IM ARIZONA

Well, it is the week of IM Arizona, which means craziness in Tempe Town Lake. Just in the years that I have been in the valley, this event has developed into one of the biggest, most competitive IM races.

Off course I am a spectathlete (IM distance is realllllllly looooooong), but if you are going to the Expo Thursday, Friday or Saturday, come by the IM tent!!! I will be representing SKINSTRONG at the EXPO and I can tell you what you can use SKINSTRONG products for and where you can spray, slather or dust them on. I have caught myself using their products on Heart rate straps, shoes, my feet, neck, even my dress shoes, pretty much anywhere....and then there is the sunscreen/sun soothing line, which is a must when in the sun...

Well, if you want any more info, you can got to http://skinstrong.com/ and/or see me at the Expo and ask me anything you want!!!

Too many wetsuits

JR and I have accumulated too many wetsuits...and we need to liquidate...so if you know anyone who needs a wetsuit to just starting out in the sport or if you know anyone who wants a cheap competition suit, please guide them towards me :-)

Here is what I have:

ZOOT Wetzoot

size small, women's

50$ (original price 399$)

 Aquasphere Phantom
Size small men's - used in one race only
200$ (original price 699$)

 Sailfish G-Range
size small women's
This one is used by athletes in ITU as well as IM. SUper easy to put on and come off!!!
150$ (original price 699$)

Not pictured: Xterra Vengeance Wetsuit, 50 $ women's size small.

Please email me at Angela_Axmann at yahoo.de if you know anyone who might need one of these or if you need more info and/or pictures!!!

Prescott Fire Department 10 k

Like I mentioned in previous blog posts: The AZ fall running calendar is amazing. So many races to chose from. This weeks options were:

Melrose 5 k (2 min from my house)

Trail ChaCha 7 miler (pretty far from my house)

or the Prescott Fire Department 10 k (2 hrs away from my house)

My friends Mindy and Kris and I decided to go for Prescott. Nice fall weather might turn this Saturday into a great adventure. And it was:

Wake up was at 5 am and out the door at 5:30 for an 8 am start in Prescott. We got out of the car up in Prescott (5500 ft elevation) and it was COLD :-) Perfect. We totally looked forward to cold!!!

After registering we stood at the start line with maybe 30 other people. We expected an easier field since the race is only in it's third year and since there are so many options for the weekend but then we heard: One Olympic Trials Marathon Top 100 finisher female was in the race as well as a lady who had just one a big 13.1 race...Ooops, this will turn into a painful run. And it did. 

I went out with the first lady and we went UPHILL for about 2 miles. And I mean about 300 ft elevation gain in the first mile and 200 ft in the second including some single track. YIKES. Did I mention this was at 5500 feet?

My heart rate went up to 160 and pretty much stayed there the entire time with very shallow breathing. Should have brought those O2 masks that Mindy and Kris have from diving :-)

At mile 2 I speed up a little and got a gap. After steep downhills, more uphills and a final steep downhill (where my Garmin shoed me a 5 min/mile pace I got to the finish in in first place. Did I mention this might have been the hilliest race I have EVER done (except for the Xterra last weekend, that was about the same hilliness, just longer...and on trails) :-)

We had no idea before the race what we would get ourselves into but after mile 1 I decided to NOT look at my watch again, because this very hilly course would make for a slow time ( and it did!!!). So if your training plan calls for some hill repeats next year on this weekend...you should sign up for the race!!!

I got the course record by almost 10 min (I believe) and I most likely got the toughest 10 k TT in my training that I could have asked for. We had a blast in Prescott and enjoyed a nice cool down running through the town.

Here we are with the Prescott Fire Department. Yep, that is me wearing the fire helmet in the first picture - possible switch in professions? I thought the hat was very comfortable.

Notice that I had number 112? Strangely that is the GERMAN Fire Department emergency number!!! Very weird that I, the only German in the race, get THAT number without preregistering...it was just the next number to give away :-)

 After the race we walked through the Prescott Town Square and had a lot of fun with local vendors. We shot some wood-marshmallow guns, saw some delicious apples and saw the craziest dog outfits in town.

I really enjoy running and I can't wait for my next race. Unfortunately I think it won't be until November 4th...until then: back to training and studying!!!

Rain

Rain is one of the best things that can happen in the desert. When it rains in Phoenix the desert comes alive...even if it is just a few raindrops. My front yard goes from this:

 to this...

 to this.

The same thing pretty much happens to my attitude. As soon as the temps drop and we have cooler air in the mornings I feel like I can run forever...only maybe another month or so of around 100 degrees during the day and then living in Phoenix will be fun again :-)

This morning's track workout was fantastic, thanks to sprinkles and cloud cover. It is amazing how much different interval times can be depending on an athletes attitude. This morning: Happy attitude, which meant FAST mile repeats. YAY.

