2012 Race season in a nutshell

2012 planned to be a year of hard training with a few races thrown in. With the help of my coach Jamie, from Hub Endurance, I mapped out the year to include 2 70.3 triathlons with 10 bike races in between, finishing the year with the NYC marathon in November. This master plan was the framework for a 2 year build into next years Ironman season.

1st race on Blue Triad SL (photo by Tim Anderson)

A Mystical podium sweep

The season started with the Tundra Time Trial in North Ga on Feb 18. (only 2.5 weeks after being hit by the car). Results were 1st in cat 1-2, but I was disappointed in my time, capable of much better speed on a good day. It was the first of many races to come with my Mystique teammates.

A ski trip for spring break did no favors as far as bike legs go...just sayin, not recommended.

 Thanks to Hub Endurance & a recent crash, I would be racing on 2 new bikes. An Argon 18 Gallium Pro is my road bike of choice & a Blue Triad Sl my time trial & triathlon bike.

I named it "Bones"

The race season got underway in March & April. I participated(though never felt super strong) in Tour of Tuscaloosa, Hell of the South, Aaron Schafer Memorial RR & TT leading up to my "A" race of the year, the Mountain Madness 70.3 triathlon in Ellijay, Ga on May 6.

Returning to the sport of triathlon after years of bike racing is something that excites me, but running can take the snap out the bike legs, which explains why my race performances were less than stellar. But this race report deserves its own post, so, It will be included in a following post. I did get on the podium though, 3rd woman overall.

Mach 10 hardware

After a busy first half of the season, time off was relished. The family enjoyed a vacation to the beach, I worked on trying to find my running legs & spent time working & hanging with the kids. Not one to sit still for long, I raced the Mach 10 sprint triathlon on a whim, (last minute decision). Its like the oldest running triathlon in the south or something & I had never raced it, but wanted too, so I did. Results could have been better, walked away with 5th female overall & 2nd in AG. It was FUN.
A few more bike races followed: the Cookville crit & RR with more mediocre results. Bike racing is the most humbling sport. Not to torn up about it though, because I have bigger long term goals & these races are just for fun.
Plans to finish the season with Oak Ridge & River Gorge cycling omniums, as well as Augusta 70.3 were halted last week when I T-boned a big dog on a training ride. That too, will get it's own well deserved page.

22 day countdown

November 6, 2011
Life has been kind of busy, blogging has not been top priority. Guess that is what Ironman training does, life becomes fight or flight & only the most important of tasks in life get done. Juggling being a mother, working as an ICU nurse & training has not been "easy". Oh, and helping to manage our women's bicycle race team Mystique is and added ingredient to my hectic life.
Things that have been learned since beginning this journey:
1. Get training done early in the day, you never know what the day is going to throw at you later...
2. Must have a good recovery product after the more challenging workouts. I prefer Hammer recoverite. I can tell an obvious difference in level of fatigue after workouts when I forget to use it.
3. Zoot recovery tights are a leg saver. 12 hour shifts at work feel like 140.6 sometimes & I wear these under my scrubs. Usually have to run >2 hours the next day & the legs always feel 3X fresher than when I don't wear them.

The last long ride is in the books, nutrition finally dialed in. I had been experimenting with Infinit, but experienced G.I blowup after 3 hours on the bike, numerous times. (this is with no protein in the mix). So, on advice from my coach I decided to go with the old standby, powergel & Ironman perform & water.
After 2 years of competitive bicycle training & racing, that is what I have always used, in centuries, road races, mountain bike races & such & it has always worked. Not sure why I thought Ironman required special nutrition & went astray, but I am glad to have my nutrition for the big race figured out. Let's hope it works.