What is your sporting background?:  I grew up riding horses.  My parents were avid horsemen and I had my first pony waiting for me when I was born.  My first competition was at the age of three.  In high school, I ran.  I competed in cross country and track.  My competition was my younger sister.  We drove each other to be better and faster.  After High School, I ran track at the University of Tennessee.  My events were the 1500 and the 3000m.

When did you become a professional triathlete?:  I turned pro in 2oo3.  My first year as a professional was HARD!  Going from age group to pro is a bigger step than one would think.  It’s very different!

Who braids your hair race morning?:  I braid my own hair.  It takes me less than 2 minutes!  I learned how to braid my own hair when I was 8 years old.  My mother used to french braid my long, thick hair every other day so that she wouldn’t have to spend hours detangling it or getting the dreadlocks out of it.  She would pull my hair so hard that my eyes squinted…(OK, I’m being dramatic…but it hurt!).  I hated getting my hair braided.  Finally after a couple of years of abuse, we made a deal…If I learned how to do my own hair correctly, then she would touch my head anymore.  Voila! I learned QUICK! :)

In your blog, you have been open about your GI problems and racing.  How do you handle it now?  I have had GI issues since childhood.  It started early…I was always allergic to milk.  However, back in the 70′s/80′s nobody really understood food allergies.  I was just considered the gassy one in the family…lol!  My GI problems were exacerbated when I had an emergency appendectomy in 2005.  Since then, I have had to pay special attention to what I eat and drink…although I do “fall off the wagon” at times…lol!

What do you do to relieve some of your GI problems?:  It has taken a lot of patience and a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for me and what does not work for me especially during a race. There have been times when I have been very frustrated. But I never give up…Training and racing are completely different and sometimes the ONLY way to figure out what will work is to experiment during a race.  Sometimes the experiment works to my benefit and sometimes it does not…For me the very best way to have a happy GI is to eat as cleanly as possible.  I try to eat “from the earth”, avoiding processed foods.  I drink 2-3 liters of water daily. I try to eat Gluten Free when possible, even though I am NOT a celiac. I don’t drink diet soda! And I rarely drink regular soda, with the exception of Mexican Coke on a long bike ride.  I limit my caffeine intake to half a cup of coffee per day. And I even eliminated all caffeine in my last race (mentally it didn’t feel so good…but my GI was the BEST it has ever been!). I do not drink alcohol during the season (usually…:)). And I am especially careful to not eat meat 3 days out from an event. Lastly, I use First Endurance liquid shots, EFS, and Ultragen in training and racing not just because they are my sponsor, but because I believe they are the cleanest , best products out on the market.

How/where did you get those abs!?:  Good genes.  My mom and dad both have abs/flat stomachs.  When I am eating right, at my leanest, and  I am a bit dehydrated, the abs look their best.

How many calories does ML eat a day?  Guys love ML (and his body) as much as the girls do.  I counted ML’s calories one day after a moderate training day (about 3-4 hours).  He ate about 8,000 calories! The man can eat a lot of food!  ML is also lucky in the good gene department.  He has had nice abs/muscles since the age of ten.

Where did you get your 58 chainring?:  One word….Bjorn!

Which is better: 650c or 700c wheels?  I love my tiny bike.  I love being low and getting small, especially while riding on a group ride in the middle of a pack!I love wo-man handling my Kestrel Airfoil.  65o wheels did take a small amount of time to get used to.  However, the wait was worth it.  The bike fits me properly and it is FAST!

Where did you and Michael meet?  ML and I met at the amateur world champs in Montreal, Canada in 1999. We soon realized that our one time meeting could become something serious.  After a lot of back and forth between Baltimore and Texas, we moved in 2001 to Boulder  so that we could start our lives together. We were married in Boulder on New Years Eve, 2004.

Where was your favorite race destination?:  Hands down…IM Western Australia!  ML and I love OZ.  If we wouldn’t miss our dogs too much, we would spend at least one winter in OZ…

How tall are you?: I am five foot seven inches.  However, I wear flip flops that make me 5-foot ten! I always dreamed of being taller…

How long have you been racing and what keeps you motivated:  I started triathlon in 1997 as a means of getting in shape and losing a couple of pounds.  I did not know how to swim free style.  I started off with the doggie paddle. lol! If someone would have told me in 1997 that I would become a professional triathlete, living in Boulder during the summers and Austin in the winters, training full time, I would have laughed at them. I never could have dreamed of what my life has become, but I LOVE it and I am extremely grateful for it.  I am motivated by the fact that I feel like I am getting faster and better every year.  My honey, Michael keeps me motivated on the days that I am tired or the days that aren’t so perfect. I am living a dream with my best friend.  What could be better?!?

I had a fairly slow swim start but I was able to get a good rhythm after the first turn buoy.  My swim was very average; somewhat below average. I just felt flat…but I was happy that I picked up momentum as I swam along, passing girls as I continued.  I was able to catch a little group and stuck in there until we exited.  I exited with my friend, Jacqui, and two other girls… I wasn’t too disappointed in my swim as I haven’t been swimming well in training lately.  I can’t put my finger on it why…but sometimes that’s just they way it goes. 

As the bike leg started, it was business as usual.  I go out hard and I try to hold that pace for as long as I can.  A couple of girls passed me, I passed a couple of girls.  I was never by myself .  I loved that aspect.  I felt like I was racing during the entire bike portion of the race.  The bike course, while beautiful, is extremely difficult.  There were times that I felt lows like I do  in an Ironman.  Basically, I felt low in energy and couldn’t get it going.  I felt FLAT.  I think I definitley needed more food out there.  I had three gels and EFS.  But during the race, I was hungry.  This usually never happens to me.  Next time, however, I plan on bringing more food!

