Category Archives: Triathlon

2013 Saint George 70.3

Posted on May 7, 2013 by goSonja| 6 Comments

If you watched the triathlon racing last weekend via the blogs, FB or Twitter there were a lot of people talking about this fantastically gorgeous race in Saint George, Utah. I was lucky enough to be on the start line of that race and I can’t say enough positive things about it.

If you want to skip the reading and just get the story of my race, you can listen to Episode #37 of Jim and the other guy where he got me to spill the beans. 

Prior to the race I had a really strong training block with the camp I attended in San Jose along with the work I’ve done back in Denver. I was feeling good. Coming off Oceanside the fire in my belly was bright. Racing a 70.3 just 3 weeks prior to Ironman Brazil was something I felt excited about, I tend to recover quickly, especially in those final weeks before Ironman when my fitness is high.

I also had 3 of my athletes racing and I was really excited to see where they were at, and how the work I’ve been giving them is absorbing. I was just ecstatic with how things went. Mikki finished her first triathlon ever, very strong and she had fun! Mo had her first puke free triathlon since I’ve been working with her…and that’s been years. It was such a huge success for the both of us. And Jody had a superb race with no cramping, and is right where he needs to be for Brazil. Add to that, Punk Rock Runners 13 min half marathon PR on Sunday and I would say this was one of the best triathlon weekends of my coaching life.

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As I lined up on the start line I had a lot of things in my mind. My athletes races, mainly the swim for Mikki (so much anxiety around that for first timers), but also PICs mom. She was really in my thoughts that morning due to some medical stuff she was dealing with, and I was thinking about PIC too, and hoping she could race for her mom and be strong. Here is our scared faces!

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The reservoir is one of the nicest lakes you can find to swim in. The water is clear, you can see bubbles. I met Katie Kyme on the start line and we got into the water together. The start was smooth for me, although it was cold. My face was nice and numb but I felt like my turnover was a little slow as my arms were just cold and slow moving. I found some feet, they were great feet, straight swimming feet. On the final stretch, as the feet got a bit tired I swung around and swam strong to the finish. The swim work I’ve been doing with coach Nick continues to help me feel strong and prepared in the water. He assigns a lot of broken miles and I can refer back to those workouts on race day. It gives me tactics to use!

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Out of the water and onto the Quintana Roo I was jazzed to get this show on the road. I love the first miles on the bike, because really, the only thing going through your mind is “How are my legs?” “Are they here today.” All I could come up with is COLD. My legs were cold, they weren’t warmed up and they were slow moving because they felt cold. So I decided to really give them some time. I told myself it’s a long day, let them warm up slowly.

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3 miles into the race you go up your first climb. It takes about 5 minutes and I remember thinking “that was harder than when I rode it yesterday.” But you don’t always have to feel good in races. Sometime you just have to race hard, and know that it will all turn out okay in the end. At mile 15 I caught up to Rebecca and there were two other ladies in my age group right with her. I knew that when I went by this group of three I really needed to go and go hard. So I sat back (legal) and sat up and just watched for a little while. I ate a bar, and let my HR drop low and I just watched what was going on.

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Then I went. I put in a big effort for about 3-4 minutes and just went as hard as I felt I could reasonably go. After this effort when I pulled off of it, Sarah Jarvis passed me and said “Hi Sonja.” I took a look back and realized that she was the only one that went with my move.

The rest of the race was the Sarah/Sonja back and forth show. Sarah would pass me on every single uphill and then I would bust a move to get back to her on every descent. The course is very hilly. There are so many climbs that I lost count. But there were lots of bomber descents as well and the course evened out pretty well with a mix of the two. I remember going through 25 miles at 1:06 and thinking “this isn’t that slow.”

At about mile 38ish Sarah and I passed another girl in our age group, Christine. She was riding wicked strong and hung tight as well. As we approached Snow Canyon I was trying to decide on my tactic. My athlete Jody passed me and I had given him the go ahead to ride Snow Canyon as hard as he wanted, so he was bustin’ a move. I decided that I would keep my HR “managable” and use the 10 mile descent to bust my final move. So I rode that canyon hard, but not all out. Both Sarah and Christine gapped me pretty big.

Oh, and I ran over a Post-it note half way up the hill and it got stuck in my breaks and was making a HORRIBLE sound. It was a sound like I got a puncture, and I thought it was stuck in the back break but found it in the front and got it out. Scared the crap out of me for a few minutes though.

When the descent came I nailed it home. Hard as I could go, full tuck position on those descents and it paid off. I got back past Christine and Sarah and rode into T1 in the lead in the AG.

After Oceanside and my solid bonk I decided to make a few changes. I had a race belt with hydration to put on so that I was prepared with fuel goodies. I also decided to run without socks. I’ve been running in Sketchers recently and ran a few runs without socks in my goRun2s but didn’t practice with wet feet (bad move Sonja). I got my stuff on and got out of there.

I had advised my athletes to be VERY careful about your effort the first 2 miles. It’s a deceiving course and only gets worse as it goes. I started running and the hill was there but my legs actually felt good. My HR monitor strap was bugging me (I feel like that thing is trying to kill me on the run, hate it hate it hate it), but all in all I was feeling a boat load better than Oceanside.

I passed Mud who’s camp I attended and threw him my HR chest strap and got some encouragement to keep it steady. I also turned around, wondering where Sarah was and SHE WAS RIGHT THERE. This got me really excited. I love a good foot race.

The more the miles racked up the faster and stronger I felt (thank you Jen Schumm for all those single leg squats over the winter). I remember running down the first downhill and just feeling so strong. I had asked Stacey Simms (Osmo nutrition) a few last minute questions about my nutrition plan and I was repeating “I love Stacey Simms” going up one of those hills because my nutrition was working flawlessly. Having the waist belt was great, and I will take it in Brazil for sure.

I slowly got a little more time on Sarah as the miles went by and with each little surge I put in. I kept the pressure on and tried to catch every girl I saw in front of me regardless of age group. I felt better running than I ever had before in my life.

At about mile 6 I realized that my feet were getting harassed with no socks on. It just made me run harder. There was nothing I could do about it. With 2 miles to go, you have been descending for a long time and they send you on this out and back that’s an evil hill. I ran up that thing hard and took a time split back to Sarah of 1:05. Knowing I felt great, it was the first time I really smiled. Don’t get me wrong I was having fun, going fast is fun, but it was the first time I just was overwhelmed with absolute JOY. The last mile and a half I just wanted to feel the experience of the runners high, where you feel like you can run as hard as you want and it doesn’t even hurt. It was one of those days. I could do no wrong.

Coming into the finish I was so happy. It was so emotional to have one of those races where everything came together. Fitness Brains Tactics Emotions. It is so rare that everything falls into place and that was what happened for me out there.

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I want to extend a huge congratulations to the ladies I shared the podium with who were not only the top 5 in the AG, but also in the top 6 amateurs. Way to go womens 30-34! Sarah Jarvis, Emily Ure, Christine Avelar, Carly Johann! Solid racing ladies!! Also, a huge shout out to PIC Michelle who opened up a new age group at this race, and took home the win, and did so for her mom.

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Thank you to Kompetitive Edge, the new kit is great. Also thanks to Quintana Roo for my awesome bike. I didn’t have the fastest bike split, but it was close :) Amrita Bars, Punk Rock Racing, Osmo and NUUN have been so supportive. Thank you to them.

