Five Years of Triathlon-10 things I have learned

Tomorrow is August 1st. Five years ago at this time I was heavy in training for my first sprint triathlon, which took place in September of 2010. Five years ago when I signed up for that first triathlon I never imagined what kind of influence the sport would have on my life. It changed me as a person, for the better, and gave me a method of staying active after my November 2009 gastric bypass surgery. Very active

In this blog I wanted to share 10 thing I have personally learned. This is not a general list, this is a personal list. My experiences in triathlon will greatly differ from another triathlete's experiences.

September 2010, my first ever triathlon

10. The best bike will not make you a better triathlete

This is something I admit to getting caught up in years ago. After I finished my first Ironman in 2011, I was convinced I needed a super bike. A few months after that, we received our income tax return and decided to buy new bikes with it. To my complete surprise, after spending months riding high mileage on a hybrid bike, Joel decided he wanted a road bike. We were planning on getting him a mid grade carbon road bike, and a mid grade carbon tri bike for myself. After going on and on and yada yada yada about super bikes and how much I needed one, Joel offered to let me get a super bike and he would just get a nicer aluminum road bike.

The offer was right there in front of me, but after stepping outside myself and looking at the big picture I just couldn't. My wonderful husband, who had supported this absolute tri crazy-ness, who stood outside supporting me all day long at Ironman Louisville in August when it was 100 degrees, deserved what he wanted. Joel had never had any interest in anything athletic, he used to be a heavy drinker and a pack a day smoker. When he returned home from his second tour in Iraq, he spectated my first tri of 2011, and shortly after wanted to buy a bike. We bought him a nice Cannondale Hybrid and riding that bike was the spark that ignited his passion. He put clip in pedals and slick road tires on it and rode 56 miles with me one day. He started planning all the things he would do once he had a road bike. I had never seen this side of him, and I knew it was because of me, I was so very proud of him. Joel getting a nice carbon road bike was more important to me than having a super bike.

Joel and his prized Felt AR4

My Cervelo P2 was my workhorse for 3 triathlon seasons

I ended up buying a Cervelo P2, which ended up being just as "fast" as a super bike. Although I must say bikes are not fast, its the people riding them (duh). I probably would have had identical bikes splits on my Equinox/P2/Slice than I would have on a super bike, my legs only turn over so fast depending on my current fitness level. I have passed plenty of people on super bikes on all three of the non super tri bikes I have owned. In no way does that mean they don't deserve to have such a nice piece of carbon goodness, which I will get to in #9 below.

The first time I ever won my age group I was on a Trek 1.1C with 8 speeds. It was a cheap junky bike with the worst components ever

June 2010 on my Trek 1.1C, such a newb!

9. You deserve the bike you can afford

Many years ago I got the idea that I would learn flying mounts and dismounts. I watched videos on youtube to learn how. I can upon a video from a sprint triathlon. It was a video about a minute long of a mount line. I wanted to see how people executed flying mounts while in an actual race. A guy came up to the line with a beautiful shiny super bike with a rear Zipp Disc and a front Zipp 808. He was getting a bit tripped up at the mount line and the guy taking the video said "this guys does not deserve that bike". I was very taken aback by that comment. As well as overhearing other competitor at races making negative comments about "slow people who are on super bikes" and why they would bother getting a bike like that when they are slow.

Here's how I feel about this. Its YOUR money, YOU deserve what YOU can afford! For all you know, that beautiful $6,000+ bike is what keeps them going, what gets them out the door everyday, what keep them riding, and that's great. Its no different than buying $6,000 rims for a car because you can afford them. We are a very "blue collar" family. I am currently not working, and my husband is enlisted in the Army. The bikes I have owned, they were the best bikes in our price range. Big race weekends we stay at Best Western instead of the high end hotel near the race site. No complaints at all, I am very fortunate and I love that I have a supportive spouse who does his absolute best to insure I have a great race. Maybe one day after I finish school our situation will change and I can get a super bike, but it will be because we can afford one, not because I met all the criteria on some elitist prick's list of "when you deserve a super bike"

8. Learn to suffer
Suffer, it a word that in our mind brings pain. Suffering isn't just for long course, short course brings it own amount of suffering. True, our life experiences give us a baseline for our ability to suffer, but in training we can learn how to suffer in a way that will pay off on race day no matter what the goal is.

7. The ability to suffer can sometimes outweigh athletic ability

Yes I train a lot, yes I train hard, but I attribute most of my racing success to my ability to suffer. You can get past the voices in your head begging you to stop if you can dig in deeper and suffer a little harder. Have confidence in your ability to suffer. Even today, as a short stocky woman who is borderline athena, I will look at the girls in my age group before the race, looking like fast little whippets, and make assumptions they are going to crush me, but you cannot just look at a person and know their ability to suffer.

