Monroe Continental Cup

This past weekend I competed in my third continental cup of the season in Monroe, Washington which was also the first U23 World Qualifying race.  The main goal coming into this race was to qualify for the U23 World Championships held in Bejing, China in September. 

Race morning came and I was very comfortable with the venue and course layout due to a thorough course preview the day before. The water was measured at 19.0 degrees Celsius making the swim wetsuit legal. All participants were called out to the start line to wait for the start. I had a pretty good start but about half way through the first lap of the 2 lap swim I realized I had missed the lead pack of swimmers. The rest of the swim I focused on closing any bit of the gap I could. I got out of the water with a handful of other girls and used my foot speed to get to transition and mount my bike as fast as I could (which was hugely beneficial since we did end up losing some of our pack between the run to transition and mounting).

The first 1-2 laps of the bike were very high intensity which caused some girls to fall off the back while allowing our chase pack to catch the two leaders. Once we caught the leaders we became a pack of about 7 which lengthened the gap between the field through the rest of the bike. After the first 2 laps I felt much more comfortable on the bike and paid attention to the other riders to make sure I could counter any attack that may happen. There were a couple attempts at breakaways during the bike but none were successful and we all came into t2 together.

By the first 800 of the 4 lap run course there were two girls that had put about 5 seconds on me and two other girls. On the second lap of the run Widney from Canada took a commanding lead and the other 4 of us ran together for most of the race. We were all pushing the pace and when I felt like I was starting to struggle, I forced myself to think about all the workouts I have completed leading up to this race.

At the last water station, which was about an 800 from the finish and the last turn before the finish chute, I made a move so the race did not end in a sprint finish. I made sure that when I decided to go I committed. It was hard to not look back to see if anyone was coming with me, but my track coach in high school drilled into my head that it is a sign of pain and weakness when you glance behind you. Nobody came with me and I just kept pressing to the finish line with no idea if anyone was chasing me down. I ran across the finish line 11 seconds ahead of the 3^rd place finisher and closed a significant amount of time on the leader. In one week I will head back over to the west coach to compete in the San Francisco Continental Cup!

Cartagena Columbia Continental Cup

I love going to different countries and seeing various cultures- I just don’t like the actual travel there (especially by myself). I was meeting a group of American’s in Cartagena and everything was great after I found them, but the travel there was stressful at times. It started with a direct flight to Cartagena from Miami, which seems to just be an off shoot of South America since most people in the Airport spoke limited English. The actually flight was fine but trying to communicate with a taxi driver with a bike box was a bit difficult. Thankfully, he was able to get me to the correct address where I got to carry my bike box and bags up 4 flights of stairs! Once up though the apartment that we were renting close to the race sight was very nice. We each got our own bed, it had a kitchen, living room and 3 bathrooms- Sean Jefferson did a great job finding it!

We were able to do a short run, bike and swim on the race course the day before since the roads were closed off for an age group race. This worked out perfect since I don’t know how we would have ridden the bike course if traffic was allowed on the road with us! The swim was 2 laps, the bike was 7 laps and the run was 4 laps.

Race day came and we rode from the apartment down to the race site with no problems. I did my usual warm up and soon enough we were being called to line up for the start. The swim was an ocean swim and we started in about thigh deep water. The gun went off right as a wave was breaking in front of us! I was happy with my swim and was able to find some people to work with both laps. During the bike I was in a chase pack of 6-7 girls for the first half before we caught the leader and worked with her the rest of the race. I didn’t notice the heat too much until getting off to run! I knew it was really hot from the run the day before but this was a heat like I had never felt before- and I am born and raised in Florida! The entire run I was trying to keep my body temperature down by pouring water over my head at every aid station (6 per lap). As the run went on I felt the heat more and more and just kept thinking about the finish line and with every step I was getting closer to it. I was 3^rd getting off the bike, moved into second during the first lap, but then back into 3^rd at the end of the second lap. I tried to hang onto the girl when she passed me during the second lap but with the heat my legs had nothing.

