Courtenay Brown

Link here.

Roommate Matt and I also did a couple race laps together but they aren’t recorded. However: Matt, word is going to get out either way that I won, so just send me the proof.

Please enjoy the inspirational music (who recognizes it?) and know that cycling doesn’t need summertime in order to be fun!

Predictably, my fall is exploding. Papers, projects, assignments, bla bla school. Some training. Some recreating. And: scouring shark diving, safari and touring websites.

I’m going to South Africa. For five weeks. I can’t cannot not wait!!

Here’s hoping I find my camera before December 12 so I can take some of my own photos like this one:

I’m all introspective because this was the last race of my season. But I have a quiz to write so I’m bailing on my original plan of writing a playlist-themed race report, complete with samples and instrumentals. It was getting predictably over-involved and I’m probably the only one who would have thought it was awesome anyway.

But I will tell you that Crystal Castles’ Vietnam, off their second eponymous release, was playing in my head for virtually all 4 hours 42 minutes that I was racing. It was a good choice – “I’m alive”, indeed (side note yes I know that’s not the exact lyric in the song sampled, Walk in the Park, but that sure is the lyric here). Nothing makes me feel more alive than hurtling forward through ups and downs and Fall.

Separate side-note: how about that Meredith Kessler, riding ~20 miles with no saddle?! Amazing!

The Race:

Surprise, my swim was not the greatest. It was non-wetsuit again, but seriously the only place I expect wetsuits any more is in the San Francisco Bay. At Rev3 Portland, I swam with a “pack” and thought that phew, finally I’ve figured out how to negotiate a swim leg. Then I hit a few training bobbles and then I started focusing on Duathlon Worlds and lo and behold, I was almost instantly off the back of our 16-woman field at Anderson! But thankfully not by tooo much, as it turns out.

This race had separate transitions. As soon as we were finished with the swim, Rev3 picked up our entire transition area, racks and posters and all, and moved it to T2! They had to be prompt about it, so when I got into T1 everything but my section of bike rack was disassembled. I apologized to Krista and Eric from Rev3 for holding them up, although by now they are used to me coming out of the water last. Eric said “oh don’t worry, take your time!”

Which. Eric. That is the PROBLEM!! I took my own sweet time in that lake! No more taking my time!

The bike went well. It was a flowing, rolling course on nice roads that were well-staffed (including Rev3 President Charlie Patten, Jr. at one corner – impressive to see how hands-on he is about making the series successful).

On the bike (and in the Slowtwitch gallery!)

What made the bike really challenging was that it was windy. Weather.com said 10-20 mph, so let’s just call it 19 mph. I passed Erin and Stephanie in the first hour, Kristin and Marisa in the second hour, saw Nina Kraft pull out around mile 45 or 50, and figured I was in 11th place, 1 spot out of the money. For the first 30 miles I felt amazing, but gradually my back started hurting really badly. This tends to happen to me in half IM’s, about an hour and a half into the bike my lower back gets tighter and tighter and I have to stretch and I start losing my rhythm. Yesterday it was the most debilitating I can remember – my average power dropped the most dramatically it ever has, from 190w in the first hour, to 181w in the second, to 171w in the last 35 minutes. There were times when I couldn’t even pedal. I think this was a function of two things: letting my core work slide in the past 6 weeks (not intentionally, but it’s one of the things that’s easy to let go when I’m busy), and second it’s the end of the season and this body is a little tired and taped-together (thanks Tri-Massage!).

So. I headed out on the run with 10th place about 60 seconds ahead of me. My back relaxed as soon as I was able to change activities, so after taking a full 3 miles to get my legs under me, I got my hustle back (not coincidentally, this was also when I downed my diluted flask of First Endurance EFS Liquid Shot). I passed Tamara, and then ran down Rachel and Marilyn by mile 6. At this point there was a long out and back, which eventually revealed that I was in an impenetrable island of…

7th place!

(As it turns out, Jasmine Oeinck pulled out as well, so I’d started the run in 10th rather than 11th.)

The Wrap-Up:

I’m really excited about this result and the year as a whole. It’s been my strongest and most consistent season yet, and I owe a big thanks to my support network, especially Team Trakkers/Rev3. The Rev3 organization really brings out the best in everyone involved in the events, which is why I and so many other athletes will be back again next year. My equipment is also the best I’ve had – the  Rolf Prima TdF58-Kestrel 4000 combo is truly a joy to ride! Tyr, Lazer, Splish and Recovery Pump have been a huge factor in both my day-to-day and competition success. Also, more on this one in a separate post, but my nutrition-switch to First Endurance proved a really good one this year, without such high quality nutrition I would not have been able to sustain the training and work load that I did. That I had my best year as a triathlete during my first full calendar year as a graduate student is pretty neat!

A big thanks also to my coach, Felicia Gomez of Pinnacle Training Systems. We’ve been working together since July of 2010, and during that time I’ve improved across the board. I can’t believe the difference in my training, my performance and my confidence. Thanks Felicia!

Sorry folks, the bike’s been sold!

