Amy’s Going to Kona!

It was Saturday, February 27th, exactly four weeks prior to race day. I did my routine core workout that morning and then headed to Masters swim. Something was seriously not right. As the swim workout went on, I started feeling more and more pain in my ribs on the left side. By the end of the workout, I got out of the pool moving in slow motion and hunched over in significant pain. This was clearly not a “good” kind of sore.

I went to see my awesome physical therapist Gino that Monday. He advised me to see a D.O. and have x-rays taken. It could be a dislocated rib. Wednesday’s appointment with the D.O. revealed no dislocated rib but instead strained intercostals likely caused by too much rotation with one of my core exercises. The swim workout afterwards likely tipped those muscles over the edge.

My first question: will I be able to race on March 27th? The doc said time would tell. These muscles are not easy to heal, as they are stretched every time your lungs expand (which explained why it was painful when I took a deep breath…..so much for speed work of any kind!). He advised me to stay out of the pool initially, as swimming would stretch and aggravate those muscles. Biking and running should be okay, but he cautioned me to not train intensely and get my heart rate up too high, as this would also aggravate the muscles if I was breathing too hard.

I was seriously bummed. My husband Andy was, and continues to be, a saint. I was not fun to be around with such limitations so close to a race. I kept up with physical therapy twice a week and acupuncture 1-2 times a week. The healing was very slow. It was two weeks before I was back in the pool for easy, aerobic swims. Biking and running felt like they were trailing off, as I was not able to train at the pace I knew I was capable of given the limited range of motion and limited lung expansion.

It was a week before the race, and I made the decision with the support of my physical therapist, acupuncturist, bike mechanic (who is a fantastic athlete himself), and Coach Whitney to go ahead and participate, knowing that if I felt any pain during the race, I needed to pull way back. After all, Oceanside was not an “A” race for me. It was merely preparation for the “A” race on June 27th: Ironman Coeur d’Alene – my first full Ironman.

Race day: It’s 12:15 a.m. – 2 ½ hours before the alarm was going to go off, and there was no way I was going to fall back asleep. Race nerves! Unlike other mornings, I felt no pain or tenderness in my rib area when getting up. Adrenaline is a powerful thing! My husband Andy and I (and my mom who was there to cheer us on – what a trooper!) left the house at 3:45 a.m. as planned and arrived up in Oceanside in plenty of time to rack our bikes and set up our transition area.

It was great to see SO many Bellas so early in the day! Yvette ran up to me with her bright and magnetic smile to give me a hug. She was one of many Bellas who was there to volunteer. Before we lined up in our waves, I saw Bellas Audrey, Jackie, Jodi, Sandra, Shannon, Teri, TracyAnn, and Whitney. We all exchanged hugs and good luck wishes. There is a huge feeling of camaraderie and comfort when surrounded by your Bella sisters.

6:30 a.m.: Time to line up for our wave start. DeeAnn, TracyAnn, and I were all standing near each other in the queue. Again, comfort in being around Bellas as the start time gets closer and closer!

7:17 a.m.: Our wave starts! This year I aged up to the 40-44 age group since I will turn the big 4-0 in December. To my surprise and delight, the 59-degree water did not feel as cold as it had in our practice swims the two weekends prior. Thank you, adrenaline!

The 1.2 mile swim itself was thankfully uneventful for me. A few kicks and shoves, but nothing that took me out, so to speak. My goal was to swim steady and strong. I’m not so sure about the strong part, but it was steady. I was constantly checking in to see if I had any discomfort in the rib area, and I was grateful there was none. My promised my coach and my family that I would listen to my body and respond accordingly.

Out of the water, and time for the long run in T1 (transition 1 – swim to bike) to the bike racks. There was a great volunteer who was kind enough to strip my wetsuit off of me which was an unexpected and welcome surprise! I had a heck of a time getting my helmet buckled. I think I wasted at least 30 seconds there. I just could not get my act together and even took off my helmet to check the strap and put it back on. So frustrating when the seconds are ticking away! Finally, the helmet was buckled and I was on my way on the 56-mile bike course.

