Mark your calendars! October 8th, 2011 is the official date of the 2011 Kona Swim Rematch! I’ve lived the past eight months as “the girl who lost the swim,” but 2011 is going to be a whole different story.

Thanks to solid performances at the Eagleman 70.3 Half Ironman Race this past weekend both Coach Diablo and I nabbed our Kona Slots! And now I am lazer focused on being the fastest stairclimber the Big Island has ever seen!

I think the 2011 picture is going to look something like this:

Going into Eagleman I had one goal: RACE. I wanted to push the pace and be agressive all 1.2 miles in the water, 56 miles on the bike, and 13.1 miles of the run. The Cambridge, Maryland race is known for being a fast course with fast competition, and that was exactly what I was looking for.

Racing with my Dynamo teammates Kathryn, EJ, and Alberto meant lots of pre-race laughs.  And Garth Brooks playing on the loudspeaker as I got in the water meant I was already having a GREAT day!

The Eagleman race course is FLAT. I think the biggest bumps may have been the waves in the Choptank River, but even those were pretty whimpy. This was a bit of a change for a girl who loves riding uphill, but I did not learn to pack my bike and travel all the way to Maryland to race within my comfort zone! I just tried to keep the pressure on and keep racing mile after flat mile.

Luckily, I love flat running courses. But a flat run does not mean an easy run. What the Eagleman run course lacks in hills, it makes up for with HEAT: 

Thank goodness for amazing volunteers handing out plenty of ice and cold beverages along the course. I managed to survive the run, win my age group, and claim a Kona slot.

HUGE thanks to my Coach and teammates, who inspired me throughout the race, with a special thanks to Alberto’s fiance Jill, who logged the fastest run split of the day en route to getting my wallet so I could pay my Kona entry fee (which was nearly $300 cheaper than the IM NYC entry fee – no racing in the Big Apple for me anytime soon!)

Now I’m more excited than ever for summer training and fast racing in Louisville and Hawaii!

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An Ironman in New York City!?! It doesn’t even sound possible! How do you swim, bike, and run through the most densly populated major city in the United States? And given the opportunity, how could you not? 

World Triathlon Corp just announced Ironman New York City yesterday. The race it isn’t scheduled until August 2012, but it’s already causing me major issues!

Most Ironman races sell out in hours, and IM NYC is sure to be no exception. The anticipation for this race is HUGE! And even though race day is more than a year away, registration opens next week! So I have a decision to make:

Will my August 2012 Ironman be in NYC or Louisville?

The only rational thing to do is evaluate each race based on 5 key factors: Date, Location, Course, Cost, and Fun.

Date

This one is easy. Race day in the Big Apple is set for August 11, 2012. I imagine Louisville will be later in the month, likely August 26th. My summer work schedule can be a little hectic, so the later in August I race, the better.Location

Even though I just became an expert bike packer, I like that I can drive to Louisville. Flying to a race means carefully packing to avoid excess baggage fees. Driving means mindlessly filling the Corolla with anything and everything my heart desires. Being within driving distance also means I can easily visit the course for an early summer training camp.Course

Crossing the Ironman finish line in Manhattan sounds very exciting. As does running over the George Washington Bridge (I have a bit of a bridge running fetish). Louisville has a bridge crossing too, but it’s not named after the first President of the United States. The Louisville bike course is beautiful. The NYC bike course is in New Jersey. The Ohio River is kind of dirty. The Hudson River is…Cost

I think WTC should publish marital status along with its average income data.  Fun

It’s NEW YORK CITY!

And there is one very important factor I failed to mention: PEER PRESSURE. I’m a sucker for it, and it often trumps even my most rational decisions. So I have some thinking to do. Some discussions to have. And ultimately, a choice to make. And either way, the end result will be 140.6 miles of pure bliss! Stay tuned!

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Confession time: I’ve been a triathlete for nearly 3 years and until this past weekend I did not know how to pack my own bike. I’ve always relied on the generosity and know-how of those far more skilled and generally, just avoided bike travel as much as possible. But, thanks to the great bike guru, Allen Heaton, my triathlon travel troubles are over!

At the recommendation of Allen, his wonderful wife Sarah, and a few other  jetsetting jocks I know, I made the big purchase and bought a bike bag. I went with the Aerus Biospeed Travel Case for 3 reasons:

(1) It fits inside the Corolla

(2) It’s small enough that I might be able to avoid airline fees

(3) It’s made by Blue, and so is my bike

Here’s a visual of the set-up:

After getting the bag, the next thing I needed was a set of Albopads! The reusuable bike frame wraps are the genius invention of my good friend Al Bodine. My bike is my most valuable possesion (by far – sorry Corolla!), and I need to take care of it! Thank goodness for Albopads – they’re protective and efficient! 

Unfortunately, Allen took one look at my bike and decided it would be offensive to the entire Albopad nation  to use their wraps on such a dirty bike. So, for the sake of demonstration we used inferior foam tubing and tape. Maybe Allen’s next class will be on bike washing? Or maybe just how to turn on a hose?

The break-down process was surprisingly simple. With a just a few quick twists of the wrench my wheels, pedals, derailleur, and handlebars were off. Then it just took some crafty tube and tape skills, and Voila!

And the bike slipped right into the bag:

Being able to leave my saddle on “in-transit” is just one of the many advantages of having the body proportions of a mongoose.

At the end of the day I was a happy and much more independent triathlete. HUGE thanks Allen! Now I’m ready for anything!

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A while back I was chatting with Ebeth about my blog. The conversation went something like this:

ME: So what do you think about the blog?

EBETH: It’s great but —

ME: I know. It’s really a shame they don’t give Pulitzers for self-published non-fiction.

EBETH: Yeah…but actually I was thinking you were missing a sponsor.

ME: What?! Who?!

EBETH: Canyon Cabins!

ME: Mother. I’m very picky about my sponsors. Their logos have to match my color scheme.

EBETH: But Canyon Cabins is your family’s business.

ME: And?

EBETH: I’ll buy you a tuna sandwich if you put a logo on your blog.

ME: DONE!

So there it is – the secret world of amateur triathlete sponsorship. But in all seriousness, my parents’ cabins just outside Bozeman, Montana are awesome. In fact, I’m going there next month!

I cannot wait to to visit the fam, collect my promised tuna sandwich, and of course, spend a little time training in Big Sky Country!

Montana trail run...I cannot wait to go back!

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