6.  Training with partners is so fun, but the ability to train alone is also needed

Some of my best training sessions have been with training partners. I love training with training partners. I would pick training with a partner over training solo any day of the week. But the hard truth is, they won't always be there for every training session. As hard as it is and as much as it sucks, you need to learn how to train and be accountable to yourself

My best friend Loraine is my favorite person to ride with

5. Ironman is great, but the other distances deserve the same respect

Ironman is the pinnacle of triathlon. Most non triathletes at least know that Ironman is a traithlon. Training for any distance of triathlon take time. I've said on many occasions that I feel an olympic is tougher than a 70.3, and I still stand by that because the way I race, it is true. To me an olympic is not simply "half of a 70.3" to me its more of a "double sprint" and that means teetering between orange and red for 2.5 hours, which is very tough. Last year after my intestine rupture I only raced sprints and one olympic, and it really showed me how much emphasize is placed on Ironman. It felt almost as my year didn't matter because I was only racing short course, even though I had a successful racing year and bumped up several hundred positions on my USAT ranking. Sprints are so much fun, and tough! I love racing sprints, and since moving here I use the local sprints to meet new people. There is another aspect to discuss on this, but I will get to that on #2

4. Running is genetic, cycling is neutral, swimming is starting from a young age

On the run at Ironman Loisville 2011

Somehow I have the genetics to be a good runner. I run often and I train hard. But I am 5'6 160 pounds, science says I shouldn't be able to run a 1:44 half marathon or a sub 22 minute 5k, but my genetic do. I know lots and lots of people who run train much more than me, much harder than me, and don't post times like that. I saw it a lot when I was in the Army too, kids that never ran who could just run a 10-11 minute 2 mile with a hangover. Genetics are really a fascinating thing when it comes to athletics.

On the run at a sprint tri last year

Cycling seems to be neutral, you become a good cyclist with work. This is just my experience with triathlon and not actual bike racing.

On the bike at Ironman Louisville 2013

On the bike at an olympic last year

Swimming, the best swimmer are the ones who grew up on swim teams. "Swim team kids" I call the adults who just glide effortlessly through the water and are the first ones to T1. From a young age technique was drilled into their heads and it has always stuck with them. Seeing them training at the pool is sometimes frustrating because they make it look so easy but I just have to admire them. I started swim training for triathlon five years ago and have concluded there is not enough time left on earth for me to become a good swimmer.

Always trilled when the swim is over

3. Triathlon is a selfish sport, make sure those around you know how much you appreciate and love their support

In my triathlon journey I ask a lot of two people, my husband Joel and my best friend Loraine. They support me tremendously, and for all the support I feel that I will never truly be able to show my full gratitude for what they have done, and for what they continue to do. But I try my best, I do as much as I can for Joel and make sure he gets to do all the training he wants to do. I take Loraine out to dinner and get her small gifts to show my gratitude. The last thing I ever want is for either of them to feel unappreciated. I am the one crossing the finish line, but I could not have done it without them. Triathlon is a team sport contested by one.

My biggest fan and the love of my life

Crying in my best friend's shoulder after finishing Ironman Louisville 2013

2. No matter what, your floor is someone else's ceiling and vice versa

From #5, I don't like hearing the term "just a sprint". Everyone is different and you have no idea what they have gone through to get to that point. After I have finished my race I usually stay near the finish line to cheer my fellow competitors in. I have seen the last finisher in a sprint, tears streaming down their face, arms hoisted up in the air, with the same expression on their face as someone who is finishing an Ironman. You know what, maybe with their adversities in life, and the courage they had to build up to sign up and train for this sprint, this race was an Ironman TO THEM. What is simple to you may be this big monumental thing to someone else.

Finishing Ironman Louisville 2011

In training, running an easy pace to me could be a panting all out sprint to someone else. I have been on the other side of that at the pool. When a fast swimmer was laughing at how slow my half ironman swim pace was. This made me leave the pool with my head hung and discouraged. I have never done that, nor would I ever do that to another person in regard to running. The last person who finishes the race deserves the same respect as the first person who finishes. Your floor is someone's else's ceiling, what is easy to you is difficult to someone else, and what is difficult to you is easy to someone else. My "fast" 100 meter time is 2:07, I can't maintain that for longer than 100 meters, it is difficult for me. On the other hand, if I don't feel like running I can cruise a 24 minute 5k with minimal effort.

