Attitudes, Injuries, and the Superpowers of Jellyfish

First off, I apologize that it has been so long since I've posted an update; I know you've been waiting with bated breath.  After finishing four 70.3's in 6 weeks (with a 10th place finish at Ironman 70.3 Vineman in early July), I was ready for a little break!  I enjoyed a week of relaxation, including a weekend at the beach, before jumping back into training.  I also started a new position as a music therapist in the inpatient behavioral health unit at a local hospital (which terrified me when I started but I have fallen in love with the job).  While I had planned on racing again in August, this didn't work out so I jumped into a local event, the always awesome BBSC Las Vegas Tri. 

 

70.3 Miami

I DO, in fact, own things that aren't Spandex - relaxing with my cousin in San Diego during my mini break (though the watch tan doesn't lie)

Enjoying some cross training

Got to dance the night away at a dear friend's wedding in Wisconsin

Back in action at the Las Vegas Tri

 After a fabulous race at the LV Tri, I had pretty high hopes for my home court race - Ironman 70.3 Silverman.  I was all kinds of excited to be racing on the same weekend as last year's crash in Rancho Cordova; this was going to be my redemption!  Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned.  The wind was brutal and I came out of my waviest swim yet all kinds of discombobulated.  Hopping onto my bike, I missed one of my shoes, causing a mini crash.  While I didn't hit the pavement, my bike kicked up and my cassette landed directly on my calf, injuring the muscle and giving me a nice gash.  I bled for 56 miles while simultaneously battling the 4k feet of elevation gain and 25+ mph winds, ouch!  Unfortunately, when I came off the bike, it was abundantly clear that I had injured more than the skin and a run was not going to happen and I ended up pulling out of the race.  I am now convinced that the first weekend of October is cursed and I really out to avoid racing on it!

Thanks to Joe (who stayed with me for the race) for being my doctor buddy and nursing my physical and emotional wounds after Silverman

What you don't see is how THICK the dried blood got.  Fun stuff.



After my "accident," my Grandma sent me a note which included the line, "Wow Bailey, that bike is telling you something ... I don't know what but I hope you're listening."  Now, on the surface this sounds like a "Don't race, you dumb kid" kind of comment; however, my grandmother is much more insightful than that and she truly meant "tell you something."  She was right.  I'm fairly convinced that Silverman (if not Silverman and Rancho Cordova) were self-fulfilled prophesies.  In both, I had a bad feeling leading up to the race.  I was feeling "over" racing, I felt fat and didn't appreciate my body's capabilities, and for some reason kept picturing myself getting hit by a car or otherwise crashing.  If I'm being honest with myself, I think I secretly wanted to have something catastrophic as an excuse.  Leading up to both races, I had a weird feeling of dread that I pushed aside instead of addressing it or turning it around. 

That said, both of my crashes provided a sudden and sincere reminder of how much I actually love racing and hate not being able to train/race.  Fortunately, this year's crash didn't end my season.  I was not able to run for 10 or 11 days but plopped on enormous waterproof bandages and continued to swim and water jog (and I could still ride).  I'm fortunate enough to have a trusted massage therapist as well; James may be the only reason I've been able to continue competing this season.  Going into Ironman 70.3 Miami, I was still fairly injured and feeling out of "run shape" but I was bound and determined to keep my head on straight and get the job done. 

In Miami, I got to stay with my dear friend and former CSU Triathlon teammate, Rebecca, yay!  Friday was filled with my trying to get in workouts between rain drops before eventually giving up and resorting to a local gym.  That night, Rebecca and I had dinner with the amazing owners of Riplaces (possibly my biggest cheerleaders as well).  Saturday, I managed to find a dry window and checked out training in the Florida humidity and to test out my new gear (new LG Helmet and Smith Optics sunglasses).  In the 10 minutes of shallow water swimming, I had two jellyfish encounters and another with some biting/stinging creature I never got a good look at; at this point I was just waiting for the Jaws theme song to start.  My fears were heightened a bit at our pro race meeting where we were informed there was a good chance the swim would be cancelled due to an inordinate amount of jellyfish.  Yikes!

I was a little nervous about the creatures beneath the surface ...



