KZ Team 2015

Introducing the Katie Zaferes team 2015,

All those people behind helping my season run like a well oiled machine.

Some are new relationships for me this year,

But most have been with me as I’ve reached each new tier.

Team Psycho and Off the Front Multisport supported me since I started tri,

The first triathlon teams I was a part of and how lucky was I?

They both believed in me before I even knew the sport,

And I can’t describe how wonderful these people are as a cohort.

I met Coeur two years ago at the Las Vegas Super Sprint,

Thinking they probably weren’t going to be interested during my injured stint.

Super excited when they contacted me out of the blue,

I couldn’t be more blessed to meet such an amazing crew,

Not only is Coeur women’s tri apparel the best in the realm,

They’re also not afraid to take issues in triathlon at the helm.

ROKA sports creates apparel that allows you to swim super fast,

With wetsuits that are not only speedy but are made to last.

The crew here also is quite close to my heart,

As they took care of Tommy when in Dallas he fell apart.

I can’t tell you how important it is to see a company the truly cares,

And is there for their athletes whenever they need them to be there.

Brooks was the first pair of running shoes that I ever wore to train and race,

A love for the Run Happy motto from which all my theories are based.

I train in the Ghosts and race in the PureFlow,

The perfect shoes for a gal always on the go.

I couldn't be more pumped to wear SPY optics on my face,

And be looking through happy lenses during each race.

This fun awesome company has athletes who do the extreme,

I feel very fortunate to get to be a part of the team.

#seehappy, heart and courage, run happy, find faster;

All things in my life that I want to always remember and master.

What better people to have behind you every day,

Than the ones that work to make you better in each every way.

Abu Dhabi Podium!

For me the first race of the season,

Always brings more jitters than there’s reason.

I don’t know why but I feel like I could forget how to tri,

With each week of the off season that goes by.

However, it doesn’t take much for me to get my butt in gear,

Only the sound of the gun going off in my ear.

And then it’s like “hey! I remember this feeling”

Now I better get moving because Carol Routier’s arms are reeling.

And so it was like this in Abu Dhabi too,

As soon as the race started I knew what to do. 

The swim for me was a little bit of an unknown,

There was a time during training were my swimming had slown.

However, during this race it all fell into place,

And seeing my teammate Sarah True, I tried to keep pace.

Coming out of the water I knew transition would need to be fast,

If there was any chance of creating a break in the bike that would last.

I put in some strong efforts whenever there was a break,

All the time feeling like it was definitely a chance I was willing to take.

We had a strong group of five going into the final lap,

But going through a technical section I fell off the back.

When I didn’t latch back on I used my heart and Coeurage to keep powering alone,

An all too familiar memory of when that happened to me in Stockholm.

But I kept pushing and made it to transition before getting caught,

Knowing that the next group was going to be coming in hot.

Pretty quick into the run I was happy to be feeling well,

My BrooksPureFlow had me gaining on the individuals ahead I could tell.

As I ran I just kept my eye on the girls up ahead,

Never looking back at what was behind me instead.

Ultimately I crossed the finish line in second place,

My best performance ever at a WTS race!

It was so awesome for me to achieve a goal I had set,

And standing on the podium for the first time is something I won’t forget.

Not to mention USA Gwen Jorgensen did an awesome job taking the win,

And Flora Duffy for getting 3^rd after just getting back into ITU again!

I can’t thank all the people who have supported me in this endeavor,

To name each and everyone would take me forever.

Thank you to all the people who have been there for me through and through,

Always believing in me and what I do.

Of course thank you to my sponsors who are always there for me,

And have supported me with each dream I hope to achieve.

Thank you to ROKA, Brooks, Off the Front Multisport, TeamPsycho and Coeur,

You help me achieve all I dream and much more.

Thank you to my teammates and coach Joel Filliol who make race prep fun,

And all go out there and race hard, getting it done.

Now I’m heading to the Kiwi land,

Auckland is next up on my plan!

The Name Changer

With a new year, new name and a new squad; a new blog was in store,

It just didn't seem fitting to have Giving It a Tri as a title anymore.

I've tried it and I quite like it a lot,

Now it's time to go after a Rio 2016 spot.

This year sure started off with a lot of excitement,

And being with JFT squad brought a lot of enlightenment.

In December Tommy and I joined the crew in Portugal for a bit,

It didn't take long for me to realize I'd found the perfect fit.

It's fun training with some of the best,

Each day feeling like the group makes me better, to that I can attest.

I went home super excited for the next camp coming our way,

But first Tommy and I got to celebrate a very special day.

Picture brought to you by Tera Tochio Productions

January 17th I said "I do" to being Tommy Zaferes' wife,

And with family and friends we celebrated the best day of our life.

We stopped off in Maryland to continue wedding fun,

Then headed to Mallorca where hard training had already begun.

For three awesome weeks we've been here now,

With a venue that continuously has you saying "wow".

 We've ridden to the snow and ran on the beach,

And I've achieved things I would have thought out of reach.

