Sara Tarkington

Xterra World Championships

2011-10-25T23:12:00.010-07:00

Very pleased with my 7th place at the 2011 Xterra World Championships and being the first American Woman! I was excited that the course changed venues simply because I wanted to see and experience a different part of Maui. The new course in Kapalua was less technical than the old course but was just as demanding with lots of steep climbing on both the bike and run.

My super supporter Doug made me pose for the camera for some "scenic shots"

SWIM- The new swim course was in a less sheltered area than the old course and all the "real swimmers" were looking forward to big surf. The two days before the race there were good sized waves but nothing too scary for this "always worried about sharks" kind of ocean swimmer. Race day the water was about as smooth as a lake but that didn't prevent me from almost drowning. When 675 people start together on a small beach there is no way to avoid some level of chaos. The bottle neck at the first buoy was so bad that I had men swimming on top of me and pushing me under the water. Panic ensued for me and I had a vision of being pushed under water and not being able to get back to the surface. I stopped and screamed loudly for everyone to "stop it". Well, nobody stopped being aggressive and I had to doggie paddle my way around the first buoy and find a little bit of clear water to regain my composure. I stayed with a group of women for the remainder of the 1st lap and was able to pull ahead of a few of them on the second lap. Coming out of the water into T1 I had no idea how many women were in front of me. In T1 I saw Suzie, Emma and Renata and knew I would need to get moving quickly on the bike.

BIKE- I only was able to pre-ride the first 4 miles or so of the course, as I didn't think it would be smart to try and ride the whole thing 2 days before the race. Doug was able to ride the entire course for me and warned me to pace myself and not be too ambitious on the first few climbs to avoid blowing up on the upper climbs. I'm so glad I listened to his advice as the climbs were indeed long and steep. My performance on the bike was good but nothing to write home about. This time of year gets hard for me as there are very few hours of light before and after work for me to get longer rides in. I think next year I'll have to suck it up and get on the trainer or do some big night rides to be able to maintain my bike power and fitness until Worlds. I still climbed well and felt strong but just lacked that "perfect feeling". Renata remained ahead of me on the bike from the start and I never saw her again. I passed Suzie early in the bike and fell behind Carina and Danelle who both looked very strong when they passed me. I could see Specialized teammate Emma for most of the bike but she and I were clearly going the exact same speed and it wasn't until the last 4 miles that I caught and passed her. The downhill sections were not technical except when I was behind a pack of men and was left riding in a red dust cloud so thick that I couldn't see at all. My biggest focus on the bike was hydrating and this was something that I executed perfectly. I drank my entire Camelback, a large bottle with Infinit and about half a small bottle of water at both aid stations.

RUN- I was feeling strong coming out of T2 but didn't know what to expect on the run other than a long climb and long descent. I was told I was in 9th place and that 5th place was only 2:30 ahead. If I honored my roots as a runner and my abilities I thought I could maybe make up that 2:30 and get on the box. I passed fellow Coloradan Kelly Cullen within the first mile and could tell the heat was not agreeing with her. She was one of many that were slowed by or fell victim to the heat. Fellow Specialized rider Melanie was leading and had an assumed victory until she collapsed within a few hundred meters of the finish. This was heartbreaking to hear yet amazing to see someone push themselves above and beyond their limits as an athlete in pursuit of excellence. I didn't pass any other women on the run and assumed I was in 8th place. At the top of the climb I saw Emma was not far behind me and I kept pushing the downhills hoping to get away. My focus for the last 3 miles of the run was centered on my breath and not the fact that my quads were cramping up with every step. When I got to the last 1/2 mile of the run I heard I was in 7th. Through the stream bed and onto the beach sections I could see the 6th place girl in front of me and thought for sure I could catch her. I tried to pick up the pace but I felt like I was running in slow motion. This was confirmed when Doug was able to keep up with me. The last bit to the finish was up a steep grassy hill...cruel to say the least! Up this hill my stride got a little wobbly, I did some weaving and I wasn't sure I'd make it for a brief moment. Luckily that moment was about 50 feet before the finish line and I did indeed make it as the 1st American and 7th overall!

The beach run and the hill to the finish were brutal

Congratulations to Women's winner Lesley who was very deserving of her victory on a tough day! While the race was missing last year's Champion Shonny as well as Julie (both out due to injury) the field was stacked and fast with the addition of some ITU girls. It is so exciting to see how fast the women continue to get and hopefully we are making the races more interesting as the "battle for the box" gets closer.

Wow, all that dirt makes my teeth look really white. Not sure my brain was working in this picture.

Huge thanks to all my sponsors for their support this year! Specialized, you make the best hardtail 29er a little 5'3" girl could want! Native, you are a super fun company to partner with and I always know I have the most styling shades on! Honey Stinger, I could eat your chews for dessert. In fact, I sometimes have to resist the temptation to do just this! Infinit, my custom drink blend leaves me strong, even in the hot, humid Hawaii climate! NoTubes, the super light and durable wheels are genuine pieces of artwork! Avia, your shoes leave me blister free and fast! Squadra, what can I say, your kits make me look good (and are super comfortable)!

I'm happy with another great season of racing and look forward to building upon my success next year! However, if you need me in the next few weeks I'll be at the gym reading a magazine on the eliptical machine.

Run, Sara, Run

2011-10-09T18:16:00.003-07:00

The last two weekends I took advantage of some local cross country races to take me back to my roots and boost my speed factor. I have such fond memories of high school cross country...running down "potato chip alley" (a path of crunchy leaves), taking cookie breaks at friends houses along our routes and getting stuck in a blizzard on the way to the State meet to name a few. I've come to rely too much on my background of running and always end up neglecting my run training a little. Nothing like a few hard races to get me back on track. Last weekend was the CU Rocky Mountain Shootout where I toed the line with lots of fast college girls. I ended up 27th in a talented field and had the post race hack to remind myself how painful a 23 minute race is. Today, I ran the Coal Creek XC race and 38 minutes proved to be equally painful. I did take the win and came home with a case a beer to ease my aching muscles.

Some photos of my 23 minutes of pain:

A Few Nationals Photos

2011-10-09T18:09:00.002-07:00

Photo Credit: Xterra

Photo Credit: Kristen McFarland

Xterra USA National Championships

2011-09-29T06:39:00.009-07:00

Xterra USA Nationals was made super exciting this year by the appearance of Lance. The hype was a little much at times but the crowds were amazing! Never in an Xterra have I seen spectators at so many places on the bike and run. Thanks Lance for making our sport a little more known! Also, thanks to all my great sponsors for the support throughout the year: Native, Specialized, Infinit, Avia, No Tubes, Honey Stinger and Squadra!

Doug's good childhood friend was getting married last weekend so he was partying on the East Coast, leaving me without my favorite travel partner or mechanic. Congrats Fran and Candice! Sorry I couldn't be there! After a long solo drive on Thursday I rode the new part of the course and had to stop several times to enjoy the spectacular views. Friday was spent relaxing and doing some light pre-race workouts.

The Xterra Nationals course should be perfect for me as there is so much climbing. Turns out for the last 3 years the trails around Snowbasin and I don't get along as well as we should. I finished the day in 8th with the 5th place podium spot I was gunning for only about 2 minutes ahead of me. Here's a quick break down of the day:

Swim:

For the first time the pros got our own wave and started 30 seconds before the amateurs. I started the swim next to many women and just a few places down from Lance. It seemed like we would have a direct line to the first bouy but the blinding sun led us astray way to the right. Or maybe it was the excessive number of kayaks and boats that caused us to get lost. Anyways, I managed to get back on course and had a good swim hanging with a small group of pro men. I came out of the water in 6th, which is great for me! I'm sure it's against all coaching beliefs but it seems the less I swim the faster I race.

Bike:

This is where I should shine on this course based on my skills. Not so, this year though. Don't get me wrong I was still fast but somehow I just didn't have the power in my legs that was there a few weeks ago. I passed Suzy about 3 miles into the bike and knew there were woman chasing me and probably not too far ahead of me. I was trying to pick up the pace but kept finding myself feeling "off". After being passed by Danelle, I held my 5th place spot on the bike until the top of the Sardine climb, when Shonny (aka the toughest woman out there racing with a torn ACL) passed me. I knew Emma was right behind me and we ended up riding into transition together. I must say Emma and I look good in our almost matching kits!

Run:

I had a less than speedy transition because of the obnoxious buckles on my bike shoes. I'm hoping to get a pair of the Specialized TriVent Terra shoes to help me speed out of transition like a bolt of lightening. Out of transition I could see Shonny, Christine and Emma all right in front of me. Once we were up the super steep hill and to the singletrack they pulled away and my legs would not respond when I tried to pick up the pace. And I can't believe that I ate it not once but twice on the run again. The first time was a minor spill about 1.5 miles in and the second was a little more painful at about 3 miles. I jammed my big toe on a rock and thought I might have broken my toenail off. Then, I started to feel what I assumed was blood in my shoe. As always, whether it's a good day or bad day I did my best and made my way to the finish, coming across the line in 8th. I took my shoe off to see a very bloody foot. The medical staff thought a few stitches would be a good idea but I suggest a little glue instead. Thankfully, they agreed this would be adequate.

Not my best day but it is pretty amazing how fast all of us ladies are and the races are getting more exciting because we are so close. Congrats to Specialized teammates Mel for taking the win and Emma for getting on the podium in 5th. See all you speedy ladies in Maui!

What the?!?! - Xterra Canada

2011-09-11T19:03:00.007-07:00

Doug strongly encouraged me to race Xterra Canadian National Championships which are conveniently held in Whistler, his dreamland of big mountains and endless mountain bike trails. Doug assured me he would be a great support for me if I went to this race. And, indeed he was a great support, but nobody could help me enough with the challenges of this race. This race was arguably one of the toughest Xterras out there. I knew the course would be challenging but after pre-riding one lap I wanted to cry. The course was two laps of 9km. Doesn't seem that long right? Hmmm, seems to have taken me two hours to do this during the race. Raised bridges, big old roots, raised bridges, oh did I mention all the skinny bridges. Not good for this girl who is still relatively new to mountain biking and has a small fear of heights. After digesting the course I went out for another lap on Saturday and actually started to have fun. I was clearing and able to ride about 95% of the course and was feeling confident. The pictures below are a small sampling of the many bridges on the River Runs Through it Trail that was part of our 9km loop.

On to race day. We swam two loops and the way out was straight into the sun..not fun. It was disheartening when we got close to the first buoy and the whole group I was swimming with cut the buoy in a major way. I ended up swimming backwards to ensure I went around the first buoy rather than following the masses on their shortcut. I still managed to almost catch up to some of the group that I was with and was the 3rd woman out.

