HITS - Grand Junction Half Iron

When I first heard about this new race in CO, I was super excited.  Ever since I did my first half in the fall of 2012, I had been marinating on the idea of doing another race.  Grand Junction was perfect, it's not too far to drive, and I have family there, which is great for lodging.  :)

The day before the race, as usual, I went with Amber's family and my littles over to Highline Lake to hop in for a swim.  The water was a little chilly, but not too bad.  The lake is long, with higher protected sides, and pretty (though the water itself was pretty dirty).  We got a good feel for the transition area, and sat through the pre-race meeting.  Both of us were having some technical issues - my cateye battery was dead on my bike, and Amber's garmin was acting up.  So instead of our planned leisurely drive of the bike course, we ran into Fruita (town nearby), and got our stuff situated.  Once bikes were ready, we brought them back and checked them in. A couple of things that were different for me on this race were that the transition area was a good little job up from the water... up a grass hill, through the park, and over the parking lot.  I figured I'd have plenty of time to get out of my wetsuit and gear on my run over.  The other thing that I didn't necessarily love is that the bike out was on the side away from the road, so you had to run your bike over the grass and around transition to get to the parking lot of the park.

SO - race day.

Got up at 4am to have a nice big breakfast.  Had all my things loaded and ready to roll, was feeling really good.  After a last minute inventory to make sure I hadn't over looked anything, Amber and I hopped in the car and headed toward the lake.  It was SO calm and quiet at the race start.  There was a bit of buzz, but there weren't a ton of racers.  There were roughly 250 doing the half, and 50 doing the full.  I really liked the set up for the HITS transition.  The bike setup was nice, and the big containers for your other "stuff" is great to have it handy, but not right in the way.  I also didn't know at the start how much I would like the little stool they had at each station.  I'll touch on that later :)

Race start:  After a brief rundown from Mark Wilson (race director), and a lovely little prayer, we got in the water about waist deep and waited for the mass start.  I picked my usual spot - up front but off to the side.  About a minute into the swim, two guys (one on either side) both elbowed me simultaneously in the head.  :(  It caught me so off guard that I popped up out of the water, and not-so-gently shoved them both away from me with my hands.  Then, I got back to my joyful swim.  The water was nice and calm once about 10 minutes in, and the people started to spread out.  I was feeling so good that when I hit the last buoy I was going all out and feeling great.  When I hit the shore and got up, Mark (race d) was there and told me I was the 2nd woman out - WOOHOO!  Then I looked at my watch and saw my time!  YES. Final swim time 30:55!

There were no wetsuit strippers at this event, but beforehand, Amber and I designated James Lawrence as our helper.  I saw him as I started running up the hill, and got the suit yanked off and ran toward transition.  My feet were COLD.  The lake was chilly, and my feet felt like stumps.  I hate that sensation.  Once in transition, I threw on my helmet, socks, shoes, glasses and ran!  T1 time: 2:56.  Not too bad considering that counted the run up from the lake.

I was really excited for the bike on this race.  I had been feeling the itch, big time to be out on my bike.  Within the first mile, I was all adrenaline, and almost had a euphoric feeling.  I was flying!  The course itself was filled with lots of rolling country roads (my favorite!).  The course had two out and back sections.  It was beautiful scenery, had some little and a couple big climbs on the first big.  The first out and back included a steep hill climb and lots of little rolling sections.  The second out and back was a little more difficult.  It included an eleven mile climb.  Yes, I said 11.  I was feeling pretty good overall on this, but it was slow going, and there was a headwind.  When I hit the turnaround, I FLEW down the hill.  I tried to remember not to kill myself going all out on the last 5 or so miles, so I wouldn't have dead legs on the run.   My nutrition on the bike was so dialed in; I've never felt so good on the bike before.  I was really conscientious about how I was feeling, so I was taking more/less salt/water during the whole bike ride.  I averaged 19.5mph on the bike - and I was happy with that! One little down note is that the bike course was long.  It was 57.22 miles :(  Bike time: 2:56:11.

T2 - oh, this is where I was happy for my little stool.  After running my bike over the grass into transition, I set it up, and then sat to change my shoes.  I didn't realize that the quick sit motion would make my head woosey!  I almost fell of my stool - was sure glad it was there though!  I threw on my running belt, grabbed my water bottle, switched shoes, and ran out.  T2 time: 1:50

