Sarah Borst Jarvis

I did not sleep well last night. Every time I woke up, my legs were aching. The last thing they wanted to do at 6 am is to get up and head to a race. But I did not care. I was hoping that even if they completely refused to join the party, my mind would still be able to pull it off. I signed up for this race knowing very well how tired I would be come Saturday. But I like a little challenge and this week was all about training the body and mind. And my mind was saying: Bring it !  Rode the bus partway up Snow Canyon to the start.  Warmed up on a nice trail with Colleen.  Found some good friends in this mayhem and chatted for a minute.  Time to hit it! This was my first time wearing head phones in a race. The course was not all downhill but the first 3 miles we ran down Snow Canyon and the next 3 miles were on a false flat/slightly uphill. So I figured that I might as well be listening to music if the (possible) PR won't really c...

husband, me, coach My top two favorite things in the world?  Training Camp and Family Vacation * So this year, due to lack of other possibilities, I decided to combine the two! In one of my favorite spots on earth: St. George ! Then I quickly invited the in-laws along and... voila! Best week ever! I am a genius !    * In that order... at the top of Snow Canyon A few days ago I started a nice and detailed report of my week of fun. But, seeing how I am still in the midst of my March Madness , I am discarding that one and will just give you the highlights ! The detailed one might have put you to sleep anyway...  ** Oxygen! ** St. George is 4,000ft lower than Flagstaff and, boy, does it ever make a difference! ** No wind on the bike! ** At least not compared to Flagstaff... My speed during easy spins here (almost) equaled my speed for hard rides back home! Coleen and I ** Hill repeats on the bike with Colleen! *...

Last weekend I finally had the chance to race down in the Valley of the Sun . The Valley lived up to its name and I couldn't have been happier spending a whole day in perfect weather . It was definitely worth the 2:50 am wake-up call and 6-hour round trip.   I am not used to showing up at a race and not knowing a single soul.* It makes the pre-race routine go more smoothly but it's just not as much fun! So instead of chatting with everybody and their dog, I decided to get in a good warm-up and check out the Professionals that showed up. It's great to have a relatively small race and get big names like Linsey Corbin, Ben Hoffman, and Josef Major.  * Except for one friend from Flagstaff, Jason Pedersen , who is racing is first full season as an ITU Pro, and ended up winning the whole thing! Congrats, Jason! Can we just get this party started?  After two (small) waves of professionals and two (large) waves of men, it was finally our turn to h...

St. George 2011 March is going to be awesome !  I have been waiting for March for months now and it's finally here!  I am super excited for my own version of March Madness. Here is what's happening in March:  Looks like fun, doesn't it? March 10 Solo day-trip down to Phoenix TriSports.com Desert Classic Duathlon First (multi-sport) race of the season Warm weather and (hopefully) a nice outdoor swim (I wrote this post a few days ago and thought I would update:  The race went very well. I had a blast and was able to  start the season off with a win! 1st female amateur! Race report to follow...) St. George 2011 March 11-18 Spring Break Family vacation in St. George Training camp In-laws, condo, pool, hot tub Training partners Spectrum 10k (Time to unpack and then repack for this fun adventure!  The weather looks great, Karl is (finally) feeling better,  and the kids are no...

My first race is coming up this weekend and I could not be more excited! Actually, now that I think about it, that's a lie... Or not. I am not sure. Excuse me. I'd better go do some research on this race. ... Ok. I am back. Wow! Aehm. Really? I had no idea . I figured it would be your average duathlon but - turns out - it's not. It goes something like this: Run: 3.65 miles - mostly on trail/hilly Bike: 30 miles - includes 3! u-turns Run: 3.75 miles - all on trail/very hilly Who knew? I honestly had no idea although I have been signed up for this event for months now. I haven't run on trail since October and I have never been a fan of u-turns! ... 5 days later:  Ok. This time I am back for real. I have given it some thought and have decided that: Of course I am excited for this race! Hello! It's a race after all and I have not raced since 70.3 Worlds in September. (Except for the St. George Halfmarathon but running races don't really ...

Me, Coach M, Missy (While I am working on another post that, while writing it, has thrown me into confusion, I figured I would share (part of) an email from Coach M with you.  Remember how last time we talked I was swimbikerunning on Struggle Street? Well, I am happy to report that I successfully steered off of it. With Coach M's help. Since it helped me, I figured it might help you as well, so I wanted to share it. Keep in mind that she is trying to make me feel better about myself, so she is totally exaggerating. I am not really all that. But it's still nice to hear.) Sarah,  It's always good to know what you are thinking . No worries about the long email. ( Phew. She is too nice. I write novels on Training Peaks and, as if that was not enough, I also bombard her with emails. She is a very patient woman!) The speed-build will last from now until your race, with more recovery than you think lodged in between. ( Speed? Recovery? I am not really a fan of e...