Party at the Pool!

Ok, you all are probably expecting to hear about some epic swim. Like a friend's birthday swim, or a solid week of swim focus, or something along those lines. But no, my party at the pool today involved no one else. Just me. And for those of you that know me even a little, you know that it doesn't take very many people for me to have a party. I love to have fun! And this party was very impromptu. On the fly. Totally unexpected.

So when I was asked a few weeks ago by a good friend if I would demo a waterproof iPod and headphones, I agreed. Why not? Who wouldn't love to have some tunes every now and again in the pool. Something to keep you company with all that back and forth, back and forth. It all sounded great, without thinking about much more than having music for my solo swims.

But when the package from Underwater Audio arrived and I looked at everything, I panicked a bit. You see, I'm one of those finicky ear plug swimmers. I can't stand ANY water in my ears. I instantly thought this whole project would be a big fat fail! I was suddenly skeptical and not excited to use them at all.

So awesome! A completely waterproof iPod shuffle, and completely waterproof Swimbuds!

Regardless of my lack of excitement, I loaded the shuffle up with some good tunes, and packed it in my swim bag. They've been there for several days now. Today when I found myself at the pool alone, I decided to give them a try. I dove head first into the water, as I always do, figuring I'd be back in 50 yards to trade them out for my silicone plugs. Much to my surprise, I had no water in my ears. I was instantly impressed, and as my swim went on, impressed turned to BLOWN AWAY!!!

It was a strange sensation at first, hearing clear sounding music while swimming. But I grew to enjoy it quite quickly. As my warmup ended and I began my main set, I really started to see some benefit. I found myself more engaged in my swim, especially for the longer sets. As any swimmer knows, it is quite easy to lose count while swimming. The mind can easily wander. But with the music, I found that my mind didn't wander. My brain was occupied with music and had no need to drift off. Which I think made the counting task easier. You could call me easily amused, but hey, whatever works.

There she is! Small and sleek, clipped right on to my goggle strap

I swam an entire hour with these buds in, and could have gone another hour if I wanted to. Not a drop of water leaked in, great sound and a good beat…what's not to love?!

So for those of you that might need extra motivation to get to the pool, or if you're like me and just need to have a party in the pool, I highly recommend giving these a try! You can check them out at underwateraudio.com. My guess is that you'll be just as pleased as I was! And just one more honest plug…this could make a GREAT Christmas gift for any swimmer in your life.

A Thought Provoking 5 Miles...

Yesterday I saw 5 miles tick by for the first time in 26 weeks, exactly. As I ran on the treadmill, grateful for every pain free step I get, my mind took me back over the past six months. I am not yet running without several one minute walking recoveries that keep me humble, but I am up to three minutes of solid running before I have to reel it in for a minute. I am finally to the point where I have to hold myself back, a great place to be in my mind! Through the process of healing, I've learned some things. In no particular order, I thought I'd share some of my random thoughts….

• Accept your situation and adjust your expectations accordingly. Initially I thought I'd be that one miracle. You know, the one that defies all odds, has no complications throughout the process and bounces right back out there like the machines that we are, even when the doctors tell you it's going to take time. I was sure I'd race late season races. And even the doctors looked at me with doubt when I told them my expectations. As August rolled around, and then September, I struggled with disappointment and frustration. I was hard on myself and thought I was failing. As soon as I wrote the season off and accepted where I was, everything changed, mentally and physically. I now had time on my side.
• Lighten up and don't take yourself so seriously! It's not the end of the world, even though sometimes it may feel like it. Take time to enjoy some other things that often get pushed aside. Find a new interest. Spend time with family and friends. Help someone else. Like all things, this too will pass!
• It's ok to gain a little weight. In fact, it might even be good for you. Some have said it's not good to be at race weight year round. That can be a whole conversation for some, but at best, it's good resistance training, right? And a wise tall bird told me, "Ali it's just weight, it's easy to lose." So true! 
• Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop! I wanted to be diligent in the recovery and PT process, and I was. I had been told to use pain as my guide as I re-introduce activity. Every time I would try, my tendon would feel tight, and I assumed I had done too much. So I would stop. I cried. I doubted. I wanted to give up. Romney finally sat me down and suggested that at some point, this tendon has to get used to being used again. He told me to let go of the fear and figure out if this thing is fixed or not. He forced me back to Tyler (I've worked with him on and off for years, and he's AWESOME) at In Motion Physical Therapy so I could have constant eyes on me and more guidance. Tyler rationed everything I did, and wow has this made the difference! I had allowed fear to get the best of me, for a time.
• I have a great deal of respect for my patellar tendons and all they allow me to do! For without them functioning properly, life is far less fun!
• RUNNING IS HARD!!! But oh how I love it! Those days of fast running are but a distant memory. I have my work cut out, and I'm grateful to work!
• I could never, ever have made it through this alone. I have the most amazing people behind me that have lifted me up through some pretty dark times. You hear the old saying, "it takes a village," well I'm here to tell you it does! From my family, to friends, to doctors and physical therapists, to coaches, to sponsors and so on….. THANK YOU!!! It means the world to me!

