The Kodiak Five: Rockin' Women of the Rock

This is the five Kodiak women who kicked total butt at the Gold Nugget Triathlon a week and half ago.

Out of nearly 1200 women, our last member still placed an impressive 194th with our top finisher breaking the top 20 at 17th! Collectively we placed 5th...still waiting to hear how many teams there were in total, but I can assure you it was more than 5!
I was very proud of my fellow teammates. A couple of gals had never raced in an organized triathlon before.
Here are a couple of additional pics of me during the race. In general, I try to stick with the "look like your crapping your pants" theme during any and all race photo ops.

Making it happen....
Bree
(Proud member of the Kodiak Five)

Off to the races

While my husband's favorite part of Crab Fast is the world famous bruin burgers, my favorite part are the races! There are four races on the Sunday of Crab Fest. An ultra marathon (42 miles), marathon, train run (15K up Pillar Mt), and a 42 mile bike relay. I have done the Pillar race the past few years, so planned on doing that one again. Well, my coach said it would be great if I could turn this race into a brick and ride a for a few hours before the race. Hey...how convenient! I'll just do the bike race too!
The bike race started, literally, at the end of the road and ended in town. It started at 9:00 and the Pillar run started at 12:30, so I had to ride to town fast enough to make the next start but not so fast that I would cool down and stiffen up between the two events.
Mark drove me out the road with both my mountain bike and my Cervelo. The first 10 miles of the ride is on a dirt road and I wasn't about to ride Paulo through that mess.
The Start:

Mark met me at the transition from gravel to pavement and I made the switch. I was getting my ass kicked on the dirt, but once I hit the paved road, I started flying. It's a tough ride, very hilly, but beautiful scenery.
Mile 17ish....


One of the hills...I'm the second dot from the top.


I passed a few folks along the way and without 12 miles to go, I passed who I thought was the female with the lead. I finished the 42 miles in about 3:04. As soon as I crossed the line, Mark came up to me and helped me with my stuff and another fella came up and said "Congratulations. First woman!" Wow! I was right. I had passed the lead female. I won! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet! No time to celebrate, though. I had ten minutes to change, register, and get over to the Pillar Mt. race start. I made it with about 2 minutes to spare. Perfect because I was started to get chilled from the sweat on my shirt.
The run hurt. The first 3 miles are straight up hill and my legs were tapping me on the shoulder asking "um...excuse, but WTF?" Once I reached the top of the mountain, I got into a rhythm and felt pretty good and once I hit the road back to town, I was able to turn in a decent pace (about 9min/mile, which is fast for me). I finished in about 1:22, which was 3rd for my age group. Now before anyone gets too excited, there were only three in my age group BUT I wasn't last for the day and the 2nd place finisher was only 4 minutes ahead of me. Plus, did she ride 42 miles before hand? NO!
Here I am at the race finish. So what do you think? Am I:
a: very tired
b. dehydrated
c. ready to finish
d. crapping my pants

I wrapped things up with some nachos and an ice cream bar. Does a day get any better than that?!
Making it happen,
Bree

Wanted: Lumber for my Ark

Yes, it's Memorial Day weekend in Kodiak. This means two things:
#1. Crab Festival
#2. Super crappy weather



Crab Festival is an annual event that Kodiakans absolutely live for. It's just a fair, really, but it's loads of fun with parades, races, and a midway. It never fails that Crab Festival weekend is one of the wettest and coldest in May.
Don't believe me? Check this text from the weather service:
"New record 24 hour rainfall total for may 22...
Third wettest May Day on record for Kodiak...
2.70 inches of rain was recorded at the Kodiak Airport yesterday.
This is a new daily rainfall record for may 22... shattering the
old record of 1.37 inches for this date. It also ranks as the third
wettest May Day on record."

Not that I'm complaining. Alright, I am complaining. It's always wet in May, but this May is something special. Actually this whole spring as been something special. April was the wettest on record and May is already 4 inches above normal precipitation. Thus, I am soliciting donations for one of two items: lumber to build an ark for when the flood begins or plane tickets to a warm and dry destination.

