Moving on...

Since "Out and about in LA" doesn't really work for Colorado, I finally set up a new blog space!
You can now find me here:  Elevated tales and trails 

Hope to connect with you there - or somewhere!

- Kristina

Leaving California: The Long Good-bye

Fitting that there is a Raymond Chandler book and a Robert Altman movie (based on the book), called The Long Good-bye.  Emotional ups and downs along with cramming in packing, finishing school, training, tying up all sorts of loose ends at school - both personally and professionally -  along with seeing different groups of friends for a good-bye reunion marked the month of May and the beginning of June.  We are excited to move to Colorado, but we do so with sadness at leaving a place that has been our home for a substantial amount of time.  When I think of my Southern CA chapter, in particular, I can't ignore the major milestones that I experienced while living here: transitioned to married life, adopted 2 dogs, lost a dog, bought and sold a house.  I made and lost friends, grew as a teacher and took on new and different challenges at work and extracurricularly.  We definitely have built a life here, a very full and good one, so leaving is hard.

Since it's impossible to sum up 10 years in the LA area, plus another 3 years in the Central Coast area for me, I won't even try.  I never expected to live in California - it wasn't one of the places where I dreamed of living, I just sort of ended up here.  I'm not sure that I ever felt like a true "Californian" (not being blond and not surfing), but even as transplants, we both grew roots to the area which are painful to pull up as we move away.  We've had an amazing life here, have appreciated the great variety of people, places, and options, and I'll never forget the friendships we made and the experiences that we had.

So, for now, here is a quick good-bye:

The last morning on our front porch - enjoying a moment before starting the long drive to Boulder!  And, by the way, my feet really aren't huge, but they look crazy big in this photo!

There is more to say, and I suppose the title of the post is a bit misleading since, well, this is quite brief. I'm still taking in the fact that we are moving/have moved.  So, this move, while certainly not a surprise to us and something that we've wanted for years, IS bittersweet as I think about what we're leaving behind.  It's exciting but scary as I think about the unknown and the openness of what's to come.

And we're off! I drove the important cargo - bikes + dog! Essential items for a new life.

IM Boulder - Training!

While I signed up for IM Boulder in August of last year (crazy?!), I only now feel that I am 'officially' training for that particular race.  I've only just realized the blessing of St. George 70.3.  While it wasn't my "A" race, it did keep me more or less on top of my training and I've found that I need some sort of mid-way goal, or I have this year, at least.  Last year, I think that I wrapped my mind around IM Coeur d'Alene and made that THE goal, but this year, there is so much going on with me life-wise that an intermediate or mid-way goal really helped.  Otherwise, the 'base training' probably wouldn't have ever happened!

However, base training has officially ended and I'm now building - and I miss the base training!  I know that I shouldn't compare myself to other people, and I try not to, but I'm really "comfortable" at around 10-12 hours of training a week.  Once I start to train over 12 hours, I really do feel it.  Also, my recovery from St. George didn't even last a full week!  I was back to a long tempo run and then a long brick (4 hour ride, 80 minute run) a week after the race.  Last Sunday, I thought to myself - "You're not in Kansas anymore".  Okay, it's lame to quote the Wizard of Oz, but I was officially out of my comfort zone with that workout.  I really did try to have a positive attitude, but I started the running with heavy legs and I ended the run with heavy legs.  It was about 10x harder than the St. George run was!

This week, plenty of ups and downs and new challenges.  I felt equally blessed and cursed on Saturday to ride part of the Tour de California Stage 7 course - up GMR (Glendora Mountain Road) which I'd done twice before, but then, for the first time, I kept climbing up to Mt. Baldy Village. The Tour finished at the Mt. Baldy ski lifts, but it was the COLDEST RIDE EVER - so the two other ladies and I riding together made a group decision - to not climb the extra 1,000 feet to the ski lifts.  Even though we didn't make it to the ski lifts, it was a  fantastic ride up to Mt. Baldy Village, and it was amazing to see so many cyclists and fans of cycling in Southern CA.  If I had been better prepared (had more clothes) and had more time, I definitely would have stuck around to see the pros go through, but it was a great ride no matter what.

 This is before we started climbing - and it looks like I have something weird growing out of my helmet, but not so!

Finally, on Sunday, I had my first double-run day EVER.  I actually thought that it was a mistake on my schedule until I read the information about said run.  Nope, not a mistake.  Honestly, the afternoon run felt better than the first run of the day, so I decided that double run days might be okay.  However, this is all new territory for me, which maybe is the point?  Yes, I managed an IM distance race last year and loved the experience, but now that I know that I can do the distance, pushing a bit more and going a bit harder is the challenge.

