The Best of 2015

After posting the Best of 2013 and the Best of 2014, I decided it would be fun to look back through 2015 and reminisce my faves 🙂

Best race experience?

Hands down…Ironman Boulder was my best race experience in 2015!! I set a bike PR with a time of 6:46:12 and an overall Ironman race PR with a time of 14:04:37. I came very close to meeting my time goal of breaking 14 hours and had a blast!! I absolutely love this course and definitely plan to do it again 🙂

Coming into the finish shoot all smiles…it was a daylight finish, but these photos don’t represent that.

Best run?

I had multiple runs that were great throughout the year, but I think the most fun I had was running up Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek, CA. This was a very challenging run, but so much fun to run some place new and different!

Running up Mt. Diablo in California

I made it to the top and looked out over the city.

Best bike?

The Peak to Peak Highway rides, Day 1 and Day 2, in Colorado with the Iron Hippie and Allen were very challenging, but oh so much fun!! It was #bikelove like no other!! I can’t wait to get back to Colorado and ride more roads like these 🙂

Riding the Peak to Peak Highway in Colorado

Taking a break from the riding and doing a little core work in Ward!!

I pulled us all up the mountain.

On top of the world…or maybe just Colorado at elevation 9200+ feet.

Best swim?

Swimming with my father kayaking next to me around Lake Okoboji. I LOVE swimming in the lake where I grew up and am so lucky that my father likes to join me on my long swims 🙂

Dad is getting in his kayak

Lake Okoboji…my playground!!

Feeling so great after 2.6 miles of open water swimming at an average pace of 1:52/100 yards.

Best team race?

The Des Moines Triathlon that we did as a team was probably the most fun group workout I had this year. The Iron Hippie swam, I cycled and Allen ran in this Olympic-distance event. I pushed myself to limits on the bike that I didn’t know I had…especially only 5 weeks post Ironman Boulder.

Holy Crap! I think this is a sign that I left it all out on the bike course.

Team Kecia crossed the finish line at the Des Moines Triathlon…job complete.

Best recovery technique?

#recoveryisimportant and that is why I invest in the best recovery possible! Dr. Chris at Team Chiropractic uses ART to help keep me healthy and Nick massages my tight muscles regularly! The two work well together…I like to refer to myself as their insurance policy since Ironman racing looks to be in our future for the next few years 😉

This rehab is the best there is!

Dry needling to assist my healing…thanks to Dr. Chris at Team Chiropractic

Best hike in Colorado?

When we were staying in Estes Park, we went on a hike up to Loch Vale Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a great adventure!!

Hiking up to Loch Vale.

Having a little fun throwing snowballs in July on our way up to Loch Vale.

Loch Lake…so peaceful and magnificent!

Best offseason adventure?

Snowshoeing…this is by far one of my favorite offseason activities! The Iron Hippie and our girls always have just as much fun as I do! It is good cross training, full of fresh air and fun 🙂

Snowshoeing is the perfect offseason cross training activity! The dogs love it too!

Best new piece of gear?

This is SUPER easy…Coeur Sports has the best women’s tri kits and running apparel on the market!!  L.O.V.E. LOVE all my Coeur gear…no chafing, seamless chamois, perfect fit, fun colors, #stylishspeed and #noangrykitty…simply AMAZING!!  This year I found new love in my run capris! Not only are they unbelievably comfortable, but they fit like a glove! I love them so much that I have them in every pattern they offer and can’t wait for more design options 🙂 I love what Coeur Sports stands for, that they encourage, inspire, and promote women in sport and they represent #heartandcourage.  ALL women who SBR (swim, bike, run) and/or do triathlon should wear Coeur Sports apparel…it is da BOMB!!

Basil likes to help me foam roller in my AMAZING Coeur Sports run capris 🙂

Best way to log my workouts?

