So ready for off season…massive amounts of swimming and hot yoga have been sounding so good basically since the BIG DAY. Yet, there was one more race…Augusta 70.3…

I was feeling better than my normal overtrained self at this time of year…thanks to Coach M. We have really been keeping a better log on how many hours I am training and backed off a lot from previous years and focused on quality not quantity. My only worry going into the race was the run. I had not run 13 miles for maybe 3 years…the endurance is there but my body just does not want to do the mielage…my hips are still not 100%.

Matias and I signed up for Augusta 70.3 in July…I was on feeling on fire and itching to do a half…wanted to wait until after the wedding but not push the season into October…and wanted something driveable…Augusta…hmmm.

We headed out on 95S at 3pm on Friday in the rain…you can imagine what fun this was. We made it to Richmond by 730pm…stopped for some eats and back on the rode. Around 10pm we decided we had enough and stopped in Wilson, NC to sleep. Up at 5am the next morning and back on the road. About 9am we made a much needed stop in Columbia, SC for a quick dip at a Wellness Center. I was feeling much better after all that sitting in the car. Next stop Augusta! Made it to town about 1230pm just in time to stand in a looooong line for check-in. Apparently Augusta is the largets 70.3, with about 3000 racers…eeeyikes. Remind me why I sign up for these sorts of events. Oh what I would have given to be back in Loooray! After check-in we hit up the expo, and headed over to bike drop-off. Well after about 3 hours of Matias trying to get our tires to hold air (darn race wheels) and my rearranging my stuff at least 20 times (yes, OCD) we were on our way to our hotel in Aiken, SC (sometimes it is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the race hotel!). I was wiped and the race had not even begun. We found some good wine and eats at Outback, finished off a box of Skinny Cow Pops and were in bed at a decent hour.

***DISTANCE***
1.2 Mile Swim
56 Mile Bike
13.1 Mile Run

***RESULTS***
Swim: 21:50
Bike: 2:44:24
Run: DNF

***PRE-RACE***

Up at 430am…cooking potatoes and breaking microwaves….yep, that is what I do best. On the road to Augusta at 5am…found parking and headed to take the shuttle to transition…what a ZOO transition was. We checked our tires…thanks goodness they had heald air or I would have quit right then and there. Set up my stuff, waited in the enormous line for the portas, found Matias, and we walked the 1 mile to the swim start. More waiting as I did not go off until almost 9am. Matias went at 8am so I just stewed for about an hour and found friends. Waves began to line up…I was wave 22 white caps (female 30-34 A-S)…

***RACE***

SWIM – Swim was a point to point downstream the Savannah River…I was really looking forward to killing this. Yesterday, the water had looked really inviting. Today was we walked down onto the dock I noticed all the trash floating on the other side…eeeeeeeeguhhh. Everyone jumped in and treaded. BRRRRRRRRRRR it was chilly! I positioned front and towards the left (middle of the river). Looked at my watch to see what the appx go time would be…NOOOOOOOOO…my watch was blanking out…apparently it liked cold less than I! Hopefully after the swim it would come back on…hopefully…I did not race with anything but this watch…I just race off time. And the horn…we were off…I pulled ahead with a few others. I felt strained but mediocre. I stayed ahead with one girl right in front of me. I drafted her for a bit and then pulled to her side after losing pateince. We swam together for most fo the way and then she started to drift out and I kept on going. I saw her a bit behind me to the left and lost site of her for awhile. Swimming did not feel effortless as it should with the current…but I kept on busting. Finally could see the end bouys…also caught site of the other white cap. We were battling for the lead. Coming up the ramp into T1 was a MESS of people. The girl plowed through and all I could do was keep my head down and follow her lead…and we were into T1…

T1 – wetsuit strippers…I passed this time…as I had a long way to run to my bike I could have my suit practically off by then. Yep, watch was DONE done done. GREAT. this would be interesting. With as far from the bike out entrance I was I had decided to leave the shoes on the bike. I had a smooth Bananas mount and was off.

BIKE – hmm ok I was hoping to hold 5miles/15minute pace…now I would just ride and gauge off others…ehh and my nutrition. Matias and I had wrote a solid plan for this were I was eating about 75-100 calories within every 30 minutes. I would have to modify this and go by miles and not time. One of the good things about starting at the back is you can pass a lot on the bike! About Mile 10 I finally settled into a group that I could keep pace with. I found a few women that I tried to keep within site. I would pass them on the hills and they would catch me on the downhills. I had seen maybe 1 30-34 woman go by….I must be keeping a good pace. The roads were not super…a lot of bumpiness, rumble strips in some spots. I kept to my nutrition plan and felt probably the best I have on a hard bike effort like that. I felt I had done solid work and even forgot about the dreaded run…

T2 – Into T2. As I got off my bike I felt decent running in. This could be a go.

