tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360435422272552032024-03-13T08:36:13.057-07:00NICOLE KELLEHER - THINGS TRIATHLONA probably pretty boring chronicle of training by Nicole Kelleher....nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-9465876447874115362011-06-08T13:55:00.000-07:002011-06-08T13:58:04.844-07:00BLOG IS MOVING!!! WWW.NICOLEKELLEHER.COMHEY EVERYONE!<br /><br />PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NEW SITE: <a href="http://www.nicolekelleher.com/">WWW.NICOLEKELLEHER.COM</a><br /><br />ITS A VERY DIFFERENT SITE FROM MOST PRO TRIATHLETE SITES AND I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! IT WILL FEATURE DISCUSSIONS ON SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS THAT RELATE TO TRIATHLON PERFORMANCE AND HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY...<br /><br />THIS BLOG WILL NO LONGER BE ACTIVE<br /><br />THANKS!!! =)))nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-75179950453937553122011-01-13T09:05:00.000-08:002011-01-13T09:10:44.372-08:00AM 1400 Sports Talk Radio Interview with Mac McDonaldThank you Mac McDonald for a great interview on Sports Talk Radio AM 1400- I loved being on the show!! Click on this title to hear the interview!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-28899472692258807782011-01-04T11:27:00.000-08:002011-01-04T11:38:47.323-08:00Lessons from a rookie season....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttfsS8vU_Uf1ybU2JkFBstUJ8Nz2bbaw6MSCXf6kzcbATFnRn0qeji2HG4MuPyfUrLiDjd-G66b32x6vJsXPcONb6HsyJ1NsTRcs66Wngqoul0d3p7KKe3flzDEq45_dV0ZUF37lsHhOW/s1600/rookie.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 223px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558417456749722482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttfsS8vU_Uf1ybU2JkFBstUJ8Nz2bbaw6MSCXf6kzcbATFnRn0qeji2HG4MuPyfUrLiDjd-G66b32x6vJsXPcONb6HsyJ1NsTRcs66Wngqoul0d3p7KKe3flzDEq45_dV0ZUF37lsHhOW/s320/rookie.bmp" /></a><br /><div>Lessons I Learned As A First Year Professional…Lessons Not Just For Professionals…<br /><br />A month and a half ago concluded my rookie season as a pro triathlete. The Princeton web dictionary defines a “rookie” as- “an awkward and inexperienced youth.” I get that. I learned a lot of things this year and I hope some of them can help someone else’s transition to triathlon be a little less painful than it is supposed to be……<br /><br />*"I don't believe in the danger of overtraining, but I do believe in the danger of under-resting”<br />-Deena Drossin Kastor<br /><br />The debate about overtraining aside, I think Deena makes a great point here about how the training benefits of rest are often dramatically undervalued. Building rest days into your program is just as important in preparing you for your race as building in hard workout days. I would put myself out there to say that appreciating the value of rest is the single biggest factor that helped me make the jump from age grouper to professional. It is incredibly ironic, but to be faster- you have to learn how to rest more.<br /><br />*Don’t give into intimidation<br /><br />Before my first professional race in Philadelphia this year, I thought my guts were going to explode from nervousness before the gun went off. I thought I seriously didn’t belong in a field of athletes ripped right off the pages of Triathlete magazine. I didn’t have a professional looking uniform- I was wearing a sports bra and some tri shorts that didn’t match- I even looked like I didn’t belong. My goal going into the race was just not to get last by too much. The gun sounded, I raced within myself and ended up on the podium. All that worry for nothing; I should have been enjoying the race from the start.<br /><br />*You can’t be successful if you are not having fun<br /><br />Self explanatory. For most of us, triathlon is supposed to be a source of enjoyment, fun and friendship. When triathlon becomes stressful and a burden- it is really hard to be successful. Keep it all in perspective and have fun!!<br /></div>nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-16978838655213558302010-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:002010-11-03T10:17:04.432-07:00Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix in Oceanside, CA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgh-Pt98NcTIQgjdDE3soBV4LKCksCt96EIWSxeZZK-bayUAnEG-u79vrrU_YMuRdJQft4mQNDFTIJKB2RD2d_Ayfs1spOOFlqVG85P3VE7nFGlgDI3KAsZwBbnAtakQU4BamsLT9vupK/s1600/76020_158974894141250_100000862205749_271558_8305826_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535373643223359058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgh-Pt98NcTIQgjdDE3soBV4LKCksCt96EIWSxeZZK-bayUAnEG-u79vrrU_YMuRdJQft4mQNDFTIJKB2RD2d_Ayfs1spOOFlqVG85P3VE7nFGlgDI3KAsZwBbnAtakQU4BamsLT9vupK/s320/76020_158974894141250_100000862205749_271558_8305826_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://fastforwardtriathlon.com/2010/11/03/super-sprint-triathlon-grand-prix-oceanside-ca/75136_158971494141590_100000862205749_271388_5287010_n/" rel="attachment wp-att-887"></a><a href="http://fastforwardtriathlon.com/2010/11/03/super-sprint-triathlon-grand-prix-oceanside-ca/76020_158974894141250_100000862205749_271558_8305826_n/" rel="attachment wp-att-881"></a><a href="http://fastforwardtriathlon.com/2010/11/03/super-sprint-triathlon-grand-prix-oceanside-ca/73741_1492301308291_1256773668_31242022_2550578_n/" rel="attachment wp-att-885"></a><br /><div>WOW!! What an AMAZING race!</div><br /><div><br />Certainly the most exciting event I have ever been a part of. The Format was a 300mswim, 5mi draft legal bike, 1.5mi run- Repeat. The swim was in the Pacific Ocean with what to me, coming from Central Virginia, looked like quite large waves. The spectators gave off incredible energy the entire time, the motorbike TV cameras did a great job with coverage and didn’t crash anyone around a 1/2 mile lap, the announcer was Greg Welch- amazing, the lap counter was Paula Newby Fraser- amazing, pretty unreal atmosphere! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I did a good job staying in the race until surprisingly the first run- which is so weird cause I usually never worrying about my run. I had a slow transition out of T2 and my body just felt totally rocked and I couldn’t get up to speed, then I got rocked some more in the second swim with googles full of water after getting busted by a wave on the way out- unable to see back to shore I got badly split from the back and had the second bike to tackle myself ( I was the only one solo as those behind me had each other). It is amazing how a small mistake or failure of your body to respond for a split second can drop you instantly out from a race in an event this like this- but that also is what makes it so exciting!! My last run felt awesome though and I was happy to finish strong in 8th place. Even though I got rocked a bit and it certainly was not my best race of the season- I still had so so so much fun- by far the most fun I have ever had in a triathlon…totally amazing!! I am also very motivated now to work on my transitions and quick speed- as this was definitely exposed as a major weakness that I knew about- but now I really know =) I think the spectators had even more fun, although that is hard to imagine…</div><br /><div><br />My dad came to watch and it is the first time he has seen me race triathlon professionally. He is not that familiar with the sport nor is he a triathlon fan- however, he still had an AMAZING time and got so caught up in the race, I have never seen him so excited for an athletic event. It was very clear to me that this is an event with huge potential for a general audience and might just bring triathlon into the general consciousness of many Americans. I am so incredibly excited to follow the future development of this race series. Anyone who has the opportunity to should definitely go watch one of these events next year- Words can’t describe the atmosphere and excitement. I can’t think of the last time I felt so much pain and excitement at the same time. Simply brilliant – new – exciting – innovative – and so so awesome!</div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://www.sstrigp.com/sstrigp.com/Home.html">http://www.sstrigp.com/sstrigp.com/Home.html</a> </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=633043528536&set=a.625141264736.2116771.503622#!/pages/Super-Sprint-Triathlon-Grand-Prix/131238776926331">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=633043528536&set=a.625141264736.2116771.503622#!/pages/Super-Sprint-Triathlon-Grand-Prix/131238776926331</a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=633043528536&set=a.625141264736.2116771.503622#!/pages/Super-Sprint-Triathlon-Grand-Prix/131238776926331">141264736.2116771.503622#!/pages/Super-Sprint-Triathlon-Grand-Prix/131238776926331</a> </div>nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-23590191746329391382010-10-05T19:13:00.000-07:002010-10-05T19:17:40.406-07:00Half Full Triathlon- Much more than just a triathlon...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0PUe4B8kQSKGh91l2iajdAscn4js7BQOr5aPU9bAgy2HuI1eA49TBvbKNJ68ttiIwnDySEZxacRQwmLiNTuC_tAs2VAFXADRSwy__5dCPVkWagd9lz_ayP7TMNBV6LLrthV17fQYrPgv/s1600/Half+Full+Cut.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524751503282733618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 292px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0PUe4B8kQSKGh91l2iajdAscn4js7BQOr5aPU9bAgy2HuI1eA49TBvbKNJ68ttiIwnDySEZxacRQwmLiNTuC_tAs2VAFXADRSwy__5dCPVkWagd9lz_ayP7TMNBV6LLrthV17fQYrPgv/s320/Half+Full+Cut.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This weekend I had the honor of participating in truly the most special event I have ever taken part in. The inaugural Half Full Triathlon drew over a 1000 participants and 400 volunteers (do the ratio on that!) this past Sunday in Columbia Maryland to raise support and awareness for young adults battling cancer. I can guarantee that there has never been a more impressive inaugural event. Headlining the event were Rebecca and Laurel Wassner (the only pro triathlete who has beaten cancer) as well as Eric Shanteau (also a cancer survivor, 2008 Olympian and American Record Holder in the 200m breast stroke) and Doug Ulman (the CEO of Livestrong). This event was run by the Ulman Cancer Fund, a young adult alliance organization with Livestrong, and 100% of race registration went directly to their cause of advocating for and supporting the largely marginalized and under-served population of cancer patients that are young adults in this country. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Triathlon itself cannot be captured through words on paper. From the incredible major media coverage, the nicest most helpful volunteers on the planet!, amazing gift bag, impressive expo, free chipotle, free McDonalds, free lace locks, Oakley raffles ect, ect ,ect It had EVERYTHING and even more that you would find at the largest, most well-know triathlon in the country. This event has obviously inspired major support from all directions. This is going to be a HUGE event in the future and an important movement in the triathlon world. The distance was a 70 mile race with a .9mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 run. The distance is significant in that it represents the 70,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer in the US each year. What I really want to talk about is exactly what that means at this race and why this race is different. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I woke up Sunday morning looking forward to helping my relay team with the swim portion of the race, but I was mostly excited because I knew I was about to witness triathlon in a new light. I was right about that. The swim was gorgeous, pancake flat, smooth water. And our relay team won the relay division as well as had the fastest overall time of the day- owing not at all to my swim but by an insane 1:17 half marathon by James Linville and an impressive bike by Scott McAims. And 3 of the top 5 relay teams were from UVA (out of 100 relays!). So UVA had an incredible day. But what was different about the race had nothing to do with the performances of just that day. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Standing at the finish line I witnessed cancer survivor after cancer survivor cross under the large finishing banner, past the photographers, announcers and TV cameras. Most of them would stumble a little after the line as they dropped their faces into their hands and started to weep. These were often very young people. And even more often, these were people that had never done a triathlon before and now had just completed a 70 mile race after battling cancer. Could they have ever imagined being in the finishers ring of such an event the months or years before when they sat in a stark hospital room with a line of chemotherapy streaming into their veins or confronted their mortality in quiet hours alone somewhere – all at such an unimaginably young age? Looking around, people all along the course carried signs with photos and memories of loved ones lost too early- and yet there was hope there too. I was not the only one that noticed. The event was permeated with a hope that cannot be destroyed. Everyone felt it together.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is one of too many examples to cite during this sacred day. To recommend this race like I have others would not be doing the event justice. This is a race for anyone who has ever doubted that triathlon could change the world or anyone who wants to witness what that change looks like in full display. I hadn’t ever seen it before; but now I have- and I know now that this sport is much bigger than I realized.</div>nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-10558368913680173652010-09-28T19:54:00.001-07:002010-09-28T19:56:53.737-07:00USAT Elite Nationals Race Report...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPh97HIS3g2UMXajXYDmmG_-zVsyoHEKyyIBtgGY7xcBj5dGSTrs16yZ9eEyUWOK5iNo8NotJ-Qeyo-4PKLRYZ9TtdjUzVDe73WQePvw4sEnqjxiAW6XofbOGJtjW9vFI8CZMhqj6yv3s/s1600/USpodium_small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522164002508157554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPh97HIS3g2UMXajXYDmmG_-zVsyoHEKyyIBtgGY7xcBj5dGSTrs16yZ9eEyUWOK5iNo8NotJ-Qeyo-4PKLRYZ9TtdjUzVDe73WQePvw4sEnqjxiAW6XofbOGJtjW9vFI8CZMhqj6yv3s/s320/USpodium_small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><br />This weekend was certainly one I will remember for the rest of my life. Before the race, I had been anxious about the draft legal format; this was my first real ITU race. I knew the swim would be really tough- in the draft legal races you have to make a pack of cyclists out of the water or your race is over. This year, there were also a lot of big names in the race, which would also make everything faster and harder for someone with little experience like myself. Going into the race, I tried to put these thoughts aside and, being a person of faith, reminded myself that things are not really in my control anyways so really why worry about it too much. On race morning, we paraded down to the dock. When the starting horn went off, it was 90 degrees outside. Things might be even tougher than I imagined….<br /><br />The swim started and it was pure violent, explosive, white water madness. I was able to stay with the main pack for about 500m…then had to do some work on my own for a while in a small pack of three. After about 1000m I left my pack of three and bridged up to another girl who had come off the main pack with about 300m to go. We got out of the water together- 45 seconds down from the main pack…<br /><br />I nailed the flying mount! Woohoo!<br /><br />We made our way to the main pack in less than a lap and a half, that was the much easier than I expected. There was a descent 300m climb on the bike course that I knew I could use to my advantage later in the bike. Our pack was very disorganized and we weren’t really pushing a good pace- the lead pack put a lot of time on us. I tried to sit in as much as possible but I ended up pulling a bit more than I should have because I was worried we might get lapped out. On the second to last lap I made a move on the climb- where all good road racing moves are made- an instantly put 50m on the pack. I slowed just a little to let two girls catch me and we were off. We worked together great and put about 30 seconds on the pack in a lap and a half- If only we had gone earlier we could have probably made a go at catching the next pack- but live and learn….