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The story behind the breakthrough! Dan The Man….

posted: January 22nd 2010 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Racing | No Comments »

I would like to dedicate this blog to my friend and athlete Danny Golden from my old hood, The Woodlands, Texas. Danny is the model of a perfect progression leading to a huge breakthrough. Danny ran his first marathon in 4:56 in 2002. 7 years later, this past weekend, he ran a 3:16:09. One hour and forty minutes faster, and accomplished his dream of qualifying for the ever so prestigious Boston Marathon. He is the prime example of what hard work, sacrifice, commitment , and patience can do for any runner. (oh yeah, and a kick ass program and coach, let’s not forget that!) I wanted to take a little behind the scene look at how a runner can PR by almost 2 hours in a marathon.

Be patient and think long term. Most runners think short term. They want to run this marathon in 3 months and want this time. While there is nothing wrong with this, I believe the real way to get faster is a gradual progression and change in workout intensity and volume. How did we do this with Danny? 2003, we focussed on weekly consistency, and light workouts. We didn’t worry about pace or specific speed intervals or tempo running. Danny ran “organically” with regard to pacing. There were no pace charts or heart rate monitors. I wanted him to get a feel for running and learn his internal limitations and effort levels. The result was almost an hour pr. He ran 3:46 in our first year working together in 2006. In 2007, we spiced up the program by adding speed and stamina sessions in a periodized approach. In addition we increased the weekly mileage from 30 to 35-40. The result was a stronger  and more well rounded Danny. While he didn’t PR this year, he gained a tremendous amount of strength and stamina and formed the foundation for our work together in 2008. (He did however PR in every other event this year) After Houston 2009, where Danny again Pr’s with a 3:29, he told me his goal for 2010. Qualify for Boston and break 3:20. I knew we had our work cut out for us. This was a lofty goal and we needed to take his training to yet again new heights. Our goal for this training cycle was to increase mileage and add more stamina workouts to the mix. In order for him to be able to handle this increase, we came up with a “injury prevention” strength training program. He completed workouts he never thought would be possible. Long stamina marathon specific workouts, many more long runs, and several at GMP. It was essential to dial in GMP. The volume went up to 50 mpw and he handled this quite well. I knew he was “on”

This past weekend Danny ran The Houston Marathon in 3:16, crushing the qualifying time by 4 minutes. He did it. He accomplished his goal, and now he’s headed to my old stomping grounds. Throughout the year Danny had PR’ed in every event and every race. It was the perfect progression and a season every coach dreams of.

What makes his accomplishment so special is how he handled the gradual progression year after year. He was not only patient but  so structured in his training and left no stone unturned. It was a long term gradual progression. He has a very demanding job, a wonderfully supportive wife, and a son. The sacrifices he has made are to be commended. I am so proud of him and all that he has done over the years. It just goes to show that patience, a long term plan, commitment, dedication, and of course a lot of pain and suffering along the way does pay off. Congrats Bud! Here are some pics of that great day in Houston 2010! What can I say, I love my job.

Now get your ass out the door and train!  :)

Operation Rebound Relay in Vegas

posted: November 24th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Racing | No Comments »

It seems to me that so much hype and attention goes out to the professional athletes and the winners of a race. While this is certainly well deserved, I personally am more motivated and inspired by the CAF, Operation Rebound athletes. These men and women have stared down death in the face. They come home mentally, physically, and emotionally injured.  Yet they overcome their new physical challenges and gain strength from their experiences and a new sense of living life to the fullest. They journey on to new challenges, new goals, and seek other ways to fulfill their sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

It was an honor to be part of their relay team. We had a wonderful time and I left the race feeling inspired. This course is known to be one of the hardest half marathons on the circuit. I believe it was as I was running that run course. Duane was the cyclist for our team. He lost both his legs in Vietnam when a grenade struck his troop. With his legs blown off, he managed to pull one of his soldiers out. He was the only survivor from his troop. Here is his inspiring story.

In the early morning hours of 15 May 1967, Duane’s company was attacked by enemy mortar and small arms fire. Close combat quickly ensued and Duane was hit by an enemy hand grenade that blow off both of his legs below the knee. Though severely wounded, Duane dragged himself and another injured Marine to safety. For his actions, Duane was awarded the Silver Star.

Upon returning to the U.S., Duane was told by doctors that he would never walk again. However, Duane defied the doctors by walking without the aid of a cane or crutches the first day he received his

Duane Wagner, U.S.M.C. prosthetic legs. He then began riding a bike every day and soon became an elite long-distance cyclist. In 2008, Duane became a member of CAF Operation Rebound and now serves as a mentor to many newly injured veterans, supporting their efforts to become active again after experiencing a traumatic injury. Duane does not consider himself disabled. “It’s just an inconvenience”, says Duane. Duane continues to demonstrate that losing his legs won’t slow him down.