I opted for my Specialized Era since I didn't know exactly what the course would be like and for me more suspension is usually better. My bike worked flawlessly. It was all about the operator having a rough day that caused me to move backwards in a hurry. Trying to ride the course at race pace was very challenging for me and I messed up so many times on sections that I rode perfectly the day before. I hate to say it but I was a mental weeine and really struggled to keep my head on straight. I kept trucking along and "survived" the bike hoping that I could at least have a fast run. And indeed I was running fast until bam I fell really hard on my right side and jammed my left foot into a big root. I told myself get up, shake it off and focus so that doesn't happen again and then bam again I went down this time wiping some skin off my left hand. Seriously, I thought I was a runner. The course was so hilly and full of rocks and roots that I think the trail beat me down and my hip flexors did not want to lift my legs up anymore. In the end I passed one girl on the run but wasn't close to catching anyone else. I ended up 6th on what was one of my roughest days since starting Xterra. Yes, I was bummed to say the least. However, I had to put it all in perspective. I am so lucky to have the ability to maintain a job and a sport I love, I have great friends and family that encourage me along my journey and heck I still had 3 more days of vacation in Whistler to enjoy.

Doug and I hit the slopes of Whistler for some downhilling and I left feeling confident that yes, I can ride a mountain bike. I'm a little worried that I liked dowhilling a bit too much and want to get my hands on a proper downhill bike.

Doug hitting a big drop

Me getting some sweet air

Next up is Xterra Nationals in Ogden, Utah. To say I'm excited is an understatement! My mountain goat climbing skills will come in handy and the S-works 29er will be a superb weapon of choice.

Sunday on Lookout

2011-09-02T09:23:00.003-07:00

Super exciting Sunday hanging with the crowds on Lookout Mountain watching the US Pro Cycling Challenge. The energy was unbelievable! Here's to hoping it comes back for years to come. Highlight was a young boy, maybe 7 years old, on a mini-me road bike being told by his dad to "dial it back a litte" as he raced up Lookout. He was hurting his old man and loving it...wish we had a video of it.

Xterra Lory Win

2011-09-02T08:38:00.008-07:00

Last Saturday I headed to Lory State Park outside Fort Collins for Xterra Lory. After doing the math and realizing I had to get up before 4:30am to make the 7:50 start time, I wsn't that excited. I was happy that fellow mountain biker Erin Huck tried her hand at Xterra and we got to spend the pre-dawn hours driving together.

The water temp was 75, which meant no wetsuit for me. Luckily, I threw in my fastskin (aka my sausage suit) into my bag was able to wear it over my kit. The swim took us directly into the rising sun on the way out. Thankfully some kind men lead the way for me and I stayed with a small group the entire swim. I was the 2nd woman out of the water only a few seconds behind Tracy Thelen. The bike was flat, swoopy and fast. Tracy and I played cat and mouse on the first lap of the bike and I managed to pull ahead and get a gap on her on the 2nd lap. Considering the course did not suit my strengths I was happy with how I did and I got some great practice at fast cornering. The S-works 29er was like always fast and fun!
I had no idea what the run course entailed other than we were promised some amazing views. The run went up, up and up some more via switchbacks for about 2 miles and there were indeed some beautiful views of the lake and very blue sky all around. After finally getting to the top there was a fast downhill to a somewhat flat stretch to the finish. I knew that Tracy was behind me and that I needed to focus on the run to maintain my win. I managed to have both the fastest bike and run time for the women and was not far behind many of the men, a good mental boost going into Xterra Canada and USA Nationals. The highlight of the race was the huge Slip n Slide at the finish line. I made sure to pick up my pace as I crossed the line to ensure good Slip n Slide form. I ended up making it to the end and was startled that I was dumped into a pool of water. Yeah, I got some compliments on my excellent Slip n Slide skills...and to think I never had one of these growing up. I'll try to find a picture and post it. Thanks Without Limits for putting on a great race!

Indian Peaks Xterra

2011-08-17T18:40:00.006-07:00

With several tough cases right now at work my blogging has been on the back burner. Long days have left me emotionally drained and physically tired. Training gets done, but blogging not so much.

Two weeks ago was the Indian Peaks Xterra. I love this race for several reasons, it's literally in my own backyard about 40 minutes from my house at Eldora ski area, the course is super fun and the race director always puts on a good show. Last year I won this race and knew I was in for a tough race this year with Kelly Cullen toeing the line with me. Well, toeing the line isn't the best description as the race is a time trial start so you don't ever really know how you're doing. The race director, Paul, insisted that I get the privilege starting first since I was the defending champion. So, I jumped in the cold lake first and was passed by 3 men in the swim and Kelly caught me right at the end. I've been doing some mental work around my performance in open water swims and was pleased that I had a much improved swim than I have been lately. I'm convinced it's because of the Brainspotting I did with my clinical supervisor (Google it if you're curious).

After a long run to transition (4 plus minutes long) Kelly and I were off on the bike. I opted for my Specialized Era to take advantage of the full suspesion on the somewhat rocky course. I figured I'd get pretty beat up on my hardtail and I tend to ride better when I'm not frustrated by being bucked around by rocks, Doug can attest to this. It was great to have someone to push me on the bike. Kelly and I rode together the first lap of the bike playing a game of cat and mouse. On the second lap I lost a little steam and Kelly was suddenly out of my sight. I still ended up biking over 2 minutes faster than last year, so no complaints here. Coming into T2 I knew Kelly was ahead of me and the only way I was going to beat her was to catch her and put time on her. I quickly put on my Avia Bolts and was off but no such luckin taking over the lead, as I found myself in "no mans land", unable to see anyone in front or behind me. There is one point on the run that is out and back and I could see that Kelly had a few minutes on me. As much as I tried to pick up the pace after this I had to accept that this year is Kelly's year and cruised home to take second overall. It is great to see several new pro women on the Xterra scene from Colorado...it's exciting!

This was the second year I have helped the race director with a pre-ride of the course a few weeks before the race. Just like last year I really enjoyed helping to provide the newer women with a safe, comfortable and encouraging introduction to Xterra...it is very rewarding to me! Next up is Xterra Lory next weekend.

Xterra Mountain Championships

2011-07-18T08:34:00.003-07:00

The Xterra Mountain Championships is one of the toughest courses on the circuit and also happens to be my favorite. This year I managed a 4th place finish in a strong field of women and took over 4 minutes off my time from last year.

My swim was less than stellar and I came out about a minute behind a big group of girls. I was disappointed with my swim but not worried because I am part mountain goat and the straight uphill bike suits me well. I quickly passed many women in the first two miles of the course and moved up into 2nd place. I could see Melanie ahead of me and was inching closer to her with Kelly Cullen right on my wheel. I always gauge how I'm doing on the bike by how long it takes Shonny to catch me. I got to where she passed last year and still no sign of her. I kept thinking "Shonny should be coming by any minute". Well, turns out I continue to get faster on the bike and she didn't catch me until the top of the paved road section. When she caught me we rode together passed Mel and continued riding together until the top of the climb at which point she pulled away from me. Mel, Kelly and I continued to play cat and mouse the entire rest of the bike course. With about 3 miles to go on the bike my stomach started cramping up and I slowed a bit to see if I could get it to relax before the super hard and hilly run. I came into T2 in 4th and knew if my stomach cooperated I could run some girls down. No such luck with my stomach behaving. I managed to get through the first big climb but it was running the first long downhill that put me over the edge. I resorted to walking some, a few stops to try to rub the cramping out and thoughts of "can I keep going?" crossed my mind. Of course, I kept going and was hoping that nobody would catch me. Thankfully, I had a big cushion of time off the bike and wasn't caught on the run leaving me in 4th at the finish line and only 25 seconds behind 3rd.

Shonny took the win, Mel second, Kelly Cullen 3rd, me 4th and Emma in 5th. Yep, that's all three Specialized Xterra girls in the top 5 (Mel, me, Emma). Nice work ladies! While I wanted to be closer to a WIN I have to be proud of being only 5 minutes behind last years World Champion, Shonny. I'd say it was a pretty good day for this social worker by day and professional triathlete by wee hours of the mornings and weekends.

Thanks to all my great sponsors, Avia, Specialized, Native Eyewear, Infinit, NoTubes, and Honey Stinger! I feel like I'm on the cusp of a really great race and hoping it will happen at Nationals!

4th of July Weekend Re-cap

2011-07-11T19:03:00.004-07:00

A little delayed update but better late than never. Our 4th of July weekend started Saturday with a drive to Steamboat to stay with some of our good friends and their two little boys who escaped the heat of Tucson to the more reasonable climate in Steamboat. Saturday and Sunday were spent with a little bike ride around the Stagecoach reservoir, Smores around the campfire (it's pretty entertaining to watch a 4 year old make their first Smores), a failed fishing trip and lots of playing with Legos and blocks. A little more on our fishing trip. Our friend Jamie assured us we would catch trout at this great lake above Yampa, "yeah my brother caught like 6 fish in 6 casts". Sounds great right! Well, after about 60 casts Doug, Jamie nor I had caught a single fish. The 4 year old was not impressed by our returning home with no fish.

Monday we got up early and drove to Breckenridge for our annual 4th of July tradition, the Firecracker 50. We race this the "more fun way", as a team with each of us doing a 25 miles lap. This year it was each of us doing a 27 mile lap due to some course changes. I debated between riding my S-Works 29er and my Era and ended up opting for the 29er. I was worried I would take a beating on the hardtail over some of the rocky parts. Some parts were a little rough as I expected but in the end I think the 29er was the fastest choice given the climbing and long road sections. I had a smooth ride and felt fast the entire race, except on some tight singletrack sections where I was stuck behind men who were doing the whole 50miles and weren't going as fast as I wanted to. We took the Coed Team title for the 3rd year in a row. No big money or prizes but simply our fun 4th of July tradition.

This weekend is the Xterra Mountain Championships and I'm excited to be healthy and ready for this race. The course is great for me, climbing, climbing and in case you didn't get enough a little climbing at the end.

Racing, Racing, Racing

2011-07-01T07:05:00.008-07:00

The last week has been a busy one and I managed to crush myself at a CU short track race, the Winter Park Super Loop XC and a Stroke N Stride (minus the stroking due to lightning). Good results in all events, 3rd in the Short Track, 2nd in the XC, and 2nd (got beat at the line) in the 5K Stride. Too busy for many words so pictures will have to suffice.

Short Track

Winter Park Super Loop XC

Celebrating the podium by myself since all the other women took off

Brr, it's cold on the top of Trail Ridge.

Stroke N Stride

2011-06-19T12:39:00.006-07:00

Winter Park Hill Climb

Winter Park has a well run super fun mountain bike series that starts off each year with a true suffer fest...the hill climb. Nothing makes your legs and lungs burn like 5.2 miles all uphill race starting at 9,080 feet and ending at 11,142 feet. I was super excited for this race because it was my first race on my Specialized 29er. The race went out hard and my first thought was oh dear, I'm going to blow up. I was patient and knew that very quickly women would start coming back to me. Sure enough before the first mile I was in the lead and held it to the end for the win. Check out these pictures to see just how much snow is still up there:http://www.mountainmoonphotography.com/Cycling-5-dollar-downloads/Mountain-Biking-2011/Winter-Park-Hill-Climb-2011/16291074_2dsQ8#1333006154_kRVxZP7

Beti Bike Bash

The 40 minutes of uphill suffering at the hill climb just wasn't enough suffering in one weekend for me so I headed to the Beti Bike Bash at Bear Creek State Park the next day. I was super excited about this event because one of my amazing sponsors, Stan's No Tubes, was a huge supporter of this women's only mountain bike race. Stan's provided prize money that in turn attracted some of the best riders. It was a mini World Cup race with Georgia Gould and Katie Compton int he mix to name a few. The course was not technical at all and was a super fast power course, perfect for my hardtail 29er! There was no place for rest and it was all out for 1 hour...a really long short track race basically. I faded a bit on the last lap but until then I was right in the mix (minus Georgia, Katie and Erin who had a good lead on the rest of us). I ended up 9th in a super stacked field. It was so great to see so many women on mountain bikes! Hopefully, some will see that mountain biking is where the fun is and come back for more! I know I'll be back at the Beti Bike Bash again next year. Thanks Stan's and Team Yeti Beti for putting on a great event!

