Athlete-Mom Interview: Wendy Simms

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Danelle Kabush

Let me introduce you to Wendy Simms, a professional cyclist on the Kona Factory Team. Wendy is a six-time Canadian National Cyclocross Champion, and has way too many podium finishes in cyclocross and mountain biking nationally and internationally too count over her long career on the bike! After just missing out on the Beijing Olympics for mountain biking, Wendy went on to win the mixed category in the Transrockies Challenge with her husband, Norm Thibeault, as well as winning the B.C. Bike Race. She is an amazing technical rider, and lives in one of the best places to ride in the world to ride in Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island. Wendy and Norm have a 3-year old son, Tycho, and a 1.5 year old daughter. While Wendy works full-time as a Biology Lab Technician at Vancouver Island University, Norm is busy running one of my favourite running shoe stores back home, Frontrunners. After recently competing in the World Cyclocross Championships a few weeks ago, Wendy generously took the time to share how traning and competing still fits in her busy schedule. Read on for yet another refreshing perspective and some excellent advice….

Wendy and Tessa

1. Can you describe how your athletic/competitive life has evolved before and since becoming a mom of one and now two?

Before kids I trained a lot more, I raced a lot more, I traveled a lot more, I slept a lot more, I ate healthier, I trained with other people, I recovered faster, I stretched and did core exercises regularly, and I was sick a lot less. But if you are reading this, you have probably already experienced this yourself!

After having Tycho (my first) I left the door open to walk away from racing. I didn’t commit to any events at all, just focussed on being a mom and getting back into shape. I did the baby boot camp and went to coffee with the other moms but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I still wanted a physical challenge. I started skiing with Tycho in the Chariot to get some fitness back. Eventually I cracked and called KONA to set up a race season at the last second. Once I committed to a few races I became pretty determined to prove (to myself? to others?) that I could still race at the elite level.

After having Tessa (my second) things became a LOT harder in every aspect of life. I had substantially less time, I barely slept and had no time to think about my own health. The “training” became my sanity break. I had daycare 2 mornings a week (we don’t have family in town) and even though the logistics of getting everyone organized and out the door was mind-boggling, I went for a ride even if the conditions were horrendous. Anything else I could squeeze in during the week was a bonus. This time around I wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone, I just wanted to be outside doing something for myself and my own health. I was pleasantly surprised and had some great results.

But after returning to full-time work with both kids in daycare there is even less time, less sleep and the worst part is that we have been sick for the majority of the last 6 months. Colds, belly bugs, pink eye, strep throat, more colds, repeat. Every time you start to feel good and get out training again, everyone gets sick. It has been extremely frustrating so I have had to back off quite a bit. Every little nugget of exercise I get in these days is considered a victory. (As you can see below, Wendy and Norm have also enjoyed training with a Chariot Carrier)

A training day with the Chariot on Hornby Island!

2. Has your motivation and perspective on training and racing changed since becoming a mom? And how?

My motivation has definitely changed since having kids. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to get results. Now, I have no expectations when I race. There are so many factors working against me now that if I had expectations I would just get disappointed or frustrated. Don’t get me wrong, I am still extremely competitive but now I find I have a lot less motivation to actually train. Since I went back to work I see the kids a lot less and I find some days I just don’t want to spend my time training. I want to play with the kids. So I use local events to “race into shape” these days. They are loads of fun, I get a great workout, it’s a good example for the kids and I get to be social. It might not be exactly what a coach would prescribe but its close enough.

Wendy with Tycho and Tessa at the BMX track

2. How do you balance your family, work, and training/racing?

I have a very supportive husband (Norm Thibault) who also loves to race and train so we try to help each other get out the door (the hardest part). We work together to find the gaps in the day and squeeze in the appropriate activity. It’s almost like a flow chart or choose your own adventure:

Question #1 – Am I healthy (go to #2), feeling like I am coming down with something (=easy day) or sick (=rest day)?

Question #2 – Did I get <4 hours sleep (=rest day)? 5-6 hours sleep (easy day)? or more than 6 hours sleep (go to #3)?

Question #3 – Do I work (go to #4) or do I have a baby sitter (go to#5)?

Question #4 – Can I ride to work with the kids in the Chariot (do it!)? or Can I run at lunch (do it!)?