I really enjoyed my time in Vegas and made some great new friends along the way. Keith and Kimberly with New Balance took great care of me and I enjoyed my time with them. I also got to see the Hoover Dam, which was amazing. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Here I am with the beautiful Tallie, The team operation rebound mascot and service dog. She even warmed up in the water  with them. So cute. How loyal she is!

Fun in the sun!! Life is sooo rough……. :)

posted: October 10th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Travel | No Comments »

Here are some pics from our amazing week in Kona.

The sun feels so good! Here we are taking a break from the surf.

Kim and Scotty chilling

Meg loving the pacific

Kim relaxing after a year of Ironman Training. Mom reading her slut novels!

me ripping it up in Kona…….

In my dreams!!!!!!!!!!

And lastly, my kiddos after a long hike w/ friends Dabbs and Tricia. I miss them soooo much!!

Adventures in Kona

posted: October 8th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Travel | No Comments »

We are having a great time vacationing in Kona, while Kim does absolutely nothing to prepare for the race. Stay tuned for some video from the Big Island. On day one my niece and I decided to have a synchronized swimming competition. I am pretty sure I won.

The final

Good times!

Good Luck Sissy

posted: August 30th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends | No Comments »

Special good luck to the sis as she races Ironman Louisville tomorrow!!!!

Track her on ironman.com  :)  :)

It just kills me not to be there!

Kim's Racing Lake Placid tomorrow! Good luck sissy!

posted: July 25th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends | No Comments »

This was on ironman.com today
Determined not to be a “bridesmaid” again “I’ve been a bridesmaid here twice, and I don’t want to be a bridesmaid anymore,” Kim Loeffler, pictured here racing at Ironman China earlier this year, said in an interview today. “The first year I was second, in 2005, to Heather Fuhr, it was a breakthrough race for me. I was so happy I got second. I beat so many amazing women. I was just four minutes from Heather Fuhr, who is an amazing athlete with an amazing race resume, and it was the race of my life at that time. Last year I got second and it crushed me. I had the win until mile 23. I thought it was gonna be my day, and once again I got outrun … which is supposed to be my strength. It was really hard to handle, but it’s those feelings you use to fuel you in training. Hopefully I can achieve my goal of winning this race.”

Loeffler was possibly one of the few people here in Lake Placid who was aware of Caitlin Snow’s amazing running abilities, but in the end the Vermonter succumbed to the weather and couldn’t get it done on the run.

“I knew she was a good runner. I am a good runner. I just did not have a good run that day..

Loeffler would very much like to get her first Ironman win on what she considers her home course. She lives just outside of Burlington, Vermont, which is about a two-hour drive from Lake Placid. More than that, though, she’d very much like to get a lead and hold it through the entire race here.

Ironman CDA in the books!

posted: June 25th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Racing, Sponsors, Travel | No Comments »

What a fun week! I have to say a big thank you to Kim for coaching me for this race and for taking such great care of me the days leading up to race day. Thank you Kevin and Cindy (Nancy !) for welcoming us into your beautiful home. We truly enjoyed our stay and getting to know you both!

I had a suitable welcome to race week when upon arrival at the Spokane airport, I opened the car door and knocked myself in the eye, giving me a beautiful  black eye. I had blood streaming down my face and said to Kim , “Oh, That’s gonna leave a mark!.” It hurt a lot but we laughed it off. She said , “Let the beatings begin.”

We got there early in the week and this gave us plenty of time to goof off, practice open water swimming, and check out the bike course. I felt very confident at the beginning of the week but got nervous as the week progressed. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. First I find out that the weather on race day would be in the low 50’s with wind, thunderstorms, and a chance of hail. “Great” , I thought. I can run in anything, but the choppy ocean like lake, and wet roads on the bike is something that makes me very nervous. The bike course was technical with steep downhills and sharp turns on the descents. My handling skills are less than ideal for this kind of course. I just prayed for no rain on the bike. Bring it on for the run. I can handle any weather condition on the run. Then to top it off, they inform us at the pro meeting that it will be a land start. Oh how I love these, start in the sand in your friggin rubber suit, sprint in the water, and begin hammering the swim. Nothing like starting an Ironman with a heart rate of 200, getting kicked and punched while hyperventilating. What a great way to start the day with a full blown panic attack!  I remember standing on the starting line of the Miami Marathon with some friends who were all trying to get their olympic trial qualifying time and one friend said to me, “This is the worst feeling in the world. It’s so nerve racking!”  I looked at her and replied, “Oh honey , you have NO idea!!! The start of an ironman swim is by far the wost! No one is going to run up to you and grab your legs or punch you in the face, while you are gasping for air” ok you get my point.

