Less than ideal, but…

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out" ~Art Linkletter

After three decades of athletics and adventure filled antics, I guess my first broken bone at 32 is not all bad. Unfortunately however, I must add a Grade 4 AC joint separation and a muscle stuck in between the fracture to this first broken bone. My distal clavicle fracture looked pretty aligned in the initial x-ray, but the follow-up CT scan and MRI confirmed an unfortunate scenario for my right shoulder. It’s a “unique and unusual” situation, but thankfully I have a couple of great surgeons ready to piece it back together today.

The Crash: I was out riding, doing what I love. I was finishing up a great 70+ mile ride in Scottsdale and as I attempted to make the final turn into LifetimeFitness, I looked over my left shoulder to check for traffic, and before I looked forward again I was on the ground wincing in pain. My front tire caught a rut (small gap between the concrete road and shoulder), and I was thrown over the handlebars. My front tire was still stuck in the rut as my back wheel and I where over the top. The front wheel was jammed, and it was quite the challenge just to get it out (that rim is now toast). After 3 hrs waiting to get into the ER, they took an x-ray to confirm the clavicle break and I received my first morphine shot.

Diagnosis: I got into an Orthopedic shoulder specialist as soon as I got back to Mpls on Monday. A special thanks to Dr. Margarita Sevilla (was part of the LTF cycle camp) for coordinating such great care. Dr. Klepach reviewed the x-ray, and although the break looked pretty well aligned she thought we should do a CT scan to get a better idea what’s going on. I heard back on Wednesday that a few different shoulder surgeons were looking at the results, and they were concerned with the amount of separation between the fracture. They wanted to know more so I was in for an MRI on Friday. Meanwhile, thankfully my manager allowed me to work from home all week, so I didn’t miss too much on the workfront. On Monday, March 7th I had an appt with the orthos and they showed me all the pretty images of my messed up shoulder. As she classified my shoulder as Grade 4 and pointed to a handy chart with the explanations, I knew surgery would be necessary (only pics and description for grade1-3 as 4-5 are extremly rare). Two days later, here I am, getting ready for my first hospital stay, not to mention my first surgery.

Recovery: Considering the unique nature of my injury, the surgical course of action remains somewhat unknown. My surgeons have a few plans in mind, but will make the final call once they get in and see what they have to work with. I did hear 16 weeks before I can swim again, maybe back to 'normal' in 9-10 months, but should know more after the surgery. One thing I do know is that I will be diligent with the recovery protocol and won’t be rushing back to activity early. I want to have a healthy shoulder for a long time and if my initial activity is limited to physical therapy rehab, then so be it. Being healthy and active for a lifetime is much more important than rushing into anything to defy odds and race this season.

Blessed: In the big picture, this little accident and surgery is nothing. Just this morning I heard the awful news about professional runner and triathlete Sally Meyerhoff. Just yesterday, she was stuck by a truck in the Phoenix area while riding her bike. She was just getting into triathlon, but showed HUGE promise as a 2:35 marathoner. It just makes me sick to think about how sad her family and friends are right now as they’re forced into such a tragic and early goodbye. I’ve been putting my little accident in perspective all week as I consider myself blessed and lucky for everything I still have around me, but Sally’s tragedy brings this perspective to a whole new level.

What’s Next: When I draw on what makes me happiest, it’s being able to play and train with my family and friends. My primary objective is to get back to being able to do that. As far as racing goes, I had a pretty full race schedule planned with a focus on OLY distance racing. I had been swimming a ton and making great progress with my training and fitness level, so I’m sad I won’t be putting that to good use. BUT, In my mind right now, this season will be about recovery, training for health (mental and physical) and about giving back to the wonderful triathlon community as a volunteer. I may be able to race late season, but for now, that’s not my focus.

BIG Thank-You: No matter what, I have the most wonderful people around me. All the support I’ve received this week is a beautiful reminder of the people I’m so blessed to have in my life. I’ve always considered myself blessed, but this little detour has heightened my appreciation for the life I have. Of course, I’ll be unable to do many of my favorite things for a little while, but I’ll be back in no time. I’m learning through this forced slowdown to look at the big picture and not sweat the small stuff. I special thanks to my new chauffeur (Kerry) for driving me around. The flowers, the cards, the calls, the texts, the M&Ms (had to give some away in fear of turning into one), chopped up veggies/fruit, and the love and support that’s been flowing on Facebook has been very touching and appreciated. Again, so many reminders for just how lucky I am.