Question #5- Do I have less than an hour (=run)? Less than 2 hours (=speed workout)? 2 hours or more (=hill workout)?

4. Any big challenges and competition goals for 2013?

I just got back from cyclocross world championships so I am just taking a breather and re-assessing what the goals are for 2013. KONA has been a great sponsor and his given me full flexibility. Norm has mapped out a season’s worth of possibilities for us so now we just need to sit down and figure out what works for our family.

BC Bike Race Podium

5. Any advice you have for other mom’s trying to balance it all, while training and competing?

I would say the biggest things that I have learned are:

a) Listen to your body! If you are sick, exhausted, run-down, overwhelmed etc just have an easy day with no structure or rest completely.

b) You do not have to train as much as you think you do. Just make sure you have some quality, key workouts that your body responds to.

c) Do not feel guilty! I am always a happier, more patient and overall better mom after I come back from a run or a ride.

d) Be creative and flexible! If you aren’t, well you probably won’t get out nearly as much as you could. Those minutes add up!

e) Dont be afraid to cross train if it is more time efficient

f) Have a few workout routes close to home to minimize wasted transit time. I have a run workout that doesn’t get more than 500m from my house and a bike workout that doesn’t get more than 2km from my house

g) Be proud of yourself. It IS extremely hard to have kids & train/race. If you are even attempting it you should be proud and know there are many women in awe of you

h) You CAN do it all, but maybe not all at once. There will be cycles of training that might correlate to life more than the physiological requirements of racing but that is part of the deal when you are juggling it all.

Athlete-Mom Interview: Jamie Whitmore

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Danelle Kabush

Jamie “J-Dawg” Whitmore was the female Pro to beat when I started racing Xterra, and I would say she is still one of the biggest triple threat’s Xterra racing has ever seen with a fast swim, mad bike handling skills, and super fast feet on the run. Jamie started racing Xterra’s in 2002 and over the next six years she won 37 championships in a dozen different countries, including the XTERRA World Championship in 2004 (pictured below). She is still today the most successful female pro the sport has ever known and was recently inducted into the Xterra Hall of Fame at the 2012 World Championships. MXT2004_winner

Jamie was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and began the fight of her life. She fought hard through unrelenting pain, several setbacks and rehab and is now cancer free. And due to her radiation therapy, Jamie was told she’d never have children. But she proved that prognosis wrong too and gave birth to twins boys – Christian and Ryder, in January, 2010!

She was told she would never ride or run again either – let alone compete in triathlon. With the same determination, Jamie proved that wrong. Swimming was part of her rehab. And, with the aid of a brace she is biking and adds crutches for running. She returned to XTERRA racing last year at the Pacific Championship in Santa Cruz and Nationals in Utah (pictured below on the run). In 2012 she also competed at the XTERRA Guam Championship, the legendary Leadville 100 MTB race, and reignited her Olympic dream by winning the National Championship Time Trial for C-3 category Paracyclists. Read below to learn more about how Jamie has continued her athletic and return to competition as a mom!

1. Can you describe your athletic/competitive life has evolved before and since becoming a mom? And any special challenges/benefits with twins?

I used to think it would be no big deal to pop out a kid and then return to racing! Oh how naive I was! Being a Mom is hard when you work and want to train! You are on call 24hrs a day. If they are sick, they want you not daddy or papa . . . always Mom!! I used to train when I felt like it. Raced whenever. I could just hop on a plane and go to Maui or whatever I wanted. Now it requires planning all the time. Just to go ride I have to make sure the boys have lunch made so my dad doesn’t have to do it. If I go on a trip I have to plan meals and pack all clothes for them even if I am just leaving them with my dad! And if I take them with me . . . now that is even more work because now I have to figure things out on the road! Twins make it even more difficult because there are two that go in different directions. No older sibling to help corral them! Then throw in my disability . . . . both boys know they can outrun me so I constantly have to think ahead.

Everything used to be about my racing and what I wanted to do . . . as much as I drag them everywhere and have taught them to be flexible I often put them first before making decisions! They even dictate when I train. Always when they nap or before they wake up! On easy days I spin on the trainer while we all watch a movie like Cars or Toy Story!! I try to get quality time in with them as much as possible!