<br /><br />The run was miserable but I went out extremely conservatively because I knew the heat would be a major factor in the race. It was in the mid 90s and the run was very exposed. It was a great battle with the mind demons, but I kept them at bay long enough- it gets a little easier to keep them down each race. By the middle of the run, people were starting to roll back to me but it was getting tough. I started to break up the laps into 2 sections by making it a goal to get to the next water station (which was every half lap) and not think about the remaining portion of the run- the only thought I allowed myself was concentrating on getting to the next water station. This is a marathon strategy that works great for distance events. I went from 8th off the bike (then to 10th after transition- dah!) to finish 4th overall and 3rd American at the end of the day. This was a big result for me, one that was way beyond even my “reach” goals. Right now I am just trying to process it all. Days like that are the reason why triathlon is such a tremendous sport! I really hope everyone in this sport gets a day like that, whatever that means for you, every once in a while =) Tremendous thanks to Fast Forward Triathlon, InsideOut Sports, Computrainer, American Bicycle Group and Ragged Mountain Racing for all their tremendous support of development athletes like myself. This support is vital to driving the sport of triathlon forward. </div></div>nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-86907673434178283932010-09-24T15:38:00.001-07:002010-09-24T15:40:50.869-07:00Elite Nationals Preview<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXvzqjzg4uaQHeBFgDoDh31UGvN_XmWKYtrQT7o42z79HCjxuq1suhgh-nmSy_r_P3NZCEETCx-La7u8G3hVOsJ0MYKiEww6OT5ljC_rKUJ8Ml-cGtJY3eT_xOJfOntU9YKS2R109O-UR/s1600/eltmaleswim2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520613425884945506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXvzqjzg4uaQHeBFgDoDh31UGvN_XmWKYtrQT7o42z79HCjxuq1suhgh-nmSy_r_P3NZCEETCx-La7u8G3hVOsJ0MYKiEww6OT5ljC_rKUJ8Ml-cGtJY3eT_xOJfOntU9YKS2R109O-UR/s200/eltmaleswim2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This weekend in Tuscaloosa, AL is the USAT Age group and elite national championships. I have been in town for two days now and the thing that has struck me the most is how supportive and friendly the town has been towards all the smelly, legg-shaved, ridiculous compression sock wearing triathletes that have bombarded this small southern college town. I think the Elite race will be fun and it is a big USAT event. However, I think this best part of this weekend will be the Age Group race. I would highly recommend people putting this race on their calendars for next year if they qualify. It is truely the best of the best in short course Age Group racing. The amatuers I have seen here have all the focus and drive of the pros I have seen at other races. In age group racing it is really difficult to know exactly how you “stack up” becuase racing is so regional. I think this is a great opportunity for age groupers to really get a sense of where they are competing on a national level. The age group race is also awesome becuase it goes off early in the morning and then they get to chill out and watch the elites suffer in the mid day heat if they want to.<br /><br />Anyways, enough promotion. As far as the elite race goes, I am excited; this is my first ITU race so I really have no idea what to expect. The bike is 8 laps instead of 6, so that is a little rough on the “less fast” swimmers like myself becuase it makes it easier to “lap out” on the draft legal bike (you get pulled from the race if you get lapped by the front pack). However, there is also a descent hill on the course which should play to my advantage because I am a strong hill climber. My focus is really just to swim 100% and see what happens after that. My swimming keeps getting faster and faster each month so this will be a good benchmark. Draft legal racing seems to be a lot less predicitable and more reactive than non drafting racing. I am pretty comfortable with the tactics of road racing so I think I’ll know what to do whatever happens after the swim. It is going to be in the 90′s by the time we start at 12pm so that should affect the race significantly too. All the big names in short course triathlon are here this weekend, including 4 olympians from 2008 so it should be a great race up front. You can check it out on Versus TV channel on Oct 14 from 4-6pm with Tour de France announcer Craig Hammilton. Good luck to Brian Duffy who is racing the AG race this weekend- look for a seriously dominant performance from him, cant wait!!<br /><br />Lastly, here is an interview I did with Competitor Magazine that came out yesterday if anyone is interested….thanks!<br /><br />http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/09/news/collegiate-national-champ-nicole-kelleher-takes-on-the-pros_13176<br /><br />Off to practice a few more flying mounts…nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-25022885551858210242010-07-12T07:58:00.000-07:002010-07-12T08:40:02.524-07:00Thoughts on Galen Rupp and elite distance running wisdom...Thinking of helpful or interesting things to post- I was watching Galen Rupp win the men's 10k in the USATF National championship meet. Galen had run behind another athlete the entire race, right on his heels. As the end of the race neared, the announcer mentioned that Galen would kick with 500-600m to go and no one would be able to stop him from there. As the race progressed, sure enough, Galen started his kick at 500 to go, pulled away immediately and won the race easily. In his post race interview Galen said, "You never go to the front until you are going to hold the lead til the line" (or some statement close to that) I thought this was a great thing for triathletes to think about because I dont think we have the same discipline when it comes to the tactics of racing the run. Galen goes with 500-600 in every race, this is no coincidence. He goes at this time because he knows that is how long he can go for, close to all out, and hold it until the line. I am sure he has trained many hours just on developing the precision of this kick. I think we could really learn from this. <br /><br />During the run in a triathlon, you are hot, tired, in serious pain and just wanting to be through as quickly as possible. But if you are racing against a particular person or even those in your pack off the bike, it might be of benefit to have patience and a plan. Before the race even starts it may be useful to have a plan if you find yourself running against someone at the end. Let them do the pacemaking until a point when you can take the lead and hold it until the line. If you have speed, this may be as short as 400m or maybe even less...if you dont have speed this point could be a long pressing kick starting at 1.5-2mi out. Know thyself and have a plan. Of course if your competitior is running too slow, just leave him and hunt the next one down- but the point is that once you pass someone, they should not be passing you back! If you arent sure, be patient, sit in behind them and conserve your energy....until you know you can leave them for good!