Hugs!! xoxo

Ironman Wisconsin

I will keep this relatively brief.

Going into this race I knew one thing with 100% confidence- I was NOT overtrained. I desperately wanted to believe this was a good thing, but deep down I knew the harsh reality. I tried my best to recall my Hawaii Ironman in 2008 when my longest ride was 85 miles and longest run was a 15mile two weeks before (I was focused on OLY distance racing that year), and it turned out much better than expected. I knew I could do an Ironman without the mega miles… BUT, as I learned in Madison, DOING an Ironman and trying to RACE an Ironman is very different. WOWZERS, and it hurt…A LOT!

So for the Highlights:

- My sister Pam came from Toronto to watch
- Unbelievable support from my friends all day
- Did a pre race swim and attended first pro meeting with Charisa W
- 10 minute head start on the 2500 amateurs.
- The PRO women received PINK swim caps
- Running up the HELIX was amazing – I must have heard my name 100x! THANKS!
- Started the bike in 4th place (made the ironmanlive updates)
- Had the Motorcycle cameras guys following me
- Coming up OLD SAUK Pass and seeing my crew going crazy … with KY at the top!
- Watching Charisa zoom by at about mile 85 and go on to have a 5th place finish
- Despite starting the run with blisters, I didn’t lose any toes
- Seeing so many fellow racers on the run course with all the out and back sections.
- State Street was fun even while in the hurt locker (Thanks again amazing cheerleaders).
- Worked as hard as I could, and didn’t quit, despite hurting SO BAD
- Didn’t end up in the Med tent
- Watched my good friend Patti finish her first Ironman (we both did the endurance double (leadville+Ironman).
- Hung out with the greatest peeps post race at the Great Dane
- Watched the final finishers cross the line at Midnight – AMAZING SIGHT.

And the Lowlights:

- Didn’t see another rider on the bike until mile 8 (a guy passed) and mile 13 (Desiree) passed- Pretty lonely out there.
- Wanting to stop and go to sleep during the 2nd lap of the bike
- Unable to stay in aero position due to extreme soreness in my upper body (my TT bike does not ride like my full suspension MTB bike)
- Did I mention how tired I felt?
- Muscles stopped working at half way point of the marathon
- Was passed with 2 miles to go for the final money spot

So the Highlights list is much longer than the Lowlights list - SWEET! I look back on the race and smile. I ended up finishing 9th Pro in 10:37ish (55 – 5:45 – 3:47). My wishful goal time was 10:20 (55 - 5:30- 3:40). It was my bike performance that let me down - Although I logged a lot of miles to prepare for Leadville, they were never hard miles. I relied on my scattered races to count as bike workouts, and that just wasn’t enough. Not to mention the fact that I didn't spend enough time on my TT bike (in aero position), which became painfully obvious throughout the 2nd loop of the bike.

Lessons learned:
- A 100 Mile MTB 4 weeks before Ironman is probably not the best training (but it sure is fun)!
- Running 20-30 miles/week (on good weeks) is not enough running for me.
- Must take advantage of knowing the BEST bike fitters in the business (Gear West) and revisit my bike fit.
- No more racing this year – Time to rebuild, get strong and work on my weaknesses.



Well... just one little race (the famous Chequamegon FAT TIRE 40) but that doesn’t really count if you ride super slow and at the back of the pack , RIGHT? It's all about the post race PARTY…

… Unless you crash over some dude who goes down right in front of you – Doh! More to come on that adventure from last weekend...

Leadville 100 MTB Race Report: Part two

It’s been almost four weeks since the Leadville 100MTB race, which means I should really just skip the race report, but considering this race was one of the greatest endurance events I’ve ever done (and I’ve had more than one request for a report), I’ll do my best to recount this highly memorable day.

On race morning we arrived in Leadville about 60min prior to the 630 start time. The crowds had already formed, and we were forced to line up pretty far back from the start line. People lay their bikes in the street to hold their place, and we squeezed into the mayhem on the far side of the Main street intersection. This would be my first MASS MTB start like, and with 1600+ riders anxious to start their journey, I knew it would be tricky. I kept thinking how much I’d prefer an Open water mass swim start…

With Temps in the mid 30s, I was doing my best to stay warm. I had thick gloves and hand warmer packets to keep the blood circulating in my fingers. With just shorts, knee warmers, jersey, arm warmers and vest, I knew I’d be chilly on the 4-5 mile downhill asphalt descent out of town, but I was careful not to overdress as the first climb up St Kevin’s was bound to get the fire burning. I’d been warned that the start can be tricky as people jockey for position before hitting the double track dirt trail. I didn't want to risk anything during that section of the race, but looking back, I believe I took it out too conservatively and paid a price for it during the chaotic climb up Kevin’s. I felt strong on the climb yet was forced off my bike several times as people lost traction in front of me. I patiently navigated the masses, and was excited to start seeing more open trail towards the top of the first major climb.