Jamie pictured with her father, sons Ryder and Christiand and husband Courtney in Maui where she was recently inducted in the Xterra Hall of Fame

Jamie pictured with her father, sons Ryder and Christian and husband Courtney in Maui where she was recently inducted in the Xterra Hall of Fame

2. What is your biggest motivation to stay active/competitive at this stage of your life?

This has a lot to do with my cancer and disability! I stay competitive because I want to show my boys that they can do anything they put their minds to. It might not be how they pictured it or achieved in a different way but they can still do it! On paper I should not be able to bend my knee which means I shouldn’t be able to ride a bike but I am . . . that alone pushes me to keep pushing the limits! You don’t know unless you try! And when you have been unable to do something for 3 years it is all the motivation to not take it for granted when you can do it again!

3. How do you balance your family, work, and training/racing?

Extended family is a huge blessing! My dad is amazing. He watches the kids all the time for us so that I can train and work. If it weren’t for him I would be riding the trainer all the time or getting up at 5am just to get a ride in! And who wants to do that??? I try to train when the kids are napping so that I don’t miss out on spending time with them. When I am coaching (work) I sometimes take them with me so they can hang out and run around!

4. What do your boys think of their athletic mom?

I hope they think I am pretty cool! Not sure yet since they just turned 3 years old. But every time they see a race picture of me they get pretty excited and say “That’s mommy!”

5. What are your 2013 training/competition goals?

This year I hope to scope out my competition. I am new to the para cycling world (cyclists with physical disabilities) I would love to make the National A Team and travel to World Cup races and the World Championships. My long term goal is The Paralympics in Rio in 2016!!

6. Any advice you have for other mom’s trying to balance it all, while following a consistent training program every week?

Don’t let training become more important than family! It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing . . . but you can’t get time back. Kids will only stay young for a little while! When you do train keep it quality and not quantity. It is better to be 15% under trained than 1% over trained. I went into The Leadville 100 race only having done a 55-60 mile ride as my longest ride! I made sure they were quality miles!

In order to get all that I get in I do rely a lot on family but if you don’t have family find a friend that also has kids (if you have little ones) and trade off on watching each others kids. I have several friends with no extended family that do this so that they can run errands or clean the house! I would use it for training! As they get older you can use training time to spend with them. Take the kids out when you have an easy spin . . .they can ride their bikes too! Or let them hop in the pool with you.

I love your advice Jamie and good luck as you shoot for the Paralympics in 2016!!

Its not WHAT you do but HOW you do it!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Danelle Kabush

As part of my “active recovery” over the past few months I’ve regularly been joining upwards of 40 other people in a room heated to 105 degrees farenheit (40 degrees C) for 90 minutes of, as the teacher calls it, “eyes wide open meditation”, otherwise known as Bikram Yoga.

Within minutes the sweat is pouring off as we breathe, stretch, balance and bend through 26 different postures….concentrate, meditate….. Between postures we are to be still and take 20 second shavasanas (lying down on your back)…..Practice stillness….breathe through your nose…

Most of my athletic life has involved pushing my body’s limits and pounding my muscles in the pursuit of longer, faster, stronger. Bikram yoga feels like the opposite of competition. It is all about and for you, comparing how deep you can go with others is completely irrelevant. It is a chance to rejuvenate the physical body while growing mental focus and stamina at the same time. As sweat runs off my body like a waterfall, thoughts of “I’m SO HOT!” and “Am I going to make it through this?” are common in this practice and if I don’t bring myself right back to the here and now it will be a struggle to get through….let any thoughts just pass through your mind and drift away….

And so I have been reminded of this: you can practice the same things over and over, such as the same 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises done in every Bikram yoga class, but HOW you do it will determine what you get out of it in the end and over time. If you enter a room of 40 degrees and view it as 90 minutes of torture and wish your were somewhere else the entire time you won’t be present, balanced (literally), focused and mindful of what you’re doing.

We can go through the motions in life or practice being more mindful and present in everything we do. We live in a culture that praises the ability to multitask. As moms we sometimes think we can do it all – make dinner, answer emails, and be tuned in to our kids needs all at the same time. Personally, these moments don’t work out too well for anyone in my experience. Just as workouts and races turn out much better when I’m fully present and focused only on the present task I need to be doing.

