Viva Italia

What a trip. I got to spend the last week in Italy, visiting JR. I got greeted by beautiful weather and great food. We spend the week in Budoia, a small town about 1.5 hrs north of Venice, at the base of the Dolomites. Why I didn't bring my bike I don't know (actually I do, it is called bike fees). This area is a dream for any cyclist, Roadie or Mnt bike rider.


I spend the week focusing on running, napping and exploring the area by bike. On Sunday we took the train to one of the most impressive cities I have ever visited. Venice. Venice was built on a bunch of small islands, therefore the canals and all the bridges. How they built all of the churches and museums is a mystery to me, especually since some buildings were built in 9 B.C.!!! There are no cars in old town Venice, so everything is explored by foot or boat. Here are some pics that I took on our walk through Venice:

Shoes made with old bike tires :-)

The streets of Venice.

How did they built those houses?

The famous Rialto Bridge (I liked the smaller ones better :-)

Tiny walkways between the houses.

Aehhhh, what the...?

Giant crusie ships cruising through old town Venice on the Grande canal...crazy...only in Italy.


Mhhh...Pizza...luckily I am not gluten free...Italy is NOT the country to be in when you are gluten free...Pizza and Pasta everywhere :-)

The view on my run in the dolomites.

Icing the legs made us understand why nobody was in the water...FREEZING!!!

VESPAS everywhere!!!

My running route through the fields.

Lots of options to stop and eat grapes, peaches, figs, bell peppers, tomatoes...pretty much everything grows in this area!!!

Off course the week went by way to fast and Saturday morning it was time to fly back to the US. The trip turned into a 29 hr trip thanks to a poor goose that lost its life in our engine during take off in Venice. We lost one of our engines about 10 min into the flight, but luckily the pilot got us back on the ground safely. After standing in line for 4 hrs I got new tickets and was on my way. In Chicago we had a minor set back when the airplane lost its computer system while we were on the field ready to take off, so my arrival was once again delayed...Finally at 1 am Sunday I made it to Phoenix, but off course my luggage was gone...at that point I wasn't even worried anymore. I slept for 3 hrs and got up at 4 am to make my way out to Skull Valley to race the AZ Roadrace Championships, 68 miles in 110 degrees. I felt amazing until about mile 55, where I faded bad. It might have been that the 2 bottles of coke were wearing off...my caffeine/sugar high came to an end 10 min too early :-) It was still a fun day and great practice!!! Next up: Trip to Des Moins!!!

The calm before the storm...

The rest of July and the entire month of August will require NO travelling for me (except for the occasional trip up to Flagstaff)...but travelling is ON for the month of September...

I earned enough points on the 5150 series to end up 7th overall in the ranking, which means I have secured my spot for the HyVee Triathlon in Des Moins, Iowa. The race has the biggest prize purse in triathlon. 30 women will be at the start line and many of them are world class ITU racers...and that is where I am going the beginning of September... then I will spend a few days at home, switch out my TT bike to my Roadbike and make my way over to Italy for a week of training before heading over to Gijon Spain to represent the USA at the Duathlon World Championships...and then I will make my way back to Phoenix...

Booking all those tickets, making sure they don't overlap, making sure my bike will make it every where I go will be entertaining and might be more challenging then the race itself :-)

Happy training and travelling!!!

A weekend in Flagstaff

Ahhhhhh, Flagstaff, our old home. Even though it is only a 2 hr drive to Flagstaff, JR and I have not had the time to make it up there this summer. AZ is pretty amazing. In Phoenix you can train all year round, it just gets very hot in the summer (40 days of over 100 degrees now?)...but if you want to escape the heat, Flagstaff is right around the corner.

Last weekend, JR and I and part of Iron Gear Sports and Team Durapulse drove to Flagstaff to compete at the Mountainman Sprint Triathlon. Off course JR and I cut it a little close and we were one of the last ones in transition. Fortunately I got a super spot...thanks to two very friendly triathletes who made more then enough room for me.