A Mini Milestone

Last weekend I made the much anticipated trip to San Diego to meet and work with the super duo brothers Bryan and Sean Hill at Rehab United. I have to admit, at first I was apprehensive. It's not the most practical thing in the world to travel to California for physical therapy. But at the suggestion of my coach Lesley Paterson, and out of complete desperation, I pursued it. And it was worth every penny and then some!

In my pursuit, I started talking and emailing with Bryan, and sending info back and forth to get a history. He sent me videos to get started, and told me that his brother Sean would be in the Salt Lake area that weekend. Possibly we could hook up. I was thrilled when Sean said he'd be willing to see me here on his vacation, and I jumped at the chance! He and his wife Erynne (who is the Director of Massage at Rehab United) came to meet me at my house. Yes that's right...A HOUSE VISIT!!! How cool are they? After spending almost two hours with them, and watching them dissect every detail in just the way I walk, I knew I had to find a way to get out there and learn more.

You see, the knee is rarely the problem, but the victim. For months now, as I've been trying to get back to training after my two procedures to repair the tear in my patellar tendon, and suffering through constant back pain, I've wondered if I'd ever be pain free again. And I've also feared that if I don't get to the root of the problem, I would just re-injure it. It wasn't until I met with Sean and Erynne that I had my very first bit of hope in a long time. Their philosophy made perfect sense to me, and they were confident they could help me get back to doing what I love!

This felt sooooo good!

A bit of planning, juggling schedules around, and with my husband's blessing (poor guy, I think he is as desperate as I am to have me back to my pain free happy racing self), I booked my flight. Arranged my home stay with a great friend of mine and a wonderful athlete in her own right, Marison Beniek. Then told the boys at Rehab United to plan my two day crash course however they needed so that I could leave there with enough knowledge to do the work on my own back in Salt Lake City.

Upon my arrival Thursday morning I was to be at Rehab United immediately. A little delay at the rental car center pushed things back a bit, but no biggie! Once at RU, I got to meet Bryan and the crew that was to take care of me for the next couple days. A nice chat, another good evaluation, and some soft tissue work. Ahhhh!

Feels totally awkward now, but I'm getting better!

I spent two hours there the first session, soaking in as much as I could. The staff at RU are awesome! They made me feel like I had been a client for years, and were so knowledgeable and friendly. I finished up with my first session, and went straight to the pool for a swim. I needed to shake out the travel and loosen things up.

The next day was an early swim, rehab session number one followed by a lunchtime bike ride with Bryan, then an afternoon session as well. Full day, but such an awesome day! The point of my post is not to outline every detail of my therapy, but rather just to express what an awesome, productive and worthwhile trip it was! I accomplished everything I wanted to, and more. I left RU with a clear vision of what I need to do. Thank you so much to EVERYONE at RU that helped me!!!

While the job is not done, I feel like I have reached a mini milestone...I have been completely pain free for FIVE days!!! I have a renewed energy, my fire is back and I've found my mojo again. I'm not running yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it's coming soon! I'm so excited about it, I've worn my super cute Rehab United socks for two days now :).

They even match my bike!

The other highlight of my trip was a 40 mile bike ride with Marison Saturday morning. She is such a joy to be around, and was kind enough to let me use her road bike for the weekend and tag along with her on a training ride. She took me to some of her favorite spots near her home in beautiful Poway, CA. We had a blast together as she took me to her favorite hill repeats and showed me some of the most beautiful fall scenes SoCal has to offer. I loved every minute of it. Thanks Marison for the great accommodations and time spent together!

Out for a ride with Marison!

