Big Bear Lake: A Guide to Swim-Bike-Run at Altitude

Great trail running, especially for hill-lovers ;)

It takes us, at the most, 2 hours to drive from OC to Big Bear Lake, which sits at about 6,700 feet and can take you up to ~8,440 feet. I love it. You get from SoCal's congested freeways to secluded wilderness, without much effort. I love the area too, such a quaint little mountain town especially in summer without all the skiiers an snowboarders. Almost everywhere you look, you can see cute little shops selling carved bears and fun mountainy things, or a ma'-and-pa'-kinda diner. I've really become a fan of going up to this area for training, and even after Ironman Tahoe (which inspired me to start training here), you can bet I'll still make my way up for fun trips when we can.

I've gone four times now since June, and I feel like I'm really getting to know the area well, especially some great places to swim, bike and run! So, for anyone who's near BB, I thought I'd share some details in case you want to head up there for the same.

Swimming

No matter where you swim in the lake, you are supposed to stay within 50ft of shore to be safe from boats and stuff. Also, my most recent trip I had an escort with me for extra safety, aka my mom paddling on a surfboard. But beware- if you do that the person on the board (or any watercraft) must have a permit and life vest. We got in trouble cause we had neither and had to quit early. Bummer.

Also, try to swim early, as the wind picks up around 11 am, and makes for some tough swimming- unless you like that kinda thing :)

China Island. Note the cool beach area.

Where to swim? I mentioned on a previous post about swimming at China Island, on the south-east end, right after you hit the lake on the 18. So far, my fave place to go. It's a quick little trail hike down, and then you have a nice little sandy area with some rocks to lay your stuff while you swim. China Island is neat, too. The lake is a bit deeper in this area, so you avoid the weeds and gross stuff on the bottom, and the water also feels and looks a bit nicer and not so mucky. Below you can see a glimpse of the little trail you hike down...


Alternatively, there are other spots to swim. We once tried starting from the north-west end of the lake, which is easy access if you park on the bridge (road name: Stanfield Cutoff) where you'll see lots of fishermen. Honestly, I didn't like this place as much -- the water was very murky with algae and the weeds got pretty thick and close to the surface, to the point where you're swimming through muck and lake grass. It may be "clean" but it's still gross.

View from bridge if you're coming from town.

Parking on bridge; that beach is where we swam from.
It was not that great.

Wherever you swim, there are ample buoys that line the perimeter of the lake, so it's easy to know where the 50ft boundaries are, and makes for great practice for sighting and holding a line.

~~~

Biking

If you want big long climbs and higways with very few traffic lights/stops, Big Bear has you covered. And it's not just big-ass hills -- there are some flat areas, smaller rolling hills, etc. During summer, you can also bet on dry heat and afternoon winds. Now, I haven't mountain biked up there yet, but there is plenty of that too and MTBer's everywhere. So this is just about road-riding. It's a lot of fun and diverse. Our third trip we really got a good taste of everything and did the most riding he have so far -- about 100 miles over two days with about 8,000 ft total elevation gain. Pretty awesome!

Riding around the lake is a good, relatively easy place to start. It's about 20 miles, and flat/rolling hills mostly. Nothing crazy. I like riding on the north side better -- less traffic, more scenic and more rollers. Usually we do a lap as a warmup, then...

Onyx Summit, the highest mountain pass in Southern California. This is the "main" climb for cyclists to do. It starts east of the lake, where the 18 hits the 38 -- you hang a right on the 38 and go for it! (Btw- The 38 is the road you take to get to BB "the back way" if the 18 is too sketchy.) From the intersection it's about 8 miles to the summit, but it's really ~7 miles of actual climbing. The grade isn't too crazy, like a 4-5% average, but some parts are steeper while some parts ever-so-slightly seem to flatten out for nice relief. In comparison, I think Mt. Laguna in SD is harder. There's about 1600ft elevation gain climbing Onyx (with no downhill), starting ~6,800ft and ending at ~84,40 ft. You really start feeling it after 7,500ft, but the more often you do it, the "easier" it gets in terms of the altitude feeling. It takes be just about 40 minutes to make the climb, averaging 200-210w overall. Then the decent is fun, and good practice at going fast for a looong time.

On the 38, about to start the Onyx climb.

At the summit, good feeling or relief always! #bettydesigns

There's also the option of descending past Onyx, which we tried on our last trip. It's nice! We only went down 3 miles before turning around to come back up. I think the climb is a tad bit harder than Onyx overall, averaging 5-6% for 3 miles with fewer "flattish" areas.

View of the desert as you leave the mountains and descend.

Other cool areas? Well, maybe cool is the wrong choice of words. You can take the 18 north-east of the lake into the high desert toward Lucerne Valley. You take the 18 out, which is mostly a gradual incline that eventually leads to a big downhill into the desert. The scenery drastically changes from pine trees to, well, whatever survives in the desert. You hit a sign that warns of a steep decent for 5 miles. Unfortunately the "steep decent" really only lasts for ~2 miles then it kinda flattens out. Make the decent for a couple miles (or more- I kinda want to explore farther in the future), and turn around to ride back up (are you gathering that we have sick minds and like the self torture of going down only so we can turn around and climb?!). The grade on this one is a bit nastier than Onyx, and it's even hotter in the area. It's about 7% average based on my calculations from garmin, with definite steeper sections. Surprisingly, we encountered very nice drivers in this area who gave us shoutouts of encouragement rather than honks and F-yous, to which I'm more accustomed. After making that climb, you can take Baldwin lake road (you'll hang a left) and that's a nice recovery section with new, super nice roads. That road then turns into Shay, and eventually leads you back to Big Bear Blvd.

Wind. Unless you start super early, expect wind as of about noon! We've tended to started our rides late, and by the end it's howling. So far it's always been a headwind riding westbound and a tailwind eastbound.

Map of one of the longer rides we've done.

That covers the main roads you have in BB, each of which you can take for even longer for mega rides. The one direction I didn't mention is going west and back down the 18, but that's sketchy because it's the main road everyone drives up, there's not much of a bike lane, and it's extremely curvy roads. Nah. I do think they hold an organized ride up that road, though, which would be an epic day of climbing.

I also want to do this ride one day.

