tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6779345083692658522024-03-13T07:25:08.113-06:00Run and Tri Mommy!One crazy Mom's journey from marathon runner to life beyond Ironman #1Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-56108442532590941752017-09-16T09:01:00.000-06:002017-09-18T09:15:42.637-06:00Brineman 70.3 Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Brineman 70.3 was my last race of the season, and my 5th attempt at the distance. I have been super excited for this race, but also nervous given my run related injury of tendinitis/plantar fascitis that has been an issue since I got back from Alaska. I simply have not been running anywhere near where I would want to prevent further injury to my dang foot. This has been an incredible patience tester and very frustrating to say the least. Leading up to IM StG 70.3 in may I was averaging around 25 miles a week of running. I was lucky to break 10 a week for Brineman. </div>
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I spoke with Ben, my coach, a couple of nights before the race. He suggested we try something a little different given the circumstances of the injury. He wanted me to just roll the dice and have fun. I was to do the swim like I normally would, but really try to push harder on the bike than I might normally. We have done tons of biking lately to make up for lack of running and it was essentially a chance to see where we were with it. The run the main focus was to take walk breaks at the aid stations and to just focus on one station at a time and practice good run form between them. I liked this idea because I was pretty sure I could do a swim and bike PR if I wasn't too worried about the run, and I kind of like the idea of racing with a "what the hell" attitude and just seeing exactly how much I could push.</div>
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Other than the actual race strategy there was a few other cool factors leading up to this race that made me really excited. One, this is a hometown race. I could literally bike 3.5 miles from my house to transition if I wanted to. I train on this course almost daily and have for 8 years. Two, my parents were in town and staying with us for the weekend. My Mom came to my first triathlon ever, but my Dad has never been to any of my races. This was going to be cool to have them there to cheer me on. The third factor was that my swim team were the volunteers for the race. This was our fundraiser for the year. We provide 40-50 volunteers and the race director cut us a check. Awesome! It also meant that every single aid station I had a built in cheering section yelling GO COACH or WE LOVE YOU COACH each time. That was amazing!</div>
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<u><b>SWIM:</b></u></div>
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This was a self seeded rolling start. I love these! If people seed themselves well it works so smoothly. I got towards the front of the group. This turned out to be fine. Our group had to do a small loop around one buoy and come back, then we had to do a larger loop around the other end of a long narrow lake. The first small loop was chaos. Typical of me, I started off too fast like apparently every other swimmer did and it was the whole washing machine effect for that first loop. We were able to spread out as we made the half mile trek down to the larger island to circle around, and it thinned out and I finally got into a good rhythm, It seemed to take forever to get to that turn around! It was cool to pass the water support on kayaks and SUPs because they were all my swimmers serving as lifeguards :). Once I made that second turn and headed back to the start, it was much easier to sight and seemed to go much faster. I swear I tend to swim too wide towards the right. I need to work on that. I still stayed pretty straight, just too far to the right. I was second female out of the water with a <b>swim time of 32:01</b>, a 3 minute PR for the 1.2 mile swim.</div>
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<b><u>T1:</u></b></div>
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There were no wetsuit strippers for this race. I HATE dealing with my wetsuit but had sprayed the bottom of my legs with TriSlide prior to putting it on to see if it would help get it off. It did! Why did it take me so long to do this? Pretty slick. I still had to dry off some because air temp was 46 at the start of the bike. It was a longer transition than I would have wanted with a <b>time of 2:54</b> :/</div>
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<b><u>BIKE:</u></b></div>
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As I ran with Ivy to the bike mounting area Ken was there with my Mom and Dad. I swear my Dad cheers louder than anyone! It was so awesome to hear him yell GO KATE! as I got on my bike and headed out. I was trying something new this race. I timed the swim with my watch, but was using my new bike computer, a Wahoo Bolt for the bike portion. I did this for a few reasons. One, I am not convinced my watch (Suunto Spartan Sport) would have the battery life to get through a 70.3. I am sure if I messed with the settings it would, but I didn't want to chance it. Second, I have wanted a way to have the data from the ride right in front of me on the bike without having to change my position and turn to see what's on my watch. Our club has a sponsorship with Wahoo, and I picked one up a couple of weeks ago. It is mounted to my torpedo bottle between my arms and turned out to be pretty slick. I loved seeing all the data there the whole time. </div>
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The first part of the course is flat and fast though some of the roads have chip seal and that is just a pain. I was riding much faster on these roads than I normally do (keep in mind, this is practically in my backyard) and but I felt great, so why not push some? I watched my HR and tried not to let it dip below 150ish. On the causeway to the Island I played leap frog with several people. We didn't have much of a wind, which was nice. My nutrition was all right on, every 15 minutes drinking a few ounces of my Infinit. I tried a new flavor this time, watermelon, and dialed it down some since I do a concentrated bottle, and it was actually really good! I came to the first bike aid station at the end of the causeway and my swimmers were there with their arms stretched out with the water or Gatorade. I yelled WATER at them and they ran over and did a perfect hand off! YES! The day before How to Be a Great Volunteer 101 lecture had paid off :) They also had their car stereo blasting and were dancing and having fun. That made me happy to see and made me smile. </div>
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The ride down to the ranch was going well. I saw several people with flats (I was praying I wouldn't get one. I can change a flat, but I hate it,and on my tri bike its even more of a pain). I made it to the turn around at the ranch and one of my swimmers was there with a Red Bull for me. I laughed and told him to save it for the run course. I don't usually drink that crap in real life, but on the race course, it's amazing, especially on the run. The way back from the ranch we had a headwind and the rollers. Not fun, but I am used to it by now. The wind is the greatest variable out there. It either works for you or against you and you never know which it is going to be. I really wanted a sub 3 hour ride, and was calculating how fast I would have to go or maintain to get it. I knew I could do it if I really pushed, but it would be close. I just kept pushing, my quads were yelling "Enough already!" but I really, really wanted a sub 3 bike split. As I rolled into the last mile of the bike, I saw some weirdos in speedos, suspenders, cowboy boots and a Make America Great Again flag. Oh my hell, those are some of my swimmers! I really, really tried to just ride by unnoticed because I wasn't sure I wanted to claim them at the moment, but no such luck. They saw me, and ran along side my bike yelling GO COACH!!!!!!I'll admit it was pretty funny.</div>
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I rolled into the bike dismount area with a <b>bike time of 3:00:39</b>. My bike computer had it at sub 3, but this was the official time. Don't care, close enough and still a bike PR by 4-5 minutes. I knew immediately when I got off the bike that the run was going to be rough, my legs were stiff and completely trashed!</div>
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<b><u>T2:</u></b></div>
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I was so stiff I suddenly didn't care about my T2 time. I sat down to change shoes and put on socks. I only use socks in a race for 70.3 and up because of blisters, so I took my time to put them on. Getting up was humorous at best. I threw my gels in my back pocket because I couldn't find my favorite race belt the night before and was using another one with no pouch on it. I hobbled out of T2 with a time of<b> 1:51.</b></div>
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<b><u>RUN:</u></b></div>
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As I mentioned, I was really stiff already. I way overcooked that bike, but that was kind of in the plan. Ben challenged me to walk the first minute or so of the run anyway to just get my bearings and let my HR come down. As I got walked out of T2, my swimmer had a cold Red Bull for me. It was the 12 oz and I knew I couldn't have the whole thing then, but I drank about half of it that first minute then left it at the turn around sign (the half had to do 2 loops of this run) and hoped it would be there for the second loop. I swear that stuff helps! I then managed a slow jog but my legs were so heavy and already hurting. I knew this was going to be a sufferfest, and it was! I just focused on one aid station at a time. It was so nice to see my kids at each aid station. They were so encouraging and helpful and they made me laugh when I wanted to quit. The first 1/4 of this run was quite possibly the hardest I have ever done. I just hurt everywehere. I got to the turn around and it was less than mile from my house. I'd be lying if I didn't think about just keep going and head home :) I then saw a competitor not far behind me and that motivated me to pick up the pace. My legs had loosened up some by now, and made it easier to run. My pace was dismal, but I didn't care, I was just happy to be moving. I walked the aid stations, took the chance to high 5 my swimmers and then go again. I really had to go to the bathroom, but there weren't any! I thought for sure the turn around would have one, but nope! (yet again, another reason I wanted to go home). I kept seeing athletes running out of the weeds because nature was calling them too! Now, here's a little triathlete TMI, but this is a sport with little boundaries anyway, but I REALLY had to go both 1 and 2. My only concern was my swimmers seeing me drop my 1 piece kit to go. I couldn't care less about other athletes or random strangers. I jogged along looking for the perfect place out of sight range of the aid stations and offering some privacy. There was a giant tree surrounded by weeds just off the trail, so I went for it. Yeah, it would have been a great idea to notice that giant tree was a Russian Olive with giant thorns. My butt now looks like it got in a fight with a cat. I took care of business and ran out of there as quick as I could. Another racer saw me coming out and said he had done the same thing and now had goat heads in his chamois and was trying to dig them out as he ran. It made for a good laugh for sure!</div>
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I finished the first loop and there was my Red Bull still waiting under the sign. I chugged the second half of that and away we went. It was still painful, but my legs weren't quite as heavy. My ankle was starting to ache as well, but I knew to expect it. The motivation to just be done kept me going the second loop and it was more enjoyable than the first. I cheered for my teammates. I laughed with my swimmers at the aid stations when they had busted out the Eminem songs. It seemed to go much quicker than the first loop. </div>
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Because I didn't have one device timing the whole race and only roughly knew my splits for bike and swim, I calculated that for a race PR I needed to keep the run under 2:40. I was well under that. I knew for a run PR I had to keep the run time under 2:24. I then was thinking I could manage a run PR, but like the bike, it would be close. I could see the red blow up finish line in the distance and started skipping aid stations to get there. I came in with a final <b>run time of 2:22:29</b>!</div>
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<b><u>POST RACE:</u></b></div>
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The final push to the finish line had me in tears. 35-40 of my kids working the finish line stopped what they were doing, lined the finisher's chute and cheered me in with Ken and my parents there as well. I felt like such a rock star! It was so very cool!! I had no clue what my final race time was and just about fell over when I realized it was <b>5:59:56.</b> Sub 6 by 4 seconds for a 21 minute PR. I was also shocked to learn that I had placed 3rd in my Age group and 12 overall female out of 48. Not bad for a race that felt like death! (In all fairness, I felt really good until I started the run).</div>
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I was so proud of my swimmers today. I got so much positive feedback on how well they did from other athletes and members of my club. They worked hard and had fun at the same time. I am pretty sure we will have the opportunity to do this next year as well. From a coaching stand point, this is an ideal fundraiser because we don't have to sell anything, and one weekend of hard work and we are done! Winning! Plus, it exposes the kids to triathlon and maybe will inspire them to enter the sport. Double win!</div>
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Having my parents there was awesome as well. My father was my inspiration to get into the sport after watching him as a life long runner turned cyclist. It was so nice to have them there!</div>
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I was disappointed to see that some of the distances were shorter (swim was 150 yards short, bike was almost a mile short, and the run was .5 miles short) and that sort of took away from the excitement of such a PR. However, race distances tend to vary from race to race as do GPS units, and I calculated what my times would have been given my avg pace for each discipline, and I still would have had a PR, so I am satisfied with that. </div>
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I am glad it is the off season. I have the next week completely off from training (thank you Ben!!) and then let my stupid foot heal and build into a bike focus, build the run up again, then push for Oceanside 70.3 in April. In the meantime, happy racing and training!</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xl93_pY50Pw/Wb_MjJYEe2I/AAAAAAAAMlI/olA_B7wdMakFCXTRPLRHiuf_nJufta-UwCLcBGAs/s1600/Brineman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xl93_pY50Pw/Wb_MjJYEe2I/AAAAAAAAMlI/olA_B7wdMakFCXTRPLRHiuf_nJufta-UwCLcBGAs/s400/Brineman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-37396551959372470542017-06-24T14:47:00.000-06:002017-06-28T14:54:39.494-06:00Alcatraz Crossing Swim <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since I first heard of the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon, I have wanted to do just the swim portion. You swim from the famous Alcatraz Island/former prison, to the shore. The bike and run held no appeal for me, I just wanted to do the swim. I heard that they have a swim race of just the swim portion called Sharkfest, but I didn't know much beyond that. In Ken and I's long standing tradition of working our way down the family line with who picks the vacation every year, Ken picked San Francisco for this year. I immediately started wondering about doing the swim. I had heard that there was a local swim club that does monthly organized swims, so I Googled it. Sure enough, Water World Swim Sports does just that. I looked at their calendar and they were doing one the week AFTER we were scheduled do be there. So, I did what any normal person would do and changed the dates of our vacation so that I could be there for their June swim. Luckily Ken didn't mind me high jacking his vacation :) I immediately signed up 6 months in advance.<br />
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Fast forward to last week. I had told several people I was doing this swim. It is on my bucket list of items I want to do in the crazy world of endurance sports. The response I got from most of them was "you know there are sharks in that water, right?" Or, "why would you do that?" Or "Now we know you've lost it." I found this funny because I think Ironman and some of the other stuff I've done is way crazier than this. Yes, I know there are sharks in the water. I want to do it because I am terrified of oceans swims and I want to overcome that fear. And yes, I probably have lost it, but this is nothing new :)<br />
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As we arrived in San Francisco, I was starting to actually think I was crazy for doing the swim. I saw Alcatraz from the Bay Bridge and noticed how far it really was from shore. Then I noticed the chop in the Bay every day we were there. Then Wednesday we went whale watching on a boat in the same area as the swim. We saw about a dozen different humpback whales in the same area or not far from where I would be doing the swim. Cool, but..... <br />
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Friday we went to the beach. The water was FREEZING. Even though I have done plenty of cold swims, this was way cold. Oh great, lets just add that to the list of fears and obstacles on Saturday! I will admit, I was starting to freak out a bit. But, as this is my 8th season in endurance sports, I have noticed a cycle with me when I freak out or get nervous. Once I am there, and get going, I do fine. I kept telling myself that once I attended the briefing and spoke with others doing the swim, heard from the coaches directing and running the swim, I would be fine.<br />
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Saturday morning Ken and I got up at 4:45. We ate a quick breakfast and I gathered my things I would need for the swim. We left the kids at the hotel because they were more interested in sleeping in. We grabbed an Uber to take us to Fisherman's Wharf and we were the first ones there. I met Mike, one of the coaches, and he gave me my waiver. I love signing stuff that says, "You realize by participating in this swim, injuries could occur including death/drowning." <br />
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We had 24 swimmers signed up to swim and about 3/4 of us were doing it for the first time. They gave us the run down of what to site (the battleship, Fort Mason, the Gold Dome of the Palace of the Performing Arts, then the red brick roof of the Yacht Club), and stressed that this was NOT a race, it was an organized swim. They would have kayak support and SUPs out on the water with us, as well as 4 swim coaches in the water with hot pink buoys if we needed them. They stressed not to follow other swimmers, because if they got off course, they didn't want us to follow. We got on the boat, rode it out to the middle of the bay just a stone's throw from Alcatraz (fun fact, we actually couldn't swim off the beach at Alcatraz because it is a protected wild life refuge, so we jumped from the boat) they then started playing the Rocky Theme song, lowered the back gate of the boat, and said, "See you on the beach!" It was at this moment I let just about everyone else go in front of me. I was in my wetsuit, had double capped for the cold, but wasn't quite ready to jump. Ha! No time to wallow in it! The captain pointed at me and said, "You next!" I didn't even have a chance to think about it and I jumped. Everyone was staying right there in the water and I took a moment to look around me. It was surreal. First off, the water wasn't near as cold as I was prepared for. I have definitely been in worse. But the view is what truly took my breath away. I could see both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the whole city skyline with the fog just over it. I looked down the shore and spotted what I would need to be sighting. One coach was near me and said, "Not a bad way to spend your morning, huh?" She was right! By then the last person had jumped in the water and everyone started the swim towards the battleship. Immediately the salt hit me. No big deal, but not what I am used to. Then the chop started to get to me. It was crazy! I swim in land locked reservoirs and lakes, nothing like this. I have swam in boat chop and canyon wind kind of chop, but nothing quite like this. Every time I went to sight, or breath, or just get my bearings, I got smacked in the head with another swell. I felt like I wasn't moving though I was swimming as hard as I could. A few times I stopped and just went with it trying to see where I was. With the chop I couldn't really see the other swimmers. I could see the people standing on the SUPs, but that was it. I asked them where everyone was, and they just pointed. I couldn't make out most of what they said, so I gave up trying to. This kept going and I was getting pretty frustrated, but then I would look over and see I was past what I was sighting, so I knew I was at least moving even though it didn't feel like it. A giant tanker came through and really stirred it up more. I remember saying to myself, "You have officially reached the end of your skill set." Then I remembered to focus on what I could control. I could control my stroke. Then I remembered Ben telling me prior to StG that if the water got choppy, shorten my stroke to be more efficient in the water. Well, that definitely applied here! That was very helpful information to recall at that time because it gave me something to focus on. I continued on but it was frustrating that I never at any point felt like I could find a good rhythm like I normally do. On the other hand, the challenge was kind of fun. I had several flashbacks to playing in the swells along the beach as a kid in Galveston. The difference was I was close to the shore and could always touch the bottom back then. I never got scared, but I was frustrated many times because it was unlike anything I've ever done. I had to just Dory it and "just keep swimming." Finally I saw the final object they told us to sight, the red roof of the Yacht Club. I remember them saying we would end at the small beach on the side of that building. I got around the building and headed into the beach. The first person I could recognize was Ken, standing there waiting for me. I swam harder because I was just ready to be done!! I got out and put my head down to catch my breath. Ken's first response? "Man, you look beat up!" No kidding! I felt it!<br />
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Then I turned around and saw all the swimmers coming into the beach. I saw Alcatraz off in the distance and thought, "Yep, I just did that. Check that box off the list!" I was probably the 6th or 7th person out of the water out of the 24 who did it. I finished the approx 2 mile swim in 39 minutes. I am not completely sure my watch was accurate on the distance, and there is a current in our favor, but I am almost certain I didn't swim the 1:07 pace my watch said I did. We then swam back to the boat just off the shore and they took us back to the starting point. Many people who are veterans of this swim said this was the roughest day they had out there in a long time. One girl mentioned that she was glad they didn't see sharks this time. Wait, what? She mentioned that they were getting ready to do a swim once and a great white had attacked a seal about in the spot they normally have people jump in the water, so they cancelled that day. I am glad I found this out AFTER the fact. However, it is pretty rare to see sharks in there with it being a major shipping channel. <br />