Neat picture of Rebecca Rush and I representing Specialized

Teva Games - Ultimate Mountain Challenge

2011-06-08T18:11:00.006-07:00

It's been three days since the Teva Games and I'm still feeling worn out. The Teva Games is hands down one of the best run big events in Colorado and I see myself attending and racing it for years to come!

Last year I did the mountain bike and trail run and was left barely walking for a few days afterwards. This year I decided to punish myself a little more in my quest to "get fit fast" and signed up for the Ultimate Mountain Challenge consisting of kayaking, mountain biking, trail running and an uphill road time trial. I signed up not knowing if I would kayak since I have no experience or equipment for this and Gore Creek was rapidly rising. I contemplated renting a kayak and just going for it but in the end decided to opt out of the kayak and take a 30 minute penalty instead. I just spent two months recovering from a ruptured disc and really didn't need to risk getting hurt again and hey, why not have a 30 minute penalty for an extra challenge.

Saturday I slept in and didn't attend the kayak. I was later told that the water was surprisingly calm and I would have been fine...darn. I knew I was likely not going to be able to make up the 30 minute penalty with Sari, Gretchen and Kelly racing so, I changed my mindset and decided this year would just be my "intro to the UMC". The start line of the Mountain Bike was full of fast women, Georgia Gould and Heather Irmiger to name a few. There's nothing like racing a National level race with a few World Cup level athletes thrown in there right in your own backyard. The course was 4 laps of a 5 mile, deceivingly hard course. I was feeling good for 2 laps and then blew up like I never have before. I lost contact with all the UMC women and was playing cat and mouse with a few girls mid-pack. It was all I could do to turn the pedals and finish. Doug's race was only 3 laps so he magically appeared on the course in various spots to offer me words of encouragement when he was done. I wish I could have put a wig on him and sent him off to finish the last lap for me. It was in the 80s and my body doesn't seem to be used to the heat of Summer yet. Big thanks to Tony T. who gave me water bottles...I might have died without his help. I was hoping for a free IV when I finished but no such luck...I had to sit on the ground in a daze until I regained myself and cooled off in the icy stream.

Sunday was the 10K trail run which I have decided is indeed the hardest 10K out there, no seriously, it is ridiculous! Lots of climbing and this year big snowfields and mud bogs to get through. I ended up 9th overall in the 10K...pretty respectable considering my almost 2 hours of pain from Saturday and the fact that there were some very talented trail runners in the field. A little over an hour after I finished the run and shoved some tasty Honey Stinger and Infinit into my body I was on the start line for the 10 mile uphill TT. 37 minutes later I was done and dreading how I would walk the next day. I ended up 4th out of 5 girls in the UMC. Kelly Cullen (who is going to be a force to reckon with at the Xterra Mountain Championships) was 1st, Sari Anderson 2nd and Gretchen Reeves took 3rd. If I had kayaked I likely would have been 3rd. Thanks for letting me play ladies, I will be back next year with a life-vest and kayak in hand.

Close to being done with the run

I'm very serious when it comes to TT racing. Note the awesome Specialized Crux Cross Bike and Stan's Wheels

The best part of the weekend was how supportive Doug was! I really need to find more double day racing events so I can enjoy more of Doug shopping, cooking, bringing me glasses of water and insisting that I lay down. Oh wait, that's this weekend with the Winter Park hill climb Saturday and the Beti Bike Bash on Sunday.

Cabin calmness

2011-05-31T19:34:00.003-07:00

For once the weekend left me feeling relaxed thanks to a 2 day getaway "off the grid" at the cabin. No phones, no TV, no rushing around just lots of relaxing, exploring and eating. We went on an adventure in the Pike National forest trails and roads around the cabin. I came away learning that if you want to practice riding steep, sketchy gravel trails the cabin is the place to do it. Doug tried his hand at fly fishing and even managed to catch a little trout (although I was making breakfast and did not witness this).

Roughing it on the eating front. Note the airhorn on the table, everyone needs an airhorn, right?

View from the deck

I was only pretending to fish since I don't have a license

Gravel pit trail

Next up this weekend is the Teva Mountain Games Wish me luck as I embark on the Ultimate Mountain Challenge!

My Boiling Blood

2011-05-26T19:48:00.004-07:00

Disclaimer: This post is not related to training or racing at all. It is a glimpse into how passionate I am about my work and shows a little of my fiery side. It may make some people upset but that’s OK, I feel a need to vent and advocate for a population and agency that is unfairly discriminated against.

I love Boulder for it’s natural beauty, abundance of healthy food, the active lifestyle being the norm, the list goes on and on really. What I’ve grown to not like is the “Not in My Backyard” Ignorance that is taking over this town. After reading in the paper today about community outrage over the location of a Community Mental Health Center I’ve been on edge all day. The issue is being raised by parents of a local elementary school who oppose the opening of a new office for Mental Health Partners. I completely understand that parents want to keep their children safe but what kind of message does it send to kids when we as a community and parents stand up and essentially say “it’s great to help people with mental illness but not where I can see them”. The argument is that Mental Health Partners serves low-income clients who have moderate to severe mental illnesses and “these people” will create a safety risk to the kids playing on the playground. Parents are also under the false impression that mental illness =sex offender. Having worked for Mental Health Partners in the past on the Emergency Psychiatric Services team I have intense real experience with serious cases of mental illness. I went into Emergency Rooms at all hours of the day and night to do assessments of people experiencing a mental health crisis to determine if they needed inpatient care. Not once in my year and a half with MHP did I ever feel threatened or scared, even when dealing with actively psychotic clients. Now, I knew they were not Jesus like they told me and that the FBI was probably not listening to us but I didn’t judge them and as hard as it may be for some people to do, I treated them like a human being and friend. We talked and planned what was in their best interest. Sometimes this was more challenging than others but I believe that clients trusted me and felt safe because I was calm and respectful. I realize I have more developed senses of safety than a child and can more easily be cued into what is an unsafe situation. But I do believe that parents can educate their children about differences and help them learn to keep themselves safe. I grew up in inner city Denver and my parents taught me from an early age about what is safe versus unsafe and what to do if you ever felt unsafe. My parents took the opportunity to teach me about differences when I saw people in our community who were homeless, addicted to drugs, or maybe even mentally ill. Sometimes this lesson was after seeing something that was shocking and confusing at first but better understood after my parents talked about it. My family volunteered at the Soup Kitchen in downtown Denver and I clearly remember my dad setting an example for me in the kind way he interacted with the people we served. He would laugh and joke with people who came to enjoy a hot meal like they were his friends and never once did he make a stereotypical statement or discriminate. I know I’m not a parent (yet) but I have strong convictions about teaching your children about diversity of all kinds and how to embrace it rather than fear it.

Mental illness does not discriminate. It affects people of all ages, races, socioeconomic classes and in all communities. The entitled wealth of Boulder doesn’t realize that maybe their neighbor is mentally ill but they are actually able to afford treatment and therefore, you may never know that they are managing their illness. While MHP does treat some clients with more serious mental illness it has been my experience that most clients are no different than “normal” people who may have some anxiety issues, be managing situational depression or working through a traumatic past. Mental illness is treatable. On some level it’s no different than diabetes. Medicines, lifestyle changes, and other therapies can keep it under control. We hear so much about mental illness because people with serious mental illness who have no access to treatment are less able to make rational choices and end up in the news. The situation will only continue to get worse as funding to provide mental health services is regularly being slashed from state and federal budget.

I wish the Boulder community could start taking the time to become educated about issues before they jump to conclusions and make assumptions. I’m sure some people would be shocked to learn that Mental Health Partners also sees children and adolescents with mental illness and has a whole team of dedicated family therapists. Yes, like I said mental illness does not discriminate, it’s our “not in my backyard society” that does.

Gowdy Grinder Fitness Test

2011-05-24T18:58:00.004-07:00

Sunday Doug and I headed up to Curt Gowdy State Park just outside Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Gowdy Grinder Mountain bike race. Was I excited to drive 2 hours for a 13.2 mile race? Not really. Was I excited about a $10 entry fee? Absolutely! Was I disappointed by the race? No way! Curt Gowdy is a hidden gem of Wyoming with some spectacular and very technical trails. It was well worth the drive and I think we'll head back to check out more of the park sometime.

A 13.2 mile race sounds like nothing but turns out it took me 1:37 minutes to complete this distance. I was unsure of my fitness since I really just started getting back at legitimate training in the last few weeks. I was either well rested or more fit than I thought (those serious elliptical workouts may have been worth something in the long run) as I took the win for the Women. I'm going to go with I'm more fit than I thought I was option. The race started with a short section of double track before funneling into some of the most amazing single track I have ridden. There were super smooth buff sections of trail intermingled with tight turns, drops, rocky sections and where the heck does this trail go sections. I managed to get to the single track first and extended my lead throughout the race. This race was just what I needed to boost my confidence and help me realize that I will have a good season despite a slow start and early season injury.

Website with more pictures to get an idea of just how great the trails are:

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/gowdy-grinder.html

Trips for Kids

2011-05-05T19:19:00.004-07:00

Working with adolescents with substance abuse issues is challenging to say the least. I see kids faced with intergenerational substance abuse, serious traumatic histories and less than appropriate family dynamics. Research shows that increasing protective factors for kids increases their potential to maintain positive changes. My hope is that my kids can connect with something positive and I have a strong desire to introduce them to sports and outdoor recreation, both of which can be protective factors. Most are not exposed to these activities and those that are lose their connection when drugs take over their lives. I have kids as young as 15 who use cocaine 3-4 times per day. How on earth do you help someone so young change these behaviors? There are some days I feel hopeless and discouraged. This week is different. I have connected with an amazing organization, Trips for Kids, and will be taking some of my kids on a mountain bike adventure on the local Boulder trails this Saturday. The number of kids attending has dwindled due to needing inpatient care, being in detention and being on the run. However, if only one kid has a positive experience and connects or re-connects to mountain biking and the outdoors it will all be worth it!

