EFC Power Log

EFC Home Page
About EFC
EFC Advantage
Our Partners
Contact Information
Newsletter Signup
Newsletter Archive

EFC Power Log Home

Coach Kel's Training and Racing

Coach Kelly's mission will be to get back to Kona when the time is right. Right now she is enjoying training with Baby Brecken and racing some local stuff this 2011.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Longhorn Ironman 70.3 - October 25, 2009

Longhorn Ironman 70.3 - Austin, TX

Rob and I planned for a pretty intense and rather insane last two weeks of October. But within a split second, everything changed. I’m alive and walking after being taken to the hospital in a Life Flight helicopter and that is what really matters.

First, let me share how the story was supposed to go and then I’ll explain how it really unfolded. Our plan was to drive to Chicago Wednesday afternoon, unload the trailer full of equipment for our 12 new videos to be filmed at the Aqua downtown Chicago, skip over to Well-Fit, load the trailer back up with 10 athletes’ bikes, and make the trek to Austin, TX for the race. A quick stay in Austin, we’d race Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Sunday, quickly change, load the bikes back in the trailer after the awards ceremony and start a very long drive to Cincinnati, pick up my two new Custom Fit CEEPO bikes, drive to Chicago and film 12 new videos over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Unloading at the Aqua went smoothly, the bike loading went well also, we even had time for our favorite Chicago Pizza and then drove a couple hours, arriving in Southern, IL at 2:30a.m. After a decent night’s sleep we awoke, went for a quick run, showered and were back on the road. It was a treacherous drive late Wednesday night and all day Thursday driving in the torrential rain and wind through Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and into Texas. Arriving around 2:30a.m. in northern TX, we slept a couple hours and finished the drive to Austin Friday morning with beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures. Things were looking up!

The bikes arrived safely in the bright blue EFC logo trailer. Once in Austin, we met up with several athletes, registered and picked up our race packets. We then checked out the Whole Foods for dinner after battling traffic all afternoon. We stayed downtown with our athlete Robert and had a great time catching up, laughing and checking out Austin. After a good night’s sleep, we awoke early Saturday, did our pre-race bike and run and dropped our bikes and gear off at T1 and T2. The weather was awesome, very windy, but beautiful. I felt great! I was a little worried about Rob and his lack of sleep and all the driving seemed to be affecting him, but we really were excited to race. After a fun afternoon with our good friend Cherri, homemade Pasta dinner and race gear, nutrition and hydration all in place, it seemed all systems were a go for a great race on Sunday!

After 4 different alarms blared, we awoke race morning. Rob brewed up some Starbucks and cooked up some oatmeal and we were off. Rob was the first in our group to go off and I was the last being in the second to last wave of the day. Rob and Robert battled through the long swim, windy and hilly bike and the tough run to finish strong yet concerned. Robert did awesome with a 3 minute improvement in his bike time and 5 minute improvement on the run, continuing to PR every race this year! Well-Fit athletes rocked out a great day with several podium age group finishes and big smiles on their faces! Rob’s lack of sleep and fatigue surely affected his performance and he struggled on the run. He was also very concerned as to why he didn’t see me out there. So, this is where the plan goes astray…

The meticulous plan I laid all came crumbling down in an instant. After making sure Rob and Robert were good to go race morning, I relaxed watching the pros run up from the swim and off on their bikes. Finally it was my turn. I felt great in the water. My stroke felt smooth and my catch and hip snap felt powerful! The pull-ups and the Vasa seemed to be working! I stayed with the lead girls for a while, which is really good for me and as they slowly pulled a way, I continued to stay steady and swam through different waves as I passed guys with green and white caps on. Through the seaweed I swam and finally onto shore, I looked at my watch- 35:39- not bad- I’ll take it. As I started up the shoot, I hit a huge muddy patch that had worn away from the 2500 other athletes climbing through it, and down I went. I hit the mud and covered my hands and legs with mud. What a mess! After the struggle to get out of the mud puddle, I scrambled on to the wetsuit strippers, which was another interesting site. Bumped by a crazy male athlete going for the peeler, down I went again. Finally, the wetsuit was off and I was making my way up the slippery slope and into T2. Wow, that whole mess wasted nearly 4 minutes!

Into T1, I put on my number belt, sunglasses, helmet, tried to wipe the mud from my feet, slipped on my shoes, packed the bag back up with the muddy debris and grabbed the bike. Once on the course, I was in control (at least I thought so) and I attacked the ride. Pedaling strong, staying aero, fighting through the wind, handling the tight turns and rough roads, I passed everyone in sight. The Zipp 404s were the perfect selection for this course and the cross winds. I came through mile 20 in 50 minutes and was psyched for the day that was unfolding. Speeding along, I felt the best I have this season. No stomach issues, no lactic acid in my legs, just picking off cyclist nonstop. In an instant, everything changed. I may have been in control of my actions, but I was not in control of others.

As I descended a little hill, I picked up speed and was cruising about 25 to 26 mph approaching a rider who was casually cruising in the middle of the road. As I had done all morning, I yelled out continuously..."ON YOUR LEFT, ON YOUR LEFT..." After about the 3rd roar and my bike now only about 3 bike lengths behind, the rider turned, looked at me, looked back and picked up his cadence but failed to pull over to the right. A car was several hundred feet down in the oncoming traffic lane, so I knew I needed to stay inside the yellow line. I cruised up quickly upon the rider who was about 2 feet inside the yellow centerline and I rode up right next to him. Either he freaked out or just had poor bike handling skills, because suddenly, while in aero, relaxed and driving through my pedal stroke, I saw his bike wheel and handle bars come right into mine. That’s all I remember.

