I am self-proclaimed awful music student. Remedial is being kind. But I do think there are many similarities in an intricate orchestra and a training program. While I know that the base must be strong it can’t be too strong and though the winds must time their entrance perfectly, there is a blending of art and science in both training and music that elevates the task and requires those entering into coaching or conducting to have an ear tuned perfectly and an eye solidly on the goal at hand.

I feel very confident in my conductor. While the music may be labored and clunky now with a few wrong notes and false starts along the way, I know that the training is layering and building slowly so that come October the final piece will be ready for a standing ovation.

Here are just a few of the changees over the past year…

1. Most importantly, I am married.  Now that I am a wife to Eric and a mother to Mr. Fur. It is exciting and fun but also an important step in my life after triathlon.

2. Last year, I had no sponsors or team.  I was dumped by everyone after my 2010 season.  This year, I have the support of an amazing team in teamTBB that took a chance on me last year.  And I hope that I can help the team this year.

3. With the help of Doc, I have turned around my triathlon career rebounding in 2011 from my discouraging results in 2010.  In addition, I am slowly learning from him and am excited to learn more and soak it all in this year.

4. I have been able to swim, ride, and run in the best clothing and with the best equipment thanks to our amazing sponsors Cervelo, Campagnolo, 3T, and 2XU.

5. I am a year older.  Which doesn’t mean much except the old body is just getting a bit more creeky in the morning.

6. I made a resolution for the first time in forever.  I resolve to treat every day as a special gift and put 100% into whatever I am doing whether it is resting or training, relaxing or suffering.  I want to soak up every minute of 2012 and make the most of the opportunities I have.

Well that is all I can think of to list, but I must say I was a bit sad to see 2011 go.  It was a great year, but I know there is more to come.  Here’s to a great 2012 for everyone but especially my teamTBB teammates, our amazing sponsors, and our great support team of Doc, Alex, and the Bike Boutique.  Thanks so much!

This weekend, I got married to Eric Olson and was able to leave the SBR at home for a week to celebrate a step in my life that will last much longer than my triathlon career. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job being a teamTBB professional triathlete, and I am so happy to have found a mate that supports my lofty goals and ambitions in the sport. However, I also know that now having a partner I need to consider more than myself and my triathlon career. This is exciting and has given me more perspective on life and our sport. If I don’t win a race or fail to reach that big goal, I know Eric will always comfort me, support me, and help me find a way to reach my potential the next time.

The wedding weekend was amazing and provided a great opportunity to share our love with friends and family. Eric and I will remember it for as long as we live. I don’t think I have let myself have that much fun since I was a carefree college student. The only thing that would have made it even better is if some of my teamTBB family could have joined in the celebration. Now that the wedding festivites are over, both Eric and I are recovering and looking forward to getting back to normal life. I can’t wait to get back to my training routine and am excited to start 2012 with a new perspective. As a married triathlete on the best team in the sport, 2012 is sure to be amazing!

The day started a bit slowly. I was sluggish off the line and spent the swim getting pummeled by the pro men. Good practice for Kona! . It was a wetsuit swim so I was a bit disheartened with my time but at least there is plenty of racing after the swim in Ironman. For the first time, I had no cramping or issues early on the bike, i just tried to stay with Meredith Kessler as she set a fast pace out the first 60k. Aided by a tailwind, i think we sat on 40k an hour. When we got to the first climb, i felt good and decided to push a bit harder. I rode the rest of the way alone and with the headwind coming home, i was very ready to get off the bike. I was equally excited about my bike time. In contrast to Austria, this split reflected a true solo hard TT effort and gives me some much needed confidence for Kona. Also despite hard hot conditions, I had no stomach issues, please check out my full race nutrition report here: . At the start of the run, I was tired the wind and bike sapped me more than in previous races. Also the heat was starting to get oppressive around 95 degrees F. On the run, I drank as much as I could and grabbed as much ice as possible. And still I felt like I was melting. The last 8 miles were tough more from the fatigue and heat than any bonking. Luckily, Eric biked out on the course so I had some moral support out there. And the age groupers and crowds especially in town were amazing. Breaking the record was an unexpected bonus to the day. I wasn’t going for it, I just wanted to finish and get out of the heat ASAP. Overall, I am so pleased and now also a bit sore. Luckily, Eric took it easy on my during our run and swim Monday.

