Race Report: DEUCES WILD

This race was everything (and more) than I had hoped for. I really am a big fan of smaller local races. Less stress, less pressure, less tapering. More family, more friends, more fun! 

I am going to skip right to race morning although everything before and after my actual race was way more fun and (a little too) exciting. In case you missed it and want to read about it, you can go to my last blog post.

Race morning was a breeze. This race, unlike many others, was not a logistical nightmare and I enjoyed every minute of it. Alarm went off at 5am, same as every day. It was already starting to get light outside as I carefully snuck out of the tent. A Lara bar for breakfast was going to have to cut it since I didn't want to wake up our sleeping campers. I love camping! Nothing like getting up and being surrounded by beauty, breathing fresh, clean, chilly mountain air! Although, like I've mentioned before, it's quite stressful to combine racing and family camping and I am really only up for it once a year...

I did something I have never done before on race morning: I took a shower! I was cold and had the time, so I figured I might as well take advantage of a free hot shower! It was so nice it took a while to convince myself to get out and put on my racing kit. Then I rolled over to Karen's campsite and together we pedaled a little more than a mile to the start. Easy peasy. 

The swim was great! I have no splits whatsoever from this race, so all I can tell is how I felt. I love open water swimming. Water temperature was perfect! Probably around 64 degrees... The start was typical: Everyone (but me) starts out sprinting. After a few hundred meters I find myself, as usual, in about 23rd place. Oh. Ok. Must be lots of fast swimmers here. Or maybe it's just not my day. But let's not get nervous. Just do your thing. Swim a straight line and don't worry about what everybody else is doing. We swam two loops and, if you know me, you know I like loops. So I was a happy little swimmer. 

On my way in, I got mentally ready for the wetsuit stripping. I had a plan and I was going to execute it perfectly. As it sometimes happens, the wetsuit strippers were situated far too close to the swim exit. Unless you are already half-way out of your wetsuit when you get to them, it doesn't really save you any time because you are going to just be standing there while getting your arms out of that thing. But I was determined to impress John (who ruled the East Coast triathlon scene back in the day when they didn't have such as a thing as wetsuit strippers and he wasn't sure what to think of it) and show him how this is done properly. And I did. Except that he wasn't looking. He either missed me because a) He didn't recognize me despite my weirdo signature stroke or b) He didn't think I would come out of the water in (what later turned out to be) 2nd place! 

The bike was interesting. I managed to pass the girl ahead of me right out of transition. We both struggled a bit since the mounting line was on a rather steep uphill.  Well, looks like somebody needs to practice how to get on their bike. Let me show you how this is done. Ok, see you later! I'll wait for you at the finish line! A few miles later I was merrily pedaling down a nice little descend when - woosh - that same girl came flying by me. And I mean flying! Alright. Thank you for the lesson in 'Pride comes before the Fall'. Glad you are feeling so good. I do hope to see you on the run though! 

I had no clue where I was in relation to the other girls until the turn-around of a little out-and-back section around mile 7. I didn't see any other girls, and so I figured that my new friend was in the lead and I was in second. But, boy, did I ever see a lot of girls right after we turned around! The race was on! Over the next few miles I got passed two more times and eventually found myself in 4th place. Yikes. What is the deal with my biking? Maybe it's time to get some race wheels. Or an aero helmet. Or replace this cracked frame I am riding on. How can these legs look so powerful and yet be so weak? But I wasn't about to give up. My mantra was: (I want) Everything you got! (There is) No holding back! Slowly but steadily I reeled in two of the three girls ahead of me and got into T2 right behind the leader. 

Time for the run! Let's see what you got! I had never met the girl and had no idea what kind of a runner she was. But I knew that I was going to give it everything I had to run her down and not get passed by any more girls. So I went to work. 

I wasn't making up much ground at all in the first mile and started to get a little worried. But then I remembered that 

1. I didn't need to win the race. I just needed to give it my best shot. 

2. There are 5 more miles to run and a lot can happen in 5 miles. 

So I stayed patient. And suddenly at mile 1.5 the girl started to slow down quite a bit and I made the pass without too much trouble. Decisive pass. Decisive pass. Decisive pass. Because the last thing you want is the girl you pass to come with you. It worked. 

