Cross-Training and My Natural Transition to Triathlons

I am a runner first.   I've been running since I was 15.  But after the years of pounding on my legs I found myself plagued with injuries.  In college I ran in all three seasons:  Cross-Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track.  We were constantly running through tendinitis and other aches and pains.

Me as a Ragin' Cajun!  Lap 1 of the 2002 Louisiana Classics, 800m run, 1st place.

 And as soon as the spring season was over it was time to start summer training to be ready for the fall.  My junior year I developed IT Band Syndrome in my right knee - resulting in my red-shirting an entire year.  I couldn't run at all.  To stay in shape without putting stress on my knee, I started swimming.  After finally recovering and another two great years of college running, I tore my left hip flexor at the Texas Relays my senior year while anchoring the Distance Medley Relay. 

Pre-race on the Louisiana-Lafayette Track

 
It was a season ending (and college career ending) injury that led me back to swimming.  As a post-collegiate athlete on the Blazing Bayou Racing Team, I developed a stress fracture in my left foot and had to wear a boot for 6 weeks.  Obviously - no running, and it was back to the pool. 

Thanksgiving 2007, in the boot for my stress fracture

At this point I knew running all the time was not possible anymore.  I started swimming more and it was great way to get in a workout and take the stress of pounding on pavement off my legs.  Cycling was an obvious next step.  Thanks to my friend Karen C. who suggested triathlons might be a fun alternative to all the running we were doing.  It started with spin classes, to buying my own road bike, and falling in love with cycling. 

So, if you're a runner and find yourself getting injured more often than you like...  you may want to get in a spin class here and there, or get out on your bike.  Or hit up the pool - great way to get a tan in the summer too, but you'll have some funny tan lines.  :)   And I run much less now than when in college, but my times,  MUCH faster. 

Atlanta Publix Half Marathon

This Sunday, March 20, I raced in the Atlanta Publix Half Marathon. The course takes runners through many parts of the wonderful city of Atlanta - starting at Centennial Olympic Park, we run through Georgia State University Campus (where I am currently a PhD student), The Martin Luther King National Historical Site, Inman Park, Little Five Points, the Carter Center, the Virginia Highlands, Piedmont Park, Georgia Tech Campus (my Masters degree alma mater), and back to downtown and the Olympic Park. 

View on the course around Mile 2.5

The long and short of this race:  I ran a Personal Best by over 10 minutes, crossing the finish line in 1:34:50, which is about 7:15 pace per mile.  I placed 12th in my age group of 1107, and 42 overall out of 6163 women.   This sounds pretty good but was over 5 minutes slower than my goal time for the day.  Based on previous races and my training, I should have gone under 1:30 easily.  Unfortunately I just ran out of gas after the first 9 miles and just SURVIVED the last 4!!  My legs were like rocks!!  It didn't help that at mile 9 we began a mile and half climb (see race profile below).  Maybe I went out too fast, maybe I should have eaten more or drank more Gatorade on the course, I'm not sure - but it was a learning experience and I'll do better next time! 

Race Profile

I was lucky enough to share this experience with a bunch of my friends here in Atlanta who all did great!!!

All the fine finishers and support crew!  (Annie, Jeff, Alex, Jill, Robin, Ruth, Mike, Laura (me), Virginia, Ivana, Shaan -"Shaannie", Shannon, Amelia, Konrad)  There were many Personal Records among this crowd!  Congrats to everyone!!

My Next Challenge

The next challenge I face is not an athletic one, but academic:
My PhD qualifying exam begins today!  This exam moves me from PhD student to PhD candidate, and gets me one step closer to graduating and achieving my goal of a doctorate in Isotope Geochemistry. 

 (my normal lab attire:  lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves (not shown!))

This exam entails a three week take-home written exam of questions selected by my 4 committee members.  Following the written section is an oral presentation of my thesis work so far and a proposal (my plan) for the continuation of my research.  Also, any general chemistry and geology questions can and will be asked at this point. 

 

(collecting soil samples at the Savannah River Site, SC)

Because when it comes down to it, I am a scientist that does triathlons, not a triathlete that does science.

