2015 - Our baby is an Ironman!

This is a blog I've started many times.  Turns out I was just too tired to finish it and now I finally understand why!  In my last blog I did a nice recap of my summer of racing just before racing Ironman Mont Tremblant.  Let me do a quick recap of what I'd call my best Ironman to date and our surprise pregnancy story!!

IRONMAN

I was in a good place heading into this Ironman, despite being very tired the last few weeks of training, I felt like I had a good race in me.  I traveled to this one alone since I had raced there before in 2013 I had a good feeling for the race venue and logistics.   Since the race was already a couple months ago, I don't even remember all the details to bore you with!

What I do remember is truly feeling good all day. I was relatively aggressive on the swim, starting with a group and then leaving them when some age group men came by and came out just under 55 min.  I got out onto the bike and knew if I just rode smart and came off within reach of the front I could keep it together on the run.  Despite a couple frustrating issues with my chain getting jammed, causing me to lose the girls I was riding with, I finished up ok with a 5:15 ride and 8th off the bike.

It was my goal to run under a 3:10 marathon, with my previous best on that course being a 3:14.  With my half Ironman runs being my best ever I knew this was a doable goal.  Like all marathons, I just went out and ran!  I always check my watch a couple times in the first couple miles to make sure I'm going a reasonable pace (not too fast) and then just go off feel the rest of the way.  I came by most of the girls within the first 8 miles and found myself in 4th place.  After that I just kept on the liquids and nutrition. The last couple miles were a little tough and slower, but I knew my placing wasn't going to change at that point, so that might have been part of it :)  I finished with a 3:04 marathon!  I was proud to finish with a 9:20 in 4th behind Mary Beth Ellis, Liz Blanchford (3rd in Kona this year) and teammate Lisa Roberts.   What a day!

PREGNANCY?!  (some details, and maybe a little personal, sorry!)

After the race I was abnormally very ill with a horrible stomach ache.  Ugh. So much for post race celebrations.  After returning home it was a lot of sleep and I was struggling to have any good recovery.  I had planned to be in off season after the race, but my body was exhausted.  After a few weeks I started to wonder if something was going on...

It wasn't until Friday, Sept 25 when I called my doctor concerned about my lack of energy and weight gain that I was encouraged to take a pregnancy test.  So as we were getting ready to head to a Garth Brooks concert that night I took a pregnancy test and it showed a positive!! WHOA we were in shock. We cautiously enjoyed Garth Brooks wondering if this was real.  Monday I called the doctor and they brought me in for a blood test.  Yep. It was real.

You may be wondering how the heck I had no idea....well, let me tell you.  With the training and weight loss I had over the spring and summer I was not getting my period (not since Feb, also when we went off birth control).   So we had NO idea how far along in this pregnancy we were.  So they brought me in the next week for an ultrasound where they said we might not even see anything.  To my huge surprise there was a full on baby in there!  They dated it at 13.5 weeks!!  Whoa.  Goodbye first trimester.

We have a due date of April 6, 2016, which is Mark's Birthday!!  We're almost at 16 weeks and just last week I finally got my energy back!  I'm enjoying working out again and luckily can still fit in most of my clothes :)   We are finishing up all of our home projects and need to have these done before our big winter fun with the Snowshoe Scurry Series.  So far:  living room = done!  Basement workout space = half done....maybe finish today, guest bathroom = next up!

So HUGE thank you to all of our friends and family that are offering support and excitement with us for entering this next chapter of our lives.  With an early spring baby, I'm aiming to stay healthy and fit and hopefully be back at it end of 2016!!

Time flies

Well, I haven't blogged all summer because, let's face it, time flies!  Summer especially flies!  I have been having a blast racing this year, being married, and having a fun pup to keep us busy.  I am loving my life and am so happy to be in the place I am today.  Racing (and life) really has it's ups and downs, and times of doubt, but this year it has been a very clear path.  I'm thankful for Mark in my life who always keeps me laughing :)

Here is a little recap, of the summer racing which has landed me at this moment in Mont Tremblant, Canada preparing to race my first Ironman of the season on Sunday.