And, if that's not enough, taking in sights like these should be both the means and the end:

Huge shout out to CalTri and Harrison Shao for the Epic Ride on Saturday!

St. George 70.3 - Race Recap

Back in February when I finally pulled the trigger and signed up for St. George, I felt great about my training.  As the weeks and months passed, doubts gnawed away at that confidence, and on more than one occasion I actually wanted to withdraw from the race - and would have done so, had it not been for the Michael who convinced me that I should stick with the plan.  I had some good rides, great runs and okay swims (note the theme?), but in comparison to Wildflower last year and Coeur d'Alene, it seemed that I hadn't fully committed to training during this training cycle.

So, I lowered my expectations - and remembered that this wasn't an "A race".  And then things went off the rails last week, as our plans changed about ten different times.  This was, without a doubt, probably the worst planned race trip for me.  We left early Friday morning, but I was in a mood because we didn't leave early enough, to my way of thinking.  Plus, my pre-race prep was an absolute disaster.  I just kept my fingers crossed that had my ID to check in and the necessary gear.  I was mainly right...

After a longish morning's drive, we pulled into St. George around 12:30 California time which was 1:30 in St. George.  Oops, I had forgotten about the time change!  Suddenly, the already packed afternoon seemed THAT much crazier.  Not only did I have to check in, but then I needed to figure out race day bags, check my bike, go for a pre-race swim/bike/run, drive the bike course and get dinner.  

Random stop in Baker, CA at the Bun Boy Motel - Driving CalTri1, 

California Triathlon's team car

Fortunately, packet pick-up went relatively quickly, and then I sat through most of the mandatory athlete meeting, making some quick decisions for my run/T2 bag.   Around 2:15, we headed out to Sand Hollow Reservoir where I would drop off my bike and fit in a practice swim/bike/run.  As we headed over to T1, I cursed the fact that I had chosen a race with two transitions, but once I saw the reservoir, all of my doubts about the race dissipated.  I'm not really much of a swimmer, but this was, without a doubt, the most beautiful 'swim hole' in which I'd had the pleasure of racing.  I was finally excited about the race!

This doesn't quite do it justice, but it's a gorgeous swim

I managed to get in a very short ride (from the car to transition), checked the Bat into T1, and then did a quick swim and run.  Okay, I was ready to go!  More or less.  I also saw Beth, who was racing on Saturday (and placed 9th!) right as I was finishing my run.  She gave me instructions for Saturday's race: Go hard on the bike and really push it on the downhill of the run.  

Looking and feeling a bit tentative

Saturday morning rolled around early enough (4:00 am, which was 3:00 am for me), and I ate cereal and a banana and made coffee in our room thanks to an electric kettle and French press that we brought along with us.  I was already dressed in my tri kit when I realized that I had a major wardrobe malfunction - I had brought BIKE SHORTS and not TRI SHORTS for my kit (I have a bike kit and tri kit that are the same pattern).  I really couldn't run in bike shorts - or didn't want to for 13.1 miles, so the question was to wear the kit that I had worn on Friday or mix and match.  The fashionable part of me (which does exist) pushed for the matching kit, but I didn't want to wear a solid black kit on race day due to the heat.  So, I begrudgingly opted for the mix-and-match look.  This, by the way, is the most RIDICULOUS thing to worry about on race day, but I also hadn't ridden that much in these particular shorts, so I was concerned for more legitimate reasons too (I'm happy to report that it worked out in the end).

For St. George 70.3, you can either take a bus from downtown St. George to the reservoir or drive - if you drive, you need to get there early to park, but it was a relatively easy process.  We drove, parked, and then took a quick shuttle to the reservoir.  I had plenty of time to set up my transition and get ready for my wave - Women, 40-44!  For the first time in ages, I didn't have a pink or purple swim cap which made me very happy!  Our wave went off at 7:18, but we got into the water around 7:15 and then swam to the "start" line.  This wasn't my first in-water start, but damn it was rough!  The water temperature was chilly but not freezing (around 62 degrees), and it was a beautiful venue with clear water (unlike the black silt and sludge of Wildflower), but it did not make for a fast swim for me.  I felt good in the water but not speedy, and I exited at just over 39 minutes.  Something of a disappointment, but only by a minute or so, which isn't a huge deal over the course of the day.

Once I exited, I took advantage of the wetsuit strippers (now called something else by the Ironman corporation), but it was still a slow transition, even for me, at 6 minutes.  But once I was on the bike, I focused on that leg.  We had driven the course the afternoon before, so I was somewhat aware of it.  The first 30 miles are fast and FUN!  Some rolling hills, and plenty of speedy sections that the hills break up.  