And also, a huge thank you to all those that have supported me through the good and the bad. My husband Troy and daughter Annie who continue to just love and accept me for who I am, tired, peppy, grumpy, you name it, they are my ROCKS. Thank you to the friends I have made training this year, especially the San Jose crew. And mostly, for the LOVE that I have received as of late.

Total Time: 4:47:28, swim: 30:57, T1: 1:40, Bike: 2:36:49, T2: 2:08, Run: 1:35:54, 1st Amateur, 1st 30-34

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Posted in 1/2 Marathon, Ironman, Quintana Roo, Race Report, Running, Swimming, Travel, Triathlon

Camp-O-Fun

Posted on April 26, 2013 by goSonja| 7 Comments

I spent the last week in San Jose at training “camp.” I’ll go ahead and call it camp because I guess that’s what it was, but really it was “Camp-O-Fun”. Or really, maybe “Man-Camp-O-Fun”. Yes, Michelle and I got to go to man camp. There was a lot of man-wheel (my favorite).

Before I get going into it, I want to highlight two podcasts that I did last week in case you missed my posts on Facebook or Twitter.

One: Michelle and I were on Jim and the Other Guy. We are episode #34 and we just had fun. Jim’s podcast is great because it’s light hearted, people are having fun on there, and it’s not overly serious. PIC and I talked about silly stuff and being moms, and just loving the sport.

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Two: I recorded a Podcast with Tawnee Prazak on Endurance Planet as well. This one is a bit more into the nitty gritty of triathlon, my progression in the sport, some of my thoughts about the sport, and some nuggets about motivation. I’ve had a few emails that people are really enjoying this one, so maybe you will too.

So, enjoy those if you have a long ride on the trainer, or a boring commute to work! Onwards!

Camp! I hooked up with a great group in the bay area this week for a multiday block of training and it was a blast. The group was mostly men, although the few of us women really bonded as well. When lots of men are involved, lots of work gets done.

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I like training with guys, I’ll tell you why. When you are in the middle of the work, they just work, no tears, no judgement, no falling off the back in shame, they just work. In fact, every one of these boys just about ripped themselves to shreds over that week and they were so happy to do it. They have pride and they don’t let others see them suffer because they don’t suffer, they just keep their head down and work. They were like Labradors….happy go lucky, hard workin’ mo-fos.  When the day is done, they have an easy time letting it go. Training with boys is EASY on the psyche. Nobody judges. Nobody complains. Everyone just kicks ass. I don’t think a single person out there had a bad day, not one.

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Also, being a girl who trains with the boys, at first they are kinda nice to you. They treat you like a chick, because they don’t know if you are one of “those” kinds of girls. But by 48 hours in, I just blended into the bunch, they forgot I was there, and they had no problem talking about their balls. It was great. I like it best when I lose my girl status, and just become one of the bunch. Once that happens I really feel like I can work my ass off.

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If you are familiar with the San Jose area, we climbed Sierra and Hamilton on back to back days. It was awesome, 150 miles with like 15K of gain in two days. Each day was a race to the top of Ham, and I just ditched the power, ditched the HR strap, focused on feeding the machine, and RODE. There was a lot of time spent climbing on my own, but I can’t recall really thinking about anything other than doing work and being happy. I had my phone in my pocket and I would play songs on the climb out the speaker. It was fun passing people and they would laugh because they could hear the music coming. 

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My favorite was riding with Darren and I’m just gonna say he “might” have known the words to a Brittany Spears song. MIGHT….I can’t say for sure. My favorite photo of the whole camp is this one. SEE, this is what I dealt with folks. Really happy dudes who totally dig training.

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When we weren’t swimming biking and running we were laughing and playing around being silly. I went off the high dive at the pool and got lots of water up my nose. Headrush! I have a long way to go before I can do a flying squirrel! Prisoner ESCAPE!

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Michelle and I went on a date night. Hahaha! Punk Rock Racing took us to the Sharks game. Actually he took me twice, once with Michelle on date night and another night for fan appreciation night with Jim Lubinski. That was especially awesome because Jim used to play PRO hockey, so I learned a lot that night….like what icing is….

Michelle’s and I’s date night ended a little badly with a 24 hour bug for her. But on the up side she got to recoup with my mom tending to her. Which I must say, my mom is the ultimate nurturer.

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Interspersed between Sharks games we did a lot of eating! Whole Foods baby! It was great to get to know Gui more on this trip. He has recently been bestowed the honor of being on Team Timex. So you know he’s a bad ass. I must admit it’s inspiring to be around someone so young with such a zest for progress in the sport. He works so hard and kinda feels like my little brother after this trip. You can follow his blog here. Also, he works for Google, so you can ask him anything and he knows.

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Towards the end of camp we did a 3 mile TT on the track. It was really fun because I did one on this same track the Tuesday after the Death ride. The track is long. I keep trying to convince everyone of this! Every time my Garmin beeps at the same spot on the mile and I SWEAR that 12 laps is 3.1 miles. My Garmin agrees, so if you run on this track in San Jose then guess what, you are faster than you think you are. I’m calling it a 5K. I know it is, I feel it in my bones, and my Garmin agrees. After camp I ran 20:28 I think. I could be off by 5 seconds either way but that # sticks in my mind. I was happy with that after the Death Ride and where I was at in my training. This week I ran 19:05. I’m super happy with that. If it’s a 5K…and I’m saying it is, that would be a PR. What was even more amazing was getting lapped on LAP 5 by Jim and Stephen. Yea….LAP 5!!! Again, so awesome!

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Of course, after the 5K on the track I ended up like this for awhile. Thank you mom for the sweet set up with the recliner desk and what not. I need to get this for my house. At that moment in time…life did not suck!

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I just have to extend a huge thank you to everyone that pushed me this past week. It was one of the best training weeks I’ve ever had, not just because of the work that was done, but because of the attitude of the workers. Everyone was always ready to lend a helping hand, pats on the back were abundant, “good jobs” said often.  I also had some great conversations with pro athletes, with elite age groupers who want to be pro, with elite age groupers who don’t wont to be pro and with a coach who’s been in the sport 30 years. I got a lot of different perspectives and it really helped to hone some of my own feelings about the sport and my place within it.

Good stuff people! Train Hard! Have Fun!

As a wise man once said….It’s just EXERCISE!

Posted in Triathlon

2013 Oceanside 70.3

Posted on April 1, 2013 by goSonja| 13 Comments

I have had this race on my bucket list since I started triathlon. San Diego is the birth place of tri and I can see why! Also, I went to UCSD for my undergrad, and save for a wedding about a year after I graduated, I haven’t been back since. Well, I have been missing out! This coming week being Annies spring break I decided to bring the munchkin. Mom and Dad flew down from San Jose to make the trip complete. Oh how I wish Troy had more vacation days!

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The day before the race went fantastic, I felt good, had fun training with Ron, but I did get a flat on my tubular at the end of our ride. Crap! This is where mom and dad and Nytro Multisport saved me. I called the guys at Nytro, Chris I believe, let them know what happened and they made me feel totally at ease. My parents drove down and dropped off the wheel, and an hour later, they were done and had taped on a new tubular. I’m speechless at the great and quick service. Love this shop (and I haven’t even been there). Thank you big time to ma and pa for doing my dirty work while I was able to sit by the pool with Annie and relax!

Pre-race logistics…Oceanside is a course that is tough to get your head around. Steep learning curve for the first timers!