This is another SUPER easy one…my #believetrainingjournal!! While I like to see green in Training Peaks, I much prefer writing things down by hand. I love looking back through my workouts and it is so much easier to do when they are written down. I don’t particularly like having to open up every box in Training Peaks to review my workouts, so the Believe Training Journal has been an absolute favorite this year! I love it so much that I ordered the lavender one for 2016!!

LOVE this journal!

Reviewing my workouts in my Believe Training Journal

Best way to stay healthy?

This was also SUPER easy…Sound Probiotics has been keeping me healthy since March! As endurance athletes, we put ourselves at risk for a dysfunctional immune system because of the intensity and duration of our workouts. When stress, inadequate sleep, poor diet choices, cold weather, alcohol or travel are thrown into the mix, our immune system is even further suppressed. How has Sound Probiotics helped me? Sound Probiotics helps in nutrient production and absorption, helps fend off viruses, promotes the production of cytokines and mucin, and limits bad bacteria in the gut. I have experienced less fatigue and fewer sick days, which as a middle school teacher who is an endurance athlete speaks volumes! This has provided me with the opportunity for more training and better performance. I would highly recommend all endurance athletes use Sound Probiotics to stay healthy!! #soundathlete = #soundlife

#winningtakesguts

Best piece of racing advice you received?

“Be calm; focus on what you are going to do. Don’t get distracted, don’t get overwhelmed, take it all as it comes. You are ready for this; you’ve prepared for years. This is it, your time to shine. Go forth with all your powers. Go forth with everything in you. Make it work.” ~Lynne Cox, “Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer”

Most inspirational athlete?

I can’t pick just one…so many of my Coeur Sports teammates have inspired me this year!! Kristin, Erin and Jen fought hard to qualify for their first Ironman World Championships. Can you say inspirational? Amy won Ironman Lake Placid and Sonja won Ironman Lake Tahoe…first women overall at each of their races. Hello inspiration?!?! There were many Coeur women who raced in Kona at the Ironman World Championships, others had podium finishes at various races they competed in, many met goals and all are working hard to achieve their dreams. My inspiration cup runneth over!! I am so pumped to be a part of this amazing team again in 2016!! #heartandcourage

I found out that I made the Coeur Sports 2016 Ambassador Team…Such a badass group of women that I’m overjoyed to be a part of!!

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

Fun, Believe, Dream Big

Tell me about your 2015 year!! What are your “bests” from 2015?

A Lesson in Patience

While I have completed every distance from 5K to marathon and from sprint triathlon to IRONMAN, I still have room for growth…I lack patience.  Especially when I can’t train/race because of an injury. Yes…I did it again…I am injured. Thankfully this is a minor injury and it is the offseason, so I have time to properly heal up strong before Ironman Wisconsin training officially starts.

As an 8th grade science teacher, I extinguish my stores of patience during the school days.  As a result, when it comes time for my endurance sport, I am not as patient as I could/should be.  Endurance sport is my stress relief.  When I can’t train and race, I get more anxious and stressed.

I have been fighting a minor knee injury (Pes Anserine Bursitis), which was most likely caused by my exceptionally tight left hamstring. Like every time I am fighting an injury, this too has been a lesson in patience.  Healing from injuries generally takes time…I don’t like how much time healing takes.  When I am injured, I want to have immediate results…heal me now and get me back out the door.

Normally I would be totally happy being told that I have to ride my bicycle or swim and strength train, but because I can’t run pain free, that seems to be all I want to do. UGH! Thankfully Dr. Chris is treating on my leg with ART (Active Release Therapy) and trying to get me back to full speed.

This rehab is the best there is!

So what does one do when she is forced to swim and ride her bicycle? Work on getting stronger, find #bikelove, find #swimlove and proper recovery 🙂

Enjoying the outdoor riding before the snow starts to fly

Functional strength training

Basil was my coach and cheer squad as I was inspired by all of the athletes racing IMKona

#swimlove with lots of #heartandcourage these days

Date night with the Iron Hippie as we work on our strength training using TRX

Lots of #bikelove these days

Finding some motivation with my #IMWI2011 finisher medal and race bib on the wall next to me as I ride in my Coeur Sports racing kit

Soaking up some vitamin D in the backyard

Basil likes to help me foam roller

Lots of #heartandcourage as I heal up

Not exactly the time trial test I was hoping for, but it gives me something to work toward during this cycling block.