June:  I raced a sprint tri, and olympic distance, and a Buffalo Springs 70.3 and managed to win all 3!  Wahoo!  I truly never thought I would win at the half distance as I have always been an Ironman gal, but with my run coming around this year it worked out.  I am swimming well, biking ok, and have found that extra gear on the run (combined with my good suffer-ability from all the Ironman racing) that it helping me actually be competitive at a distance I rarely ever saw a podium for before.

July:  I raced an Intermediate distance (btwn sprint and olympic) and posted my fastest ever run split (even causing me to ask if the results were correct) with a 5:44/mile for 4.5 miles.  Wahoo!  Confidence builder for Racine 70.3 where I knew there would be a tough field.  All of Mark's family was there and I knew so many I really wanted to have an awesome run!  I was totally in the zone and was happy to run my personal best half split and finish 3rd.

Full season results:  http://jackiehering.com/racing.html

I'm happy to be racing, but also LOVE my other jobs....I'm happy to report our swim race Big Swell Swim had an awesome turn out this year and we are excited to keep growing this event.

My athletes are racing SO WELL this year and I am looking forward to many of them approaching their A races healthy and happy :)  Check out Hering Coaching

I transitioned junior tri team  to a non-profit and joined with other coaches this year...so it is definitely a transitional year, but I'm looking forward to working out the kinks and working with and developing some of the young athletes in our area.

SO....this Ironman on Sunday!!  Yikes!! I haven't raced the distance since last year Hawaii and there are some VERY talented women on the start list.  My goals include:  Race smart, run with everything I have.  If I do that I will be happy regardless of where that puts me on the podium.  I'm looking forward to it!  If you'd like to follow, I'm number 39.  They have some live coverage HERE

Thanks for reading.  Sorry no pictures :/  gotta get to bed!

Chatanooga 70.3 Race Report

Well, where do I start!  Let me say I really wanted to win this one and I learned a good lesson about not holding back.  I came into this race after having a great season starter with a 3rd place and strong race in Puerto Rico followed by a solid month of training in April.  I am certainly in shape and was ready to go for this one.   SO....here's how it went down!   

Swim:  pretty uneventful, non-wetsuit and no crazy fast current like they had in the Ironman!   I swam pretty controlled on Ashley Clifford's feet and came out of the water in 3rd (Ashley just ahead and Anna 40 sec. or so up).   

Bike:  We saw Anna in transition so Ashley and I headed out and worked together to catch up to her.   Like Puerto Rico I was trying to race off feel (although I was collecting power data) so I was constantly taking an 'inventory' on what type of effort I was doing.  We caught Anna pretty quick and then all 3 of us ended up riding together the rest of the bike ride.  This is where I think I learned a lesson.  I was riding comfortable and (looking back on data) very conservatively, for a half IM.  I was telling myself to trust in my run when I should have been telling myself to trust in my bike AND my run and ride a little harder!   I tried my new 'clean bike' nutrition plan, only having a strong bottle of Skratch Labs and another bottle of 6 gels diluted in water.  This seemed to work well! 

Run:  OK, wow!  Ashley and I took off out of transition, I think both of us thinking we could win this thing on the run.....and she did just that!  I couldn't hold pace after a quick first couple miles.  The gap just slowly grew to just over a minute by the end of the race.  On the plus side I finished with a run split that I'm happy with and my highest ever 70.3 finish!  

Thank you to Mark for being my #1 supporter and helping me believe I am actually in shape and can do well :)  Also to Team Timex for the continued support and the gear that made my day: 

Blue Seventy - Swim Skin and goggles

Rudy Project - Wing57 helmet

Trek -  Fast Bike

Shimano -  Fast parts, wheels and bike shoes

Castelli - very comfortable kit

Newton - Distance Run shoes and luckily having a visor for me at the expo

Feetures - best socks out there

Powerbar - gels

2015 Spring Update

Hey all!  I'm getting a quick update out before starting one of the funnest time of year, Team Timex camp!  I'll hopefully have some fun camp updates over the weekend.  But for now, here's what I've been up to.  