2 days until Mindy, Kris and I will go to Prescott to race a 10 k. If I can repeat what I did today it will be a fast time, if not, I will just make sure to have a fun race and a great stay in Prescott :-)

Xterra AZ run series - Estrella Mnts

Since running is #1 priority right now by default (haha - thanks to school), I decided to sign up for the Xterra run series in AZ. 4 races, all 20 k long and on trails, nice people around and an entirely new adventure...

Pretty much what the race trail looked like :-) From Angi's point of view.

JR and I decided last week that one week before the race would probably be a good idea to start training on trails (aka. doing one run on trails). The running route turned out to be a little bit longer then expected and after 1:40 hrs we made it back to our house...slowly because my legs were in pain. There might have been some walking involved...

Trail running is an entirely different ball game. Athletes (me very much included) always think: I am in shape, I can run ANYWHERE. The truth its that that statement is a big fat lie. After our run I was sore for days...to the point where touching my quads was even unpleasant...

On top of that: my understanding of trails are nice forest roads...not rocks and washes and sand...so I was in for a big treat including a mix of overall elevation gains of 1500 ft, sand, switchbacks and a lot of rocks. But I really wanted to do the race, try out trail running and I was just hoping not to come back with anything like this:

And I didn't!!! Not even a scratch!!!

The race was a blast. I wore my garmin just in case I would get lost and I had to map my way back out on the watch :-) I have to say the 12.6 miles were fantastic. Being uncomfortable with trail running makes the race very interesting, so I just tried to stay out of the fastie's ways, let them pass me and to have fun. 

The race had been fast in the past so I knew it was not going to be a walk in the park. 

The smart portion of my brain told me:

Don't go out too fast.

The competitive part of my brain told me:

Do whatever it takes to stick with the front girls.

I think I made both parts of my brain happy by racing a smart race but making sure I was in the mix. I usually seed myself in the 3rd or so row at a start like this where you go on single track immediately because I want to stay out of people's way. I think it is rude to faster runners to be trapped behind me - avoided by staying in the back: CHECK. Within the first mile I passed maybe 10 people, always keeping in mind that this is a long race and that I don't have a clue what I am doing. Turns out I was second after the start and I passed the leading girl, Kristi Johnson, within the first mile. All I had in my head was not to crash into a cactus or rocks and to have fun. 

Here is my favorite "come home with no scratches" equipment, great for all rookie trail runners like me:

ZOOT COMPRESSION SOCKS

Off course in purple for me :-)

Compression socks are not only for compression. Off course they are also for fashion (thanks to all the great colors) AND, who would have guessed: they make perfect shin guards!!! Thankfully they were not needed as shin guards THIS time :-) Also they help avoid get sand and dirt into your shoes, and therefore prevent hot spots!!!

12.6 miles can be long and I have to say that the many hills and the rocks kicked my butt. It is also a mental game as your brain goes from: AWESOME-attitude to $HIT-attitude within a few seconds. I tried to maintain the AWESOME attitude for most of the race :-)

After many miles of climbing followed by descending, followed by switchbacks, followed by a long sandy stretch, followed by another evil uphill the race was done. I ended up over 6 minutes ahead of second place, I learned a lot and I am super excited for the next race. Also I am sore in areas of my body that I don't even know could be activated during running :-)

Here is how I am going to prepare for race #2. I will learn and do the following:

- run downhill fast on technical trails

- do lots of high knee drills (because that pretty much sums up a trail run)

- learn how to take momentum with me 

- run lots of trails

I am so glad I tried trail racing. There are some real Mountain-goat-like-people out there and maybe someday I will be able to maneuver over the rocks like they do...maybe...Estrella was the most technical of the 4 races, so there are no excuses. Can't wait for January 6th!!!

HAPPY RUNNING

The beginning of Fall

Vegas with JR, Elliot and Jack was so much fun. Both of them were so funny and relaxed going into the race and very pleasant to be around (you know how athletes can be before a big race...sometimes they can be a giant pain in the behind). Not those two. Transition closes at 6? OK, so we have to be there at 5:55. That is how easy they were :-) Here are some pics from before and during the race.

Jack and I were spectating all day. Both JR and Elliot disappeared for about 1.5 hrs after the race, turns out pretty much every racer ended up in medical for dehydration and stomach issues...I checked out what the water source of Lake Las Vegas is and I have to say that a mix of run off and reclaimed water might not be the stomach friendliest lake to swim in :-) 

Since Las Vegas I have been going full power: studying, working and running. Yep, swimming is wayyyyy on the back burner right now...cycling in form of group rides still exists, but mostly running is my sport of the fall. I am taking classes in preparation for grad school and instead of taking one at a time I decided to take all of them together, get them out of the way and be completely done by December 14th. I know it means sacrificing my fall season, but when you try to combine work, school and training, nothing will work 100%, so I decided to focus on school until December. Running is easy to include because I can always squeeze in 30 min -1:30 hrs in the day.

