I live to tell the story!

Hello! 

Well, my semi-epic weekend of Ironman training is in the books. It came and went. I finished my first race in 20 months... a half-Ironman in Boulder, CO. I have done the race twice before, but it had been a few years. I was able to PR by 12 minutes and here's how it all broke down:

Swim: The water was CHILLY! I had a hard time getting in and could not stop my teeth from chattering. But... once the gun went off, I had no choice but to throw my face in and swim!  2 years ago I swam the 1.2 miles in 51 minutes and am pretty sure I was the last person in my wave out of the water. This year, I was at least comforted to see other blue caps (people in my same wave) around me through the duration of the swim. I tried to implement a few of the strategies I've learned over the last few months: elbows up, long strokes, reach! I finally hit the beach, looked at my watch and..... 41 minutes!!! Really??? 10 minutes faster?!?! I'll take it!

T1: First transition was 2 minutes slower than 2 years ago. I took my time reapplying sunscreen (can't have crazy tanlines for my Oct.2 wedding!), grabbed my gear and headed into the bike.

Bike: The first of 2 laps in the 56 mile course was amazing. I was downright giddy from my swim and was grinning from ear-to-ear. I said hi to the volunteers, thanked the cops and basked in the confidence that I was slowly gaining. Suddenly... it all came to an end. Lap 2 was rough. My left knee hurt, both thighs were cramping and I witnessed 2 outrageous bike crashes that made me grip my handlebars a little tighter. I could tell I was significantly slowing down, but didn't want to push too much for fear of ruining a good run. Finally... mile 56! I'm off the bike!

T2: Again, a slower transition than 2 years ago. I reapplyed sunscreen, quick potty break and away I went.

Run: Usually brick workouts (bike to run) hurt a lot! Today, I felt great off the bike. My running legs were there and ready for a challenge. During my training, I've been splitting up my long runs, doing 6 miles in the morning and 6 miles at night. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to handle the full run, but I was forgetting that I'm a runner! This is my thing! If you've never run at the Boulder Reservoir, let me tell you a little bit about it. It's hot, there's no shade, it sucks, it's hilly, and it sucks! My goal was to win the war that would be waging between my mind and my body and not to walk. Luckily, I brought my "A Game" and was very focused and ready. I ran a 2 hour half-marathon; nothing crazy, but very steady. And, didn't walk. Victory!

Overall, my run and swim are great. However, I'm getting my ass kicked on the bike. Women in my age division are finishing the bike 45 minutes faster than me! That's a lot! I have a lot of work to do before November 21st, but I'm rejuvenated after a successful weekend.

Thanks again to Kerri and Aaron, my fearless cheering squad. They come to every event, cheer me on at every corner and make me feel like I can do anything. I can because of you two!

Thanks for stopping by!