RUN – Off and running onto the streets of Augusta. Something STUNK…like someone was cooking up some stale beef stew. yucky. Mile 1 came pretty quickly..but I was not feeling too strong. I started realizing that it may not be the amount of running but the amount of activity that just drains my hips of strength. Maybe I could shake it off…but it was a pretty deep hurt :/ I pushed through Mile 2 and Mile 3…the pain demons were there. This could damage me. I was not having fun at all and I wanted to stop. At Mile 4 I asked a policeman if I could stop and go back to the finish. He called my number in as DNF and I walked slowly back to the finish…fortunately it was a lot of out and back and it was not too far…

Honestly I was not too disappointed…it had been an amazing season, including the happiest day of my life…I don’t have anything more to ask for…

Up Next – Katie’s 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge! Most of the bikram studios do a 30 day challenge…but since I like to attend multiple studios…I am doing my own challenge! and since anything worth doing is worth overdoing…this might get OUT OF CONTROL…

as KATIE DAVISON!…NO…NOT last race…but last race as Katie Davison…I needed this victory! (BIG DAY, where I will become Katie Palavecino, is in less than 2 weeks…where has the time gone?!).

The LURAY DOUBLE…is becoming my favorite race/race weekend. Great town, great race, great people.

David Glover had given Matias and I an entry to the International race as our wedding present. nice! We have a lot of dishes now so this was really cool We decided to go for the weekend and enter the Sprint race as well. This would be good for pre-wedding relaxation. We got a cabin in Stanley at Shenandoah Woods, which is right on the bike course…it is always nice to roll out of bed and be at the race in 5 minutes. Headed for Luray mid-afternoon on Friday. Got into town, cooked up some good eats , and were in bed at a decent hour.

LURAY INTERNATIONAL

***DISTANCE***
1500 Meter Swim
41K Bike
10K Run

***RESULTS***
02:29:39, 1st female overall!!! WHAT?!?! that is crazzzzy!

***PRE-RACE***

I did not really feel too nervous. But my pre-race anxiety issues started immediately when I woke up. In the bathroom often. no good. Got to Lake Arrowhead in plenty of time to set up transition, do all the other pre-race prep, mingle with lots of familiar faces, and hit up the bathroom several times.

***RACE***

SWIM – 78.5 degree water temp…this was just barely over the wetsuit limit…I went with my Xterra Velocity Speedsuit. I was in the 4th wave (39 and under women). I positioned myself front and center. I felt ready to SMASH IT. For some reason I was feeling wide awake and really ready to race. The go. I was off in front with a few to my right and a few to my left. Then I was alone. My stroke was feeling awesome. I had not felt that great in the water for a loooong time. I went with it. I continued to push it. The course was a pacman shape…which sounds tricky but the buoys were very easy to site. Out of the water first female. There were so many people cheering! yippeee!!!!

T1 – slow…getting those speedsuits off is never easy. I need to tie a string on the zipper…yes, that is what I will do. Shortly I was off on Bananas.

BIKE – Bananas was on FIRE. Passed some dudes up the first climb out of the park. “What wave were you in?!,” one guys shouted at me. yahahaha. I am going to SMASH IT. I felt very focused. I do not use a computer on my bike but decided to try for 5 miles/15 minutes. I hit the first 5 right on time. I was feeling pretty good. I hit the next 5 with ample time to spare…yikes…maybe I had better simmer down. I continued to push it. My hip felt kinda funny…maybe a worry for the run. I kept up my pace, hitting my time goals with much time to spare. I came into transition about 8 minutes before I had expected. nice! I was still 1st female.

T2 – Busted through transition and was off and running.

RUN – Now this is where it always gets exciting…the real race begins. I knew I had a pretty good lead because I had not seen any females coming in on bikes as I was running out of the park. I was feeling pretty good…the hip issue from the bike not a problem. Pretty good meant ok about mile 2. OK so this was going to be painful. Running is usually not pleasant. I had not run a 10K for a few months…my long runs had been about 30-45 minutes tops. But I had been rollerblading. At the turnaround I still had the lead but I had developed a bad blister on the bottom of my foot. I had to change my step a bit. The course was an out and back so I could see who was coming. The female in 2nd was gaining on me…and the one behind her (Michelle Harburg) was flying. well there it goes. Here they all come again. boo. My heart sunk. Mile 4…I kept looking back…still no one in site…only about 2 more miles…you CAN do this. What if you could win?! Your last race as Katie Davison…come on! I quickened my cadence…used my arms. Mile 5…maybe I had this?! I picked it up. I wanted this really really bad. I gave it my all to the finish…came across 1st female! but I was scared to get my hopes up…there was a wave of 40+ women that had started 3 minutes behind…one may have gotten me. I waited anxiously for the results. When they came out I saw I had won! I still did not believe it and had to go check the list several more times

The even more exciting thing was that Matias was 1st overall male. BUHAHA. But there was still more racing to do….Sprint race the next day. Even though we had races the next morning…we still decided to celebrate…you never know when experience a solid performance again! Headed to Wisteria Vineyard for some good wine and live music!

LURAY SPRINT

***DISTANCE***
750 Meter Swim
16.5 Mile Bike
5K Run

***RESULTS***
01:28:47, 2nd female overall

***PRE-RACE***

Woke up feeling like a bomb went off in my legs. And my blister was bad news. I put some moleskin on and was hoping it would stay on in the water and through the race. And I just felt tired. I thought my pre-race nerves would settle, as I had gone through the exact same routine the day before…but not so much…hit up the bathroom as much as the previous day…maybe once or twice more. I felt pretty empty.

