8/31/07

My trip to Germany

ITU World Championships

Hamburg, Germany

(this post will be updated several times during my trip as i add pictures and tid-bits along the way...)

Day 1, Sunday (and day 2, Monday)
August 26th & 27th
For one of the first times this year, my flight took off without a hitch and I was off on a 17 hr United/ Lufthansa plane ride that would take me to Washington/Dulles, Frankfurt, then to Hamburg, Germany for my first trip Europe, ever. All 3 flights were great – but the one from Dulles to Frankfort (Lufthansa) took the cake. I have never been on a plane that big in my life – it was double-decker with over 16 flight attendants on board. It was just sooo big…. The service was awesome, and the flight was not full, so we all had some breathing room for the 7+ hr overnight flight. I went into this flight thinking I would be able to sleep ok, but even with an ambien in me, no luck. I resorted to drinking 2 German beers (yeah, I know) after about 3 hours into the flight hoping it would help me fall asleep – and thankfully it did. I got about 3 hours shut-eye at the most, and I am sooo glad for that. And kudos to the Lufthansa – no charge for in flight cocktails!
We landed in Hamburg right on time to some cooler temperatures, overcast and rain. Of course, I had to go through the normal anxiety about the state of my luggage and bike, but it all came out quickly and unharmed as far as I could tell, and that was a big relief. So, now it was off to stuff the station wagon rental car with all the luggage and a bike and a drive to Berlin where we (me, my Dad, and Emily (my step-mom)) would be spending the next few days before returning to Hamburg on Thursday for the pre-race to-do’s.
OK, as warned, driving in Germany is a little tough. Especially in a city. Things are just marked differently, and after getting a little turned around and a little lost (and feeling a bit like the Griswold’s….hehe), we finally found our way out of Hamburg and onto the Audubon (no speed limit –and lots of fast cars) and were off to Berlin. The Audubon was an experience to say the least – lots of fast moving and short stopping!!! I have already come to the conclusion that Europeans are the most aggressive drivers ever….but that’s another story for another day. We made it to Berlin in time for a shower and some dinner, then a long sleep thru the night – FINALLY!

Day 3 (Tuesday)

I slept in this morning and woke up at 8am. Since I had taken the Sunday and Monday off for traveling (plus, it was a recovery week and I really needed the rest) – I was ready to get out and go for a run. The hotel was situated right next to a park with some structures on a hill I could see from my room. So I just went, no knowing where I was, and that turned out to be really cool. In my running along the trails and roads, I came up on a public pool hidden in there – with lane lines on the bottom and all. [I was sooo excited, since I had no idea when or where I would get to swim this week!!]…continuing my hour run I followed the trails uphill and downhill thru the trees and up stairs to find myself atop of the hill in what seemed to be an old army barracks. The view was beautiful – an aerial view of Berlin, dwarfing my 8 story hotel across the street. I didn’t have my camera with me…figures…
After my run, we (dad & Emily too) were off for some sight seeing. We played the tourist thing, and bought a ticket on a tour bus that would take us around the city letting us get off and on the bus at will……little did we know (or failed to read the brochure fully) that the bus stopped picking up people at 3:45!! By the time we found the tour bus starting point it had to be 1pm, then we got off at the first location and there was so much cool stuff to see, then we wanted to eat, and shop…by the time we made it to get picked up at the location- it was too late! (This is when we read the brochure fully!) Okay….so, after we sat down and figured out where we were on the map, we just decided to walk down to “Checkpoint Charlie” to see where the Berlin Wall was, then make our way back to the hotel via the extensive train system. No problem, right? Ha! That’s a whole other story….Checkpoint Charlie was incredible to see. It is hard to believe the stuff that went on there just 20-40 years ago. I knew a lot from history and all, but to see it all really brought it to light. I am so glad I decided to go to Berlin while over here in Germany. I think it will be one of the highlights of the trip, if not the best one.
After a long day of walking around, we headed back to the hotel on the U and S-ban (train’s). it took us a while to figure it all out, but we got there eventually and all in one piece. We finally sat down to dinner at the hotel at about 9pm…..end of another good day!


