Saturday April 13
Race start was 10:30am and the forecast was HOT with a Saudi Arabian Wind!
This year was a totally different race than other years in the past. Some say they thought it was harder than Maui! I think the heat caught a lot of us by surprise.
Last year was raining and freezing, this year was crazy hot and windy. I was definitely aware I was in the desert, the heat was oppressive and you couldn’t tell how much you were sweating because the hot wind was so dry. The wind was blowing you off course at times and out of your line on the higher peaks and open flats, it seemed like there was no where to hide. It was a tough race to stay hydrated.
Swim 27:20
The water was 57 degrees and pretty comfortable with a wetsuit. It was much warmer than last year, no frozen hands and cramped calves. it was hard to believe that the temp was the same as last year, it seemed worlds apart! I was trying to stay closer to the girls in the line up because drafting is just plain and simple faster than trying to fluff around on my own. I did alright for the first 1/3 of the race and then I was lonely. I felt really good (like everyone I am sure) swimming the first leg and heading across the lake but coming back was choppier. We were also swimming against the current a little. I have been working on an early high elbow on my catch and this was what I was trying to focus on. The chop wasn’t horrible but there was a chance of getting a mouth full of water if you weren’t careful.
I felt pretty calm and happy about my swim but I can never tell if I went hard enough, which means if I am questioning it, i didn’t! I was a little too perfect with my stroke and technique…good thing it was a training race 
live and learn.
In comparison to the fastest times posted last year to this times were a little slower this year by about 45 seconds. So if I swam a 28:27 last year, it would workout out that I was almost 2 mins faster. I am not sure I completely trust my theory.
Our superstar of the group Croucher swam a 19:58!
Bike 1:42:29
“Smooth is fast”
I was stoked when we pre-rode that I was able to ride a section I have not ridden in the past. Kyle Walker ripped through it like it was cake and it baffled me as I have always looked as this rocky platform I call “marshmallow rock” as a bit of a Rubix Cube. I called him back so I could follow his line and bingo! It was that easy. I had to get photographic evidence as the hubby would surely not believe this one. Christy and I were pretty jazzed about this and I think the husbands were still skeptical we knew what we were doing when we called them later that night to tell them we rode it. Brett & I had spent quite a bit of time trying to figure this one out in years past. This year the exit was filled in and smoothed out so it was more rideable. I have to say full suspension has been a lovely luxury especially when my ride is at 22lbs! Needless to say we came back the next day and I dug my front wheel in the wrong line and sailed straight over the handlebars. Croucher had front row tix to this one, my back wheel was a few feet above my head, I escaped unscathed, we nailed it the second time!
Race day I was pushing things but I didn’t kill myself on the bike. I was sensible and calm through the sand and loose marble gravel, baby head rocks.
I felt like it was a consistent effort and that I rode really smooth especially around the lake’s edge. I was able to stay off the breaks and carry my momentum and not power pedal out of the turns. I was happy with that, it is an improvement. You gotta pay just as much respect to power as you do technique in mountain biking, and I am still very much a baby in the MTB world.
I have to say my bike performed beautifully on race day, the tune & bike fit John Phillips and Bud did at Venture Sports Avon was ace and my Giant Anthem is the best bike on the planet.
I only went though a single 24oz bottle of infinite and a half a bottle of water in 1 hr 40 mins which was not enough. I was concerned about the run and the heat at this point as I pedaled into a head wind. I want to work on increasing my threshold to capitalize on my climbing and keep getting out and working on my cornering… here we go short track!
Run 55:53
Heading out on the run the heat was relentless. I started the run at about 12:40pm. There was no shade on the course and it was arid. I cannot say enough about the volunteers this year: they were on it, thanks guys. Approaching every aid station they were always prepared with cups in their hands and calling out to ask what you needed, they were so well stocked with both water and gatorade and they were instrumental in a sufferably hot run. I grabbed 3 cups at all 4 aid stations.
Mile 1 was an 8:30 min mile pace, I didn’t see the rest, but not crushing myself on the bike, played to my favor on the run. There were a couple of tough climbs at mile 2.5 and 3.5 which reduced many to walking and the second sucked me in for a bit as I couldn’t find much of a solid footing. Thanks coach for the hill repeats these climbs weren’t that horrible.
