Earthquake...shakin' some sense into me!

Have you seen those VW commericials where two friends are driving in a VW, carrying on rather everyday conversations and then unexpectedly they get wacked by another car from the side? Well, we kinda feel a bit like that tonight. (Nope, not a car accident...thank goodness...)

Phil and I were talking and playing with the dogs when the house shook quite violently in two brief shakes and shudders. They were quick, but long enough for me to jump up like a Jack-in-the-Box and do a jig in the middle of the floor. I couldn't quite figure where to go. Phil smiled at me and said with a wry grin, 'Yep, we're havin' an earthquake.' Then as quickly as it started, it was over.

It is strange, for those brief moments you realize how incredibly powerful mother nature is and how powerless we are. You don't know how long the shaking will continue or how violent it may get. And then of course, you wonder, is another temblor far behind?
Fortuneately for us, tonight it was a small temblor...a 3.7 according to the USGS website.
The interesting fact for us is that we were sitting practically on top of the epicenter.
Below is the data just posted from the USGS website.

Version #1:
This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message.
This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
A minor earthquake occurred at 7:12:28 PM (PST) on Wednesday, December 20, 2006.
The magnitude 3.6 event occurred 4 km (2 miles) ESE of Berkeley, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).
Magnitude
3.6 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 7:12:28 PM (PST)Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 3:12:28 (UTC)
Distance from
Berkeley, CA - 4 km (2 miles) ESE (112 degrees)Piedmont, CA - 4 km (3 miles) N (354 degrees)Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) ENE (59 degrees)Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) SE (124 degrees)San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (59 degrees)
Coordinates
37 deg. 51.6 min. N (37.860N), 122 deg. 14.2 min. W (122.237W)
Depth
9 km (5.6 miles)
Location Quality
Excellent

Ironically I was in a store the other day, looking at American Red Cross emergency kits and backpacks. I was thinking it is high time that we purchase some emergency kits for the house and the vehicles. Things like first aid supplies, food, water, flashlight, radio etc. I think it is suggested that we have a 3-7 day supply of water - 1 gallon of water per day, per person for emergencies. I certainly don't want to be melodramatic about our little shaker tonight, but it was enough to remind me that we do have to plan for bigger rock n roll events that might lie ahead in the future.

Vegemite, Wallabys, Worlds and Ironman, Oh My!

What is Vegemite anyway? That was just one of many questions that I had floating in my head as I headed to the land down under. My trip to Australia was my very first, and most certainly not my last to this beautiful country. For those that know me well, it is no secret that I have a deep passion and love for animals and creatures of all kinds. So, my mission, in addition to learning and experiencing Australia via my training, racing and travel, was to see wildlife at every opportunity. I definitely did just that.

The day before the World Championships in Canberra, I took my Blue T14 out for a spin along Lake Burley Griffen (the site of the swim course) to run through the gears. Of course I am always grateful for the protection a helmet provides, but on this day I was extra grateful to have my brain bucket securely fastened. Within minutes of leaving the hotel I was under attack by a flock of noisy birds. They dive bombed me and pecked at my helmet. I pedaled faster and faster being sure to stay on the left side of the path. Those birds were very persistent. I was amazed at how far that chased me. It was both hysterically funny and a bit unnerving at the same time. Later I learned I made the acquaintance of several Mag Pies, black and white birds that look a lot like our common crow or raven.

Until I traveled to western Australia, the remainder of my wildlife encounters were in much more controlled conditions, in that of a zoo or aquarium. I visited the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra as well as the Sydney Aquarium and the Tauranga Zoo. I was thrilled to see dingos, wombats, echidnas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils and so many fascinating creatures. The Sydney Aquarium was truly world class and a must see if you ever find your way there. To get to the Tauranga Zoo, I took a ferry that offered views of the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Manley Beach and a number of other landmarks. I met a number of people on board who were all very amused by the “78” that was burned into my arms and legs. It was hard to hide the fact that I was a triathlete, and folks were eager to ask me about my sport.