Getting passed by a bunch of dudes

I knew that the real work would start in the second half of the course, but knowing it intellectually/on paper/driving it is completely different from first-hand experience.  The most beautiful part of the course starts around mile 37, which is also when the climbing starts - up Snow Canyon.  I told myself, when we drove the course on Friday, that it wouldn't matter that it was hard with such beauty, but that was complete bullshit.  By mile 40, I would have happily quit if someone had driven by and offered me a ride - it was soul-crushing.  Looking back, I'm not sure why I was so surprised by the challenge or why I thought that it would be easier than Wildflower's "Nasty Grade" because it wasn't.  I finally crawled to the top - and then it was mainly downhill to the bike finish line.  Beth thought that I could average 17 miles, and I made it!  Woo-hoo!  

Other random details: I ate 2 bonk breakers, a packet of honey stinger gels and a packet of pro bar gels (just discovered those recently and I *love* them!), plus some salt tablets, and most of 2 bottles of Skratch (just switched to Skratch and I'm a huge fan), and I grabbed water and gatorade at the aid stations.

I racked my bike and had a much faster transition than T1 - under 3 minutes!  And then it was time for the run.  I usually look forward to the run, but I had no idea how my legs would feel after that ride.  Plus, once off the bike, I felt the heat.  But, Mile 1 passed by pretty quickly, so I was hopeful that it wouldn't be as slow and painful as I feared.  

Starting out on the run

The hills started, oh, almost immediately, and my pace dropped.  Seeing a 10+ pace for Mile 3 depressed me a bit, however, Beth had warned me not to focus too much on the splits.  That was good advice because mile 3 was my slowest split of the day - I managed to pick up the pace, especially on the downhill, and I hit the half-way point right around 60 minutes.  I told myself that if I could stay focused, I'd pull off a 2-hour run, maybe go under?  In the 3 previous 70.3 distance races, I've had a good first half of the run and then slowed down in the second half (I guess last year's Wildflower race doesn't really count because of the swim/run/bike/run course).  I didn't feel overly confident about the hill that peaked at Mile 9, but I kept trucking along, only walking on occasion.  

Getting the work done - in my mismatched kit!  Also, beautiful scenery, not that I even noticed

Two comments about the run course: 1.  Great support in terms of aid stations.  I took a packet of Clif shot blocks, had 2 of them, and then stuck to water, gatorade, cola from the aid stations which were every mile, more or less, and I frequently poured ice down my shirt.  2.  It was a great course to see other people - I was able to cheer for tons of CalTri people, when I had the energy to do so.  

Much of the run, however, was a put-your-head-down-and-work experience.  For the Mile 9 hill, there was a very small group - 3-4 of us - working together and keeping a decent pace (not walking).  Once we hit the top of that hill, a volunteer called out to us "Last hill!".  Although this was not quite true, it was the last long climb, so I started to pick it up.  For the first time ever, I actually negative split my Half-IM run!  The last miles were hard but fun (sub 8 for mile 13!), and I had enough energy for a good strong finish.  I also have to admit that I teared up as I approached the finish line.  It was a hard race, but I was really proud of how much I pushed myself on the bike and the run.

Smiling at the finish - representing Vanderkitten and Smashfest!

My final run time was 1:58:49 - just under 2 hours!  And my overall time was 6:05:34 - ¡A PR by just over a minute!  On the run, I knew that a PR was possible, but I certainly didn't expect it, so it truly came as a nice surprise when I checked my time.  

Noting that finish time - my splits were almost even with my 2013 Vineman race, but St. George is definitely a more challenging course, so I'm more than happy with my time and with my improvements! And while I didn't feel super confident, I never doubted that I could finish the bike course which is a shift for me.  Even last year, at Wildflower, I was nervous about the bike and making the cutoff - maybe a silly concern, but it's telling that I no longer worry about cut-off times.  

Not to do the Academy thing, but I need to acknowledge the support from Beth, who is a really great coach and manages to support, push, and inspire her athletes; from California Triathlon, a fantastic group of people - it was fun to ride to St. George in style and cheer for people out on the course; and, of course, I couldn't do it without Michael, who spent a long day spectating after putting up with my pre-race mood on Friday (not an easy thing!).

As I said in my abbreviated 'race report' from St. George - it really is a fantastic course.  Punishing, but rewarding in the end.  As I gear up for IM Boulder in August,  I know that plenty of hard work lies ahead, but I'm feeling good about where I am at this point and excited to work towards the next big race!