Injury is part of an athlete's journey, and it is terribly difficult. If anyone reading this is feeling discouraged, hang in there. I know how hard it is, but it's worth the fight back to full health. Never ever give up, I'm not!!!

I can't finish up without giving one more shout out to my amazing sponsors, who have stuck with me through this ordeal. I couldn't do all this without your continued support... Dr. Greg Freebairn, who has been there for my every need in the pain dept, you rock! Canyon Bicycles, GU Energy, Wasatch Running, Gnarly Nutrition, Saucony and ISM Saddles. Thank you!

A Summer of Reflection

As many of you know by now, I tore my patellar tendon in late May. I haven't written much about it, simply because I just haven't wanted to! Let's just say this has been the most challenging setback thus far in my triathlon career, both mentally and physically. It's not even close to the way I envisioned my first year racing pro. And it's not over yet, but I'm on the ups and am seeing good progress!

Looking out onto the Boise 70.3 swim start, where I played race sherpa for Rom (and friends) shortly after I learned my fate for the season. He has been my absolute rock and support through this whole process. Love him!

I don't have a definitive answer as to how this happened other than I have managed patellar tendinitis on and off for years. Under the care of doctors and PT's, I continued to train and manage the situation keeping it fairly under control. I now believe it was during my build into and racing Kona last year that started the slippery slope beyond that "manageable" place. I don't remember feeling any pain in my knee during the race (plenty of pain involved, just not there :)), but I remember telling Romney shortly after I finished, "I don't know if my knee will ever be the same again." Funny, turns out it's not! I took several weeks off after Kona, and I thought it had settled down. Clearly, I was wrong.

Looking back, it was a ticking time bomb. I started the season with it aggravated, not realizing the severity of the situation. As athletes, we often assess pain levels we can push through, and I had become accustomed to feeling some pain there. As I continued to train, thinking I was managing it, I started compensating for it, and we all know what that means. A laundry list of other issues that pop up due to the compensation and weakness. I started having severe glute and back pain, not realizing where the main fire was.

It was the Tuesday before Memorial Day at the track. Nearing the end of my workout, I was in the middle of an interval and suddenly I felt severe sharp pain on the inside of my knee. It was all I could do to slow down and stop without going down. I knew this was not the normal discomfort that I could push through, this was different.

At home I started my icing and rehab routine immediately, and within a day felt little to no pain as I went about my normal activities. I could even bike pain free, and put in a good 100 miler Thursday, as Ironman Coeur d'Alene was just around the corner. Normally I would have run off the bike, but in an effort to give it an extra day, I waited until Friday to try to run again. Didn't make it a quarter mile. I knew something was terribly wrong at that point. 

A quick message to my doctor, and he wanted an MRI. Because of Memorial Day weekend, I had to wait until Tuesday to be seen. Wednesday morning it was confirmed, a 50% patellar tendon tear. Snap! I was to fly out Friday morning to race 70.3 Raleigh, NC. Trying my best to roll with it and adjust, I withdrew from that race and Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I was heartbroken, but at the same time, so sick of hurting. My main focus now was to figure out how to treat it. 

After looking at all my options, which included surgery, I chose treatment with Dr. Joe Albano. Dr. Albano specializes in Regenerative Sports Medicine, and I believe is the best in Utah at Regenerative Medicine. It is more conservative than surgery, and can have the same outcome in a shorter period of time. There has been a lot of success with this type of treatment, and it is completely natural. If unsuccessful, I can always have surgery. After talking to several professionals, this direction seemed to make the most sense for me. And as an added bonus, I can swim through the whole process! I forced my way on to his schedule ASAP!

All smiles before the beating!

The procedure that Dr. Albano felt would be most effective is called a FAST Procedure with a Fat Graft and Platlet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection. While we refer to this as a "procedure" and not surgery, it is not for the faint-of-heart! They do not put patients out for this, and much to the contrary, I was acutely aware of everything that was happening. I have since referred to it as yes, surgery!

Ready to go!

It started with a quick blood draw, then the blood goes into the spinner to separate the PRP from the red blood cells. Pretty cool. Then, in to the surgery room to get the fat from... yes, me! I was fairly nervous for this part, and with good reason. The process is very painful and just gross! The doctor first had to pick the best spot to take the fat from, then he gave me an injection with a local anesthetic.

You guessed it, donor spot was the tush!

