Coeur Sports Ambassador for 2016

I am so excited and honored to announce that I have been named as a 2016 Ambassador for Coeur Sports! I contacted them and told them that I am injured and that my 2016 race season will not be what we had expected. They said that they would still love for me to be on their team! She asked that I chronicle what it is like to be an injured athlete; recording the journey through injury, back to training and finally to racing. She said it is something every athlete can relate to and be helped by. Their slogan is Heart and Courage. That perfectly describes what I'm feeling now. I think that I'm going to fit right in on their team!

Coeur Sports offers amazing triathlon, cycling, running, swimming, compression, tees and more for active women. Check out their page! http://www.coeursports.com/

My Season Ender ~ Completely Torn ACL and Oblique Medial Meniscus Tear

On 10-10-15, I was running in the Terrain Race 10K obstacle/mud run at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, NV. I was running it with my husband. It was my forth obstacle race and his first. We were in the first wave at 9:00 am. We started in a garbage bin filled with water. At the cannon boom, we were off. I jumped out of the bin and hit the ground running. The first obstacle was an over/under section of banners and rope. The next obstacle was a long section of large rocks that we had to run over. We then had to run up a steep hill. At the top of the hill, we had a bit of rolling terrain until we were directed to run down a steep hill. It was really steep and the ground was unstable. I slowed down a bit on this section because I was afraid of wiping out and tumbling the 100 yards down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, the course had brought us back to the main staging area so we were near the start line, the food vendors, and spectators. The next obstacle was a four foot wall. I ran to it and jumped so that I landed on the top sitting. I swung my legs over and jumped down. Then I heard it......POP!

My right knee let out a loud pop and it bent to the right at the knee. I immediately knew that I had done something bad. I was able to stay upright because I yelled to my husband who was instantly by my side. I told him that I broke something. I buried my face in his chest and began repeating "No, No, No". He led me to the side of the course where a vendor came over with a chair. I sat down and my husband asked the vendor to get the medics. (I never got to thank that vendor and I really wish I had.) I rolled my capris up and could see that my knee was already swelling. The medics arrived only a few minutes later. They asked me a few questions, looked at my knee, and strapped an ice pack to it. They said that I needed to go to the ER. We decided that we would drive ourselves so the medics drove me in the ambulance to our car. They took our timing chips to give back to the race directors.

We drove about thirty minutes to our hospital. For the first time, I cried. I had a lot of time to think about what had just happened and what it more than likely meant. We arrived at the ER and were able to be seen pretty quickly. They took me straight to get X-Rays. I had to set my leg in a few positions and that was pretty painful. They then sent me back to my exam room. After a while, the ER doctor came in to talk to me. He told me that I did not have any broken bones. The physical exam pointed to a soft tissue injury. He said that he was going to put me in for a referral to the orthopedic office. They then set me up with a full leg immobilizing knee brace and crutches and some pain medication.

So I was sent home to wait. Since it was a holiday weekend, the ortho office would not be open until Tuesday. My knee continued to swell. I had a friend loan me his Polar Care ice machine to help ice my knee. I spent many hours that weekend sitting on the couch with my leg elevated. 

Finally, Tuesday arrived and I called the ortho office. They said that the soonest they could see me would be November 4th. I could not believe that! How could I go that long without knowing what had happened? After explaining my case and the hardship it would cause to wait that long, they said that they would examine my case and call me on Wednesday with more information. The next morning, they called me with a new appointment date. They were going to be able to see me on Monday, October 19th. In the meantime, I was instructed to continue wearing the brace and icing it. 

At the one week point, the swelling was down some. I was able to place some weight on the leg and hobble around without the brace or crutches. 

Still a little swollen.

This is how straight I could get the knee.

This is how much I could bend the knee.

On Monday, I arrived at my appointment ready for answers. I was seen my a Physician's Assistant. He pulled and pushed on my leg/knee, had me try to straighten and bend the knee, and did all the normal exam stuff. He said that my knee was still really swollen and that he was concerned that I had damaged more than one thing in my knee. He put in a referral for me to get an ultrasound due to how much pain I was having in my calf. He was also going to try and get me an emergency MRI spot. He sent us over to the imagery department. As I was checking in, they told me that they were going to be able to do both that morning. My husband had taken the entire day off of work in hopes that they would be able to get me in for an MRI that day so we were really glad that it was working out that way. I was sent straight back for the ultrasound. It was a bit uncomfortable when they were looking at the underside of my knee but other than that, it was fine and they saw no issues with clots. I then was taken to the MRI waiting room. I filled out the questionnaire and had to mark that I have wires in my body due to an accident in 1986. I have several wires in my face that were used to set facial fractures. That raises red flags so they sent me to have additional X-Rays to see exactly where the wires were. Since they had been in my face for 29 years, they were not worried about them pulling out but more about them heating up. It was determined to be safe so I was set to have the MRI. I was in the machine for about 20 minutes as it did it's thing. They then sent me back to the orthopedic office to find out the results. I went back to an exam room and was shortly talking with the PA again. He told me that I had torn my ACL and meniscus. He told me to stop wearing the brace and to start walking on it. He wanted me to see the orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible so another appointment was set for Friday, October 23rd.

