Santa Barbara Triathlon Race Report

Hot Damn!

Triathlon is just the sweetest. For our anniversary, I received a 42min PR (is that a PR for PRs?), beautiful weather and an overall awesome race day without any mishaps. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. I wasn’t close to a podium finish by any means, but am still super stoked with how the race went. For anyone who is considering having a triathlon coach… just take a quick lil looksy at this:

This is my improvement in just 1 year. SB Tri long course was my very first race (top line) & now this year (bottom line) it’s my first repeat race & I can finally compare some data! My love of numbers and analysis came out in full effect as soon as the results were posted.  Just sayin’… with having a few races under my belt and being coached for the last 8 months… proof is in the pudding! I cut time off and moved up in places in EVERY SINGLE category including transitions.

I did a lot of reflecting (shocking, I know) on how I felt this year compared to last. This year I definitely felt more confident about the race and also allowed myself to be ok with whatever happened (flat tire, bonks, negative self-talk, etc). Thankfully I was able to avoid most of that but remained aware (in the back of my mind) that things can go wrong at any time regardless of how prepared you are… but if they do it’s not the end of the world. Of course I dealt with my mind out there & all of its typical obstructive comments “why do you keep signing up for this?” “you know you can just walk if you want to”, but this time there was a lot less of that chatter because I was having FUN! Not once did I think that I couldn’t do it. I was more concerned with my time, keeping up with Michelle and pushing myself further into the “pain cave”. I wasn’t injured or too sore, but even up until today I was tiiiiiiiiired. A satisfying tired, though, because it’s my proof that I went all out.

The day before the race I went through my typical pre-race jitters, neediness wantiness, and the Taper thoughts of “am I getting sick?” “I have a sudden pain in my leg/arm/foot/toe etc”. I left enough time to get in a pre-race workout, set out all of my stuff the next day and visualize the race. Lucky for me, Ironmen make great sherpas too! Big thanks to John for dealing with my “race brain”, feeding & transporting me, and being there on race day with a sharpie and camera in hand! Aside from reviewing my race & nutrition plans, we talked about mantras & manifestations for the race & what I wanted to manifest for this race was “Present. Relaxed. Fun. Best Effort.”. I knew that my performance would be so much better if I could stay in the present moment. I also wanted to remember “best effort” as my answer to any questions my brain spit out.

On to the ACTUAL race report!!

4am wakeup call! Oh, it’s very dark out… I can still see all of the stars. Yikes it’s going to be a long morning. Time to get some breakfast down the hatch & my hair into the usual french braid. Socks with sandals? Sure, who cares. We got to East Beach at 530am sharp, & I was thankful to have enough time to pick my spot on the bike rack and meticulously set up all of my race gear, get body marked, and pose for all the paparazzi shots before getting kicked out of the transition area. I’m also thankful that Michelle was there with me as the SBTri reps for the 25-29 age group! We ate our pre-race GUs and went for a short warm-up swim to get out some of our pre-race anxiety. Before I knew it, I heard the “1 min mark!” and at 7:35am the “three, two, one, GOOOOO”.

SWIM

For every open water race, I’m at a borderline dangerous heart rate until I swim around the first buoy. (So at this point, no caffeine is in my body.)  From the sand to the first buoy I’m trying to keep up with everyone but am also trying not to get kicked in the face & minimizing the amount of ocean water I swallow. After the first buoy, by body will naturally calm down & get into a swim rhythm that I can maintain for most of the race. I had an idea of how the swim would go from doing Reef & Run every week so I didn’t have any huge surprises. East Beach water often feels like I’m swimming in a washing machine, so I expected that & was exactly what I got! I had a hard time finding any rhythm and felt frustrated that I wasn’t keeping up with my age group & kept running into buoys (y’know… the HUGE inflatable ones that are bright orange and yellow that you’re supposed to see from miles away!?). I also thought “eff this. I’m not doing Carp. I’m done for the season”.The way back in felt a lot easier & I was very glad to be out of the water. I still hate that swim just as much as I always have! I was in T1 getting my bike stuff put together and told John that my swim felt like ****. He was timing me & said I came in at 44min (same as last year, ughhh.) which only added to my frustration. My heart sank & I thought “crap. I have nothing to show in 1 year’s time. Coach AB isn’t going to be happy about this” and “I really need to make up time on the bike and run now”, “I wonder how many people in my age group are in front of me?”. You can imagine my happiness when I saw that my official time was under 40min! I’ll take it. Shaving 5min off a swim time is good enough for me.