***RACE***

SWIM – After some rain that night the water had cooled to 77 degrees…wetsuit legal! Thank goodness I had thrown my wetsuit in the truck! Same wave, same positioning…although this time my favorite swim buddy, Julie Roddin, was there with me…just like good old times. The go…it was no longer a repeat of the previous day…I hung behind a few ladies. Then pulled away from all but one up ahead. I stayed with her. It seemed like we had to fight through more people today. I felt sluggish and strained. Stroke felt forced. I came out of the water 2nd female..maybe 10 seconds behind 1st.

T1 – into transition…it felt mush harder than normal to get my wetsuit off…the strength was just not there. I was after what felt like forever off on Bananas. I saw the 1st female heading out right before me. game one.

BIKE – I passed her on the first climb out of the park. Biking lately had felt better than swimming and I was happy to be off on my bike. I aimed for the same pacing…5 miles/15 minutes. I held to this for the first 10 miles and again was ahead of schedule and was feeling decent. Last 6 miles and climbing hurt a bit. My legs were very fatigued. I was dreading the run. I can’t remember the last time I ran a 10K, let alone run back to back days, let alone run more than 9 mile in a week…BUHHH!

T2 – I was in 1st and quickly moved through transition.

RUN – As I was running out I saw Snapple teammate Hilary fly in on her bike. She is SO strong. She had also started in the 40+ wave (3 seconds behind me)…so she was already ahead. no way in heck I could outrun her! no way in heck. 2nd would do…but could I hold it? I saw Lisa coming in on the bike as I was running out of the park…it was going to be tough. And that blister was on FIRE. OK…where was my game on face? I needed to get it back. My blister was hurting big time. I need to think of anything but the darn blister…Sarah, Matias, wedding, patents…blah blah blah…then came Hilary about Mile 1. I felt spacey. The trees to the right were not so visible. yes…I was getting a migraine. I had taken my shades off in T2 because it was not too sunny and they were fogging up. bad idea. At the turn around I had a full on migraine. Well, the good news was that I was not focused on the blister anymore but more on focusing on what was going on. I just kept it moving. I had a hard time seeing who was coming on the other side. Saw Lisa and another female running together not too too far behind. I tried to push it…picked up may cadence and arm speed. I could hold this…and for once thankfully for a migraine it had made my blister feel better. I felt delirious. I was going to be hurting after this. I gave it my all into the finish…came across and finished a solid 2nd place female overall. I’ll take that!

Matias took the win again What a tremendous weekend!

Thanks to Bonzai, RATS, Kona Kev for the tent set up and food and hanging out! And of course thanks to David and Krista for another amazing Luray Double weekend. Can’t wait for next year! It was so nice to see so many great friends in one place. CONGRATS to all on awesome races!

And now onto the BIG EVENT!

***RESULTS***

01:23:08, 2nd female overall

***PRE-RACE***

Culpeper is always a last minute decision…always feeling pretty solid late July through early August…and the race always just falls at the right time. I was feeling strong on the bike. Soso on the run. And not too great in the water. This time of year I just want to be outside and pool time always suffers. But of all things to be weakest at for me…I’ll take the swim. I may have figured out how to strengthen my hips…rollerblading! what a blast from the past. Been hitting about 30 miles/week.

The great thing about Culpeper and the Set Up Events is not having to do packet pick-up, bike racking, all that the day before…those sort of things always leave me exhausted before the race even begins. Matias and I left Alexandria and arrived in Culpeper with ample time for packet pick-up ad transition set-up.

***RACE***

SWIM – Obviously with the scorcher temperatures this was a non-wetsuit swim. I decided to wear my Xterra Velocity speedsuit. Swim start was in waves by age group. I was 3rd wave of 39 and under females. Right behind the 40 and over males. The go…hung in the front with a few others…we caught the men in front of us pretty quick. I busted through the masses…I was not too graceful about it :/ Ha I feel if it would have been other ladies I would have been a bit more gentle Before long I was coming out of the water trying to get the suit off.

T1 – slow. what was I doing?! I am usually speedy taking off a wetsuit…but the speedsuit threw me. I knew I had come out of the water 2nd female but there were a gaggle of us heading out onto the bike together.

BIKE – Yeah! Bananas first race with race wheels (Matias got me some slick HED wheels for my birthday)! Heading out onto the bike was a climb…I felt strong…been feeling SOLID on the hills. Me and Bananas we love to climb! Held off the ladies who had started with me. Molly, the female winner, went by me maybe 8 miles in…she is a STRONG biker! Wouldn’t be able to catch her! Then I sighted another female in the distance. I came up on her and we were back and forth for a while. As we neared the end a few climbs and I was able to hold her off. Came off in 2nd…but I knew there were about 3 females very close behind. Run is always interesting…

T2 – quicker this time…was off and running…

RUN – I felt rough getting going. It was HOT and my feet felt HOT. no complaints on HOT though…really. I felt sluggish and slow. I tried to quicken my cadence. It seemed to be feeling better. Matias flew in on the way to the finish line…he was holding the lead…and then Andy behind him in second! sweet..this motivated me! I was feeling better and my form was coming together. Run was an out and back…on the return route…I said to myself…WHAT are you waiting for?! I started to pick it up and busted it to the end for a solid 2nd place finish!

This was the first time I can remember that my hips were not screaming after a race. The rollerblading must be doing something!

***THE BIRTHDAY WORKOUT***

What is the birthday workout? The birthday workout was created by our friend Tim Peters. For however old you turn (X), you must swim X00 yards, bike X miles, and run X minutes. I turned 33 on August 3…so the workout would be 3300 yard swim, 33 mile bike, and 33 minute run (or maybe skate since it is my birthday and running hurts).