Coach told me to not kill myself out the gate on the run, no matter how good I was feeling.  right off the bat, the run was pretty much downhill, you went over the dam and then down on a trail that linked to a road.  My legs were a little jelly, but I just kept going.  I felt okay and then I hit the hill.  I ran through that, and then the wind came.  I don't mean a breeze, or light wind... I run in that all the time at home.  This was real serious wind, with big gusts!  Miles 2-6.5 (turnaround) sucked!  It was so windy, and my usual tactic of finding a running buddy didn't work.  I found one gal, but she was doing a run 2/walk1, then I found another guy, but he stopped for the port-o.  It was kind of lonely.  Though I was kind of spent, and going slower than I would have liked, I wasn't mentally falling apart.  I just kept telling myself that I could still hit my own goal overall.  When I hit the "halfway" point, I sadly realized that the run was going to be long too :(  The run course ended up being 13.4 miles.  The bonus of the turnaround was that I had a nice brief tailwind that was STRONG!  But all good things must come to an end... like when I had to make a right turn down the road, and my friend the tailwind, had become a new nemesis - crosswind.  I stopped at every aid station, and got water/coke.  I should have forced myself to do better on my salts and gu on the run.  That is where I need to nail it down next time.   Running in was great! I came around the bend toward the finish and saw my sister with my little kids, and Amber's little kids.  They were screaming and cheering like crazy! Derek even gave me a nice back handspring, and then they ran it in with me.  My final time on the run was 2:09:09.  

My overall time was 5:41:03.  I wanted to finish in 5:45 or less, and so I was tickled pink about this.  I was especially happy with my swim and bike.  And I learned that sometimes, even when you feel amazing in one event, you may need to reign it in a bit so you have some left to give on the others.  The best bonus of the day was to find out that I actually placed!!! I took 2nd in my agegroup, and was stoked!

From Austin 70.3 until this race was just over 6 months.  I cut 15 minutes off my time, and got a PR on my swim and bike. 

As usual, I had a terrific time racing with Amber.  She is so great to race with, and I'm always blown away by how much inner drive she has.  I hope it will rub off on me :)  It is wonderful to have a friend out there on the course - even if it is just to see that you're not the only one dying a little :) 

Special thanks to my great teammates who cheer for and support me!  Thank you so much to my coaches, Mahogani and Heath with HT Training.  I learn SO much from you both, and am grateful that you see the potential in me to do hard things, and that you believe in me.  I couldn't train a day without the support of my husband and kids - I'm so blessed that they support me in my craziness to do this awesome sport.  

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors HEAD Swimming - I am so in love with my goggles I can't even express it - -and thank you so much for your constant attention and support of me and our entire team - BEARPAW, I love that after I beat my feet up, your shoes are there to help them get better! Thanks so much to Kestrel (love my bike!), TriEdge, Gu, Flexr, and Switch - this sponsor support is phenomenal to have!

I loved the HITS race - Mark was a fantastic director, the staff and volunteers were well prepared, and I loved the smaller feel to a distance race.  I will do a HITS race again!

HITS Grand Junction.....My goal has been met!

Pre swim at Highline Lake

Out on the run

I love seeing my kids at the finish line!

Always happy when you get to the finish!

Number two woman!

Overall female awards

As I started planning my 2013 race season I decided I wanted to do more long distance races because I love the challenge of them! When HITS announced their new race in Grand Junction for this year I was so excited because it was close to home and I had heard great reviews about their races. The course looked a lot like where we live and the average temperature was in the range of what I like to race in. So I decided I would sign up. My good friend, Laura, also signed up which would make for a super fun race weekend!! Her sister was so generous to let my family stay at her home with Laura's family. So not only was I excited for race weekend, but so were my kids! They literally played ALL weekend!

The week before the race I really took advantage of my taper by resting and focusing on how I was going to deal with the last miles of the race. In prior half distances I have always fallen apart mentally and I was determined to get it figured out through mental strength and nutrition. I can run a great half marathon and I knew I just needed to find a way to deal with my head to run a great half in an 70.3 distance.

We arrived in Grand Junction late Thursday night and decided Friday would be a day of race preparation. We packed a lunch for our families and we all set out to the venue of the race. Highline State Park is a very family friendly location. It has a couple small beaches for kids to play on, several picnic tables, and a playground. The kids were very entertained while I got in a short open water swim and bike ride. The unfortunate part was my garmin decided to completely seize up and I had a momentary panic attack. We all know how much we rely on that dang piece of equipment and I had no idea how I would race without it!!! The dang piece tells me race time for nutrition, heartrate, speed...all those details that are SO important in a long distance race. Luckily, after plugging it into the charger it decided to work again. Nothing like a little panic the day before the race! Laura and I had decided to not drive the bike course as it seemed to be pretty uneventful from looking at the profile, but as we sat in the race meeting and heard people talking about “all the hills” we decided we better go check it out. So we checked into the race, checked in our bikes and went out onto the course. It is funny what people think “hills” are. It made me feel really lucky to live where we do. We are so used to rolling hills and big climbs in the canyons I feel we can go race anywhere and be OK. The course was going to be full of rolling hills and false flats with a little wind...just how I like it! The night before the race I got a call from Coach to discuss the race. I really love talking to Coach before an A race!

Race morning was pretty uneventful. We arrived at transition just over an hour before the race and got everything set up. HITS is honestly such a friendly race. The race director, Mark, is everywhere! Checking on athletes, ensuring everyone has what they need, and he was found all over the venue during the race cheering on athletes. The transition space was unusually big, which I loved...I was just unsure what to do with all my space!! I had a stool, a sweet slot holder for my bike, and loads of room for my bag and transition mat. Everyone was so friendly and helpful in transition. It was true triathlon spirit in the transition area that morning.