It's nice being with my husband each and everyday,

A good place to get prepped for Abu Dhabi that's two weeks away!

California to Cozumel to Kona

So much has happened in a short time,

For instance it won’t be long until wedding bells chime.

 Tommy proposed to me and as you can guess…

Yep, my answer was definitely a “yes!”

So now we’re planning a wedding quite soon,

And the fact I get to be Mrs. Zaferes sends me over the moon.

I also did my last world cup in Cozumel,

Unfortunately that race went downhill when I ran slow as hell.

So I finished the race practically last,

Not going to lie it was not a blast.

My legs had nothing to give and didn’t feel right,

But it happens and I tried to leave it behind as I got on my flight.

Tommy and I were in Phoenix for a total of 5 hours,

Before getting on a plane to head to the land of hibiscus flowers.

“We” are spoiled to be sponsored by Coeur,

The best and cutest endurance apparel that I’ve ever wore.

We were there to watch the Ironman and represent,

I sure hope you all stopped by our booth if you went.

Being in Kona for Ironman was really neat,

I loved getting to cheer for our girls on the street.

And all of our Coeur athletes who raced did amazingly well,

With quite a few on the podium and Katie got an award for getting up after she fell.

These Ironman athletes are incredibly tough,

I rode the Queen K for only 90 minutes and had enough.

Besides the grueling distance making Kona hard,

It’s windy, humid, hill and so hot the ground is charred.

So in my opinion just finishing is an incredible feat,

I hope afterwards they treated themselves to lots of ice cream to eat.

I also want to shout out to QuintanaRoo,

When my derailleur hangar snapped they really came through.

After leaving Kona I decided I was going to do one final race for fun,

So I stayed in Carlsbad up until Lifetime Oceanside before calling my season done.

That write up will be coming soon,

Who knows maybe I’ll even get it posted by this afternoon.

Las Vegas Super Sprint!

After Edmonton my brain was a little bit toast, 

I could only fathom doing aerobic workouts at the most. 

I took some down time as I know I needed it,

But as a result I think my race at Vegas took a hit. 

I went into the race thinking it was good practice with a chance of money, 

But let me tell you, you can't go into a competitive race with that mindset honey. 

In a super sprint you swim bike run and then right away do it again, 

It's short, fast, furious and brutal to the very end. 

You must be ready to compete with the best of the best,

When you're off in a super sprint there's no place to hide- to that I can attest. 

And hiding I could not when it came to the second run,

I was the first one out of the A finals when all was said and done. 

Trying to get prepped for the B final was a hard thing to do, 

But thankfully I pulled it together by the time warms up we're through. 

 The super sprint finals was two times through a 300 swim, 5k bike and 2k run,

So after the first run you transition back into the water and do it all again before you're done. 

In the swim I came out a bit behind McClarty, Stupp and Cook, 

Worked hard on the bike and by the run everyone but McClarty I overtook. 

Out on the run I realized something I had forgotten to do. 

Turns out my room key was still on my racing shoe. 

Besides feeling silly it had no effect, 

And back in the water to once again get wet. 

I had a small lead going into the swim,

But by the time I got out I was with McClarty and Cook again. 

McClarty and I rode hard from the start, 

And until we got to the final 2k run we did not part. 

Off on the run I put it in cruise, 

This was a race I didn't want to lose.

I finished the B final in first place,

After the morning, happy to have a more solid race. 

The excitement continued as the finals went off,

With 5 Olympians in the women's field including Sarah Groff.

It was pretty awesome as all 10 girls went out on the final run in a pack,

It came down to a sprint finish where Chelsea Burns made a final attack! 

So proud of my training partner and friend,

That she was able to come out on top in the end!

And then the men's race was up with Tommy in position two, 

So excited to watch him and see what he could do!

What made it even more fun is that Coeur came to watch, 

And cheer on my boy as he competed with athletes who are top notch. 

So exciting to see him, Royle and Kanute work together the entire race,

Dropping the rest of the group as they did the whole thing at a hot pace. 

Watching how fast they did corners and transitions was absurd, 

And by the end of the race Tommy rounded out the podium in third! 

The Las Vegas Super Sprint was an awesome event, 

And it's crazy how fast that trip/day came and went. 

With a quick turn around tomorrow I'll be racing Pacific Grove, 

A coastal venue being something I certainly can't loathe :) 

The Grand Event! Edmonton WTS

Yesterday I did something in my triathlon career I hadn’t done yet,

I competed in my first World Triathlon Series Grand Final event!

After some rough patches throughout this year,

I wasn’t quite sure what shape I would be in as it grew near.

Winning Kelowna was a really great feeling but it was a more low key race,

And in Stockholm I wasn’t happy with my performance, but was happy with my place.

After Stockholm I got sick with some kind of flu,

Apparently it got quite a few other athletes too.

Thankfully I kept feeling better and better as the week went on,

And by the time the race rolled around all illness was gone.