That morning Matias and I headed to masters at Crystal City where CJ gave us 33 x 100′s (1-11 @1:30, 12-21 @1:25, 22-33 @1:20). Then we got on our bikes and did a loop from the pool (my total mileage from home being 33 miles). I would do my run or skate later in the day.

Got some work done and decided to head out and headed out on my rollerblades. Tim and I had decided that the proper run:rollerblade equation was about 1:2. So I would need to do 66 minutes. I decided I would skate into DC and surprise Matias at work (L’efant Plaza). Made it across 14th street bridge and had to pull out the handy iphone to get my directions (I am not so good in DC). After circling the area a few times I ended up at his office. He came down and met me for coffee and pointed me in the right direction home. It had started to rain a bit…nothing too bad though. I ended up at the Smithsonian…what the BEEP…this is not where I wanted to go. It had started to really rain. great. rollerblading in rain is not the best idea…slip slidding all over. I decided to give and get on the metro. Even with my SAD face there were NO rollerblades allowed on the metro…obviously. Checked the iphone again…saw that if I just headed down the road I was on it should put me across the 14th street bridge and back to VA. I was back in the rain. Well somehow I ended up on a ramp to 395 (yes, now I can say I have rode my bike on 66 and rollerbladed on 395, oh and swam in the Potomac…doctors always like to hear that). I shimmy along the side….dude stops in his Jeep and asks me if I would like a ride. YES PLEASE. I get into this guys car and my first thought is…OMG I am going to get kidnapped. I say UM I don’t usually get into cars with strangers and ask him where he is headed. He says well I just need to get you off this highway. Strangely we end up right where I need to be…at the 14th street bridge going over to Mt Vernon. I thank him and am back on my way home in the rain and slick paths. 2 hours later I arrive at home EXHAUSTED but what an adventure! not going to do that route again.

Thanks to Matias, Mindy, Tim, CJ, Philippe, Donna, Steve, and Julie for making it more fun! So the birthday workout will be my new tradition. I encourage others to try it!

4.4 mile swim…this one was a serious curser. What do I mean by this? Well, for those of you who know me pretty well…you know that I do not swear. About halfway through this swim I had absolutely nothing nice to say. Good thing no one can hear you when you talk while swimming.

***RESULTS***

2:02:34, 14th female overall, 2nd in age group!

***PRE-RACE***

Due to the time of the currents being the least the race would not begin until 11:30pm, wave 2 at 11:45pm. BUST. I really enjoy the early races. I am such a morning person so this really threw me off my game. I took my time in the morning. Picked up Pat in Arlington and we were on the road for the Bay about 7:45am. We arrived at Sandy Point State Park just in time to sit around and wait. Bonzai had their truck and set up a tent…so a bunch of us congregated there and talked strategy and got nervous. Although strangely I was not nervous…my usual pre-race bad anxiety was not going on. Not sure if this was a good thing. I just wanted to get across that Bay and be done with this. During the pre-race meeting they said how this was the best the currents had been (later I realized they must say this every year…it must be written into their speech). Finally it was time to start getting ready and moving towards the beach. Mindy and I watched everyone putting on their wetsuits…why is everyone getting ready so early?! We decided it was time, put on our matching Xterra Vendettas and were ready for action. Then there was serious shouting…”You! With the red caps! You need to be in the corral in 7 seconds! The entire Coast Guard is waiting on YOU!” One of the race directors was looking at Mindy, Ali, and I and wanted us to get down to the start. CRIPES…what was I thinking?! I told you…my whole game was thrown by this late start. Mindy and I raced down as fast as we could do the water. I was beat…and now I had to freakin swim across this thing. good grief.

***RACE***

start-Mile 1 – There are 2 waves in this race. I was in wave 2 (the faster wave, which leaves about 15 minutes behind wave 1). There are maybe 300 or so people in each. I tried to position myself front left. I did NOT want to be in the middle that was fo sure. 2007, my last take at this swim I was in the middle and almost drowned. There are a lot of fast swimmers that come out for this. The go. I was off. I was getting knocked around a lot. GUH. I hate this part. I just want to swim and have no one touching me. I fought it out with a few. Finally I was at the point were you enter into between the 2 bridge spans. The crowd thinned. I felt I was more towards the front so was feeling confident. There is always a lot of strategy talk beforehand. Well, I really think the best strategy is to just swim and stay between the 2 bridge spans (if you do not stay between them you are pulled out and DNFed). Really the current is this way and then that way so just trying to keep down the middle will do. I got into my rhythm and was feeling good and alone…saw a few caps in front of me. I do not remember seeing a 1 mile buoy.

Mile 1-2 – I was moving…felt my pace might be a bit fast but I was feeling good. The bridge span poles were going by quickly. This would be my first open water swim of the year….and I was remembering how I loved it. I was feeling euphoric…this lasted about 10 minutes. I was starting to feel my shoulders then and I was really starting to feel I was drifting to the right. I saw a kayaker and asked how much further? “mmm, about half way.” liar! I thought to myself. But then looked at my watch and saw only 45 minutes had gone by. OK, maybe he was right…I was making excellent time.

