Greenville Sprint Triathlon

While returning to training, I was constantly looking at races. I still am. I had no idea when I would be able to race again but I wanted to know what my options might be. I had one rule: I could not make any decisions until I could run 3 straight miles. Technically, I have not met this goal. I’ve run over 3 miles but it included walking breaks and since those few runs I’ve had to take a step back. Still, I could not shake the itch to race even if it meant going easy. 3 years ago, I did the Greenville Sprint Triathlon 3 week after my first “super” sprint triathlon. That marked the beginning of getting into this crazy sport. I thought it would be the perfect race as a welcome back to the world of triathlons. My goal for this race was to have fun and to PR. Even though my run is almost nonexistent, and my ride is still coming back, it was well within my current fitness level to crush my previous time.

The third goal, was to not cry before, during or immediately after the race. You see, this race happened to be the same day as my mom passed away 2 years ago. I could think of no better way to mentally get through the day than being surrounded by likeminded crazy triathletes awake well before the sun comes up and wearing pajamas over spandex, while swimming my heart out, hammering on the bike and going for a little jog.

Race plan of attack: swim HARD, ride HARD, run not hard.

My first reaction to a pool swim in a race is: I hate other swimmers. You get stuck behind people and it’s difficult to pass. I realized though that I am a good pool swimmer. I have a lot of room for improvement in open water but pool swimming I can do. Plus, this was a 50m pool which is a rarity to swim in. I went out hard and got competitive. I wanted to pass as many people as possible which proved to be difficult at times because there wasn’t enough space or time to pass before the wall. It meant my swim effort wasn’t steady but I’m used to varying my intensity while swimming so I was in my comfort zone. I didn’t think my time was anything spectacular but I passed several people, never got passed and put my best effort forward start to finish for a whooping 400m. After seeing my female ranking, I’m very happy with how I did. I honestly don’t understand how I ranked so high.

Swim: 6:59, 5/82

I did a power test on my bike recently and just like after every other test, I complained I felt I could have gone harder. Therefore, I didn’t want those numbers to hold me back. I wanted to unleash my legs in whatever state they were currently in and see how fast I could fly. This was also my first race on my sweet new racing wheels which I was super excited to test out. I had a minimum power number in the back of my head but beyond that it was unknown how hard I would go other than… well really hard.

Like the swim, I started out riding competitively. I tried to pass people without being a jackass that would blow up 10 minutes later. Then I spent chunks of time being alone. For the most part I passed people. I think I got passed by a few guys? I kept my head down and I hammered it as long as I could. My power was only a few watts lower than my power test but for twice the time. I think that confirms I could have tested higher. 9/82 female for the bike split so very happy with that as well.

Bike: 43:34 9/82

Towards the end of the ride I was a little afraid I’d fall off my bike while getting off. My legs were fried. The peppiness I had to run with my bike out of T1 was all gone so I happily walked my bike in for T2. I recently dusted off the cobwebs on my circa 2010 post surgery knee brace which has helped my knee pain a bit while running. I took the time to put that on because at this point, the clock didn’t matter much anymore. Then I started my happy little jog out of T2 where I made sure to keep my pace in check. I ran with a heartrate cap and I was happy to even do that as it was faster than I’ve run the last several months. Even with my slow pace, this was the fastest and longest straight run without walks I’ve done since before IMNZ. That’s not saying much since it wasn’t even a full 5K but I’ll take what I can get. It felt like the whole world was sprinting past me but I was in my happy little bubble trotting along. I’m sure all the people I passed on the bike were laughing at me assuming I rode to hard. I didn’t care. A girl I knew in my age group passed me. I didn’t care.

Anyone who races knows that feeling towards the end of a race where you think “this is so stupid, why do I do this, I’m never doing a race again!”. I had the exact opposite reaction. I was so happy to be out there again racing. It might not have been “racing” per say at that moment, but I was out there. I was plotting out in my head all the races I wanted to immediately go home and sign up for. I thought about my mom but in a happy way, not reliving that day 2 years ago. I was happy. I can sit here and laugh at my run split ranking. I’m not even frustrated that I lost first place by only 21 seconds which I had in me. I executed my race plan perfectly!

Run: 29:20 50/82

Overall 1:22:13, 17/82 overall female, 2/7 AG

This race was exactly what I needed. To remind myself of why I love this sport so much. To remember why it’s worth fighting for it. To give myself a distraction from the bad memories that August 13^th hold for me. Sure, I went home and had a few crying breakdowns but this helped offset it. I haven’t signed up for any of those races yet because I’m still waiting for my run to progress. Hopefully it will get there soon. 

The birthday that keeps on giving

I’m not one for big birthday celebrations. I don’t do big parties or lots of presents. I DO eat chocolate and for the last few years incorporate some fun birthday training.

Bill and I have a general policy that we don’t have to get presents for each other. Occasionally we’ll get something for each other or buy something for ourselves and say that counts as a birthday present. This year I got the best present surprise…race wheels! I LOVE them!! Ever since New Zealand, he’d been secretly saving money to buy me wheels he picked with the help of Katie. It was an amazing surprise and every time I pass by them I smile. Can’t wait to test these bad boys out!

After spending literally all day debating between going to a healthy restaurant or my usual Melting Pot, I broke down and went with the later. After all, I had to celebrate getting race wheels! As always, it was so worth it!

