TrainingPeaks member profile: Rachel Ross, mother of three, full-time professional, and triathlete

TrainingPeaks member Rachel Ross likes to run before the sun comes up. She has been running for a long time, but more recently has also added biking and swimming to the mix. "I had always run because I loved it, but it was when I watched IM Wisconsin, while 8 months pregnant with my third child that I decided to try a triathlon. I did a sprint and loved it. A year later I qualified for Kona at my first half, and decided I had to take the opportunity. I had a great day at Kona and knew that I would be doing more of that Ironman thing!"

"Doing more of that Ironman thing" is an activity that Rachel has to squeeze in between a lot of other events in her life. "My training schedule is pretty hectic because I work full time and have three kids under eight. I usually get something in before dawn, and some days I ride or swim in the evening. I love running before the sun comes up. The long stuff all happens on the weekends, I start as early as I can so that I can spend most of the day with my family. Oahu has a big triathlon community, and I'm blessed with lots of great friends to train with, so only the morning runs are solo."

Rachel is very happy using technology to train. "I am addicted to my ipod shuffle when I run, and I love my power tap - I never even had a bike  computer prior to this year, so all that info can be a little overwhelming, but I like knowing how far I've gone."

In addition to her ipod and Powertap, she uses TrainingPeaks to record her training and communicate with her coach. "My coach at Lifesport posts my workouts on Training Peaks and I log my feedback after the workouts. I love having a log so I know how much time/distance I've put in, and I hate seeing the red bar for a missed workout, so I try not to miss any! I upload power files and even use the nutrition calculator to make sure I'm eating enough to keep up."

Although Rachel's season started out well this year, she has been more recently struggling with a chronic injury that has limited her training for Kona. "This year started off well, with the 9th overall in a tough field at Ironman Arizona. But then things went bad with IT band syndrome that just wouldn't give up. After many months off and a ton of swimming, I'm back to training and doing a short 6 week build for Kona in October. I keep telling myself to stop calling it under-trained and start calling it fresh.. but it's pretty intimidating when you don't get to train for an Ironman like you would like. After Ironman I'm looking forward to some running time and a winter marathon to top off the season."

Good luck in Kona and have fun for the rest of the year, Rachel!

Comments

[Debra Wright]

Rachel, this is Debra wright in Singapore, it isincredible to see your achievements, we are so proud of your dedication and drive. Wishing you every success at Kona in October..please give us a mail! Love you babe!