Highlights:  

Off Season recap, training and Injury free

Snowshoe Women’s Half Marathon National Champion

Puerto Rico 70.3 3rd place

After a VERY busy Iron distance racing season last year, ending with a pretty slow and super tough time at Kona, I took some time off.  I got married.  I slept a TON. I did plenty of hot yoga and just did ‘normal’ things.  Now I (along with most triathletes) have always struggled with off-season, but last fall was a totally different story.  For the first time ever I was completely DONE.  Mentally and physically, I had nothing left.  For the first time ever I didn’t even feel like working out.  This lasted for 6 full weeks.  It was actually a little concerning to me and I really started to wonder if I had done some serious damage.  Turns out it was just after the 6th week of rest that I started to come back around.  

In December Mark and I tried a 30 day run challenge to jump start our fitness and get motivated to work out again.  Since we were both coming from nothing, we started with 1-2mile runs and built up from there.  I didn’t do anything too long or fast that entire month (longest run was 12 miles) and was diligent on maintenance (rolling, icing, stretching, yoga).  This really worked for me.  I kept it going through January, and even pretty much all of February....I think I’ve only missed 4 days.   This is just crazy to me since I have always dealt with little nagging things.  Somehow committing to running MORE has actually gotten my body to adapt.  

Anyhow, I only rode bike during my coached classes at Speed (1 hr m/w and 1-2hr Fri) and was seeing the power numbers actually come up.  I was well rested and not training at a volume that was wearing me down.  Consistency without burning the candle too low.  We mixed in snowshoe running when we could (with our low snow year) and had fun out on the trails each week marking our Snowshoe Scurry Courses. 

We ran our first half marathon snowshoe on Valentines morning to see how it felt....OK for me, maybe not as great for some.  Regardless, 2 weeks later we (March, Justin D. and I) headed north to the Snowshoe National Championship in Eau Claire, WI.  I was the only one for sure going to race, but by Sunday morning the guys were in!  It was a nice day and fast snow conditions (not much of it).  Mark and I ended up running a little together (he waited for me) and I ran better than I ever had on snowshoes, finishing the 13.1 miles in 1:46....enough to earn the National Championship title and a sweet chalice!  The guys both also finished very well - all happy to come out with no injuries!  

After that it was 2 weeks until Puerto Rico, my first tri of the year and in complete opposite conditions to what I’d just raced in.  This race was good for many reasons, but the main thing was that there was such a large group from the Madison area.  Having support out on the course, and knowing you have a ‘team’ is a great feeling.  I was racing hard knowing my athletes and friends were out there doing the same.   As for the race itself, I can give a little report! 

Swim:  Non wetsuit, beautiful!  I lined up right next to who I knew to be the fast swimmers and was just going to try and hang on some feet.  I’ve worked a lot on race strategy the last few years and I am getting better :)  The gun went off and instead of barreling ahead I started steady and moved right behind some feet (either Kelly or Dede’s) as we took off.  I knew Sarah Haskins would be way ahead of us all, but I knew being in the first group out of the swim was VERY important for this race.  So I hung on and swam a little hard through the first couple turn bouys and was happy to have the pace settle for the long back stretch.  I just hung in and conserved to get ready for the bike ride.   I was surprised to see that when we came out (group of 5 or so) most of the other girls had lost their timing strap - theses were a new thing, HUGE, and apparently didn’t work well in water (duh)....so hopefully IM didn’t order these for all the races! 

Transition:  It was a long run to get to our bikes and these girls weren’t messing around!  So I ran a bit quicker than I wanted to not loose them...got to T1 and nailed it through there! 

Bike:  This is a flat ride, but got windy the last 20(ish) miles....windy and my legs died a little, so the wind probably felt worse than it was.  Anyhow,  I was racing off of feel here and I quite enjoyed it. I rode conservatively the first 10 miles, staying with the group, then one got let off the front and I went after her.  Very soon it was all spread out for us and we were on to the VERY congested second loop.   There was plenty of AG pack action going on, but I just kept hammering away, thinking (or pretending) that I saw the next girl right up there.   I finished the ride really excited to get out for a run, I think coming into transition 4th or 5th off the bike, but with the next 3 girls within minutes of me. 