I am excited to do a lot of running races this fall and started of with a local 5 k a month ago. A 6 mile warm up, a 5k and a 2 mile cool down made a great workout. Unfortunately it was still 105 degrees that night, so I ended up with a 18:11. SUCCESS :-)

Yesterday I competed in another local 5k and ended up running slower. Why? Not sure: mile 1@6:00, mile 2@ 6:02 and mile 3 @ snail pace? It didn't feel like I slowed down but somehow we must have ALL slowed down like crazy on that last mile. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun!!!

Next week will be the Xterra 20 k in Phoenix, which includes rocks and elevation gain/loss = Angi completely out of her comfort zone. JR and I went on a 1:40 trail run today including some serious hills with switchbacks and it kicked my butt. Thankfully the combination of Zoot trail shoes and Zoot compression socks helped me get a good grip and safed me from scratches :-)

The week after the 20 k is "race for the cure" a 5 k in downtown Phoenix, where I hope the 18 min barrier will be broken. After that the Phoenix 10 k which always draws a lot of fast people, so hopefully a sub 37 min 10 k is possible, but we will see how things go.

I had a little setback with my back that has been bothering me ever since the lady hit me with her car in January. Unfortunately sometimes it gets to the point were I just can't run. Thankfully I work at Endurance Rehab and they never let me down. After an hour of working on me and three days off of running (last week), they got me back to zero pain!!! 

Summer in Phoenix is coming to an end, unfortunately slower then I would like :-) At least the mornings are nice now and it is possible to run until 9 am - YAY!!! Anything after that is still impossible, but that will change soon too!!! I cannot wait.

Trifest for MS

After graduating college I tried to find the easiest way to make money and do triathlon. Coaching, personal training, all the things where I can make my own hours and work from home - GENIUS. But I noticed that I wasn't good at selling those things, which is a problem :-)

I started working at the Flagstaff Medical Center to see how the healthcare field is in 2009 and it has changed my thinking completely.

I came to the realization that a bad race, a twisted ankle or a flat tire are not actually problems. I realized that there are many many people who have real injuries that might change the rest of their lives and there are many people who from one day to the next, cannot do what they used to anymore.

Well moving forward, ever since I started working there I knew that I wanted to stay in healthcare and help people. Help them smile, help them forget about their injuries or illnesses and help them get better.
Trifest for MS was the first time that I got be involved in a race where the main focus was not the race itself (at least to me), but to raise awareness for MS.

TRIFEST FOR MS

...was the most moving experience. I flew to Arkansas on Friday and spent a weekend with wonderful people. My SKINSTRONG family not only took me and Brad (Seng) in, but they spoiled us A LOT. SKINSTRONG is such a great company. The people behind it are the nicest people, they are not only involved in big races (official Ironman partner) but they also make sure that small races get supported. The entire family is so giving and even their smallest girl does triathlon (she took first place - age 6)!!!

Trifest was not only about racing, but most importantly it was about celebrating life. Meeting the Rampy's (Rampy MS research foundation) was incredible. Their enthusiasm is incredible, they are fighting hard to battle MS and to help find a cure. MS can change your life from one day to the next, but being around the Rampy's I get a feeling that they are going to kick MS in the behind with their positive energy!!!

Saturday was the Sprint race and we got to cheer on everyone competing. I realized that I should really learn the national anthem. The national anthem was sung by a girl with an incredible voice. She had recently lost a friend in the war so she got very sad during singing, to the point where she just couldn't keep singing...so the people of Bentonville, Arkansas started singing for her. 400 people singing the national anthem...and I didn't know the text :-(

Now that gave me goosebumps (not that I didn't know the text, but the fact that the community didn't even hesitate to finish the anthem :-)

This community is so supportive, no matter if it is for filling in during the anthem or fighting MS...they hold together like glue.

The pro race was Sunday and the weather could not have been more perfect. 800 m swim, 40 k bike, 700 m swim, 10 k run. In the ladies field it was Morgan and me. Morgan and I raced bikes together when I was a student in South Dakota. I got dropped in every race :-) We completely disconnected, most likely because she was a cyclist and I was a runner. It was so good to reconnect with her over the weekend and getting to hear what she has been up to. She is also a wonderful person to be around!!!

I came out of the water only a little behind her, I did a time check within the first few miles on the bike and it was 15 seconds. On lap two out of 7 I noticed that my rear tire was feeling low, I stopped, checked and psssssssssssssss, the valve was loose and came completely out. I tightened it back up but by then I had lost too much air to keep riding. Well, that was my race. I came back to transition and checked if I could compete in the supersprint later in the morning and without hesitation Scott Rampy said yes. There was prize money in the race and since we were only 2 people it would have been a nice pay day, but now the leftover money will go towards the foundation and that is a good thing!!!

I had a ton of fun during the supersprint. All out for 30 min. What a great format. I think if Supersprint was more popular I would only race supersprints.

The weekend was a wonderful eye-opener to what truly is important in life!!!

I will definitely be back for the Trifest for MS in 2013!!! Check out what the Rampy MS research foundation is all about and learn more about MS at  http://www.researchms.org/ .