We believe my wheel and aerobars then entangled with his and caused me to do a high side flip into oncoming traffic. My Louis Garneau aero helmet did its job and saved my life! We think my handle bars hit first as my left handle bar smashed in, the aerobars sheared apart and then I think my head slammed the road, followed by my upper back, shoulder, then left elbow and leg. Perhaps then I rolled and nicked up the other side of my body? I have no idea what happened for sure, but the next thing I remember, I was holding my bike by the handle bars, trying to mount it to ride but in a fog like tunnel vision, I saw the cracked bar with handle bar tape hanging loosely and I was totally confused. I looked up and saw the guy who hit me. He asked if I was okay, I think I said yeah and he said he was going to continue on and race. Then it all went black again.

I was told that I tried to mount the bike and ride, but fell to the road. I was also told the oncoming car swerved to avoid us and I was told the rider behind me was hurt very badly. The next thing I remember was lying strapped to a stretcher with a neck brace on. The first thing I did was wiggle my toes and fingers and Thank God I was not paralyzed. I then remember asking if my bike was okay and if my Rudy Project Sunglasses made it. I was told the bike was damaged but was picked up by race support and the sunglasses were okay. Then the medical crew began questioning me. They asked if I knew where I was and I could not remember. After straining to think, I did remember I was in Texas and I was with my husband Rob and my athlete Robert. I thought it was August 2008 and that is when they loaded me into the ambulance. They asked me my name, age and my address and I was able to rattle that off quickly. I even through in there that I have nieces Olivia and Lilly that I needed to get home to. After putting it all together, I said..."No it’s October 25, 2009 and I’m really sorry that George Bush is no longer president." I couldn’t remember Obama’s name at the time, but I think I entertained the medical team. While in the ambulance, I gathered my thoughts and started discussing what was really happening. I was aware enough to think through the next plan. The EMT wanted to life flight me to the hospital because it would take them 25 minutes to drive me there but it would be a 6 minute plane ride. After discussing the incident, sharing my concerns on not wanting to rack up medical bills but learning I was unconscious for 20 minutes I too agreed it was not worth messing around. Next thing I remember, I was in the helicopter and I was talking to my medic about how my husband would like to be here flying this baby. Very sore but calm, I had a little conversation about how great my husband is and how he flies anything he can get his hands on. I think I provided some entrainment once again.

My memory faded in and out for the next several hours. While in the ER, I was rolled to the side and experienced an awful bout of vertigo that was very scary to me after my 3 weeks of vertigo last year. Dr. Davis and the whole Austin hospital medical team were amazing. I quickly had a CT scan of the bran, X-rays of the shoulders, neck, back and hips. I was very thirsty and needed to use the restroom but was not cleared to stand or drink, so I patiently waited. Carol, the social worker came and I told her I did want them to find Rob, but wished for him to be notified after his race as I wanted him to finish and not worry about me. She worked diligently for the next several hours to try to contact EndorFun and the race director but was unsuccessful. While she made calls, the team continued to check on me and the CT scans and X-rays came back negative - so things were looking up. I was then wheeled to the restroom but attempted to stand and crashed back onto the bed. I grew very scared. Did I fracture my pelvis? Did I break my hips? Wheeled back to the ER room, Dr. Davis ordered a CT of my pelvis and hips. She offered pain meds but I denied them. I was worried and wanted to really feel what was going on.

Around 3p.m. Carol came back in and said she had called every number, emailed everyone listed on the race site and even sent friends down there to try to find the director and notify Rob, but still had no results. So we left a message on my cell phone that was in our car at the race. Soon after Rob called the hospital. He was so worried when he didn’t see me out on the course. He cheered Robert along and cheered on all the Well-Fit athletes but knew something was wrong if no one saw me out there. Once Rob found out what had happened, he called his family and told all the athletes, the prayer chain began. Everyone was amazing- all over the world, I had people praying for me!

While laying in the hospital bed, I learned the athlete behind me that crashed was life-flighted first as his collar bone snapped and popped out of his skin. He was in emergency surgery. I prayed for him and thanked God once again that I was okay.

After several hours, finally the results came back. Our prayers were answered the way we requested them. No broken bones and no fractures! God is good to me! We are SO BLESSED to be supported by such great family and friends.I was discharged that evening. Once back at the hotel, I suffered through a very painful shower, Rob patched me up with all the stuff he bought at the pharmacy and we enjoyed some yummy Pizza watching the Yankees win!

Thankful for being alive, for being able to at least stumble around and for all the prayers and support, I lay in bed Sunday night and thoughts bounced through my head. I was grateful; however, I was also devastated. I had ruined everything. No way would I be able to make the 25 hour drive from Austin, to Cincinnati to Chicago and film 12 new videos this week. Everyone worked so hard to make this work and in an instant, it was all put on hold. I spent all this time and money to make it to this race and hoped for top finish in my age group and instead I didn’t even cross the line. As I sobbed to sleep, I slowly switched my attitude and focused on moving ahead.