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I can now check that off my list. It was the single most challenging swim I have ever done, but also pretty amazing. I would do it again, they were talking about how they do another event called the "Bridge to Bridge" swim and it goes from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate. Its about a 10k, so I would have to work up to that, but no hurry for sure!<br />
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I texted Ben about it at the end and his response cracked me up. "You're half nuts, but awesome too :)" <br />
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I can't say enough good things about Water World Swim. They did an excellent job with this, from organization to making it a safe event for us. They were incredibly encouraging and helpful. Loved them! If I was in the Bay Area, I would probably try to get more involved in their activities. <br />
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So what's next for me? I have the Deseret News 10k in just over a month, then the Brineman 70.3 in September. Training since StG has been pretty chill and nice at the same time as I have had a ton of family stuff going on, and more in the next few weeks. Onward and upward!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-87914132072174853202017-05-20T09:55:00.000-06:002017-05-22T09:55:55.036-06:00Salt Lake Gran Fondo 100 Miler!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My triathlon partners in crime, Jason and Cristin, and I, were going to go on a long training ride on Saturday. Cristin is prepping for Ironman Boulder and Jason is getting ready for Alaskaman. I was on my tri club page and saw that many of my tri club teammates were doing a Century ride with the Salt Lake Gran Fondo and it wasn't too late to sign up even though it was just 48 hours away. My training plan in training peaks only called for 1-2 hours of easy riding, but I am not really doing any race specific training for another month or so, so I figured why not? Plus, if you're going to ride long, you might as well have someone else lay out the aid stations, control traffic, and give you a medal and t-shirt, right? So, I texted Cristin and Jason about it and we were all signed up!<br />
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The course starts and finishes at Saltaire and you literally do a big giant circle around the Oquirrh Mountains down through Tooele County, into Utah County, and then along the west bench of the Salt Lake Valley back to Saltaire. We had to be there at 6:00 to pick up our packets. The ride started out and you literally merge onto I-80 for a few miles until you hit the Tooele exit. This was kind of scary as it is an Interstate, but we had the shoulder and the lane next to us was closed with Highway Patrolmen escorting us. Still scary! Within the first 5 miles I saw a semi about take out 4-5 of the cyclists as he was merging onto the freeway. This was the first of many close calls I saw today on this non-cyclist friendly route.<br />
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Not long after we got off the freeway I decided to try to draft. In the past this has terrified me, but I figured it would make 100 miles go by easier. I was on my road bike for this event. I found a pack and quickly just joined them. Sweet! This paid off well for the first 30 miles or so. We worked together and took turns pulling and I found it wasn't bad at all! Cristin was in my group and Jason had gone way ahead of us. Weather was nice and cool, and clear! (We had snow just 48 hours before this event). Cristin and I stopped at every aid station, and we found the volunteers were so friendly and they had gels, Honeystinger waffles, water, EFS nutrition, and even Hi-Chews! The first half was literally middle of nowhere. It was also a long slow grind with what seemed like a false flat but was a gradual climb. We kept wondering why it felt like we were going so slow but working so hard! And we can't forget about the fact we had a head wind the WHOLE FREAKING TIME! Don't ask me how that works, but that was the case!<br />
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We hit the half way point and we were feeling pretty good. We refueled, used the restrooms, and were on our way again. Just shortly after this point Cristin got the first of two flat tires. We had everything we needed between us to change it, but we aren't very fast at this process :/. We had someone stop and help us change it then he headed on his way. We got going again and within a mile she was flat again. This time we checked and double checked the tire, but couldn't figure out what the issue was. We had the sag wagon guy get out and help us and found that her tire was literally split about a centimeter wide. We used a Gu wrapper to patch it (I remember reading this tip somewhere and it worked!) and we were able to get on our way again. Thank heaven it held for the remaining 44 miles!<br />
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Fitness wise for this ride I was fine, though it was by far my longest ride in two years. I felt great the entire time energy and fitness wise. My only issues were my shoulder (this is always an issue on long rides) and my saddle was HELLACIOUS! I finally am comfortable saddle wise on my tri bike for aero, but now need to figure out something else for my roadie. My legs felt great as well! When the ride was done they were a little heavy, and later that night they were stiff, but next day I was great. Nutrition wise this ride was no big deal, I had my Infinit in two different bottles, but also added a gel or waffle at the rest stops. I probably should have taken in more fluids, but it was okay.<br />
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Once we hit north Utah County the route put us on Redwood Road. This is major road that runs through 3 counties. It was busy AND under construction. It was scary to navigate turns and even just ride on this road. We were grateful when this section ended and we turned onto Mountain View Corridor. This is a busy road, but it has a huge shoulder and bike lane, so it was much better from a safety stand point. We knew we were on the tail end of riders for the Gran Fondo, but there were several other rides going along the same routes, so we always had other riders within a reasonable distance. The aid stations got further in between than they had been the first half, but we were still greeted with happy, cheering, and helpful volunteers. The weather had warmed up and we were able to ditch arm warmers and jackets that they brought to the finish for us. They were great!<br />
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About 15 miles from the Finish Cristin and I stopped at the final aid station and they had peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables. They were heavenly at that point! The portion of the course on Mountain View Corridor also ended and we rode up to the Backus Highway. The remainder of the ride was spent mainly downhill, but there was a lot of swearing, praying and hanging on for dear life as the roads and traffic were just dangerous. We were on roads with no shoulder or bike lane and heavy traffic. There was tons of debris that could mean a flat tire at the least, or accident/injury as well. We actually had to merge onto the 201 (another freeway) where there was nothing but traffic barrels separating us from traffic going by at 75-80mph. Not safe at all. We were also the tail end of the riders, so there wasn't exactly a group to ride with. There should have been a police man directing traffic or something. I still can't believe how bad and dangerous this was! We were very grateful to be done and back to Saltaire.<br />
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By the time we finished they were out of food. However,the race director did give us free event jerseys since "you guys suffered longer than anyone else.". We got our stuff together and hit Taco Bell for our post ride grub!<br />
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My thoughts on this race/ride are mixed. For the positives: It is always fun to ride with a friend. It was great to complete my 5th 100+ ride. The volunteers were all very good, happy and cheerful, and very helpful. It was also fun to ride where I hadn't before and see new areas I am not familiar with. The weather was perfect. The Cons: My saddle sucks. My shoulder is still an issue. The organization was poor. The routes they had us on were not safe or rider friendly. There should have been more controlling of intersections or alternative routes on less busy streets should have been utilized. I was reminded again why so much of my riding (around 80%) is indoors. There just isn't enough safe riding around here! And no organized ride should utilize freeways!!!! Needless to say, this will be the last time I participate in this ride. Jason, Cristin, and many of my teammates had the same thoughts.<br />
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So what's next? Just easier/transitional training until mid-July where I start the ramp up for my fall 70.3, Brineman. I do have East Canyon Olympic in three weeks and my Alcatraz swim in a month! in the meantime, happy training and racing!!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-49081974436901746692017-05-06T10:59:00.000-06:002017-05-09T11:02:40.423-06:00Ironman 70.3 St George 2017 Race Report 72 hours post race and I am still on a post race high! Where do I begin to sum it all up?? <br />
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<b><u>PRE-RACE</u></b>:<br />
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I headed down to St. George on Thursday morning and caravaned down with Jason and Cristin, who I talked into signing up for this race with me about 8 months ago. We got into town, went to the expo, and it was super hot! I kept hoping that we would not have this heat on race day! I picked up my packet, went to the merchandise tent and bought the infamous race "name shirt" with all participants names on it. It was the only thing I bought! Ken was shocked. This is my third Ironman branded event, so I just don't feel the need to go crazy on Ironman gear anymore. It is still cool, but my tradition now is to just buy the name shirt, unless there is something else I just can't live without!<br />
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Friday I laid low. I took the time to pack my gear bags to get them ready for gear and bike check in. I had a late breakfast and it did not set well with me. I was almost immediately sick to my stomach and this lasted the rest of the day. I was not happy about this! Please don't let me be sick before the race!!I went ahead and headed out to Sand Hollow to check in my bike. I visited with some friends while there, did a very brief spin on Ivy to make sure the gears were all good and she was ready to roll, then I checked her in. I was getting ready to leave when was pretty sure I saw Ben, my coach, speed by on his bike. I have worked remotely with Ben for the past 18 months, but never actually "met" in person as he is in Madison, Wisconsin, and I am in Utah. I couldn't pass up the chance to meet him. So, I went over and said hello. Thank heaven it was him, or that would have been weird! Ben is just as cool in person! I've always known he was a great coach, but he is also a cool person!<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEchyK2WxEI/WRHi6VmAw4I/AAAAAAAAJHo/hd-biePeDa4jRIIN1bNbulhHw9EEMxrYwCLcB/s1600/stg7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEchyK2WxEI/WRHi6VmAw4I/AAAAAAAAJHo/hd-biePeDa4jRIIN1bNbulhHw9EEMxrYwCLcB/s320/stg7.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I wanted to get out of the heat, so I headed back into town, quickly checked my run gear bag and headed back to the condo. Ken and the kids were in town by this point, and it was good to see them!<br />
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Saturday morning I woke up super early and was over the moon excited! No race nerves, just plain excited! I was riding to catch the shuttles with Jason and Cristin, so I met them at their hotel for breakfast. I had listened to my "race inspiration" playlist on the way over and was just ready to get this thing going! We ate, got on the shuttles, then it was a matter of airing my tires, loading my bike nutrition, and then waiting for the swim start!<br />
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<b><u>SWIM:</u></b><br />
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I had high hopes of a swim PR for this course. The water was smooth (which is actually unusual for Sand Hollow, this area is known for the wind). I was in one of the very last swim waves, so it was a hurry up and wait kind of game. I was in Wave #18, with a start time of 7:31. I got up and was going to try to hug the inside buoy line, and start near the front of my group. We swam out to the start buoy, the gun went off, and it was time to get to work! I stuck to my usual sighting every 8 strokes or 4 breaths, and kept telling myself "reach long, pull strong". I found a good rhythm right off the bat and was sighting well. The first third of this went way fast. When we went along the west side of the Island, that part lasted longer! It was all good, but I was starting to catch the slower swimmers from the waves ahead of me and it started to get more congested and harder to stay right with the buoy line as I was trying to avoid the slower swimmers and go around them. When we made the final turn where we swim into the boat dock, it was CRAZY! Now you have every breast stroker, back stroker, and hanging-on-for-dear-life-stroker, and it made for just utter chaos. The water got choppy from all the congestion and I started to get nauseous. Uh! Can we just be done? I was relieved to get out of the water and let out a HUGE burp. My sister Lisa and father would have been impressed! I immediately felt better though! I unzipped my wetsuit, took off my cap and goggles, and ran for the strippers! They had that sucker off faster than a prom dress! <i><b> Final swim time was 36:43</b></i> (24 out of 116 in my division), only 45 seconds away from a PR! I blame the chaos at the end for that! Either way, I was thrilled with this swim.<br />
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<b><u>T1:</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aCJx23sE1FI/WRHipkoerzI/AAAAAAAAJHk/OdbKmztLqUMrRJB_oC2L6uEhJirPxfjuACLcB/s1600/stg5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aCJx23sE1FI/WRHipkoerzI/AAAAAAAAJHk/OdbKmztLqUMrRJB_oC2L6uEhJirPxfjuACLcB/s320/stg5.jpg" width="320" /></a>As soon as the wetsuit was off, I ran over to Ivy, threw all my swim stuff into the bag, threw on my shoes, helmet, and sunglasses and headed out of there. I was super thrilled with my <i><b>T1 time of 3:12.</b></i> This is over 3 minutes faster than last time I did StG, but I was way happy with it. Ken caught the pic below as I had exited the water.<br />
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<b><u> BIKE:</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp1OCVkzGG4/WRHfmlqZwwI/AAAAAAAAJHU/1fOiYBNjxpELtAxkfDJuxSAX7OQ2CrXIACLcB/s1600/stg4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp1OCVkzGG4/WRHfmlqZwwI/AAAAAAAAJHU/1fOiYBNjxpELtAxkfDJuxSAX7OQ2CrXIACLcB/s400/stg4.jpg" width="400" /></a>I was both super excited and nervous for this bike. It was on the bike that my race went so horribly wrong 3 years ago, but I also had a couple of good training rides on this course just a few weeks before, so I was excited to see it all play out on race day. Ben had told me to make sure I kept constant tension on the chain. Pressure on the pedals. I get into a habit of just spinning or coasting at times on the "easier" parts of the course. My training ride here two weeks ago I spent well over an hour of a 2:45 ride in Zone 1! What the? Not okay for race day! I quickly found that by doing this, I was passing lots of people on the flats and descents. I am not a strong climber, but I found that many people that passed me on the hills, I caught up with or passed right after the hills. This was just so much fun! I would just shift into the "hardest" gear on the flats or down hills and just keep tension on the chain as Ben said. I threw a lot of caution to the wind as well and stayed in aero on these down hills instead of on the breaks. With the roads closed to traffic, I felt confident doing this. It was just so much fun! I loved it! I hit some new high speeds of 45 mph on my bike on more than one of these down hills. <br />
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My nutrition plan was working well. I had two concentrated bottles of my Infinit + Base salt. I found that making more than a two hour bottle the flavor is way too strong, so I went with two 2 hour bottles. Every 15 minutes I took in a mouth full of it and sipped on water every 5-10 minutes in between. It was warm, but over cast, and I felt like this was the perfect amount for the conditions. I grabbed a water bottle at every aid station as well. I took in about 750-800 calories during this ride and around 100 ounces of fluid.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiAktovOoGc/WRHfmD9-scI/AAAAAAAAJHI/nMLAWpK7JF0SEviBgZNSh5e5GkU3Cex9QCLcB/s1600/Stg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiAktovOoGc/WRHfmD9-scI/AAAAAAAAJHI/nMLAWpK7JF0SEviBgZNSh5e5GkU3Cex9QCLcB/s400/Stg1.jpg" width="400" /></a>When we got to the bottom of Snow Canyon, I was starting to feel the anxiety set in. It was at the bottom of Snow Canyon that I literally sat on the road and cried in the red dirt thinking my race was over 3 years prior. As I passed that spot, I felt strong and was so grateful to not be there today. I said a quick prayer of thanks for my good race so far and prayed for continued luck! I found that it was a pretty ride! I loved it. Though technically Snow Canyon is a slow gradual 4 mile climb, it is only the final mile of that is bad. I enjoyed being there, talking to the other athletes and just settling in and getting ready for the big push at the end. When we got there, it was the first time during this ride that fatigue set in. Many were starting to walk their bikes. I just kept telling myself to keep my legs moving, I was NOT going to walk. It somehow seemed easier than it had been two weeks ago! Before I knew it, I was at the top! This was also the first part I noticed the head winds. Holy crap, were they bad! Luckily that last stretch into town is downhill, but still no fun in those head and cross winds. I just got low in aero and kept pressure on the pedals. I didn't break for a single down hill into town. Just tuck low and let her roll! I had a ton of fun on this part of the course, though it was scary a few times :)<br />
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As I was in the final half mile, I heard Ken yell at me. I was so happy! I just not only conquered the bike course, but the demons and associations from this same ride 3 years before! I literally was crying as I ran my bike into T2. <b><i>Final Bike Time was 3:28:26 (#38 out of 116 in my division).</i></b><br />
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<b><u>T2:</u></b><br />
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I easily found my stuff and bagged my bike stuff, took time to throw on socks (I usually race sockless sprint and olympics), shoes, visor and my race belt. I grabbed two cups of ice water leaving T2. <i><b> Final time for T2 was 2:36</b></i>. <br />
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<b><u>RUN:</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rIcfV-igqcs/WRHfmQmWluI/AAAAAAAAJHQ/1HxSIT0XrFMUqtiIG5QMevkAMWnt3K91wCLcB/s1600/Stg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rIcfV-igqcs/WRHfmQmWluI/AAAAAAAAJHQ/1HxSIT0XrFMUqtiIG5QMevkAMWnt3K91wCLcB/s400/Stg2.jpg" width="400" /></a>When I did this run 3 years ago, it was pretty much a walk. I just wanted to run as much of it as possible. I knew that with the high mid day temps, wind, and hills, it wouldn't be realistic to run the whole thing, but I wanted to try! As I left T2, I was still crying because I was so thrilled with my bike. I saw Ken again right out of T2 and just said, "I did it! I did it!" He gave me a sweaty hug and said, "Yeah, but you're not done yet!" I found that as I tried to run, I couldn't because my lungs were all tight from crying! HA! There's no crying in triathlon! I took a minute to walk and calm down and found I could run after that. Ben had told me to stay within certain HR parameters, so I looked down at my watch and saw I had no HR data. The watch wasn't picking up the HR at all. Funny, because it had worked fine the entire bike. Oh well, Plan B is run by feel! The first 4 miles of this run are uphill. They are a gradual false flat at first then by mile 2 you are going UP! I settled into a decent, though slow pace for the first two and when I got to the Turtle Hill climb I had to walk. I gave myself permission to walk on the uphills for a max of 30 steps at a time, and it worked! It gave me just enough of a break to want to get going again. I found that I was in good company on this rough run and saw many teammates along the way. I was enjoying this run despite the toughness of it. I made myself run the down hills and the flats, only breaking at the aid stations. The aid stations were roughly every mile. At each aid station I took in ice water, a couple of licks of Base Salt, and every 3 miles I had a gel. There were also a couple of stations I would take in a Gatorade, Coke, or Red Bull based on what sounded good at the moment. It all seemed to be working because I felt pretty good the whole time.<br />
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The second half of the run I was just ready to be done. I was still in good spirits, but I wanted to be done. I ran most of the last part except for the couple of final uphills. I ran into several more teammates and one of the newbies to our club Shawn. We played leap frog from miles 8-11. It was nice to have a familiar face at this hard part of the course!<br />
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The final 3 miles are basically down hill, so I went for it. I looked at my watch several times during this downhill portion and was sub 10 pace every time. I still stopped at aid stations, but skipped the last one a mile from the finish line. I just wanted to cross that finish line! I bolted down the portion after the turn around at Diagonal and Main Street to the finish. It felt so good! I heard Ken yelling for me again and crossed the finish line. Immediately I saw my friends Marianne and Meagan working the finishers chute! It was perfect! I completely lost it and Meagan was there to hug me despite me being a hot mess for a moment! The only thing better than this moment was sharing it with such good friends!!<br />
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<b><i>Final run time was 2:37:03 (#42 out of 116 in my division)</i></b>. This is only 9 minutes from a run PR for the distance in a 70.3! And on THIS course? Heck yeah, I'll take it!<b><i> Final race time was 6:48:00 (#42 out of 116 in my division)</i></b>. This is not a 70.3 PR, but then this is not the course for a PR! <br />
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<b><u>POST-RACE:</u></b><br />
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I met up with Ken immediately after the race. I went and got some athlete food and Ken went for the car. I went with the kids to get my bike and ran into Ben there. Seriously, I can't thank him enough! He is a great coach, and has pushed me further than I thought I could go. I was glad to be able to give him a post race hug! Then we loaded up in the car, got the kids food and played by the pool the rest of the day. It was perfect!<br />
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I would be lying if I said I didn't have some goals time wise for this race. I was right on them for both the swim and the bike, but not for the run. However, when I see that everyone struggled on the run today, and I know that I honestly put forth my best effort, I am genuinely thrilled with the day I had. This just gets me fired up and wanting more! I have pretty mellow summer race wise...I have an Oly in a month, my Alcatraz swim, and then my 70.3 in September. I am so excited to see what I can do on that FLAT course after this race. It will be fun!<br />
