Race....Recovery.....and New Goals

Since Boise 70.3 didn't go as planned due to weather and shortened courses...it resulted in me feeling completely ripped off of my first A race of the season.  It is funny what a week of recovery, rest, and analyzing will do for you!  I wasn't sure about this whole recovery thing....but the coaches insisted that I have no training and give my mind and body a rest.
By Thursday I was back to the drawing board of deciding how to plan the rest of my season.  After missing worlds by one slot a fire was ignited in my little soul!  I didn't go to Boise with that as my goal, but I learned that it is a goal I can set that is attainable for me.  I am so excited for the rest of this race season...fun races are lined up!  Age Group Nationals will be my next A race and I am hoping to go out and put together a solid race.
I have started to enjoy this whole recovery thing.  It is so nice to go out for a bike ride or a run and not have to worry about paces, or time, or miles.  I can just go out and enjoy being outside!!  This week I could be found on the trail and up the canyon.  My miles were DRASTICALLY reduced....to be exact I only ran 9 miles, bike 35 miles, and swam about 4500 yards this week.  But, I loved every minute of it.  It has given me time to put a race into perspective, find the positives, set new goals, and feel ready to conquer the rest of this race season!  But first....here's to another week of recovery!

Boise 70.3....or 29.3

My mom and kids FREEZING before the race start.  I would have called them to tell them not to come, but there was no cell service!

Add caption

Getting all the gear together before heading out to race!!  I was stressing over what to wear as I didn't realize I needed to pack my winter gear!

Who dresses in clothes like this at a triathlon!  It was freezing!

Me and my sweet daughter after the race.

Let me preface this with Boise 70.3 was one of my two A races this year. I wanted to smash my time from last year. When an announcement came out a couple months ago that 100 slots were being allocated at Boise for Worlds I thought in the back of my mind...maybe...maybe if I put together a solid race I could qualify. I have worked really hard the past several months following all my training exactly. I had put in good miles, had a good taper, and felt great going into this race. My coaches had put together a great race plan for me.

The week leading up to the race I obsessively watched the weather. Throughout the week it kept getting worse, but I had no idea what was to come! We drove up to Boise on Thursday as I like to get to the race, get checked in, and have a day to just relax. As I checked in, the race anticipation filled the air. I learned the water temperature would be 60..much better then the chilly 53 last year. Friday morning we drove up to Lucky Peak Reservoir to take a quick spin on the bike and get it checked in. I met up with Coach and we hit the road for a quick bike ride with a couple other athletes. I got my bike checked in and ensured it was covered nicely with garbage bags due to the forecast. I learned at bike check in that the swim may possibly be cancelled due to a wind advisory. The weather was forecasting for 30-45 MPH wind gusts from 12-2...right at race start. Perfect timing Mother Nature!! I had this slight hope that maybe the weather wasn't right.

That evening I called Coach and discussed what my new strategy would be and then called Colleen and got all her great wind advice. She is a pro in wind after Leadman and Ironman St. George! I knew that she would have great positive vibes and suggestions to send my way! I am so glad I called her and she provided me with some great information. I knew I just needed to come to terms with the fact that this 70.3 was not going to be what I planned it to be. It was time to adapt.

Race morning we awoke to rain, rain, and more cold rain! It was cold outside! I have to admit I was very grumpy about it. This was MY race! This was what I had worked so hard for...and it was freezing!! We drove down to T2 and dropped off our run gear. I couldn't believe how cold it was. I didn't know what I was possibly going to do if it didn't warm up. Who would have thought I would need to bring my winter gear to a June triathlon!

My stepdad and I headed up to the reservoir and I found my coaches sitting in their car at the bottom of the reservoir. We decided to sit too. It was pouring rain! It was either sit in the car and be warm or walk up to transition and freeze! I started to restrategize my clothing plan. Coach had scissors in her car so I cut a slit in some arm warmers so it would come down over my hands during the bike. An hour, (so unlike me), we strolled up slowly to the start line in 3 layers of clothes and garbage bags over us. I had to basically undress out of all my warm clothes to get body marked and I went into transition. As I got to my bike the announcer came on to let us know due to “hypothermic” conditions and “shifty, gusty strong winds” the bike would be cut to 15 miles. FIFTEEN MILES! Are you kidding me? The gal next to me said, “I guess we are basically doing a half marathon.” Here I was hoping if they cancelled anything it would be the swim...and now I was only biking 15 miles. I needed all the miles on the bike to catch up to the really fast swimmers!

