Change is a good thing?

Obviously I'm in the Chicken in the Chair :)

Just like many of my fellow type A (psychos) athletes, I like routine--a rarely changing schedule that is easy to grab on to when stress begins to pull in all different directions.  The thought of changing anything major is usually greeted with denial, frustration and maybe even anger.  So you can imagine the decision to switch coaches was a pretty big deal and didn't happen magically over night.  After two awesome years working with my previous coach I began to wonder what it would be like to train in a group setting with my coach on location rather than scheduling occasional meet-ups with my coach at a distance.  At first there was denial--"what I'm doing is working just fine, I'm making steady progress".  Then I was frustrated, "who will I even work with if I switch? I'm not moving anywhere".  I never reached the anger point :) but it was not easy to make the final decision to switch.  I realized that if I want to reach my highest goals I needed to start running with women much faster than myself and learn to challenge myself in different ways than I have before. It was settled, I was going to take a "leap of faith" and instead of having a triathlon coach, I would only work with a running coach. I was already

swimming with a masters swimming group (swimming with swimmers), going on local group rides (riding with cyclists), so it seemed natural that in order to make big improvements in running I would need to run with runners.

After the Splash and Dash--thanks Julie for the photo!!

After about a month of training with John Reich and the women of the Sonoran Distance Project I can say I'm very happy with my decision--the training is crazy different, but I'm embracing the change and I can't wait for the rest of the season ahead.  Last weekend I had a chance to check my progress a bit--I did a local Splash and Dash and PR'd in my 5k by about 20sec after a 2000m swim! I can't wait to continue to improve and chase the heels of the talented women I am fortunate enough to run (very far) behind!




Curious what the Sonoran Distance Project is?
Click here to read about my amazing teammates or get a shirt with our cute logo!!

Gator Country Racing

           

Start of Sunday's Mixed Relay (Photo by: Christie Scott)

This past weekend I was lucky enough to travel to beautiful Sarasota, FL to race the PATCO Sprint Championships and the PATCO Mixed Relay Championships.  I had a great time and, as always, learned a lot!

Solid pack by lap 3! (Photo by: C. Scott)

            Saturday started the weekend off with an individual sprint draft-legal race.  My result was not exactly what I had hoped for but solid overall.  Being so early in the season it’s fantastic to do a couple of races, take note of what you need to work on and get back to the grinding stone!

Walking up for the relay in my Vendetta! (Photo by C. Scott)

            Sunday was a fun and fast format of a half-sprint draft-legal relay where two men and two women compete on each team.  This race was so much fun except the fact I really felt I let my team down—I came 1^st out of the water, had a rocky transition and ended up last off the bike course.  I felt pretty bad about the whole thing and confused about what went wrong after having such a strong bike the day before.  It wasn’t until after the race, wheeling my bike out of transition, I noticed there was quite a bit more resistance than normal. I checked to see if my shoes were dragging on the ground, they were fine.  It dawned on me—someone had asked me if my brakes were the problem on the bike and I laughed and thought it was a nice suggestion to assume that the problem wasn’t that I was slow, but sure enough that person was right—the left side of my brake was stuck to my back wheel.  It was relieving and disappointing at the same time, such a silly mistake that cost me a good amount of time—definitely not a mistake I will make again in the future!  Sorry team!

            

     After the race on Sunday it was time for some R&R.  My friend Christie, whose family was so generous to let me stay with them over the weekend, headed down to the beach to relax by the ocean!

Christie and I on the beach! Mimosas included!

       

     Overall it was a great weekend—racing, learning and enjoying the ride. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!

            

     

Thank you so much to XTERRA wetsuits for making my swim super speedy on Sunday, Rudy Project for keeping my head and eyes “technically cool” (and safe), TRIBE Multisport for stocking me up with my every need from training to racing, and Power Bar for keeping me fueled!  Warmest thanks to the Scott family for hosting me last weekend, your hospitality was amazing!

Until next time!

Photo by C. Scott

First Race of 2014--UCSD's Tritonman!

Off to a solid start in my Vendetta-thanks XTERRA!

The 2014 season has officially begun! Last weekend University of California, San Diego (UCSD) hosted a two-day triathlon event.  The weekend started with a draft legal race on Saturday (that's what I competed in!) and finished up with a non-drafting race on Sunday.  UCSD did a fantastic job (once again) putting on a great race, I highly recommend checking it out next year--thanks again!

As with many early season races, you really never know what you're gonna get on race morning.  I can't say I felt terrible on race morning, but I definitely felt rusty and not quite up to a "race ready performance".  I didn't think too much about it though because half of the game is mental, and that is one thing you absolutely have control over! So I attacked the race as if I felt like the queen of triathlon and let the day play out.

After [almost] two laps solo, I got swallowed by pack of 10 for lap 3!