1. At the end of the day, triathlon is a hobby

I put this at #1 because this has been the most important thing I have learned. I am an age grouper, I will never be a professional. My livelihood does not depend on triathlon. If I don't do well at a race, my kids still have food on the table. I train as an outlet, I race because I love it. That's all there is to it, simple as that. It is a hobby and I treat it as such. I got really caught up in it back in 2011 when I was training for my first Ironman, and afterwards I had to learn balance and compromise. Today I have a healthy mix of family time, husband and wife time, training time, and how many weekends I choose to race. My whole family is behind me for my third Ironman, and that means the world to me.

I love having a shared love of riding with my hubby

Thanks for reading!

Muncie 70.3 a few weeks ago, could not have done it without my support system

Race Report - Ironman 70.3 Muncie

Five days after I finished my first 50k, I underwent emergency surgery to repair a hole in my small intestine in the early morning hours of January 17th, 2014. Since the hole was caused by dehydration during the race, my surgeon came in to my hospital room later that afternoon told me "you have ran your last ultra, and last long distance triathlon. You will never be able to do anything longer than a sprint triathlon or a 10k for the rest of your life." I did not take this news well, those words immediately caused tears down my cheeks which then turned in to sobbing. Yes, I was grateful to still be alive, but with those words a part of me was killed.

Two day later my surgeon came in to my hospital room again and retracted his statement. He knew I had been doing this for awhile and that this was truly a freak accident. He said if I kept on top of hydration, and understood the risks of what I was doing, that I could return to long distance if the risk verses reward was worth it to me. The next day I left the hospital and started down the long road to recovery back to long distance triathlon.

In the journey back I took everything gradual. In 2014 my longest tri was an olympic where I got a PR for the distance at 2:41. I did a trail 25k which was a lot of fun, and I did a winter hilly half marathon in 1:48. After the half marathon I felt like I was on the right track since that was my average half marathon finishing time pre-surgery. Training over the winter in Kansas was rough. Never ending snow, single digit temperatures. On one short 20 mile ride on the road I got first degree frostbite, it was scary. Winter finally ended, I did well at my few sprints so far this year, and did well at my spring half marathon, but my one question still remained, could I still do a half ironman under 6 hours?

It had been a big question looming over my head for the past year. Up to this point I had done well post surgery at my short course triathlons and half marathons. To train for Muncie I did some 4 hours rides and my body had held up fine like nothing had ever happened. I was feeling good going in to the race, but just had a lot of uncertainty.

In 2011 Muncie 70.3 had been my first half ironman ever. I picked Muncie because my best friend Loraine is from the next town over and her parents are always generous enough to give us a place to stay. I finished the race in 5:48 that year. Being the sentimental, symbolic person I am, this year I decided to go back to the place where it all started. This was to be my 7th half ironman.

For the first time I brought my whole family. Joel, the girls, Loraine, the weenie dogs. This day was going to be huge for me, I wanted everyone there. Joel and Loraine had to watch me struggle for the past year and a half and got me through so much, I knew I would need to see them at the finish.

Race morning I quickly set up transition, and hung out with my family and some friends to get over some race nerves. Water was 73 degrees so it was to be a wetsuit swim. I have owned my wetsuit for four years and have just recently learned how to optimally wear it for my body. I have an odd body, especially for a triathlete. Short legs, big hips, long torso, long arms, and a long neck. I have always had an issue with my wetsuit getting filled with water from the neck, since my neck and torso are so long. My long torso was causing the neck on the wetsuit to be low enough to fill with water. I learned a trick how to fix this. I pull the legs of the suit almost up to my knees, giving me plenty to pull up in the torso, and plenty to have the neck actually go around my neck. I felt confident going in to the swim.

Me and my girls 

I joined the ladies in my swim wave and looked out at the lake. It was a long way to the first turn buoy. I was nervous yes, and I'll admit just a little scared, but looking out at the swim course I couldn't help but to smile. I was so happy to be here, ready and trained, back doing what I love to do. Our starting horn went off and I let all the fishes go in front of me to keep from getting smacked in the face.

I have learned a lot in my five years of racing triathlons. I am not a swimmer, nor will I ever be a swimmer. The best thing I can do in a long course triathlon is a relaxed swim and not gas myself. Muncie is known for being long, as discouraging as this can seem everyone in the race has to do it so we just keep swimming. It felt like it took forever to get across the lake to the first turn buoy, but unlike the last time, I wasn't worn out from it. Kept the same pace throughout the swim. I knew it was taking me a long time but I'm just a slow swimmer and I still felt good and just wanted to get on my bike. For once my sighting was good and I didn't go off course at all. Hit the beach and crossed the timing mat in 46:17. My Garmin had the swim at 2380 yards.