Overall it was a great experience to get to race in Cartagena and I can’t thank my coach, Jennifer Hutchison, my family and my sponsors (especially Kiwami for sending my new racing suit over night!) for making this trip possible!

Pineapple Man Local Sprint Triathlon

It has been too long since I wrote anything, but having a full time internship at a physical therapy clinic while training full time doesn’t leave much extra time. I am finally getting to blog about the sprint triathlon I did for fun last weekend as I fly to Cartagena, Columbia for a Continental Cup. 

The Pineappleman Triathlon is in Melbourne Beach, less than 20 minutes south of my hometown. I did this race as a relay while in high school and competed in it individually for the first time last year. It is a really fun hometown race that I hope I have the chance to do for many years with my family.  I really enjoy travelling to compete in some of the bigger races as I continue to grow as a triathlete, but it’s also nice to race in small, no-pressure races with friends and family. Now for the race itself..

The swim went by so fast I barely remember it- it was only about 500m! I didn’t get out quite fast enough to latch onto the top male swimmers but started to close the gap about half way through and swam with my good friend and training partner BJ for the last bit of the race. I ran down the dock and into transition with no problem and even thought I had a great mount.. other than hitting down a cone! I settled into a nice steady rhythm on the bike (about a 17 mile bike) and came into transition as the second female. We ran together for the first couple minutes before I focused on my high turn over and was able to finish the race 3^rd overall and 1^st female. I look forward to competing in this race and the award of a fresh pineapple for years!

Interview with Triathlete.com

Here is a link to a recent interview I had the privilege of doing with triathlete.com. Enjoy!

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/04/news/q-and-a-with-usat-collegiate-nationals-winner-kaitlin-shiver_26637

 Go Gators!

Go Gators!

 You know what’s funny about racing- when you cross the finish line and have achieved the result you hoped for (and raced to your potential), you forget all the pain. I guess at that point the feeling of accomplishment outweighs the physical pain of the race. By the end of the day, not only did you forget the pain, you have the desire to do it all over again! This competitive nature is what keeps us coming back for more. When we don’t have the race we wanted, we want to do it again. When we have the race we wanted, we want to do it again-somehow better this time. 

I have been looking forward to Collegiate Nationals in Tuscaloosa for awhile because it gave me the opportunity to compete for my school again! I love wearing the Gator uniform and being part of a team! The race conditions were interesting since the river was 60°F and by the time we were running it was almost 90°F with humidity!

The swim was not as physical as other races I have been in which is always nice. This was also the first race I have ever done in a wetsuit, although I never thought about the wetsuit once during the race thanks to Aquaman! Although I have never raced with a wetsuit I have completed numerous open water swims with one and this was by far the most comfortable wetsuit and allowed for the most flexibility. Aquaman really makes an incredible wetsuit! I was able to find some feet right before the first buoy and stayed right on them the rest of the swim. The run to transition was really long and I was able to catch a couple girls that I exited the water with.

Walking down to the in water start -thanks Aquaman for the AMAZING wetsuit!

I ran straight to my bike in transition and threw on my helmet, grabbed my bike and was out of transition. I had a clean mount and could see the leader right ahead but as soon as I went to get in my shoes I somehow popped my left shoe right out of the cleat. I think I got my foot caught between the shoe and the strap. I quickly turned around, put my shoe on and continued racing. I could still see 2^nd and 3^rd just ahead so I focused on closing the gap. On the way back on the first loop of the bike (it was 2 loops) I was able to catch the leader on an uphill. The rest of the race I was biking (and running) for my life!

I ran into transition after the bike and heard I had put 45 seconds on second place. Within the first ½ mile of the run we had to get up the biggest hill of the course. The whole way up all I could think was “Although the hill repeats at home were not fun at the time- thank you Coach Jennifer (Hutchison)!” It was still tough to get up but I knew I just had to not slow down as much as everyone else. The rest of the run I just kept pressing and trying to stay cool. The best part of the race came at the end where I was able to run through the finish shoot doing the Gator Chomp. That is a moment I will never forget! I am so blessed to have shared this experience with my Gator team as well as my mom who was there supporting me the whole weekend!

GO GATORS!