Making it happen....despite the rain,
Bree

The Results Are In....

First things first. The Gold Nugget Triathlon is a fantastic race. It is well organized and supported and the course is beautiful. As I said, it is a women's only triathlon. That in itself is not that unusual, but I would hope you would be impressed when you learn that this was its 25th running. That is phenomenal for any triathlon...let alone a women's only race....in Alaska! So, the organizers of this race deserve massive kudos for putting together a fantastic event that has become a tradition.

And now, my race report. I flew from Kodiak to Anchorage on Saturday morning with three other fabulous ladies. Though we raced individually, our times were added collectively as a team. We were known as the Kodiak 5. Not very original, I know, but I didn't come up with it, so don't shoot the messenger.

I had an early bib number, so I was one of the lucky ones who was not required to rack my bike the night before. I went to the race venue to pick up my packet and checked out the lay of the land. Then the Kodiak Five (and a few tag along significant others) hit the infamous Bear's Tooth restaurant for a pre-race dinner. Then it was back home to pack my gear bag and try to get some shut eye.

My alarm went off at 6:30 and I awoke to a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky and warm (relatively speaking....still in AK remember!) I was at the venue by 7:00 and the first wave didn't start until 9:00. I hate the waiting between setting up transition and the start of the race. It kills me and give me way too much time to second guess my plans for the day.

The swim was 500 yards in a high school pool. This part of the race is pretty unique in its organization. They start the first 32 women who were seeded from last year's results. Once these women finish their swim, they rotate new swimmers in based on their numbers. Sounds tricky, but it works quite well.

I was #0096, so I rotated in only about 20 minutes after the first ladies went off. I did my 10 laps in 9:25. Pretty good for this "not that strong of a swimmer" gal. To get to my bike, I had to run through the locker room and out to the tennis courts. I threw on my shows, helmet, and shades and was off in 2:22. Long for a transition, but that is because it was so long between the pool and my bike.

I felt good going into the bike...especially with that strange yellow orb glowing in the sky. The bike course was all paved and had a couple of short hills. Great support along the way and very little traffic to add to the mix.
It was a 10 mile leg and I finished in 35:46. T2 was not in the same spot as T1. I had to pack my running shoes and hat in a separate bag which was transported for me to T2. I was sort of freaking out about this part, but, once again, the organizers did a great job and my bag was waiting for me. T2 time 00:52. Nice!

OK, now here is where I get excited. I had the best run of my short triathlon career on Sunday. The run was 4.1 miles through military trails. It was mostly flat and the scenery was stunning. I felt great every step of the way. I don't know what caused it. Training? Nutrition? Sunshine? I counted my steps...8 at a time on each time and before I knew it, I was at the first mile marker. I began to do "race math" and realized that I would easily meet my 1:30 time goal and I began to think about aiming for something a bit faster. As miles 2 and 3 came and my pace stayed steady, I decided I would try for 1:26. With about .5 miles to go, I knew 1:26 was in reach, so I picked up the pace and set me sights on finishing in 1:25. I crossed the line after 36:09 for a total race time of 1:24:34! I was through the moon!

I ended up 38 of 171 in my age group and 174/1117 over all. What does this mean? I've always been mid to back of the pack. . I'm a less than average swimmer, a decent biker, and a mediocre runner. I have always accepted the fact that I just don't have the genes to do much better. Am I being naive in thinking that that things are changing for me? If so, a lot of credit needs to go to my coach, Lisa Keller of Multisport Training of Alaska. Who, by the way, raced on Saturday as well, finishing 8th overall in 1:08:01. Smoking!

I have to say that I had my best race to date on Sunday. I felt great throughout and am already pumped for this race next year. My friends took a few pictures, which I hope to post soon. Thanks for reading and for all of your comments!

Making it happen,
Bree

Waiting is the hardest part....

Well, the race went great, but I'm still waiting for official results to be posted. It's maddening....