(By the way, I hope I don't sound like one of those assholes - although I probably do - who constantly talks about being undertrained and then winds up with a PR.  I think my issue isn't that I'm undertrained but lack confidence to realistically assess my expectations)

St. George 70.3 - The short of it

Despite all of my anxiety, doubts, race-day snafus and suffering during the race, St. George 70.3 was an incredible experience.  It is equally gorgeous and tough, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants a great race-day experience.  

Pre-race - gearing up for a practice swim in Sand Hollow Reservoir

Post-race refreshment!

Racing dreams

So, St. George is a mere 2 days away - less, actually, if you count the hours - and I'm pretty calm.  Sort of!  I did freak out yesterday afternoon, realizing that there was NO WAY that we could leave this afternoon (our scheduled departure day).  Fortunately, we are driving to St. George, so we had some flexibility, and it won't screw things up too much to leave early tomorrow morning.  The other change in the weekend schedule/coordination is that Gus will be traveling with us!  We had planned on boarding him with this great woman (from www.dogvacay.com - I'm a huge fan of this site), but his sleep issues continue, so he's coming with us.

As for the race?  We'll see how things go on Saturday.  I don't have huge expectations, but I might be a little crushed if it's a terrible day for me.  And, I'm worried that it might be terrible.  Signing up for St. George, I was well aware of the fact that conditions would probably be less-than-ideal, and when I started to stalk the weather.com app, the temperatures steadily rose . Last week, I think that the high was supposed to be 81 degrees on Saturday, and now, it's supposed to be 90 degrees.  As I checked the weather daily (obsessive?), I told myself that the heat would be okay, I'd raced in hot weather before, and I could cope, as long as it wasn't windy.  And it now looks as though it'll be a windy day.  Dammnit!

But the dreaming bit?  I don't have frequent dreams about races, but I've had a few - and they always make me laugh.  A few years ago, I dreamt that I had forgotten my bike and went straight from the swim to the run.  That was probably wish fulfillment.  Last year, then, I dreamt that I had the wrong Ironman date, a dream that freaked me out so much I was nervous to confirm the date.  And this year?  Apparently I missed my wave start and didn't have my ID at St. George!

Keeping that dream in mind, I guess it will be a successful race if I start with my wave, so no complaining about a slower-than-desirable day!

A first and a last - LA TriEvents 2

TriEvents marked one of the 'firsts' of the year -  a race!  In other ways, it also began what will probably be a long litany of lasts as we prepare to move to Colorado and say our good-byes to people, places and experiences.  So, TriEvents was my last "hometown", Southern CA race, which made the experience rather bittersweet.

As for this race...  I usually don't go on and on about my pre-race days for a smaller local event, but I think that I followed a good list of what NOT to do.  First of all, I've felt somewhat unmotivated training-wise.  Also, we have kept up an unusually busy social calendar as we're trying to get together with friends as much as possible (which may impact the first point).  So, not only did I eat some really rich Mexican food Friday night at Rocio's Mole de los Dioses (yes, that is the "Mole of the Gods" restaurant - if you like mole, which not everyone does, this place is for you!), but we spent part of Saturday at a toddler's birthday party, at which I ate several cookies and 2 pieces of cake, and then we had Middle Eastern Saturday night.  To top it all off, Gus, our dog, has been getting up in the middle of the night - at least once, but sometimes twice - to go outside.  On Saturday night, he got up, and subsequently woke us up, at 12:00 and then again at 3:00.  So, not very auspicious circumstances for the race.

However, I reminded myself when I woke up at 5:00 am (after not sleeping much between 3-5) that this was NOT my "A" race but more of the 'ripping-the-bandaid-off' type of a race.  With St. George very much on the horizon (next Saturday!), it was nice to locate all of my shit, some of which I hadn't seen since last summer.  I was about 100% sure that I would forget an essential item, but I somehow managed to make it to Bonelli with all the necessities.  That was the first surprise and relief, but it still didn't exactly calm my nerves which were a bit on edge.

Arriving at the park early Sunday am, I was initially excited to see all of the athletes and take in the energy.  Yay, a triathlon!  But once I checked in and started to REALLY prepare for the race, I just wanted to leave.  Part of this was nerves, plain and simple, but it also stemmed from the fact that Michael had opted to stay in bed after a rough night's sleep.  As much as I wanted him to be at the race as my sherpa and photographer, I also understood his choice.  Plus, he'll be there at St. George and Boulder, which are far more important to me.  But I still missed him, as weird/dependent as that sounds.  The other aspect of the race that made me nervous, strangely, was the fact that I knew so many people racing, spectating and volunteering.  Signing up, this was one of the bonuses, but as I started to get ready to race, I just wanted to be alone, to zone out and be with my thoughts.  Also, I felt a weird pressure because I knew so many people and, thanks to my awesome self-confidence, I was sure that they would give me the side-eye as a "triathlete".