Steve, the man in charge of Iron Gear Sports getting ready to go fast on his P4:

JR got a not-so-great spot in transition. But it turns out that this spot doesn't slow him down.

Lazer Helmet fits, ready to go.

I had my personal Sherpa for the day. My friend Pam, who did not race (she competed in a 200 mile ride the weekend before). She was SO helpful. She even zipped my wetsuit for me WHILE I was running to the swim start (no way, not because I cut it close...just because I like to run in my wetsuit...). Also it was super great to see Coach Nick and the Durapulse crew come up to Flagstaff just to cheer on their athletes. Now that is what I call a TEAM. It definitely motivated me to go faster!!! Thanks for cheering!!!

The swim was very nice. Calm water, 71 degree temperature. I am still trying to get super fast in the water. The only way to get faster is to go out FAST and try to hold on :-) I ended up 3rd out of the water with a, for me, very satisfying time.

I raced hard on the bike, unfortunately I was stopped once by one of the volunteers. She thought I was doing the super sprint (which started ahead of us) and she tried to convince me to turn around at their turn around...after a complete stop and some explaining I kept going. The run was a nice out and back. Racing at 7000 feet makes for some really short breaths :-)

Here is JR's race prep and race. JR does this new method of training. It is called the super taper. You pretty much taper for ... lets say 6 months...and then you go out and race :-) JR has been very busy with work, so his workout time is limited. He went to the pool maybe 3 times before the race... he runs with me, but hasn't done any speed training. Yet he goes out and comes out of the water in 7th place, bikes his way into 1st/2nd (they were in T2 together)...then on the run he realizes he never picked up his timing chip and just jogs his way into 2nd place overall. Oh did I mention he hasnt' been in a wetsuit since June 2010?

I am so excited to see JR race IM AZ this fall!!! What a great athlete!!!

This was race 13 of the season for me. NowI have 1.5 months to become a fish in the water and 2 months before I have to run like I am being chased by a cheetah :-)

Heat escape

4th of July comes around and it is...

120 degrees :-) Time to leave the city and escape to higher elevations. JR, his family (who were visiting from Minnesota) decided to explore the Camp Verde area. We went to a place called Pin Bull Ranch. Only an hour away from Phoenix it is the perfect destination for a day trip. But we went there to stay overnight. We put up the tent, played a little in the water and learned some new card games.

Jr's sister and one of the daughters went to catch a lizzard while we played cards...and they really caught one. No way. I have no idea how they got one of those speedy animals...the lizzard found a new home in a cup for a few minutes before they released him again:

...something was wrong...that lizzard looks funny...ooops, he dropped his tail!!! No worries, JR found it!!!

Pam and Shannon joined us for our adventure. The next morning JR, Pam and I went for a run and explored some trails. The trails here are beautiful. We are definitely coming back for some more!!! We had to cross the river probably 6 times during our run, but I didn't mind. The cold water feels so good!!!

Pam surprised us with Pancakes after the run!!! That is my kind of camping:-)

Jack loved the adventure as well. Until his paws hurt from the hot sand and he decided he didn't want to walk anymore...soooo spoiled:-)

We went back to Phoenix for a few days before we left for Colorado. I was ranked 4th in the 5150 standings and Boulder was the last race for the series automatic qualification. Top 20 get to go. So I was pretty sure I would not drop down 16 places. BUT...since Boulder is within driving distance (hahaha 14 hrs), I decided it would be a good chance to get away from the heat, take my husband with, take my puppy with and explore all the beautiful places this part of the US has to offer.

Are we there yet? 14 hrs feels really long!!! We got to Boulder and attended the Pro meeting. The field was stacked!!! Then we were off for a small shake out run to hopefully shake out the 14 hrs on our butts :-)

Race morning... The race started at 8:45, perfect time. No need to get up at 4 am. I slept like a rock. How come long hours of driving make you more tired?