(I never really had a chance to talk to her but I heard that she really banged up her toe jumping into the water at the swim start. So that might explain why she was struggling on the run.)

The rest of the run it was just me against myself. I knew at the turn-around that, unless I was totally going to blow up (which was unlikely), I was going to win this thing! I considered slowing down. Why hurt when you don't have to? But then I remembered my goal for this race and how I felt after finishing in St. George, and I knew that slowing down wasn't option. Plus, I was having way too much fun going (relatively) fast! So I went with this instead: 

I had also taken a quick look at the course record a few days before the race. Mostly just because the link was right there, so why not click on it and see who set the record and when? Turns out it was Angi Axmann in 2010. I happen to know how ridiculously fast that girl is, so I knew there was no way I could even get close. Her record was 2:15:57 and my estimated finish time was 2:25. 

But, heck, why not go for it? 

It's not like anyone would ever find out that I was presumptuous enough to even think about the record. I needed something to motivate me and to help me to keep up the pace. I was racing with no watch, so I really had no idea where I was at. But in my head I kept repeating: Suicide pace. Suicide pace. Course record. Course record. 

It was great to have John, Nancy, Karl, and the boys on the course cheering for me and taking pictures! Noah had gotten a syringe at the hospital the night before and he was using it as a water pistol to get me wet! It was awesome! I took a second to high-five the kids and when I crossed the finish line the clock said 2:22. 

chilling in the ice bath with the Trisports crew

A while later I figured out that my time was 2:15:56 but I couldn't remember what the course record was exactly. But later that night I found out that I broke Angi's record by one second. Pretty crazy! I was thrilled but I would've been excited about my race and the whole weekend either way! 

Next up: Another camping trip. But this time to the beach. And there won't be any racing and very little training. Time for a family vacation! My goal is to just chill out and go with the flow. Wish me luck! 

A huge Thank You to 

• My friends and family! You guys are the best! 
• Coach M and HT for all your help! 
• Trisports.com for your  awesome support! 

Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival '13

This was the weekend of awesomeness! 

The reason I put a '13 after this post's title is because I know for sure that we will be back!

First things first: There was a lot of racing going on! D'uh! This is why we came after all... Everyone Most of us had a blast competing and whoever wasn't racing, was putting their cheerleading and/or photography skills to work. Weather conditions were ideal! 

Saturday morning: The olympic distance race

Karen totally rocked her AG with a phenomenal performance!

I had a ton of fun and loved having so many cheerleaders! 

(Race report is in the works...)

Saturday afternoon: The kids run-bike-run

Max  surprised us all with his super gutsy race! He unexpectedly announced Friday afternoon that he wanted to race after all and so we signed him up for his first race. Not even 5 yet, he raced with a lot of kids that were older than him but was able to hold his own. It was fun to see his determined little personality. The kid took off like a bat out of hell. He was totally into it and more focused than I have ever seen him. Until halfway through the second run when he asked Karl to carry him to the finish... He toughed it out though and was one proud little (3rd place) finisher! 

Noah was a tough cookie. He decided to race despite his recently stitched up hand. (More on that later.) It was great for him to have his good friend and soccer buddy, Sam, right next to him for most of the race. These kids got quite the workout! It took them about 45 minutes to complete the challenging runs and hilly bike. So proud of them! 

Sunday morning: The off-road triathlon

Tyson, my awesome lane mate at Masters, had a fantastic race despite a few mechanical issues right before the race and in T1. He might claim that he died on the run but he put together a very solid effort!

Karl, the hubster, had a great day as well! Having swum twice in the last year, I was just glad he made it out of the water alive (and not even close to last place)! He is an excellent mountain biker and put his skills to good work on a borrowed Diamond Back. 

And then there was T2. I took about 6 pictures of the guy while he was hanging out in there. I mean, do you know of anyone else who takes the time to unscrew his water bottle, drink a bunch, and screw it tight again? I didn't think so... 