To my surprise I passed a few pro girls in the run. I felt strong. As I continued up the riverbed I saw Josiah and he said “Hey Tam, GO” when I saw Conrad a minute or 2 later I was pumped for him and knew he was headed to the finish line for the win! Nice job Josa.
I passed Chris Jeffrey near the top of the first climb, mile 3 and then Brandi on the second bigger climb mile 3.7. Since when is running my draw card, I was kind of surprised. I tend to race well in the heat… I must be Australian.
I guess saving a little gas for the run is not a bad idea after all. Knowing that I walked though the aid stations to make sure I got the fluids in me and that I never felt like I was going to blow a gasket on the run, I am please with this effort. It’s a solid start that is showing me glimpses of my run potential that I think I am starting to tap into.
This week was the most fun trip I have had at a race outside of Maui (hard to top that). A huge shout out to my mates that I travelled with. Jamie Gunion, Christy Geyer, Steve Croucher and I loaded 4 bikes onto Christy’s car (well Pete did actually, thanks Pete) and drove to Vegas on Wednesday morning. We have had so many laughs on the way and we all got along seamlessly. Croucher was surrounded by some pretty crazy women and he survived.
We all sang along to “Rock of Ages” at the Venetian after the race as a treat for Jamie’s Birthday that was on Wednesday April 10 and had a ball on Saturday night. Great show if you haven’t seen it.
I am psyched if these guys will travel with me again, they made it so relaxed fun, perfect for abating race nerves.
I am proud to say Vail was heavily represented by:
Christy Geyer. 2nd in age
Amelia Van Dyke. 2nd in age
Steve Croucher. 3rd in age
Jamie Gunion
Kyle Walker
Tanya Walker
Mike Stephanek
Ezra Velez
James Ellis
Todd Foral
The Middaugh family had a spectacular weekend with Josiah winning the Championship race. The boys and Ingrid ran the 5K Sunday where Porter and Sullivan took 1st and 2nd in the kids 5K and Ingrid a 2nd also.
In the car on the way home we are sunburnt, tired, sore and happy. I am looking forward to seeing my boys, Brett & Zeke, who partied it up in Fruita for 3 days this weekend with Pete & Ellie. We are not so thrilled to be driving back to 3 feet of snow…
but it will give the sunburn a chance to calm down. What a great trip with insanely cool people, a trip I will remember, thanks Jamie, Christy & Steve-o for helping me keep it real.
The season of racing is about to begin. The first Xterra race for me is this Saturday, April 13, Xterra West Championships in Lake Las Vegas.
This year so far has been a little different. I had a much later start to structured training. Soon after I started I spent 3-4 with the flu weeks doing nothing. I freaked out that the year was already over. This led me to my new attitude. Last year I put a little too much pressure on myself and sucked the fun out of what I call my passion. Right now I can’t tell you how relaxed and calm I feel, even though I know I am not in tip top form for this race. I also have an incredible new bike sponsor Liv/giant. I am riding Giant’s Anthem X Advanced 29er 0. It’s their carbon full suspension bike and Quarq hooked me up with a power meter which is super cool to train with.
Wholly cow, I am in loooove with my new bike. From my first ride I could believe how light it was and the full suspension is making me crazy comfortable on the downhills. I am having so much fun training and riding with my new coach and I have been swimming with the guys at SwimLabs in Denver. Michael Mann and his underwater film analysis using Dartfish is the quickest most effective swim feedback I have ever experienced.
My coach Steve Pye has been training me for 2 months now and I feel like a new athlete this year. My bike handling skills have improved and I understand how to turn my bike (surprise), I do things without necessarily knowing what I am doing, which can make it tricky to break it down when something goes wrong. I have only been riding 4 years. I also have a much better understanding of my running mechanics and the physics of it.
Steve has had the pleasure of seeing me down in the dumps already, as I resigned myself to pulling out of racing Vegas Xterra after being sidelined for 3 weeks of zero training from the flu… Drove me and everyone around me nuts!