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I've also decided 70.3 is my distance. I love it! The training is just enough to challenge me, but not overwhelm me or my life, and the distance is the same way. I loved doing sprints and Olys last year, but this is a good distance for me. I will probably stick with this distance for awhile. I really want a sub 6 hour 70.3!<br />
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Onward and upward! Happy training and racing!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-66225724129396660282017-04-24T10:02:00.000-06:002017-04-24T10:02:57.451-06:00Two weeks out plus some updates!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I fully intended to do a race report on Icebreaker this year, but I didn't. It was something else...the weather was around 40-45 and pouring down rain. I can honestly say I have never ridden in the rain prior to this, and there was standing water on the course and some slick turns, but it was actually kind of fun. I walked away with a course PR, and took second in my age group. Still need to learn to suffer more in general, but I was happy. I also didn't taper for this, and I had a long trainer ride waiting for me when I got home. This race is still a must do every year, it's a great way to blow the cobwebs off and get in a race when you're just getting antsy to race after the cold winter off season!<br />
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I just got back from Salt Lake Tri Club Camp. It is really designed for people racing IM StG 70.3 as it is two weeks prior to the race and on the course. However, many of my house mates and other teammates came down just for the heck of it even though they aren't racing it. It was just plain fun!<br />
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I drove into town and felt immediate anxiety driving the part of the bike course just to get to the house we were staying in. I was at the house a few hours before my roomies for the weekend got there and it started to mess with me a bit. For those of you that don't know, my worst experience ever was the last time I did StG. It was an utter disaster, so going back to this race has brought on race anxiety like I haven't had before. I knew one of the biggest advantages to me of coming down this weekend would be to ride the course again and gain some confidence as well as build positive associations with the course to over ride the negative ones. I was able to do both!<br />
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Friday morning we were supposed to go swim at Sand Hollow. Since this was one of two OWS there, I opted to do a pool work out I wasn't able to fit in earlier in the week. I loved the Washington Community Center! It's a nice facility and they seem to have been able to manage to let lap swimmers and the pool noodle water aerobics coexist in peace. This doesn't happen anywhere up here, but don't get me started! I swam 3000 yards and felt great. Then we had a break prior to riding Snow Canyon, we rode just a 21 mile loop that included the Canyon then we had a group run of the course. Ben didn't want me running the whole thing, just an up and back of 8 miles, but it was enough of the course for me. He then texted me that I had nailed the run! Sweet! I had to say, it felt really good overall and I thoroughly enjoyed it. <br />
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Day 2 of camp was an OWS at Sand Hollow and a transition clinic. I LOVED being back at Sand Hollow and back in open water. The water was around 61 degrees, and though it was pretty cold the first 50 yards or so, it didn't last. I loved it! This is one of my favorite places to swim period, so I was in complete heaven for this part of the camp. We then set off on a ride of most of the course. Due to some road closures, we weren't able to ride the part through Hurricane, but still got 41 of the 56 in. Man, I forgot how hilly this course is. I ended up riding most of it with a new friend Brian who is new to our club and the sport. It was great to have a friend and someone to chat with during this ride. My legs were already fatigued from the day before, so I knew this ride would be hard. Riding with someone makes it better! He was talking all crazy like doing the "double loop" and doing Snow Canyon twice, as some were to make up for the lost mileage we missed by not doing Hurricane. I knew immediately I wouldn't be up for it. Climbing Snow was much harder the second day, but I did it without needing to stop or walk. I dialed in nutrition and it worked well. I have switched to custom Infinit and love it! However, I found that the flavor is MUCH stronger in a concentrated bottle! I can't say how much I love having just one bottle to use. The Infinit doesn't have as much sodium as I would like so I add a couple tiny scoops of Base Salt to the bottle, and it is still all one place. That and water and I am good to go. No more million moving pieces to long course nutrition!I took in a mouthful of the mix every 15 minutes then washed it down with water in my torpedo bottle up front. So easy!<br />
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That night I think our house we were staying at became the designated party house. We had 15-20 people there and I was up way later than I have been in years. It was just fun. I love my tri club team mates! I have to miss a lot of team stuff due to living an hour away from where most of the group functions and group work outs take place, so it was nice to have time with them this weekend! I was exhausted coming home and still am today, but it was so worth it!<br />
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I am feeling good two weeks out from StG. There is still some work to do, but after being on the course this weekend, I am feeling much better about it. I have spent some time thinking, which is never a good thing, and am actively working on being more positive about life, racing, and myself in general. After being called out on this lately by more than one person (Ken, Ben, Justin, and Nate, thanks for the reality check!). It's not like me to be negative in general, but I think the anxiety and stress about this race has brought it out of me more than normal. I am reminded that I don't HAVE to do any of this, I GET to. It is a great opportunity and the negative self talk doesn't reflect who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to get out of it all. I am grateful for people willing to call me out on it when I need it!<br />
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So, onward and upward! This is going to be a fun couple of weeks!<br />
Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-47593645317098673242017-03-29T10:26:00.000-06:002017-03-29T10:26:05.369-06:00I used to be way better at this...Wow! It's been almost 6 months since I updated my blog. I used to be so much better at maintaining it because it really is something I enjoy. I still read tons of blogs, but have failed to keep my own up to date.<br />
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So what's new? High school swim season came and went. It was so much better the second year than it was the first. SO much smoother and a little less "deer in the headlights." I still have so much to learn, and there are things that I want to change next year, but the kids are amazing, and its a pretty cool way to be involved with them in a sport I love. I am sure, though I complain about the time commitment, I will be with them for at least a few more years.<br />
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I have been training as well! I have Ironman 70.3 St. George coming up May 6. When I did it 3 years ago, it was quite possibly the worst race experience to date. It's a toss up between that and my first marathon, though overall, StG would probably win. It was just a disaster. I wanted to immediately go back and do it better, but then IMTX happened and made it impossible for 2015, then 2016 I volunteered, and then got sucked into signing up for this year. I vacillate between being completely excited and terrified. <br />
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I also have a new running partner! Maggie passed away in November, not that she had been able to run with me in years anyway, and in January we added Murphy to the family. He's an almost 2 year old husky mix. He LOVES to run. Running and going for rides in the car are his very favorite things. The furthest I have gone with him in one setting was 8.5 miles and he could easily go more. We did 11 yesterday broken in to two runs, and he was finally sort of worn out last night. He is great! I am worried about him as it warms up though because he is a husky with a built in fur coat. I foresee a lot of very early morning runs when it is cool enough to take him over the summer.<br />
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The training is going well, but is so different training with my coach Ben, vs how I would do it on my own. Ben simply pushes me more, which I can't/don't know how to do on my own without being injured. More hours, more volume, more intensity, and more consistency. I have come to the conclusion that cookie cutter plans don't do that for me. Most are pretty generic, at least the ones I found and used previously. Plus, there was no one to be accountable to. Having Ben there to tailor it to me, giving me specific workouts, intervals to hit, etc, really challenges me. I am such a nerd because I love opening Training Peaks on Sunday to see what he's got on tap for me that week. <br />
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I also have the chance to go to Alaska this summer to help play race Sherpa for my friend Jason doing Alaskaman. It will be so much fun! I can't wait! We will also go to San Francisco for a week, and I am checking an item off my bucket list be doing the Alcatraz swim. I have had people ask if I would do the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. It really holds no interest to me, just the epic swim! It's stupid expensive, and who wants to bike those hills and run them for a ridiculous price? Not me. I then heard that a local swim club does monthly swims and when I looked it up, found they were doing it the Saturday we are there. It's FATE! I signed up and that awaits me June 24.<br />
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I have Icebreaker in two weeks (year 6 going back), East Canyon Oly in June, then Brineman 70.3 at the end of September. I don't really plan on racing more than that. I am totally okay with that as well. It just so happens that other races I've looked at we either will be out of town or have other family stuff going those weekends, so that was the main limiter. But then again, I raced so much last year trying to get to Nationals, that it was almost too much, so I am happy with what's on the docket for now and don't see it changing. <br />
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I go back and forth on my desire to do another Ironman. I will do another one, that isn't in question. What is in question is which race and when. I really thought 2018 would be my year to do it again, but now I am not so sure. The time, effort, energy, etc that goes into it doesn't really appeal to me right now. Plus, training for one with Ben just might kill me. His training is totally different than what I've done on my own (all good) and training for StG is no joke. Its hard and challenging, but at the right level. Doing more than this right now would probably max me out more than I can do in the foreseeable future. I am starting to think 70.3s might just be my favorite distance. I hate olys. Love sprints, but like endurance, hence 70.3s being pretty sweet that way. Enough to challenge you, but not enough to (quite) kill you :)<br />
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That's it for now. I will probably do an update after Icebreaker. No aspirations there other than to go and have fun. I am not even tapering for it as it is just a sprint on the road to StG. In fact, I have a long trainer ride waiting for me post race :)<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-23803212578186858982016-10-22T09:43:00.000-06:002016-10-31T10:04:30.382-06:00Haunted Half Marathon Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my last race of the 2016 season and one I have been very excited about. It was also my first half marathon in almost 3 years, so that was cool as well. Other than a handful of 5ks this year, I haven't done a run specific event in that long! It was pretty weird to pack for this race as it was <i>just </i>run stuff! Ha! You know you've been buried in triathlons for awhile if this is the case!<br />
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Training for this half was no joke. Again, I learned that training for an event with Ben is way different than how I've done it before. I enjoyed the run emphasis and saw many gains along the way, even if they were just small ones. I was reminded of why I love running. I thoroughly enjoyed the training. I was also reminded of the importance of self care such as stretching, rolling, and proper recovery, or else my body starts to hate me with the additional stress on it. I was also reminded why I entered triathlon to begin with...I missed my bike and swim and the variety in the training! Average training for this run block was 5-6 runs a week, sometimes two a day, with an occasional bike or swim mixed in. Most of the runs were easy, some with drills, some with strides, one speed work session a week, and a longish run on Saturdays followed by a shorter one that evening. It was different than I what I would do left to my own devices, but again, I enjoyed it.<br />
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This was a Halloween themed race, but I had no intention of dressing up. I am not a big Halloween fan anyhow, much less dress up for 13.1 miles for it. I told people I was going as a runner, since I still don't consider myself much of one :)<br />
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I did packet pick up the day before and rode down race morning with my friends Alicia and Cristin. We all had our own goals for this race, so it was agreed upon that it was every man for himself once the gun went off and we would meet at the finish.<br />
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I remembered that in the past the pacers have served me well in run races. I knew that my goal was 1:45-1:55ish, so I found the 1:50 pacer guy before the gun went off. He was dressed as Peter Pan in green tights! He was super nice and told me his strategy was to bank some time in the beginning on the downhills, then conserve a little for the uphills at the end. I told him I would hang with him for as long as I could. The gun went off and away we went. I immediately noticed in the first couple of miles I was going WAY faster than Ben told me to, but my HR was where it was supposed to be, so I went with that instead. It only took a mile or two into this run for my hamstrings to start feeling the steep downhill, and I knew this run was going to kick my trash and I would be sore later. Part of the deal though! I felt great and took in a Gu every half hour, and slowed some at aid stations, but not much, long enough to take either a water or Gatorade. The first 7-8 miles are down the canyon, and they are very fast. They are also so, so pretty! I never take for granted what a beautiful place I live in!<br />
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When we came into the city by the zoo, I could not longer hold the pace of Peter Pan. My legs were starting to feel the fatigue of the rapid down hill and I knew I couldn't keep up, so I let him go, even though I wasn't happy about it. The course then turned into a neighborhood which I didn't love this part. I sort of turned off mentally for a mile or so, disappointed that I couldn't keep up with Pacer dude, but also because there was a lot of winding for a few miles in the neighborhood and I felt they kept taking us up the same hill a few times over. Not fun! I was glad when I finally knew where we were and knew we were near Sugar House Park where the finish was. I really tried to push once we entered the park. These last two miles sucked. I hurt, I was tired, and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I desperately wanted to be done and running was the fastest way to get there. They actually have a decent hill a half mile from the finish. Rude! I ran that hill and immediately had to walk because I was so winded. However, this only lasted a few seconds, then I ran again and pushed to the finish. I was so thrilled to see my finish was 1:51:25! This was an 8.5 minute PR and I was pretty thrilled to be just :25 off my goal time, and I found the Peter Pan Pacer Dude and he had just barely finished as well, so I wasn't that far off!<br />
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I had to sit down and I enjoyed seeing several friends at the finish. My legs hated me already, and the next several days would continue to do so :/<br />
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Overall, I am thrilled with how this went. There is always the part of me that is my own worse critic and can't help but see how I may have done things just a little differently, but I am super happy. <br />
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What's next? I literally have nothing scheduled until IMStG 70.3 on May 6. I am sure I will end up doing smaller races between now and then, but that's it! I am looking forward to the next 1-2 weeks off for a break, and then slowly building into 2017 training with Ben. He says he is going to "load me up" more than last year, so I am a little scared what that means! But, by the time swim season ends in January, I know I will be ready for it :)<br />
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Happy Training and Racing all!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-586568728698650262016-08-13T21:03:00.001-06:002016-08-13T21:10:54.863-06:00USAT Age Group Nationals 2016One of the advantages of traveling solo to a race is that post race I can do whatever I want when I want. If that means sit and stew over the race and think about what went well and what went not so well and all, I can! I have so many thoughts about this race, I want to write it all down while its fresh.<div><br></div><div>First off, this was my end goal for the season. Every race I did was trying to get here. When I finally had an awesome race at Dinotri and qualified and got the much awaited email with the the registration link, I was thrilled!</div><div><br></div><div>I ended up making this trip to Omaha solo. Ken had some meetings at work he couldn't get out of and the kids honestly have no interest in my racing, plus, who would watch them while I raced? I tried to get a girl friend or someone to come along for the company, but anyone that could come, couldn't. I was bummed at first, and then I started to think about the advantages to going solo, and realized it would be fine. Plus, come hell or high water, I wasn't missing this race. </div><div><br></div><div>I left SLC with the kids and dropped them with my parents in Denver. They get time with Grammy and Pa, and Mama gets to focus on her race and do what she wants when she wants it over the weekend. Ken gets peace and quiet for 5 days. This was win/win for all involved! </div><div><br></div><div>I arrived in Omaha on Thursday. I got in a quick bike ride and run as was in Training Peaks for me to do. Luckily the hotel is close to everything, including a quiet road around the airport to ride on. I immediately noticed how humid it was here. It hit me like a 2x4 when I got out of my car. I haven't been in this kind of humidity since Texas!</div><div><br></div><div>Friday was very chill. I got up early for another ride and run to just turn the legs over, had breakfast, then went and got my packet and check in Ivy. I went back to the hotel and slept for 2.5 hours! Blissful! I went to dinner with some women in the Women for Tri Facebook group I'm in. It was awesome! Got to bed early so I could get up early to get to transition early.</div><div><br></div><div>A side note here. I had a start time of 10:02. Total crap time to start. I was going to be doing the race in the heat of the day, along with the humidity. I wasn't thrilled with this, but what do you do? In my pre-race talk with Ben he suggested that I try to get to transition early to set up and then go back to the hotel to be out of the heat and humidity. He also told me to plan on tampering the efforts for the day due to the weather forecast. I was also given the instruction to take in 150-200 calories on the bike and then another 150-200 early on the run. I was also to keep my heart rate under 160 until I got to mile 4 on the run and be patient. Um, I don't do patient well. I'm sure he knows this by now, but I was determined to follow his instructions as close as I could. </div><div><br></div><div>I got up and got to transition and had a sweet parking spot. Too bad I could give it up to go back to the hotel. I got back, went back to bed for an hour, ate breakfast, and then headed back to the race. So glad I did this earlier than I planned because the roads were all closed and I had to walk in about a mile to transition. I still had plenty of time though, so no biggie.</div><div><br></div><div>Swim: </div><div><br></div><div>Water temp was 86.9. It felt like it too. It was like bath water. This was even warmer than IMTX! The gun went off for our age group and I was off. Immediately I felt sluggish. Ben wanted me to ease into this, and it looked like it wouldn't be too hard to do. The start was crazy, I was hit, kicked, swam over, grabbed, you name it. I don't mind, I've come to expect it and at Nationals in Milwaukee two years it never got better. Here it did, and I had clear water most of the swim. The swim felt long. It started to feel like some kayaker had a rope tied to the yellow turn buoy and they were just pulling it further and further from me. It was the epitome of the "Are we there YET?" feeling. I felt like I was sighting well and with keeping buoys on the right, and me breathing to the left, I made sure to sight diligently so I wouldn't get off course. When I finally got to the buoy, the next one was pretty quick. Thank heaven after that turn we headed into the swim exit and it went way faster than the first half. I was actually thrilled to be out of the water. Final swim time was 29:50. Not thrilled with this, but it was a no wetsuit swim in very warm water. Not as bad as it could have been!</div><div><br></div><div>T1:</div><div><br></div><div>I was stoked to be getting onto the bike. This was my first time riding Ivy in a race, so I went as quick as I could. Total time in T1 was 2:38. This is a huge transition area and it had a long run to get into it. Pretty average for my group.</div><div><br></div><div>Bike:</div><div><br></div><div>Like I said before, I could not wait to get on the bike. I noticed right away she was in the small ring, and I don't remember putting her in that gear, but whatevs. I seriously love riding this bike. So smooth and easy! The bike course was fairly flat but there were a few rollers and one pretty good hill. The first half of the bike we had a tail wind and I felt like I was flying. The first half, other than on the hills I was at 20+ mph with what seemed like little effort. It was awesome! I loved the smooth and freshly paved roads that were the entire course. I was thoroughly enjoying myself for the sheer joy of riding. I was in a goofy mood, I decided to try goofy poses and faces for the course photographers, made sure to whoop and holler on the down hills, that kind of thing. It was just plain fun! I also enjoyed the course scenery! You may not picture Omaha as scenic, but it really was! I can't get over how green it is here and the rolling farm land and picturesque red barns and corn fields are straight out of a Norman Rockwell photo! Gorgeous!