I am pretty much the best cheerleader ever! Especially when it comes to my own husband. We missed the swim start, of course. That was way too early! But we did see him come off the bike. After a few nice cheers, I said something like: "Well, this is going to be one slow T2!" To which he replied: "Thanks for the encouraging words." And I said: "Well, dude, this is a race!" He later told me that all he wants to hear during a race is: Good job! Keep it up! Looking great! Which is exactly NOT what I like to hear. We got some work to do... 

And then he took off on the run. Like a speed demon. He is a runner after all! Oh, and did I mention that we missed his finish? Again? Somebody had to go to the bathroom right then and it was not me. Try again, honey. Next time we will be there, I promise! 

Camping with kids is always an adventure! Especially with two wild boys. We arrived Friday afternoon and I set out to pre-ride the course while the boys explored Fool Hollow Lake. Which, by the way, is awesome! We all met up at on the other side of the lake for packet pick-up and my pre-race meeting. I left to ride back to our campsite while Karl stayed to get Max registered for the race. In the meantime Noah was climbing trees, as usual, but this time the branch he was standing on broke and he fell. He sliced his hand open on another branch and it was pretty bad. When I got Karl's call to inform me what happened and that we needed to go to the hospital, I was pissed! I somewhat calmed down on my drive over there and when I saw in how much pain Noah was, I realized that we did indeed need to take care of this. Poor kid! Luckily, Karl volunteered to take him, so we just threw some of our camping gear out of the car and they took off. 

We were super blessed to have great friends with us that helped Max and me to set up the tent, have dinner, and get my race stuff ready for the next morning. John and Nancy with their super nice dogs also made sure Max didn't have too much time to miss his brother and feel sad.  On top of that, Nancy crawled into our tent and told Max bedtime stories. That little boy was in heaven! Thank you!

They also happened to be the best cheerleaders and race photographers one could ask for. Who else brings an authentic Swiss cowbell to a race? That thing was huge and heavy and was not to be missed! 

We also flew the European flag, thanks to John! I felt right at home! 

After 5 hours at the emergency room, Noah was nicely cleaned up and stitched up. They barely made it back into the campground before the gates closed at 10pm. Which was a good thing because most of our camping gear was still in the trunk, including sleeping bags and it was getting quite chilly... By the time we were all settled and ready to go to sleep it was 11pm. Not the ideal bedtime the night before a race but I was grateful that everything turned out well in the end. Everyone was safe and sound in our little tent! I definitely made the right decision by signing up for the short-course race rather than the half-iron race. I had a feeling that family camping plus a 5-hour race would not be a good combination. This way I only felt a tiny bit stressed but knew that I can always pull off a 2+ hour race just fine. 

These kids are great little campers! Partly because they are so used to it. They almost sleep better and longer in our tent than they do at home. Here they are still asleep at 6:30 with the sun up and shining on our tent. 

The part that John was probably most excited about was his little big margarita maker that runs on battery. Even I was impressed! Unfortunately, more than half of our campers don't drink alcohol which means it wasn't quite as fun as it could've been. He did make a slushie for the kids and they loved it!

Saturday night we had the Skelton Family over at out campsite and the kids had blast! 6 wild boys and  1 cute girl always make for a lot of fun. So glad they came! 

Our campsite was gorgeous! I swam in the lake two more times with John (and Nancy) after the race and it was heaven! I love open water swimming but there really aren't any great lakes around Flagstaff. Me thinks I need to come back here for a training camp! 

The weekend went by way too fast! Thank you, everyone, for coming and making this such a great trip! We will be back next year for sure! I do have to admit though that I am always happy when we are back home, cleaned up, and I (mostly) know where to find things. 

PS: Noah is going to the doctor today and hopefully will get his stitches out. Just in time for our next adventure: a camping trip to the beach. We are excited! 

Off to the Races!

School is out! Summer is here! We are excited! 

And we are going to celebrate by going camping/racing for the weekend. 

What could be better? 

We are looking forward to hanging out with friends, spending time together, and cheering each other on. It should work out well. I will be kicking off the racing fun on Saturday morning at 7:45. Noah will be competing in the kids' duathlon (run-bike-run) at 3pm with his friend Sam. And Karl will show us how it's done on Sunday morning at the off-road triathlon. Max has yet to decide if he wants to join in on the fun or just watch. It's up to him. 

