Welcome Back IRONJEN Fans!

First off, let me sincerely apologize to those that have been hitting the site over the summer looking for news on IRONJEN. It's of course my fault. Busy schedule aside though I do have a technical excuse. The web publishing software that I use was discontinued and I got a new computer that could not run the old software. Learning the new package has been more difficult than I expected. Ok, the geek stuff is over!

Jen has had a very busy year, starting the off in January with the PF Chang's Rock 'N" Roll Marathon in Arizona. We took a family trip to cheer her on and visit with some friends. Jen ran the race with her childhood friend, Craig. It was his first Marathon. They both did awesome!

A few months later Jen went back to Arizona (Tucson this time) for a triathlon camp produced by Training Bible. There she bunked and trained with elite triathletes and coaches from around the country. The highlight was a group ride up Mt. Lemmon. 9000 feet. That's almost 4 hours of continual climbing! She also met former pro triathlete, Wes Hobson of the famous Cliff Bar commercial! We love that one! I you haven't seen it, you gotta check it out!

After camp, three months of hardcore training ensued as Jen prepared for her next race, The Spirit of Racine in beautiful Racine, WI. Well, usually. That weekend (in July) was unseasonably cool, and VERY foggy. (See the pix here.)That said, Jen completely rocked it! Knocking 23 minutes off of her previous time, she qualified for the 2009 USA Triathlon Halfmax Long Course and Club National Championships (70.3) next year in Oklahoma City! Way to go Jen!

Just this weekend, Jen competed in a field mixed with master swimmers and triathletes in USMS 2.4 mile Open Water National Championships in Madison, WI. Though she wasn't in it to win it, she did well. Her primary objective was to take advantage of the organized race in the same waters that she will swim at Ironman WI. She followed the race up with a 4 plus hour ride and a run.

Ironman Wisconsin is less than 2 weeks away, and IRONJEN is in the fittest condition she's ever been! She is stronger. She is faster! And she is out to beat her time in `07 in a big way! And this is the place to be, to see her through it! Stay tuned and follow Jen to Madison once more.

I'll be posting every couple of days leading up to IM WI and a little afterwards. Additionally, I'll be posting pix in the Gallery from the race. So leave a comment on the blog for Jen, or better yet, plan on joining us in Madison on Sept. 7th! (I'm hosting a dinner for all IRONJEN supporters Saturday, Sept. 6th. If you would like to come, please send me an email and let me know so I can make appropriate reservations. ) Jen and I would love to see you there. Check out the Ironman Race page for details about the race.

Thanks again for checking out IRONJEN.com

--Wes

Two Weeks and Counting

A message from Coach Carla to her clients...

"ACHIEVEMENT IS LARGELY THE PRODUCT OF STEADILY RAISING ONE'S LEVEL OF ASPIRATION AND EXPECTATION." --Jack Nicklaus

If you believe you will achieve!! In 14 days (7 for Ryan) expect great things from yourself! Your hard work will all come forward and you will perform your best!

This week (for Madison people) is going to lead you into a full taper next week. Your body is hyper sensitive to everything!! A small twinge might seem like your arm fell off. This is normal!! You need to work on staying healthy, getting your rest, and thinking with a clear and positive vision of your race day. Take time each day and sit with yourself, go over every detail. Not only the positive things of the day--seeing all your friends and family, crossing the finish line with Mike Reilly announcing your name BUT the not so positive things too. What happens if you get kicked hard in the swim, your goggles fall off; flat on the bike; cramp on the run?? What is your plan of action? How will you handle situations that may come up. We all want a perfect and smooth race, but as you know that doesn't always happen. You can still end your day with turning possible obstacles into perfect situations.

Your volume of training will be coming down, you know how you have been camped out by the fridge and eating everything in sight?! Well, you could gain weight if you don't consider the fact that your training hours are dropping, so just eat well, stay hydrated and stock your fridge for the few days after Ironman (You would eat the paint off the walls if you could!!)

Mentally, your at the point - asking yourself - "Did I do enough training? Should I have skipped that one run (or bike or swim) workout? Should I have bought that new bike?" NOTHING is more important now than simple bits of "fine tuning" your fitness. Know that you did everything possible for yourself to prepare for your race, we all have days that workouts have to be missed for some reason or another, BUT we can't dwell on that!! The days of all the positive workouts out weigh anything negative. So put your focus there!!

Ryan - have a safe trip to Kentucky - we will watch you on Ironman live, the rest of you keep smiling, hang in there your day is almost there!! Be smart and train safe!

Carla Hastert
USAT Triathlon Level II Coach