Over the weekend a good friend reached out to me in search of help for his young nephew who was just diagnosed with ALS (also known as Amyotrophic  lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  And two days later I learned the triathlon community has lost another life to ALS: Doug MacInnes (RIP Doug). This incurable disease takes lives every day and for the most part ALS is not heard about and sufferers only live for a short time beyond diagnosis. The health of the patient deteriorates so quickly leaving family and friends with very little time to adjust to the decline of their loved ones health.

A lot of athletes train day in and day out to participate and ultimately achieve a great result in triathlon, or any sport for that matter.  To some degree, we race this sport of triathlon for no reason other than our ego driven goals.  But I like to feel there is a purpose for everything and to know there is an even bigger reward.  And so racing for a cause, or in the name of someone else, is one of my favorite ways to race. I encourage all athletes to consider the value it brings to your life and to others by getting behind a charitable organization and racing for them.

Besides raising money for research and awareness, the Blazeman Foundation for ALS has been a huge support network that distributes knowledge and assistance to families and friends of ALS sufferers.  For this and many other reasons, I lend my time, name and voice to the Blazeman Foundation in hopes to increase their visibility and hopefully be a link in the chain to those who I reach.  And what does this all have to do with my race at the 29^th annual Columbia 5150 Triathlon? Rob Vigorito, the event owner and organizer, is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Maryland and has done key brain tissue research on Jon Blais (of whom the Blazeman Foundation was named after) in pursuit of a cure for ALS.  Rob has given up his own time and raised over $4million in aid of charitable organizations.   I raced Columbia 5150 in honor of Jon Blais and to support the charitable efforts of the Blazeman Foundation for ALS who help and encourage those and their families who have been affected by this disease.  I will add that Rob was also kind enough to let me play around in his Porsche Boxter before the race!!

Back to the race report!

Let’s just say that I did it again.  I managed to pick (or I should say it picked me) another one of the toughest races on the triathlon circuit to continue my early season racing campaign with equally tough competition!  Columbia 5150 is probably one of the hardest races over the Olympic distance that I have ever done…..and I would just like to remind readers that I have been doing triathlon for 20 years! So it goes without saying that to do well over a course of this difficulty means that you are doing something right and your form isn’t that shabby.  Hence, I’m pretty pleased with achieving 2^nd place at this stage of the game.  But what is of more significance to me is that I am still able to lay it down in an Olympic distance event.  I have morphed into an Ironman triathlete over the past 5 years and technically I should have no speed in my legs at all!  Additionally, the 30 hour training weeks I have been putting in prior to this event are not exactly conducive to Olympic distance racing.  I hurt myself quite a lot at this event and it felt really good!  That sounds like I seek pleasure in pain but in fact it is just more the fun of racing neck-and-neck again.  All too often, with long distance races, I find am more or less on my own the whole way.

On to how the actual race went down……

The clear leader out of the swim for the women was Sara McClarty.  Sara actually caught some of the men because she is such a demon in the water!  Next was a pack of 6 girls: Annabel Luxford, Lauren Goss, Rebecca Wassner, Debbie Tanner, Lindsey Jerdonek and myself.  I forgot how fast transitions are in short course racing and I was like an old woman running to my bike.  Right there I lost about 100m on the girls but I reeled most of them back in after the first few miles of the bike……..the exceptions being Rebecca Wassner and Annabel Luxford.  And then, Sara McClarty was still in the lead somewhere in the distance!  The bike course was a toughie: Hills, hills, and for kicks and giggles, a few more hills!

At about 20miles into the bike I finally caught McClarty which moved me into 3^rd place.  I was busting my lungs to keep up with Wassner who was busting her lungs just trying to keep the gap between herself and Luxford turning into daylight. We came off the bike about 90 seconds down on Luxford, and we were caught by Margie Shapiro who put in a valiant effort after coming out a bit down out of the swim.