Collegiate Nationals to be aired on CBS Sports April 29th 10pm E.T.!!

Clermont Draft Legal Challenge

This past weekend I raced an ITU sprint race right here in central Florida. It was really nice to race so close to home and not have to stress about travelling. It was also beneficially that during the weeks leading up to the race I was able to not only see the course but do some key workouts on the course. When the race came around I found my familiarity with the course to be extremely helpful. The day of the race it was a bit overcast and our race ended up being the first race of the day that was not wetsuit legal. This meant that the water temperate was just above 68°F so it was a bit chilly but with the swim only being 750m long there wasn’t much time to think about the water temperature.

One of my biggest mistakes at the beginning of the swim was starting to dolphin dive a little soon. I have been practicing dolphin dives since I knew this was a very shallow swim course but I just started a little early this past weekend. Luckily for this race I don’t think it affected my swim/race too much but it could in other race. The rest of the swim felt good and I got out of the water with a good group of girls. The first transition was pretty long; we had to run through the water (since it was so shallow) then up the beach of the lake and down the board walk to transition. This benefited me since I come from a running background and I was able to get towards the front of the pack going out of transition.

During the bike I ended up with a group of about 20 athletes. We were unable to get organized through most of the bike so didn’t make up much time on the lead pack; we also didn’t lose very much time either. I felt strong on the bike and although pulling/being at the front on the pack may have affected my run, I learned a lot from the race and am happy with that part of it.

The run didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped and I know I am capable of much better. During this past off season I have made huge gains in my running fitness and am very confident in my abilities. When I got to the run I just felt very flat which may have been caused from my high effort during the bike. Just like the past ITU races I have done, I have learned a lot from this race and I now know what I need to tweak before the next race.

I still find it amazing that I learn so much from every race, both draft legal and non-drafting triathlon as well as open events in the individual sports involved in triathlons. There are so many aspects/skills involved in triathlon (as well as other sports) that you cannot be taught- you just have to learn from experience. I cannot imagine the vast amount I still have to learn about this type of racing considering how much I have already learned. I look forward to a fun and exciting racing season ahead!

Lifestyle Tri Clinic

This week my fiancé Ed and I launched the information about the weekend triathlon clinics we will be conducting in Brevard County. I am really excited about this experience to share my knowledge with triathlon and fitness enthusiasts! We designed this camp as three, weekend clinics instead of 4- or 8-week long camps for a variety of reasons. We are targeting the working mother, father and business professional. Many people are very dedicated to their job and/or family which make it impossible for them to attend workouts a couple nights a week. This does not mean they do not want to be involved in group training, but training solo allows for a lot for flexibility when you have a busy schedule.  I completely understand this since in my family, my parents have always made mine, Ashley’s and Nicole’s activities first. This often meant that my mom was up before some people were going to sleep just to get her long run in when training for the Boston marathon.  Ed and I designed these triathlon clinics for those with family and/or business priorities. Lifestyle Tri Clinic will incorporate various aspects of triathlon into each weekend as well as providing significant course specific workouts. This will be the official camp for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series in Brevard County and we look forward to providing a course preview of each of the trifecta series races to all participants. Throughout the three weekend clinics we will be providing all participants with in-depth swim, bike and run instruction, injury prevention methods, race day tips, nutrition topics/FAQ, knowledge of triathlon specific workouts and a training plan to follow on your own schedule in preparation for the Surf Coast Trifecta Series Races. We will also be conducting various time trial events to have an accurate measurement of participant’s current fitness level so we can set realistic and obtainable goals! Ed and I are also more than happy to answer any questions even after the clinics are over! During one of the weekends we will also have an optional swim video and analysis! I am very excited about this new opportunity and experience pertaining to these weekend tri clinics! For more information about the Surf Coast Trifecta series as well as how to register for our clinic, visit www.surfcoasttrifecta.com Lifestyle Tri Clinic is also partnering with Soles4Souls, inc.! This non-profit organization collects gently used shoes and distributes them to millions of children around the world who desperately need them! For more information about Soles4Souls and to find a shoe collection drop box close to you visit www.soles4souls.org