So going into this race with a view of it as a training race takes a tone of pressure off me and keeps me more relaxed. I have just started using my Quarq power meter and will be stoked to be able to collect race data. Everyone says racing with a power meter is a game changer…let’s see!
So tomorrow is a chance to see where my swimming is and how I feel about my bike fitness. My FTP is lower than this time last year 230 as opposed to 245 but my riding is much more efficient. Steve has been throwing many more tempo runs than I am used to and I am interested to see how it will play out.
Sleep well see you after the race.
Here is an article in SneakPeak Vail that I had a small part in. If you want to read the whole article highlighting some of the Vail Valley’s top athletes, Click Here. We are on page 4-5.
What will 2013 bring… I have been giving this one a ton of thought… I have taken some serious time off structured training to get back to some of the core things in my life I began to neglect, keeping everything in balance is key. I have a tendancy to do too much and get overwhelmed. In the last two months of reflection, I have been told and have discovered I can stop what I am doing at any time. The problem is I don’t know when to stop. I don’t want to stop racing, I love it.
It is interesting, it’s completely true, no one is forcing me to race and be an athlete. I have been getting overwhelmed lately and it is only JANUARY! My schedule has gone from zero to a hundred in a matter of weeks and I have “lost it” thinking, “if this is January, how will I be able to cope in July”. I am extremely lucky to have the support system that I have. My husband, Brett, is my rock and I would be a “puddle” without him, I am a “puddle” with him, but he is good at mopping up most of the time. He is extremely busy right now with The Cycle Effect and I am incredibly proud of him. It is tough to take time to really listen to each other and hear what the other person is saying when you are completely buried in eighteen different tasks and just hanging in there. Thank you Brett for hearing me.
Suzanne Oliver and Elizabeth Sullivan are two of the girls that spend most of the time with me at work and see how I am really doing a majority of the time. They see behind the scenes and their unbiased and nonjudgemental advice is gold. Suz and Elizabeth are like my older sisters. They have no idea how much their positive attitudes and ability to smile in every situation inspires me. They are the most amazing listeners, compasionate, and smoking hot people you could ever hope to meet.
Like I was saying I get upset at times at how much work I seem to be doing. No one is to blame. If I want to race at the level I have chosen, I require financial help and need to seek sponsorship. I need a job to pay the bills (Personal Training at Athletic Club at the Westin) and it was my choice to start my own personal business (Donelson Coaching). It was my decision to give back to the community and be heavily involved in Ells Angels, now The Cycle Effect, I wouldn’t change any of it. I love the work I do with the teenage girls in the mountain bike team. It is incredibly rewarding and I am so impressed that Liv/giant has stepped up to support us on this project what an amazing company. I am excited to work with our local Venture Sports dealer in Avon. Mike has shown great support for the girls and myself, and we have only known each other for a short time.
Anyway, I just have to learn to balance everything and make sure I am able to fit my own training for Xterra in as well or my own season will suffer.
I will talk more and post video later but I went to SwimLabs in Denver last Friday. Wow. Mike Mann is incredible. If you are or were thinking about going, do not hesitate. There is far too much to talk about, but 5 mins in the pool is worth 500 hours of swimming.
I am definitely much more organised this year. I am proud to say Donelson Coaching is doing fabulous and I am impressed at how many athletes are on board and training so much earlier this year. I am 500% busier. I am excited and looking forward to spring and summer thinking about the possibility of offering weekly outdoor group training sessions at the track for my athletes and possibly group rides. As long I can keep everything in balance and make sure that I am still having fun I think this year can be successful, balance and the happiest one yet.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for some very exciting sponsorship propsoals but I i do know that i will be riding with Liv/giant this year!
I am looking at customizing my tri suit again and possibly doing a cycling kit for Donelson Coaching. I will keep you posted. In looking for ideas on design I came across:
Check out these triathlon, cycling and running apparel kits, they are really cool designs for women. They aren’t girly girl outfits, it’s edgier and much more stylish. I would snap this stuff up in a second. If you have to be running around in wet lycra for hours doing a triathlon why not look good doing it! That is NOT saying that I have not been extremely happy with my Primal suits, I just thought these looked cool too.
