Anything would be appreciated. Here's a small list:

Shoes size: 10 US pronator

Running clothes: Small top, Medium bottom

Wife shoes size: 7 US neutral

Toys: Any toys for baby RAFAEL and any baby clothes will do.

For the bike i'm not sure because no one send a bike for me. Size 48 or 51 or Small.

If you would like to donate funds, I'll be sending this through a bank.

You can also learn more about Richard on his Facebook page and here.

Richard's story:

I am Richard, father of Rafael Carlos. He was born just 3mos. early @ 880grams. He's in the hospital since birth for more than 3months now. His heart stop twice and done blood transfusions 3 times. And still needs a lot of medical procedure. But so far his doing great! His 4lbs. now. Still underweight with his age.

They saw something wrong with his eyes. They will inject it with AVASTIN or laser it. As soon as we have the money. We need to pay them in cash for it. So that it wont add up to our hospital bill and they don't allow it anymore. His still in the Nursery ICU but not in the incubator after been there in more than 2 mos.

We've been through a lot.We're doing everything just to save some money. Sold all my running gear and stuffs, even my bike. What i'm using now for work is one sleeper and one sanuk sandals. I can't even buy a formal shoes to use if i have a meeting. I'd rather used the money for my son.

We're living in a small apartment in Angeles City. Walking everyday from Buendia taft (where i stay) to Makati Avenue (office) around 4.5 Km. one way, eat once a day if there's a little budget atleast eat twice. We've been waited for more than 7years to have him.

Our life really is a story to tell. We've been bf and gf for 13years before we got married. We already loosing hope and accept the facts that we're not going to have a baby. Now that he's here we can't do anything to take him home. I'm the only one who's working now. My salary is not even enough for my son's everyday needs.

The hospital stop the billing because our bill is more or less 500K (12K USD) already. So, we need to buy everything he needs outside the hospital. We already gave partially the amount of more than 100K (3.5K USD). But still it's been a long way for us to reach our bill. It's hard for a parent like us not to take him home after the long years of waiting.

I am working now in Makati, my son is in Sacred Heart Medical Center in Angeles City 5 hrs. drive on a public transportation. So, I'm staying here in Makati for work and going home every Saturday afternoon. My wife is visiting our son everyday from morning till night to give what's my son's need.

The hospital is just a walking distance from our apt. 2km forth and back. We really can't pay the hospital bill if i'm the only one who's working so, we decided for her to apply abroad for work to save money to take him home. It's hard and painful to us but we don't have a choice.

We asked help to some of the politician here but unfortunately no ones gave us anything. There are some people who donate some amount of money and we are thankful for that. You can check his blog, just type HELP NEEDED BABY RAFAEL CARLOS to google. One of my friend did that blog to help us solicit money. We're not asking for anything for our self or too much. We just want for our son to live a normal life and give him everything and take him home.
Thank you very much and more power.

Richard later wrote and told me why he liked to run/ride:

I love running and biking. But I don't have a running gear and bike anymore. Anyways, Running and biking give me peace of mind. Talking to GOD running/biking alone along the road. It's one way of keeping me healthy also. Before when i'm running, I'll see to it that there's no day that i won't going to run even if its raining outside. Not unless it's a typhoon and if i'm sick.

Before i started running my weight is 176lbs. then i went down to my ideal weight of 130lbs. and then that's where i felt so light and can do anything and feeling so healthy. Now that i stop running i gain weight again of course, and with a lot of problems that i have now. I sold all my running gear and bike to used the money for my son Rafael.

Eventhough, i really wanted to run and bike again I can't do anything about it. I'm eager to go back on the road again for my son. To be healthy and fit to see him grow. To play and run with him. To have a long and healthy life to be shared with my family. I'll encourage my wife also.

Now everything that i'll do is for my son. I'll put my son's name in every jersey that i'll have to motivate me to continue what i love to do. Which is running and biking!

Everything is much appreciated! Be safe!

Thank you!

An Update

2011-10-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blog as of late. Since Boulder 70.3 I've injured my left heel (causing me to pull out of 70.3 World's); went to Interbike and Vegas for the first time (as the adage goes: what happens in Vegas…); moved back to Tucson; and raced the Arizona State Hill Climb Championships.

2011 has been one of the best seasons (albeit of just three!) I've had as a professional triathlete. Although it was cut short, I'm happy with what I've accomplished. Unfortunately, in trying to do too much too soon after Boulder 70.3, I ended up with a shorter season than intended.

Not racing 70.3 Worlds was tough, but not nearly as hard as I expected. I know that injuries don't just happen and it allowed me to step back and analyze where we went wrong.

I'm now gearing toward 2012 and it's hard to pick which races to do. I'm not complaining. Triathlon has allowed me to live an amazing life thus far and I intend to suck the marrow out of it all!

Boulder 70.3: the Death of the Bridesmaid!

2011-08-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Excuse me if you would but I'm forced to keep this short, since my coach just assured me: "It's straight back to work. The World Championships in Las Vegas don't care what you did here!"

Yesterday I finally won my first Ironman 70.3 race, the Rhoto Ironman Boulder 70.3, after about fifteen tries and about an equal amount of second-place finished. Truth is, I quit keeping track! All along my coach and advisers assured me that it wasn't even worth worrying about: the win would come, if I just stayed the course. The course, of course, is determined by these same people! Thanks to Chuckie and Tim DeBoom and Phil Maffetone and Mark Allen for keeping me in line! Could a girl have a better set of advisers? I don't think so.

Regardless of their belief in me I still got a bit overly emotional at the finish line (I'm very embarrassed by it now!). There comes a point where until it has been accomplished, there's always a small part of you that's never really certain it can be. I had belief, but I had an equal amount of doubt. Both Tim and Chuckie told me that winning one was a forgone conclusion: it was only a matter of time. But as soon as I finished I said to myself, "it's about time!"

I want to thank all my friends for the training help: Michelle, Sonja, Lauren, Doug. And I need to thank my sponsors for their backing, especially BH bikes. It's taken me a while to prove that a strong cyclist can become a winning triathlete, but the gang at BH had faith in me before I had even proven myself. That sort of backing, along with a bike built purely for speed, helped give me faith (and wings!).

Thanks also to the entire gang at Tri-Sports, Pearl Izumi, BH Fitness, Standard Process, TYR, my good friend Dustin at Shimano (and Shimano's Di-2 advantage), GU Energy (who fuel ALL my races and training), X-Lab, CycleOps, Punk Rock Racing (thanks Ron!), ISM saddles (no pain = all gain!), Rudy Project (the future is so bright I need Rudy Project!), Spartan Wealth Management (even though I don't have much wealth to manage...yet!), Victoria Sports Physiotherapy, LaraBar, Timex, Raw Revolution, Bio-Compression Systems, Energizer Batteries (positive energy!), and Scape sunblock.

Move to Boulde, Rev3 Quassy Race Recap and Update...

2011-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

These past couple of weeks have been overwhelming. After racing Rev3 Quassy in the first week of June, I flew back to Arizona and began packing for the big trip back to Boulder, Colorado, where I spend my summers. After a full ten-hours of flying (I took the cheap multi-stop route), the lack of sleep, the excess of adrenaline from the race, and driving over 900 miles to Boulder, I feel like I've fallen over the edge. Training time has virtually been nil the last ten days. But, despite all the chaos, I've actually enjoyed the time off. I basically have four major "rest blocks" this year and this was number three! My next one isn't for a while, unfortunately! And my next race, if all goes right in the interim, is the Texas 70.3 in Lubbock...next weekend.

A few words about the Rev3 race in Quassy:

I signed up for this race last year but never got a chance to compete because of nagging niggles in my lower legs. In hindsight, knowing the race like I do now, I can honestly say I wasn't ready for it then. I was barely ready this year!

With the reigning Ironman World Champ (Mirinda Carfrae), the reigning X-Terra World Champ (Julie Dibens), and a whole host of other competitors, Quassy was turning out to be a mini-World Championship. And that it was! The field went 30+ deep on the women's side and the talent was deep. I really had no idea how I was going to do, but then that's why we race! It's a strange job you keep when you really don't know how you'll perform!

Anyhow, in Connecticut, I was adopted by my host family, the Barton's, and was treated as a long-lost family member. Andy Barton, who competed last year, was ready for the battle. When I asked him about the course he looked at me seriously, "Even the swim is uphill!"

The water temperature was a balmy 68 degrees, which called for a non-wetsuit ruling for the pro field. The air temperature was a similar 68 degrees so I began freezing from the first swim stroke, putting myself in survivor-mode for the remainder of the swim, trying not to hyperventilate. I tried not too anyway. 

Crawling out of the water, my body had no feeling. A few girls ahead of me had already dropped out. I seriously entertained the idea of joining them. The first half of the bike had me literally convulsing and shivering. My legs would hardly move and the initial descents didn't help at all, when speeds were in excess of 30mph. Never mind the windchill.

I kept telling myself, "everyone has to be feeling this way, so keep moving." After an hour or so, I was finally able to use my hands to grab some water. It was a rough ride, to say the least. My fingers hurt even thinking back to it.

I came into T2 alongside the reigning Ironman World Champ, Mirinda Carfrae, who I'd caught at mile 48. I didn't have much fight on the bike (coach later wrote about the conditions: "The body chooses self-preservation over performance..."), so I kept it steady and decided to try and ingest the calories I had missed out on during the ride. 

Surprisingly, by the time the run came around I had good legs. I had four girls right behind me for the bulk of the run, but was able to put the afterburners on late and held on to a podium spot, behind Julie and Mirinda. 

I'll definitely be back for this one. Rev3 does it right and I strongly suggest checking their races out, whether as a sponsor or a competitor. Charlie Patten is a one-of-a-kind race director and I want to thank my friend Sonja for all that she does at the Rev3 races. The entire crew puts on a world-class event, period. We had great post-race food and the festivities reminded me of what the sport is supposed to be like! I can't wait to head out to my next Rev3 race in Portland, Oregon. I had been signed up for the Boulder Peak Triathlon, just two miles from where I reside, and falling on the same day (July 11th), but now it's all about Rev3 for me!

The Leadman 250

2011-05-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I compete in my longest triathlon yet, the Leadman 250, near Las Vegas, NV. The '250' stands for 250 kilometers, which is a long way no matter what mode of transportation you opt for, but especially when you attempt to cover it under your own power. To say I'm nervous is an understatement!

I've never even trained as far so it's all uncharted territory, though I have covered most the course by piece-mealing together over the past few days. This helps in one sense in that I know what's coming. Whether that helps or not, I'm not so sure! The turnaround on the bike is nearly 120-kilometers from T2, or roughly 70-miles! That's a long ride in and of itself, but it's only halfway through the bike course at the Leadman 250!

I've also never used special needs (Chuckie jokes they're for "special people") or swam a continuous 5-kilometers. I'm more apprehensive about this than I am about being on terra firma. Lake Mead looks so serene right now but at 6am tomorrow I'm sure I won't even notice. I'll be more concerned with the storm inside my head! If I can weather that, and if I can eat enough, I should be okay.

My St Croix 70.3 Race Report

2011-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've always been excited about going to the St. Croix Triathlon. If the sport of triathlon had "classics" like cycling does, this would assuredly be one of them. I'd heard from other athletes not only how great the venue is, but the community too. Another pro had gone so far as to tell me, "It's basically a must-do!"

My trip started off with a full travel day, where I went from Tucson, Arizona by way of (Toyota) Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta…San Juan, Puerto Rico. Actually, I went through Washington DC, where I met up with my good friend and neighbor Barry Siff (of Team Timex fame), who'd previously offered me a bed in his hotel room when we reach San Juan. (Separate beds, Jodee!) I can't thank him enough for this. After the long day of travel, I'm certain my race would have been ruined before it ever started, had I not had this stopover. Thank you, Barry! I had originally planned on "sleeping" in the airport!

The next morning, after a large continental breakfast (who knew that Puerto Rico was its own continent?!), we met up with other triathletes at the airport and made the quick 20-minute jaunt to St. Croix.

Upon landing, I could tell right away life on the island was going to be a treat. I felt the humidity instantly and it reminded me of being in Hawaii. I love Hawaii!

At the airport I met up with my homestay, Andrew and Andrea Rowley. I have to say right now that at Andrew's and Andrea's (aka the rowdy Rowley's) there is never a dull moment. We had some wonderful dinners and hung out almost entirely in their kitchen (or I did, anyway!). I was taken care of like a member of the family, despite depleting their fridge. They've hosted many pros over past years, so they were well versed at hosting such lifeforms!

Later that day, an athlete I coach, Marisela, flew in to stay with us as well. It was going to be a great weekend!

The three days leading up to the race included checking out the course by car and just going through the motions in the water, on foot, and, in the case of the bike, on butt. Barry showed me around and helped me get acquainted with the beach! We had our priorities!

When on the bike, I had to constantly remind myself to stay on the left-hand side of the road, as they do things strangely down there! :) This continually messed with my head! Worse yet, I was literally shocked with the road conditions. They were even worse than Tucson’s, and that's saying something! I thought to myself, "there is no way that someone could race on these roads!"

Apparently, St. Croix had had some significant rainstorms back in October, which literally took out many of the roads. I was amazed to find the entire public works department working vigorously Friday and Saturday. The race is obviously a big part of bringing in tourists and so the roads needed repair! By race morning, most of the roads were completely rideable. I was especially grateful for this because I'd heard how technical the course was, even without such crappy conditions. They looked fine, however, from a car!

On race morning, I felt pretty good, certainly better than I had in my last few races. Maybe all that sunbathing beforehand helped! The race started out in absolute chaos, even with the relatively small field. We literally fought for position. Elbows and cupped hands (fists?) flew in all directions! Like a boxer, I found myself caught in the ropes! I was pulled under a few times and panic set in. Soon after, I lost the lead pack, but managed to stay on a slower someone's feet. Her slow was even slower than my race-pace effort, but the sea was very rough and sighting/navigation was minimal at best. I stayed on the unknown pair of feet all the way to land. It was a new experience for me, as I'm almost always alone when in water (shower, bathtub, triathlon swims, etc!). It would end up as one of the easier swims I've ever had in a race, but I was caught in a sort of catch-22. I was too slow to stay with the girls ahead, but didn't want to pull the group I was with.

I'd made it safely into T1 where I was eager to soon be in my element: atop a bike! Knowing the course from our pre-course-drive, I kept the first twenty miles up to The Beast pretty mellow; I was under strict orders from my coach to do this, as we've time and again witnessed a trend of starting too hard and then dying a slow death. But it was frustrating! A few girls sat almost directly on my wheel because of the easier clip. "What's behind you doesn’t matter," I could hear coach telling me from home, "so long as you're doing what's best for you in the end." It was best for me to get rid of the wheelsuckers!

I ended up punching it fifteen miles in, to free myself of the worry! Unfortunately, when coming through town, my nutrition bottle launched when I hit a deep pothole and I now had another worry. I knew this would hurt me in the end, as I like having what I need with me at all times, but the race-course calories worked fine. We train a lot of different foods and drinks that I might not normally tolerate or like, in the event something like this occurs. I was glad we had.

It was an epic day with heat, humidity, hills and headwinds. Luckily, no rain fell while we were on the bike, though that would usually help me more than the others. Most girls are pussycats on the bike!

Before long I passed the fair-playing sportswoman Rinny (Mirinda Carfrae) and Amy Marsh, who played a little less fairly, taking her time in letting my rear wheel out of her sights. While she focused on that, I focused on keeping a high power output, to keep both her and Rinny out of sight. I knew I needed a enormous time gap between myself and Rinny, as she can (and typically does) erase huge deficits when running. I didn't know how far up Cat (Morrison) was, but I knew I was now the one being hunted once I passed Rinny. It's not a pleasant situation to be in, but a bit better than starting the run behind her I suppose!

As I arrived into T2, I saw Cat bounding up the road. As expected, she looked strong. I knew almost immediately my goal was to secure 2nd. I'm not a self-defeatist like that, but Cat has pretty much proven herself as one of the top runners in our sport. When she's healthy, she's almost unbeatable. And because I had the top runner in our sport chasing me, I worked to hold her at bay. It was really only a matter of time (and distance) before Rinny would come blowing by! And I tried to make sure it was at least going to take her a while. Two minutes back, to her bouncy legs, is nothing!

The run course was a two-lap ordeal almost entirely on paved roads, but there was a two-mile gravel/grassy loop around the golf course at the Buccanneer Hotel. I didn't know how close Rinny was to catching me, but at the turnaround I saw her. She was just 1:15 back! The course, however, was for the quad-dominant, and I started feeling better and better. I kept telling myself, "I belong, I can do this."

I dug deep and managed to hold her off to the line, again finishing second place to Cat, as I had in Lonestar 70.3 a few weeks back. I didn't realize I'd actually made up time on Rinny that second lap, or else I wouldn't have run so hard in the finish straight. The pictures are, by far, the worst I have ever seen of myself finishing a race! The pain on my face is plenty evident in the one above, I'm sure.

St. Croix is definitely a race I'd like to return to. However, for a race as established as it is, there are a few things that the Ironman folks could certainly "iron"-out (i.e., more timing mats, more marshals for the bike course, more buoys in the swim, and a prize purse breakdown as it's advertised…more about this if the issue goes unresolved; I'm banding with the other top finishers on this one). But nothing beats visiting the Caribbean for a race! I mean really, not a minute goes by when I don't think to myself: how lucky am I?

As always, a big thanks goes out to my sponsors. Thank you Barry for all the help and hospitality. Thanks also to the Rowleys and to Ramon for your help; I'm grateful for all the support. Marisela: you put the icing on the cake this weekend! I'm glad we finally met face to face! Finally, thanks to all the islanders who helped put this race on and made it one of my life's most memorable experiences!

Oh, I just have to mention a little something about the day after the race, when Andrea set me up with Ms. Phoenix to get my hair braided into long, thin braids! I've wanted to have this done for years, and finally decided it was time! (I've actually wanted dreadlocks, but the permanency---and lack of sanitation---has always scared me!) Now I look like an islander!

Next stop: The Leadman250, in Las Vegas. A 5-kilometer swim (yikes!), a 223-kilometer bike ride (yikes!), and a 22K run (yikes!). It's in eleven short days (yikes!) and I look forward to it, I think. Coach has warned me he has some big days planned between now and then, including one, in his words, comprising of "numerous" trips up Mount Lemmon.

Yikes indeed!

70.3 Galveston, a Canadian's U.S. Pro Championship!

2011-04-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

The theme of this race came from my friend and training partner Sonja. She sent me an email (below) the day of the race, which I read upon waking:

Here's to limiting all mistakes, racing with a clear mind and a soul full of fire. You have done everything you need to do. Time to let it rip. We will be watching and cheering from Colorado. Go Mighty Mouse, take them down. -Son

My coach says the same thing to me almost daily but his words are a bit more blatant: "Don't be a f*^%-tard!" he'll yell. He's never been politically polite and he tends to opt for negative reinforcement. But since it seems to be working, I'll accept these faults!

When I look back at this race report in future years, I think this race will mean more to me than it does now. It'll show, I think, a turning point in my confidence (and career) as a professional athlete. During the swim and throughout the run, I kept telling myself: I belong. Now I am certain of that.

My race recap:

Unlike most race mornings, when I climbed out of bed, I was still extraordinarily groggy. (Even after two naps the day before and two solid nights of sleep.) Three cups of high-octane coffee didn't even work its usual magic. I actually laid on the couch for a while and fell back asleep. It was less than an hour to race time! Thankfully, we were just a 10-minute drive from the race site, so when I was pulled from the couch I didn't panic. I probably should have, however. We arrived in T1 just 20-minutes before the gun was to go off. I was the last pro there.

I couldn't understand what was going on within me. I'm usually a nervous wreck, as I had been the week before. And this race had one of the most stacked fields I've gone up against! I would have worried about lack of energy but I was so tired I couldn't even generate worry. I've never yawned on a starting line before (while floating in water!) but here I was now. I had to slap myself a few times to see if I could get into a fight-or-flight state. It didn't help. But once the gun went off, my body just reacted, even though my mind was still in a fog.

We weren't allowed a warm-up before the swim but it didn't seemed to hurt. I found a solid rhythm right away and managed to stay just behind the front pack. That was a first.

Entering T1, I was stoked to hear I was a mere three minutes behind Mary Beth Ellis (one of the sport's fastest fish). No more swim warm-ups for me! :)

On the bike we were fortunate enough to have gale-like winds on such a pancake-flat course. If the conditions had been docile, I'm sure the results would not have been in my favor. Thank you Mother Nature! Coach had chosen a disc wheel for me and I was being thrown everywhere. But after five miles or so, the road traveled slightly inland and the houses kept some of the winds at bay. Almost all of the houses sit on stilts in Galveston, but the winds don't seem to slide under them. I'd end up passing everyone ahead of me, overtaking race leader Mary Beth Ellis not long before I heard a deep rumble coming up from behind, in the form of Karin Thuerig. Holy moly! That's what a real cyclist can do. I had to laugh at her speed, it was so fast. The 20-30mph winds obviously didn't faze the Olympic bronze medalist.

Chuckie reminded me that in life you aren't afforded many opportunities to compare yourself to the best, and Karin provided this to all of us in the race. (On a side note I'm equally as excited to see what an Olympic gold medalist, Kristin Armstrong, can do on the bike come May 14th, when I compete at the Leadman Epic 250 triathlon!) Armstrong beat Thuerig that fateful day in Beijing in the women's time-trial.

I tried to stay within striking distance to Thuerig but she quickly created a time gap of about two minutes going into the second transition area.

The run was basically a case of, "out of sight, out of mind." There were four three-plus-mile loops and I ran afraid because I knew that behind me a Cat was on the hunt, as were some other great runners like Mary Beth Ellis, Kelly Williamson and Desiree Ficker. Meanwhile, Karin was gone! I made up the difference between her and I by mile 4, just as Cat (Morrison) caught us both. Cat cruised on by while Karin hung there, stalking me just seconds behind. My coach kept reminding me to grab some drinks and some cups of ice. It was getting hotter by the minute and finishing was going to be tough enough, let alone racing. I would hang on to finish second, just half a minute or so ahead of Karin and about three minutes down of Cat.