The first part of the course is relatively flat, so a lot of folks tend to push the pace a bit too hard and then suffer around mile 35 when the first of three BIG climbs come into the picture. I felt pretty darn good and rode accordingly. I was riding with the same people for much of the first part of the bike course. They would pass me, then I would pass them, and so it went, back and forth. I don’t try to keep track of where I am in relation to others in my age group. My focus is to race my own race, especially today when I had no idea what I would be capable of given the injury and disjointed training I had had for the previous four weeks.

As the ride went on, I noticed I was not fatiguing and was feeling better than I anticipated. Still no pain in my ribs, and no limitations with my breathing. The last eight or so miles of the course offered up a nice tail wind which was a welcome surprise after experiencing some strong head and cross winds prior to that. I came into T2 (transition 2 – bike to run) feeling strong and had a great T2 thanks to Bella DeeAnn who has taught me how to dismount my bike with my shoes left in the pedals. Good stuff!

Time for the run. The run is typically my best of the three legs, but my running had suffered with the rib injury, so I didn’t know what to expect. My goal was to find a pace that I could sustain for the duration of the 13.1 mile run to give me an even-split….or better yet, pick it up a bit towards the end for a negative split.

The run course was PACKED with folks cheering on the participants. What a boost to hear “Go Bella!” and “Go Amy!” so often along the way. I’m not so good about acknowledging all the cheering in the moment, but believe me, I hear it and it is powerful! Not only were there Bellas cheering on Bellas, there were Bellas’ families cheering on Bellas. While Lynn was out there racing, her husband Anthony and son Dakota were there to cheer us on, and Anthony took some great Bella photos. Raja in true Bella spirit was also out there on the run course with her camera and shouting out to her Bella sisters.

It was getting hotter and hotter as the run went on. I heard it reached a high of 78 degrees that day – unusually warm for the end of March in Oceanside. The first lap of the run I had Train’s song “Soul Sister” running through my head over and over, and that kept me going. The song reminds me of a dear friend and my soul sister Christine. As a heartfelt aside: Christine has an incredible daughter Tehya who was born with the most severe form of spina bifida and has overcome incredible odds with a heart of gold and an iron will to live her life to the fullest. It is in Tehya’s honor that Andy and I swim/bike/run. (You can read more about Tehya and her non-profit organization at www.tehyathon.com.) Christine, Tony (Christine’s husband and Tehya’s dad), Tehya, and Tehya’s best friend Kajsa were all there that day cheering us on.

The run reached a point for me where “Soul Sister” somehow was replaced by counting. For some reason, I just started counting from one to one hundred and then started over. I did this for probably about the last 5 miles of the run. I was checking my Garmin every now and then, noticing that I was continuing to hold my pace. I was not sure at any point where I was in terms of my placing. Every participant has their age marked on their left calf, so if you wanted to keep track of your placement, you could. Not long after I made the final turnaround with about 3 miles to go, my friend Julie who was approaching the turnaround yelled to me, “You’re going to Kona!” I was shocked to hear her say this. I told myself that Julie could be right, but for all I knew there could be someone ahead of me, and/or there could be someone right on my tail about to pass me. I kept myself focused and calm by working on keeping my pace (which was getting harder and harder, as I was getting tired by this point).

When I crossed the finish line, I was ever so slightly dizzy, so Bella Becky was right there to escort me to the medical tent so I could elevate my legs and stretch a bit. It was such a treat to have a Bella be the first one to greet me at the finish line! By the way, I have no shame about going to the medical tent. I was glad to know that my blood pressure was 110/60, pulse was 90, temperature was 98 degrees. Perfect! I felt significantly better than I had compared to the previous half-Iron distance races I had done.

I then went to wait in line for a massage. Wow – was that a treat! There were two masseuses per table. One worked on the upper body, one worked on the lower body. After 20 minutes of that luxury, I went over to the food tent where Bella Amara was volunteering outside, dancing and congratulating the participants, and welcoming them to the food tent. Again, such a treat to see a Bella everywhere you turn!