All smiles out of the swim

Since I didn't wear myself out in the swim I was able to run fairly fast up the ramp to T1. Stopped off at the wetsuit strippers to get the thing off. Since I wear mine so high on my legs it took two of them to get it off. They handed me my suit and I kept running at a decent clip to T1. Put on my helmet, sunglasses and cycling shoes, grabbed my bike and headed out. Stopped at the sunscreen volunteers since I am a pale person and burn easily. I hit the timing mat and got to the mount line and realized I forgot to grab my bike nutrition, whoops! Too late to turn around now, I had already hit to timing mat to start the 56 mile bike. Everyone has a plan until they get hit, this was my first hit of the day, I had to recover from this hit and reassess the situation. Off I went. T1 time was 3:54

About a half mile in to the bike I saw my family cheering from the side of the road. I was so happy to see them. I gave them a smile and a wave. My bike had a 22 oz aero drink filled with water, and a 20 oz bike bottle filled with full strength Gatorade on the down tube. The first aid station was at mile 15, so I had to think of a new nutrition plan on the fly since all mine was still sitting in transition. Since I had swallowed some water in the swim, I did water only for the first 40 minutes of the ride to flush out the lake water. The bike had changed quite a bit from the last time I did this race. It was now a two loop course with a few hills thrown in. Nothing major, but the whole course had about 1100 feet of elevation gain now over the 400 or so feet it had the last time I did the race.

The start of the bike

Its very easy for one to overload themselves on nutrition during the bike on a long course triathlon. Knowing this I was trying to stay conservative especially since I was now depending on the aid stations. Since my surgery I have had issues with maltodextrin so I knew not to grab any GUs. After the 40 minute mark I had started to drink my Gatorade I had on my down tube, which is calorie dense enough that I knew I wouldn't need much more to get me through an hour before I needed more calories. At the first aid station I grabbed a water to top off my aero drink and a half of a banana for an edible.

On the bike

The two loops took place on a highway, it was easy to go fast so I had to force myself to hold back, I still had a half marathon to run after this. I didn't want to have a phenomenal bike just to have to walk a lot of the run. Muncie is an honest course, its a great course to gauge your long course fitness. At mile 30 of the bike I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, topped off the water in my aero drink, and grabbed 2 mini Clif Bars and put them in my back pocket. After I was a good distance away from the aid station I took out one of the mini Clif Bars and quickly looked at the calories. I saw they were 100 calories each, I did some quick math in my head adding up the Gatorade I had consumed since the new hour started and concluded I needed to eat both mini Clif Bars. I train on the bike at home with Clif Bars so it was nothing new to my system, the minis were a lot easier to eat on the bike than the full sized bars.

Feeling good on the bike

Since I had gastric bypass in 2009, I get the benefit from nutrition fairly quickly. By mile 36 I got a second wind from the nutrition and I was able to increase the pace a bit, but I made sure not burn the matches I had left. I was able to stay in the big ring for most of the ride, and was able to stay in the aerobars as well. Aero is a lot more comfortable, and I feel a lot more in control on my Cannondale than when I was on my Cervelo. Around mile 51 I was starting to feel "bike tired" but was ready for the run, and was ready for my 7th half ironman finish. Made it to the mount line and got off my bike feeling good. Bike time was 2:53:22

Entered T2 and racked my bike and removed my helmet and sunglasses. For the first time ever in a triathlon, I sat down on the ground to put on my socks and running shoes. I wanted to make sure my socks were all the way good, so that was the reason for sitting down. 13.1 miles is a long way when socks aren't 100%. Stood up, put on my running hat and race belt, and remembered to grab my Huma Gels. Went potty before going to the sunscreen volunteers, thought it might take awhile since I was wearing a one piece suit but it really didn't take any longer than when I wear a two piece. Got sunscreened up and headed out to the run course. T2 time was 4:53

The run at this race is a challenging one. Its hilly, roughly 500 feet of elevation gain over the course of this run. Rolling hills, lots of exposed areas with no shade. Its an out and back course. My plan was hopefully to keep a 9 minute/mile pace throughout the run. In the first mile there is a nice downhill. At the bottom of this hill Joel and my friend Daphne were there cheering me on. I needed this at this point in the race and it put the biggest smile on my face. I was trying to slow my pace, but the big downhill and the excitement of the race had me running the first mile in 8:09. At mile 1 I ate my first Huma Gel and waited for the caffeine in the gel to hit my system.