Race morning, we all waited for the call, finding out about 10 minutes before the start that the swim was, in fact, on.  I'm glad we were able to swim but boy were those creatures nasty!  Of the racers I spoke with, all were stung at least once or twice.  I, myself, got three stings including a big one on my left arm.  I managed to keep my head on my shoulders though and race on!  I'm mildly convinced that the sting caused an adrenaline rush which actually helped my race because I had huge swim/bike PRs!  We had a strong head wind coming back on the bike but, again, I kept my wits about me and powered through, visualizing The Little Engine that Could.  Coming into transition, I had to do a triple take looking at the racks and realizing I was in 5th place, holy smokes!  Heading out onto the run, I was over the moon!  Unfortunately, my injuries started to affect me around mile 5 as did electrolyte depletion (I had launched not one, not two, but three bottles on the bike meaning I only had 1/3 of my typical electrolytes).  I was passed by three stellar runners but managed to hang on for 8th place, a nice little payday, and a 5 minute PR.  After two years of dreaming it, I finally broke that elusive 4:30 barrier, woohoo!  I definitely want to thank Coach Mace at MP Multisport for everything he's done to get me to this point (and for not blocking my phone number as I lamented every injury and bad attitude over the past month).

Riding strong

My Jellyfish Smiley

I am convinced that the difference between Silverman and Miami was 99.9% attitude.  At Silverman, I had a negative outlook from the get go and was downright surly about the whole thing while in Miami, nothing could get me down.  Falling into a negative mindset or pattern is so easy; going forward, I believe I must constantly practice positivity until it becomes second nature.  After an awesome weekend, I'll be keeping that smile on my face for my last two weeks of training before wrapping up my season in Austin!

Ride Happy!



Thank you SO much for your support through the good days and bad MP Multisport, Pro Cyclery, Blueseventy, Hammer Nutrition, Riplaces, HIE Cycling, Pro Motorsports of Fond du Lac, It's Your Choice Training, Las Vegas Multisport, and Anthem Fitness. 

 

Climbing Podiums!

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 28th CoachMace said to me, "Enjoy this afternoon, you're going to remember today forever."  I have a feeling he was right.  That morning, I swam, biked, and ran my way through a small but mighty field of women at Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake to a 5th place finish, earning my first WTC (ie Ironman Corp) podium slot.  I hadn't initially planned to attend this race but was finally convinced after hearing nothing but good things about the venue and race directors.  Those in the know turned out to be right, this was a fun weekend and an event not to be missed!

As I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling after the last few races and training camp, I didn't officially decide to attend IM 70.3 BSL until about a week out.  As a result, flying was pretty much out of the question so the weekend was bookended by a 13 hour drives through the desert (hooray for audio-books), what fun!  Upon arrival, I was thrilled to not only have an absolutely fantastic host family (thanks Pat and Wendy) but to share my homestay with friend and fellow athlete Joe Umpenhour.  Joe and I had a blast hanging out with our hosts, checking out the race course, getting hit on by age-groupers, and making multiple pilgrimages to Sprouts.  At the race expo, I was pleased to run into several friends including former CSU Tri teammate/officer Chris Leiferman. 

Surprise house-mate Joe!

Wondering which bike I should take, mine or my hosts?

 

With a 6:30 start time, race morning began even earlier than usual (which is always nice once the heat of the sun sets in).  After a speedy swim (new PR, yay), it was off on one of the toughest bike courses I have ridden.  Most of the roads were a bumpy chip seal as we encountered steep climbs, technical descents.  Fortunately, both the wind and temperatures were fairly mild.  Besides, a tough course beats being bored for 56 miles any day!  The challenge didn't stop as we trod the two loop run course: a particularly brutal hill in the middle seemed to slow just about everyone to a near walk.  While the first loop felt particularly rough, the energy of the other participants in conjunction with the realization that I was holding my fifth place slot powered me through the second loop to the finish where I crossed with what may have been the widest smile of the day. 

It wouldn't be race morning without a colorful lower half!

Speedy run out of the swim in my new Blueseventy Speed Suit!

