From Hyvee to LA

Hy-vee was one of the best triathlons and one of the more disappointing triathlons I have ever been too- all in one.  

First the best part…

The event itself was like nothing I could have imagined. There was fireworks at the start and finish, great TV coverage, huge huge crowds, a great concert from the gin blossoms, and I could go on and on.  The city of Des Moines and Hy-vee put such tremendous support into this race. It seems to be a passion for the city and this company to put on the best, highest quality triathlon in the world and they have succeeded in that.  The way Hy-vee supports our sport and the pro athletes is tremendous, they are singlehandedly changing the lives of pros that race there and adding prestige and reward to the sport like no other event. I am just so thankful and appreciative that they are doing so much for our sport and for the pro athletes that get to go.

The other thing that made the event so awesome was having Wes, Lisa, Greg, Kaleb, Brian, Jake, and Rudy there- it was so awesome to get to share the experience with everyone.  Greg, Kaleb, Brian and Jake (and Rudy- my buddy from Charlottesville) all had tremendous races and it was so great to share that with them.  Greg won his age age group Kaleb crushed the run with the fastest run and being a rockstar overall too!! The whole trip was just so much fun and I was so proud and honored to get to stand on that pontoon with all those incredible athletes at such a great event before the start of the gun. Definitely something I won’t soon forget.  

Then the gun went off…haha. Well. As far as the worst race goes, I will be brief. I woke up Wed am before the race was some time of viral flu and didn’t get over it until the week after the race (about 10+ days) so that more than a bit of a chafe on my race.  I was hoping my body would just be able to perform well under the circumstances with enough adrenaline but my performance was certainly not indicative of my fitness at that point. I was actually happy with where I finished considering the circumstances… that may sound weird but I honestly do not think I could have gone harder that day and I actually rarely feel that way.. so in that way I was proud of myself.  And I got a great preview of the course for next year- looking on the positive side.

For AG athletes, I would strongly recommend this race if you are thinking about doing a race to travel to next year. The atmosphere is something you can’t experience anywhere else, maybe Kona, I don’t know (lisa will have to let me know =)  )  but it is certainly in a different universe in terms of atmosphere and quality compared to other events.  Thanks so much to Greg and Lisa for being there for us, for Wes who is my #1 fan, and definitely to Hy-vee and the city of Des Moines for setting the highest standard of what a triathlon can be.  As always, thanks to our awesome sponsors! Profile design, Quintana Roo, Rudy, Champion Systems, Hammer- So happy for the support necessary to get to this huge events!!

Excited for the LA triathlon this week!!  Good luck to Kaleb at Nationals!!!

Racing with the Big Boys

The Hy-Vee triathlon can be summed up in one word – Awesome!  The race may not have went well for all athletes involved, but the race was brilliantly planned out.  There were hundreds of people spread out over the course cheering for everyone racing, and there were grandstands full of screaming fans set up at the finish area.  It was the most fun I have ever had while suffering.

Pre-Race – I went down to the river, right next to my hotel, to watch the women swim.  The current in the river was pretty intense so I wanted to watch the women to know where the best place to swim was.  There was a bridge support in the river coming back to the start/swim out that seemed to slow down the current a little bit, but there was no easy way up stream.  This was going to be a hard swim!

Swim – The start to this race was brutal.  In most races the first buoy is at least 300m away.  Here it was about 25m away into the strong current, therefore 30 guys got to the hard left at roughly the same time.  The action at the first buoy was total chaos.  People were getting punched and kicked, and well as grabbed and pulled backwards.  I took what felt like a punch straight to the eye.  I thought my goggle was broke for a while, but I continued to swim and try to stay on feet.  The current played a huge role in the swim, as no one wanted to break the current on their own so almost everyone tried to find feet.  Josh Amberger led out the swim and put about a min on Andy Potts and the rest of the field.  Impressive!!  I came out of the water about a min off the back of the front pack.  I will take it for the conditions.  I was happy to be out of the water as I ran up the steps to T1.

Bike – As I headed out on the bike, I heard that I was ahead of David Thompson.  We go back and forth on the swim so it was nice to hear that I beat him out on such a hard swim.  As I started the bike I noticed my legs did not want to go.  Not a good feeling in a race as large as this one!  I let them relax for about 5 min and then I tried to push.  They were having none of it.  The course was technical and rolling so I thought I could make up some time on the down hills and turns.  On the first downhill section there was a 90 degree turn at the bottom.  I knew it was coming but I was not ready for it.  I hit my brakes, but I was not slowing down fast enough.  I squeezed down on the brake levers and my back tire locked up and started to skid out!  I was out of control and heading for the crowd!!  I crossed to the other side of the road, luckily there was no one coming in the opposite direction, and hopped on the curb as spectators jumped out of the way.  I finally got turned and rejoined the race.  After that I started to take turns a lot less aggressive!!  It was a fun bike course but my legs were not cooperating with my head.  I wanted to go harder but my legs were winning my internal argument.  On the last lap I could see Jarrod Shoemaker.  Once I caught him I knew I had to put some time on him if I hoped to beat him, I was not sure if my legs were going to be there for the run.  Finally off the bike I had a respectable T2 and was off on the run.