I’m being coached by my favorite four-legged fur baby.

It was a cool day to ride outside, but I still managed to work up a sweat!

Finding some motivation from my Coeur Sports Kona tri shorts and my Ironman Boulder finisher’s shirt!

#bikelove

Nothing better than spending time with this guy on two wheels outdoors!

Since I am not allowed to run for a while, I’ve decided to do some block training to get me through the offseason. This is not something I’ve done before, but I am actually looking forward to it. For the next 4 weeks, I’ll have a bike focus. I won’t skimp on the strength training, and I’ll have a swim or two, but the main focus will be on cycling. I’m excited to see my FTP results at the end of this 4 week bike focus 🙂

How do you speed up your recovery when injured? Have you ever done a block-focused training? If so, how did it go?

Post Ironman Boulder Struggles

Sometimes the best laid plans don’t go according to plan…I am finding this out yet again. While this isn’t the first time this has happened, it is a good reminder that my body may not allow my brain to get what it wants. I had a great plan for post Ironman Boulder with a few fall races on the calendar. I am still planning to participate in these races, but I have had to make some modifications. I have been seeing Dr. Chris at Team Chiropractic for ART (Active Release Therapy) treatments on my left knee…running hasn’t been the best lately. I had no knee pain during Ironman Boulder and no knee pain during the first run post Ironman while in California, but when I came back to Iowa, my knee decided to vocalize how it really felt about me running. Let’s just say my mind and my knee are not in agreement right now. My knee screamed LOUD about how unhappy it was with me, so…

Dry needling is NOT my idea of a good time, but if it gets me running again, I’ll endure the pain that comes with it!!

With the Des Moines Olympic-Distance Triathlon this Sunday, Allen, the Iron Hippie and I have decided to change our individual participant status to a team status. The Iron Hippie will swim, I will bike and Allen will run. This should be a fun way for all of us to find some motivation again and hopefully keep us from further injuring ourselves…yes, I am not the only one on the injury train. 😦

I am hopeful that Dr. Chris can help get me running soon enough so that I can still participate in my fall running races, but only time will tell. Cycling doesn’t bother the knee at all, so I will do LOTS of cycling this fall, but depending on how the knee is holding up, I may have to postpone my cyclocross races, which I am VERY upset about. Come. On. Body. Cooperate. With. Me! I am VERY grateful for what it has allowed me to do and I know I should give it a break…after all, I did give it a bit of a beating through Ironman Boulder. It is just so difficult when the head and body don’t agree on what is “best” for me!! My mind NEEDS exercise, but apparently my body thinks it needs a break. UGH!

For now, I will continue to do my strength training and bike my heart out with the hope that running and swimming will find their way back into my regular workout routine…sooner, rather than later would be nice 😉

What do you do when your body and mind are not in agreement? How do you overcome struggles and setbacks in your best laid plans?

Ironman Boulder – Gratitude

Sorry I’ve been off the grid for a little bit, after Ironman Boulder, I visited family on the West Coast and am finally back in the Midwest, with no travel plans in the near future.

I have already posted about our 3+ week trication in Colorado in multiple parts and my Ironman Boulder race experience. In case you missed them, here they are:

Red Feather Lakes

Estes Park – The Beginning

Estes Park – The Middle

Estes Park – The End

Denver Metro

Boulder

Ironman Boulder Race Report

I want to take a few minutes and thank those who have supported me in this amazing journey:

My Family…

I am so blessed to have the most amazing and supportive family! Mom, Dad, Laylah, Isabella, Aunt Linda, Neal, Kathy, Elizabeth, Justin, Jennifer, Jacob, Sarah, Lora, Sam and Sara all made the trip to Boulder…some had a much longer way to travel than others, but I was VERY grateful that they were all there to support us on race day. I am also blessed to have a supportive family not only on race day, but throughout the training. Dad has kayaked beside me while I swim and my whole family is always inquiring about how my training is going and what race I am doing next. I am a lucky girl!!

