York YMCA Turkey Trot 5K 2014

Before we get into the race recap can we just discuss that Thanksgiving was TWO weeks ago?! I have been swamped with schoolwork the past few weeks and have completely lost all sense of time. This is my favorite time of year so I'm trying to find a balance between finishing my last semester of college strong and watching all the Christmas movies.

After my half ironman my plan was to take some time off structured training and then do an express training cycle to try go get myself a shiny new 5K PR. Instead, I let writing papers and studying for exams consume all my time. I got in a decent amount of running but never really put in any real work. I think I did one progression run and no runs over sixty minutes. Of course this meant I still wanted to try to PR.

When race morning rolled around I felt far from ready to lay down a solid race. Racing is a mindset and I just didn't feel there. I did a quick warm up to try to get myself into race mode and ended up running into a good friend that I used to swim with. We ran a 5K together over the summer and had a blast so naturally we decided to run this race together also.

For the first time maybe ever, I was blissfully unaware of what pace we were running. I let go of running a PR and instead ran this race in thanks of all of the amazing people in my life. I felt happy and peaceful the entire time, something that rarely happens when I race. As a really competitive person sometimes it can be hard for me to let go of the clock and run for the enjoyment of running. This Thanksgiving I ran for myself and for my dad and it was the perfect race.

Finish time- 27:04

Happiness Is a Choice

One year ago I lost my best friend. I honestly never thought I would be have to experience such loss this young. Tragedy is all around us but we never think it will affect us. It's always somebody else's problem. When my dad passed away so unexpectedly I didn't know how to act around anybody. I felt like a charity case. In this past year the most important thing I have learned is that happiness is always a choice. Of course I'm sad. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my dad and how much I miss him. I have got up and walked out in the middle of class because something reminded me of him and I didn't want to cry in front of everyone. Losing a parent is really freaking hard no matter how old you are, and some days are harder than others.

I was lucky in that I was able to go back to school and have a constant distraction. I had to find a way to get around my sadness so I didn't fail my classes. I took time to be upset but then I had to get back to work because college is a lot of work. December to March of last year were by far the hardest four months of my life but they taught me something. The combination of losing my dad and then my boyfriend breaking up with me in March taught me that life is too short not to be happy. I had spent so much time being angry, being sad, trying to save my relationship that I forgot what being happy felt like. This might stir some people up but the past year has been one of the happiest of my entire life because I chose to make being happy a priority.

One year later, I feel peace. I know I will never "get over" this loss but I also know I have a whole life still ahead of me and quite frankly I don't want to miss any of it. I feel beyond grateful to have been so close with my dad and spent the first twenty-one years of my life with him by my side. There is nothing I can do to change the past so instead I am focusing on cherishing the time we did have together. I am working to ensure that I am surrounded by only the best of people who will stick by me no matter what. I am busting my ass in school to chase my dreams. I took the plunge and signed up for my first ironman. I don't want to look back on my life and have regrets.

So I am choosing happiness because I can.

Off-Seasoning

You guys, it's November. How did that happen? I swear it was August just yesterday. The weather has quickly changed from warm sunny days to brisk days with decreasing sunlight. We have been pretty lucky here in the Mid-Atlantic with relatively mild temps, making it somewhat easy to get outside for some miles. This past weekend was the first time that it really felt like fall, and honestly I'm pretty torn about it. In a non-training sense I love everything about fall from the leaves changing to the food to all the stereotypically cheesy activities.

For running, I think fall is pretty perfect. What I don't like is it being too cold to bike outside. Over the past year and a half I have fallen in love with cycling and hate to be stuck inside on the trainer. So fall has its ups and downs if you ask me. I do plan on investing in some cold-weather riding gear, but still, I would rather it be 75 degrees any time I'm on two wheels.

Sunday morning I woke up just in time to watch the NYC Marathon and it did not disappoint. Watching the race really reminded me how much I love racing and training and this crazy world of endurance racing. My next big race isn't until July so sometimes I find it hard to find the motivation to keep training. Watching my favorite race reminded me that regardless of your goals, you have to train because you love it. I went from wishing I could sleep in to excited to go run through the leaves.

I'm a big believer in listening to your body and your mind and not relying too heavily on data or training plans. Don't get me wrong, they certainly have their place in training. I think it's important to do those workouts you really don't want to do because they make you mentally strong. When training becomes no longer fun is when I start drifting from training plans. So for me, fall is about doing the things I love without regard to how it will affect my races.

With the cooler temps I have been transiting to more workouts indoors, like yoga and strength training. While I do truly love running outside during fall and even winter, sometimes I would just rather stay inside. I love having my off-season match up with the cooler temps so I don't have to stress about getting in any certain workouts.

How are you staying in-shape this fall?

New York City Marathon Tips and Tricks

This weekend is the New York City Marathon. To be completely honest, I'm having serious FOMO. While I'm in no way ready to tackle another 26.2 I do wish I was in the city to experience the magic that is the New York City Marathon. In honor of my favorite race I thought I would share some of my favorite moments from the weekend as well as some tips and tricks I learned along the way.

Race Weekend

Opening Ceremony. I wasn't sure if this was going to be awesome or a waste of time last year but I had SO much fun. Each country is announced and walked-in Olympics-style. While waiting for the USA to enter I had a blast chatting with other runners from all over the country. The real fun started once all the countries had come through and it was time to bring in the professional runners. The highlight for me was getting a high five from Meb because let's be honest, who doesn't love Meb? This event is held on Friday afternoon and is free for both runners and spectators. If you can't participate I recommend at least checking it out from the stands. The energy there was unreal and if possible made me even more excited for the race.

