Epic Racing Update, It’s March

I haven’t written a post for a while; it’s been crazy. Working, training, dogs and buying a house. All contributed to a lack of writing. 

Here’s the updated plan on completed races and what’s next:

I didn’t run for one week last week and this week has been a tough one too. Buying a house was the most stressful thing since moving to Tennessee. There was so much to do and I didn’t make time for running. There is still so much to do; it’s a bit overwhelming.

However, despite everything, training, racing and traveling is full steam ahead.

Race Report Houston Marathon:

It was a fun time to be in Houston. The weather was perfect and it was so good to connect with Mark, Brian and Shelly. It was nice to get out of town for the first time since moving to Tennessee. I was glad to finish and have a great meal with friends.

At the Houston Marathon Finish Line 2023.

Race Report Roaring Gap

My new friend Christal agree to join me on this adventure east to the mountains of North Carolina. The Roaring Gap race is touted as a tough trail run. It was no joke. The 50K is four loops and at the end of the day we did one loop plus a few miles when I took a wrong turn.

The trail is up, over and around Stone Mountain with gorgeous waterfalls and vistas. It was 100% worth the trip (3.5 hours in the car) to experience this place. Thank you to Christal who drove most of it.

I think we both agreed we don’t need to go back to this race, but then again, four loops may be calling us in the future.

Like I always say: everything is good, hard, fun, difficult, complicated. I am alway pleasantly surprised by the good people who come into my life and make it so much better.

Colossal Vail 55K Race Report

I finished. 

It was a great day.

I was happy running all day. 

Colossal Cave Park

As I was driving to the race from Tucson to Vail, I thought, so many things could or could have gone wrong to get to the start. At times, I can be worst-case-scenario girl. I traveled 2,600 miles to run 34 miles in the desert. All my flights were on time, rental car went well, I wasn’t murdered, I didn’t oversleep, and I didn’t get a flat tire on race morning. These are the things I think about. So much can go wrong.

The afternoon before the race I started preparing all my gear and realized that for the second time at a big race I forgot the lid for my reservoir. Since it’s not attached to the reservoir I always leave it by the sink. I forgot to pack it. I had to run to Summit Hut, just one hour before they closed to buy a new one. Seriously, that was the worst thing that happened; it was a good race weekend.

The start of the race was cold; 40 degrees. As the race started and we headed into the desert the wind kept me cool. I wore two layers and gloves. Even as the sun glared down on us the wind kept me cool and comfortable. The course was absolutely stunning. The pictures do not do it justice. 

I started slowly and walked when it was really rocky. My legs didn’t feel fatigued until after mile 12. I only had a few moments of feeling bad but for the most part I just felt good and happy. I ate and drank according to the plan. I cheered on runners coming back from the turn around and that gave me energy. 

A few weeks ago I bought Altra Olympus running shoes. They are super bulky, heavily padded shoes. They were the most expensive shoes I’ve ever purchased but the specifications said they were good on technical, rocky trails so I wanted to try them. 

My favorite running shoe

They were worth every penny. My feet felt great the entire time and now, they are my go-to running shoe on trails. 

At the 17 mile turn around I knew I was going to finish. I knew everything was going right. The aid station volunteers were amazing and helpful. Oreo cookies with frosting are now my favorite aid station food. I used Tailwind the entire time. I ate bars and gels and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

The course was a mix of hard packed dirt, small rocks, big rocks, slabs of rock, and sandy wash crossings. There was even a brook that was flowing from the rain the day before that I had to rock hop. The Arizona Trail is amazing and varied. I’m so glad I came. 

The final downhill to the finish I pushed it and was so happy. I was the only person from New Hampshire to race. I got my finisher railroad tie, drank some chocolate milk and headed back to the hotel. So Happy. 

As I drove into Tucson to meet Kassandra for dinner, the Catalina Mountains stood guard. They are a stunning mountain chain rising up from the desert. I miss Tucson. I spent three years in Tucson learning about the desert by running and mountain biking all the parks that surround the city.  

Hiring a coach was the best thing I could’ve done. She helped me prepare for the race by giving me a plan that made me strong and helped me create a race plan to get me to the finish. Thank you Coach Kathy.

I’m so thankful for my health, my friend Kassandra and her family who I got to see and catch up with, and everything and everyone in my life right now. Thankful.

Friday Night Sunset from hotel in Tucson

Bear Brook Classic, Training Update

Commitment:
When you find a way over every hurdle in your path and nothing but success is an option.

On Saturday I raced my first Mountain Bike Race. I signed up for it in July, the first week race registration opened. At that point, I knew that I wanted to work towards the Leadwoman race and the only way to do that was 1) actually race on a mountain bike and 2) figure out a way to finish the 100 mile run race. But first things first. 

I signed up for the Bear Brook Classic and then from July to October I changed my mind a million times about 1) what my goals were (100 mile run, 100 mile run not in Leadville, biking only, etc) 2) thinking about Ironman Lake Placid in 2022 3) not signing up for anything and just training for Ironman Florida and 4) just spending hours on race websites and calendars. 

Three weeks ago I made my decision – 2022 is all about Leadville and if all goes well 2023 will be about Leadwoman. I hired a coach and I’m feeling the pressure to do all my training days. It’s stressing me out a bit but it’s what I need. I think. Maybe. I’m pretty sure of it. Bring on the hemming and hawing. 