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Race morning I was a little nervous. I was trying to do a new breakfast but just couldn’t get it down. Mix1 kinda went out of business, so I need to find a replacement, and let’s just say I’m not there yet. Also, my daughter was asleep next to me (where she spent most the night elbowing me in the ribs) and she was so peaceful. I just stared at her, and reminded myself that I needed to be not just a good but a great example for her, both on and off the court.

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Mom dropped Ron and I off at T2 at 5:10am and it was go time! T2 set up, ride bike to T1, set that up, walk around nervous like, run around nervous like, wait for your wave to go off. I was literally 50 minutes after the PROs, which is fun when you get to see them all come out of the water. But sad too because they have crossed the line before you are even off the bike. I also ripped a big hole in my freak…doh!

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After a nice little chat with myself, I started to get excited, to get my game face on. I realized that I wasn’t fearing anything. I was ready. I wanted in that water, I wanted to see where I was at. They let us in, we swam over, I tried to figure out where to line up, and in the process off went the gun. I was in a good spot, got off the line well, got clocked a few times, clocked a few ladies. Relatively damage free.

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The first thing I noticed was how awesome the water was. I was prepared for cold temps but I found them to be positively perfect. Refreshing, and cooling. I must say, I hit my groove. I just had a really successful swim. I swam straight, I focused on the form things I needed to focus on, and I was in control. The biggest difference was that I felt STRONG. I have put on 10+ pounds since Kona, and I’m loving every one of them. I’m leaving the lean to the gazelles, embrace the strength!.

At the end of the swim you can see the clock and you get really excited. It was a fast swim for everyone so seeing that I was swimming a 27…..and then 28 made for a sigh of relief.

Out of the water and onto the bike. Transition was long, but I made my way through quickly and got into it. Soon after transition I was told to “GO AFTER IT” and I took that to heart. Today was the day for boldness, after all, I have NOTHING to lose. No ego that hasn’t been crushed in Kona, no expectations to uphold from myself or others. There was only opportunity in my hands. The bike is mostly on Camp Pendleton, so you aren’t allowed to drive the course. It was 100% sight unseen. Once I got going on the bike and I felt my legs under me, I could tell they were there, I just decided that I was going to put to use my new strength, my new muscles. I rode and I rode hard.

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I figured Christine was first out of my AG from the swim, so I was looking for her. Plus, she’s one of my FAVORITE new friends (Coast Ride bonds you) and I just wanted to see her familiar face. She’s getting married in two weeks, so everyone wish her a happy wedding. Found Christine, that rocked, also found Rebecca Travis and let me say she kept me HONEST out there. We definitely used each other for motivation and it was all so positive. I like that. Two thumbs up for her. Also I heard her chew out some boys for sitting on my wheel, now there’s a girl after my own heart. Boys on my wheel, totally allowed in training..not allowed in racing!

Huge thanks to Quintana Roo for the new Illicito. It was my first race on the new frame, and it was good for the fastest amateur bike split. Major ups to QR!!

My legs were under me, so I went for it. I wasn’t letting up until I hit the wall. Coming into T2 I felt fantastic. I heard my parents and Annie cheering up a storm and I was on. I decided to put on socks and so Rebecca got out of T2 in front of me.

I took off and I was on. I felt good, I felt solid, and I was holding myself to 7 min pace. I slowly caught Rebecca and I just knew I was in the lead in the AG and the amateur race, mom confirmed this. I just had to hold on. I calculated time gaps. I had this, just had to run a lot of 7s. I run 7s all over this earth. I had this.

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And then I looked down and I ran an 8min mile? What’s happening? Oh no. Okay, limit damage. I start running through my calorie count. Then I start cussing. I’m low, I’m bonking, I’m REALLY bonking. I dig out my emergency gel with caffeine. I get that down. I go to coke.

And I only had one choice left. Fight for every inch. The girls were coming, and I was not firing on all cylinders, so I just fought for every inch. It wasn’t pretty but my mind was strong and I was going to limit any and all damage that I could. Rebecca went back by me and gave me tons of love and support to hang tough. With about two miles to go Kendra went by me as well. I fought with all I had at the moment, shoving down the coke, trying my best to limit the carnage.

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The finish could not come soon enough. I found that line. Yet another line, another line in my life that I crossed, totally exhausted, exhilarated, and feeling so raw and vulnerable that I can barely look into the eyes of those around me. Putting yourself out like that, fighting for every inch, coming into the finish totally spent and dog tired is HARD. It takes recovery from both emotionally and physically. I went for it, spent all I had, and I came up a tad short. Did I give a shit about that…hells no.

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About an hour after the race, after many cups of salty recovery drink (thank you med staff) and a large lemon aid, I’m sitting there cheering for everyone still out there doing battle with the course. I’m looking at the ocean, the blue sky, I’m hugging on my daughter and sitting next to ma and pa, and I was just overcome with JOY. You can take the dog out of the fight, but not the fight out of this dog.

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My fitness is where it is, my nutrition needs some tweaking. All of it is very early season (blah blah blah). I have (or can get) help with all that, but the FIGHT, you can’t buy that. You gotta make that, it comes from inside, and you can really only appreciate it after you lose it for awhile. The fight is back in this girl, like a shark, I tasted blood out there, I glimpsed greatness, and although all the accolades belong to others this weekend, I found my fight, and it aint going anywhere.

3rd AG, 3rd Amateur, 4:48:17, swim 28:05, bike: 2:37:40, 1:38:05

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Congratulations to everyone who found their own greatness out there. Keep pushing, keep smiling, keep appreciating the fact that you are capable enough to compete. I know I will!

Thank you to: KompetitiveEdge, Quintana Roo, Amrita, Punk Rock Racing, and NUUN. Also a huge thanks to SOAS for their love this weekend, such a great group of women!

Posted in 1/2 Marathon, Race Report, Triathlon

Race Season IS HERE

Posted on March 29, 2013 by goSonja| 4 Comments

Most likely you spent one or both of the last two weekends updating the Ironman website on your computer, watching your friends compete at IM Cabo or Melbourne. With Oceanside 70.3 this weekend I think we can safely say that race season is here for 2013. I always think of Oceanside as early season world champs. It’s that first race that everyone is looking to see what sort of form people are in thus far.

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 A good performance at an early season race can go either way. It can be an important confidence boost for an athlete that is questioning if what they have done over the off season is working. But it can also be a sign that too much focus was put into the offseason, which can at times yield poor performance in your “depth of season”, especially those all important late season races.

A less stellar performance early in the season can at times be a good thing. Now, I don’t wish bad performances on anyone, but if you’re going to get a kick in the ass, this is a good time to experience it. Truth is, it’s a long year. Starting to find your mojo right about now, in my opinion, makes for strong late season racing. The best seasons I have experienced have been a slow and steady build to a wonderful crescendo.

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So, as we start getting into the season, here are some reminders straight from me to you.

Get your Sh!t in order:

Make sure you have clearly defined your inner circle. Who’s in? Who’s out? Who are you depending on this year for coaching, nutrition, support, training partners. Are these people who you are ready to lean on, who will be there for you through the long haul? And are they people who you would do the same for? These are important relationships, and sometimes less is more.

Make sure the past is history. After having reviewed what went wrong last year, and having made the changes towards success for this year, let it go. This years problems will be new problems, so don’t live last years AND this years. Just be ready for a new fresh year.