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-3720156034067233092010-06-29T04:27:00.000-07:002010-06-29T04:54:07.419-07:003rd Pro Female Philly Tri...what the???!?!?!So Sunday was my first real deal pro race and I got 3rd...craziness!!! I cant believe it, that was way outside my expectations considering the field was seriously stacked (Wassner twins, jenna shoemake, pip taylor, mary beth ellis... these crazy crazy famous people!) totally insanity...<br /><br />What really helped me of course was that they turned the race into a duathlon because of a horrible tradegy the day earlier when a young triathlete with two young kids passed away in the river- please pray for healing in that family and that they will find support from every direction where they have even the smallest need...<br /><br />The first 5k went great, I ran on jenna shoemaker's heals the whole way and just zoned out and let her carry me. I ran very within myself at about 85% and we rolled into T1 right behind the wassner twins in 18:26. After T1 I could see the wassner twins up the road and I decided just to follow them and hang behind them on the bike becuase I was a little shocked at that point that I was in 4th....pip taylor (who I met after the race and has a super sweet demeanor- I can totally see why she has such a great reputation!!)caught us around the second loop and I just continued to hang behind and follow their leads...meanwhile jenna shoemaker and samuels from New zealand up the road were putting massive massive time on us on the bike!! Coming into T2 my legs felt recovered and I felt like I went a bit conservative on the bike but I knew the next 10k was going to be hell! It was incredibly hot and humid by that point (did I forget to mention I dropped my full waterbottle on the first lap of the bike!- so no water for quite a while!- rookie mistake!) I passed pip and rebecca wassner soon after T1 and felt fine until about mile 3...miles 3-6 were unbelievably hard- I was running alone, it was sooo hot and miserable..It took everything I had not to stop- I definatley could not have run any harder even though the time was not very good (39:59)....After the race I was in shock- my goal going into it was not to get last...never thought I could win money and podium! Thanks to Barb lindquist for encouraging me to race in the pro field...I almost raced as an amateur this race..haha!!<br /><br />Next time my swim will be tested and that will be a whole new ballgame...stay tuned...=)nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-70620894694432795832010-06-24T10:31:00.000-07:002010-06-24T10:55:00.550-07:00nervous/excited/nervous/excited?!?!So this weekend is my first real pro race at the Philadelphia triathlon. Philly became part of the lifetime fitness series this year so the field is really stacked so it should be an "interesting" race as my first pro race. My running has been going so great thanks to my ragged mountain teammates, and my swimming keeps improving steadily...my biking has been a lot less in volume and intensity recently as I am trying to make the switch to an ITU style..so it should be interesting to see what happens with that as philly is not draft legal- my cycling was much stronger than I thought at collegiate nats so hopefully some of that will carry over a bit..All you can do is your best so that is my plan and we will see where the chips fall for this first race in scary scary pro land....should be very humbling and a great learning experience in any case! I am certainly leaning on my faith in this situation that God will be walking through this with me no matter what happens so I can relax and remeber there is nothing to fear and nothing to loose here- just an opportunity to learn.<br /><br />Good luck to kate lucas and hunter this weekend at IM coeur dalene and all the people doing the cville sprint tri (including wes/dustin/mark/bev/ray/eric/anyone else I missed!!) Also good luck to my new teammate Brian Duffy at philly too! and robin of course who is doing the philly sprint!! cant wait to hear all the great results!!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-57974089160630708422010-06-17T08:32:00.000-07:002010-06-17T08:54:54.313-07:00Apologies/ Updates!So sorry for being such a bum and not updating regularly!!! Part of my apology runs into my updates...because I have joined several new teams and have several developments in my tri training that make it so I probably cant be posting my workouts too much anymore because it is probably not fair to the people helping me out at this point...<br /><br /><br />So some very exciting news is that I joined a new Pro Development Team, Fast Forward, that is partnered with Inside-Out sports, Quintanaroo and Computrainer. This is all very exciting because I am now able to get some serious coaching and gear/bike/wheels/product/everything support that is going to allow me to be the most competitive I can be with my somewhat limited financial resources..I am also soo super excited to be part of a team again!! and to have some great coaching!! The team is stacked with some very impressive athletes so far and it will be great to be a part of their accomplishments!