This past week, the Missing Link Coaching Systems team found themselves in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area for the fast, furious, and fun Nature Valley Grand Prix.  The team sent a strong squad, which included Anna Barensfeld, Judy Jenkins, Rachel Warner, Leah Guloien, Cara Gillis, Jenna Rinehart, and Melanie Meyers Colavito (in order below from left to right).

The race consists of 6 stages over the course of 5 days, including some hard, hilly road races, fast, flat criteriums, and a short time trial.  The race takes riders from Cannon Falls, south of Minneapolis, to Uptown Minneapolis, Downtown St. Paul, and even Menomonie, Wisconsin.  To make things even more exciting, the current world champion, Giorgia Bronzini of Italy, was there racing with her Colavita squad, and the race was packed with former world and Olympic champions! [Read more →]

…at my host house!!! One of my favorite parts of stage racing is host housing. Currently, we’re in Minneapolis, MN for the oh-so-rainy Nature Valley Grand Prix, and our hosts have a 1-year-old hound dog appropriately named Elvis.

Thanks so much to Tom, Jill, Mia, and Jack for sharing their home and their pets with us while we race! (Thanks, too, for the laundry!!!  Two rainy races generated quite a mess!!!)  It’s people like you that make it possible for us to travel and race, pursuing our dreams and having LOTS of fun!

On Saturday, June 11th, I raced the season opener of the Epic Singletrack Series, the Hill Climb Kickoff. This race consists of a 5.3 mile hill climb, from the Winter Park base to the top of Mary Jane Mountain. The race is basically straight up, with roughly 2,00 feet of climbing. It tops out at an altitude of over 10,000 feet. Thus, this race is no easy feat, but I had a blast. Despite having tired legs, I dug deep and was able to push through the pain and lack of oxygen for a win in the Expert category. I guess this means I’ll have to buck up and race the Pro category next time! Thanks to all of our great team sponsors, especially  XOOD, Fluid, Zeal Optics, and Specialized, which I used specifically for nutrition and equipment this race.

Leah Guloien and I (Cara!) had a chance to race the Gatineau UCI race with the Canadian National Team. It was a great experience, especially racing with Clara Hughes. The race was very active and the Canadians were well represented in almost all of the moves. In the end, we finished with 2 in the top ten, with Leah Kirchmann just off the podium in 4th. Although I didn’t get a chance to rock my pink armwarmers, my totally awesome Zeal optics kept all the pesky Canadian blackflies out of my eyes.

Xterra Moab was technically my first Xterra as a pro. Let’s just say it was not the debut I imagined. The swim began in Ken’s lake, and the water temp was frigid (I’m talking less than 60 degrees!). After a very chilly swim, I set out on the bike trying to regain my equilibrium lost in the cold waters. The bike course on the infamous Steelbender trail was rocky, sandy, and technical with big drops and sharp ledges. I think I left my fear, intuition, and common sense back in Denver as I attempted to ride every feature on the trail, and not very gracefully at that. Several crashes and a few choice words later, I finally made it back to transition. Out on the run, I was merely trying to survive. In the midst of all my crashing on the bike, I had completely forgotten to hydrate and eat. I suffered through, making sure to put one foot in front of the other and trying not to pass out. After finishing the race and pounding a few cookies, I was able to muster the energy to pose for this picture. Notice my awesome new trisuit, thanks to my team Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized. All and all, I managed a 7th place finish (overall women) and learned quite a few valuable lessons.

Ok . . . so the girls had a great run at Collegiate Nationals! Congrats to Anna McLoon (Harvard University) who won the Div. 1 RR! Rachel Warner (Lees McRae), 2nd, Melanie Colavito (University of Arizona), 4th and Judy Jenkins (University of Arizona), 10th! Here are some fun pics!!

Early last January, I decided to kick off my multi-sport season with a half-marathon. At first I was thinking I’d run a marathon, but then I thought, “Do I really want to spend the cold months of January, February, and March doing 2-3 hour runs?” I wisely decided I would enjoy the snowboard season and opted for the shorter, faster option of the half. Thus, last weekend Francis and I met his siblings in Portland and drove the scenic two-hours to the cute little town of Eugene. This town is hooked on running and as many people may know, the track stadium proudly honors the infamous Olympian Steve Prefontaine.

The race began on Sunday, May 1st, at 7 a.m. It was a beautiful day with sunny skies and temps in the mid-forties. I may be from Colorado, but I was one of the only runners wearing cropped pants and long sleeves- everyone else was decked out in singlets and shorts! I started the race towards the front of the 9,000 crowd of runners and comfortably settled in to a sub-seven minute per mile pace (one cool thing about running races- they allow headphones so I was rockin’ out). I felt pretty decent until roughly mile 9 when a large hill sent my legs into “lead-mode.” Luckily, I was able to recover and push through, finishing the 13.1 miles in 1:32 (7:06 per mile average). Overall, it was a phenomenal day. That being said, I can’t wait to race my bike!

We all have personal demons and we have a choice if we shall fight them or let them take a hold of us. Fighting those demons may be ongoing. To have the courage and motivation to fight is a challenge within itself.
This past weekend while racing an endurance mountain bike event called the Whiskey 50 I had a chance to fight hard against the demons I have been dealing with for over a year. Long story short I was told I would never ride again and certainly never mountain bike race again. Due to a horrible motor/bike accident which resulted in a fused spine that is now pinned/caged/and plated back  together riding did not seem to be an option.
I have spent the last year to prove those experts wrong! Fighting demons every single day – many times those demons won but only for a short time.
I am happy to say not only did I finish the race but placed third overall female! The fight is certainly not over but this small victory only motivates me to keep fighting and fight hard.
So with that said think about what your demons  are they holding you back or are you choosing to fight no matter how hard it may seem?
As I always say no matter what “keep moving forward” even if they are small steps the small steps eventually add up.

An Amazing Race with Amazing Grace . . . .

As Dave Towle stated “Missing Link Coaching team is punching way above it’s weight!”  And so goes the story of the Cinderella team of the 2011 Tour of the Gila.

There were some stressful moments prior to the Tour starting . . . car issues on the way there, winds so forceful, it broke a fork while on top of the car and my missing the manager’s meeting as a result of not paying attention to the time difference, along with shopping for a fork!  But things soon changed . . . .

[Read more →]

I had a nice surprise when I came home from work last week: a big box full of new Honey Stinger goodies!

Wow! That’s a lot of Honey Stinger product.

I had finally run out of my supply of nutrition from that OTHER company and was looking forward to getting a resupply from my new sponsor. Plenty to keep me running for the upcoming slate of stage races. I ordered a little bit of this and a little bit of that so I could try out all the flavors and products and find my favorites. Let’s see what we had in the box: [Read more →]