Start of the run

I was mentally able to get a hold of my pace and was able to keep it close to 9 minute miles after that. There was an aid station at every mile, I walked through every aid station to get my fill of water, ice, and Gatorade, and ran to each aid station. I can't look at it as a 13 mile run, I break the race down in my mind to 1 mile at a time. Just get to the next aid station, then the next.

It was heating up, so I was pouring water on myself, putting ice in my sports bra, and putting water in my hat. Of course it all has to go somewhere, so my socks were getting wet. By mile 4 I felt a hot spot on the bottom on my left foot. By mile 5 I knew it was a full blown blister, and it hurt! I had ran a half marathon before in my Newton Fates, but not while pouring water on myself, so I immediately knew that was the culprit. I took another Huma Gel around mile 5. The hills kept coming, up and down, blisters feel horrible nonetheless, but it was such torture on these hills.

Out on the run

Hit the halfway point of the run at an 8:49/mile average pace, but I knew this big blister was going to make it hard to keep that pace. Every step just hurt so bad. I had to push through the pain. I knew if I could just push through this pain, that sub 6 hour finish I wanted so bad was mine. Up the bigger hills I had to take walk breaks since the pain was just too excruciating. Mile 8.5 I took my last gel and hoped the caffeine would kick in to give me the final push I needed. Mile 10 I got a bit of a second wind and was able to run all the way until a big hill where I took another brief walk break. Mile 12.7 was that nice big downhill at the beginning of the run I now had to run up. The pain in my foot even more excruciating now, and my whole body hurt, but I just wanted so badly to be done. I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and powered up this last hill. The awesome spectators were cheering and ringing cowbells to get me up this hill. I ended up running the second half of the run at a 9:16/mile pace.

In the chute

At the top of the hill I made the sharp left turn to enter the finishing chute. My first time at one of these chutes in almost two years. It was a beautiful sight for me to see. It represented so much. The pain at the moment, the pain of the struggle to come back, both physically and emotionally. So much had happened in two years time, and I was here, at the finish line of my 7th 70.3. I had done it, I made it. I quickly looked behind me to see I had this moment all to myself. Even through the pain I smiled big at the elation and raised my arms up high as I crossed the finish line. Run time was 2:01:29.

Finished!

Finishing time was 5:49:55, only 1 minute slower than my 2011 finishing time with an easier bike course. I had met my goal, and proved to myself that even after all that has happened, I can still do a half ironman in under 6 hours.

A medal was put around my neck, I was given a finisher's hat, and a finish line catcher brought me to my family at the chute exit. The catcher kept asking me if I was ok, probably because I looked like I was about to burst in to tears at any moment. Days later I still can't put in to words the emotions I felt at this moment in time.

Right before being reunited with my family

I got a big long hug from Joel, and I somehow managed to fight back the tears. Got my hugs from Loraine and my girls, and told them about the race. Our friends Daphne and Jason were standing with us, Jason did the race and earned himself a PR for the half ironman distance with an impressive 5:20. Many years ago I had encouraged Jason (a fellow veteran along with his wife Daphne) to get in to triathlon and his journey has been so inspirational and impressive. I was proud of him for his great race day. It was at this point one of them told me my finishing time. Even though I was in so much pain I was all smiles when I learned my time was under 6.

Took off my left shoe to find a quarter sized blister, just ouch. So this is what slowed me down. I guess Swiftwick socks aren't as water repellent as I thought. Even with the blister, I was happy I was able to stay close to the 2 hour mark for the run.

Today is the Thursday after the race and I am still on cloud 9 from the feelings and emotions of the race. It was a great day and the huge confidence boost I needed. I'm currently on a two week break with easy workouts and then I will start the big build for Ironman Louisville, 86 days to go until the big race!

Thanks for reading!

Race Recaps- Legends Free State Sprint Tri and El Dorado Lake Sprint Tri

June is coming to an end so I will briefly recap my two races I did this month. Even though they were both sprint the way I raced them was night and day.

Even though I am in crunch time for Muncie 70.3 and putting in 10 hours of training a week, I still enjoy racing as it breaks up the monotony of constantly swimming, biking, and running for hours on end. On second thought, I don't just enjoy racing, I LOVE racing. I can't just exercise to exercise, it needs to have purpose for me, racing gives me that purpose. Every time I hit the pool or the road, it is serving a purpose to me beyond just staying healthy, and that has been what has driven me the past five years. Since I started tri training in June 2010 I have been consistent with my triathlon training because of my love for racing. This is the reason why I was so angry at myself after Legends Free State.

