March 2008
CA 70.3

My first race of the season didn’t go exactly how I would have liked, but it was good chance to see where I am this early in the year, and it turned out to be a good learning lesson. Now, I know what I need to work on and this race experience has built a little fire under me and has helped me refocus my training some.

I had a mediocre swim, and then felt good and strong on the bike, working my way up through the field. The first half of the run went well, and I was right on pace, right where I wanted to be. I felt happy to be there racing and even managed a big smile when I passed my cheering section, and an even bigger smile when I saw “Go Erin Ford!” written in chalk on the roadway. All was going along great until the second loop on the run when my stomach revolted. I tried to hold it off and take my mind elsewhere, but I was forced to slow way down to a shuffle. I couldn’t avoid it … I had to detour into a restroom (at mile 12!). It’s hard to race when you’re sitting in a bathroom!

Anyway, I did finish, but not where I wanted to.

I am now looking forward to racing again in four weeks down in Florida

France – July 2007

Racing at the ITU Long Course World Championships in L’Orient France was somewhat of a milestone for me. Back in December I made “France” a goal, and since then, all my training has been built around 1) qualifying for, and 2) peaking for the big race in France. There were certainly other important races along the way this season, but France has been my main driving force.

I have traveled to all corners of the US for races, but France would be my first big International race. Having to cross 9 time zones to get there was a bit of a concern, but my body handled it very well. I adjusted fairly quickly to the time change and within a couple days, felt good and rested. Being so far from home, in a completely new country, did feel a bit strange. I felt like I was in more of a “vacation” mode than “race” mode. I had to keep reminding myself why I was there. First … race well, then … enjoy the trip!

When Race Day came, I felt confident and ready to go. Conditions were nearly perfect. The 2 loop swim course started with a dive off the pontoon. I took off and felt like I was doing great, holding a good position, out with the fast girls! But, that only lasted until the first buoy. At the turn I lost my position in the group and it was all downhill from there. I was passed by what seemed like EVERYONE; I had trouble staying on any feet and just couldn’t seem to find my feel for the water. By the time I finally exited the water I was MAD! I didn’t come all this way (or train all season) to have a pathetic race!

On the bike I was determined to make up ground because I knew I was much further down than I should be coming out of the swim. I rode like crazy, pushing hard, riding like it was a 40K time trial, trying to pass as many girls as I could. My bike was fueled by anger and I knew I was taking a chance pushing this hard … I still had 20K to run after this. It didn’t matter though – I made up my mind to ride my guts out and leave it all out there on the bike course. Half way through the double out and back 80K course, I realized I was having FUN and riding hard and fast!

Off the bike and onto the run. Yup, as expected my legs were quite heavy, but I still had to get after the run. It was a three-loop run course with no mile or kilometer markers, so I just took it one loop at a time. I didn’t take my splits but I felt like I gradually built speed on each lap. A couple girls FLEW past me like I was standing still, but I managed to pass a few myself. Going into the last loop, Dave was yelling at me that there were a couple girls just 45 seconds ahead. My initial thought was, “45 seconds? That’s too far”, then I quickly realized that I just needed to get after it and go for it. On that last loop I worked on having fast feet / quick turnover; I used my arms, driving back with my elbows to get up the hills (who said this was a flat course?! I think the hills grew a little longer and steeper on each loop!).

I worked hard and eventually caught those two girls with just about 2K to go. I knew the finish line was close, but I also knew I didn’t want anyone blazing past me with a finishing kick, so I tried to push through the finish.

8 th place at LC Worlds was a better finish than I expected, but the best part was knowing that I really put my heart into it and raced my absolute best, and was able to work my way back up after a disappointing start.

Following the race, Dave and I enjoyed 10 days in France. We hit the Loire Valley and Paris – it was a wonderful trip highlighted by fantastic French food! Biking through the countryside, enjoying sidewalk cafes and fresh baguettes at the many boulangeries along the way made for a very memorable trip. The time away from the daily grind was a nice chance to reflect on the season and to really appreciate that I am able to dedicate so much time and energy to triathlon, and that I have the good health to do so.

Welcome, Finis and www.swimyourbest.com - thanks for joining my support crew! Continued thanks to Sugoi, Discover Bicycles, GU, and Shortt Supply.

Thanks for reading and for your incredible encouragement and support.

Erin

June – On the Road and Racing

So far, June has been an exciting month. Ten days on the road and two races: Escape from Alcatraz and Clear Lake 101.

More important than racing … my coach and dear friend Andy is recovering from a serious bike accident. Fortunately, he is going to be OK, but it’s going to be a long recovery process. Knowing Andy, he will tackle recovery with the same passion he has for triathlon and coaching and will bounce back more quickly than expected. Please send him some positive, healing thoughts as he works through his rehabilitation and healing.