He then put the HUGE fat collector needle into my butt and maneuvered that thing around until he had what he needed. It took longer than I thought it would, and I cringed the entire time. Yuck!

And there ya have it...FAT!!!

Now that I had donated all that I could to the cause, they took the PRP and the fat and let them "marinate" together for about 20 minutes. During this time we began the FAST procedure. This is where the doctor debrides and removes the degenerated soft tissue. It is fairly quick, 10 minutes or so, but it seemed SO much longer. Brutal I tell ya!

Next the fat and PRP were injected into the tendon, and I had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes before I could move. Let it all settle in I suppose. The throbbing began, and the pain was quite intense for the next couple days.

Complete Gimp!

Thrilled to be done and outta there, my hubby took me to 7-11 to get a drink. I ordered what turned out to be the best slurpee I have ever had, and he insisted I needed something to replace the fat that was just stolen from me :).

Rom was sure I needed one of these! But being the girl athlete that I am, I was CERTAIN that I DIDN'T need one, I was now out of training for a while and would have no problem putting fat back on!

From here it was a SLOW road back to biking, and even SLOWER road back to running, as I am still not running. Three days of no swimming, then I was cleared to hit the pool, with no kicking and pushing off the wall. Within a week I was able to kick and push off the wall again, which felt awesome!

At about three weeks out of surgery I started spinning on my bike, and gradually built up duration before any intensity. I've never been so happy to ride my bike before! At six weeks out, due to good progress, I was cleared to start run therapy. And let me tell you, it is nothing more than therapy. It's a far cry from running, but it was something, and it was progress. I was thrilled to get that privilege.

Now at 10 weeks out, I just had my second treatment, without the FAST procedure. Another round of fat graft/PRP injections. The idea is that I take another 2 weeks of recovery now to buy me months in the end. It is fairly typical to have a second procedure, especially if time is an issue. And I do care about time. I am so hungry to race again!

So here I sit, buying time!

It's been a hard road, harder than I thought it would be. I've had a lot of time to reflect and think about things. The mental highs and lows are brutal, and they're REAL! I've felt completely gutted at times, and others I am completely confident that I'll make a full recovery and be better for it. The mind is a very powerful thing, and to keep that in control is a real skill. One that I haven't perfected, but am trying every day.

I'm learning to appreciate the little things, and focus on what I CAN do. Find the positives and build on them. Work on weakness where possible. Fix my attitude when it slips. All of this will serve me well as I make my way back to racing. And with the support of my family, friends, coach Lesley Paterson (aka head doctor that totally gets me and lifts me up every time I have a meltdown), Dr. Greg Freebairn (who also understands me and has kept the rest of me healthy through this whole ordeal), and AMAZING sponsors, I'll get there! But make no mistake, I couldn't do it without them!!!

Ironman 70.3 St. George - Bruised... but not Broken

WOW, what a week! Probably the most emotional week I've had in a long, long time. Like since the days of those dumb, unstable high school relationships that at the time, seem like EVERYTHING! Well folks, those days pass, and you only go up from there. Phew!

It's been a long time since a race has had as much hype as this one. With it being the US Pro Championships, almost every big name this sport knows was there. How exciting! Every single friend of mine in Salt Lake that is involved in this sport was there. How exciting! The Salt Lake Tri Club (Rory Duckworth) and the City of St. George (Paul Jewkes) had embraced me as a local "rookie pro", and to those people, I want to say a very heartfelt thanks. Thank you for believing in me and allowing me the opportunity to brush shoulders with greatness. 

 On stage with the Big Guns!

There was a lot of anticipation on my part going into this race. I was hoping to redeem myself a little bit from Oceanside. I feel very comfortable with the terrain in St. George, after all it is my second home, and I have always raced very well here. I was excited! I figured this was the perfect place for me to have a great race. With a full house of racers and a lot of positive energy, we were ready to roll. And just to keep things light, we threw some good humor in there as well...

Who says moms can't have a six pack??

Now, for the race.. you're not gonna get a blow by blow, look at all the mental demons I pushed through kind of report. But rather, a very candid shot of where my head is at since last Saturday. For anyone that understands the sport, it is very clear what happened. I got popped in the first 400 yards of the swim, and was out of the race. Period. I have no other excuses, nothing or no one to blame but myself. I am now racing with Professionals, where no one sucks. They're all triple threats. They show no weakness. They'll battle until they can't battle any longer. They won't quit, ever! And because of all that, they'll push me to become better as well, it may just take more time than I thought.