Ultimately, my biggest inspiration during the race wasn't the chance for a big check or a high placing but in watching a young blind competitor compete. He and his helper had racked their tandem just a few bikes away and he would start the swim with the professional women. I was honored to receive a hug before race start and it would carry me throughout the day, and even now when I think about it. I never found out the young man's name, but I won't forget him nonetheless. (4-15-11: I've since found out the young man's name is Brandon Adame of Houston. His companion was Nigel Willerton,)

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I had a great home stay with Hud and Christine Hopkins, right in Galveston. ("What in the hell kind of name is Hud?" Chuckie asked me in his best Texas accent. "Seems to me a guy named Hud is gonna put us to work on his ranch! Or kill us!") Thanks Hud and Christine for all the laughs. I'm not kidding when I say that my stomach got the best workout of the entire trip!

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Lastly, I know pros normally never write about this sort of stuff, but in the past eight days I've been fortunate enough to see what it really means to be a professional. My income is proving I can earn a living. But the income has never been the reason I compete. I do so out of a pure love for competition, competing both against others and against myself (my toughest competitor). I know I represent more than myself out there and I am truly honored to have the names I do on my Pearl Izumi race kit! Triathlon can be a viable profession and up until now, I was never certain of it. From here forward, I am fully committed to the sport. I couldn't ask for a better job!

Thanks Ron from Punk Rock Racing who provided the plane tickets; and congratulations on finishing your first 50-miler, in Chuckie's hometown of Auburn. I'm guessing there will be more, including a 100-miler someday!

Kemah Olympic Triathlon by Onurleft Productions (onurleft.com)

2011-04-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Personally, I find race reports absolutely mundane and nauseating. To keep with that trend, here's another one!

  In the past two years I've raced in just two Olympic-distance events: Boulder Peak and The Kemah Olympic-distance Triathlon, which took place the day before yesterday. In each of the two races I found great success. But even aside from my successes, I loved every minute of these events (partly because they're over before I can even blink or think!).  

To sum up this weekend's race in one sentence: The Kemah Triathlon is a cut above all other triathlons I've participated in, with the exception of perhaps Abu Dhabi. The promoters, Onurleft Productions, work hard (day and night, in fact) to make sure things run smoothly, and that they do. Everything from the race itself to pre-race organization was outstanding.

The perks:

1. The pre-race bag was actually a nifty embossed cardboard box, complete with handle, that reminded me of my school days and the lunch boxes I used to carry. Although it's cardboard, it's definitely a keeper.

2. Optional bike-racking the day before the race. I hate it when it's mandatory to rack your bike 24 hours in advance, as I tend to worry that moisture could wreak havoc on the electronic components. But everyone I've spoken to who's ever used Shimano Di-2 assured me rain has never, ever been a problem. I wouldn't know: Tucson doesn't get rain!

3. Jumping off a boat! This made navigation simple, to say the least! It was a new experience for me riding on a paddle boat and then jumping into the Gulf, aiming to swim back to shore. I was nervous…very nervous. But the exhilaration was worth it!

4. The red carpet all the way from the water's edge to T1 (at least quarter-mile long! My feet were grateful but not grated!). There was so many people taking pictures and cheering! It was as if I was on the red carpet at the Oscars, though my outfit wasn't quite up to spiff.

5. Exceptional on-site race organization with a police officer at every corner. I felt very secure hammering as hard as my heart (and head) would allow.

6. Running the steep bridge…twice! I love hills and to have an obstacle like a quarter-mile-long bridge--twice--was much to my liking!

7. The post-race food was outstanding…from pizza to the most appetizing healthy food you could take in (I partook in both!).

My race:

It was one of those days where everything "clicked." It all started very early, at 3:30am. My homestay is situated in Galveston (45-minutes south) so we were out the door by 4am. On the way I drank more coffee than I had in the past couple of years, as coach finally allowed me "the poison," as he calls it. I call it the elixir of the gods! (Now more than ever!) Once at race site, I set my transition gear up and then made my way over to the paddle boat, about a quarter-mile walk through Kemah itself. Everyone (1,000 triathletes and the boat's captain) had to be loaded on the boat, but surprisingly it went without a hitch. It was the single most unique experience in my short sporting career.  

The pro men were the first to go. I watched them diligently, to see how the current affected them. I would definitely have to swim toward 10 o'clock in order to go straight. The other competitors counted us down and I had no choice but to dive in. I was nervous and a little panicky. But I loved it!  

I got into a groove right away and swam with another competitor the whole way. We used one another to sight and draft. It actually was a bit longer than 1.5k (the boat drifted while the motor was shut down before the start). Once on shore, I was assisted by some volunteers and then made the journey along the long red carpet to the transition area. Right away I knew I was in good knick because my legs were moving fast and effortlessly.

I saw Chuckie as he yelled out, "you're 2:30 down from who you should be worried about." I was stoked! I was confident I could make up the difference on the bike.  

The ride had three out-and-backs and I couldn't believe how quick it went! It was a fast, flat course, with some of the smoothest roads I've been on (then again, any road is smooth compared to Tucson's). In the end I managed to reel back two minutes on the leaders. I was 17 seconds behind Becky Lavelle and 40 behind Jasmine leaving T2. I knew both girls would go out fast for the first mile or two (as everyone tends to), but I had to keep pace.

By the first mile both Becky and I passed Jasmine. I was still 10 seconds back of Becky at mile 2 and, in the back of my mind, I could hear Chuck saying, "just reach the person in front of you, then worry about what to do next." So I pushed hard to catch the new mom, but it took a half-mile to do so.

Once in the lead, I started worrying about what was going on behind me! Sam Warriner was in the hunt and I know how strong she is; she just won an Ironman a month before, in her first attempt at the distance! The last 2 miles were up and down an elevated bridge twice, as I mentioned earlier. This was more like riding than running: it took strength on the way up and lots of speed on the way down. Once onto the final stretch, I unleashed the biggest smile I've had in a long while. There, in front of me, was a ribbon at the finish line! What a rare treat after last year's seemingly endless string of second places!

After the race it was great to sit and chat with everyone, particularly Tim DeBoom, who finished 6th in the men's race. Tim is a two-time Ironman World Champ and offered to help me out when I return to Boulder! I hope he didn't mind all the questions! But there will be more to come!

Congrats goes to Andrew Yoder, who annihilated the men's race, and to Becky Lavelle, who inspires me more than she realizes. I think she inspires more people than she realizes.

I'd like to thank my sponsors for believing in me and backing that belief with the help I truly need: enormous amounts of funds deposited in a Nigerian bank account! Thanks also to Ron or the flight miles that got me and my coach here! By the way Ron, it's Naeth, not Neath. It rhymes with Faith!

Now it's time to rest and then ramp-up for Texas 70.3 this Sunday. I hope my confidence lasts!

Abu Dhabi Race Report

2011-03-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

What an experience! The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is the most well-organized but most grueling event I've ever done. The last week of my life was (and will always be) highly memorable and I'm already getting ready for next year's trip.

Chuckie and I flew from Tucson to Chicago uneventfully and were pleased to have free wi-fi en route. It amazes me that I can make phone calls or check emails from 30,000 feet up and almost every passenger on board was doing so. In Chicago, we switched airlines, from American to Etihad, where we were treated like Sheikhs. Etihad has been ranked the number one airline in the world for a couple of years in a row now and it was obvious why. Although we were assigned to the cheap seats in the very back of the plane, we were fortunate enough to have an entire row to ourselves, so I spread out and slept almost the entire flight: 7,254 miles. Meanwhile, Chuckie watched no less than three full-featured films: The King's Speech, 127 Hours and True Grit. There alone he saved about thirty dollars, which he happily mentioned over and over.

Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, it was already well past sunset, so we were unable to see much on our way to the hotel. Once there, we checked into our room and quickly realized this was no average hotel. It was the first time I've visited a 5-star inn and again we were treated like royalty. Chuckie kept bouncing on the bed, joking, "I believe I could easily grow accustomed to a life like this!" and "The best is good enough for me!"

The following day I set about finding a turbo-trainer, as we were encouraged not to ride outside on the course itself, especially since part of it was on a Formula One racetrack. The race organizers had lined the devices up for our use and I was soon pedaling away…indoors. It seemed a shame to have traveled all this way and not see the countryside, but the race would provide plenty of opportunities! It was nice to shake out the legs, though I couldn't shake out the cobwebs in the head. Jet-lag is a new experience for me and boy did it hit with a vengeance.

I decided the remainder of my day would be night.

When the new day arrived I ripped open the curtains, only to find that daylight was still many hours away. It was 2am and I felt ready for a run or a swim. Instead, I went back to bed and laid there until the sun finally poked its head over the horizon. As soon as it did, I realized it might have been better to run at night. Talk about HOT! When I finished my run it was 37 degrees (that's nearly 100 degrees for all you Americans). I shortened my run and decided instead to lengthen my swim! Interestingly enough, the Persian Gulf was freezing. But I survived and headed to the hotel's all-you-can-eat buffet that had been provided for the professional athletes, most of who were all there.

A couple hours later I was done experimenting with all the different foods and it was time for bed. It was 1pm.

I awoke thirteen hours later and again ripped open the curtains and saw nothing but a starry sky and the city's enormous skyline. Like the previous night, I was forced to wait until sunrise for the rest of the world to wake-up (although I imagined most the other athletes were also wide-awake in their rooms).

I went through the motions again, then registered for the race and attended the pro meeting. Nearly every big name in the sport was present, but surprisingly everyone was fairly relaxed (except me anyway!). I had never done a race quite this long (3km swim, 200km bike, 20km run) and, to be honest, it scared the living daylights out of me. I tried to portray a quiet calmness but I felt like the eye of a hurricane.

Race day started early. As we had to check our bikes in the day before, I took a taxi to the swim start (a mere kilometer away) then waited nearly an hour for the sun to rise. I shuffled over to the swim start so I could get rid of my jitters, but swimming didn't help. The cold water only made me shiver that much more. I always seem to quiver anyway, from an uncontrollable nervousness. One of the first things I need to learn to do before such long races is to control this behavior. Chuckie reminded me that "it's all a game," and that my best course of action was to look how fortunate I was to be in such a beautiful setting, surrounded by like-minded individuals. I didn't hear a word of it; I was so focused on fear itself!

The swim start was relatively composed and I managed to avoid getting popped in the head. I found a reasonable rhythm soon after the start and hung on for dear life just behind a large pack of women. It was a two-loop course and during the first exit onto land I tried to limit the real estate between those in the pack and myself. But upon re-entering the water I quickly lost more ground (or water, that is!). I exited the Gulf a few minutes further back than I had hoped, but yet I was reasonably happy to hear I was only six minutes or so behind Julie Dibens, the expected swim leader.

It wasn't easy, but I controlled myself at the beginning of the bike and kept telling myself there was 5+ hours to make up for any lost ground. But adrenaline took over and I soon caught nearly all the girls in the pack that I'd lost contact with during the swim. The bike course was a 2.5-lap test that had us on the Formula One racetrack a couple of times. The wind came from all directions the entire time, kicking up the desert sand with its strength. The heat didn't seem to bother me too much for the first 4 hours but when I hit that last half-lap, I was ready to get off the bike. I reached T2 in 4th place after exiting the water in 15th or 16th.

I was delirious but managed to reach the bike rack without mishap. I was 100% certain that my legs would not be able to run but I forced it upon them anyway! As Chuckie had forewarned, the first kilometer or two would be hell, but things would get better from there. This was definitely the case but boy…that first bit had me questioning my love of this sport.

Once I settled into my tempo, I actually yearned for the pain. More pain meant I was working harder. But it was ridiculously hot at this point and I'm not sure I was going any faster in spite of the exertion!

Rachel Joyce and Catriona Morrison drew close to me on the 2nd lap, just as I began closing the gap to my fellow TriSports.com teammate, Leanda (Cave). The race was on for the final podium spot (with Dibens in another time zone ahead and Caroline Steffan somewhere between Julie and the four of us) and I was surrounded by British women! After some shuffling amongst us, I wound up in 5th.

When analyzing the final results, which had been posted almost immediately, I felt I should have pushed harder. But by the next day I knew I'd given my all; I was unbelievably sore. It seemed as though I was the only one limping around the hotel and all I could do the remainder of the day was try and nurse my battle wounds. I attempted an ice bath but that only lasted about 35-seconds. Coach says ice baths aren't always so smart anyhow, especially after a race, when the immune system is wrecked.

That afternoon, those of us sponsored by Shimano (Dirk Bockel, Catriona Morrison, Tim Berkel, Craig Alexander, and myself) headed to the Formula One track, along with Dustin Brady, Shimano's main multisport/everything marketing man (and personal friend). The photographers secured some beautiful shots and it was enjoyable hanging out with such a great group of athletes. If I have a new idol in this sport it would have to be Dirk. He is such a strong athlete (i.e., future Kona champ) and yet so gracious, humble and helpful.

Overall, I was pleased with my first race of 2011 and I'm eager to get back into the ring for another swing!

A special thank you to IMG for your superb race organization, along with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority for hosting this event. This is a race that should be on every hardcore triathlete's calendar. The United Emirates is safe, clean and beautiful. I've posted some pictures below...

Random Photos from Abu Dhabi

2011-03-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

Checking the Numbers...

2011-03-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend coach decided to throw me into a local time-trial in the midst of a long ride, a 30 kilometer grind called the Three Bears Time Trial Series, to test out the ol' numbers. I love jumping into events like this one, because they're very old school and down right tough.

44-minutes of pushing the limits on the bike had me frothing at the mouth and wiping snot from my nose...with my tongue. (It takes valuable energy to use your hands for such a task and it would only increase aerodynamic drag!) My Powertap---the Little Yellow Devil---urged me to break new ground. And that I did, but just barely. Progress has been slow, but thankfully it's also been steady. And steady progress is the kind that won't quickly erode. Or so says coach. All I know is that I love seeing new personal bests and the hard work makes all the hurt worthwhile. The organizers are holding another time-trial on the same course sometime in May, so if I'm still in Tucson then I plan to hurt some more. But this time for only 43-minutes!

FTP Test

2011-02-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

Please excuse my coach's rambling but he does provide a few valuable nuggets. We taped over my PowerTap's display so I would not be over-reliant on any single metric but rather the effort within. CAVEMAN (woman)! I was coughing up a lung all afternoon after this and can only hope the pain pays off. Coach even did an hour-of-power after I did, so for once I got to drive support! I don't drive quite as close as he does.

The Professional Procrastinator

2011-02-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

I've been a professional procrastinator these last couple of months. I can't figure out where all the time goes, but when I look back and see the date of my last blog entry, November 25th, I know it's gone somewhere.

Since Worlds (and that last lonely blog entry) I decided to move south, to somewhere a bit more arid than allegedly "sunny" Solvang. Last year in the Central Coast of California, I had hoped that the weather would've been favorable for training. It was anything but. Though the plants may have felt it favorable, the athlete--this athlete--felt it miserable. To make a short story shorter, the rain and cold winds put a big damper on training. So it was time for a change. I'd never been to Arizona before, except on the short, scenic stretch of I-70 between Mesquite, Nevada and Saint George, Utah, but that really doesn't count. And anyway, I'd seen enough of Mount Figueroa and wanted to ride the legendary Mt. Lemmon.

And that I have. My coach loves climbing on a bike, as do I. It's almost a spiritual feeling when I'm in the mountains and the workout, no matter how hard, comes a lot easier when in them. So we make the painfully long drive across Tucson at least once a week so we can both get our fix!

The views on Lemmon are nothing short of spectacular. Cacti stand proud on the rugged landscape like stern overseers. But then they slowly disappear as small, scraggly oaks take over. The oaks then give way to the majestic pines, as you climb from 2,500 feet to over 8,200 feet. They say that riding up Mount Lemmon is like going from Mexico to Canada in just twenty miles, ecologically speaking. I like the thought, but the top is NOTHING like Canada! Still, Lemmon is worth multiple climbs and it beats being in Canada during this time of year. I've had enough indoor riding for this lifetime.

Speaking of my home and native land, I returned there over the holidays to see my family. It was a short-lived visit but I was happy to escape the desert for a week, and of course to see my parents and my siblings. Prince George has a peacefulness about it that Tucson could never replicate and, despite the blizzard-like conditions, I had debated staying for a bit longer. But, with the 2011 race season rapidly approaching, I knew it was time to return to more favorable training conditions.

Training has gone well but there's always more work to do. My run progression is a lesson in patience and all I can say about my swimming is that I haven't drowned yet. The bike riding has gone well and my numbers all reveal what I hoped they would. I race in just under three weeks, in Abu Dhabi, in the United Emirates, and I'm growing more and more nervous as race day approaches. My coach says that that's a good sign. If I can survive the swim and then ride like I know I'm capable of, well, I shouldn't be seeing too much of the countryside!

With the new season, I've signed on with new backers, all of whom deserve their own write-up (which I hope will come, when the training load lessens…if the training load lessens!) and all of whom I'm excited to be aligned with. Perhaps most exciting, at least to me, is my partnership with Pearl Izumi. Quite honestly, I can't think of a single cycling apparel company that can compare, and I can only hope that this is a relationship that will last throughout my career and beyond.

A few weeks back, I flew up to Denver/Boulder to meet with some of Pearl's designers, and the attire they're coming up with is phenomenal. I think their partnership with Tim DeBoom is paying big dividends and has helped them learn a few things about a triathlete's needs. Pearl Izumi also recently signed Caitlin Snow and both she and I will be sharing whatever input we can, as per our contracts. How cool is that?! I never thought I'd be designing clothes! Watch out Liz Claiborne!

Other new sponsors for 2011 include: BH bikes (more about BH in due time, but gosh is it nice being on such a sweet ride!), Shimano PRO (I have to say, Di-2 almost seems unfair!), BioCompression Systems (a secret weapon in the physical therapy world, combining pneumatic compression and cold therapy at once), Tri-Sports (I've never been to a triathlon store with so much love for the lifestyle; use the code "NAETH-S" if you want to save 10%), Spartan Group (Thanks Ernie!), GU Energy (keeping my training going and my dentist busy!), Energizer ('Still going' is my race mantra, even when I'm barely going at all), Kreitler rollers (who have forced me to learn how to ride in a straight line!) and SLS (makers of the nicest compression socks I've worn).

The sponsors with whom I could never part, and who continue to back me are, Standard Process (food-based nutritional supplements), TYR, ISM Saddles, Rudy Project, CycleOps, Larabar, Scape skin products, Raw Revolution, Victoria Sports Physiotherapy, Polar, Punk Rock Racing, and Sunken Island Multisport.

Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better support network!

Now it's my turn to repay the favor.

Pics from Worlds 70.3

2010-11-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a great season!

2010-11-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

My hometown newspaper wrote a short article on my last race and 2010 season. It pretty much sums it up! :) Thank you to everyone who believed in me and supported my dreams along the way. There is more to come in 2011!

November 24, 2010

Ted Clarke
Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride?

Angela Naeth is not at all bothered she's been caught in the line of fire of the rice throwers who surrounded the medal podium this season on the 70.3 Ironman world triathlon circuit.

The 28-year-old from Prince George finished second no fewer than seven times in her comeback season as a professional triathlete and more than anything that served as reminder what she will have to do to make that climb to the top.

"I lost a lot of them in the swim," Naeth said.

"That made me really realize how much I have to focus on the swim this winter. When you're down anywhere from three to six minutes from the leader, it's really hard to make those gains. In a lot of those races I was up against the top dogs in the sport -- Chrissie Wellington (the Kona Ironman champion), Julie Dibbens, Mirinda Carfrae -- the ones who are above everyone else.

"That puts into perspective where I need to be and it just fires me up for next year. It's definitely going to be hard work this winter."

Naeth capped a scintillating season a week ago in Clearwater, Fla., where she placed seventh overall in the 70.3 Ironman world championship. The 70.3 designation represents the sum of the three distances in miles (1.2 mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1 mile run). The flat course took away some of the advantage she usually holds on the bike and her ride turned into a nightmare when she and Melanie McQuaid of Victoria veered off course.

"The bike went well and I tried to push hard at the beginning but unfortunately made a wrong turn when the referee went left and a police officer told us to go left, which cost quite a bit of time in the end," said Naeth. "After about two miles, the ref caught up to us on his motorbike and told us we were going the wrong way. That kind of fired me up and I went harder than I should have but that's what I had to to do, and I worked hard on the run and ended up seventh."

As a rookie pro in 2008, Naeth posted eight top-10 finishes and ended up eighth overall in the 70.3 world championship.

While she suffered physically, emotionally and financially while taking the entire 2009 season off to recuperate from stress fractures in her legs, it was a necessary process to get her back to where she left off in her rookie season. She made up for lost time with a busy race 2010 calendar that left her very little time to relax. The 70.3 world championship was Naeth's 10th half-Ironman distance race and third in six weeks. She also took part in a Olympic distance race, a duathlon, a few bike road races and a swim-bike event.

"I wasn't ready to race in 2009 and this year was more about experience and that's why I raced as much as I did this year," she said. "I just tried to race as much as I could and still recover some."

While convalescing at home in Prince George, she took a job as a therapist at Victoria Physiotherapy while working as coach of a small group of local triathletes.

Naeth's strength on the bike gave her the fastest split cycling time in seven of her 14 races. That's got several bike manufacturers and parts suppliers interested in sponsoring her.

Now that her season is over, she plans to return to Prince George for Christmas, then return to Tucson, Ariz., where she'll be training for her next race in early Spring.

Miami 70.3 Race Report

2010-11-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Another race, another bridesmaid dress. My closet seems full of them! But I'm content with this one; it's not one of those ugly bridesmaid dresses! For one, racing two half-Ironmans in two weeks is fairly new to me, as is racing three halfs in six weeks, which my next race, Clearwater, will signify. The season has wound down!

I've never been to Miami before, so I opted for a home stay. I did not want to have to find my way around alone and every home stay I've had thus far has been amazing. This time it was with Alfredo, an all-round nice guy and triathlete competing in Ironman Florida in just a matter of days. He took care of me like you wouldn't believe, driving me around the myriad of skyscrapers and crazy drivers swarming the city. (Thank you for everything Alfredo!)