Time to adapt and walk to the start line. I dropped off my morning clothes bag, but kept on my Altra shoes. I like my Altras and I really liked them keeping my feet warm. I was 40 minutes from starting and the rain was not letting up. Luckily, as I was just stand around shivering I looked over and Dave Warden was next to me. He and his wife kindly shared their umbrellas with me. At this point I was having serious doubts about doing this race. It was sleeting..yes, nearly snowing....around 43 degrees and I was going to jump in a lake that was choppy. It wasn't sounding very fun! Thank goodness for peer pressure! I looked around at all these athletes that were going to get in....I couldn't turn around now. My wave came quickly and I had to ditch my Altras...somebody ended up with my shoes. I just couldn't stand the thought of standing barefoot in such freezing conditions! As I walked down to the lake I thought...when I get this finishers medal that is going to mean the world to me in these conditions! I was all about just getting to the run without hypothermia!

As the horn went off I started swimming. I love the start of a swim...kicking, thrashing, fighting for space! Love it! About half way through my calves started cramping. I have never had this happen before, but figured that it was from how cold I had been. The water was choppy and I was cold! But the last portion of the swim I saw a small patch of blue sky. Could it be...no rain?? I got out of the water in 39 minutes...my watch said I swam 1.3 (not sure if the swim was long). But, I cut 3 minutes off last year..YES!

As I ran up into transition my hands hurt. I couldn't get my fingers to do what I wanted them to do. I knew I needed to get on some warm gear for the ride into town. From my T1 time it looks like I sat and had a party! But, I was trying to get on my arm warmers, vest, socks, and shoes. My fingers were struggling! I finally got my stuff together and headed out on the bike. With only a 15 mile bike I wasn't sure if I should kill it on the bike or save my legs for the run. I decided to bike like I would have in a typical 56 miles and save my legs for the run. I moved a good speed passing a lot of people and averaging 23 MPH. The roads were wet, it was a little cold, but I was loving the bike! I rolled into T2 and as quickly as I could fumbled my run gear on. My feet were frozen!!

For 2 miles of the run I could not feel my feet but my focus was on my pace. I knew that I was going to lay it all out on the course. I had to take full advantage of every mile to try to catch up to those fast swimmers. I ran my guts out. My coaches were at the turnaround and Coach ran with me giving me a pep talk. His voice rang through my mind the entire last loop. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such supportive, wonderful friends, family, and athletes. I was SO appreciative of all of you. I thought of your words of encouragement during the run. I thought of my trail runs, my speed workouts, and just pounded the pavement. Run time was 1:31!

I crossed the finish line with nothing left. It is funny how in a few hours we can go from thinking if we cross the finish line we will feel like a champion due to conditions to feeling we completed a great race when we cross the finish to feeling deflated after learning results.

I came in 8^th in my age group and ended up missing worlds by 1 slot and by one minute! I had myself a pity party that night. I know that if I would have had those bike miles I could have had a slot! I know that if the weather would have been better I would have had a slot! But, I can either be deflated, or I can look at the positive and become stronger for my next race. I choose the latter. I choose to take this experience and use it for future races! I know I can race in anything after Saturday! I know I can have a strong half marathon in a 70.3 race. I know that I can swim through choppy water! I know that I can continue to work hard, race hard, and love this sport we call triathlon!

A special thanks to our awesome sponsors: TriEdge, Kestrel, Flexr, HEAD.

Gear used:

Nutrition: Gu, Flexr Bottles

Swim: HEAD goggles

Bike: Kestrel...LOVE this bike!