~~~

Running

Ah, running, my love. And boy do I love to love and hate it at altitude :) I'll admit, I have yet to run more than 10 miles in Big Bear in one run, but it'll happen one day. Of course, you can run on any road around town, but here are a couple recommendations.

For a flatter asphalt path with a scenic view, take the North Shore Trail. You can park for free by Vons or on the Stanfield Cutoff bridge area (and avoid paying fees at one of the nearby lots on the north shore!), and from there it's a quick jog north and then hang a left onto the trail. Can't miss it. If you hit the 18 highway, you've gone too far. I'm actually not sure how far the trail really goes, but I've run an out-and-back on it for 6 miles total (t-run). I think it goes another mile or two before turning back into the main road with cars. It is really a great little trail, and there are always people walking an jogging, but there's ample space and it's not too congested. My 6-mile run only had ~200ft elevation gain. And this is at ~6,700ft btw.

Running on the trail. Scenic, right?

Again, parking on the bridge, and the trail starts right up
from here to the left, across from that building.

Map of the North Shore Trail. Note the dark line - that's how far it
really goes, and I failed to go all the way this time.

Then there are trails. This could go on forever, as there are a million and a half great trails to explore in the area, but so far I only have one I can speak of from experience, and that is the 2N08 or Knickerbocker Trail, from which a bunch of other trails branch out. Knickerbocker starts in a neighborhood area south of the lake, past The Village, after a short drive up either Pine Knot Ave. or Knickerbocker Road. It's obviously a popular trail, as the cross country team was out running when I did it this week, as well as hikers. It is steep to begin with for ~2 miles then flattens out a bit and is mostly rolling hills -- at which point you're running at about the 7400-7600ft level. I did 4 miles out, hanging a left at ~3.5 miles on the 2N17 when the road forked, then 4 miles back. It's all fire road so not too technical, and very beautiful, with great views of the lake in the beginning. Almost a perfect run for me, except, stupid me: I rolled my ankle on a rock. Dummy.

View of the lake from about the highest elevation you get on the trail.

Map of our run, the dark lines are other run-able trails.
Note Snow Summit on the bottom right. Doing that next time!

Entrance point of Knickerbocker Trail (2N08).

This area is also where the hold the Endure the Bear trail runs (everything from 5k to 50k I think). The route will take you all the way to Snow Summit peak, which is about 8,000ft. Next time I go back, I'm going to do that... I'll probably do the 15k or 30k route, which you can check out here. I was actually going to do the 15k this past week, but got mixed up on the route and then after rolling my ankle decided to to do anything too crazy in case it started hurting worse.

My friend Ryan Denner, who knows this area very well, also recommended the Cougar Crest/PCT trail on the north end. Sounds interesting! You can find many more trails on Strava and Map My Run.

That's it, for now, for swim-bike-run tips! And last but not least...

Eating

Food. A must if you're kicking arse in las montanas! If you're looking to be super healthy, I suggest bringing your own food and staying in a cabin with a kitchen (or packing a cooler if it's just a day trip). There are plenty of bar/tavern/mountain-style places with typical American fare and plenty of pizza joints, but there aren't that many health-oriented restaurants from what I've seen (including on Yelp/Google), and the "good ones" look a little pricey and possibly just open for dinner. And during summer, open hours may be even more limited? That said, there looks to be some better places in The Village area, with more opening. I want to try this one.

Grocery-wise, there are only two main stores: Vons (the better of the two) and Stater Bros. That said, I usually stock up on groceries before leaving so I'd have all my organic, grass-fed, healthy stuff for our meals, down to quality cooking oils to avoid food that may promote inflammation. Plus I love being in a little cabin cooking the mountains -- adds the the experience!

Cooking in the cabin, post-workout, in my "sexy" outfit.
#110PlayHarderCompression

Our infamous burger night spread.

Oh yea, and this DOES exist. Good, not great, brews though.

Train-cation and Whatnot

I've started about three different blog posts this week, and have yet to post one. Oops. I guess any blog on my personal life could be easily summarized in four words: work, train, eat, sleep -- in no particular order. As boring as that could potentially sound, I'm actually still having fun with it! No burn out yet. Plus, it helped that we mixed it up this past week with a third trip up to Big Bear Lake, which sits at ~6700ft. I never thought I'd enjoy going up there so much, but it's a blast. Great vibes up there and a nice way to escape traffic. That said, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever take a real vacation that does NOT involve swimming, biking, running, training, and/or racing as the focus! That would be weird.

Anyway, after three trips to BB and countless hours spent training there, I feel like I'm becoming an expert on the area. In fact, next week I am going to release a blog with a guide to training up there, so stay tuned. Just some basics and info based on what I've experienced.... I have only trained on the roads, no trails, which I know are ample there too.

This past trip we stayed a bit longer (but still not long enough waaaa) to get in a couple solid days without being rushed. Probably ~8 hours of actual training time over two days. Got in Monday night, and just had a little shakeout run that doesn't really count. Tuesday started with lake swim, and it sucked. This time I struggled. It felt like I was breathing through a straw and I had zero power. I was also feeling dizzy and nauseous. It was disappointing, but I tried not to let to get me too down and tried to be about "mind over matter." I think the general fatigue accumulation from consistent big training also played a role (or at least I'm hoping that was it and it wasn't solely the effects of altitude).