BIKE

I’ve trained on this course every Saturday morning for… I don’t know how many weeks, so I knew the location of every incline, pothole, and where I could throw the hammer down to shave some extra time. I felt really strong and present the whole time on the bike and was actually having a really great time! If you’ve read my previous race reports, you can imagine how awesome I felt saying “on your left” to other racers for a change (especially when it was a guy! mwahaha). Also, having caffeine in one of my water bottles definitely helped. Weeeeeeeeee!!  J The only downer of the bike portion was the USAT officials on the motorcycle that caught me on my way to Gobernador. There was a group of 5 people just in front of me & I was so concentrated on keeping up with them that I may have been drafting. Please, like I know how to draft. But sure enough, the official was writing down my race number while simultaneously giving me the stink eye. I resisted the urge to protest or say something unkind, & told myself that if I got a penalty I would be ok with that. Rules are rules. Luckily, I didn’t! I think it may have been just a warning.  I got that out of my mind & continued to push myself on that course as hard as I could and hammered down in my big chain ring after climbing Toro. I was so happy to see the “Toro Canyon 400ft” sign & Kelly’s smiling face at the top! I knew I was in the homestretch & was so thankful to have bursts of energy from seeing my mom, aunt, cousin, Marisa & Andre out on the bike course!  My mind quickly changed (see above) to “oh I’m definitely doing Carp or another race this year”. Typical. I came into T2 shaving over 20min off my time from last year. Yes! Redemption! I took a quick mental pause to be thankful for no crashes, injuries or flat tires. Ok, now time to shave off even more time on this run. “Hmm I wonder how far out Michelle is on the run course… I wonder if I can catch her.”  

RUN

I knew I should’ve ran the first mile a bit slower, but I couldn’t help myself! I was feeling great an was keeping an easy 8:45 pace all the way up Shoreline. I had meant to stop for a bathroom break before the mile 5 turnaround, but I had just passed a girl in my age group so I tried to hold the pee and the pace as long as I could. I passed quite a few people on the run and said hello & good job to a few people I knew or that had been running next to me for a while. Finally saw Michelle at mile 4.5! I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch her, but I felt better knowing I wasn’t THAT far behind. After stopping at the turnaround (I couldn’t hold it any longer! I understand why people just let it go in races now haha), it was hard to regain that same pace even though some of it was downhill. I kept a 9:30 pace for the last 5 miles and tried to pick people, not in my age group, to run with. East beach seems sooooo far away when you’re running towards it for 3 miles! It definitely helped seeing so many familiar faces though! I’m pretty sure that Marisa, Andre and Alex got their hands on a teleporter somehow… I don’t know how they were in so many spots along the race!! At mile 8, my mantra became “just don’t stop running”. My heavy legs just wanted to be still but I knew I’d be disappointed in myself if I let my mind win. I went through the much-awaited balloon arch (9 mile marker) and the SB Tri wave of people, & concentrated on chasing down one of my deemed “rabbits”” until the finish. And just like that it was done! The mind goes into immediate amnesia about any struggle or self-talk during the last few hours and the sole thought becomes “I just want to sit down”. I was worked & out of breath, & wanting the volunteers to hurry and take my timing chip off so I could drink 5 gallons of water and sit for a minute.

But… it was all worth it. I exceeded my expectations and felt like I was racing this year compared to just surviving the race last year. I felt like I really did put in my best effort & had a really great time overall. Now… it’s time to go aero & to focus on speedwork. J Yep, still in it to win it.

One-Year Anniversary

This Saturday marks my one-year anniversary with Triathlon. We’re getting pretty serious.I think I'll celebrate with the 1 year traditional gift: an almond croissant. Ok the traditional gift is actually paper, but I have to pay for it with paper, and I get a paper receipt. So... there you have it. Croissant it is. 

Most of what I say about my relationship to the sport parallels to actual relationships between people. It feels more like forever versus just one year, it's both rewarding and challenging at times, I've invested a lot of time and emotion (& weight gains/losses. Mostly gains.), and most importantly there has been a lot of personal growth.  When I look back, I only think of the good times we've had together and am hopeful that there will be more to come in the future.