I worked my way to the back of this tent where results were posted. Once I could see my name, I had to ask someone to translate for me what the results meant. I could not believe what I was seeing. I placed first in my age group! My friend Julie then saw me and gave me a huge hug and congratulations. Her athleticism and sportsmanship is truly amazing and inspiring. She is going to rock the Ironman course on May 1 in St. George, as is Whitney!

At this point, I was so excited I could not stand still. I just started RUNNING. I had to get back to my transition area to find out where my mom in the was amidst the crowds and let her know! I was shocked that I was in a full-on run at this point. When I arrived at the transition area, I was thrilled to see Bellas BJ, Karen, and LaDawn who were all transition area volunteers. They were there to hear my great news. I’m so grateful for the excitement they shared with me.

By placing first in my age group (to my complete surprise), I earned a coveted spot to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona this October 9th. Travel plans are underway….

All the Bellas who participated that day had a phenomenal day. For some, it was their first triathlon at this distance. For others, it was their first time on this particular course. Some of us were back again to see how we would fare this year against all of the unknowns that present themselves on race day – weather, your own body and mind, other participants, etc. The Bellas not only represented, they rocked! Congrats to all the Bella Oceanside 70.3 2010 finishers: Audrey, Chris D., DeeAnn, Jackie, Jodi, Lynn S., Sandra, Shannon, Teri, TracyAnn, and Whitney.

A special thanks again to all the Bellas who volunteered: Amara, Anna, Becky, BJ, Carol, Heather, Karen, LaDawn, Yvette, and any others who I know I heard but may not have seen. Finally, I want to give a VERY special thanks to Whitney who has not only been a phenomenal coach for me, she also exemplifies what it means to be a Bella and leads the San Diego group with passion, enthusiasm, and tireless dedication.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue to say it: I’m truly honored and proud to be part of such an inspiring, supportive, upbeat, and enthusiastic group of women. Bellas really do ROCK!!!

—Amy Larson
San Diego, California

San Diego Bellas Rock California 70.3

There was a GREAT Bella showing at the California 70.3 on March 27th. Our San Diego girls cleaned up at this half Ironman, with Amy Larson winning her age group and securing a coveted spot to the World Championships in Kona this fall. DeeAnn Smith, Jodi Hays and Lynn Scozzari all placed top 20 in packed age groups. Theresa Espinosa and Chris Desrochers both had fantastic races, completing the notoriously difficult bike leg in well under 3 hours.

Jackie Bickford and Shannon Faseler proved that everything is more fun with friends, crossing the finish line together. In spite of a rough day, Whitney DeSpain kept a smile on her face and finished with style.

This was Audrey Strojny, Sandra Fairchild and TracyAnn Perry’s FIRST 70.3, but all three ladies raced like pros, keeping up great paces for the last leg!

Lots of Bellas also showed up to volunteer or to cheer! Amara, Anna, Becky, BJ, Carol, Christine, Gwyn, Heather, Karen, and LaDawn helped make everyone’s day that much more enjoyable.

It was a FANTASTIC start to the triathlon season in Southern California. Go Bellas!!!

San Diego Bellas Rock Barb’s Half Ironman

For those of you who haven’t heard the news, the San Diego Bellas kicked some major booty at Barb’s race last weekend!

BJ overcame swim nerves to have a fantastic first Half Ironman!  After the race she looked fresh as a daisy as she was corralling her kids (who she had been camping with in the days leading up to the race).  Truly a SUPERMOM!

Heather flew through her first Aquabike.  Although she had suffered from a recent back injury, Heather was on her game, and finished the race strong and in control, reminding us why
Chris calls her a “Bond Girl”.

Jackie took over 40 minutes off her time from last year. Considering this is Jackie’s THIRD half Ironman in a year, I think this grandma of two officially qualifies as a “long course specialist”.