Wheels: Zipp 404

Shoes: Saucony Kinvara

Salem Spring Sprint

I've always wanted to race Salem Spring Triathlon, as it's one of my husband's favorites, and it finally worked out I was able to this year! It was a beautiful day, and the high was supposed to be 91 degrees. Most people don't like racing in the heat, but I'm a total wuss in the cold, so the warmer the better! I was so excited that my entire TriEdge-Kestrel women's team would be there volunteering...it was like having my very own cheerleading team! I'm still trying to convince them to wear short skirts. Plus I got to race with the hubs and his sister, which is always fun to see family out on the course. You know the saying...a family that races together just ends up spending all their money? Wait a minute...
The pre-race excitement was contagious, and I was thrilled to finally be racing again. We got in the water a few minutes early to warm up. We watched the male heats take off and all the female athletes were last to go. The horn blew and we were off! My swim didn't feel great, but that's because of three words every triathlete knows: lack of training. Don't be alarmed if I have green hair in the next post because I might just go live at the pool. I was finally able to get in a groove and keep up a good pace. As I ran into transition, my trusty teammate McKenzie was there to strip my wetsuit. She has been my stripper before. Am I allowed to blog that? Anyway, the last time she was my wetsuit stripper I was coming out of 51 degree water, and did not know it at the time but my body temp had dropped to 92 degrees. Like I said, I'm kind of a wuss in the cold. Thank goodness she was there because I ended up passing out and she was right there to catch me. This time she yanked my wetsuit off and as I stood up she yelled, 'Wait, are you good this time?' We both died laughing (funny how stories get a lot funnier after a year goes by) and I ran to jump on my bike.
The bike course was so beautiful! The road conditions were not great but I love riding on country backroads. I was passing a lot of people and felt really good. A car decided to pass me at the exact same time I was passing a rider. As it cruised by about 3 inches from my shoulder, I may or may not have shouted some profanity, and the rider next to me may or may not have chuckled. Oh the joys of biking on public roads. I really wanted to push it on the bike and see the benefits of participating in CrossFit this last winter. It has increased my strength on the bike immensely. Only one girl passed me during the bike portion, but she was totally ripped so I let her. About 2 miles out I took my Vanilla Bean GU (love those things - is it weird that sometimes I eat them for fun?) I came down the hill and turned back into transition and threw on my running shoes.
I've only done a few bricks (when I say a few it's more like 2) so I was a little nervous about beginning the run. As I ran out my teammate Amber shouted 'You are the 4th girl! Hurry, third place is right in front of you...go catch her!' Well, I knew I could not be the fourth girl overall. I am definitely not that fast. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but let me tell you something about good teammates. They lie to you. They tell you things that do weird things to your head and make you run faster. And that's exactly what happened! Thank you Amber! All I knew is I had to catch that girl in front of me.
I quickly realized she was running at a pretty good pace, so my original plan was to pass her with about .5 miles left. Well, about a half mile into the run I felt like I could push harder, so I did. I passed her and knew it was a long 2.5 miles to hold my lead but I could do it. The run was beautiful, but there is a slow steady climb that about killed me. I wasn't wearing a heart rate monitor but I remember thinking my heart rate had to be around 250. Okay, maybe not that high but it was pumpin'. About a mile from the finish I thought I spotted another female up ahead. So there was my next victim. Sometimes in a race I feel like I'm playing Deer Hunter but I'm looking for ponytails instead. I didn't catch her until about a half mile from the finish, and I barely passed her. Our paces were almost identical. I could hear my cheerleading team up ahead so I gave it all I had. I ran across the bridge and through the finish line! Such a great feeling.
This is an interesting racing year for me. I will not be able to train near as hard or as long as I'd like to. I didn't even wear a watch during this race because I knew I needed to just go out and have fun. Which can be difficult when you want to give it everything, but I had a blast. Winning my age group was just a huge unexpected bonus. I had a lot of goals I wanted to accomplish this year: my first marathon, my first half Ironman, but it looks like those will have to wait for another year, and I will welcome the time in my life when those will be acheivable. Although I can't push to my full potential, I feel so lucky to be a part of such a supportive and amazing women's triathlon team. I've learned that life hands you cards that make you put everything into perspective and really figure out what your priorities are. I'm so thankful that I have a healthy body that allows me to swim, bike and run; three things that are a huge part of my life.
Post-race chatting is one of my favorite parts of a race. I found out Devan had taken 4th overall, my sister-in-law who doesn't train was a just a few minutes behind me (those darn Tandy genes), and my friend who broke her arm THAT MORNING in a bike crash on the way to my house had finished the race. What an incredible day! Special thanks to sponsors of the TriEdge-Kestrel Women's Triathlon Team!
Pre Race: Crystal Light Energy/8oz H2o, banana | Swim: HEAD goggles, Blue Seventy Helix Wetsuit | Bike: Look 566, FLEXR bottles | Run: Avia Avi-Bolt iii, Darn Tough socks | Nutrition: Vanilla Bean GU | Post Race: Contour STiM Machine, lots of ice cream