I got through the week really listening to what my body was saying,

Knowing that pushing too much at this point wasn’t a game worth playing.

The more rest the better to head into the biggest race of the year,

I couldn’t believe how fast it came up and was nearly here!

I started the race ranked number 22,

Diving into the swim knowing precisely what I had to do.

I tried to save more energy this time and swam farther back,

Trading clear water for a lot more contact in the middle of the pack.

Picture by Dean Hardie

I came out of the water and had a pretty good transition onto the bike,

Right away knowing this was a group I was going to like.

We had strong cyclists and Lucy Hall took control,

I think we were all in agreement we had a common goal.

Thanks for the picture Dean Hardie!

To try and get as far ahead of the chase pack as we possibly could,

And I would say we worked well together which was really good.

I was extremely happy with my riding in the race,

Excited to be a part of the pack and helping to push the pace.

Compared to Stockholm it was night and day,

Finally feeling comfortable, sometimes even leading the way.

Awesome picture by Rich Cruse

 Getting off the bike I may have had the slowest transition ever,

Which really cost me in this race, when everyone else started together.

Do not misjudge the importance of transitions is something I find,

Because I had to do a lot more work to catch up from behind.

Another cool picture by Dean Hardie!

But I slowly worked my way to maintaining 4^th or 5^th place,

However, unfortunately I had no sprint at the end of the race.

I got passed by four and was ninth crossing the line,

So happy to finish this race in the top ten that I really can’t whine.

I’m finishing the series in the 16^th position,

Only 6 places off my original mission.

Picture brought to you by:Alejandro Maldonado

A couple months ago I never thought I would be able to rebound like this,

But I am so excited to be on the rise and learn from all the things that went amiss.

I could not have done it without my support crew for sure,

My family, Tommy, my friends, Bobby McGee and so many more.

And of course to my sponsors for their unyielding faith in me,

Having your support this season was definitely key.

To Team Psycho, Coeur, ROKA, Brooks, Powerbar and Endurance Shield,

You all stand out far above the rest of the field.

But it’s a trick the Grand Final doesn’t mark the end!

I actually have about 4 more races in which to contend.

On September 11^th I’ll be racing the Las Vegas Super Sprint,

And thus will continue the final two month racing stint. 

Stockholm's Successful Struggles

Well since I last wrote yet another race has come and gone,

And before I know it Edmonton will be here where I’ll be hoping to show my brawn.

I arrived in Stockholm after the fourth and final flight,

Arriving pretty late on Wednesday night.

I’d never been to this city before and it was a lovely place to be,

Even getting lost on the bike pre-race didn’t bother me.

I had a few concerns leading up to the race,

Mainly not knowing how to deal with cobblestones if rain was taking place.

 

At the same time I felt more confident than I had in WTS’ past,

Which I think came from learning from the ones that I’d done last.

Warming up for the race things got a bit rushed,

Typically I do a swim warm up, but this time the water was not touched.

I ran out of time and my run prime took precedence,

But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me a little hesitant.

 

However, when the swim began all turned out fine,

The chop made it challenging to keep a straight line.

With my ROKA wetsuit I hooked on the front pack when they came by,

Groff, Hall and I coming out behind Routier for the 2^nd out of water tie.

The transition was on a hill,

And I came out thinking it was something I wanted to kill.

But that mean little bugger showed me it’s stuff,

And after doing it 8 more times at the end of the race I’d had enough.

 

Going onto the bike there was no rain,

But I can certainly assure you there was a lot of pain.

My first three laps were ok, but I consistently found myself at the back,

And then after that I found myself 10 meters off the pack.

 

Luckily I stayed and didn’t lose too much ground,

But this was not an effective way to conserve energy that much I found.

As soon as I caught up to the group I’d pop right back off,

And the strength at which the front pack was working was nothing to scoff.

 

Getting off the bike and transitioning up the hill was a meer crawl,

It definitely felt like I was about to hit my wall.

And in a way I kind of did, my run really wasn’t very great,

But because the front pack worked so well my placing is something I certainly can't hate.

Sarah Groff and Lindsey Jerdonek celebrating awesome finishes!

I finished up 7^th with my best WTS finish yet!

And was I happy? Yes you bet!

I don’t find this to be my best race by far,

But I held strong and still managed to raise the bar.

I’m excited because it means I have so much more,

Coeur’s heart and courage came in handy during this race for sure.

Not to mention fellow American Sarah Groff won,

And my dear friend Lindsey Jerdonek was 5^th when she was done!

That means we had three Americans in the top 7,

And don't forget USA's Ben Kanute he was 11!

So what a great weekend and experience this has been!

Though there are definitely improvements that need to be made; I’m calling it a win.

So now I’m in transit,

To complete the Canada sandwich,

And as long as the Icelandic volcano doesn’t blow,

I’ll be in Edmonton tonight to begin the Grand Final show!

Most pictures brought to you by Victor Carapelho, our wonderful masseuse and apparently photographer :)