Pike's Peak 10K

This is my first blog post using the tag running!

Anyways, after many attempts at running races, not only did I register this time...but I actually made it to the event and raced! First time in 3 years. I am running now.

On the drive to the race I thought...this is pretty cool...I really have no expectations of myself. I am nervous...but not because I hope to do well but because I did not want it to hurt. I made it to Rockville about 7:00am in time for packet pick-up and to get situated. I was cold. It was in the upper 50's and raining. Awesome. I had overdone it a bit by riding 62 miles on Saturday morning and was unsure how running would feel...but usually riding the day before running is good for me and helps get my hip warmed up.

As the start time (8:00am) approached I hung out where my wave (wave?! are we swimming?) was positioned. There were A LOT of people. It was go time. Not a fast start with so many people. I tried to bust on through the crowd. I got out of the jumble and was off. My legs felt cold...but quickly I warmed up. The 1st mile (8:00) marker came up pretty quickly. My goal was under 50 minutes, so I was on track. I was unsure of how to pace myself so held a bit back. At about mile 3 I was starting to feel good so picked it up a bit...started hitting the miles at 7:15 to 7:30. I really feel I am getting more used to forefoot striking. Most of my runs I alternate between forefoot and midfoot running, while I seem to be leaning towards forefoot now. This is good...it seems a lot less pressure on my hip. Mile 5 came up (1 mile to go). I picked it up all the way to the finish. Hooray my 1st ever 10k.

Time: 47:16 (7:37/mile) 126/1317

Results

After the race Matias and I headed back to Reston and went out for a 50 mile easy/stretch out ride. In the end my legs were done and I barely made the last 10 miles home.

On top of all the training, work has been ridiculous...I am spent.

Georgia Gould 5th at UCI World Cup

Georgia Gould 5th in Opening Round of World Cup Competition. Sea Otter Classic a Huge Success for Honorary Teammate Angela Mysliwiec
Berkeley, CA: The LUNA Pro Team was busy on many fronts this past weekend. Waldek Stepniowski, the team soigneur, and Zeph Wadsworth, team mechanic, joined Georgia Gould, Katerina Nash, and Catharine Pendrel for a three week trip to Europe to contest the opening rounds of the Union Cycliste International World Cup series. Chris Mathis, and past mechanic Zac Demeritt were joined by Alison Dunlap, Marla Streb, Chloe Forsman, Danelle Kabush, and Shonny Vanlandingham for three days of fun at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. Angela Mysliwiec (pronounced "my sleeve itch"), winner of the Breast Cancer Fund Auction, was also on hand to experience the excitement and chaos of being a LUNA Chix for the weekend.

Houffalize, Belgium World Cup #1: Houffalize is a small town in the Ardenneregion of Belgium. It is historically significant because the town was decimated during World War II at the Battle of the Bulge. In the mountain bike world, Houffalize is better known for its beer, rice cakes, and the World Cup race. It has become an annual event and is embraced by thousands; thirty-five thousand fans to be exact. It is one of the premier races on the World Cup circuit, and this being an Olympic year, the race was a qualifier for almost every rider.

In Georgia's own words: "I knew it was going to be a long race, so I didn't want to blow myself up at the start. Maybe I was a little too conservative. I had a decent start, but by the top of the climb I had been passed by at least 20 women. I had to run a couple of the downhills because there were so many women off their bikes. The nice thing about the course at Houffalize is there is plenty of room for passing, so I was able to move up steadily through the field. I was riding in 4th for the last two laps, but was passed at the beginning of the last lap by the woman who went on to win the race. Overall, I felt good and rode a solid race to end up 5th- my best result in a European World Cup. I'm looking forward to next week!"

In Katerina's own words: "Houffalize is a very cool place to race and the fans are unbelievable. I was riding well but with every lap I was loosing more places and more power in my leg that got injured in Arizona. Those are the tough times for athletes to go through but I know my strength will return soon. With some good training this week and good Euro coffee I will be ready to fight again."