Onto the bike, and that was better. Whew. It was a very hot ride, and we did a lot of climbing, including Onyx summit, and also a new adventure on Highway 18 past the lake into the desert. At one point we stopped at a sign that said something like "drive with caution, 11% grade next 5 miles." That would be 5 miles going down at that grade. So, like stupid triathletes do, we made the descent into the high dessert, knowing we'd have to turn around and climb back up. Turns out only ~2 miles were steep, then it nearly flattened out, so the climb wasn't too crazy -- but it was approaching 100 degrees and hot as heck! The day's ride ended with 4 hours in the saddle and about 4k vertical accumulated. 

After that a 50' t-run. I wanted to do more but I ran out of water on the trail and was dying, so I cut it a bit short. The run was weird. Legs actually felt good, HR was nothing too shocking (150s average, and it would spike more on inclines but never let it above 165), and without forcing it I was running ~8:30 avg pace. That said, that was all trumped by a terrible feeling in my chest and ability to breathe (altitude?). It was like I had asthma. I took a brief "walk recovery" about every 10 minutes.

That night we were trashed- from training, not alcohol... I swear despite the beer pics I occasionally post ;) In fact, we actually brought a good amount of beer with us, but as tired as we were, very little alcohol ended up being consumed. It was more about water and kombucha, and more water. Haha.

For food, I planned ahead and shopped prior to leaving, and for dinner I cooked up a simple but perfect meal for our condition: Spaghetti squash with meat sauce (variation of this recipe) and broccoli on the side. And no turkey in this meat sauce, I chose the hearty good stuff: 1.5lbs of grass-fed ground beef (85-15), mixed with sauteed onion, garlic and spinach, and organic marinara sauce. We ate a lot, barely any leftovers haha. Speaking of a lot-

Day two had to be a bit shorter, but we still got in another swim and 2-hour ride. The ride was rad: Another climb to Onyx, then a new one: descended the backside, only to U turn and climb back up. About 3k vertical for just 30 miles. And I was climbing just as strongly as the day prior, so that was pleasing to me.

Once we got home I took a couple "easy" days on Thu/Fri (but still didn't feel the need to actually take a day off, which was nice), and as of Saturday I was feeling great again - it showed in my swim and long run. Btw, long runs are really growing on me. I love them. And my body/mind are getting used to them. It's only taken a few of these 2-3hr runs to really feel comfortable with them. Yesterday, 17.2 miles blew by and my pace even surprised me.

After today's long bike/t-run, I should end this week with ~18 hours of training, highlighted with close to (or maybe on the dot) 40 miles of running. A new record for me. Only a couple more weeks of this left crazy volume and big training, and then it's time to put on the brakes and REST this body.

Oh yea, today I am also going to be glued to the computer/phone for the better part of the day -- so much good racing! Who's with me?! It started at 4am when my brain suddenly woke up thinking about races and all the folks I know who are racing. Of course, I had to check Leadville 100 results to begin, then started tracking IMMT. My athlete is racing, and he's off to a good start with a swim PR of 1:00:xx -- I can already guarantee we'll talk about just missing that sub-1:00 haha, all good ;)

Checking In With Pro Liz Blatchford: IMMT & Vegas Plans

I mentioned on my last post about writing the Ironman 70.3 World Championship preview. (To answer your question, Sunnyrunning), the list of pros we compiled was mostly a co-effort between Brad Culp and I, and the points rankings played a role in helping to choose. Beyond that, I also like to dig around on the pros and see who's worthy and interesting to feature. That's how I chose Tim Reed for the list, who I just had on endurance planet podcast, and other rising stars like Liz Blatchford. Liz is now focusing on long-course racing full time, after coming off an ITU/short-course tri career that ended with not being selected for the London Games last year. Sad ending for a very talented athlete. So you can imagine she's hungry for some championship racing at the 70.3 and full IM distance now! She won her first IM at Cairns recently, among other smashing wins and performances, proving she's the real deal.

She recently indicated an interest in racing IMMT (this weekend) as a last-chance effort to get Kona points for this year. She was one of our Vegas picks, so I contacted her after finding this out, wanting to see what was going on and how an IM just 3 weeks before Vegas may change her plans. Here's a little peek at our interview below. It will be soooo interesting to see how this situation pans out for Liz! Love this stuff....

Q) TP: Are you still doing Vegas this year? I saw that you might do IMMT for Kona points, and wondering if that is still the case.

A) LB: I am racing IMMT to try and qualify for Kona. Given Vegas is 3 weeks after I am undecided at this point if I will do Vegas. I will have to see how I recover from Tremblant and also see whether I have qualified for Kona. 

Q) TP: If you do race IMMT and Vegas, how do you think the IM in late August will factor into your Vegas performance?

LB: I'd say very likely. I have only don the one Ironman earlier this year and didn't feel particularly recovered 3 weeks later. However I am better prepared for this one so will have to wait and see.

Q) TP: How has it been moving from short-course to long-course racing? You seem to be dominating the distance (congrats on Cairns!). 

LB: It's been great. I'd been doing short course and ITU for so long i was probably getting stale and even loosing the love. Long course is so different with so much to learn and new ways to test myself so it's been really refreshing and i've definitely re-found my love of triathlon. Deciding to chase Kona this year is really motivating and an exciting goal and not a bad destination to go an torture ourselves;)

Q) TP: How was it racing Melissa Hauschildt at Koh Samui? You did great against her!

LB: Since I switched to long course racing Mel and I have raced in more races than not. We've had some great battles. She's a fantastic athlete and in brilliant form right now. I think she has won every race she has finished this year? She'll be one to watch in Vegas for sure. Koh Samui was such a fun race and another beautiful destination - i'm all about the destination racing! haha:)

Where I'm At, Yo!