It’s mind-bottling (“Yeah, mind-bottling. You know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle?). I've been incredibly reflective this past week mostly due to my 10-year high school reunion combined with looking back on this past year. I didn't think I’d report back to classmates years later that I’m now a triathlete who loves Excel spreadsheets, yoga and vegetable juices. I still feel 12. I’m not sure how this happened. When I thought about my future reunion while still in high school, I pictured myself saying something more along the lines of “This is my husband and two children. We live in a mansion and, for fun, we like to sip martinis and talk about mortgage rates and politics.” Right.

Even looking back at one year alone I realize how much can happen in such a short period of time! I don’t even quite remember how I fell into the triathlon rabbit hole to begin with. I’m fairly sure that, besides myself, I can blame most of it on 2 people: Kate Heckman and Michael Simpson. Your teamwork of luring me in (Kate) paired with the wealth of information (Mike) has got me so involved now that I can’t possibly get out anytime soon. And I thank you both SO MUCH for that. I could be alone or part of the majority in feeling this, but it has really been life-changing. Of course I’m in better shape, healthier overall and have become more disciplined, but it has also given me so many new friends, a COUNTLESS number of people to look up to, and a sense of belonging not only in the club… but in the city, the sport… everything.

I remember exactly this time last year when I was preparing for my first ever triathlon: the Santa Barbara Triathlon long course. (*Side note: I don’t recommend starting with this course… haha. Normal people usually start with a SPRINT!) Needless to say, the race dominated me instead of the other way around but I still loved it all the same. I remember constantly telling anyone who would listen that I was going to be in a triathlon and would launch into all the race logistics that no one cared about. It completely consumed me! And now… one year later… I’m more like “oh yeah, I have a race this weekend. NBD”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to compare data from last year since this will be my first repeat race. It’s just that after doing my first half Ironman it doesn't seem like the biggest deal ever. Just as next year a half Ironman won’t seem as significant because I’ll be focusing on my first FULL Ironman. (IMAZ 2014! Well, hopefully. I don’t sign up until mid November.)

Anyways, as crazy as my plan is, it IS a natural progression regardless of how insane or ready I am to take it on. It makes sense to keep moving forward with something when you have a good thing going. I’m going to feel burned out from time to time a lot but can look to & get advice from people who've put in the "hard time" and are where I would like to be. And in turn, it’s such an awesome feeling to know I can be that person for someone else. (That doesn't happen a lot… I still get beat by 10 year olds). But STILL!

This has been a really amazing year. I’m continually surprised and humbled by life and wouldn't have it any other way. And I’m SO excited to race the long course again this weekend with so many friends and see how much I've progressed… but also still become humbled by hearing “on your left!”. Or who knows… maybe not! Crazier things have happened ;)

Here’s to another amazing year!!! 

En Garde, Whole Foods!

~A little diversion from race reports and workouts~

As I've mentioned before, triathlon training has become more of a lifestyle for me rather than just a hobby. The majority of my “free” time (aka when I’m not at work) is consumed with training, planning out when I’m going to train, how much money I can spend on more clothes and gear, choosing what to eat to properly fuel my body before, during and after training, and making sure I get enough sleep in order to recover and make it through the next day’s workout.

See what I mean? It didn't become a lifestyle on accident… I had to switch around a lot of things in order just to maintain my current level of training and fitness. Gone are the days of Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wet Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays… you get the point. Working out the hours of sleep needed and finding time during the day to complete a workout can be a bit tedious, but can become manageable and  (being childless), I can nail down a routine I can commit to. But the DIET! It’s a constant battle trying to combine eating for pleasure and eating for fuel. Unfortunately you can’t eat solely for pleasure (cupcakes, pizza, ice cream, bacon) but also can’t eat solely for fuel (beets, raw kale) if you care at all about enjoying food. If you’re anything like me, you like to make smart food choices but don’t have a ton of time, money, or patience for foods without carbs and/or that taste like dirt.

This will be a constant evolving process of discovering which foods are “the best”. Here’s what I know so far: I know that I’m terrible at following any certain diet (Paleo, Vegan, Atkins, etc) because I need to have an occasional cupcake or almond croissant. I also know that eliminating fast food, sodas, and most frozen foods with raw juices and a higher vegetable intake does, in fact, make a HUGE difference in the way I look, feel and perform. I’m still debating whether or not to eliminate gluten and meats. I've definitely cut down on both but I’m not sure I can commit to giving them up completely!