Rob emailed everyone Sunday night to let them know. And of course, everyone has been absolutely amazing and totally understanding. After staying with Robert and extra night, we made the trek back to Chicago over Monday and Tuesday. Mark and Mark from Well-Fit met us late Tuesday night and we unloaded the bikes. Rob pushed on and we made it home at 5a.m. Wednesday morning and we are now recovering. With planned rest and recovery, we will continue on and are re-planning the video shoots for November. I’m still very distraught about my bike and messing the plans up, but when I step back, I’m taking the time to learn from all of this. I will be more cautious on the bike. I will not pass so close to other riders. I will rest and not come back too quickly! Now that I think back, maybe I came back too quickly from my concussion at IM CDA 2008. Maybe that is what brought on the vertigo and added to the lesions that we found on the MRI’s last summer? I may never know for sure, but I will control the "controllables", take precautions and count my blessings!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Much love and hugs!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 10/28/09 at 06:02 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (4) Comments • Permalink

Monday, September 14, 2009

Ironman Wisconsin 2009

Ironman Wisconsin is one of our favorite races. We love this area of the country, the rolling hills, the pristine farm fields and the challenging terrain. I went into this "A" priority race with Everything to lose and also with Nothing to lose. Let me explain further.

Ironman Wisconsin 2007 was a great day for me. I had an okay swim, strong bike, steady run and it all came together for me to finish in 11:01, capture 3rd in my age group and the final Ironman World Championship qualifying spot. In my head, my next attempt had to be even better. With only a little over 2 years of Ironman training under my belt and nearly breaking 11 hours on a tough Ironman course, I set lofty goals for a return to Ironman Wisconsin to crush 11 hours. On this note, going into Ironman Wisconsin 2009, I had Everything to lose.

With my aggressive goals, strong determination and continued swim, bike and run improvements, after Ironman Wisconsin 2007, I set my sights on a great performance at Ironman Coeur D’ Alene in June 08, perhaps wining the bike split and then a top age group finish at Kona 08. However, God had other plans.

After Wisconsin 07, my GI complications escalated to a whole new level. The start of 08 was a real struggle as the pain and bizarre symptoms really took a hold of me. The ER got to know me on a first name bases in 08 and our search for answers included numerous trips to doctors and enormous amounts of tests. I experienced my first DNF at Ironman Coeur D’ Alene being hauled off in an ambulance but not 100% sure what happened. Trucking on for answers and better performances that summer ignited new hope until August 08 lead to vertigo for 3 weeks, paralysis, muscle weakness, severe stomach pain and lesions on a brain scan. Unsure and stunned were most doctors, but one neurologist did diagnose me with MS on September 16, 2008. Thankfully, this was later reversed early in 09.

Rocked by the news of MS, we worked with a team of experts and felt I safely could complete the Ironman World Championships in Kona 08. With the support of my docs and Rob, I went to Hawaii but antiphylaxis at dinner the night before the race kept me on the bathroom floor all night long, missing race start and not being able to even get up until the Pro’s had finished. The physical pain was doable but the mental anguish was truly the most difficult.

Ironman isn’t my life, but fitness, being active and healthy and helping others balance work, family and training is my life. Having 2 huge disappointments of IM CDA and Kona hanging over my head has truly been the most challenging. However, I have been able to step back and look at the big picture. I pray to the Lord and ask for guidance and I look to the Lord to follow the right path. With my faith, the most amazing husband and my love for life, I know what matters most is family, friends and being healthy. Knowing I do not have an illness that may have put me in a wheel chair within a few years and knowing that I do have a seriously complicated protein allergy but I am still healthy enough to be a great wife, aunt, family member, coach and long distance triathlete, I am very grateful.

So on this note, going into Ironman Wisconsin this 2009, I had Nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Given the green light to start training on April 25, 2009 set us up for a later start to prepare for IM WI. We focused on the bike since that didn’t seem to bother my stomach and we built a huge aerobic base and muscular strength with numerous long rides. Swimming was virtually nonexistent logistically and time wise here in Ohio. With all of our travels and having our nieces several days a week, it was tough to fit in. It actually worked well in some respects as I was able to rest up my shoulder injury from a crash on a family ski trip in January. Instead, I built strength and form this summer on the VASA swim trainer and a Navy Seal Pull-Up routine I started with Rob. Running was light as well. We focused on 30 minute runs 4 times a week for the most part. We gradually built up to 5 and 6 days a week of 30 to 40 and up to 50 minutes a day by Mid-August. Then it was Taper Time. Running was the toughest on my stomach and therefore, a little neglected. We tried to run consistently, but our overall volume was low. Although our run training was less than we liked, after a strong summer of bike races and 1/2 Ironman Races, I was heading into Ironman Wisconsin with a lot of confidence.

I knew if I took it easy on the swim, road my long ride training pace on the bike, I would likely be one of the top females to start the run. I had a goal of breaking the bike course record for most of the summer but with my stomach calming down and my allergy seeming to be under control, I decided to back off a little on the bike and shoot for a 3:40 marathon instead. My "A" goal was 10:30 to 10:40, my "B" goal was sub 11 hours and my "C" goal (as we all need this in an Ironman) was just to finish.

The day started well with Rob’s fresh cooked oatmeal and Rob’s top notch Starbucks brew, a good bathroom break, bike, nutrition and hydration all good too! All our athletes and coaches were doing awesome as well! The wetsuit went on well and the weather was amazing! Barely any wind, smooth lake, clear sky, beautiful sun and warm temps...that’s my kind of race weather!