Going in to the race I was already annoyed, the race director put out that there is no race day packet pick-up. Not wanting to get a hotel room, Joel and I drove to the race site 90 minutes away to pick up my packet, and drove 90 minutes home, just to wake up at 2 a.m. the next morning to do it again. Getting in to the state park was hectic, then the almost 2 mile walk from the parking area to transition left me with 7 minutes to set up transition. Fortunately one of my wonderful teammates Therese all the way from Iowa was doing the olympic and she found me setting up transition. This did a 180 on my mood and I was really happy to see her and I was able to smile and be happy for the first time all morning. It was so nice talking to her as we were waiting for the race to start.

Me and Therese pre race

Almost go time

Swim was a wetsuit swim, and I'm getting a lot better at open water swimming, as well as figuring out a wetsuit will actually allow you to float if you let it. Too bad it took me this long to figure that out. I finished somewhere in the middle for one of my better open water swims. The bike was hilly, no surprise there. I biked well and finished towards the front. The run made me question everything in my tri heart though.

Starting the bike

I got to mile 1 on the run, and all of a sudden I didn't want to push anymore. I have had the blues for awhile living here in Kansas, and it just got to me. It was as if all the sadness and all the loneliness hit me at once and I just didn't care anymore. I missed my friends and training partners I had in Georgia. I knew that after the race I would go home to Fort Riley and have no training partners to train with, I just got.........really sad and in that moment of time it didn't feel worth it to push. I literally jogged the rest of the run at an easy pace (for me) and my run split was 25:04, my slowest sprint tri run split ever.

Run

I ended up placing 2nd in age group, 6th overall female. Awards were not ready, they said they would be mailed off by the end of the next week, but it has been 3 weeks and I still haven't received my award in the mail.

But the beer was good, and after Therese finished I got to meet her family and hang out with her for a little while before she had to hit the road back to Iowa.

Yum!

Me and Therese post race

Getting home I couldn't help but to feel immense disappointment in myself. Since my intestine rupture in January 2014 I have been doing good at not being so hard on myself, but this was different, I mentally gave up. I truly couldn't believe I let that happen. The move to Kansas has been good for everyone except me. I am a very positive person, above all I choose happiness, but I have been having a hard time since we moved here. I haven't really found my place here yet, but I am still holding on to hope. I am ecstatic that my husband's career has taken off since we moved here and that he has so much pride in his job now whereas he used to have so much doom and gloom (and chest pain) just getting ready for work every morning. I am truly happy for him and seeing his happiness every day shows me that this move was worth it. Seeing my children happy here brings me so much joy. I know my time will come, I am just getting a bit impatient.

Since I am heavy in to the Muncie 70.3 training cycle I was just going to train through the month of June and try to put this race behind me. Joel could tell it was really bothering me so he encouraged me to do one more sprint tri until Muncie. He was right, I mentally needed to have a good short race before Muncie. I found the El Dorado Lake Sprint Tri taking place two weeks later in south Kansas. They were offering race day packet pick-up so I went ahead and registered.

The next two weeks my training went great. I worked on adapting to the heat and not letting my heart rate spike on hills. I got in a 65 mile bike ride, my longest ride in 2 years. I leaned on my husband and best friend for support. Thankful for technology, I clung to my triathlon friends scattered all over the country. Going in to the race I mentally felt better.

Joel went with me to the El Dorado Sprint Tri. Arriving to the race site I already felt at ease. The atmosphere was happy and relaxed, my first time experiencing this Georgia-type tri atmosphere since moving here. I felt really good and the race hadn't even started yet. I felt ready, and I felt I could be fast today. So dramatically different than I had felt two week prior. I met two triathlon buddies who live in the next town over from me and it was so nice to chat before the swim start. It was a nice, low key race, I had a good feeling about it.

My naturally crazy hair

75 degree lake water meant a wetsuit swim. I had a really good swim. I allowed the wetsuit to let me float and kept my sighting on the buoys. It has taken me this long to learn you can't swim in a lake like a pool. Another great swim for me, this was probably my best open water swim in a sprint. Uphill run to T1 was a good way to get blood pumping in the legs, I was ready to ride! I made a big mistake out of T1, I ran out of the bike in and heard the beep of my chip, noooooo!!!!! The volunteers had me go under the rope to get back in transition and had me run over the bike out timing mat. A volunteer ran alongside me to get my race number so she could run over and get my timing fixed. Joel was spectating along the beginning of the bike course and I tried to tell him what happened but he looked really confused. I rode hard for the 12.5 mile bike ride, in the back of my mind I was worried I might be disqualified for the timing mat mishap. I tried not the think about it. Fun bike course with not too many hills, headwind all the way back.