I hope to do future work with Trips for Kids. Check them out and if you can find time in your life to share your love of sports with others, please do! You can change a life simply by sharing your passion with someone else!

http://www.tripsforkidsdenver.org/

From Elliptical to Disastrous World Champs

2011-05-03T05:54:00.008-07:00

7 weeks after rupturing a disc in my back I found myself on the start line of the ITU Cross World Championships in Spain, what the heck was I doing? My training and prep for the race were far from ideal. However, I figured this was a chance to race somewhere new and an opportunity that may or may not present itself to me in the future, so heck I should go do it. For several weeks I was unable to workout and then I was confined to the elliptical machine for a few weeks before getting back on my bike and running about 2 weeks before the big day. I knew going into this race that I was not fit and my only goal was to finish and have fun.

After a long day of work on Tuesday I hopped on a plane and managed to sleep most of the way to London. I had no issues making my connecting flight to Madrid and was totally bummed when I arrived and my bike did not make it. After waiting in line for an hour and a half I filed my claim with lost baggage and was told my bike would be delivered to me in the morning. I hopped in my rental car and was off to the race site. Only problem was that navigating the Madrid highway chaos was more challenging than I expected. Finally after almost 2 hours of being lost when I found myself on what appeared to be a walking path I stopped and asked a nice couple for directions. They were impressed by my Spanish and asked if I was from France I said "no the USA". Oops, should have lied on that one because the nice man then rolled his eyes and walked away. I finally got on the right road and made it to our house at 1am. Mel's man Ross is awesome and waited up for me to make sure I made it. Thanks Ross!

To make a long story short the next 2 days were spent fighting with British Air about the whereabouts of my bike and Mel's bike. The fight ended with us still not having our bikes on race day. I was lucky enough to stay true to Specialized and borrow an Era from an age grouper, thanks Jo! It was too big for me but a few adjustments, swapping pedals and putting my seat in (don't ask me what made me put this in my checked bag rather than my bike box) and I made it work. I was missing my super light Stan's wheels but continued to remind myself that I was here for fun. A little more running around to get the tire pressure right and I was suddenly left with 20 minutes before the start to cram into my Xterra wetsuit and get a swim warmup in.

On to the race. The start was on a pontoon. Did I mention I hate diving into water. I really wanted to jump off the stupid pontoon but I sucked it up and dove when the gun went off. I wasn't swimming great but wasn't last either. I was with a group of 3 other girls and was sticking on their feet until one of them kicked my outstretched arm and my shoulder dislocated a bit. I stopped panicked and screamed for the boats to come to me. I've never felt like I was going to drown until that moment. I managed to give my arm a good yank and put it back where it belongs. I gave the boats a thumbs up and decided to keep going despite my shoulder hurting with every stroke. After my 30 second break I still managed to catch back up to the group I was with, wow hello adrenaline. This reminded me that those exercises I learned at PT the last time this happened to my shoulder are indeed important and I somehow need to find time to do them.

Onto the muddy bike course which consisted of 4 5km laps. No hills, lots of mushy grass and puddles as you literally rode in the lake. I was able to pick off quite a few girls, which was surprising. At the same time the big girls, Mel, Shonny, Emma, Christine, were all putting time on me, not surprising. I coasted quite a bit where I could to stretch out my back and was glad to get to the run. My run was nothing stellar and I had to spend 15sec in the penalty box for apparently mounting my bike too early. I saw the man holding the penalty board with my number on it and did a double take of #25 on the board and hmmm #25 on my body, yep that's me, guess I get a little break. I ended up 17th and was honestly glad to have finished given the circumstances of the last 2 months and the chaos of my trip. I know I should be closer to the top women but I'll save it for later in the year at the "real World Championships". I have a few more PT sessions for my back and should be 100% ready to train in another few weeks. It can only get better from here!

I was super excited that "real Xterra girls" not ITU ladies swept the podium. Mel 1st, Shonny 2nd and Emma with a huge breakthrough race in 3rd. That's two team Specialized racers on the podium, awesome!!!

Activities of the injured

2011-04-16T11:03:00.004-07:00

Since I'm still fighting with a back injury I seem to have a little more free time on my hands for:

A little light reading

Cupcake making to welcome our friends 9lb 13oz baby girl into this world

Some new paintings to go on the orange wall

I'm venturing outside on my bike for the first time in over 3 weeks today! The back is getting better but there is no way I will be in top shape for the ITU Cross Worlds in 2 weeks. I've gone back and forth for weeks about not going and maybe even shed some tears. However, I have come to accept that I will have no expectations about my race and simply have fun. Somehow I always seem to have early season setbacks, which proves to make me fast and not burned out by the end of the season when it really matters. Let's hope this year will be the same!

Infinit Goodness

2011-04-04T15:24:00.005-07:00

http://www.infinitnutrition.us/

I'm really excited to be working with Infinit Nutrition this year! Infinit is not your ordinary energy drink company because you can truly make it your own with custom blends of their products to meet your unique needs. I personally look like a giant salt lick after hard training sessions or races. I'm talking my black shorts turn white from all my salt sweaty, yes gross! You can change the levels of carbohydrates, electrolytes, flavor, calories, amino acids, protein and caffeine to address your unique needs. Check them out and use the code tark11 at checkout for a 10% discount.

I'm most excited about this:

It doesn't get much better than coffee flavored protein filled goodness with a hint of chocolate!

Sara's Six Secrets

2011-03-14T13:03:00.003-07:00

A few of my training secrets for the busy professional (or anyone really)
1. The rule of 7: Sleep is super important for recovery and is also directly correlated to my mood. If I sleep less than 7 hours, whether it’s from staying up too late to get things done or my mind racing when trying to sleep I re-evaluate my workouts in the morning and often throw one or both out. I have found this to keep me from getting too far “in the hole” and if nothing else Doug is happier that I’m not crabby, tired and whiny.

2. STOP if you are hurt: I’ve learned the hard way too many times by trying to “push through an injury”. People, listen to your body! Right now I’m fighting a back injury and I could have listened to that crazy athlete in me and gone on my long rides over the weekend, despite the fact that I could barely lean forward to grab the bars. But, this is only going to set me back more. Instead I’ve taken 3 days of nothing but walks, massage and chiropractor visits. I’m only going to lose about 5 good days of training compared to the weeks or months that “pushing through the pain” could lead to.

3. Drink water: Water is more important than we realize. Even a slight level of dehydration can significantly limit performance. I strive for at least 4 Nalgene sized bottles a day, maybe even more in the Summer. If I’m not at my desk when I’m in my office the next best place to look is the bathroom.

4. Pretend you are a fireman: Every night I get ready for the next day. I pack breakfast, lunches, water bottles, workout clothes and lay out my work clothes and bike if needed. This is partially because Doug is usually still sleeping when I leave and I can’t be fumbling around the room. As a result of my efforts to let my night owl (Doug) get some more ZZZZs in the morning I rarely forget things and it is so much easier to simply grab everything while I’m still half asleep in the morning. I can be up and out the door 5 minutes after my alarm goes off, surely there must be a prize for that.

5. STOP freaking out: We can plan our workouts all we want but we can’t always predict what the day throws at us. I can plan to ride my bike at 5:15 but then have a crisis at work and not get home until after 6. I spent plenty of time freaking out because “I didn’t get my entire workout in”. I’m learning to let it all go and realize that consistency is key and missing a little here and there does not equal failure. I estimate that the amount of stress work places on my body emotionally and physically is probably equal to at least 10+ hours of training anyways.

6. Eat all day: I’m not talking about eating all you want but I find that grazing throughout the day with a couple of medium sized meals in there keeps my energy up on long days. Lots of fruits, veggies and protein fill my food tote each day. And, indulge every now and then…cupcakes and Glacier ice cream top my list. If you’ve never been to Glacier ice cream here in Boulder you are seriously missing out.

2011 Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon Winners

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Mt. Taylor torture and win

2011-02-21T10:33:00.002-07:00

A quick recap of my longest, craziest race to date, the Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon held in Grants, NM. There is nothing easy about this event that starts with a 13 mile uphill bike, then a 5 mile uphill run, a 2 mile ski uphill, a 1 mile snowshoe uphill to the top of Mt. Taylor and then you get to do it all in reverse. My dad was very honest with me when I told him what I was doing and said, "I think you're crazy Sara". Logistically this event is confusing (at least for me as a first timer). 6 transitions and all your stuff must be in bags and go up to the mountain the night before. I had great guidance from my friends Amber and Eric and had the right stuff in each bag plus lots of extra jackets, gloves, hats and socks just in case I needed them.

I'm clearly not in ideal bike shape since I got shot off the pack pretty fast and was left to climb in the wind on my own. I got to the bike-run transition in 2nd place and quickly took over the lead on the run. I got to the run-ski transition with a small lead and when I was heading out Amber (2nd place in the end) was just entering. I knew I needed to get my butt moving if I wanted to take the win. Only problem is that I've never skinned up a hill and was not too good at it. Despite this I was able to maintain my lead and extended it on the snowshoe. The snowshoe is so steep I decided to walk/hike to avoid redlining at 11,000 with wind blasting at me from all directions. The ski down is where I thought I might die. Descending on skate skis is scary enough but add snow that is sloppy and not groomed well and it's an arms flailing comical event for spectators. I ended up taking two pretty big tumbles and had to take a few breaks to prevent my legs from cramping from all the snowplowing I was doing. I was so glad to get to the transition and get my skis off and running shoes on. The run was snowy and icy in spots and I was glad that I put some screws in my favorite pair of Avias to bite into the snow a bit. I passed several men on the run and after 5 miles of pounding downhill running I had never been so relieved to see my bike and get on it. That excitement lasted about 2 minutes until I realized there was a headwind making for a slow decent. I don't have a great road bike so I converted my Specialized Crux Cross bike to a road bike for the weekend and I was wishing for a little more aero position but was able to maintain my lead and get a police escort for the 13 miles back to town to finish in 4:34:52. The wind was so bad at times that I was in my easiest gear, going downhill...crazy.

This was the longest race I've done in my life and I'm a bit worried that I already want to go back next year. The race was the most organized event I've done. There were swarms of volunteers at each transition helping me with my stuff, shoving water at me and encouraging me the entire way. Well, done Grants, well done!

Feeling the burn in January

2011-01-26T20:52:00.009-07:00

In an effort to stay fit and motivated this Winter for the ITU Cross World Championships in April I've purchased some heated gloves and becoming a winter racer. I'm sure you're thinking what kind of winter racer are you if you need heated gloves. My excuse is that my mother passed on her poor circulation to me. I've struggled with cold hands for years (even when it's a balmy 45F out) and tried so many pairs of gloves with no success until I shelled out a good amount for some heated gloves...they are by far the best purchase I've ever made.

With toasty hands I tried my first biathlon this past weekend. Ouch...lung busting and fun all at the same time! You can see in the video below where I'm shooting standing that my heart is about to pop out of my chest...it sure makes shooting challenging to say the least. I love the combination of an endurance sport with something the requires intense focus and concentration.