Mile 2-3 – I was starting to feel not good. I was really drifting to the right, to the point that I was almost under the right bridge span. I was scared. I could not move my arms fast enough to get out of there. I kept stopping and treading to gauge my location…the next span was NOT coming any closer…this was terrible…I had been doing so well. The cursing began. I stopped again and swam directly over to the left span pol…I tried at least. My shoulders were not happy. I was going to be damaged after this. After a few more attempts at swimming directly to the left I found myself a bit closer to the middle. A girl swam buy and I hoped on her feet. I had found my Mr Peters!!! there was no kicking and just swam behind her for a bit. I was tired and could not go any faster. Then came the mile 3 buoy.

Mile 3-4 – I lost the feet after I started getting antsy and tried to pass her. Then I think she stopped at a banana boat. I was on my own again and feeling it. My stomach was in a HUGE knot. suck it up! I thought about anything and everything besides swimming. wedding, patents, Matias is probably destroying Eagleman! I better bust so that I have something to say for myself! I picked it up. no crying allowed. Then the counting started. Yes, I am a bit (A LOT) OCD and when I am nervous/anxious/etc I count things. I started counting bridge posts and strokes. I had to take so many strokes before I could think about stopping and treading to gauge my location.

Mile 4-end – This was one of the longest parts of the race. I felt I could still beat my time from 2007…but then as I was just seeing the shore and time had passed I just wanted to get to the shore any way that I could! I made it out of the span and the shore still seemed SO far away. sosososo far. I saw people standing…it was shallow. 20 strokes, stand, 20 strokes stand, repeated that numerous times. And finally I was there and finished! HOLY SMOKES. Conditions seemed rougher this year. They ended up closing the course about 30 minutes after I finished due to bad weather coming.

I was a little bummed when I saw my time and was about 9 minutes slower from 2007. When I got home I looked at the results more closely. In 2007 I went a 1:53 and was 47th female overall, 9th in age group….this year I was 14th female, 2nd in my age group!…so YIPEEEEE looks like I have gotten faster! Pretty sure I said I would not do this ever again after my take in 2007. I said it again this year, and again I meant it. So not too sure what this means I mean if I get injured what else I am supposed to do?!

Swim was a BEATER. But I had a good time hanging out with Mindy, Pat, Ali, Stefan. Congrats to all of you! we are all CHAMPIONS!

Turns out this was the slowest year since 1999. Check out the data!

***DISTANCE***

Swim: 400 meters
Bike: 12 miles
Run: 5K

***RESULTS***

Overall

Overall: 1:03:14, 2nd female overall, 11th overall
Swim: 5:27
T1: 1:22
Bike: 32:54
T2: 1:14
Run: 22:19

***PRE-RACE***

Since VA Run 2 weeks earlier I had not been able to run…the hipsters were feeling it…the usual. Track workouts week before and after race are not a good idea…not just yet. Also seemed that my tri bike put a lot more stress on my hips than my road bike…which I had been riding most of the winter. Foam rolling, yogaing, no running for 2 weeks, and still strained. I was a little unsure if I should race Reston. The day before I started taking Advil…if this worked I would worry less because the underlying issue was muscular and nothing serious probably. By Saturday afternoon I was feeling like I could do it. Plus I had a new HOT pink helmet to wear! Game on.

Arrived at the site around 6:00am Sunday. I love Reston…I miss living there…I really do. Everyone and everything is so familiar. It will always feel like home to me.

***RACE***

SWIM – We all gathered around the pool to line up for the swim start. cripes there was a lot of people…capped at 700 this year (maybe 500 showed). That is a lot of people around a 50 meter pool. An announcement was made that water temp was 75…wetsuit legal! I ran to get my wetsuit. I’ll take it. The setup was pretty informal. Instead of lining up by number it was seed yourself. I positioned myself near the top 20. Everyone was scoping out the scene. Matias decided to take charge and organize everyone. This was quite humerous as everyone was looking at him like who does this guy think he is?! It was a snake swim…8 lengths of the 50 meter pool for a 400 total…one person started at a time so you had the entire lane to yourself. I entered the water and busted it. I felt a lot of chop going on. First turn I was too off to flip and go under the lane line…open turn and off into the next lane. The first few lengths I felt like I was in a washing machine. Then I tried to simmer down and settle into a rhythm…starting to feel good I caught a few guys in front of me about half way through. It was a mess of people at the wall…I plowed through. Pulled myself out and hurried into T1.

T1 – oh geez. I lost a lot of time here trying to get my bike shoes on which were already clipped onto my bike…starting uphill…no good.

BIKE – Off on Bananas. 3 loops. I am really not liking the time trial situation. Hard to tell who was where. I would have to just bust it. I was first female but only since I had started in the water first. Lots of volunteers and racers on the course. Lots of action going on. I saw Matias and Al on each lap and felt re-energized each time I went through.

T2 – Pretty uneventful bike leg and into T2…hips feeling good and like I could take this run.

RUN – Started out on the course. I felt good. Better than I had last race. I saw my friend Mike right in front of me. I decided to try and stay with him. Mike and I stayed together for the majority of the run. We saw Bob towards the last mile. I told Mike to catch him and he took off. I tried to catch him and came real close. I gave it my all. I had nothing left in the end. Running is a bit more fun for me now. I don’t feel so scared like I am just trying to hold people off but am actually able to catch up people and I am much more confident.