</div><div><br></div><div>The bike turn around seemed to come quickly, but that meant a head wind and back up the hills. They weren't as bad the second time around but I definitely didn't have the speed I had the first half. I didn't care, I was still enjoying myself. My heart rate was around 160-163 most of the ride. I couldn't remember what Ben wanted me to do HR wise for the bike, so I tried to stay there but more go off feel. I tried to ride comfortably hard, yet still be patient because I knew I had a run ahead. </div><div><br></div><div>Final bike time was 1:26:48. I'm sorta pissed about this. I felt like it should have been faster, but there it is. I have no idea why it is like to, other than perhaps that the humidity was affecting me more than I realized? It was hot and humid for sure, but I didn't feel it too much, and definitely not like I would on the run. </div><div><br></div><div>T2:</div><div><br></div><div>Nothing to report here. I had a ton of grass on my feet so I took my time to try to get it off so it wouldn't rub or give me blisters. In and out in 2:11.</div><div><br></div><div>Run:</div><div><br></div><div>I hit the lap button to start the run on my Garmin and my heart rate was almost 180. Well crap. Looks like we will be starting this run off with a walk to bring that down. It took longer than it should have to come down and when it finally got into the high 150s, I would "run" and it would shoot right back up. This would go on for the first 3 miles. It was so frustrating. I just couldn't get or keep it down. I was about to ditch what Ben told me to do with this heart rate business, but then I saw people ending up in the med tents and decided following his advice would keep me out of there. There was also tons of people walking, so I was in good company. The heat seemed to be radiating off the pavement and there is absolutely zero shade on this course. And it was ugly! It was all in an industrial area of the city, so I didn't even have that going for me. I just decided to focus on my heart rate and make sure I took in Gatorade at each station and dump a few cups of water over my head to attempt to stay cool. I remembered that at IMTX I had dumped ice down by bra at each station and it worked well to keep me cool and my HR down. That would have worked swell if they hadn't run out of ice at all of the aid stations except one, which were every mile. </div><div><br></div><div>The run turnaround was the coolest part of the run. We actually got to run into the TD Ameritrade stadium and run around the perimeter of the baseball field and see ourselves on the Jumbotron. It was pretty cool. I needed the mental distraction at that point as well. I was officially half way done with the death march!</div><div><br></div><div>I finally noticed that my heart calmed down a bit. I was able to manage a jog of sorts. I decided to focus on what I could control. I could control my run form. So I kept telling myself "run tall. Slight forward lean. Relax your shoulders. Arms at 90 degrees." Well, wouldn't you know it, by running efficiently, I could actually sort of run and keep my heart under control. Coach is right again! Then I thought he must continually bang his head against a wall at what a slow learner I am. Well maybe not slow, just stubborn :)</div><div><br></div><div>I finally felt decent. Not great, but decent. I happily hit the mile 4 part and decided I could really push if I wanted to, and I sort of did, but it was also so hot, I didn't think I could push much more. I did push the last quarter mile but it was painful! Final run time 1:12:57. Ugh. That's awful. I believe that is my slowest 10k ever. </div><div><br></div><div>Final race time was 3:14:26. My heart sank when I saw this. I so thought I would and could be under 3:00, and since I hadn't looked at the time at all during the race, it felt like a slap in the face. </div><div><br></div><div>Post-Race:</div><div><br></div><div>I knew that Ken and my family and Ben would want to know how it went. I was so bummed I couldn't bring myself to call or text any of them. I went to the food tent, but couldn't eat. I got a plate anyway, but it tasted like crap. Not that it was bad, I just had zero appetite. I made myself drink a bottle of water, but that was all I could keep down. I went to get my bag, and my bike. I remembered I wanted to buy a tshirt and water bottle from the TriSports tent, so I went and did. While I was there, a woman whose hadn't raced and whom I don't know asked how my race went. I told her I've had better. She asked what went wrong. I told her I guess it was the conditions, I just didn't know. She then said, " If you can make it <i>here </i>surely you can figure it out." The she rolled her eyes and walked off. What the hell was that? Who does that? Thanks for rubbing salt in the wound! I was so over this whole thing, I quickly got my shirt and bottle and left. </div><div><br></div><div>I had to ride my bike back to my car. No biggie. When I getting to my car another athlete asked where I was staying. She had ridden to transition and now had a flat and was having to walk back. Turns out she was staying in my same hotel. I told her she could have a ride, and we finagled both bikes and all our crap into my car and drive back. It was a nice diversion because I was about to completely crumble into a sobbing mess when I saw her. </div><div><br></div><div>I have now had a few hours to think about it all. I did have a good experience. I loved the race. It was well done, as I expected. The swim wasn't great, but wasn't bad either. I loved the bike regardless of the split, it was just pure fun and the best part of my day. It is fun and humbling to race the best in the nation from all over the nation! I met people from all over and it was humbling to see some super fast talent out there. It's awesome to be considered one of them and have the opportunity. It gives me hope that I can continue to grow and improve in the sport I've come to love, especially when I see an 80 year old woman out there kicking trash. </div><div><br></div><div>Regardless of the tough race and the butt kicking, there was so much good heading into it and about it. I have an awesome support system. I have a good husband. Good kids. A good coach. I've had some good training and consistent training leading into this. This is a great opportunity. Every finish line is a gift, no matter how painful it may be to reach them. </div><div><br></div><div>So, what's next? This is the end of my Tri season. I'm going to start a run focus training block with the goal of doing a half marathon later in the fall. I'm excited about this for many reasons. One, I need a change of focus. Two, my run needs the work. Three, even though running is my obvious weakest link, it is also the one that I enjoy the most lately in training, <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">regardless of the not so great performances. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I'm going to head back to real life tomorrow and school starting soon. Happy racing and training!</span></div>Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-15123104443332719442016-08-05T17:22:00.001-06:002016-08-05T17:22:56.524-06:00Meet Ivy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This post has been a long time coming! Not that in its overdue, but because I've wanted a new bike for quite awhile! Well, as luck would have it, 24 hours ago I got my wish and finally added a tri bike to my training/racing arsenal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are leaving the bike shop. The awful saddle is GONE!</td></tr>
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It all started with shattered sunglasses. In Training Peaks, my instructions for Tuesday's ride said "preferably outside." I have turned into a trainer junkie and have only done about 2-3 rides outside all year other than races. I decided I would make the effort. I got all my crap together (yes, riding outside requires more crap. Helmet, Road ID, sunglasses, pumping tires, etc) and headed out to the Island. I was having a pretty good ride but MAN nose was running something fierce! I was so tired of sniffing and trying to take care of it that way I decided since I was riding alone I would work on my snot rockets. Maybe it's TMI, but the struggle is real! I tried and don't ask me how, but it landed on my sunglasses. Lovely. So, while riding, I tried to take the glasses off and wipe them on my jersey. In the process I dropped them and they shattered on the causeway. CRAP! Those are my favorite pair of racing glasses that I've had for 3-4 years (huge Tifosi fan here. One of the few pairs I can wear that don't give me headaches). I came back home and knew I needed to replace them immediately since I use them daily for training. I cleaned up and headed into Bikers Edge to pick some new ones up. </div>
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I get to Bikers Edge, pick new ones out (these have interchangeable frames Woot Woot!) and while I am checking out I start up a conversation with the associate. I asked him how many tri bikes they sell. He said almost none, maybe 1-2 a year, but if I am in the market they can always special order one. I shrug it off and then another associate behind him says, "Yeah, take that one over there, it's been here as long as I have and it hasn't sold, that's why we normally don't keep them in stock." What? They had one in stock? How have I not seen it when I come in here before? I go to check it out and it's a Cannondale Slice 105. Gorgeous too with black, white and lime green. And wouldn't you know it, my size of a 54! I immediately know I better walk away. It was too tempting. As if that wasn't enough, they had it marked WAY down, like by more than 50% to get rid of it. </div>
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I left but couldn't stop thinking about the bike. I texted Ken, my Dad, and my coach about it. I have been looking casually at bikes online and in the classifieds and nothing had ever been quite right, either size, price, features, etc. This one was almost too good to be true.</div>
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I went back yesterday morning and asked if I could ride it. They put some pedals on it and I borrowed a helmet and just rode around their big parking lot. Immediately I noticed two things. One, it was amazingly smooth, like complete night and day from my roadie. I now realized the difference between aluminum and carbon :) Second, I notice how low the aero bars are. It was a definite more aggressive position than aero bars on Belle for sure. However, it was super comfy to get into them. I have always been more comfortable on a bike in aero anyway, so this is no biggie, though it is a lower position.</div>
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I tell the associate consider it sold. I go in and get pedals and a bottle cage and have him add those to her. They ring me up and she left the store with me! I get her home, and put her against the wall in my living room deciding I'm going to wait until it cools off to get my maiden voyage on her. My son brought up just putting her on the Kickr, but that would be just wrong! The first ride needs to be outside. However, I am impatient. I couldn't wait to ride her. Thirty minutes later I am fully dressed in my riding gear, jersey pockets stuffed, and on my way out the door to try her out for real ride, one that was not in a parking lot.</div>
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I noticed a few things immediately with riding her (yes, its a her). It is still incredibly smooth. The chip seal on the way to the causeway is all of sudden less annoying and jarring. Though I was initially scared of the lower position of aero, it feels awesome once I got down into it. Shifting in aero now is a possibility! Game changer! I click my way through all the gears figuring out how exactly it all works. The shifting is immediate, smooth and effortless. Belle, the roadie, has never been this smooth, and lately there is a delay in the changing of gears and some ghost shifting going on. I also notice how close my torso is to the top of my legs when I pedal. I also am glancing down at my watch and noticing how fast I am going with seemingly hardly any effort. My normal comfortable speed on my roadie when cruising the causeway (which is very smooth and pancake flat but ALWAYS windy) is between 16-18 depending on which way the wind is going. I was between 19-22 on this bike! Woohoo! My quads also seem slightly more taxed in this position and on this bike. And finally, I am reminded how much I hate stock saddles and realize this one will have to go ASAP. </div>
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I had texted my neighbor and friend Cristin to tell her about the new bike. She wanted me to come over and show her so I rode it later that evening in jeans and flip flops down the street to show her. Her husband, a bike mechanic and former professional cyclist arrives home while we are chatting over bikes. I tell him about the tweaks we need to make and we immediately go into his garage and on the spot he does the bike fit and makes the tweaks to the saddle, etc. He swapped out the saddle, lowered the aero bars, adjusted the seat height and angle and she was good to go. Awesome!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maiden voyage with Ivy pic</td></tr>
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I rode outside with Cristin today. The bike feels amazing. This should be noted for a few things. One, I have never ever been comfortable on a bike. I had finally accepted to be "comfortable being uncomfortable" while riding. I have enjoyed Belle and riding, but I have always had comfort issues whether they are saddle issues, my shoulder (which thank heaven hasn't been an issue, even a little bit ,this year), or weird leg pain, what have you. I have read many times about people saying the bike feels like it is just an extension of them, but have never been that way or completely comfortable on Belle. However, on this bike I feel like I could go for days in the aero position (yes, I realize I am on a new bike high, but seriously, its soooo much better than its ever been).</div>
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So there's the long story of me finally getting a tri bike. I have named her Ivy with the green accents on her. I wasn't initially going to take her to Omaha with me in a week, because I was expecting a much greater learning curve than there has been with getting used to her, but that just hasn't been the case, so she is making her racing debut at Nationals :) I will log more miles on her between now and then, but I'm pretty sure it will be fine. </div>
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I've had a few people ask what my plans are for Belle. She is staying! I'm not about to sell her. I love the idea of having a dedicated road bike and a dedicated tri bike. The reality is Ivy will get most of the time and attention. However, there are times when a road bike is just called for. When I think of all the riding I do with my Dad, that is usually climbing some mountain pass or doing rides where a tri bike wouldn't even be permitted, so I will keep her for such things as that. I am going to change her back into a true road bike though. The aero bars will come off, the old seat post will go back on, and I will finally get a road specific fit for her instead of a "lets try to make her a tri bike" fit. It will be nice to swap them here and there in training, and it will be nice to have a back up bike if one is in the shop, or whatever.</div>
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Nothing else is new to report. Nationals is one week away, and I have most definitely noticed the build and ramping up in training. It has been challenging and fun. School also starts in just two and half weeks, so I have to go back to juggling training with real life. It's all good though! I am excited for a new focus on both fronts. Oh, and I did sign up for IMStG 70.3 for next May. I am excited and nervous all at the same time, but I've got several months to work all that out :)</div>
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Happy training and racing all!</div>
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-7608480141142279392016-07-09T17:03:00.001-06:002016-07-09T17:03:08.062-06:00Echo Sprint Tri Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GL0iMFa6twQ/V4Fv6wDk3vI/AAAAAAAADcA/Zni-WYeWUgobkssUivkIFSoYzDQlmgI4ACLcB/s1600/echo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GL0iMFa6twQ/V4Fv6wDk3vI/AAAAAAAADcA/Zni-WYeWUgobkssUivkIFSoYzDQlmgI4ACLcB/s640/echo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know what my deal was this week, but I just couldn't get excited about this race. Nothing at all to do with the race or the organization, I just wasn't feeling it. I actually tried to bargain with myself and Ben to a small extent about skipping it for a training day. I finally decided since I was cheap and had paid for it, I would go and Ben felt that racing it I had nothing to lose and the fitness boost alone from racing it would be worth it. I did all my pre race prep on Friday and though I didn't mind it, I still wasn't excited. When my alarm went off at 4:00 am and woke me from a dead sleep I thought, "And why am I doing this again?" <br />
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I made myself get out of bed, but I was moving at a snail's pace. I tried to put in my contacts and they just weren't working. One eye kept feeling like there was something in it, and I kept taking it out to readjust or clean it and it just didn't work. I pulled out a pair of one day ones I have and they were much better, but I thought, "Really? Is this how things are going to go today?" I then stopped for breakfast from Maverick because nothing at home sounded good. I went to pay and the card reader wouldn't read my card...at all. Great. Luckily I had cash. I got up to the race start and picked up my packet to see my number for the day was 333. The gal handed it to me and said, "That's HALF as bad as 666." She thought she was funny, but again, was this another sign this was going to suck?<br />
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I set up my stuff and chilled with my SLTC peeps. Love my tribe! Even seeing them though I couldn't get too excited. My friend Justin said to me he was tempted to just not even get in the water because he wasn't feeling it either. I told him I was just going to do what Ben told me, and push as hard as I could and if I blew up on the run, who cares? I've already qualified and have nothing to lose.<br />
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I then went back to get something from my bag in transition (we had assigned racking spots) and I saw my stuff had been completely moved around and bike was facing another direction. A girl there (#319 to be exact) had moved it. She said I had it facing the wrong way. She had also taken it upon herself to move 5 other bikes in addition to mine. What the hell? Who does that? Another guy noticed his had been moved and called her on it. Finally a race official told her SHE was wrong and we moved them all back. I was so glad I caught this before my race, it would have messed with me a bit finding my routine transition set up all mixed up!<br />
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<b><u>SWIM:</u></b><br />
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I had done my pre-race warm up in the water and it felt good. I have never swam in this lake before, so I was glad to get my bearings. The course looked easy to sight, though the wind was blowing and creating chop. Further out there were actually white caps. I don't mind these swims, I actually look forward to them and like the challenge. They announced that this was going to be a rolling start. I had never seen this with short course before and thought it was way cool! However, I was going to seed myself with the 1:30-1:45 group, but my friends were one group up in the 1:15-1:30 group so I decided why not? Turned out to be just fine!<br />
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The rolling start got going and I hit my start button on my Garmin and took off. The first buoy I couldn't see when I tried to sight. All I could see was the people splashing in front of me, and the waves. I finally spotted it, and I had swung a little wide on that leg of it, but it wasn't too far off. Going to the next buoy was a further stretch and I had a hard time staying straight due to the waves pushing us. It was fun though and I took in several mouth fulls of water, but it was hard. Before I realized it, I was at that second buoy and it was straight into the swim exit! This part was the most difficult to sight because it was directly into the sun. I just focused on following the people in front of me and it worked okay enough. I was glad to be done. The swim time involved a run up a ramp and then to throw my flip flops on since it was a rocky run through transition. <b> Final swim time was 14:17</b>, which was a 1:33/100 pace (keep in mind I apparently added about 170 yards to this, or the course was off). Very happy overall with this time!<br />
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<b><u>T1:</u></b><br />
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Not sure what my problem was here, but this was slow! This is a large race and the transition area was pretty big, and I had a decent run down to my bike rack, but my f<b>inal T1 time was 1:34</b>. Really? I could have knit a sweater!<br />
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<b><u>BIKE:</u></b><br />
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On to the bike! I was feeling really good though my heart rate was pretty high coming out of the swim and T1. I fell into a good routine and tried to get my bearings. I was truly racing this blind as I am not familiar with the area, hadn't done this race before, and I didn't drive the bike course beforehand. I found it had lots of rollers and was a fun course! It was also beautiful! I kept thinking about how I had <i>thought </i> I had pushed the bike at Dinotri two weeks ago, but when I got back to analyze my results, my HR showed it was mostly in Zone 3, which sort of makes me believe I could have pushed that more. I made an effort to check my HR frequently during this ride to see if I was working hard enough. Side note here. Ben is big on RPE, or how it feels, not necessarily relying on the Garmin. I agree whole heartedly with this philosophy in theory, but I find it isn't reliable. Sometimes I feel I am pushing hard when in reality, I am not if you look at my cadence, or HR, or other data that shows I could probably push more. I need to get more on board/in tune with all of that. Not quite there yet. <br />
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I kept thinking I have nothing to lose so if I go balls to the wall, why not? I didn't allow myself to use the small ring on the climbs, I just powered up them. It wasn't too bad! I passed a lot of people as well (why, oh why can't more people learn the meaning of ON YOUR LEFT?) and felt really, really good for this ride. It was over far too quick because I was thoroughly enjoying myself and feeling great!<br />
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<b>Final bike time for this ride was 39:48</b>. Fastest bike split ever in a sprint tri. Average mph of 18.78. Finally a good bike split! Given the amount of hills, I was actually surprised by that, I am not a strong climber, though I love a good down hill :)<br />
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<b><u>T2:</u></b><br />
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Nothing major to report but I passed my rack and lost some time finding the right spot. With the gravel surface of the transition area I look my time to carefully throw on my run shoes to make sure none of those got into the shoes making for a painful run. Final T2 time was 1:22. Not great, but worth the extra time to not have gravel in my shoes.<br />
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<b><u>RUN:</u></b><br />
