If you want to be successful in an endurance sport then you have to love pain. There is no secret to success. You have to suffer day in and day out and you have to welcome it with a smile.

When you get to the professional level of any sport, especially triathlon, everyone trains hard, everyone eats right, and everyone wants to win. The defining characteristic that separates a champion and a middle of the pack pro is their ability to embrace pain.

When I first started racing triathlon in 2010 I was very soft. I cringed at the thought of a cold and rainy race and I cringed even more at the thought of a hot and humid race. If the conditions were perfect then I was a happy girl and I had a good result. Likewise, if I felt “good” during the race then it ended well and if I felt “bad” then mentally I checked out right then and there.

As I have matured in sport, I have grown to thrive in less than ideal conditions. I have become mentally tough as an athlete and I know how to suffer. I look at low temps and heavy rain as another opportunity to gain an advantage over the other competitors and to use it to my benefit. The same goes when pain starts creeping in during a race. We all know that if we are racing hard then it WILL hurt. Going into races I know it is going to hurt very bad and there will be moments of weakness when I want to drop the pace, settle for 2^nd place, or even quit. If you have mentally accepted that these thoughts will cross your mind before the race starts then you are not surprised when the demons arrive. I have key phrases that I repeat to myself so that I can get through and continue racing hard. Just welcome the pain with a nice smile and continue pushing though to victory!

With this, the Kansas 5150 was another race with less than ideal racing conditions. I should have expected that there would be a chance of tornados when booking my trip to Kansas; however, I did not think the weather would be cold and stormy race morning

The race director decided to cancel the swim because of lightening 30min before the start. The winds were high and the temperature was very low with rain. The triathlon turned into a 40km bike/10km run with a time trial start with each athlete leaving 10 seconds apart. Typically, swimming is a strength so I was at a disadvantage with it being canceled.  The only other time I had done a duathlon was at the Rev3 finale last year where I raced poorly and lost my shot at the series win. Since then I have toughened up a bit mentally so I welcomed the change and told myself winning the race would be more of a challenge and a more appreciated victory if I succeeded.

Unfortunately I started in 3^rd position out of 16 women at the start. I quickly moved to the front of the race by mile 2 and never looked back. I really had no idea of where I was because I did not know the order the others started in. The course was very hilly, windy, and wet. I did not taper for this race so my legs really were hurting bad and by the time the last 5km came on the run I was really suffering! Somehow it went from 55 degrees to 80 degrees in only an hour’s time. I managed to focus on technique and my breathing taking each mile at a time. I crossed the finish line first but I was not sure that I had won until every female had finished the race. Fortunately, I did win the race and was happy that I was able to overcome the cancellation of the swim, bad conditions, and my fatigued body.

Once again, thank you to my sponsors TYR, First Endurance, 110%, Garmin, Cervelo, ISM, CeramicSpeed, Newton Running and Davis Wheelworks for providing me with the things I need to be successful. Thank you to Cliff English for getting me through the past few weeks and keeping me focused. Thank you to my family for all of the emotional support they provide. Finally, BIG thank you to Jon King who provided me with accomodation over the weekend! My final race of the first half of the season will be the CapTex triathlon on Memorial Day  in Austin, TX. I am looking forward to finishing this block of racing off strong and then heading out west for a new chapter of my life! Thanks for all of the support !!

Judd, Jamie, and Jake. My homestay

The day before the race we previewed the swim course in the beautiful weather.

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Pre- workout

½ c of trader joes gluten free oats slow cooked in a pot with ½ banana, 1 spoon of cocoa, 1 spoon of cinnamon, pinch of salt

1 Nespresso with light soy milk

4 First Endurance Optygen HP pills, 2 First Endurance Multivitamins

Workout 1

75min long run with 4miles hard in the middle.

During Workout

6oz water

Post Workout

Breakfast tacos- 2 corn tortillas, beans, 2 egg whites, feta cheese, siracha sauce, 1 Drink Chia!, decaf tea with soy milk

Workout 2

75 min ride moderate effort

During Workout

8oz of water

Lunch/Post Workout

1 scoop of First Endurance Ultragen Cappuccino with ½ banana, 2 strawberries, ½ cup of almond milk, 1 cup of spinach

Snack

½ c almonds

Dinner

Arugula salad with 6oz chicken breast baked, roasted beets, broccoli, sweet potatoes and feta cheese. Also a glass of Pinot Noir and 1 square of dark chocolate.

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Pre- workout

½ c of trader joes gluten free oats slow cooked in a pot with ½ banana, 1 spoon of cocoa, 1 spoon of cinnamon, pinch of salt

1 Nespresso with light soy milk

4 First Endurance Optygen HP pills, 2 First Endurance Multivitamins

Workout 1

2.5hr ride with short intervals above LT/ 3mi run off bike with 1mi at race effort

During Workout

1/2 flask of First Endurance EFS Liquid Shot Kona Mocha and 16oz water

Post Workout

1 scoop of First Endurance Ultragen Cappuccino with ½ banana, 2 strawberries, ½ cup of almond milk, 1 cup of spinach

Workout 2

5×500 swim/pull moderate

Lunch

1 soy cappuccino, egg white omelet with tomatoes & basil and green salad with olive oil, 8 oz of Biotta beet juice

Snack

1 cup of Fage 0% fat plain greek yogurt, 10 almonds, berries, cinnamon

Dinner

6oz chicken breast grilled, grilled veggies in coconut oil, salad with vinaigrette, Hershey kiss, tea with light soy milk

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The past 3 races I have competed in (Alcatraz, South Beach, St. Anthony’s) have been mediocre at best and after each race I sat down and wrote about every mistake I made and also about the positives from each race. To be quite honest, the past few weeks my mind has been wandering and I have not been able to really focus on training and racing. This showed in my lackluster performance at St. Anthony’s. After the disappointing result, I got rid of the things clouding my mind and pulled myself together so that I was mentally strong for the Rev3 kick off in Knoxville, TN.

