Hey guys-
Check out my short blog post about race day nutrition for Life time Tri Minneapolis. Although I am not racing this weekend, I presented a race day nutrition plan for what I would do. Hope you enjoy!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
FISU Triathlon World University Championships
This weekend I competed in my second FISU World Triathlon Championships in Yilan, Taiwan, a town about an hour outside of the city of Taipei. Two years ago the race was in Valencia, Spain, and I had such an incredible experience, so when I found out I was selected for this year's team, I was very excited and honored to be a part of it again. The group of athletes and coaches on this year's trip was fantastic- I got to know the other US athletes a lot better, and the coaches were extremely helpful in assisting us to have our best performances on race day. Overall, it was just a great group of people and I loved spending time with every member of the team.
The race conditions were challenging- very hot and humid, so all of the athletes were anticipating a tough day of racing. I stayed on top of my nutrition and hydration, making sure I was getting enough salt in my diet leading into race day. The food was very different in Taiwan, so I tried to stick with all the foods I recognized, and not try anything different before the race. I would have had lots of chobani yogurt if I could have traveled with it here from the states!
Race morning I woke up around 4:20 am (with no alarm!), and made some instant oatmeal, and washed it down with two cups of coffee. I headed out for a bike warm up around 6 a.m. with the other two US women- Kaitlin Shiver and Julie Rechel. Then we did a quick run warm up around 6:45 a.m. before heading over to transition to check in our bike and race gear. I was feeling good warming up, and getting excited to race. This was essentially my first race of the season after suffering from a heat stroke in Dallas and having to pull out of the race.
I checked my bike in, got transition set up and headed over to the swim start to warm up. After swimming for 8-10 minutes, I practiced the swim exit ramp once, and then found shade to relax and wait for the race introductions. The coaches gave us a pep talk, we shoved ice down our suits to stay as cool as possible, and then, it was race time! I was standing on the pontoon, looking out on the water thinking "Wow, I am in Taiwan. This is an incredible opportunity and lets make the most of it!" And then the horn blasted! Go time!
Swim: I was able to clear the chaos pretty quickly in the first few meters of the swim, and make my way to the front. Towards the first buoy turn around, I could see that a group of 8-10 athletes have put a small gap on the rest of the field. I felt smooth and strong and was able to get on the feet of a few athletes and get a great draft. Exiting the water after the first loop, I was in the back of a group of 4 swimmers and 3 girls were about 5-10 seconds ahead of us. As I ran back onto the pontoon I could see the other women ahead and swam hard to bridge the gap once diving in. The swim group strung out a bit on the second lap, so when i exited the water I was with 3 Canadian athletes and we were told by coaches that three were up ahead by 10-15 seconds. It was a long run down to T1, and as we entered the transition area, the other three girls were headed out onto the bike (Rabie, Shiver and Takashaki).
Bike: Half way through the first lap of the bike we caught the three riders and formed a pack of 11 girls. We worked okay together, but we could have been more efficient at times. There were some athletes who weren't working as hard as others, but that is always the case! We maintained a gap on the first chase pack, and entered T2 with about 90 seconds on the next group of athletes. I started to notice the heat on the 3rd (of 4) laps of the bike, so I knew it would be a tough run. My Rudy Project gear kept me cool and shaded from the sun.
Run: As we dismounted into T2, I told myself to relax, have a smooth transition and be conservative as I start running because of the intense conditions. My legs felt great as I started running, so I tried to maintain good form and stay relaxed during the beginning stages of the run. I saw all of our coaches out on the course in different places, so I divided up the run into sections from one coach to the next. Their support and encouragement was a major reason why I was able to keep fighting during incredibly tough conditions. The last lap was really hard, and there was no shade to hide from the sun. I am glad I put my Endurance Shield on before the race or I would have been scorched! I managed to kick it in for 6th place overall, and I couldn't be happier!
I feel like I had a strong race and I was solid in all three disciplines. After crossing the finish line, I gave Kaitlin a big hug and said "Take that Dallas!" We both had to pull out of the race due to the hot conditions a few weeks ago. Our team did so great- Kaitlin ended up 4th and Julie had a very strong run to come in 15th, giving us the lowest combined team score and the win for the team competition. This is the first time that the USA has won the team competition at FISU, so I am very honored to be a part of this victory.