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I <i>sooooooooo</i> wanted a good run. I feel like the goal of a sub 9:00 pace run was been so close, yet not quite attainable all season (with the exception back of Icebreaker back in March where I ran an 8:47 with a downhill course). I just pushed, and found that right away my legs felt great. No awkward or heavy feeling like I sometimes have post bike. YES! I started off on the dirt rail trail this was on and went about my run. I decided to push, but not quite all out until the turn around for the first half. My watch beeped at a mile and said 9:08 pace. It was higher than I wanted it, but I figured I would just keep dialing it up a notch as the run went on. I passed the aid station and decided against taking anything. I got to the turn around and decided it was really GO time! My Garmin then beeped for Mile 2 and it said 9:06. Okay, it was a little faster than Mile 1, but time to dial it up more! That last mile HURT! My throat started to hurt, my hamstrings were tight, but I just kept going. When I crossed the finish line, I was light-headed and wanting to puke and would have if I hadn't have put my head down and taken some deep breaths. <b> Final run time was 28:42</b>, an average pace of 9:04. DANGIT! With that hard effort I really thought it might be better. And again, that sub 9 pace evaded me.<br />
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<b>Final race time was 1:26:05</b>. When I saw that I was thrilled! This is a PR for the distance by 2 minutes! (I don't count the Icebreaker sprint tri for this, because it is all shorter distances than this one and the others I've done all season). I was pretty stoked with that. Every race this year my overall time has gotten a little better each race. Today my biggest time drop was on the bike, which I am thrilled with :)<br />
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<b><u>POST RACE THOUGHTS:</u></b><br />
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1) I am glad that I made myself do this race. It was pretty fun to not care about the end result and try something out of the box to see what happened. Turned out to work okay!<br />
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2) This was a blind race in more ways than one. As I mentioned before, I didn't know the course at all, so I couldn't get all wrapped up in analyzing it or worrying about it. Second, this race does not put the ages of the participants or what distance they are doing on the calf muscle. So guess what? You have no idea who is passing you. Are they in my age group? Who knows! Are they doing sprint or Olympic? You'll never know. It really made me focus on my own effort and race, which is a good thing :)<br />
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3) This race is put on by TriUtah. I haven't raced with them in almost 4 years since I did the Ogden Valley sprint tri. I had heard nothing but good things about this race and it was all true. I loved the course, it was well organized, and the post race stuff was awesome. Freshly made pizzas out of the back of a food truck, Full cans of Coke ice cold waiting for you in coolers. A shirt I will actually wear and fit well. The medal was pretty cool. Very well done event, I will definitely be doing more of their events in the future. <br />
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4) Part of my issue with not wanting to do this race today is I just feel like I have been racing too much! It was all fine and dandy when I was trying to qualify, but since I did that a few weeks ago, I really didn't want to do this one. I never thought there was such thing as racing too much, but I think I hit that threshold. I haven't had a build phase in training in weeks either due to races or me being out of town. I miss that, oddly enough. And wouldn't you know it, I am out of town again this coming week, then I thoroughly hope Ben kicks my trash for the weeks leading up to Nationals.<br />
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5) As much as I have been racing, I am still stoked for Nationals. That will probably wrap up my tri season and I will find some running events to do in the fall to focus on my weak link. I can't wait for that! Even though it is my weak link, it is still my most enjoyable of the three disciplines in training, so I am looking forward to that focus.<br />
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What's next? 5 weeks until Age Group Nationals in Omaha! Happy racing and training!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-64461435333796135232016-07-04T16:17:00.001-06:002016-07-04T16:17:03.815-06:00Dinotri Sprint Tri Race ReportI finished this race last week and then left on vacation just a couple of day later with a million things to do in between and writing this report was not on the top of that list. So, a week late, here it is.<br />
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I have been excited about this race because I have never done it before. Now that I am into my 5th season of doing triathlons, I have done most of the local ones numerous times. That isn't a bad thing, but I loved the idea of doing one I hadn't before. Granted, this involved a 4 hour drive to Vernal, in Eastern Utah, but I am always game for a road trip. Given the fact that our children have now reached the ages of being in a million different activities, Joshua had something on Saturday and Ken had to stay to get him to it, so I was solo for this race. However, I was meeting Kim there, and other members of SLTC would also be there.<br />
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Once I got to Vernal I checked into my hotel and then went to meet Kim at packet pick up. We then drove up to T1, some 20 minutes from town to do bike check in. Two things hit me at this point, knowing this was the bike course we were driving. First...this is surprisingly pretty. I had several preconceived notions of Vernal, and this was not one of them. The swim area looked like a mini Lake Powell. This takes place at the Red Fleet State Park, and it is very pretty. Second....holy hills! There is a huge steep hill coming out of T1 that isn't very long, but it was very intimidating looking. But at the same time, what goes up must come down and I could also tell this was going to be a very fast bike course as well.<br />
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I asked one of the volunteers how many people were in my age group since this was a Regional Qualifier for Nationals. He looked it up and told me 12. Being a Regional Qualifier, the top 2 for every age group for the sprint distance would go to Nationals. I knew that if I was smart about my race, followed Ben's advice, and also pending no getting off course (hence the Daybreak mess) I might have a decent shot!<br />
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Now to the actual race!<br />
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SWIM:<br />
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They allowed a swim warm up so I got in the water and swam easy with some sprints in there. I felt really, really good. I also was in love with this lake! So pretty, water was clear, and temperature was perfect. The course would be really easy to sight. I was super excited!<br />
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The swim is a deep water start off of a boat dock. They only had four waves - Olympic Men, Olympic Women, Sprint Men and Sprint Women. This put me in the last wave. As we waited for other people to go, a guy from the sprint group said he heard it was good luck to do a cannonball into the water before your swim wave started. Well, I needed all the luck I could get, so I did my cannonball. Pretty fun because you rise to the top pretty quick in a wetsuit :)<br />
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I then treaded water until it was time to go, then I just went when I heard the horn. I felt fast, but I didn't feel like I was working very hard. I was passing many people and caught up to the sprint men and Olympic women waves. It never was a very crazy swim except around the buoys where everyone was turning, but it went well and it went fast. I loved every part of this swim..it felt fast and at the same time I knew I wasn't maxed out. Before I knew it, I rounded the last buoy and was headed into the boat ramp to exit the swim. Final swim time was 13:23 for the 800 meter swim. This is a swim PR for this distance for me! It was also the fastest swim for any of the sprint women :)<br />
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T1:<br />
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This transition involved a .2 mile run up a hill up the boat ramp and into transition. I thought that because of that I would have a slow T1 time, and also because I felt like I had a hard time getting my dang bike shoes on. Final T1 was 2:23, <br />
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BIKE:<br />
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The initial hill out of transition wasn't as bad as I thought. It was just a matter of grinding your way to the top, and it wasn't that long either. It does suck that it is literally right out of transition though, so there is no warming up, or chance to get momentum before you are climbing it. It was followed by a short down hill, then up another one before you hit the main road coming out of State Park. I felt really, really good on these hills. I passed a few guys on these climbs and one of them wasn't too happy about it. He said, "As if my swim wasn't bad enough, now I am getting passed by girls." What. A. Tool.<br />
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I was happy to be to the top of the second hill, because I knew at that point it was basically downhill into town. The down hill was sweet! I looked down at my watch and I was easily with hardly effort ding 26-27 mph. Very cool! I tried to keep spinning my legs even though it would have been very easy to just coast. these easy miles. Even when we headed into town, there were a few more rollers, but we had good momentum that they were no big deal. I felt good the whole time, I tried to stay tucked into aero and push as hard as I could but still being aware of the fact that I would have to run shortly. <br />
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Final bike time for the 13 miles was 43:22. Fastest bike split in my age group.<br />
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T2:<br />
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This was cake. In and out in 52 seconds:)<br />
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RUN:<br />
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I was the first female to hit T2. It was pretty sweet knowing that I had a lead on ALL of the other women, but I knew I would have to bust my butt to keep it, and the run isn't exactly my strength. I left T2 and headed out onto the run course, which, if you ask me, is the only lame part of this race. You literally run a half mile from T2 down to a round about. Then you run another half mile down one side, turn around a cone, then run back to the round about, repeated 3 times (to where the run course looked like a T) until you head back home. It was mind numbing and boring. I was so glad that I was doing the sprint and not the oly, where you would have to run that twice. Ugh! Surely they can come up with something better for the future, especially after such a great swim and bike course.<br />
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Anyhow, I really felt like I was pushing, so much so that I felt I could puke. It wasn't until the top of the "t" of the run that I saw another female. At that point I had about a mile left of the run. I had a good lead, but I knew I may not be able to keep it, she was FAST! And here goes the story of my life..getting passed on the run. This would be the case for the next mile as I dropped from first overall to 4th overall, or 1st in my age group. The first two women that passed I couldn't have caught. They were cruising. However, the 3rd girl that passed only beat me overall by about 18 seconds, so I can't help but think maybe I could have tried harder? I honestly felt I had nothing left to give though, and she deserved it! Final run time was 28:26, or a 9:03/mile pace. Dangit! So close but not quite the sub 9 I had hoped for.<br />
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POST RACE:<br />
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I was elated to know that I was first in my division. The three women who passed me all congratulated me and me them for a great race. We all talked about how we qualified for Nationals and whether or not we would be going. (Of course I am!). We talked about our training, coaching, etc. It was great to be there with great women/athletes. I found several other people from my club and we enjoyed the post race food and waited for awards. I was thrilled to see that my overall time was 1:28:25! <br />
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This was a great race. I was thrilled to have all the pieces finally come together and get my first 1st place for my Division. However, I still don't think this was my <i>best </i>race. My swim was awesome, I wouldn't change anything there. My bike was good, but I still think I could push harder. My HR shows I was in Zone 3 for most of the ride, so I probably could have pushed more. How much more is to be determined, because I still don't want to sacrifice my run. I still really want a run with a sub 9 pace! However, it got the job done and I am thrilled to be going to Omaha in August! Now to just wait for the email with my registration link!</div>
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What's next? I do have Echo Sprint tri in a week. I honestly couldn't care less about it now that I have qualified. If nothing else it can be a good training day, but we'll see. </div>
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Happy Training and Racing all!</div>
<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-49849568027805523622016-06-04T20:53:00.000-06:002016-06-04T20:53:26.634-06:00Daybreak Sprint Tri - Win some, lose someUgh. Where do I begin? I am still pretty peeved at how this race went. However, one of the ways I process things is to just write things down, and this is my blog after all, so if it comes across as bitter, negative, pissy, what have you, you can take it or leave it for what it is. Not every race is a PR, a podium finish, or sunshine and roses. Today was definitely not any of the above!<br />
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I started the week very excited about this race. I sorta forgot it was even race week, or at least couldn't really focus on the fact that it was initially since it was the last week of school and in all the craziness that is wrapping up a school year and graduation, it was in the back of my mind, but not my main focus this week.</div>
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I had planned to pick up my packet on Saturday morning before the race as I usually do seeing as how most races I do seem to be 45-60 minutes away. I then went back and reread the race week email and it said that same day packet pick up was NOT an option. Well crap! I readjusted my Friday schedule and made the 84 mile round trip trek to get my packet. I got there and they handed me my shirt, my bib number, and a bag with a bottle of water and a bunch of ads. I asked about my timing chip and swim cap. The lady replied that I would have to wait in line to get them the next morning. Why exactly did I drive all the way down here again? I was a little peeved, but it is what it is. </div>
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I then went home and did race prep. I always love this. I pump up music, and listen to it as I pack my stuff, prep my bike, etc. I don't consider it a chore at all, I thoroughly enjoy the process. I started to get into race mode and get seriously excited. I didn't sleep much the night before, and I didn't even care, I was just excited!</div>
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This morning Ken and I got up a 4:30 to get down there by 6:00 when transition opened. I imagined there would be tons of people waiting in line for their chips and caps, and I had also heard that there hadn't been adequate racking space in year's past, so I wanted to get a good spot. When we got there, neither situation was as bad as I imagined and it all actually went quite smoothly. I then enjoyed visiting with my SLTC friends and Kim, who came in from Wendover. I love this part! Nate Last, a sports psychologist associated with the club, gave an awesome pre-race speech to our team. It was perfect for getting into the zone!</div>
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<b><u>SWIM</u></b>:</div>
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Ben had told me to do the swim in a way that I "had another gear available, but don't use it". I think this was wise and probably because I started out WAY too fast at Salem, so I planned to do just that. With this being a time trial start, I knew it would help me accomplish this without the craziness of a group start. I got into the water and lined up along the dock til they asked my number, and told me to go. I started out smooth and easy, sighting the bridge. I fell into a good rhythm and tried to maintain it. I passed a ton of people on this swim, but didn't feel like I was maxed out. I wasn't using that extra gear as Ben said. I had no problem staying on course, and the swim went very fast for me. I came to the end and actually saw several people cut the course at the end by not going to the final buoy! What the hell? I really, really hope it wasn't intentional, but apparently those people were disqualified, so no worries there. </div>
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I made a point to hit the lap button on my Garmin the second I left the water. I wanted my real swim time, not the official swim time that includes a run across the beach, across the grass, messing with the wetsuit, and into transition. My Garmin swim time was 13:51.3 for 863 yards, or a pace of 1:36/100. I am actually stoked with this. I can't ever remember being that fast in an OWS. My official swim time according to when I crossed over the mats was 14:22. Fastest swim split in my division!</div>
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<b><u>T1:</u></b></div>
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Pretty uneventful. I racked my bike, and was a little annoyed that apparently someone came in late, rammed their bike and crap, complete with 5 gallon bucket next to my stuff, shoving some of mine to the side. Who does that? Oh well, anyhow, I threw my cap and goggles down, ripped off the wetsuit, untangled my bike from the "let's bring the bucket" person's stuff, and made my way out of T1 and then made the run all the way down a cobblestone path to the bike mount area. Final T1 time was 1:27.<br />
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<b><u>BIKE:</u></b><br />
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I started off on the bike prepared for the first half being up hill then you turn around a cone and it's literally all down hill back to transition. However, the mile or two to get to the main road where that uphill starts is a down hill. It is a fast bike start. I was cruising through the first couple of intersections, feeling pretty good about things, and I noticed none of the intersections were labeled. I couldn't remember exactly which street we were supposed to turn on, but I figured there would be a volunteer, a sign, the road painted, a police officer, SOMETHING to let us know where to turn. Well, I supposed wrong. I got all the way down to a very busy street and realized I was lost. I had no idea where I had gotten off course, but there I was. I turned around and started going back up the hill I had just flown down and I found an officer directing traffic. I asked him where I was supposed to turn and he said, "Ah man! You're way off!" Gee, thanks. He pointed me 3 intersections further up to where to turn. Are you friggin kidding me? How had I missed it? I was 50 shades of pissed. I had a "screw it all, I'm just going back to transition and turning in my chip and giving the director a piece of my mind" moment. As I pedaled to where I missed the turn, I came to my senses and immediately thought what I have prided myself on. I am not a quitter, plain and simple. I've certainly done things way harder than this. I told myself a long time ago I would never quit a race unless an official or medical personnel told me my day was over. I am not going to give up <i>this </i>easily. I thought of how much I admired Meredith Kessler a year or so ago in Kona when she was having a crappy race, yet still finished, when most other pros would have quit, and many of them did. She was a good 2-3 hours passed her projected finish time, yet she still finished. I sent her an email after that and she said something that has always stuck with me. She said in her reply email, "you must honor the finish". If she can do that in Kona, I can do that at a local sprint tri.<br />
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Now, just because I decided to keep going doesn't mean I was happy about it. I was pretty pissy as I pedaled up the hills the first half. I kept cursing myself, the race director, my bike, you name it. Then I started to pass a few people, and it helped some. I just wanted to be done. I wanted off the bike, I wasn't having fun in the least. I started feeling glad I wasn't doing the Olympic distance to drag this crapfest out even more. I was pretty negative. I finally got to the turn around and my mood seemed to lift as well. The second half of this bike course is super fast. You can almost stop pedaling and just steer the bike. I tried to push as much as I could on the second half, I wanted to make up for lost time and try to salvage what might be left of my race. I flew on that second half, with a max speed of 32 at one point. I got to T2 with a final bike time of 57:40, with 2.78 more miles than the 13 for the course.<br />
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<b><u>T2:</u></b><br />
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I was a woman on a mission! I wanted to get in and out as fast as I could and try to have a good run. I was in and out in 56 seconds! Heck yeah!<br />
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<b><u>RUN:</u></b><br />
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You know your biking is bad when you look forward to the run. At least that is the case with me as the two disciplines have switched places for which one is my weakest of the three. But, all jokes aside, the run has been my favorite lately. Not sure why, but in my training, I look forward to it the most, at least it's right up there with open water swims for being my happy place. Anyhow, I was so grateful to be off the damn bike and on the run. I felt like I was taking some control back in the race. I headed out and immediately noticed how good my legs felt right off the bat, especially compared to my last two races where I felt like my legs were not my own. Granted, they were not totally fresh, but they felt remarkably better than the past two races. I tried to ease into this run, and be patient as Ben had said, but also try to not get too comfortable either. Eye on the prize, Katie! I noticed as I made my way around the lake for the 3.1 mile run, there were several parts where the course wasn't labeled and runners were going all different directions. Granted, none of the paths were drastically different, but I could see how if you took one of the other, you might be shortening the course. I shook my head as it seemed to be theme for the day of poorly marked courses. I followed the majority of the other runners and figured if I was on the wrong path, at least I was with the majority. <br />
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The run got hot, and I wished I had a small water bottle with me. I usually don't carry any nutrition other than water on the bike for a sprint, but it was hot enough, it would have been nice to have a small bottle on my belt. There was one aid station half way that I did grab a water for my head to cool off and a Gatorade. I thoroughly enjoyed other people cheering me on simply because I had my SLTC kit on, whether they knew my name or not. I got to the second half and Ken was there to take pictures and yell for me. This was the first race of this season he has been able to be at, so it was nice to see him and hear him out there. Before I knew it, I ran under the bridge and the finish line was just a quarter mile away. I tried to push that last part and crossed the finish line with a final run time of 28:03, with a pace of 9:03/mile. I wanted sub 9:00, was hoping for around 8:45, but at least it was close.<br />