So. An Olympic distance race (1.5k, 40k, 10k) is on tap for me. Yikes. I haven't done one of those since last May! But I am really looking forward to it. Deuces Wild is also offering a half-ironman but, considering that we have the whole family with us and I want this to be a fun and not stressful weekend, I figured it would be better if the race didn't take all day. Let's hope I can be done not too long after 10am and then enjoy the rest of the weekend! 

As I am sure you have already guessed, I didn't really taper for this event. I tapered myself out for St. George 70.3 and I am not planning on doing that again anytime soon. I have a hard time giving up my routine. So I stuck to my usual training until after my swim on Thursday morning. I may or may not have worn fins for about half of the swim. We did a lot of IM and I happen to love swimming IM with fins! That's my kind of taper! I took the rest of the day off and got ready for our camping adventure. Well, sort of. I am not even close to ready. Why does camping with a family take so much preparation? Ugh. 

Then last night a friend posted something about the participants list for this race. I am not a fan of those lists. Not at all. So why did I ask for the link to it? I don't know. It was a bad idea. Mostly because it didn't just list names, it listed everybody's estimated finish time. Really? I should've just shut the computer right then but I didn't. Well, turns out that, if I am lucky, I might make it into the female Top 10. Which, don't get me wrong, would be great. I am certainly not saying that I thought I could win this one easily or anything. But I was hoping to be in contention for Top 3 and possibly the win. 

So, I am going to forget I ever saw that list. I am pretty good at tricking myself, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem. And I am going to go back to my original plan which is: 

Come across the finish line completely spent! 

Kinda like Sebi Kienle in the above picture. Except that I doubt there will be any carpet in the finish line area tomorrow, so I might not be looking as comfy when on the ground. 

Because, as we all know, when we give our very best, dig as deep as possible, and leave absolutely nothing in the tank, it doesn't matter where we place. So that is what I will be shooting for tomorrow! Wish me luck! 

Alright. Time to pack those cowbells and other noisemakers that are hiding somewhere in the kids' room, so we can all cheer each other on properly. Nothing like running by your cheering family and friends who really don't care where you finish but want you to be the best you can be! 

Happy Racing to Everyone! 

Recovery Mama-Style

Hot tub in our apartment complex. Top two pictures courtesy of Max. 

Everyday morning life looks something like this: 

training

breakfast, get kids ready for school

Karl or I bike kids to school

training

rush to pick Max up from pre-school between 12-1

It's our morning routine and I love it. Most days. Usually I have just enough time to take a deep breath and realize how blessed I am and how much fun this journey is. One of my favorite moments is biking home from preschool with my 4-year-old. He is getting so good on his bike! He's been riding it for almost 2 years now but finally he is getting to the point where I can trust him a little more on our commute. Except when we are standing at a light and suddenly, for no apparent reason, he falls over and almost off the sidewalk. Yikes! So I still have approximately 2.5 mini heart attacks every day. But I try to keep my mouth shut and let him do his thing. Unless he goes full speed toward a red traffic light and then brakes hard at the last second. Which he really likes to do. Not cool.  

It's still my favorite. Why? Because riding bikes is the best thing in the world! Doesn't matter what bike, what distance, or what terrain. And I love to see my boys have fun on the bike. I want biking to make them happy. Just like it makes me happy. Max is getting stronger every week and we both get super excited when he makes it up the hill just a few more feet than he did the week before. I can tell that he is amazed and realizes that he can do things which he previously thought were impossible. Awesomeness! 

About 63% of the time I end up picking up Max while still in my workout clothes. Sometimes I end my ride at school and then we bike home together. Which means I get to walk through the entire elementary school in my cycling kit and shoes. Anything to save same time and school fees! Preschool happens to be in the very back. Poor kid! He has no idea though. He thinks this is totally normal. I just try to avoid running into my 1st grader or any of his friends. A mom in spandex is certainly not very cool! The other day one of Max's little friends asked: Why are you wearing just underwear? Haha. I was laughing so hard. Gotta love kids! Oh, and when I put on some jeans a few weeks ago, Noah exclaimed in all seriousness: Mom! You have jeans!?! Aehm. Yes. I do. 