I came across the line 1st female…this meant nothing though Leslie Knibb came in shortly after…she had to have got me. I ended up 2nd overall. Solid day of racing and spending time with good friends!

***DISTANCE***

Swim: 250 meters
Bike: 12 miles
Run: 5K

***RESULTS***

Overall

Overall: 1:02:23, 3rd female overall, 12th overall
Swim: 3:39
T1: 1:10
Bike: 34:59
T2: :58
Run: 21:36

***PRE-RACE***

1st tri of the season. 1st time for VA run sprint tri! I really had now idea what to expect or who was racing. Swimming was feeling soso. Biking….after Tour de Skyline my biking had been feeling pretty solid…felt I could smash 12 miles. Running…I am finally feeling like maybe I am a runner?! about time. I really want to break 20 in a 5K. The run would be my focus for this race.

The race had an early 6:30am start. I made it to Centreville about 5:30am, set up my transition, found Sarah and some Snapple teammates, hit up the bathroom a few times, and I was ready to go. Gosh darnit…I really need to figure out how to handle my pre-race anxiety a bit better. nothing works.

***RACE***

SWIM – YES, I wore a wetsuit for a 250 meter pool swim. Really…I just wanted to sport my Xterra Vendetta. The water temperature was around say 65. eee. Everyone began to line up for the snake swim…odds on one end and evens on the other. I ended up going 3rd on my end. All of the sudden they were sending us off. I ran into the pool and started moving. I felt like I was in a washing machine and had absolutely no rhythm going on. The guy in front of I and I quickly passed the girl who had gone first. I was done and running out of the pool are towards transition…

T1 – my wetsuit was mostly off before I even got to my bike. I can remove that thing like lightning. Wearing a wetsuit will no longer be a question. I was off on Bananas.

BIKE – Headed out onto the course and a volunteer yelled #1 female. Awesome…although this was not hard considering I was one of the first into the water. I was then riding scared. Shortly into the course Zac A flew by. Other than that it was pretty quiet. The course was 2 loops through some very nicely paved neighborhoods. I continued to bust it and felt I was making good time. A mile or so from the finish a girl passed me. SHOOT. I kept up with her until the end. Might not have been my best decision for my legs going into the run…

T2 – Quickly transitioned into my newtons and was off. I passed the girl who had passed me in transition and headed out onto the run.

RUN – This was the first race were I have not been scared of being run down. I felt confident…although my hips felt a bit strained. I quickened my cadence. I seemed to have dropped the girl behind me. I was still a bit scared because I really was not feeling too fast. About 1 mile in Zack D went by and then a girl flew by me. My heart sunk. She must have been 14. eeeeyikes. Well I was NOT going to keep up with her but I would try to hold onto 2nd for now. The course was an out and back. I rounded the half way and headed back. I only noticed one girl in uncomfortable position behind me. I tried to pick up the pace. I held her off through the finish….but was not sure if it would be enough for 2nd place.

Results came out. 3rd place female overall. 21:36 (6:58 min/mile pace)…..that had to be a 5K PR. I’ll take it!

***LESSONS LEARNED***

I can not just expect to drop 3 minutes in a 5K from the start.  got to build slowly.  I will get there.  patience.

Shandra and Fins Wheels and Feet put on an excellent race. I’ll be back!

This year would be my 4th attempt at Tour de Skyline. Last attempt being in 2009, when I completed the ride thanks to Neva and Dan.

What is the Tour de Skyline?

RATS (Reston Area Triathletes) holds this event annually. The Tour de Skyline (TdS) is two-day ride from Front Royal to Waynesboro (day one) and back (day two) along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Said another way, TdS is two days, 220-miles, 20,000 feet of climbing, and too much fun. Even though TdS has a nice three-letter acronym, it’s much more casual than you would think. Roads are not closed, there are no aid stations, and there are certainly no t-shirts OR skirts and sparkles for that matter.

pre-ride

A few of us doing TdS decided to get in some solid riding the weekend before the event. Went out and did the Whites Ferry loop…was about 93 miles round trip. Always a huge fan of this ride and the floating dock that transports us, bikes, and cars across the river. I bonked pretty miserably on the way home (~10 miles to go). This ride comforted me by getting in the mileage, but also scared me since 93 put a hurt on me…not sure how I would take 220. I really just HOPED for decent weather. That is about all you can do with Skyline Drive. It could be 75 and sunny here, while raining, low visibility, and frigid out there.

But anyways…my thoughts going in…Skyline would NOT get the best of me this year. I was excited. Cleaned up Ruby, my Cervelo R3, and planned my rations very carefully. Being gluten free a lot of planning needs to take place in this department.

DAY 1

Matias and I left home early and headed to The Peters, where we would meet to carpool out to Skyline. Met up with them, hit up Starbucks, and we were on the road. It was a lovely bright sunny and a bit crisp day…so far so good for riding weather. On the drive out I decided to munch on a baked potato (yes, I cooked up baked potatoes at 5am and packed in a cooler). We got to the park and Dickey Ridge on time at 8:30am were everyone was gathering and getting ready to roll. It was awesome to see so many great friends and good attitudes in one place.