I spent the better part of two weeks in Busselton, the site of the Ironman. With the sun shining so early, I found myself awake daily at 4:30. I was out on my bike at 5:15 on three different days I saw several mobs of kangaroos. The groups ranged in size from ten to over thirty! I was giddy with excitement to see the awesome hopping power of these marsupials. I have pictures which I hope to post to my website soon. In addition to the ‘roos, I enjoyed the gorgeous landscape and yes, beautiful sights in the water, too.

The week before the Ironman I swam at 6am with the local Busso group. Several athletes planned to ‘swim the jetty’ which is essentially the course for the Ironman. The jetty is the longest wooden pile jetty in the Western Hemisphere and runs 2 kilometers straight into the ocean. I couldn't resist and agreed to go around the jetty, too. The swim that morning was heavenly. The water was so clear I could see to the bottom; and all of the creatures swimming with me. I saw sting rays and giant schools of fish. Amazing! Of course a few times I spooked myself when I started thinking about sharks and other large predators. I was glad to have navigated the swim course, it served me very well on race day. A week later I matched my best Ironman swim to date.

During Ironman, I was focused on racing, so I didn’t notice much wildlife be it aquatic or on land. However, the inspiration that wildlife gives me did spur me on. Of course any and every Ironman is a difficult day at work, but overall I had a really solid day. I rode my best Ironman bike split to date (5:15) and learned a great deal more about what works best in long course racing, be it equipment or nutrition. I finished 13th professional and within 5 seconds of my career best in 10 hrs 43 minutes. That time is an hour faster than both my Ironman Hawaii and Ironman Canada times from 2005.

The day after the race the awards banquet was held. The highlight for me (besides hearing the words of champion Jason Shortis) was getting to hold several rescued wild creatures in the care of FAWNA (a wildlife rescue organization). There was a brief auction at the beginning of the ceremonies of some gear to help raise money for FAWNA. Several caretakers brought animals along to show including several baby kangaroos, a wallaby, an Echidna, a possum and several birds. I had the thrill of holding the echidna (most commonly compared to a porcupine), the possum and petting the joeys.I was just in awe of being able to sit and enjoy the magnificent representatives of Australian wildlife. After visiting so many zoos, it was very special to meet these animals up close and personal.

I could continue indefinitely about my animal encounters, but I’ll save more of those for another day. Still, I’m left with the question of vegemite. I did eat a little bit on a piece of toast with butter. First, I have to say that I am not a picky eater and there is little that I do not like. Second, I really wanted to like Vegemite! Nevertheless, I found it to be one of the more vile things I have tasted. It is dark brown, thick spread that tasted like coagulated bouillon. Ack. I almost got reacquainted with my previous meal. I was extra glad that I did not taste ‘vegemite on a stick’ as it was offered on the Ironman course aid stations!

I'm still sorting through pictures and thinking about my experiences in Australia. I can not wait to return and it will be sooner than later, that is for sure!

Back Home from Australia

Things are getting back to 'normal.' I was out this morning at 3am in the lovely, brisk rain attempting to shield Bella as she searched for the perfect place to do her early morning 'potty time'. The rain was coming down so heavily that I wondered if she might need to doggie paddle across the puddles in the yard. After a failed attempt to go back to sleep, I settled in and worked on reading one of my raising puppy books. It's been several days since I returned from Australia and I haven't quite re-acclimmated time wise. Fortuneately things are mellow and I am allowing myself a brief respite from training. Not unlike a pre-Ironman taper, I seem to be feeling every ache and pain. It was so bad this morning that I was very, very tempted to head out for a long run. Those temptations were short lived as Zola and Bella began to frantically vie for my atttention. Today we worked on sitting inside a circle (in the center of a hula hoop), shake, sit and wait, up on hind legs and other general commands. Lots of treats and praise were given!