With my spot in Kona finally secure, I am excited to start preparing and have a good race there. Thanks so much to Doc, all the team TBB members, Alex, our amazing team TBB sponsors, First Endurance, and of course Eric, my family, and friends.

Now, I hope that I get to Kona and have a chance to race the best gals at the world championships later this year. Cross your fingers for me!

Day 2: The morning started with my consumption of a pot of coffee at the Etap breakfast buffet. After that I was ready to roll for day 2. The coffee in combination with Doc’s admonition that I not save myself for the race I gave it to myself on the big climb of the day not realizing that I would pay for it later on the climb up to the top of the Alp. I definitely arrived at the top of this climb sweaty and felt okay until we reached the bottom of the climb up to Alp D’ Huez. I slowly made my way up and was at least not too disheartened as a few of the others struggled along with me. The second day ride was only about 140K but made up for lack of distance with the climbs.

Day 3: After a good night’s sleep, we had a swim, run, bike pre-race rest day.

Day4: Race day dawned ominously with cold grey skies that opened up as soon as the race started. It was cold and rainy the entire day but luckily I managed to put on enough clothing so that I wasn’t too cold . The race didn’t go great but I managed to pull off a second place despite frittering away 10 minutes trying to fix my bike wheel during the first 30K. Funnily, the easiest part of the bike ride was the climb up the Alp. It was definitely the highlight for me and the run up on the mountain was so much fun a nice hilly mix of dirt and road. I hope that I get to race next year and give it a better go. Hopefully the weather will cooperate too!

Day 5: After an early morning swim, it was back on the road again. We took the longer flat route to our Albertville stop. After a flat pretty comfortable 160K ride, we arrived at the Etap and rested for the night. I was starting to go from slap happy into a complete zombie.

Day 6: Not even attempting to down an entire pot of coffee could help me today. I struggled from the start and limped into Chamonix. After an influx of calories and candy, I had a resurgence and felt much better for the final two climbs and ride home. I even climbed the hill back up to Leysin though I had the option of taking the train. Stupid I know!

Overall, the trip was an unforgettable experience and the saddle sore that came with it from wearing old worn out bike shorts is a reminder. I definitely think it made me stronger physically and mentally. I’ll be drawing on this reserve for the rest of the season and hopefully in the lava fields of Kona.

This year has been hard at times and held up a mirror to my own mental room revealing some flaws i have previously decided to ignore or overlook. As a result, this year I have had to do some remodeling of my own mind. In literature, rooms are often used as an expression of the character and provide some insight. In my own life I have held onto mental furniture that is ratty, old, and comfortable in order to keep a safe design that has outlived its useful life. It maybe hasn’t been as dramatic as it was for the podcast subject, but this year has gradually forced me to reckon with my own room’s setup. I still have some furniture that needs to be tossed and some mental design errors that Doc has pointed out to me. In addition Eric and Mr Fur have added their own little touches of fur, knick knacks, and love to make my room a bit more comfortable and less sterile. Unfortunately it isn’t always easy to get rid of that nostalgic armchair even though it sags, has loose springs, and smells funny or the ticking mantel clock that needs to be replaced by a nice piece of artwork. But after one last argument with the designers, I have seen some of what they have been trying to show me. That old armchair is simply a crutch that is blocking the window where there is natural light and clashes with the new rug I have just laid down. And I have always hated that ticking clock sound. I am by no means done; there is still quite a bit of my mental furniture that needs to be tossed, augmented, or rearranged to maximize the room I have. But I am grateful for what I have already been able to accomplish and look forward to working on fixing the rest of my mental furniture in my little room both here in Leysin and over the next period of my life.

