That’s right. My family plans a nice, relaxing beach vacation, and we’re sure to include our own race!

My dad mapped out the course for us. We planned for a 10am start time.

First, I had to be sure that I had the course directions. It was not marked. Last year, Natalie was there to blaze the trail to first, but this year, there was a chance I’d be leading the pack.

Obviously, I didn’t plan ahead. I ran out of room on my hand and resorted to using my arm, too. I’m familiar with the area, but the directions were a necessity.

At 9:58, the family assembled on the street for the start command:

I rocked my Pearl Izumi IsoTransitions for the second time ever. They are awesome!

My main competition was my brother-in-law, Mike. He’s in the blue shirt in that picture.

We took off running, and Mike was in the lead. I kept my sights on him and just tried not to get dropped. We weaved through a few neighborhood streets before turning onto Beach Rd. We had to dodge pedestrians, cyclists and cars… this was NOT a closed course

Around mile 1.5, I caught up with Mike. We were rocking about a 7’45″ average at that point, and I really didn’t think I’d be able to pull out a 5k at that pace. We chatted briefly – very briefly because I was starting to breathe HARD – and then I started to lose him.

At mile 2 , my dad was there taking pictures! He asked if I was in first. He knew Mike was my serious competition. So, at that point I was hopeful that I was so far ahead that Mike couldn’t be seen yet. I nodded, flashed a cheesy grin for my race photo, and took a peek behind me. I couldn’t see Mike, but we were both weaving from sidewalk to road and back again to avoid running anyone over.

All of my focus was on forward progress and monitoring my surroundings to avoid collisions. Before I knew it, I was making the final turn on the course for the last block!

I tried to kick it up a notch, but I couldn’t. It didn’t matter. I still felt like I was flying. I hit my watch and was greeted with this:

7’38″ pace!! Woo hoo! (and, yes, I did sweat off almost all of the directions!)

The course was a little short on my watch, but was 5k on Google Maps. I’m not overly concerned with the details. It felt AWESOME.

I’m much more confident about Quassy this weekend – borrowed bike and all.

It was just the ego boost (and runner’s high) that I needed!

I also got a job offer today, and I’m ordering my bike this week. Things are most certainly looking up.

Soon, I will be here:

With (almost all of) them:

Riding and running in these:

Going here:

…to proudly represent:

I had such great plans.

I was going to tell you about how me and my Fuji climbed Mt Lemmon. We climbed 6000+ ft in under 25 miles. For real. In under 4 hours!

I was going to tell you my amazing Niece just turned 1!

I was going to tell you about how my little sister  just got to Africa to help fight AIDS on her way to getting a Masters in Public Health… and shamelessly promote her efforts and ask you to donate as she runs to Tanzania.

But on Sunday, I rode up and over Gate’s Pass, all around Saguaro West, and crashed my bike.

I hit a bump going ~18mph, and my rear wheel flatted. The rim hit the ground and bent, breaking two spokes. The wheel locked up and sent me flying ass over teakettle and landing on my back. Luckily, I was with friends. Julie heard me yell some crazy obscenities and turned just in time to see me flip. I landed on my shoulders and hit my head on the ground. She yelled at me that I was not in the road and I shouldn’t try to get up. She pulled my bike off of me, and slowly got me sitting, then standing, then off of the shoulder. We called our two friends who were 1/2 mile ahead and told them to get the car.

I cam out of it with no concussion, minor road rash, and lots of bruises.

It wasn’t until I was in the car that I saw the dent in my frame. I took it to a Fuji dealer who told me the frame now had a “weak spot”. Yup, no more riding that bike.

I’ve been scrambling to figure out what to do. I’ve got a mountain bike. I’m selling the two old bikes I had to finance a new one. I’m racing in two weeks. Fun!

Building on that, the following day, my family put our dog down. Spottie was old and very sick, but was a member of the family for almost 13 years.

So, I’m working on my Country/Western song.

On a positive note:

-Blue is an awesome Rev3 Sponsor. I’m working on a deal with them to get me back on two wheels again.

-My boyfriend is amazing, and offered to help my unemployed self buy said bike, and I can pay him back without interest when I’m employed

-I have three job interviews this week, and one last week

-I leave on Thursday to spend a week with my family, and a weekend racing/volunteering at Quassy with Rev3

-My super-awesome teammate, Laura, has offered to let me borrow her bike for the race, so I can stop stressing about the fact that I feel like I need a bike NOW. Not to mention the loads of other teammates that put out feelers to help me replace my bike

-The only terrible things that happened in the crash involved my wheel, frame, and helmet – not ME.