I am really excited for the rest of the season after having a race I am really proud of. It is always a great feeling to see hard work pay off on race day. A special thanks goes out to our coaching staff- Steve Kelley, Jennifer Hutchison, Brent Hamula and Brian Hughes. You all were so helpful and made the trip stress free and tons of fun. Also, thanks to my sponsors for your support- Off the Front Multisport, Chobani yogurt, Rudy Project, Endurance Shield and Sugoi. And last but not least- Congrats to our entire American team for kicking butt! This was a trip I will never forget. :)
The race conditions were challenging- very hot and humid, so all of the athletes were anticipating a tough day of racing. I stayed on top of my nutrition and hydration, making sure I was getting enough salt in my diet leading into race day. The food was very different in Taiwan, so I tried to stick with all the foods I recognized, and not try anything different before the race. I would have had lots of chobani yogurt if I could have traveled with it here from the states!
Race morning I woke up around 4:20 am (with no alarm!), and made some instant oatmeal, and washed it down with two cups of coffee. I headed out for a bike warm up around 6 a.m. with the other two US women- Kaitlin Shiver and Julie Rechel. Then we did a quick run warm up around 6:45 a.m. before heading over to transition to check in our bike and race gear. I was feeling good warming up, and getting excited to race. This was essentially my first race of the season after suffering from a heat stroke in Dallas and having to pull out of the race.
I checked my bike in, got transition set up and headed over to the swim start to warm up. After swimming for 8-10 minutes, I practiced the swim exit ramp once, and then found shade to relax and wait for the race introductions. The coaches gave us a pep talk, we shoved ice down our suits to stay as cool as possible, and then, it was race time! I was standing on the pontoon, looking out on the water thinking "Wow, I am in Taiwan. This is an incredible opportunity and lets make the most of it!" And then the horn blasted! Go time!
Swim: I was able to clear the chaos pretty quickly in the first few meters of the swim, and make my way to the front. Towards the first buoy turn around, I could see that a group of 8-10 athletes have put a small gap on the rest of the field. I felt smooth and strong and was able to get on the feet of a few athletes and get a great draft. Exiting the water after the first loop, I was in the back of a group of 4 swimmers and 3 girls were about 5-10 seconds ahead of us. As I ran back onto the pontoon I could see the other women ahead and swam hard to bridge the gap once diving in. The swim group strung out a bit on the second lap, so when i exited the water I was with 3 Canadian athletes and we were told by coaches that three were up ahead by 10-15 seconds. It was a long run down to T1, and as we entered the transition area, the other three girls were headed out onto the bike (Rabie, Shiver and Takashaki).
Bike: Half way through the first lap of the bike we caught the three riders and formed a pack of 11 girls. We worked okay together, but we could have been more efficient at times. There were some athletes who weren't working as hard as others, but that is always the case! We maintained a gap on the first chase pack, and entered T2 with about 90 seconds on the next group of athletes. I started to notice the heat on the 3rd (of 4) laps of the bike, so I knew it would be a tough run. My Rudy Project gear kept me cool and shaded from the sun.
Run: As we dismounted into T2, I told myself to relax, have a smooth transition and be conservative as I start running because of the intense conditions. My legs felt great as I started running, so I tried to maintain good form and stay relaxed during the beginning stages of the run. I saw all of our coaches out on the course in different places, so I divided up the run into sections from one coach to the next. Their support and encouragement was a major reason why I was able to keep fighting during incredibly tough conditions. The last lap was really hard, and there was no shade to hide from the sun. I am glad I put my Endurance Shield on before the race or I would have been scorched! I managed to kick it in for 6th place overall, and I couldn't be happier!
I feel like I had a strong race and I was solid in all three disciplines. After crossing the finish line, I gave Kaitlin a big hug and said "Take that Dallas!" We both had to pull out of the race due to the hot conditions a few weeks ago. Our team did so great- Kaitlin ended up 4th and Julie had a very strong run to come in 15th, giving us the lowest combined team score and the win for the team competition. This is the first time that the USA has won the team competition at FISU, so I am very honored to be a part of this victory.
I am really excited for the rest of the season after having a race I am really proud of. It is always a great feeling to see hard work pay off on race day. A special thanks goes out to our coaching staff- Steve Kelley, Jennifer Hutchison, Brent Hamula and Brian Hughes. You all were so helpful and made the trip stress free and tons of fun. Also, thanks to my sponsors for your support- Off the Front Multisport, Chobani yogurt, Rudy Project, Endurance Shield and Sugoi. And last but not least- Congrats to our entire American team for kicking butt! This was a trip I will never forget. :)
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