New Year, New Sponsors, New Job

2011-01-09T17:22:00.004-07:00

I'm not one for New Years resolutions but I really do need to try and be better about this blogging business. I had a busy end of the year with lots of studying for my state social work licensing exam and an unexpected job change. I am now a licensed social worker in Colorado and will be starting a new job tomorrow with Boulder County working with the Juvenile Integrated Treatment Court. What's that you say? In lay man terms this is drug court for kids. I'm looking forward to a new challenge and getting back to working with tough adolescents. It's funny that one of my biggest fears is having my own teenagers but somehow I love working with them.

On the racing front I'm excited to announce all my sponsorships for the upcoming year. This year I will be partnering with Specialized, No Tubes, Avia, Native Eyewear, Xterra Wetsuits, Infinit Nutrition and Honey Stinger. I'm really excited to be working with two Colorado based companies, Honey Stinger and Native Eyewear. Thanks to all these companies for believing in me!

I'm excited for the upcoming season and hope to stay fit through the Winter with some snowshoe races, Mt. Taylor Quadathlon and maybe even a biathlon or two...yep, shooting and skiing.

Kauai Hiking and Beach Adventures

2010-11-06T08:38:00.006-07:00

Two days in Kauai is not enough! Just when I started to feel relaxed it was time to pack up our bags and head home. We had a great, but very long (4.5 hour) hike on the Napali Coast to a beautiful waterfall, some time relaxing on the beach, snorkeling with the masses and outstanding dinners. It was hard to find a beach where the water was calm enough to enter and the wind wasn't creating a constant blast of sand...we did succeed in finding one and I even took home a little sunburn. Next year there might be a little scuba diving involved in our Hawaii adventures if I can muster up the courage to overcome my anxiety about it. Until next year Hawaii...

Xterra Worlds Photos

2010-11-05T16:40:00.003-07:00

Xterra World Championships

2010-10-31T20:25:00.004-07:00

It's been a week since the showdown on Maui and I'm finally home and caught up enough on life to write a little race report.

After a smooth but long travel day we arrived Thursday evening and went straight to bed. Friday and Saturday were race prep and lots of lounging around for me while Doug went exploring the entire island on his bike. Saturday my mom ran/walked the 5K and in the process ended up breaking her ankle. It is clear that I get my determination and toughness from my mother. I witnessed her finish the race and walk around on what I kept telling her was "just a sprained ankle" for 2 days until she went to the doctor and learned it was broken.

Sunday I was up early and ready to go! I got in a good swim warm up, which turned out not to help the cause as I had one of my worst swims yet. I did get a clean start with minimal boxing moves involved. On the first lap I ingested a big mouth full of saltwater and felt a bit ill the rest of the swim. The bike was dusty and more congested for me thanks to my less than stellar swim. I can't say much about the bike other than it was OK, not fast, not feeling horrible, just OK. I came off the bike safely and had no mechanicals (thanks to my awesome mechanic and better half). I was told that I came off the bike in 9th place and was feeling great. After passing 3 girls on the run I thought I was in 6th place and coming into the finish was within seconds of what I thought was 5th. Turns out I was chasing Lesley who was in 7th and I would have to settle for 8th place. I was very happy with my run! The few cross country races I did in the last month helped me get my run closer to where it should be. The women's field was amazingly fast and a huge congrats to Shonny on her victory! I went 4 minutes faster and was faster in ever discipline but only managed to be one place closer to the podium.

A huge thanks to all my sponsors who have helped me out this season, Specialized, GU, Genuine Innovations, USANA, CycleOps, Nathan, and Avia! I truly believe in all the products I use and I'm fortunate to have companies that have been willing to support my mission to be one of the best Xterra athletes out there.

After a few days of hiking, snorkeling and relaxing in Kauai it was back to reality and being reminded about what is really important in life. My dad had a weird issue with his thumb while we were in Maui and went to the doctor 3 times there but got no answers. When he got back to Denver he needed emergency surgery to remove a rapidly spreading infection in his thumb joint. While my athletic endeavors are an integral part of my life nothing means more to me than my wonderful parents. Heal up mago and pago!

Xterra USA Championship Pictures

2010-10-06T19:15:00.003-07:00

My race sherpa and daily supporter zipping me up

Out of the water

Bike and run photos thanks to Gene Murrieta

Xterra USA Nationals - A Missed Appointment

2010-09-30T06:49:00.008-07:00

Last Thursday my race sherpa, good friend Brian and myself departed in the dark to get to

beautiful Snowbasin, Utah for the Xterra USA Nationals. The drive was uneventful except for almost running out of gas, almost being the key word. We arrived in time for me to do my first interview for Xterra TV...I wore my finest shoes for this:

I was feeling very ready to race and had some great mountain bike results from a few weeks prior that had my confidence high. Race day went well and I learned some lessons. I came out of the swim in about the same position I normally do. The swim was more calm than last year. I was only punched in the face once and was able to stick with a small group most of the swim.

I quickly started to move up on the bike. Snowbasin is the ideal course for me, it's at altitude and is mostly uphill. I picked off several women and found myself holding on to Shonny's wheel longer than I ever have when she came by me. I lost a little bit of focus on the top loop of the bike. They switched the bike course from last year and we climbed more single track than before. I was getting flustered trying to pass people in this section. Lesson one, be more aggressive when passing and stay focused. I came into T2 in 4th and struggled through the run. I don't know what it is with me and this course but my legs seem to cramp on the run. I didn't resort to walking like last year but was unable to climb the hills well or maintain a good turnover. Lesson two, I can't depend on my running history to get me through races anymore, I need to run more. Renata and Christine passed me in the last mile of the run and I was unable to hang with them. I ended up 7th overall and the 2nd American. It was a close race with 4th-7th being separated by less than 2 minutes. Congrats to all my Melrad teammate, especially Mel for her big win!

I was certain that I could get a podium spot this year and I am finally within striking range. So, I missed my appointment with the podium this year but I'll be back next year! And, it's not too late to have a break through race at Worlds...

Thanks to all my sponsors Avia, Specialized, GU, Profile Designs and Nathan. Also, a huge thanks to Doug and Katherine for all their support on race day!

Wow

2010-07-19T19:47:00.009-07:00

Wow, it's been a few weeks since my last update and lots of good things have happened since then.

First, Doug and I defended our co-ed team victory at the Firecracker 50 on the 4th of July. We went a little faster than last year despite me getting stuck behind a train of slower men and a small crash when my back wheel slid out on a downhill switchback. My new Specialized Era is great and bounces back each time there is an "operator error".

The next weekend took us to Telluride for our good friends wedding. It was an amazing weekend with some fun mountain bike rides, a long run in the woods where I did not see anyone else, delicious food, tasty drinks and me busting out my moves on the dance floor. Not too many people get to see the party like a rock star side of me but Brian insisted that I party and I did not let him down. I can't believe that I have lived in Colorado my entire life and never made it to this beautiful place, thanks Brian and Katherine for giving me a wonderful reason to see Telluride!

Last weekend was a much anticipated weekend for me, the Xterra Mountain Cup. I had a great swim in my Profile Design wetsuit, coming out of the water 4th. I quickly moved into 1st on the bike and was just waiting for Shonny to pass me. Shonny caught me about the same place she did last year and I tried to hold her pace for a while until I realized I would need to still be able to run afterwards. I came into transition in 2nd and maintained my spot until the end. I didn't feel awesome on the run but was strong enough to have one of the faster run splits. It was great to have my parents at the race to watch me. I wouldn't be the athlete I am today without all their encouragement! Thanks to all my sponsors...Avia, Specialized, Profile Designs and GU for all the support and great products!

2 weekends, 2 podiums

2010-06-28T14:04:00.004-07:00

We spent the last two weekends in Winter Park racing on some super fun trails. Two weekends ago was the Hill Climb...5 miles all up hill on the service road. It was my maiden voyage on my new Specialized Era and despite my seat being too high, which lead to incredible leg pain I still pulled off a 3rd place finish. Word to the wise, if you think your seat is too high, it probably is...lower it so you can walk the next day. After getting a quick bike fit during the week from Ryan Ignatz at Colorado Multisport I was ready for another weekend of racing. This past weekend was the Super Loop, an 18 mile race with fun single track, not so fun road sections into a head wind and a good bit of climbing. With my seat at a better height I moved up one step on the podium to 2nd place. Winter Park has such fun trails...it has become my weekend haven (in both Smmer and Winter) and we are saving our pennies to some day have a cabin in the woods there. After the race there was a wine and chocolate festival at the resort that I was excitied to attend but after seeing that tickets were $10 for 10 little tastes it seemed like a waste of money.

This weekend it is the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge. No I'm not crazy enough to do the whole 50 miles by myself. For the third year Doug and I will be racing as a team and gunning for the win again while our friends drink beer and taunt us. Should be fun!

I think I can breathe now

2010-06-18T15:05:00.006-07:00

Life is back to being hectic again now that I am no longer part of the 9.?% in this country. I applied for my job on a Monday, got a call to interview Tuesday, interviewed Wednesday and again on Thursday and less than 3 hours afterwards I had a job offer, which I accepted after a long bike spent weighing my options. That left me with only 3 days to switch from unemployed mode to crazy, busy, why do I do this to myself mode? I am working for Imagine! (yes, there is an exclamation point after the agency name) as a Foster Care Placement Worker. Imagine! is a wonderful agency that provides services to people with disabilities. I am responsible for managing 14 kids in 7 different foster homes. I've had a super busy 3 weeks of trial by fire and lots of learning on my own. I'm finally starting to feel adjusted to rising with the sun and having the days planned to a T.

On the training side of things I have had some solid consistent weeks all around. I'm looking forward to all the upcoming mountain bike races now that the snow in the high country has finally melted. We ventured up to the Teva Games and Doug talked me into doing both the mountain bike race and 10K trail race. When you show up to the start line with Georigia Gould, Katie Compton, Heather Irmiger, Kelli Emmet and little Amy D you know you are in for a hard day. I was climbing very well and pulled off an 11th place finish in a super stacked field. Right after the race Doug forced me to get in a good cool down (rather than my normal I'm done get me off this bike routine), eat some food right away, sit in the frigid cold stream and then lay down in the plush hotel bed the rest of the day. I'm convinced my focus on recovery really helped as I was able to pull off a 5th place in the 10K trail run on Sunday and felt pretty good too. However, the picture says it all, "hardest 10K in my life". They literally ran us straight up and down the ski slopes and most people, including me, were relegated to fast hiking. The girl behind me was an amazing downhill runner and once we started to head down to the finish her long legs took off. There really is an art to running downhill fast and I wish I was gifted in this area. This was my first year at Teva Games and I'll be back for sure next year! This weekend is the Winter Park Hill Climb, yard work and hopefully our first ride of the year in Nederland.

Hand is healed, summer is here

2010-05-26T08:15:00.002-07:00

My hand is almost as good as new! I did a local mountain bike race Sunday, well, it was more like an hour long short track, lung and leg busting suffer fest. The hand was great but a little sore by the end because the course was super bumpy. Doug and I both ended up second in our races. We got beat by local legends the Hogans, yes they are older, 45ish, and super fast...they blew us both apart! It felt good to ride hard and beat my legs up again after my early season break I took while healing my hand.