After about 10-15miles into the ride, I was having a blast and loved the fact that I could finally ride without worrying too much about the mobs of people around me. I LOVED the 3+ mile asphalt decent on Sugarloaf. I had a flash back to my alpine ski racing days as I navigated the curvy roads in a deep tuck. It was so much fun to take advantage of the fat tires by taking the descent more aggressively.

The Hagerman’s Pass climb got super crowded in a hurry, but at least this time I was able to maneuver and get in a decent position before the BIG descent. I found my buddy AL towards the top of Hagerman’s and with him nearby I knew I was in good company. We finally arrived at the top of Powerline - The most dreaded downhill of the race, and although I survived without any issues during camp, I knew it would be a different story this time around with the extra riders. As we were flying down near the top, we could hear screams of ‘Rider down, SLOW down.’ This is the most dreadful sound, and I was a scary sight to see a pile of riders and people hovering around to help. They were telling everyone to keep moving. Of course people fall all the time in mountain biking, and even though I couldn’t see the rider, you could tell it was serious based on the emotions of the helpers around him. I think that slowed the pace of the entire descent as people instantly became more cautions. I was able to make it down without any issues, but seeing an ambulance rushing in the road made me queasy for a while. I knew the rider was getting the help they needed, and with that I tried my best to get positive thoughts flowing through my mind again.

Luckily I was just a few miles from the first aid station called Pipeline. With hundreds of spectators and energy from the support crew the race day energy was back at max. This would be my first time check … and I was about 10min ahead of schedule. I didn’t have any plans to stop at this aid station as I was well stocked to make it all the way to Twin Lakes

From there, I caught up with a few LTF guys; Peter S, Jeff R, Jeff Z and we worked together in a paceline for a few miles. It was really fun to catch up with these guys and see a few familiar faces. The section from Pipeline to Twin Lakes is relatively mellow, with one pretty steep descent before the new single track section. I’d seen a few riders crash there during camp, so I was a little nervous, but thankfully (I put on beefier front tire for the race) I was able to get down ok. I did find out later that my friend Coach Troy actually broke his collar bone there just before I arrived.

I was really looking forward to next aid station at Twin Lakes. This was the Main area for support, and it was nothing short of MAYHEM (in the best of ways). Most riders have their own support crew, so you can imagine all the people with tents and parties set up in this area. My crew was planning to position themselves on the other side of the dam, but I couldn’t make out any individuals in the sea of festivity. I actually rode right past my crew, and the LTF folks started chasing me to tell me to turn around. Thankfully I found them, and I was able to execute my plan, and get ready for the next MAJOR section of the race. I swamped out my 80ozCamelback bladder (with 5 scoops of Carbo pro) for another. Although I was plenty warm at this stage of the race, I’d been warned never to climb a mtn in Colorado without extra warm clothes, so I kept my arm warmers (pulled down) and my wind vest (wide open) for the hike up Columbine.

In my pace planning for the race, the climb up Columbine was the big X-factor. I felt great during camp, but that was on relatively fresh legs and with less people covering the trail. I forecasted 2:25 for the ascent, but I was really hoping that I could do it in less than 2 hrs. I was constantly passing people on the climb, but once we got to the top of the treeline, the two way traffic from the riders making their way down made it very difficult to ride around the ‘hike- a- bikers’. Even at this stage of the race (about 4 hrs in), I was passing a lot of people who were cramping pretty badly or just couldn’t ride the rocky trail. Eventually the trail narrowed and the downward traffic increased, and everyone climbing was forced into a single file ‘death march” for about a mile. A large portion of this area was in fact rideable, but there was no chance of that with the traffic.

Summiting Columbine was unbelievable! There was a neutral aid station at the top (they did not allow crew or spectators up there), and I enjoyed the buffet of Watermelon and PB&J sandwiches. Typically this is where people add warmer clothers for the descent but today was different. It was much warmer than usual, and unlike last year, we didn’t have rain and hail to terrorize us on the descent. ON the way down I was able to see more friends, and it was wonderful to hear Kerry yell my name as I passed by. I heard so many encouraging words from fellow LTF riders, but it I was pretty much 100% focused on the trail as the descent on the narrow baby head terrain was pretty scary at times.