About 9:00am Karolina, Neva, Ally, and I were heading out together. The 4 of us had been talking excitedly all week about riding together and our upcoming adventure. Some of the group had left a bit earlier and some of the group had gone down to mile 1 to get the full 220 mile experience. The ladies and I would be happy with 210ish and started out at mile 6. We started out at a comfortable/conversational pace. My legs were feeling pretty good. This was going to be good. We rode in a square and chatted for awhile. The 1st rest stop at Mile 22ish came so quickly. Someone had to go so we stopped. I was feeling really solid…especially on the hills. good stuff. Conversation died down about Mile 40 as we neared Big Meadows (lunch). We were all getting really HUNGRY. We rolled into big meadows a little before 1:00pm. We grabbed a table for 4 near the window, put our stuff down, and I immediately felt really weird. OH NO…migraine! The light and commotion of going inside after busting it up that last hill had really brought it on. Fortunately I had my migraine meds (Imitrex) in my bike box. Took one and hoped the spots would cease before we needed to get back in the saddle. I scarfed come more potatoes and g free pretzels and soon the spots went down and the headache was being masked by the meds. good. But I felt WIPED. Imitrex makes me feel like I got shocked or something and really just zaps my energy. Should be a good last 60 miles :/

We started out again a little before 2:00pm. As I started to ride I knew this leg was going to HURT. I really felt so drained, no power. I decided to sit in back. I am not too good at sitting in bike while climbing…I just feel really claustrophobic. So I was all over the place for awhile (sorry ladies). I would sit in back on the flats, slight uphills, and then bust it up the hills. We hit Mile 80 rest stop and I was feeling like crawling in a dumpster. And it seemed to be getting cold and looked like rain. As we pulled out of the rest stop it started to rain…hard cold rain…at least when riding. no fun. I sat behind Karolina and kept my head down and tried not to think about it. The rain stopped after about 30min or so. On a downhill something fuzzy caught my eye. BEAR! I had been waiting 4 years to see a bear out there! He was a little guy grazing on the side of the road. Thanks goodness we were going downhill. Ally saw him too…so I know I was not delirious. Mile 90 I felt like junk…but oh so close. I must have asked Neva a million times when it would all be downhill….cause it sure did not seem like ANY (and weren’t we on the downhill side?!). About Mile 100 and finally we were rolling…going downhill! Coasting out of the park and into Waynesboro. I was so happy! We rolled into the Quality Inn a little before 6:00pm. solid day ladies.

Day 1 stats:
106 miles
~7:30 ride time
average heart rate 147

After check in and showers everyone headed to Scotto’s where I crushed some g free pasta and a bottle of Riesling (with help from Ally and Neva).

DAY 2

And I had to do that all again? cripes. Really the trick is not to think about it. Woke up feeling soso. I was definitely keeping well hydrated as I got up a ton to go to the bathroom. After breakfast Karolina, Ally, Neva, and I headed out about 7:30am. Let’s get this done….I think was everyone’s attitude. The first 6 miles of the ride back were the worst…all uphill back into the park. I was actually not feeling too bad on the climb out. A little fatigue in the legs but nothing bad. The 4 of us made it to Mile 80 (this would be about 30 miles on the way back) rest stop in no time. We were all feeling it. Neva was having trouble with her neck, my knees were hurting, Karolina and Ally seemed tired. We pushed on. The good part about this group was that we are all very same in bike strength and there was always one of us feeling good enough to pull. We really went in cycles…you could see someone rotate to the back every 30min or so…meaning they were not feeling it. Day 2…there was not much chatting comfortable silence. I don’t think anyone felt great but no one felt bad either. We approached Big Meadows. My spirits were high…only 45 miles after lunch to go! As we approached Ally must have been VERY hungry cause she busted out the front and one by one we were dropped…BUHAHA. nice. Today at lunch I kept my shades on…hoping for no migraines this time. It worked. I had some more potatoes and pretzels…the hunger pains were coming on strong today.

After eating a lot at lunch I was feeling tired, cold, and bloated. Let’s get this over! As we started to ride again I noticed my knees were really starting to ache. guhhh. Going into Mile 30ish (the last rest stop) I was really feeling tired all over. I was looking forward to the 3 mile downhill into the rest stop….but not looking forward to the last 3 major climbs (3 mile, then 2 mile, then 1 mile). was gonna hurt. We made the last rest stop and were off to the finish. As we approached the 3 mile climb I was HURTIN. I had entered the pain cave. Knees were feeling rough. It actually felt better to climb. The constant grinding on some of the flats/slight uphills was really doing a number on me. 3 mile climb. geez. Neva and I climbed together. I asked her after about 1 mile if it was over (my garmin quit on me)….she laughed and said ahhh no. I wanted to get off my bike and have a temper tantrum right there. I would NOT let Skyline get the best of me. This climb was the absolute worst part of the ride. But once this climb was almost over. Finally at the top…about 15 or so miles to go. Thinking about being almost done I got another wind and smashed the next 2 climbs. I climbed like I stole something. My knees were going to be hating me. Neva and I looked at each other a few miles from the end both smiling and I said wellllll another long beater ride together in the books. And then we were coasting into Dickey Ridge with HUGE smiles on our faces. I LOVE it!

I felt really happy. I have not had that comfortable of silence with other people for such a long period of time (~15 hours including the both days). It was a pretty amazing ride with Ally, Karolina, and Neva and for sure one will be one if not my most memorable/favorable rides ever!

Day 2 stats:
106 miles
~7:30 ride time
average heart rate 141

And thanks Kunk and RATS for another Tour de Skyline!