Rob and I started the swim together. I took it way too easy so finally he left me. I felt smooth and relaxed in the water, sighting went well and I rolled in at 1:16. I remember thinking that maybe I didn’t push enough but enjoyed how relaxed I felt, wetsuit peelers did their job and I headed up the helix. Transition went smoothly and off to the bike I went. I mounted the bike at 1:27 into the race and started off very easy. My legs felt heavy and I just wanted to shake them out before I started picking up the pace. I sucked down water and let my stomach settle and gradually increased my speed. I never was passed by a cyclist but forged on passing people constantly continuing to feel better and better as I road. I arrived at the start of the Verona Loop at 2:02 into race start on my watch and was pleased with the pace. I started the second loop at 3:58 into the race. Quickly I did the math and calculated that I had just done the first loop in 1 hour 56 minutes - wow - that was a fast 42+ miles. I was excited. I felt great, nutrition was going well and I started thinking about setting the bike course record again, but then I thought about wanting a Kona slot more and wanted to save some for the run. I stayed aerobic and strong, hit the end of the first loop before turning back home at 6:02 hours into the race. On Whalen, I realized I had slowed a bit on the second loop doing it in 2 hours and 4 minutes but still on track for a great bike split. My goal now was to be up the helix by 6:42 for a 5:15 bike. I’m not sure what happened, I know I slowed a little on Whalen and lost some time on the bike path no passing zone but I dismounted, looked at my watch and it read 6:45 so I thought I had done a 5:18ish and was very pleased. Not until after the race did I see the race results posting a 5:22? So anyway, it was still the fastest amateur bike split and only 2 pro women beat me with a 5:13 and 5:16.

Into T2, the volunteers said I was one of the first females in. I sat and made sure my socks and shoes were on well and I was off. I looked at my watch heading out of Monona Terrace and it read 6:49 and soon after someone at the run out said I was top 5 female. With that and noting my watch read 6:50 I was very happy! I started off easy taking my Pepto and popping a piece of gum. Gradually I picked up the pace and I cruised down the hill after the capital and started feeling really good. As I rolled passed the mile 1 marker, I glanced at my watch as it was just turning to 6:57 - I remember thinking I just did a sub 7 minute first mile and I feel great! Someone was shouting "pretzels" and another "cola" as I came up to the aid station and gosh that sounded so good! I grabbed a huge handful of pretzels and a cup of cola and continued a strong pace. I remember thinking, wow, this is my day! I think I can pull off a 10:30! I started munching on the pretzels and sipping the cola. Still cruising down the street splashing cola out of the cup suddenly I didn’t feel so good! My throat started getting itchy and my stomach started locking up. Within minutes, my throat was swelling, my belly swelled up like I was 4 months pregnant and my fast run came to a halt.

On no, I was having an allergic reaction- the pretzels had soy in them! I know better than to eat pretzels! I’ve only found 2 brands I can eat that don’t have soybean oil in them and we always carry them with us but I just spaced as it looked so good on the course. I stumbled to the next aid station asking for cola as the acid helps the swelling. I gulped some Benadryl and more Pepto. I was starting to panic a bit due to the restricted breathing but walked/jogged along hoping it would settle. Then the vomiting started. I thought this was good because if I could get the pretzels up, I would be better. But instead, the InfinIT was coming up and the cola, not the pretzels. This exacerbated the itchy throat and swelling. So at mile 4 I asked for medical but no one was around. I continued on sipping coke and popping Rolaids. At mile 6 I hit the ambulance, told them what was going on and they wanted to shoot me up with an Epi Pen and pull me out. I said, "No way. I have plenty of time to finish. I’m not going out like that again..." That’s when it hit me...this is exactly what happened to me at IM CDA last year. I had pretzels and got sick just like this but at the time, we didn’t know I was allergic to soy. It all made sense now. I knew that after a couple of hours I felt fine at CDA and I knew I could have finished if I had stayed calm. So that is what I did. It was humbling to watch the girls fly by me as I stumbled along. Tears loaded my eyes as I watched my Kona slot slip away. However, I shifted my focus to my athletes and how proud I was of all they had done this season and for their special day today. I thought back over the past year of all I have been through and I knew, today was a good learning experience and I will continue to overcome obstacles. I will master this allergy and I will get back to Kona!

Overtime, my throat got better and the bloated belly reduced, but running fast caused sharp stabbing pains in my stomach so I just stumbled along. I watched the time on my watch get later and later and continued to adjust my time goals. With less than two miles to go, I knew I could be at or just under 11:45 if I just jogged steady. I came down the finish shoot more than an hour slower than I hoped, 11:45, but I finished! I was quickly taken to medical but they sent me back to the hotel for my Epi Pen and more Benadryl. After "doping up" on Zyrtec and Benadryl, we showered and headed back to the finish line.

All our athletes and coaches did amazing!!! Coach Patrick rocked out an 11th age group finish and just missed a Kona slot. Coach Rob crushed the bike with a 5:13 and an Ironman PR of 10:40 but had a tough run. Coach Travis had an awesome day and Coach Steve coming off IM Lake Placid, finished strong and with a smile. Athletes Jerrod Chong, Buzz Winchester, Doug McCabe and Sarah Jones smashed time expectations in more than one way and really had outstanding performances. Athletes and friends Ross, JP, Deann, Bruno, Tara, Susan, John, Kara, Kristi and Temple all did great. Our new friend from Boulder qualified for Hawaii at her first Ironman! Way to go Temple Marks! Our friends at Endurance House and Well-Fit had amazing days as well! It truly was a wonderful weekend!

Ironman is more than a race. It’s a journey. I’m so thankful for all of our athletes, coaches and friends.

Congratulations on all you do and all you are!

