TRIEDGE WOMENS TRIATHLON TEAM: Leadman 125...An Inferno of Heat!

Earlier this year as I was setting goals and deciding my race schedule I decided I wanted to focus on some long distance races this year. I had heard great reviews about Leadman and decided I would put it on my calendar. Leadman Tempe is a 125K: 1.7 mile swim, 70 mile bike, and 8 mile run. Swimming is my weak point and running is my strength so I figured this distance would be perfect for me since my weak point was longer then a half ironman. I never considered the conditions of the race because it is in April....April in Utah means cold weather. So I figured it would probably be perfect in Arizona. After signing up I had a few people say...it is going to be hot! Here is a little side note...I don't like racing in the heat.
With that said...here is how it went down. I drove down to Tempe with a great group of friends and Coach. We spent the two days leading up to the race literally not doing much of anything besides staying out of the sun and hot weather. (Yes, 88 degrees feels hot when you are used to 40 degrees). We literally did a lot of sitting, watching movies, and sitting in the hot tub. We scored with the house we rented as it had the best TV/movie set up, a hot tub and pool in the backyard, and was close to Tempe Town Lake. We hit up the expo, checked in bikes, checked out the bike course, stressed out about the bike course, and ate a lot of yummy food! I couldn't have asked for a better two days before a race!

Race morning came and we got to transition about an hour before it closed. I did my typical set up of transition, drank more water, went over all my nutrition, drank more water, and was ready. For some reason I was more nervous then usual. I don't know if it was because it was a distance I have never done or if it was the first race of the season. But, nonetheless I was nervous.

Swim: The swim was a little tough. The sun was shining right in our faces for the swim out. The course was an out and back which I thought I would love. But, you couldn't see a darn thing! So I figured as long as I could see the shore when I would breathe to the right then I was going the right direction. I really had to rely on just seeing people in front of me. I just kept it relaxed on the swim as I have never swam that far in open water and I just wasn't sure how hard to push it. I figured it was going to be a long day and there was no reason to kill myself in the water. So, I just swam. Time: 53 minutes.

Bike: The bike course was a four loop course with A LOT of turns. Literally....four U turns per loop amongst several other turns on each loop. I was dreading all the turns on the course, but it actually ended up being a great one. And I can now say I have had a lot of practice cornering! It was the most consistent bike ride I have had. I held a good pace the entire time, and feel like I have gained a lot of strength there this past year. Usually in a half I am ready to get off the bike, but today at mile 70 I wanted to keep going! I wasn't hot and I felt like I had nailed my nutrition for the bike. (Average 20.5 MPH)

Run: The run was a complete different story. This is where my day goes bad. The course was advertised at 40% on trail and there was no way to preview the run course. So I was going in blind, which I don't like. But, I started my run with a happy spirit and was happy to still be racing. My paces the first 3 miles were great! I was happy to be on trail and things were going well. After mile 3 things went ugly....really ugly...and it went ugly fast! All I could think about was how hot I was. There was not one ounce of shade on the run course....Zero! It ran through Papago Park which was basically a cactus field of heat. I knew I was hydrated, but all I could think of was hot and thirsty. Miles 6-7.5 were very ugly. Within minutes I had gone from feeling great to thinking I was going to call Coach M when I was done and tell her I am done racing long distance races. When I crossed the finish line I immediately just sat down. I felt like garbage. Once I got some calories in me I was able to process what happened. I didn't take any gu or salts on my run in 90 degree heat....brilliant! When I talked to my mom she said how did you not remember to take that. I learned a lot from this race.....when you don't get enough salt or nutrition your mind goes blank and you literally can't even identify what is wrong. All I could think of was hot and thirsty....my mind never went to I probably need salt and calories. (8:19 pace average). This was the slowest run I have ever had! But, this is why I love racing. You never know what is going to happen on race day. You never know if things are going to come together or fall apart. And no matter what happens, good or bad, you are left as an athlete to figure out how to replicate or not replicate what you did. I know I am going to make some drastic changes before my next race on how I am going to remind myself to take needed nutrition on the run. I also learned I really am not made to race in heat. Some people love it....I hate it. I am a fair weather racer.

A special thanks to my great friends who were at the finish line at Leadman to drape ice on me and get me fluid. A huge thanks to Coach for coming down to race with us and helping us ensure all our bikes were in great shape to race and waiting at the finish line as well. Another big thanks to Coach M for helping me process through my race and knowing what we need to do in the future to help me nail these longer distances. I also want to give a shout out to my awesome husband who puts up with my craziness and is so willing to take care of the kiddos when I come on these crazy adventures. I am so appreciative. I continue to have a great love for this sport and look forward to another fun year of racing!

A big thanks to our sponsors: TriEdge, HEAD, Switch, GU, Bearpaw, Kestrel.

One more side note...Laura Anderson gets the award for toughest person of the day! I was so proud to see her cross the finish line. Way to stick it out in tough conditions!