<br /><br />Another update is that I have been invited to an Elite Development Training Camp at the olympic training center in Colorado springs, CO from July 26-aug 8..I am super excited about this- what an amazing opportunity- I never thought I would have such an opportunity- God is good!!! This means, however, that I have jumped in with the sharks now and have gotten my pro licence- which also means I will be racing in the pro fields from now on which is scary business but you have to grow up somehow with everything I suppose.....My first pro race will either be Philly or NYC depending on when my license is processed....very exicting but will be very very humbling....<br /><br />Another update is I have joing CYAC, an age group swim club in Charlottesville that is super super hard and has some amazing 14-19 yr old athletes- amazing kids! I am finally in a do or die situation in every practice which is exactly what I need with my swimmming- This has been a huge huge answer to prayer and I finally see a way now that my swimming will continue to dramatically improve.<br /><br />Lastly, I joined the ragged mountain elite racing team in cville that is training post collegiate athletes with the goal of olympic trials for track and marathon events...amazing group of people, I am really starting to run fast again and it is so easy with great people right next to you to push you to it..great coaches and another huge blessing!!<br /><br />My biking has seriously taken a back seat this past month and I think that will hurt me in philly and NYC but I have really wanted to start to prepare for my ITU racing that I am now starting at the end of July...another update! <br /><br />Anyways, Huge blessings all over the place, I am very excited about the rest of the summer and next year...I will continue to blog as much as I can on training without being unfair to the coaches that are helping me now and the other athletes on these teams by posting their workouts...<br /><br />sorry again for being super lazy for a bit!!<br />Congrats to all the local cvillers who finished eagleman last weekend...most brutal conditions ever- I am so proud of you guys!!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-18608456738458516082010-06-08T18:33:00.000-07:002010-06-08T18:42:51.796-07:00Breezypoint triathlon Sun 6am race- won race...I was happy with the swim, for the first time I was at the front of the race after the swim..I was 2nd out of the water and only 14sec behind the first woman...pretty happy with that - although I still have a lot to improve in the open water. I was able to find some guys feet to draft off of for about half of the swim so that was a success in practicing drafting- which will be key for me..haha...<br /><br />after the bike I was pretty far ahead so I just got to go easy the run- which was awesome! the run is always so painful no matter what but this was awesome becuase the run was actually fun!<br /><br />Met some really awesome female triathletes in the area too- triathletes are so nice in this area! so great! And won $400- which rocks!<br /><br />6th overall with the men (just out of the money for men =) )nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-88139827467931026882010-06-08T18:24:00.000-07:002010-06-08T18:33:54.350-07:00june 3/4/5thurs- 1hr40 min moderate with dustin...starting to lighting on my so had to cut the ride short- feeling pretty tired so I didnt really care to much...<br /><br />Fri- 8 mi total, main set- 5x 1000m w/ 2 min rest in b/t intervals- on the track with the ragged mountain team- 3:34, 3:33, 3:30, 3:27, 3:25- great workout! defiantely have not run this fast since college...working out with fast people to push you is amazing and so much less painful!<br /><br />pm- swim 3k: main set was 6x300 on 4 min, then 3:55, then 3:50 interval (3:45-3:50 for all) I am going so slow! what the heck! I feel sooo sloooowww.....blah<br /><br />Sat- am bike, 3 hrs, lots of drating, took it easy and I still felt really tired..humm...racing tomorrow with no taper so should be interesting....nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-68019412970384055582010-06-03T19:28:00.000-07:002010-06-03T19:35:15.209-07:00tues/wed june 1/2tues am-8mi total: hill workout with my new Ragged mountain teammates...we did 8x this hill going from fontaine up to ohill...wow- sooo fun to workout with a team again, makes all the difference!<br /><br />pm swim- my BIIIGGG SWIM TEST! this was set up by Barb lindquist at USAT to give her an idea of my swimming ability. I am going to the olympic training center in colorado springs for the last week of july and first week of august and I need to let the big boss know that I am not snail slow...<br />YES! did well....the test is a 200 yd sprint from a dive, 1 min rest, 800 all out....I did a 2:11, 9:34- thanks dustin and wes for helping me and timing and being the best!! I am happy with that and so was Barb so that is great!<br /><br />wed- pm bike- 1 hr easy...<br />straight to pool- 5k with phil and wes...main set was 2x( 400 on the 5:30 (4:58), 2x200 on the 2:45 (2:26-2:27), 4x100 on the 1:20 (1:11-1:13)...thanks phil and wes for being fast and helping me! cant wait to watch you guys race at eagleman!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-19344214562853712882010-06-01T07:20:00.001-07:002010-06-01T07:23:43.602-07:00Mon May 31am- bike, 1:30, 25 mi, main w/o was 6x5 mins hard on rolling terrian...crazy hot again outside...tried to go pretty hard on the intervals cause they were so short...hopefully I can get a little speed back on the bike...