Rob and I are looking forward to some downtime and then we’ll finish with the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater this year! Happy Fall!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 09/14/09 at 02:53 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Dairyland Dare 300K Bike Race

August 15, 2009 - the Epic Dairyland Dare. We’ve been on the road in Wisconsin since August 5th. We had an amazing time at our Ironman Wisconsin Training Camp last weekend and we’ve been training this week on the IM WI course and shooting our Coach Kelly Swim System Video at the Middleton Pool. All is good except for this insane rash I have all over my body! Since Sunday after our IM WI camp, my legs, neck, chest and arms have totally broken out into a very scary rash or hives. We’ve been trying various creams the docs have recommended and even covering my body with tooth paste as some others were swearing by it. If you can imagine that fresh, clean feeling your mouth has after a good brush...now imagine that over your entire body - I was about to jump out of my skin! So, we’ve lost sleep this week, but we are very confident with our biking and we knew we could handle 186 miles and well over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing!

Several of our athletes came back up to hit one last big ride before Ironman Wisconsin and Mukoska 70.3. I knew that if the athletes got through this ride, their race would feel easy! I am happy to report, everyone agreed after this big day!

The day started early with a drive from the beautiful HGI in Middleton, through the rolling hills of Mt. Horeb to Dodgeville, WI. Of course we were rushing around getting everyone’s bike ready and missed the start. But as soon as we could, we were off. It was a beautiful day, warm and little wind. The packs of cyclist at the beginning were awesome. Right off the bat, we were into the hills and they were relentless. This was truly the hardest ride we’ve ever done. I really felt great all day. I stayed on top of my nutrition and hydration and kept an aerobic pace not building lactic acid on the climbs. Unfortunately, Rob’s picture was much different. Always taking care of everyone else first, Rob neglected a couple things on his bike. His derailleur was not shifting right and although we were smart to put the 27 on the back, the easiest gear he could get to was the 23. On this course, that means trouble! I offered to switch my wheel with the 25 but he didn’t want to stop?? On top of that, his aerobar pad slipped off in his sweat and he road on the metal for over 130 miles! That will leave a mark! And it did! He tore up his legs in the first 80+ miles. Being a "man" and not getting the derailleur adjusted at the stops… but finally, he took the time at the the third stop and the bike guys adjusted it and that made things much better. Powering through the first 80 miles, he went through all of his InfinIT nutrition and had to settle for the Heed that was at the stops for the rest of the ride. All of this made for a longer day than hoped.

Besides the wrong group turn we all made early on, we stayed on course for the most part. We did come through the 124 ish mile mark in just over 8 hours. We still seemed on track but Rob was feeling the pain in his arm and his tired legs. With 20 miles to go, we arrived at the final aid station, which was also the finish area. I thought I was the first place female and then we saw a good friend roll in and she was getting ready to hit the last leg as well. I told Rob I really wanted to get going and push the last leg. Tired, hungry and wishing to be done, he rallied! His pain threshold is just amazing. He said to go and he’d catch up. Riding easy all day allowed me to really drop the hammer on the last section averaging over 20mph in those super steep hills. Rob was right, he hung on and gave me all he had and we crushed the last 20, finishing strong! 11 hours and 22 minutes overall ride time for 190 miles and 1 of 4 females to ever even complete the 300K Dairyland Dare! It was an amazing challenge!

Best of all, our athletes rocked this baby out! Buzz, Sarah, Deann and Bruno road steady and strong for a successful finish at the 200K. Jenny and Larry powered through the 100K and everyone walked away with confidence. Stewart Schilling, the race director, sure knows how to plan a killer ride! Can’t wait for next year!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 08/16/09 at 01:47 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3

Friday we drove up to St. Joe’s, MI and had a fun group dinner at Coach Steve’s 2nd home. Coach Steve has a beautiful place on the beach, actually right at the Steelhead 70.3 swim start. It’s only 1 mile to transition! His wife’s family resides in a small compound there and they are all active, fun and big into the triathlon. Steve and his family so graciously opened their home to us and the EFC athletes. Rob and I enjoyed our stay and we had a blast cooking a yummy Pasta pre-race meal. We finally got to meet our "Zipp Guy" as athlete Greg Kopecky came up from Indy racing for his Pro Card. Dave, Buzz, and Robert also joined us for home cooked pasta and we enjoyed our dinner outside watching the sunset and hearing the waves roll ashore.

Up early race morning, the wind was howling. Everyone arrived at Coach Steve’s to meet up with their bikes, load em’ up with nutrition and hydration, pump up the tires and then ride down to Transition. Robert, Buzz, Dave, Greg, Jenny, Rob and I were all good to go but Sarah was having trouble filling her front Zipp 404. Coach Rob and Coach Steve were quick to save the day as athlete Jenny happened to have her 650c training wheel there and we quickly switched it out for Sarah to use and soon she too was on her way! Sarah actually ended up benefiting greatly without the Deep Race Wheel as the heavy cross winds rocked us all on the bike.

After setting up transition, we had a beautiful walk down the beach to the swim start. The guys actually had time to hang out back and Coach Steve’s place as they waited for their waves. For me, the swim seemed long. I just didn’t have my timing. I was off on my catch and pull and hip snap. It made for a slow day in the water. I quickly regained my focus once on the bike and road strong. I felt smooth and powerful on the bike but questioned my 808s once again in the wind. My nutrition has yet to be perfect this season, but this time, things went a little better with no throwing up on the bike and getting nearly all of my nutrition in. I was actually able to ride even stronger as the wind shifted and we barreled into a powerful headwind for the last 16 miles into T2. The strong headwind took some snap out of my legs and I was disappointed with my 2:30 bike split but later I learned it was the fastest amateur female bike of the day. Once again I ran steady, but with no real speed. I haven’t been able to build up my running this year due to my stomach issues, but I am consistent posting about the same run time at the 1/2 marathon each race. I am looking forward to building my run up this fall and winter.