In the Age Group race, I was able to get away with a weaker swim. I would come out of the water in the top 10-15% of my group, having a wide range of swimmers to work with that always kept me in a pack. Then out of the water it didn't take me long to pedal my way through the field to the front of the race, soaking in that adrenaline of flying past cyclist after cyclist. My race is different now, and there isn't that range of ability in the swim, bike or run. So, if I can't hang on in the swim, well then, I'm racing alone. Swimming alone, biking alone, running alone. 

So here's my reality... I have to figure out how to swim! And while doing so, continue to strengthen my bike and run. I fully recognize that I haven't put the time in the pool that 95% of these girls have. Ask any swimmer what it takes to be fast - every one of them will tell you time in the water. Years and years of swimming 5-6 days per week, with many of those days being two-a-days. I have never done anything close to that, ever! The first time I had anyone look at me in the pool was during the 2009 season, remember those days Beej? So how can I expect to come out of the water with them if I haven't put the work in?! I just simply can't. So, new plan is to swim a minimum of 5 days a week. I know, many of you will laugh that I haven't been doing that already. Lesson learned. Salt Lake Masters, I'm coming! Please be nice :) I clearly have my work cut out for me!

At least my long and lonely ride was scenic! Photo by Chris Mabey

As I've had time to reflect on my race, there are several other things I need to remember. I'm a wife and mom of four beautiful children, and I've been running their school for the past year. I love them and want every opportunity for them. Because of that, I have less time to put in for training. I spend hours and hours every day tending to their needs, and taxi-cabbing them around town, making sure everyone is at the right place at the right time. I chose this life, and I LOVE this life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But I also chose to take the huge step up to the Pro field when the unlikely opportunity presented itself. So, while I will do my best to keep things in perspective, I'm a fighter. I'll see this battle through, I'll finish what I started.

As a competitive athlete, it doesn't feel good to be at the back of the pack. I'm used to winning, that's what got me here in the first place. And trust me, it's WAY more fun! I'm not going to lie, this has been a hard adjustment for me. It's been very humbling. It's caused me to question myself when before I never did. I've asked myself if I made the right decision to turn pro, the list goes on.

Some would say life has come easy to me. And if I'm honest with myself, I'd probably agree. There's not much that ruffles my feathers to the point that I fall apart. I can usually keep a pretty level head and come out of most things smiling. But I wasn't smiling Saturday afternoon. I didn't have fun out there, and I felt like I'd let a lot of people down. Myself, my sweet husband who was out there suffering as much as I was as he watched me struggle, my kids, my amazing sponsors, all my friends who have supported me through this whole process, my coach and so many others who have helped get me here. I was ashamed. 

But with some time and perspective, I'm ashamed no longer. I'll hold my head high knowing that I earned my spot on the start line, and I've gotten here out of pure love for sport and desire to be a better version of me. I just have a lot more work to do, and I'll do it with a smile reminding myself how lucky I am to have a healthy body that will allow me down this road. So, I walk away from Ironman 70.3 St. George all bruised and banged up, but not broken. 

So glad that's over!

To all those who were out there supporting me, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I was absolutely amazed by the number of people who knew my name, knew who I was and made the effort to introduce themselves. To all my training friends - you amaze me and inspire me constantly. To those of you athletes that were out on the course and made an extra special effort to keep me fighting when you saw my pain - you know who you are - you helped pick me up and get me to the finish line! And to save the best for last - my family! I couldn't do this without your constant support and encouragement. They're the real heroes in my story!

To my amazing sponsors - you rock! Canyon Bicycles, Dr. Greg Freebairn, Wasatch Running, Gnarly Nutrition, Gu Energy, Saucony, BodyWise Fitness and ISM Saddles - thank you, thank you!

Throwdown Thursday

I like to call them "Throwdown Thursdays", because it's the day I've set aside to put in my long day of training. It just works best for my family that way. I don't love missing out on the long weekend rides with friends, and it's been a challenge to completely excuse myself from school commitments every Thursday, but I gotta do what I gotta do to get it all in :)!