Swim start

Attempting to tell Joel what happened, he was confused

In T2 I hit the right timing mat this time. I got ready to run in well under a minute. As I was heading out to the run I found the volunteer from the T1 mishap, she told me my timing was fixed. YAY YAY!!! I thanked her 3 or 4 time and have her 2 high fives, I was so happy that my race wasn't over. A few feet out of transition I got a high five from the race director.

High five from race director

Beginning of the run

Joel ran alongside me for a few feet to find out what I was talking about out of T1. I briefly told him the story in 10 seconds and and got a "good luck sweetie I love you" as I hit the running path. I was running well. I felt tired of course, since its a race, but I stayed engaged in the race and kept my pace well under 8 minute miles. There was a big out and back on the run and I realized there were only 2 women in front of me. Most of the run went through the shaded campgrounds. There was a half mile stretch at about 2.3 miles that was exposed but I stared at the ground and kept my run cadence up, know if I looked ahead it might slow my pace. Off of the path there was a sharp left turn to the finish line. For the first time since we moved here, triathlon or running race, I sprinted through the finish line. Even though I was exhausted, I felt an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. Joel told me I finished 3rd female.

Sprinting to the finish

Talking to Joel while we were waiting for awards, I was all smiles. I felt great, I felt like myself again. I was able to let go what had happen two weeks prior. I learned from it and I moved on.

 The race vibe here was so happy and positive. The race production company is called Oz Endurance, looking forward to doing more of their races.

3rd overall female

15 days to Muncie 70.3. I start my taper on Monday. Can't wait for race day!

Thanks for reading!

Race Recaps-CGSC Triathlon and Bill Snyder Half Marathon

After a very trying, cold, and emotional winter and early spring, this month of May finally brought on the beginning of triathlon season. In addition to that, I also had signed up for a half marathon, out of character for me to do a stand-alone half marathon within triathlon season, but I will admit it this time, I wanted the finisher's medal. The finisher's medal was a purple Powercat, the symbol of Kansas State University. Although I am currently no longer a student at K State, I'm still a huge fan and I bleed purple. No matter my finishing time or how under-trained I was, I wanted that medal.

CGSC Sprint Triathlon took place on May 2nd on Fort Leavenworth, about two hours away. A misunderstanding with registration meant I had to drive out there the day before the race just to register as they were not doing race day registration. Had I known how far off in the cuts Fort Leavenworth was, I would have stayed the night after driving there and back home just to register. Oh well, live and learn.

Race morning was a bit chilly, but not to the point where it was miserable. I liked the very short pool swim, only 200 yards.

Go time!

It had rained all day the day prior, and since it was overcast on race morning the roads were very slick. The bike course had some very challenging climbs, the kind that make you gag going up them. Steep hills up and down. The down hills were a little sketchy for me. I had on my race wheels with Michelin Pro4 race tires, and a few times when I would apply my brakes going down hill I would start to fishtail a bit, which was scary. Toward the end of the bike it started raining and I managed to stay upright.

Loving my new Cannondale Slice

Hubby did an excellent job on my bike fit, I feel powerful and comfortable, a hard combo to achieve

The run course had a few hills but nothing killer, the rain continued throughout the run. It was my first race using Newton tri racers and a little past the 1.5 mile mark I was regretting the purchase. I could feel the hot spots and cuts on my feet and I still had another mile and a half to go. Nothing I could do about it at this point but suck it up. I made a mental note to myself to order some Zoot racers before the next tri. Joel came to the race with me for support and its always awesome to see his smiling face at the finish line. I took off my shoes right after I crossed the finish line to see bloody feet. I put my comfy shoes back on and vowed never to wear the Newton racers again.

On the run

I ended up place 4th female overall and 1st in my age group (30-34)

Awards

My super sherpa

I have since ordered some Zoot racers and I love them. These are the same racers I wore in 2012

Zoot Ultra Kiawi 2.0

The Bill Snyder Highway Half took place on May 23rd. Joel had also registered for the race. Neither one of us trained for the race, but we both wanted the medal. The race took place at K State, which is only a half hour away from us, so the morning routine wasn't too rough. Parking was at the football stadium, since it was a point-to-point race we took a bus to the start line. This was the inaugural race, and for the logistics of a point-to-point race they did a great job. It was nice to do a half marathon with Joel again, the last time we did a half marathon together was 2011. We started together and took this pic right before the start.