My ideal (and very time intensive) recovery routine after a hard workout goes something like this: 

recovery shake

ice bath

hot tub

hot/cold shower

elevating legs

FOOD!

nap

Clearly, this doesn't happen very often. The nap part hardly ever happens! But I try to do at least some of the above every day. I know people have different opinions on ice baths, hot tubs, etc. I just do what works for me. And usually I have a little buddy who wants to join the fun! So we share the recovery drink, read books while I am in the ice bath, and play together in the hot tub. (Don't worry. The water isn't super hot and he is only in it half the time. The rest of the time he is running laps around it, jumping in, or doing tricks.) Early afternoon is also the (only) time during the day when Max gets to watch a little movie which gives me enough time to make food and take a shower. 

He is a cutie! 

Ideally, by the time Noah gets home from school, everybody is recovered, recharged, and ready for a great late afternoon and evening! Key word is: Ideally. Life is a work in progress and our family certainly doesn't have it all figured out but we are trying to do our best. 

Did Noah say that there are only 6 more days of school??? 

Yikes! There go all my beloved routines... 

I mean: I can't wait for summer! 

St. George 70.3 - RACE REPORT

I can't get enough of this place!

Pre-Race

The day before the race certainly didn't go as well as it could have. I am a planner and I like things to go according to plan. D'uh. Who doesn't? I take pride in being organized, calm, and prepared but ended up being none of those. Go figure. 

Highlights: 

• Remember how I got a ride with a guy I'd never met? His brother joined us as well and it turned out to be fantastic! Super cool guys and a fancy car made the drive go by way more quickly than usual. Despite the detour through Las Vegas because, what do you know, D and P like to gamble, so we stopped at the Mirage and they placed their Kentucky Derby bets. I wasn't about to complain...
• I was fortunate enough to stay at my favorite hotel! Hotel de Rue. Which isn't a hotel at all. We just call it that because C and A Rue are incredibly nice and open up their home to many of us many times a year. Such a blessing!

breakfast with friends

• Potluck breakfast at the park on Friday morning! What a great time to hang out with friends and make new ones before everyone gets busy making final preparations for the race. Thank you, Southern Utah Triathlon Club!

• Bike check-in at Sand Hollow Reservoir. Dropping off the bike was nothing special but I just love that lake and got to take a little 'ice bath' while Colleen's kids played in the water for a while. I didn't get a chance to actually swim in it but I have done so many times in the past and wasn't worried about it. I mean, look at how clear the water is! It just made me even more excited for race morning!

• Getting our number tattoos on late Friday night. This was quite the show but eventually we managed. Can you tell which ones are my legs? 

Lowlights: 

• Having to figure out how to get back home after the race. Traveling to St. George not knowing how I am going to make it back to Flagstaff was a huge mistake. After our accommodations fell through last minute, Karl and the kids decided to stay home. Which meant I had to find yet another ride. Unfortunately, Flagstaff is a remote place 5 hours from St. George and it took most of Friday making sure I had a way to get home. Super stressful and not what I want to be dealing with the day before a big race. It made me want to quit the sport of triathlon all together because, really, we just can't afford it right now. 
• On top of that I got a phone call late Friday morning from the superintendent of Noah's school saying that there was in incident this morning on the school bus. To make a long story short: Some crazy guy at the hospital close to our home broke his hand cuffs and jumped out of the window. He made his way over to our apartment complex, tricked the bus driver who was waiting at her first stop into opening the door, and got on. He was clearly mentally ill and, according to Noah, had a knife with him. While the bus driver is busy calling the police, Noah also gets on the bus not knowing what is going on. The guy, who has been hiding behind some seats, starts freaking out because he is sure that people with guns behind trees are trying to shoot him. Eventually the police comes and gets him off the bus. Craziness! It was hard to find out details over the phone and to know how Noah was really doing but Karl took good care of everything. Not a good time to be out of town! 

Race Morning

I was excited to say the least! I really don't get nervous much anymore and have learned to keep the pressure under control. The work (i.e. training) is done and now it's time to have fun and see what your body and mind are capable of. 

Highlights:

• Race morning was super fun. I lived in Utah for 10 years before moving to Flagstaff, so this was basically a hometown race for me and I loved seeing so many people I know! This really is the best part of racing! 
• The weather was perfect! Warm but not hot and calm winds. This was shaping up to be a great day! 