Alcatraz is an amazing, one of a kind race; one that I’ve been looking forward to since racing there last year. The race was good to me this year - I raced faster and place higher (6 th) than the previous year. To make the day even better, I had several friends there to cheer me on. Hearing friends yell at me along the course, and having friends to celebrate post-race with, makes the whole race experience so much more fun.

Alcatraz used to seem like a big, scary race but after having raced there last year, I was better prepared and knew what to expect. The cold-water swim through the SF bay no longer seemed daunting; the hills on the bike were not as terrifying as I thought they would be; and I’ve come to love the run course, even the dreaded sand ladder isn’t intimidating anymore. I now have a strategy for it … walk it (and try to make it look like a run for all the cameras that are there to catch a glimpse of the suffering)!

After Alcatraz, I had a couple days of fun - shopping around and eating in San Francisco with friends. Come Tuesday morning though, it was time to put Alcatraz behind me and focus on next weekend’s race – Clear Lake. This would be the longest race of my life, so I figured I needed to have the laziest week of my life leading up to it, in order to store up as much energy as possible.

Clear Lake 101 … 1.86m swim, 80.6m bike, 18.6m run = 101 miles! I was confident that I had enough endurance training in for this race, the main challenge would be to stay mentally strong throughout the day and not let my mind get in the way of finishing the race.

The day before the race, I got some good advice that helped settle my nerves – mainly to stay within yourself, and respect the long distance. It’s going to be a long day, so don’t “race” on the bike, save some legs for the run. On the bike, I felt pretty good; stayed relaxed for the most part, and didn’t push too hard. There was an out and back section on the bike course where I could see the other women in the race, and it was hard seeing them creep ahead and put time on me. I wanted to push hard and keep up with their pace, but I knew if I wanted to finish the run, I just couldn’t do that. Throughout the bike, that 18m run was right there in the front of my mind, taunting me.

The run course was the toughest run course that I have EVER done. Not just because it was 18 miles, but also because it was hill after steep hill after hill. At least it wasn’t too hot out – that was one good thing. It took some serious positive self-talk and focus to slog through the run, and somehow I managed to hold it together and made it across the finish line.

I’ll be honest, it was a stinkin’ long race! It was a tough day out there, but I certainly learned a lot and pushed myself in ways that I have not done in a long time. Now, several days after the race, I am able to bring myself to say, “I am glad I did it.” Could I say that at the finish line? Unfortunately, no.

Back at home this week; I have been taking my recovery time very seriously! Enjoying some down time and fewer workouts scheduled, getting caught up on “life” and other non-triathlon related items. Next week starts the big 4-week push for France! I’m feeling recovered and focused, ready to do everything just right (nutrition, training, taking care of my whole self) for 4 weeks. After racing in France on July 15th, it will be time for a mid-season break. I’m looking forward to touring around France, taking in all the sights and enjoying the food and wine there with Dave.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Erin

Happy Day at Wildflower!

I just returned from the Wildflower Triathlon festival in Monterey County, CA– the first stop in the TriCalifornia Race Series. This was my first Wildflower (WF) experience, and going into it, I knew there were a few things I could expect:

1. It was going to be FUN. In its 25th year, WF is known as the “Woodstock of Triathlons”. The race venue turns into a big triathlon village where everyone camps because there are no towns or hotels nearby.

2. It was going to be HILLY. When the climbs are named Nasty Grade and Heart Rate Hill, that’s a good indication for a tough course!

3. There would be a strong, competitive pro field. Besides having a long history of a premier race with a good prize purse, WF was also hosting the US Elite Long Course National Championships.

In the weeks leading up to WF, I put in some solid training, which helped build my confidence going into the race. Highlights of that training include some fabulous trail running down in the mountains east of LA at Xantusia, where you go to “work your tail off” (with the Girls of SlowTwitch training weekend); the “Cherry of a Ride”, which is a century ride that loops around The Dalles and heads to Hood River, hitting most of our major climbs; and a new swim coach who has really pushed me and made me work in the pool!

When I arrived at the race venue on Thursday afternoon, I checked in and learned that I was not assigned to a cabin to stay in (as I had expected), but rather I’d be staying in a home with a couple other athletes. The bummer was this vacation home was a 15 – 20 minute drive from the race site. It didn’t take long to realize this set up wasn’t going to be so bad after all. The plush vacation home was a great place to relax in comfort leading up to the race. Friday morning, I got in my pre-race swim and bike and was back “home” by noon. That gave me 4 hours of couch time before the pre-race meeting that evening! Although it was tempting, I stayed away from the foosball, air hockey and pool table and just spent the afternoon watching quality daytime TV. Having this downtime was a treat for me, because pre-race day often gets very hectic and the day slips by quickly, leaving no time to put the feet up and relax.