Day 4 (Wednesday)

Again I slept in till 8 this morning and went out for a swim at the pool I found yesterday. Of course, I brought my wetsuit along since I had a feeling all of the pools were going to be cold over here – and I was right! The temp in the water was 20C (68F) – and I was the only one in a wetsuit! I must say, Germans are tough. Or I’m a weenie….. Probably the latter!
After my swim, we were off again to look around, but today we drove. Again, this is a challenge over here! We had a few things we wanted to do – one of them being to see the Brandenburg Gate and to go on a boat tour on the Spree River thru Berlin. So we drove down the square where the boat tours embarked, and took a great English/German tour lasting one hour. The sights from the River were awesome – to see the old architecture in contrast to the new right next to each other) was breathtaking. As usual, the pictures do not do it justice, but they are good enough.
After the tour, we went to eat at the square then headed off to the Brandenburg Gate, then back to the hotel and dinner.

Day5 (Thursday)

This morning, I awoke early to find out no one is open with coffee until 6:30 (none in the room either). Since I was up, I just went ahead and worked out a bit this morning being limited to the exercise bike in the “spa” at the hotel (which was little to be desired, yet still a safer way to ride than the streets!). I rode it for an hour watching the only channel on TV in English – CNN (I have had my fill of CNN for EVER since that is the only channel in English here!). After that, I ate a big breakfast at the hotel then went to my room and fell asleep! I was still so tired – don’t know if it was jetlag or what. But I got up at 11 and we loaded up the car for yet another eventful trip in the car back to Hamburg….
Dad and Emily dropped me off at the Hotel in Hamburg at about 3pm where I checked in, met some of Team USA and the USAT big-wigs and got the skinny on what was going on. (They went on to their hotel which was closer to the race site across town). USAT had already changed some stuff life moving the meeting up a day (so I missed it?!), but generally, all seemed to be about what I expected. EXCEPT the weather. It was not only cool (50-65F), but rainy too. And apparently, this is to be expected thru the race on Sunday. On every weather.com I looked at before I left, I never saw rain. Just clouds. Oh well. Looks like the race will be just like Portland – cold water (63F) and a cold & windy bike…
As a team, we headed down the race site for registration, the opening ceremonies, and a group photo at around 5pm. On the bus (now this is nuts), I sat across from a guy who is from Wisconsin – and who was familiar with the Abitaman races and the Opelousas du, and the Du Donnie Du – and as a matter of fact – he came down to race it a few years back when Donnie was still with us. He told me about what he witnessed – how everybody gathered around this guy – and how touching it was to see. Of all the people here, this is who I sat next to. It is amazing how things play out.
The race site was cold, windy and raining (the theme for the week I think), so I didn’t really feel like hanging out for the ceremonies – so I went out to eat with Stacy Richardson, then shopped at the expo a bit, the headed back to the hotel.

Day 6 (Friday)

I thought I might wake up early this morning, but again, I slept till 730. I wanted to finally ride my bike today, so I tracked down some coffee, set up my bike and dressed warmly. Yes, it is raining still. And the wind was howling. (It is raining the way I remember it in Hawaii. No major thunder storms and deluges, just gray constant wetness…) Mmmm fun! But I had to try to get in 45 miles – today, or not at all. So, I went. I found a nice route with little traffic on a country road following a river. It was a great safe route and I got my miles in. I stopped a few times along the way to look around, and once at a fruit stand to get some stuff to eat in the room. Back in the room, it was time to thaw out and warm up…. there were busses going all day down to the expo and race site, but i felt tired all day, and since it was cold and rainy, i decided to stay in. I watched CNN again (blah...blah...blah...), and took a nap, played on the computer and chilled out. i needed to do that. I had a massage at 5pm which was much needed since i hadn't been able to see mike since last thursday morining. as it turns out, this guy will be in kona too, so it was good to meet him so i can set it up long beforehand. there was a pasta dinner at the race site this evening, but again i didn't much feel like bussing it down to the race site in the cold rain to eat mass-produced sub-standard pasta, so i walked down to the "chicken store" and ordered a pizza and a salad to take back to the room. it will be an early night for me i think.