Here, from :36 to 1:36, is Belgian French for “that girl with USA on her bum is amazing” (actually I have no idea what they are saying, but, that’s me racing in Spain last weekend!).

Subtitle: THAT WAS AWESOME

I am en route from Spain back to Reality. It has been a whirlwind and amazing trip. I almost don’t know where to start, because so much of duathlon and ITU and international racing still feels new to me, not to mention Spanish language and cuisine (I think the only things that felt routine were my Recovery Pump sessions and pre-race PreRace!). But, you know, “rarely at a loss for words” and all…

It was awesome.

The race format was 10k run – 42.5k draft-legal bike – 5k run. The U.S. Duathlon national championship race, at which we qualify for worlds, is 5k run – 35k non-draft bike – 5k run, which is quite different. Given my rookie status, I came into the race feeling rested but with minimal results-based expectations. Instead I set personal goals:

1. Set a new 10k PR. My running has come a long way this summer, the course was fast, and the conditions perfect.

2. Attack on the bike. Even though it’s been years (!) since I was a bike racer, I know I still have a head for tactics.

3. Don’t do anything dumb.

These proved to be good goals.

I ran a 36:45 for the opening 10k

I attacked a few times on the bike, but only once with conviction. That time stuck! It was maybe a little too little too late (heading into the bell lap). The photo in the gallery below represents what felt like the majority of the bike, although one girl (who was like permanently tail-gunning) is not in frame. Oh, and since it’s ITU I didn’t race in my Trakkers/REV3 kit – I’m #12 in the front on my draft-legal Kestrel 4000 (this frame is so versatile!), Rolf Prima TdF 58′s and Lazer Genesis road helmet.

I did do something dumb however. I took off my helmet as I was racking my bike, rather than after, for which I served a 15 second penalty just before crossing the line in 12th. 11th ran by when I was in the box… Another dumb thing I did was not trust my instincts when I realized that I was the strongest in my bike pack, but I spent too much time trying to make them work instead of being gutsy. Next time!

I’ll indeed be back next time. I had a blast with my US teammates and the other athletes I met, I absolutely love international travel, and as much as I love triathlon, right now I feel like a duathlete at heart. This race was so thrilling, so tactical, and I really feel like the format has the potential to bring out the best in me!

Oh, speaking of THAT WAS AWESOME:

Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France, closes to the public at midnight each night. A guard comes through and checks for boarding passes, if you aren’t flying in the morning she and a rottweiler vociferously kick you out.

If you ARE flying in the morning and if you like rottweilers, you get to pet the dog!! She’s a total doll if told by her guard that you are acceptable… happiness is a warm puppy.

I’m in Spain. It’s fantastic! I love traveling so much. Tomorrow I race my first world championship, I can’t wait.

I got here yesterday. The flight into Oviedo was just beautiful, it’s on Spain’s northern coast and there are a lot of dramatic cliffs. And an outdoor 50m pool. My hotel room has a balcony and a view of the beach, where I plan to swim tomorrow after the race.

When I got here I spent 10 minutes trying to make the lights work. I had to call the front desk, “donde esta le ectricitydad?!?!” which is poor spanish. Finally, “you have to put dee room key” she said. There is a little slot by the door where you place your key and the lights all work – genius for 1. not losing your key amongst your totally organized stuff and 2. saving electricity!

Last night I think I treated myself to a really expensive dinner. On the plus side I know I treated myself to a delicious dinner. The wine was cheap and yummy, the food was pricey and small and really yummy. I had an apricot mozzarella salad with lettuce and flower petals and seasoned nut chips, then lamb with something white and rich.

Here are some photos:

I really wanted to do a play on the word Du.

(You’re welcome). (Sorry).

Anyhow this year I’m doing lots of Duathlons (run-bike-run races). I went to Nationals on the last day of school/first day of exams back in April, I am headed to Spain in three weeks, and in the interim I did the Mile-High Duathlon series here in Colorado. Today was the last race, the West Side Duathlon down in Arvada.

Pre-race openers through Wash Park

This was a really cool course, it actually reminded me a lot of the Nationals course in Tucson. The runs at today’s race were both 5k, with one downhill mile and then 2ish uphill ones. The bike was a two-loop 30k course with lots of turns and rollers, it was totally fun. And well-suited to my strengths.

I led the field on the first run, everyone seemed to scatter pretty quick. But I came into transition with only a 6 second lead over the next girl. Second-place, Ashley Olsen, passed me in the first .5 mile of the bike while I was pulling on my shoes. I watched her for 90 seconds or so, she’s not someone I’d raced before so I wasn’t sure what her strengths might be. Those 90 seconds were enough for me to decide she’s a better runner than cyclist, so I’d be better off trying to ride away from her than getting all tactical (i.e. let her set the pace for the first lap). So I passed her. Thanks to a combination of PreRace, training, confidence and equipment, the move worked.