In between the dog training, taking care of the cats and watching our every expanding population of fish (at least two groups of 10 or so guppy babies and 10-15 platys!), I've started to think a bit about 2007, my goals and racing with great anticipation. Closing out 2006 with two unplanned major races was a double edged sword. I had a rough go of the first race, the ITU Long Course World Championships. The race was on 11/19 in Canberra. Canberra is on the east coast of Australia and south of Sydney. My week leading up to race day was a bit on the rough side. I really don't know why, but small irrirations and bumps in the road rattled me quite a bit. My body was rebelling and mentally the stars were not aligning. I had some terrific help from Katie and John from USA Triathlon as well as from Jack of the famed Jack and Adam's Bicycles of Austin, TX. (Thanks Jack!)
Still when race day arrived the demons were flying and that made for a long day. The biggest accomplishment for me was staying with the race to the very end. I finished 19th after struggling with back and knee pain through 100% of the swim and bike. I was unable to turn the cranks the pain was so bad and was relegated to spinning when I should have been flying up, over and down the awesome hilly and technical 130km bike course.
Experience is experience and proves invaluable. And certainly once again, a less than perfect race is no indicator of the outcome of the next race.

Unlike the lead in to Canberra, my two weeks prior to Ironman Western Australia were fun, positive and I felt quite settled. I was welcomed into the home of fellow athlete, Louisa Stefanou and by the local Bussellton community. Thanks Lou!
When race day came, I felt at peace with my body and what I had to work with. I swam 7 minutes faster over the slightly shorter 3.8km course (vs worlds 4km) and rode a 5:15 bike. I was pretty pleased with the bike considering that including a completely unplanned stop at special needs to retrieve my bottles when a volunteer began removing them from my bag.
5:15 is a PR and I am confident a sub 5hr bike is well within my reach. I finished in 13th place in 10:43 which matched my '03 IM debut time and was an hour better than my performance at both Ironman Hawaii '05 and Ironman Canada '05.

Now I a enjoying a brief respite from training while I prepare to work with my coaching clients in 2007. Of course I'll be spending a lot of time having fun training Bella and Zola - they will be two well behaved chihuahuas! In another post I will share my non-race highlights of my trip to Australia.

In the meantime, enjoy the early December days and the anticipation of the holidays.
As always, many thanks to my team of sponsors and supporters: Dr Jung, Van Pounds at Pro Gold, Blue Competition Cycles, Jason and the gang at Jagwire, Julie, Scott and Chris at oomph!, Powerbar, Craig and the crew at Cane Creek, Coach Phil and so many more folks who make it happen for me.
:) Rachel

Off to the Land Down Under

A lot has happened in the past few months. We have added another furry animal to the zoo - "Bella Mia"...a little silvery white/cream chihuahua. Toss in a few fish tanks and a myriad of aquatic creatures and you have a full fledge zoo. Zola is taking well to her knew chihuahua buddy and the cats are as accepting as can be expected. Today I caught Toonsis snoozing inside Bella's crate in her cozy dog bed with toys, blankets and all. Everyone seems quite comfortable though the competition for attention is at an all time high! It will be tough to say good bye for 3 weeks, as I head to Australia. I'll miss the doggie training, the potty time breaks and the general chaos that comes with cat and chihuahua wrangling. That said I have two races left - the ITU Long Course Triathlon World Championships on 11/19 and Ironman Western Australia on 12/3.
Training is done for the moment. The bags are packed. Phil is putting the final touches on the bike box and making sure everything is set. All we need now is a let up in the rain for a smooth trip to the airport! As things go, we are in the middle of a fall rainstorm which mucks up the traffic pretty well in the Bay Area. No matter, my flight is a later one, around 10:20 pm, so I have plenty of time to sit and wait once I get checked in.

I'll be sure to update things as I have internet access. This will be my first trip to Australia so I am mighty excited. Stay tuned for the upcoming "OZ Blog!"