At the house, I opened my bike case and unfortunately found my rear derailleur in shambles. I couldn't understand how it would have occurred but suspected TSA, since they really don't know how to repack a bike box (this, I learned long ago). Sure enough, they had left a little note inside the case, as they always do. "Your baggage was singled out for security reasons," it read in so many words. "Blah, blah, blah." I thought my race was over before I even started but Alfredo quickly found a bike shop that was still open. (It was late and dark!)

Alfredo drove like a madman and we were able to get to GM Bikes. I met the owner/mechanic, who assured me he could fix it! I remained doubtful. But as luck would have it, Yulien, an ex-Cuban National Cycling Team mechanic, pulled a MacGyver and literally sandwiched the derailleur together and back onto my bike. I was relieved. Yulien had stayed after-hours for me and through Alfredo, who speaks fluent Spanish, I was able to thank him a hundred times over.

After all the bike stress, I didn't want to put my body into any more of a sympathetic mode than it was already in, so I called it a night.

On the following day, Friday, I did the usual go-thru-the-motions (light swim, bike and jog) and went to the pre-race meeting. I met up with fellow pros Tamsin Lewis, Leanda Cave and Christie Sym, and shared a laugh or two. (It will be great to train with these gals down in Tucson in the upcoming months. Tamsin, let's get you back to the States!)

I was unable to check the race-course out in advance because of its location in downtown Miami. There were simply too many intersections for me to find my way around "town", so I didn’t even try. I did swim in the ocean, however, and loved every minute of it. It brought me back to the salty waters of Kona, but without the pretty fish or the coral. I was surprised how murky it was.

Race morning, I woke up before my alarm (as I always seem to, and after a restless night's sleep) and told myself to HTFU and swim like I never have before! (i.e., good!). I chugged a couple cups of coffee and ate my concoction of protein powder, rice cereal and nut butter. It wasn't too palatable but I needed something in my topsy-turvy belly. It was then off to the race, with more coffee in hand.

At the race site, everyone seemed in a panic, which of course made me panic! There was a very narrow entry into the transition area and a swarm of crazy triathletes looked ready to break the barriers forcing us to wait our turn to be body marked and have our wristbands checked. I managed to sneak in through a gap in the snow-fencing. Snow-fencing in Florida? Hmmm.

The race start was delayed a while since the tide wasn't to rise for another twenty minutes or so. Despite the delay, the professional field still started in pitch dark. Jumping off a 5-foot-high dock into the black abyss was a bit of a shock to the system, and woke me up more than even the coffee did. There was no visibility whatsoever! We asked the paddlers where the next buoy was located but not a single one of them spoke English! They just pointed straight out, so I followed my competitors in that direction: straight out! No one could see where any of the buoys were, but yet the starting gun went off. Things were frantic. I was frantic!

Arms, legs, and bubbles were literally all I could make out. I managed to find someone's feet and hoped the gal in front of me knew where she was going. Before long we were at the first buoy and took a sharp right. From there, things became more visible and I pulled away from our small group, opening a bit of a gap. But I couldn't see much of anything. I have bad eyesight (and even worse ear-sight!) but managed to catch a few of the slower men ahead, using them to sight off of for the remainder of the swim. One of them, however, was at least 100-meters off course, while another seemed to be swimming in circles! They weren't much help.

On terra firma I was well back of the leaders. No surprises there, alas. Leanda Cave and Nina Craft gained full advantage having caught some of the pro men. I had to make up time quick, so I pushed harder than I probably should have for the first twenty miles. I passed the lone girls that were ahead of me and caught up with Christie Sym (3rd place at the time). Christie and I then caught Nina. Leanda was a solid 7-minutes ahead, and all I could hope for was that the effects of her 10th place performance in Kona would affect her run! (I don't like wishing bad things on good people, but sometimes you need a little outside assistance!)

By the end Leanda proved too strong. I ran my hardest but lost some impetus the last few miles, knowing I hadn't even made a dent in her lead. Coach always asks that we race our hardest, irrespective of placing, but here now I felt it made little sense. I had a solid lock on second place and could maybe speed my recovery up a bit by easing back.

All told, I'm content. I felt absolutely terrible throughout the entire race but yet enjoyed it. Miami had one of the best crowds to date, and I enjoyed hearing more Spanish being yelled out than English! Something about hearing a different language when I'm racing fires me up inside; like I'm at an international event. I hope to return next year. In the meantime I'll brush up on my Spanish. And my swimming.

Miami 70.3 Pics!

2010-11-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

A Long-Overdue Update

2010-10-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well, this blog is long overdue! You know when you can't even manage to throw together a quick blog update that the training is working its magic! My apologies for this "magic" (which is also known as "too tired for anything but the couch"). I've been relying on Twitter (@tri3angela) for most the updates: 140 characters are all this tired athlete can manage!

Over the past three weeks I've been to Kona and back, competed in Austin 70.3, and survived my first snowfall near Boulder. (Boulder weather = moody.)

Kona was an experience I won't soon forget; it was an epic 'holiday/secret training/recon mission' that began a week out from the big race, which I was to merely spectate (an Ironman in its own right, I might add!). Seeing the race firsthand sparked a fire under my back-end like no other. Plus, I was able to ride, run and swim the entire course that week (it took the full week to do what competitors do in one day!), which I've now stored in the memory bank, to cash-in at a later date.

Besides the highlight of watching the race, I was literally taken aback at how clear the ocean was and how cool it was to swim amid all the ocean's creatures.

Just a few days after returning to the mainland, and after unpacking everything for those few days (i.e., the bike), I had to repack it all for Austin. Expectations for this race were the same as they have been all year: to do my best, to learn, to finish, and to continue to build toward 2011. Of course, with the streak of 2nd place finishes I've been having of late, I was also hoping to perhaps top that! But the women's field was fairly stacked (even though, as Chuckie said, the women themselves were not!).

The course in Austin was a perfect blend of fast and challenging. The swim was a large triangle where visibility was great. There was a solid group of swimmers in the race, which allowed for some pack formations for some of us slower types. I came out a little under five-minutes after the leader, but for once I wasn't alone! Five of us came into T1 together and it gave me some motivation to try to pick them off on the bike, along with the rest of the field ahead of us.

I punched it straight away and rode away from the group I was with. By mile 48 I'd erased the deficit between Heather Wurtele, Sam Warriner and myself. At the time I thought these two were the leaders, so I backed off a bit (unaware that the Swiss girl Nicola Spirig was nearly 8-minutes ahead!). After downing some more fluids, I decided I had to make a move before the run, as "insurance". I passed the two of them just before T2.

At this point, I kept telling myself the race just started. As Crowie mentioned earlier this summer, the fastest runner is almost always the fastest triathlete, as statistics show. I'd raced a few of these ladies before and knew they were all good runners. And there were four of us in T2 together.

The run segment of this race is anything but easy. I didn't get a chance to look it over prior to the race but had heard it had some off-road portions to it! Some is an understatement! It was in fact 50% off-road on undulating trails, much of which was concealed under tall grass. I relished in it! Sam Warriner gunned it from the start and I tried to keep her in sight. Three miles in she slowed and I started feeling better and better (or at least less bad!). I didn't know how close everyone else was, so I kept pushing the pace as hard as my heavy legs would allow. I managed to hold them off by a few minutes. As luck would have it, I secured yet another 2nd place, along with the five I've already managed this year in 70.3 events! Nicola is truly in a different league and although she had much help on the bike (by swimming up to slower elite men, who started two-minutes ahead of our wave, and then riding in tow of them) she is in the same select group as Chrissie, Julie, and Mirinda, a group I aspire to reach (and beat!). And so it's off to the pool again (and again and again!).

A big thanks goes out to Brian Korinek, an athlete (and friend) whom I coach, and who provided me the homestay in Austin. His family helped me all weekend and filled my tummy up with some great Austin food! I'll definitely return next year.

Since Austin, I've been resting a lot in preparation for Miami 70.3 and then Clearwater, my final races of 2011. I cannot believe the year is nearly done. Nor can I believe how different it was than last year, when I sat out the entire season with injury, doubting whether I had "what it takes" to be competitive at this level. Things are going pretty good, but a win would be nice!

Austin 70.3 Pics!

2010-10-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Harvest Moon and the week ahead!

2010-09-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since my last update so to fill you in:

1) Open Water 2.1 Mile Swim at Boulder Reservoir last weekend. This was the first time I swam this long in Open Water! IM? ...Not yet!

2) Harvest Moon Aqua-bike. Awesome training day! I never felt worse on a bike. 48 hours after a some hard LT intervals will do that!

Upcoming: Branson 70.3!

From Slowtwitch....

2010-08-23T10:26:00.001-07:00

Potts, Wellington win again new

Written by: Herbert Krabel
Date: Sun Aug 22 2010

Andy Potts led from start to finish as he won 70.3 Timberman three straight times now. Chrissie Wellington also never trailed in this triathlon as she took the title for the third time in as many attempts and finished 10th overall.

The men

2-time defending champion Andy Potts had a comfortable lead as he got out of the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee in 22:43. Tim O'Donnell was next, but already was looking at an almost 2 minute disadvantage.

Potts never slowed down on the bike either and his time of 2:09:27 proved to be fastest of the day. Next into T2, about 2:40 adrift, was Raynard Tissink, who used a 2:09:59 bike split to put himself into that position. Matty White and Joe Gambles were next into transition about 4 minutes back and O'Donnell now was looking to make up 4:45.

Tissink's 1:15:55 was faster than the half marathon time of Potts, but only by 13 seconds, and thus Potts cruised to his third 70.3 Timberman title without too much trouble. Tissink held on to second place, and O'Donnell's identical run time to Potts allowed him to earn third place.

The women

Chrissie Wellington's swim has really improved, and the 3-time Ironman World champion and 2-time defending 70.3 Timberman champion managed to get out of the water first, 7 seconds ahead of Dede Griesbauer. Angela Naeth and Heather Jackson were already handed a deficit of 5 and 6 minutes respectively.

Once Wellington was on the bike she was fast as had been expected but Naeth was flying along behind her and clocking faster times at various time checks. But that was only a question of a few seconds and having started the bike section 5:06 behind, the Canadian started her run just under 5 minutes behind the Brit. Griesbauer was next into transition, 5:30 behind Wellington and Jackson got there in fifth position.

Wellington though seemed untouchable once she had her running shoes on and pulled away from all other competitors with a very fluid stride. 1:19:06 later, Wellington matched what Potts had done in the men's race and crossed the finish line first to win her straight Timberman title, and just like Potts she also led from start to finish.

Ironman 70.3 Timberman
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH / August 22, 2010
1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run

Top 10 men

1. Andy Potts (USA) 3:50:51
2. Raynard Tissink (RSA) 3:53:32
3. Timothy O'Donnell (USA) 3:55:36
4. Joe Gambles (AUS) 3:57:35
5. Matt White (AUS) 3:59:55
6. Rich Allen (GBR) 4:01:32
7. Josh Rix (AUS) 4:03:05
8. Brent Poulsen (USA) 4:05:17
9. TJ Tollaksen (USA) 4:06:50
10. Ryan Grant (CAN) 4:10:12

Top women

1. Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 4:10:11
2. Angela Naeth (CAN) 4:24:59
3. Heather Jackson (USA) 4:26:08
4. Annie Gervais (CAN) 4:29:04
5. Dede Griesbauer (USA) 4:30:12
6. Amanda Lovato (USA) 4:32:??
7. Heather Leiggi (USA) 4:35:15
8. Kate Pallardy (USA) 4:35:55
9. Stacey Richardson (USA) 4:38:01
10. Sara Domina (CAN) 4:39:23 * AG W30-34

Boulder 70.3 Race Report.

2010-08-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Racing in Boulder is a great experience. You always have at least one World Champion racking your bike alongside yours. Yesterday was like no other. Julie Dibens set up her bike and gear with me at 5 am. There is nothing like fighting on your home training grounds! 

The swim was a clock-wise oblong triangle. It was the best race start I’ve had to date! I was very nervous at the start of the race…. And told myself to just ‘$%#^’ swim! I used the Apolo Ohno trick of forcing yourself to yawn a few times to calm the jitters. It helped. 

I managed to get on someone’s feet right away and then used this to my advantage. I had some extra energy doing this and passed her halfway through the swim, eyeing down the 4 women 30-yards ahead of me. I have to practice those all-out efforts at the start of the swim so that I can get on the feet I need to. I managed to keep the 30-yard gap for the remainder of the swim. I felt like an actual swimmer this time around. I didn’t hyperventilate, I didn’t panic. I just focused on finding that rhythm…. 

Exiting the water, I was determined to have one of the fastest, if not the fastest transition(s). At my last race, Vineman 70.3, I lost nearly 2-minutes in transition time – which would have resulted in a top 3 result instead of 5th! I focused on a clean one by pulling down my Sayonara as fast as possible, and not fumbling with my helmet or glasses. I haven’t seen the times yet but I managed to be the first out of T1 from the lead pack of four that came out ahead of me from the water. 

I quickly took it up a notch on the bike, leading out of the Reservoir. I had a number of girls to catch and the bike is anything but uphill! It’s about 75% downhill (or so it seems). I was on my new disc wheel I got from Rolf Prima and realized quickly, how much of an advantage this has in a flat-downhill course! Nonetheless, the weight to watt ratio on a flat course for me against my competitors is not to my benefit Taller ladies definitely have an advantage over me…! 

The course was two loops. I only had one water bottle with me and was quickly stuck without water on the second lap. I attempted to get some water at the first feed zone but my fumbly hands and young helpers didn’t work well together. I pushed on and slowed almost to a halt to get some Gatorade in me at the next aid station. I was very angry with myself on the first attempt. I knew I lost at least 45 seconds to a minute missing each pass of water. 

I caught the 2nd women at mile 30 but Julie was nowhere in sight. Her lead from the swim kept her out in front throughout the bike. On the second lap the pros were among the age-groupers that started the race shortly after us. It was a great motivator to have more athletes out there. The first lap left me riding on my own for the first 26 miles. 

By the time I was back to the Reservoir, I opened up a 4-minute gap on the last rider. Julie was 6-minutes ahead. Again, I focused on a fast transition. I was in and out of T2 the best I’ve ever done in a race. I’ve been practicing a little with going sockless. I had socks ready but decided at the last minute to harden up and just run. No socks…and no blisters! Thanks to Avia, I have some great shoes for this! 

Out on the run, I found myself in no-man’s land for the first 6 miles. No age-groupers were on the course. I actually enjoyed this part of the race because I was able to get into my head and fight the critic that tells you, “you suck, quit running, why are you doing this?” sort of things. I told it to shut-up and focused on finding a rhythm, counting, and putting one foot in front of the other. It was getting hot and I think I got delirious a bit. I started to see heat waves and things were getting a bit wavy. 

By the second lap, the course was full. I picked athletes I could run toward and quickened the pace at times. I had secured 2nd and focused on form more than anything. At mile 11 I started to have some hamstring cramping and low back pain. I still can’t imagine doing an Ironman just yet…. I think I would end up crawling if I did! 

I’m not sure what it is but I get a lot of stomach, GI cramps when I finish the race. The port-a-potty beckons me to visit it more often than I would like! I’ll need to look at this when I decide to step up to the full Ironman! God knows how awful it would be to have to ‘go’ when racing. I’ve heard horror stories…. 

I finished the race with a smile on the face. It was a solid effort and one more race under the belt this year! Racing against Julie or any World Champion for that matter is always something I love. It makes me see how much work I need to do and what I need to work on…which at this point, is everything! If I ever want to be in her ball-park I have to continue upping the ante and putting my time in!

huge thanks goes out to everyone cheering me on! I had my name yelled out a number of times and I can’t thank you enough! 

ReCap

2010-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well it's a bit late to go into all the details of the last 3.5 weeks but I'll give you a short recap! This whole season for me is to gain experience in racing and build that base for the future – an ongoing process!

Boulder Peak was a solid race for me. The bike course is exactly what I need to make gains in an Olympic-distance event. The hill on Olde Stage Road is about a 9-10% percent climb for over a half mile. Coming out of the water near last was not what I was hoping for but later smashing the bike course and heading into T2 in 2nd place (behind the infamous Joanna Zeiger) helped save the day. I put my head down and did my best to gain some time on Joanna and stay in 2nd. I loved every minute of it!

5 days later I was off to California for Vineman 70.3. I met up with one of my good friends Cindy and her husband, Phil Rach (who hosted me for the weekend). I was also able to hang out with TYR and AVIA at the expo. It was a great weekend seeing everyone.

I was feeling great after Boulder Peak and wanted to try some experimentation with a harder effort bike/run on Wednesday of race week. Unfortunately I think I tanked myself a bit too much! A solid 4.5-hour effort ride and run at altitude is not too entirely smart between races. Coach knew best, as he told me to relax, but I wanted to see for myself. So he left me to my own demise! And that it was. It was the first time I wasn't able to grab the fastest bike split in a race and I barely held onto a 5th place finish. It was an all-out sprint at the finish line for the last spot in the prize money! I don't think I felt so worked at a race before until this one. It was a good feeling but showed me what NOT to do when racing back-to-back weeks! Trust coach.

Thanks to Cindy and Phil I had an absolute blast in California. They treated me like a daughter and I have to say, Phil's cooking is to die for! I had gourmet omelets two days in a row, the best salmon meal I've ever wolfed down, and never-ending snacks! And Cindy is one of the toughest ladies you'll see doing Ironman. She's 65 years-old on paper but 29 in reality. She took me out for a run the day before the race and blew me away! She ran herself into an awesome 2nd place finish herself!

After an easy flight home and a bit of a rest, Chuckie and I headed to the Mount Evans Hill Climb Colorado Championships (cycling). I love climbing and absolutely LOVED this race. I borrowed a road bike from one of Chuckie's athletes (thanks Michelle!) and tweaked it so it would fit. It was an epic 2-hours and 16-minutes (the race, not the bike mechanic work, which took MUCH longer!). We started as a group and after a FAST 6-miles a gal named Grewal (of the famous bike racing family) punched it a bit. One-by-one the ladies were spit out the back. There was only myself, a Colavita member and Grewal left. We rode hard for the next 3-miles until this Grewal gal punched it again and the two of us were left in the dust. We worked hard together but eventually the Team Colavita gal cracked and I kept gaining on first. By the end, I was about a minute down and never felt better on a bike, despite 7,000 feet of vertical and the 14,100-foot summit! My element is definitely pedaling two wheels uphill!

Next up: Boulder 70.3. I'm excited to test out my new Rolf Prima disc wheel. It's my first time on a disc...newbie, I know!

3 races in 3 weeks

2010-07-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

A true race report (3 in fact!) are in need but here are the results for now... (race reports to come, I promise...!)

Boulder Peak Olympic Distance:
2nd place! :) I felt solid although my swim start messed me up. Another fastest bike split!

Vineman 70.3
5th place. :? I experimented with some heavy workload between these two races and it showed up in the bike. My first race without the fastest bike split. I learned what NOT to do between races: DO not climb up to 12k feet and ride for 5 hours at tempo!

Mount Evans Hill Climb: Colorado State Hill Climb Championships
2nd Cat 1-2 Pro Field! :) I LOVED this race. The race started at 7,000ft and ended at 14,130feet! 2hours 16 minutes of HURT!

More to come...!

An Update...

2010-07-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

An Update that is long overdue!

For some reason the warm sunny days have kept me from updating my blog. But now that it's pouring rain here in Boulder, I have the morning to write and prepare myself for a brutal indoor ride with the Tour on in the background.

My last race was the Buffalo Springs 70.3 in Lubbock Texas. It was a great race with a few hills on the bike and run to mix it up. I had a solid swim or at least what I call worthy of solid! On the bike is where I was able to make gains and push the pace. The bike course was a mix of flat stretches with a few short rollers to break up the field. I was stoked to come into T2 with almost a 7-minute lead to Megali Tisserye. My running has been consistent since Wildflower but no real workouts have been done to outrun Megali. I knew this going into the race and wanted to see how long I could hold her off. It wasn't until mile 10 of the race when she caught me. I felt strong and kept her in my vision as best I could. Unfortunately she got smaller and smaller in the distance!

Since then I've been feeling great. I've had a few days of rest which have coincided well with the Tour! I'm gearing up for two races in two weeks: Boulder Peak and Vineman...

An Athlete I Coach....

2010-06-15T06:16:00.001-07:00

Carolyn Bax recently finsihed a Sprint Triathlon up in Northern Canada. She raced not for herself but for someone in need! Congrats Carolyn on the superb finish! She's already received 3 donations to match her winnings for this family! Check it out!

Here it is in larger print: The Prince George Citizen.

June 13,2010

By: Mark Nielsen
Citizen staff

Ask most triathletes how they'll spend their winnings and a new helmet, pair of shoes or the entry fee on the next big race will usually be the answer.

But Carolyn Bax has a different plan for the $250 she earned Saturday as the fastest woman in the Mackenzie sprint triathlon.

She'll be depositing the cheque in a bank account opened for Brenn Smith, a five-year-old Prince George girl currently in Vancouver going through the first round of treatment for leukemia.

She's also asking other local triathletes and other distance athletes to do the same this season. Brenn's mother, Christine, and father Scott, an avid runner, are also in Vancouver which means added expenses for the family.

The seeds of Bax's idea began to sprout two Sundays ago when Bax was running in the 21-kilometre Family Y half-marathon and was having such a miserable time that she was ready to quit the entire run.

"But I said to myself that the pain I am feeling is nothing compared to what this little girl and family are going through and I knew I just couldn't quit," said Bax, a 40-year-old English instructor at College of New Caledonia and mother of two young boys.

See Monday's Citizen for more.

48 hours later, 1 hour of sleep

2010-05-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

After an arduous 2 - day drive with a locft 1 hour of sleep (which shouldn't count when you're curled up in the front seat parked on the side of a freeway), getting acquainted with our new house-mates: two active dogs (owners to be coming home soon!) ,and jumping in a few master swim programs, I’m finally settling into my new training base situated in Boulder, Colorado.