Expo. GO EARLY. I can't emphasize this enough. If you're only option is to go on Saturday try to go early in the morning. I got there around 9:30 and walked right through but by the time we were leaving the line was down the street. I know a lot of runners don't like to spend much time at the expo because it means more time on your feet but I actually enjoyed walking around a bit and soaking everything in. I knew this was an opportunity I wouldn't have again for awhile so I didn't want to rush through it. There were also some cool seminars that you could sit down and watch. My second tip for the expo is that if you want official merchandise get it now. Don't wait until Monday morning because a lot will be sold out.

Pre-race dinner. This might depend on where you are staying but I had no trouble getting a table despite not having a reservation. My dad and I stayed at my uncle's on the Upper West Side and were able to find a restaurant without a wait within walking distance in less than 10 minutes. For me part of the fun of going to new places is discovering new restaurants. I'm not a big fan of planning ahead for meals unless you have diet restrictions. Before getting to NYC I had read I wouldn't be able to find anywhere to eat without a reservation. At least on the Upper West Side that wasn't true.

Race Morning

Getting to the Staten Island Ferry. First, wake up earlier than necessary if you are planning on taking the subway downtown. When I got on the subway it wasn't that crowded and both my dad and I were able to get seats. The farther downtown we got the more crowded the subway got. Some people had to wait for the next subway to come because it was just so crowded. Another note about taking the subway. The Staten Island Ferry Terminal is a smaller station and only part of the subway can fit inside the station. At the stop before the Ferry Terminal we had to stop and half the train had to relocate to another car.

The ferry & bus rides. I got to the Staten Island Ferry around 7:20, planning on taking the 7:30 ferry. My assigned ferry time was 6:15 but the thing about the ferry ride is that everyone goes at the wrong time. There was no one checking when your assigned time was so you could really go whenever you wanted. The caveat is that the later ferries are more crowded. I got there at 7:20 planning on taking the 7:30 but ended up taking the 7:45. When the gate opened it was like a black Friday shopping mad-dash.

On the ferry you can choose to go on the deck with the amazing views or down below where it's warm. I chose warmth and never regretted it. There were windows allowing you to still see Lady Liberty and there was never a line for the bathroom. Plus, if you are going to be spending a good chunk of time waiting around once you get to Staten Island you might want any possible chance to be warm. Once you get off the ferry the next order or business is getting in line for the bus to take you to Fort Wadsworth. This was pretty uneventful but it did take some time. And I remember someone sitting on almost everyone's lap. I guess a lot of people were running late?

Fort Wadsworth. I don't remember how long either the ferry or bus rides took but I do know that I got on the ferry at 7:45 and was in the starting village by 9:15. With a 10:05 start time my corral closed at 9:35. While everything worked out pretty perfectly for me, I don't recommend getting there so late. If possible take the 7:30 ferry, 7:45 at the latest. Once I got off the bus I didn't have a chance to sit down at all. This was good in that I was never too cold because I wasn't sitting around the whole morning. At the same time, I barely had enough time to go to the bathroom before the corral closed. My biggest tip for this part of the day is to have plenty of throw away gear. It can be cold out there, even if you are only there for 45 minutes. I wore sweatpants, a sweatshirt, a bathrobe and gloves. The bathrobe turned out to be a lifesaver because of the pockets.

The Race
I'm sure there are enough mile by mile analyses of this course so I thought I would brake down the race by borough and include a few tips about the course as well as what my favorite parts were.

Staten Island/Verrazano. Miles 1-2. The start is one of only two places during the entire race where there are no spectators. I know it sounds cheesy but the start of this race is truly magical. The cannon goes off and you slowly start making your way across the bridge to the sound of New York, New York. Take in the sights and sounds. The view from the bridge is spectacular and one you don't want to miss. My two main thoughts while on the bridge were that it felt like we had been on the bridge for SO LONG, and whether or not the crowds would live up to all the hype. Exiting the bridge was like Christmas morning. You can hear the crowds, you know they're coming, but you still don't really know what to expect.

Brooklyn. Miles 3-13. You will quickly find that the crowds 100% live up to the hype. Aside from Fifth Avenue to the finish, Brooklyn was my favorite part of the race. There were so many little kids out cheering and high-fiving it was hard not to have a blast. I remember during these miles being in awe of how genuinely supportive and excited the spectators were. You could feel how proud of their neighborhoods they were and it made you proud to be running.

Queens. Miles 13-14. Queens doesn't normally get a lot of love and it often credited as not being a very exciting part of the race. As someone who didn't know the city and the different boroughs that well, I couldn't tell much difference between Queens and Brooklyn. This is a good time to check in with yourself and mentally prepare yourself for the most famous miles of the course coming up.

Queensboro Bridge. Mile 15. Ah, the Queensboro Bridge. This is the one mile during the race where the only people around you are the other runners. Even though this is a challenging part of the race it was still one of my favorites. Use the quietness to your advantage and get ready for the wall of noise that is First Avenue.

Manhattan. Miles 16-19. I personally thought these mile didn't live up to the hype but I was also in a ton of pain at this point and anything involving running was pretty miserable to me. The spectators on First are unlike anywhere else though. I would advise against having friends and family spectate during these miles though. There are so many people that it can be hard to find exactly who you are looking for. Have them cheer you on somewhere quieter where you really need the support.

Bronx. 20-21. Like Queens, this is an often underrated part of the course. While the crowds are significantly smaller than First Avenue and even in Brooklyn, the Bronx really got out there last year and showed that they love the marathon just as much as the other boroughs.