Which brings me to the Bear Brook Classic. In July I signed up for the Cat 2 (Sport) Women – 40+. At the time there were two distances: 10 & 20. I’ve been riding Bear Brook for about two years now and by July I had only biked about 10 miles at the most on a mountain bike. When I sign up for races I always think:  I want to sign up for a big race and train for it. Ten miles seemed so short so I signed up for the 20. I ended up biking 12 miles a few weeks later at Bear Brook, which was hard but doable. I knew I could do 20 miles. 

August and September were more triathlon training months. I mountain biked on average once a week. On the morning of October 2, race morning, I wasn’t even sure I was going to race. It was a rest day for Ironman Training and I didn’t train at all to race on a mountain bike – just trail riding. However, after I got my butt in gear, I decided the race would be interval and speed work. 

I’m glad I went because it was a great experience. The long course was 18 miles. 

The Finish Line at Bear Brook

The good: knowing that I couldn’t go out too fast, not trying to kill it on the first mile, getting settled in and just riding and having fun. I knew the course, there were only a few turns onto trails I didn’t know. Knowing the course helped a lot especially on a few downhill sections that I knew would have a quick uphill and I’d have to change gears to get up fast. 

The bad: not lubing my chain before the race, not carrying more food/gels. One more gel would’ve helped my energy level towards the end. 

I didn’t know what to expect going into the race and it just takes one experience to help confidence and know how I need to train: biking fast. 

One thing I’ve been struggling with is changing negative thinking (just do one lap, this is hard) to positive thinking (I can do this!) while racing. It’s so easy to just stop and be done. I particularly struggle with loops – it’s so easy to only do one. My brain wanted me to stop, do one loop and go home. I knew that I just had to go out on the second loop and I would be fine. And I was.  I have to remember that  for Florida.

I still don’t know my finishing place in my division but at the end of the day – who really cares. Okay, I care a little. I’m guessing second from last – those women were fast! 

I do love mountain biking but I also love running, hiking, and swimming. I love trying to do it all even if I suck at it all. I’m in it for the Adventure! 

I’ll be signing up for next year. Now it’s just 4 weeks to Ironman Florida and I’m in total-focus mode. I will remember the quote above: Find a way over every hurdle in my path so only Success is an option. This weekend was a success and I can’t wait to finish Florida. For the next 4 weeks: No missed training days. No excuses. Just do it.

Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon Race Report

This weekend was back to back races. Aqua Bike Saturday and Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. 

Race morning started early. My mom was my support team and we got to the Wallis Sands at 6am just in time for packet pick up. The shirts are awesome this year; soft cotton. I raced this event two or three years ago and it seemed like there were more people this year.

The sun was rising as I headed to the water to test the temperature, it was going to be a great day. 

Photo by My Mom.

Then, I ran into JD again. He’s announcing this race too! 

The waves were big due to the hurricane out at sea. It is a short swim so I was ready for anything. As I headed into the water I tried to figure out how to swim while not being able to catch my breath every time I tried to put my head in the water. The waves were so big I felt like the best course of action was backstroke until I got my bearings. As I approached the first turn I was able to start swimming and rounded the buoy to calmer water. After the next turn buoy, swimming was easier and was pushed to land by the waves.  

The bike course was awesome! Flat and Fast. I just pushed it the entire time. My dad was waiting on Wallis Road and cheered me on. I loved riding through Rye and going past houses of friends from my youth. There was a bit of a headwind as I turned north on 1A. The parking lot at North Hampton State Park was packed with cars. It’s going to be a good day for surfers.

Back in transition I realized that I forgot to pack a hat but the run is so quick it didn’t matter. Running along the ocean in Rye is so beautiful. I haven’t been to the ocean since the spring, and on this beautiful day it was just amazing to be there. Crossing the finish line, JD called me out saying this was my second tri this weekend and said some nice things about me…. Ahhh. He mentioned that he knew me from our Sunday River days….. He’s the best! 

Results: I’ll take second in my division. Woot.

It was a great race course and I was so happy to be there. I feel so lucky to be healthy, racing and going to amazing places to swim, bike and run, with family and friends.

Capital Well Sunapee Aqua Bike Race Report

On Saturday I swam/biked the Capital Well Sunapee Aqua Bike. Last year it was my one triathlon and I reconnected with my high school friend, Kristin. This year my friend Sonja wanted to train and race an Aqua Bike race. We searched for one and this event worked for both our schedules. 

We have been training on Long Pond and biking from her house. I think that worked well. We rented a house in Goshen on Friday night and had dinner at Salt Hill Pub. Then on Saturday morning it was just a short drive to Sunapee State Park. Logistics and parking were easy. The water was calm and relatively  warm. I opted for a wetsuit because I really need to get used to it for IM Florida in 6 weeks. 

As I was heading into the start area I ran into JD who was announcing the race. He’s so awesome at it and made the event really fun when we were all a bit nervous. 

The bike was the same course and my time was a bit faster from last year. However, I felt like I was in better shape and didn’t die so quickly from the hills. 

It’s all about the bike. Photo by Jay

It was great racing this event with friends and it’s such a great venue. I loved the post-race beers and how they showed results throughout the day. 

I’m pretty sure this will be an annual triathlon whether as an individual or a relay. Sonja and Jay are talking relay next year with Sonja swimming, Jay biking and me running.

Millennium Running does a great job at running and triathlon events. My one criticism of the Aqua Bike is that you end the race in transition, no finish line. For me, I don’t really care, but for first timers or people who really just love the swim / bike portion it’s not really fair. I hope they  figure out how Aqua Bike participants can go through a finish line.

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Photo by Jay