The start

We stayed together about the first 2.5 miles, I got ahead and didn't see him again until after the finish. The first 8 miles were on a highway of rolling hills. The long highway was a bit of a mind game. I rarely race with headphones, but just running the highway portion of the race I wish I had brought mine. 

Out on the highway

Around the 8.5 mile mark we headed into town. Around mile 9 I was feeling the consequence of not training for this. My legs started to feel heavy and my pace dropped off. Mile 11 brought us through the Kansas State University campus and a giant hill I literally shuffled up. Finally we made our way back to the football stadium where the finish line was. My official time was 1:49:59.

The finish!

Joel came in a few minutes later at 1:57. I'm so proud of him, he finished in his goal of sub 2 hours, and his longest run leading up to the race was 4 miles. We both earned our Powercat medals

Powercat medals!

I am happy with my finishing time considering the hills and the fact that didn't train. With Muncie 70.3 coming up in a few weeks I have been focusing on the bike lately. My 10 mile training runs for Muncie haven't come up yet, but I still wanted to do the half marathon and see where I was time wise for this distance. This half marathon had almost the same elevation gain as the run course at Muncie 70.3 so now I feel fairly confident I can run sub 2 hours on the run at Muncie 70.3. In 2011, I ran a 2:01 on the run course at Muncie 70.3.

Next up is the Legends Sprint Triathlon on June 7th in Lawrence, Kansas, and then Muncie 70.3 on July 11th.

Thanks for reading!

Closing the School Chapter

This day last week I decided I wasn't going to return to Kansas State University in the fall. I kept it to myself for two days, not even telling Joel. Finally on Wednesday, right before taking off on my evening bike ride, he looked in my eyes and knew something was up, and I told him. He just hugged me and told me he understood.

A lot went in to this decision. I didn't just have a bad day and say that's it, I'm out. This feeling has been building up since the very beginning of the semester. Sometimes we build things up so much in our mind and the reality doesn't match that picture in our head. This was the case with me as a student at Kansas State University. Since I was 19 years old, I wanted to go to K State. I remember being a soldier at Fort Riley, getting ready for my first deployment to Iraq, watching the college students going about their business in Manhattan, envious of them. I was the same age as them, but our lives were as different as night and day.

I have never regretted any of the choices I have made in my life, but there is always that natural curiosity one has if they would have chose a different path. I do know this. If I hadn't joined the Army when I did, I would not have met my soulmate, had my two wonderful daughters, or met my best friend who showed me what it means to have a best friend. For this I will never wish I went to school first.

I always told myself one day, when the time is right, I would be a student a Kansas State University. In preparation I earned my associates degree while Joel was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. When we got orders to come back here to Kansas, I felt this was my sign to go for it. For years I built it up in my head what it would be like to be a student there. I applied for admission and a few weeks later got a letter in the mail granting me admission.

The reality was, being a student at K State was nothing like what I had built up in my head. Within the first few weeks I wanted to drop out. Going to school there was certainly not the nice, challenging, enlightening experience I had built up in my head. I woke up everyday dreading going, I walked around campus with my head hung low. Nobody wanted to talk to me because I was old, in fact, I was older than all my instructors. The homework and studying took time away from my family. Just when I found a healthy balance with triathlon training as to not miss out on time with my family, school work took that away from me. School was making me angry, I found myself snapping at my kids for seemingly no reason at all, they were just being kids. I found myself snapping at my spouse and getting angry at small minuet things. I didn't like what school was doing to me.

This brings me to present day. Why is going to school making me such an angry person? How much longer can I live like this?  Why do I feel like this?

Long solo bike rides are the best time for personal reflection. It was on a long bike ride I realized that since moving to Georgia in Summer 2008, all I have done since then is go to school. I tried really hard when we moved to Georgia to find a job, and there were no jobs, so I went to school. First tech school, then a community college. I am just plain burnt out on school. I miss having a job, I miss going to work. It was on this bike ride I decided not to continue at Kansas State University, and that I will be rejoining the work force.

I started the term at Kansas State University with the best intentions, but the truth is, at this point in my life I'm not able or willing to make school a priority, and I have no shame in admitting that. Every person is different in what they can and can't handle, and I have no shame in admitting this is just something I can't handle right now. Maybe that will change in the future, only time will tell.

Since I told my friends about this decision I have had on outpouring of support and that means so much to me. My friends let me know that no matter what I am not a failure, even when I feel like one.

I'm not bitter or mad about this. I actually feel really happy and content. This doesn't change my fandom for K State. They will still be my favorite sports team and I will continue to attend as many games as I can as a screaming fan.

Thanks for reading!