Check your ego at the door. Part of being emotionally strong enough to take risks in racing is understanding the difference between confidence and ego. Confident people are free to go off the front, free to huck their HRM at mile 10 on the bike. Because if they fall flat on their face, well, tomorrow is a new day, and next month is another race. People run by ego have a lot of bravado, usually talk a lot about being “dream crushers” or “name takers” when in reality this is a huge front for a fragile ego that can’t take a beating. These athletes tend to play it safe, after all, an ego blow for these folks is devastating.

Now that you have your Sh!t in order, limit consequences, and expand benefits:

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Now it’s time to enact what I call the “Clean Slate.” Think about a giant chalkboard that you have just done several gnarly math problems all over. Remember calculus, think of that. That board has equations, there’s some drawings, numbers are everywhere, heck there’s a lot of letters in there too, and some are greek! It’s FULL, brimming really. That’s where you are at the start of race week. Now, as race day approaches, start erasing that chalk board. Yea, go ahead and get out the good eraser, the new eraser, the one that returns the board to is original clean black slate. Let it all go. The problems are solved, the answers turned in, every box is checked. Now work towards stepping on the start line with a clean fresh board. Because folks, your gonna need it. If you want to reach your potential the path is not easy or simple and you’re going to need a clean frickin’ chalkboard. What happens if you step on the line without a clean slate? If you are still worried about not having done enough, about facing tough competition (the toughest competition you will face is between your ears), then you will pay the consequences for those thoughts. Consequences usually come when the going gets tough, when you need to dig within for that extra toughness, well, all those excuses will regurgitate back up.  Limit Consequences.

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Start kickin’ it with your inner surfer, dude. Or, if you are me, you channel Crush from Nemo.  Whatevvvvves dude. Righteous. Put on your rose colored glasses, build your personal bubble that nothing can penetrate. However you have to think of it, I’ve given you three examples, but the point is you gotta get happy, and you gotta get positive, and you gotta let shit roll off your back. Optimism and chill attitude doesn’t come easy on race week, you have to work at it. It’s way easier to be a raging tapered bitch (again…limit consequences). However, doing the work to find your inner chill turtle, or putting on your rosy aviators pays large dividends on race day. You problem solve better, you utilize your sugar stores more efficiently, and you feel more in control. You are expanding benefits.

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Dudes, and dudetts, none of us are forced to race. Sure we have invested lots of hours and money, but would you really trade those new race wheels for a couch at Crate and Barrel? What’s the alternative folks? If you aren’t out there on race day because you love being healthy and you love being a triathlete, then you would be somewhere else. There are plenty of great ways to stay healthy that are way more chill…rock climbing…long distance hiking…yoga. So if you think that being a raging bitch with a fragile ego is part of the sport, it isn’t. Do the right work upstairs, get your Sh!t together, wipe the slate clean, find some perspective, put a smile on your face, and enjoy triathlon. If you can get yourself to that place, I guarantee you, the ass kicking, name taking, and dream crushing will be a byproduct, and one you could care less about. 

 Happy Racing in 2013…

 

Posted in Mental Training, Triathlon

I’m just going to go do it

Posted on February 14, 2013 by goSonja| 2 Comments

Wow, you know you haven’t blogged in awhile when you forget how to log into your blog.

“I’m just going to go do it”

My final words of my last post, 6 weeks ago. Yup, folks, I meant it. I am all about the “doing” right now. Not about moaning, not about over analyzing, or feeling uncertain. I’m about going into the world, meeting new people, interacting, training, experiencing, finding joy, enjoying the process.

The last 6 weeks have been PACKED! I was super stoked to head to California for 9 days of training. I left a little uncertain as to how my body would hold up through it but I was, yet again, utterly amazed at just how easy big weeks of training are when your attitude and priorities are in the right place. I had ridden as long as 2 hours on the trainer before going, but was able to ride 555 miles in 8 days….happy as a clam.

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The Coast Ride. It was awesome. I think I only had about one twenty minute “rough patch” and the rest of the 3 days was total perm-a-grin. We rode 365 miles from the San Francisco bridge, to Santa Barbara in 3 days. Along the way there were times when I knew I was pushing myself really hard, and other times where the pace was relaxed, where others were leading and I could just chill and soak up life. I even got a few patches of solo riding which I also enjoyed. The best part of the trip were the friends that I made and the people I got to ride side by side with for many hours. Thank you to my riding buddies for sharing your lives and joy with me: AmyO, Kendra, Grant, Jess, Hailey, Beth, Steve, Will, Zach, Noah, Christine, Faith. I’ll share with you a few stories of the trip.

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Going All Out

On day 1 I missed heading out from lunch with some of the girls I knew. They were just a few minutes up the road, I could see them and I decided to go for it, bridge the gap, as you would say. I did an all out effort for 10 miles to catch them, and couldn’t. Haha! Note to future riders, all out efforts should be saved for day 3! BUT, as luck would have it, I was able to hook up with 3 awesome guys, Will, Noah, and Zach and was treated to 60 miles of “man-wheel” (my favorite), flawless route finding, and awesome entertainment (and views). Sometimes the hardest efforts don’t yield what what you hoped for, but instead they yield so much more (like new friends).

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The Limiter

10 miles into day 1 my chain fell off my cassette to the inside of my hub, so between the spokes and cassette. My shifter is a little funky and my bike mechanic hadn’t noticed there was one more gear there, and therefore the limiter screw was improperly adjusted. When this happens your bike comes to a screeching halt, since the rear wheel can’t move and the chain gets lodged and VERY stuck. It happened 3 times on the trip before I hunted down a mechanic to fix it (Thank you MARK). It’s a crazy feeling to get dropped by the group and then stuck on the side of the road. The emotions I had were surprising and very telling. Incident #1 I was like “You’re okay, let’s figure this out.” #2 I was like “crap, not again, okay, you can get yourself out of this”, and #3 I was like “boys, please help me”. #3 was the only time on the ride that I got flustered, and I’m proud of that. I handled it with grace and a positive attitude, and I problem solved to the best of my ability.

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So Close

Another day I was riding with lots of my friends (new and old) and we had been climbing all day up and down hills in Big Sur. It was fantastic, like seriously the best scenery I have ever seen on a bike. I noticed pretty early on that compared to my ride-mates, I don’t climb at their level. So I get dropped on the hills. I was on one such hill and trying with all my might to hang onto them and I was really getting tired. The heart rate was going up up up and I was trying so bad, but struggling to hang. I finally looked up and realized that I was sitting in with 4 PROs. All 4 of them ahead of me in my little group that I was about to get shelled from had the infamous Elite Triathlon card. It was like a light bulb went off and I said “you don’t have to hang with them” and off the back I went. None of us knew when the climb would end, and sure enough, a mere 50 feet later we were at the top. I gave up with 50 feet to go! Lesson learned, stay in the moment, you never know when the end is right around the corner.

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The Tour Team

On the final day Jess, BethS, and I had really become quite the little riding threesome. Yes boys, keep dreaming. BethS and I had this little joke amongst ourselves that we were putting together our tour team. So I started calling Beth “George” and she started calling me “George” because really neither of us wanted to be Lance. In the end, Beth stuck as “George”, Jess ended up “the rabbit” and I was definitely “the map”. We worked so well together and my most cherished moments on the Coast Ride involved the two of them, hands down. Never underestimate the power of ladies who are strong physically AND emotionally.

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Being part of a ride like this adds to the fitness bank for sure, but for me, it wasn’t about that. It was more about making sure that I was in control of my attitude. It was about the adventure and the process of going from one place to another. I really watched others, and saw how their attitudes effected their experience. Some people seemed to be fighting some demons out there, maybe some ego too, and I’m fine with that 100%. It was just a nice change of pace to be able to watch how others were responding rather than to be all up in my own head. I would love to do this ride again…soon!