In Catharine's own words: "I felt fantastic in my first World cup of the season....well till about 1.5 hrs in then I really started to suffer! I had a great start and found myself in the top 7 by the end of the start loop. From there I moved up to 2nd, but rather than being patient I burned all my matches early and it became a fight to just finish. I feel confident as the team heads to Offenburg, Germany, that we will be holding onto our position as the top women's team."

The LUNA girls are ranked #1 in the team standings after the first World Cup.

Sea Otter Classic: The rest of the LUNA mountain bike and XTERRA team was busy competing at the Sea Otter Classic, a three day event at the Laguna Seca Raceway outside of Monterey, CA. Also joining them was Angela Mysliwiec, winner of the Breast Cancer Fund auction.

Super Downhill: Marla Streb was the only one slated to compete in the Super-D event on Friday afternoon. Super-D is a combination of downhill and cross country racing. The best courses are designed so that neither rider is favored. Sea Otter was a mass start event, meaning everyone started together. Marla had this to say about her race. "After three practice runs and all warmed up for the Super-D, I was pedaling to the top before the Le Mans mass start and my right thumb stopped working. Then, I noticed my trigger finger stopped working too. Immediately I was imagining some sort of delayed onset fast acting nerve agent from an exotic Haliconia that I had brushed up against back in Costa Rica, or maybe it was a parasite that was crawling along my forearm taking over my manual controls. I was just about to check on the status of my pinkie finger when I glanced down and saw that my derailleur was dangling. It had sort of exploded into springy bits and twisted metal the like a wind-up toy gone bad on Christmas morning. So, I sprinted down to the Luna pits, and Chris expertly repaired everything in less than 5 minutes. I raced back through the sea of Sea Otter crowds convincing myself that the effort was a good way to open up my lungs for the race, only to find that the pro women had already taken off. The first (and hopefully only) time I've ever missed a race due to dangly bits."

Short Track Cross Country: With the top US and Canadian riders racing in Europe, the Short Track Cross Country event was wide open and it was anyone's guess who would get the win. LUNA's Shonny Vanlandingham finished in 5th after a slow start. Shonny is like a diesel truck. It takes a while for her to get warmed up, but once she gets going her power and speed are amazing. With her focus on XTERRA, the STXC races are more for training. Chloe Forsman had a strong ride finishing 10th. Danelle Kabush didn't have a great start position which made for a difficult race. The STXC is only 20 minutes long which doesn't give riders much time to move up through the field. Despite being pulled she rode well and gained valuable fitness for the upcoming XTERRA races.

Circuit Road Race: Angela Mysliwiec did her first event of the weekend on Friday. She entered the Category 4 Women's Circuit Race. Riders negotiated the racetrack of Laguna Seca for 50 minutes. It was a challenging course with one steep climb followed by the famous corkscrew descent. Being new to the sport of road racing, Angela struggled on the descent and came off the back of the field. However, she continued to fight and got faster each lap, using less and less brake down the corkscrew descent. She finished with a big smile on her face.

Sport Cross Country: Angela raced one lap of the cross country course for a total of 20 miles. In only her second mountain bike race, Angela rode like a champ and finished in 2hrs 13min. She loved it and thought the course was awesome.

Pro Cross Country: The conditions were much improved for Sunday's race. The 30mph winds had died down and the skies were clear and sunny. The women went off at 12:25pm for two laps of the cross country course. The LUNA girls rode hard. It was a long race thanks to the winds that picked back up during the second lap. Shonny in 9th and Danelle in 21st gained valuable fitness for their first XTERRA event in Temecula, CA in May. Chloe, despite severe back cramps, finished in 3hrs 16 minutes.