Setting up transitiona nd checking out the area:

It was nice going into the race with no pressure. I had my points and I was doing this race just "for a good workout". I just love racing...this was race #14 for the season. At the start, chatting with Julia Grant, who I also raced with in Germany. It is funny to see people in one part of the world and then you meet again only a few weeks later on a different continent.

I held on to the front pack until 750 meters and then I was on my own...:-( someday I will be up there!!! The bike ride was beautiful with a steep climb. I love climbing. Unfortunately there was a really long and not so steep downhill as well. I have a pretty small chainring and ran out of gears immediately. Mhhh...I tried to be aero like the flying Scottsman, but 10 miles of no peddaling is no bueno...

The run was great. 1 mile out, 1 mile back, times 3. Great way to see if you are moving up or not.

I finished in 8th, which was OK, but not satisfying :-)
We took off to get back to Phoenix on Monday morning. It pretty much started raining when we started driving :-( Oh well, at least we were in a car. We drove through Leadville, Gunnison to Durango where we spent the night. It rained so much that there were mudslides on some of the roads we drove on. Colorado is such a pretty state!!!

Ouray, Colorado. Start of the Imogene run. I have to do it someday!!!

And I have to ride up this road on my Roadbike!!!

Jack didn't care too much about the beautiful scenery. He prefered sleeping :-) It was good to get back home after being on the road for 5 days. Driving is nice, but flying to races is a lot easier on your body.

This weekend we are off to our old home Flagstaff to race the Mountain Man Sprint Triathlon...and then...I guess the next stop is Des Moins for the Hy Vee Triathlon and then Duathlon World Championships in Spain :-)

Hot summer

Summer is here. 110+ days every day...for the next 3 + months... my least favorite time of the year. I do not like getting up early. Unfortunately right now I have no choice but to set my alarm to 4:30 am or else I will be frying in the sun during my workouts.

I have been taking a short mid season break from racing. After 11 races in 13 weekends I thought it would be better to safe some of my energy and fire for the second half of the season which includes really important races. My trip to the Duathlon World Championships is in the planning and it looks like I will be spending some time in Aviano, Italy and then go over to Spain for the race. I am ranked 4th in the 5150 series right now, so my trip to Des Moins, Iowa for the Championships is in the planning as well. There are 2 more races this weekend, Boulder and Zuerich. I am going to race the 5150 Boulder this weekend. It is a good chance to get out of the heat and enjoy some cooler temps, as well as going on a roadtrip with my husband and my dog :-) Off course I am also going there to take some points home and keep my spot in the rankings :-)

With the temps going over 100 degrees, little desert critters decide to come out...ahhh...this one is the one I found last year. Only one all year...that is kind of OK with me:

But then this one decided to live in my vegetable garden WITH HIS/HER BABIES!!! That is NOT OK. I mean, look at it. If those babies would grow, I would have a family of 20 scorpions living in my vegetable garden. No way.
So I made JR do this:

Hit it with a hammer. And then I felt bad. Poor guy.

Off to pack for the 14 hr drive to Boulder. 5150 Boulder Peak Triathlon, here we come!!!

Germany

Where to start. I had a great time in Germany and the 3 weeks went by way too fast. The first week I was a little sleepy at around 2 pm every day because of the time change, but I was hoping that would disappear by my first race on Sunday.

It was so much fun to see my family. They completely spoiled me and made sure I had everything I needed. My mom even went swimming with me in the...here we go...65 degree COLD water our local 50 m outdoor pool had to offer. Let me tell you, 65 degrees might be nice in a wetsuit, but it is really cold while training. Some days I couldn't feel my fingers anymore after only 1k.

On the rainy days I took my dad's mountain bike, went out in the forest and came back like this:

Here is a picture of the trail (which is as wide as a road) just outside my hometown:

On Sunday we drove to Darmstadt for the 5150. There was a lot of good competition. I started my triathlon career in the US, so I only knew my competition from magazines. Nicole Leder started 2 places in front of me and Radka V., the European ITU star was immediately in front of me at the start. It was a dive in start, I was hoping I wouldn't loose my goggles :-) I tightened them super tight and was successful. No lost goggles. Unfortunately after Lap 1 my head was hurting from the pressure :-) My own fault. I better get good at diving in case there is another race where they make the decision to turn it into a dive start 30 min before the race again (but I have to admit I like diving).