Many thanks to Dr. Jung (Jung & Jung Chiropractic), Andrew Ezer (last minute deep tissue), Van Pounds at Pro Gold Lubricants, Ryan, Chris and Mike at Blue Competition Cycles (the T14 rules), Scott and Julie Gix at Oomph! (sweet gear), Jason at Jagwire, my peeps at Optic Nerve, Powerbar and all of the folks that ultimately help me do what I do.
Biggest thanks of all to Phil XOXOXOXO Rachel

Santa Barbara Triathlon

Nothing can beat the smell of ocean surf, palm trees, sun and fit, half-naked bodies. Especially when we are talking about the Santa Barbara triathlon.
This past weekend (8/26) was the 25th running of the event and my third go at it. I'll share some highlights later this holiday weekend.

Dinosaurs, Bermuda Triangle and Wetsuits

I was over at the South End Rowing Club last week getting ready to jump in the bay for a quick swim. It was a glorious day with nice, warm temperatures and bright sunshine. Although I brought my Blue Seventy wetsuit I was contemplating swimming sans suit because the weather was so nice and frankly, because I don't like to draw the sarcastic and sometimes playful digs tossed at wetsuit wearing triathletes.

I walked out to the beach, wetsuit and goggles in hand. I took a deep breath, drawing in a lung full of salty air and stood there sizing up the conditions. A brisk breeze blew across the water and the goosebumps started to appear in rapid fashion. Sun or no sun, mean comments, malicious or not, no matter. I'm definetely donning the Blue Seventy.

I got into the suit and then realized of course, I can not zip up the back by myself. The reverse zipper is awesome for a fast strip coming out of swim on race day. However, it creates a bit of dependence on others when putting it on.

Naturally this put me in an akward position. It was the middle of the day and only a cadre of handball players were visible in the kitchen of the club, along with two old dudes lounging in the back in lawn chairs.
They were kicking back enjoying a brew. Fortuneatly for me they seemed happy to help me in my predicament. With a little effort we managed to get me zipped up and on my way.
Though they did ask for payment in Powerbars (commenting they noticed my t-shirt when I arrived), my mature wetsuit zipper-uppers saved me jabs regarding the neoprene.

I had a great swim, battling the flood tide as I headed toward the far end of Aquatic Park. The water smacked me in the head as if to remind me that I should swim more. Then with an icy hand pushed my bum on a zoom of a ride heading back towards the club. After a few rounds of here and there, I got out of the water and proceeded to rinse off and remove my wetsuit at the outdoor shower.

On the other side of the fence where the shower was located, there were three little boys in a heated exchange of sorts.
When I turned on the shower, apparently the water splashed over the fence and quickly cooled their fast talking. One feisty little guy, stood up as tall as he could, peered over the fence and boldly instructed me to turn off the shower. Apparently I was splashing them. That was the beginning of a delightful conversation.

The boys were ages 5, 6 and 7 and were engrossed in a discussion about dinosaurs and if the Bermuda Triangle got 'them'. This intriguing exchange worked its way into a heated debate about dragons, pirannas and wizards. Intermittedly we talked about why the boys weren't swimming today. The eldest boy, sounding very adult for his 7 years, confidently remarked, "I just didn't feel much like swimming today. I think I shall swim another day."

As I was about to ask why this young man wasn't up for swimming today, his brother grabbed a hold of my wetsuit and said very sternly with a growl, "Gimme that wetsuit. I'm gonna throw it into the bay....where it belongs!"

He obviously spends a lot of time at the club. He also added, "You are a member of the South End, we at the Dolphin Club HATE the South End."

There is a long standing rivalry between the clubs. (The Dolphin Club and the South End Rowing Club are located next to each other on the shores of Aquatic Park.)
I always wondered how the wetsuit discrimination and the club rivalries are perpetuated.
Now I know. They start them young!

By the way, according to my 5 year old tormentor, dragons are not real, wizards created the dinosaurs and there are pirannas in the bay. If you get eaten by them, the Toom Raider will come and take your bones to the Bermuda triangle where the dinosaurs will devour them and live forever.

It's amazing the things you can learn from a trio of little boys. I think I'll go back for another lesson this week.

Drive by Shootings

I'm on a brand new email list...an 'etree' for my neighborhood located in Richmond, CA.
Sounds exciting, huh. Well, it is because of some excitement that it has been performed. A type of excitement I would much rather avoid.