It's been a bit of a struggle for me coming off of Oceanside, both mentally and physically. With my increase in training and intensity, I've developed a few little "niggles" I've had to keep my eyes on. The biggest issue being my lower back, due to tight glutes and all those complex muscles in the hiney. And a change of saddle requires an adjustment period, which has not helped the situation. But I'm happy to report that I absolutely LOVE my ISM Time Trial saddle, and the body is definitely adjusting. Phew!

We left Oceanside on Sunday afternoon, and drove to Palm Springs where we spent a glorious week in the sun and heat with Romney's entire family. It was one of the best vacations I can remember... leisurely pool time every day, cousins for the kids, tennis, golf, and lots of time to get right back after it! I joked with my coach Lesley about punishing me for the less than stellar performance at Oceanside, and she seemed to like the idea! 

Monday morning was "go time" again, and if it weren't for the fact that I'd come down with an awful sore throat and cold, I'd have hit it much harder than I did! By Tuesday, it was back at it for some good endurance training. There's nowhere I'd rather be swimming, biking and running in April than in the 85-90 degree heat and beauty of Palm Springs. I was thrilled to be there, training and all. But I've never put in a 16 hour week coming off of a half Ironman, and that's what was on the docket. I'm happy to say that I made it through, but not without some fatigue and tight spots.

Some serious scenery in Palm Springs!

Managing the lower back situation has felt a little like "two steps forward and one step back." Just when I feel like I've made progress, it tightens up again. So the goal going into yesterday's four hour bike/one hour run was to listen to the body a bit better and keep things in check. That meant backing off a bit on the intensity of the intervals, both biking and running. My other goal was to take in more calories. With the added intensity in my training, I haven't adjusted my calorie intake. I think I've made some nutritional mistakes over the past few months, and I need to get that ironed out.

My hope was to convince some of my working friends to play hookie and come ride outside with me, but the weather didn't cooperate. Can you guess how excited I was to jump on my trainer for a four hour ride? I dreaded the thought, but quit thinking and did it anyway. It was a loooonnnng four hours, but with a great workout on tap - courtesy of my fave Scottish Rocket - to occupy my brain, two hours of TV time, two hours of rock n' roll, and 1000 calories of my favorite GU products, I made it through with flying colors! Haha, who am I kidding! It wasn't that pretty, how can it be in a sweaty basement on a bike for that long..there may have even been some tears and cursing scattered throughout, but who needs to know about that part??

All smiles for now!

Staying on top of my nutrition and not letting the HR and watts get out of hand, I was actually looking forward to a nice little run off the bike. The rain had stopped, yay! Outside run for me. Quick change into some dry running clothes, and out the door I went. Running from home is always a challenge, because I always have to descend first and finish with a rather large and long climb. Staying focused on my goals of nutrition and keeping things in control, I felt great right from the start. Had some good solid tempo miles in the middle on rolling hills before I got to start the long, two mile climb back home. I actually love finishing with a hard climb, as long as I'm feeling good. And today I was! I rolled back up to my house just under an hour later with 8 more miles in my legs, 200 more calories and a huge smile on my face; another "Throwdown Thursday" in the books!

Yes! Now where's the REAL food?

Every time I'm fortunate enough to have a great training session, I can look back and give credit to the ones that didn't go so well. Those harder days, the races where we don't think we raced to our potential - all of the struggles along the way - are a huge part of what shapes us all as people and athletes.

So cliche', but I love it.. "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." Dean Karnazes

Mulligan, Please!

It was finally here..the morning of my first race as a pro. I've been anticipating for months now, and I've played it out in my head, hundreds of times. I knew the field was going to be stacked, I've had moments of fear and intimidation, knowing that I'm about to jump in with the sharks. But not today. I was calm, collected and ready to go!

I wake up on time, feeling well rested after a decent nights sleep. Eat breakfast, gather my gear and head out my hotel door and walk to the swim start. Just as I reach the race venue, the first person I see fidgeting around in a dark parking lot is my coach, Lesley Paterson. She too is racing today, and she will be a force to be reckoned with. We both dig our helmets out of one of the many bags we are carrying, strap it on and hop on the bikes to ride the rest of the way in to transition.

Upon arriving to my spot on the rack, I realize my bike is racked next to Les, directly across from Rinny (one of my all time faves and heros), and kitty corner from many other big names this sport knows. Right down to business, we all start prepping our bikes, loading our nutrition, etc. A little chatter, but not much. Next thing I know, Kevin from the Tri Lounge comes over and introduces me to two people and wants a few pictures. He interviewed me the day before. It's is not a normal occurrence for me pre-race, but I'm rolling with it. Done with that, I grab my iPod, throw on my running shoes and head out for a run warm up with my pump up songs and last chance potty stop. I'm feeling great!