Run – The run started on a slight uphill and then came a large downhill. It took me a little bit to get my run legs going, but I set a goal for top 15 before the race so I had to get moving.  I was in 26^th coming off the bike so I had a lot of work to do.  The first lap went well and I was moving through the field.  On the second lap I was starting to come unglued.  I went in to what I like to call energy conservation mode - I try not to use any more energy than I have to.  That means running with my eyes closed for long stretches and only controlling my legs and arms.  By the start of lap three I was still moving well but I could not catch my breath.  I tried pulling my jersey up and down to find a comfortable position, but I could not find one that allowed me to breathe.  Lap three was my slowest lap by 15 seconds.  Oops!  Finally in a last ditch effort, toward the end up the lap, I pulled my jersey up as high as it would go.  It was really digging in to me arms and what pec muscle I have, but I could breathe!!  Finally I could concentrate on running again!!  I ended up with the fastest run split of the day which always makes me happy.  If I cannot win the race, I at least like to come away with something.

What an amazing race.  It was the hardest race I have done this year, but I will not remember any of that.  I will remember the crowd and the overall competitiveness of the field.  Since I don’t know any better, that is what I imagine the Olympics feeling like.  Everyone in the race has a great resume and being able to compete with them was very exciting.  And the crowd was unbelievable, there was constant noise and words of encouragement.  The city of Des Moines was a great place for a race, if only triathlons were this big in other cities.  I feel that if people could experience something like this in their city triathlons would be more mainstream in the US.  There was no entrance fee and the action never stopped in any of the races, from the Age Groupers to the Pros.  The roads were full of great racing all day!  I truly love this sport and I hope you do as well!

A big thanks goes out to all my family and friends that made the trip.  Usually I name everyone out there, but my support team was too large this time!  Not a bad problem!!  Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement.  That run would have turned out differently had you guys not been there!  And thanks to all my sponsors, I would not be as competitive without you!!

I hope Nicole gets better soon!  She raced tough and hung in there all day.  She will rebound!  The Toyota Lifetime Series better watch out, because great things are going to happen for her!!

I only have a few races left until my first season as a pro comes to an end.  It has been a learning experience, but it has been a fun ride!  A little training motivation for everyone still chasing goals this season! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUEl5NKjF5c

Kaleb

Giant Eagle Triathlon RR

Just got back from Columbus, OH- which is an awesome city.  Another 2^nd place by just 9 seconds….still seeking that elusive win this year… Here is a great play by play of the race on slowtwitch that covers both Kaleb and I:  http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Yoder_Parker_top_Giant_Eagle_Triathlon_2227.html

I posted the fastest bike and second fastest run- which was great. The bike was flat and super-fast with great road surfaces for the most part and very few turns at all.  The run was somewhat of a struggle for me because I haven’t started my run training yet going into Hyvee and I didn’t back off at all this week from the intense bike training I have been doing.  I definitely felt my training load and lack of speed workouts on the run more than anything- but I was happy to hold it together and I am excited to be where I am at right now and I wouldn’t have changed anything- I know I am in the right spot for right now.  Having patience and the right timing is so incredibly important in this sport and I know Greg has me doing the right things for right now.

However, my swim was the only bummer (10^th best and 1:40 back from the leader!).  It is hard to lose a triathlon in the swim but that seems to be what I am managing to do. I have seen glimpses of myself as a great swimmer during certain sets in practice and I have had races where I have been much closer to the front but I need to translate that more often.  A lot of pro triathletes come from great swim backgrounds but most age groupers come from bike and run backgrounds so I know there are a lot of folks out there who can relate.  I am excited for the work ahead and to improve from here…Greg and I have already talked about trying some different things out and some new ideas...I am excited because I am going to improve in this area!

Kaleb and Kyle both had awesome races…Kaleb had a killer swim and second fastest bike!!! (and obviously the fastest run because he is half gazelle)  Kyle had a rubbing brake the whole bike ride and a rubbing wheel but still managed a top 10- that dude won't give up and always manages to pull off a great result no matter what!! 

 The triathlon was very cool.  The race was a point to point that started in a park outside the city and ended next to the baseball stadium in downtown Columbus. It definitely had a great local feel to it and the race director was quite responsive to athlete concerns.   They have the best road surfaces for the bike that I have seen yet this year for big city races.  Thanks to volunteers, directors, Greg, Wes and the awesome VanOrt Clan for a great race!!