Dual Slalom: Marla had this to say. "Saturday was the Dual Slalom, and in a stacked field I qualified 10th, my right foot popping out of the pedals both runs (my last Dual Slalom happened when gas was $1.75). So, I tightened things down for the next round. During the intervening years, the courses have become much more technical, and the turns much more aggressive. In my qualifying runs I felt the turns were coming at me so fast that I was not surfing down the course as much as I was being tossed up on the beach like a seal carcass. The next two runs went well, and I slipped past European Anneke Beerton both times, mainly due to muscle memory. Then, I was up against World Cup winner Rachel Atherton. She beat me the first run, so the second run I wanted to go brakeless. Usually thinking "No brakes!" while I am getting sideways on a berm takes my mind off how I will get down off the berm. But this time I almost two-wheel drifted into some fans from Bakersfield. Barely saved it, but lost valuable seconds. Rachel took the round, which sat me down on the sidelines early to watch everyone else like it was prom night back during the slow Duran Duran song."

Alison Dunlap: "I spent four days taking care of Angela. I picked her up from the airport and we laughed the rest of the weekend. With Waldek in Europe I got to play soigneur , minus the massages. I also led a clinic for 20 girls from the Northern California High School Mountain Bike League, of which Clif Bar is a major supporter. High school clinic It was great fun watching these young women learn things they never knew how to do before. I gave each girl some LUNA Moons and a signed poster. You'd think they died and gone to heaven. It was great!" feed zone

What's next: Katerina, Georgia, and Catharine will race in Offenburg, Germany at the second World Cup event this coming weekend. Marla heads back to Costa Rica and the rest of the team is home training. The LUNA Pro Team will be reunited at the National Mountain Bike Series event in Santa Ynez, CA in late May.

LUNA Pro Triathlon and XTERRA Teams Dominate Early Season Races

Terra Castro 11th at Ironman Arizona and Shonny Vanlandingham Wins Lavaman, Berkeley, CA: The LUNA Pro Triathlon and XTERRA teams were in action this month with Terra Castro representing at Ironman Arizona and Shonny Vanlandingham making her debut at Lavaman in Hawaii. Terra battled fierce headwinds, 94 degree temps, and severe cramping to finish 11th in her first race of the season. Shonny competed in her first ever road triathlon; she had a great swim, did her first road time trial, and clocked 6:30 miles for 10k. Not bad for a mountain biker.

Ironman Arizona: In Terra's own words...

"Tomorrow I will be better than I am today... better as a golfer, as a person, as a father. That's the beauty of tomorrow. There's no such thing as a setback." - TIGER WOODS

The magic of Ironman is that no matter how prepared you are or how mentally strong you toe the line- race day is another beast. There are many things outside of your control and also physical challenges that arise during the event that test what you are made of. I came into Arizona with the best fitness to date, prepared for battle both in the mental and physical arenas. After LUNA Pro Team Camp, I was excited to make the team and sponsors proud with a big finish in the strong international field. Race day finally arrived after a week of hanging out in Tempe with my grandparents, cousins and Aunt. After carbo loading and resting all week with the legs up, race day hits and you are READY, almost antsy. Into the water at 6:45am Sunday, April 13th, and the battle began. After a bit of a slow swim, I flew through transition and got on my "hot rod" Ordu, to start working through the field. The strong wind storms had other ideas though, as we all fought a nasty headwind one half of each loop (3 loops for a total of 112 miles). It was awesome to fly back to the start/finish at 32 mph but boy, the way out was all about putting the head down and grinding out the gears. n the end, I crossed the line in 11th and collapsed into a wheelchair that got me water and directed me to my awesome family support team. It was a solid effort on the day, against a very large international field. I woke up today, one day after the race knowing that it is "tomorrow"- that what happened yesterday was not a setback. I chose to be a better racer today than yesterday. So onward to the next race, knowing that I am a stronger athlete from this race, that I am more hungry for the performance I see in training each day I step out the door.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE LUNA TEAM AND ALL OUR AMAZING SPONSORS- I am blessed to be supported by the best companies in the world, the best support crew, and the best nutritional products an athlete could want. Thank you for always being there, no matter the end result.

LavaMan: In Shonny's own words...