<br /><br />open water swim! so fun...only did about 1k, but practiced a lot of drafting off of Val and phil- thanks guys! I definatley need to become a great drafter =) , I think I need to practice this a lot more...great turnout of cville athletes- thanks for organizing wes!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-23834011370706372862010-06-01T07:09:00.000-07:002010-06-01T07:18:26.120-07:00friday/sat/sun may 28/29/30Fri- am bike, 3:40, 60+?? mi- tootally grueling workout...went from thousand oaks, down to the beach and did 30 mins hard interval on pacific coast highway (it is the craziest- you can ride your bike on the highway in CA, very strange)...the wind was at my back so I was flying without too much effort...the 5 mins easy, 30 mins hard interval up a massive mountain without one break in the grade- very very hard, very hot..this was serious pain...then I had a 30 min rest while I descended down the other side of the mountain...then my last 30 min hard interval was into the wind on a rolling section...this was unbelievably hard- either this was a much harder workout than I envisioned in my head or I am out of shape on the bike...dont know what to think??<br /><br />brick run- 30 mins zone 3, 4mi...wanted to do a tempo after this ride but I was just too wasted, no way I could do it....<br /><br />Sat- 1:15, 4k, swim with masters group long course meters...main set was 10x100 on the 1:30 interval... I was coming into the wall at 1:23-1:25 which I was not too happy with...I think I am really tired from yesterday....flying back to VA today...<br /><br />Sun- had to spend the night in atlanta cause I missed my connection due to weather...did a long run after I got back to cville, 1:30, 12mi, sooooo hot here- wow! the humidity and heat is extreme- it will definately take some reacclimating too....I am tired!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-49894821237899702962010-05-27T18:04:00.000-07:002010-05-27T18:17:13.483-07:00thurs may 27am run- easy 8 mi with amazing and way cool olympian jill savage, got some more great advice from a wise sage of triathlon...I really trust what she is telling me too, I think she has my best interests at heart when she shares advice with me - this is sooo important when trying to figure out whose advice to listen to, I am very happy to have met her and I am hoping she can give me some more input (especially swimming!) in the future. Also met the owner/founder of SaltStick electrolyte tablets, he is super nice too - I will definately be trying out his product just because he seems like such a nice guy (isnt that funny how that works...)<br /><br />pm swim- 3k with masters group, main set was 6x200 descend1-3 and 4-6 on the 2:50 interval (2:25, 2:23, 2:18, 2:25, 2:24, 2:19)...then 10x100 pull on the 1:20 interval (1:13-1:15, I dont have paddles here and I am a slow poke puller)<br /><br />I am going to miss these group workouts when I leave CA! They have been so fun and the outdoor pool is soooo nice, my back is seriously fried and I love that! The coach is Nancy Reno- who is super experienced and hugely accomplished swimmer herself- I highly highly recommend this group to anyone training ever in this area, it is quite an impressive resource because it is tailored to triathletes!<br /><br />Word on the street is that Wes (my husband) and Dustin, who are my training buddies, are getting in nasty shape and are going to kill me on the bike whe I get back...cant wait! =)nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-47848023538551880572010-05-26T20:13:00.000-07:002010-05-26T20:38:49.544-07:00tues/wed may 25/26tues- pm swim, 5k- lots of shorter stuff, main set: 3x200 on the 2:45 interval (2:24, 2:22, 2:18), 4x100 on the 1:15 interval (1:05, 1:09, 1:08, 1:07)...<br /><br />pm track workout- 9 mi total...odd workout cause I joined the group track workout here in town...the main workout was 3x (4x250 hard, 150 easy jog- continuous running intervals, 1 lap easy, repeat) all my 200 splits were 36-37, which is very fast for me cause I dont have a lot of natural speed so I was happy with that....after the workout I took about a 10 min break and cooled down with some people and then went back to do 2xmile with 2 min rest in between (6:08, 5:55)...I was going to do a third but my legs really started to feel heavy after the fast 250s so I bagged it...I have been in that place before and I know that is the place where injury is introduced..when you cant feel your legs much anymore- best to know when to back off sometimes perhaps...<br /><br />wed- am bike- 90 mins easy<br /><br />swim- 6k...did the 3k workout with the masters group...lots of faster stuff again, a set of 4x125 on the 1:40 interval ( all 1:27-1:28), lots of 75s, 25s,50s again....then went next door to the community pool and did another set of 4x500 on the 7:00 interval (6:35, 6:24, 6:15, 6:13)- pretty happy with these time becuase my arms were beat from the 1st 500...nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-18713427675274408502010-05-26T20:08:00.000-07:002010-05-26T20:13:28.691-07:00Sun/Mon may 23/24Sun- am swim, 5k: main set- 15x100 on the 1:20 interval (all 1:11-1:13), 150 hard (1:42), 20x75 (all 53-55), 150 hard (1:45)...<br /><br />long run after- 90mins, 12 mi<br /><br />Mon- pm swim, 5k...a lot of short, faster intervals...lots of 50s and 25s...<br /><br /><br />I have been doing a lot of faster, shorter stuff then I am used to with the masters group I have been training with. I think it is making me faster- which will hopefully make me be able to hold a faster pace for longer...nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-81922289228261463632010-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:002010-05-26T20:08:09.406-07:00Fri/Sat May 21, 22Fri: am bike- 1.5 hrs...30 mi- 3x20 min threshold intervals (21.8mph avg for all 3)...really strong wind today, very slow out, very fast in....