Fifth Avenue. 22-24. These last two sections were my absolute favorite of the entire race. You are so close to the finish that you can almost taste it. These miles actually reminded me of the feeling I got just before entering Brooklyn. You know something really special is just ahead but you aren't quite there yet.

Central Park/Finish. 25-26.2. Running in and around Central Park was like a dream come true for me. Despite this being one of the most challenging parts of the course with the hills, it is certainly one of the most rewarding. It was during this part of the race that I truly felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself. Cheesy, yes. True? Also yes.

Post-Race

Leaving Central Park. Once you finish the race you get to spend an extra hour in Central Park waiting in line to leave. Unless you absolutely have to, opt-out of bag-check. It will get you out of the park considerably faster. Plus, if you chose not to check a bag last year you got a super warm fleece poncho to keep you warm.

Meeting up with family/friends. Near Central Park is an absolute mob house. It is swarming with runners, spectators, family members, personnel, cops, you name it. My dad and I discussed our meeting spot the night before the race and planned on meeting at a Chipotle two streets over. Yes, walking over there was a pain in my ass but I had no trouble whatsoever finding him. I did run with my cell phone, which is really handy for meeting up with people post race, but if you don't have your phone on you picking out a meeting spot is a must. Keep in mind that you will be walking almost a mile within the park so don't pick a spot across from the finish line. Minimize any extra walking you may have to do.

Monday morning. If you are able to stick around in New York an extra night, I recommend heading back over to Central Park on Monday morning to check out the finishers gear. Any extra gear from the expo is also for sale, plus you can get your medal engraved. The only downside is that there was a pretty long line last year so get there early.

Have a great Halloween and New York City Marathon weekend everyone!

Best + Worst of Racing

What better way to celebrate the end of triathlon season and the middle of marathon season with a look at some of your best and worst racing experiences. Some of my answers really surprised me!

Best crowd support
I don't think there is any race with better crowd support than the New York City Marathon. The only part of the course with no spectators was the Queensboro Bridge and once you enter Manhattan you are greeted with a wall of screaming spectators. I seek out races with lots of crowd support so obviously I loved this race. I mean, its the New York City Marathon!

Hottest race
Hands down General Smallwood International Triathlon 2012. The real temperature was over 100 with a heat index of 107. Forty athletes were pulled from the course and the sprint triathlon the following day was cancelled because of the extreme heat. And this was my first triathlon. Oof.

Coldest race
The York YMCA Turkey Trot 5K 2013. It was somewhere around 25 degrees. Enough said.

Most beautiful course
Rev3 Pocono Mountains 70.3 2014. Despite how hard this course was, it was absolutely gorgeous. I remember spending the majority of the bike looking around in awe of how gorgeous the course was. Definitely recommend checking out the Poconos.

Best finishers shirt
I'm not normally that into race shirts but all I wanted from the NYC Marathon expo was a finishers jacket. After getting up at 7:30 and waiting in line for almost an hour the jacket I wanted was sold out in my size. My dad knew how much I wanted that jacket and called every running store in New York to find one. Opening it up on Christmas morning without him there was beyond heartbreaking.

Worst finishers shirt
York YWCA Y-Tri Ladies Sprint Triathlon 2013. It was actually a tank top but it was so ill fitting that I gave it away.

Hilliest course
Sneaks Come out at Night 15k 2012. I ran this race as a tune up for the NYC Marathon that never happened in 2012 and despite the hills I actually really liked this race. It was three loops of Druid Hill Park in Baltimore. By the third loop I was ready to roll down the hills instead.

Flattest course
Diamondman Sprint Triathlon 2013. This race was so flat I actually wanted a hill and it was only 19 miles of biking. I never realized how much I use downhills for recovering until this race. Either way it made for some speedy splits.

Best start line
You had to know I was going to pick the NYC Marathon. I just don't think any race out there can beat running over the Verrazano to New York, New York with 50,000+ other people. It's one you really need to experience for yourself.

Best finish line
I spent a lot of time deciding which race had the best finish line but I'm going to have to go with the NYC Marathon again. Partly because I had such a hard race but felt strong during those last few miles and partly because of the magnitude of this race. Plus Central Park in early November is stunning.

Most emotional finish
I find it ironic looking back that this race was the most emotional finish given some of the other races I have done. At this year'sYork YWCA Y-Tri Ladies Sprint Triathlon I crossed the finish line and promptly collapsed onto the track in a ball of tears. While I crossed first, I knew I hadn't won based on other start times. Even though winning was my goal, I finished this race with nothing in the tank and performed significantly better than I thought I could considering I felt like the tank was empty from the start.

Best finish line food
Although the selection isn't large, at the Keystone State Sprint Triathlon the finish line food is Panera breakfast sandwiches. Something about the carbs and saltiness is absolutely perfect post race.

Best overall swag/gear
I may be biased for this because I was a college ambassador but at the Nike Women's Half Marathon 2013 we were treated to a free Ellie Goulding concert the night before the race. About ten of us got to chat with her after the concert as well. On race morning I got to hang out in the VIP tent with the likes of Shalane Flanagan and Joan Benoit Samuelson. It's going to take a lot to beat that.

Coolest medal
At the Nike Women's Half Marathon 2013 they gave out Tiffany's necklaces instead of finishers medals. While I don't wear it that often, I like the idea of getting something I can use instead of another medal.

Most disappointing finish
I trained so hard to break two hours at the Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon 2012 but didn't come close with a 2:08. A few weeks after the race I discovered my garmin needed to be recalibrated and had been clocking distances incorrectly. This was one of those races where you just know you could have done better and it eats away at you.

