New coach

Well, it has happened. Nick and I worked well together over the last 1.5 years, but it was time to move on. I am very thankful for all of his advice and all of his time dedicated into making me a better athlete.

Unfortunately there is a point where things have to change. I am really busy with work, classes and training lately and I needed someone who could help me maximize my time. I looked into many different coaches. A big factor for me for picking a coach is the prize. Let's be honest. We spend so many $ on traveling and equipment (OK, mostly traveling and BIKE FEES), there is not much left over of the original "budget". However, coaches need to live as well and put food on their plates.

But, I finally came to the conclusion that a coach is THE most important tool in the equation and I needed to go for it.

But who?

I have a great friend here, Amy Kloner, who is also a professional triathlete, works full time, but most importantly: kicks ass in races. I kept bugging her to tell me her secret. How does she put all of that in one day? And she kept telling me that she has a genius coach. So I investigated. 

http://www.thesportfactory.com/site/index.shtml

I got in touch with Amy's coach Matt Russ. We talked for about an hour, he asked me questions, I asked him questions. After we hung up we investigated each other: he researched my times and performances, I researched his background and experience. What I immediately liked was that he is a very friendly and calm person, but also really knowledgeable!!!

After a few more emails and phone calls it was clear to me that we would be a good fit. His scientific approach to coaching and the fact that he explains everything to me convinced me - there is a purpose for every workout. Every single one. 

My race season will look a little different then it used to. Instead of racing a lot, I will focus on a few races only, but I will be bringing my A game to those:

Florida 70.3

Honu 70.3

Antwerp 70.3

Wiesbaden 70.3

are the main focus. 

I am really excited about this new chapter. If you need any info about Sports Factory coaching, please click on the following link:

http://www.thesportfactory.com/site/index.shtml

Git-R-Done

I am I am. I am actually getting a lot of stuff done. Next to tests and essays to write for my online classes I try to fit in my work and training and I get it done :-) Thankfully I have a husband who understands when I am grumpy due to my load of stuff that I want to get done.

Last week was filled with reading, writing, riding, running, and sometimes swimming :-)

I got to enjoy a wonderful Saturday training with my friend Amy. Ride, Masters swim and more riding. Even though she just recently moved to Phoenix, she knows where the good rides are. She showed me a route with barely any traffic and huge bike lanes, which, right now, everyone in Phoenix is searching for. Unfortunately we have had some really really bad bike accidents in Phoenix lately. Some injuries are luckily just minor, but in most cases they are not...human vs car...the odds for the cyclist are not good.

Amy took me on I believe 7th ave north of deer valley and it was a beautiful safe ride that goes out to Daisey Mountain. If you life in North Phoenix, this is a good ride!!!

The wind was blowing like crazy and after 45 miles I decided to call JR to pick me up. LAME. But it wasn't because of the wind only. It was because I wanted to race Marquee the next day and have fresh legs. Luckily OR unfortunately he didn't pick up so I ended up riding back. Does it ever happen to other people that the wind switches and constantly comes from the front?

So I ended up racing Marquee on tired legs probably like many other athletes out there (Matt did a 6.5 hr ride Saturday - yikes). That is good practice too. Here are Matt Russel and I smiling and liking our 9 am start time :-) Red Rock, 9 am start is a great idea. I didn't even need an alarm.

All done. The race was great. 750 m swim, 20 k bike and a 5 k run. Probably my favorite distances EVER!!! All three of us took home a title. Bryan was 1st place in the Olympic distance race, and Matt and I were 1st in the Sprint race. WINNING :-)

Next up:

• Road race state championships for practice and for a great long ride in the heat
• Maybe a 50 mile Mountain bike race???
• Orlando 70.3

The Spectathlete

During Oceanside 70.3 I was a spectathlete (the sport of spectating off course). Man, let me tell you, not only is competing more fun and you get more accomplished during the day but it is also less exhausting then the sport of spectathlon (I can't speak for Ironman vs spectathlon, never done that).

Oceanside was a MUST. Even though I couldn't race, I just had to go to cheer on all the athletes, especially the one's I knew. 3:30 am wake up call at the Durapulse house it was. I was amazed how calm all of them were. Either they don't get nervous OR they are good actors.

I got to explore and watch the race with Allison, my teammates girlfriend. We had a ton of fun. Race morning was so cold and cloudy, but everyone looked great out there swimming biking and running. We most likely looked good too with our hot chocolate and jackets on:-)

We got to practice our photography skills and happened to see this, which I think is not supposed to happen 2 minutes before the pro men come out of the water:

BEFORE

AFTER - ooopsie, someone is in trouble

Everyone went everywhere trying to get on that bike. First I couldn't figure out why, but then I put one and one together...everyone was cold and had a really hard time feeling legs and arms!!!

So after a while it looked like this and I was happy not to be in it :-)

Oceanside spectating was so much fun. Everyone on my Durapulse team as well as my ZOOT team did really well. It definitely got me fired up for my next race.

Later in the day I got to meet my ZOOT team, which was probably one of the best experiences I have had in my triathlon life. The team is fantastic!!! Not only did I get to meet all my teammates from around the US, but we also got to know the people behind the scenes: designers, shoe engineers, managers, ...everyone you can think of. This company is amazing and I am so happy and thankful to be part of it. Everyone is very very nice. My racing teammates are fun, enthusiastic, friendly and very very giggly, which I love!!! The team in the office, at races, answering our questions and making sure we have everything we need was exactly the same way: friendly, open and they always had a smile on their face!!!

We also got to inspect the gear for the future :-) SO MUCH FUN. Color, design, material,...it is fun to see everything tha will be coming out.

I cannot wait until A.) I go to California again and get to visit ZOOT B.) I get to race with my teammates C.) Represent the Ultra team at races!!!

This week I got a new pair of shoes. And I mean NEW (as in Summer 2012 new)!!! These shoes are absolutely amazing. You would think that after many years of running my feet would be used to it...WRONG. Anyone who has trained or raced with me knows: Angi gets the most blisters a human could possibly get. I ran a track workout in these shoes. No socks, just like in a race. No blisters, no hot spots. AT ALL. These shoes are super light, yet really soft and nice to your feet. They feel light like the racing flats I used in college, but cushioned like a light weight trainer. Look out for them as they will come out this summer!!! Ask me about them at this weeks Marquee Triathlon in Phoenix. I will be wearing them:-)

Notice? The Colors? Almost like the German flag!!!

Running in the desert this time of the year is beautiful. Everything is blooming. Yes, even the cacti. Here is some evidence from our yard. I never knew the desert could be this colorful.

Jack has been doing well too. He goes for a run with me almost every day. He loves aquathlon. After we get back from our run, he immediately jumps in the pool and swims a few laps. Sometimes he has his run and swim done before me :-)