Whoa, long overdo post. I had to look back and see what I last wrote in. As much as I hate not blogging, it's a sign that lots of things are getting done around here, and any free moment I have is being spent sleeping or eating. In fact, last night I took a little time away from everything and spent nearly 3 hr in the kitchen cooking and crating things. Love doing that -- except that I forgot to wear my compression and by the end I had cankles and sausage toes. Oops.

Training update: 

I somehow made a turnaround and am feeling great -- relatively speaking when you're training for Ironman. Energy is there. Motivation is there. Ability to do work is there. Most my training is MAF style, so it's not like I'm breaking any records with speed/pace at all, but I am handling the loads and have put together a few good weeks, for me, and am having fun. I think I reached a point after Vineman where I said to myself, "It's time to sh*t or get off the pot" (in regards to Vegas Worlds and IM Tahoe training). I wasn't feeling that hot prior to Vineman, but with a little racin' and a lot of self-talk, I'm now in a better spot mentally and physically.

I took an easy week after Vineman, which included some fine Napa wine tasting, then the week after ramped it up, ending with 20+ hours of training in the bank. The highlight of that week, for me, was a huge day of running on a Saturday that I loved. It started with 17-something miles under 2.5 hours, followed by another ~10k that night around Fiesta Island in SD with Rousey, who was doing his annual 24-hr run. I was literally running when I'd otherwise be asleep, that was interesting but really fun and memorable. However, that caught up to me (including lack of sleep), and I failed miserably on our long ride in East County the next day. Bummer! Called it after 2.5hrs :( At least that ride ended at Alpine Brewing for a beer sampler.

The next week I scaled back a bit, ending the week including a quick trip to Catalina Island for one day of complete R&R and a second day of hard trail running in the hot sun, with 3L of hydration on my back - yowza! It was worth it though. The Catalina Marathon is now officially on my bucket list. Oh yea, did I mention I saw a friggin shark while we were crossing the channel?! Ugh.

Then, no rest for the wicked, last week was solid too, highlighted by way more miles put on my bike than on my car. I love weeks like that. I'm starting to feel like long rides go by in a blink, even long-ish trainer sessions. And running long is the same. Sunday I did something I've never done before: I ran 3 hours nonstop (minus bottle refills), with a goal of getting in 21 miles, but in the end I got 21.4 miles, and that was coming off a long ride/t-run the day prior. I ran an out &back rolling hills kinda route on PCH, ending with hills the last 3 miles. The coast is not flat, folks.

By the way, I honestly think I want to marry my Hoka One One's. I've been doing all my long runs in these puppies and they are like heaven. I think they're in for Tahoe. Also thinking ahead to Tahoe and nutrition, I'm pretty sold on using Huma gels. They are jivin' with me on long runs. I know I'll only have limited Skratch plus course nutrition/whatever I can carry (I prefer to carry as much of my own stuff as manageable before using course nutrition). Gels aren't my fave, but you gotta do what you gotta do, and I actually like the Huma gels including the chia in them. Wrote more about them here.

As for swimming, well it's coming along. The necessary evil ;) I do most my swims these days at lunchtime in a hot outdoor pool to really suffer in prep for the Vegas drowning session swim. I'm not getting much faster right now because there's always that level of fatigue, but I'm definitely getting more efficient and can handle more volume on back to back days. Honestly, I don't really care what my swim times are at Vegas and Tahoe as long as I come out fresh enough to execute a strong bike and run.

A few other life randoms:

CHEESECAKE. I am also eating plenty of cheesecake right now, like almost every evening. Sounds crazy coming from me, right? Well, there is one line of cheesecakes that I 100% approve of and love. What is this magical dessert called? Earth Cafe Living Foods Cheesecakes. These slices of heaven are found in pretty much any Whole Foods, and lucky for me the company is based out of Orange County, so I've met the guys and really love them and what they're doing. Makes me want to be a supporter even more when good people are doing good things to make this world healthier. If you haven't tried these cheesecakes yet, get on it. They are raw, vegan, and free of gluten, soy, dairy, etc. The nuts they used are raw and soaked, which is careful attention to details and health that you normally don't see. Leave a comment with your email on this blog, and I'll send you a discount code.

HRV. I am also now using heart rate variability (HRV) in attempt to become more of a biohacker, a term you hear going around these days -- learning from Dave Asprey, my buddy Ben G, etc. We talked about it on a podcast here. And I'll also talk about it on a podcast with Dr. Phil Maffetone that I'm releasing this week. It's fun. So far, it's dang interesting to monitor HRV in the morning when I wake, after workouts, when working, before bed... etc. It gives such clear insight into your stress levels and tells you what HR alone fails to expose. It's very interesting to draw correlations between HRV and training performance, and it's also a useful tool to guide your training by maximizing the good days and scaling back on bad days. I am all about listening to my body...

VEGAS 70.3 WORLDS PREVIEW. Last but not least, I'm writing for Ironman again like last year! I've chosen to scale back on freelance writing these days, but I take on the projects that I love, and this time of year that means one thing: championship preview articles! Over the weekend, I finished my Official Ironman 70.3 World Championship preview article (an honor to author this once again), highlighting the top-10 men and top-10 women toeing the line.

I love writing these articles because I get to totally geek out on the triathlon season, in particular the season's best triathletes. I compile their stats, analyze their race results, talk with them about their training, racing and lives, etc. It's quite a bit of work getting all the information gathered in order to write insightful pieces on each athlete, and I had to turn this one around quickly so this past week was been a grind! That said,  I am going to share all the nitty gritty details of the info I've compiled on the top-20 pros racing Vegas in a future blog coming soon... and later, will be doing the same thing with Kona! So keep an eye out for that :)

---

And, that's all for now. Sorry, no time for pictures this round. Off to Big Bear for a 3-day training "camp" with my man!