<br /><br />brick run after- 20 mins tempo, 10 mins cool down....<br /><br />Sat: am swim- 3k, main set was 150 hard (1:45), 20x75 on the 1:05 interval (all 53-54)..150 hard (1:46)...nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-76422628161041458902010-05-20T22:19:00.000-07:002010-05-20T22:24:57.892-07:00thurs may 20my big board exam for med school was today....9 hours long! with only 45 min break all day! crazy...the ironman of tests....<br /><br />off today..<br /><br />Also, i just realized there is a "comments" section on this blog...i am sooo sorry to anyone who commented on my posts in the past and i didnt respond..i am not a butthead, I am just an idiot! there is a difference.....sorry! but thanks for all the great comments!! I promise to respond from now on!<br /><br />I am excited to get back to swimming with this awesome masters group in CA...think i will try to do some two-a-days this coming week.....urrrgg..i wish we had a group like this in Charlottesville!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-54165443057084634692010-05-20T22:13:00.000-07:002010-05-20T22:19:22.378-07:00wed may 19pm bike- 4hrs! soooo loongg, 60mi...my new cycling buddies in CA like to go reeeaally long....it is such a different type of riding...most of the ride is really slow, and then the climbs are hard and like 30-45 mins long without breaks over these huge mountains...I feel like I havent been doing hard workouts on the bike but then I am seriously sore after these rides and we are averaging only 15mph..I dont really get it but hopefully I'll be ok?!?...I like the company so whatever....<br /><br />my big test is tomorrow..yikes!nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-17917129950294966582010-05-19T16:52:00.001-07:002010-05-19T17:09:30.451-07:00Mon/Tues may 17/18Mon- pm bike ride easy- 23mi, 90min....<br /><br />pm swim- 5k total...yes! breakthrough! main set was 4x300 on the 3:45 interval (3:28, 3:32, 3:38, 3:38)...also 16x50 on the 40 sec interval....there was a few guy college swimmers in my lane and I had to really get going to not get lapped =) ....this was soooo helpful though, I dont think I have ever done a 300 with 1:09 splits! really excited...I couldnt even do 1:09 for 100 a few months ago...I was starting to get discouraged with my inferior swimming and wondering if I can really be fast enough to make an ITU switch and tonight was very encouraging...finally seeing some of the last 3 weeks of lots of swimming pay off! I just need to keep going for another year with this swim volume...yikes!...seriously though- the lesson I got from this was swim with people much faster than you!<br /><br />Tues- pm track workout...6x600 all 1:59 or 2:00...probably need to be doing a lot more reps but I went to a group trackworkout tonight....also I havent really done any speed yet so I thought it was ok to start with just a few repeats....I'll definately have to do another running workout this week though...Also at the track workout- I met Jill Savage, she is Jordan Rapp's wife and super cool former olympian triathlete! she gave me some great advice and hopefully we will be meeting up for runs here so I can get some more help and inspiration! crazy!<br /><br />pm swim- 2.5k total: 400 stroke per distance (<17 strokes/length), 2x200 stroke/dis (<16), 4x100 (<15), 8x50 drill.....I am finding the stroke per distance stuff helpful I think...I think it is good for triathletes particularly without a strong swim background because we tend to think higher tempo in the pool means you go faster- which isnt true if you dont have a good distance gain with each stroke....almost every triathlete I know really needs to do distance/stroke work (I think?!?- but then again, i am not really an authority!=) )nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-3105217861360879962010-05-16T22:01:00.000-07:002010-05-16T22:09:48.374-07:00Sun May 16am swim- 5k total, main set: 24x100 all on 1:20 interval...wasnt expecting such a hard workout today, think i kind of slacked it a little but nonetheless, that is a tough workout no matter what...was with the maters group here, the workouts will be no joke tougher that i thought!!<br /><br />run right after - 12 mi easy long runnckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-336043542227255203.post-50316363007335901982010-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:002010-05-16T22:10:20.333-07:00Fri/Sat may 15/16Fri- am run- 9mi, fartlek workout: 4x8 mins at threshold+, 2 min jog inbetween. IT band feels great!! sooo happy, i am back on track now....<br /><br />pm- swim with tri masters group here is CA, 3k?, it is certainly so much more fun to swim with other people!<br /><br />pm- yoga, awesome! my hip felt great after! I got a HUGE pop somewhere in there during the sesson and it felt sooo much better after....dont think ill be writing about by hip much more =)<br /><br />Sat- am bike, 3:30, 53mi, most of the ride was really chill pace, one 30 min climb that was really though up into the santa monica mountains but I didnt push too hard, then at 8 min climb after that that I tried to go harder on....got to ride with a fun group...I havent done any hard bike workouts this week with is a little concerning but oh well....but the good news is the climbs are really really huge here so hoping that will make up for a little of my laziness otherwise...<br /><br />brick run- (really about 30 mins after we stopped though..) 40 mins, 5++mi, zone 3.5ish steady, hot but felt good...nckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06702734530685892772noreply@blogger.com2