I'm sitting on a plane again so I figured it would be a good time to write my race report from Galveston or Ironman Texas 70.3. I wrote a report for Oceanside 70.3 but in typical Jessica fashion I never seemed to get around to publishing it! Rather than bore you I'll give you a brief synopsis: I sucked. Well, in my defense I did have mechanical. My wheel rubbed my brake the entire time. I got off the bike twice to fix it, the wheel would spin no problem, only to get back on and hear that dreaded sound of carbon rubbing (and you know exactly that cringe worthy sound). But beyond that, I was completely flat for the race. The swim was off, the bike my legs just felt like bricks, and the first loop of the run I was clipping off a great pace, but once the gravity of how far I was behind I just shut it down. My mind got the best of me, I felt sorry for myself, my ego was bruised...it definitely was not my finest nor proudest moment. photo courtesy slowtwitch.com Coach Kevin and I...

I was SO freaking INSPIRED by the Boston Marathon yesterday! From Meb’s big win, Shalane’s gutsy race from the front, Rita Jeptoo’s incredible 2:18 (!!!), Team Hoyt’s last Boston, and my own Dynamo coach, teammates’, and friends’ AMAZING performances, there were lots of happy moments yesterday that made me so proud to call myself an endurance sports athlete! This weekend I’m looking forward to meeting a whole new community of multisport athletes in North Carolina at the Enfinity Health Open Water Swim Clinic! I’ll be helping my University of Georgia teammate Andrea, her super-swimmer husband Tim, and the Enfinity Health crew put on an Open Water Swim Clinic at a GORGEOUS lake near Winston Salem. It should be a great time, and you can check out the official flyer with details HERE. NEXT weekend I get to do a different kind of race. The Wings for Life World Run is a GLOBAL race with NO FINISH LINE! Yes, you read that right! Runners just...

Outside the Race: 1st I have to say a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful host Isis Casalduc-2002 Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2002. With her as our guide, we had the opportunity to visit parts of the island we normally would have never ventured out to see. Below is a list of must do’s once you visit the island of Puerto Rico!   Pork right off the Hog: Restaurant:  Angelito’s Place On day 2 Isis took us to one of her favorite local delicacies.  This place was amazing! The hog is prepared by roasting over an open fire and then the butcher with a machete cut off chunks of pork that was weighed and served fresh! Amanda actually was allowed to handle the machete!!! This is a must visit as this was one of the best meals we had during our stay!!!!   Pork right off the hog! Pork Chop Chop!   Coffee at Caficultura (located on the run course): Restaurant: Caficultura  Isis knew that I was an addict coffee drinker, so she suggested one of her favorite coffee...

Embarking on a fitness campaign is never easy. But now that winter is over it is time to get fit ready for summer. Our first guests for Tri4theAlps arrive on 1 June so I really want to be in good shape for when they do! So building the base is all about consistent sessions, slowly and steadily increasing the duration and getting the job done. I've been working predominately on aerobic conditioning with some strength work thrown in too and I'm starting to feel ok. I've been concentrating on good form and technique too. The stunning views around Morzine have been making the hard breathing and sore muscles all that bit easier to handle. Another blessing that has inspired me to get out and about has been rejoining the GIANT family. A beautiful new Giant Propel and Giant Lust mean I can choose between road cycling and trail riding. I'm new to mountain bike riding and I am absolutely loving it so far. Riding the river trails have become my 'easy' rides and force me to get out of my comfort...

Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico What a FUN Adventure this was! I was lucky enough to be joined in Puerto Rico by husband-extraordinaire, Randy, and a wonderful host, Isis. We were both spoiled by all things Puerto Rican…good food (restaurants and home-cooked by Isis!), beaches, rainforests, and a spectacular race-course. The minute I stepped on the island, I fell in love! While we were waiting for Randy’s flight to arrive, Isis took me to check out the race-course. Although, we kept getting caught in torrential downpours and came back to the car soaking wet several times…with each part of the course, I couldn’t help but think, ‘This is going to be FUN!” The days between 70.3 Brasilia and San Juan, were spent trying to get recovered and also doing a few workouts to keep the body awake and ready to fire on all cylinders come race day. Unfortunately, I picked up a stomach bug in Brazil, and for most of the days between races, I was trying to just keep food in. As Sunday drew near, I had to press...