I also know that it’s super fun, easy, and inexpensive to MAKE YOUR OWN healthy (and tasty!) foods. I hear the complaint about how “healthy” foods are too expensive… but that’s because most of time you’re buying the pre-made packaged stuff. Hear me out! There are so many things that are very easy to make, that taste yummy, are cheap AND healthy. In the past few months alone I've started making my own Kombucha, almond butter, raw juices, chips and granola. Feel free to use the recipes in this blog J. They’re all tried and true by yours truly (and by my guinea pig roomie).  I don’t need to plug titles of documentaries in order to prove my point about why you should give up certain foods and drinks... your body already knows what’s good for it.

Cheaper and healthier… you just need to get off your butt and into the kitchen and… *gasp* farmers markets! Give it a try and tell me I’m wrong…

Recipes

Kombucha

A bit about it/why I make it:

SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast (yummy!). So the Kombucha tea not only contains bacteria and yeast, it also contains organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids and polyphenols. What this means in English is that it gives your stomach the good bacteria it needs for better digestion and helps detox your body (mainly the liver). Kombucha also gives you more energy which a result from the fermentation itself combined with the caffeine from the tea. The SCOBY needs the caffeinated tea and the sugar to thrive. And who wants to keep paying $4/bottle!?

What you need:

-8 black tea bags

-1 cup white sugar

-SCOBY

-Gallon size Mason jar

-Cheesecloth or coffee filters

-Juice for kombucha flavor

-Strainer (optional)

-Glass jars for bottling

How you make it:

-Fill a pot of water (maybe ½ gallon) and bring to a boil. Drop in the tea bags & cup of sugar & then let it cool. I usually let it sit overnight to ensure it has cooled down all the way. Otherwise you will burn & kill your SCOBY!

-Fill up the Mason jar with the brewed tea, add the SCOBY and fill the rest of the jar up with water

- Cover the top of the jar with cheesecloth or coffee filters & let sit for about 3 weeks. I have my jar sitting on our kitchen counter. Don’t put the jar in sunlight!

-After the fermentation process is complete, I make sure to have my next batch of tea ready to go so that I can put the SCOBY back in the jar to sit for another few weeks

-I use old Kombucha glass bottles that I’ve saved after buying them at the store. I like to use a strainer to prevent less “stuff” from getting in my bottles. I fill up the jars about 85% (to the top of the label on the bottle) to leave a little room for juice.

-After filling (& closing) the bottles I leave them out on the counter for 3 days to carbonate before adding juice & sticking them in the fridge. I personally like Cranberry and Pineapple juices the best but add whatever you like. *Don’t shake the bottles*

Kombucha is an acquired taste, to say the least. Happy Brewing!

Almond Butter

A bit about it/why I make it:

Not only is it cheaper and healthier than what you buy in the store (no additives!), it’s ridiculously easy to make.

What you need:

-1 bag of roasted unsalted almonds (you can buy the salted variety, just make sure what almonds you do use are roasted because that’s what gives the butter its flavor)

-1 Mason jar (storage)

-Food processor (I have a Hamilton Beach 10-cup, 500w processor)

How you make it:

-Throw the almonds in the food processor, turn it on, and come back in 10 minutes. Yes, it’s that easy. The natural oils of the almonds will release after about 7-8 min, so no need to add any extra oils in.

-I like to use a Mason jar (you can use whatever you like), & the butter should be kept in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potato and Beet Chips

A bit about it/why I make it:

Healthier and cheaper than most store-bought chips! They are easy to make & bring along for a snack and, for me, the most pleasant way to eat beets. Also, I just love chips. DID YOU KNOW… that stackable chips (such as Pringles, Lays stackables, etc.) aren’t potato chips at all? Check out this article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/07/the-shocking-true-story-of-how-pringles-are-made.aspx

 What you need:

-Oven

-Baking sheet (with rims! You don’t want oil spilling into your oven)

-Sweet potatoes

-Beets

-Peeler

-Olive oil

-Mandolin (you can use a knife, but a mandolin will make your life a whole lot easier)

-Sea salt

-Tupperware (or something comparable) for storage

How you make it:

-Preheat the oven to 400, and cover your baking pan with aluminum foil. (I’ve found out the hard way that parchment paper sets off the fire alarm!)

