Reed's Lake Tri

What a fun time! I just love doing this race because so many friends that I don't always get to race with participate too. It is also fun to have family there to watch! I like racing with Ross too-he always like to go after Reeds. Anyway, I was victorious on saturday for the women, which was exciting. I had to drop out last year after the bike (mostly by choice) since my injury was acting up and I didn't want to risk re-injury on the run. So to be back feeling healthy was just awesome!! Here is a link to an article about the race.
Pictures: http://photos.mlive.com/4469/gallery/reeds_lake_triathlon/index.html
Article: http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/09/rainbow_inspires_reeds_lake_tr.html

I am now prepping for Buffalo, NY this saturday. It is an ITU (draft-legal) race. Woo hoo! Should be fun. I haven't done an ITU race since March.

Chicago Triathlon

It was a fun weekend in Chicago! Ross and I's parents came down so that was great to have them around and their support. Our annual Chicago dinner tradition continued with Kattie, AD, and Eric Zane's family...except we went to the Cheesecake Factory 2 nights before the race insteady of Gino's. Man, Cheesecake Factory has something for everyone...ya know???? I did get some great Gino's deep dish pizza AFTER the race. That was so worth it! Anyway, how I about I tell about the race? It was a later starting race (11:30). Since there are so many people participating they have the pros go later in the day when the bike course is more clear. Ross raced first thing in the morning with the elite amateur group so he was gone early and I got to hang out in the hotel for hours later. That is hard to do sometimes by yourself when you have nerves! haha. Anyway, weather was looking good in the morning, but we knew they were calling for rain-it was just a matter of hours before it was supposed to roll through. Of course, at the start of our race came some rain. Well, the swim felt great for me this time. I got reved up in the warm up and felt confident in my plan. I was in the next pack of girls back behind the top 4. I felt like I could throw in surges when I needed to so that was great! There is a long run to transition...believe me...it is long. I lost some contact with people on that run to the bike. I just couldn't get my legs under me! I put shoes on (like many others) coming right out of the water for the long run and was glad I did. Once I got on my bike, I settled in and went for my targets. I know this bike course well (it is a simple out and back one-2 loops on Lakeshore Drive) so I knew when I wanted to build and put in any kind of surges. It did start to rain and got a little windy towards the end of the bike so that was challenging at some points, but I remained focused and looked at it as an adventure. I haven't done many big races in the rain! My Rolf Prima wheels seriously worked well. I didn't have any real big issues with the wind and rain, which was great. I think the rain decieved me as far as how hydrated I was. I didn't go through all my water on the bike, which was probably not a good idea. I was concerned I was going to be sloshy in the stomach on the run and I wasn't sweating (so I thought) so I cut back.  I think I needed more though. Anyway, I held my spot of 7th on the bike and set off for the run. I can't say I felt too peppy coming off the bike. I had to stick to my mantras and committ to my targets and surge where I planned to. I did stick to my targets, but it sure didn't feel like I was surging. The run just felt hard, but I stayed focused and committed. I am glad I was able to take some risks and see if I could dig a little beyond...it just gives fuel for upcoming races. My run training has been ramping up for about a month now since my latest hip injury. So I think I am still a little behind yet with my runnning gears. I am just looking foward to getting more run training under my belt so I can finish the season off strong. I kept my spot at 7th and was about 50" behind 6th place. I am happy with how I did considering the stacked field that was there. It was fun overall despite the painful run...haha! Again, it was so great to have family and friends at the finish line to hug afterwards. :) Thanks for all your support!

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!