The Lavaman Olympic distance race in Hawaii was my first road triathlon and was a great experience. Starting in the 3rd wave on the swim start with 350+ women was great practice for my upcoming target XTERRA races. I was pleased to have an improved swim time due to all the ocean swim training I've been doing this winter. The bike portion was not as fun as I am used to since it was an out and back on the Queen K highway, but that Mavic disc wheel sure felt fast. The 10 K run was mostly road but I did feel at home the last 1.5 miles running on top of lava rock and along a beautiful beach to the finish. The tri training is paying off, I actually won and was offered a spot in the Ironman World Champs in Kona. I turned it down due to my focus on the XTERRA World Champs that happens two weeks later. Plus those Ironman distance triathletes are crazy! I'll stick to the dirt and leave the Ironman distance to my crazy teammates: Cathy, Terra, and Linda!

And a quick update from Linda Gallo:

Folsom Mountain Bike Race: (march 16th or so) As I am looking forward to racing a few XTERRA triathlons this year, I decided to do a mountain bike race for some good training. I honestly can't say if this prepared me for the steep hills on the XTERRA Temecula course, but it was the most fun I have had on a bike in years! Lots of fun fast twisting single-track. I was 1st in the Sport 30-39. Perhaps it is time to consider an upgrade to Expert..

CA 70.3 Half Ironman:
This race is the start of the long course triathlon season in North America and always brings a stacked field. That was no different this year. I had a great swim and led everyone out of the water solo by almost a minute. I led for the first portion of the bike, before being passed by the eventual winners. The wind really picked up on the latter half of the bike which made for a still first half and a strong headwind on the second hilly half. Go figure.. I held steady on the two loop out and back run (one direction was really fast with the tailwind!), but started fading towards the end. This was a good test of my early season fitness and showed the need to work on a bit more speed for my coming races. Finished 20th.

Up Next: The LUNA Pro Triathlon Team will compete in the Wildflower Triathlon in May while Shonny, Danelle Kabush, and Linda focus on the XTERRA West Championship event in Temecula, CA. The mountain bike team sent Katerina, Georgia, and Catharine over to Europe to contest the first three UCI World Cups. The rest of the squad is at home, recovering from competing at the Sea Otter Classic. Look for more action at the next National Mountain Bike Series event in Santa Ynez, CA May 17-18th.

Triathlon training makes me healthy!

So, I had the lovely opportunity to do my annual physical this morning. Despite all the not-so-pleasant things these involve for women, it was actually a good experience. I've lost weight, lowered my blood pressure and have a 'shockingly' low pulse.

Now, outside of the endurance world, my pulse may be low, but inside, it's nothing even remotely shocking. Check out this Canadian article ranking the healthiest sports, and note that triathlon and its three components all rank highly in terms of calories burned, injury risk, cardiovascular benefits, muscle strength, and accessibility.

It is nice to see that my hard work (however inconsistent it may be--I'm working on it) is paying off in terms of my health.

Play on ladies, and reap the benefits!