Dad and I race morning.

My aunt, cousins and Dad came out to the Rez for the swim

My cheer squad…Love them all!!

My Sponsors…

Coeur Sports is the best women’s triathlon brand on the market! They have created #stylishspeed that keeps my girly bits happy…even while covering 140.6 miles. #noangrykitty here!! As a Coeur Sports ambassador, I get the privilege of being a part of an amazing team of women who are supportive, inspirational and genuinely full of #heartandcourage! I am so lucky to get the opportunity to enCOEURage more women in endurance sport, experience the ups and downs they encounter while on their journey and witness their joy when they reach new finish lines!!

One of the many perks of being a Coeur Sports ambassador is getting support from other amazing companies as well. Osmo Nutrition, Roka Sports and Barnana have kept me going throughout my training and racing this year. Osmo Nutrition is the best sports hydration on the market. Dr. Stacy Sims knows that #womenarenotsmallmen and has formulated both active hydration and recovery products to meet the needs of men and women separately. When I use the Osmo Nutrition products as they were intended, I stay properly hydrated and recovered 🙂 With Ironman Boulder not being a wetsuit swim, the only Roka gear I wore were my X1 goggles, which I absolutely LOVE!! If you haven’t tried Roka’s goggles, you definitely should…they are the BEST!! Barnana makes using real food on the bike so much easier with the bite sized pieces. The #superpotassium is an added bonus for endurance activity to keep the muscles working properly 🙂

Sound Probiotics is a recent sponsorship that actually came about after Ironman Boulder, but they have been keeping me healthy and on track throughout my entire Ironman Boulder training. I usually get sick during the taper and often times once or twice during training…especially since I teach middle schoolers and am always surrounded by germs. Thanks to Sound Probiotics for my #happygut, #enhancedimmunity and #betterrecovery throughout my training and racing experience!!

Nick and Chris…

Nick has been keeping my body well recovered through massage for almost 2 years. He knows all of my problem areas and knows just what to do to keep my body (and ultimately my mind) happy and healthy!

Dr. Chris has been using ART (active release therapy) and dry needling on various parts of my body at different times throughout my training as issues arise. He has been amazing to keep me moving forward while staying happy and healthy.

I am so lucky to have both of these men keeping me happy and healthy throughout this amazing journey!!

My Triathlon Peeps…

I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing triathlon people…both in person and virtually. Thank you Allen for your support throughout our training…you provided good balance in our household 😉 Thank you Kyle for all of your support in keeping Mojo happy throughout my training and on race day. A special thanks for taking all of my frantic calls leading up to the race to answer questions and problem solve issues with Allen and the Iron Hippie’s bikes. Thank you to all of the people who called, texted, emailed, Facebook messaged me, tweeted me, commented on my blog posts, commented on my Instagram pictures and tracked my progress both while training and on race day! You all ROCK!!

The Iron Hippie…

You are my #1 cheerleader and have supported me on this crazy journey of life and the even crazier journey of triathlon. I love you and am forever grateful for your love and support. What crazy journey should we take on next?!?!?!?

We are ready to swim…not a wetsuit legal swim.

Random Training Thoughts

Kristen over at Glitter and Dust posted about her random training thoughts and she asked me to share mine, so here are a variety of my random training thoughts over the last few weeks.