Lowlights: 

• I was not hungry for breakfast. Big deal, I know. But, for me, this is unusual and not a good sign. It was difficult to get anything down and, as I feared, this was indicative of the rest of the day. 
• I had told Coach M the night before exactly how much salt I was going to take on the bike, which we knew would be crucial on a warm and dry day. But when I was going to put it in my bento box, I realized that I didn't bring any! Craptastic! Luckily, two friends had a little extra and shared with me. Thank you, Mindy and Heath! 

The Swim

30:29 - 1:34/100m

8th ouf of the water

Coach M really wanted me to break 30 minutes today. Well, that didn't happen. As usual. But how was I supposed to know? Not like I am looking at (or even wearing) a watch while swimming. Close enough though! 

Breanna: all focused, Me: adjusting my cap

Highlights: 

• Hanging out with friends right before the start. So much better than alone. I love the 30-34 girls! They are fast and awesome! 
• The amazingly clear water. After swimming in reclaimed water in Vegas, mucky soup in Flagstaff, and the infamous Tempe Town Lake, this was the best thing ever! It might have been a little cold and I had a hard time getting my face to stay in the water but I was loving it! 
• I found some feet here and there. Small miracle. Very simple course and plenty of buoys. Loved it!

Lowlights: 

• Wussing out last minute. I was supposed to start smack-dab in the middle and hang onto the fast girls for as long as possible. This freaks me out because I can't stand the thought of feeling like I am about to suffocate. It's happened before and I don't really need a repeat. Even just treading water in a small space with lots of people touching me makes me want to run and hide. I don't like being touched. (Maybe that's why the bike is my favorite: Nobody is allowed to even get close to me!) Anyway. I ended up on the very right side and had a nice and calm start. Just the way I like it but not the way M wanted it. Oh well. 
• That's it. The rest of the swim was rather enjoyable and I just tried to stay focused and keep up some sort of decent pace. 

The Bike

2:38:19 - 21.2 mi/h

3rd fastest bike, tied for 2nd off the bike

I was super excited for this course and it didn't disappoint! I love hills and there were plenty of them! Unfortunately, what goes up must come down and my descending skills aren't what they should be. Bummer!

Love the climbing!

Highlights: 

• Coachie's race wheels. They rock! Thank you, Heath, for hooking me up once again! He also brought his aero helmet but I decided to ignore it. I am not about to change my mind about that piece of gear anytime soon. However, if he had brought a carbon bike for me to ride I would've been all over that. 

• After an hour or so into the ride, it suddenly occurred to me that I was probably in the front 'group' of our age group. This was a first because a) I don't do a lot of big races and b) The course is usually super crowded. It was awesome! I knew Katie K was a strong biker, I figured the incredibly toned girl might be Rebecca T, and I recognized Sonja W right away when she blew by us. I knew I was right in the mix and I was thrilled! I also knew I had to go with Sonja. Lucky for me we were on a long uphill, so I was able to 'stick' with her. As it turns out, I am a pretty strong climber while Sonja can hammer the downhills like nobody's (especially not my) business. So for the next 40 or so miles we went back and forth, back and forth. I happened to think that this was the coolest thing ever! I have admired Sonja from afar for quite a while but never had the chance to race against her. I knew she is incredibly strong, so I was super happy to be in the same zip code as her on the bike. 

An incredibly scenic 4-mile climb? Yes please. 

• Snow Canyon. I love that place. Everything about it. I was able to get a little gap on Sonja and super swimmer Christine (who we had caught up to at one point and who came with us). Next year we will be more on top of things and get one of those coveted camping spots in the canyon. At least for the boys... 

Lowlights:

• When doing the math after the race, I realized that I didn't get nearly enough calories in on the bike. Dang! I knew that I should be eating/drinking more but I wasn't aware that I ended up only taking in 500-600 calories. I had about 1200 calories with me and was shooting for at least 800-900. Not good. But like I mentioned, something wasn't quite right with my stomach all day and I was worried about making things worse by stuffing myself. 
• It took a long time for my legs to come around! My left calf was a mess from the beginning and my quads felt sore for some reason. I had no idea why. But I just figured that, hey, everyone has a bad race every once in a while and maybe today was my turn. No big deal. Just stay in the game and see how things unfold.