(calculating infiltration rates of soil (absorption of water) Jennie, Kristie, and Laura, during GSU Summer Field camp, Maymester, with Dr. Jordon Clayton)

(collecting and interpreting diffraction patterns of clay samples from the Savannah River Site, at Stanford's SLAC SSRL Laboratory)

(using the vacuum line at University of California-Irvine to isolate carbon dioxide from fossil coral skeletons)

Triathlon Training at Altitude: Boulder, CO

No wonder some of the best athletes come out of Colorado, it's hard to breathe there!!  I've been lucky enough to travel to Boulder, CO several times and get in some of the hardest training of my life.  Boulder is about 5500ft above sea level and has approximately 12% less oxygen than I normally breathe in Atlanta.   This obviously makes workouts more challenging.

My most recent trip I went straight from the airport to a Masters swim workout with swim coach Wolfgang Dittrich, who was a member of the German National Triathlon Team, swam in the 1984 Olympic Trials, and has a 3rd place finish at the Ironman World Championships - as some of his many accomplishments in the sport.  An hour of swim intervals with 12% less oxygen makes you feel like you're drowning.  Your lungs are burning, you get that metallic taste in your mouth, and you're working much harder to swim the same times that you do at sea level.  I never could catch my breath during the short rest periods. 

With running, I found myself falling apart in the middle of my 8 mile tempo run, slowing down and struggling to hold pace.  My heart rate was about 10 beats per minute higher than it would normally be at the same pace in Atlanta. As for cycling, I'm not a very good climber yet anyway, but I struggled on the hills and could barely catch my breath.  It's incredibly different from training in Atlanta, but I know I am only stronger for it.

(With coach, Steve Pyle, at the top of a climb during a 3 hour ride in Boulder)

Pushing my limits and challenging my body in this way is what I need to get ready for the World Championships since the athletes who train here are the caliber of athletes I will compete against in Beijing.

“RUN AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM” - Running for Saranac Lake High School

Today I had one of those moments where my coach said – you can run this time – and I thought, there’s no way I can run that!  It reminded me of when previous coaches have said that to me, I’d give them a blank stare, doubt myself, and then go run it.  How is it that they can have more faith in me than I have in myself?

Coach Thomas Kilroy, Saranac Lake High School Cross Country

Coach Thomas Kilroy

(Picture from pressrepublican.com/archive)

Before my sophomore year of high school, I had never run farther than the gym class mile.  Somehow I was talked into joining cross country that year, lead by Coach Tom Kilroy.  The first day of practice we had to run three miles and it took me 30 minutes.  Stumbling in after the longest run of my life at that point, I was disappointed.  I was a lot slower than most of the other girls.  But Kilroy’s response was - “30 minutes?  Why, you’re a natural!”  Coach Kilroy was the first person to teach me about team work, about leaving it all on the trail, and not noticing if I came in last as long as I gave that race my best effort;  that in cross country, you are competing against yourself as much as the other teams out there.  Most of all, he made it fun.  Our team record for the three years I ran with Kilroy was (45/3).  He was the first coach to ever lead SLHS to a state championship in any sport, with the 1995 Boys NY State XC Champion Team, including Olympic Gold Metalist, Billy Demong. Coach Kilroy is now retired.

Coach David Tyldesley, SLHS Cross Country, Distance Runners Track 2000

(Analise, Coach Tyldesley, Laura)

                My senior year of HS track, Coach Tyldesley was assigned to coach the girls distance team, which was exactly three of us – Laura, Analise, and 7^th grader Hailey D.  We went on to dominate in our distances:  Laura (800m), Analise (1500m), Hailey (3000m).  Under Tyldesley’s direction I blossomed into the:

·         2000 Section VII 800m Champion

·         2000 CVAC 800m Record Holder

·         2000 Section VII State Qualifier 800m Champion

·         9^th place finish at the NY State Meet in 800m

·          6^th place 4x800m Relay at the State meet (teaming with Becky Bog., Kayleen W., and Analise Z.)

·         2 SLHS school records that still stand today

Tyldesley (aka Tyldsbob) coached me to a new level and lead me to become a college quality athlete, ultimately resulting in my recruitment and athletic scholarship to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.  Coach also has a special connection to my family, having coached all 4 of the younger Zaunbrecher siblings (Laura, Analise, Matt, and Ben).  Matt was the SLHS XC front runner in 2004 and standout 800m runner and miler.  Says Matt, "I have always considered (Tyldesley) one of my favorite and most influential coaches."  Currently Tyldesley is coaching the North Country Community College (NCCC) Mens and Womens Cross Country Teams.

I hope you know the difference you have made in my life and the lives of countless other athletes that you have mentored.  Thank you. 

Stayed tuned for my college coaches! Geaux Ragin' Cajuns!!