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After the Coast Ride I was lucky enough to remain in San Jose at my parents house for another week of training. I had so much fun. I got to meet up with new friends and get in some great training. Lots of highlights during that week, especially the time I got to spend on Mount Hamilton. I absolutely love this climb and could climb it every day. It was really interesting to see how my legs continued to respond day after day. I swear they shouldn’t have had much left in them, but they continued to perform like champions. Whenever I thought they wanted to stop I would just nicely ask them to keep on going, I would remind them what the views looked like, and how calm and peaceful my mind was, and before I knew it, they had an extra gear.

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I had a blast training with my new favorite PRO Jim Lubinski. We did a fun ride where he let me lead on the way out, and then hang onto his wheel for dear life on the way back. Actually I spent a fair amount of time that week hanging onto Jims wheel or shoulder while running. He pushed me that week and I am ever so thankful for his kindness. That bit of kindness from him continues to show up in my fitness and I look at some of the runs I did with Jim and know that they added a layer of confidence that I plan to utilize in a few short weeks.

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Also, I got to be on Jim’s Podcast. It’s called “Jim and the Other Guy.” You can find it on iTunes and it’s a lot of fun. Good information, but in an easy going way. Check it out!

When my week in San Jose ended I headed back home to snowy Colorado with a bright fire burning in both my belly and my metabolism!

It’s times like these that I know I am grabbing this life by the you know what. I’m soaking it in, not making it anything more complicated than going out and playing outside. The data has taken a complete back seat, I don’t even know where my heart rate strap ran off to, and it’s been worth every second.

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PS: Noticed a new cycling kit? I could not have made it through the Coast Ride without my new sponsor. Amrita is a Plant Based Bar that literally fueled me the entire coast ride. Water in my bottles, Amrita in my pockets. I have been living on these bars and am just very fortunate to have found something that hits the spot for days on end, doesn’t have ANY crap in it, and is good for MaNature. Thank you Amrita!

Amrita Website, Amrita Facebook, Amrita Twitter

PPS: for the next week (until 2/21) you can get 15% of Amrita bars with code “Love15″. Visit the Amrita site and pick some up! PLANTS!!!!!

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Posted in Cycling, Triathlon

My Friend Venn

Posted on November 14, 2012 by goSonja| 4 Comments

And….the off season continues. Michelle and I got kicked out of Masters yesterday for trying to show up. One walk onto the pool deck had Nick turning us back around for the locker room, scolding us for not taking a break, and being too antsy to get back at it. Another week (at least) he said. We wined, “But it’s hard” and he said simply “It’s supposed to be.” So, we went and saw a movie.

I’m starting to get my thoughts together in a better way for next year. I’m starting to get the distance needed to look at things from a little further vantage point. Last night an impromptu chat with Troy got me thinking about fun and performance and how they link up or don’t.

In 2010, my first year with CV things were fun. Really fun, and looking back, it was probably the biggest growth year I had in my 6 years of racing. A win and successful execution at my first 100 mile run race, 3 Ironmans including an AG win at AZ, and a Kona debut of 10:17 were about as good as this girl could have dreamed. In fact it was beyond my dreams.

I had fun too. I got handed the right amount of training for me at that point in my journey, and I got to do a lot of it with people that I truly loved. We laughed so much and I have really fond memories. I was like a sponge, willing to absorb whatever CV was willing to give me. Giddy with joy, and the results just kept coming that year.

2011 was the same coach, the same set up, but things didn’t come so easy that year. the year started out fun, but I think everyones expectations were higher. 2010 had been great and everyone wanted to build on that. The year was a slow progression away from fun and towards performance results. And the results came, they did. The year was spent reiterating Kona Kona Kona under my breath. Do what’s right for Kona, be PRO, do the right thing, over and over.

I got a PR in Hawaii that year, but it was by the skin of my teeth. I almost broke 10 hours at Cozumel, by the skin of my teeth. The year solidified that I was an executor. I can take a plan and race the heck out of, stick to the correct details, make changes when needed. And I was fit, clearly fit. It was the first and only time I broke 3:30 in the marathon, and when I look back at photos I see the strain in my brow, and the fitness in my body.

Then I lost Chuck. And I found Dirk. I still haven’t met Dirk, hopefully someday. This year on paper was clearly a big step back. I felt fit, I really did. Heading to Kona I felt like I was in the best shape ever. I was seeing numbers that I wasn’t used to. But looking back, this entire year was a failure in race execution. There was a bike flat, but matched with a shakka filled lax marathon. Hawaii was my first disaster of an Ironman, it was the race I have feared for 8 Ironmans and a suiting way to finish off the year I suppose. In fact, Kona was a parallel to my year, “mild disaster but with a smile”.

I feel like this year was a big sweeping curve from performance results over to fun. I really had a lot of fun this year. Kona trianing with Laura, Friday Fundays with J&J including that awesome trip to Aspen on our bikes. NOLA 70.3 was about the most fun I’ve ever had after a race. I would say there was a brief pause in the fun and fast area at NOLA and Moab 55K, but from NOLA onwards the year was a series of less than stellar performances, riddled with execution issues.

As I look to 2013 it’s hard to decide what to do. I’ve been all over the board and yet, all my reflection doesn’t guide me much. How do I get back to what was so magical about 2010? How do I find that again? I don’t have any answers as of yet. I’m in the research and development phase.

But I know where I want to head. I have vision, and I’ve been there before, so I can find my way back. It’s about the journey, right? You can get short term results in this sport, but long term results take time. Sometimes it’s not the accumulation of training that is needed, but learning enough about yourself to let go of some of your hang ups. To grow enough inside so that all the work you put in can rise to the surface. To become vulnerable to failure, and to release your fears. I had no fears in 2010. I was flying by the seat of my pants and too busy to look back, truly present in the day. But this life of ours is an ever flowing river, that changes through the seasons.

Posted in Mental Training, Triathlon, Uncategorized

2012 Austin 70.3

Posted on November 4, 2012 by goSonja| 6 Comments

I thought after Kona that my season was done, but when PIC told me that she was going to race Austin 70.3 I wanted to join in. I was in no way ready for this race specifically. I mean, I had more fruity drinks than workouts by the time I stepped on the line. It was a swan song. Just one more for fun.

PIC and I had way too much fun in Austin. We saw Punky in the airport before we left Denver, and we ate at this really good co-op on our first day there. We had burgers, and fries, and they were awesome. It was freezing outside and the weather seemed to get colder as the trip went on. We drove the course, partially in the dark, stopped for popsicles and junk food and ate it all. I had this chocolate banana mexican popsicle that was to die for, and slightly suspect.

We checked into our hotel and it was totally seedy. I think there was a fair amount of drugs being sold in the hallway that evening, and PIC and I spent the hours of 3-5am huddled together in bed thinking we were going to die. I can’t imagine the quantity of drugs you can buy with 2 fully decked out Quintana Roo CD0.1s. Needless to say, we lived through it (barely) and we let out a huge sigh and awww when we checked into the Hilton the following day (you try fitting two built up bikes, two empty bike boxes, lots of luggage, and two women into a Nissan Altima…no easy task). Lunch with Brian was awesome, it’s been years since the three of us have all been together and was great to catch up.