After keeping a steady pace and staying aero on my Kestrel 4000 (I love that bike more each day), I came into T2 with what turned out to be a 3:30 lead over Ashley. I ran a bit slower on the second run, as I seem to have done all year. My running feels faster and better than ever thanks to Recovery Pump et al., and I guess if I were head-to-head with someone on the second run I might pull out another fast split, but that wasn’t the case today. Despite the slightly slower split, I still won by nearly 3 minutes. Ashley ran the same pace for both 5ks which was pretty impressive!

With Ashley at awards

I’m the amazon on the left, btw. It’s so cool to feel tall.

I’m pretty stoked on the race win, especially because it earned me a new pint glass, a plaque AND the overall series win. Oh and I just figured out that I hold the course record too.

Nice DuHaul!

Also, I got an early birthday present at the race today. It’s my new best non-bike toy.

Love.

That’s it for now. Big thanks to Team Trakkers for the support!

Unrelated side note: I still haven’t fixed the photo coding so that I can have a lightbox effect even without making a gallery. It’s on my lengthy list. Behind a bunch of other stuff… so if anyone has tips and/or is sick of the janky formatting, feel free to yell at me via the contact form. Thx!

I raced the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz yesterday. Then I flew home, slept a few hours, went to class, taught class, taught another class, went to another class, walked home, and stared at my computer. And got furious at a couple people because it was easier than admitting I was tired.

So you guys are IN LUCK, this will be a medium-to-not-quite-long race report!

The race was great, because I adore San Francisco. Cold, windy, foggy, I don’t care, I love the city’s vibrance and personality almost unconditionally.

Which is a good thing, because otherwise I might have gotten really frustrated early on in yesterday’s race and I might have given up. The current was really strong in a not-favorable direction, which for a non-swimmer like myself only exacerbates my weaknesses in the water. For reference, last year I was the last pro out of the water in 36 minutes. This year, the first two pro girls out of the water swam 35-high and 36 (the latter being race winner Becky Lavelle). I swam, you know, a lot slower than that. If only I had a six-beat kick…

But, whatever. Then I did that hugely long transition run without shoes (too many age groupers around me looking for their sneakers and I didn’t want to lose even more time). Then I got on my bike and rode hard.

Last year I knew I spent too much time riding in the base bars because I was scared of crashing. But this year, I flew to San Francisco a day earlier and pre-rode the course a couple of times. So during the race, I stayed aero a lot more, which in addition to being faster is also more fun when you’re on a speedy bike. Bonus! I saw Victor Plata on the side of the road at mile 2 or so, when he didn’t tell me where I was or how far back I was I knew it was probably pretty bad. Either that or he’d lost count (lawyers can’t do math anyway). But I made my way up the field, and stayed focused, and loved riding in San Francisco.

By mile 3 of the run I had moved from one familiar spot, last place, to a better and also familiar spot: an impenetrable island of 8th place! So with 9th a minute or two back and 7th 5 minutes up, I ran steady and kept a smile on my face (until I started crying anyway).

In all it wasn’t the race I’d hoped for, but given the conditions I am still happy with it. I’ve been working so hard on my swimming but in that current, that choppiness, and that cold, I just didn’t swim well. I knew the swim was taking me forever and that I wasn’t moving through the water efficiently, but there was nothing I could do to fix it. So I just kept plugging away. I’m happy with my attitude and with my other splits, and even though I might encounter unfavorable currents a few more times, I’ll be back to race Alcatraz again and again.

I’d like to send a big thank-you to my Team Trakkers/REV3 sponsors: I finally got to wear my TYR Hurricane wetsuit! It felt great and kept me totally “warm” in that frigid water. My Kestrel 4000 and Rolf Prima TdF 58′s were superb the whole trip, especially during the race, and especially because I sat in my Recovery Pump Boots for 90 minutes each day leading up to the race to ensure that my legs felt great. Can’t wait for the full body suit, will it help my arms swim faster? And my First Endurance PreRace helped me stay focused during really tough mental and physical conditions.

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Weekend photos, minus the part where I made Kelly have lunch with me in my old neighborhood. “That’s where I used to do my LAUNDRY!” “That’s my OLD GROCERY STORE!” etc.:

Last summer, I couldn’t do track workouts. I tried one or two in July, but my legs kept seizing up and I had calf problems and ankle/hip pain for days afterward. So, my coach had me doing all my runs on soft, straight-ish surfaces. I went to see Josh at Tri-Massage every two weeks for MRT sessions, which really helped me keep on the healthy side. I had some good run splits in races last year, I just had to be careful in training.

Recovery Pump-ing with Mary Miller

This March, I got a pair of Recovery Pump boots. I have used them very regularly, ~5x week or more depending on my training load.

After about a month of use, Josh started to notice that my legs didn’t need as much attention as they used to. I just wasn’t having the pains and tightnesses that I was before, during or after workouts. At that point the only real change to my regimen was the Recovery Pump boots.

Sharing a beautiful Fairview evening with the Football team

So, my coach reintroduced track workouts to my training! Starting off simple, 4×800, and gradually building as my body allowed. I’ve done one track workout per week for the past 4 months now, with no injury issues, just a bit of groveling and groaning over 10k’s of speedwork . But only a teeny bit – I’m so happy and grateful to be back on the track and running well.

See me smiling?