The real highlight for me was seeing my Mom, Lilly, Olivia, Amber and my Grandparents at the finish. My family came up from Ohio to see the race and spend the weekend with Coach Steve’s kids and play at the beach. Although Olivia didn’t understand why I didn’t win or why Uncle Rob finished after me due to the wave start, she still thought it was cool and said she couldn’t wait until she could do one of these!

Once again our athletes did awesome! All surpassing their time goals and proving their training, hard work and dedication is paying off! And Greg rocked out and all-star performance and earned his pro card! I can’t express enough enthusiasm for how proud we are of everyone! Our athletes are really rocking it out this season! Keep up the great work and keep having fun!

We sure are having fun! On Sunday after the race our nieces, Olivia, Lilly, Amber and Steve’s kids and niece, Stephanie, Hanna and Annie showed us a great time in the water! We road the waves in Lake Michigan, body surfing the powerful 3 to 5 foot swells, laughing, getting knocked around and having a blast! It was more tiring than the race!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 08/01/09 at 01:37 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Spirit of Racine 1/2 Iron Distance Triathlon 2009

Our 14 hour drive to Rhode Island for last weekend’s race and our 14 hour drive home earlier this week shifted our sleep cycle but did allow for recovery. A little tired but excited to race in Racine, WI with several of our athletes, we geared up for the next adventure.

Construction and Chicago traffic turned our 7 hour drive into a 10 hour excursion. We ended up arriving 3 hours later than planned and missing most of our booth time at the Spirit of Racine Expo. Although we were late, we did meet many great people passing through the expo, fun vendors and the HFP race directors.

Saturday morning we met up with some of our athletes for a quick pre-race workout to make sure the bikes were good to go. Soon we were off to the expo and on our feet the next 8 hours. What a great time we had catching up with tri buddies, EFC athletes and thousands of athletes and their families as we raffled off prizes and sold EFC gear. The expo was a blast. All of the athletes and vendors were awesome and we hope to be apart of HFP Racing next year too!

Race morning we arrived ready to go. Our athletes were rested, calm and confident. The swim was cold but not as cold as last year and the current once again in our favor, made for a fast swim! It was much shallower though than any other swim I’ve ever swum. Many people were running the 1 to 4 feet deep water. It was wild. I kept swimming into walking people so at times I joined the water run and before I knew it, I was ashore. Not as fast as I hoped, I regained my focus and quickly jumped onto my bike and road strong and powerfully on my Zipp 808s. Good choice today with much calmer winds than the last two races. I posted one of the fastest female bike splits with a 2:22. I was happy rolling back into T2 4 minutes faster than last year and headed out onto the run feeling good. But my happiness quickly dissipated as I just couldn’t turn my legs over. I ran steady but slow, maybe all the standing at the expo? Well, I finished slower than hoped but still with a PR at 4:45. We have to celebrate all PRs, but I know I can do better and I have much more to come!

On top of my PR coming off back to back 1/2 Iron distance races, Rob and our athletes also did well! Rob had a PR on the bike with a 2:17 and Cristie Nutter smashed her PR with a 2:42 bike and 5:04 overall! Jerrod Chong broke the 5 hour mark and Glenn Selig overcame a flat and still rocked it out with a 5:11. Jenny cotton also PR’d with a strong swim, bike and run! Coaches Patrick and Travis were lightening fast and they too PR’d. It was a great day by all!

Next up, Steelhead 70.3!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 07/19/09 at 01:18 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, July 13, 2009

Providence, Rhode Island 70.3 2009

With my GI complications, I had to pull out of IM CDA that was to take place in June, but I was given the green light to do the 1/2 Iron distance this summer and see if my preparation would enable me to race Ironman Wisconsin in September. So after our first race back at Eagleman we added Rhode Island to our plate to meet up with some of our East Coast Athletes and friends. EFC athletes Ian Seeney, Robert Israel and Buzz Winchester all came out for a fun filled weekend in RI!

We had an awesome time catching up with our athletes and east coast friends, while enjoying the beautiful downtown of Providence and the water front in Naragansett, Rhode Island. It was another trip down memory lane for Rob as he spent two years there building the Providence Place Mall from 1998 to 2000. He actually began his Ironman Training there with a good buddy we were able to re-connect with - Marc Lewandowski. Together, the two traversed the state of Rhode Island. Epic rides, swims at the pool and in the ocean and running through Brown University’s Campus gained them strength in the hilly terrain. One of their favorite races is at the same swim venue in Narragansett Bay - Firm Man usually every September.

Although the race was a little logistically challenging with two different transition sites, it did provide for an amazing race! T1 was down in Narragansett where we swam in the bay, ran to our bikes and then road up the coast to Providence. T2 was in downtown Providence where we racked our bikes and slipped on our running shoes. The run was through downtown Providence and Brown’s campus. It took a lot of planning with bike and gear check in at 2 different locations, on top of east coast traffic, but it was well worth it finishing with a smile!

The day began cold and wet with lots of wind turning up the sea. The ocean had 3 to 4 foot swells pushing the buoys all over the place. As we all gathered near the start, we were thankful for the delay as they worked tirelessly to fix the buoys. With the weather and race delay, Coach Rob kept us calm. He said it best..."Hey, let the waves be everyone else’s problem. We are all dealing with the same conditions out there. Swim your swim, ride your ride and run your run! You’ve done the training, keep your mind strong, stay calm, relax and go faster." Well, it worked! We all had great swims considering the conditions! It was tough and seemed like forever to get out to the turnaround, but we body surfed the waves back in and had a great time!

