5/18/09 Yesterday I competed in one of my all time favorite races - the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland!  This year was my 3rd time doing the race and my 2nd time winning the elite amateur title!  Given my current fitness level I was thrilled to have won and really enjoyed the day and the race despite rainy, cold weather.  I'm now looking forward to ramping up my training for my next "A" race in August!  Next up on the docket though is the Philadelphia Triathlon in late June!  

4/8/09 This past weekend I competed in my first triathlon of the season at the California 70.3 in Oceanside, CA!  It was great to get to southern California and see the sun and feel the warmth after spending a long winter in Pittsburgh.  We really enjoyed our time there and I have the sunburn to prove it!  And the race went well!  I placed 6th in my new AG - the 30-34 year old women.  That's a tough group!  And I was the 9th overall female amateur in a time of 4:58:30 on this tough course.  I was also excited to earn a slot to the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, FL in mid November!  It was definitely a great start to the season and I'm very much looking forward to see what the rest of 2009 holds! 

2/28/09 Today was the Spring Thaw 10 Mile Road Race!  Pretty exciting and fun, especially because the sun was shining!  My goal was to break 65 minutes.  Luckily I felt strong and got that goal with a final time of 63:50.  This season really is off to a great start!  Next up -- more training.  :)  And then, finally, my first "A" race in Oceanside, California! 

2/22/09 I have so much to update about!  First, I have a new website!  The site is www.bethshutt.com and is designed to highlight the new nutrition consulting business I started as well as keep my triathlon exploits up to date.  Check it out, especially if you are in need of help with your diet!  Also, I have several great new sponsors this year including Saucony and Blue Seventy - I am so appreciative of their help and support.  These sponsors are in addition to the great support I have been receiving from PowerBar, Big Bang Bikes, Rudy Project and Beljum Budder!  And finally, today I did a swim meet!  For a runner like me, the swim meets are always a little intimidating!  But I swam a big PR in the 1650 - 21:09 - and was thrilled!  All great news to start off the new year - looking forward to seeing what the rest of 2009 has in store!

1/17/09 My usual Saturday morning swim had a little twist today!  I did the One Hour Postal Swim, a mail in competition sponsored by US Masters Swimming, where you swim as far as you can in one hour's time.  It was a lot of fun and a different thing to try, all while getting in a great training session!  I covered 4250 yds and am already trying to figure out how to improve next year...

1/11/09 Today I did my first race of the 2009 season!  It was a 5 mile running race called the Frigid Five Miler.  And boy was it FRIGID!  It was great to get back into the racing spirit though and a great way to kick of the season.  Although my first triathlon isn't until April it will be here before I know it!

12/10/08 I had a wonderful off-season!  After several weeks of rest and relaxation, I started my training again in earnest on December 1.  It has been great to get back into the routine of triathlon!  It has also been exciting to think about next season's races and goals.  The following is my proposed 2009 racing schedule:

1. April 4 - Oceanside 70.3
2. May 17 - Columbia Triathlon
3. June 28 - Philadelphia Triathlon
4. August 1 - Steelhead 70.3
5. August 22 - USAT Short Course AG Nationals

The remainder of the season is TBD!  In the mean time, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!  Happy training!