swim cycle sprint

Maple Valley, Washington, is the home of one of Ironman’s newer 70.3 races. While I’m not doing the 70.3, I had decided this summer of 2023 was going to be a summer of doing ALL.THE.THINGS. And this race sounded good, so I signed up. I want to be very clear about this – I did not approach this race like a ‘rust buster’ or a way to shake off cobwebs, but I certainly did not prepare for this race…

I’ve sat on this for almost a year, so I guess it’s time to share. I know why I didn’t share this, and it comes down to being disappointed. But what kind of athlete would I be if I couldn’t process these feelings, let alone what kind of coach? So as we head in to championship season, I wanted to share this to acknowledge the feelings as well as share the lessons learned. The 2022 St. George…

Feels pretty cool to be in the one and only Scott Flathouse’s backyard! Seven weeks after Ironman St. George, I toed the line at Ironman 70.3 Lubbock. I picked that race because I could drive there, minimizing the amount of time I’d be away from the summer swim team I was coaching, and because it was the last weekend that qualified for the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in St. George. My…

Ironman St. George 2022

Photo by Justin Luau Ironman St. George was not my first choice of race. I had signed up for Ironman Santa Rosa 2020, shortly after signing up for Santa Rosa 70.3. Both of those registrations came on the heels of an extremely frustrating and disappointing crash during a local olympic triathlon, in which I failed my flying dismount and partially tore my right PCL. That injury was a month before…

Spring is here, or at least around the corner! Are you ready to start racing again? Do you have your races and training set? I'm here to help!

The sun is setting later, we’re dusting off our outdoor riding clothes, and wait – was that a forearm? And a calf? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to get ahead of myself here in Boulder. When I visited last year pre-move, it snowed – a lot – the day we left (in mid-April)! But we’re getting hints of spring, with warm days, clear skies, less ice… it is really encouraging. It is weird to be…

Ironman 70.3 St. George 2021

Where do you really start when something you planned to conquer 18 months prior got pushed out and pushed out…and then finally happened? If you allow me to rewind a few years, I pulled out my first triathlon “goal” sheet from 2016. This was my first experience with setting goals for something I wasn’t good at – I’d set goals loads of times for swimming where I knew what was reasonable. First…

Seriously, let’s get silly.

A good coach knows when to be serious and when to lend a smile. The balance is unique to each athlete, and a coaching skill honed only by on the job experience. And I am incredibly excited to announce that I’m officially ready to be the sometimes serious/sometimes silly coach for you! Coaching was my first calling all those years ago, and to have the formal USAT stamp of approval as a Level 1…

Returning to my roots

Picture this: eight-year-old KJ, hanging on the pool deck at the end of a lane, staring up at my swim coach and trying desperately to figure out how to do the drill she was explaining.

I adored my swim coaches growing up. They knew so much, cared so much, and were just the coolest. Our head coach instituted a “Junior Coach” program, which meant that when swimmers turned 13, we were able to…

Pier to Pier – OWS Success

The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim is a longstanding staple of the Southern California open water swimming scene. My best friend Lizz (who got me in to triathlon to begin with) has competed very successfully for the past few years and she suggested I fly down to race with her this year. Great idea!

The race is from Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach – two miles open water. 1300 people were…

A little soggy: Sandman 2019

Fundamentally, I don’t believe in PRs (personal records) in triathlon. I mean, sure, you can declare your PR for a sprint / olympic / half / full, but so what? The course is different year to year, distances aren’t standard, and especially in the Ironman world, it’s not a time trial.

Pre-race views – Thanks, SCSLA!

That said, I had a very goodrace on this course this year. Good indicators (and…

Same-same but different – Monte Rio Sprint Tri 2019

I love the Monte Rio Triathlon. It will always hold a special place in my heart as my first-ever tri, and I hope to return to race every year.

Modified swim course – the red buoy visible up-river (top left) is the sprint turnaround.

The Russian River region was hit especially hard with storm and water damage this year, and unfortunately this impacted the race – but I’m hopeful that the economic…

Let’s go.

I’ve said it before and I meant it – I’m still racing.

But this time I’m not ‘still’ – I’m moving. And training. And ready to be back to racing.

Life is as busy as ever. Work is crazy and the commute is longer. But we don’t improve without rising to meet challenges. So here I am, putting it out there: I’m ready to race.

2018 brought highs and lows for me in triathlon. I missed key sessions, I…