The day started well. In the swim, I lost the leading men after about 200 meters and swam the rest of the way on my own until two age group men joined me with about 800 meters to go. It was a wetsuit swim so i expected a fast time but 48 minutes was definitely faster than I hoped to achieve. I was cramping from the swim running in T1 but just hoped getting some electrolytes down early on the bike and starting off easy would abate this issue and luckily it did. Once on the bike, I started easy as i was trying to get rid of the cramping but by 20k my quads seemed to be okay so i started to push a bit. On the bike, i had some male age groupers and pros to pace off which was helpful. I kept passing them on the climbs but they would come right back by me on the flats. But their company helped the bike go by faster. I had three bottles of First Endurance and took aid on the course. I also managed to get down some lollies and a mars bar. It was a moveable buffet and every-time i started to puke i would just lay off the food for a bit to let things digest before forcing more down. I did manage four pees on the bike which seemed like a good sign. The second lap of the bike went by much faster than the first. But when i got to T2 i was ready to be off the bike. I don’t race with a watch or anything else so in T2, i asked someone what time it was and was surprised. It was twenty to one which meant i had biked under 5 hours, i skeptical and didn’t believe it. I asked eric again for the time when i ran past him around the 1.5k mark. It was now only 12:43. Wow was all i could think. At the start of the run, i felt good but knew the elephant could jump on my back at anytime. I cruised along for the first half seeing Eric twice each lap feeling like i could do this. On the run, I drank as much as I could and had two full flasks of First Endurance gel one in Vanilla and one in Berry. I think i was on 2:55 marathon pace until the bottom feel out. I stopped for a bathroom break # 1 and 2 around 28k. I felt great after that quick pit-stop but it didn’t last long. Around 30k, the wheels came off and i started to struggle. The last 12k was the toughest part of the day. I just didn’t want to walk so i kept going and slowed down a bit to try to save myself. I wont say it was pretty and i think Eric thought i was going to fall over when i saw him with 10k to go. But the crowds were amazing and kept me going. Then when there was only 5k left, I was able to get home on pure adrenaline and willpower. Seeing the finish line was amazing, I couldn’t believe the finish time, and it still doesn’t seem real. But at that point just getting across it was all that mattered. I was excited to see my teammate Diana crossing in third having a great result on her road to Frankfurt where i am sure she will have another amazing finish. Overall, I am so pleased and now also very sore. I think I will be hobbling around for the next week.

With my first Ironman done, I have no illusions -it is a hard sport but seems to be one that suits me. I look forward to doing another one but no time soon. I am excited to have started the year so much better than last year and even more excited to be a part of team TBB this year. Thanks so much to Doc, all the team members, Alex, our amazing team TBB sponsors, First Endurance, and of course Eric, my family, and friends.

As important as it is to analyze success, it is also important to review failures.  This race is one that I need to review to ensure that I don’t have another performance like this.  From making sure that I avoid glass on the roads to bringing appropriate supplies to deal with multiple flat tires, I need to be more conscious of taking care of mechanicals quickly and effectively and preventing those that I can.  In addition, I didn’t deal well with the cold conditions.  Despite putting on arm warmers and gloves, I was still have difficulty.  I had similar issues with cold conditions and a borderline but non-wetsuit swim in a race last year.  In the future, I need to come up with a better and more comprehensive plan to deal with these conditions as they are a weakness for me.  Finally, I need to be more realistic in the future when dealing with race week setbacks.  In retrospect, I should have skipped the race when I was struck down with the virus.  But in the least, I should have not tried to squeeze in the workout sessions that I did during the week.  If I had truly let myself recover, then I may have rebounded in time for the race instead of sabotaging myself by trying to get the last few workout sessions done race week.

The Knock Out was my hard head hitting the dock on the swim course on Saturday.  While now it seems quite funny, I was sprinting away head down and BAM ran straight into the dock.  The Dock 1 KO, MBE 0 The real lesson is that sometimes I get so set in my path and stubborn that I just try to burrow through obstacles without taking the time to take break let myself have a rest, adjust a plan when I am sick or tired.  As important as it is to be dedicated and determined, there is also a time to be flexible, look up, alter the course, backtrack, and retreat to regroup for the next assault.  This is me regrouping for the next assault.  I may be beaten in this round by better athletes on the day (many great performances by some of my favorite female pros and friends) but I will be back to fight another day.  The battle may be lost but not the war.