The swim was very challenging. We were given a 35 minute head start on the age groupers. Well it was a 2 loop course, so the slower swimmers were screwed. Just as I turned to head towards the second loop, I missed a buoy and a lady in a kayak was yelling at me to go around it, so I turned around to go around it just as I heard the U2 It’s a beautiful Day song, (now every time I hear this song I’ll feel sick to my stomach) and I knew in 10 second I was screwed. The 2500 age groupers had started and I was about to get the living shit beat out of me. I was on the left and tried to get to the right of the buoy because I knew that once we hit that red left turn buoy, I would be stuck in a traffic jam around the buoy. There were so many swimmers that I couldn’t get left. I felt like Chevy Chase , “Big Ben kids, Just can’t get to the left!” I was so scared I actually had an evacuation plan and said to myself that if by chance I got pushed under the buoy, not to panic and just swim under it to the other side. There was a dead stop traffic jam at the turn buoy, we were actually just treading water trying to get around. I actually aqua jogged a bit around the buoy and actually passed some swimmers! A few minutes later and many kicks in the face, I lost my goggles, and had to stop to put they back on. It was brutal and I came out of the water in 67 minutes, 5 minutes off my goal time.

I got on my bike and felt ready to get some girls. Kim said to hold back the first loop and pace myself. I felt like I was riding strong but my pace was a little slower than planned. Because all the girls swam so much faster than me, I was ALL alone out there on the bike. There was no one. It was very lonely. I had a hard time getting in a rythem on the bike. I heard a jarring in my gearing and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Seemed like we were either going up, down, or around a turn. I tend to do better on courses like Lake Placid, long climbs versus smaller hills one after another. My lack of technical bike skills definitely showed in my time. I found myself wondering how hard to push. I was worried about the run. I knew that the marathon would be a struggle off 2 days a week of running.

I got off the bike and didn’t pass a single girl, but I felt ready to run. I loved the run course. 2 loops and an out and back, so there were people everywhere. I felt like I was in a race unlike the lonely bike ride. I paced great in the run and am very proud of myself for pushing to the end. I had a bad patch from 13-18 but finished strong (maybe it was all the coke I was desperately reaching for) and ran the last 3 miles at about 7 min pace with the last one under 7. I thought I was in 9th place and 8th place was 1:50 up with 4 miles to go. I had to dig very deep to push on and go after her. I caught her with 2 miles to go. I was so happy because I wanted top 8 so bad. Well I crossed the finish line and found out that was 9th place! Damn it!! Oh well it pushed me to the limits. I ended up passing 4 pro’s on the run. It was a very challenging race for me. The swim and bike was such a mental struggle for me, and the run as usual was very painful. All in all I am happy and raced to a PR by 4 minutes. What a great sport and such a challenge.

We went down to the finish line later that night to drink some beers and watch the final finishers. Fun fun.

I have to thank my sponsors New Balance and Trakkers for their support. Thank you!!!! I just loved my new flats, 769, great Ironman racer.

And most of all thanks sissy for taking such good care of me all week long! I had a blast and maybe , just maybe , I’ll do another! Love ya sis!

Here are some fun pics of our weekend.

Looking back, it would be funny to see a picture of me getting swallowed up by the 2500 age groupers but Kim couldn’t watch it. She said it was too painful, and had to look away as it happened. She felt too bad for me.

Ironman CDA!

posted: June 8th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Race Preview, Training | No Comments »

Whoo, things have been so busy since I got back to Boulder. I had a solid training cycle in Tucson and continued plugging along here in Boulder. I am very excited to be in taper mode. I thought it would never arrive! Needless to say I am officially in what I call the “Oh Shit” phase. You know, you spend months and months preparing for a race. You are tired all the time, and can not wait until the taper. Then the taper comes, and you are like “Oh Shit, I need more training. I’m not ready. I need more time!!!!” Funny how the “Oh Shit” phase works.

I had a very hard time training for this race. It was not easy. I had to juggle a lot of other responsibilities. Yes, I compete as a professional, but I certainly don’t live the lifestyle of the typical pro triathlete. I work 2 jobs, and am a full time student.  There were many times where after a 7 hour workout, I would eat my dinner in the car and rush off to work and give massages. I would think,”How on earth  am I going to get through this night!”  Then I would come home, and hit the books. It was so incredibly challenging for me and I just kept feeling like I was being tested.  There were many times when I thought that I couldn’t handle the training and maybe I shouldn’t do the race. But then I thought about all the age groupers out there who work full time, have families, and they do it, with a smile of their faces!!! I have realized through this training cycle that the pro’s are definitely not the heros. Don’t get me wrong, they are to be admired and commended, but it is the age groupers who I really find inspirational. Those who juggle so much and still manage to complete one of these crazy races. I want to congratulate all the age groupers. I will be racing for all of us out there next Sunday!.  Thanks for giving me the inspiration to finish this journey  I am really excited for this race. It will be my first triathlon in over a year. I plan on punishing myself to the max but also enjoying every minute of it because I know the finish line is the best reward!