I asked for a birthday swim again which I did Saturday. This year wasn’t as crazy, 29x150. In included a good chunk of swimming with only a band which I have to say I finally am 100% ok doing. It included all the strokes including fly which I am NOT 100% ok doing. I am admittedly not very good at fly. Ok I’m horrible at it. I do it maybe half a dozen times a year and I’m happy to make it to the other wall while wearing fins. Although it wasn’t a very long swim it had enough variety to keep it challenging at times.

I decided since it was 29 sets for my 29^th birthday, that I would spend each set reflecting on that year of my life. How often do you really think about those random years of your life where nothing significant happened? I have no memories for the first several years so it was mostly thinking of my family in general and acknowledging that I was fortunate for the family I was born into. There were many good childhood years. Teenage years of laughing at how it felt like the end of the world but it was only high school drama. Years of making stupid decisions. Years of making good and sometimes challenging decisions. Years of marriage where I swear all we did was renovate our house. Lots of happy memories. That was my biggest take away. When I look back I primarily see the happy memories. No matter how down in the ditch I felt during phases of my life, I always pulled myself out and stood a little taller. In general, my life has been good. 

I decided last minute to throw an informal birthday party/pool party/BBQ with some friends at my in-law’s house/pool. It was a good time with lots of yummy food and naturally cake where I was forced into being sung happy birthday to.

Sunday I got to do my birthday ride in the mountains. I haven’t ridden in the mountains since January when it was in the 20s. This time it was perfect weather in the 60s. I felt free climbing steady to Saluda and the bakery. Bill and a friend took his car out for a joy ride and met me at the bakery for a yummy treat before heading back down. My head has been a work in progress with not freaking out while descending, especially on bumpy roads. I’ve improved significantly but I’m not as fearless as I once was. Maybe I’ll never get back there. Still, I loved every minute of it, even white-knuckled-tensing-up minutes. I was so happy that my riding has progressed enough to allow me to do a climbing ride. It was short compared to what I’m used to doing but I’ll take what I can get!

That night we celebrated one last time at my in-law’s which naturally, included more chocolate cake. Overall, it was a fantastic birthday. Hopefully that’s the theme for my last year in my 20s!

29

Today I turn 29. I have this weird thing where I hate odd number so not thrilled to be back to an odd age… I’m very odd, I know. On my 28^th birthday, I posted about how it’s important to grow in more ways than just age. As I reflect on the last year, I feel I have grown. Growth often happens not in the joyful moments of life, but in the struggles. This year has certainly had both!

When looking at my last year from a bird’s eye view, it’s been a good year! I’ve been on several vacations including an amazing trip of a lifetime to New Zealand. I went on many adventures with amazing people. I got plenty of quality time with family. I have a very fortunate job situation. I have an amazing husband who supports all my crazy goals and desires. I got to push myself hard, mentally and physically, daily for many, many months. I became an Ironman. That is a statement you only get to make once and only if you work hard with a bit of luck. It was amazing, an experience I will never forget. Strangely, it’s hard for me to believe that was only last year. It feels like I crossed that finish line so long ago. True, things have not gone my way since then in the triathlon world but I’ve made my peace with that. It is in that space I feel have grown the most.

I’ve reflected on my life a lot over the last few months. What do I want it to look like, how do I want to spend my time, how do I want to live it? I don’t think many people often sit back and take a good look at their life and question what is the “right” path and if they are on the “right” path. There is no right path in life! But I don’t want to simply stumble through life in the dark hoping I don’t trip and accidently fall off a cliff. I want to grab life by the balls, take risks, stand on the edge of the cliff knowing I might fall or knowing it might mean greatness. I want to enjoy life’s little moments, strive for greatness, search for joy, surround myself with people I love. It’s important to surround yourself with good people, who care about you and are generally positive. I can feel when I’m around people who are often angry or sad how it pulls me down into their depths as well, reminding me of the bad in my life. Sometimes choosing the light can be difficult, but it is a choice.

This year has been full of choices. Some small and insignificant. Some life impacting. Some made by myself, for myself. Some made as a family. I’ve debated A LOT about races over the next year all while knowing these are decisions fall under “insignificant” in the greater realm of life. What happened with New Zealand took the fire out of me. I spent time being frustrated and then I focused on becoming healthy and building back a basic level of fitness. I knew thinking of racing would distract me from what was important, healing and being patient. I realized that although triathlon is very important to me and plays a huge part in my life, it is not my life. It is not what I am. It is something I do. I do this because it makes me happy and I will continue as long as it makes me happy. There’s a tiny little flame there to truly tackle a race again. I can’t tell if it will burn bright by tackling another Ironman trying to redeem what was taken away or focusing on a different goal. What I do know? It doesn’t matter right now. The time will come when I will be ready to set myself aflame and I will know what I want to do. In the meanwhile, I know what makes me happy is still training, growing and bettering myself where I can. Although I am still young, I am thankful for what my body will allow me to do because there are no guarantees in life that tomorrow it won’t be taken away. So thank you body for the last 28 years of mostly staying in one piece. I’ve had surgeries and injuries and setbacks but I’ve still accomplished amazing challenges with it… please be nice this next year!

Today I stand 29, a bit wiser and stronger than a year ago, and for that I am thankful along with so many other things. Cheers to another year!