I joined up with Boulder Aquatic Masters (BAM) and Dave Scott at Flatirons Athletic Club for some grueling swim sessions. If you name a triathlete, they are all here…albeit swimming in a few lanes up and a lot faster me! It's been a huge eye-opener to watch Joanna Zeiger or Julie Dibens swim circles around me. I've got work to do! Thankfully, Dave Scott has already provided me with a few pointers to help my atrocious stroke.

Boulder is a very different place than anywhere I've been. It's surrounded by open-space filled with trails galore, mountain ranges to explore, and amazing shoulders on paved highways. No more do I have to hold my handle bars and grimace while riding down the road. In California, the roads were epic: potholes everywhere. But here, the roads are like slick ice and you ride like the wind. My wheels are spinning fast because of the low air resistance. Now my legs just have to keep up with them.

Everyone drives a Subaru with a bike rack two dogs, owns at least two bikes, and is active. You get the occasional smoker on the sidewalk but they are a dying breed (no pun intended)! Yesterday, while changing for my morning swim session with Dave, I overheard an elderly lady (that by all means would put me to shame while riding a bike. She had calves the size of baseballs) talking about her new Speedplay pedals with a fellow cyclist (whom also was as old as my grandma but looked as strong as an ox). I was taken aback to hear such a conversation and quickly put in my place. You have to love it when someone in their late sixties talks about pedals on a bike and climbing up the local hills at a fast clip. I smiled. You have to love it.

I'm looking to put in a solid training block, and then head back to Canada for a bit. I've changed a few things in my training so that I'm able to continue to build up my chassy with no injury. It's become an act of patience. I have to keep reminding myself, patience and consistency equals success.

My Wildflower 1/2 Rac-Repo-

2010-05-07T07:08:00.001-07:00

Sorry I've been so behind in updating my blog. I'm packing once again to be on the move to Boulder and back home for a bit. But without further ado, here is my 2/3 Wildflower 1/2-Ironman Rac-Repo!

Wildflower is an amazing weekend and it was a race I was gunning for, for the first part of the season that is. Deciding half-way in the run to not finish was a hard decision, but a smart decision. The three weeks between Wildflower and Superfrog had my left calf feeling a bit mangled. I wasn't running all that much and was worried the epic run for Wildflower would leave me crawling. I'm happy I did 2/3 of the race and even more happy that I'm OK in the run department!

My swim was OK but unfortunately I had 3 dead-weights impeding my process: my left and right arm, and the big one, my head! I was hesitant to start this race and it showed up dramatically at the start-line. I'm still trying to hit myself in the head (to fix it and) to improve my open-water swimming (this is on the list of to-do's and scheduled as soon as I head to Boulder with the BAM Open Water Swim Practices). When the gun went off, I did what any competitor would do and started moving forward. 6 strokes in I start to site?! That was the start of my demise. Why do you need to site in a mass of chaos? (Chuck pondered this one after the race and waited for me to give a valid reason...)

I found my own groove and managed to swim (on my own) behind a 4-women pack. This is not the ideal situation but at least I didn't lose ground to them. Coming out of the water, I was 3-minutes behind the likes of Sam Mcglone and 5 down from the leader (and eventual winner), Julie Dibens. My work was cut out for me!

In T1- I was slow running up the boat launch but the leg, as it always works out, felt great! I slipped out of the wetsuit, snapped my helmet on and grabbed the bike. I was out fast and prepared to catch everyone ahead of me.

On the bike, I don't hesitate. I don't worry, I don't think! I'm 100% comfortable on two wheels and red-line without worry. In the first 2-miles (including the infamous 1-mile hill at the start of hte course), I passed 5 competitors. Between the 10-15-mile mark, I passed 4 more. By mile 25-30 I was in 4th place.

In this race, the actual start of the bike is just before nasty grade (a 1.2+ mile climb at 9%). at mile 40. I knew this is where I was going to make my mark. 5-miles before the climb, I caught up to third place and flew by before she could tell who I was. In the near distance was 2nd, Melanie Mcquaid at the time. I held back, took in the last of my fluids (made my bike light!) and waited for the climb. (In retrospect, I wish I gunned it here because I think I could have had that fastest bike split I wanted!). I punched it up Nasty Grade and that was the last I saw of any competitor...

And that's because Julie Dibens was out of sight, killing everyone behind her! I was pushing hard to make any gains I could on the last 16 miles of the bike.

I made it into T-2, 5-minutes down from Julie, and 3-minutes ahead of 3rd place. It was a great spot to be in. (I have to give credit for my bike time to the new race wheels I was riding, the TdF58 Carbon Race Wheels by Rolf Prima! I've never been on a fast set-up of wheels and it literally made me feel like I was flying. NO joke. I've used training wheels in every other race I've been in. I'm 100% confident I now have the fastest wheels going in this sport!) I got into my run shoes and headed out.

Hesitancy hit me again, I didn't want to hurt my calf. I kept telling myself, "I want a season this year!" After a mile or two I felt OK but it wasn't 100%. I wasn't in a groove but I was happy to be running. I saw Chuckie on course and he quickly waved me down. My day was done - As planned. I was hoping that these plans would change but a good pupil must listen to her body...and coach!

Looking back, now 7 days post-race, I think, what was I thinking?! My leg felt a bit gammy but it's fine! I keep going back and forth on the decision but have now just realized, I made a good choice because I can gear up toward the season - knowing full well what I have to work on. My shin/calf needed the rest. And more importantly the culprits I need to work on before the next race are blatantly hitting me in the eyes:

1) SWIM AGGRESSION
2) SWIM
3) SWIM
4) MY HEAD - hesitancy kills
5) RECOVERY
6) TAKING CARE OF MY WEAK CALVES
7) #$%^ SWIM!

Worth noting is how much fun the weekend was at race-site! I camped - which next year, I will not be doing! I didn't get much sleep the night before the race. but the atmosphere was a blast. Sleeping outside in a tent with ear-plugs doesn't quite do the job. Car horns, car lights and noisy campers make for a rough night. With that said, it was a great experience and the night after the race was worth it. For next year, I'll be in a room and in a bed for a full nights rest.

I met up with Brian Roddy, owner of Rolf Prima. I had a blast getting to know him and can't wait to head out his way (Eugene, Oregon) sometime. Brian, I hope you have a spare room and will want roommates for awhile! I've always wanted to head to Eugene ever since I heard about their amazing run trails.

AVIA did it well with their amazing after-race party - as always! We had great food, great company and a lot of laughs. Kevin Koresky and Joe Barrus from Finish-line Multisports joined us. Great things are in the works!

Meeting up with Paul from Sable Water Optics is always a great laugh. My goggles do the job better than any I've tried and I was able to grab a new pair just before the race start. Thanks Paul!

And of course, I want to say a huge thanks to all my sponsors not mentioned yet, especially TYR for putting me in a fast wetsuit! I promise, open water swimming is on the agenda and my lack-luster swim times will be improving! Rudy Project had me in stealth mode with my aero-helmet and shades on the bike. And Standard Process had me fueled and ready for the race. Thanks to Hammer Gels, Oval Concepts (fastest bar set-up on the bike!), the Right Stuff (hydrated all-day!), Beaker Concepts, Raw Revolutions and of course, Larabar. And a special shout out to Kryn Miner! Thanks for the support!

Boulder, CANADA, upcoming races....here I come!

Superfrog Pictures courtesy of Kevin Koresky from www.finishline-multisport.com! Race Report below.

2010-04-15T10:57:00.001-07:00

SuperFrog Race Report

2010-04-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Chuckie and I drove down to Coronado, CA for the SuperFrog /SuperSeal races. I did the half-Ironman, the Frog.

First things first…what a GREAT event this is! I'm not just saying that because I was victorious but because it is! So many things made this a fun event but one of the main things that stuck out after the race was when Mitch Hall (the assistant race director) asked point-blank what he could do to improve the race. He didn't just do this with me; I overheard him asking dozens of athletes and bystanders! This is something you don't always hear (or hear of) at races and it shows why the SuperSeal is already such an outstanding event. Mitch is an ex-Navy SEAL (that in fact is the origin of the race with a big military presence competing), and you can tell he's motivated by getting the job done right. Plus, if any terrorists wanted to mess with this race, he'd personally kick their ass!

Speaking of ass-kicking, that is exactly what happened to me, with the ocean swells doing the beating. As soon as I hit water I was pummeled, immediately thrown upside down and with my goggles ending up wrapped around my neck. The day before the race, Kevin Koresky and Joe Barrus (from Finishline-Multisport fame; my home stay) took both Miranda Alldirtt (fellow competitor and Canadian) and myself to the beach side to practice our swim-surf technique, if you could call it that. I knew then I'd be scared the next day, but adrenaline helped combat it a ton.

As it was it was a two-loop swim, with a 200-meter run along the beach after each lap. I had no energy whatsoever on lap two, after having been beaten down by the waves---arms just flailing to stay afloat. I lost roughly 2:30 on each lap, according to those yelling out splits. My pacing, albeit slow, was at least consistently so! Consistency is important! :)

There were never any problems with crowding with the waves and the strong currents. The only time I could find a pair of feet to draft was at the turn buoys.

T1 was rough. It's hard to balance on one-leg to get the wetsuit off. I had to keep my eyes on the horizon like a pilot just so I didn't tip over because I still had my sea legs. But I was able to get out without too many minutes lost(!) and then settle in on the bike, where the horizon awaited.

The bike course was a 4-loop version so it was a great event to measure power on my bike, to see how consistent I stayed, or hoped to stay. I used a fast Rolf front wheel and a weighty PowerTap (the first time I've ever raced with a power meter) in the rear. It wasn't a "fast" setup by any means but the 4-loop course was an ideal learning experience for energy output and getting some splits for each lap. Chuckie won't allow me to post the data...sorry!

From what I saw there was only limited amounts of drafting despite the multi-loop layout. The wind was just challenging enough to break-up any would-be packs, as it came in from all angles. This helped me catch the women's leader, Hillary Biscay, and then take the lead halfway through the ride. From there it was just head-down grinding.

T2 was much smoother than my first transition. I came in with the fastest bike split and a 2 or so minute lead, so I didn't need to panic quite as much as when I was in T1! I'm hoping to pick up a bike sponsor this year (Fuji, please!), and with the fastest bike split in almost every triathlon I've ever done, I'm optimistic that I'm on my way. The proposals will continue to be sent out! But the main focus right now is getting that swim down!

The run was one of the most epic runs I've ever done, race or no race. It was a two-loop course that started with a 2-mile beach run. You had to finagle yourself around the surf as it came ashore. The key was to stay in the hard-packed sand but yet avoid getting your shoes soaked; not an easy task when redlining the whole way! After two miles of sand the competitors then made a quick turn onto hard gravel, then pavement, and finally onto a nice trail, before returning back to the beach once more. Overall, it made the run that much more pleasurable but VERY challenging.

After the first lap I had lost a sizeable chunk of my lead to Haley Cooper-Scott; she was just 200 meters back! But 200 meters on sand is still a ways away, so I kept pushing. Thankfully I found another gear during the second lap and was able to 'muscle my way through' the sand. This run course is all about strength and I think if it had been purely about speed I'd have lost the lead.

For my efforts I won an engraved paddle! I rarely keep material prizes but when they are unique as this, I send them home for keeps. Chuckie joked that if I ever find myself up Sh!t Creek, at least now I have a paddle! In addition to the paddle I picked up a nice little check, which will be donated straight to the next few races!

-----------------------------------------

Back to the home stay…

Finishline-Multisports is Kevin and Joe's brainchild and, I have to say, these two guys are first-class! I've had three amazing home-stays this year and each has been as memorable as the events themselves! I hope the streak continues!

Training notes…

This was essentially a training race for me (though I always race all-out!). Basically that just means I didn't taper for the race and yet felt better than any tapered-for event; I've noticed this every single time I "train through" a race. As such we plan to continue this trend for the next race or two. As Coach says, when you feel better you are better, though he didn't need to convince me of it. It had been a rough 10 days post-California 70.3, and I was overridden with many aches and pains and it started to mess with my head. Even the day before the race I was hobbling around a bit and grew apprehensive (and even a bit negative) because of it. One thing I now realize is that racing is a whole new level of hurt and all those niggles seem to disappear. I have to remind myself this now!

I'd like also to congratulate Jonas Colting for his victory. I know they have beaches in Sweden, but somehow I don't imagine they're quite ready to host a triathlon yet. And yet Jonas goes out and wins anyway!

Finally, I want to say thanks to Mike Kraus, Solvang Chiropractor Extraordinaire, who put me back into one piece so that I could tough it out for another half-Ironman just 13 days after my first in two years! Expect to see me more often Mike!

My New Website is Launched!

2010-04-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! I have my new website up and running. Unfortunately, Blogger is having a brain funk and not allowing me to add this link: www.angelanaeth.com! It's above on the homepage and working there though!

www.angelanaeth.com

California 70.3 Race Report

2010-04-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

Well, another race under the belt for me in 2010, and a bit more experience for the future! California 70.3 was my first triathlon since Worlds 70.3 in 2008. I absolutely loved the battle. The pro field was stacked with the strongest women’s field I’ve seen at a 70.3 event Sam Mcglone, Mirinda Carfrae, Leanda Cave, Sam Warriner, and Pip Taylor. Before even starting the race, I knew it was going to be a hard day to get top 5 (where the prize money is)!  It all started Thursday when we (Coach and I) headed out on the road toward Oceanside. We had a pit-stop for a day at Chuck’s cousins where we were spoiled with great food and fun. I always enjoy stopping there because it’s a home away from home. Since I travel a lot, I like to have these ‘homes’ as much as possible. And well, in reality, I don’t really have a home, so a home away from home is the next best thing! Thanks Dav and Deb for a great weekend. Alec, our bike rides were fun!  My homestay for the actual race night was amazing! Unfortunately I had to go to bed early and didn’t get to enjoy in the festivities and great food. Chuck made up for it by eating, and chatting until we basically had to get up in the morning for an early 6:43 race start.  Pre-race I was a bit overwhelmed with the idea of swimming in the ocean. I mentally prepared myself for a freeze but luckily, thanks to TYR, I was able to stay toast warm! The Hurricane Wettsuit is by far the nicest suit I’ve used. Now, if only I could swim!  The race started fast and I did my best to grab hold of someone’s feet. My lack of experience in open-water held me back which I now realize is the dumbest thing to do. I need to go, and go hard right off the bat! I need to focus on the swim just as hard as I do on the bike. I ended up 5-minutes back from the main pack (that is a lot of time). Luckily though, there was a few of us stranglers and we worked together to not drown.   In T2, I grabbed my bike and opted to not use the arm warmers. This was a smart choice indeed. The day got warmer and warmer….and windier! On the bike, I quickly found my groove and passed a number of my competitors in the first 40 miles. I was in no man’s land throughout the race and it was hard to gauge my efforts. Being in a ‘pack’ is much easier. I need to get there. I worked hard on staying honest with myself and pushed my way toward the top 5. Low and behold, even with only Rolfe Prima training wheels, I managed to get the fastest bike split! I can only imagine how those race wheels are going to work for me (race wheels are coming soon, I just made the switch to tubular)!   The run was quite simply, hard! I ran solid for my current fitness, but I was amazed at some of my competitors speed. It definitely opened my eyes and has provided more fuel for the fire to stay strong these next five weeks for Wildflower. At least by grabbing the fastest bike split, I had some redemption for an 8th place finish (and no prize money)!

Overall I'm back in battle and now dealing with a slightly tight left butt cheek that I must have aggravated on the run! Massage, pressure, massage and jogging should do the trick!

My Desert Classic Duathlon Report

2010-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

My Desert Classic Duathlon race report, et al.

Sunday's event was my first race back in over a year. My god, do they hurt!

It all began on Friday when Chuckie and I left Solvang en route toward Phoenix. We had rented an econo car at the local rental agency but all the affordable models were sold out. We were offered an SUV as a "free upgrade". Obviously this was not an upgrade to us with gas prices above three dollars a gallon! So we smooth-talked our way into a Toyota Prius for the price of an econo car. We were worried with all the Toyota recalls in recent weeks but as it was it worked in our favor because the gas pedal was stuck at 110 miles per hour the whole way! We got to Phoenix much sooner than expected. The problem was that the brake pedal didn't work and we flew right past the city at 110 miles per hour!

Joking aside, we pulled in at 10:30pm forgetting that we lost an hour en route due to the time zone change. Apparently Arizona doesn't believe in daylight savings. We worried that we were keeping our homestay up late by arriving so late but we were greeted with big smiles and big hugs that could only come from a loving Italian family, Saverio and Marisa. Everything they say about Italian hospitality is true times ten. (I visited Italy when I was 14 and loved it; I've always wanted to go back and here now I felt like I had). Oh, the food! But I'll get to that in due time. Chuckie and Saverio got on great because they never stopped talking!

On Saturday morning we headed to the racecourse to go and check it out. I was amazed at how brutal the run course(s) were/are. It was like an Xterra event, a true cross-country running race: sand, washes, mud, rocks, hills, creek crossing, cacti, twists, turns and the potential for perilous tumbles. I wasn't mentally prepared for this but after checking it all out I was ready to give it my best shot.

After the reconnaissance, Saverio was kind enough to setup a chiropractic appointment for me with his good friend Matt. With Matt's expertise I was able to get back on form after such an arduous drive; for whatever reason my hips and back hate long drives. Matt fixed me right up in a matter of minutes and I was excited to race the next day.

But first that evening, Saverio invited some friends from the triathlon club and Marisa cooked up a true Italian meal. I normally like to stick to my own routine prior to races (boring food!) but this was simply too good to be true. We had ten different types of olives, five different types of cheeses, red wine, bread, pasta with fresh basil and tomatoes – everything almost straight from the vine. I never knew pasta could taste this good. I've always eaten it when I was too lazy to cook something else, but this I'm telling you, was to die for! Plus it had the dual purpose of shutting up Chuckie and Salverio for once! Mind you, Saverio's friend Justin filled that role and dished out more humor and talk than Saverio and Chuck combined. His energy was contagious and a with a full belly of one of the best meals I've ever eaten, I was already a winner no matter the result the following day!

The forecast Saturday night called for rain the following morning but when I walked out at 9pm all I saw were stars. I went to bed ready for sunny skies. Lo and behold a few hours later I was awoken by a downpour and knew I would have to re-pack my race bags when I woke up for good. The race director, Brian, assured me on Saturday that we'd get rain. I tend to think positive and disregarded his outlook and focused on staying hydrated!

This was my first duathlon and Chuckie warned they hurt more than triathlons because you essentially start off with a running race and then try to jump on the bike after giving all you've had. This is something that made sense to me but I never fully understood until the gun went off. Holy moley! EVERYONE flew off! It was as though they were in a 400-meter dash. In essence, we were!

Single-track trail started half a mile after the start line and everyone wanted good position prior to it. They started the elite men and women together and the women didn't want to get stuck behind any slower men and took off faster than they probably would have alone. I almost laughed in disbelief because we went through the first mile just over 5-minutes. I was already redlining and it was about two minutes faster than any single mile I'd run yet this year! (This race signifies my first real effort in over a year and I was rudely reminded of the necessary pain in performing well. I had my doubts when I was just about in last place after the 2nd mile.)

But by the end of the 3.7-mile run I was happy to be where I was most comfortable – back in the saddle again. The rain didn't let up but we've had so much in Solvang this year that I honestly hardly noticed it. But what was shocking was the bitter cold: 48-degrees at race start. The bike course started out with some rollers but then essentially went downhill all the way to the turn-a-around. I was glad I dressed head-to-toe. Chuckie advised both Brendan Halpin (fellow athlete coached by V) and myself to dress warmly. Brendan, being a Montana boy and all, decided a singlet was enough! He'll hear about it from Chuckie soon enough, I imagine.

After the turn-around I had already picked off all but three girls: Sam McGlone (2nd place Hawaii IM finisher), Michellie Jones (multiple world champion and Hawaii Ironman Champion) and Leanda Cave (world class triathlete/Ironman Champ). I had already passed a couple other big names including Linsey Corbin, who had only recently come down to the desert to train. (Linsey is another one of those tough Montana triathletes).

With the hills during the second half of the ride I was able to make headway and catch Michellie with a few miles remaining. She stuck to me like glue but I decided not to worry about it and just race my own race. When I got back into transition I was in 3rd place with Michellie at my heels – about 35 seconds from the lead after erasing a 1-minute deficit. My shoes were now waterlogged and the rain still hadn't let up.

I had my usual terrible transition but was able to draw nearer to Michellie and keep her in sight for all the 2.7 mile run. It was single track and there was nowhere to make a pass but I couldn't catch her anyhow. Just before mile 2 we headed up a hill so steep I almost scraped my nose running up it! I made some gains but quickly lost them on the rocky descent. Michellie's long legs covered some serious ground! The last mile or so was on bitumen and loose gravel. I was frothing at the mouth and gave it everything I had. I wanted 3rd place but finished 7 seconds back of a podium spot – until I later learned that Leanda had been penalized one minute for a violation of the helmet strap in transition. So, in the end I placed 3rd overall but in my heart I know I was a 4th place finisher (or "podium perimeter" as Chuckie would say in jest). I was pleased, but knew I still have work to do.

All told, the race gave me the opportunity to get back into racing mode and clear the pipes some; it felt great!

Of course as fate would have it the sun made a strong appearance immediately after the last finisher crossed the line. Weather aside, this is a race I would HIGHLY recommend. In fact, I'm already signed up for next year and know exactly where I'll be staying beforehand! Thanks Marisa and Saverio.

Desert Classic Duathlon in AZ

2010-03-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

March 01, 2010, INSIDE TRIATHLON

On the day the Canadian hockey team took the gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canadian Samantha McGlone took an early season victory for herself at the 2010 Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Ariz. The Tucson resident earned the victory over a star-packed women’s field including two-time Ironman World Champion Michellie Jones (AUS), Canada’s Angela Naeth, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher, Great Britain’s Leanda Cave and the United States’ Linsey Corbin.

