Dear Training, I Love You.

An amazing weekend followed with a kick butt ride. Shout out to all the GPPer's who competed this weekend! Way to go, I gotta admit I was ready to do a half ironman watching everyone kick butt...don't worry I refrained from doing so.

What an epic ride. I went out and did part of the course for nationals. When I say a part, I mean it. I think I only made it two and a half miles before I managed to get myself lost, go figure. It was a gorgeous ride full of climbing, descents, and switchbacks. Not too rocky...just the way I like it. I encountered some interesting things along this trail, including a sign that said "Welcome to Bear Country." Ha what had I gotten myself into, was the only thing that went through my mind, don't worry I had a plan of attack plotted in my head just incase I happened to come across on of those cuddly monsters. Happy to say though I did not.

I started the ride around 6300 ft and probably did about 2000 ft of climbing. Whoa baby did it kick my butt. But I enjoyed every minute of it! With such breath-taking scenery (altitude also aided in the taking of my breath away) it made for one stellar ride. I can't wait to get out there again!

Today was the first day I had planned on getting back to training. So I had specific instructions to "not over do it." Okay so I tried really hard not to, but I'm pretty sure I did. I did day 5 of GPP, did a speed swim workout, and went for a jog. Ok maybe a little much. I'm feeling better each day, in terms of altitude and breathing normally. Although the last few days have been filled with excruiating headaches. Hmm I'm curious as to where these are coming from. Hoping they are just part of the acclimating process and will go away soon!

Day 6 of GPP tomorrow. Woot, already looking forward to it...along with another bike ride at Snowbasin. I do think so!

The Mountains Are Calling Me

Gorgeous Utah. Everyday I look up at the mountains that seem to be calling to me. I can't get over the magnificent sight that I get to see every morning. The air is clean and refreshing, not thick and full of moisture (don't get me wrong I do love the 180% humidity of my beloved Arkansas, but this is a nice change).

I'm still trying to get used to the altitude change. But with each day my lungs are feeling better and better. I have looked up the XTERRA courses and I am hoping to ride on Sunday! Can't wait to see what this race has in store for me.

I have been doing GPP (General Physical Preparedness) since I arrived. Day 4 and I can barely move! My legs are so sore that I have problems sitting down, climbing stairs, general overall movement. But it is a good hurt and I know that I am working, to be honest I am starting to notice slight changes in my physique...only after 4 days? I think these people might know what they are talking about! Today was brutally amazing! Working shoulders, triceps, abs, biceps, and legs I can guarantee that getting out of bed in the morning will be anything but enjoyable! It's an amazing feeling....weird you might say, but when have I ever been considered normal? :)

We are headed up to Bear Lake tonight. Lizz is competing in a half ironman tomorrow. Can't wait to see the gang and to be a cheerleader for her along with the rest of the GPP crew.

I signed up for a mountain biking camp...in Canada! I can't wait to get up there. I leave in three weeks for Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. What a great learning experience this is going to be. I have the opportunity to learn from the best of the best at downhill, cross country, and overall mountain biking. I am so excited yet so nervous at the same time. I am expecting to get my butt kicked every moment of the two days that I will be there. But I know that I will come back a more competent and confident mountain biker. I can't wait to see how much this will help me for nationals!

Well I think that is all for now. I shall keep you posted about what else happens on this amazing journey of mine...

Hello Utah!

3 days. 21 hours of driving. 1524 miles. And I finally made it. It was a long haul but such a relaxing drive (that much driving, relaxing? Yes it was). It gave me an opportunity to think, to plan and to figure how I am going to cram so many things into one short month!

First stop was in Wichita, KS. Decided to break this long long drive up into three days. Boy now am I glad that I did. 5 hours to Kansas. Next stop Fort Collins, CO. What an awesome town. Talk about bike central! I think I was in love before I even hit main street. With a bike shop on every corner down to the bike specific lanes this town gave off an ambience like I have never felt. Oh wait, I almost forgot to mention the mountain biking! With 10-12 different trails to choose from it was like I had died and gone to heaven. And of course I was NOT going to pass up the opportunity to ride in Colorado. Who cares if the elevation was 5500 feet. Right? Ha way wrong. So I embarked upon my mountain biking quest only to ten minutes later be sucking for air, it like my lungs were bleeding, dizzy, and nauseous. Well I suppose trying to beat out the elevation change was not a smart idea in my book. I still got about 30 minutes of gorgeous riding in. At least the first altitude ride is out of the way. Huh?