Despite the nightmares of having holes in my brand new tires, I woke up on race morning feeling completely rested and ready to go! I had a decent swim, but didn’t really know what place I was sitting in coming out of the water. I just knew I had to ride like crazy on the bike, because there were fast bikers and runners who would be chasing me down. It was quite windy out on the course, but that I’m used to, training here in the Gorge. And the hills (on the bike course)…I was pleasantly surprised to find those were much bigger in my mind than in reality. I finished the bike feeling great; only one girl had passed me and I had passed a few, but still didn’t know where I was placing wise. Onto the run…there’s no other way to put it…the run course was BRUTAL! I didn’t walk, but I must say, there were some steeps that I probably could have gotten up faster if I would have walked! I did my best to “stay within myself” and just pick off one mile at a time. I had a lot of self-talk going on to help get me through it, reminding myself that it’s a privilege to be here racing at this beautiful venue with such a great field of competitors. I tried to draw energy from anywhere I could get it! The Wildflower Power was with me throughout the day… I crossed the finish line in 5th place, far exceeding my expectations. It was a great day, a podium finish and payday! I don’t do this for the money, but it’s always nice to go home with a paycheck.

WF is also famous for the post race celebration parties, but I had an early morning flight to catch, so I scooted out of there and missed all the fun. My motivation to hit the road was to get home to see Dave…he had been gone for three long weeks, rafting 226 miles down the Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon. He picked me up at the airport, and took me to an amazing celebration brunch at Salty’s, overlooking the Columbia River. Next time you’re in Portland and need to treat yourself, check out the brunch at Salty’s www.saltys.com. Besides the regular breakfast greats, their brunch is complete with king seafood, fruit to dip into the chocolate fountain and tiny little desserts (perfect for sampling all of them!). I rank it right up there with the world famous farm breakfast at The Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Thanks for reading. I’m sorry this got a bit long…there was just so much about this past weekend that I wanted to share!

Thanks for your support,
Erin

March Journal Entry

What a month it has been. The snow is gone (hopefully for good!), and it is looking pretty and green around here…the wildflowers are even starting to pop out!

In the past few weeks the weather in The Dalles has cooperated enough to allow for some great outdoor riding. One unseasonably sunny, warm day in late February, I set out on my road bike, exploring roads, and looking for new routes to ride. I ended up taking some dirt roads, riding “unknown territories”, getting a little bit lost, but eventually finding some great new loops. I must say… searching out new courses can be very energizing. Sometimes it’s nice to NOT know what lies ahead, and NOT know just how long your climb is going to be! Try it - get out of your rut, off your normal comfort path and EXPLORE! You may end up riding longer than you expected to, but that’s not always a bad thing, right?

This past month, I have also ran a couple road races - a half marathon in Olympia, WA and the Shamrock 15K in Portland, OR. The Shamrock run had a stinkin’ tough field of runners! I finished in the top ten, but didn’t quite break the 1 hour mark as I had hoped to do. Next year! Both races were good “fitness tests” as well as good opportunities to practice the mental toughness I need to find for race day. I feel like I am running strong - right on pace with where I want to be this time of year.

CA 70.3 is right around the corner…just three short weeks away until race day. I am on track with training and feel good going into this early season half. This is chance #1 (of 2) to qualify for the Long Course World Championship race in France.
Wish me luck!

Training in Tempe

February 2007

I recently wrapped up an excellent block of training down in Tempe, Arizona. Thanks to my fabulous hosts, Erin, Travis and Swoosh (the little white wonder Westie who welcomed me home after each workout), I was able to focus 100% on training and recovering.

The cold weather that greeted me in Tempe (snow in AZ!?) didn’t last long. The sun came out after my first couple days down there, and I was able to get in some great riding. I have been in Oregon, and my last outdoor ride was before Thanksgiving (OK, I may be getting a little wimpy about riding in the cold)! So, it was especially nice to get out, off the trainer and ride on the roads. Riding through the desert was great, but it did feel strange to be all bundled up and riding past cactuses. Although it wasn’t hot, the sun was shining, so I was happy.

Swimming outdoors was fabulous too. Such a treat when I normally have to swim indoors this time of year. I swam a couple times with ASU masters and also got in some good swims at a nice outdoor pool at Lifetime Fitness… a super PLUSH gym right near where I was staying. I think I could spend hours there everyday!