We often forget the simplest sounding things sometimes take the most practice such as remembering to breathe deeply, just do one thing at a time and do it well!

Focus on one point in front of you…

A Word About Willpower

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Danelle Kabush

Got big plans and personal goals for the new year? How long is your to-do list for the year?… As a graduate student, I came across research on ego-depletion and accomplishing goals, otherwise known as willpower or self-control and it is fascinating. The ingenious research studies have since been summarized in a great book titled, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, (2011). But for those of you who don’t have the time to read it, here is some of the best advice to remember when setting about accomplishing our most challenging goals for the new year. Growing your willpower or discipline muscles relates very well to training as an athlete.

1. Willpower is like a muscle. Like a muscle, your willpower becomes fatigued with overuse but can also be strengthened over the long-term through exercise. Just like physical training, when you push your discipline muscle at your optimal limit you’ll get stronger and can endure longer with less effort, but it also needs recovery too! What matters most is the exertion. If you struggle with a temptation and then give in, you’ll still be depleted from the resisting and because you gave in. So what are some tips to maximize willpower strength and avoid depletion?

2. Keep your goal list short. You only have one supply of willpower (or energy if you like) so spend it wisely. If you want to make a big changes in your life this year like the common ones of exercising more, eating better/less, overhauling your finances, or keeping a cleaner house, remember you likely won’t have enough willpower in the bank for everything on the list. Each time you are using up willpower to start a new habit, you reduce your capacity for other activities requiring willpower. Therefore, the recommended plan is to pick one resolution and stick to doing it well, that can be enough of a challenge if you want it to last! And the good news is that after 3 weeks to a month, it takes less and less willpower as parts of your new goal work becomes habit and takes less effort.

3. Plan effectively to budget your willpower. When you can foresee extra challenges ahead in your schedule (think high volume training for an athlete), other demands may need to be cut back to get through while staying healthy, in one piece and not too cranky in the end. And more importantly a specific plan (e.g. I will run 45 minutes on Tuesday at the park at noon with Fred) that includes when and where you’ll do something is way more effective than a vague one (e.g. I want to run more this year). Specific plans also avoid what is termed the Zeignarnik effect, referring to how when you ignore unfinished tasks your unconscious mind will keep fretting about them. You may have experienced this when you hear part of a song driving or in passing and then you can’t get it out of your mind for the rest of the day! Finally, if you follow plans that pre-commit you to a strategy (e.g. a dieter that says, “If there is a buffet at the party tonight, I will only eat veggies and lean protein) you’ll have more success developing a routine that turns into a positive habit. The same applies to athletes who practice pre-committing to well-practiced competition plans and strategies, allowing for a more automatic and energy conserving (sometimes in peak performance described as “effortless”) performance.

4. Rest, Food and Cleanliness. Although it may seem obvious, a well-rested will is a stronger one. So is one that is fueled by a bit of glucose (think about your experiences grocery shopping on an empty versus full stomach). Some great studies showed that higher self-control was exerted after having some food. While enough healthy food and good sleep on a regular basis is key, so is a bit of neatness. Some studies also found people to have greater self-control after seeing a clean desk than a messy desk, or even after browsing a neat and well-organized website versus a sloppy one. Environmental cues subtly influence our brain and behavior. Ironically, if you make it a priority to make the bed, wash the dishes, and pick your socks up off the floor you are helping yourself take the strain off of maintaining self-discipline in other areas.

5. Positive Procrastination. If you’re a big procrastinator try using the power of positive procrastination to improve your discipline. For example, some experiments showed that people tempted by chocolate managed to avoid it by telling themselves they’d eat it some other time. The “I’ll have it later” trick works better than trying to deny yourself something all together, and you may not even feel like it later anyway. Don’t feel like getting up in the morning for a workout? Tell yourself you’ll sleep in another day 🙂

6. Monitoring and Rewards. The more carefully you keep track of goals through self-monitoring, writing things down, and carefully tracking your progress with feedback the more success you’ll have. While it can be tedious and boring, there are also plenty of apps and websites to do the work for you these days! On the other side, rewards are important too. Small rewards along the way, as well as big rewards can be significant when achieving a big goal (e.g. an athlete who completes their first big race like a marathon or a smoker who has quit for a full year). Rewards for genuine accomplishments are most effective for promoting self-control in yourself or discipline in your children.