On race morning, which was so cold I had on every single piece of clothing I brought on top of one another, my main concern was thorns. My transition spot was a bed of those kinds of thorns that are multisided and evil. One step and my Uggs were loaded with them.

The transition was a “clean transition.” That was said to us over and over. I knew my tires were good and that I would carry my bike to the mount line, it was my feet I was worried about. They wouldn’t let me put a towel down. I asked, I begged, I gave sad eyes to the cute guy, nope, he was unyielding. I thought about getting an official but decided to not clip my shoes in my pedals and to just wear them through T1.

After setting up T1 we nestled ourselves into one of the cabs of the rented Rider trucks that Ironman had. Nobody ever knew, it was our secret hideaway. The water temp was like 30 degrees warmer than the air so the cold temps actually were fine during the swim.

I swam as best I could, tried to stay on feet, got a bit muddled at the end, but felt good about it. AND, I really enjoyed it. I was warm and it was a wave start so I didn’t get beat to smithereens, which was so relaxing compared to Kona.

I ran to my bike, put a coat on, and started to put my shoes on. I had to wipe 20+ thorns out of each foot. They were in deep. I carried my bike out, mounted and got out of there.

I started in the next to last wave so I had a blast out there. I got to pass lots of people all day and I totally totally loved the course. It was cold when I started and my legs were quite chilly, but they warmed up about 10 miles in and I just had fun. I rode hard, but it felt good to ride hard. I just gave it what I had, and didn’t worry about much else.

Into T2 I threw on the Newtons and went running. 1 mile in I pulled off my HR strap and shoved it down my pants. I just ran by feel, as hard as I could, but I enjoyed myself as well. I found a guy at one point that had a metronome. I asked him what it was set to and he said 89. I run a pretty natural 90, so I had a blast running with him and marching to the beat of his little beep. I’m not sure one of those things would make me any faster, but it was fun for a few miles.

At one point he said “I just did IM Louisville a few weeks ago” and I retorted “Oh yea, I just did Kona” and I felt immediately bad. I even said “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rain on your parade.” I didn’t at all mean it to come off as arrogant, I just meant to imply that we had something in common. Total dumb bunny move there and I felt bad the rest of the day over that one.

I really liked the course. It was three loops, but not boring loops, they were exciting and I really enjoyed myself. But my feet hurt and I couldn’t understand why. My heels and the balls of my feet were so sore and my Newtons never make me sore. Come to find out after the race it was the remnants of the 20+ thorns in my feet that made that pain. Talk about a prickly situation (bada-boom).

The Mile High Multisport crew was out there cheering and they made me feel like a queen the 6X I saw them out there. They cheered for me like Troy cheers for me, and I tried hard to smile every time I saw them.

The finish line was a total blast, it’s inside the arena. I was glad to make it to the line, as I am every race. I had no idea what my placing or time or anything was, but I did know that I enjoyed the race and it reminded me of how I felt when I first got in the sport. Just happy to be able to race my heart out for the sheer reason of physical movement. Michelle and I have agreed that we can’t ever race it again. They temps were in the 60s and this race is usually in the 90s. We had the perfect day, and don’t dare temp fate. One and Done!
This is probably one of my favorite pictures of all year. I love PIC.

Michelle and I both ended up 2nd in our AG. The lady who won mine was not only drop dead gorgeous, but out swam, out biked, and out ran me, was so far ahead I didn’t know she existed, and put out a stellar performance (maybe? who knows how she felt, but she dominated for sure). I look forward to following her from here on out. The other lady on the podium at the awards was a Nun. Rad.

The weekend was topped off with a few drinks with Jess Smith and friends and some damn fine TexMex. Michelle and I went for ice cream, and then snuggled the night away before a 6am flight…which I slept through.

And with that, I officially put a cap on the 2012 season. It’s time for some time away. The Garmin has been put away for good, and my bike is still in the box. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m not that concerned.

 

Posted in Race Report, Triathlon, Uncategorized

2012 Kona Ironman Run

Posted on October 22, 2012 by goSonja| 25 Comments

I really don’t want to write this one. Deep Breaths!

So, I get out running and I’m not feeling too great, but I don’t feel horrible. Kona is a hard race, so part of it is that I’m just feeling the accumulation of the days events. Hailey passes me right away and takes off in front of me. I’m at just under 8 min pace and working pretty hard, so I start sipping my EFS flask with some Prerace in it, and taking water with it as well.

I had this awesome encounter with a chick who was cheering. You know how when you are tired you really don’t want to move over at all when someone is in your way? Yea, I totally nailed her, and the photographer caught it. Oops! Sorry!

At the turn around I am optimistic, I’m in 5th in the AG and while I know I have 21 to go, things are looking good. I saw the time gaps back to the runners…okay…to Jocelyn really… and I thought if I had my best run she would have to have hers too to get me. I was optimistic. A lesson to all of you out there…optimism at mile 5 in an Ironman is pointless! At mile 8 I take a few salt tabs, and shortly after things turn south.

I don’t really want to write about this. I’ve debated whether I even should. The thought of it honestly makes me not want to leave the house, it’s embarrassing. So with that, and for the sake of being a masochist, I’ll do it. But just know, if you are grossed out, don’t read this (just scan through and look at the pictures). I’m just hoping that someday I can figure all this out and have some sort of lesson learned. Okay, here goes.

At mile 8 without any warning, I shit myself.

No upset tummy, nothing. All was well (ish) until I had this weird feeling of what was happening. I pulled into a permanent bathroom on Ali’i, pulled down my shorts, and had no idea what to do with myself. I can’t even explain it, nor do I want to, it was really really bad. The worst I’ve ever experienced. I will tell you that I spent multiple minutes in there and that it took multiple rolls of toilet paper and 12 flushes to leave the bathroom the way I found it (which wasn’t great).

Here she is in all her glory. Thank you to Scott who continuously texted me photos of said bathroom after the race. I’m thinking of having a plaque installed “Historical Landmark: Site where Sonja’s 2012 Kona went down the S#!*er”

Getting out of there I was completely and utterly disgusted and demoralized. I had no fight in me and all I could think about was that I reeked like shit and probably looked just as bad. The next two miles I was embarrassed and disgusted in myself. I couldn’t look anyone in the eye who was cheering for me (thank you Kacie, Eggers, Katie). But I kept running, although slower. (Everyone stayed busy with the chalk!)

I got to the bottom of Palani and I saw my mom, and I walked. It’s the first time I have ever walked in an Ironman. Just doing that felt like a major surrender and total failure. Can you tell??

I told mom what happened, and she said that you couldn’t tell. I was not convinced at all, but photos from dad do not show poo all over me like I thought. Knowing what came out of me and how unequipped I was to clean myself up, I just thought I was covered. At the top of Palani Troy was there. I started crying.

I was barely running, and I was crying and talking to him while he walked next to me. I told him I didn’t have any more fight, and that I wanted to quit. I really wanted to quit, and I had no more fight in me. He told me to get some sponges at the next aid station and while there was no way I was going to stick sponges down my shorts, his words did keep me from quitting and gave me the task of continuing on, even if it was just one more mile.

As I took a left onto the Queen K there was a lot going through my head. I was so disappointed that I lost my fight. I told myself I needed to take a break from the sport, from Ironman, from Kona. If I had no fight, there was no point. I was hard on myself. Towards the bottom of the hill, I remembered something I always tell my athletes…”Everything that goes wrong in Ironman can be solved by slowing down.” And with that I gave up.