Considering how bad my swim to bike transition, I was the first of our little pack to shoot out on to the run.  I wanted to just go as hard as I could for the run but this was not an easy run. The longest flat section was a 400 yard stretch in the last mile.   Everything else was either up or down but I kept telling myself: “it’s only 10km”, quite a bit shorter than the half or full marathon distance which I am now accustomed!  I swear, 10km seems so short after you have raced a few Ironman! At the end, I managed to hold on to 2^nd place.  I only gained back 30secs on Luxford who took out the win, but I had to fight the last mile with the 3^rd fastest run to hold off Laurel Wassner who ended up with the fasted run split by about a minute.  I completed the race, with of course, the Blazeman Roll…….which all started with Jon Blais who said he would make it over the finish line at Ironman Hawaii even if he had to roll.

I’m so very happy with this result. It’s nice to know that I still have a bit of speed and it also felt incredible to fight so hard during a race.   When I raced Wildflower, I was coming from quite some time off from racing and felt that it showed in my performance but now, after Columbia 5150, I feel like I’m truly racing once again and am more in love with racing and triathlon than ever.

My next race will be the famous Escape from Alcatraz.  I already have won this one 3 times, and I have my sights set on another win.  Thank you to all my AMAZING sponsors who I appreciate to no end: Driscoll’s Berries, Pacific Health Labs, K-Swiss, Trisports.com, Pinarello, Easton, Giro, Blueseventy, ISM Saddles, Tor Hans, Skins, TriBike Transport, Oakley, Computrainer, PowerCranks and Katalyst Multisport.

Without a doubt one of our BEST employees!

Fast forward to November 2011 at the Ford Ironman Arizona and we were both going to be on the starting line.  Two days before the event, I had breakfast with her and she said that we should have a friendly wager.  The bet: I would get a 20min handicap.  She wins and I shave my head (a real problem because I don’t think it would grow back).  I win and she has to babysit my 3 and 6 year-old kids.  My goal for IMAZ was 9:30 and the fastest Leanda has ever gone was 9:20’ish. I took the bet.

Race day dawns and it is going well for both of us. I see her on the run course at about mile 6 (the pros left 10-15 min before the age groupers) and did a time check…she had 6 min on me so I thought all was fine. Mile 16 comes and I find myself stopped in front of hundreds of people under the Mill Avenue Bridge, unable to move because my legs are locked down from cramps.  I finally got going again and had one more time check on her that was north of 20min.  I should have been jumping for joy because I was about to crush my IM PR that I set 10 years earlier, but noooooooo, all I was worried about was having to shave my noggin.  I went 9:14, Leanda went 8:49.

I arrived at my hotel that night, got the kids down for bed, checked my Twitter account and found this message:

Yes, 26 minutes.  Look who’s babysitting now!

Leanda, the consummate professional, lived up to her word and in December she came over and watched the kids for a solid 5 hours.  When we got home at 10:30PM, Leanda was on the couch (reading Lava magazine) and I asked how the kids behaved.  Before she could answer, our 3 year old jumps up from next to her, yelling “mommy, daddy!” “Leanda, ummmm, bed time was 8:30PM.”  Her response: “Your daughter has a lot of staying power.”  I will take that as a compliment coming from one of the best athletes on the planet.  I guess her idea of pumping the kids full of candy didn’t pay off too well!

]]> http://blog.tri-sports.com/2012/03/15/leanda-cave-the-nanny/feed/ 0 http://blog.tri-sports.com/2012/03/13/trisports-cycling-crush-the-competition-at-tour-of-murrieta/ http://blog.tri-sports.com/2012/03/13/trisports-cycling-crush-the-competition-at-tour-of-murrieta/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:21:53 +0000 Jaclyn A. http://blog.tri-sports.com/?p=5562 By Andre McNulty

The Elite men’s team went to Murrieta, California this weekend to test our legs against the best of Southern California at the Tour of Murrieta and came home with the team victory.

Our team was represented by Brian Ellis, Ben Lair, Andre McNulty, Justin Orkney and two composite riders Michael Dziedzic and Christopher Chase.

Friday’s time trial was like nothing we had done before.  It was a 6.5k rolling course that ended on a climb up an unpaved road with several challenging switchbacks.  Brian, Justin, Andre and Michael had impressive showings.  They scored points by placing 5th, 7th, 10th and 15th respectively.  Though we all managed to stay upright and upbeat, we were losing the team competition to the California based Team Revolution.