Have a great week everyone.
I have a few cool photos that friends have forwarded me over the weeks from Worlds. Super Star, Jen Razee’s hubby Sean snapped my Brother running along with me to the finish!
Jen emailed these tagged “Wow, that’s one supportive Brother”
Another cool one that Conrad Stoltz has posted on his site of the swim is pretty impressive. I definitely forgot how big some for of the sets were in the heat of the moment.
http://www.conradstoltz.com/index.php/xterra-worlds-2012/
On a cool note Ellsworth have release their 2012 Enlightenment carbon frame. The 29r firm tail frame is made of Rare Earth Carbon Fiber. They arrived at Mooontime last week. Frank at Moontime is getting our rigs together. I can’t wait to get this out for a spin. I will get some pics on as soon as I can. I am looking forard to spending Xmas day in Fruita on our new toys. Thanks Tony and all the crew at Ellsworth for supporting us, they are super fun and sleek bikes, light and playful, we can’t wait to go dance around in Loma and the likes. Fingers crossed Loma and Fruita stay dry for a bit longer.
It is just over 5 weeks since Xterra Worlds, but it seems longer than that. I can’t tell you how much time I have on my hands when I am not training. Riding your bike for a few hours can really eat into your day especially when you then feel like taking a nap. I am sleeping like a baby and feel so happy (most of the time) and rested. People have mentioned I look rested also. Does that mean I looked like crap before?
It is an interesting concept for an athlete who has been on a structure training program for 10 months to then go AWOL for a month or so. There have been off season’s where I have felt completely lost without a structure of workouts from my coach but this time I am really enjoying the time off. Of course there is always a little post season depression, it is inevitable after such a peaking of training and mental focus. I am coping much better this year knowing that this period would be visiting me sometime in Novemeber.
The last 5 weeks for me have involved a lot of reflection on my season. What did I do well. What would I do differently. What are my goals for next year. Hindsight is a beautiful thing. In the heat of moment it is difficult to be objective. I have now come to terms with the fact that I was overtrained for the last 6 weeks of the season.
The definition of overtraining is:
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness.
If sufficient rest is not available, then complete regeneration cannot occur. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists, then the individual’s performance will eventually plateau and decline. Mild over training may require several days of rest or reduced activity to fully restore an athlete’s fitness. If prompt attention is not given to the developing state and an athlete continues to train and accumulate fatigue, the condition may come to persist for weeks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining
I want to add that this is not my coaches doing. It is my job as an athlete to communicate with my coach how I am feeling and I did not do this. I did not want to admit that I needed more recovery and I thought that I was weak by admitting that I was tired. I thought I should be tougher than that. There is no way that your coach can plan for you if you are not being honest with them let alone yourself. This is the biggest lesson i learnt this year, admitting I needed a break was tougher than carrying on being fatigued. I was doing myself and my coach injustice.
I can now see that I was constantly complaining of being fatigued and tired. I had lost motivation and was going throughout the motions, like training was a job. The fun got sucked out of things. I was irritable and overly emotional. I had lost my competitive drive and my performance was decreasing. I think it would be unreasonable to think that i could have believed that i was overtrained at the time. I am stubborn. Brett has made me pretty aware of these indicators over the past few weeks also. God love him for putting up with me for the months prior to Maui. He must have needed to vacation more than I did.
I am swimming because I want to, and I get out when I feel like it. Lifting weights and playing around on TRX is a fun challenge and I have mastered standing on a Swiss ball.
I am stoked I have found a balance again and life is good. I am wary to jump into training to quickly so I am taking December off also. I am still doing about 12/13 hours a week of exercise just not solely swimming biking and running. The break has been so good for the sole and has reminded me of why I started racing in the first place: it’s so darn fun.
See you out there palyin’
The only memories I have from racing in Kapalua were positive. Regardless, I was nervous. This was the last race of the season.
My family from Australia came over to watch and spend time with Brett and I. And there was a crew from Vail that were racing and supporting. It was so much fun knowing so many people out here.