Giant Eagle Triathlon

Nicole and Kaleb finished in close seconds at the inaugural Giant Eagle Multisport Festival in Columbus, OH.  It was a fast and fun course that yielded exciting finishes.  Nicole had the fastest bike split of the day and the second fastest run to come within 9 seconds of the race winner, Jenna Parker.  Kaleb had the second fastest bike split and the fastest run of the day to come within 13 seconds of the race winner, Andrew Yoder.  Kyle Lee had a great performance as well, finishing in the top 10.  Good Luck to Nicole as she heads to New York City this weekend to dominate the NYC Tri!!

Lifetime Minneapolis

This past weekend was Lifetime Minneapolis.  This triathlon is still a big deal, but back in the day, this was it!  It was the largest prize purse in the sport and everyone showed up for a chance at life changing amounts of money.  Although the large prize purse is now spread out over an entire series, this triathlon still had some big names.  Four male athletes had participated in the Olympics and the talent did not stop there, this seems to be the norm for races this season.  I have not yet found a race lacking talent.  I am not sure if that is my good fortune in racing this season or just the way the pro races are.  Oh well, I was ready to race coming off my lackluster performance in Munich.  (I still plan on doing a write-up on my adventure to Europe, but I am still waiting on a few things that may sway my overall perspective of the trip.  Plus I don’t have a race until September, so I may need some topics to fill the long drought between race recaps.)  Lifetime also brought back the Equalizer this year, which is a very unique and awesome, I feel, thing at this race.  The women started 10:43 ahead of the men and the first person across the line, man or woman, is awarded a $5000 prem. 

Swim – I got out well as I usually do on beach starts.  I think I was winning for three strokes. J  Then the pack started moving.  I was on feet and feeling good but then something happened, not sure what, but the pack was gone and they were 5 seconds ahead.  Did I lose focus?  What happened?  I tried to close the gap down, but they just kept getting farther away.  It is still a mystery to me how I fell off so quickly, but I was now swimming solo for the last 1100 meters.  The water was rough so maybe that had something to do with it.  Living in South Bend, it is hard to find anywhere to swim with waves and current.  Enough of the excuses, I had a bad swim.  I had to stay positive and limit my loses.  I was happy when the water got shallow and I was able to dolphin dive a couple times and get out of the water.

Bike – The bike course layout is very nice.  Rolling hills, winding gradual turns, and some miles along the Mississippi makes it a fun course, but the roads themselves are terrible!  They are very rough and you have to ride heads up to make sure you don’t hit any hazards that would pop a tire and end your day.  I did not mind it too much since I was riding completely solo, I got to pick my lines and avoid most of the hazards.  Riding in a group would have gotten interesting though, trying to stagger off the person in front of you and find some smooth road at the same time.  I did hit a couple good bumps that threw me around but it added some fun to riding solo.  My power output was good and overall I had a good ride for my current biking ability.  There is still work to be done, but it is nice to improve from race to race.

Run – I am always happy when I finally get to the run.  It is possibly the most painful part of the race, but it is what I have been doing the longest, so I am usually able to keep it together.  There was something in the air or water in Minneapolis, because my allergies were ramped up during the race.  I noticed it mostly on the run, my chest got tighter as the race progressed.  I was not going to let that slow me down though.  There was an $833 run prem up for grabs, and I could see two guys running together ahead of me.  I caught Limkemann and Lavalle at about 1.5 miles and continued along.  I started catching some of the girls and when I caught up to Nicole I saw she had a little road rash on her thigh.  I figured she went down on the bike because, 1) I should not be catching her this early in the run and 2) the road rash.  I later found out she went down early on the bike, so hats off to her for fighting to the finish!  (She ended up with the fastest run!!  Well done!!)  After the first lap of two my mind started to wander and I started to relax a little, but I was able to keep myself going for the prem.  At about 4.5 miles there was a hair pin and I could see Dave Thompson.  We have gone back and forth all season and I was going to give it a go and try and catch him.  It is funny how different we are, but we usually finish close to one another.  We are similar swimmers, but he is a stronger cyclist, and I am a stronger runner.  He actually had the fastest bike split in the race.  With 600 to go I had a good feeling I could catch him, but he had a large cheering section that was letting him know I was coming.  With 200 to go I caught him and we both started to kick.  I edged him out for 6^th and because of the chase I was able to grab the fastest run split of the day.

Post Race – I kicked my way into a drug test!  Here we go again.  The top 3 were drug tested as well as 2 randoms, which 6^th place happened to be one.  I was taken off to a little church which was about a half mile away from the finish via golf cart.  I was the first one there and the last one to leave!  Once everyone was done and gone, I spent a while just talking to the USADA employees, just passing time before I was able to fill a cup.  Finally I took care of business and was able leave.  Once I returned I found my mom and grandparents who were relieved to see me.  They did not know where I went after the race and were getting worried when they could not find me.