Earlier this year I think I heard a statistic that rated Richmond #1 in the state of California for crime, murders or something horrible like that. Frankly, my little neighborhood, located in the "Richmond Annex" seemed quite removed from any riff raff. Other than some random car break-ins, our 'hood' has been rather quiet and calm in the 4+ years I have lived here. Then why the need for the neighborhood 'etree'? It seems in recent months, the relative serenity of our safety bubble has all been but burst. Last week on Thursday night, around 7:30, we heard a "pap, pap, pap" in rapid succession. Hmm. I remarked to Phil that it was odd to have fireworks going off in August. Then we both realized that this was no delayed Independence Day celebration. What we heard was gunfire. Yikes.

As it turns out, there was a drive by shooting a mere two to three blocks from our house. No one was hurt. No one was caught or arrested. In fact, although the Police were called, the episode kind of fell through the cracks. That was until now anyhow.

Our neighborhood group has very quickly gained momentum over the past few days. Now we are regularly exchanging emails, have the names of three local beat police responsible for our area and we know to dial 911 at the sound of gunshots. No doubt we will be all watching, listening and reporting anything out of the ordinary. The sad thing is I can't believe it has come to this. I hope I never hear gunfire at night again, but somehow I don't think that is likely.

It makes me wonder how safe I am when I leave my house to run or ride my bike.
At the very least, I will certainly have a bit more urgency in my stride and spin...for all the wrong reasons.

Doing the Best with what you Have

Throughout my life so far I have always been very proud of making the most of my resources and opportunities. Living in the country, we had plenty of space, so running became a great way to explore sport and fitness. In high school, getting good grades and excelling at academics proved a means to getting scholarship money to attend Syracuse University. Along the way I studied German and earned a scholarship to study abroad for a year as a 16 year old. Like most folks with the ‘drive’ chip in their brain, I have always looked for ways to make the best and the most of what opportunities present themselves and what opportunities I can make for myself.

Over the past few triathlon seasons, I’ve had my fair share of obstacles. Frankly maybe it was too easy those first three years of training and racing…maybe I was due some potholes. Who knows? The point is, on a daily basis I do everything I can to mitigate any ‘issues’ that present in my body. Reality is, all pro athletes have tweaks, aches, pains and chronic injuries of some sort, at some time. Some of us may just have more. Be it genetics or a whole host of other potential causes. Currently as I type I continue to cope with a back issue that stems from the L5/S1 area… as simply put as possible, this is what happens. The facets of the vertebrae jam and rub together with certain types of motion (ie swimming hip rotation) due to a degenerated disc and a sharp angle between the spine and the sacrum. The jamming of the facets irritates the tissues in the vicinity resulting in muscle spasms (the body’s way of protecting itself, causing less mobility). The muscle spasms render certain stabilizer muscles useless, which cause the use of other muscles to kick in, in an attempt to make up for the inadequacy. Ultimately this causes more irritation, swelling and the reduction in the space of a nerve canal. This results in the pinching of a nerve. Big time ouch. The training impact is directly felt in the water. Often the pain is so bad I cannot pull myself out of the pool onto the deck…no matter how hard I try. Our strategy has been to keep me out of the water, so that I can at least train the bike and run. But there is more.

I have spent the past three years trying to get to the bottom of all of this back mess. In the middle of that I rolled a tubular tire while racing in the Escape from Alcatraz, was hit by a car and ultimately taken out with a serious knee injury courtesy of a wayward pitbull in July 2004. It took 18 months to recover from that stuff and I rarely notice issues with the knee. So, with those problems behind me it was a return to focusing on the back. If it could only be that easy.

In January I started to notice some pain in my right heel. By February the diagnosis was plantar fasciitis. Here we are, in August, six months later and I still have a lot of pain in my foot. I stretch, strengthen, ice, tape, wear an arch brace and wear a night splint. Add reduced run training, to my reduced swim training and I’m starting to feel more like a caged animal with every passing day.

