TRIEDGE WOMENS TRIATHLON TEAM: June 2013

Boise….A Perfect Set Up for Disaster

This has definitely been the year of long distance racing for me! After completing Leadman 125K and the HITS Half Ironman distance the last two months I was convinced by a friend that it would be a good idea to do Boise. Here is a little history about Boise 70.3 for me….I went up last year and it snowed! The course was cut from 56 miles to 15 and is was FREEZING! I also missed qualifying for Worlds by one slot. So, a piece of my little soul wanted redemption from last year. But, I couldn’t commit to the race due to the history of it being so unpredictable. I decided to commit to doing the race last minute…so last minute that I signed up when I got there! I have never done that at any race….so really, there was NO pressure to perform!

I traveled up with one of my favorite traveling buddies, Colleen Rue and a new triathlon friend, Breanna. (I love making new friends!) We made the long drive up to Boise (it is so ugly!) and checked into the race. I was relieved that they let me check in! We then ate at the yummiest Mediterranean place called Mazzah…AMAZING! The weather was beautiful, we ate outside, enjoyed each other’s company, and then headed over to Albertsons to get our fresh fruit to eat.

Friday we headed to check in…AGAIN…to get our bikes lubed up. We actually didn’t end up doing that; we ended up being interviewed by the news instead…and we made the cut! We were cracking up that evening when we watched ourselves on the news…our 30 seconds of fame! We got our bikes checked into the race and headed off to a movie. Is there a better way to spend the afternoon before the race then watching a movie…no better way to check out of reality! That evening we met the Southern Utah Triathlon Club at the Olive Garden for dinner. I was so impressed with their large group of triathletes. I walked in knowing none of them and walked out feeling very welcomed. They were all so friendly and it made for a great evening before the race.

Race Day: I don’t know what to think of the late start triathlon. On one hand I love it…on the other I don’t. Needless to say we woke up to have breakfast number 1 and 7 am and then a couple hours had breakfast number 2. We drove up in a large van with the Southern Utah Tri Club and got everything set up. At transition I was ready to get into race mode and focus on what I was going to do that day. Really…my goal was to have fun!!! But, I was still pretty focused ensuring I had everything I needed. It was so fun to see teammates, McKenzie and Cherry up there and our bikes were pretty close to each other!

It was a little windy and I knew going down from the lake would be a headwind so I prepared for that. My wave was number 11 so I visited with McKenzie (LOVED seeing her up there) and did all pre-race nutrition. The water temperature was 58 degrees which I knew would be a little chilly. What I didn’t realize was that I was about to have my toughest swim ever! I was one of the first in the water as I wanted all the time to get used to the water before swimming. I took my usual spot before the race started and was off. The first about 500 yards was awesome. Lots of buoys to spot off, and I felt like I was in a good rhythm. As we got farther out into the lake it became a little choppy, but then we turned to a different direction…and it got REALLY choppy! I felt like I was in the ocean. The choppiness wasn’t consistent and I couldn’t get in a rhythm. I stopped a couple times to look around to see what was going on. I kept telling myself to just relax; there were no goals for the day besides to enjoy myself. It was really hard to enjoy myself but I kept thinking it was bound to get better the closer we got into shore. I am not sure if the swim was long, but I know I swam an extra 300 yards according to my Garmin. I have never been so happy to get out of the water…SUCCESS! (Tough swims are always a good mental builder!)

The transition is a little longer as you run up the boat ramp and around to transition. T1 was pretty uneventful. The transition was a clean transition, which I love…makes it much more organized.

Then it was off on the bike. I ensured I had everything I needed while in transition and took off. I knew immediately it was going to be a windy day. At mile one I went for my salts…they were GONE! Every last one of them! They must have fallen out of my trisuit pocket as I was going over a speedbump on the way out of transition. Anyone that does long distance races knows how important salt is…especially on a hot day. I figured I was just going to do what I could and it was most likely was going to catch up with me….especially if it was really windy and the bike took a bit longer. I decided I couldn’t worry about it because there really wasn’t anything I could do. I slowed at the first aid station at mile 15 and dumped in a bottle of Ironman Perform into my aerobottle (note: I have never taken this before…but it did have sodium). At the second aid station as I grabbed the second bottle I looked at what it had in it and I looked at the calories..Holy crap! My body isn’t used to digesting that many calories…so I went back to straight water for the last 20 miles to let what I had in my tummy work on digesting. The bike course wasn’t nearly as busy as I thought it would be and I wondered where everyone was at. I spent the last few miles leap frogging with some guy which was entertaining in all the headwind. (My mantra of the day.. “I love the wind.”) I would say that 80% of the bike was a headwind..I am not even exaggerating…it as tough! I honestly like the Boise bike course…it has some good hills and climbs, but I don’t love it so much in the wind as it is a pretty exposed course. It was a consistent 15 MPH with gusts to 20. When I averaged 20.5 MPH I was super happy about it! I earned every bit of it.

Then the run….I immediately started taking in salt as I knew I was so behind in what I needed with the heat of the day. The first 3 miles were great…mostly in the shade and on the green belt. Miles 4-6 were pretty decent…I saw some familiar faces through there which always is a great boost. It was at about mile 6.5 where things turned South. My stomach was bloated and it was revolting! I figured it didn’t like the perform and from miles 6-12 I had to make 3 stops to the potty. It wasn’t a pretty loop…I am pretty sure I spent about 5 minutes in bathrooms on the second loop. At mile 8 I remembered this is fun! I am not going to beat myself up! And I started talking to volunteers at the aid stations and enjoying myself. I walked by as kids were spraying water, I thanked all the volunteers who were out there, and walked when I ran into someone I knew. I was honestly so happy to see the finish line. I crossed and then headed to the next bathroom.

My overall time was 5:20…I will take this time for the conditions and nutrition of the day. I took 4^th in my age group and ended up with a slot to Worlds. I ended up declining it, but was so happy that I had redeemed last year!

Boise was a reminder that as triathletes we can’t expect ourselves to perform exceptionally at every race. I had the race of my life 3 weeks ago and it was so nice to come to Boise to have fun and have no expectations. It was also fun to see what my body could put together after a half iron distance 3 weeks ago. I love to race! Every race teaches me more about the sport and more about myself!

So what did Boise teach me?

1. Having fun races are important!! Having those no stress races are vital to our season!

2. Having challenging races where things don’t go as planned is not always bad. These are the races that make us stronger triathletes. They are the races that teach us how to race when the stars aren’t aligning for us.

3. Even in a disastrous race I have learned to hold it together, stay calm, and just make due with what my body has for that day instead of turning into a head case.

4. I LOVE traveling to races with friends!! It was the perfect girls weekend!

5. I am NEVER, EVER doing Boise again! This race is not for me! Three years there…never a good race…yip, done! If I talk about signing up for next year…please stop me!

6. The triathlon community is the best!! Always welcoming and always friendly. Loved the SUTC!

As always….I couldn’t do this without all the support I receive! I huge thanks to all our sponsors who help ensure we have what we need to perform at our races. (Kestrel, TriEdge, HEAD, Bearpaw, Flexr, Gu, and Switch). A huge thanks to my most awesome husband! I could never do this without his support! A shout out to my favorite coaches, Coach Heath and Coach M. They are simply the best! They have taught me so much about racing…I honestly can’t thank them enough! They have taught me to be a faster and smarter triathlete! Also a shout out to Natalie Rasmussen who ensures my legs are never broken….I love that girl!

Now here is to some much needed recovery!