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Final time for the race was 1:42:30.<br />
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<b><u>FINAL THOUGHTS:</u></b><br />
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<li>I came home and analyzed the results (Type A, much?). I took 5th in my age group out of 17, even with the additional miles on the bike. Yes, getting off course cost me a podium, and very likely a qualification for Nationals, which is my primary goal this year. </li>
<li>I had the fastest swim split for my age group, and possibly my best swim in a race ever, not just looking at the time, but also considering other factors, such as staying dead on course, not starting too fast, execution, etc.</li>
<li>I had the third fastest run for my division. Shut the front door!! Me? The run and I have a long history of a love/hate relationship, but apparently we are on the upswing :)</li>
<li>There are many good races along the Wasatch Front and if Daybreak would like to see me back (not likely) they need to step up their game. Races are not cheap, and others (Racetri especially, but also TriUtah) do a superb job without being cheap or cutting corners to deliver a superior product that caters better to local athletes. I have emailed the race director my concerns, and in his defense, he offered what seemed to be genuine interest in the feedback and in improving. </li>
<li>You can't appreciate the good without experiencing the bad. The longer you race, it is inevitable you will have a bad race. This was not my race for sure, but I have appreciated Ben's texts this afternoon helping me to focus on the positive and gain some perspective. As he says, I have made progress, I need to focus on what I can control, and let this fuel the fire. Wise words from my awesome coach!</li>
<li>The best part of my day was racing with amazing friends. I love the people in the Salt Lake Tri Club and the support they offer on and off the course. I also LOVED seeing Kim! She is my sister from another mister, and any chance I have to see her is a good day. </li>
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What's next? I have the Dinotri out in Vernal in 3 weeks. Though I am not entirely sure what training looks like for the next three weeks, I am guessing 2 solid weeks of regular training, and a taper-ish week before the race. The two weeks of solid training sounds heavenly at this point, because with the past 3 weekends either being races or out of town, I haven't really had what seemed like a solid "regular" training week, and I just want to get back at it, and now with school being out, that makes it all the more appealing!<br />
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So, Happy Training and Racing!</div>
Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-32894139729257755022016-05-21T08:52:00.000-06:002016-05-25T08:53:32.696-06:00Salem Spring Sprint Triathlon Race Report <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any day on the block is a good day :)</td></tr>
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My second tri of the year was Saturday. This is my second time back at Salem Spring, I did it last year just two weeks after IMTX. I knew that I had done it last year on a body that was still recovering from Ironman, so I went into it tired, mentally exhausted and expecting nothing from it at the time. I somehow managed to land on the podium in that state. Fast forward to this year!<br />
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I had talked with Ben just two nights before the race, and he really encouraged me to push this as hard as I could. I know I am in so much better shape and have made progress across all three disciplines and this was attempt #2 to qualify for Nationals. <br />
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I wrote down last year's times and stared at them all week on my fridge knowing I could probably beat everyone of them, except maybe those transition times, those were pretty dang good!</div>
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<u><b>PRE-RACE:</b></u></div>
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Just like last year, we had a million things going on this day, and Ken wasn't able to come with me. He took Janae and Joshua came down with me. I thoroughly enjoy having Joshua along. He is a kick in the pants, a total blast to hang with. Plus, he has become quite the efficient race sherpa! He carries stuff, remembers things I might otherwise forget, and takes pictures! Bonus! We got up super early and made the hour and half drive down since I wanted to be there right when transition opened, and I still hadn't picked up my packet either. Thank heaven for preferred racking for SLTC members, I was able to get a good spot to rack Belle and set everything up. </div>
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<u><b>SWIM:</b></u></div>
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This is a small race so there were only four swim waves. Pro/Elite, Men 0-40, Men 41-100, and Women. Women were the last wave to go. It was pretty chilly and overcast out so I was in my wetsuit early for warmth, and I couldn't wait to get in the water since I knew it was probably warmer than air temp. When the gun went off for our wave to go, I immediately started off way too fast and felt it. My heart rate was crazy high, I was having hard time breathing, and people were hitting, kicking, and all over each other. I just tried to reign it in some, but I almost panicked it was so crazy. For a split second I actually considered rolling onto my back for a minute to chill. What the hell? That is SO not like me! I was relieved to hit the first buoy and it seemed to immediately thin out and I was up with all the men from the previous waves. It seemed like it calmed down and suddenly I was just fine. I felt like I was going fast, but not panicked and I was where I wanted to be. I got into my rhythm of counting strokes and sighting and stayed right in the buoy line. This was good since I got off course last year. This swim went extremely fast, and it seemed like I was at the swim exit very quickly. I immediately started peeling off my wetsuit and a volunteer offered to strip it. I was excited for this, but it was like she was scared of the wetsuit itself as she barely tugged it. I told her JUST YANK IT and she did and it was off. However, I lost time here for sure trying to get the dumb thing off. <b> FINAL SWIM TIME :15:00</b>. Beat last year's time by one second. However, this wasn't just the swim, this was the wetsuit struggle, the run across the grass and the parking lot to the timing mat that starts the T1 time. I would be really curious as to the actual swim time, but guess who forgot to start her Garmin?</div>
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<u><b>T1:</b></u></div>
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I really wanted fast transition times, so tossed my swim crap down, and went to get in my bike shoes, helmet, and sun glasses. In and out. One of these days I will be cool enough to try the whole flying mount thing, but not yet. <b> FINAL T1 time was 1:11</b>, a twelve second improvement from last year!</div>
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<u><b>BIKE:</b></u></div>
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Man, did I want a good bike time. Ben had told me to push it as hard as I thought I could, and this would be an experiment to see how hard I could push it without it affecting my run. Challenge accepted! This course starts out fast as you round the bottom of the pond, take one quick turn, then it goes up THE HILL. Anyone that has done this course knows which hill I am talking about. It is not very long but it is very steep. If you don't know it's coming and don't gear accordingly, it catches you off guard and many people end up walking it. Today was no exception. Both loops of the course I saw people walking it. Not me though! Belle seemed to struggle with the gearing, and she kept slipping and clicking. I just prayed we would make it to the top. We did, but that hill takes a lot out of you! It took me a bit to get my breath back and get my HR manageable again. Luckily it is followed by a slight downhill and I could setting into aero and regroup for a bit. I started to think I was taking it too easy and immediately got my head back in the game and started to push harder. The weather started to get worse during the bike, it became cloudier and it started to lightly drizzle. There was a few times I wished my sunglasses had windshield wipers. Then there is a few gradual hills and false flats until the turn around back to the pond where it is a downhill and you can fly. It was awesome! I so wish I could have seen my speed at these different times, but noooooooo! Stupid, stupid, stupid for not starting the Garmin. I passed many people on the bike, mainly men, but a few women as well. It was cool! I felt very strong 98% of the bike, with the exception of right after <i>the hill.<b> </b></i><b>Final bike time was 41:59</b>, a 36 second improvement from last year. I'll take it, though I had hoped for more of one.</div>
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<u><b>T2:</b></u></div>
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I ran in, racked my bike, and tossed my shoes, slipped into my running shoes (I don't use socks for short course) and grabbed my race belt and visor to put on on my way out of transition. In and out once again and I tied for last year's time with a<b> :57 T2 time</b>. Sweet! I love it when I am under a minute!</div>
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<u><b>RUN:</b></u></div>
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The first part of this run sucked, I honestly felt like I had giraffe legs and wondered when <i>my </i>legs would show up. I just kept pushing knowing I didn't want to lose any time and they would show up eventually. The first mile was really a struggle. I just couldn't find a rhythm and it was frustrating. I felt like I was going so slow, but I have learned that when I feel this way, I am usually going faster than I think, so JUST KEEP PUSHING. There are two hills on this run and they suck, plain and simple. However, going up the first hill, I realized I hadn't been passed by anyone in my division. That thought really encouraged me as I realized I could very well be in the lead for my division for the time being. But wouldn't you know it...I got to the bottom of the second hill and some gal comes and blows me and the hill out of the water. And, she was in my division. (How many races has this been the case? That I get passed in the last portion of the run? So many I've lost count) Well, there goes first place. I really tried to catch her, but I just didn't have it in me. I was still pushing hard enough I had to suppress my gag reflex, but she was crazy fast. I was glad to hit the down hill, and just push hard to the finish. <b>Final run time was 28:50</b>, an average pace of 9:19, and with the hilly course, I am pretty happy with that. It is also an improvement of almost 2 minutes from the previous year :)</div>
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<u><b>POST RACE:</b></u></div>
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I quickly realized I was in second place. I was thrilled with this! Unfortunately, with only 10 people in my division, this wasn't good enough for a qualification. I would have had to be in first for that, and I missed first place by 42 seconds. Ugggghhhhhh! <b>Final time for this race was 1:27:58.</b> I'll take it, though it was frustrating to be so close! However, I am thrilled to have beat or tied every single time from last year, so that shows definite improvement.</div>
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I stayed for the awards and then Joshua and I quickly left since we were freezing. I seriously think Utah races are cursed this year. Every race I've done or been part of the weather has sucked. Hopefully this trend changes quick! I have also come to the conclusion that I do better in heat. Or at least I prefer it to the cold. </div>
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I only have two weeks until Daybreak. I am excited to return to that race, it was my first open water triathlon 4 years ago and I loved it at the time. It is also a flat run course, which will be a good thing, and though there is an uphill on the bike, you immediately go right back down it. If the weather holds out, it could be a very good race for me :)</div>
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In the meantime, Happy Training and Racing!</div>
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Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-13459695557509787692016-05-16T17:06:00.000-06:002016-05-16T18:55:39.510-06:00One year post IMTX...and I'm just getting started!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A year ago this very moment I was probably a few miles into the marathon at IMTX. I was hot, tired, sweaty, and oh so glad to be off the blasted bike! Though the marathon was hard, in many ways it was my favorite part of the day. I loved the run course for its crowd support and the people I met during that Death March, and I loved digging deeper than I ever had before to meet a goal I had been working so hard on for a very long time.<br />
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Fast forward 365 day until today. I cannot believe I did that! I also can't believe its been a year!CRAZY! I would be lying if I said I didn't have some major race envy this past weekend as IMTX 2016 unfolded in what will no doubt go down as one of the most epic (and maybe cursed) races ever. I often wondered before IMTX what I would do next. I always have gone for the next big thing, and after IM, what is after that? <br />
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The first few months after IMTX I was admittedly burned out, but not for the obvious reasons. I was pretty frustrated with my performance in all three disciplines and very much felt stuck. I felt a "what's next?" feeling in that not only had I now accomplished this major goal, but I also didn't know how to improve on what were my very slow paces. If you look at my TP and my training June-November, it is pretty pathetic, almost non-existent. I guess I figured why bother at something I didn't know how to fix? I didn't want to give up triathlon or running, but I really wasn't sure what would happen next or what my next step was. A few really good things came along to help me out of this slump.<br />
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One, it was my first year as head swim coach at LHS. That gave me a really good diversion from triathlon and a way to be involved in the sport but in a completely different way. I fell in love with the kids I was working with, had a steep learning curve to get over, and something that took a great deal of time. It really was a god-send.<br />
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The second thing is I found a coach, Ben Cagle. I had always been self coached, and it did work okay for the first few years in the sport. However, this couldn't have been more perfect timing. I decided that going back to square one and focusing on short distances would be a good place to start, sort of building from the ground up. Ben has been awesome at this. He completely changed how I looked at training (no more by miles, but by time, now with intervals, goals for each session, etc). He also took away what I now realize was what many call "paralysis by analysis". So much of my getting stuck on a training plan would come from always second guessing what I was doing, adjusting things, or missing things, or not knowing how to make it up, or how to adjust it to my schedule, etc. Now I don't do any of that, that's what Ben is for! I can't reiterate or stress enough how nice it is not to the planning and analyzing. I just do whatever he tells me to do in TP. Plain and simple. It has also given me great accountability, and knowing someone else is looking at my training and also that it has been planned around a schedule I've dictated, sort of kills any excuses you might have :) I have made gains across all 3 sports, and feel I have a refocused goal and hope that maybe I don't suck as bad as I was thinking! So if you are in a rut, get a coach! I can't recommend that enough! (Just make sure its the right one, there are plenty of yahoos out there. Thank heavens Ben isn't one of them. He's pretty badass)<br />
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I know so many people give up triathlon after an Ironman, because they are burned out and loose focus. I really feel that was just the beginning for me. I realized exactly how much I don't know about this sport after doing IMTX and there is so much more I want to do! I need Ken (the husband) and Ben (my coach) to reign me in at times and be a voice of reason when I get ahead of myself, which is fairly regularly. I also have great role models in the sport that are years ahead of me that show me that the best is yet to come! <br />
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Yes, there are definitely more Ironmans in my future, but I am very happy with where I am at this point. Short course has been such a good focus for me this year. I love the training, I love being able to push myself in a new way, and it is nice to have races that rarely take over 2 hours :) I have several races just in the next 6-8 weeks and with sprints you can race that often! It's awesome and so much fun! Plus, I need to be racing this often for I need as many chances as I can get myself to get to Nationals in August!<br />
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I hope to be in this sport a long time. There is still so much I want to do. I want to keep getting stronger and better. Almost all of my PR's are over 2 years old. I want to make new ones. I also have a Bucket List of races that will take me years to get through, so I've got a lot of work to do! I wanna be the 80 year old grandma still doing races, riding her bike, and adding to her race bling collection. So, IMTX was just a spring board for me to all that I still want to accomplish. Here's to another great year! Onward and upward!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-68777987855227728332016-05-10T10:25:00.000-06:002016-05-10T11:26:00.690-06:00Lessons Learned from Kayak Support Volunteer - IMStG 70.3With my focus being on short course this year, there is no Half Irons happening for me this year. However, there was 150 fellow tri club members racing this weekend, and I knew it was going to be one giant party, and I didn't want to miss out. I wanted to be involved somehow, so I figured it would be fun to volunteer and have always wanted to do kayak support for a race, so here was my chance! I went to the Ironman website, and signed up. I was stoked!<br />
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I drove down on Friday, hit Ironman Village (this is where a miracle occurred. I left the Merchandise Tent spending less than $100!), then headed out to Sand Hollow where most athletes were doing bike check in. The wind was really blowing and there were white caps on the water. Sand Hollow Reservoir has a history of bad weather conditions, in particular wind, and this was no exception. It was cold as well, so I knew that if things didn't calm down, it would make for a very rough swim in the morning. However, I don't love "rough conditions" for the bike or run, but in the water, I kind of relish the challenge and was somewhat jealous I wouldn't be racing in it :)<br />
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I headed over to the briefing from Ironman Officials and Washington County SAR officials for all swim support volunteers. They went into detail about conditions to watch for with swimmers, what protocol was if we needed to have a swimmer assessed or pulled from the water, and what our assignments were going to be for the morning. The Ironman official said that if conditions didn't improve by morning they would cancel the swim, only letting the pros swim since it was a championship event for them. My friend Eric from SLTC was also volunteering and we stuck around for the barbecue dinner that was provided. During dinner the wind and weather calmed down and the water was like glass. Eric, who competed in the infamous 2012 Ironman there, said the conditions were almost identical to that year, where it was like the calm before the storm. Then he was nice enough to offer to let me crash on his couch for the night since I had planned on camping out or sleeping in my Jeep. This proved much better than those options would have been. Thank you Oscarsons!<br />
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The next morning I was awoken to the music LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE at 3:30am. All I could do was smile because Eric's wife, Mandy, was racing and it was race morning for her and this was her pump it up music. We got up, ate, changed, and headed over to Sand Hollow where our boats were waiting for us. I had set up my boat the night before with the essentials on it and added my own bag of snacks, water bottles, etc. I had a head lamp and was glad that I did as we were on the water before the sun was up. We actually had to paddle in almost a mile to get to where we would be staged for the race. I got out on the beach to get one more bathroom break and ran up to use the porta potties and ran into none other than Meredith Kessler! I was so excited to see her, I had missed the pro panel on Thursday and didn't think I would get a chance to see her at all. Of course, being gracious as always, she let this major fan girl get a picture :)<br />
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Getting back out on the water was fun. It was gorgeous, though cool out. It was nice to see the sunrise on the water. I swear, when I retire, mark my words, it will be by the water and look something like this:<br />
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Then a guy on a boat came up and pointed at me and my friend Eric and appointed us to be the lead kayak (the one the pros sight off of) for the male and female pros respectively. I was STOKED! How much cooler was this morning going to get? Eric has done this several times before and said that the goal was to stay one to one a half buoys ahead of the pros and you had to haul a$$ as they are fast and you have to stay out ahead of them. I could do that!<br />
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The gun went off and I did just as I was told. I couldn't believe how cool it was to watch the pros this close. The swim is always my favorite part of any race, but also the hardest to spectate and hear it was I had a front row seat. I had the slower male pros right in front of me and the lead pack of pro women right behind me. It was very, very cool. They operate on an entirely different level. Now, with that being said, I was surprised to see how many of the slower male pros (I couldn't tell who they were due to the wetsuits and the swim caps) that really seemed to be struggling with the swim. Hey, we all have off days, right? Meredith Kessler was the lead swimmer and KILLING it! <br />
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By the time the pros finished, I worked my way back to the start where they had already started the age group waves. My friend Mike had told me he was in the light blue cap wave and I was there right as it started. I stayed close to his wave and him most of the time due to the fact Mike struggles in open water with rough conditions. Apparently, he is not the only one!<br />
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I was then amazed by how many people do not prepare for the swim portion of triathlon. By this time, it had clouded up again, cooled down, and the wind and rain started. The water was choppy and far from ideal conditions. I had dozens of people grab my kayak over the next few hours grab and hold on to my kayak. This is completely fine and allowed as long as the kayak makes no forward motion. I heard time and time again from numerous swimmers the following statements that left me completely dumbfounded:<br />