I still had several events and races scheduled for this year. I was going on a three day hike in Zion National Park, a sprint triathlon, a five day camping/hiking trip, a half marathon, a 5K color run, and a marathon (my first). The PA told me that I was not going to be able to do any of those. He said that I would be out of competition for 9-12 months. When I arrived home, I began contacting the friends and race directors with the sad information. I had also registered for a half iron distance triathlon on April 2, 2016. I had planned on racing in my first full distance race in Ironman Arizona in November 2016. I realized that I was not going to be able to do these races either. Friday night was hard when I began to think about all that I was losing due to this injury. After talking to my husband and some friends, I was able to pull myself together and realize that I needed to change my focus from race and competition to healing and recovery. 

On the 23rd, I was at my ortho appointment and met my surgeon. He confirmed that I had a complete ACL tear and an oblique medial meniscus tear. The ACL will require surgery to repair. They will harvest a replacement from my hamstring tendon. The meniscus tear can not be repaired. They will just go in and clean the damaged area out. They scheduled my surgery for December 29th. I will be in physical therapy for prehabilitation before the surgery and rehabilitation after the surgery. The surgeon wants me to regain my range of motion before they operate. 

The surgeon is a prior pro triathlete who trained six years for the Olympics so he understood me when I asked him about continuing any sort of exercise program. He said that I could walk on a treadmill, swim and water jog, and bike on a trainer or stationary bike. He said that the stronger my leg is before the surgery, the better it will be after the surgery. 

So, my season is over and next year is a bust as well. They said that I could probably plan on doing a sprint triathlon next fall. That's not exactly what I was hoping to be doing then but at least I should be able to return to the sport I love. 

Las Vegas Triathlon ~ 9-19-15

On September 19th, I raced in the 18th annual Las Vegas Triathlon at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It was put on by BBSC Endurance Sports (http://www.bbsctri.com/), who took it over this year. This was not my first time racing at Lake Mead but it was my first time racing this race.

I competed in the sprint distance and my wave was scheduled to start at 7:40 am. We arrived at about 6:45 am. That gave me enough time to set up transition, go to the bathroom, talk with some friends, and get to the swim start on time.

The swim is a water start. I crossed the timing mat as I walked into the water. We were standing about thigh/waist deep for the start. The race director gave some last minute swim instructions, made a short countdown and then we were off.

I do all of my open water swims in Lake Mead so this swim was very familiar. We went straight out for the first section of the swim and then turned left at the 1st green buoy. We then swam to the next green buoy and turned left again (always keeping the buoy on our left shoulder). At the large orange buoy we turned left again and swam to the final orange buoy. At that final buoy, we kept it on our right shoulder as we made our final turn towards the beach. The swim was easy and quick. I completed the 750 meter swim in 15:42.

I exited the water and ran up the shore to the transition area. My bike was about 3/4th of the way up. The racks are semi-assigned so I didn't really have a choice in where my bike was placed. Fortunately, I prefer to have my bike near the bike out area so there is less running in my bike shoes. Transition went smoothly and I completed T1 in 2:19.

The bike course is an out and back along Lakeshore Road. The beginning of the course is the worst. You immediately leave the transition area and have to climb up a steep 0.5 mile hill. Remembering to have your bike set in the easy gear is a must! Once on Lakeshore Road, the ride has several small ups and downs. There are some good areas to get into the areo position and other areas that are challenging climbs. The final push up a long hill towards the turnaround is another spot that tests the quads. Once you turn around, you are greeted with a lovely, fast downhill to rest the legs for the next climb. As you can see by the elevation map above, the return ride is a lot easier and faster. I had a good ride and finished the 12.4 miles in 44:17.

I entered the transition area and quickly ran to my spot and did what I needed to do. My transitions are pretty simple. I don't keep a lot of stuff there which makes the transitions go really smooth. I made it through T2 in 1:47.