1. While biking…Why does my Garmin keep quitting on me? SERIOUSLY…How many times will I have to restart my Garmin to collect data during this 2 1/2 hour ride? Apparently…10 times…UGH!! I think it might be time for a new Garmin.
2. While swimming…I’m wearing goggles, so why do I close my eyes when someone splashes water in my face?
3. While biking…I LOVE the seamless chamois in my Coeur Sports tri shorts!! #noangrykitty 🙂  
4. While getting ART (active release therapy) done on my leg…When do I get to inflict this kind of pain on Dr. Chris?
5. While running…Why is Basil always so happy to go run? It is so much fun to watch the joy Basil has while running. I wonder what she thinks about while we run…   
6. While biking…Mojo, why do we have such a perfect chemistry? I love this bike!!!
7. While running…How many more hills are we going to climb today? Here comes another one…That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
8. While biking…Why do my sensor (power and cadence) batteries have to die during the middle of a workout? Why can’t they wait until the end of the workout to go kaput?
9. While swimming (with only a strap around my feet…no pull buoy)…I am SO thankful I am not paraplegic. Keeping my legs afloat is very challenging!!
10. While running…Thank you Osmo Nutrition for keeping me hydrated!! That was a VERY sweaty run!! #womenarenotsmallmen   
11. While getting a massage…OOUUCH!! My muscles are SO tight!!  
12. After a massage…FINALLY…I can relax 🙂
13. While biking…Why do zone 2 rides have to be so boring? I love intervals…give me speed work…I want hills…give me variety!!
14. While on the trainer during a HARD #interval set…I love to ride my bicycle, I love to ride my bicycle :)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1VuMX_G88
15. While swimming…My legs are VERY tired today…please don’t drown, please don’t drown.

What random thoughts do you have while training?

29 Weeks ’til Ironman Boulder

Last week wrapped up 29 weeks until Ironman Boulder and with it came the start of semester 2 and ridiculously COLD temperatures…school was even cancelled on Wednesday due to the bitterly cold windchill temperatures (-42F). I didn’t let the cold keep me from having a successful week of workouts. The theme for this week was, “I have some work to do.”

Monday:

AM: One hour of strength training that included 20 minutes of core work (I’m still pushing for at least 5 minutes of core work everyday for 30 days)

PM: LOTS of shoveling thanks to an 8 inch snow fall 😉

Tuesday:

AM: More shoveling before the Lucky 7s Treadmill Run…this run is all hill work at varying inclines, but every segment needs to add up to “7” = 1 min at 6% incline, 6 min at 1% incline, 2 min at 5% incline, 5 min at 2% incline, etc. The key is not adjusting the pace at which you run…lock the treadmill at one pace and go. I ran 5.64 miles in 55 minutes. I was hoping to be able to maintain a 9:30 pace for this run, but I just didn’t have it in me this morning, so I ran closer to a 10 minute pace. This gives me something to work toward for next time I do this run!

PM: 2600 yard swim with steady 200s…this was a one hour swim and my calves were SO TIGHT (from the jump squats I did yesterday morning) that it almost hurt to push off the wall. Thankfully they loosened up toward the end of the workout. I followed this up with 5 minutes of core work.

Wednesday:

AM: Trainer ride of 1 on/1 off for 75 minutes…This was a tough workout, but that is how I will get stronger and faster on the bike 😉 I covered 16.2 miles in the 75 minutes while on the bike and followed this up with 20 minutes of core work.

Later in the AM: 500 TT swim workout…this was my #FaveWorkout of the week, mostly because I had the pool ENTIRELY to myself. This was a 45 minute swim with a 500 TT included in it. My TT wasn’t as fast as I would have liked, but with the tough ride prior to it, this was the best I could do today. My 500 TT was 9:11.77 with my 2nd half being 6 seconds faster than the first half. This gives me something to work toward for next time I do a 500 TT. I’m starting to see a theme for the week 😉

PM: Active Release Therapy (ART) on my left leg trying to get it to release all of the tension it holds…

Thursday:

AM: No morning workout after yesterday afternoon’s ART session.

PM: 45 minutes of TRX with about 20 minutes of core work.