Stay tuned

Race Weekend

I'm off the big city. Yep, heading to Anchorage for a women's only sprint race. I'm really looking forward to it. It's a race I've wanted to do for a couple of years but the timing has never worked out.
Gold Nugget Triathlon
Who else is racing this weekend? Aren't we suppose to be in the thick of it?
I'll post a race report when I get home on Sunday.
Good luck to all of you who are racing and have fun training to those of you who are not!
Making it happen,
Bree

Bree's Trip to the Desert or Learning that the Sun Provides Warmth and Not Just Light

Well, despite the fact that we couldn't afford a vacation (money or time wise), Mark and I finally had enough of the colder than usual spring weather, threw caution to the wind and escaped to the desert. We flew into Las Vegas and hung out at the MGM Grand for a few days. Neither of us do much gambling, so we basically just walked the strip. The highlights were seeing the Blue Man Group and the scary lions at the MGM "lion habitat experience"


So, after two days in Vegas, we rented a Harley and took off through the desert. Our final destination was Zion National Park in southwest Utah. Before I continue, let me offer a brief piece of advice. Don't drive through the desert on a Harley when it is 120 degrees. It's hot, ya know. Like really hot. While this may be obvious to most, it wasn't to either of us. Can I survive if I'm lost in the woods in a snow storm? OF COURSE! Can I survive if I were trapped in the desert? Hell no! They play by different rules. That sun can do some evil stuff. But, I digress.







We finally made it to Zion with only mild heat stroke. How many of you have been to Zion, raise your hands? Not nearly enough of you! If you haven't been...GO! If you have been, GO BACK! Itis amazing.












I could go on and on about it, but the highlight of our time there was a killer mountain bike ride on "slick rock." We rented bikes from Zion Cycles.
They guy who runs it, Freddie, is great and doesn't skimp on the gear he rents. We were able to get top of the line Treks with full suspension. Mine was even a women's specific design. NIIIIIICE.















Another handy fact about Zion (actually Springdale, which is the town just outside of the park) is that the restaurants have great food and great views. The people are fantastic.
Like I said, I could go on and on about what a great place this was, but I will spare you for now. We actually did end up back in Vegas for a couple of days and, while we enjoyed it, we would have much rather spent more days biking and hiking.




My only complaint is that Mark turned our adventure into a photo shoot for Kodiak Solstix and we had to stop every 15 feet to take promotional pics for the website.

Here she is...

Still not sold on a name yet. I was thinking of sticking with the latest trend and just naming her iCat. A name like Typhoon or Kamikaze may be more appropriate based on her actions over the first 24 hours in her new home. What about Asics? Too cheesy?
Here are a few pics for inspiration.








What's everyone up to this weekend? It must be getting into the thick of race season down there in the lower 48. I have an 8 or 9 mile run tomorrow and a 4 hour brick on Sunday. Can't wait!
Making it happen,
Bree

The Family Expands

I know, I know. I promised more photos of Zion. They are coming. They have been downloaded onto my husband's laptop and the trouble with this is that it's never out of his procession for more than 36 seconds.
In the mean time, I have some news that is completely unrelated to triathlon, Alaska, or whales.
I'm bringing home my new kitten today. My previous cat, Bailey (a.k.a. The Tank) died just about a year ago and it's time to bring a new cat into our lives.
This is The Tank when he was small....before he expanded to his tank-like size

Bailey shortly before he died. A cat with a damn fine fashion sense.

The spouse is less than thrilled, but willing to make the sacrifice. At any rate, I need a name and I want your input. It's a girl kitten, but I don't suppose that make much of a difference in my opinion. Suggestions to date:
Zippy
Tick
Small Fry (she's the runt)
Pigeon
Bombay (after the gin)
Little F*cker (guess who's idea that was)

Another idea is to stick with a nautical theme, as our lab is named Jitney. A Jitney around these parts is a small fishing boat and not a stubby bus or trolley as in other parts of the world.
The bottom line is I need your vote and/or more suggestions.
In return, I will post Zion pics!

Making it happen,
Bree

Biking in Zion

I plan to write a longer post soon, but for now I just had to share a few pictures from our amazing trip to Zion National Park. The mountain biking and hiking....well, there are no words.
More soon!