Race that took the most mental strength
My first marathon (Harrisburg Marathon 2012) was hands down the hardest race for me to make it through. Not even half way through the race I felt like complete shit and wanted to quit. 16 miles is a long way to go when you don't want to be running anymore.

Off-Season Updates

It is officially off-season around here. My days have consisted of very little swim, bike, run and lots of catching up on what I put off while training. I am in my last semester of undergrad so this means the majority of my time has been spent on schoolwork. I am really excited about my senior research project and even though it is a ton of work, it is also really rewarding. And somehow between wrapping up my triathlon season and diving back into school, it is already October. So here's what I've been up to and how I plan on spending the rest of my off-season.

Grad school. I went on my first grad school visit this past weekend and am even more sure now that grad school is the right decision for me. I loved the campus, the city and mostly the program. The other programs I am looking at are farther away so I probably won't be visiting them until I am accepted. Ever since I got back I have been geeking out about the school and finding everything I possibly can about what life is like. Fingers crossed!

Biking. Graduation came a little early around here. Kind of. I still don't graduate until December 18th but I went ahead and pulled the plug on a graduation gift: a new bike! I was looking for a tri bike and stumbled upon a Felt B12 in my size about an hour from campus. I checked it out a few times and loved it more and more every time I test rode it. I have been trying to take advantage of this last bit of warmer weather by getting outside whenever possible. I'm still getting used to being in aero but so far so good.

Running. I have not run or gotten in the pool yet since my half. That will be changing this week though. I am planning on swimming 1-2 times a week depending on my schoolwork. Running is going to be a priority for me. I am going to be taking this off-season to work on improving my run speed by training for the local Turkey Trot 5K. Hopefully this year I'll be able to throw down a time I'm actually proud of.

Nutrition. While I'm not an advocate of diets like Paleo or Whole30, I am taking these couple light months to cut out processed foods and focus on eating healthy and whole produce and fats. I have eliminated almost all grains from my diet mostly because I don't really need to be eating them so frequently. If I'm out with friends I try to eat healthy but don't worry about eating grains or dairy. Life is about balance and enjoying the process.

Reflecting On the Good & What Needs Work

Last week I read a post by Emily about the three things she thought she did well at her first 100 miler and the three things to work on for her next one. When I was reading her post I kept thinking this type of reflection would be a good way to think about my race in a way that may help prepare me for Lake Placid next year. As Emily said in her post, I think it's important to recognize when you did well and what you could improve upon.

First up, what I did well:

1. Pacing.
During training I didn't do that many bricks and essentially no longer bricks. My long runs were also somewhat non-existent. I ended up taking more of a cumulative training approach but come race day was nervous about race execution. After two seasons of racing sprint and Olympic distance races I am still not sure how to pace even those distances. While I may look back on this day after several more 70.3's and realize I could have pushed harder here or there, I think I did a pretty good job at pacing my first attempt at this distance. When I saw what I was averaging on the bike I could have freaked out but instead I listened to how I was feeling and kept plugging away. I finished the run with probably a little more in the tank but definitely not much. I trusted myself and it payed off.

2. Staying mentally strong
As I mentioned in my race report, this was the first race this year where those annoying voices in my head didn't plague my race. I was truly happy the entire race and can honestly say I had no low points. From shivering in the 45 degree temp before the race to climbing the biggest hill on the course  at mile 12, I wanted to be out there. I did not want to the race to be over or to be onto the next leg like I have so many times this season. I credit some of this mental fortuitousness to not putting pressure on myself about this race. My A goal was to break six hours but I would have been okay with a slower time if that was all I had on that day. I realized I was okay with not breaking six hours and it honestly made it a lot easier to actually break the six hours. I was relaxed and focused on execution and enjoyment rather than the clock.

3. Nutrition
I will be the first to say that I struggled a little with my nutrition during training. I tried to mimic my race-day nutrition as much as possible during training but I would often come home from a long ride with almost an entire bottle of nutrition still on my bike. I pretty quickly discovered I don't like eating frequently while biking so instead I focused on taking in nutrient dense fuel. I wrote out a plan and followed it almost to a tee. The one exception would be on the bike. I didn't finish my last bottle because I was afraid to drink more given how much I had to pee. I knew I could potentially hurt my run by neglecting nutrition and hydration, which was part of the reason why I peed on the side of the road. I also took in more solid calories and drank extra after I peed.


Now what I have room for improvement on. To be honest, I'm not sure I would really change much with my execution of this race given my specific preparation. I know I want to try going harder on the bike in my next 70.3 but I wouldn't say I didn't go hard enough this time. So, for this portion I'm going to focus on what I can improve upon in training since that will have a greater effect on how I race.

1. More focused swim training
I'm the first to admit that swimming is my strength in this crazy sport. I have a history as a swimmer and more or less grew up in the pool. What this translates to is having a love-hate relationship with swimming. I go through periods where all I want to do is swim and I contemplate starting to compete again, mixed with periods of little to no swimming at all because I can't stand the thought of spending another minute following the black line. I am one of the lucky ones who can put in less than stellar swim training and still have a decent swim leg during races.

While I've heard that the swim at Rev3 Poconos was a little long, I'm really not all that pleased with my performance. I had some really solid workouts in the pool but when it comes down to it I only did the minimum and the results show that. Sometimes I find it hard to go to the pool when a ride or run would likely be more beneficial but it's almost impossible to do too much in the pool. Swimming will help my overall race and that is what's important. I also know I can push myself a hell of a lot harder in the pool and that is the plan for this off-season. A hard workout in the pool is not going to take me long to recover from and I need to take advantage of that.