                                                                                    It was an off day, no great excuses like "I'm injured" or "I have bronchitis", just wasn't my best day! I made a few crucial mistakes that led to a less than desirable result, but it was the first race of 2014 and an incredible learning experience to prepare me for the rest of an exciting season, so, to be honest, I'm really happy about it. Congratulations to all the racers who competed, it was a competitive field of women and a fun race!

I'm gearing up for another draft legal sprint

Almost to T2!

in two weeks--PATCO Sprint Championships in Sarasota, FL and I will bring every lesson learned at Tritonman (and all previous races) with me--can't wait to toe the line again and see what I've got!

Until next time :)
@nicoletruxes

Show Yourself Some Love

In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd write something having to do with love--no this is not going to be some mushy post about fairy tale romance, it has to do with showing yourself some love!  Many times, as athletes, we beat our bodies to the ground and don't respond when our body is crying for attention--this is where illness and injury are created!  I have written before about being patient when you're injured and doing the right things to come back strong, but I think it's important to acknowledge the signs far before you ever acquire an injury or illness.

Taking the time to do the "little things" right makes all the difference in preventing illness and injury!

Six easy things you can do to Show Yourself Some Love:

-Monitor your resting heart rate when you wake up each morning--if you notice a jump in numbers, take some Vitamin C and maybe skip a workout until it returns to normal (how do I get my resting heart rate?)

-Drink hot, non-caffeinated tea before bed time--take an extra 10 min to relax and soak in all the awesome things you did for yourself and your training that day (my fav. is Celestial Seasonings, Sleepytime tea!)

TP Pain Session--hurts so good

-Wear compression--it may not look very attractive but it does aid in recovery, so throw some socks on when you get out of the shower and you could be saving yourself from future injury--or at least some soreness! (Grab some at TRIBE)

-Roll out! Foam rolling is amazing for not only preventing injury, but helping you recover faster so you can kill your next workout (my fav. roller is Trigger Point Therapy)

Our new pup, Caeli, is the queen of Beauty Sleep!

-Bundle up--when the temps drop make sure to wear enough layers on rides and runs so that your core temp stays nice and high--forcing your body to fight the cold can break down your immune system and make you more prone to illness (Arm Warmers, Vest and Jackets!)

-Get your beauty sleep--when you're catching zzz's, your body is hard at work repairing your muscles, metabolizing your food and fighting infection/inflammation so be sure to allow your body the rest it needs when you're challenging it daily!

None of the things I've mentioned are groundbreaking, but making yourself do these little things right on a regular basis will make a world of difference!

So go, show yourself some love!

Bring it On 2014!!

As I begin to buckle down, plan my race schedule and start to refine my focus for 2014, I'm so lucky to be able to say I have partnered with some amazing sponsors for this season.  I am particularly fortunate because all of the sponsors I am working with this season I know personally in some way; I have either worked with them/for them at events or I attend regular rides with them.  In addition to being familiar with their fantastic products, I can also say that the people behind them are great and a pleasure to work with! 

I will start local--I am lucky enough to call myself a member of "the Tribe".  Tribe Multisport is a shop located right next to Old-town Scottsdale.  In the shop you will find everything you could ever need to swim, bike and run your heart out, not only that, but you will find a friendly and knowledgable staff to help you find the right gear for you (or just chat about endurance sports--they're all about this stuff)! They can make excellent shoe recommendations (which I have personally taken advantage of--they solved a shoe crisis for me just a couple of months back!), and when you bring your bike in with a problem or just need some maintenance they won't make you feel stupid (everybody has met the mechanic that scoffs at you for bringing in a simple fix)--they will do an excellent job taking care of your bike and they'll make you glad you stopped by.  They also offer some awesome group workouts: two group runs and two group rides a week.  I encourage you to check out their shop, come along for a ride and join the Tribe!!  Next time you shop use this code: TRUXES to receive 15% off (and you can buy straight off of their website now, so if you don't feel like driving or live out of state, you can still join the Tribe!!).

Shop Here!

Next we'll fly over to San Diego, where my favorite wetsuit company resides.  XTERRA Wetsuits not only make super buoyant, flexible and fast wetsuits, but they are also really cool people--so cool I wrote an entire post about my experience on set with them last Summer.  I will be racing wetsuit legal races in their "Vendetta" full sleeve suit and non-wetsuit legal races in their "Velocity" speed suit.  Click the link below to do some shopping and use SA-TRUXES for 60% off!!

Shop Here!

Finally we'll end in San Clemente, CA where the corporate headquarters for Rudy Project is located.  Rudy Project makes super comfortable helmets and trendy Italian-made eyewear.  The coolest thing about Rudy are all of the little technical details in their products.  After working at a couple of Ironman Expos and having the honor to work with them at Interbike, I am well versed in the cool technical specs about the Rudy Project gear and am more than happy to help you find a comfy helmet or a rockin' pair of shades--just ask!

Shop Here!

I am so excited and so thankful to have these awesome companies on board for my 2014 season!!

I do have one more exciting partnership to announce in the coming months, so stay tuned!!!

Until next time!

@nicoletruxes