I started the run feeling a bit labored and unsteady.  My breathing was extremely labored and I ran “tight”. It took a while to get a rhythm.  I was bonking a bit, but I was able to eventually feel good and get myself sorted.  I ended the day in 6th place.  I achieved a few goals and learned a bit more about myself.  I call that a good day!

As an athlete we always want to be better, place higher.  I am a competitive person and it would be false if I said that I thought placing 6th is awesome.  However, what I know is that my place in the standings isn’t the big picture.  I raced Timberman trying different tactics and nutrition and 98% of what I tried did work.  I am so pleased!

I am feeling very excited about the next few months. I am eager to get back to training, getting fitter and faster!

Many thanks to all of my sponsors who make racing and training for triathlon possible at this level.  I have the BEST equipment in the sport!  I love my Splish suits, my Kestrel Airfoil equipped with FSA parts and ZIPP wheels, my Saucony Kinvara’s, First Endurance EFS, my Blue Seventy wetsuit, my ISM saddle, my tiny Louis Garneau helmet, and my Oakley Sunnies!  Thank you to Boulder Running Company, Norma-Tec MVP, & Brand Betty!  You guys rock!  I am so grateful!

My original plan after driving home from Austin 2 weeks ago was to be at altitude for 4 weeks, get in some good solid training,  race the Boulder Peak Triathlon, and then to race Racine 70.3 the week after that.

However, after being in Colorado for about 10 days, having 3 solid sessions of training, and training faster than I had since March of this year, Michael suggested on Tuesday of last week (after running 8 x 800′s) to race Lubbock.  I told him no way…LOL.

After Wendesday’s 4 hr HARD ride with Simon’s training group of girls, Michael again suggested that I race…Again, I said no way.  Michael told me to please consider racing  as I was training better than I had in months…Previously, I had some of my best “races” in training and he didn’t want to see that happen to me again…LOL.  He wanted me to have a great race in a actual race!

I considered his suggestion and I thought about it…and thought about it some more.  I  made a few calls.  I got a bit of encouragement from Cliff.  And I made my final decision after speaking with my Yoda…the RAPPSTAR.

My YODA gave me a list of suggestions on how to pull myself together for this race.  I wrote every single detail down and I followed them to a “T’.

Lucky for me I was able to find a last minute house/dog  sitter (thank you Christy!).  I packed the car Friday morning and high tailed it to Lubbock, TX which was a 10 hour drive. 

Here I was exactly 2 weeks later, driving down to TX– AGAIN.  I felt “crazy” and excited.  I was in love with the unknown and the adventure driving alone to a race and not really having a “plan”!

I arrived in Lubbock, TX around 9:30/10pm Friday night.  Saturday was my usual pre race activity of swim, bike, run.  For the first time that I can remember I was without my better half, Michael.  It was eerily strange…

Race morning was like any other race.  I was nervous with excitement.  I had my normal pre race breakfast of Oats and yogurt.  I arrived on Gillam time instead of Lovato time.  I got to transition 90 minutes before race time…lol! 

The swim was ok.  I swam really hard for about 400 meters and was with a nice little group.  However, my breathing was really off and I had a hard time getting in good, deep breaths.  Going up and down from altitude does this to me.  I got dropped after about 600 meters, swimming alone and could feel myself getting slower throughout the swim without having “people” to swim with.  I finished out the swim alone, but fairly happy.  The first 80 minutes of the bike was pretty good.  I felt great and my legs felt fresh.  At about 80-90 minutes, I could feel my legs tighten up from the trainingand dehydration from the previous week.  I had to slow down a bit.  And I had to eat a lot of food.  In fact, I believe that I took in more fluid and food on the bike portion of this race than any other race that I have ever done!  I believe that my metabolism was reved up from being at altitude and from the previous week of solid training.  I was actually HUNGRY…VERY HUNGRY!  I was absorbing everything and able to keep every thing down without GI disomfort.  (Victory for me)!

As I approached T-2, I assessed my legs.  I jumped off my bike and my legs felt fresh (probably from eating so much food!).  It didn’t even feel like I had ridden my bike.  I started off running 6:20and 6:30 miles.  I was flying for the first 9 miles, feeling fresh and fast.  At mile 9, my week’s worth of training came back to bite me.  I started getting the chills… feeling like I was dehydrated.  I slowed dramatically by 90 sec per mile.  I tried to drink a lot at the aid stations and I tried to pull it back together, but the damage was done.  I was currently in third place and I knew that 4th was charging hard.  I found myself praying to Jesus to help me finish the last 2 miles.  With 1 mile to go, Jessica passed me. She put three minutes on me in the last mile! LOL! I was a bit bummed to not podium, but happy with 4th.  After all, this race was not on the plan and I was stoked to be on the line, feeling good and excited to race!  Excited is what I had been missing in my last few races and I was stoked to have it back!

I loved being back in Lubbock.  I loved racing with my Colorado people and my Texas people.  I love Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 because it’s a good, honest, salt of the earth race.  It’s not your typical “Starbucks racing”.  Next year, I will plan for it! And next year, I will fly! :)

Happy racing!

I love Austin.  However, I was VERY ready to leave when it was time to go.  I have struggled with my racing and training the past few months.  I have felt like I’m out of sync with my preparation and taper for races.  I’ve been going into races not feeling 100 percent and I have had to cancel two races this year.  Last year was very different.  I was on a roll, having some of the best training and racing of my career.  Last year I didn’t want to leave Austin.

Now that I am back in Boulder, back at home, back with ML and my dogs (and Frisco), I am looking forward to getting back to the basics.  I’m looking forward to training with some of my favorite training partners and I am looking forward to a fresh start.

Let the good times begin!