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<ul>
<li>This is my first time in a wetsuit (or this wetsuit)</li>
<li>This is my first open water swim</li>
<li>I am so much faster in a pool, I don't know what my problem is today</li>
<li>I haven't swam in open water in years.</li>
</ul>
Are you friggin kidding me? Why on earth would you do this to yourself? As the conditions only worsened through out the morning, this lead to some scary incidents on the water watching people that were struggling and adding to it rough conditions. They then said, "I just try to survive the swim to get to the bike and/or run". Um, survive is the key word here! <br />
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So here's my rant. First off, I firmly believe that this sport has a spot for everyone. However, with that being said, if one is not prepared to swim in open water, one should not do so. That is why there are sprint triathlons and many with pool swims. A Half Iron distance tri held in a lake with a history of bad swim conditions is NOT the place to start. I had many people tell me "Well, everyone has to start somewhere." Yes, they do, but this is not the place. Or I also heard, "They are chasing a dream." True, but again, most dreams have to built upon. This should not be the first step to your dream. Dreams take time and work. THIS was not the place to start.<br />
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To further clarify, I am not talking about slow swimmers. I have no problem with them. I have an issue with those that can barely swim. There were many slow swimmers who were still getting the job done needing no assistance from us volunteers. I am talking about the ones that in a pool would put the lifeguards on edge (you know, like myself when I attempt butterfly) and put us volunteers on edge for 1.2 miles. <br />
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So, moral of the story (aka, my rant) is be prepared. Start somewhere, hire a coach, go to Masters swimming, take lessons, practice in open water prior to race day with a wetsuit, and be safe out there! This all seems like no brainer information, but if you saw what I saw on Saturday, you would see that apparently it is not.<br />
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I had a great day volunteering/spectating. After helping the final swimmer out of the water, I went to get out of my boat and could barely stand I was shivering so badly. I was immediately escorted into the med tent to be treated since (according to them anyway) I was hypothermic. They wrapped me in tin foil blankets and forced chicken broth down me. I won't lie, that stuff was amazing at that point. It took awhile to stop shivering, but I eventually warmed up enough they let me leave. I was anxious to go and change into dry clothes and head over to the run course to cheer on my tri club mates. <br />
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I later found out after the race that there was a 27% DNF rate for the day. No doubt, it was tough out there. I give mad props to all those that raced under such tough conditions. I personally had 5 friends not finish on Saturday. The conditions on the bike were terrible, making it to where people were so cold they couldn't shift or brake. With so many hills on this course, that would be unreal! <br />
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I firmly believe every triathlete should volunteer for a race. If you choose to do kayak support, even better! It is a great opportunity. Here are some suggestions I wish I woud have known prior:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Dress in layers. It might be cooler in the morning than later in the day, so be prepared to add or take away layers as the conditions arise.</li>
<li>Wear clothing that can get wet, because you will get wet.</li>
<li>Wear gloves of some kind, exercise gloves like those for weight lifting or cycling would be great. I got a blister on the inside of my thumb from paddling.</li>
<li>Take snacks and enough fluids for a long morning on the water. I was out there for 4.5 hours. </li>
<li>Having a head lamp was invaluable for the morning. We started paddling at 5:15am, before the sun was up. It was great to have the lamp. Have a whistle ready as well, though Ironman provided them for us.</li>
</ol>
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So what's next? Ironically, I am volunteering at another triathlon this weekend (a sprint) that is held right in my neck of the woods. Then I have Salem Spring Sprint tri (attempt #2 to qualify for Nationals) in two weeks. Happy training, racing, and volunteering all!<br />
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<br />Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-27813668586336505282016-04-07T08:13:00.000-06:002016-04-07T08:13:20.078-06:00Another year older and wiser (?) too....I turned 37 yesterday. I don't know why, but this is a hard pill to swallow. I have never really had a problem with birthdays, but the older I get, and the higher the number gets, its getting kind of weird! I loved birthdays as a kid. I mean, who doesn't? Then when I was in my 20's, I liked them and liked the number getting higher because I seemed to think it gave me more credibility. I felt like people don't really take you seriously in your 20's, so hitting 30 was cool too. Then when I hit 35, it seemed weird. I was now "mid 30's". For some reason 36 didn't bother me, but 37 is just seems, well, OLD!<br />
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As I have been coming to grips with the fact that I am another year older, I have thought about a lot of things both triathlon and life related (after all, this is a triathlon/racing blog). In my last race, and in others lately, I have found that the older I get, the more competitive women get. There are some seriously fast women out there! Some crazy talent! While this could be discouraging, I am inspired when I am passed in a race by someone that has a 40 something, or 50 something age on their calf muscle. It gives me hope that as I get older I can get better too! I love that these women (and men) are not letting age define them and are continuing to go out there and kick butt and be the best they can be, and be pretty good at it too!<br />
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I have a friend who is in her 60's. In fact, she turned 64 yesterday. She is still actively training and racing Ironman races! Sweet!! I have another friend who started off as a back of the pack runner, and now is a Kona qualifier at 47. There is hope yet! If I keep going like they are, I have another 20-30 years in the sport I have grown to love!<br />
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Triathlon seems to be the only sport that the older people get, the better they get. Most pro-triathletes are in their 30s. Compare that age to the average age of other professional athletes, and I would guess it is older. I love how no matter how old or competitive people get, this is a very welcoming and supportive community. That never ceases to amaze me as I go to races or tri club functions. What a great thing to be involved in!<br />
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So, as I started yesterday as I have started every birthday of mine for the past 8 years...with a run. Ben had a speed work run on tap for me, and I couldn't wait to tackle it. I got up at 4:15, dredged outside with my headlamp and reflective vest, and enjoyed starting my day hitting intervals that had me running at a 7:30-7:45 pace. If you had shown me that pace, or those workouts even a year ago, I would have laughed at you. I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but I really wanted to try it. And you know what? I hit every single one of them. :)<br />
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Here's to another year of training, racing, and improving. Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-6533679293039602702016-03-26T10:10:00.000-06:002016-03-27T10:14:03.511-06:00Vanilla ICEbreaker Race Report 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my first triathlon of the season and my 5th year back at Icebreaker. I have said it before, but this is the perfect way to start off race season. It's early season when most people are getting antsy to race. It is also done by Racetri, in my opinion, the best race company in Utah. Aaron doesn't leave any stone unturned and always puts on a well organized, super fun, and great event. It has grown quite a bit in the 5 years that I have been doing it!<br />
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I have been training hard for this race! Which is kind of weird in that I have always gone into a sprint thinking I can complete it, while always training for longer distances. Ben and I have been working on getting faster and competitive at the shorter distances this year, so I felt really ready for it. I knew it was going to be a different type of race when I pulled onto the street the pool is on early this morning and was actually nervous! I haven't been nervous for a sprint since I did my first one 5 years ago!!<br />
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The weather had been a concern all week. It was showing it was supposed to actually snow the night before this race and have a high for the day of 50. But that "high" in temps wouldn't come until long after the race was completed. Looking at the hourly forecast, it was going to be 38 degrees when we left the pool and got onto the bike. That forecast was dead on. Yikes!<br />
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I thought a lot about what to wear on the bike, if anything as far as extra layers were concerned. I finally decided to suck it up and just wear my tri kit. This is my first of 4 attempts to qualify for Nationals, so I knew that in my super competitive age group, I needed every second I could get, so I would just go for it. <br />
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<b><u>SWIM</u></b>:<br />
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I had a chance to get in and warm up before the race start. I swam 200-250 with short bursts of speed in there as Ben had told me in my pre-race instructions. I actually liked being in the water because it was so much warmer than standing on the side of the pool, even though it is warm in there. I felt good, and was just ready to do this! We lined up in our self seeded fashion. In the past, based on projected finish time, you get a 0-5 on your hand at body marking, with the 0 being the fastest. I have always gone with a 1 and it has always been accurate. However, they only asked about 1/3 of the people swimming their times, so people were everywhere. While in line with my friend Mary, we noticed the people starting ahead of us were NOT seeded correctly. Jerks! That really irritates me, because it just causes congestion and mess for the rest of us.<br />
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It was finally my turn to go and when they said GO, I went! I felt good, focused on going sustainable hard, and the first 100 was great. Then we ran into issues with those that didn't seed correctly. It got crazy and I was getting past, while getting backed up behind others, and it was more of an aggressive open water scenario, right in the middle of the pool. That tends to tick me off so I just pushed my way past those that were clogging it and got through the next 200. It seemed to go quicker than past years, and it did! <b>Final swim time was 6:16</b>...a 15 second PR for this swim! Keep in mind this "swim" time also includes a run from the pool, out of the building, across a parking lot, and into the softball field where transition is. A PR nonetheless!<br />
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<b><u>T1:</u></b><br />
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I had decided against the extra layers to save time. I tossed my goggles and swim cap down, grabbed my helmet, glasses, bike shoes and was off. It felt slow, but was still under a minute. My fastest time for T1 in this race is :48. but today was :57<br />
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<b><u>BIKE:</u></b><br />
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I so wanted a strong bike split! I got on, and was off down the initial quick downhill, and then to the gradual uphill. I noticed immediately that my chain was slipping between gears. What the?!? I found if I shifted up it stopped, but in a couple of lower gears is would switch between a couple nonstop. Ghost shifting? Either way, its going to a mechanic to figure that one out. <br />
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Anyhow, I just tried to push where I could. I noticed I forgot to hit the right button on my Garmin leavin T1, and it paused it, so I lost about 5 minutes as far as it was concerned. I fixed this while riding though. I was glad to get to the top of the hill where it levels off and you can actually settle into aero for a bit. I felt really good. My legs felt strong, and even though it was cold, it wasn't bad. I past a few people on this section of the course. I was excited to get to Alpine Highway where you can just FLY! I really tried to punch it at this part of the course and felt I was doing well and it did feel like flying! I love moments on the bike like that!<br />
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I started the second bike loop and it was much like the first. By now the slower swimmers were starting their first loop, so there was more congestion on the course. It wasn't really a problem, but I sure wish more people learned what ON YOUR LEFT means! I got to the top again and pushed hard the second half of the loop and enjoyed the downhill. I told myself to NOT fall off my bike like last year when coming into the bike dismount area, and am pleased to report that I did not :)<br />
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I grabbed my bike and ran for transition. <b>Total bike split for this year was 41:07</b>. Not happy with this, because I don't feel like it reflected how I felt I did. I <i>felt </i>like I was faster, and felt stronger than past years, but apparently there is some work to do.<br />
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<b><u>T2:</u></b><br />
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This is where I first noticed how cold I really was. My hands were so numb I really struggled with my shoes and in particular getting my bike helmet undone! I actually had to have a volunteer help me get it up unclipped! I was ready to do my run with it if she hadn't have helped me! I also noticed I had no feeling in my toes. This felt like a slow <b>transition time and it was, at 1:35</b><br />
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<b><u>RUN:</u></b><br />
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I noticed as I struggled with my shoes that my dear friend Meagen was leaving T2 at the same time. I wanted to keep up with her. I threw on my hat and ran off after her and was able to be with her as we went up the first part of the hill. I kept doing what Ben said to do, try to maintain the effort from the 5k a few weeks ago, and feel like I was being pushed up the hill, vs pulled. That hill is awful. Like really awful. But, I just powered up and noticed a woman in my age group pass me. Dang it!<br />
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I was thrilled to make it to the top of that hill and I just tried to relax a little from the hill effort, but still go hard. I was getting passed, but all by men, so I didn't care. There were many from my team that were passing me and they would yell "Go get em Kate!" as they did. I love that on the course!<br />
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We got to the downhill on the Alpine Highway and I was feeling good, like <i>really </i>good. I just gunned it. I passed several people on this portion, which is such a boost because this is where I am usually the one to get passed! As I rounded back into the rec center about a .25 mile from the finish line, I heard my friend Bryan behind me. He said to me, "Here we go Kate. You and I are going to finish this together and go get that BAM guy up there. Ready? Let's go!" And we were off like a bat out of hell, but he is WAY faster than I am, so I couldn't keep pace with him, though it was an awesome push there at the end. When I got onto the field and saw the finish, I literally had to suppress the urge to puke, but pushed hard anyhow. It was awful and awesome at the same time :)<br />
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<b>Final run time was 27:18, a PR for this run course for me</b>! SWEET!!! I can't tell you how stoked I am about this run! Running has been my nemesis, and to finally have a solid run like this, I was thrilled! The hard work, drills, intervals, hill work, etc, is paying off!<br />
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<b>Final time for this race was 1:17:16</b>. Not a PR, mainly because I lost time on the bike and T2. However, it wasn't far from a PR, only :22 seconds. <br />
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<b><u>POST RACE:</u></b><br />
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This is where it's party time! I met up with Meagan, and we took our obligatory yearly Icebreaker picture. Love this girl! She's going to rock her first Ironman this summer!<br />
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And below is what makes getting out of bed and driving an hour and fifteen minutes and then racing in 38 degree weather worth it. Seriously, where else are you going to get a Vanilla Ice medal? I love the Swim, Bike, Collaborate and Listen on it :)<br />
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Though I am disappointed that I didn't qualify for Nationals at this race (this is the one I qualified at 2 years ago), I am still thrilled with how I did, even with my disappointment in my bike. I have seen so much progress already in a short time frame, I am excited to see what the rest of the season holds. I loved racing today. I loved seeing my tri friends. I loved really pushing it and crossing yet another finish line. I am reminded of how awesome, yet painful, short course can be. <br />
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What's next? I have 8 weeks until Salem Spring on May 21. <br />
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So, with that, happy training and RACING all!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-40231574610235046902016-03-08T17:05:00.001-07:002016-03-08T17:05:43.572-07:00THIS SUCKS!I'm semi injured. I wouldn't say full on injured, but I have strained or pulled a groin muscle. It's my upper inner thigh just below my quad. It started bugging me a little about 2 weeks ago, and then after an interval run last week, it really started to bug. It doesn't hurt at all while swimming or biking, but any kind of impact (even walking around) hurts. Its a dull achy kind of thing. And Ben says no running if there is any kind of pain. This. Sucks.<br />
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I should have known something was coming when just a week and a half ago I was thinking how good things were going. I have seen progress in the pool, progress on the run, and some progress (maybe a little) on the bike. Then this happens. Well crap. I have been doing everything I am supposed to, but it sucks having to sit out the runs, probably because for the first time in my life, I am enjoying those workouts the most! It doesn't help that the weather has been gorgeous making the runs even more enjoyable. But, those are sidelined for the time being. And it sucks! And did I mention my first race is 2.5 weeks away?!?!<br />
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What else is new on the training front? Not much. I am loving the swims, they are hard but doable. I love the confidence that has come with hitting times that when I initially look at the workout make me think Ben is smoking crack. I have loved seeing my average per 100y time drop by 18 seconds in the past 3 months. That is sweet!<br />
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I got my bike off the trainer for the first time since September. It was just okay. The weather was cloudy and chilly, but I decided to go anyway, since the forecast predicted it would just get worse as the day went on. It was windy as well. And wouldn't you know it, 45 minutes after I got home the weather was gorgeous and sunny again. Screw you, Mother Nature!<br />
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I have signed up for several races, at least through the first part of July. I am doing the Icebreaker Tri on March 26 (year 5 at this one), The Salem Spring Tri (May 21, year 2 for me at this one), Daybreak Tri (June 4, 2nd time back) and Echo Tri (July 9, first time doing this one). They will all be sprint distances and all attempts of reaching my goal of qualifying for Nationals. What I do after these will greatly depend on if I do go to Nationals or not which is August 13. We shall see! I have even played around the idea of a fall marathon, but most likely it will just be a half marathon. I really want to try to go sub 2:00 on a half. When Ben told me a full would require 3 months of running 40-60 miles a week (to be competitive or PR anyhow), I pretty much decided a half will probably be more doable for now. It might be pathetic, but I even have tentative race goals for 2017 and 2018! I swear this is an illness!<br />
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In non tri related news, I have a couple of trips coming up. I will be gone for a 3 day swim coach's conference with Haley, my assistant coach. I wish it were somewhere cool, but it's just 3 hours north in the booming metropolis of Idaho Falls. Then my mom and I are going to Vegas for a girls weekend Memorial Day.<br />
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Nothing else to report! Happy Training and racing all!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-78991843888909629142016-03-05T08:42:00.000-07:002016-03-05T08:42:01.724-07:00SLS3 Dual Pocket Run Belt ReviewThe kind people at SLS3 reached out through email and asked if they sent me their new run belt if I would like to try it out for a while and write a review, I have now been using this belt almost exclusively on all my runs for the past 2 months. <br />
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I have always struggled with a way to carry my crap while I run. This usually includes my phone and sometimes my keys, and when I am doing longer runs, GU and water bottles. I currently have 4 belts prior to receiving this one that carry anywhere from 0-4 bottles, and I use for different purposes. Since most of my training these days is short distance and I don't need the bottles, I liked the idea of something simply that could just carry a few things...this belt fits that bill!<br />
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<img height="400" src="http://cdn3.volusion.com/yrwma.puckm/v/vspfiles/photos/SDPRB4A-2.jpg?1447411243" width="400" /><br />
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When I first got it my first impression was that is seemed simple yet well made. This impression held true. The pockets however seemed too small to hold my Iphone 6 with its bulky Otterbox case. I was wrong. The pocket easily expands to hold it and I am guessing could hold up to a 6PLus as well. Very cool! The inner part of the pocket is water proof, so if you get stuck in rain or are a profuse sweater, your stuff will be protected! And there are two pockets, so you can keep things separate as well. The pockets are very cool because they can expand to hold what you want them to, but aren't any bigger than you need them, as they sort of fold onto themselves. You don't get a big empty compartment bouncing around if you don't need it. <br />
