Build up to 70.3 Worlds

It was never my goal to go to the 70.3 World Championships. I still feel like I have no business being here. But when I got the opportunity with a roll down slot, I decided to say yes.

I’ve always said I like training more than racing. It’s not that I don’t enjoy racing, but I love training, day after day, week after week. Some people need the carrot at the end of the stick to get them moving. Not me. However, when I am training for a race, I do alter my training accordingly. Most of the time I’m fit enough to jump into a 70.3 swim and bike but not the run. The run is always where I have to be most careful with my body and I don’t ramp up running unless it’s for a race.

The build up to this race felt good. Honestly, the last year and a half of training has been better than normal for me. It’s not lost on me that I’ve been coaching myself for the last two years and that it’s the best my body has felt injury wise in many years. Sure, I still battle pain in my right knee but that will be a life long battle due to a surgery I wish I never had. I occasionally had a niggle here or there but nothing that prevented me from training. I might not be as fast as I was a few years ago, but I’m healthy which is way more important.

My build was slow and steady over the last several months. In September, I got to train in Italy. I was home for 2 days and then back on a plane to Colorado. Unfortunately, my bike did not join that trip. While it was sad to be driving up to Ward instead of riding up it, it was nice to be with Bill and show him why I love the state. We spent several days in Estes Park, exploring the area and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Then we drove to the Aspen area for a friend’s wedding. Our last stop was Colorado Springs with a pit stop driving up Pikes Peak. We saw bears, a moose, long horn sheep and lots of elk. Our hikes were filled with mountains, lakes and some changing leaves. 

My training during the trip was mostly focused on running but the running was all easy. Or as easy as I could make it, running on average around 7,000ft elevation. There was plenty of mouth breathing, trying to suck in more oxygen. I’ve always done fine training in the Boulder area but I knew from hiking Kilimanjaro that my body does not do well at higher altitudes. Every time we went above 10,000ft, I’d start to get a headache. That headache hit me a few times during hiking but luckily the rest of my training was below that threshold.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is being able to explore new areas on two feet. Each run was in a different location. Several gravel runs and I even did one trail run on difficult terrain. Twice during my long run, I came close to packs of elk. I stopped to take in the moment but kept my distance. I made sure to fully immerse myself in the moment and my surroundings. I found gyms with pools at each stop so I could do an hour swim, followed by an hour on a spin bike. Not my ideal riding set up but I made it work with some hard intervals. In a two-week timeframe, I got to swim in one pool in Italy, three in Colorado and two in SC. It helps keep training interesting instead of always being in my same pool.

After a busy few weeks of traveling, it was nice to be home and settled back into a normal routine. I had a solid three week build up in training. By the time I hit my taper, I felt exhausted and ready for a rare full rest day. There are times I hate tapering and there are times I look forward to it. This time I was definitely looking forward to a little less training. Over the last several months we have been renovating our kitchen. Naturally, the time it involved the most work from me was also when I was peaking for the race. I was more productive at the house with a few less hours of training and a rebound in energy.

Now I’m in St. George, prepping for the big race day. Except to me, it doesn’t seem like a big race. It’s just a day to push myself and have fun. I will not measure my success in the race based on times or placement. It’s a harder course so I know my times will be slower. And it’s the World Championships so I’ll be sharing the course with a lot of athletes who are way stronger than me. I like surrounding myself with people who are better than me though. Yesterday I did an hour practice swim which felt great, although a bit cold. I did a ride up Snow Canyon to get a feel for the hardest climb of the course. I was passed by almost everyone else riding and I didn’t care. I swallowed my ego years ago. This race isn’t about other people and how fast they are. It’s about what I can do with my body. Two more days until the women race. Now all I have to do is endlessly debate about how to dress for the very cold conditions and my body will take care of the rest.