Now “give up” is what I called it at the time, but with a little perspective, I can now see that I didn’t give up, I didn’t walk off the course. I hold a deep respect for the island of Hawaii, for the sport, and for this race. I did not give up, but I did consciously slow to the pace of a turtle (albeit a fast turtle).

I slowed down, I watched the heart rate plummet. I saw the pace go to 10+ min miles. I didn’t care. I walked through the aid stations. And like not a fast walk, more of a saunter. I had no goals, nothing driving me to keep a good clip, or any clip at all. I just walked and jogged and that was it. Jocelyn passed me and she was hauling ass, I kept her in my mind the rest of the race, just hoping that she made it to the podium (she did).

On one end my mind was horrible. I was down on myself, and disappointed in myself, and then another part of my brain really just didn’t care, and then another part of me just decided to have fun. The fun was more of a defense mechanism than anything, but I figured…you gave up…why suffer?

That’s when the tables started to turn for me emotionally.

So I made friends with a guy in a HelloKitty kit. We jogged and chatted. I had to go to the bathroom again at 15, this time in the port-a-pottie, not my shorts. I noted that I was still disgusting. I ran into the NEL and Kendra who is coached by Dirk passed me. She really tried to get me to go with her, and I kid you not…I laughed and said “Nah, it’s all good.” I got passed by tons of people in my AG and other AGs. I said good job to everyone, smiled, gave shakas and smiles.

In the NEL I had to go potty again. This one was particularly bad and I lost several liters of liquid out my ass, again, I warned you. That was a bit alarming and when I got out of there I was pretty weak. I kinda reasoned that I had that super F-ed up gut thing where the body starts pulling fluid from places it shouldn’t. I got a little nervous in here and knew that I would need to be smart to actually make it to the finish.

BUT! I was so close to special needs. So I got my bag and got my Pringles and Rice Crispie Treat out of there. I started jogging and the Pringles were falling out of the little container. I said to myself “what are you doing, stop running.” So I walked and ate my snacks. Like walked slowly.

No goals, no fight, nada, just focused on making it to the beautiful Ali’i. I ran up out of the NEL…maybe 13 min mile pace. Walked the aid station at the top, cheered for some people. It just was what it was.

Back on the queen K I kept tabs on my watch, knew I would most likely break 11, didn’t really care, but kinda did a little. When Adrienne passed me I told her good job and I tried to go with her, maybe 8:30 pace or so, but I couldn’t hang and felt pretty week from trying.

Then I saw Troy. He had run out there to check on me, since last time he saw me I was wanting to quit. He said he thought I would quit in the NEL and that every time he saw another split come up he was relieved.

He trotted next to me for a little while, it was like 12 min pace I think. He told me about the race and who won, and he told me about Michelle and that she never made it out of T2. This bummed me out in my heart. Suddenly I was filled with gratitude and I started to smile. I felt lucky that I had the opportunity to not quit. Some people didn’t even get that, their bodies gave out before their minds had the opportunity to say no more. What a privilege, to be able to choose to just jog it in.

Eventually Troy ran on ahead and I trotted my way in. I was perfectly happy and looked forward to the top of Palani. Annie ran with me up the Dave Scott Mark Allen hill and we held hands. My dad was there taking pictures and I was happy to see him. I smiled and did high 5s.

I did a hula dance up that hill and then all the way down Palani. I stopped to hug my inlaws. I smiled and gave thumbs up to everyone. I high 5ed the KE guys. I saw so many people I knew and gave them high 5s. People were passing me left and right. I didn’t care. I saw Terry Nugent, and gave him a hug and told him I loved him. hahhaha!!!

Then PIC was there on Ali’i. I stopped and hugged her and told her it would be oaky and we would get through it. I ran down the chute and saw Uncle Norm cheering and taking pictures.

Yup, dude in an arm sling beat me! Hahaha! Good for him, he looks like he had a rough day out there! Didn’t we all?!

Christine came zooming by me just as fast as she did in Cozumel last year. I gave a leap at the finish, and I smiled and waved to the camera, because I know you all are watching and I take that very seriously. Let this be a lesson….fast race in Kona…bad jump at finish….slow race in Kona…..good jump at finish! Hahah!!

Christine and I hugged and hugged and hugged. That girl will always hold a special place in my heart. Neither of us had the day we hoped for (so cliche) but we were both happy as clams at that finish line. I do love my 30-34 ladies!

I was fine at the finish. That was a first. It was like I had a 16 mile cool down jog, which I guess I did. My muscles have rejoiced in less soreness and my feet have not a single blister or sore toenail. I was sunburned and chaffed, but 48 hours later that resolved itself.

As always, a huge thanks to my family and sponsors. I’m glad I thanked them a few blogs ago because they probably don’t want their names associated with the poo-fest of this blog.

Am I disappointed? Yes and no. I am proud of the way I handled the situation. I’m bummed that I didn’t keep fighting, but on some levels I’m not sure I would have made it out of the NEL if I had. After having some time to process it, I feel really really blessed that I had the opportunity to both start and finish the race. A lot of people don’t ever get the chance to start this race, despite wanting to so badly, and some that start, don’t get to finish. I am thankful, very very thankful.

This race has provided much perspective and was such a reminder of all the wonderful people I have in my life. I live to fight another day, and hopefully live to fight during another Kona.

 

Posted in Race Report, Running, Travel, Triathlon

2012 Kona Ironman Swim Bike

Posted on October 21, 2012 by goSonja| 4 Comments

Race night I slept like the dead. I was tired. Our room didn’t have AC and was rather hot and we were right on the ocean with the waves crashing all night in the windows so I dreamed about swimming in rough waters.

Before the race I was more relaxed than usual. I went through the usual body marking, bike pumping, nutrition downing, portapotty using routine. This year was nice in that Michelle and I were participating in the Korey Stringer Institute study so we got our own loo on race morning. That perk was worth the extra time in data collection.

We found Laura too and she hung with us pre race. I did my typical Kona routine and got a good spot on the wall. We ran into Jen C and that was awesome to have a friendly face there to make eye contact with in those final minutes.

When the guys started drumming, I started dancing. I was definitely more happy than I was nervous, excited to get things started and to get the show on the road.

Into the water we go. I always swim over to the sea wall and wave to my family. It was awesome to see everyone there, especially PICs kids and Annie. I blew some kisses and then swam off to get my spot on the canoe. Check out my awesome TYR goggles that I got to custom design. They are orange, and red, and pink. LOVE!

On the canoe we ran into Grant just like we did last year. I gotta admit, I missed Kendra a bit at that point, but knew I would see her out on the course cheering. Before I knew it we were lining up and the whole “continental drift” was beginning. Every year it’s the same thing. Mike Riley yells at us to stay back, the officials on surfboards yell at us to stay back, and the crowd of 2000 drift forward. Same thing every year.

The cannon didn’t work this year so Mike just yelled GO GO GO GO and off everyone went. Then I felt like the cannon sounded a few seconds later but I could have been imagining things.

Swim swim!!! Here I go. I got out well and actually found clear water in the first 500 Meters or so. Then the bashing began. Next time I am definitely stealing a mens blue cap because I swear the pink cap is a target for bullying.

Let’s just call it like it is, I got brutalized out there. I got booted off the feet I was swimming on, I got run into from both sides, I got decked in the head repeatedly. I just got harassed.

