Dunnigan Hills Road Race, CA

Dunnigan Hills Road Race, CA

1st, April Hamlin, Women 30+
2nd, Andrea Monroe, Women 30+
3rd, Soni Andreini Poulsen, Women 30+

Green Mountain Stage Race, VT

Green Mountain Stage Race, VT

Prologue
18th, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4

Stage 1–Circuit Race
24th, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4

Stage 2–Road Race
41st, Ivy Luhrs, Women 3/4

Blackberry Criterium, WA

 

Blackberry Criterium, WA

2nd, Kari Studley, Women 1-3

Transitions

By Kristy
Minneapolis, Minnesota

An analogy of a Triathlon to Life Changes…Moving to Sweden, Getting Married, Loving Life –

I did another race Saturday and it gave me some time to reflect on life and where it is for me right now. The race was smaller – 1 mile swim, 21 miles bike, 5 miles run…Times: 32 min, 1:01, 42 min. Overall a successful race – placed 17/57 in AG, 380/795 total and cut off time from last years race in all 3 events…enough about that!

As I was swimming, I find that to be one of the most inward reflecting times because it’s you, the water, (in this case – the seaweed), and the sound of my own motion of breath, I began to reflect on where I’m at in life, and all that is about to happen.

Work created a position for me so I can go to Sweden…the real reason I’m going is to play bandy with AIK in Stockholm; a dream of mine for the past 4 years. AIK is the best team in Sweden, and I’ve been invited to play with them this season! I asked work if I could continue to be employed and maintain pay while over there – it’s going to be expensive. So, they are! I also found out the project might go back there next year at about this same time…I’ve already volunteered to be the one to go back over.

So now – Each stroke I paddle makes me think of each different thing that we have to do! We need to figure out what to do with the current place – we’d like to rent it out (stroke), we need to find a place there (stroke), we need to figure out what to take with us and what to leave behind (stroke….you get the idea), we will have to figure out a lot of different ways to get around since we won’t have a car, I’ll have to adjust to skating 1.5 hours daily, plus whatever other work outs will be going on, Thom will want to figure out what he’s going to transition his career into. I’m going to be wearing a new hat at work, and learning a new role. I’m going to want to try to learn a new language…bottom line..a lot is going to happen. Another change – we’re getting married! We are thinking of doing a beach wedding in Miami, FL, followed by a cruise. I’ve always wanted to go to Belize, so I think this will be our chance. I have a lot to do to get ready for that. First things first – get our engagement photos taken (stroke) I’m going to change my hair (again). I’ve been growing it out for a few months so I could donate it. It is finally long enough to donate (or just about – in a couple of weeks, it will be!) and I’ll be going to a super short hair style (like that of AJ on ANTM, Cycle 7)

So much going on…and like the water that is going by me as I paddled through to the finish line, it’s all going to go by so fast. I change out of the wetsuit – that item that has been my comfort, protection, and aid through this first stage and I have to get into a new means of movement…a new way to roll – my bike will be like that of us transitioning to public transportation instead of the access to a car 24/7. I will need a new way to protect myself – new environments pose new challenges – as I put on my cycling helmet, I’m going to need to be aware of new surroundings. I’m going to take on a new outlook – things are different in Sweden than they are in the US, it’s going to be different – like looking through my goggles on a horizontal plane, versus putting on my sunglasses in an upright position. I’m going to use my body in different ways – as I go from bare feet into my cycling shoes, I’m going to go from my comforts on home ice (an hour or two a week) to skating 6 days a week. I take in a gu for nutrition and that reminds me of the different things we will be eating and the way my body will need more fuel than it has in past winters with so much activity.

I’m going to have a new environment to learn – as I move from the lake to the road – Stockholm is a different city than Minneapolis. I have more time to reflect as I ride my bike through the streets of the race….everything moves by me so quickly. I realize that my time in Sweden will probably come and go before we realize it is happening. yet at the same time, I’m sure that there will be times that are so painfully slow – like when I realized I was only at mile 10, and had 11 to go and I was pushing myself too hard on the bike – I’m sure there will be a time when we have some home sickness and wish we were back with our friends and family. We’ll have so much to look at – new people to meet – like that cyclist I just passed and we shared pleasant conversations about the weather, the ride, and enjoying every pedal stroke of it.

We’ll get to another phase where we’ll be on the down side of the time left to share there…as I roll into the transition area again, I am changing my helmet for a hat, my cycling shoes for running shoes, my motion less fluid and more chopped. My buddy Paul and his wife Jodie shout out to me – a familiar face in a crowd of strangers – I like that! I start out on the course to run the next 5 miles and meet more new people and push myself to another level of physical exertion. I reflect less on life at this point and push myself to see how fast and how far I can go. I do take a few moments to watch all of the fans I see pass by me in a blur, and I realize, the 1 fan in my life is Thom – the man I will spend the rest of my life with. As I run by his sister, she shouts “One Hot A$$ Bride to Be!” I giggle – I have a wedding to plan, I have a whole new exciting life to look forward to when we get back from Sweden.