Friday:

AM: 7.33 mile treadmill run in 70 minutes…The first 40 minutes were run at a 10 minute pace and the last 30 minutes were run at an 8:57 pace

PM: 2400 yard swim with 2 x ladder to 300 in 1 hour…I felt like my form was struggling a bit, but I pushed through and finished strong. I followed this up with 10 minutes of core work.

Saturday:

AM: 10.55 mile treadmill run in 1:40 with a 9:29 average pace…I have some work to do to get my runs faster. I followed this up with 30 minutes of core work.

PM: Made lots of soup to put in the freezer for ready to eat meals…Homemade Carrot Ginger Soup and Homemade Tomato Soup.

Homemade Carrot Ginger Soup

Homemade Tomato Soup

 

Sunday:

AM: Trainer ride of 3 x up/down hills covering 28.6 miles in 2 hours…this might just be next week’s #FaveWorkout. This was tough, but I LOVED IT!! It kept me focused and really made me work hard.  This was true #bikelove!! I followed this up with 5 minutes of core work.

PM: Homemade Grapefruit Juice…YUMMY!!

Bonus 5 minutes of abs followed by 90 minutes of Hot Yoga…

Weekly Totals:

Swim: 3.92 miles
Bike: 44.8 miles
Run: 23.5 miles
Strength Training: 4 hours (including all of my core work)
Hot Yoga: 90 minutes

That’s a wrap…a #successfultrainingweek all documented in my #believetrainingjournal

Quote of the week:

“Time fixes nothing. Time is a facilitator but you still have to do the fixing; dig into the difficult conversations; look hard at yourself in the mirror and ask if you’re doing everything you can do to get healthy. If you aren’t currently living the life you want, there is no other way to get there. Time won’t make it happen. So you can either adjust the goal, or give yourself a swift kick in the ass. Those are your only two options unless you enjoy the feeling of eternal tug of war.”
~Lauren Fleshman

**Thanks to Erin for sharing this quote with me.

How was your week of workouts? 

Courage and ART…Running Update

The last 6 weeks, I’ve been fighting a bit of an injury.  While I haven’t been sidelined from all activity, I have been sidelined from running for the last 4 weeks.  I typically go to physical therapy when injured, but I decided to try something different this time around and the results…well…I’ll let them speak for themselves.

Dr. Chris Feil is a Chiropractor who does active release therapy (ART) here in Ames.  He has worked with a variety of athletes in many different athletic fields.  He runs with Team Vardo (our local running group) and was confident that he could get me back in my running shoes pounding the pavement in no time.  I let him know that I had never been to a chiropractor before, but I was willing to give him a try and let him work some magic.

What is ART?  According to Active Release Techniques, “ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.”

After seeing Dr. Chris four times in less than 2 weeks, he told me to try running for 20-30 minutes this weekend and see how everything feels.  I have to admit, I was VERY nervous and this is where the courage came in.

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you.  I was definitely frightened to go out and test the legs.  “What ifs” infiltrated my mind…What if it would hurt to run?  What if I do more damage to my knee?  What if I don’t feel any pain while running, but find out later I’ve regressed?  What if, what if, what if???

I decided to run on the trails in the park by our house since it is relatively flat and I wouldn’t be far from home.  Courage…

I started off really easy and could feel that I was compensating for what I thought I might feel instead of what I was feeling.  I really focused on not letting my body make compensations, forcing myself to relax and just run.  It turned out better than I could have expected!!  I have some work to do to get my speed  and distance back, but I will take the slower pace if it means I can run pain free 🙂

Dr. Chris has definitely worked some magic and I am forever grateful that he has gotten me back in my running shoes pounding the pavement.  If you are currently riding that injury train or toying with a ride on it, I would definitely recommend visiting Dr. Chris.  He’ll get you off that train and moving again in no time 😉

When have you had to be courageous?  What do you do to help come back strong after injuries?  Have you tried ART?  If so, how did it work for you?