Overall, why is willpower an important virtue to pursue? I’ll finish with a quote from the book mentioned above,

“Self-control is ulimately about much more than self-help. It’s essential for savoring your time on earth and sharing joy with the people you love. One of the most heartening benefits demonstrated in Beaumeister’s experiments is this: People with stronger willpower are more altruistic. They’re more likely to donate to charity, to do volunteer work, and to offer their homes as shelter to someone with no place to go. Willpower evolved because it was crucial for our ancestors to get along with the rest of the clan, and it’s still serving that purpose today. Inner discipline still leads to outer kindness.” (p. 260)

2012 in Pictures

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Danelle Kabush

Wow, 2012 you went by way too fast. And here is my second annual choose a random highlight photo from each month of the year….

January: Lots of playtime on the kitchen floor under mommy’s feet!

February: Indoors or out, Chariots are the most comfortable ride there is!

March: Luna Pro Team camp in Sausilito, CA

April: Xterra Season kicks off in Vegas, joining my favorite Xterra ladies on the podium

May: Birthday month for both boys in the family!

June: Enjoying the outdoor season at the Calgary Zoo

July: Fabulous fun in the sun at the family cabin on Hornby Island, B. C.

August: At our favourite neighbourhood park with Grand-mama

September: Zoe turns 5, starts kindergarten, and completes her first kids race!

October: Not-so-great Xterra Worlds race but great family time!

November: Hey look, we’re back at the same dinosaur with some more friends!

December: After a year long renovation, enjoying our new home for Christmas and guess who needs a haircut?!

Poor performance: physical or mental?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Danelle Kabush

Ironically when a performance goes incredibly well, we don’t often hear, wow, that guy/girl/team is so mentally tough! On the other hand when a competition, race or performance doesn’t go well, we may ask the question, was it physical or mental? When discussing an athlete’s performance I’ve heard coaches say, “It was all mental!”. I’ve broken down performances with athletes I’ve worked with as we try to pick apart any issues that could be more related to mental versus physical reasons for a sub par competition result. Here’s my opinion on some steps to take on deciphering the mental versus physical aspects of a (more often) disappointing result:

1. The Obvious Physical. It is always important to address any physical possibilities first. As a runner I’ve been truly anemic (super low in iron) twice and until I figured out why I was performing so poorly it was super frustrating. Other obvious physical reasons would be any other deficiencies, injuries, or underlying illness. If all the types of physical reasons, most of which could be detected by a medical professional can be ruled out, time to look at the less obvious ones.

2. The Not So Obvious Physical. This is the category that sometimes takes some trial and error by athletes to get right, and can be very individual. Things like getting enough sleep, coping with jet lag, over training, eating/drinking properly before, during and after (especially if doing multiple events over a day or more), and going into a competition rested and sharp enough. While many times great performances happen with less than ideal physical preparation, sometimes (especially if a pattern can be detected), it can be linked back to some of the above aspects of physical preparation, which take high self-awareness, and much practice to fine tune in ever-changing competition scenarios and lead-ups.

3. The Obvious Mental. Did your training predict your performance? Not all sports are as obvious as say track running or pool swimming. When I was a track runner, it was pretty evident what times I would be capable of racing according to the interval times I was running in practice. While other sports aren’t so straight forward, training indications over time, or consistency of your previous competition results can give you a pretty good ball park for how well you can expect to perform. Whether it is one or several competitions where a performance is way below what you’ve proven you are physically capable of doing in training or even previous competitions, perhaps a mental factor is playing a larger role. Things like confidence, focus, competitive motivation, and nerves may be getting in the way.

4. The Not So Obvious Mental. Even though an athlete may be physically ready, and mentally tough, less obvious mental factors can impact performance. For example, sometimes poor decision-making, tactics or strategy in the midst of competition can be critical to the final outcome. Or outside of competition emotional and mental management can impact performance. It is widely accepted that physical training has phases of work or stress and recovery. But what is often neglected is that intense bouts of mental intensity (e.g. period of intense focusing and concentration in or outside of sport) or emotional intensity (e.g. the excitement, highs and lows of competition, strong emotions such as anger, sadness experienced in or outside sport) need periods of recovery too, and will impact physical performance. Stress is stress – the body doesn’t differentiate the cause, or even between perceived positive and negative stress.