2008 Luna Summit

Last weekend I attended the 2008 Third Annual Luna Summit. This was my first time attending the Summit, as I only just joined the Luna Chix DC Tri team earlier this year. Several months before the Luna Summit, Katie - the team leader asked if I would be interested in joining the team. She mentioned that she thought I might be a good role model – a notion that made me chuckle. I love triathlon. I love the way it makes me feel physically and mentally. I love the social time and I love the "me" time. My motives for doing triathlons are selfish and hardly qualify me as a role model. Still, I asked her all the questions you might expect from a working mother of three young children, who also indulges in triathlon, including: "What is the time commitment?" and "What will I be responsible for?" Her answers to my questions seemed reasonable, so I agreed to join the team.
We started making our plans to attend the Luna Summit as a team. I had a twinge of guilt as I made the final flight reservations. Attending the Summit meant I would be leaving my husband to navigate school, soccer practices and baseball games. But he encouraged me to go – so I did. I wasn't sure what to expect, so my expectations for the weekend were not grand – but I was far from disappointed. All weekend, I found people with whom I connected and quietly identified with the causes that were presented.
The Luna Chix mission - to inspire women to "Get out and Play!" was embodied by Linda, an elderly woman in her eighties who I met during a swim at the Summit. Linda slowly shuffled past me in the locker room - she was hunched over and had a sizable swollen mass in her right ankle. My initial reaction was to feel sorry for her. As she walked passed me I wished her a good morning which she took as an opportunity to start a conversation. I learned that she was a former model but was hit by a motor cycle nearly fifty years ago – ending her modeling career. After several surgeries, the doctors informed her that she would spend the rest of her life in a wheel chair. But she was adamant that she would walk, and with great determination she did. She told me she was an avid swimmer before the accident and has continued to swim nearly every day since. She wanted me to know that she was certain that she was walking today, despite what the doctors said, because she was physically fit before and after the accident. Linda was not a Luna Chix, but she may as well have been. I no longer felt pity for this woman – I was inspired by her.
The Luna Chix teams seek out women who may otherwise be intimidated, and encourages them to participate in sport as a means to a healthy, fit lifestyle. Luna Chix also works to raise awareness and money for the Breast Cancer Fund. This partnership with the Breast Cancer Fund has a personal significance for me. In December 2007, I discovered a lump in my breast. It was several excruciating days before I learned that the lump was not cancerous. I often turn my personal experiences into story telling opportunities. Yet, nearly a year after I found the lump in my breast, I still do not talk about this experience. The thought of not seeing my kids grow-up was inconceivable –yet for those very long days over the Christmas holiday, it seemed possible. Even now the emotions, as I reflect back, are real and still very raw. I realize now that this is a story that I should be telling. During those several days of not knowing my fate, I promised myself that I would combine my love for triathlon with charitable fund raising opportunities. Being part of a team that works to raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund so that they may seek out causes of the disease and develop ways to prevent it – makes perfect sense.
I can be a role model for other women and like Linda I can inspire them. I can tell my story to help raise awareness and money for the Breast Cancer Fund. I can reach out to women, particular working mothers, and encourage them to swim, bike, run. And I can fulfill my promise to myself.

3rd Annual LUNA Summit

Just back from the 3rd Annual LUNA Summit in Mill Valley, CA. Being a part of Team LUNA Chix now has a whole new meaning and seems much more special.

5 of the 8 Team LUNA Chix DC tri team members were going to be attending. We all planned to meet at some café in SFO at 1:30pm on Friday. My flight went according to schedule and I arrived at the port at around 12:30pm. Julie followed shortly behind me and went to get the rental minivan while I waited for others. Bevin, who was coming from Japan, had no cell phone…so we were a little nervous about trying to connect with her. I wandered around and found the place I thought we were to meet. No Bevin. Julie came back and we met up with Laura about 3pm. Still no Bevin…so we decided to go to the hotel in Mill Valley to check in and head to Clif HQ in Berkley were the festivities were to begin.

We quickly got situated at the hotel and headed out to Clif. After my awesome navigational skills were noted, I was thrown in the back seat of the minivan for the rest of the trip. nice. Clif HQ was in a warehouse in the middle of some neighborhood. We went in and were greeted by some LUNA Chix, who gave us some hot looking name badges, and met and talked with some of the Denver tri team. Then the tours began. Shoot. Clif HQ is the business. Lets see…a gym, paid workout time, free personal trainers, 5$ massages, dry-clean service, organic food service, haircuts, all the clif samples you could want, a climbing wall, fun and games, a bar and band, and I can not remember but I know there was more. After the tour was over, Laura, Julie, and I hit up the open bar where they had there own Clif wine! HA. good stuff. Then Bevin showed up! Really great to see her again ☺ At about 7pm Inger came out and gave an opening speech. And introduced a leader from BCF, who gave a speech on what BCF was to her and who she dedicated her efforts too. Then Inger came back and talked about Team LUNA Chix, how it got started, how it has grown, and what it is. The whole thing was very inspiring. Also the owner of Clif Bar, Gary Erickson, came out and talked. Very cool to meet them. Then we ate. I was famished and the glass of wine was making me delerious. Yeah! GF friendly food (chicken, fish, vegetables, and rice)…all very yummy. After dinner, the LUNA pros and mechanics were introduced. They were hysterical, especially Marla Streb. What a character. Despite their separate sports (mtb, tri, xterra, etc), they all seemed like one big family who got along great. I think I want to be a LUNA pro! After the talks were over we were dismissed to pick up our team kits and head back to the hotel to sleep. Team kits! I went over to our box and first thing I noticed…swim caps! aaahahahaha.