This beauty will certainly help

2. Intensity on the bike
Hands down the bike was the part of triathlon I worked on the most this year. I logged more miles in the saddle and started to feel like I could hold my own out there on two wheels. I won't say I wasn't surprised when I found out my biking was still mid to bottom of the pack. I made a ton of improvement this year but when I look back on my training my main focus was solely on logging more miles. I did more rides and longer rides and I'll be doing more rides and longer rides again next year. But where I think I'll make the most improvement is by getting out there and riding hard. This fall I'm going to work on climbing while the weather is still nice before transitioning to shorter harder trainer workouts over the winter.

3. Consistency 
I know after two years of training for triathlons that consistency is going to lead to the greatest improvements. Consistency during the year and consistency year after year. Last year I really didn't start training until May and while that was fine given where I was last spring, I want to take advantage of all my hard earned fitness from this year. I have taken almost two full weeks off since the race and am easing back into light exercise now. Instead of taking the next few months off with little to no exercise I am going to simply dial things back. I don't need to be in peak training all year long but sticking with some training will help things go smoothly when it is time to officially begin ironman training.

Rev3 Poconos 70.3 Race Report

I don't even know where to begin. The journey to this finish line was a very emotional one filled with plenty of ups and downs. Going into the weekend I was more nervous than I can remember being before any of my other races. As a former competitive swimmer I was not worried at all about the swim. I spent much of this summer working on becoming a stronger cyclist and I knew I would get through the bike leg. It was the run I was worried about. The long run has always proven to be a struggle for me both mentally and physically and this led to me doing everything I could to avoid long running at all. I did a few 8 mile runs and one 11 miler before the race.

Also of note, a week before race day I woke up with a nasty cold making it nearly impossible to breathe out of my nose at all. I scrapped my original taper plan in favor of extra rest and doing only what my body felt up to. I was worried it would hurt my race but in the end I knew it was better to do too little than too much. Luckily by Thursday the cold was almost gone and I was starting to feel better about the race. My workouts were still major suckfests but at least I was feeling somewhat healthy again.

Friday afternoon my mom and I made the 2.5 hour drive up to the Poconos. Even though the race wasn't until Sunday I wanted a chance to settle in and check things out instead of spending Saturday rushed trying to get everything done. We stayed at the host hotel, which was also the site of the expo, T2 and the finish. We took advantage of the beautiful weather on Friday to drive the last 7 or so miles of the bike course. Rev3 advertised this course as having a technical last 12 miles so I wanted to see just how technical we were talking. Luckily it wasn't anything too bad.

The plan on Saturday was to pick up my packet, head over to T1 to rack my bike and do a practice swim, and then come back to the hotel and relax. Unfortunately Saturday was a complete washout. It started raining around 10am and didn't stop until 8pm. It made for a pretty gross day. After racking my bike and swimming I was pretty freezing. The water was around 70 degree which wouldn't be so bad with no wetsuit except it was really cold out of the water too.

The highlight of Saturday was the "worst wetsuit" contest. Rev3 and Blueseventy host a contest and award the winner of the worst wetsuit a brand new blueseventy wetsuit. As someone who doesn't even have a wetsuit I was all about this contest. I threw on an old two-piece kayaking wetsuit that's a few sizes too small and stood outside in the pouring rain to win myself my very first wetsuit. Thank you Rev3 and blueseventy!

Race morning started with a 4:57am wakeup call, followed by scarfing down a bowl of oatmeal, getting tatted up, and bundling up for the 45 degree morning. I quickly set up T2 and hopped on the bus to head to the swim start. I don't remember being that cold leaving T2 but when I got off the bus at the swim start I was pretty chilly. While just about everything with this race was great, there was not enough time for athletes to set up T1 by the time the busses got there. The race was not planned to start until 7:00 with the women's wave going off at 7:10 but they made us line up at the water at 6:40. Needless to say we all stood there freezing for 20-30 minutes.

Swim (1.2 miles) 
The women's wave went off right on time at 7:10. In order to avoid some of the chaos that seems to be inevitable during the first few minutes of the swim I lined up in the second row. I realized during the practice swim that while I can handle the contact of the swim start, I really do better doing my own thing. I let the first row of women claw at each other before swimming around and passing a bunch of them. I focused on swimming a steady and even pace, and just getting from one buoy to the next.

Maybe 1/3 of the way through I found another woman to draft off of and just clung to her. Whenever she would gain any distance on me I surged to catch back up to not lose her. I knew it was going to be a long day so I didn't want to really push the swim but I also didn't want to lose my feet. During the last quarter of the swim I struggled with catching up to the two waves in front of me. It was like a losing battle trying to navigate the shallow waters coming into the finish without running over some of the slower swimmers. On the other hand, it did feel pretty good to chick so many men.

Swim- 32:21 / 1:41/100m / 1st AG / 7th female
T1- 3:54

Nutrition: gluten free oatmeal at 5:15, mango naked smoothie at 6:30

Bike (56 miles)
Getting out of the water was pretty brutal. The air had not warmed up in the thirty minutes I was in the water, and now I was soaking wet. T1 took quite some time between the quarter mile run from the lake and my fingers being too cold to put on my arm warmers.

The first five miles of the bike were almost completely downhill, filled with a few scary curves. I drove this part of the course on Saturday so I knew exactly what to expect but I still was scared. I was scared about my bike handling skills but I think what I was really scared of was that I didn't do enough. Enough long rides, enough hilly rides, enough bricks. Enough, enough, enough. I spent the first mile or so settling into the bike and getting adjusted to the cold temps.