5. The Complete Mystery? Sometimes the preparation can go amazingly, mental and emotional stress appears to be in check, and things still don’t go as hoped. And sometimes we may have to accept there might not be any clear reason. In a post titled, “Where to Begin?” my Luna teammate, Catharine Pendrel explained a day like this well which happened for her here in her blog. She was one the favorites to medal at the Olympic Games in London this past August.

My Top 10 Post-Season Reflections

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Danelle Kabush

1. Although I was definitely not saying this after crossing the finish line in Maui, since the post-race dust has settled, I have to concur that Xterra racing is truly the most fun, mountain bike racing takes a close second, occasional road triathlons are interesting fitness challenges. and running races always hurt!!

2. My coach and ultimate training buddy (when he is not injured from tree collisions or falling off bridges :)) keeps every season exciting with an incredible variety of challenging training! Thanks Coach Cal and all my motivating CSR training friends!

3. Racing while raising little people has it challenges but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

4. I have an amazingly supportive family: husband, parents, and inlaws that can often travel on demand when needed!

5. Breastfeeding a child beyond two years old will not hinder athletic performance

6. But racing on day 3 away from your breastfed child with full milk jugs can be painful!

7. Maui-like weather is great and pretty alright to race in but I’m a Canadian girl who loves my seasons – bring on the skiing and snowshoeing!

8. Being incredibly lazy, and eating whatever and whenever I want is only fun for about 7-10 days!

9. At almost two weeks into the off-season I’m already excited to get back to my “athletic job” for the best and most supportive professional women’s team that races in the dirt in the world – I’m so lucky to be a Luna Chix!

10. Did I mention how high Xterra racing is on the fun factor? “Forward 2013!!!”

2012 Xterra Worlds Story

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Danelle Kabush

Despite staying healthy, getting in some great training in the past five weeks, and enjoying the taper countdown to the Xterra finale in Maui, somehow it all went wrong after the gun went off on Sunday morning for the World Championship race…

After a distracting and painful jellyfish sting to one of my fingers in the warm-up swim, I managed to stay focused, calm and determined as we neared go time. The surf was rolling in pretty big on and off but when the Pros started, we lucked out with a few calmer sets and getting in and off wasn’t too bad. I managed to draft for a while and then found myself to the right of everybody but hooked up with a few blue and pink caps as we arrived at the first buoy right on target. I also lined up for the beach well for the first run out in the “M” shaped swim and was happy that I was at least swimming relatively straight through the side wave swells and stronger current further out. Going out to the second buoy became a bit more chaotic and some green caps who had overshot the first run out were swimming straight at us! Finally I was rounding the last buoy and heading for shore. That’s when I got my second jellyfish sting on the chin. As I neared shore and was looking forward to getting on my feet again I got pummeled by a massive wave. My body went into a full on scorpion which my inflexible back did not like at all! Both of my calves massively cramped right up into balls – oweee! When I finally figured out which way was up and down again I clamoured out of the waves and tried to get running as fast as I could to my bike up the long uphill grass climb to transition.

swim start

As I peeled off my swim skin in transition heaps of sand dropped to the ground, ugh! Even though we had wave starts this year, (two minute gaps between Pros, amateur men, then amateur women), I still had plenty of traffic to contend with for the first 4 miles of the bike. The narrower trail extended longer this year, and although it was relatively wide, the deeper sand on the sides made passing really difficult, I think Xterra has burst the seams by trying to manage 700 peeps on course at once! It was hard to find my rhythm and I was just feeling flat and on the verge of cramping most of the way. Since I wasn’t feeling my usual power on the uphills, I focused on enjoying the downhills and ripping as fast as I was comfortable. On one of the first longer open downhills I was sad to see my Luna teammate Suzie walking with her bike, front wheel tacoed and tube completely off.

Attempting to get the climbing legs going!