So, I’ll write my country / western song, and move on to better things.

Infinite thanks to everyone who offered condolences, support, beers, gear, and general love during this time

Last night was the monthly Tucson Tri Girls meeting. Each month, they bring in an athlete, coach, product rep, or someone to do a little lecture and Q&A session.

This month, Crissy Ahmann was the speaker. She competed in the 1992 Olympics, where she received Gold medals in the 4x100m Medley Relay, 4x100m Freestyle Relay and a Silver in the 100 M butterfly. She passed around her medals, which was too cool.

She talked about how she got to the Olympics – the ups and downs of training and competition leading up to it. She actually qualified in the 100 free, which was NOT her primary event – she was a 100 butterflyer. She got to see her hard work pay off in ways she hadn’t imagined.

When she got to the Olympics, she was ranked #1 in the world in the 100 fly. She talked about how throughout the event, she could see another swimmer just ahead of her. She tried not to look, but she was aware of the other swimmer for the entire race. When she finished, she didn’t even need to look at the clock. She had lost to a swimmer from China. She did everything she was supposed to do, and in the end, the result was incredibly disappointing. She said it was just like the Seinfeld quote: “Congratulations, you almost won. Of all the losers, you came in first of that group. You’re the No. 1 loser.”

She said she spent months feeling bad about it – like she let her coaches, teammates, and family down. Eventually, she realized that it was just how life works sometimes. You can do everything exactly the way you are supposed to, and sometimes the results just aren’t the results you hoped for. You can let those moments define who you are.

This REALLY spoke to me.

For those of you that don’t know, I lost my job. I picked up and moved here at my own expense for this position. My boyfriend had already been in Tucson for a month with his new (and awesome) job. After 30 days of work, I got called into the HR office. I was told that my work was not up to my boss’ standards. I was given no prior warning, no reasoning as to WHY it wasn’t up to his standards, no further explanation in any way, and I was walked out of the building. I was crushed.

Sure, not everyone I’ve worked with professionally has liked me, but I’ve got a list of references as long as my arm. I work hard, I work correctly, I keep a positive attitude, and I’m always eager and willing to take on new projects. So why, all of a sudden, did my boss feel the need to have HR let me go during my probationary period while he was still on vacation? And without reason?

Crissy’s silver medal story spoke to me. Just because ONE single event doesn’t work out in my favor, I shouldn’t let that define me. Sure, I need to suffer the consequences – unemployment, restarting the job search – but that single event shouldn’t be a defining point in my life. It should remind me that things aren’t always fair, that disappointment is part of life, but it’s time to put it behind me.

I’m trying to embrace all of the things that come along with unemployment: a longer trip home for memorial day, time to workout mid-day, more time for coaching, having a clean house and enough groceries, getting paid to job search, time to read…

And on that note, I’m off to make some phone calls then ride my bike in the sunshine!

In Arizona, there is the possibility of encountering a few things on trails that I’ve never seen on a run before.

First, there was this:

(from tanqueverderanch.com)

I asked, because I didn’t know… apparently you should:

1. Announce your presence

2. Walk behind until the horses have room to move off the trail.

3. Walk past the horses when the trail is clear.

Next, I saw one of these guys:

(from http://wc.pima.edu/)

That is an Antelope Jackrabbit. They are about 10lbs! They aren’t necessarily friendly, but they’re not interested in a fight.

…shortly followed by this one:

(from http://wc.pima.edu/)

That guy is a Harris’ Antelope Squirrel. He reminded me of a chipmunk!

Just as I was starting to enjoy nature, this guy crossed my path. If I hadn’t stopped in my tracks, I’m pretty sure I would have stepped on him:

(from vayzo.com)

I sort of wish I was wearing my HR monitor… Pretty sure I hit my max! Luckly, that is a Coachwhip snake. They are not venomous.

It doesn’t really matter though – snakes always have the right of way with me.

Just as I got back to the car, I was driving away and I saw….

(from http://wc.pima.edu/)

…a Gila monster!!! He was hanging out in the shade under someone’s truck in the parking lot. It was a little guy, and they don’t bite often, but their bites are potentially fatal. They just hang on and chew on you! I’m glad I was already in my car…

I signed up as bike patrol for the Mount Lemmon Marathon… and I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mt Lemmon, this is the elevation profile, if you go up and down. The marathon starts at mile 0 and goes straight up!!

So, the marathon has 6000 feet of climbing!

