Hard training in high altitude payed back.

Last couple weeks of preparation for Hawaii Ironman I've decided to train in high altitude in my favorite place in US, Los Alamos, NM. It not just about beautiful aria and awesome nature, it also about Los Alamos people, my friends and very quiet atmosphere of this town. I already know what to expect from the training in high altitude and how hard it is, but I like how preparation in high altitude pays me back later. 

I stayed in Los Alamos for full 4 weeks, first week is the hardest one: I feel always sleepy, second and third day pass usually with heavy headache; during the bike rides I feel no power, even jogging puts my heard rate too high. Then comes 5th day of acclimatization when I barely can move and feel extremely lazy, but after that day I usually start feel better, although still not that powerful like when I train at the sea level. 

Each weekend I did either a race or long training with my friend Clay Moseley (pro cyclist in past).  I've done Salida triathlon in Colorado and a sprint Patriot triathlon near Albuquerque. My time were passing very fast in New Mexico, somehow it's never boring, thanks my friends Dina and Clay. 

After I came back from New Mexico I planed to do one more race, Ironman 70.3, Augusta, before Ironman World championship in Kona. This event took part yesterday in Augusta, Georgia. 

About the race: I was very lucky, like most people who doesn't conceder themselves as a strong swimmer, with the swim course. The swim course was set in a river , it was one way swim with the same direction of a current . The bike segment was a part of the course what I was most proud of. I still felt good on the run, but it was hard to keep up with such a strong runners like Laura Bennet, Kelly Williamson, Desiree Fiker, plus the foot injury made me miss most of my running intervals. At the finish line I was very happy with my result, so far it is the fastest Half Ironman for me: 4h. 22 min. 36" and 4th place overall. I guess high altitude training is paying back.

Ironman 70.3 results; pictures

Ironman Lake Placid.

I guess number 4 is my favorite number. That's the place in Ironman where I finished most. Let see: Ironman Arizona 2005 and 2008, Ironman Austria 2008, Ironman Florida 2006 and now Ironman Lake Placid 2009 again 4th place. But in my case I am pretty happy with my results. I wasn't sure if will able to go through marathon. The problem was, that I got injured 10 days before the Ironman. It was a foot injury, which caused a knee pain. I've tried to get well before the race, but there was not enough time. Thanks Trigger point and Cassidy, who took care of my injured leg two days before the Ironman, it really helped a lot. 

The swim and bike passe very well, I felt very confident on the bike, although I didn't expect such a hilly course. Finally I learned how to use a Power Tap and download to my computer. I had 178 W. average and 86 cadence and 50.33 ml/h on the dissent hill :)   

I still wasn't sure about my run, but the first loop felt surprisingly good. I guess it was adrenalin I got from running behind the mountain bike with a sign on it "3d woman". By the time Caitlin Snow passed me I was a bit broken. Then I got some other problems except keeling pain from knee and the foot, like diarrhea and dehydration at the end. So, I spent a few hours in the medical tent after my finish. In spite my troubles during a marathon run, 4th place is good, right??? :) I want to say spacial thank you to Cassidy (Trigger Point Therapy), to Tristan (team Timex manager),  to Larry ( photographer) to the guys, who helped me out at the medical tent for all your help and support.

Ukrainian and Europian races.

It took me a while to recover from Strongman triathlon. Mostly I was tired from too much traveling last month. In two weeks after Japan I had Ukrainian team relay championship and Ukrainian cup on a sprint distance. It was still cold in our east Europian countries and we had to swim in the swimming pool at first day of the race. The competitions were divided in 3 days: next day after swimming race we had to do sprint distance (bike+run) and the last day of the event we did team relay super sprint (bike+run). During the swim meet I started feel tooth pain, I just fixed one a few days before the race. I could handle the pain during the day, but at night..... I think it was worst night in my life so far. Next morning my coach drove me to a hospital where I had a surgery in my mouth . I started feel better after that, although I couldn't compete in that same day. But next day I did a super sprint and did it pretty well, as a team we got second place. After I came home I finaly had a time to train without traveling and racing for a next, at least, 3 weeks. But my health wasn't good on 100 % after taking antibiotics for the mouth healing.

           

 I got well before my next triathlon race, which was in Senec, Slovakia.

 I had a crazy idea (as usualy:)) I wanted to do 2 races in one weekend. It's okay if it 2 sprints, or sprint and Olympic distance race, but I figured out it's not that good when you do one sprint triathlon in one country, then drive 200 km to another country, then sleep in a tent and when do Half Ironman next morning..... Not the best idea. Anyway I did good at sprint distance  and I actually felt okay next day during the swim and run, but on the bike I found out that my saddle is too low and the shifter doesn't work well (after trasporting the bike in a car). I still finished though and it was Ironman 70.3 in St. Polten. 

For some reason I started loosing a motivation to train, I guess I just were tired and I still had two more races ahead of me before I could take a small brake: Olympic and super sprint triathlon in Ukraine and half distance race in Poland. Didn't feel good during Ukrainian races, but triathlon in Poland came out very well in spite of unlucky trip to this east Euripian country ( We had some troubles crossing a border in minivan with a stranger driver. It's a long story and not very funny). But even with all not very nice moments it was a good journey , we had Ukrainian team in Poland, included Viktor Zyemtsev, two new in Long course triathlon athletes: Anton Blohin and Galina Makedon and one more guy from west of Ukraine. So, it was fun and all of us had a good race: 1st and 2d female overal; 1st, 2d and 10th overal male.(results)

And right now I am back to US, training and preparing for the second part of my season and Ironman races.