I came off the bike in a tight pack with Brandi, Mel, and Magali. I started the run with Magali and thought all I need to do is stay with her to salvage a decent result. I started with her and but once we hit the steeper grass I was fading. The run felt like a bad dream where I wanted to pick it up but just couldn’t. I tried to respond to every pass that went by me but never lasted long, and finally limped across the line in 12th. A physio friend has since explained to me that my scorpion back compression in the swim likely caused a “neurological injury” to my legs explaining the lack of power and cramping feelings I had – especially by the time I was running uphill on the run – ugh! Three days out it is still super painful to walk around due to sore calves.

But enough of my lamenting. Even though we had to evacuate our condo for a few hours the night before due to the tsunami warning, luckily the wave didn’t amount to anything. Race day was a beautiful day, and not too hot. The 70.3’ers and ITU’ers came out and rocked it on the least technical course in Xterra for the men and women. Lesley Paterson crushed the field and handily won her second World Xterra Title. Barbara Riveros of Chile was second, Mari Rabie of South Africa in 3rd, Heather Jackson 4th, and Jacqui Slack, of Great Britain finished up 5th for the last podium spot.

Shonny and I happy to be finished!

I had an amazing support crew, with Chris and Waldek from team Luna, out to support myself and teammates, Suzie and Shonny. I’m so lucky to be part of such as amazing team! My parents, husband, kids, and brother were also out to enjoy some more summer, to hang out and cheer us on. Even though my last and most important race of the year was a serious disappointment, I’m happy with my overall season, and already looking forward to a luckier 2013!

The support Posse on race morning!

Athlete-Mom Interview: Heather Gollnick

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Danelle Kabush

Heather Gollnick is a five-time Ironman Champion, mother of three, and a triathlon coach (check out her website here). Heather won her first race as a Pro in 2002, the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin in a time of 9h54 minutes and hasn’t looked back since. At 43 years old she has over 100 podium finishes as a Pro, and she shows no sign of slowing down! Below she tells us a bit about how she does it…

Describe your athletic background before and since having kids?

When I first started in triathlon it was easy to schedule training and workouts because it was only my husband and I. I absolutely loved the sport and wanted to take it to the next level. Once I had young kids starting out with girl/boy twins I was so busy that I did not believe that I could do both and do both well, compete as a professional triathlete and be a great mom/wife. How would I possibly fit it all in? We lived in Wisconsin and after a few years of debating the move from age group to professional I made the jump when they announced Ironman Wisconsin would happen in the fall of 2002. I wanted to do that race as a Pro! After coming in as an unknown for the inaugural Ironman WI, and watching the press conference alone from the back, I went on to win the race after inspiration from my daughter Jordan. A few years later we had a third child and ever since it has been complete madness with my husband and I being out numbered. Training is not the number one thing but I can still get out there and mix it up and love it!

What inspires you to keep competing?

Many of the athletes I first started competing with such as Paula Newby Fraser, Heather Fuhr, and Lisa Bentley have all retired. I will be turning 43 and many ask how long I will still keep racing. I have always said when it is not fun any more or I don’t have that competitive drive I will stop. Well, I’m still going so I guess I still have both!! Natasha Badmann is my triathlon idol, she still rocks it at 45!

How has your 2012 season gone so far?

I had some early season injuries after my 3rd place in January at Ironman 70.3 Pucon in Chile and had to take some time off. Later in the season I did Ironman New York and a few weeks later was fourth at Ironman Louisville. Then I did my first ultra triathlon, The Leadman in Bend Oregon. Now I am enjoying some much-needed recovery and off-season and hope to start of 2013 with Pucon again.

Heather on the bike at Ironman Louisville 2012 in which she finished 4th

What is your advice to other moms?

Be nice to yourself, we tend to be so hard on ourselves. If we miss a workout or are just too plain tired to do it we beat ourselves up. Every once in a while I like to treat myself to a hot bath or a mani with my daughter. Also remember training will always be there, your little ones get so big so fast. I can’t believe I have two teenagers and a seventh grader!!!! This year I cut down to just coaching and being a Visalus distributor as far as work and I am so happy to be home. And I have the flexibility to go to every xc meet, every cheer competition etc.