The run ended up being a little different than the map they provided (above). Once I left transition, I turned right onto the rock/dirt Boulder Beach. The run was along a road that allows access all along the water so it was fairly flat but pretty difficult to run on. It makes keeping or hitting a good race pace very hard. The new course had us run parallel to the water until the right hand turn up the hill. This was a less confusing course so I was okay with it. Once you turn right and start climbing, the run really becomes hard. I was still on the rock/dirt road but now had a steep climb to battle too. At the top of the hill, I made another right hand turn onto a nice, flat paved road. I was on this road until the turnaround. The return run was an exact retrace of the first half except for the final 1/4th mile. At that point, there was a fork in the road and finisher's were directed to the left towards the finish line. I was really tired but was able to muster up a slight sprint to the finish. I completed the 3.1 mile run in 32:05.

After I finished, I was handed my finisher's medal, gave my timing chip back and grabbed a water. I then made it over to the results table to check out my times. I was pleased to see that I placed 1st in the Athena division 40+ and overall Athena as well. I spent the time waiting for the awards ceremony with friends. Several of them had also placed in the race so it was really fun to watch them get their medals too. 

It was a beautiful day for a race and I can now say that I have completed the Las Vegas Triathlon!

Receiving my 1st place medal. The 3rd place girl had just finished and didn't make it to the podium in time for the ceremony.

My friend and me with our podium medals. She finished 3rd place female overall in the sprint distance.

With my friends and our podium medals. 

Kokopelli Olympic Triathlon at Sand Hollow State Park ~ 9/12/15

On September 12th, I raced in the olympic distance at the Kokopelli Triathlon. It was held in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah. We drove up on Friday night in order to pick up our race packets. It was held at the Hurricane Community Center from 3:00-8:00 PM. We were able to get there at about 7:00 PM and packet pick-up was quick and easy. We then stopped at a local cafe, Triple TJ's Cafe, for a good dinner. After dinner we went to our regular hotel for races at Sand Hollow, Holiday Inn Express in Washington, Utah. There wasn't much time for relaxation because it was almost 9:00 PM by this time. I took a quick shower and got my gear ready for the morning. 

We woke up at 5:15 AM to get ready. We stopped by the hotel breakfast room at 5:45 AM and were glad to see that they had set breakfast out a little early for us. Transition opened at 6:00 AM and we arrived at 6:30 AM. My wave was scheduled to start at 7:15 AM. My husband was racing the duathlon and his wave started at 8:00 AM. 

I quickly set up my transition space and was then able to socialize with some of my friends who were also racing. I made my way to the swim start at 7:00 AM. They were running a little behind schedule because they had to start the kid's race later than planned due to the sun not being up yet. Finally, at about 7:25 AM, my wave was directed to enter the water. 

Me with my husband and youngest son before the race. 

Me with some of my good friends from the Las Vegas Triathlon Club.

The swim start is a floating start so we walked down a pier and jumped in the water. The sun was still tucked behind the hills which was a good thing since we were swimming straight towards it. After a few last minute instructions, we were off. I started towards the front and was quickly out of the main pack. With the sun not in my eyes, I was able to sight easily and stay on course. The swim course is a long rectangle. By the time I was about to make my first left hand turn, the sun made it's way over the hills. I felt like I was swimming well and began to pass people from the previous two waves. That is always a good feeling. At the final stretch of the swim, I started to merge with the sprint waves so it became a bit more congested. I finally reached the boat ramp and was able to run out of the water. There is a bit of a climb from the water's edge to transitions but it is on concrete and some of it is carpeted so I was able to go without my flip flops. My 1500 meter swim was done in 31:22.

I ran into transition and made my way to my bike. I was towards the back near the bike exit which is where I prefer, less distance to run in your bike shoes. I was in and out in 2:06.

The bike course starts out with a nice downhill which gives me time to clip in and get adjusted before I need to start powering. It also let's me find my legs. Once at the bottom of the hill, we make a sharp left hand turn and begin a slight climb. At about the 1 mile mark, there is a small, steep hill. It is tough but short so that is good. At the top of the hill, there is another left hand turn. Then you remain straight for several miles. At about mile 4, "The Beast" begins. It is a 1 mile climb of about 500 feet. It is a killer. I have to just put my head down and grind it out. At the top of the hill, after you thank the good Lord you made it, you begin a downhill section. At the bottom of the hill is a right hand turn. This next section is about 2 miles and flat. The road condition isn't the best but I was able to pick up some nice speed. Then there is another right hand turn and then you begin a slight climb until the turn around. This is an out and back course so you retrace your route back to the transition area. There is one aid station that you pass on the return ride at about mile 14.5. I always grab a water bottle and put it in my seat bottle holder to drink later on the run. The back side of "The Beast" is not as steep so the climb is no problem. Then you get to fly down the front of the hill. I get going FAST! There is a cattle guard near the bottom of the hill so I slow down to go over that. There is a hill to end the bike course on which is no fun. I powered up it and was able to finish the 20.4 mile bike in 1:13:02.