So, here we are post Vineman and I get to the actual race report: “Doing the Best with what you Have.” I have spent a lot of time beating myself up over the past three seasons. After all I have been posting times that are in some cases measurably slower than my amateur years, in spit of being much stronger and experienced. I have finished races in times/places that many pros have chosen to abandone. While dropping out is a personal decision that can’t be second guessed by anyone besides the athlete themselves, I can tell you that it is very rough to continue to the finish line when the upside seems very minimal. This experience continues to help me grow as a person and an athlete, it is about letting go of the ego and not being defined by your performance.

Over the weekend, coming into Vineman, I was not feeling very well. This was particularly distressing since, like most athletes there, I had been preparing for Vineman as a focus event. Nevertheless on Sunday morning, after driving to Windsor from the Bay Area at 3am (somehow the hotel reservation was lost so we stayed home and drove in) I made my way to transition and to the start. My mantra for the entire race was “race your own race.” My goal was to see how my June/July training block on the bike would transfer into a race situation. I had not been able to swim or run much, so I was to go out there and do the best I could with what I had that day.

The pro men and women swim start was at 6:25 am in the Russian River. It really was cool to see the likes of Dave Scott, Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr and Wendy Ingraham floating around. Of course there were a boatload of current stars and up and comers in the line up as well. It was a virtual whose who of triathlon. I felt very fortunate to be sharing the water with this group. The horn sounded and we were off.

The typical whitewash churn began. I quickly found myself in a trio of swimmers. Cool! I frequently make the mistake of swimming in clean water, solo off of a pack to stay away from the fray. Problem is there is no draft. This race I decided that I would make it a mission to get on some toes and see how that worked. The three of us traded off a bit in the first half of the swim, but I soon realized that the pace was really pedestrian. At the turnaround, I decided I better try to pick it up and salvage the swim as best as I could. I really couldn’t see anyone within striking distance, so I did my best to surge along with a few of the fast swimmers of the wave that started 5 minutes behind. Exiting the swim, I felt a bit worked. I really missed not being able to wear my Blue Seventy wetsuit.

I trotted up to the rack and donned my race number belt, my Optic Nerve Rodangos, helmet and this time, I put on my shoes. Normally I leave the shoes in the pedals, but due to the long run out and slight incline at the mount line, I decided to would be prudent to run in my cycling shoes. I grabbed my Blue RC4 and was off. Running through the transition to the start line I appreciated the cheering of the athletes still waiting for their wave start. Off into the fog I went.

It is eerie, but not atypical to get on the bike and look up the road and see no one.In these situations racing is truly a time trial. There is no measure of speed as you pass athletes, no slingshot draft as you move up and pass other riders. It is purely you, your will and how fast you can push. Patience is key. So, I recited my mantra ‘ race your own race’ which for me means power to the pedal times ten! I continued to do just that for mile after mile. Within minutes of the bike start I caught a few athletes and then every once in awhile another single rider would appear in the distance. Though I did not count during the race I passed half of the female pro field on the bike. However, passing 10-12 riders over 57.5 miles can make for a lonely ride.

I entered transition in 10th place and saw that I was right behind Ironman World Champion Lori Bowden. It was cool to see Lori back racing, since she had been away for the past year and a half with her first baby. Well, I only saw her for a few seconds and that was it, she was off running her trademark speedy run. I got out of transition relatively quickly and set out to run the 13.1 miles ahead of me. I could see a few of the other gals I passed late in the bike coming into transition while I was in the first mile of the run. I wondered how long I could hold them off.

I struggled a bit during those first few miles. I had to use the bathroom and no porta pottys were in sight. Doh! There were hills I didn’t remember and save the pro men who were already running back towards the finish; I couldn’t see much of anyone up the road. Again, like the bike, a solo time trial of sorts.