Run:  OK.  My time goals were out the window as I could tell I was in an oven.  This was a survival activity and a run of attrition.  I didn’t look at my watch a single time, just listened to breathing and kept my eyes forward and focused on getting to the next ‘pick-up’ (aid stations, friends, music). Overall it went pretty well and I happily ended up coming across the line in 3rd with the 2nd fastest run behind Sarah Haskins.  

After the race I was surprised to hear of of the events during the race, but am very thankful everyone is ok!  

Thanks for reading and happy training!  

My 5 Step Process to Be Merry.

It has been at least 10 days since we have seen sun in southern WI.  It is extra rough given the fact that we also don't have any snow.  It's just been plain dreary!  If you are like me, sometimes this can get you down, in a slump, or feeling blah....whatever you like to call it.  Although I'm on the seasonal emotional roller coaster, I have had pretty good luck fending off the blues the last couple years by using  these tricks:

1.  Get fresh air....for me exercise is great, but it is the fresh air that really helps.  Even if it's pretty bad out, getting out for a walk, snowshoe or just playing in the snow can do wonders.

2.  Building on the first point, EXERCISE.  This is the season for parties and drinking.  You can do those things, but make sure you are exercising.   It's a bummer sometimes that you can have a lot of fun seeing friends and enjoying the holidays, but then you start to feel down if you had too many snacks at the party, then your clothes don't fit right, or you are feeling 'gross' just wearing bulky sweaters etc.  The answer to this is exercise.  Start up some sort of 30 day challenge with friends....just something to get you to move each day.  We are currently 17 days into our #30dayrunchallenge and it has been awesome!!

3.  Take plenty of Vitamin D and B12.  This is key.  I take D in the pill form every night with my other supplements and B12 either in pill or in drinks.  Without sun our body can't produce vitamin D and it's unlikely you can get enough from food.   B12 can be found in lean and low fat animal products like fish or low fat dairy, but if you aren't getting that consistently a supplement is a great option!  Both of these vitamins have been proven to improve your mood!!

4.  Stay busy and make plans with positive people!  Don't sit home and be lazy.  This is the time we need to band together and make things fun.  Something active, outside, or maybe a project around the house.  If you do have some down time, or prefer to be alone, find a book that can inspire or encourage you.   For a short daily read I like "Journey to the Heart".

5.  Eat Healthy (most of the time).  We all go out and like to have a cookie here and there....but we can also eat at home and make our own food.  The more you make your own food the healthier you can be.  Learn to cook if you don't know how!  It's a blast and can truly revamp your diet and give you CONTROL over exactly what is going in.  Good fuel in = body runs better.

If you do have a hard time this time of year and aren't doing some of these, please give 'em a try!

WE CAN MAKE IT :)

2 Week Ironman Turn-Around

Before I head into my Ironman WI race report I thought I would do a quick re-cap of what exactly I did for the 2 weeks between a 2nd place finish at Ironman Louisville and then onto racing IM WI since I sure have gotten that question a lot...usually quickly followed (or preceded by) "I could never do that" or  "You are crazy".  Unfortunately I have been called crazy more in the last few weeks than I probably ever have been before, and let me tell you, I have done MUCH crazier things ;)

Let me pre-face this 2 week Turn-Around info by saying that this is only a good idea (still debatable) for well-seasoned Iron-distance athletes and those with no injuries.  The body is an amazing thing and truly adapts to what you make it do.  Ironman takes a toll on the body, but I can say that over the years my body had adapted.  Sure, I still get so sore I can barely walk, but after those first 2 days the recovery period (mentally and physically) is much quicker.

Wait, but WHY did I do this??  Well, this was my last chance at both of these races!!  Ironman is changing the pro race circuit and these two (2 of my fav. races) are no longer having a pro prize purse.  This, in addition to the fact that I have finished 2nd twice at Louisville AND there was a lighter field, made me want to go there and and go for the win!!  So I did...but ended in 2nd (again) as you read in my last blog.  Anyhow- no brainer for WI since I live here and it's the best race ever, right?!!