A big thanks to my Mom for driving the whole way there and back!  I kept asking her if she wanted me to drive, but she never let me.  She was a great spectator as well, she gave me updates on place as well as splits to the leader.  It was great to have my grandparents at the race too!  And Nicole decided to bring Wes along as well!  It is wonderful to have a cheering section when racing.

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. ~Wayne Dyer

Kaleb

Philly Triathlon- 4th place

This past weekend was the philly triathlon.  This is one of the coolest race courses on the circuit.  The swim is a point to point, the bike is a hilly 2 lap course right through the most beautiful parts of philly and the run is an easy, flat double loop that is mostly shaded…amazing.

I was happy with my race and effort. I defiantly need to perk up my swimming a bit though. I was about 40 seconds further down than I usually am (the lead girls got to draft off the men cause we started together and that front pack cut the last buoy- bummer for me who stopped and redirected myself around that last buoy  =(  )  Starting a little further back after the swim was tough on this course because it is so turny and hilly that you can’t see anyone up the road.  Nonetheless, I had a similar bike in terms of watts to last week – which means I was hammering the bike- and my run was better than last week I thought. The run was cool under the shade and temps were in the 70s- perfect for a fast day.  They top 3 women broke the course record so it was evident that conditions were perfect.   All in all a good day putting me second in the series now- I am definitely consistent if nothing else!  Now Greg has some new things to try for swimming and time to go back and work on that now… There is always something to work on when you are doing 3 sports!! 

Congrats to Kaleb, Kyle and Greg for also dominating this weekend- Kaleb had a great race in Munich and Kyle showed his running prowess in his first continental cup!!! Nice work guys!

Washington DC Triathlon- 2nd Place

Washington DC Race Report

Maybe it is all about the bike?

So this weekend I came 2^nd behind a formidable Alicia Kaye by 30 seconds even.  I was really pleased with this result and even more pleased that I learned a ton about myself and about strategy. Greg has been telling me to hammer the bike but I am not quite sure I understood what that meant before this weekend.  Greg has had me swimming and biking a lot more in the past two weeks and it really paid off during the race.  Unfortunately I still ended up swimming alone for most of the 1500m but I emerged only about 1 minute down from the leaders.  Getting on the bike I was quite far back in about 15^th place – this field seemed to be very heavy with super-swimmers and I passed only a few people in the first lap of the bike.  Then I had this moment of revelation- about ¾ of the way into the first bike lap I thought to myself, “What if I tried to pretend this was a 40k TT all out with no run afterwards??  Maybe I should just see what happens?” 

I have never really bonked on a run in triathlon before- I actually think this is my race strength. When it is hot or freezing or I drop my water bottle and have no water or lose my nutrition or it is terrible conditions- I can always hang on in the run while a lot of the field falls apart.  This strength has caused me to probably over-perform in several races already (like 3^rd at USAT elite nationals last year behind Laura Bennett and Sarah Groff in my first ever ITU race- of course I wasn’t at that level yet but it happened to be 95 degrees when we started the run….so the entire field came back to me)  How can I leverage that strength in races when it is not 100 degrees out?  I think drilling the bike may be the answer for me and a unique asset of my physiology? Or maybe this is what everyone does in Olympic distance racing and I just caught on for the first time last week..? Either way- it worked.

Anyways, so I took the risk and went really hard on the bike.  My husband Wes knew exactly what I needed to hear and kept yelling split times down from the leaders every time I saw him which was super helpful.  I posted the fastest bike split by 30 seconds and put myself right behind the leaders going into the run. My run was probably 30-45 seconds slower than it has been but I still had the second fastest run split and I know Greg is waiting to train up my run until we get closer to big races later in the season.   I still ended up way ahead of the game at the end of the day with an awesome result for me at this point- I didn’t bonk on the run and I finally learned how to utilize what I have known for a while is a strength in a race. I just can’t wait to put all the pieces together when the time comes…how exciting!!  Greg has been telling me to drill the bike and now I understand why. Having a great race and learning something that you can use in future races is the best feeling ever!!! 

I think the take away point that everyone can use is:  Try to identify your strengths.  Maybe they are a little unconventional and a little more specific than, “I am a good swimmer.”  Maybe they seem situational and difficult to leverage but then keep thinking about it and brainstorming creative ideas to use your strengths.  It wasn’t obvious for me at first.  Just keep thinking on it and it will become clear eventually…

Kaleb is racing in Munich this weekend- how awesome is that!!! Good Luck Kaleb!!!