And finally, after a relentless Spring, Summer seems to be here in Boulder! My veggie garden and wildflowers are sprouting, we had to sleep with the window cracked and I even wore shorts one day. I'm looking forward to lots of good Summer adventures...the Firecracker 50, our good friends wedding in Telluride, possibly a mountain bike adventure from Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail and lots of good local racing! I won't be heading to anymore Xterra Cup races until Beaver Creek...it doesn't make financial sense for me right now. My plan of peaking in late Summer and Fall has proven successful the last two years, so I'm trying not to worry too much that I'm not feeling super fast or fit right now...it will come, especially now that there are races to do every weekend if I want, yeah Summer!

To Each His Own

2010-05-14T12:56:00.002-07:00

Each day it becomes more clear to me that I am no good at being a full time athlete. I need and crave balance in my life and I have been lacking this since I became unemployed. I miss the days of getting up with the sun to do a workout before hurrying into a nice skirt, doing my hair and putting make-up on, eating on the go, endless meetings, court hearings, and driving all around to schools and homes to see clients. I think I have fixed my hair only a handful of times and maybe put makeup on twice in the last two months. I miss my bubbling coworkers and the view of the courtyard garden from my office window. I even sometimes miss those challenging days when clients were angry and said 'not so nice' things to me.

It is in my nature to give to others and help people work through their issues in order to achieve their goals. I have had many people tell me that this is a great chance for me to focus solely on Xterra or maybe even move into a different career. Truth is, I don't want to be just a professional triathlete and I really don't want to switch careers, I am passionate about what I do both as social worker and an athlete. I know that leaving the agency I was with was necessary for my professional growth and my mental well-being...things were going downhill in a hurry. Now the hard part...I have to have patience and wait until a new opportunity comes my way. It baffles me how I can be so calm and patient with clients but I struggle to be patient with myself. I am confident that something good will come out of all this but somedays the unknown simply drains me. I know many people (especially in the "Boulder Bubble") find it crazy that I actually want to work a stressful full-time job and don't understand how someone could be unhappy not working. Well, as my mother always said, "to each his own".

Xterra West Championships

2010-04-29T08:34:00.005-07:00

If I had to describe the Xterra West Championships in two words it would be hot and painful. I knew very well that my fitness is lacking, it is April afterall, and snowing as I write this. I got beat up at the start of the swim, goggles knocked off and a few mouthfuls of toxic water but after things settled down I was able to get in a groove and came out in 5th place. I know my legs are still waking from hibernation and considering this I was doing fine on the bike, only being passed by the speedy legs of Shonny and Renata. And then came my big spill. There was a slippery pipe we had to get over and I had no issues with this when I prerode the course but at race speed this proved disastrous for me. My rear wheel slid out and I went down hard. I caught my fall with my right hand and instantly knew something was wrong when I could barely grab the bars, shift or brake. Wherever it was possible I rode with one hand and was determined to finish...yes that is the crazy competitive athlete in me. I shed some tears while riding and let out a few screams of pain at times. My real freak out came when I took my gloves off as I was coming into transition and saw how swollen my wrist was. On the run I realized it was unlikely that I would catch anyone and I could not see anyone close behind so I put it on cruise and finished in 8th place. I immediately went to the med tent and of course started crying because the season just is getting going and I have never had a big injury.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out...Paul for lugging my bags and bike around, Mel for making my bed, Becky for giving me some wine "to make the pain go away" less than 30 minutes after I finished and for tying my suit so I could lounge by the pool, and Will for driving fast back to Boulder. Also, huge thanks to Doug who has stepped it up around the house to help me...he even cleaned the toilets!

Despite losing the ability to use my right hand (yes, I am right handed) I'm glad I went to Vegas since I had the chance to meet all my wonderful Melrad teammates, Shawn from Avia and Dan from Nathan. It was also great to see fellow racers and soak up some sun. Now, hopefully I can figure out how to keep training through this. On Tuesday the doctor could not tell for sure by looking at Xrays if the hook of hamate and pisiform bones are broken or not and wanted me to get a CT scan. These bones are apparently very difficult to see in Xrays. Hopefully, by next week I will have a more definitive answer and treatment plan.

First race of the year

2010-04-20T06:25:00.003-07:00

For the past several weeks I've been battling an IT band issue that only hurts when I ride. After taking some time off the bike and getting some serious massage from the "king of massage", Jeff Staron, I needed to test my leg out before going to Xterra Vegas. We ventured to the Front Range Mountain Bike series race #2 in Arvada. Rain, mud and cold was the theme of the day, especially during my race. I had a good start and got to the singletrack in 3rd. I moved up to 2nd quickly and then somehow got what appeared to be a rusty bike spoke tangled in my cassette. After stopping to wrangle the rusty metal out I had dropped back to about 7th. I regained my spot in 2nd after another lap but was never able to catch 1st. For my first race and really my first real effort of the year I was quite pleased. I was not pleased with the rocks and mud flinging in my mouth and the rain smacking me in the face. I think the worst part of the day was that Doug had just cleaned my bike and I was able to ruin all his hard work in about 2 minutes, sorry babe.

Xterra Vegas is in 5 days! Am I ready? Sure, I'm ready to get some sun, have some fun and race as best I can this early in the year. No expectations or pressure for this one, that comes in July and October...

Cuteness

2010-04-10T20:38:00.005-07:00

These pictures of my nephew made me smile. I love this lil guy, especially his bareback style on his rocking horse from Aunt Sara.

Moab Smiles

2010-04-08T08:21:00.005-07:00

This picture about sums up our rides in Moab! Other than being caught in a blizzard riding on Thursday the weather was great and we got in some long, fun rides. The wind decided to kick up every night making for some less than ideal camping and sleeping conditions. I was convinced on two nights that the tent was going to blow away with both of us in it, luckily the trusty Marmot held up through it all. The best day by far was riding my favorite trail Porcupine Rim. We ran into Tom and Bobby from Boulder on the trail and rode with them. Thanks for letting me steal some of your pictures Tom and for making me realize that Doug is indeed a freak because he rides stuff that most people (including other males) think is insane. I was able to climb surprisingly well considering that I haven't spent much time focusing on climbing. Then there is the decent...so fun! On the long decent I just get into a rhythm and have some speed that carries me over ledges and through sections that would have made my cry three years ago when I started mountain biking. Doug often would look back and say, "did you ride that"? I think he was quite proud when I continued to say "yeah" and had a grin on my face the whole time.

The Jeep Safari was going on while we were there, which wasn't much of an issue on the trail since they go about 5 mph. Most of the Jeepers were super nice. I was offered hot chocolate or whiskey when were riding in the blizzard. Not sure why I didn't take either, surely it would have returned some feeling to my hands. The stuff the Jeeps do is quite impressive and fun to watch! The Audi tried to get in on the fun when Doug had to rally it over some rough sections to get us in and out of the campsite. Not quite as impressive as the Jeeps but pretty good for the low rider. Until next time Moab!

I can't believe in two weeks I will be heading to Vegas for my first Xterra of the year. I tend to be a late season performer but I'm excited to see how I stack up this early on and to see what I need to focus on in the next few months.

Be kind to yourself

2010-03-25T14:54:00.013-07:00

My good friend and teammate Becky posted this on our Melrad team blog http://melrad.com/2010/03/24/meet-my-friends/ and I was left speechless, ok a tear might have even rolled out of my eye. I am known to be pretty hard on myself, perhaps perfectionistic is the correct word. Since becoming unemployed I've struggled to find balance and shift the priorities in my life. It took a friend of mine to shake me from my fog with her amazing words and remind me that I need to be patient and kind to myself. There will be plenty of time in the future for me to have hectic weeks and there is no limit to the things I can do in my career. But for now I need to slow down, have an extra cup of coffee and be kind to myself everyday.

Biathlon

2010-03-18T07:47:00.003-07:00

Doug tried his hand at biathlon in Snow Mountain Ranch last weekend and now I've got this "I'd like to try this" bug. I got out for a great 2 hour skate ski while Doug was helping score the first wave and waiting for his wave to start. Doug shot better than most people, no surprise there, and for his first season on skate skis he did awesome! The Colorado Biathlon Club is possibly the most friendly organization I've come across lately. Everyone was cheering for Doug even though they never met him and somehow I must look like I should be racing because I was asked about a dozen times, "why didn't you race today"? This summer there is a mountain bike and trail run biathlon that I might have to jump into. I'm hoping they can put some beer cans up really close to me for my targets since that seems to be what I am capable of hitting. I think we are done skiing for the year and need to get a little more focused on long weekend rides now that Spring is almost here. Probably won't happen this weekend though since it is supposed to snow up to 12" tomorrow...Spring in the Rockies always keeps you guessing about what the day will bring.

Crossroads

2010-02-17T21:28:00.005-07:00

I thought about posting this last week and refrained. As the month comes to a close and my decision has been made, I'm ready to share.

It's no secret the US economy is in horrible shape and if you work in a government agency you've probably felt the impact of huge deficits in one way or another. I'm at a crossroads with my job right now. For the last 3 months my agency has started the process of forcing major structural changes in an effort to better meet the needs of the families we serve. Hours are changing, well functioning coherent teams are being uprooted and shifted around. I've been anxious and angry for 3 months...what will my job be, when will I work, who will my supervisor be, why are they fixing something that isn't broken, is this really going to help better serve our clients?

Three weeks ago it was announced that 25 employees would be laid off. Our workloads and the nature of our work is such that the loss of 25 employees coupled with monumental structural changes has me (and many other people) scared. Then a week ago we were told that employees can accept a voluntary layoff. What ensued was a week of sleepless nights and contemplation about one of the toughest decisions I've made in my 29 years.

When very knowledgeable people that you trust in your agency say, "if I could I would" and "I don't blame you and I support you" it speaks to the negative climate. So, here I am with 4 more days of work and then...

No, I won't abandon the field of social work but I will study for and take the licenced clinical social worker exam, take the Colorado school social worker exam and continue to explore the few job possibilities that are out there right now. Oh, and I might have a bit more time to train and finish some home projects. I think I might be able to sleep tonight!

Offseason Happenings

2010-02-03T19:08:00.003-07:00

Just in case anyone cares...I'm still alive and have not completely abandoned my blog. The last few months have gone by too quickly. It's time to start focusing on training again and I'm getting excited for the upcoming season. One thing I may do a bit more seriously than my competitors it really embrace my offseason...I'm an expert at it really. I took several weeks of no training, ok maybe more like 3.5 weeks afters Worlds and then about a month of simple "exercise" with no agenda. January marked the start of my "start to train" and now it's "let's get a little more serious mode". Most exciting news is that I was asked to be part of Mels rad racing for the upcoming season. I'm really looking forward to being on this team with awesome sponsors and great teammates. Thanks Mel for giving me this opportunity!

Doug and I have been doing lots of home improvement projects this winter. We insulated the attic and crawlspace to. We have ripped down some wood paneling, painted some walls and are getting ready to tackle a kitchen update. It is a slow process but rewarding to be doing it all ourselves. I had one construction injury...smashing my foot with a hammer while trying to get a nail out of the baseboard. No broken bones, just tissue damages that took a good week to heal. I wish I could say we've had some awesome skiing but there has been a serious lack of snow at the resorts we ski...oh well, more time to work on the house.