By mile 4 or 5, I was passed by Katya Meyer and later around mile 7, another pro gal. After a pitstop near the turnaround I started to feel better and pick up a little steam. I made it all the way to the final mile when I started to tie up a bit and Kathryne Cronje and went by. Then in the last half mile, it was Robin. We all finished with in half a minute and apparently that was the closest bunch of pro women of the race, since everyone else was very stretched out. So in that sense it was nice to have company over those last painful steps!When I crossed the line I was grateful to be there as always. Definitely a bit bummed with my 5:06 time, but ultimately my mission was accomplished. I proved that I am back to being a considerable force on the bike. My split was 4th fastest of the pro field. I finished in 14th place. Though my swim and run were wanting, there were no surprises to Coach Phil or me. I made the best of what my body has currently and that is all any of us can do.

I have a little bit of time to rest and recover this week, and then we are going to make some decisions about the remainder of ’06.

Huge congratulations to Becky Lavelle for a flawless race, to Kate, Desiree and Kelly Couch for climbing atop the podium. A special thanks to Nuun for saving me at the expo with a bottle of Nuun and to my awesome supports, Scott and Julie Gix for setting me up with another pair of Vigor shorts…they were awesome on the race course. Thank you!

In my next report, I will share photos of my soon-to-be built spanking, brand new Blue R6 road bike. I love my RC4, but man this new Blue Rig is S-W-E-E-T!

There is no Escaping the draw of Alcatraz!

1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and now 2006. Each and every June of the past 8 years I have competed in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. There is a reason why I keep coming back year after year. It is truly an adventure! Without a doubt the unpredictable nature of the Alcatraz swim puts the greatest degree of uncertainty on the race results. That alone makes the race an enormous challenge. Toss in a short, but highly technical bike course that takes athletes over hill and dale and a run that offers up something for every taste, Alcatraz truly delivers. The crowds on Marina blvd are deep and the tenacity of every competitor is palpable. Add in the unbelievable backdrop of beauty offered up by the San Francisco venue and the first rate, world class race production by IMG and TriCalifornia and Alcatraz is hard to beat.

This, as in every year, I was looking forward to Alcatraz as a fun event. My key events are still a ways off into the season, but that doesn't mean I don't want to have a great performance! A lot of things were stacked against me, but most of those issues I have been dealing with for a period of time now. Unfortunately those physical issues manifested as has been typical and I was relegated to a nice, strong effort, but not one that I am capable of.

On Monday I was fortunate enough to finally get an MRI scan of my back. For the past few years I have been going through various treatments, procedures, strengthening, witchcraft and pretty much anything I could do to somehow beat the pain. I didn't have health insurance so getting an MRI was financially not a possibility. I now have health insurance and after covering the remainder of my good ol' deductible, I was able to get than darn scan.

The results came back yesterday and I am now waiting to hear from the medical experts on my performance team. I'm certainly not qualified to interpret the findings, so I’ll have to take the films around and show my docs and see what they say.

Coach Phil and I have decided that I need to get away and train in a new setting. So, in a week or so I will be headed south to train in Santa Barbara, Ojai, Ventura and vicinity. It will be hard to leave all the cats and little Zola my chihuahua behind, but having the opportunity to focus solely on training is a luxury that I can not pass up.

Thanks for the kind emails and support. A big thanks to my long time sponsors. A special shout out to Jagwire and Optic Nerve, as well as Powerbar, Pro Tech and Cane Creek. When I break through at a big race, don't be surprised, I have had it all along...its just not possible to access that fitness and potential at the moment. However, I know it will be again, and soon I hope.

:) Rachel

Silver in the City of Gold

City of Gold Triathlon Race Report
2006 marks the fourth year of the City of Gold Triathlon, a sprint distance event held at Lake Oroville in Oroville, CA. I have competed each year the race has been held and have watched it grow both in competitive spirit and quality. The race still retains its low key, beginner friendly atmosphere that makes it so special. I have returned year after year to support race directors Nikki Hertl and Julie Healy offering services and products from Hypercat Racing for the race award ceremony raffle. It is because of people like Nikki and Julie that people get into the triathlon lifestyle.

This year, as in others, I race the City of Gold tri as a training workout to gauge fitness and simply for the fun of it. Being a three time overall female champion garnered one single perk, that of having a target the size of the lake on my back. A terrific thing, since competition brings out the best in us!