7 more hours and I arrived in gorgeous Utah! So crazy, like no other landscape I have come across on my travels. An awesome greeting from no other than Lizz and a fantastic open water with Lizz and Suz rounded out a pretty awesome day. Now on to GPP in the morning and some more plain old fun! Can't wait to get on the trails. Might need to make sure I can breath before doing so!

Mentally Cleansing

6 weeks. It has been 6 weeks since my last race. Where did the time go? Why or how did I let it get away from me? It doesn't matter how it happened. All I know is that it did.

So instead of letting anymore time get away from me I decided to race this past weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska. The XTERRA B.O.L.T. known for its climbs that would kill your legs for the 5 mile run that lay ahead. Thank goodness we pre-rode. I have never been on a course so...odd. It was muddy, and unkept with tree limbs and safari grass growing through and over top of the trail. With short steep climbs it wasn't the hardest course I had ridden but it was certainly one of the oddest. I felt good after the pre-ride ready to conquer my next feat.

A good night's rest and an early morning and we were at the trail-head setting up transition. Most of the people had yet to look at the course let alone ride it...what? Not pre-riding or scoping out the course was something that was foreign to me. Whatever it just meant that the race was in my favor.

Time for the swim, good my strongest section. I started off at the front like normal. Started with my normal pace and suddenly I couldn't hold it. My arms were heavy and my breathing staggered. Towards the end I started cramping. 30 minutes in and this was happening? I finished the swim barely. Ran to transition and quickly strapped up for my longest bike yet. 1:07 in transition...finally my times are coming down! As soon as I got a mile or so in my legs were toast, my HR was through the roof...couldn't get it down, even when I stopped. All I wanted to do at that point was survive. I walked the climbs and flew down the descents, trying to make up so much of the time that I had lost. I had to stop once to try and get the caked on mud off my bike. Thank goodness we sprayed the tires with PAM first. What a life-saver.

Two hours later I was off the bike...thank goodness. Into T2, flying dismount. Ha so much fun. Then off on the run. I was so dead, no energy left in my body at all. I tried so hard just to run away from transition and the spectators. Then I tried to walk/jog which just turned into a walk. Trying not to throw-up or pass out I hit the first aid station, started talking to another participant and we decided to finish it together. I swear I probably asked this guy a million questions. Just to take my mind off the pain. It was great to have someone to talk to and someone else who was ready to throw in the towel.

We finished it together. 3:37:25. One of the most mentally challenging races of my life. But I finished it and did not quit. (God knows I wanted to). And somehow still came it first in my age group. 10th out of 13 women and 51st out of 60 competitors. Like I said all I wanted to do was finish.

This race taught me something. Not that fact that everyone will have a bad race because that is inevitable. It taught me that no matter how much you are hurting or mentally struggling you can always dig deeper to find that extra push to get you to the finish line. No matter what.

A Great Place To Start

The whipping of the wind on your face, the smell of the trees and dirt, the fast descents and the wicked climbs.

Went out on the trails today. Only the second time in over a month. At the beginning of the ride I was tripping on and catching every rock in my way. Trying to find my balance, my rhythm, and my lost intuition. By the end of the ride I felt like a seasoned veteran out among the forest.

I finally found the place that I feel most at peace and at home. While I was out there on that bike today I couldn't help by smile and think about how much I had missed it. I felt like I had finally gotten my wings back (sota speak). I felt more free today out on those trails, more so than I have felt in months. I felt like my old self again. Who knew flying down a rocky descent could help you rediscover yourself again? For that I have to thank my riding buddy Kevin.

I really didn't think today could get much better. A great ride and a run was all that I needed to catapult myself to Cloud 9. But then I opened my email to find my invitation to the XTERRA National Championships in Ogden, UT on September 24th. I was overcome with emotions. Joy, triumph, excitement, anxiousness. I knew I could do it, deep down somewhere. To actually see the invitation in front of my face solidified all the struggles that I have gone through this season, the pain, the defeat, the tears, the joy.

I started this triathlon journey as a way to slowly let go of my soccer career. A way to expend my pent up energy. I never expected to be a real competitor, although I'm about as competitive as they come, all the way down to playing Wii against a 9 year old. Out of that I became a competitor with a take no prisoners mentality. I developed a love for this sport that can not be matched. Thriving to every day become better than I was the day before. I train alone, I train with friends (who most days kick my butt), only to make myself better at a sport (three actually) that has brought so much joy and so many friendships to this life of mine.

There is a lot of work to be done before the gun goes off on September 24th. I think today was a great way to start.