It was about a mile in that the switch in my mind was flipped and I entered race mode. During most of my races last year my mind stayed quiet and let my body do what it had spent so many hours training to do. This year my mind has refused to stay quiet. I was constantly questioning myself and my ability to race competitively. I was not nice to myself and my performances suffered because of it. On Sunday, my mind was quiet. It was like those ever-annoying voices in my head were making up for terrorizing me so much throughout the rest of the season.

In typical triathlete race report fashion, the bike leg has all become a blur. I remember almost all of the course but only bits and pieces of what went through my mind during those 56 miles. I remember being in awe of how gorgeous the course was, with a river on one side and a mountain on the other. I remember being giddy about how much fun I was having during the entire ride. I remember not being even slightly frustrated with how many people passed me. I was racing my own race and nobody else mattered. I remember having to pee for the last twenty miles, not being able to go while riding or find a porta-potty, and inevitably going on the side of the road in plain view of all the cars and athletes that went by.

Mostly, I remember telling myself over and over to be smart. This was not the race to experiment with going balls to the wall on the bike and seeing if I blow up on the run. Be smart about pacing. Be smart about nutrition. Stay in the present and be smart. This mantra came in handy during the last ~8 miles, which featured one decent climb before heading to T2 on some seriously windy roads. Be smart about pacing up the hill. Be smart about going around blind curves. Be smart about hitting the never-ending potholes.

Bike- 3:15:15 / 17.21 mph / 1st AG / 36th female
T2- 1:33

Nutrition: blueberry Pro bar, smooth caffeinated Picky Bar, 4 clif shot bloks, 1 bottle Osmo nutrition active, 1.5 bottles raspberry Skratch labs. (~750 kcals)

Run (13.1 miles)
Coming off the bike into T2 I realized that my fingers were swollen. As in I had no knuckles. I had a minor panic that something was wrong but was more concerned with finishing the race. Any medical issues will have to wait until after this 13.1 mile run. I said a quick hello to my mom, hit the porta-potty, and was off running.

This was the part of the race I was most nervous for. When friends would ask me in the days leading up to the race how I was feeling I would tell them I was confident about the swim and the bike but pretty nervous about the run. I had no idea what kind of pace I could expect to hold so I set my sights on running 10:00 min/miles. I knew I had biked faster than expected and had a cushion for breaking the 6-hour mark.

I tried to pay attention to how my legs were feeling to determine how this run was going to go. I was careful to hold back during the first mile since I have a tendency to take off a little too quickly. When I was passed by someone I let them go because this was not the time to try anything. Be smart. I was cautious the first few miles, not knowing how my body would be feeling at mile 10. I was so scared of bonking that I think I held back a little too much.

The majority of the run was uneventful in the way that means that you're doing everything correctly. I had no GI issues or cramping. Every 5K I checked in with myself and if I was still feeling good I gave myself permission to pick up the pace a little. Looking back at my splits I don't think I was actually running any faster but I never slowed down so we'll call that success.

The course was an out and back, with the first and last ~3 miles on that same hilly windy road we biked on, with the middle miles on a really beautiful flat gravel trail. My plan for the run was essentially easy during the first 5k, pick it up on the trail, survive the hills on the way back. I pretty much stuck to this plan except when I exited the trail I still felt good enough to push harder. The one big hill on the way back to the hotel was defeating but the rest of that 5K was surprisingly not as hard as I was expecting.

It was during these final 3 miles that I was passed for the first time by someone I knew I wouldn't be repassing. These miles were also where I started to take a risk. I knew I was close enough to the finish line to chance really pushing it. With each mile that ticked my I could feel myself getting stronger, knowing the finish line was getting closer and closer.

Run- 2:01:54 / 9:18 pace / 2nd AG / 31st female

Nutrition: 1 bottle Osmo nutrition active, GU roctane, PowerBar gel, water from last few aid stations (~275 kcals)

Overall 5:54:58 / 1st AG / 24th female

Crossing that finish line I experienced what everyone told me would happen after crossing the finish line of my first marathon. I felt changed, as cliche and cheesy as it sounds. Despite so many strong races and hard-earned finish lines, I haven't felt like I pushed myself and earned that finishers chute quite like I did on Sunday. I am proud of this entire race, which is something I rarely ever say. And while I will be taking a much needed break to catch up with friends and finish out my senior year of college, I am excited for 2015 and Ironman Lake Placid in a whole new way.

One Week tip Race Day!

Today marks one week until the race I've been training for since May. If you had asked me yesterday how I was feeling heading into race week I would have said something like "feeling really good about the swim, excited for the bike, and nervous for the run." Right now is a different story. I woke up this morning with the beginning of a head cold, full of congestion, fatigue and a pounding headache. I have my fingers crossed that with some rest and a lot of vitamin C I can get to the start line on Sunday healthy and ready to race.

Aside from this little snafu things have been going swimmingly. I had a few great weeks of training and was feeling confident about putting together a solid race on September 14. Since I've been a bad blogger and neglected to post my weekly training recaps I'll catch you up to speed now.