I was pretty satisfied with my swim. Onto the bike I couldn't feel the power I usually have...probably because it was 2:30 pm...=naptime. My watts were a bit lower then I would have expected and I have to admit I did not like my bike time, but for that day it was all I had. With 10 k to go I started to wake up, but 10 k is not a lot of k"s to make up time.The thunder and rain started as soon as I got off the bike. It was 4 lap course, I tried to close the cap to the girl in front of me on the first 2, but realized that we were going about the same speed. I was in 5th place and 6th place was too far behind me to catch me, so I just ran to make sure I hold my position.

After the race in the rain with my parents. I got a nice amount of points for the 5150 ranking.

Jenny Fletcher (6th place) and I were the only 2 ladies who had done 3 races in the series now, so for one week I got to lead the world rankings :-) I made sure I printed out a copy of that!!!

Funny :-)

I did a few more workouts during the week and felt great. On the track I ran faster times then expected, I felt strong on the bike, I was ready for the Klagenfurt 5150 on Sunday. But then on Friday night I started to feel sick...headache, sore throat...Saturday morning we were debating about even driving to Austria for the race, but we said we would drive and turn it into a vacation in case I couldn't race. The normally 6 hr drive turned into close to 10 hrs because of traffic. On many spots the alps are too steep to build roads over so you have to go through a tunnel. Our tunnel had a car-train we had to get on. Unfortunately we stood there for 3.5 hrs to wait to get on the train (well, I slept the entire time). Here is what it finally looked like to get the car on the train:

12 km through the tunnel, a few more miles to drive and we were here:
I went to the pro meeting, but disappeared really fast again. I did not feel good.

I am usually very careful about racing sick. I know the damage that can be done to the body can be big. Here is the reason why I raced: The field was weak (there were 2 athletes that I knew would take one and two for sure, but the rest was no superstar-field). Before I got sick I felt like 3rd place was definitely do-able on a normal day. But we are just humans and no machines. Sunday I woke up and decided to go for it. I would get points for sure and prizemoney. Even if I finished last. Here we are at the start of the race:

The lake is the most beautiful piece of water I have ever swam in. The water was so blue and the canal swimw as so clear.

I felt weak on the swim already and my stomach juices decided to say hello during the swim too. Here is a picture of the leaders coming through the canal:

Me running through transition:

The bike was a beautiful course. It would have been perfect. Some hills, some flat parts. But I didn't feel good and just made sure I would finish the race...very frustrating to race like this, knowing how you can normally race.

Onto the run. I was in 5th place with 3rd and 4th not too far ahead. I tried to push, but I felt weak. At one point I actually walked through an aid station and grabbed a coke, hoping the caffeine would help get rid of my headache. I am not sure if I have ever walked in a race :-)

On the bright side: Klagenfurt 5150 is a great race. The area is beautiful, the spectators are very nice, the bike course is great and, off course the water is beautiful. My parents cheered the entire day and also cheered me up after the race. The next day was a little rainy and we drove back home...

The last week went by really fast. I barely did any training, instead I made sure I spend quality time with my family and made sure I would get healthy again.

Tuesday morning the anti doping agency decided to ring the bell (very thankfull they came at 6 am and not at midnight like last time). This time I had a double test: blood and urine :-) And I was able to pee after only half a bottle of water and only 30 min of waiting :-) SUCCESS!!!

Time went by way to fast and on Friday morning I was on my way back to the US. I got to Phoenix and had just a little bit of trouble adjusting to the 100+ degrees :-)

I went for a long run today and had to built 3 water stops into the run. I am really looking forward to the "warm" pools here...no more frozen hands.