I started off the day by meeting another volunteer in a parking lot, and driving our mountain bikes to the summit! At 8000 ft, it was 46 degrees when we set out for patrol. We decided to run down from the summit and patrol the last few miles of the course.

We climbed up 250 ft in less than .2 miles, and I was hurting! My bike patrol buddy reminded me that we were at 8000 ft, so it’s normal to be tired after that.

We hung out at the last aid station around mile 24 until the front of the half marathon pack started coming through. We rode from there down to mile 18 or so, and helped a runner catch a ride to the summit.

A really nice Forest Service worker gave us coffee while we waited for the marathoners to get to us. When they did, we started riding again and offered support, encouragement, and course info – and luckily didn’t have to deal with any major issues. We rode between mile 18 and 24 a few times that day, seriously impressed by the runners. They were simply amazing.

Total, we climbed 3000+ feet on our mountain bikes that day. I can’t even being to imagine climbing double that on nothing but my two legs!

This race was seriously top-notch. Despite not getting much more than 500 participants, while the Triathlon National Championship attracts over 1600, this event still is phenomenal. From the swag – tech t-shirts and hats NOT covered in sponsor logos – to the race numbers (see picture below), to the TriTats, to the amazing race facility… you get the point!

On race day, I finally met Kim! I know her from a mentor group over on Beginner Triathlete, and she’s a Tucson Tri Girl! …but I didn’t get a picture, oh well!

After a warm-up jog to and from the port-a-potties – which were plentiful! – I was ready to race. I lined up with Kim near the back, and we were off!

 

All I wanted to do was average 8:XX pace. I started running, and my wave, women under 50, took off! There were some FAST ladies here. Kim was ahead of me. I looked at my watch and saw 7:20. I backed off, and looked behind me. There were maybe 10 runners behind me. Crazy fast! I made it to the first turnaround pretty quickly, ran back past the start line, and headed to the second turn-around. It seemed pretty long, but before I knew it, I was climbing the infamous hill up into transition. It clmbs 100 ft in the last half mile. It isn’t huge, but it feels like it.

T1 was decent, but I really need to do a few B/R/B/R/B/R/B type workouts. I just don’t function that well in race mode yet. Anyone want to volunteer to guard gear in a parking lot for me? I ran out with my shoes on because of the sharp turn at the Bike Out.

Got out of transition, and started pedaling hard. Soon, I checked my GPS. I was going 15 miles per hour, and I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere despite trying very hard. Eventually, the road flattened and I realized that I was climbing the whole time… that was why I was going slow!  So, I pushed. I passed Kim, I hit the turnaround and I got tired. Kim passed me. I reminded myself that my plan was to hammer as hard as I could. I thoroughly enjoyed the long downhill back to transition! I almost wiped out at the second turnaround back by transition. I told myself that the race was half over and I needed to get moving!

I pushed the up-hills and I pushed the downhills. I realized that I was doing those well, but I subconsciously slacked on the flats. So, I made the effort to try even harder on the flats. I passed Kim again, and came into transition a little ahead of her.

My average on the bike was 18.5mph. I’m impressed. I really think that in the short amount of time I’ve been living in Tucson, I’ve had a biking breakthrough.

T2 was quick, but I did sit down to put my shoes on. When I try to put shoes on when my legs are already fatigued, I tend to cramp up in my calves. Sitting down solved this problem!

My plan for the second run was just to give it everything I had left… and it wasn’t much. I ran extra hard on the downhills, knowing that the uphills would slow me down. I did have to remind myself that it was just a 5k left! I didn’t walk up the hill, even though I really wanted to. I could barely breathe coming up to the finish line. My throat felt closed up.

For the first time, I was asked if I needed medical help at the end. I promised I was ok and just needed to catch my breath. I walked around a bit, and then headed home.

I went back for awards and claimed my spot at Worlds!

The awards ceremony was worth attending. It was informative, fun, and inspiring! There were standing ovations for the para-triathletes as well as the 88 year old finisher! There were awards for fastest transition and slowest! For the slowest, they gave out pies and a lawn chair

All around, it was a great event, and I’m happy with my performance:

This weekend I’m competing in USAT National Duathlon Championship. In a duathlon, they take out my favorite event and replace it with another run.

I’m competing in the standard distance of 5k run – 37k bike – 5k run. I’m feeling a little undertrained. I was planning on doing the sprint distance (2.5k run – 17k bike – 2.5k run), but I changed my mind. Why? Well, if I did the sprint, I’d need to add an extra workout to my weekend. Also, the sprint starts at noon, and the standard starts at 8:30, and this is Arizona. The current forecast puts the high at 91 degrees!