Saturday’s race was a fast and furious 6 corner criterium in downtown Murrieta that was made especially challenging by strong winds.  Multiple attacks were attempted but nothing stuck until the teenage phenom that dominated the time trial got away solo for the win.  With 6 laps to go, Andre jumped across to two riders from Team Revolution and Team Clif Bar Cycling.  With three riders in the break representing three of the bigger teams, the break was successful.  The three riders worked well together and Andre placed second of the breakaway for third overall and a place on the podium.  With strong finishing sprints by Michael, Ben and Justin, we were able to take the lead in the team competition.

Our spirits were high going into the final day of racing despite strong winds and a stacked field.  The cat 2 men set a blistering pace finishing the 56 mile circuit race as fast as the pro field.  Midway into the race, after a flurry of attacks and a crash, the field split in two.  Justin and Michael made the split of 16 riders.  Realizing, we had numbers in the break, Brian and Andre were able to discourage chase efforts.  In the break, Justin took monster pulls to ensure they would stay away, allowing Michael to unleash his killer sprint.  Michael won the bunch sprint, placing second to one rider who attacked late in the race.

Knowing we had a 7 hour drive home, it was tough to stand around in our racing kits.  We had goosebumps from the chill in the air as the sun was setting. The wait was well worth it when we stood on the podium hoisting the crystal team award above our heads.

Ah, the sweetness of victory!!!!

Thank you to California Pools and Spas for putting on an awesome race and to The Bike Shop of Temecula for sponsoring the Jorge Alvarado Team Competition.

A huge thanks to our  generous sponsors Orbea, Zipp, SRAM, Pyramid Coaching, Technicians for Sustainability, R&A CPA’s, and TriSports.com!

Youth Deucathlon at Dueces Wild Triathlon Festival

In our hearts, we are racers- athletes. Our culture was born from racing and competing and has grown from a commitment to racing and participation at all levels- from beginner to world class.

TriSports.com Sponsored Athlete

TriSports.com supports athletes and events around the country- and around the world. From our top professionals like Leanda Cave, Ford Ironman Arizona Champion and 3^rd pro at the Ford Ironman World Triathlon Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2011 to our grass-roots triathlon team that provides coaching and support for local athletes of all levels.

Our commitment to racing goes beyond just generating results. It includes supporting events around the United States with sponsorship and logistical support. We even host our TriSports.com Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival here in Arizona, the largest multisport festival in Arizona including a 70.3 distance triathlon, an X-TERRA off-road triathlon and children’s races.

Racing and supporting the sport is a part of our foundation at TriSports.com- and a part of our future.

This past weekend I had a very emotional and rewarding victory at Ironman Arizona – my final race of 2011!  Here is a summary of my 2011 season: 13 races, 3 of which were World Championship events.  Two Ironman races, two long distance triathlons, six half-ironman, two Olympic distance and one duathlon.  I managed five wins, four 2^nd places, two 3^rd places, and two random off the podium finishes of 6^th place.   Pat on the back me!   I’m exhausted!

My main goal for Ironman Arizona was to break 3-hours for the marathon.  I also really wanted to win because I hadn’t won an Ironman yet.  At the back of my mind I wasn’t so confident about achieving either goal.  It was a big ask from my body and very ambitious after racing so much since the Ironman World Championship in Kona 6-weeks earlier.  But I had nothing to lose because it was the last race of the season for me.  I had a bloody good reason if I sucked and it was a bonus if I could pull it off.  But in terms of racing itself, I just wanted to be done.  I was looking forward to getting to the finish line more than the process for this race.

On race morning I woke up with one thought in my head: “oh crap, I’m racing an Ironman today”.  The whole idea started to dawn on me.  But it was too late to back out now.  My sister, Melissa, and her boyfriend Tim, had come all the way over from London to watch me race.  I was committed!