I come back from the warm up, and I know it's time to get going. Wetsuit on, stuff the morning clothes bag and head to the water. I'm walking away with Rinny, goggles and cap in hand, and some good conversation. Another rookie pro, Adrienne, joins us, introduces herself, and out into the main isle of transition chaos we go.

The volunteer at the end of my bike rack points me to the right, saying "swim start this way." He pointed to the big balloon arch that's labeled Swim Start, so I trust him and go that way. Once I get there, I'm told I have to enter from the other end, and they turn us around. I'm still with Adrienne at this point, and we're dodging traffic left and right to get through. Almost at the other end of transition now, she veers right, and I see an opening slightly to the left. I make my way through, and I'm now leaving the north end of transition, where all the gates are opened and there are hundreds of athletes standing around. Hard right turn, and I'm on my way. I'm headed down the carpeted pathway, directly toward the swim start. Transition is to my right, the water to my left. I notice how nice the carpet feels on my feet, but never once does it occur to me I'm on the wrong path. I'm headed right down the nicely manicured section of carpeted dirt :).

I don't see Adrienne, I figure I made a good move and she's just behind me. I get all the way down to the end of the walkway, and they turn me back, AGAIN! Are you kidding me?? I throw a fit, starting to panic! They wouldn't let me hurdle over, so many athletes are following, and they wouldn't make any exceptions. I'm now sprinting in a panic, shouting at everyone to let me through. All the way back around and into transition again, I see the small chute I should have entered when I chose to dodge left and Adrienne went right. Sprinting, and I mean sprinting and shouting, I run down the chute. As I get closer, Mike Rielly sees me from the tower and says over the mic, "pink cap coming, female pro coming, let her through." As I run down the boat ramp, I enter the beautiful Pacific with what I'm sure was a very graceful dive, and just as my feet leave the ground, the cannon fires. My heart sank to the deepest part of the ocean. The race was under way, and I still had a 300-400 yard swim just to get to the deep water start line. I knew I'd have my work cut out for me today, but this was a whole new ball game!

Out in the Ocean all by myself was a whole new experience. I didn't see another human being the entire swim, except for the kayakers. Not being a strong swimmer, it gave me a whole new appreciation for the swimmers at the front of the pack. The only thing I could do was swim hard, do my best to pick a straight line, and reinforce positive thoughts into my head. It never occurred to me to turn back, I just kept telling myself that I could do this. It wasn't how I envisioned it, but it was what I had dealt myself, so figure it out Ali. I did my best to stay focused, and was out of the water in 32:08.

A long run through transition, and I pulled up to my bike on the rack, all by its lonesome. The volunteer right by my bike was my cute friend, Marison. Some good positive words from her made me smile. Quick change of gear and I'm outta there! Happy to be on my bike, where I'm much more comfortable. I knew it would be a long, lonely ride. But somewhere inside me I clung to the hope that I could ride some girls down. I knew it would take patience, but my strengths were still ahead of me. I tried to focus on what I could control..nutrition and my attitude.

Photo credit Michellie Jones, thanks MJ!

I caught the first female pro at mile eight, and it felt good. I had no idea how far up the next girl or girls were, I rode for miles and miles without a single person in sight. Just me, my bike and a lot of "Ali talkin' to Ali" :). Plugging along, somewhere around mile 20, I see several girls coming towards me, and I can tell who some of them are. Yay! Now I'm watching to see how far to the turn to see how far back I am. I'm thinking about a mile and a half. Come on Ali, you can get them!

The back half of the bike was much harder for me, both mentally and physically. The hills come out, which typically works to my advantage, and the wind kicked up a bit. Mile after mile I continue to battle, but my legs just aren't giving me what I had hoped for. I wasn't able to pass another girl until around mile 40. Over the last 15 or so miles, I did pass a few more girls, which really made me feel better mentally! I rolled into transition with a 2:40:00 bike split.

Coming into T2, thanks Kevin for the pic!

Just as I was entering T2, I heard my hubby and cute kids screaming like mad for me. I needed this, I was so happy to see them! They didn't yet know what the day had thrown my way, but they knew I was off a bit and wasn't having my typical day. They shouted every awesome thing you can think of, and ran along side me outside of transition.

