Boulder Peak

So yesterday didn't go as I had hoped, or had even expected, but that's ok. Really!

Here's the breakdown:

Swim
My best swim ever, I got out really well and swam to the first buoy like the race finished there. Only a few strokes in I realized there was only one other girl around me and another that was coming in from the right. It was a weird, unexpected feeling especially because I couldn't see the second buoy due to the rising sun and there was no pack to follow! I saw some stragglers from the wave before me and followed a trail of bobbing heads to the second buoy. I kept the pace up, swimming about 20 ft to the side of another girl in my wave. I didn't want to get on her feet because we were swimming different lines and I was more confident in the one I had chosen. The swim seemed never ending and I was really knackered from about 3/4 on. Finally the hands started hit sand, I stood up and looked down: 22! Hot damn, where did that come from?! I crossed the mat in 23:10, tying for second fastest time in 20-24...the fastest was 23:09. Lately I've been really trying to stick with Jordan and some of the other Riptide guys in practice and it's apparently paying off.

Bike
Got on the bike thinking that this is going to be an amazing day. Suffered up the steep part of Old Stage and then started passing back people on the gradual incline and second hill. Then the sweet, sweet descent. I passed more people in Left-hand canyon and felt good going out onto 36. I kept track of my time and knew that a sub-2:30 would be in the cards easily if I got in by 1:40. I gradually realized that 1:45 was more likely. I came in in 1:46.

Run
It's ok though, I'm a runner -- I can pull off a sub-44 10k no problemo! Not a half mile in I got a wicked side stitch. I squeezed the hell out of it and slowed to a shuffle. My first mile was over 8 minutes. There was no other choice: I sat down and stretched it out. Got up, and voila! Gone! Now I could get to work. Not so fast. The rest of the run was a sufferfest with a few "No no I can turn this around!" thrown in for good measure. I finished the 10k in 46 something. Ugghh

There wasn't much time to lament my disappointing race, as shortly after finishing I made my way to the bike-in to wait for Jordan. As he came tearing in off the bike in 11th place all thoughts of my race vanished and I ran to cheer for him on the 3-loop run course. He had his best tri of his life and finished in 8th place in a really competitive field.

On a day when I wasn't able to race as well as I would've liked, nothing was better than seeing Jordan succeed. He's had his fair share of disappointing races (see: Boulder Peak last year) and mechanical issues, but none of that mattered yesterday. That's the cool thing about racing, sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down, but you can't let either affect you much in any direction and Jordan does a better job at that than anyone else I know. Yea, it's a bummer to finish 10 minutes behind where you would've liked to, or to get a flat, but those days happen. When they do, you have to fix what you can, stay confident in your training, and eventually, maybe not the next race, or the race after that, or even the race after that, you'll pull it all together and none of the disappointing races will matter.

I'll chalk this race up under the big umbrella that is "learning experiences". Among the lessons learned today is that you can't fake focus nor nutrition for a race this long. Obviously my cycling can stand improvement, but my biggest problem in races is forgetting it's a race and letting my mind wander. On the nutritional front, a sidestitch really shouldn't happen. I wasn't smart about what I ate the day before the race and I didn't really watch what was going in me during the race (too much G-rade at the end of the bike). Don't eat Harribo Raspberries for lunch the day before a race, no matter how delicious they are.

der Besuch von Theresa

My roommate from my senior year at BU and one of my best friends, Theresa, has been traveling around the Western US since graduating in May. I was really pumped that she was able to spend some time in Denver before she returns home to Crailsheim, Germany for good on July 17th. It was a busy week, lots of hiking and driving, and one of the biggest weeks of training I've ever had. Fortunately Theresa is far from the sedentary type (she's run a 4:30 1500m), so it all worked out fine. We got in several bike rides together and I think now Theresa is hooked =)

Our first stop was to The Incline in Manitou Springs. I'd read an article in the Post about it a month or two ago and was lured by the tales of Apolo Ohno. What the article failed to mention is that The Incline is actually on private property and is technically illegal to climb. It passes through 3 separate properties. The lady at the visitor's center hesitated to give us directions there (although it's not exactly hard to figure out..you can see it from anywhere in town). So many people do it though that you won't get arrested for trespassing, but if you get hurt it's all on you.

The 1.5 mile former cog-railway took us a blazing 50 minutes to climb. People can do it in under 20. I can't see myself ever attempting it again, and if I do it will be at the same pedestrian pace.




Friday we were ready for hike #2, and headed out early to Mt. Yale. I had been up toward Mt. Yale before (once on a run from the Denny Creek TH to Mollie's camp in Buena Vista, and a second time trying to summit but turning back pretty early b/c of an ominous sky and tuckered legs..it was the day after my only tri last year), but had no idea that the climb got so steep toward the top. Steepness is fine going up, but coming down it is entirely unpleasant. Gulliver impressed the other hikers though, and aside from a few marmot-chasing incidents, stayed right with us off-leash. We were within 20m of the summit when Gull started crying -- he couldn't get past some big rocks and was stranded (the top of Yale is all big rocks). We turned back and I started our painful decent. Despite an evening shake-out run, the next day my legs felt the same as they had after Boston. I could barely walk down the stairs. Not good.





Sore legs go away though, and it was worth it without question =)

Can't wait to head to Crailsheim next summer for their annual triathlon!

"I'm talking about a little place called Asssspen"

Jordan and I motored up to Aspen on Thursday afternoon for a weekend of training, dining, and even a bit of relaxation. We met up with our friends Taylor and Martha who had driven from Park City and their friend, Doug, who had arrived at 8000 feet straight from Florida. We all stayed in a condo right on the mountain in Snowmass -- very sweet.

After 4 pretty mellow days of training I was ready to put the hammer down again and I got to work this weekend. Friday we rode up to Maroon Bells and I worked hard to stick with Jordan and Taylor for as much of the climb as possible. They chatted leisurely as I worked like mad until the gradual climb turned steep and in a matter of seconds they were 200m ahead.

Maroon Bells is beautiful, but just as cool is the Marmot X-ing sign:

Saturday Martha, Taylor, Doug, and I rode up along the Frying Pan River. I worked it hard again, riding paceline with Taylor and Doug for a while before hitting the hurt at the start of the steeper climb up to the res. Again, more amazing views.



Jordan and I were able to get a swim in at the Aspen Rec Center on Saturday night. I thought swimming up at that altitude would be torture, but it actually felt fine. Lowered my 200 yd PB to 2:37 -- can't complain about that..I don't think I broke 3:00 until February or so.