I could smell hydraulic brake fluid and I did my best to work my brakes in an attempt to prevent overheating and loss of function. The descent took about 40 minutes, and I was back at Twin Lakes in no time. By this checkpoint, I had made up about 45 min on my goal, and was still feeling strong. I finally shed the arm warmers, knee warmers, changed into lighter gloves, and swamped my empty Camelback again with another 80oz + 600 cals of Carbo Pro. I wish I had lubed my chain at this stop, but I was just too excited and wanted to keep it moving.
Our crew was awesome. They changed out my packs, gave me a few extra gels and lot of encouragement as I took off from Twin Lakes.

In about another 65 minutes I made it to the Pipeline aid station. I refilled my camelbak again leaving me with about 80oz of fluid for the final 25 miles. This section was the final test with challenging climbs back up Powerline and Sugarloaf.

Coming out of Pipeline someone told me I was in about 12th place. This was the first time I even considered this a ‘race’ per se, and I was shocked. Of course, at this point, the competitive juices started flowing, and I started dreaming of a top 10 finish. I worked hard, on the windy road section, but I knew I couldn’t get ahead of myself as the Powerline climb was still looming.

Powerline - It was what I expected- Brutal. I was forced to walk a large portion of the lower section and I was passing many folks suffering with severe cramps. Everyone was doing their best to motivate each other upward, but it was grueling. This was by far, the toughest section of the race, and it came at mile 80… With multiple false summits, it was a mental battle as well as the obvious physical battle to keep the pedals turning over.

Once I reached the top, I looked at the clock and started thinking about the finish line for first time. I realized that a sub10 hr race was possible, and became hyper sensitive to anything that could cause mechanical failures. The rocky decent down Hagerman’s left me concerned in a few sections, but once we hit the asphalt/ Sugarloaf, I knew the likelihood for mechanical failure was minimal for a while (Great Feeling)!

The final descent was St Kevin’s, and after almost biting the dirt at a very high speed, I was quickly reminded just how dangerous this type of riding can be. I had no reason to risk injury, and I dialed it way back for the rest of the descent. Once at the bottom, I knew I was pretty much home free with just 7 additional miles of fairly straight forward terrain. Knowing I didn’t have to run afterwards was enough to keep the legs feeling strong through the finish. LOVED THAT!!

Coming up 6th street and seeing that finish banner evoked such a mix of emotions: Relief, Excitement, Pride, etc. I ended up finishing 12th Overall female, which included a slew of veteran Pro MTB riders and experienced Leadville riders. My finish time was about an hour faster than my projected time, and I was INJURY FREE!!!

I hung around the finish and watched fellow Lifetime Fitness riders cross the line. Words can’t even begin to describe all the excitement in that area. It was unreal. I heard from our crew that Kerry was riding well, and was managing his hydration to a tee. Although Kerry’s original forecasted finish time was 11:40, the latest update was closer to the 11hr mark.

Being inside the chute to watch Kerry cross the line was by far the greatest moment of the day. We BOTH did it!!!! This race was truly a celebration of our Epic Journey together, and we’re so blessed to have survived this day with no injuries and a shiny new belt buckle.

We enjoyed watching more riders to cross the line. Our dear fiends Patti and AL, ran into some trouble on the course. AL who has already broken his wrist earlier this year in a horseback riding accident had injured his other wrist (with a possible concussion), while Patti ran into some gut issues and had trouble getting calories down. Even with these unfortunate events, they persevered, and ended up coming across the finish line together –Holding hands -Incredible!


After watching all these people get their belt buckle, I received the news regarding the seriously injured rider I mentioned earlier. Well it turned out that it was in fact our friend and fellow LTF rider Gary W. He had been airlifted from the top of Powerline to a hospital in Denver. He was in very serious condition, but around 7pm, we all received the update that he was going to be ok. His family was there watching, and although his wife went with him to Denver, his two girls were still in Leadville. My heart was so scared and sad for these amazingly strong little girls. Luckily Bill D. and family took great care of them and were able to keep the emotions in check as best they could.