I ran into transition, racked my bike, changed my shoes, took my helmet off and put on my visor, grabbed my sunglasses and water bottle and headed out on the run. T2 was 1:48. 

The run is my hardest thing but I focus on keeping a decent pace. I sipped on my water for most of the run. This lets me skip the aid stations and continue to stay hydrated for the whole run. The run is mostly on a separate course. Only the very beginning and end run on the same road as the bike but they are separated by cones and a rope so there should be no accidental collisions. The run goes along the water's edge. There is a downhill out of transition and then a short uphill to get onto the run course. Once there, the run stays mainly flat with minor up and downs. There are three aid stations, one every mile. It was also an out and back so once you pass the last aid station, you turn around and start heading back. At about mile 4, I finished my water and finally threw my bottle away. At the final aid station, I grabbed a small cup of water and poured it over my head. One of the volunteers also threw a cup of water on me. I then made the final push up the hill to the finish. I pushed with all I had left and tried to sprint out the final stretch. I finished the 6.2 mile run in 1:01:33.

I finished the entire race in 2:49:53. This was good enough for 1st place Athena overall. It was a great day for a race and I had a lot of fun. There were many friends from the Las Vegas Triathlon Club racing and it is always fun to have cheering throughout the race from fellow racers. 

Sharing the podium with my friend!

Many of my friends were also podium finishers!

Me with my husband and youngest son after the race. 

My husband placed 1st in his age division for the duathlon!

Me with my finisher's medal and gold podium medal.

After the race, a few of us had a post-race snack of Pumpkin Spice Oreos!

Hike to Kolob Arch in Zion National Park ~ 9-7-15

My friend and I decided that Labor Day would be the perfect day to tackle the 14.8 mile round trip hike to see the Kolob Arch in Zion National Park. We had recently found out that tucked in the back country wilderness of Zion was the world's 2nd longest natural arch, measuring 287.4 feet. 

We met at a gas station on the NE outskirts of Las Vegas at 4:50 am to carpool to the trail head. We took I-15 North to Utah and turned off at exit 40. The Kolob Visitor Center is just off the highway. We arrived at 7:50 am and it opened at 8:00 am so we had a few minutes to wait before we could go inside. Once inside, we showed our park pass, grabbed a park map and asked a few questions about the trail. Then we were off. 

The trail head parking lot was a few miles from the Visitor Center. We parked, grabbed our gear, asked a ranger to take our picture and then walked the 100 yards to the actual trail head. The sun wasn't over the mountains yet so it was a little chilly but not too bad. We had seen rain and lightening on the drive to Utah so we were worried about rain but it stayed clear for the entire day. 

The first few miles of the trail were downhill. The trail was nicely maintained with wooden steps in several areas. I brought my hiking poles with me but didn't feel like I needed them at any point along the way. 

As we neared the valley floor, the sun began to peak over the mountains. It was beautiful!

 

Once on the valley floor, we began to walk through deep sand. It made it a little difficult to walk. We began to hear water and shortly we were hiking along the La Verkin Creek. It was small but clear. The sound of rushing water was such a beautiful sound. This portion of the hike was pretty exposed so it began to get warm.

On our way to the turnoff, we passed campsites 1-10. The first three were higher up but 4-10 were along the creek and would be my choice in campsites. I don't remember seeing campsite 10 but the map showed that it was right by the turnoff. 

 

Just when we were wondering if we had somehow missed our turn, we saw the sign directing us to the Kolob Arch. It said that we were 0.5 miles from the arch. Once we turned, we began to walk along a small creek bed. This required a small amount of scrambling but not too much. If the water was higher, it would have been more difficult. 

 

Finally, we could see the arch. There was a sign saying that we were at the end of the trail and to not go beyond that point. The arch was high above us along the cliff wall.

 

We decided that this was a great time to stop for lunch. We sat on a fallen tree and enjoyed our lunch in the shadows of the arch.

After lunch, we made our way back along the creek bed to the main trail. The sun was high and it was warm. We had come prepared and had plenty of water. There was no clean water along the trail so if you needed drinking water, you would have to filter the creek water before drinking it.

 

We made our way back through the sand and along the La Verkin Creek again. The several miles of sand hiking made our legs sorer than normal. We were almost happy to see the trail begin the ascent because that meant we would be on solid trail again. 

 

The final climb was steep but not too bad. The hike details had said to expect to take 10-12 hours to completed the hike. We were able to finish in about 7 hours. We were both very happy to see the end of the trail and our car. 

We loaded up the car and decided to drive to the end of the scenic road to see the overlook. It provided an amazing panoramic view of the area that we had just hiked through.

It was a fantastic day and a hike I'd recommend. It wasn't the most spectacular thing I've ever seen but the fact that it was something that so few people actually see, made this a very special hike.