If you are in the Phoenix / Tempe / Scottsdale areas, I recommend:

• Trail running (or a hike) at South Mountain on the Desert Classic Trail
• Riding to Tortilla Flat - it’s a beautiful ride through the desert, past a ghost town, to a tiny town with a population of six
• Banana Walnut Pancakes at Wildflower Cafe
• Oregano’s for dinner - YUM!

After nine days filled with training fun, I am ready to go home to be with Dave, but I’m not ready to return to the cold Oregon winter!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2006 is wrapped up, “off” season/down time is officially over and I’m ready to go! My mind and body are rested, refreshed and recovered from last season and I’m re-energized, looking forward to a great 2007 season of training and racing.

With a step back in the training over the past couple months, I have had a chance to reflect on the past season as well as look forward and do some planning for 2007.

2006 was a year with a lot of good training put in, but my race performances didn’t seem to back that up. I never felt really “sharp” or fast last year, so as I plan my season I am taking the steps to make sure my game is on and I am racing like I know I can. So far, training is going really well; I’m right where I want to be…building a solid base for an excellent 2007 season. I feel good (so much better than last year at this time, when my body was trying to fall apart on me) and all the little things are coming together.

I have some big goals for the year…the BIG one being to qualify for the Long Course Worlds Team and race at the Long Course Championships in France, in July. To qualify, I will need to race well and secure a spot at either the CA 70.3 race at the end of March or at Wildflower in early May. I will keep you updated on my progress!

It won’t ALL be about swimming, biking and running this winter… I’ll have some playtime on the ski slopes with Dave, too. We zip up to Mt. Hood whenever our schedules, and good snow and good weather align just right. We’re also heading down to Tahoe later this month for a few days of skiing with friends. I am learning that play is so important in keeping the enthusiasm and drive going.

Later this month, I take off to Arizona for some warm weather training! I have been doing most of my bike training indoors, so I am excited to ride outside in the sunshine…with friends! What could be better?

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2007! Thanks for reading and stay in touch.

Racing Locally

This race season has not been short on travel - I’ve been all over the country in the past seven months, including San Diego, San Francisco, and Long Beach, California, St. Petersburg, Florida, Honolulu, Hawaii, Racine, Wisconsin, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. It is great to have the opportunities to travel, to check out new race venues, to see different parts of the country and to see friends who I only see at races. But, along with the travel comes, well…travel! Dealing with airports and the breaking down, packing up and rebuilding my bike are some of the details that can get old. So, after traveling to my previous nine races it was a huge treat for me to race locally this past weekend!

Saturday was the 18 th annual Columbia Gorge Aluminum Man Triathlon. (This race was actually my first intro. to triathlon. Back when I was 13, I did the swim portion as part of a relay team). This race is held in my hometown, and I can even see the swim course from my house! It was so nice to sleep in my own bed the night before the race, and ride my bike down to the transition area on race morning. Racing on the roads where I do most of my training, and having a cheering section (Thanks Dave, Sally, Anna, Alex, Leanne and Leona for coming down!) made this race especially fun.

Although the field wasn’t huge and the competition not quite as tough as my other races this year, it was a WINDY day (20+ average, with gusts up to 28 mph) so I did have the wind to battle it out against. The race started with a choppy, rough swim in the Columbia River. I decided to swim without a wetsuit - the water temp. wasn’t bad, but I could have used the extra floatation in the rough water. Just a short 800 m. swim, and then out into the wheat fields east of The Dalles for the 50K bike course. The wind was coming from the west, so for the first part of the course there was a great tail wind. That portion went by all too quickly, and then it was into the wind back to the transition area. There is a great, long downhill toward the end of the course, but unfortunately even the downhill didn’t feel good and fast with that headwind! The run course was a flat out and back along the river; into the wind on the way out then a nice tail wind push for the last 5K push.

It was a fun day of hometown racing, and I had less than 19 hours to rest up and do it all again the next morning!

Sunday was the first annual Escape from the Gorge Triathlon in Cascade Locks, OR. Just a quick 45-minute drive took me to a fabulous Alcatraz qualifier race. In its first year, this was a pretty small race, but I imagine it will quickly grow into a premier race in the Northwest. Race directors did a great job mirroring the Escape from Alcatraz race – the 1.5 mile point to point swim started with a jump off the Sternwheeler; the 18 m. bike course had some big “out of the saddle” climbs as well as some screaming downhills, and the 8 m. run course included a dark tunnel and a stair climb.

It was a sunny, clear, calm day to Escape from the Gorge. I had never raced on back-to-back days before this past weekend, but I am so glad that I did it. Racing near home was great and the racecourse was so beautiful, it really helped take my mind off how heavy my legs were feeling!

If you are like me, as one season winds up I am already looking forward to scheduling races for next year. Keep these two Gorge area races in mind for the second weekend in September.