I get into transition to find that my assigned spot on the rack has been taken. I'm clearly flustered, shouting that there is nowhere to put my bike. There's not a single inch anywhere. Romney tells me to try to slide the bikes down, so I lean my bike against the wheels of five bikes and attempt to slide one or two bikes. There is so much crap everywhere, they won't budge. As I dump all of my run stuff out of my bag and throw my shoes and socks on, a race volunteer comes over and tells me he'll take care of my bike. Thank you! In my flustered state, my socks were all wrinkled and the tongue of my shoes had some folds in it. I didn't realize it until I had started running, and I thought about stopping to fix things, but didn't. Note to self..if this ever happens again, FIX IT!!! They came back to haunt me later.

Just getting started...

Out onto the course, I can see two girls up ahead. My goal at this point is to get the first mile under my belt, and hopefully my run legs will show up. Again, like on the bike, I'm trying to worry about the things I can control and stay positive. I had some decent miles early on, before the problems with my shoes and socks became an issue. My legs just didn't have the spunk they needed to put out a great run split. I plugged along, trying to forget about the pain. I wanted to quit, and really, I could think of several reasons that seemed like good, justifiable causes for pulling out of the race. "Shut up Ali, that's not an option!" I have not yet DNF'd, and today wasn't going to be the day. I had my whole family there supporting me, and I needed to stick this thing out for them.

More pics courtesy of Kevin at Tri Lounge!

The run turned from bad to worse, and became a matter of mind over body. At mile 10, my feet hurt so bad from blisters and numbness, that I stopped and took my socks off! I've never done anything like this before, but I figured it couldn't get any worse, and what if it could possibly help? I was able to shuffle through the last three miles of the race without socks. I crossed the finish line in 1:34:42 and was almost lethargic. I think I was just beginning to process everything.

These kiddos kept me going today!

I've since had the chance to look back and reflect on the day. I woke up Sunday morning with a fever, sore throat and congestion, which has allowed me more time to think and dissect things. I have never been an excuse maker, and I'm not one now! They say hindsight is 20/20, and boy do I see things more clearly from this side of the race.

The good news is there are so many positive things I can take with me, and I will choose to do just that! I don't ever have to have that nightmare that so many of us have had before..missing the swim start. It became my reality Saturday, now I can check that off! There are some things I could have changed, and some I couldn't have changed in the days leading up to the race. I will focus on what I could have done differently. I learned invaluable lessons about myself, and not giving up. The list goes on... I am proud to have finished this race, regardless of my placing that day. Do I wish it all started and ended differently? Of course I do! But perhaps someday, as time takes the sting away, I will be able to look back and be grateful for the lessons learned. I look forward to fighting another fight, as we all know there are so many more battles ahead! St. George 70.3 will be my next chance.

I am overwhelmed with love and support from family, friends and sponsors! I truly couldn't be on this journey without them. Canyon Bicycles, Wasatch Running, Dr. Greg Freebairn, ISM Saddles, GU and Saucony, thank you!!!

Now, can I have my Mulligan, please?

GAME ON!!!

I have a confession... I never thought I'd give in and create a blog! In fact, I was determined not to. I have come up with every excuse in the book - I don't have time, I'm not a good writer, people aren't interested in what I'm doing, etc. etc. etc. Well, here I am, eating my words and creating my first ever blog post. This isn't just big, it's HUGE!!!

I'm a rookie pro triathlete, mom of four (and very happily married I must add), the current PTA President at Indian Hills Elementary School, a coach for Girls on the Run, a FRIEND, and HUGE cheerleader for my kids in anything they do!!! How in the world could I blog?! There is no more time in the day... Or is there?

This is my latest challenge - finding the time to run my blog. It's the last and final component to complete me as a Professional Triathlete. I have to do it... The sponsors want it, and much to my surprise, I have been humbled to learn that there actually are people out there that follow me and want to know what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. We all know a good athlete loves a good challenge, and I'm no exception. SO, to this challenge, I say GAME ON!!!

I hope to be able to interest, help, inspire and at the very least, give you a glimpse into the life and mind of an energetic and crazy mom with a burning desire to see what this old body can do, and show others that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Coming Soon....

This blog is a work in progress, just like me. Check back soon for more!