A few times out there I just wanted it to be over, to stop the physical bashing, the stop and go, the speed up and slow down, and the maneuvering that I had to do. But, alas, it’s the way these things go. I’ll keep practicing my swimming so maybe some day I will be amongst less people. I own it completely.

Oh, there was current out there. On the way out it drug us right and the way back it drug us left. In fact when I hit the pier, I actually ran directly into the end of the pier rather than the side of it. Then I had to turn right and swim along the end of the pier before making a left to swim along the pier.

The conditions were no worse than last year, but the water was a bit less clear than last year. I remember trying to relax from a particularly bad bashing and telling myself to look at the fishies and not being able to see them.

I got out and saw the clock and felt fine about it. 1:07, little slower than last year, but not too much worse for wear.

T1 was really quick. The only thing I had in my T1 bag was my sunglasses.

Out onto the bike I felt good. I stuck directly with my nutrition plan and also with my pacing plan from Dirk. I was calculating my time as I went along and felt solid with how I was feeling.

There was a lot of drafting, and a good amount of red cards being given out. This was cool to watch in action. As I have said before I try very very very hard to remain legal at all times. I will share with you something. At a race of this caliber everyone is fit, and everyone wants to have their best day. Most people in Kona have a race plan, and it usually involves some parameters on power or heart rate or effort or whatnot. Riding legal will often cause you to impact your ideal race plan. This is why I think a lot of people don’t think they are drafting and don’t think they deserve their penalty. (PS: I really dig my bike fit, Thank you Scott)

I talked to a woman who was an official and she said that 50% of people who come into the tent with a drafting penalty don’t think they deserved it. So, here’s why. In order to stay legal, you will be forced out of your plan. There will be times that someone passes you and then they slow down. Sometimes they even coast and stretch. To stay legal, you have to drop out of the zone before repassing or you risk a penalty and if the dude is coasting, you may have to break to do so. He will not receive a penalty for coasting, you will get one for drafting. See, it’s a game and sometimes it requires your heart rate or watts or whatever to go WAY below your plan. Just play the game and you won’t get a red slash through your fancy dandy bike number.

The flip side happens too. I had 3 situations, and you can see them on my power file where I passed the person at the back of a group and thus committed to passing the whole group. My heart rate went to 170. My watts were 230, but that was what I had to do to remain legal. It was on me to do so. Was it part of my optimal plan, not at all.

So, these things happened, I watched a lot of drafting, I watched people stay legal, I watched people try, I watched people get penalties, and all along I rode the race I needed to ride. It was a beautiful day out there, although, there were white caps on the water which is really bothersome to see when you are racing, because you know your day will become very hard at some point.

The wind up to Hawi was in your face. But it wasn’t cross like 2 years ago, so I was fine with it. I’ll take the wind in my face any day. Coming down was fun and fast, and then the 2 mile climb from Kawaihae to the turn onto the Queen K gave us a real taste of what we were in for. HEADWIND.

I have riden this section quite a few times and it was the biggest head wind I have experienced. It’s always a head wind, but usually I can cruise in the 19-20mph at race intensity. This year I was at 17mph for 2 hours. Boo. A lot of people just gave up on remaining legal through this section, the drafting advantage on a steep headwind like this is big, and the officials are extinct at this point.

I passed Michelle in here and she looked really good. I mean we were both in the headwind so we were working hard, but all signs looked good to me. There was an official with me at that point and I know he stuck with Michelle for about 5 minutes. Because we were in the same kit I think he thought we might work together, but he had nothing to hand out, because we don’t.

Into T2 I was really excited. I felt quite good coming off the bike and my tummy felt good. I wasn’t tired of my nutrition and all systems felt a go. Into T2 I saw Hailey! It’s not the first time this year we have been in T2 together. That was awesome to see a familiar kit.

On with the Newtons and the hat and I was off to run a marathon. I was pretty jazzed to get into the meat and potatoes of the day. I felt like I was strong and that it was go time.

Posted in Cycling, Ironman, Race Report, Swimming, Travel, Triathlon

2012 Kona Ironman Prequel

Posted on October 19, 2012 by goSonja| 6 Comments

Gotta admit, it took me some time before I even wanted to write about this years race. I knew how to start it, that’s easy. It’s the ending. It took awhile to really get my head around it. I’m ready now, lets do this. In order to keep you interested, this first post is going to be interspersed with Undie Run photos. Enjoy! Oh and what are Michelle and I this year??? Why…Partners In Crime of Course!!

I looked at the results for the first time yesterday. I finished 19th in my age group, I went 10:51 and on paper, it looks like the wheels fell off. I knew that looking at the numbers I would see the potential and the opportunities that were squandered. Looking at those results were tough, I’m not going to lie there, but before I get too much ahead of myself, let’s get this show on the road.

My post-race thoughts have been more philosophical than anything. And here’s what I have come up with. If someone had a crystal ball, and they were able to tell me how I was going to race at Hawaii and they said to me….

Sonja, you will give up on yourself, you will lose your fight, you will have your slowest time, and when you cross the line you will think you have had your worst race ever.

…then would I still have raced? That’s what I’ve been thinking about for days. And I keep coming back to the same answer…definitely. Yes, even if I had known the outcome before I stepped on the line, I still would have done it. And you wanna know why? Because Ali’i drive is amazing, because the finisher medals are a freaking work of art, because people would gladly donate a limb to race this race, and because failing doesn’t mean I’m a failure, it just means I had the strength to try.

So, there’s that!

Before I get started I want to give thanks. To say this is a selfish sport is totally cliche…but it is. To think that there are people in my life that help me out, that call to check on me, and that are there for me through thick and thin, well, it’s pretty awesome for me.

My family is awesome. Troy and Annie are great at helping me out day in and day out, and both my parents and Troys parents support my racing through and through. My uncle Norm has been to every one of my Konas and perhaps the biggest complement he has given me was to get the triathlon bug himself. He races Honu 70.3 next year!

My sponsors this year have been awesome. The longer I am in the sport the more I realize that some relationships just stick. The guys at QR, the guys at KE, and Ron with Punk rock Racing have been with me through this entire crazy year. Not only do they support me with products, but they really truly believe that I can be successful. The products are awesome, but belief is a priceless gift.

Coach Dirk did his best to get me on the start line in the best shape of my life. My numbers leading up were solid and he gave me a plan the week of the race to go for it. My swimming is getting much better with the help of coach Nick and Karlyn, and I also had lots of diet help from Dina, she’s been awesome to work with.

I also have to give thanks to all the amazing athletes that have been there for me on the pool deck, on my bike, and running with me side by side. These are my people, folks that get it, because we all share triathlon DNA. Michelle, my PIC, she is a sister to me. Not even “like” a sister, but actually blood to me. Beth, Terry, Scott, Wayde, Grant, Kendra, Katy, Jen, Audra, Jocelyn, Jeremy, Laura, Nick, Scotty P, you all have touched me this year.

And lastly, my athletes. They are an extension of my support system and a girl couldn’t ask for better cheerleaders. I hope I continue to set a good example for you (said as she posts photos of her in her underwear).

Thank you for all the support this year. I can’t tell you much about the future, but I can say that a brutal kicking doesn’t take me down. Adversity is only fuel for my belly. There are changes that I need to make and some of them are going to be difficult. Adversity is a given in this sport, and I’ve been lucky to nail many races in past years. In the words of a wise, yet cocky one:

Reassess

Rebuild

Try Again

—Macca

Tomorrow I’ll talk swim and bike.

Posted in Ironman, Race Report, Travel, Triathlon