McGlone’s win came thanks to a steady effort across all three legs of the race through tough rainy conditions. McGlone headed off of the first run leg and onto the bike in sixth position and slowly worked her way to front of the field. By the time she reached the finish line at 1:36:00 she had overtaken all of the women ahead of her. Now 40-years-old, Jones proved that she can still compete with the best, coming in second at 1:37:00. Third went to Canada’s Angela Naeth at 1:37:09. Naeth was forced to sit out much of 2009 due to a series of injuries, and she looks to be starting 2010 strong with a podium finish against a tough field.

While the men’s race was not as star packed as the women’s, it did provide for an exciting day with the top four finishing within three minutes of each other. American Chris Foster took the win thanks to a blazing start on the run. Foster posted a 16:51 time for the first 3.5 mile run of the race, which is good enough for an average pace of 4:49 minutes/mile. From there he never looked back and crossed the tape in first with a time of 1:23:57. American Ben Hoffman used a strong bike leg to finish second at 1:25:52. American Matthew Sheeks finished third at 1:26:02.

Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Ariz. – February 28, 2010
3.5-mile run, 21-mile bike, 2.7-mile run

Men

1. Chris Foster (USA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (USA) 1:25:52
3. Matthew Sheeks (USA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Giuliano (USA) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (USA) 1:29:49

Women

1. Samantha McGlone (CAN) 1:36:00
2. Michellie Jones (AUS) 1:37:00
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09
4. Leanda Cave (GBR) 1:37:28
5. Lisa Ribe s(USA) 1:38:41

Oh Sun, Where Art Thou?

2010-02-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

What's missing this February?

The sun! Where is the sun? The heat! The hot temperatures?

Since coming down to Solvang (the alleged "sunny coastal region") we've had weeks on end filled with the odd sunny day. Mostly though they've been saturated with the not-so-odd wet days.

I'm not complaining (in the written word anyway!). The uncommon weather patterns just call for some changes in the training plan---more indoor riding, cross-training and well, hardening the %#@! up! It's time to get a bit wet! Off goes the shorts and t-shirt (or pajamas!) and on goes the rain parka, gloves and toque (as we call them in Canada).

My last run had me wearing the full bottom drawer: rain-jacket, rain-pants, gloves, my clear-lens Rudy Project "shades" and a long-billed visor, to help shield the rain. I was slogging through the muck with my soaked-socked feet sloshing around in my heavy-slogged AVIA shoes, wondering why I love doing what I do. The winds were hitting me head-on, the side of me, and hard, making it a serious challenge just to stay upright.

Are triathlons ever like this? In the magazines, we never see wind, rain, sleet, or bundled-up athletes trudging through the elements! Instead we see glamour shots of sexy men and women with smiles on their faces, crystal clear blue skies and definitely hot weather by the looks of their scantily-clad bodies! Hold on. I don’t need to train in this weather! The races aren't like this…so why make training harder than it needs to be?

Yeah right! We all know the realities on race day. As coach says, "Anything can happen, and on race day it usually does."

I've raced a couple times in the rain, and had one of the crappiest races I've ever done and one of the best races I've ever done. Weather doesn't change a thing…the work still has to get done, both on race day and in preparing for race day.

Muskoka 70.3 was the one I like to remember. Pouring rains, muck on the bike, (especially the 5-km dirt road we had to ride) and the twist-and-turns of the golf course made for downright dangerous conditions. But it was a great race for me and I smiled the whole way. The bitter cold and the rain didn't even faze me. It was one of my best performances to date and worthy of a podium place.

Then there was Boise 70.3 a year before, a race I try hard not to remember! The gusty winds, the F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G water temperatures, and wet roads made for a hard, self-defeating race. I left town with a DNF, a broken toe, and a drained bank account from traveling there.

So what is an athlete to do when it rains like this? There are only two options:

1) Suck it up and enjoy the sun when it creeps out from behind the clouds.

Or…

2) Sleep in.

Since guilt prevents the latter from happening, I opt for option #1.

It's not always easy, but then races never are either.

Taking Risks

2010-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm gearing up for the season mixing what I know works with some experimentation on a few things that I'm hoping works! I'm intrigued about a few things Coach is having me try and banking that they'll further my efforts this season. I'm doing as they say (whoever they are) and taking some calculated risks.

The rains have showered us with their love for the past 10 days or so. I've tried to return that same love but it hasn't been easy. I made it a rest week instead! And now, with a week of rest behind me and sunny skies ahead, sunscreen and fluids will again be vital. Yay! At least for now anyway. I've been testing out The Right Stuff as an electrolyte supplement during my longer efforts and have had great "luck" with it so far (I don't believe much in luck; the stuff works).

One of the things Chuckie had me try was a carbohydrate-restricted diet for these past 3-4 days. I'm on day four and have finally tasted an apple. I love apples and three days without one had me slapping my hands together as if I had autism, anything to keep my mind off of food. According to the scale (which means little really) I lost a couple of pounds but I think that weight was just depleted brain glycogen! Yesterday afternoon at the track I was seeing stars and almost fell over my own two feet. A measly 20-minutes of harder effort had me focusing on the horizon just to stay upright. I was competing again (to stay upright)! Competition is something I haven't done in over a year… and it felt surreal! Chuckie commented, "Now you know what it's like to have to sprint at the end of an Ironman." I love suffering but only through the type of my choosing, which, as Coach says, "isn't really suffering; you can't always pick your battles." This was a whole new kind of battle for me and it sucked!

During my last few hard workouts I made sure to make myself hurt. My game still has to be upped to compete with the likes of Team TBB and I'm elevating myself toward it. It being: hurt hard and hurt often.

But now I'm dead and filling myself back up with the much-needed glycogen I deprived myself of for the last few days.

About the risk-taking…

I take a lot of risks in life (some I'm not too proud of and others that have virtually saved my life), but there is still a big part of me that holds back. Taking risks is just too well, risky! What if (fill in the blank) happens?! What if, what if, what if…

What I've realized this past year while taking part on Team TBB, and being home for a few months, and working a full-time job, and being injured is that I have to take risks (however scary or unknown the outcome may be) in order to attain my goals in the sport and in life. As Brett Sutton always said, "Go home now if you're doing this (sport) for the lifestyle or for image; do it to be your best and to WIN."

Ben Franklin wrote that some people die at 25 and aren't buried until they are 75. I'm still alive and will choose to be until the day I die (most likely by taking the risks I was told I shouldn't have!). So strong as this comes across, it means to hell with it, bust a move! Fear is to be demolished in my repertoire of emotions, along with doubt…fear and doubt are the naysayers in our lives and too many people let them control their lives. It's a battle I struggle through almost daily.

Obviously there are limits to what risks we should take. I wouldn't put myself in harm's way (at least the type of harm I wouldn't get stronger from). Nor would I put others in any harm (unless it means winning a race and their harm came from me beating them in the event!). But here's the irony: the person that doesn't take risks feels the same amount of fear as the person that regularly takes risks…maybe even more so! The non-risk taker feels the same amount of fear over more trivial matters: the weather, a big hill to climb, crosswinds, or being chicked (which, by the way, should be a big fear of yours, guys!) and other what ifs brought on by these and other things.

If I have learned anything in the past 2 years in this sport, it is this: failure is part of the process. BUT (and this is a BIG but!) we don't have to accept it and be defeated by it! Take the risk!

"Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted…One moment…Would you capture it, or just let it slip?" Eminem

To hell with it! That's my M.O.

Two Tough Days

2010-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

The last two days were great training days for me.

Yesterday I went on a doozy of a ride. CV and I rode long (because we've heard rain is coming! Yikes!), ending up a few minutes shy of 6-hours. I felt dead from the onset and stayed that way the whole way but struggled on, collecting at least 3-hours at a respectable power output.

By the time the two of us got back into town, we were barely moving and swearing under (and over) our breaths at every bump on the road (and there's no shortage of bumps in Santa Barbara County. Chuckie likes to joke that the roads are one big bump. I actually look forward to the cattle guards since they're smoother! We were tired, hungry, cranky and ready to get off the bikes. After a solid 90-minutes of refueling and a short nap, I headed to the track for a 60-minute jaunt on the legs. It was dark and I was slow as a turtle but collected "time on my feet" nonetheless.

Today I woke like a slug. My eyes were puffy and had dark bags under them. Speaking of bags, I was ready to bag the day before it even started! But Chuckie reminded me how hard my friends on Team TBB train. That was my coffee. Train harder than them. After long discussions with the team management, I decided it best to branch out on my own this year. I'll be racing independently under Chuckie's guidance and am back with many of the great sponsors I've had since pre-Team TBB.

At 7:45 this morning I met with Heather and Trevor for a 4,500-yard swim workout of their design, with a mix of paces and steady state work. We then suited up for a planned 4-5 hour ride with time "in zone". This is Chuckie's way of saying, "Expect to hurt". He didn’t know how I would feel so we agreed to just "see what the day brings," which meant if I felt tired, I could expect to hurt that much more!

Though I felt great during the swim I was still hesitant about the follow-up ride, especially after a big breakfast, which only made me feel groggy again. As expected, I felt like crap during the warm-up but kept the effort consistent and strong from there forward, with just one stop the whole ride. I think Heather and Trevor are with me on this one but I hate stopping during our harder rides and it's something Chuckie seems to want to do (and does) more than anyone. He stops to smell flowers, to help snakes or tarantulas across the road, to pick up garbage and to take pictures. Oddly enough he never stops when it's time to pee. Weird.

Before long everything starting clicking for me and I got in no less than 3.5-hours at a solid power output. I was gritting my teeth by the end, even though I was still at a very aerobic heart rate (i.e., well below my lactate threshold). I felt like I was hitting bottom but couldn't help myself when I hit the bottom of Mount Figueroa. I was under strict orders NOT to do any climbing so I turned around after sneaking in just 100-yards of it (though climbing 100 yards on the Fig takes about 8-minutes!). Next time, I'll try to squeeze in 200 yards!). After a nice tailwind spin back to the YMCA, I scarfed some more grub and then headed back to the pool for a short flop to end the day. All I can say about that particular swim was that I didn't drown.

I'm ready for tomorrow. The menu: Run, run, and run.

It's time to fight the war...and training started today. Let's hope the rain waits!

Rolf Prima signs multiple top pro triathletes for 2010

2010-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Adding to an already strong list of sponsored athletes, Rolf Prima will start the triathlon season with several new additions. Rolf Prima recently signed Jan Rehula (Czech Republic), Justin Daerr (USA), Angela Naeth (Canada), Gina Crawford (New Zealand) and Graham O'Grady (New Zealand).

Their past records are impressive. Whether it's Gina Crawford's recent IronMan Western Australia victory onboard Rolf Prima TdF58 650c's, where she took the first back to back title for IronMan Western Australia or Jan Rehula's impressive win at the inaugural IronMan Malaysia 70.3; look for even more winning results from them on their Rolf Prima wheels in 2010. "What is impressive about these athletes is that they are more than just great athletes, they are great people to" said Rolf Prima owner, Brian Roddy. "We receive numerous sponsorship requests, but we are very selective with who we partner with. We want them to be good spokes-people not only for our products, but for the sport as well. We are really looking forward to working with these athletes for 2010".

For 2010 Rolf Prima has expanded their wheel options for triathletes. The 12 spoke TdF58 is now available in a clincher or tubular and the tubular version is available in a 650c or 700c size. Rolf Prima also added a full Carbon tubular rear Disc which weighs in at 930gms. All of the Rolf Prima triathletes will race on either the Rolf Prima TdF58 or 58TT wheel sets paired with a Rolf Prima Disc.

Stay tuned for some great results from these athletes as the triathlon season gets underway.

5 day late....or 5 days early?

2010-01-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

It's already 5 days into the new year. But to me dates are arbitrary. They run the show for getting things done and being in places at certain times, but what does 5 days into 2010 really mean? The year starts when one decides to commit. Chuckie just wrote a great blog about this and you can read it here. I committed--fully committed--myself when I realized I was just kidding myself. And I fully realized this just a short while ago. I think this is an ongoing process for an athlete--commitment and realizing what it takes. Not until one wins or achieves one of his or her goals that they had set out to accomplish, can one fully realize this.

I worked for about 2.5 months as a physiotherapist this past year to help get me out of debt and start the year off on the right track (albeit with a loan). I realized throughout that time frame that I don't want 10 years to pass with me thinking, 'shoulda, woulda, coulda.' I still don't believe I fully grasp this concept though. This is what both Doc and Chuckie V have said in so many words, but I'm trying. I need to be slapped in the face everyday so that this reality of time flowing by hits me at the same instance. Even though dates are meaningless, our life's time clock is not!

I could look at this in two ways:
1) Negatively
2) Positively

Positive thinking isn't everything when it comes to achieving dreams. It's a myth really. But if you stay positively focused that dream may just become reality. It's the combination of the good and bad of everyday--the pleasure and pain--the positive and negative. Keeping your mind on the goal and moving toward it is the act of being positively focused. Chuckie always reiterates, "It's easy to stay positive when everything is going your way, but this isn't true positivity. It only means something when times get tough."

Of course if you consider fun to be the essential goal there is nothing wrong with that either! For me though, my ultimate success level, whatever that may be, is the most fun I could have! It takes work to have fun.

Last Day of 2009!

2009-12-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well the best Christmas present ever has now been used. It's the Christmas present to me from me: a ticket SOUTH! I'm now at a great training base and a place I like to call home: Solvang, CA. If I could, I'd live down here permanently. I know of only two ways (that are legit):

1) Marry
2) Find an employer that will sponsor me with a work visa.

For now though, triathlon is my job and marriage is not likely in my near future. One must be engaged with the man she loves!

My flight down had no complications or hassles whatsoever (which is entirely new to me as I always seem to have something go wrong. I even had a great conversation with the customs officer about triathlon. He would like to do one someday but he said he has to start running, biking and swimming first! Yes, that would help make the experience somewhat more enjoyable. I said my bike box had a 'frame' in it, along with some shoes. My cunning ploy worked and I didn't have to pay for the bike! I only had to pay $50 for the two other pieces of luggage I carried, but I'll take it! A penny saved is a penny saved...to be used in this year's racing and travels!

I packed a nice lunch of leftovers and ate the entire flight(s)! I can't help myself when turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and all the fixings, are waiting for me as my mouth waters just thinking about them! :)

Needless to say, eating at home over the last few months has made me realize how much I suck at cooking...and how lazy I am in the kitchen. Thank God for moms! I figured this was my last nice meal for a while and the view from my window seat made it taste that much better. One thing's for sure: I had a great few months at home with my mom's cooking inside me. The scale shows it too.

The new year awaits and I'm very excited to get back into full-mode training! Be sure to keep updated with my training blog. My coaches don't care for me to let every "secret" out of the bag (even though they both claim that "there are no secrets!"). Anyhow I figured it's easier to put it all on one blog rather than add to this one. I'll update my new one regularly in the new year...which in fact begins in t-minus 2.5 hours!

I've have some exciting news that I'll share with you in the next few days. I have been blessed with some great new sponsors and supporters for next year. They each deserve their own introduction and it would imprudent of me to group them all in one fell swoop, but I will throw their names out now because I'm so excited!

SPONSORS:
Rolf Prima Wheels
TYR Wetsuits and Training Gear
AVIA footwear
Standard Process Nutrition Products
Sable Water Optics
Rudy Project Helmets and Sunglasses
Nuu-Muu Dresses

SUPPORTERS:
Terramassage
Cycleops
ISM Saddles
Raw Revolutions
Hammer Gels
Beaker Concept Compression Socks
Larabar
LOLE

I have more exciting news to come but everything isn't set just yet. I'm looking forward to 2010, to show all my supporters and sponsors what I'm capable of! Have a happy New Year everyone!

Looking for help with your training? Triathlete Coach?

2009-12-22T05:25:00.001-08:00

Now that I've been coaching a few triathletes over the last year or so, I've realized how important it is to have good communication, a solid (yet flexible) training program, and a coach who works with you personally.

My current coaches, Chuckie V and Brett Sutton, have helped me develop my own coaching style. As an athlete living and breathing the sport, I'm always eager to learn from others and teach those how to reach their own personal fitness goals.

I've learned over the years, you must be able to blend the athlete's lifestyle with the training plan. You can't expect to have a determined age-grouper with a full-time job and kids to train the same as one who works part-time with no children. It's the quality and effort that is put into the training that will be able to produce the results. Mind you, a few "Team TBB secret training methods" doesn't hurt the cause!

With a simple change in one's running program – increasing daily duration and decreasing rest - I've seen great improvements in one of my athlete's PR time for the half-marathon. Including some strength riding and hills, helped improve another athlete's overall bike and run time. It may seem basic but there are proper and improper ways to go about it all. I love helping others achieve the results they were always capable of achieving.

If you're interested in more about how I coach and/or training, feel free to email me anytime: tri3angela (at) yahoo dot com.

Cheers!

Onward and Upward...

2009-11-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

It's now the new year for me: time to reflect on 2009 and focus on 2010! This year has been one of the best years of my life – in both a negative and positive way. Last year ('08) I had a great season as a first-year pro: 3rd @ Muskoka 70.3, 1st @ Boulder Peak, 7th @ Wildflower, and 8th @ 70.3 Worlds (top Canadian!). I was ready to have a great 2009 season. In February I flew overseas to meet my new coach, Brett Sutton, and my new teammates on TeamTBB. Here I was, 26 at the time, eager to work hard and become a "real" pro. I was on my way to my first adventure of 2009!

Team TBB Camp. I arrived in Manila in pants and a long sleeve shirt. I knew it was going to be hot but not quite this hot! It was a wonderful training climate and the energy of the team took over on the days where you felt you couldn't do anymore. And though I wish I could, I just can't explain the Doc; he's a tough book to read! But he's highly intelligent and Yoda-like. He could read me inside and out with just one glance...naive, boggled in the mind, a scattered mess. I was going to be shown the tough way… 

And so I pushed myself to limits I shouldn't have. I wanted to prove myself everyday and I shattered myself in the process. I'd come home after hard training days literally unable to walk. On some days, everyone on the team came home like this! I remember walking home one night from a training run because my quads and calves seized up so much. That single mile took 40 minutes! 

The weeks rolled by and by the end of the 5th week I was still moving. I LOVED the team, the training and the focus of everyday. I learned a ton at this camp and got a taste of how hard one must train both in a mental and physical sense. Unfortunately though, I crushed myself.

Chuckie V knew that going with Brett and TeamTBB was the best thing for me at the time. I needed a kick in my own arse. Unfortunately I kicked my own arse a bit too hard and ended up fracturing my leg near the knee. I kept running on it and almost broke the tibia fully. I was literally walking on a fine line.

Back in the US, the doctor wanted to put me in a full leg cast. Instead, I opted for crutches and was diligent on not putting any weight on the leg. I managed OK but it was the hardest 4 months I've ever gone through. In the past I'd broken my hip in a bike crash but at the time I was in school and was too busy to do anything else. With this fracture, I twiddled my thumbs and let my mind get the best of me at times. It was a long 4 months of no riding or running, and swimming very cautiously (even the water flow on my leg for the first 6 weeks caused me stabbing pains if I moved funny).

Wounds heal though, and I was ready to be back in battle (at least train for battle) by early July. I started running again, albeit slowly and putting some easy miles on the bike. I still remember my first ride outside again. I was like the new kid on the block with her first bike! I was smiling from ear to ear.

We thought it best I stay in the US and train, staying close to those I loved. I wasn't ready for the Team TBB Switzerland Camp. Instead, Chuckie and I headed to Park City, UT for a change of pace (mostly because we found super cheap rent!) for the remainder of the summer.

 Training was going well. I started pushing the bike and run again. My mind however was running a different show. All I did was worry. I felt like I wasn’t getting in shape fast enough to race and I worried that the Achilles problem that I had at the time (which lasted a few weeks) would be another big injury. And I worried about worrying. It was all $%!t! Worry kills…

Hard work. You would think I would have this down pat. I know hard work, I THRIVE on hard work. But I'm like a horse that needs reigns and guidance. I went too hard, too fast and didn't fully commit to the hard work that is needed with recovery, and most importantly, my mental game. I hadn't competed for ¾ of the year and my mind started worrying more about financial woes and my future in the sport. My savings account from last years' winnings was dwindling to the triple digits – the low ones. I found myself in debt before I knew it and realized I couldn't survive any longer on credit alone.

So, it was at this time, I realized it was best for me to head home to the Great White North. As it was, my US visitor's visa was expiring and I had to deal with some immigration papers. But more importantly, I needed to refocus my unfocused mind. I went home and thanks to some amazing parents, I've been able to live rent free for the past couple months so that I could climb out of debt.

And so here I am…the end of November 2009. I had to tell you all this in order for you to understand what I'm about to write and for you to understand how thankful I am for these experiences in my life. I learned more about myself than I have during any other year. And this is not to say I've learned everything there is to learn…Oh, do I have a lot more to learn! But 2010 is going to help me do that.

Commitment. Hard work (SMART hard work). Diligence. Focus. Be the Warrior. HERE NOW. - All the requirements for the start of the new year for me.

I've written a lot about the fears and worries that hold me back. I'm now ready to face them like a true warrior and take the steps to do so. My three biggest fears:

1. Injuries. This past year has provided me the knowledge of how to train properly. Because of my propensity for stress fractures I have no choice but to make some changes. I have low bone density and so I'll be doing a higher percentage of my running uphill (one of Chuckie's "tricks"). I'll also run every other day (one of Doc's "tricks"); treadmill running; soft-surface running; and, of course, focusing on proper recovery, so the impact-related stress doesn't keep piling up.

HOWEVER, running isn't really what hinders me. It's my mind. Worry and stress have just as much (if not more) injury potential than 'dumb' training. I don't need to prove myself everyday. Warriors don't do that, or they'd be dead in their next battle. Recover, train, recover, train, recover, Fight!

2. Debt and Financial worries. I'm now out of debt (but without much savings). And I've realized that being in debt was just an excuse. Yes it's a worry, but it shouldn't hold me back. The bulk of the western world lives in debt. And so I've decided to take out a loan and get rid of any financial worries I may have in the next year. With this loan, I will be able to focus on the task at hand and not worry about what I'm going to do to survive 2010. Hopefully with a solid 2010 season, and help from future supporters, I'll be able to travel, train, and race with a focused mind.