Lynn S. rocked her first HIM with a 9th place finish!!!  She looked calm and in control throughout the race, and glided across the finish line like a gazelle.

Pey-Lih took 3rd in her age group for the Aquabike.  She is one fast chick!  I guess it runs in the family- her husband Ben also podiumed!

Shannon SPUN up the infamous Chalk Hill.  When she got to the top, she said “Really?  Was that it?”  She went on to finish her first half Ironman with a strong run.  Yay Shannon!

And last but not least…

Terri, who is training for her first full Ironman in November, took FIRST place in her age group!  And at this race, first place gets you a bottle of wine and a really cool necklace.  Way to go!

Thanks to Cindy O’Grady, who seemed to be everywhere at once, cheering on the Bellas.  Next year, we’re getting you out on that course =)

Congratulations to everyone who participated!  

San Diego Bellas Hold First Annual Camp

By Whitney Despain
San Diego, California

It is a well-documented fact: Anytime you get a group of Bellas together, it’s going to be fun! The First Annual San Diego Velo Bella Camp was no exception.

Twenty-seven San Diego Bellas came to Coastal Sports & Wellness Medical Center in San Diego at 8:00a.m. to start the first clinic- Dynamic Stretching and Warm-ups with legendary local physical therapist and ART provider, Gino Cinco. He started us out gently enough. We laid on the ground, working out the kinks on foam rollers. But, as is typical of Gino’s style, soon we were all sweating. He took us back and forth across the room with different warm-up moves. When we were feeling good, he let us loose on his circuit of pain. Yikes! The circuit included balance boards, medicine balls, push-ups and tethered running. There was a LOT of giggling, but we all got a great workout!

Next, part-time Velo Bella and full-time Gorilla Multisports coach DeeAnn Smith did a presentation on the art of hill climbing. After 30 minutes of explaining how to become a better climber, DeeAnn and her assistant/husband Norm Smith took us out on the road so we could practice. I don’t think the folks on Torrey Pines had ever seen such a gorgeous group of fast women! DeeAnn’s expert advice had us all moving out of our comfort zone trying new things. It was an awesome ride!

After the workout with Gino and the ride with DeeAnn, we were all starving. Luckily Chipotle hosted our lunch! They provided a super delicious free burrito, salad or taco plate to everyone in our group. AND they didn’t seem to mind how stinky we all were! That’s my kind of restaurant.

For our afternoon clinics, we went to local bike shop, B&L Bike and Sports San Diego. B&L has a great reputation for their knowledgeable staff, who actually LIKE their customers. Amazing, but true. Service manager, Scott Porter, stepped us through the care and maintenance of our bikes. He cleaned things we didn’t know needed cleaning. He oiled things we didn’t know needed oiling. More than once, he took something apart and we all went “ahhhh”. The hour flew by, and I think we all could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon having him explain brake adjusting, chain cleaning, and cable care.

The grand finale of our camp was a presentation from Kim Mueller, a sports nutritionist. Kim and her company, Fuel Factor, are well-known in SoCal for providing nutrition counseling to a wide range of athletes. We could tell right away she really knew her stuff. After giving us a clear, easy to understand outline of basic sports nutrition principles, she answered wide range of questions. She explained everything thoroughly. We all walked away smarter and grateful to Kim for sharing her vast knowledge.

Shout-outs!

A huge thank you to Gino Cinco, DeeAnn Smith, Scott Porter and Kim Mueller. These four are experts in their fields who all donated their time on a Saturday to help our group have a great season. We all appreciate your time. Mille Grazie!

Thank you to the official camp photographer, John Faseler. Thanks for only showing our good sides.

Thank you also to Coastal Sports & Wellness Medical Center and B&L Bike & Sports San Diego for welcoming us into your facilities.

All Bellas received goodie bags packed with awesome products. Thanks to the following for their generous support: B&L Bike and Sports, Chamois Butt’r, Chipotle, Goody Hair Products, Gorilla Multisports, Infinit Nutrition, LUNA bar, Lululemon, and University Physical Therapy.