August 11-17
Monday- 19.86 miles of easy biking
Tuesday- yoga
Wednesday- 1500 yd swim
Thursday- rest
Friday- strength
Saturday- rest
Sunday- rest

August 18-24
Monday- run, bike, run brick of 4.15 mile run, 37.31 miles biking, 3.85 mile run
Tuesday- 2500 yd swim, strength
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- yoga, 6.25 mile run
Friday- 18 miles biking, strength
Saturday- 2500 yd swim
Sunday- Keystone State Sprint Triathlon

August 25-31
Monday- 20.7 mile recovery bike ride
Tuesday- 3.26 mile recovery run, yoga
Wednesday- strength
Thursday- 25.3 miles biking
Friday- 3200 yd swim
Saturday- 7 mile run + 4.1 mile run
Sunday- 57.2 mile bike, 2.1 mile t-run, 2800 yd swim

September 1-7
Monday- 30 miles biking
Tuesday- 4000 yd swim
Wednesday- 11 mile run
Thursday- 3400 yd swim
Friday- rest
Saturday- 3000 yd swim, 4.07 mile run
Sunday- 39.8 miles biking

Keystone State Sprint Triathlon 2014

It seems like I just raced and here I am racing again. I debated whether or not to sign up for this race back in the spring since it was only two weeks after nationals and three weeks before my half ironman. What it came down to though, was that I knew I would regret it if I didn't race it. This race has always been a favorite of mine. Although I am working on becoming more competitive and reaching a new level as a triathlete, right now I race because I love it and since there was no blaring reason not to do the race I went ahead and signed up.

Because this was sandwiched between my two goal races I didn't cut back on training at all. Translation: I was tired. I should have known to lower my expectations for this race or not have any at all but sometimes my competitiveness gets the best of me. My legs feeling like lead during my warmup should have been my second clue.

Swim (1/2 mile)
The start of this race was SO much calmer than at Nationals. I think this was the first race where I nailed the swim start. I was able to run a few steps in the water, dolphin dive, and claim some open water real estate with no issues with any of the other women. A friend of mine who used to compete in open water swimming was doing this race so I immediately hopped on her feet and let her do all the sighting. This might have been the first race where I nailed drafting during the swim too.

Swim 11:09 (1:16/100, 2nd AG, 2nd female)
T1 1:02

Bike (18.2 miles)
During the run from the lake to transition I got my first taste of how tired my legs really were. I navigated my way through the muddy swam that had become transition and then struggled for an embarrassing amount of time to get clipped in. Once I was able to get moving I tried to focus on having my own race and not worrying about anyone else on the course. I also tried to let go of whatever my garmin was telling me and race based on how I was feeling. I have a tendency to get in my own head and I didn't want to spend another race battling my mind.

Bike 1:04:22 (17mph, 1st AG, 2nd female)

Run (3.2 miles)
Even though I was tired, I had managed to put together a solid performance in the swim and on the bike. I started running and knew this was going to be a hard race. I was running as the first female with no idea how far back second place was. I was willing my legs to turn over as fast as possible but it felt like I may as well have been shuffling along the trail. Maybe a mile in I made a wrong turn, adding about a minute by the time I found my way back. It was during this minute that second place passed me. I spent the rest of the run mad at myself for what had happened as well as how tired I felt. I spent the rest of the run struggling mentally and physically. I just didn't have it in me to run her down no matter how much I wanted to and that was hard for me to deal with because I could see her almost the entire time.

Run 27:24 (8:33min/mi, 2nd AG, 7th female)

Overall 1:44:48 / 1st AG / 2nd female

Immediately following this race I was livid with both what had happened with first place as well as my performance. This was my first race where I did not set a PR and while I knew at some point that a less than stellar race was bound to happen, it doesn't make it any easier when it does.

After taking some time to reflect on the race I am actually pretty happy with my performance. I am in peak training for my first half ironman and going to a race feeling fresh would be indicative of not training hard enough. My swim and bike splits were nearly identical to last year, it was just my run that was slow. And while I didn't bike or run as fast as I did at nationals at a longer distance, this course was harder. I am proud of myself for taking a risk on the bike and really pushing despite how crappy I felt. Maybe if I hadn't gone so hard on the bike I would have had more in the tank for the run but this was a perfect race to experiment. The only way to find out how fast you can go is to risk going too hard and blowing up.

I have now finished second overall female in three races, two of which were this summer. I thought I would be more upset about not getting an overall win but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Had I not missed that turn on the run I would have likely had a sprint to the finish with first place and as much as it pains me to say this, I'm not sure I'm mentally strong enough yet to commit to winning. I don't want to win a race because nobody showed up that day but rather because I earned it. Because I pushed myself beyond what I thought possible to beat all the other women. Recognizing this is a really good starting point with the off-season just around the corner. Although Ironman Lake Placid is my A race for next year you can bet I will be chasing that coveted first place finish.

Ironman Lake Placid 2015

Surprise! On July 28 at 12:02 I officially signed up for Ironman Lake Placid. I'd known for a little while that I wanted to do an ironman in 2015 but I think a small part of me questioned whether that would really happen. When I first made the switch from swimming to running and triathlon I made a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do. I started with 5k, then 10k, half marathon, marathon, all the way up to ironman. At the time I didn't exactly know what an ironman consisted of and when I looked it up I said no way. I didn't think it was possible. Three and a half years after making that bucket list I not only think, but know that completing an ironman is possible, and dare I say I think it will be fun.

Two summers ago I made a longish term plan regarding my racing. In 2013 I would focus on racing shorter distance triathlons and focus more on having a season with many races than peaking for one specific race. In 2014 the focus would be on completing my first half ironman, with the grand daddy of them all in 2015. Another reason that I wanted to do an ironman next summer is that the timing in my life is perfect. I am not married nor do I have any children or a full-time career. I am graduating in December and won't be starting grad school until next August. I know many people train for ironman while working full time plus having children and I am in awe of those people. I know that this will be the time in my life where I have the least responsibilities so it just made sense to me.

Right now my focus is still on the Rev3 Poconos 70.3 in three and a half weeks. I am in the middle of my last big training block before tapering. This is the longest I have been in training for any one event and I can tell I am on the border of being mentally burned out. After the half I am looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my last semester as an undergrad without the pressure of training for anything. I of course will continue to swim, bike, run but with no plan for a while. The beginning of 2015 will be when the focus switches to ironman training.