The bike was windy and we all seemed to get tossed around a bit in the cross wind. It was a very challenging and beautiful ride up the coast and into town. All went well for all of us but Rob, who dumped his bike and cracked the carbon frame as he neared T2 admiring the beautiful job he and his team had done on the Providence Place Mall! Safely, he made it into T2 but the bike had its last ride. The run was fun. There is one killer, steep hill but the rest was pretty flat. The sun of course decided to come out full force on the run and we felt the warmth as the black top heated up. In all, everyone had a great day! All the athletes; Buzz, Robert and Ian hit a PR at the 1/2 Iron distance! Rob and I both took off big chunks of time since Eagleman and we are looking forward to continued improvements this summer. The venue, athletes and friends made this a wonderful weekend! It was rewarding as coaches to see everyone succeed and surpass their goals in the tough conditions!

That evening we caught up with some of Rob’s friends from Boston. Monday, before we left the coast, we sought out a Sal’s Pizza - the best East Coast Pizza in the world! On our trek back to Ohio, we stopped at Niagara Falls at 11p.m. for a quick picture too! The trip was a ton of fun! It’s so good to be back racing again!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 07/13/09 at 12:55 PM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (2) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Horribly Hill Hundred (HHH)- June 20, 2009

Wow, what an awesome day! The long drive home from Eagleman 70.3 with a quick stop at the house in Ohio and then back out again to Chicago for a functional strength clinic and then on to Wisconsin, allowed for us to recover, take rest days and get ready for this big ride just west of Madison, WI! We volunteered to stuff race packets for the Horribly Hilly on Thursday in Mt. Horeb, WI and then snuck in a little ride on Friday on the Ironman Wisconsin bike course. We went into Saturday’s ride with confidence. We have put in some major miles ridding in Ohio over the last couple of months and we were excited and ready for the 200K!

Somehow I had the bright idea of riding over to the start from the HGI in Middleton, WI. We mapped out about a 22 mile route to the start of the Horribly Hilly. However, we missed the start and ended up riding the super steep and nearly 1 mile long hill to the finish. Reaching the finish around 9:30 am, we finally got a map of the course and were ready to start the actual 200K ride with nearly 30 miles of hilly terrain under our belt. So, down the hill we went and off to an amazing day. The sun was shining and we were climbing! Up and down, up and down we road. We slightly under estimated this ride since we still were on a high from our 165 mile ride on the Ironman Wisconsin Bike course 1 month earlier. However, the HHH was definitely more challenging with over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing! And whoops, we didn’t think to change out our rear cassettes. I had a 23 and Rob had a 25. With our under estimate of this ride and our rush from Eagleman in Maryland to WI, we did not give ourselves the "granny gear" and boy did we sure get a leg workout today!

We did it thought! It was an epic ride through the Blue Mounds State Park in Southern, WI. The hills were huge and we really burned our quads and strengthened our legs today. We reached the finish around 7p.m. and grabbed some food but quickly had to hustle out to make it back to the hotel before dark. We found a slightly shorter route home and made it back as it turned pitch black. 169 miles in 9 hours and 55 min. The day was filled with tons of climbing and tons of fun! I’m so excited about how strong we are getting on the bike! Looking forward to the Dairyland Dare 300K in August!

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 06/21/09 at 10:47 AM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Eagleman 70.3 2009

Our first race back took place today in Cambridge, Maryland. Eagleman 70.3 is an excellent race and actually was Rob’s first triathlon 10 years ago. It was really neat for him to come back and show me around. The area has grown so much since he was there! His trip down memory lane was filled with smiles and stories about his first triathlon. Rob is a rather laid back kind of guy and so much so that he missed the start of his first triathlon! He ventured to this race with his dad in June of 1999. He was relaxed and calm race morning. Enjoying the day, he was showing his dad all around, sharing stories and catching up. Then his dad politely interrupted him and said, "Hey buddy, I think you are supposed to be in the water." Rob looked up, saw the guys with the red caps on thrashing on their way and he asked, "Dad, what color is my cap?" Dad replied, "Red, I think you should be out there!" Rob then took off and just made the start before the other wave was getting ready! Rob continues to stay relaxed before races and really has helped me stay calm. I now help make sure he doesn’t miss anymore starts!

It’s always great listening to Rob’s stories and adventures and we were happy to celebrate our come back together here in Maryland. We stayed at the beautiful Chesapeake Hyatt Hotel and had a great time meeting up with friends from all over the country and our athlete, Cristie and her family. It was great catching up with Luther and Claudia, Catherine and Vicki and so many of our tri buddies!

Rob and I went into this race, not to race, but just to have fun and get back into racing once again. Only doing some biking over the winter as we battled my health complications, moved from Chicago to Ohio and traveled for a week each month, we knew our training was subpar for performance. We were not ready to race but safely trained to handle the distance.

It was a cloudy, cool and windy day. We took our time race morning, soaking it all up and we were ready to face the day. The swim went okay. I stayed relaxed but my shoulder injury from the ski trip in January really flared up. I exited the water a little concerned but excited to get on the bike. The bike was flat and I pushed the pace however, the cross wind was too much for 808 and disc and I spent most of the ride fighting the wind. I did learn, the disc is not going to be the best choice for me. I also had to stop and rip off my cadence sensor that came loose and nearly caused me to crash. Still, I managed to achieve one of the best female bike splits of the day. I had a little stomach problems as well, but nothing like last year. The medication and improved diet seems to be helping. The run was tough, just because we didn’t get the run training in, but it was so wonderful to feel strong and healthy overall once again.

Easing back into the sport with this first race was great! We are excited for the summer ahead.