See you next year!

San Diego Bellas Rock the House

By Raja Lahti
San Diego, California

Our “little” local group of Velo Bellas has been growing in the last 2 years, and today, we rocked the house! And sooo close to a podium sweep…..

The Bulldog Road race is run by our local Camp Pendleton Marine base. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the Marine’s running events. Shit gets done. Fast. Races are organized, on time, on schedule and the music is always on overdrive to get you pumped. Kudos to the race organizers. The best part though, are the Marines. The cheer section is AMAZING. Split down the middle, half will cheer you and get you energized. The other half… well, remember in the movies when the Marine is yelling at the top of his lungs, eyes like daggers, face as red as a tomato, veins bulging, and along with the projectile spittle, the vocal cords manage, “that all you GOT??!???” Yup, that’ll get ya movin’.

The women’s race had a whopping 96 riders to finish. Wow…. great turnout. Most racers hadn’t ever done a road race before. And then there are the handful of crazy riders who know what pain they’re about to endure. We were the last group to go off which means we’re sifting through the men in front of us that aren’t hanging. My husband also raced his first road race today with team Moment Cycle Sport. They had a group of 5-6 riders and managed to get the men’s overall win! Go Moment!

I’m not an experienced road racer. I’ve done 5 road races in the last 3 years, nada mucho. That is however, an average of 4.5 races more than most of the field. To all the Bellas around me I advised them to stay near the front to avoid any crashes, but not to pull. If someone wanted to pull 100 ladies down the street, sweet. I just believed it didn’t have to be us. It isn’t a race to get out there, it would be a race to get home.

So in a nice big group we stayed. No attacks. No madness. Yet. Then I attacked. We had about 800 meters to a downhill, then a sharp left turn, then “The Hill”. There’s only 1 major climb on the course, it’s half way through, and guaranteed the top riders would make a move here. For the last 2 years I’ve climbing ok, but never even saw the lead group break away because I was already behind. This time I was going to be the leader up the hill and if someone was going to attack, they’d have to pass me. And I’d see them. Half way up Jen (Yake) Neuschwander & I were riding side by side in the front. Then comes Christine Silcox. This was now a Bellaton! 3 Bellas leading at the front up the climb. The followers were just marking us, so I yelled for a little help up front. Two other girls came up around us to take the lead. The thought was to get someone else to work a little when it flatten out so we weren’t out in front the entire time. It was a good thought, but then the 2 of them took off (We’ll call them Colnago girl & Girl 2) and just simply dropped all of us. Jen & I worked together to catch the 2 of them up front along the top & downhill, but they were hammering.

Once down the hill Jen & I had collected 3 more. We were now a group of 5, we could catch them. We organized, 30 second pulls. Annamarie (unattached) would simply rip our legs off when she hit the gas. She’s now been recruited to Bellanation. Jen, Christine, Annamarie, myself and Tiny girl (don’t know her name) worked and worked but just couldn’t catch these 2 girls. Impossible. They’ve got to crack. They’ve been TTing for 10 miles! Finally on the final stretch we start to close in on them. Rapidly. But would we have enough real estate to make it in time?

I’ve screwed up the finish enough times to know better than let up even for a second. It’s a complex left-right-left to the finish. Jen took the last pull before the first left. Just as she looked as she was going to pull off, I said to her “don’t stop now! They’re right there, we deserve this!” So she kept hammering. If she had slowed, she would have lost all power through the turns and there isn’t enough straight chute to get real estate back. I launched around the right corner and took the risk and hit it as hard as I could. I passed Girl 2 entering the chute. I was closing on Colnago girl, but she hung on for the win. You go girl. Nice ride.

As I crossed the finish line – it occurred to me. I just placed 2nd overall! Not age group. Not top ten. PODIUM! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Looking back, the overall win would have been nice-but the teamwork we showed ROCKED and I couldn’t ask for more. Even better was Christine placed 3rd overall & Jen 4th. Those two are a testament to hard time spent on the bike makes for massive improvements. We all did something today than we couldn’t have done 2 years ago. Dave caught the final turn to the chute when I passed Girl 2 on his crackberry.