3. My Future. I'm sure everyone worries about their future and I need to remember this. One should look ahead but only as much as to not hinder today! HERE NOW. This is my new motto, provided to me through some long talks with people that believe in me (including myself)! The future doesn't exist. Only HERE NOW does.

Of course, this is not going to make each day a piece of cake. As I said, I have lots to learn. But now, I'm excited for the learning experiences! And those above fears, will continue needing a lot of work. Words are just that, words. I need to put them into action.

And last but not least, I have to say how fortunate I am to have the support network around me. Thanks to my sponsors that have continued to back me: Rudy Project, Standard Process, Avia, Sable Water Optics, and Team TBB. I'm sincerely grateful for all their support. And to a number of great donations provided throughout the year: Raw Revolution, Larabar, Beaker Concepts, Vega, TerraMassage, Omega Nutrition, BodyBio, Hammer Bars & Gels, Kim & Don Naeth, Robin Wenbourne, Graydon Security, and Judy and Dean Mason. THANK-YOU. I'm grateful to have a family of supporters backing me in my efforts.

And for 2010, I'm VERY excited to say I'll be training and racing on the fastest wheels around: Rolf Prima! Other great things are happening and will be announced soon!

... All I'd dream of is my own Air miles or travel points! ….

Regardless, I'm ready. 2010, here I come!

Sent to me on Facebook... I wish I had this much rhythm!

2009-11-26T16:53:00.001-08:00

Winter is here!

2009-11-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

Well Prince George is a winter town, that's for sure. We just received a huge dump of snow from mother nature (about a foot and a half). I could hardly make it up the small hill on my road and thanks to my neighbors pushing my car from behind, I made it!

I have to say, it's hard living in such a climate. The early days make you want to snuggle up into your PJ's at 5pm!

I'm working up a storm to save up as much as I can for next season. My motivation is the fact that I know I'll be in sunny weather soon! In fact, I was able to find a super cheap ticket to head south for 8 days mid-December. This will be a nice break for me and a chance to get outside on the bike!

Happy training! By the end of the week I hope to try some snow-shoeing!

Borealis Massage!

2009-11-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

This past week I went to a great masseuse, Roger Sandahl here in Prince George. Good hands are hard to find but I think I found a pair to keep!

I'd recommend him for any sport enthusiast, or anyone who wants a solid massage in the Great North. Although he did make fun of my hairy legs... hard to keep them shaven daily when I'm busy, and to tell you truth, it keeps me warm up here! No worries though, I don't plan to have hair on my legs come race season, or by the end of this week (unless it snows)!

Thanks Roger for a great massage and I'm looking forward to the next!

How I'm feeling today...

2009-11-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

1 month up North

2009-11-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, time sure flies by. I'm not sure if it's because I'm so busy or because the days are so short. Most likely both. And now with this time change, it will be dark by 4pm! Before I know it, I'll be back where the sun is!

I think I'm affected by lack of sunlight. I need ALL the lights on in the house to feel alive. When I'm riding indoors I hate when my surroundings are dark. A big screen to watch movies at my family's house helps!

Speaking of family, my mom and dad have allowed me to live with them for these next few months. This helps in the saving money department - much needed for traveling and competing next year.

Training is going well. Indoor riding is the S....H....#....T....! I only ride a few times a week which keeps me fresh and able to go hard when needed. I'm already seeing the gains.

I'm also meeting a number of great local athletes. A few I'll be coaching in the weeks to come to help them with their 2010 season!

Halloween with the family! (My mom, brother-in-law, neice and nephew!)

2009-10-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Week 3 done...how many more to go?

2009-10-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm counting down, but today is the first day of snow here at home. I've been here three weeks and thought it wouldn't be until November that I would see the white, flaky stuff. I'm mistaken... It's flying and doesn't look like it will stop soon!

No worries however. I plan to relish in the white stuff as much as possible. I'm hoping to do a lot of snowshoeing and hopefully skate-ski if I can find a cheap used pair. Prince George is full of trails and parks so I won't be bored anytime soon.

Training is going great. Riding indoors is, for me, the best motivator. You not only get to watch movies, but you get to practice a bit on the mental game. When the quads hurt, keep pedaling...

Canada's oldest person dies at 113

2009-10-23T18:49:00.001-07:00

The Canadian Press…Oct 22, 2009

Moncton, New Brunswick - Margaret Fitzgerald, a New Brunswick woman whose family described as the oldest known person in Canada, has died at the age of 113.

Fitzgerald, who had celebrated her birthday last month, has died of natural causes at the Villar du Repos nursing home in Moncton.

She was born in 1896.

According to Guinness World Records, she was believed to be among the 15 oldest people on Earth.

A funeral mass will be held today at St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church.

Her nephew, Reg King, said he remembers her as a hard worker who often thought about her days on a farm in Tankville, North of Moncton.

2 weeks up North

2009-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

ALERT! Freezing weather will hinder outside running. Wear two pairs of socks, three tops and a wind breaker! Oh, and remember to wear your underwear under those fleece pants!

My first time outside, I must say, took my breathe away after arriving at the Prince George Airport. It was cold in Park City, but not bone-chilling! I used to love weather like this... I'm afraid I turned a bit soft. Time to HTFU!

But I have to say, over the last two weeks I've gone from freezing cold to actually enjoying the numbing feeling outside. Yesterday I ran on the track and helped a few local athletes. Cold weather makes you tough! I was shivering cold and bundled to the brim while one of the local ladies was in shorts! I look forward to helping more athletes in the PG area. They make me more determined than ever to get a move on!

My first week home was great! I'm working 30 hours a week and I had a great first week of training. I got in a lot of hours and felt awesome going into week 2. My enthusiasm slowed when I could hardly get out of bed mid-week. I've joined the local Swim group, PG Barracudas. Some of these swimmers (15 years younger!) are FAST and swim circles around me. I love it!

The past weekend was a bit crappy when a bout of sickness hit me (food poisoning from home-made Kefir). I would highly recommend not making your own bacteria drink! I literally spent a whole day in bed holding my stomach, running to the bathroom and holding my cookies. :( I'm better now...

Next week - week numero 3 in the Great North. I'm having a great time meeting up with old friends and staying with my family. My mom's cooking rocks, and having home cooked dinner's never tasted so good! I'm used to opening a can of tuna, getting some veggies and dinner is done. Now I get gourmet dinners nightly! Thanks MOM!

Riding indoors has been great to keep the intensity and get rid of the junk miles. I have to give kudos to everyone here in Northern Canada who is a summer athlete. It takes a lot of diligence to ride indoors. I can't complain though, my parents have the movie channel which helps a ton while riding! And for some insane reason, I LOVE riding indoors. I don't have to think about anything and the work gets done. No cars, no traffic, no bothers! Just you, the bike and the effort,,,

Happy training....

The Long Journey Home

2009-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

After a long, arduous trip, I made it back to my hometown, Prince George, in beautiful British Columbia. I decided to take the long route back not only to save money but to get in some extra training; it was a long hike, as the photos below show!

On my travels, I had to secure a few places to sleep and came across some great ones. Some were a bit cold at night but I had enough in my backpack to keep me cozy. I even found a plum tree and made sure to get my fill, both in the belly and for later.

Now that I'm home, I'm working hard both in training and as a physical therapist. By the time I head back to the US and training camp, I'll be ready to go!

(In all truth I flew home and managed to be on the same flight as Simon Whitfield. We shared a few words before boarding. When it was time to board he stopped and sat in first class. I kept walking toward the back, where I sat sandwiched between two heavyset non athletes.)

Pictures of my Long Journey Home

2009-10-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Back to O'Canada!

2009-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well this is my last week in the US. It's been a nice visit but I'm ready to head back to my hometown, Prince George, BC. I'll be training hard (albeit indoors!) and skiing when the snow falls (hopefully not for a long time)! I'm hoping to join or form a fast swim group to get ready for the 2010 season. Any takers? I'll become a swimmer yet. At least that's the plan! With Team TBB's secrets, Chuckie's expertise, and my diligence, I'm hoping to make some solid improvements in this area. They're needed.

Winter training is just that - WINTER training! I'll have to succumb to the cold and harden up. I've become used to the warm, cloud-free days of California and a moisture-free summer in Utah. This will be my motivation for the next few months though...that warm weather exists...and awaits! Unfortunately, I had to ship my bike home already because of the lofty charges on flights. At least I saved $75.

With my time in Prince George, I'm hoping to save up enough money to buy my own car. This will help a ton when I travel back and forth from the US. I'll be working as a physiotherapist for a bit to help offset the negatives I've been seeing in my bank account lately!

Any ideas on winter training? I'd love to hear them! I plan to mix it up with some indoor riding, snowshoeing and skate-skiing.

I could say this past year was a total waste, but it wasn't. Now I know I want this more than ever and know what I need to do it! Training throughout the winter up in northern BC will be extremely hard, but I'll come back more determined than ever.

Patience. A long but lasting lesson in life.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings

2009-09-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

I've been nicknamed by a few people "bullet" because of my cycling ability. (If only this was the case for my swimming. Wait! Bullets sink. That would not be good.)

Well recently a butterfly decided to ride with me (for 30-minutes. No joke). I did as it requested and rode slow enough so that it could enjoy the views at a much faster pace than it could do on its own. A good friend of mine, Ernie Wyder, once nicknamed me: "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." I think this is one for the record now! Here's a song about the same subject: Smashing Pumpkins (unfortunately embedding was disabled!).

Below is a picture later in the ride. Riding with me is Anu Vaidyanathan, who came out to train for a bit, along with Chuckie. We had some great laughs, as usual.

Update

2009-08-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran 40-minutes. I'm working my way up! It's slow progress but it's progress. Two steps forward, one step back. No more three steps forward and one step back! I've been mountain biking some as well, and I'm absolutely loving it! It's a great x-training tool for easy rides and bike handling.

The other day I was at the recycling centre and couldn't believe what can be recycled. You name it, you can recycle it! They had shoe bins, plastics, metal, mixed metal, lights, bathroom fixtures, housewares, appliances, E-waste, paper products, newspaper, cardboard…the list is long. Basically, if one were to take the time to recycle what they put in their garbage bins, it would basically be everything (except chip bags, VHS and the like). It got me thinking….we waste a lot in this society!

If you were to go down there today, you could literally find enough scraps of metal, wood, and old appliances to build yourself a lofty home! It makes me think of how much "things" I throw away that could easily be used by someone else. When I was there I saw about a dozen items that I could easily have used as well. But, trying to down-grade to literally a bike and bike box, I had to refrain myself from picking them up. At least, now I know how I can down-grade!

Tips, Secrets, Workouts, & things I've Learned....

2009-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Working with two of the best coaches in multi-sport, Chuckie V and Brett Sutton (Team TBB), I've come to appreciate their expertise and experience. I've learned a lot this year (a year I needed in more ways than one, I think) about myself, training and what I really need to do to be one of the best. I'm picking up the pieces and putting the jigsaw puzzle back together. I want to share some of these pieces with my readers! Well, as much as Chuckie and Brett will allow me to, anyway! The link above, Tips, Secrets, Workouts & things I've Learned, will be updated regularly using the links below. It will become a lot of links, but who ever said this triathlon stuff was easy? Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer!

Swimming...
Running...
Cycling...

A new love...

2009-08-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was the proud rider of a mountain bike! I haven't ridden a 'real' mountain bike for quite some time. I have an old beater I've been riding around town to get groceries and such, but nothing compares to a bike fully-loaded with front and rear suspension, disk brakes and a comfy saddle!

My neighbour let both Chuckie and I use his mountain bikes (his girlfriend's and a tester bike). Here in Park City there are millions of trails and we've yet to fully embark on a day's adventure. We've only traveled by foot on the outskirts of town. Yesterday though, we were on two wheels and joy riding like kids.

I think I found a new love. I may have to try out an Xterra event. We rode on some trails that would literally make your head-spin. The external input from riding is very different than road riding. Your brain has no time to think, just react. It's a truly amazing feeling. You find yourself in the moment, every moment! If you find yourself thinking, you may find yourself head-over-handle-bars.

I may just have to try an Xterra and get dirty!

Tour of UTAH

2009-08-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

See the blog post on the Team TBB website. :)

A hike does the mind and body good...

2009-08-18T16:01:00.001-07:00

Today I enjoyed a leisurely hike with Chuckie around Park City. Getting away from the computer, from people and from noise is the best way to clear the head! I've been reading some good books. One is by Dan Millman, How to Succeed in Life and Sport. Thanks Chuckie for the hike...

BODY BIO!

2009-08-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is an advertisement...but I only do this for products I use and 100% stand behind. Keep reading! :)

For the past couple of months I've been using Body Bio Oil (in capsules: very yummy to chew!). It's a 4:1 ratio of organic sunflower and flax seed oil blend made by BodyBio. Why the importance and need? They have the essential fatty acids required in a sound diet, and in the proper ratio!

A quick review: Essential fatty acids are quite simply: essential (the body doesn't create them, you have to ingest them). In today's massive market of food, crap and more crap, the balance of oils required for optiomum nutrition is out of balance. We've all heard of Omega-3 and Omega-6's. It's hard to get these little numbers in order! The correct ratio is 4:1 (4 parts of omega 6, linoleic acid, to 1 part of omega 3, linolenic acid). This is very hard to find in the vast amount of food options we have in our grocery stores.

I'm not a nutritionist, but I know how important good fats are in the diet. I love these little gems because 1) tasty, 2) easy to take, and 3) I know I'm helping myself nutrient wise. I take them throughout the day...usually 12/day.

The second product by BodyBio is E-lyte. In some of my races I've had crazy legs cramps, usually right after T2 . I've tried other products but nothing compares to E-lyte (that I've found). 1 capful for one water bottle. E-lyte is a very high concentrated form of electrolytes. .Because of the high concentration of both Potassion and Magnesium in E-lyte, the cramps don't happen! Edward Kane explains it best: The E-Lyte Story: Why You Need Electrolytes!

I plan to write more about the specific nutrition products I use but the above two or some of the best.

Update

2009-08-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much for the great comments - both on my blog and email. I really appreciate the support.

I'm slowly getting my groove back. It's all about the moment...the day. I'll write more as I'm off to bed after a long, awesome training day. My body has been in a continued state of sympathetic drive lately, but now that I've had a few days of regrouping, talking with Chuckie V., and figuring out what I want in life, I'm getting focused. 2010...

I was thinking the other day, my brain has been like a record player: the worry record. Without thinking, my mind has been playing the same songs over and over: "You're a failure...you're never going to make it....it's not worth it....blah,blah blah." The more you play these negative thoughts in your head, the more these neural circuits are patterned and fire. Neural circuits are similar to the grooves on a record. The more you play the same song, the more the needle goes to those grooves. This is what has been happening... the crappy songs have been playing for quite some time! I'm ready to change records.... re-pattern the old neural circuits.

Listening to the old standard at the moment: Don't Worry, Be Happy.... and Get in the Ring... Anger is a must in sport; it breeds competition! :)

Today by the way, was my first 30-minute jog (in segments)! Whoot whoot!

A huge thanks to a reader

2009-08-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Below is an amazing, sincere email I got from one of my readers. I really appreciate this email and it made my day.

Hi, I found your blog... I'm an amateur triathlete. I've entered Lake Stevens 70.3 and trained every day since mid-March. I've put my life and my soul into one event this year. Everything else was on hold. The plan was to show up this Sunday, kick ass and place top 5 in my age group, and go to Clearwater. Alas, it looks as if a knee injury and another medical condition have other plans for me. The downward spiral of worry, doubt, anger, frustration, pain and much disappointment (your words!) started about 6 weeks ago. Before I couldn't do anything wrong, and now it seems I can't do anything right.

The way out of a rough patch is self-motivation and passion for the sport. I've lost both. You need to want this so badly you can almost picture the race day and the finish line while you are training. Instead, the training these past few weeks has turned from fun to a chore. That inevitably lead to fewer and fewer training hours, which further eroded my motivation. The pain wasn't helping, but I don't think that my physical health alone was entirely responsible. Ironman is as much about the mental toughness as it is about the physical one, as you no doubt know.

The race is just 30 miles from my house. I'm tempted to go and watch, but that I'm afraid might be too bittersweet. Tough-as-nails athlete isn't supposed to cry. :)

I'll be back at Lake Stevens next year.

Thank you for writing today's blog entry. It was truly inspirational. I completely understand and sympathize with most of what you wrote, with the exception of two things: you are NOT a failure, and please stop with the tombstone talk! Things will look up before long and the rough patch will be a distant memory. You know that, right? Keep training and stay injury free, and you'll regain your motivation. That in turn will help you place well in your next race and the path of success will open up before you.

Take care.

-A

Reflection

2009-08-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

I’ve just read Matt Fitzgerald’s blog on being a being a lowly participant (as opposed to being a competitior). I’m afraid to say that there are many themes in his writing that pertain to how I’ve been this past year. Since first being injured in March, my own life has been controlled by worry, doubt, anger, frustration, pain and much disappointment. My own motivation this year has been based solely on trying to prove to others and myself I’m not a failure. Albeit, that is exactly what I’ve become these past few months. I’ve failed at ‘not re-injurying myself’, progressively increasing my training, and I’ve failed at keeping my head in check. I’m going through what one would call, ‘a rough patch’.

After being injured, trying to keep some type of sanity has been difficult. When I finally had the go-ahead to start running, I took this as a sign that I was 100% injury free. This is not the case. After a mere two weeks of running, I injured my Achilles. This is now resolved and I’m back to a slow walk-run protocol on the track. I’m cycling and swimming. So, what is hindering me right now?

My head, my mental game, my stress and worry….all self-inflicted. I’ve made some mistakes these past few weeks and now I’m fighting the consequences of these actions. It makes me wonder what I’m doing with my life and where I’m going.

I have the desire to be the best triathlete that my body will allow me to be. I know what I need to do to be injury free, and I know what it takes to be a professional. So, why do I keep making mistake after mistake? If I had to name all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, I’d have to write a 200-page essay. But, one might say, isn’t this how you learn? Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, everyone does…but as many as I have? You have to learn from these mistakes.

One would think after being in athletics this long, I’d have learned what my body is capable of doing and how to stay and be mentally strong. Not so. I have MUCH to learn…

Last year, my first professional year in triathlon, was an amazing experience. Since then, I haven’t found what I had last year – mentally and physically. 3+ months of no running or cycling will do that to you. But now I have to learn the patience that comes with fighting your way back to 100% health (both in the mind and the body).

2009 - a stretch of injury, disappointment and self-inflicted pain, worry and regression. But one isn't without hope. I wouldn’t be typing this if I didn’t have any. Maybe (actually, without a doubt), this is the year I needed. How else will I improve who I am as a person? So, change it Angela. Learn! Be the person you see yourself as!

Every morning I wake up stressed. I wake up believing that I won’t be who I dream of becoming. I wake up thinking I have lost so much this year that next year I’ll never be racing to my true potential. I worry that I’m done as an athlete and that I’ll keeping making the same mistakes. I worry about stress, finances,and personal relationships and the stress I pose on them. My life is literally a big ball of worry that is ready to explode. After making some big mistakes in my life these past few weeks, I’m left wondering what tomorrow will bring? Perhaps, I’ll have to accept what I’m already believing and breathing – that I am a failure. Undoubtedly, this is where I will continue to go until my death-bed….unless I CHANGE.

I can’t expect results to come to me. I can’t expect that I’ll be healthy without taking care of myself. I can’t expect to go back into training 100% when I’ve been sitting on my @ss for half the year.

I can’t keep letting life float me by. I can’t keep pretending. I need to get focused. I need to find self-love.

I have to accept that I may not race this year. I have to expect to live on credit when racing has been side-lined...and not worry about it! I have to expect that building myself back up from ground zero takes TIME.

It’s now or never, Angela. Or, you’ll keep digging your own self-made grave.

I’ve already written the tombstone:

Angela Naeth, professional triathlete for 1 year
…died a long, slow, self-inflicted death
Remembered by her failure in her 2nd year as a Pro
RIP.

CHANGE. How do change a mindset that has been so ingrained in me this past year? I know that if I continue what I’m doing, I’ll regret the rest of my days on earth. I need to pick up the pieces again. I need to find what my true motivation is in the sport and live it! I need to live with hope.

So where is the roadmap? How do I change?

1. Rediscover the motivation and enjoyment I had for the sport.
2. Build on my desire and determination to be my best.
3. Take one day at a time. Build upon them.
4. Believe in the dream. It’s the next three years that will build my success… it doesn’t come in a day.
5. Remember the streets in Manilla! Remember how good I have it in life. I have two legs, two arms, a healthy heart and I live in North America. I have food. I have some great and amazing sponsors. I have people that believe in me!

To be continued….

Pieces of the PIE part 1

2009-08-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have happened in the last few weeks/days. The weather has changed to COLD, the days are getting shorter and the rain is starting to fall again! I'm not sure what happened with Mother Nature, but she has gotten mighty upset.

I've had to take a little side-track off training to help 'heal a heel', and my mind! If you have more time on your hands, thinking about injuries, more injuries come - mentally and physically. The year is looking to be a "learning' year for me. Racing is on the side-lines until I'm fully recovered from this past year's injuries and health issues. I'm staying postive and taking each day as it presents itself.

I'm keeping up with some training and working on the little things: mental game, nutrition, recovery and coaching others. I've found great joy in this so far and hope to continue helping those coming into the sport achieve their goals. It's been an exciting year in that, as i've learned a lot by being part of Team TBB and working with the Doc himself, I can bestow a little of the Team TBB secrets to others! :) ... it really does come down to hard work, consistent training and staying healthy.

For me, the biggest lesson I've learned this year is that there is a lot of pieces to a whole. To be your best in the sport, each slice of pie has to be eaten! ...and yummy enough to enjoy daily. My pie chart this past year has been construed into more of a 1/8 inch 'mental worry' piece that I continue to eat and leave the rest of the pie to spoil. I'm sick of eating it now and have realized, with the rest of the pieces spoiled, I need to start anew.