Thanks to Harrison Shao of CalTri who took this photo - I somehow wiped my race number on my face, that is not a beard!

Despite my nerves, it was fun to see so many people I knew.  With that in mind, I tried to breath (just breath!), focus on my race and enjoy the experience, no matter the outcome and repeated to myself, time and again, that this was NOT my A-race.  Lining up for the swim, I felt okay - the water temperature was a great and it was a nice morning, despite haze from a nearby fire.  It was so exciting to see the first waves start, and then it was the pinked-capped ladies' turn!  My first thought starting out was "Holy crap, this is so much harder than I expected!".  There was a lot of contact initially, but then we spread out and I felt more comfortable.  The swim ended up being slower than I had hoped/expected - I exited at 20:56 for 1000 meters, for a 2:05 pace.  Coming out of the water, I grimaced at someone who was cheering for me.  Such good sportsmanship!

The ladies, lining up for the swim.  Photo courtesy of TriEvents.

Beth's only advice to me for the day was "Go as HARD as you can on the bike :)" - she included a smiley face on that 'suggestion'!  Not really what I wanted to hear, but after a quick-for-me transition (sub 4:00!!!), I was on the bike course, trying to pass slower people and also leave room for the faster people to pass me and attempting to push myself on the bike.  I've raced this course once - 3 years ago, although that was a full Olympic distance (today's race was just a bit short), and while it isn't Wildflower hard, it isn't easy.  Lots of hills, some tricky turns and some portions of crappy road.  Plus, it's a 3-loop course, and I get bored by that third lap.  Anyway, I tried to push hard and was happy with the split on the first lap, less excited about the 2nd lap split, and a bit disheartened by the third, but what could I do?  I finished the 33km course in 1:12:33 for 17.4 mph ride.  While it wasn't the ride I wanted, I looked back at my 2012 race, and my time definitely improved!  So, progress is progress.

After a quick transition (would have been faster than 1:24 except that I stopped to talk to a student from work in transition - he actually won the sprint division!), it was time for the run.  Recently, I've felt great running off the bike, so I was hoping for a strong run, but you never know.  I did try something different this time.  I usually switch from the Garmin Edge on the bike to the Garmin 110 to track my run.  Yesterday, I opted to stick with the Edge which gives me overall pace rather than specific mile splits, so I ended up running very much by feel.  

My one complaint - my race bib kept riding high which made me feel like I was wearing high-waist pants or something.

The run-by-feel strategy is one that I might implement in future races because, holy crap, I ran a fast 8km (for me!), holding a 7:30 pace.  I wonder if I would have backed off had I seen the pace, and, at the same time, I wonder if I had something left in the tank at the end?  

At any rate, I crossed the finish line a very happy camper - relieved that the race had gone better than expected, despite a rough swim and slightly disappointing bike, and I remembered why I keep pushing along.  These experiences challenge me time and again, and while I often question myself and my enthusiasm wanes at times, there are those moments when things click.  My strong run probably helped my attitude, but even with my less-than-great performance on the swim and the bike, I remembered to cheer on other people and felt energized by the support that was out there on the course and it was just fun to be out there!

Finally, the second "first" (a true first for me!) - a podium!  Before my training/attitude/eating went to total shit, I had harbored a secret hope to place at this race as a nice way to end my triathlon experience here in Southern CA.  As I headed into the race, I lowered any and all expectations, so it was a very pleasant surprise when I ended up 3rd in my AG!  I understand that it's a small local race, so it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I was excited enough to wait around for the awards ceremony.  Triathlon has been a challenging road for me - the swim and bike do not come easily, and I know that I didn't execute a perfect pre-race or race plan, but the accumulation of years of somewhat hard work is beginning to reap benefits.  While I have zero photos (at this point) of my podium, it was fun to get a cheer from the crazy CalTri folks as pictured below:

It's definitely a motley crew and I'm not the most dedicated member, but triathlon has become a somewhat significant part of my life, and, in one way or another, I've shared that with many of these people.  

So, the final take-aways from the race?  Transitions matter (for the first time ever, I tried to hurry and it might have made the difference between a podium spot or 4th place); I'm still a better runner than swimmer/biker, but I can improve, slowly!  And, the most important note - the camaraderie and energy on the course make the race experience.  Keeping that last point in mind, I finally feel excitement about St. George, rather than dread, and I can't believe that it's next week!  As I said in my last post, racing season is upon us!