Anyhow...here's how it went!  I was very lucky to have some NormaTec Boots lent to me from one of my swimmers, so I was spoiled with getting to sit in those at least once per day during the two weeks. I think these were crucial in the recovery and my legs coming around to actually wanting to run the second week.  Mixed in there were some naps, but not a ton.

I had less swimming than I would have liked the second week due to a bad bee sting on my eye on Tuesday, which left it completely swollen shut on Wednesday and partially shut on Thursday.

As you can see from my Training Peaks input, both weeks were VERY light with the main goal just getting loosened up.  I was on the roller before and after every run and making sure to stretch well.

Thank-you's to those that were crucial for recovery: 

Chantry at Peak Performance Massage

Jessi Koch at Active Body Dynamics

Mark Hering - for doing some short easy stuff w/me

Speed Cycling - I needed that group ride! 

Gary Geiger for the NormaTec's 

Lindsey Heim for the Shorewood Pool Sponsorship during week 1 

Ironman Louisville Race Report

It has been over a week since Ironman Louisville and I think it's about time to stop putting off this race report since another Ironman is looming in 4 days!

This race was not on my calendar this year, however when I heard about the changes being made to the pro races and that Louisville wouldn't have a professional race next year, I had to do it.  I finished 2nd place in Louisville in 2011 and 2012 and was thinking I had better go for the win since it's my last shot!!  (more on these changes another time)

Swim:  Men and women started separately, which I strongly prefer!  The gun went off and it was a good tough go until the turn bouy.  I ended up swimming mostly on my own (boo) and was a bit discouraged, but came out pretty close to the front after all! There was a great current this year so I came out at 48 min and change!

I was less than a minute behind second place through transition and thought I could hustle and get her to have someone to bike with.  Well....I was wrong!  She took off like a bat out of hell and my legs were not having any of that.  After 5 miles of trying to push to catch, I finally conceded to the idea that my legs needed a bit of time to come around.  This happens sometimes in Ironman and I've learned that it's important  to go with the flow of what your body is giving you.  So I let the watts come down and let my legs get into it.  By 20 miles I was feeling better and by 50 miles I was feeling great!  Still, it was a long solo ride (except the second loop where it was passing people the entire time...).

It started to get hot and I was making sure to keep my body cool and stay on top of hydration.  It was my slowest bike time at this race...but times were slow all around, so there must have been some wind and/or heat humidity playing  role there...OR the way that they changed the dismount line!  You now have to dismount and run with your bike a good 100-200yards.  It's pretty ridiculous.  5:19 bike.

T2 - made haste here, although I had no idea where I was in relation to anyone...except that I was in 3rd.

On the run it wasn't long before I realized I was a LONG way from first or second and the temperatures were rising quickly.  This was a bit discouraging, but I knew from many hot races that things can change quickly.  So I made keeping my body cool and nourished a priority - taking ice every time, filling my hand-held bottle, taking Perform or cola and a gel every few miles.  This seemed to work and the miles were ticking off.  Soon I heard Kate was walking up ahead and I moved into 2nd place.  This was exciting!  Now I was thinking ok, 2nd is much better than 3rd - this can pay for my wedding!!  It was a ways back to the girls behind me who seemed to be all shifting positions, and too far to get Nina who was still running fine, so I just kept to the walking every aid station, kept it steady until the finish.  I knew I had another Ironman coming up and didn't want to totally tear my legs off :)  I enjoyed a nice walk through the finish chute and a very nice IV after the race.

Big thank you to Mark who came down and raced with me!! Also to our friend Will Smith who was down working with Norma-Tec and Mark's brother Paul for both cheering and encouraging us.

My sponsors are amazing and I would not be doing so well if it weren't for them!

Timex, Trek, Shimano, PowerTap, Castelli, Powerbar, Rudy Project, Nathan Hydration, Newton, Blue Seventy

Local sponsors:  Speed Cycling, Peak Performance Massage, Endurance House Middleton, Sport and Spine Clinic of Madison West, David Kohli of Perfect Circle Cycling

THANK YOU! Hope to see you at Ironman WI this weekend!! Come check out the pro panel on Friday at 11am at the Terrace and the Ironkids race Saturday morning.

Check out my video from the race last year (Thanks Dave!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7uQwHAL9o4