Memory Lane: My First Triathlon This Weekend in 2007

Oh my goodness. So I saw that this weekend is the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon, and immediately a wave of nostalgia hit me. That was my first-ever triathlon 2007. I had just graduated from college, had a terrible haircut, and was about to find my life passion on that overcast morning. That one single day holds so much importance in my life, it's arguably the catalyst that led me to taking a different career path and becoming who I am now. Only six years ago -- but man did I go for it with full fervor!

I really had no freakin clue what I was getting into. I bought a bike only a short time prior to Solana, maybe that April/May? I forget. But I do know it was a Trek 5200 road bike, and it was my graduation present to myself -- the biggest purchase of my life at that point. I fell in love with riding immediately, and although 20-mile rides felt crazy hard and long, a new world opened up to me and the bike quickly became my favorite.

I had "trained" for Solana mostly with my ex-boyfriend, which included some 500-yard swims (+/- a few hundred) at 24 Hour Fitness (those sessions usually ended with my calf or toes cramping), bike rides of probably 6- to 20-miles long (going 20 then felt like the equivalent to a 100-miler on the bike now), and of course some running. I was always running even before tri, so that part was decent from the get go. As far as structured training? Don't know what I was doing. I wish I had kept a training log then. Would love to look back at it...

So, race day. July 29, 2007. I had actually moved back to Orange County before the race because I got a job in the area at a newspaper. So that morning my parents -- who've been by my side for this triathlon stuff since Day 1 -- drove me to North County SD at an ungodly hour. I was nervous -- heck, that whole week prior I was nervous to the point of sickness -- but I also remember being as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. That first race experience did not disappoint, and I knew from that day on I was going to make this endurance stuff more than a hobby....

So, from here, I'm going to let the following pictures tell the story of that first race.

Arriving to the race. I look 12 years old, haha. 

My mom is biggest fan #1 and has been there since the beginning. She did her first tri shortly after watching this one -- I think it was the Imperial Beach Sprint, in the Koz Series.

Before the swim with said ex-boyfriend. 

Rented wetsuit, of course! I look at my face here and think: This screams nerves and excitement as I'm about to embark into unknown territory... scary but exciting!

No turning back now!

That's me in the front thinking, "Good lord, I survived that swim." Surfing skills definitely helped me through the waves in that effort!

Get this biatch off me!

Damn this ramp is a steep mofo!

Aw yea, gotta love some rookie transition pics! Thanks mom! Um, for the record, I still wear those Fox bike shorts I'm sporting there haha.

Clock is ticking Tawnee.....

Tick tick tick....

I love this shot, especially with the copyright year! Remember Opix?
Are they still out there shooting?

Making the pass!

Long before aerobars -- those things scared me!!! I look so innocent on that bike. Love it.

Waving to all my fans, of course.

Now, the progression of this T2 cracks me up! Here's me probably talking to me mom over a HR of 190+ saying
something like, "That bike was awesome, mom!"

Wait for it...

Oh yea, sexy socks going on! 

Then come the shoes. Tick tick tick...

Oh, but wait...

...I must take the time to get in some water. After all, I carried two full bottles for a grueling ~9-mile bike...and probably didn't take a sip of either the whole time while riding haha.

And finally on that 5k run. I think this was just before the finish.

Pretty stoked to be going faster than the buff dude behind me ;)

Almost there... I can taste the feeling of victory!

A pivotal moment in my life. Not the best quality picture, but still grateful that one of my parents
captured this moment!

Celebrating at the finish, warning: Serious dork alert here! Check out those shades I'm sporting -- oh man!!!
I was hesitant to include this one, and keep showing me with a now-ex, but ya know what? It's part of the memory,
and there's no shame. That was then, and we all know I am in a very very happy relationship now with John :)

My other biggest fan, Dad! I'm a super lucky girl.... 

We hung out in Solana all day after the race, and I remember feeling on top of the world.
I eventually took the train home that night, greeted by my parents with signs congratulating me. So cute.

So that's the story of my first triathlon! I was 8th in my age group, and to me that was THE best thing ever. I was so shocked and impressed to crack the top-10 in my first race. That year I went on to do most the races in the Koz Series, which, by the way, they are great events, well-run and awesome for the first-timers all the way to the speedy SD locals...

Vineman 70.3 Race Report

Wow, well I think I've had plenty of time by now to replay Vineman 70.3 over and over in my head, as well as go over this blog a million times. It's one of those where I edit out, add in, and so on. You've been there, you know it ;)

Vineman 70.3 this year was an interesting race for me. I was fairly uncertain going in, as it's been a rocky few months. But by the time we hit the 5 freeway due north I was totally at peace and ready to rock. Mind over matter, baby. Life doesn't always go smoothly, and I coulda woulda shoulda been more prepared for this race, but it wasn't in the cards this year (if you don't read this blog regularly, this includes a broken wrist 2 months before Vineman). Accept it. No matter what went down since Oceanside earlier this year, I know me and I knew I had to go for it. I entered wine country with feelings of pure excitement -- for the race, too, not just the wine (and beer) ;) Experience and my will to persevere would get me to the finish. And it did, as I ended up going 5:10 and change, which was a course PR.

Ya know what I really loved about this race? I stayed honest to letting go of the BS, and just enjoyed the day. Of course, don't let "enjoyment" lead you to believe I took it easy. Hell no! I freakin pushed myself! But, I stopped paying attention to that stupid clock, and I shut off the rest of the world and just focused on my race. Case in point: I was running with a guy through La Crema -- nice guy, even asked if it was ok that he ran with me and of course I said no problem -- and he asked my time goals, if I was I on target, and all that jazz. I said, through the huff and puff, "I honestly have no idea how long I've been racing, what my times are, or how I'm going to finish today. I'm just going for it. And loving it." It was the truth -- that was mile 7ish of the run and not once had I looked at my overall race time on my watch (expect for on the swim, oops). Definitely a first for me to ignore that number. Normally I'm doing math the whole time trying to see how I will finish.