I was a little nervous about the swim start..all half and full athletes would start together. I have never started a race with men and with so many people...and I know how aggressive the guys can be I was really hoping I wouldn't get plummeted in the water. Laura and I got into the water just a couple minutes before race start and situated ourselves where we felt would be a smart, yet safe spot. The horn went off at seven promptly and I took off hoping to not get smashed! The first 700 yards or so was pretty chaotic. I think I probably swallowed a couple cups of water among all the choppy water we were creating (it had been glass before the race, but we were creating a bit of choppiness). It wasn't until I was about half way through the swim that I felt I could get into a rhythm and find my own space. I was feeling great in the water and felt strong. Side note...we learned the day before that they wouldn't have wetsuit strippers, but if we could find someone they could strip the suit for us. I asked James if he would be at the swim exit and if he was willing to be the wetsuit stripper...I was very grateful for that he was there and willing. Every second counts! I had told him if I had the swim of my life I would come out at 36 minutes...but gave him the range of 36-39. When I came out and looked at my watch I had to look at the distance to make sure I didn't miss a buoy...I had come out in 33:59...swim of my LIFE! I was SO excited! James was right where he said he would be and quickly stripped of my suit. Can I just add I love seeing familiar faces on the course. I was so happy running into transition. I grabbed my bike and committed to myself that I would not let the swim go to waste. (Swim: 33:59)

The bike was a slight downhill for the first 7 miles which was great to get the heart rate under control. Then the rolling hills started. The farm roads were so beautiful and I was in my happy place taking my nutrition exactly as I had planned and calculated. I passed the first female at 18 miles and knew I was in third place at that point. I also knew there would probably be 11 miles that was going to be into a headwind and slightly uphill. When I got to that point I just buckled down and pedaled. I was grateful for all those windy days I have biked in the last month. As I got to about 2 miles to the turn around I saw girl number 2. I passed her and knew now I was in 2nd place. I don't think she girl liked that I passed her because we played leap frog for about 10 miles. I kept glancing at my garmin to ensure I was still racing my race and not racing her race. Then I decided I was right where I needed to be and maybe I could bike tire her legs the last 12 miles. I came into transition about 30 seconds in front of her. (Bike average 21.8MPH...bike ended up being 1.07 miles long)

I gathered what I needed for the run and ensured I had all nutrition...I was not going to screw up my nutrition on this race. I headed out learning the leading female was 10 minutes in front of me and third place was right on my heels. I kept glance of my watch the first 2 miles to ensure I didn't go out to fast and glanced back every so often to make sure 3rd place wasn't catching up to me. My goal was to run smart. I knew that miles 2-6.5 going out was a slight uphill, what I didn't consider was that it was going to be straight into that same dang wind! It was windy! But, I kept my mind focused and kept dialed in on my nutrition. The run course ended up being fun (I was tired, but it was fun). Everyone was encouraging those around them and yelling supportive things. I don't know how many times I was told I was number 2. It is always so nice to hear words of encouragement and I enjoyed encouraging others. It really kept my mind busy. Miles 8-10 were rough but I was not going to stop, I was not going to loose my 2nd place slot. There was a man in front of me that I just focused on keeping up with between those rough miles. He glanced back and told me that if I beat him his friends were going to give him crap! He was great to talk to for a few minutes and then at mile 11 we hit those two miles of uphill. I knew that if I kept consistent I would keep my spot. I had pretty much ignored my garmin on the run and just ran off feel because I didn't want to blow up. I knew if I just ran consistent I wouldn't be caught. As I approached the finish line I grabbed my kids and we ran in together....they LOVE that about my races. (Run average 7:38...ended up being 13.4 miles!).When I crossed the finish Kim Boldt yelled 4:59. My main goal for this year was to do a 5 hour 70.3. I was so excited...I had held it together and had the race I knew I was capable of!! It was so nice to see so many familiar faces at the finish line...thanks CK Elite! I ended up four minutes behind the lead woman.

I quickly found the girl who had won and she was so friendly and I learned she was a pro...Heather Gullnick. I was so impressed with her!

I honestly could not have asked for a better day. I feel like when we race these distances there are so many things that can go wrong that when everything goes right we need to savor the moment. I love the challenge of this sport and I am so happy that all the stars aligned for me at this race! I am still doing the happy dance!

A huge thanks to my husband who supports me in my training as well as coming to these crazy events. I honestly could not do this without his support. Thanks to Heath and Mahogani Thurston. Their advice and training helped me reach my goal and I am so grateful for them!! A shout out to the TriEdge Womens Team and my dear friend Laura! A huge thanks to all of our sponsors: Kestrel, TriEdge, HEAD, Gu, Flexr, and Switch. Thanks for everything!

If you are considering doing a HITS race....DO IT! They are great!