This race is a qualifying race for the World Duathon Championship that takes place this fall in Nancy, France. There are 18 slots per age group. That’s huge! Considering that there are only 11 listed registrants in my age group, I think I’ll be able to snag a spot. That said, looking at the results from last year, there is also a chance I will place dead last in my age group. This race draws some serious competitors from all over the country -people that can perform on the international level. I just happen to be a local wanting to compete… in my first duathon ever

My race strategy is simple:
First 5k: don’t run too fast. Try to keep 8:XX/mile.
Bike: Hammer, hammer, hammer.
Last 5k: Sprint like crazy and hold on for dear life.

Rumor has it that the hill on the run has been known to grow while competitors are out riding.

After the race: drink beer, go to REI’s sidewalk sale, and hang out in my pool!

Sunday is the Mount Lemmon Marathon. No, I am not running. Yes, it uphill with 6000 ft of elevation gain. However, I will (hopefully – still waiting on details) be bike patrol! I’ll spend the day riding between 2 or 3 aid stations to make sure runners are happy, healthy, and hydrated.

Let’s pretend that the weekend started on Thursday. Patrick and I went to see fIREHOSE at a local venue. He basically idolizes the bass player, Mike Watt. In all honesty, I wasn’t familiar with the band… at all. But, I really enjoyed the show. So did Patrick, and he got to meet Mike Watt!

Friday was fairly low-key, because I had a ride planned for Saturday morning – to the biosphere!

After that uphill ride, I met Patrick at Biosphere 2! It was a pretty cool place. We had both forgotten that it was Earth Day on Sunday… so the place was packed, and had tons of activities going on, including this, that I know Natalie will love:

We explored a bit. I hadn’t realized that this was the location of the famous Biosphere experiment! We wandered through the marsh, ocean, desert, rain forest, savannah… but the highlight for this engineer was the lung! The biosphere has two lungs that are rooms that can expand and contract, thanks to a huge aluminum weight suspended on a rubber bladder. It allows the biosphere to maintain its own environment without exploding or imploding, by managing the internal air pressure.

This left me with a strong desire to celebrate Earth Day… so I went trail running!

I covered about 6 miles over a relatively flat trail in Sabino Canyon, only 860 ft of climbing on this one. But the views are still awesome…

There are multiple water crossings – yes, WATER! In the desert!

And that makes for a happy trail runner!

Despite the mercury heading up to the triple-digit marks, its glorious here

So, my ridiculously amazing sister ran the Boston Marathon (again!) on Monday. If you were anywhere near the internet or runners, you know that it was HOT. You might also know that they let athletes defer.

Triathletes were in an uproar, saying things like: most IronMan marathons start in the heat of the day! -or- temps at Kona are always hotter than Boston! -or- marathoners are wimps for considering not running!

While the first two of those are true (not the last one. marathoners are not wimpy!), you need to look at the Boston Marathon in the context of the Boston Marathon.

• 26,716 runners registered for the 2012 Boston Marathon

That number is roughly 10x’s the number of participants in the larger IronMan events. 10 times! You’d need 10x’s the number of medical workers, 10x’s the amount of water on the course, etc.

• Temperatures were predicted to be 30 degrees HIGHER than average for Boston.

Say you’re training for IM Texas, or for Kona, or for the ING Miami Marathon… you KNOW it will be hot. You do your runs in the heat of the day to prepare. You see out warm, humid conditions for a weekend of training. Could you imagine if Kona were 30 degrees warmer than average? I guarantee you that if temps creeper up to 120 degrees, that it would be talked about in the same way that the weather at Boston was.

• BAA felt the need to cover their own butts.

Sadly, we live in a society where people sue for stupid things. I believe this was BAA’s way out of any such actions were someone to get seriously sick or even die from heat-related illness on the course.

That said, my sister and 3 teammates that were registered ran it! How did they handle the heat?

“About 5 miles in, I was paced for a PR. Usually that would be good. But it was hot out, and I had been training in snow. I turned my head too fast at one point and got lightheaded. That was when I decided I had to really hold back. Luckily I had a great finishing time in Philly this past fall, so time wasn’t a concern, because I had my qualifying time for 2013 already.” – Natalie

“ To make a long story short saw three go down at 16 and decides there to really back off.” – Ryan, Rev3 Teammate

So, to everyone that raced, you are truly a badass. To those 400ish that deferred, you made the right decision for you, and I hope that next year brings better circumstances.