-Coach Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 06/14/09 at 10:44 AM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, June 01, 2009

May 24, 2009 Longest Ride So Far

Memorial Day Weekend we drove up to Madison on Thursday evening with plans on riding the Ironman Wisconsin bike course on Friday and Saturday. However, the weather was not cooperating. Friday was filled with rain and cooler temperatures. We actually ended up walking out of our Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn (HGI), and stumbling upon a great multisport store- Endurance House. We decided to purchase a stationary trainer and at least get an easy spin on our legs and then a run in the rain. Saturday morning we awoke to violent thunderstorms and planned on pushing off later after the storms rolled by. However, the storms lingered for the entire morning so we decided to bag it, rest up and ride long on Sunday as the weather forecast was much more promising. So instead of riding Saturday we caught up with some athletes, toured some more bike shops, worked on the computer and ate a lot of Pizza!

On Sunday, we slept in, began with a great breakfast at the HGI and ventured out a little later in the morning but ready to go. The time was 11:17 a.m. when we finally were on our bikes. Riding from our hotel in the beautiful town of Middleton, added an extra 5+ miles but dumped us out onto the course at Timber just after the killer hill. We road one loop of the course strong and focused. We cruised through the first loop in less than 2 hours and 5 minutes and then continued on. We added the out and back all the way down to John Nolen and continued to hammer back to Verona and then onto the second loop. Our pace was strong and steady. We kept our nutrition and hydration up, stopping in Verona and Mt. Horeb each time as it was hot, sunny and windy. By the time we got back to Timber we decided we were ready for a 3rd loop. We forged on without dropping much off the quick pace but due to several stops for hydration and nutrition we were going to cut it close with sunset. As the sun lowered in the sky, we were able to pick up our pace and power all the way up the killer hill on Timer and then off the course down Old Sauk Road hitting the rollers as the sun dropped, the sky turned black with night and the moon shined bright. We arrived back at the hotel at dark. We did 164.5 miles in 8 hours and 42 minutes. We were so excited with our longest ride ever and that we made it home safely without getting hit by a car at night!

It was a great day! I had so much fun riding the course and extra loop with Rob. I really love the Ironman Wisconsin bike course. It’s filled with tons of rollers and several long, steep, steady climbs. And most of all, I love training with Rob again! After Rob took several years off from the sport and wasn’t able to train really from mid 2002 through 2008, it was great to have him back again.

Today is a special day. Not only did we accomplish our longest, most challenging ride but we seem to be conquering my very serious health issues. Being diagnosed with MS in September 2008, falling violently ill the night before Ironman Hawaii 2008 and not being able to race was a heart breaker. After seeing numerous doctors and specialist, we are healthy and together again. The fear of having MS and struggles I underwent for the past several years is finally becoming manageable. It’s tricky to deal with my gastric emptying problem and very severe allergies to proteins in seafood and all soy but together, Rob and I are doing it and we are coming back stronger than ever before!

-Kel

Posted by Coach Kelly on 06/01/09 at 10:38 AM
Coach Kel's Training and Racing • (0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, May 22, 2009

Coming Back Stronger than Ever- May 2009

Well, my 2008 season was a roller coaster to say the least. The year was filled with heartbreaks and some very scary medical complications. After a couple years of painful and unexplained GI troubles and baffling symptoms that lead to various ER visits and numerous doctors’ offices, things escalated in the summer of 2008. I fell violently ill in August with 3 weeks of severe vertigo, weakness, some paralysis, continued stomach pain, GI complications and even limb numbness. Throughout August and the beginning of September, I was in and out of Northwestern Hospital, Rush Hospital and Alexian Brother’s Hospital. I was even diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis on September 16, 2008.

I remember vividly how scared I was while laying alone in bed unable to move and not knowing what was happening to me. Rob was amazingly supportive but he was very busy with work and was not able to really understand and grasp what I was going through. Coach Steve and his family were fantastic and always there when I needed anything and my dear friend Cherri, although miles away, was there every step of the way when I needed someone to cry to.

Thanks to so many dear doctor friends, including Dr. Heydemann, Dr. Papernik, Dr. McNeil, Dr. Berkowitz, Dr. Wirebaugh and Dr. Stefoski, we persisted on and fought for more answers. It was an uphill battle but one I was not going to give up on. Finally, on April 25, 2009 I was given the green light to train again and with the help of Rob and my primary care physician, we came to a conclusion that I have become very allergic to various strands of proteins, specifically soy and seafood. Consuming small amounts of these proteins over time has lead to gastric emptying and digestion problems, mal-absorption and in turn, nutrient deficiencies that lead to the MS like symptoms. We have finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and with a very careful diet and use of soaps, lotions and detergents, I am managing it much better. I still have severe allergic reactions to accidental cross contamination at restaurants and soaps, lotions and detergents when we travel, but we continue to diligently work to avoid the problems. I am healthy and thriving once again!

Rob and I are enjoying long bike rides from our new home in Ohio. We are having so much fun with our nieces, Olivia 8 and Lilly 3 and we are looking forward to a great triathlon season this 2009! We had a long time off from training which provided a much needed physical break and mental break. Now, we are enjoying building our aerobic base and muscular endurance training together for the first time in many years. It is great to have Rob around and we are benefiting from cooking almost all of our own meals. Our sleeping has improved greatly and we are getting stronger than ever.

Not knowing why I was so sick was very challenging. Dropping out of my first Ironman at CDA in June and missing the Ironman World Championships in October was heartbreaking, but with determination and teamwork we continue to work to figure it out and together, Rob and I know with hard work and focus we can do anything as long as we are together!

-Coach Kel