Thank you to ALL the Velo Bellas – you ladies ROCK! Not to mention the hardware… Ooh là la!!

Bella Results!

Raja Lahti (2nd Overall, 1st Age Group)
Christine Silcox (3rd Overall, 1st Age Group)
Jenn Neuschwander (4th Overall, 2nd Age Group)
Beth Callhan (3rd Age Group)
Erin Horan Gonzales
Sandra Fairchild
Madelyn Horton (3rd Age Group)
Vicki Jones
Lynn Scozzari
Sherry Mesman
Cindy O’Grady (1st Age Group)
Jackie Bickford (2nd Athena)
Whitney DeSpain (3rd Athena)

Group Project: Velo Bella Takes on the San Diego Women’s Triathlon

By Whitney DeSpain
San Diego, California

On Sunday, October 19th, several Bellas met for a photo at 6:45a.m. This was right after the transition area closed, and just a few moments before the first of our group would be hitting the water. There were a few tears, but lots of hugs and reassurances. The race we’d been anticipating for 8 weeks was about to begin.

Bellas, all dressed up and ready to go!

In August, a group of us had met at a nearby Panera’s to talk about the race. This was going to be many of our teammates’ first go at a triathlon, so we wanted to make sure everyone felt supported. Over the next two months, the “veterans” and the “newbies” trained together, attending swim clinics, brick workouts, a transition clinic, and several open water swims. We had swam, biked and run our hearts out. Now it was time to race.

Wave after wave of Bellas went into the water. When they came out, they were greeted with their own cheering section- Christine, Lynn, Sandi, LaDawn, Chris, Jacky. Whitney and three of our friends from Team LUNA Chix, Chris, Darlene and Randa, were there with “Bellas Rock” signs, a megaphone and a duck quaker (it’s a LaDawn thing- don’t ask). Everyone looked SOOOOO good coming out of the water. We knew it was going to be a great race.

The cheering squad positioned themselves around the course so we could make sure no one ever felt alone. There were also signs stuck in the sand and taped to poles on the run with every single girl’s name.

San Diego Bella Vicki Jones running hard

One by one, we watched the Bellas come off the bike and begin the run. The first Bella to head down the finish line, Amy Larson, had a huge smile on her face. I screamed, “Kick it in!” as she headed down the final stretch, and boy did she ever! She passed several gals in the last 500 meters, and went on to take 2nd in her age group. At her first triathlon. It was turning into a great day.

Jackie came down the line next. This race was supporting the fight against Ovarian Cancer, and Jackie was racing in honor of her sister- a survivor. In classic Jackie style, she danced and leapt her way down the chute, and ended up with yet ANOTHER fabulous finish photo. And she managed to take 10 minutes off her time from last year!

Amy Larson and Karen Casey smile in satisfaction after finishing their first EVER triathlon

After that, every time we looked up there was someone we knew. Erin, Yvette, Laurie T., Jennie, Britt, Karen, Marlene, Deb, Deanna and Lori R. all joined Amy in completing their first triathlon. Heather, Lori S., Terri, Marilyn, Shannon, BJ, Cindy, Dawn and Vicki all returned and had GREAT performances. And Sherry and her 11-year-old daughter Kai proved that being a Bella runs in the family!

Post-Race Fun at the Party Car

After everyone had crossed the finish line, we all met at the party car. It was easy to find- big white tent, bubble machine, balloons, and LOTS of activity. There everyone was given a champagne glass filled with sparkling cider to toast to her success! It truly was a BELLATASTIC day!!!

We have to thank B&L bikes for all their support throughout this process. San Diego women couldn’t ask for a better bike store. Will Scandalis, swim coach extraordinaire taught the ladies how to swim smart in the race- thank you! Also, thank you to Team LUNA Chix for providing us with so many great products at the start and finish of our program.

The Happy Bella Family!