After looking up the forecast for the weekend, I came to the conclusion that the weather was going to be absolutely terrible. Lucky for me, I love racing in these conditions. The race turns into more of who can survive the longest and employ the best strategy as opposed to who is the fastest athlete. I had done 3 very cold races since I have been racing so I had an idea of what I needed to do come race day to have my body in the best condition possible.

On race morning I warmed up on the treadmill and went down to transition at the latest possible moment. I learned this trick from Hunter Kemper last year at the Dallas US Open. I opted to wear my TYR Torque swim skin instead of my race suit because the light neoprene keeps the core temperature higher and blocks the wind on the bike. Sarah Haskins and her husband Nate Korteum recommended this last year at a race, so I always do this now in cold weather.

Once I set up my transition I walked down to the swim start that was about a half mile away. I zipped up my wetsuit completely, put two swim caps on, and wore wool socks and running shoes. I also made sure to drink some First Endurance EFS with pre race while making my way to the start. In Budapest at U23 Worlds it was cold and rainy and I forgot to drink during the whole race because I simply wasn’t thirsty given the conditions. I then ended up cramping bad on the run. On Saturday, my mom actually called me to remind me of this…so I made sure to get some electrolytes in before the start. Not many people wore shoes down to the race start, but I really think it was a good move on my part. I kept them on until right before jumping in the water for the 5 min warm up swim.

I had a pretty good swim and exited the water in the lead group with Jen Spieldenner and Radka Vodickova . I made up a little time during the 1km run to T1 but decided to try and keep the HR low so that I didn’t blow up in the first part of the bike. I opted not to wear a visor or sunglasses because of the rain and cold temps. I figured even clear glasses would fog up and that I would just deal with whatever flew in my eyes instead. Fortunately,Radka, Magali Tisseyre, and I were looking out for each other’s safety.

At the 12mi turn around on the bike my shifting stopped working. I was in shock because I charged the Di2 battery twice in the days leading up to the race just to be sure it was 100% charged so this would NOT happen. This is my worse “triathlon” nightmare…partly why I hate electronics, but at the same time Di2 is just so nice. I now know that it was the junction box that died from the rain. Anyways, there was 1 more pretty hard climb left on the course and I was stuck in my big chain ring. I just tried to relax and control what I could. I literally was “paper boying” up the climb. I went to the front immediately before it got too steep so that I could sort of dictate the pace (that I knew would be slow because of my lack of spinning capability). I ended up surviving the ride and saw cadences of 50 and of 130 all during the second half of the bike. It was weird, but kind of awesome because I had to make do with what I had. I made sure to get some Liquid Shot and EFS in on the bike so that I did not cramp on the run.

I had a fast T2 and ran hard out of transition. I am trying to teach myself how to suffer and be okay with it. I believe the best athletes are those that enjoy pain and welcome it with open arms. The run was like a cross-country course with lots of puddles, slippery mud, and debris. It was interesting to say the least and fortunately I was able to have a good run and cross the finish line in first.

I am so grateful to have a great support team around me. Thank you to Rev3 (+volunteers) for putting on such an organized event in less than ideal conditions, as well as raising $25,000 for an athlete injured at the Boston Marathon. Thank you to my sponsors TYR, First Endurance, 110%, Garmin, Cervelo, ISM, CeramicSpeed, Newton Running and Davis Wheelworks for providing me with the things I need to be successful. Also thank you to Doug with Biotta for providing me with ample beet juice pre race! This is a secret weapon. Thank you to Cliff English for keeping me level headed and training smart so that I can get the best out of myself. And finally thank you to my family for always being there!

Here is a link to the race recap video http://vimeo.com/65537254

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After months of thinking, 4 weeks of trialing, and tons of words of encouragement I have decided to make a huge change in my life at the end of the month.

Change is an unknown. The unknown scares me a little because like everyone I do not want to make a bad decision. I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to have any regrets.  If anything, I have learned that success doesn’t just fall in your lap. So far in my life I have had to work hard and take risks. Some of these risks have brought me great success and others have caused me to fail. It is life- all a game.

The month of May will be a very busy one for me! I am racing 4 times in 5 weeks. I am starting off with St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg FL on Sunday and then kicking off the Rev3 season in Knoxville the following weekend. I will have some training time and then will head over to visit the Garmin HQ and race in the Kansas City 5150 and follow that up with the 2^nd race in the Lifetime Fitness series in Austin. This much racing in a row is a risk in itself. This will be a first for me, but you never know the body’s limits unless you test them.

Finally, after Captex in Austin, I will fly to my new home and training base in Tucson, AZ. I will be leaving the support team I have come to love here in Clermont, FL.  I have built such amazing relationships with my training partners, massage therapist, personal trainer, and even my hair stylist. I also will be far away from my family which will be difficult. Just writing this is hard for me but I know this is the right decision for me at this stage in my career. I am looking forward to seeing more of my coach, Cliff English, and logging some climbing miles with new training partners.

So…if you are a swimmer, cyclist, runner, hair stylist, or just a fun person in Tucson please contact me …looking to build a new support team and form more relationships.

Finally, congratulations to Gwen Jorgensen and Joe Maloy in the recent WCS race in San Diego. Those two started with me in triathlon and it is so motivating to see them succeed.

See yall @ the races!

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