Day 7 (Saturday)

this morning i woke up a little earlier to got get a quick 2 mile run in - just to stay loose. it was still drizziling outside, and the wind was blowing pretty good. After breakfast, i decided to go into the city / race venue for the elite womes race starting at around 2:30 pm. After shopping around the expo again, i watched the swim start and some of the bike then had to get going to catch the bus to get back to the hotel for the team dinner. all i could see on the pro bike was sarah haskings flying by in the lead pack. there were people everywhere! and the entire city is baracaded off. this is amazing how seriously they are taking this event here - but when you think about it, ther are thousands of people competing in several different races. this morning there was the local race olympic & sprint distance, then the pro women this afternoon. yesterday, the U23's went off (in a deluge of rain i might add). the race numbers go up to 14,000.

swim exit pictured above

Day 8 (Sunday) RACE DAY


http://hcm.mikatiming.de/hcm_results/index.php?id=0000010E41D5650000015A84



In a nutshell....I got 7th in a fast race with tough conditions......I will write more on the plane tomorrow.....




dad helping me with my bike post-race....

8/29/07

Athlete steels herself for next big challenges- NOLA.com





Mandeville Moments

Athlete steels herself for next big challenges

Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Andrew Canulette

Caroline Smith is one of those people you can't help but cheer for.

But it's not so much that she happens to be a Mandeville resident who is one of the world's finest amateur triathletes. It's more because of the hurdles she cleared on her way to the top of the racing scene.

Smith, who is asthmatic, didn't take up the sport until she was 30. And to do so, she had to make the decision to quit smoking, to stop hanging out in clubs until the wee hours of the morning and to begin the difficult task of shaping her body into one that can swim 2.4 miles, bike for 112 then top it off by running a marathon.

In other words, she gives the rest of us hope that we can make a 180-degree turn for the better.

Athlete on the run

Smith, 36, is about to embark on an incredible journey -- one that will take her across 10 time zones in the span of two months. On Sept. 2, she'll compete in the International Triathlon Union's Short Course World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. That event will have her facing the world's best sprinters who will cover a 1,500-meter swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10K run.

She'll follow that by competing in the Ironman Hawaii championships on Oct. 13 -- the granddaddy of multidiscipline sporting events. That race, which takes place in blistering heat (athletes literally run and bike through volcanic fields), can take some of the world's finest athletes as many as 10 hours or more to complete.

Then on Nov. 10, Smith will travel to Clearwater, Fla., for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The distances there (1.2-mile swim 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) are exactly half of what she'll face in Hawaii.

Smith qualified for the ITU Championships at a race in Portland, Ore., in June. She earned entry to the full and half Ironman title races in a triathlon in Santa Rosa, Calif., in July.

Displaying her trademark determination, Smith said she expected to race her way into each championship.

"My goals coming into this year were to qualify for each race," she said. "But it was a one-shot deal. There's no other qualifier for short course other than Nationals. So, you've got to do it whether you're sick, whatever. You get it done."

Inspired and inspiring

Smith realizes she is an inspiration to some, but preferred to focus on those who have inspired her.





8/22/07

If you would like to Donate to my
World Championship Fund
Buy A Raffle Ticket
OR
mail your donation
please make checks payable to :
Caroline Smith
PO BOX 245
Mandeville, LA 70470
checks for raffle ticket and / or donation are to be made out to Caroline Smith

8/21/07

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8/20/07

So Far....So Good

Ironman training is coming along well. despite a few of the usual aches and pains, I am feeling good and recovering well from my high mileage workouts.
A little background - I have done 3 Ironman races in my past - IM Florida in 2003 (11:43), IM Florida in 2004 (11:15) and IM Lake Placid in 2005(12:08). This distance has always been a challenge for me. the training has always left me a little "wounded" and exhausted and I have never been able to put in the time or the miles I wanted to. But I always did enough to finish. That's part of the reason I haven't done an Ironman in the last 2 years. I wanted to take the time to get faster, stronger, and leaner while doing long- yet not "damaging" long- training and racing. I picked the 70.3 (half-ironman) distance for that reason, and it has paid off. I have brought my time down a lot in that distance and have given my body the time to develop the systems to go long. And it's more than just muscles -the basic metobolic systems (on the cellular level) your body has to build takes years, and I am a prime example of that. Base building doesn't just happen in 6 months. for me, it took consistant years. Among many changes since 2002 - my lower body has become much stronger, my swimmers shoulders have gotten smaller, my core is stronger, my mind is stronger, my RHR is lower, i lost weight, i sleep better, i eat better - and i get to eat more!......