Following the race, athletes were treated to what I'm pretty sure was the best post-race care I've ever received.  In addition to a delicious spread of fresh fruit, the TexasTech Physical Therapy and Nursing students were on deck (in mass) to assist with any need and to provide tired/dehydrated athletes with IV's of fluids.  I wish we got that treatment after every race, I've never felt better!  After making our way back to our home, Joe and I headed out on our bikes for a "cooldown" spin to Chipotle and Sprouts before cleaning up and heading to awards.  This was a fun event with fresh, catered food, a live band, and one of the most passionate/enthusiastic race directors in the business.  It was especially great to hang out with Jackie Hering (the day's overall winner and my bus buddy from IM 70.3 Raleigh) and to chat up the Timex Rep. 

Enjoying the podium with Haley and Jackie

Congrats on your 2nd place finish Chris!

Love my new Timex!!!

Since the race, it's been a bit of a whirlwind, arriving home late Monday only to head out again Thursday for my friend Teagan's wedding in Montana (where I probably adventured a bit too much but I'm pretty sure it was worth it).  Now, another short week before I venture to wine country for the last of my "Try not to die" race block (assuming I finish it'll be four Half Ironman's in 7 weeks, five in 11 weeks, and six total races in 12) at IM 70.3 Vineman.  Bring on the next 70.3 miles! 

Montana fun

Thank you so much to my generous sponsors and supporters for getting me to this milestone, I'm excited to see where we can go together!  MP Multisport, Blueseventy, Hammer Nutrition, Pro Cyclery, ProMotorsports, Riplaces, HIE Cycling, It's Your Choice Training, Las VegasMultisport, Duro Tire

High Altitude Adventures

I never turn down a good excuse to go to Colorado so I lived the dream for a bit racing, training, and visiting family!  Teammate and training partner, Max Jones, and I loaded the car for a road trip to the Rockies and it was anything but a smooth ride.  After being detoured through Aspen due to a rock slide, hail, and epic white-knuckle driving rain, we finally made it to NoCo about five hours after expected.  Thankfully, I was able to meet up with Patrick of PR Triworks to help me get the 15 pounds of water out of my frame/wheels before heading down to packet pickup.  Then, it was off to Parker to relax post-race with my brother's family. 

A little weather climbing past Aspen

Unexpected detour

Already winners

The post-race smile is deceiving

My cheering squad!

 

Race day was a bit of a mixed bag for me though I'd say it was an overall success.  Despite some nausea I was able to come out of the water in my Blueseventy Helix wetsuit with a PR before riding my pretty (and well cared for by Pro Cyclery) Miss Cleo and HIE Cycling wheels to another PR on the bike, woohoo!  Unfortunately, things fell apart a bit after that as nausea and that nagging glute issue getting the best of me.  Thankfully CoachMace was there at the start of lap two to talk me off a ledge and inspire me through the finish.  I'm glad to be making consistent progress in the first two legs though, just need to put it all together!

Following the race, I hung out in Recovery Pump boots, spent more time with family (my nephews are just the cutest), and enjoyed a rare relaxing day (including big fun at the Parker Days festival) before heading up to the mountains for camp.

MPMULTISPORT HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING CAMP 2015

Camp was a whirlwind of incredible awesomeness.  We saw new friends and old, spent quality time with coach, got nourished by the brilliant John Lawyer of Licksillet, took in some of the greatest views on the in the country, and trained our butts off!  Time flew by way too fast but I enjoyed it all.

Patrick and Max doing some bike maintenance

Individualized plates from John

And we feast!

View from the living room - not too shabby

Rainbow siting from our porch

View from right outside the pool

Sunset view from the back porch



Day 1

The traffic woes continued as we made our way to Granby but once there it was well worth the drive!  The views from our cabin were absolutely breathtaking (though that may be partially the elevation).  After an insightful FMS (functional movement systems) presentation from Max, we hit the trails to shake out our legs and find our lungs.  I was fairly certain that death was knocking on my doorstep as my heart rate surpassed 150 while shuffling through miles way below "normal" pace - this made me more than a little nervous about the training ahead.

All stocked up and ready to go!

 

FMS Training and talk from Max



Day 2

Tuesday began with a great pool swim led by Coach Tess.  Swimming at altitude is tough but sharing a lane with a few of my college chronies made it all worthwhile.  After breakfast, it was time for our first ride.  Unfortunately, some big black clouds filled the sky just as we were about to start.  Fortunately, however, coach just happens to be a former meteorologist and confidently held us back for all of ten minutes before we were in the clear.  Because it's me (and these things just seem to happen), I was amongst the group that got a little lost on our way to Winter Park, but technology is a key and we all found our way eventually!