So here is the new pieces in my pie:

Training
Recovery
Head Space
Nutrition
Housekeeping (in the literal sense and overall pie)
My coaching and giving back to the community/supporters/sponsors

In upcoming blogs I'll delve further into each of these areas.

Caloric needs

2009-07-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ben Greenfield, a good friend of mine and great exercise physiologist, gave me some valuable information about nutrition while training. Last year we did some metabolic tests on the bike and at rest. He gave me the raw data and showed me how to use the results of the tests for fueling my energy costs when training (or sitting on the couch doing nothing).

The metabolic tests correlate to how much fuel I'm burning during set heart rate intensities. This of course changes over time and with increases (or decreases) in fitness, however the estimate is a good measurement. (Unless my muscle mass from last year has changed dramatically, the results should be about the same.) At a moderate aerobic range, (i.e., Ironman intensity) I'm burning approximately 435 fat and 422 carbohydrates (average) for a total of 857 calories per hour. I should be replenishing my body with 30-40% of these values during Ironman bike intensities. For me, this comes out to 260-340 calories/hr.

Currently, my plan of attack is to start bike rides with a stomach full of food and eat as necessary on the ride. My goal is to start on the low range of food intake and work my way up to Ben's suggested intake and assess my stomach's tolerance. Chuckie has told me that when he trained alongside Mark Allen, Mark was able to ingest more calories than anyone...that he had trained his body to learn to absorb more. Few labs or sport nutritionists think of it in this manner and I find it fascinating, and intriguing.

I have all the raw data, more numbers than you'd ever want in fact, but it's now easy for me to see my energy needs at varying intensities. My goal is to become a fast and fuel-efficient machine!

Below is an example of my daily calorie intake with a 4-hour ride at a moderate intensity:

750 calorie breakfast
100 calories before the ride
250 calories per hour during ride
300 calories post-ride recovery snack
750 calories for lunch
2x250 calorie snacks
750 calories for dinner
250 calories dessert

That's around 4400 calories. This might still leave me in a calorie deficit of around 800 calories...at which point it is time to start eating that ice cream!

Be sure to check out Ben Greenfield:
http://www.humanwellnesssolutions.com
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com
http://www.champsportsmed.com

Personally I don't count calories or watch how much I eat, just what I eat. However, Ben's testing has allowed me to really look at how much I'm eating and what I need to refuel my body for the next day's workouts. I've had times where I didn't eat enough carbohydrates the day prior to a hard workout and paid for it dearly! I fuel primarily on a well-rounded diet (including plenty of good fats)but when the day calls for some harder or longer workouts, I eat more sugars than usual. Chocolate, ice cream, and Bon-Bons become a must.... :)

Ben has provided me with valuable information to help me solidify my daily caloric needs. Chuckie's caveman diet is a must-read and one I refer to often. However, for now after seeing these numbers, I'll stick to the candy, ice cream and c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e! ☺ Thanks Ben! You helped me realize how much I can eat! :)

Progress...

2009-07-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great summer! Here in Park City, the weather is HOT! Unfortunately my heel pain is some bursitis that is taking a lofty amount of time to reduce itself to normal. Thanks for all my continued support as I get back in the ring! Slow and steady... Chuckie's way of coaching.(Mind you, this will quickly turn into some FAST and steady stuff). This is my first day of completely lazing around... It's a love-hate relationship!

Quick update...

2009-07-19T15:28:00.001-07:00

Well what has been happening in the last few days? I’ve cheered on my teammates behind the scenes, watched the Tour daily and have been adapting to altitude ever so slowly! The first two weeks here in Park City, UT didn’t faze me. I was riding, running, walking, hiking, swimming, and feeling like a true athlete making gains. But then it hit me…and hard! The last few days I’ve had to literally drag myself from off the bed mid-day. I’m hoping I get back to my old self in the next few days…

Triathlete Coach?

2009-07-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Now that I’ve been coaching a few triathletes over the last year or so, I’ve realized how important it is to have good communication, a solid (yetm flexible) training program, and a coach who works with you personally.

My current coaches, Chuckie V and Brett Sutton, have helped me develop my own coaching style. As an athlete living and breathing the sport, I’m always eager to learn from others and teach those how to reach their own personal fitness goals.

I’ve learned over the years, you must be able to blend the athlete’s lifestyle with the training plan. You can’t expect to have a determined age-grouper with a full-time job and kids to train the same as one who works part-time with no children. It’s the quality and effort that is put into the training that will be able to produce the results. Mind you, a few “Team TBB secret training methods” doesn’t hurt this cause!

With a simple change in one’s running program – increasing duration and decreasing rest, I’ve seen great improvements in one of my athlete’s PR time for the half-marathon. Including some strength riding and hills, helped improve another athlete’s overall bike and run time. I love helping others achieve the results they were always capable of achieving.

If you’re interested in more about how I coach and/or training, feel free to email me anytime: tri3angela(at)yahoo.com

Cheers!

Testosterone Motivation

2009-07-08T09:33:00.001-07:00

The last two times I've been at the local track, I've been surrounded by testosterone! I have to say, I love it! ;D Both days have been kind to me. The first day was the speed skating team of 3 relatively good-looking 20-something-year-olds (with those massive quads) and the local high school football team (a bit young, but the doesn't stop one from looking). But the best part of that first day was the 6-foot black sprinter in lane 6! I had great views for an entire walk/jog session.

The second day (today) was just as good as the first. While I wore my Avia visor, Avia shorts and Wildflower T-shirt with my pink compression socks (a sight I know!), in lanes 4-5, ten stalky but fit mid-20-year-olds were doing a number of leg exercises. These guys had six packs that would put a wrestler or boxer to shame. (I'm still not sure what sport they were training for though...badminton?) The high-school football team took over the infield about 15 minutes later. This group isn't a great motivation for me but it was fun to be surrounded by 70+ men and me being the only female.

Nothing beats testosterone for motivation. :) Let's just say, I ran a bit more than I wanted... ;D ;)

Training

2009-07-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's been over 5 days now at altitude and my body is slowly adjusting. At first, just pedaling at a snail's pace and walking outside jacked my heart-rate 30 beats/min. I've met a few (a lot actually) cyclists and they can all kick my butt right now! It's amazing how much altitude effects you, or at least that is my excuse at the moment! :)

The town here has a lot of athletes. Everyone is very active. I've seen more cyclists on the road in one day than I have in Solvang in a week, maybe two! It was 4th of the July weekend and that may have brought out a few more athletes to the area. Either way, I love it here. It's my kind of city. It's a ski-town with millions of trails and roads to explore. Everyday I'm excited to get out there and find a new trail to hike or 'secret' road to ride. When I find one, I pretend I'm the only one that knows about it.

Yesterday was one of those days. I road out on a well-known road (watching the storm clouds every pedal stroke) and followed it off some paved trail. The trail climbed up a hill gradually and gave you some spectacular views of a hidden golf course and canyon. Unfortunately it just stopped after a wicked descent (my favorite!). Looking at the local road cyclists map, the road is well-known. Bummer. But at least I was the only one on it. I'll still call it mine.

Running is s-l-o-w-l-y getting up there in time and distance. I'm on the track mostly and can't wait to explore the open trails. Swimming is kicking my butt as always, but at least I'm getting some pipes!

Raining

2009-07-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like riding in the rain... :) I haven't done that for over 6 months! That's what you get for training at 7000ft. I sure hope I can learn these weather patterns...

Suicide Squirrels, MJ’s Neverland and a Black Widow!

2009-06-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

I’m packing up for the big move to Park City, UTAH and starting to get some training in the legs. Things are coming along. Shaking out a bike rag, a big black widow landed two inches from my right foot! Yikes! And I’m not sure what it is, but everytime I ride, the stupid sqirrels here attempt to commit suicide daily. The other day I hit one dead on! They literally jump out from the side of the road and play ‘chicken’ to see if they can cross the road. Crazier things have happened this year, but finding a black widow was not one I’m very fond of and killing squirrels left and right makes for some nasty cleaning of the bike!

Yesterday, Chuckie and I went out towards our favorite ride, Figeroa Mountain where MJ Neverland Ranch is located. (I used to laugh when we’d ride by at the lady in the red car who parked outside the gates of Neverland Ranch everyday. She’d sit and wait for hours to try and see the famous superstar. She’d literally sit in her car ALL day to try and catch a glimpse of MJ. Did she not know he didn’t live there anymore?) Yesterday, there were literally a ton of cars parked along side the road. They were coming in droves! It was a sketchy ride to follow the cars but we wanted to take a picture of not the gate, but the people…

Chuckie managed to get this pic of me with all the people ‘hanging out’ at the gate…

Best position found.

2009-06-18T08:29:00.001-07:00

I just received my new Oval Bars to exchange for the previous setup I had. WOWOWOW! I'll be flying on the race courses. I've never been more comfortable. The double bend bars allow me to really handle the bike well. Descents are nothing, and climbing rocks!

Update and Random Thoughts.

2009-06-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been over week that I’ve written anything, but I can assure you, I’ve been busy! Now that I’m back into some training on the bike, all my time sitting on the computer has vanished. Access to internet is slim where I’m living. To get my butt to a coffee shop everyday is not financially helpful, especially when you’re obligated to buy a drink for over 4 bucks a pop each sitting!

However, this will all be solved soon! In less than two weeks, I’m off to my new training destination! Yes, it was a quick decision, but after spending a mere 5 days at Park City, Utah, I fell in love with the area. Who can complain about living at 7000ft for two months…and free Internet?

Park City is a ski town parked in the middle of the Wasatch Mountains, that makes for some breathtaking, magnificent views. In the summer, the small town of 4,000 is populated with a few visitors and locals that hit the thousands of trails with their bikes and feet. The road riding is by far, one of the best areas I’ve been. One ride lets you get up to 10,000+ft! There is a reservoir you can actually swim in (here in the Santa Ynez Valley they don’t allow swimmers in the local reservoir, but they allow boats! This is an anomaly to one such Canadian who is allowed to swim in the rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, basically any body of water you’re willing to throw yourself into). There are also a few pools to choose from, and get this, FREE bus transportation! Wowow!

Now, I can’t let all the secrets out about Park City, but I’ll let you in on one big one! Because it’s a ski-town, people are basically opening their doors up for renters in the summer. CHEAP, cheap, cheap! We’ll be living like royalty in our deluxe condo with a steam bathtub, hot tub, and did I say, free Internet (this is a big one as you can tell)!

But it’s not all great…the work for training has to get done everyday, rain or shine. With no access to a quick vehicle to pop down to the pool or track, time management will also be a must. Since we’ll be in high mountain country, weather is always sketchy! It could be raining, miserably cold, and then, sunny and sickly hot, in the same hour. No complaints here though, bring it on! ☺ I’m more than ready to get in some high-altitude training and, get my butt in shape…or rather, my butt more shapely!

We’ll be heading out to Utah either by train, rental car, bus (yes, the Greyhound!) or maybe even, hitch hiking! One day I’ll own a car and afford to use it. Until then, alternatives have to be utilized!

So the next 10 days will include training and packing up all my ‘stuff’. I’m trying to downsize to one suitcase, a bike and some race wheels (that I don’t own yet)! It’s a slow process but there is nothing better than getting rid of crap that collects dust…

I’m back on the bike grinding up the hills and getting my mojo back! I have some heart rate caps to help build my base again. Round and round I go on the track with my Doc shuffle run and walking. It never seems to amaze me how hard running is, even a shuffle with walking interspersed. But as they say, Build it, and it will come!

I love wearing a watch! I wear mine to bed, in the bathtub and in the shower. I never take it off. I’m not enslaved to it…it’s enslaved to me (at least, I seem to think so)! Truthfully, I don’t take it off because I always forget to put it back on. The worst thing is forgetting your watch on time constraints…

The best thing about being a triathlete is kicking someone’s ass in a race. Watch out because I have more pent up energy than a caged lion!

Safe training!

PARK CITY ROCKS

2009-06-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Chuckie beat me to the punch for some pics of Park City. Check these out! I may just find myself back there in 3 week's time!

PARK CITY

2009-06-06T10:09:00.001-07:00

OK, so I need to live here sometime this summer. If anyone knows anyone... :)

7000ft and gaining...

2009-06-04T19:45:00.001-07:00

The party has just started for me to get back into training. I haven’t received the green light yet, but I’m now riding my bike outside and walking. Gregg Moss, an athlete of Chuckie’s, invited us up to his house in glorious Park City, Utah for some altitude training (7000 ft) and change of pace. Wow! Its spectacular here. I’ve never been at 7000ft before either. I may just have to live here part of my training season this summer. It’s a ski town full of amazing views, tons of roads to ride and trails galore!

Unfortunately I’ve had a virus for the last few days that has left me doing nothing but holding my head and hacking up a lung every night. It came at perfect timing really. My antsiness was getting to be too much and now, I’m forced to really lay low and get over this nasty cold. My training thus far, has consisted of trying to drink enough water so I don’t have a constant headache.

Pics are coming soon! Park City is my Switzerland at the moment.

Tarantula...

2009-05-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my third day out on the bike. We waited until 11 AM so the fog had time to lift. The marine layer isn’t suppose to hit the valley (or so I thought), but lately, it’s been hanging around more often than not.

Geared up in leg warmers, gloves, long sleeves, jacket, and a tuque, I was more than ready to ride. It’s hard to explain how much cycling means to me. Actually, it’s not. The ability to get on my bike and ride is an awesome experience. I’ll never take it for granted. I absolutely love feeling the road underneath me, the wind in my face and the hard work that goes into pushing/punishing the pedals.

Here in the valley, some of the roads are very bumpy and makes for a more “cruise” ride with gritting teeth. I like sightseeing, but I’m ready to just ride. I’ve felt like a caged lion for the last two months and I’m ready to run wild. I’d much rather be ripping up on the highway or lone roads. Patience…

Just as we were leaving, I saw a blurry thing move along the pavement. Lo and behold, it was a live tarantula! ☺ I love seeing wildlife. This marks the 4th sighting of weird creatures I’ve seen with my own eyes this year (others include a skunk, a bobcat, monkeys, and now a tarantula). I’m hoping a mountain lion is next! Mind you, I’d have to be well out of harm' s way!

While I cruised a very easy 2 hours, Chuckie took one of his athletes, a fellow from South Africa named Andrew, up the infamous FIG (a 9-mile, 9% grade climb). Here’s a picture of it. In one month’s time, I’ll own this mountain and will be doing repeats until the sun sets. ☺ I love climbing. It’s my favorite pastime!

It's ALL about the bike!

2009-05-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Doc’s words:
“remember , tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life .
dont handicap it by history .”

The above quote is from an email Doc wrote the group a while back. It’s a great thought to start the day, especially when you wake up to a valley that’s blanketed with fog and temperatures in the low 50s! It does get warm and sunny, but sometimes it takes half the morning. I don’t mind though. It’s a great time to go swimming without feeling like you’re missing sunny skies.

I’m continuing to ride my bike indoor with no resistance, swimming daily, and just started walking on the local track. I walk barefoot so I strengthen the feet. But yesterday was a big day for me. It was my first day outside on the bike! My face had (still does) a permanent grin from ear-to-ear. I felt like a kid who just got her new wheels and wanted to yell out to the world, “Hey, I’m riding my bike! I’m riding outside!” In fact, every rider who rode by received a very big smile and a joyful hello. I couldn’t help myself.

From here, I’m slowly going to increase time on the saddle, continue with the walking and of course, swim like a mad-woman! The leg is feeling close to 100%. I get some twinges here and there, but all should be OK in another week or two. Running comes next…but for now, it’s all about the bike.

Gosh, life is good when you’re making wheels go round!

Skunked

2009-05-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

It isn't too often I clean my bike. But since I've had more time on my hands lately, I decided to clean every little cog on my cog-set the other day. This little fur-ball scared the heck out of me!

Unfortunately, I found him again the next day. Poor fella.

OK...I'm off!

2009-05-14T09:26:00.001-07:00

He just left the building. At least I had a great view of his dierriere! Time to hop in my incognito follow car... somehow, I think a 1989 Nissan pick-up truck with a spare, is not going to work!

I'm in Love.

2009-05-14T09:15:00.001-07:00

I think this calls for another post. I need to go swim and walk at the local track but I just can't get myself out the door. Noah Wyle has hit my soft-spot. I leave when he leaves...following him. Gosh, he is really hot!

OK, I'm star-struck at the moment.

2009-05-14T09:05:00.001-07:00

I’m sitting in a local coffee shop in Los Olivos, CA with googly-eyes. Noah Wyle just sauntered in to order his morning breakfast. This is by far, one of my favorite actors. I’m a huge ER and Donnie Darko fan. I’ve tried to get his attention…maybe by the end of the day, I’ll have a date!

Fundraiser for Fire Victims in Santa Barbara at Next Week's Reef and Run!

2009-05-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

The local Reef & Run Duathlon Series in Santa Barbara is doing a fundraiser through the American Red Cross this week for the fire victims from the Jesusita Fire. Come out and support the community by participating in either an ocean swim or swim/run duathlon!

Ready for the Fire!

2009-05-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

The heat is finally here in Santa Ynez, along with the usual California forest fires just miles away. Santa Barbara is getting hit with a fire that has burned many homes and part of the city proper. Luckily for us, the wind is heading westward so the likelihood that our place will alight is nonexistent and the smoke is insignificant. Mind you, with all my extra time on my hands I’ve been playing with matches. I kid.

With the heat, my antsiness is unbearable. There is nothing I love more than getting on my bike in the heat of the day. Next week will mark 6 weeks since I was diagnosed with the fracture. I’ll wait until mid-week to test outdoor riding. Just a few more days of being patient!

Coming back from a lay-off in both cycling and running has taken its toll on the old ticker, legs and overall fitness (and mind, of course). If I hate anything, it’s feeling out of shape when you start running and cycling. I know I’ll be doing the Doc shuffle (but slower!) up and down our local rubber track. And more likely, slower yet… I’ll be cycling with no pressure. Both Chuckie and Doc said to remove the chain from my bike and stick with indoor riding! With the inferno and the wind gusts here, it’s probably a good idea.

I’m up for the challenge though, and I’m definitely not complaining! In fact, I’ve made a vow to never complain about a hard workout or tiredness. There is little worse than being sidelined for 8 weeks. I’m ready to be on fire!

Wildflower Recap - as a spectactor!

2009-05-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

The full blog with all the pics (it takes a very long time to download these pictures)!

WOW! What a great weekend for me. It was exactly the medicine I needed to stoke my fire! The Avia Wildflower half-ironman is my favorite race to participate in thus far, and now, to watch! I love this race because, when do you get to camp with so many people that love the same sport you do?

I met up with my fellow Team TBB teammates: Erica, Donna, Jocelyn, Reinaldo, and Jonnyo at the Avia RV and VIP area. Ed Goldman and his crew did a great job in making sure all of us were well taken care of. All weekend, we had great food to eat (including Kenny Souza’s great steak and chicken on the BBQ), a place to chill, and an area to meet up with all the other Avia-sponsored athletes and supporters.

I was fortunate enough to camp in a small tent with Chuckie for three nights. We camped with a few friends and athletes who were all bundled up in their RVs and campers. I say fortunate because this wouldn’t have been the case if I was racing. It’s not too often you get to sleep in a tent with bugs, spiders and other creepy-crawlers. And don’t forget the rain… I loved it! The only thing I didn’t like was the communal bathrooms where a few black-widow spiders decided to make it their home for the weekend - right behind the toilet seat! It made for some interesting ways to sit on a toilet...

The Wongstar had her own camping spot a few rows from mine with big bold signs: WONGSTAR! Seeing her again after a long break from PI camp, put a smile to my face instantly. She’s a fun person to hangout with, and my ex-roommate looked awesome! My other teammates spent their nights in a home or RV that both Avia and Tri-California organized. They missed out (even if they were sleeping in king-sized beds with fluffy pillows, Jacuzzi…)! ☺

On race day, the weather was perfect. It was overcast until mid-morning, and then warmed up to a nice 75-80 degrees with blue skies by race end. The men's start line was massive. Some of them had to line up 3-4 rows back. The women's was not as big as last year, but nonetheless it was a competitive race. With my VIP pass I managed my way with crutches to the boat docks to get the best view. Both races spread out quickly in the swim. I was trying to guess where I would have been this year if I were racing. I'm hoping in one of the mid-packs! I could point out a few Team TBB athletes a mile away because of their swim stroke.

I’ll let the racer's describe the race (check out their blogs), but as a spectator and a competitor last year, the race was/is tough! The climbs on the bike are awesome and the run is never-ending with twists, turns and steep accents and descents, half on dirt and the other on pavement. Erika and Reinaldo rocked it with two podiums! Tereza and I hung out in-between transitions because her race was cut short from a broken pedal. We made up for it by eating a great lunch in the VIP tent! Donna and Jonnyo toughed it out and finished a great race.

I also got to meet up with Paul and Phil from See Worthy Inc. Sable Water Optics. They make some great goggles and are the funniest two guys you’ll meet. Nice seeing you guys again!

After the race, we all met up at the Avia RV and had a great post-race dinner: chicken, steak, salad, and gelato! The best part of the night was sitting around the fire and the pimped-out Avia Rig, watching the fight (the door opens up with a television in view on the door panel)! It was the Packman vs. the Hitman. It was a 2nd round knock-out for Manny! After being with Doc for 6 weeks in PI, with all his boxing stories, all I could hear in the background was Doc’s voice doing the commentary. ☺

Overall I had a great weekend. Great people, great food, great event! Thanks Avia! You’d think watching a race that you were suppose to compete in would be hard, but I found out that it wasn’t. The only thing that was hard was maneuvering around tons of people in crutches! ☺ If anything, the race made me realize how much I want to be out there again. I wasn’t angry, sad or depressed. I lapped up all the excitement and watched my teammates and friends rip it up. I’m confident I’ll be out there next year ready to go!

This hasn’t been my year so far!…Or has it?