Here are a few pictures from the last few monts. We spent Christmas in Bradford, PA for the second year in a row with Doug's family. Yes, I'm in love with a redneck and he loves when I shoot beer cans! If Doug could learn to skate ski fast we would for sure be headed to the next Olympics for biathlon...

My man and his dad shooting

Me shooting some beer cans at the gun club

My new ride...watch out Mel!

Getting ready to insulate the crawlspace with toxic spray foam

Holiday Happenings

2009-12-20T17:12:00.010-07:00

Here is a pile of presents, none of them were for us and I couldn't have been happier about it! Instead of doing gifts this year my family adopted a family through the Family to Family Program run by Boulder County. Nobody in my family 'needs' anything...we have our health, the ability to eat 3 meals a day, a roof over our heads and great friends. While I 'want' an oven that works when on Broil I have everything I need and feel such satisfaction knowing that a family will be smiling on Friday when they open their gifts that they otherwise would not have been able to afford.

Last weekend we visited the railroad museum in Golden for some family fun with lil Sam. This picture about sums about Sam's fascination with trains.

Sam is not too sure about the bearded fellow

This morning we had Tarkington Christmas since Doug and I head to Bradford on Wednesday, Jon, Beth and Sam to Houston on Tuesday and my parents to sunny San Diego tomorrow. We ate our traditional candy cane bread with eggs and watched Sam be overwhelmed by the many presents he was spoiled with. Jon and I really like Sam's fancy tricycle. If this were 25 years ago he would have surely crashed me into something intentionally and then tried to get me in trouble for it.

Hawaii fun Pictures

2009-11-06T07:47:00.007-07:00

Hmmm, I just realized that I started this post a long time ago and never put it up. Work has been crazy and today is one of the first days I can "waste a little time" (aka blogging).

Here are some non-race related pictures from Hawaii. We took two long drives to check out the beaches and scenary. The first one took us all around the north side of the island. All the guide books say "driving not recomended past this point". we ended up driving on a one lane road about as wide as a golf cart path in places. It was very driveable just sketchy if you encountered a car coming towards you. Clearly lots of tourists enjoy this golf cart path as there were several vendors along the way the would jump out in front of your car to peddle their fruit. Our second drive took us on the famous road to Hana...windy, narrow, rainforests, beaches. It was a beautiful drive but we didn't really want to come back the way we came and once again did what the tourist guides said not to do and went on the "do not drive this road". I'm not sure what all the hype was about, it was dirt in places and not well maintained but it was quite driveable and few people were on it. Check it out if you ever make it to Hana!

"Sara your big head keeps getting in the way of the sun"

Huge bamboo forest

Don't feed the seals while naked

Close to Hana

View from the golf cart path

2009 Xterra Worlds Race Report

2009-11-02T12:24:00.008-07:00

Swim

I'll sum this up in one word, brutal. I was punched in the eye, hit in the arms countless number of times and full on kicked in my left quad leaving me with a 'charlie horse' for the rest of the race. All the rumbling was with men in the swim, those yellow caps were surrounding me and mean. They would not start the race until everyone was out of the water so I sat shivering for 10 minutes on shore. Usually they say to get out of the water, nobody does and they start the race anyways. They had people walking in the surf with kayak paddles prodding people back to shore. I had a decent swim but not as fast as I would have liked. I came out of the water in 8th with several girls not too far behind me.

Bike

I felt strong on the bike but wasn't climbing like I know I am capable of. Men kept fumbling on the short climbs in front of me, falling off and forcing me to hike-a-bike more than I needed to. I also think I was worried that going to hard on the bike would lead to "blowup" like it did for me at Nationals. I focused on drinking lots and pushing "just hard enough". The bike is not very technical but bad things happen to people out there. It is easy to get out of control and not be able to stop since you are basically surfing on top of loose, sharp lava rocks. There are always people fixing flats along the entire course. Luckily, my personal mechanic (aka Doug) had my bike working flawlessly except for a slight chain mishap that only took me about 6 seconds to fix. I came off the bike in 8th after several position changes on the bike.

Run
I felt strong going into the run and was well hydrated. I was able to push up the hills better than last year. Doug yelled at me that there were four girls in front of me within 2 minutes. Marion passed me a few miles into the run. I could see Marion and Danelle in front of me most of the run, especially on the mile long beach stretch, but was never able to catch them. I ended up 9th in 3:15:57, almost 4 minutes faster than last year. Top five were Julie Dibens, Lesley Patterson, Mel McQuaid, Carina Wasle and Shonny V. Congrats to all you speedy women!

It's amazing how the women's field seems to get faster and faster every year. I felt I had in in me to be in the top 5, but I simply didn't have my best race. I have nothing to complain about though, I was almost 4 minutes faster, had no major catastrophes and am able to race at a professional level while maintaining full time career. I'm ready for a break...a chance to sleep in, experiment in the world of gluten free baking, finish some knitting projects that have been gathering dust since last Spring, and cross off many projects on our house 'to do list'.

Thanks to my parents and Doug for being the best fans and support at the race! Thanks to Wheat Ridge Cyclery for my Yeti, Powerbar for gels with lots of electrolytes, Perlizumi for some great training and racing gear, Xterra wetsuits for my 'sausage suit' (fastskin), Powercordz for some cables that help make my bike super light! I'm looking forward to next year and plan to come back with some serious 'fire in my belly'. I'm also excited to be part of a great team next year...I'll let you keep guessing about that one...

From paradise to snow

2009-10-29T18:57:00.003-07:00

We made it back to Boulder this afternoon after a long trip including a night spent in the Portland airport. We came back to around 20 inches of snow here in Boulder...from paradise to snow in a day! The season has finally come to a close for me. The 2009 Xterra Worlds pro field was stacked and every woman was fast (this may be an understatement). I went almost 4 minutes faster than last year and placed 9th (the same place as last year). Pictures and race report will come I'm just too tired now.

Dear Mrs. Piggy

2009-10-16T05:32:00.003-07:00

Ok swine flu, I know you have infected several people in my office and you have me running scared. Please stay away from me for the next 10 days. My hands are raw from many washings and being lathered in hand sanitizer. I even invested in antiviral/antibacterial wipes and wipe down my desk area daily. I'm taking lots of Vitamin C, echinachea and garlic...I hope it all works Mrs. Piggy and you don't come knocking at my door.

I always struggle to stay healthy this time of year for some reason and this year is no exception. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can make it a few more days without catching anything. I'm feeling ready for Maui and the only thing that would slow me down at this point is being sick.

Last weekend I had some less than ideal Maui prep...a cyclocross race in the snow. I bundled up in an effort to simulate a warmer climate but actually never warmed up much as it was breezy and in the 20's. Good hard effort though that was rewarded with a burger and beer! One more intense run and ride session and then it is rest, rest, rest for me.

Give me some oxygen and heat

2009-10-06T13:45:00.006-07:00

We spent the weekend in Frisco so Doug could do 2 cyclocross races. The trip marked the first time since ski season that I went to the mountains and was not racing...crazy! I enjoyed a long ride on the Peaks Trail on Saturday and a long hilly run on Sunday. I was planning on just running along the path to Copper Mountain but then I saw a little trail and a sign talking about an old mine. So I ran up, up and up some more. I made it to the mine and was determined to get to the top but once it got so steep I had to walk I called it a day...sweet coffee was calling my name. Both my ride and run had me thinking about skiing since there was snow on the ground.

Doug makes it look so easy

I've entered the heat and oxygen period of my Hawaii prep. That weird girl running with a hat and long sleeves on a beautiful Fall day, that's me. The sweaty girl you see going back and forth between the sauna and steam room, that's me. I'm not sure how much this helps me get ready to race in Hawaii but I think there is something to it. I did the same thing last year and was not bothered too much by the heat. I'm also doing supplemental oxygen workouts on the bike and run at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. It's amazing how much harder you can make yourself go when you have so much sweet oxygenated air. Thanks to Paul and Becky for loaning me a slick tire and Powertap to use during these torture sessions! I've never used a Powertap and don't even use a heart rate monitor when I train.

My 'technology' is my Timex watch. Yep, the kind you buy at Target. This one is pretty advanced though seeing as it has 3 different alarms you can set. What the heck do you need 3 different alarms for? We'll have to see if I take to this technologically advanced training or not.

Xterra Nationals

2009-10-01T06:59:00.004-07:00

Last weekend I had a successful day at Xterra Nationals held in beautiful Snowbasin, Utah. The hills were covered with hues of red and yellow and the weather was sunny and warm. This course is all about climbing...my favorite! The swim starts in Pineview Reservoir down in the valley. The bike climbs and climbs all the way to Snowbasin ski area, then in case you didn't get enough it climbs some more up the ski area before coming back to the base of the area. The run is a big climb, up to some 'flattish' rocky single track and then back down to the base of the area.

Right before the mayhem began

I came out of the swim in 5th(?) about 30 seconds behind eventual winner Mel. I had a great bike (11 minutes faster than last year on a slightly longer course) and came to T2 in 3rd behind Mel and Shonny. The second I got off my bike I knew I was in trouble. I had sharp pains in both quads, think a knife being stabbed into your leg. The cramps stayed in my legs the entire run and eventually my stomach cramped too. I resorted to walking a little and even had the thought of getting a ride on a moto back to the finish but I was as tough as I could be and held on for 6th place (2nd American). I was bummed that my body failed me although it was probably my own fault for not drinking enough on the bike...Doug scolded me about this as he usually does. However, I could not be happier with how close I am to the podium even on a 'bad day'! This race served to boost my confidence and get me excited about Worlds and beyond. Top five women were Mel McQuaid, ShonnyV., Lesley Patterson, Carina Wasle, Jenny Smith. So glad to be done, not sure what's with the Elvis lip

Post race we celebrated with an awesome dinner, drinks, ice cream and lots of laughter! The trip was made even more special and fun because of my travel buddies and support men. Thanks Doug and Paul for helping us on race day...it meant the world to me to have such dedicated support! I might have passed out without getting another bottle from Doug. Brian had a great race and can now stop saying that his friends girlfriends are faster than him...good work Brian! Becky had a huge smile on her face during the race and had a successful day in many, many ways! Also, thanks to all my sponsors...Wheat Ridge Cyclery, Yeti, Powerbar, Rudy Project, Pearlizumi and Xterra wetsuits.

After a long ride home complete with road closures, consumption of fast food and too many candy corn pumpkins I'm home and enjoying a rest week before a little more hard training before Worlds. Three weeks from today and I will be drinking my coffee on the lanai overlooking the ocean with my parents (Doug will probably still be sleeping).

I'm still here

2009-09-19T06:55:00.006-07:00

Yes, I'm still alive and well! Work has been busy now that the schools are back in session. We are walking on egg shells and keeping our fingers crossed that the billions of dollars the state has to cut from the budget does not affect us. We already were told no raises this year. Honestly, I'm thankful to have a job at this point...not sure how we would be eating otherwise.