When I finally did cross the finish and saw that I had that course PR and a half-Ironman run PR, it was a fun surprise. And my first thoughts were not the ususal, "How did I do in my AG blah blah...." my first thoughts were more like, "That was rad. How did John and my athlete do, and how soon till Pliny and pizza?!" (However, I did find out at some point I was 6th AG, so a top 10 in this race is always a good thing and keeps my streak of top-10 finishes alive!)

So this is essentially how it went down. I try to keep these things brief, but that gets tough, sorry:

Pre-Race
I literally wore my slippers to T1. I had no extra shoes (run shoes were in T2), and I had to keep my little tosies warm! If you know me, you know my feet are chronically cold, and it was a chilly morning. I hate starting a race freezing. I got a few looks for my uber-relaxed morning look, but, hey, I was comfy.

Fast forward through all the pre-race poop and prep, and I still had a lot of spare time before my 7:12 wave. John's wave went off ~20 minutes before mine, and at that point I was all suited up and ready to go, so I just hung out, taking in the environment and energy of those moments before a race. I felt at ease and an overwhelming sense that I was meant to be standing in that exact spot, doing this race. Took 5 MAP* (had also taken 5 when I first woke up), and gathered with the 29 & unders.

Swim
Started the swim sans legit warmup (down river was too shallow), and I knew from the first second it was going to be ugly. I felt like I had no power and was just sinking. I was hoping this was not going to be the theme for the day, but tried to just focus on the task at hand. Unfortunately I felt the sensation of calf cramping coming on, too, and this time I think it's because I was too hot combined with lack of swim fitness. That meant my kick resorted to mush to save the legs. The sinking continued.

Just after the turnaround it got really freaking shallow, more than I've ever experienced here. I was trying to swim, but there was almost no room to pull all the way through. I saw 80+ percent or more of the people around me get up to walk/run, and I thought that maybe doing the same would help ease the calf issue, too, so I stood and yogged. Mmm, probably a dumb move, as that pissed off calves more, so less than a minute later I was "swimming" again. When I stood I saw my watch said 25:xx and I laughed, thinking of my last blog and how I said I'd be happy with a sub-40 swim without a wetsuit. Revise that: now I'd be happy with sub-40 WITH a wetsuit haha. Oh well. Terrible swim, but I sneaked in under 40 with 39-something. Yikes. That was a reality check.

I was talking about the swim with my buddy, Mike (gym owner and IMC training partner), and he said to me, "who cares about that time -- it's a triathlon with three sports and you PR'd overall." Point taken.

Oh ya: My Garmin clocked 1.5 miles of swim and John's said 1.7 mi... did anyone else have a long swim? Other folks' times didn't seem to reflect a long swim, so I'm curious. I swam fairly straight it seemed.

T1
I didn't let the swim leave me feeling defeated. I expected it to be bad -- not that bad -- but even a half IM is a long day and I wanted to be in a good mood for it. I could control that. So I focused then on controlling HR, which was ridic. Needed to chilllll. Got my 5 MAP ready to take in as soon as I mounted.

Bike
This a very decent ride for me, and probably the best I felt all day. Never had that urge to get off the bike, as can sometimes happen at mile ~50. Went 2:43 and change, which is 4 minutes faster than on this course last year. My average watts were on target (mid-180w average), power never dropped off, and it was always 200w+ on climbs, which felt fine for me. Those long climbs in Big Bear and around home have paid off because the Sonoma hills felt like cake walk.

It helped that the weather was very mild. No sun at all until nearly mile 40, and wind seemed almost non-existent. Although, later I heard others said they felt the headwind was bad. Just a matter of perspective I guess. The only negative of the foggy and chilly morning was that I screwed up and didn't drink enough, only 2 out of 3 bottles. Oops.

John and I drove the course the day prior, and I was thinking about how much of it I didn't remember! On one hand, I think that's acceptable because I do have a tendency to get in the zone. But on the other hand, I think I rush through races too much and forget to appreciate the moment. So I made a point to take it all in this time. I definitely was able to do just that, without sacrificing speed. I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Being that this course is not too hilly, there is often a lot of traffic buildup. I didn't see too much drafting, but bigger lines of riders would form, and many times they were going a pace slower than mine. Even though they're slower, it's still hard to pass a big group like that safely and legally. Essentially you have to burn some matches when you release a burst of energy like that and surge ahead. I had quite a few of those situations, and was rarely on my own during the bike -- but that's how it is for us AG'ers, expected. The good thing about racing with others are those friendly riders who give kind shoutouts. I personally made more of an effort to be one of those folks, and was more vocal than usual giving shoutouts to others, especially the volunteers.

My nutrition was good not great. As mentioned, I only drank 2 out of 3 bottles of my Skratch. Thankfully I went into the race extremely well-hydrated so it didn't seem to negatively impact me too much. I often drink ad libitum when training, and my intake always seems to vary based on weather, sweat rate, etc, and I do well with that. However, I don't think I drank enough for a 2:43 ride with a run to follow, regardless of weather.

The good thing about my nutrition was eating nearly 3 Bonk Breakers (each bite with a swig of drink) and the tummy handled that just fine -- and no repercussions on the subsequent run. I pre-cut each bar into 6 pieces and put in baggies. Thank you Bonk Breaker for making a product that I continue to enjoy every time I take a bite, whether training, racing or snacking! Never get sick of those things, and, my system handles them well.

More bike stats: My Garmin got 1,464 ft of elevation gain, and just under 56 miles by a hair. Average speed was 20.5 mph or something. HR average mid 150s.