Who else will be at Lake Placid next year?

USAT Age Group Nationals Race Report

I still can't wrap my head around this race and everything that came with it. This was by far the largest and most competitive triathlon I have ever done. And to be honest, it was really intimidating for me. In the small city of York I am one of the better triathletes but that doesn't mean anything when you are lining up against the best in the country. Throughout race weekend I went back and forth between feeling inadequate and like I didn't belong to super excited to have the chance to race against such speedy women. This race went completely different than I was expecting but was amazing nonetheless.

This was an unusual set up for me logistically speaking because I am used to getting to the race, setting up transition and starting the race all within about 90 minutes. For nationals I had to be there around 7 to set up my transition area but my wave wasn't scheduled to go off until 10. This made for  a lot of waiting around trying not to waste too much energy. Luckily my sister was there with me and kept me entertained and my nerves down.

Swim (.9 mile)
Finally around 9:45 I wandered over to the swim start to start getting ready. We were able to get in to warm up around 9:50 except there was an unexpected delay and they recalled us back to the dock seconds after I jumped in the water. After about 15 minutes we were finally allowed back in the water. I knew coming into this race that the water was going to be cold and that I would be racing without a wetsuit but I definitely didn't expect the water to be as cold as it was. I was told on Thursday it was 66 degrees, which is the coldest water I have ever swam in. Between getting in to warm up and being called back out, getting in the water again and then treading water for more than five minutes I was pretty frozen by the time my wave started.

Thankfully those five minutes flew by and before I knew it we were being counted down. I've heard stories about the contact that can happen at the beginning of swim starts but I was really not expecting the chaos I found myself in. As a former competitive swimmer I am used to contact in the water. Nothing is as brutal as meet warm ups. But what I experienced here was useless grabbing and thrashing. There were girls next to me hitting me for no logical reason at all. I understand contact because there isn't enough room or you are trying to pass but please don't get all physical with me when there is no need. Rant over.

From all the contact I found myself sucking in water each time I tried to breathe. I spent probably the first quarter of the swim gasping for air and simultaneously nauseated. Once everything settled down I was able to find some open water and get to work. The amount of girls that flew by me that I re-passed later during the swim was ridiculous. Normally I love the swim but this time I remember being fairly frustrated by it all. I was anxious to get on to the bike since this year has been really dedicated to making improvements on the bike.

Swim 22:54 (30/91 AG, 1:23/100 yards)
T1 3:15 (62/91)

Bike (24.8 miles)
The run to transition was long and coming into transition from the other side I ended up going to the wrong rack and couldn't find my bike. I felt like I was running around the entire transition area with no luck. Finally I found my bike, through on my helmet and was off. I thought the mount line would be really hectic with all the girls getting out of the water around the same time but I found myself riding alone for nearly a mile. I was a bad triathlete and didn't check out the bike course at all before the race so I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a relatively flat course but that was all I knew.

To my surprise there were a few small inclines. I wouldn't exactly call them hills but when you're told the course in pancake flat even a bridge suddenly feels like a big climb. I don't know exactly what the reason was but I just didn't feel great during the bike, which frustrated me because my biking has improved so much this summer. No matter how hard I tried to ride my legs just felt dead. Maybe 10 miles into the ride I noticed a pain on my left sit bone, aka my butt. I've never had a pain like this while biking so I was a bit freaked out. The bike course was on some pretty torn up roads and with each bump the pain got worse.

When I think back on the bike leg what I primarily remember is spending the entire ride wishing I was off the bike. My legs felt empty, my butt hurt, my low back became really sore, and I was getting passed too frequently. By the time I was heading back downtown I was nearly in tears I was in so much pain. When I got off my bike I was struggling to walk and had to sit down to put my shoes on. I didn't know how I was supposed to run 6 miles when I was struggling to walk.

Bike 1:21:32 (71/91, 18.1 mph)
T2 2:14 (80/91)

Run (6.2 miles)
When I started the run I was at a loss over what to do. I was in too much pain to run and I was scared that if I tried to run through the pain that I would end up injured and unable to do my half ironman next month. I'm not sure if this is the best logic but my thoughts were that I was already at nationals and it would be better to try to finish the race even if it meant walking, especially because I could get a refund for my half if necessary. Yes the half was my goal for the year but nationals is nationals and I didn't drive 13 hours there to drop out.

As all of this was going through my mind I was jogging really easily. By the time I made up my mind the pain had subsided some, enough for me to run slowly. I decided I would just take the run minute by minute based on how I was feeling. As the pain let up I increased my pace. I was running without my garmin so I had no idea what my pace was. By mile two the pain was completely gone and I was hauling as much ass as I could. I spent the remainder of the run picking off as many women as possible.

Given how much of a struggle the first part of the race was I was surprised with how well the run was going. I didn't know how I was doing pace wise but I knew I was passing way more people than were passing me. In fact I only got passed by one woman the entire run and passed six men. I think there is something to be said for running blindly and not knowing how hard you really are running. If you had told me I was holding sub 8 off the bike I would have probably slowed down out of fear of blowing up. But I can hold that pace.

With about a mile to go a guy around my age came up to me, gave me a fist bump and we started chatting. We joked about ditching the race in favor of going jet skiing. We ran together for most of that last mile, which helped keep my mind off the heat and the fatigue of being at mile 5.5 of 6.2. Before I knew it I could see the finish line and I was sprinting towards it and a shiny new PR.

Run 49:57 (39/91, 8:02/mi)

Overall 2:39:54 (56/91 AG)