Waiting out the weather

 

Right after being "found" - thanks Max!

 

JT looking so aero ...



In the afternoon, we were fortunate enough to have some metabolic efficiency knowledge dropped on us by the legendary Bob Seebohar of eNRG PERFORMANCE.  Feeling all inspired, we then hit the trails for another gorgeous run.  Of course, three workouts is never enough so Steve ran me through a tough core workout before dinner (which served to show where a few of my weaknesses remain). 

Thanks eNRG!!! 

 

Steve about to lead me through a workout while Paige and Mike stretch, JT and Hannah roll ... and coach watches from the comfort of his chair - hmmmmm

Day 3

A few of us greeted the day with a short pool swim before loading up the trailer for our day of training.  The group started off at Lake Granby and rode from there.  With our time limitations in mind, Coach Frost said something along the lines of, "Only the studs will make it to the peak," which basically meant "Bailey is about to get stubborn."  The ride was a gorgeous  rolling climb through green woods and meadows and the summit was reached (even though it meant only seven minutes of our allotted hour lunch break was left).  Next it was time to freeze our butts off in Lake Granby (a mountain lake in June isn't too toasty) with an open water swim and tactics lesson from Coach Tess before warming up again with a light run.  After this successful day of training, we relaxed by taking over the party room at a local restaurant (where I thoroughly grilled and annoyed the manager to determine the one item on the menu that would be edible). 

Ready to ride!

 

Thanks Frosty, Mike, and JT for getting me to the divide!

Made It! (continental divide in the background there)

 

Just in time for lunch

 

... and the ladies' lunch photo

Grateful for our Blueseventy suits!

 

And we feast

 

 

Friends new and old: Tess, Paige, and JT

 

 Day 4

Call me crazy but I wanted to enjoy every last second of my final day at camp so I dragged myself out of bed for one last solo trail run (of course, it was time to leave right around the time I started to get used to the elevation).  Then, it was off to Lake Granby to begin our biggest ride yet!  We rolled out from the lake in the opposite direction of the previous day and headed towards Rocky Mountain National Park.  30 miles later, we hit the summit at 12,213 feet after climbing switchbacks across the continental divide.  I think one of my favorite parts was the looks of surprise mixed with both awe and disgust that we received from trail-mix eating, selfie taking, couch potatoes parked at the scenic overlooks.  Speaking of scenery, however, the views were awe inspiring.  That ride was something I don't think I'll soon forget!  After a team photo at the visitor center, it was back down the mountain for a final swim in the lake.   

 

 

So worth it

Still a little snow on the roads

Mike was a great riding partner (and the sole reason I got ANY sleep Thursday night as he prevented my detour to the airport - thanks Mike!!!)

If only all the roads were like this

2 miles above sea level and still climbing!

Bikes need a break too

Whole team made it to the top!

#MPTrainingcamp2015

Love these super legit ladies!

Tess, Paige, Hannah, and Elise

 

And best of all, I saw a moose on my way down!

 

Unfortunately, I had to leave camp a day early and drive through Thursday night to get back for Friday morning clients.  Fortunately, I was armed with the adrenaline rush of camp coupled with audio books and some fantastic mariachi music on the mountain radio stations of Utah (and maybe a few too many cups of coffee). 

 THANK YOU so much to everyone involved in making this trip a success.  Thank you to Coach Mace for convincing me it would be worth my time, to Max for basically signing us up to go before actually receiving my consent, JT, Tess and Frosty (and of course Mace) for superior coaching, Patrick Ray (PR TriWorks) for the daily sag/bike support, John Lawyer (Lickskillet) for putting up with my dietary shenanigans, and to my TEAM (new friends and old) for being a constant inspiration.  I'm already counting the days until camp 2016!

 

 

Thank you for the continued support Pro Cyclery, Hammer Nutrition, Blueseventy, HIECycling, Pro Motorsports of Fond du Lac, Las Vegas Multisport, Riplaces, It'sYour Choice Training, Duro Tire, and Anthem Fitness!