The swim was rougher than last year but I wasn’t super concerned. I lined up close to Josiah on the far right, not anticipating swimming with him of course, but to follow his bubbles for a few seconds! We/ everyone got caught in the current last year and ended up waay to far left, so I was following the boss.
1. Pro men & women
2. All age group men
3. All age group women
I wanted to burn a few matches early to get past as many people as possible. The first few miles of the bike course have enough room to pass in places but I was finding that when I was coming up on people, it was where it was narrow or a little sketchy. Unfortunately I found myself having to settle and pass when I could. I was getting this heavy feeling in my legs and just felt flat. It was really hard to get any power from my legs. I honestly have never really had this feeling to this extent in a race before. I have maybe felt a little flat but this was no snap. They weren’t hurting and it was’t that lactic burn, it was weird.
I knew I was not on pace when a few girls I am on par with, blew by me in a matter of seconds, they were out of sight in 30. I tried to dig a little deeper. I rode as hard as I could manage that day. I was frustrated. I needed to put in the hardest effort possible or I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the eye after the race. If it wasn’t fast enough then I could live with that. I couldn’t live with giving up.
See you on snowshoes in a month!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Kapalua, Maui
There is 1 week till worlds & thank god, the volume of training is dropping. It was either me or the training.
Wednesday’s track session was chilly & windy. It was 10 x 90 sec intervals.
4 x 400m on the track with a 200m jog/ walk between for recovery, followed by 4 x 90 sec hill repeats. Then it was back to the track for another 2 x 400′s.
I ticked one goal off the bathroom mirror this season. It was to be able to run my 400m track repeats at 1 min 25 seconds or under. Wednesday at the track was not quite a scorcher of a run but 1:27 for every single 400 was more than consistent.
I am beginning to believe that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. I know I am not alone here. We all doubt ourselves & our capabilities. Which reminds me of Michael Jordan’s quote “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them”.
I am psyched to watch the Colorado High School MTB State Championships tomorrow. Heidi Livran & Rita Gutierrez are going to crush it. Go girls. Best of luck to all the Vail Composite Team. They are an amazing group of kids, watch out for them on any podium. Here they are training at Berry Creek last Tuesday.
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My Favorite quote, “whether you think you can, or think you can’t, your probably right” was the theme of today’s sufferfest for me.
Vail Team Maui met in the the CompuTrainer Cave today and busted out a few high intensity intervals before a run up Elkhorn. Three minutes may not sound like a long interval but at 115% of threshold, it hurt.
Jen, Amelia, James, Michele, Christy & I were all pretty quiet after the first interval. Our three minutes of recovery felt ridiculously short, which was funny because it felt like a life time when you were working your ass off.
We are definitely putting in some hard work. And it was not a bad thing to be riding inside today, as we woke to a dusting of snow and dug out the ice scraper for the windshield. We all agreed we were working way harder than if we did these outside on our bikes.
We are now 2 weeks out from Worlds and we will all be on a plane mid next week. I can’t tell you how incredible it has been to suffer through some of our workouts together, the power of support and accountibility is huge. I cannot tell you how hard these guys work, it’s impressive. Can’t wait to see them all on the podium.
So today on Inteval no. 6 of 7, I kept telling myself that I can and I had already done this interval and I crushed it. It worked. The power of positive thinking!
A huge thanks, to Jen, Amelia, James, Michele & Christy for bleeding with me today, love you guys!
I am confident to say that I eat pretty well but not well enough. Yes, I am a perfectionist. I have struggled with my weight, just like almost everyone I know. And at times in my life, have fought with food and have felt like there’s a conspiracy against me ever losing weight. I began to believe that it was impossible for me to change. That belief in itself is a trap.
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
To get to the point, I am working with a Sports Nutritionist. He is amazing. Bob Seebohar has written numerous books on nutrition. Metabolic Efficiency is a must read if you are into this sort of stuff.
I got in contact with Bob after feeling frustrated and confused about my eating. Am I eating enough, too much or even the right things at the right time? How many calories should I be consuming on training days and recovery days. I want to fuel my body the best I can for optimal performance. If I happened to lean out or drop weight that would be a bonus. Over the years, I have confused my thirst signal for hunger, and I am not sure I even know what hunger signals are anymore. I feel like a robot at times. I eat on a schedule around my training and clients. As I said I eat pretty well but it was time to consult a professional who I absolutely respected, I was tired of thinking about it.
