Lifetime Fitness Minneapolis

Here is a cool highlights video! I am in there a few times...woo! :)

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Fast_Times_at_Minneapolis_Tri_2927.html

This event is seriously great. It is run so well! Fun area, twisty, turny fun bikecourse, and a lot of fast racers...awesome! I had a great experience. Most of the pros stayed in the host hotel, Best Western Dakota Ridge, thanks to Lifetime. The hotel experience was one of the highlights of the race as the regional hotel manager, Matt, went above and beyond to make sure the pros and racers were taken care of. I enjoyed meeting and talking to some of the pros that I don't usually get to interact with. That was fun. There was a pro dinner on Thursday before the race, which was also wonderful. Ross and I had fun visiting with race staff and other athletes. It sure takes a lot to put on a such a big race!

Anyway, the race itself was certainly not my best. I have been working through some inflammation in my hip, which has put a damper on my training. I wasn't sure how I was going to fare on the run, but did finish...what a blessing! Before the race, I decided to play it smart on the run and just pick a pace that felt safe where my hip wouldn't fatigue too soon. The goal was really to finish! Even though it is frustrating to be dealing with an injury, I am so thankful that I was able to race in a great atmosphere. I ended up taking 8th, which allowed me to get a few points for the Lifetime Race to the Toyota Cup series. So that is a positive. It was definitly a weekend where I had to seek out the positives. Another positive is that I had a solid swim and didn't feel the hip on the bike so was able to push (not 100% like normal), but to a solid effort. So as far as the race goes--we'll just put that one aside. :) I will look back on this trip as a great social venture as Ross and I hung out with a few other pros after the race from Australia and New Zealand (Katie, Maxine, Jimi, and Mitch). Fun times! Thanks to Matt and Mandi for having us all over for an amazing dinner.

Thanks to all those who followed the facebook posts from Ross and for the support!

Heading to Minneapolis!

Well, after a couple of weeks of dealing with a hip issue, I am planning to test the waters in Minneapolis this weekend (this race is also part of the Race to the Toyota Cup series). Ross is racing too! This is the race where I qualified for my pro card so it is fun to being going back. While my running training hasn't been what I have wanted, I am just excited to be out there racing!

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Ross and I joined my family for a little vacation in Steamboat through the 4th of July. It was great to see Nate and Fran and their awesome set up! It was beautiful out there. We even went to a pro rodeo! Ross and I enjoyed some hikes with the family and a little bit of training in altitude. We also were informed about a mile open water race series happening while we were there so...how could we pass that up? I mean seriously... haha. It was fun to swim amongst the mountains. I even won a box of Honeystinger waffles from the raffle! ooo! So all in all...nice family get away. Here are a few photos:

 Peter, my cousin, Jenna, and me!

These guys are amazing! My back and neck hurt just watching them!

 The Van Baak's house where Nate and Fran are living. It overlooks the valley...so beautiful.

Gondola ride up a mountain!

Cap Tex Tri, Austin, TX

Here are a few race photos from the Cap Tex Tri (part of the race to the toyota cup series) that took place on Memorial Day. The venue was great and the race was run very well. It was also the Paratriathlon National Championship race so it was neat to share the course with wounded warriors and those overcoming physical challenges. Pretty inspirational! It was a great experience overall. I was very happy with my race performance (7th place). I had my best run ever and my swim was right where I wanted it.

Local Clinic with Barb Lindquist

Back in May, Barb came to Grand Rapids to put on a triathlon clinic. It was great! There is always something to learn even after working with her for 3 years now. It was fun to get to know other area triathletes too!

 Swimming Technique Work

 Running Drills

 Oh yeah for stairs and jump squats!

St. Anthony's Triathlon Photos

Nautica South Beach Triathlon

Doing the Nautica South Beach Tri-part of the Toyota Cup Race Series- was great! The event was run well and they even had Bob Saget announcing the awards…I mean how cool is that? I felt like I knew him so well from all my days of watching Full House…haha. Anyway, South Beach was quite the place to race. I thought the race venue was neat.( Ross and I took some vacation time to enjoy the Hollywood/ Ft. Lauderdale area after the race. Good times!)This was my first race in the ocean and it was nice and calm the morning of the race, which helped make my experience enjoyable. The bike course went all around town and over causeways. I made sure to look up for a second and enjoy-I was still focused of course.  The run was on a path that was right along the ocean, it was open to the public, which made it a little tricky at times as not everyone was watching out for the racers. I had to do a little dodging.
Well, to give play by play of the race, the pro men and women both started together. I lined up by myself behind a group of men, which seemed to work well. I was able to get right in there and found my groove after doing a few dolphin dives to get out of the shallow water. I was able to settle in nicely and kept doing some surges to see if I could hold a faster pace. I was pretty focused and didn’t see any ocean creatures…darn. Well, I ended up 5th out of the water for the women just seconds behind the 3rd person out. I was pretty happy about this!! I eased into my bike, maybe with a little too much ease. It can be tough sometimes to get that feel back right away since I haven’t raced in a while, but sure enough my body took over and knew what to do. I felt strong on the bike for the most part, but did wonder after I was done if I could have pushed it harder a little sooner. Hmm. I had to do some more dodging through the long and busy transition, but made it out onto the run in 6th. I went out conservatively with the plan to build into the second half. I had a little build, but didn’t seem to be able to find that extra gear to really get there. I got passed by two others and just didn’t have the gear to respond. I stayed strong, thought about my technique, and ended up with a solid 8th place. Overall I am happy with how the race went. I really enjoyed myself. It was fun to look up and see God’s creation through palm trees and the beautiful ocean. I loved it! Now I look forward to entering into a new phase of training and gearing up for St. Anthony’s in St. Petersburg, FL. at the end of April. FL here I come again!