UPDATE ON GARY: He has finally been able to come back and receive his care in MN after a 2 week stay at the Denver Hospital. He encountered a bad head injury and multiple rib fractures in the crash, and although it won’t be an easy road to full recovery, it’s been incredibly inspiring to read and hear about all the wonderful support he has by his side. Gary- I’m checking your Caring pages every day, and I’m so trilled you’re back in MN with your family. Sending you all the strongest healing wishes possible my friend. Thinking of you and your family - Can’t wait to ride by your side again soon!

A special Thanks to Lifetime Fitness for doing everything possible to help Gary and his family through this. It was very special to be part of your team for everything that you represent. Outstanding group of people – Thank- You, Thank-You, Thank-You!!!

Leadville Adventure Report – Part One: Pre-Race

For those of you who’ve been reading my blog, it should come as no surprise that Kerry and I were super excited to have the opportunity to race in the Leadville 100 mile Mountain Bike race. It’s a lottery style entry, so getting a race number is almost as challenging as the race itself. With that in mind, we did everything we could to make it count.

Although I’ve never attempted an endurance MTB race like this, Kerry and I have been racing Mountain bikes off and on for the last five or six years. We’ve done our share of Xterra’s ,Buck Hill, and MORS cup races, but these events typically range in the 10-25 mile range. The Leadville 100MTB was about stepping very far from of our comfort zone… and of course meeting and training with new friends, and bringing home a flashy new belt buckle!

We decided to drive to Colorado, and left town a week early in an attempt to learn how to breathe at 10,000ft.
After stopping in Boulder to catch up with a few friends and watch the Boulder 70.3 on Sunday (and sneak in an 18miler), we finally made our way up the Mountains Sunday afternoon.

To properly kick off the Leadville party, we enjoyed a Cowboy grill out at ‘Camp LTF’ Sunday night: Here's the view from the backyard – BA grilled our mega steaks on the open camp fire, and asking for it medium WELL was not a wise move! Many LTF folks had been in town for a few weeks (as they had exciting business to complete), so it was fun to catch up and hear all the stories from the trails, which included several Lance rendezvous and the most up to date course conditions.

After a little birthday surprise cake, we headed to our log cabin in Buena Vista to set up camp for the week. Special thanks to Merilee for giving us the keys to such a beautiful home – WOW – it was perfect!

I must admit that it was challenging staying in such a beautiful place and being forced to rest. I just wanted to ride and hike and play Colorado style. Instead, I actually worked three days from the cabin: Here's our home office
– In the end, this was probably a smart move on my part as tapering properly would have been impossible with the appeal of the adventure filled outdoors. I did in fact take the day off Monday to visit Colorado Springs and catch up with an old teammate from ISU. She hooked us up at her Country Club (CC of C) where we had the luxury of swimming in a 50m outdoor pool. What a treat - I think this was my first swim in a long course pool all year, and then add that to the glorious Mountain Views, and no pool traffic and we were in heaven. From the pool we made our way to the Iconic Broadmoor GC where Cathy works - That place is spectacular, and will host the Women’s US Open next year. We played a little golf, and enjoyed a dinner filled with all kinds of ‘blast from the past’ moments before heading back to BV.


Thank again Cathy for completely spoiling is in COS. We owe ya!

We stayed away from the Leadville hustle all week, but Friday came quickly and it was time to get ready for the big day. We drove into Leadville for the mandatory check-in and meeting. Race director Ken Clouber delivered a motivational speech to a packed house of 1600+ riders and crews. He told stories of toughness and fortitude, with the theme of “DON”T YOU QUIT”. As I looked around the gymnasium, I don’t think I saw a dry eye. Clearly the emotions of what we were about to experience, and what we’ve experienced to get there were at an all time high. My words certainly can’t do it justice, but it was a very special moment we all shared from the event.

As depicted in this photo, a race like this takes a lot of prep, and I’m not talking about training. Getting our stuff (nutrition and extra clothes, supplies) organized for our crew was an operation. We had a very knowledgeable crew and certainly owe them a great deal of thanks for what they did for us on race day.

I managed to get to bed by 9pm – and up again at 4am! Race day was finally here…

Part two: Race Day... to be continued.

Leadville 100 MTB- Truly Something Special

What an amazing experience. I will get a real race report together soon, but in the meantime this photo serves as a summary of what this event was all about for me.

Sharing this truly EPIC event with Kerry was so unbelievable. Here I am jumping up and down as I see Kerry coming up to the finish line a full hour ahead of the 12hr cut-off, and 40minutes ahead of his projected finish time. I’m SO SO proud - That moment alone will be keep a smile on my face for a VERY long time.