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I also liked that this is adjustable. Regardless of how you want to wear it,<br />(waist or hips) you can adjust it to fit there. I have had a harder time with other non adjustable belts (Flipbelt) that are not adjustable.<br />
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Price point on this is right on. The belt sells for $12.90 on Amazon. With running and triathlon being such an expensive sport, this was very cool to see, that it is very affordable.<br />
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Now for the cons, but for me it is a big one. This belt did not stay in place while running. It would stay for a very short while then ride up and be bouncing around my mid-section. Now, in all fairness, I have yet to find a belt that doesn't slip up at all, but this one did continually in my runs. Some factors that I think contribute to this are how you have it adjusted and also the material of your running clothes. On my really slick spandex compression tights, it would ride up constantly. On the more nylon like, not so slick material, it wouldn't ride up as easily. I also would play around with how tight it was adjusted, only to find the belt would loosen itself back to where it would ride up again.;(<br />
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<img height="282" src="http://everyday-asian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SLS3_1.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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<b><u>PROS:</u></b><br />
Well made<br />
Waterproof pockets that hold quite a bit<br />
Adjustable<br />
Awesome price<br />
Cool color selection<br />
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<b><u>CONS:</u></b><br />
Does not stay in place while running, rides up<br />
No reflective material on it, at least not on the all black one I received.<br />
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Overall, this is a good belt, and I will keep experimenting with it to see if I can make it stay in place because it has so much potential!<br />
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<i>This belt was provided for me for the purpose of this review, but the opinions are all my own.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-90782709174827378342016-03-03T10:11:00.000-07:002016-03-03T10:11:57.733-07:00Strange Pool ExperienceNow that swim season is over, I have my afternoons wide open! This has made for prime training time, and especially for getting swims in since the pool is right across the street from the school I work at :) Ben is taking full advantage of this new opening in my schedule and now has me swimming 3-4 times a week! This alone is big for me, because even with Ironman training I only did 2x a week.<br />
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I am now one of the regulars at that time of day on any given weekday. There are very few people there that time of day, and one of the others is this older man (65-70 I would guess?) with a thick German accent. He always tries to make small talk and I try to always be friendly, but honestly, his accent makes it hard to understand him, and I also have a swim cap over my ears and sometimes even water in my ears, so I just try to make general conversation and pretend I heard what he said. I also just wanna get my set done some days!<br />
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Anyhow, this man has been more talkative lately. He knows that I coach the high school team there. He likes to talk about the sport in general and clearly has some knowledge of it since he talks about Olympic prospects, and their recent times and their coaches. He is super friendly. Lately he has decided to start giving me unsolicited feedback (all positive). He will say when I come to the wall "nice hand positioning" or " you are very streamlined". Yesterday was a little strange though. He asked me why I was breathing more frequently on my 100s than I had been the week before. Alrighty then! He has clearly been watching me very carefully. I am not sure what to think of this, but I just go with it and try to be polite. He then gets out of the pool, pulls up a chair, and busts out a stopwatch! What the? He sits at the end of my lane and looks down to see my workout written down. I continue about my set, and I was doing some 100s. He says, "You were at a 1:38 for the last one. Lets pick it up for the last two." Well, now I have to bust out some hot 100s! Once that was over (and I posted a 1:33 and a 1:35 for the last two) I had 10x25s. He then was like, " You did a 20 on that last one. I think you could do an :18 if you tried." Um okay? Because I'm not already busting my arse, right? Of course, I didn't say this, but I had to push it some! When some guy with a German accent is yelling your splits at you, you just GO!<br />
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At the end of my workout, I hit stop on my Garmin and realized I posted the fastest average 100 time EVER. 1:37. What the heck? Can I please have him yell at me more often?<br />
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I was on the fence about how to take this. First off, it sort of creeps me out to know anyone is watching me that closely. But then again, I have to remember that people of his generation and people from Europe tend to not have the personal boundaries that I have, and he could very well be an old school swim coach that is just being friendly and enjoying talking about the sport with someone else in it. Ken's first response to this was "You have a pool stalker!" followed by a laugh. However, none of his critiques have been inappropriate (in fact they are very technical in nature, and things an average Joe swimming laps wouldn't know), like he isn't watching my flip turns or suggesting naked yoga in the sauna. So as long as he is friendly, I will continue to be as well.<br />
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The more I have thought about it, I am completely intrigued and bound and determined to know his story. He probably has a pretty cool one!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-73848022789868136062016-02-06T10:07:00.000-07:002016-02-19T10:07:35.858-07:00Progress! SLC 5k ReportI ran the first stand alone 5k I've done in about 2 years. Ben told me to find one to use a progress measuring tool, so I jumped at the chance to do <i>any </i>race, and was super excited about this one. I couldn't even remember the last stand alone running race I did! It was so weird not to have a whole race bag to go! Just running shoes, phone, that's it!<br />
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It was super cold out, around 18-20 degrees. I actually warmed up for the first time ever before a 5k. Ben told me to run for 10-15 minutes prior to the race with some strides mixed in. I appreciated doing this just for the sake of staying warm! It was dang cold!<br />
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They started calling people to the start and I kind of jumped and ran in place to stay warm until the gun went off. I then just tried to run comfortably hard, but something maintainable too. In true Katie fashion, I started off too fast. I hit the one mile marker and my Garmin said it was an 8:42 mile. What the???? The good thing was that I didn't feel like I was dying!<br />
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The next mile was the hardest. I kept trying to pick people going about my pace or my desired pace and tried to stay with them. It wasn't happening. I seriously felt like I was going so slow, but I looked at my watch and it still said that I was in the high 8, low 9 minute mile range. I was glad to hit mile 2 and it said 9:02 as the average pace.<br />
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The final mile sucked. I wanted to puke, but I also wanted to be done. I just kept going until we rounded the corner for the last .1 of the race, then I tried to book it, though I felt like lead! I was actually extremely winded and light headed on that last .1, but it was fine as soon as I walked around for a few minutes and cooled down. I couldn't believe what my watch said!<br />
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This is my second fastest 5k ever, and way faster than I expected to do. Thank you Ben! I guess all those stupid looking running drills, and speed work (I actually really like the intervals, just not the drills) are paying off! I can't wait to see what the next several months of training bring!<br />
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I have noticed progress across the board since training with a coach. Some would say maybe its just the consistently, but I honestly know I couldn't have done this on my own, for several reasons. One, I'm just not that consistent in my training on my own. Having a coach keeps me accountable. Two, I don't have the knowledge or time to obtain the knowledge to plan my workouts and training plan like he does. There are times I look at the plan and think "What is he thinking?" but I've learned to trust it and it is paying off. I am so happy with this! I've also seen progress in the pool with my average time per 100 yards slowly and steadily dropping. Bike is sort of hard to gauge at this point since it has been all indoor riding, but I am sure I will see progress there as well. Heaven knows I need it!<br />
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I have 5 weeks until Icebreaker, my first tri of the season. I can hardly wait! Happy racing and training all!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-57091978987288566082016-01-01T12:40:00.001-07:002016-01-01T12:40:06.646-07:00Happy New Year!!And here I go again, saying this blog has been neglected and I promise to do better, yada, yada, yada. I guess in the spirit of a new year, I should commit to at least trying to be better and updating on what is going on with me, for all 3 of my loyal readers :)<br />
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1) I have started training with a coach. I have always been self coached, using training plans out of books or off the web somewhere, and I feel like I have gotten by okay, but have hit a performance plateau I don't know how to get around. Also, it just simply hasn't been in the budget in an already expensive sport. Once a year, Ben Cagle offers a coaching scholarship/sponsorship to one athlete for a year of free coaching. It is his way of paying it forward. I had applied last year in hopes of having a coach for IMTX, but was not selected. I had all but forgotten about this opportunity until I got an email from him saying he was opening it up for the 2016 year. My first thought was, "Well, I don't really know what I want to do in 2016, or have any big plans, so why would I do that?" But then I thought, why the heck not? Like I stated above, I have been frustrated by my lack of gains in the sport, and haven't known how to push through them, so this might be just what I need. So I applied and got selected back in November. My training plan with him started the Monday after Thanksgiving. All I can say is 5 weeks into this is it has already taught me so much and changed my outlook on training.<br />
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For one, I have been a runner for 6 years, and I am entering my 5th season in triathlon and I have, for the most part, followed or done training plans that are "just put in the time/mileage". So a three mile run would be just go run three miles at whatever pace felt good that day. I did some speed work, mainly on the run training with my IMTX plan, but that was very limited. Now, with Ben, every workout has a goal and very specific targets to hit. There are not more "run 3 mile" or ride 20 miles. It is all done by time and with very specific things to do and accomplish within that time period. I really like it, though it has been a mindset shift. I also feel like my training is more efficient and no more junk miles. <br />
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Another thing I have loved in having a coach is that I no longer do the analyzing or planning. I simply do whatever he loads in Training Peaks. This has been <i>soooooooo</i> nice, I can't stress enough. I let Ben do that, and do whatever he tells me to do. I trust him and though I don't always see the <i>why </i>of specific drills or sets he has me do (like running drills for example...I hate them!), I just do it. I am only 6 week into this, but so far, so good, and I am so excited to see my progress this year!<br />
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2) I got a new bike trainer. I bit the bullet and got a screaming deal on Wahoo Kickr power trainer. I am still not sure what to think of it. The Pros to me are not using a back wheel, training with power (though I am not sure what to do with this data yet, but that's Ben's job) and it is cool to control the trainer from my cell phone. It is also quieter than my old trainer. The cons are that it is a lot of information, but not sure what to do with it. Granted, Ben is taking this data and working it into my training, but I see it as just another measure of my training, like HR or pace. Another down fall is that I won't be able to use this once my bike is on the road, as I don't have a power meter for races or road riding. <br />
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I know that there are things like Trainer Road and the ability to download different workouts onto the trainer, but I don't feel like those accomplish the very specific things that Ben wants me to hit during a ride. Hopefully I can give it time and figure it all out :)<br />
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3) Training wise I feel great. No injuries, my shoulder isn't bugging me at all on the bike (thank Heavens!!!), and I have been very consistent in my training lately with Ben. It's amazing how being accountable to someone else motivates you to just get it done! <br />
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4) My goals for 2016 is to focus on short distances for once, and try to qualify for and go back to Age Group Nationals. They are in Omaha this year, on August 13. Here's to trying! I know I said I didn't care if I ever went back, but I wasn't prepared like I could have been, and now I feel like I can do better. Plus, its much closer to home, so it makes it more doable!<br />
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That's all folks! Happy Racing and training all!!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-71574568448868326472015-12-02T14:56:00.000-07:002015-12-02T14:56:09.734-07:00Blog and Life UpdateI suck at keeping this blog updated lately. So much has happened, especially for it being an "off season". I have pretty much done next to nothing other than occasional runs and weight training here and there. Until this week, I hadn't been on my bike or in a pool since my last race! That's one sign you know you are a swim coach...when you are at the pool every day and haven't swam on your own in months!<br />
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Coaching is going well. I love my kids. I love coaching, almost all of it anyway. The management part of it can suck and be overwhelming, but I am getting the hang of it. I seriously work with the most talented, amazing kids on the planet in a sport I love, so how could I not love it! They challenge and inspire me. I couldn't be happier with the coaching aspect of my job! I have learned a lot more about the sport as well in this process, which only makes me a better swimmer, I hope!<br />
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I applied for a coaching scholarship about a month ago with Ben Cagle, who is with Beyond Endurance Coaching. Every year he picks one athlete to give a coaching scholarship to (one year free coaching). I applied last year and didn't get it. I got the email saying he was taking entries for this year as well and figured it couldn't hurt to apply again. Well, what do you know, I actually got it! I couldn't be more excited about this! We have had several email exchanges, as well as a FaceTime call, and I think we are on the same page. I like his approach to training, and I think I am going to learn a lot from him. <br />
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The training plan started this week, and it feels so good to be back on a routine! I forgot how much I love training, and it really helps me to be a nicer person :) I just lack the motivation to stick with it on my own, and I also spend so much time analyzing, planning, and second guessing my training, that sometimes I just give up and don't train like I should. I have found that this week it is so nice to just open Training Peaks and do what Ben has in there for me. I am so excited to just do the execution part of the training! <br />
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Getting back on my bike last night was good. Though with my extended break from biking I have to build up my butt acclimation to the saddle. Even being on the trainer wasn't bad! I was also happy to spend an hour on the bike and have ZERO shoulder issues. Hopefully this continues because my shoulder/neck has been a major pain this fall.<br />
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I also got back in the pool this morning. It felt good. The set looked hard initially given the lack of swimming I have done lately, but it wasn't that bad. Challenging...yes. Impossible...nope. I really enjoyed it!<br />
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It is fun to be excited again after an extended break. I think that following IMTX, though I was on a high from completing such a huge thing, I was also burned out. I was stupid to plan as many races as I did following IMTX. Training became something I <i>had </i>to do, not something I wanted to do. Then coaching started up this fall, and it slipped to the side like many things do. It's just glad to be back. I've got a lot of work to do to get where I want to be, but I am excited to be back on board.<br />
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In the meantime, happy training and racing all!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-68885858376389484562015-10-05T09:45:00.001-06:002015-10-05T09:45:04.680-06:00Serious Blog Neglect!!Wow! It's been awhile since I last posted! Here's what's new with me, for all 3 readers of this blog.<br />
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I finished off my racing season. I actually did the Utah Half 70.3 and never did a race report. It was brutal. I didn't train for it like I should have, and it showed. The swim was awful, way, way, way too shallow of water. It made Lake Woodlands look like the Caribbean. Just plain nasty. However, I did have a 5 minute PR for this swim. I think I really just wanted to be out of that nasty, murky, mud puddle. The bike was hot and windy. I forgot how bad the roads are the middle third of race. My arse wasn't happy bouncing and rattling around on chip seal for that long. I got off the bike and was cramping EVERYWHERE, even my hands. I was not having fun on the run and mentally was ready to turn in my timing chip as I have never cramped like that. I gave myself a 30 minute/3 mile time limit. If I wasn't feeling better by then I gave myself permission to quit. Luckily, BASE salt saved the day and I found a groove and was able to finish. Still brutal, but I did it. Final Finish time was 6:42:40, only 22 minutes past my PR, and considering how NOT ready for this I was, and the fact it felt much longer, I'll take it.<br />
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I was then supposed to do the St. George Marathon on Saturday. I DNS'd again. I did this two years ago as well due to an injury, and here I was in the same situation. I have been nursing a knee injury, and by the time I finally got it better, I had missed so much of the training, that it wouldn't have been worth it. So, I decided not to make it a 4-5 hour Sufferfest, which it would have been as well as risked further injury to the knee that is finally doing better.<br />
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For the first time in at least 3 years, I currently have no races on the calendar. This is so weird for me, but I am okay with it. I know that once the registration opens for next year's local stuff, I will sign up for short distance tri's. I really want to try to qualify and possibly go to Nationals again. They will be in Omaha and I would love to take a crack at it. I will probably sign up for several local sprints and see what happens :)<br />
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What is my focus now? To be honest, it is on coaching my swimmers! This has been perfect for me on so many levels. It has given me an outlet and focus post IMTX that I have needed. It filled a void I knew would come with the let down of that race, and I have loved it. The kids are amazing. I love it! I have great assistant coaches, a big team, and a fun season ahead. <br />
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As far as my own training goes, I am trying to find a happy median. I haven't been doing much with the added obligation of coaching to already working full time and being wife/mom. I need to find a doable volume and goal (hence the sprints for next season), but also give myself a mental break. Today I am going to start the Jillian Michael's Body Shred 60 day program. It is 30 minutes a day and will give me some activity and a different focus other than SBR, and will work on strength training, which I need. I am excited about it!<br />
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That's all that is new here. I still spend way too much time on Tri websites and forums. I am finding that knowledge gained from doing that over the past several years is paying off now that I am coaching. I love that this combines a hobby of mine, and now an aspect of my job. Win/win! I still want to do another Ironman, but am okay with it being a few years. I don't have the burning urge to go immediately do another one. It's a great place to be at. <br />
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In the meantime, happy training and racing all!!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-677934508369265852.post-59299863223450540342015-08-18T14:03:00.003-06:002015-08-18T14:03:41.799-06:00It's Race Week!Normally I am like a little kid at Christmas when it comes to race week, but that isn't the case this time. I have the Toughman Utah Half 70.3 on Saturday and I can't help but feel a little hesitant about it. This is mainly because I don't feel ready! I seriously haven't trained the way I would have wanted to for many reasons. One, I gave myself a mental and physical break following IMTX for about 4-6 weeks. I trained, but it was unstructured what I want, when I want to kind of thing. I needed that break. <br />
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After that break, I started in with a training plan and that went well for another 4 weeks, then injury reared it's ugly head. It started with an inner thigh issue, just on the inner side of my knee. Then I think that aggravated my IT band on the other side of the same knee. I have been battling that for the past month. I can still swim and bike all I want, but the run has been pretty much non-existent. I have biked and swam, but even though these are "cleared" activities with the PT, it still bothers me, so I have not done those to the extent that I should.<br />
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So, this race will be interesting to say the least. I know that the bike and swim will probably be decent, but the run will be a train wreck. I had high hopes for this race as it is a very fast and flat course, and I was hoping for a PR, but I don't really think that is in the cards. I am more worried about the St. George marathon in October! With pretty much no running the last 4 weeks, it has seriously derailed the training plan I was following for that. Ugh!<br />
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I will have a race report as always, and any race is better than no race, so I will go and enjoy all that the sport has to offer. In the meantime, Happy Training and Racing all!Katie Voorheeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941186078338092399noreply@blogger.com0