T2
Long T2 because there's a long way to run once you dismount. Simple concept ;) No biggie. Took another 5 MAP while still within transition land.  Had a bottle of lemon lime Skratch waiting for me, as well as a gel.

Run
Surprise! Run PR of 1:41 and change, and actually the first time I've kept all my mile splits sub-8 in a half-Ironman (7:44 average pace). Still a long way to go to get closer to my open half time, but at least it's going in the right direction.

My run training this year has been mostly all MAF, if you're curious, and very little speedwork. Also, I've done a handful of long runs (longer than I used to do) off the bike, and while those sessions were few and far between, I think they paid off, even if overall training was rather blah. Plus, we got lucky and the weather was ideal on race day. Probably 70s and a light breeze. Not too hot at all. i.e. not those 100+ temps they had just days prior, whew.

The Vineman run has some decent rolling hills, but nothing more than what I have right outside my front door, so I felt fine on those and just took them comfortably hard, and let HR settle down on the downhill that would follow. The "biggest" hill comes at mile 4, but it's not so bad, I think that mile had 50ft of elevation gain?

After that hill, I finally started to feel my feet. Yup -- my feet were literally numb for the first 4+ miles, no joke. I got off that bike feeling warm, but the feet were still suffering, and it literally took almost a half hour to get rid of that feeling of running on bricks at first, and then pins and needles. I'm used to that by now, but that doesn't mean it's normal :/

Overall, I didn't feel that great on the run (to be expected to some degree, right?), but I knew some decent fitness was there because the legs were responding to the task and my pace didn't really drop off too much at any point. I recall at Oceanside this year going through a dark patch -- that didn't happen this race. I ended with a strong finish that was slightly faster than my overall average. That said, the last ~5k I finally started feeling it -- you know, those miles where your effort is increasing like crazy just to hold on to your pace. I held on to a sub-7:50 pace for the most part as I finished, but it was getting tougher by the second... and then, ahhhh. finish line.

Nutrition-wise: I drank that full bottle of Skratch, I think it was a 24oz bottle, had one gel, and water at aid stations after the bottle was gone. Looking back, maybe I could have had more calories on the run, but my stomach felt great and I was afraid to shove too much into and have that change (it's happened) so I played it conservatively. It's a gamble, and yea maybe I could have used more and gone faster... or maybe I could have had more and caused GI issues. Overall, I averaged ~240 calories per hour on the bike and run (more of that, though, on the bike), so that's pretty good.

Finish
What can I say? It was a good effort on my part: I was mentally strong, and physically able to execute. While I feel that I'm at a point in my tri career where I want/should be seeing bigger more significant drops in times, I have to look at the bigger picture and keep perspective. Clearly some things will need to change to get to that next level. I'll figure out what I need, and want, to do about all that.

But honestly I didn't feel any disappointment when I finished. Not in the least! My spirits were high as can be, I was smiling at the finish from ear to ear, and I got to share that post-race high with good people... And the laughing and fun continued well into the night over pizza and beer. We also got to celebrate half-Ironman PRs for John and my athlete, yay!

I sorta failed on pictures this trip, but I have the obligatory
post-race beer photo, this time with a fresh Hop Stoopid
straight from the course at Lagunitas. Makin Lucho proud.

What's next is not going to be easy, but I'm giving it my best shot. I have 6 weeks. Go!

---

I'll finish with a BIG thanks to all those folks who support me; love you all: 110% Play Harder Compression (wore my socks during the race), Bonk Breakers, Skratch, Specialized, Shimano, Betty Designs (will ask you to make you click banner to your right), my family and friends.... xoxo

*MAP- I continue to be a huge believer in this product. Even when "life" doesn't go as planned, this supplement undoubtedly gives me that extra boost and prevents fatigue on race day, training, etc. Try it out, you will see for yourself!

On My Radar: Good Reads

Salt Sugar Fat
Michael Moss

I've mentioned this book a few times now on podcasts and whatnot. It is legit. If you ever need a reason to stop eating shitty processed good, read this book.This book goes behind the scenes of what big food corporations do to essentially create food products then market them to the public that they're good and need to be consumed. It's really quite disturbing -- especially when you hear that many of the people working for these food giants won't even eat the same products they sell and make a living off of. It's divided into three sections on sugar, fat and salt and each section dives into the nitty gritty of products that contain a good amount of each of those things. Like the cereal aisle, and how it's easily filled with boxes that are more than 50 percent sugar, yet still touted as healthy.

I'm of course a fan of fat, and it makes up a huge part of my diet, but in this case the book is taking about the added fats to processed foods to increase flavor, palatability, and the desire to want to just keep eating and eating.... and poor-quality fat and crap that you find in processed cheese, things like that.

What I also love is that the author goes into the history of many food products, like cereal (anyone know the story of John Harvey Kellogg? Quite interesting -- even a movie on it with Matthew Broderick). There is also a lot of science (written in a way you can understand), and sociology tied in. Really fascinating stuff.

~~~

Fitness Confidential
Vinnie Tortorich

Ok, how did I know not about this guy sooner?! Vinnie is rad. He is a Hollywood fitness trainer, but not a "Biggest Loser" type of trainer -- more like the evil cousin, in a good way. He says it straight up, and he knows his sh*t. If I had to summarize his "whole thing" into one phrase it's "Cut The Crap." He's really dialed in with fitness, wellness and nutrition. He, personally, is an ultra endurance athlete (when not busy) and lives a "no sugar, no grain" lifestyle -- to the extent where you'll frequently hear him say, "f*ck quinoa." On the job front, he's famous for getting Hollywood's best in shape.

Vinnie is also a host of a very entertaining health and fitness podcast -- which he and I found out through conversation is more popular than my Endurance Planet ;) All good. All love. In fact, I got lucky and just had him on my podcast this week; you can listen to the show by clicking right here.

So the book? Pure awesome. Fitness Confidential is basically part biography, part how-to on fitness and health. It's really not your average diet and fitness book. It's kind of like a coherent rant that very informative yet funny all the while. I love his take on big corporate gyms (and why they suck), and on "buyer beware" of choosing a trainer/coach, or how about why you can't target where you lose fat (I get asked that a lot), and even a little bit on endurance athletes. Beyond that you get the whole scoop on Vinnie's life -- he has some great race stories (Furnace Creek 508 anyone?), and interesting life stories in general. I can't give anymore away. You just have to read.

I highly recommend this book.