The day before the race, I made an appearance at “Swim, Bike, Run and Then Some” a multisport specialty store located in downtown Oroville. Along with Coach Phil Casanta, I answered questions and talked shop about triathlon with athletes as they picked up their race packets. One of the highlights of the race weekend was meeting, Jayne Williams. Jayne is a triathlete living in Silicon Valley who describes herself as a “Slow Fat Triathlete.” Jayne just authored an inspiring book of that same title. (I bought her book well over a year ago! Pick up a copy.) Jayne is the type of person you want to hang out with and you can bet I will in the future! I had a lot of fun talking with Jayne and talking about a possible partnership on various projects in the future. With the store appearance concluded and my packet and registration materials picked up it was time to get everything ready for race day.

For this event and other sprint races like it, I keep things very simple. However, I still go through the same routine and entrust the same equipment, clothing and nutrition that I do for the more significant events. For race day I planned to ride my Blue RC4 equipped with Profile aerobars, Jagwire cables & housing and Cane Creek Aros wheels.I also had my trusty and lucky Oomph! power tri top and shorts ready for racing.Race morning I put on my race clothes and carefully applied my temporary tattoos. Today, Jagwire would once again adorn my ankles, Pro Tech skin care on my shoulders and Powerbar would be prominently displayed on my gear. As I set up my transition, I felt pretty good, loose and relaxed. In checking out the swim venue, it seemed that the course was a bit longer than a half mile, but I figured I’d get my money’s worth!

There were two separate waves for the women, with my wave being the first of the two. Along with other women under 35, we started 5 minutes after the previous wave of men. The gun went off and I quickly found myself in the churning waters of Lake Oroville.I’m still working on turning up the intensity while racing in the water and I felt like I was working hard and getting in decent position. This was my second race in the new Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit. Man, is that suit sweet! I felt good, strong and like I was slipping through the water. While drafting is illegal on the bike, it is fair game in the swim. I tried to get on some fast feet, but the group just in front of me wasn’t swimming a very good line, so I opted to swim solo and stick closer to the course line. I exited the water in 6th place according to yells from my coach.

The bike course, 12 miles in length, is incredibly short compared to what I am used to. A fairly demand route, the bike starts with a series of rollers and a climb up from the reservoir. I caught 4 girls in the first mile of the ride, thanks to the uphill route. From there I road as hard as I could muster. After some time I thought I must be in the lead as I was catching men from the previous two waves. I was wrong! There is a turnaround point and before I reached it, I spied a blond ponytail in the wind flying past me in the opposite direction. Yikes. I knew I was riding a course PR, so I knew that the leader must be an ace swimmer. I rode as hard as my legs would pump and little by little I closed down the 3:28 gap that the leader had on me out of the swim. Be the time we hit transition, I could see the leader…a top ranked triathlete and former UC Berkeley stand out swimmer. Awesome!

I started the run a little hesitant and even a little scared wondering if I could chase this gal down. The entire run was on winding trails in the woods. I used the men on course as ‘marks’ and reeled each one in one by one. At one point, I passed a guy who said between breaths, “man, there is a really tanned, hard body chic just up ahead, go get her.”I tried. As we approach the final leg of the run, the trail breaks out onto a ridge and I could see that I was closing the gap bit by bit. In the end I ran out of real estate. I crossed the finish line :17 back from the winner and placed 2nd.

Naturally I was going for a 4th win at this fun race, but I had a terrific effort and learned some good lessons during the race. As it turns out, I had the fastest bike split for the woman and outsplit the winner on the run, too. Her swim spanked mine and thus she earned her win, leading from start to finish.
So, it was a 2nd place finish at City of Gold and my best time in the past few years.Now its on to the next race, the Uvas South Bay Triathlon, another training event before we hit the Escape from Alcatraz and Caliman Half Ironman. Race Day is Sunday, May 21, 2006. A race report will follow!
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Thanks for the support!
-Rachel