I keep putting one foot in front of the other until I see the finish line ahead of me. A bit of bittersweet emotion takes over me. I’m glad to be done with the race – only because my body is telling me that it needs more fuel and I’m hot from the summer sun. I’m saddened to be done with the experience. Just like I’m sure Sweden will be for us – it will be exhausting, trying to cram so much into a short amount of time, but the end will come, and it will be time to push myself hard again – like I did as I crossed the finish line today – my head held high, my goal in site, my passion fueled. Life – reflected upon and compared to a race…The goal of both is the journey!

A few quotes that crossed my mind in all of this:
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. —Henry David Thoreau

If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise.

So, as I embark these changes, it’s important for me to remember, life isn’t a track meet, it’s a marathon…and here I am doing triathlons!

Ciao~
KP

Laura’s Win at the Tour de Loop – Oswego, NY

LiLynn’s Report:

Since being off most the summer with a knee injury I found this road race I could get in before my Colorado trip. It would be my one and only road race of the season. Very exciting, since I was told in March I would not race at all this season. I heard a few other Bellas would be partaking and talked Laura Kozlowski into coming with me. She was on the fence until her boyfriend told her it wasn’t “her kind of race.” She was signed up in a matter of minutes even after registration had closed. On the phone insisting she had to enter this particular race.

This set the tone for Laura. She was going there to win and I was going to help her reach that goal.

I drove and set the pace for the race by cruising at about 85-90 mph and arriving in 1hr 15 minutes, a trip that we were told would take over 2 hours. Being the first ones there, even before the officials had set anything up, we had the prime parking spot under the only tree but in our sleepy condition didn’t notice we parked right next to the porta-johns. Therefore making our car grand central station once the day progressed, with the bathroom line wrapping around the back of our car while we were getting ready. Quite amusing.

Five kittens (Bellas) showed up: Linda T, Lisa, Michelle, Laura, and me. After warming up we all lined up together at the start in our hot little kits and rode like the wind.

Lisa, Laura, LiLynn, Michelle:

 

Lisa, Linda, LiLynn, Laura:

 

Linda, Laura and I were in the front pack and at about the 10 mile mark just made a turn and thankfully were not going really fast but heading into an uphill, Linda broke a spoke and it went into the guy’s bike in front of me. I heard it and saw his bike swerving and then he went down, I went over the top of him trying to keep my line and somehow landed upright on one foot with my bike in the air but saw the entire crash transpire and I just froze. I saw Linda moving off to the side of the road and Laura go down with everyone starting to pile up on and behind her and I just went into shock. I was so worried about Laura. My first crash! My friend Peter road past and yelled to keep riding. Thank god, because I was frozen so I tried to get on my bike and ride, took me a while to calm down and start breathing normal and about 5 minutes later I hear “Kitten Power. ” Whoopie, Laura is back.

That’s all I needed. We were back in the race and OK. Two other guys got through and we never saw anyone else from the crash after that. We never saw the peleton either and for the next 20 miles of rollers we had to work really hard but ended up finishing 1 hr 25 minutes and the peleton finished 1 hour 19 minutes. Laura took first woman and I came in right behind her. This was Laura’s first win and a big one.

She has worked so hard this year and has made a major come back from surviving cancer in her leg and then from the radiation leading to a break in her femor and almost loosing her leg. She now has metal plates holding things together and is stronger than ever. This was really big in many ways for her. Linda had to drop out with her broken wheel. Lisa had a great race and and came in behind us with Michelle coming in behind her in her hot little black kitten kit.

It was a great day for most of the kittens, and we felt so bad for Linda because she was just sick about what happened out on the course but we got to experience our first crash and now I will know to just keep going if I can and not just stand there like a doofus. No one in the crash was hurt bad, just some scrapes and bruises and a few broke bike parts.

Off to Colorado to ride Mount Evans on Friday! Ouch.

Katina opens up a can of WV Whoop-Ass

San Ardo Road Race, CA

San Ardo Road Race, CA

18th, Ryan Hostetter, Women Pro/1/2
9th, April Hamlin, Women 4
3rd, Andrea Monroe, Women 30+
6th, Soni Andreini Poulsen, Women 30+
8th, Andi Smith, Women 30+

Saco Bay Criterium, ME

Saco Bay Criterium, ME

5th, Ivy Luhrs, Women 1/2/3

It’s TRI-DAY! Sue A’s Caz Triathlon Report

Cazenovia Triathlon

Sunday 8/10/08

 

Tri-Day!