Special thanks to Coach Kim for putting up with me throughout my preparation and being supportive of my absolutely insane mountain climb long runs haha. We’ll see if it works!!!!!! Kim will be with me all week. Thank goodness, because how am I going to pump up my tires by myself! (I’m sort of kidding)

Also want to thank Kim for lending me her Cervelo, race wheels, wetsuit, aero helmet, etc… ok you get the idea. Thanks sissy!!

Ok guys and girls, get your ass out the door and train

Bye Bye Tucson!

posted: April 7th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Training, Travel | No Comments »

It’s hard to believe Kim and I are leaving Tucson this weekend. Time has flown by and we had an absolute blast making new friends and training like crazy.  The training here has been great and I only hope all the hard work will pay off. Kim heads to China this weekend without me. It was a hard decision, but I have decided not to race. It’s just to much money to spend to go to a race where I will not be at my best. I’m hoping to hold on to this fitness and shoot for some fun 70.3’s and possibly Idaho, although I don’t know how I can do all this training without the sis. She dragged my ass to the pool so many times when I didn’t want to go! Thanks sis! I return back to Boulder this weekend. Looking forward to some runs on Mags and also taking the kidos to the Boulder Res for a swim.  Here are some fun pics from our trip. I also want to say thanks to the best homestay host in the world. John, thanks so much for EVERYTHING!! especially the incredible wine    

Getting ready for hill repeats on Gates pass.

Post Run Cactus Trail

Taking a break from Training!!!  

Little critters having fun on trash night. They think they hit the jackpot!    

Fun in the pool,  Group swim with Sam McGlone and Coach Cliff English!!   Thanks Cliff and Sam for some great training and fun times!  GOOD LUCK IN CHINA SISSY!!!!!

Tucson Here We Come!!

posted: January 19th 2009 | posted in Blog, Family & Friends, Training | No Comments »

The word is in. Kim has made her decision and has informed me last week that I am racing Ironman China with her. OK sounds like a hoot to me. I guess it’s crazy hot there in April, so I am digging  a little heat exhaustion. It will give me some flash backs of the good ol days in Houston where I ran my afternoon runs with temps in the 100’s!   The holiday binge eating and drinking is now over and I have been training hard the past 2 weeks. I had such a wonderful time with my family on Long Island. It was some good family bonding, along with lots of great movie watching. By the way my eyes still hurt from watching Marley and Me. Needless to say I made a fool out of myself in the movie theater.  We are having crazy warm temperatures here in Boulder. Today I ran a long run in shorts and a t-shirt and got a little sun burn on my face. More sun to come as Kim, Pre, Aggie, and I are headed down to Tucson for 3 months prior to Ironman China. Kim and I always have a blast training together. We can be in the middle of an interval, going all out, then start laughing at something. Gotta keep it interesting I guess. We are pretty whacky together. On another note, I am very happy to be a part of the Trakkers team for 2009. For those of you who  do not know, Trakkers makes a GPS device which delivers GPS technology in real time. Friends and family members will be able to follow an athletes progress on race day in real time simply by going to the web page. It is truly an incredibly much needed product! Check it out at Trakkersgps.com. Here are some fun photos.   

Kramer kicked my ass yesterday in Boulder, but I made him stop for a photo! 

Here’s a pic of the kidos taking care of Aunt Kim at our last training camp together in Boulder. Funny, I have the Queen bed, but for some reason they always slept on her, I  mean with her!     

And finally, here’s a pic of the kidos ripping apart their christmas present. Better the bear than the tree!.  Aggie is sporting her Princess pillow, which Pre ate an hour later. Now for the funny story of the day. So, I was running on Montauk Highway in Long Island, and I swear I nearly fell over when I saw a sign (right next to a little pond off the busy highway) which read, “Caution, Wildlife Crossing” Being a Boulder girl, I started laughing hysterically as I saw a cute little baby duck and her momma ever so slowly waddle across the street. AHHAAAAHAA . Later, I told my mom about what I saw and she replied,” Yeah those things are viscous!”  It was hilarious!  Ok guys and girls, get your ass out the door and train!