Xterra USA Championship Race Report

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Danelle Kabush

After celebrating my daughter Zoe’s 5th birthday last Wednesday, the following day J-F and I left the kiddies at home with my wonderful parents and flew down to Salt Lake City. We then drove 45 minutes north to Odgen, Utah for a 4-day “race-cation” for the Xterra USA Championship and the final race in the Pro points series. I felt lucky to have escaped catching the nasty cold both my kids had the week before as I would need all the oxygen I could get with this Saturday morning race being at altitude. The swim starts at 4900 feet (1494 meters), and the bike course peaks out at 7300 feet (2225 meters) with 3400 feet of total climbing!

View from top of the bike course looking back at Pineview Resevoir

With a lot on the line, Suzie, Shonny and I were excited to have our Luna team mechanic, Chris Mathis come for the race and get our Orbea Alma 29ers in perfect working order, a definite boost to the pre-race confidence!! This was very true when I picked up a thorn in my tire in the parking area before the race, I might have freaked out just a little but with Chris on hand to seal it asap and reassure me it was fine, I was good to go!

Luna team mechanic, Chris Mathis, working hard on our bikes!

With the Pineview Reservoir lower than ever this year, the swim started a long ways down the usual boat ramp start. It was a wetsuit swim but the perfect temperature. The Pros had a 30 second head start for the 2-lap swim without the usual beach run in between. We headed straight into the morning sun which made sighting the first buoy challenging. I’d had a good warmup but still felt weird and a little weak, the usual beginning of swim panicky feeling, especially as the green capped age groupers starting to engulf me! Just keep swimming, this will pass…and it did. I found myself around Renata the whole swim, and tried to catch on to a few amateurs throughout the swim as they surged by. I was feeling better on the second lap, but dang it was a long swim. Everyone’s times were at least 4 minutes give or take slower than usual, so I finally exited the water after more than 28 minutes!

Renata and I left transition together and I kept her in sight on the road stretch leading to the first section of dirt, and up through Wheeler Canyon as we made our way up to the top of Snowbasin. It was rocky double track climbing that narrowed down to single track as we neared the halfway point right before the first of two long sustained descents. The climbing was never too steep, with some rolling downhills and flats to break it up. At the halfway point I was about 3 minutes down from the leaders. Lesley, Melanie, Suzie, Christine, and Jacqui Slack were all still ahead. By the very top of the course, I had passed Jacqui and Christine, with Renata still just ahead of me. After a fun, slalom like long descent and a few more short climbs we entered T2. I went out onto the run in 5th. When J-F told me I was about 2:30+ back of Mel and Suzie, I knew some catching was definitely possible!

The run starts with about 5 minutes of straight steep uphill running under the chairlift. It is brutal but it is just about putting one foot in front of the other as fast as possible. Then it is fast, mainly rolling downhill single track with lot’s of baby head rocks to look out for for a few miles. By the halfway point of the run I’d over taken Renata and had Melanie in sight back out on some double track. At about the 4 mile mark I puffed past Melanie and knew I only had a limited amount of climbing to my advantage to close on Suzie before the last mile of more of trail which was all downhill to the finish! With the altitude nothing feels fast on this course but I kept pushing hoping to see Suzie in sight. When I finally did near the end of the descending I put on the gas with gravity to help as best I could. With one small hill before the finish I went as hard as I could but it wasn’t enough and I had to settle for third by a margin of 13 seconds! Ouch. I was definitely gunning for a top two finish but if it had to be third, it might as well be to a Luna teammate, so I’m super happy for Suzie who had the race of her life to date as a Pro!

Last ditched effort to close the gap on last little climb before downhill finish shoot

It was an incredibly exciting overall series this year for the overall as well. That 13 seconds would have been the difference of finishing 2nd versus 4th overall in the Pro series as well, so it is a hard pill to swallow and not keep thinking about where I could have found 13 more seconds out there on course over 2 hours and 52 minutes of racing! That said, I am as motivated as ever to get back to work for Worlds in Maui 5 weeks from now. Congrats to Lesley Paterson who took the win on Saturday as well as the overall series title. As the reigning Xterra and ITU off-road World Champ, she is THE woman to watch out for on October 28th!

Podium (L-R): Melanie McQuaid (4th), Suzie Synder (2nd), Lesley Paterson (1st), me (3rd), Renata Bucher (5th)

Move fast. Think slow.

Reflections on the mental side of sport, performance and wellness.