2009-04-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, I started my day with a solid swim workout (with a hard main set of pulling) and headed over to the coffee shop to take care of some Internet business (i.e., check out Team TBB and our forum). It was looking to be a standard great day. After the ‘Net gains I decided I’d take the time to stop by the market, and pick up a few items for a stellar apple salad recipe my mom gave me. She made the salad while I was home and boy did I dive into it! I love it: nuts, apples, and celery – similar to a Warldolf Salad. After putting the truck in park, I dashed into the grocery store for a mere five minutes.

When I limped back to the car (because of the cast still stuck on my right leg), I saw that the driver’s side door to Chuckie’s truck was slightly ajar. My first thought was “oh, no, I messed up.” My second thought, “I really screwed up.”

This wasn’t the first time something was stolen from me this year (my video camera and my iPod were stolen in the Philippines when the perpetrator broke into our apartment), but this time it was more than just a few pictures on a camera. It was my laptop computer, my training notes, and my newly purchased Celtic sea salt (I looked high and low for this stuff!). But the worst of it, all the information on the computer was not saved on my memory stick; I get lazy in remembering to back things up. My training diary with all Doc’s secret Jedi training was gone!

After a very big rampage that included me screaming, jumping up and down, and throwing everything I could out of the truck (maybe someone was playing a trick on me and hid my computer bag), I sat myself down and gained control. I’ve been mad at myself before but not like this. I lost a lot of information and felt totally exposed to the world. I looked everywhere in the truck, around the truck, under the truck, in the parking lot and even back in the store (maybe I was stupid enough not to remember I wore the pack in the store). No luck. It was gone. My cell phone, my iPOD charger and a few other items were also in the same bag. The thief got a good grab!

It was a lost cause to report my computer stolen from an unlocked vehicle, so I didn’t take the time to do so. There was no way they were going to catch this guy. I hung my head low and preceded to the local library so I could get some Internet access and try to save all the minutes I just purchased on my pre-paid cell phone. I managed to deactivate the old phone and get a new one for only 10 bucks. At least that was fixed. At home, I started writing everything I remembered from the TBB camp in the Philippines---my training notes and whatever else I could think of that I know I’ll need in the future. I wrote a number of pages.

Chuckie came home shortly thereafter and boy was I in for the lecture of my life. He hates disorganization and disarray, and when it’s as important as what I lost, I couldn’t imagine what I was in for. Mind you, I already gave myself more than just a lecture but a severe personal beating. So when I faced the music, I could only cry and get even angrier with myself.

After one very restless night, I rolled over with more determination than ever to be organized. I realized I needed to make some big changes in my life. This is a prime example of how not to be a champion. As Doc would say, you’re only kidding yourself.

That morning, I went to check my email at the library again. I had two emails: one spam and one from a name I didn’t recognize. I was just about to delete but thought I’d at least glance at it. The guy wrote, “I recently purchased an item on Craigslist and I believe it may be yours. If you’ve had something stolen recently please describe it.”

What the?!

I quickly emailed him back and explained to him that my computer was stolen yesterday. I described it and gave him my new phone number. Less than five minutes later, the phone rang. Mr. Good Samaritan had my computer! I couldn’t believe it! Chuckie told me to slow down; here’s some random guy emailing you, only a day after your computer is stolen. I did a trusty Google search and quickly found out that our Mr. GS was 19 years of age, fresh out of the local high school, and now attending college in Santa Maria. I was sure I had the same guy on the line because he sounded young and he lived in Santa Maria.

I called the sheriffs department next, and reported my stolen items. The officer said that Mr. GS and I could do an “exchange of property". We met at the sheriff’s substation in Santa Maria the following day. Mr. GS paid $300 dollars for the computer. Technically, I didn’t have to pay him anything, since he was in possession of stolen property (so said the deputy), but how could I not? It’s not everyday you meet such an honest and sincere human being! He basically thought the deal was “too good to be true” and then searched the computer for my email address! I felt more than obligated to give him the money he paid for it. I tried to offer him a financial reward as well but he wouldn’t take it. Who raised this kid?!

I’ve never met someone so honest, sincere and young. It still astounds me! It makes me question myself: “If I found a wallet with $300 bucks in it, would I keep it or try to find the owner?” I couldn’t thank Mr. GS enough.

So, this brings me back to the title of this blog, “This hasn’t been my year so far! Or has it?”

I’ve had a lot of things happen to me in a mere three months: good, bad and ugly. But through all of this, I’ve learned a lot about myself. Doc showed me how weak I was, the camp showed me how strong elite Ironman athletes are. I’ve been taught that I wasn’t giving it 100%, that my mind was scattered and I’d never achieve my dreams the way I was going. The stolen camera, iPod, computer and phone all happened because I didn’t make sure doors were locked. I’m grateful to have my computer back but I have to ask myself, “why do I have all these gadgets anyway?” I need to simplify my life. More importantly, I need to quit being so mentally scattered.

Three months ago I was a naïve, happy-go-lucky 26-year old. I thought I was ready to be a World Champion in one year! Now I’m injured (but on the mend!) and continue to make mistakes left and right. I either need to step up to the plate of being a champion or realize that yes, I am only kidding myself.

I’m trying to change my mindset and my ways. Being reprimanded a few times by both Doc and Chuckie will do this. I need to be disciplined, smart, thorough and quit making dumb mistakes. Chuckie was ready to give up on me; I was ready to give up on myself. He yelled at me, “BE IN THE MOMENT WITH EVERYTHING YOU DO, NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL IT SEEMS!” I’m realizing from both of these great coaches that my mind is too wishy-washy and lacks focus. I’m never going to be a champion like this.

A few more wallops to the head and I think I’ll have it. When I eat, I eat. When I drink, I drink. When I swim, I swim! Chuckie says I need to go alpine climbing, where a simple mistake could cost you your life…“this way maybe you’ll learn.”

I’ll focus on one day at a time, one task at a time, one moment at a time. I know more mistakes will be made but I’m determined to make fewer and fewer. I’m not going to live a life of forgetfulness and mediocrity. Ironman is for athletes made of iron. When I get in the ring to fight again I hope to be as hard as nails. The song, Get in the Ring by Guns N Roses is blasting away in my head right now, but only because I’m through writing this. One thing at a time.

Swimming in busy lanes.

2009-04-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I’ve been swimming…a lot! With this, I’ve learned a few tips when swimming with a handful of lane swimmers and non-lane swimmers alike!

Tip #1: If you want to feel like you’re going fast, swim in the recreational lane and weave in/out of the bobbers (aka breast-stroke swimmers with a belt on)!

Tip #2: If your lane is right beside the ‘play’ area for kids and you find kids swimming/playing with your lane rope, grab one of those dangling legs as you swim pass. You’ll go much faster, even for just an instant! And your next lap will be free of obstacles!

Tip #3: Don’t pull on your swim cap too much…it splits in two!

Tip #4: If you’re swimming with 6-8 swimmers in one lane and you’re all swimming at different speeds, pick your time to start your intervals. Give yourself a whole lane length between the next swimmer. If this isn’t possible, try Tip #2.

Tip #5: Swimming HURTS. Remember this for every stroke.

Life Choices

2009-04-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

For the last week I’ve been staying with my older sister (3 years older), Miranda. She’s a mom, a great one, with two kids. The oldest is the cutest little girl, Avery, who is turning three next week. Her younger brother, Reagan is a mere 5 months old. Miranda is on maternity leave until November. Yes, that’s November! Here in Canada maternity leave is 1 full year (unlike America where it’s 6 weeks)!

I get to be the great Auntie Angie who lets Avery run around the grocery store with no control, and leave a mess of toys in each room we play. For Reagan, I’ve stayed my distance after his ‘feedings.’ He has learned to projectile vomit with pleasure. Uuugh!

So my reason in writing this post is the whole idea of life choices. I want to compare how two totally different lives can make two people happy.

Miranda vs. Angela

She gets up at the crack of dawn to two feet pounding down the hallway and a baby laughing in his crib. In order to keep up with the energy, a full pot of coffee so strong a spoon can stand in it, is required. After asking Avery what she wants for breakfast and making the complete opposit, Miranda finally eats the left-overs of bread crusts and eggs.

It’s then time to get dressed. This may sound easy but dressing a three-year-old who wants to play, “you can’t catch me,” is a challenge. All the while, Reagan has preceded to poop his pants, and drool all down his jammies.

Most days, Avery enjoys her mid-mornings either painting outside, playing with her toys or doing crafts. Miranda cleans the house, gets dressed, packs bags, makes lunch, attempts to shower, do the laundry, and naps the baby (if he is able to nap). It’s amazing how such mundane things can make a person happy. Miranda does this to see the drooling baby smile, and the high energy three-year-old make a painting of scary monsters with a smile so big one can only smile back.

Now seeing Miranda as a mom is surprising to me. Miranda is highly educated and has a full-time position as a chartered accountant that she will continue after her maternity leave. If you compared her and I four years ago, one would say she was the most selfish person you’ve met. She is very ’stylish’ and enjoys her Starbuck’s coffee not just daily, but 5x daily. But now you see her changing poopy diapers and still in her pajamas at 10 am!

Anyway, back to her day. Miranda is forever in the kitchen making snacks and preparing meals. She does about a load of laundry a day. When they do get out of the house, it’s a 30-minute process of chasing Avery, packing bags and changing, yet another diaper. This goes on ALL day! I’ve yet to see Miranda read a book, let alone have 10 minutes to herself. Her husband comes home in mid-afternoon. The family then enjoys some time outside, they go for a walk or do some ‘errands’ in town.

Now, my life. I try to keep it simple. My life revolves around me! I like it this way. As an athlete, I make meals for me, when I want and what I want (except when Chuckie is around…he eats a lot of my meals too). I train throughout the day, and takes naps/rests as needed. I won’t get into the details, as I think everyone knows who is reading this, that an athlete’s day consists of training, eating and sleeping! And I wouldn’t want in any other way.

Being with Miranda and the kids has made me realize a few things about myself:

1. I’m definitely not mom material.
2. I’m not ready to have children, maybe not at all!
3. I’m 100% an athlete.
4. I define who I am through my sport. AND I LOVE IT!

Miranda has left me with Reagan while she drops off Avery at pre-school. I told her not to be too long! He’s just puked, he’s crying and yes, just pooped his pants! Double uuugh!

I’m off to be a mom until the real mom gets back. I’m not ready for this responsibility! Will I ever? Hmmm, not for at least a decade! Maybe two!

This is all in good cheer as I know Miranda is happy with her life. I never thought one could be happy doing what she does. Being a mom takes work! I’d rather put the energy in busting out a swim set in the pool!

Two different people, two different lives.

TV at its best!

2009-04-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

At home, my parent’s home that is, I have full reign of the television. I turned it on, the Sports Channel of course, and couldn’t believe it! The 2008 70.3 World Championships were on! I was stoked! Maybe I would get to see myself finish!

After thirty seconds of preview, a commercial brought my excitement to a screeching halt. I hate commercials. It’s why I don’t watch television. Five minutes later, it was on again. I was like a kid watching a home video for the first time. I was going to be on TV! Unfortunately, only the top 5 in the pro men and women were featured. At least I got to see Reinaldo. He looked HOT HOT HOT out there!

I also saw the packs that formed during the bike. As a participant, I never saw the top 4 ladies the whole race! I hate packs that form. My fire is blazing! NO ONE will ever suck on my wheel!

I’m sending strong vibes to my leg right now to heal faster! I think it’s working…

Home to Canada for 3 weeks

2009-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

I’m back at home in Prince George, BC, where the weather is anything but nice! Coming from sunny California to dense fog, snow on the ground, and rain during the day, doesn’t seem like a worthwhile trip! However, Canada has its positives: free medical and my family. Best of all though, is the 50-metre 10-lane pool I get to swim in daily!

With no running or cycling for a while longer, my skin is turning scaly and dry as bark. I made the mistake these last few days after showering, putting on skin body wash rather than lotion! No wonder the white film I plastered on my legs and arms never soaked in!

I’m learning about patience more than ever now. Twiddling your thumbs is now a task I’m proud to say I’ve mastered!

I’m learning to walk and jump with crutches as well. There are a number of puddles, snow banks and pot-holes that one must meanuaveur through if they want to get anywhere in Prince George. The pot-holes are the worst I’ve seen. The roads here get extremely cracked after a long winter from the expansion of the ice, in and under the pavement. I have no idea how I managed a road bike when I did live here full-time. I won’t be complaining about the bumby roads in California anytime soon! As a matter of fact, I won’t be complaining about riding my bike, EVER! …Except, if it involves getting those flats day after day (5 in one week) that I had while in PI! I still blame it on the monkeys!

Back in N. America

2009-03-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I made the long journey back to cool California (not Cool, California, where Chuckie grew up). It’s warm here in Lompoc but nowhere near Philippine warm. It all started with an arduous journey to the Manila airport, five or six hours of road winding I could never recreate. I'm still amazed at the traffic you’re forced to maneuver through and around. Luckily, I had a great taxi driver and only had to close my eyes and hold my stomach when the big accelerations and decelerations hit within the city limits.

The main flight home from Hong Kong was awesome! I had a great book to read and literally ate until I couldn't eat anymore. I haven't travelled much overseas (once prior) and the food you get on such long flights (and in the my well-packed carry-on) is unbelievable: chicken, snacks, fruit, and biscuits...you name it! Maybe it’s just a Cathay Pacific thing, but I’ll be sure to fly with them again. Plus, they “only” charged $100 for the bike. Sad that in this day and age that’s considered a good deal.

Now that I'm back home, the first amenity I realized I missed was the ability to go to the grocery store and buy the food I love. I've bought my share of groceries for the month (mind you, with Chuckie around, they'll last less than a week, I'm sure)! I'm still eating coconut oil-soaked banana chips. I bought these daily in the PI, and they’re now my favorite treat (a staple food, really!).

It took me a few days to get organized and back into the swing of things, as far as training goes. I stayed at my friend Jesse’s place in the Santa Ynez Valley for a few days and the time change was harder to get over than when I had arrived in the PI. I met some old friends who were attending the Solvang Triathlon Camp that Chuckie hosts, and I joined them on their last ride in the valley this past Saturday. Thanks Cindy for a great coffee-stop and chat! You lifted my spirits like you wouldn’t believe.

I need that because I'm having a bit of an issue with my lower leg, so running has been null and void. The bike and the pool are my new best friends, as is the Elliptical machine. I'll develop my puny little arms for swimming too Doc! I refuse to let this injury beat me down any longer. It's all up from here!

Cheers for now.

Work Done and Work to be Done

2009-03-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed how much time has disappeared since I've been here in the Philippine Islands. It seems like a week ago that I was packing my bags and getting ready to head over here. In truth it's been more than a month since I arrived! Thinking how fast the time has gone makes me realize two things:

1) The work I've done
2) The work I haven't done!

With regards to the work I've done, the team has done three main training blocks. My eyes have been opened to the art of patience, consistency, and what it means to be a BAMF (something I continue to work on and continue to need working on!).

And as far as the work that I haven't done: it takes weeks upon weeks, months upon months, and years upon years of solid training to build yourself into the machine you're capable of becoming. I've only just started!

Two Ironman races have passed this year so far and I've seen the athletes on the team who've competed in them come back to camp and get on with their training, without missing a beat. A race is just that…one race. They come back, jump in the pool and continue building…building their blocks, week after week. It's not the results that matter but their own personal excellence.

Life in Subic is going well. You can't complain when all you have to worry about is tucking yourself in to go to bed at night! Well that's not entirely true but going to a remote place to train, with a team, has been one of the best experiences I've had for training...and in life. The ability to focus on becoming your best and preparing yourself for the next workout is unlike any other. Most days we are told the time to train and where to meet. Other days, we get to decide when we do it. It holds you responsible for both meeting the team on time and getting the work done on your own.

I've had some bike workouts where I literally thought that I wasn't going to make it to the next water stop. I try to carry as much water and sports drinks as possible so I don't have to stop often. Even with four full bottles, it's inevitable that you have to stop somewhere to get some fluids. The heat here is unreal but it's just another training element.

The team is now getting their new gear: Cervelo bikes, Oval handlebars and Blue Seventy wetsuits. Time is closing in on us here at camp; there's only 6 weeks left! That leaves me thinking mostly about the work I haven't done!

A day in the life of a Team TBB'er...

2009-03-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ever since I started working with Team TBB and Doc I've had a ton of athletes asking me what the training is like, and what a "normal" training day looks like (the pic is NOT a normal training day!)

A day in the life of a Team TBB'er...

1. Eat
2. Train
3. Eat and drink a lot.
4. Drink more.
5. Train
6. Eat
7. Eat and drink a lot.
8. Train
9. Eat and drink a lot.
10. Sleep (or attempt to anyway!)

That's it in a nutshell, with all the nuts and bolts. We train at the track, on the roads, and in the pool, but the truth is we never know what we are doing until we see Doc next. I joked to Chuckie that he and Doc would get along great for this reason; their plan is really only known to each of them! But I like it this way because it keeps you on your toes. Just when I'm thinking a rest day is coming up, Doc gives me a session where I thought my legs were literally going to fall off.

So I'm realizing what "beat up" feels like and last week I was in a funk of having very sore quads, little niggles and playing head games with myself. I had my legs basically turn to two bricks in a few recent workouts. I've never felt them like that before, and never had the feeling that they would stop working in the midst of a run. The first time it happened was when Tereza and I were duking it out during a quick burst down a hill. Both my legs shut-down and my quads felt as though they turned to solid rock. I kid not; I almost went head first in the pavement! I finished though, wobbly and worn, using what some on the team called the "Ironman shuffle". Tereza said that's exactly what Ironman running is like! Yikes!

That same night, a workout that should have been an easy 8-minute/mile jog turned into a 35-minute gramma walk, with legs that could only waddle. My roommates were amazed when they saw me in my running clothes after 2-hours of lying lifelessly on the couch. I couldn't move, and thought to myself, "there is no way I'm going to be able to continue doing this." I finally mustered the strength to hobble to the shower and into bed.

Lo and behold though, the next day came and my legs managed to find themselves again, though tattered and torn. I couldn't complain though. I did not die! My legs were functioning and I could walk semi-normal looking. I had thought I was going to be bedridden for days!

And then Doc gave it to us again on the track that day. My quads held up but a nagging pain in my right calf felt like it was going to give out. I did just a 1/3 of the workout and felt beaten. I thought if I went any further I'd be crawling home this time. I was told to run in lane 6, a lane you don't want to find yourself in when no one else is there. My head was slung low. I felt like I didn't belong on the squad and the pity party began. Doc pulled me aside and gave me a donut. A donut? WTF? I then got the lecture that finally made me realize my stupidity and the lack of confidence, and that I should run in lane 6 and listen to my body.

My lesson for that last week: Be patient. I'm learning the art of patience ever so slowly. All this training, ability to work with your body and what your capable of on any given day comes down to having the patience and strong mind to continue trudging forward. Doc woke me up from my own pity party with a wallop to the head and a donut. I don't really like donuts but the wallop to the head was very helpful!

And my lesson so far this week: Don't think. When I ride my bike and the workout calls for some hard pedaling I just go for it. I'm not afraid to push myself. I'm confident in my skills and if I blow up I know I'll have another day to try again. In running though, I tend to worry and over-think what I'm doing rather than to just run. I feel a lot more aches and pains when I run and always seem to worry that they'll turn into a full-blown injury. And in swimming I think more than I swim! Injury isn't the worry but I think about how my hand enters the water, how I catch it then pull, push, and prod – which gets me nowhere fast! I need to swim and run more like the way I ride, without much thought. When your focus is not to have focus you actually get the work done….and FAST!

A Great Birthday Treat!

2009-02-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

I received a nice birthday surprise the other night: a huge chocolate/lemon cake with all the fixings, including a few plastic cockroaches on top! It made my day! With all the training we've been doing I have to say that chocolate never tasted so good! I must have had a quarter of it that first night. Normally I'm not much of a cake fan but Lucie, Tereza and Abi sure know how to bake! Thanks a million girls!

Another treat was a much-needed day off from training on Sunday. I tried my best to relax and do nothing. I was a bit upset with my camera having gone missing because I looked high and low for half the day, thinking I had misplaced it. Once I realized it was truly gone, as in stolen, I was quite angry…with myself mostly. I should have known better and kept a closer eye on my belongings. I'm now without an iPod, a video camera and a zip drive. It was a lesson learned, a birthday gift to myself.

With so much time to think, one of the things I pondered was the current relationships in my life. The more time I spend by myself the more I realize how important others are to me. Yesterday I didn't get a chance to talk to the one I care about most, no thanks to time restraints, schedules, and a 16-hour time difference. Distance can do funny things to you. It can make you stronger or weaker. I have to say thus far, I've had both experiences. Personally, I'm stronger in the sense that I'm learning to tough it out and be independent, but I'm weaker because I realize how important the people in my life really are; I want them here. As far as relationships go, distance is a barrier for growth but also a great opportunity for communication. A relationship is futile without it. It's a good thing I still have my computer and Skype!

With all the stress I am starting to realize that I need to just take one day at a time, listen to my body and learn to let things not bother me so much. And the girls here are teaching me that to be a champion, I need to be a warrior! I've been beat up in more ways than one these last few days. A Doc says, via the YouTube video on Rebekah's blog, I need to HARDEN THE…UP!

Bad news!

2009-02-22T03:02:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately last-night or sometime this morning, my roommates and I had a visitor. He/She got a whopping deal of cameras and electronics. My IPOD, Camera, zip drive and some cords were stolen. Either the door was left open between one of us leaving to go use the internet, or he/she came through the window. I'm a heavy sleeper and have the fan on so I hear nothing. Apparently Caroline was woken up by some bloke trying to get into her room. She had the window cracked.

The worst part of all this is having no music for training. I rely on it heavly! I do have an older MP3 player that I'm only able to charge (I can't put new music on it) - malfunctioned. Hopefully it will work for the rest of camp!

I'll do my best to write some good blogs because I won't be making videos or taking pictures anytime soon!

My birthday gift to myself is a lesson learned: Never leave anything out and always lock everything!

Cockroach video!

2009-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Check it out at www.teamtbb.com/angelanaeth

A New BLOG!

2009-02-16T03:22:00.000-08:00

All new blogs will be posted on the Team TBB site here until further notice! :)

www.teamtbb.com/angelanaeth