Who likes keeping a food diary? No one really. In order to determine what your eating patterns are you need to track them. Food diaries are interesting. They are a guided discovery project. I sent Bob 4-5 days of typical eating before we had our first phone consultation (Bob is in Boulder, I am in Vail). I was nervous and trying to figure out what he was going to tell me. I was thinking it would be more veggies and maybe a little more protein, which I thought I got tones of.
My guidelines for the first week were:
Eat a ratio of carbs & protein at 2:1
Eat the following in order of priority
I didn’t need to worry about fat, or counting calories. I challenge you to do 2 carbs to 1 protein. That pretty means sugar loses out, but without saying don’t eat sugar!
So today I am going to focus on how I manage breakfast, my favorite meal of the day.
Breakfast for me is a challenge. At 5:30am I don’t bounce out of bed and feel like cooking eggs. Coffee is a priority. If I have cereal and milk, I end up with too many carbs, but if I have Greek Yogurt with it, the protein helps balance it out. I love Fage and Chobani yogurts.
I noticed that the Silk Pure Almond Milk we had was 1g of protein and regular milk was 8g per cup. So I am drinking regular 1% milk.
Bread and bagels are easy in the morning but can screw up the balance of numbers so it is carb heavy again, but add a boiled egg and it helps. So it ended up like a math project that I was eating stuff on account of the numbers of carbs and protein that was in it.
I have found a breakfast cereal I like which is higher in protein is Ezekiel Almond Cereal. I have also found some breads and wraps that are lower in carbs and higher in protein.
| Food |
Serving size |
Calories |
Fat |
Carb |
Protein |
| Fage – plain |
1 cup/ 8oz/ 227g |
130 |
0g |
9g |
23g |
| Chobani 0% Yogurts |
6oz/ 170g |
140 |
0g |
20g |
14g |
| Agave |
1 tablespoon |
60 |
0g |
16g |
0g |
| Peanut Butter – Skippy Natural |
1 tablespoon |
80 |
8g |
3g |
4g |
| Viva 1% Milk |
1 cup |
110 |
3g |
13g |
8g |
| Alpine Valley Multi Grain-Omega 3 Bread |
1 slice |
81 |
1g |
15g |
5g |
| Thomas’s Wheat Bagel |
1 bagel |
240 |
2g |
49g |
10g |
| Thomas’s Wheat Mini Bagels |
1 mini bagel |
110 |
1g |
22g |
5g |
| New York Style 1880 Original Style Bagels- Wheat |
1 bagel |
240 |
1.5g |
48g |
8g |
| New York Style 1880 Original Style Mini Bagels- Wheat |
1 mini bagel |
100 |
.5g |
19g |
3g |
| Flat Out – Healthy Grain Harvest Wheat Flat Bread |
1 flat bread |
120 |
3g |
23g |
7g |
| Ezekiel 4:9 Almond Cereal – Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal |
1/2 cup |
200 |
3g |
38g |
8g |
| Egg – scrambled or hard boiled |
1 large |
70 |
4g |
0g |
6g |
So the reason for 2:1 is a diet heavy in carbs that don’t get used end up being stored as fat. High carb meals cause insulin to be release and insulin can turn the body’s ability to utilize fat as a fuel source off. Protein helps stabilize our blood sugar levels.
I need to be sure that I am eating enough carbs to support my training but not too much that they are stored as fat. The protein is making me feel fuller for longer and actually evening out my energy throughout the day.
I am aiming at eating at least 2500 – 3000 calories a day when training and 2500 on lighter days or recovery days.
So far the scale has move a touch but the clothes are feeling roomier! I have been asked if I have lost weight but in reality I have just become a little leaner… Love it. The best thing is I am not hungry and feel like I am eating more than usual.
Stay tuned for how I am dealing with other meals of the day. We all know the first half of the day is easier than the afternoon and evening when sugar is often reached for, hmmm.
Till then, eat well.