Friday April 15 was the distance events for the Colonies Zone SCY Champs. After a full winter of smashing it in the pool I signed up for the 1650…this seemed like and awesome idea…at the time. Now, I was not so sure about it. Had not been feeling my most stellar in the water…but not terrible either. That morning my anxiety took over and caused me to over do a bit…decided to go for a bike ride to hot yoga. After 1.5 hours on the bike and 1.5 hours of hot yogs, yea I was a wee bit wiped. Time came for the meet. Matias was taking this pretty seriously (never shaved for an Ironman, Ironman World Champs for that matter, and then decides to shave for this swim meet…nice…he was finally taking this sport seriously). We got there in time for a quick warm-up. I got in and did a 100. OK, I needed to be taking this more seriously. I don’t take these things seriously…I just get nervous :/ Especially for swim meets…I get nervous and then my stroke turns into a mess. I swim faster when I don’t try as hard. I dove in with this philosophy…don’t try to swim fast and hurt yourself…nice and easy. It worked. I was feeling pretty solid. OK…now I had not even thought of a strategy. Time to put a quick one together. I decided to build each 200 and work on some alternate breathing, no breathing into and out of the walls. After about 1000 I was really getting tired…man this stuff hurts! It was time to dig deep into the suitcase of courage…I finished strong in 20:51.93 and won my age group!

Next up for the weekend was the Bluemont Vineyard 5K. The race had been moved from Saturday to Sunday due to the flooding conditions. The race start was not until noon. Matias and I headed to the pool for a quick dip on the way out to Bluemont. Felt good to get in and stretch it out. We arrived at Bluemont around 11am in time for packet pick-up and for figuring out the course. Run entirely on the property of the Vineyard, the race takes you over hills, through orchards around the Vineyard and — at the end — up the mountain to the winery. As noon approached the racers gathered at the starting point near the top of the hill. This was going to be a muddy beater! The course was mainly off road and I was wearing Newtons…nice (OK…I have never done a serious trail run!). The Go…we were off bounding down the mountain. I felt a little out of control. Jen Yip, fellow Snappler, and I stayed toward the front of the pack. I stayed behind her but kept my distance. If someone hit either one of us we would probably bite it. Rounded a few turns and we were off in the fields zig-zaging though the trees. It was down one aisle, sharp turn in the MUD, and back down the next aisle. Jen was moving away from me…man, she can run. I was moving further ahead of the female in third….so I decided no need to kill myself…I knew what would be coming in the end. OK so this winding through the trees went on for 2 miles…I felt like I was in a bad dream. haha. At 2.6 miles we were out…and going over a timing mat which would time the last .5 miles up the mountain back to the winery. Here we go. Kept my head down and just plotted along. This last half mile was relentless. My heart rate was HIGH…but not moving…I kept it going. Finally on the last turn…the guy behind was gaining. I gave it all I had up to the top and got him by a few seconds. 2nd place female OA! Matias was 1st male OA, Ty 2nd, Jen 1st female OA…way to go SNAPPLE!

Immediately after the race I started sneezing out of control. Running through the fields and all really messed my allergies up. It is now Friday and I am still sniffling. bust.

Let’s do that again!

Last year I participated in the Swim Relay and Computrainer Challenge. After getting the hurt put on me by the computrainer I decided to opt out of that for this year and participate in the 5K run and 4×400 swim relay.

So up first was the 5K run. I was really looking forward to the run…as I can not remember the last time I did a 5K non-tri. Well I was looking forward until I woke up in the morning to snow on the ground! We got to the Expo and registered. I stayed in the car and heated up while others warmed-up around the track. We all lined up and it was GO time. 2 laps around the track. I stayed ahead of the ladies. This might not last for long as I was feeling like blowing up. oh boy. Going into 2hilly, muddy loops around the campus. I could hear Mindy breathing behind me. And shortly after a lady passed us both. She did not stay too far ahead. I would keep my distance and if I was feeling it make a go for her. Coming back onto the track for a final loop I started to gain on her. I thought I might get her but then I just felt delirious. Ended up 2nd female OA. nice!

Did some moseying around the expo, checked out all the cool stuff, and chatted with friends and teammates. Then it was time for a nap…NO wait time to swim. We all got in for a bit to warm-up. My body felt good but absolutely no power. Tie to race. It does not matter that I have been doing these swim races since I was 6….I always have the pre-race uncontrollable shakes….totally drains the rest of my energy. sigh. Matias was first for our team. He put in a solid effort and got us a good lead. My turn. It hurt. I lost the lead. My stroke felt all over the place and my crazy arms took over. What happened to long and relaxed stroke? A little disappointed with that performance.

In the end Snapplers ended up in 1st and 3rd overall for the team competition! A great little start to the triathlon season! Now it just needs to get warm already.

Feeling well recovered from the run…thanks to my Save on Compression socks! Those things are wonderful to wear with the Newtons, which tend to put a ton of pressure all on your calfs.

I am feeling big things for running in the future. This makes me very nervous but excited. Injuries or BUST. really. I have been working with coach M for about 2 months now. I am feeling more confident than ever in my training and I am physically feeling good and strong. Must be one of the best decisions I have made besides agreeing to marry him

In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins from Katie Davison on Vimeo.

I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher from Katie Davison on Vimeo.

Sara – Jefferson Starship from Katie Davison on Vimeo.