Photo by: Hai-Ping Hwang-Twigg

I pumped my tires up, went for a little jog and headed over to the swim start.  The water in the Tempe Lake is a pretty cold 60 degrees this time of year, and we have to swim a bit of a way to the start line, which means hanging out a little too long in the cold water.  I froze.  I’m not good in the cold at the best of times.  I tried to warm up but just felt tight and lethargic.  When the gun went off, I was slow off the mark.  Any hope of hanging on to the feet of the male pros quickly vanished.  I did have a couple of other pro woman around me (we had yellow swim caps, and the males had grey), and they would be my company for the swim.  I come from a swimming background and normally the swim is just getting from A to B and I don’t think much of it.  But it seemed to be taking forever, and just before the last turn buoy my left calf completely cramped and I had to stop.  Then the most sportsmanlike thing happened.  Meredith Kessler, who was swimming on my feet, stopped and asked if I was ok!  Couldn’t believe someone would be so kind to do that.  I waved Meredith on and just thought to myself as I waited for my cramp to ease how amazing and generous some athletes really are.

I exited the water in 4^th place, about 3 minutes down on the leader, Amanda Stevens and a minute down on Meredith Kessler and Kelly Williamson.  The gap wasn’t huge, and I thought I could reel them in over the course of the bike.  But that idea was sidelined when I discovered I had a flat tire right out of the gate.  I ran back into transition to get a spare wheel from the mechanics tent, but they told me all their spares were out on the course about a mile up the road.  So to get me by, they put air in my tire and discovered the valve was loose and I didn’t have a flat after all.  With the valve tightened and air in my tire, I thought I was good to go and started to wind up the gears to get back into the race.  But then my chain started slipping and I couldn’t get into any of the harder gears.  At this point I had gone about half a mile past the spare wheels on the course, but I knew I had to go back as I had no other option.

I was wearing a bracelet on race day in honor of a local triathlete, Sally Meyerhoff, who lost her life earlier this year after a truck hit her on a training ride.  It read: “Be Relentlessly Positive”.  I looked down at it through all this commotion a number of times, and it really flushed away all the doubts and negative thoughts about the situation and it gave me the energy to forge ahead.

Eventually I changed my rear wheel and essentially lost about 6 minutes in doing so!  But I was good to go now and that’s what I did.  Linsey Corbin had caught me and encouraged me to make an effort with her to chase down the girls ahead.  We kept gaining time bringing the initial 8-minute deficit down to 5 minutes after the first lap, then 4 minutes by the start of the 3^rd lap.   By the time I reached transition, Meredith Kessler, Michelle Vesterby and I were 3:30 down on Stevens.  Lindsey was a further 2 minutes back after suffering in the last lap of the bike.

I went out on the run in 4^th.  I set out feeling pretty average.  I’m not sure anyone feels amazing when they get off a 112-mile bike ride!  My transition was pretty slow and I found myself chasing down Versterby in the first 2 miles.  I then had my sights on Kessler, who I caught at about 4 miles.  Meredith hung with me for a few miles, but had to slow a bit to find her own pace.  So now it was just me chasing down Stevens.  By 6 miles the gap had closed to 1 minute and by 7 miles I was in the lead!

I forged ahead and kept my sub 3-hour marathon goal in mind.  I was feeling pretty good on the 2^nd lap.  But I knew the worst part of the race for me is yet to come.  This was my 4^th time racing Ironman Arizona, and in the past, I have fallen to bits in the final lap.  I tried to put that in the back of my mind and concentrate on the goal ahead.  My coach Siri was screaming at me about some really fast overall time.  She was saying I was on target to go under 8hrs50min for the race.  I was just thinking there was no way!  I’m just going for my run goal and now to win my first Ironman.  But she was right.   I came down the finish chute in 8:49!!  I also ran a 2:58 marathon!! Wow.  My body amazes me.  After I crossed the finish line, I ran back down the chute to slap hands with the crowd.  I’ve always wanted to do this!  Then of course I did the Blazeman Roll.

My support team is what made this season possible.  A HUGE thank you to the crew at K-Swiss, Accelerade/Endurox R4 (my secret recovery formula), Sandy at Gita Sports and the boys at Pinarello, Blue Seventy, Nuun, my team back home at TriSports, Tri Bike Transport, NOVA Light, Chuck and Jim at Easton/Bell/Giro, SKINS, Oakley, TorHans Aero and Computrainer.

Thanks to my family and friends for all you support throughout 2011.  2012 is going to be even greater!!

Yours in sport,

Leanda Cave