So now I am facing my first Ironman distance training program in 2 years, after taking that time to build. it is by far the most challenging program I have ever put together. Today, I am 2 weeks in, and I feel great. The long solo bikes I look forward to. the long runs - don't hurt as much. yeah, after 2.5 hrs of running, things ache, but I'm still moving well and feeling good. even better, my heartrate is in a good steady zone. the swimming - piece of cake, just need to put the miles in. i get a little bored usually, but I am so excited about going to Kona, a million things keep my mind occupied. I just think about how well I want to be prepared to have a good day....


Today starts week 3 and I have a recovery day. I'm off to see Mike Aldridge (my massage therapist) for a little work on my right ankle and glutes. He is for sure a key component to effective triathlon training and recovery. I am not sure I could do all of this without him. seriously. He keeps me running and injury free - which is sooo important when the miles add up.


8/7/07

River Cities Triathlon

2nd place overall female

1:21:19

http://www.sportspectrumusa.com/calendar.php

Another GREAT race put on by Sportspectrum. I have done this race 5 years in a row,and it is by far the most consistant race around. One thing I have noticed after only 6 years in Triathlon, is that a lot of races have cut back on their "goody" bags and cut back on their stuff/awards while continuing to raise the entry fees over the yeras. But Not Sportspectrum. River Cities has the best Shwag around, and the race is so well put on I can't say enough.


Ryan and his friend Pat drove down from Mo. and I drove up to meet them in Shreveport on Saturday. Actually, I left on thursday so I could visit with my college roommate Allyson, and her husband, Charles, and their two boys Henry and Jack(my Godson). They are growing up so fast....it's hard to keep up with them.

anyway, the race came fast. I was feeling better and more recovered from Vineman towards the end of the week, so I figured it would be a pretty good day. I got set up early in transition as usual, and had some time to work out some bike kinks, warm-up, be social, and wait in line for the potty's. for some reason, this is always such a time consuming thing before this race. but i made it to the swim start in plenty of time before my wave start.

As usual for august, the swim was warm (makes me feel sluggish), but i had a good start coming out 2nd in my wave i think. It's hard to tell sometimes as I usually pass people in front of me after the final turn in. plus, the transition at this race is a little split up as they give lower race numbers to athletes who have placed high the year before - so you can't see if any bikes are gone around your AG.....anyhoo...I hopped on the bike, and took off. All of the men went in waves prior to mine, so there were a lot of bikes on the road - and a lot of passing going on. I think i spent more energy saying"on your left" to the dozens of cyclists hanging out on the left of the road blocking. that gets really old, and tiring - but just the way it is at this race. One thing about this bike is that it is an open course which means cars are on the road as well - and there were at least 3 instances where I had to slow down signifigantly because of cars hitting their brakes trying to navigate the course with oncoming traffic. I was pretty bummed about this because I knew I had to have really good bike to gain enough time on the field. River Cities brings out the fastest triathletes in the region, so i know there were some good runners in the mix. I figured I could hold my own on the run, if I had enough time off the bike....but the cars were not helping me today. nothing I could do about it.

Off the bike and out on the run - there was no one in sight around transition and someone told me there was a girl about a minute ahead. and at the turn around, I saw that girl (lindsey), who i thought would be in the top 5 anyway - and I had a few minutes on her (she was in the wave before me) so i felt pretty good - then...I saw peggy...and let me tell you - she was MOVIN'! Now that girl can run like no one else I have ever seen. She's a little bitty thing, and when I saw her, I knew she was coming for me. so I just did what I could.....and sure enough, she caught me with under a mile to go and never looked back. Now I aspire to run like that. 18min 5k. It was truly impressive. She qualified for Kona in Lubbock this year, so I'll be seeing here again out there....we'll see how we measure up out there! hmmm long run....long race....im curious to see how that pans out.

So, second place it was. I have wanted to win that race for a while, but let the chips fall as they may. My real goal was to be top 5(as it is each year), and I was, so I'll take it...and maybe I'll win next year! Maybe I'll make it a goal race next year.....or not....

today is sunday......and tomorrow, a 10 week plan to IRONMAN begins! I'm ready for it.