-Use as many sweet potatoes & beets as you like & cut them into the thinnest slices possible. I toss them in olive oil and put them in the oven for 20-25min depending how crispy you want them. I have found that the beets take about 10min longer to bake. You can also put a combo of Paprika & Cumin, or Garlic & Rosemary on them as well… super yummy!

-After taking them out I sprinkle on sea salt before they cool.

Raw Juices (my favorite recipes so far)

A bit about it/why I make it:

Where do I begin?! There is no better or yummier way to get in your daily intake of fruits and (especially) vegetables than by juicing! It’s also WAY cheaper than buying juices at $10/bottle! I have the Omega 8006 juicer and I’m OBSESSED with it. My guinea pigs (roommate and boyfriend) can attest to this & I think they’re both pretty happy to reap the benefits of all my juicing experiments. Aside from a juicer, you will need the following: mason jars or glass bottles for storage, knife, cutting board and peeler.

Green Machine Detox Juice

What you need:

-3 green apples

-1 lemon

-1” cube of ginger

-5 kale leaves

-1 cucumber

How you make it:

-The juicer doesn’t have a huge opening, so everything will need to be chopped into fairly small pieces. The lemon and ginger will both need to be peeled, and I make sure that little or no kale stems make it into the juice

-Once everything has gone through the juicer, I use a strainer (the juicer comes with one) a second time when pouring the juice in the jar/bottle to eliminate any foam or chunks that weren’t caught the first time.

-Yields approx 20oz

Beetjuice! Beetjuice! Beetjuice!

By now, you know that I don’t like beets. But I understand and respect their value. So… I have this recipe which has been called “delicious” by beet lovers and “tolerable” by me.

What you need:

-2 Beets

-6 Carrots

-1 Pineapple

How you make it:

-The beets and carrots need to be peeled & chopped. I would recommend buying a whole pineapple because it’s cheaper, but you can cheat & buy the already cut up kind.

-Keep in mind that beets stain everything!

-Yields approx 32oz

Watermelon Summertime Juice

What you need:

-1 small watermelon (again you could cheat & buy it already cut up)

-2 limes

-1 cup of green grapes

-Cayenne pepper (optional)

-Coconut water (optional)

How you make it:

-Slice up the watermelon (seedless!) and peel the limes

-You can add a pinch of cayenne, which I find to give this juice the perfect little kick, but you don’t have to

-Yields approx 32oz

(My favorite, not all) Super Foods

Avocado - Their high fat content (healthy fat! A bit oxymoronic, I know.) helps reduce cravings for unhealthy foods by keeping you full and satisfied

Beets- I don’t like them. But you should. Especially if you’re an athlete. Beets can help improve blood flow to your heart and muscles, which is great for workouts. Just don’t wear anything white or freak out when you pee.

Cherries – they contain melatonin! Have them before bed instead of ice cream. I’ve also learned from a friend that they are a natural remedy to conditions such a Gout because it is a natural amino acid (& helps to break down the uric acid which causes gout) and helps reduce inflammation as well.

Chia seeds – add them to everything.

Dark Chocolate – all day errrday. Yes, please, and thank you. Not only is it loaded with antioxidants, it helps fight PMS symptoms and helps repair bad moods and breakups (especially when paired with red wine).

Garlic – Aside from keeping vampires away, it’s a great anti-inflammatory and great for your immune system. NOT so great for your breath. Unless you’re on a bad date… then it’s the perfect way to guarantee no second date.

Kale – I try to incorporate kale in all of my salads and raw juice concoctions. Most dark green leafy veggies are great staples for your diet, but I think kale is the ultimate, followed by Spinach.

Nuts- We’re all a little nutty… and therefore should enjoy the benefits of nuts. Unless you’re allergic. They make a yummy snack or main course addition, are packed with healthy fats and, with a food processor, can be made into flour substitutes and butters. 

Quinoa- I love this as a side dish or for breakfast. You can cook it with chicken broth instead of water if you think it needs a bit more flavor. This grain is celiac friendly and has a ton of protein and fiber.

Sweet Potatoes- yummy carbs AND the name gives you a hint to one of the benefits… a good (sweet) mood!

Watermelon- Who doesn’t like watermelon. Seriously. Its name also gives you a hint to one of the benefits… water! Instead of paying too much for electrolyte-enhanced water at the store, eat more of this fruit.