On a more exciting note my condo finally sold. Being a bit of an independent woman I thought I could sell my condo on my own. After almost 2 months of little interest I hired Botsy Phillips as a realtor and my place was under contract in about a week. Check him out if you need a realtor: http://ihomefinder.com/idx/AgentBio.cfm?cid=4081&aid=13602

On the racing front I'm feeling ready for Nationals this weekend...a bit nervous, but ready! We raced the Fall Classic in Breckenridge two weeks ago and it was a gorgeous mud fest. No, really, despite snowing the night before the weather was perfect, the course challenging and the aspens were even yellow up high. I ended up 3rd in the Pro Women after being in second until the last few miles. Last Saturday was a cross race in Golden and let's just say I'm really not good at starting hard. Watching me you would have thought I was out for a Saturday cruise on the Creek Path, "oh go ahead please, oh and you too, everyone just go on ahead, let's not fight for the hole shot". I was in dead last off the line but worked my way up through the field to 9th. I ate it going over a barrier and have a lovely blue shin now. It's not fair when the barrier is almost up to your knee and when the fatigue sets in it takes all my might to get over these. Or maybe it's because I never practice this. I was much more fortunate that my sister-in-law who now has a new neck piece like this:

Let me tell you Beth is one tough lady! She didn't finish the race but was walking around and feeding Baby Sam only to learn when she got to the ER that her C7 is fractured. Beth, we're glad you're OK...heal up soon! Life can change quickly, appreciate what you have and those that you love!

What's in your work bag?

2009-08-23T13:05:00.002-07:00

While looking for a pen during a work meeting on Friday I pulled out a pen with a piece of moleskin stuck to it...very nice professional touch. It got me wondering what else was buried in there. So today is clean out my work bag day and besides a piece of moleskin I found Airborne, 2 tubes of lotion, toothpaste, Purell, 7 nice pens (I knew they were in there somewhere), last years USAT and ACA licenses, an old Comcast bill stub, 2 baggies, my reading glasses (hmm guess I should try to wear them), a little tag I was going to put on my running shoe with my emergency contact info on it, random scraps of paper reminding me to do something, my Burt Bees lipstick (yes I do put this on sometimes so I'm less likely to be mistaken for a student at the schools I visit), and best of all a gift card to the Boulder Book Store. I think my shoulder will thank me that my bag is a little lighter and less cluttered now.

After my mid season break I'm back in the swing of training. Yesterday Doug and I took the bus to Nederland and almost 6 hours later arrived back home. Doug has explored lots of "secret" trails and after playing on the Nederland trails we are able to ride singletrack almost all the way back to Boulder. I only had one slight meltdown (aka bonking) but Doug shoved some fruit leather in my mouth and I was ready to go again. Today I did a long run and it was hot. We haven't had many hot Summer days this year and I never workout in the middle of the day so I got my butt kicked by the heat. Sad thing is it isn't even as hot as it will be Worlds. I'd better start my sauna training soon.

Time for some rest

2009-08-06T08:05:00.004-07:00

Where is the summer going? My caseload at work usually slows down in the Summer with the schools being out but this has not been the case lately. There were few weeks where I could take a moment and breath but now it's chaotic again and the schools don't go back for two more weeks...good timing for a break from training.My nephew turned 1 on July 22nd and we had a fun family party. This picture is right before we realized Sam was breaking out in hives from that yummy frosting. A quick bath and a slathering with cortizone seemed to take care of the problem.

After doing minimal training since Beaver Creek I raced the Eldora Xterra last Saturday mostly because it was in my own backyard. I was mentally not in race mode and was just out cruising around having fun. I ended up in 2nd place behind Jenny Smith. I was sticking my tongue out for pictures, chatting on the run and even did a nice walk across the finish line. It was a fun race...I just wish that I had a little more mental energy. This week I'm not training at all to get my mind and body recharged for the 2nd half of the season. My exercise for the week consists of taming our jungle of a yard and painting some outdoor furniture. I've also been sleeping in until 7am (or even after)...heaven! This weekend might involve my first trip to the farmer's market this year, a hike and maybe even some reading by the creek. Hopefully, after this week I will be ready to "get back at it" in preparation for Nationals and Worlds.

Xterra Mountain Cup

2009-07-20T07:23:00.006-07:00

Saturday was the Xterra Mountain Cup in Beaver Creek and I think "wow" sums up my race nicely! I knew going into the race that I was fit and have been climbing awesome in all my mountain bike races but I had no idea that I would take 3rd place in a really tough field of pro women. With two years of mountain biking experience I think I'm finally ready to be a contender at the big races. I had a decent swim coming out 5th. Super swimmer Susan Williams was 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd place woman and long out of sight. The mountain bike climbs from Avon up to the Beaver Creek and is a real leg and lung buster because of the amount of climbing and how steep some sections are. I quickly passed 3 girls and knew I was in second at that point. Shonny came by me after a few miles and I decided, "I'm going to try to ride with her". To my surprise I was able to ride with Shonny almost until the top of the climb when she put the pedal to the metal and I knew it would be a mistake to push my limits anymore as the run is brutal and I needed some gas in the tank for it. I kept waiting for riders like Jenny Smith and Sari Anderson to pass me and was surprised that this never happened. The bike was a little longer than last year but with my new found mountain biking abilities I went over 7 minutes faster than last year. I ended up passing Susan Williams in the last few miles of the bike and went into the run in 2nd. I was running scared because I knew Danelle Kabush was behind me and is a super speedy runner. Sure enough about half way into the run Danelle passed me. I was hurting badly and my hips were cramping up a bit but I tried not to let her out of my sight. I ended up 16 seconds behind Danelle at the finish line and was elated with my race. Congrats to everyone who finished the race...it is a tough one! The podium...Renata, Rebecca, Danelle, Shonny, me, Susan. I hate opening champagne bottles...it scares me and I couldn't get the job done fast enough so I just let Shonny and Danelle do the honors.

My dad and baby Sam in their best Xterra cheering attire.

Saturday night I headed over to Winter Park to cheer on and help Doug at the MTB National Championships at Sol Vista. The Super D and Short Track races were on Sunday and it was obvious that Doug was exhausted from his XC race the day before (where he finished 5th) but he was in good spirits about it all. Doug and I finished the weekend up with some burritos and margaritas on the couch while watching the Tour. All in all a great weekend!

Firecracker 50 and CU Short Track

2009-07-09T10:08:00.005-07:00

For most Americans the 4th of July is all about beer, BBQ and playing with fire. For us it is a chance to head up to Breckenridge and abuse our bodies for a few hours in the Firecracker 50. Last year Doug and I competed in the co-ed team division (each team member does one 25 mile loop) and placed 2nd. This year we went back for the win and win we did! I'm finally starting to feel strong and fast. I was riding with some of the "big name girls" and feeling great until a guy decided he needed to pass me on one of the rough descents. The guy ran into me from the side, knocked me off the trail and I found myself eye to eye with a big stump and banged my knee a little. Both Doug and I rode faster laps than last year and finished in 4:21, almost 7 minutes ahead of the 2nd place team. The Firecracker 50 is hands down one of the best put on races, from the parade down Main Street to the well-stocked and run aid stations it is an event I look forward to. This year my parents came to watch us (or maybe for the free beer). Thanks mom and dad for standing around for hours to cheer us on the whole 5 seconds you get to see as a spectator! Our whole condo earned medals...Tiffanie won 19-29 Women and is the National Champion, Brooks placed 5th in the 30-34 Men, Brian was 3rd in the Sport 30-34 Men.

Last night I did my first of the CU Short Track race of the Summer and finished 4th. Here is a cool picture of me and my sister-in-law, Beth.

In other news, my nephew Sam started walking...the boy does not sit still. In fact, he's so advanced he is already learning to drive.

Feeling better and a relaxing weekend

2009-06-29T07:33:00.002-07:00

After a good does of antibiotics I'm finally feeling much better! Doug and I spent the weekend in Winter Park with our friends Ryan and KC. It was a really relaxing weekend and we were entertained for hours by Ryan and KC's 3 month old kittens, Scout and Loki. Doug reminded me that it is fun to "play with other people's kittens" (implying that I don't need to bring any home). Since I've raced the last 3 weekends in a row and have been sick I talked myself out of racing on Saturday and enjoyed an easy ride with Ryan and KC around Winter Park and a little jog. We had a leisurely breakfast and played with the kittens most of Saturday morning before riding up to the resort to catch Doug finishing. Doug is on fire this year...he ended up winning the Expert Men overall and would have been 27th in the Pro Men! I cut my ride short so I could go back to the awards and get a picture of him on the podium but my camera skills failed me yet again and I only got a picture of his back. On Sunday we rode for a few hours on some super fun trails the nobody was on before heading home. My typical "Sunday blues" (being bummed that early rise time and work are right around the corner) were minimized since the weekend actually seemed long for once. Only 4 days of work this week and then we'll be relaxing in Breckenridge and going for the coed team win at the Firecracker 50...can't wait!

Xterra Buffalo Creek

2009-06-22T09:15:00.004-07:00

For the last 3 weeks I've been battling one cold after another. I was feeling good all week until Thursday when my sinuses started to throb and my nose was expelling all kinds of colorful gunk. The buzzing of the alarm at 5am on Saturday was painful. My boyfriend extraordinaire chauffeured myself, Becky and Brian to the race venue outside of Bailey. Despite the mountain bike lacking any technical sections I love this race as the venue is beautiful! Minus the rain that started falling as I crossed the finish line, and never stopped, the day was perfect for racing (cool and overcast). This year there were 550 participants making it one of the largest Xterras in the World. The race was run very smoothly considering how many people there were...props to the promoters and all the volunteers who made this event happen!

I was one of only two professional women at the race. Susan Williams (bronze medalist in triathlon at the 2004 Olympics) would prove to be great competition for me and end up beating me by less than a minute. I had a decent swim in the chilly lake (61 degrees). For about 30 seconds I was swimming next to Susan but then she took off and there was no way I was going to try and stay on her feet. Doug was out riding around on the course and both times I saw him he told me I was about 3 minutes behind Susan. On the run I had no idea how far ahead Susan was and I just kept focusing on catching the men in front of me. In the end my time was 9 minutes faster than last year...I biked 8 minutes faster than last year and ran almost a minute and a half faster. How I did this with snot running down my face the entire race I do not know. As soon as I crossed the finish line a random lady gave me a tissue and said, "here, I think you need this". I do know that I paid for it dearly on Sunday and was confined to the couch the entire day except for my 20 minute walk around the neighborhood. I even broke down and took TheraFlu and Advil (I hate taking medicine of any kind) and had to miss Father's Day dinner with my family.

Hopefully the doctor will give me the good stuff today and I can kick whatever has been moving around my body for the last 3 weeks. Thanks to all my sponsors for their continued support...Wheat Ridge Cyclery, Yeti, Powerbar, Rudy Project and Pearlizumi.

Out of the dark ages

2009-06-16T12:36:00.002-07:00

My boss has told me that my fear of technology means I'm an old soul. Old soul or not I'm going to try this blog thing out.