• The last 10 miles were basically all downhill. Bad news for me! Have I mentioned that I need to work on my descending skills? Sonja flew by me like a rocket and so did Christine. And there was nothing I could do about it. So I enjoyed the scenery instead. 

The Run

1:37:40 - 7:27/mi

6th fastest run

I caught up to Christine right before T2 but was able to run by her in transition and get out of there ahead of her. This was good. Now all I had to worry about was Sonja ahead of me. Ha! Who am I kidding? There were a few super runners most likely not far behind me turning on the jets any minute. But I made a conscious decision to focus on what's in front of me and not what's going on behind me. 

One of the many hills. This course was a beast!

Highlights: 

• The best thing about this race was all of the incredible support I had on the course. I love the (Utah) triathlon community and it was out in full force! Thank you for the cheers and words of encouragement. It means a lot!
• Seeing the Pros battle it out on their way to the finish. The run was one out-and-back, so we were able to see the action and cheer them on (in German even) as they went by us on the other side. Loved it!

• Coke! It's all I was able to take in on the run and it definitely saved the day! 
• My Zoot shoes. I am not sponsored by Zoot (unfortunately) but I love their shoes. I decided to go without socks this time and (unlike at Oceanside in 2012) I didn't regret it one minute. No blisters, no chafing. Awesome! It helped that I was able to not pee on myself during the run. (Or on the bike for that matter.) I dumped plenty of water (and the accidental energy drink) on myself but acidic pee is definitely the worst. (I am sure you all really wanted to know that tidbit of information!) 

Lowlights: 

• Took off my sunglasses in T2. How pathetic is that? Still can't get over it. I hate running without sunglasses but here I was taking them off and putting them into the transition bag. Are you kidding me? Good thing I had my TriSports.com visor! 

• I was able to make up some ground on Sonja in the first few miles and was faintly hoping that I would be able to slowly reel her in. Strong and steady was my mantra. But while she was always right there, I never got super close. Around mile 6 I noticed that she started to pull away from me again. Shooters! And then I did what I have been regretting ever since: I settled for 2nd. Instead of putting up a fight, digging even deeper, taking a risk, and leaving it all out there, I  gave up. Because, hey, if I can just keep it together and hold off the girls behind me, I am going to take 2nd behind Sonja. I was hoping to be Top 3 in my AG, so this is awesome! Goal accomplished! Sonja is a phenomenal athlete and I really have no business catching up to her. And even if I did, I know she wouldn't just let me pass her. Do I want a neck-to-neck battle for the next 5 miles? That sounds excruciatingly hard, so no thanks! Could I have caught her if I had been more on top of my mental game and had someone out there giving me splits and yelling at me to go after it? Maybe. I don't know. I don't care. The point is that I didn't try hard enough. So, to quote Andy Potts, I am 'happy but not satisfied'. Lesson learned. Moving on.   

It was a fantastic day. I had been excited for this race since the minute they announced it more than a year ago and it didn't disappoint. You bet I will be back next year! But first I got a few more races coming up this season which is a good thing because I love racing! And guess who signed up for 70.3 Worlds two minutes before the start of roll-down? That would be me. We were already back at Colleen's house when I realized that I had made a mistake by foregoing my spot. So I jumped back into the car, cruised back to the race, sprinted over to the tent, and handed them a check. And I am so glad I did because WTC just announced that this will be the last year that Worlds are in Vegas. I certainly won't be regretting my decision!

Vegas, here we come!

I owe a few heartfelt Thank You's to

• Dave and Paul for the ride there
• The Watsons for the ride back
• Colleen and Adam for their unmatched hospitality
• Karl for being my bike mechanic and best friend
• TriSports.com for their wonderful support
• All of my training buddies for putting up with me
• Kai Bennett for being a great chiropractor and friend
• Stephanie Del Giorgio for providing excellent massages
• Heath and Mahogani Thurston for being the best coaches an athlete could ask for
• All of you who have made it through this very long race report

The following is just data I want to have in a place I can actually find it later...