~~~

Running for Women
Dr. Jason Karp & Dr. Carolyn Smith

I mentioned this book before on the blog, but now I've had a chance to read most of it and interview the author so I have more to say.

Let me ask this: How many of you ladies know the details of the menstrual cycle and, personally, where you're at in your cycle (even when you're not on your period)? Not many of us. But if you did, you could work it to your advantage in your training and racing. Hormones are a crazy thing, and we can empower ourselves by knowing how we operate. The authors explain.

That's just the beginning. Running for Women is a total gem. As a female athlete and a coach of other female athletes, this book is a must have. It's the most comprehensive and up-to-date book I've found on female athletes and how we tick -- oh my are we complicated compared to our male counterparts. And don't let the title fool you, it applies to all female athletes, especially those in endurance sports. As with Vinnie, I also had Dr. Jason Karp on Endurance Planet for a great interview, which will be released Tuesday, July 16. Check back here. I think you will learn something new - we talk about what's in the book in detail, not just teasers.

The book is divided into three parts: 1) Physiology, 2) Training, 3) Health and Wellness. Throughout it covers unique aspects of female athletes and sites current research. For example, how we have the ability to be better fat burners. Or why it's true that we have the potential to struggle more in heat. Of course, more serious topics are covered, too, namely the Female Athlete Triad, and the risks of that condition. Also special cases, such as pregnant athletes and older menopausal athletes, and how to navigate through that. There are tips on building a sound training plan, the best strength training for bone health, and much much more....

Getting Real on Race Week... NorCal or Bust!

I've been hesitant to write and post this blog because I risk coming across as a bit whiny and "oh woe is me," but this is also the reality of [my training] life right now so why not share the truth. It's not always "omg, things are sooooo great"... haha....I think this blog has a nice ending though :)

So.... Vineman, take 3, here we go! I wish I could say I am feeling 100 percent ready and confident going into this half, my 11th time toeing the line at a 70.3, but sadly that's not the case. That set back with the wrist and a couple other things in May/June really affected things, particularly my swim. It's been a real struggle to find my mojo in the water again, and unfortunately I haven't been able to live in the pool/ocean to get it back. It's decent for me, but nowhere near what I wanted by July of this year. If I had been pounding out 15k+ swim weeks since the wrist healed, ya sure, I bet things would be better. But I haven't. Partly my fault, partly victim of circumstance. It's a choice, I get it.

Originally I was looking at Vineman to be that race where I finally aim to break 5 hours in a half (current PR is 5:01, which I've done twice). I'm not going to be a negative Nancy and say "waa waa" that'll never happen this Sunday, but looking at the training that's been done and what I know of my body, let's just say it will be a magical day if I go sub-5. I think at best I can break my time from last year, and that's really what I have my sights set on. And if it happens to be a non-wetsuit swim, well, I'll just try to keep it under 40 minutes because that would be a success for me, seriously ;)

Before most 70.3s I usually have that feeling of being super content with the training I've put in. This time, there are just a few key days/a couple weeks here and there that I look back on with satisfaction; on the other hand there are a lot of question marks and gaps in the training. Those question marks and the feeling that training has sucked was starting to eat away at me -- shocking: I am hard on myself -- to the point where there were tears, a couple times in fact. But I think after a good cry or two -- one in particular that happened during an open water swim last week! -- and looking at the bigger picture I was able to gain perspective and find contentment.

Most importantly, I'll be racing Vineman for me, and not for everyone else (that is a big one). Don't get me wrong, I always race for me because I love this sport with all my heart, but I do let the idea of what others think get into my head. Yuck. So this go around, I had to dig deep and find a way to let go of what others may, or may not, think about my race(s) and my time(s)... that is not easy being that I do have some presence in the sport, have some sponsors, I take triathlon seriously and I'm a competitive person who gives a sh*t.

But I also made a decision with myself a while back that I'm not going to sacrifice living a "normal" life in order to pretend living like a pro. I do this sport because it enhances my quality of life. I know I'm good at triathlon and could maybe even be better, but I like the rest of my life too -- that's where it gets tricky. I work very hard at my job(s) and enjoy them, I choose to partake in social invites and not live like a hermit, my diet isn't always perfect (despite the photos and recipes I post haha), I make health a priority and don't let my endurance training get to an unhealthy level... It's true, sometimes you need to sacrifice health in order to pursue better performance. Basically, I try to keep balance, sometimes at the sacrifice of better training/performance.

Here's the bottom line... Despite all that emotional and physical clutter in the paragraphs above, I am totally ok and in good spot right now -- no, a great spot! I can't imagine my life without triathlon!!! And I am DANG excited to get my butt up to Sonoma and be at Vineman. I absolutely LOVE this race and the whole vibe. Even if I were to go 6+ hours, I'm just grateful to be making the journey into another half, functional and able. Heck if my wrist break had been worse, surgery may have been required, then Vineman surely would have been out. I am lucky. Not to mention, John and I had an absolutely amazing trip up to this race last year, topped off with a couple indulgent days in Napa post-race, and this year we have the same plan. Lucky.

This sport may get me F'd up in my head sometimes, but I'll say it again: I can't imagine my life without triathlon. Literally. I don't know where I would be right now without it... for one, I wouldn't have the boyfriend I have now.