KC arrived late on Friday night and met up with us in the morning. The weekend was set up with multiple clinics and group workouts were you could participate in whichever you wanted. Everything was run right from the hotel, where the Team LUNA Chix mobile thing was based. This mobile van and assistance vhicles were pretty awesome. LUNA everywhere. Julie, KC, and I started out with yoga at 7am. This was not the hot yoga I was used to but more of a wake up, stretching, movement preparation. After that we opted out of the swim clinic in 50 degree water and headed to a Jewish Community Center which had an outdoor pool. The weather was beautiful (sunny 70 degrees) for the whole weekend. So swimming outside was awesome. I got in a solid 4,000 yards…no toys. We busted back to the hotel in time for an 11am clinic on Sports Psychology, led by LUNA pro Danelle Kabush Then it was time for lunch. Sometimes GF is the absolute worst. Salad for me. After lunch a run clinic was held by Inger’s husband Darcy Norman. We learned and participated in numerous drills. I was starting to get a bit nervous about the afternoon group runs. I had been feeling my hip a bit the past day and not sure how running was going to feel. A trail run went at 2pm. Bevin, Julie, and Laura went while KC, who had been sick, and I decided to hang back for the local group run at 3pm. KC went to take a nap and I headed to the pool to mingle, get some sun, and make some new friends. At the pool I met the Atlanta tri team. They were great and we got to be friends. They were all going on the group run too. 3pm came and it was time to meet up for the group run, which was led by Scott Williams, one of the instructors. I had not run with a group or anyone since I can not remember. I have no idea how fast I have been running. Jenny, the leader from Atlanta tri, came over to me and said you look about my speed. Not so sure about that (she was a runner and me not so sure). hmmm haha. We got going and my competitive spirit was not going to follow, so got out in front with Jenny. I was feeling pretty good so stuck with her. I stayed with her for maybe 35 minutes…then as we passed the hotel again I decided I was done and should not overdo it. After being injured for 3 years I am very very cautious on pushing it too far. This was a huge confidence boost to my running. Even though I have been running (maybe 2/week…where the frequency bothers me more than the duration)…it still seems like it is too good to be true…I keep taking a few steps forward and then one back…but always progressing. But now…feel like maybe I could be a runner! I was so happy and I had made a new friend. 4pm was a Recovery and Regeneration clinic with Scott, who was a PT working with LUNA. The most important thing I learned here was some good recovery methods, including ice baths…sounds interesting…I am going to have to try this. After the clinic, I showered, swiped a bottle of Clif wine, and went back down to the pool to hang out. That day finished with dinner and Q&A with the pros.

Sunday was yoga and then Bevin, KC, Julie, and I headed back to the Jewish Community Center for some elliptical action and a swim in the salty pool (yea weird...the pool was salt water...making one feel more buoyant). Then back to the hotel for packing, and checking out. Then everyone met for the final words at the hotel pool. Leaders, including Julie Homan (in the picture with me above) from BCF were there and talked about the Foundation. Then LUNA Summit concluded and we were on the road in trusty minivan. We shuttled Bevin and KC to where they needed to be and then Julie, Laura, Krys (we kidnapped the West Palm Beach leader for the weekend since she had come solo) , and I went for dinner and were in bed early. I was wiped from the tremendous but exhausting weekend. I think I may have gotten 10 hours that night.

Overall the weekend was amazing. Emily, Cris, and Andie...missed you guys! Being a part of Team LUNA Chix has a new significance to me. I am honored to be a role model and inspire other women to Get Outside and Play, to promote the BCF, and to be a part of a real sisterhood.