I had been looking forward to this triathlon since the start of the summer, however, life turned pretty hectic and I wasn’t able to be as consistent with my workout and sleep schedule as I’d wanted to be.  Oh well, life happens!  Since the start is just a couple of miles from my house, I had planned on bicycling to the park.  And typically, I prefer to arrive at the venue with at least two hours to spare (crazy, I know…pity poor Janet who frequently carpools with me!)  However, upon crawling out of bed, I was immediately conscious of the very relentless rain coming down.  I scratched the idea of arriving early and savored breakfast and coffee, even took a few minutes to check the weather forecast.  The radar showed that the rain had already moved off to the east and with nothing behind it, I figured we might have a decent day.  Having tortured my long-suffering boyfriend (Dave) with my tri-day exuberance (he’s not a morning person!) and since the rain had stopped, I decided I’d better get going.  On my way past Captain Kate’s house, I noticed her car was open and she was loading her stuff for her trip to Auburn to compete in the Great Race.  Forgetting that it was still early, I hollered out “Happy Tri-Day!”  Pity her poor neighbors (anyone sensing a theme here…?)  Sometimes my enthusiasm just can’t be contained.  I did look pretty unprepared for a triathlon; since it was wet and rainy I had street clothes and a rain jacket over my tri outfit.  I must have been a sight pedaling through Cazenovia!  Kate snapped a quick picture, we exchanged wishes of luck and we were both off. 

Registration, chip pick-up, body marking and transition set-up all went very smoothly.  I had a bit of trouble deciding what time I wanted to put on my wet suit, as transition closed at 8:00 when the Olympic-distance athletes started.  That left me with 45 minutes before my start.  Ultimately, the weather dictated that I put it on earlier than later, because I was starting to get cold.  I did manage to get a glimpse of Janet running from the swim finish to transition…she had a fantastic swim time and really hustled up the hill to transition.  That would be the last I saw of her until the finish!  Finally it was time for the first of the sprint waves.  Wisely, I had seeded myself in the fourth and final wave.  I spent the last few minutes conversing with two other women who were very nervous about the swim.  One, doing her first ever tri, started sobbing a couple of minutes before we started.  The support displayed from all the other women was very moving and once again, I felt tremendous pride in being involved in an incredible group of people.

 

The swim pace started fast and I rather surprisingly found myself sticking pretty well to the pace and feeling almost comfortable to boot.  I settled into a somewhat steady rhythm and tried to maintain that pace.  When I finally had the presence of mind to look for the first buoy, I realized I had strayed quite a bit into the center of the course.  I corrected, slowed down and did fairy well for the rest of the swim.  I sure wasn’t able to run up the hill to transition nearly as fast as Janet, though!

 

T-1.  Well, what could go wrong, did go wrong.  My wet suit caught on both arms and both legs, my socks didn’t want to go on my feet, I had trouble getting my bike off the rack and to top it off, I was a couple of paces away from my spot when I realized I forgot my race belt with my number.  I had to set my bike down and go back for the belt.  What fun.  

 

Here’s what I look like when I’m trying to quell those evil voices that keep nagging me when I’m not doing so well.  I was just thankful that the swim and T-1 was over and   that I was finally able to get onto my favorite leg.  In case you’re wondering, this bike course starts on a fiendishly steep hill out of the parking lot and onto the main road.  Leaping onto the bike in traditional tri style is pretty difficult for most people (though I have witnessed Janet mastering it!) and impossible for me.  I have to get one foot clipped in before I even think about moving forward.  Once onto the main road, it’s mostly down hill or flat; then there’s a 90-degree right turn and you’re climbing another steep hill.  To add some excitement, the race organizers offered a hill prime for the fastest time up the hill.  Now, I had told myself before the race that I shouldn’t bury myself on the hill prime and I thought I was okay with that decision.  Once the timing mats were in sight though, that competitive spirit took over and I was giving it all I had. 

 

To my great disappointment, the results of the hill climb were not posted, so I have no idea how I did (I do know that I didn’t win, though).  I didn’t feel as good on the bike course as I usually do, but I did have a better swim and run time than last year, so I guess training is paying off and the three events are evening out for me.  I purposely held back a little on the bike, hoping for something left for the run, but I don’t really think that strategy worked.  I don’t think the time I made up on the run was worth what I spent on the bike leg.  Oh well, each race there’s something new to learn!  The good part, though, was that I felt pretty strong on the run;   I was even able to crack a smile when I saw Dave on the sideline with the camera!  It turns out that I probably held back a little too much on both the run and the bike as I finished feeling better than at any of my previous triathlons.  My biking and running could certainly handle the step up to Olympic-distance, but I’m sure my swimming couldn’t; so that will have to wait until next year, as I had originally planned.  I will conclude my triathlon season in six weeks at the Finger Lakes triathlon in Canandaigua, NY.  I’ve set a goal of 26 minutes or less on that run; lofty but I’m pretty sure I can do it.  Now I’m off to go running so I have a chance of reaching that goal!

 

 

Masters & Elite Track Atlantic Regional Championships, PA

Masters & Elite Track Atlantic Regional Championships, PA

3rd, Ivy Luhrs, 500 Meter Time Trial, Women 45-49
2nd, Ivy Luhrs, 2000 Meter Individual Pursuit, Women 45-49
3rd, Ivy Luhrs, Match Sprint, Women 45-49

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