TriAptitude Coaching

Somebody please pinch me because I just had one of the most incredible experiences of my life!  A year ago, Ironman announced that they would be holding their first Ironman 70.3 race in Costa Rica.  Greg and I had been talking about taking the boys to Costa Rica for a few years and we had not had the chance to plan a trip yet.  So, I seriously began thinking about registering for this race and I started to chat a little bit about it with Greg.  The same week, our friends Al and Kristi mentioned that they had bought a house in Tamarindo, Guanacaste- a short 40 minute drive from Playa del Coco where the race was to be held. They offered for us to stay at their house.  This was such a generous offer and one which most likely led to my husband saying yes to this trip!  So, thank you Al and Kristi because without your offer, I may not have been here for this race!  A lot of stars aligned for this experience.  Pretty awesome stuff.

This is a first year race.  In a lot of cases, there are things which need to work out over time and some people choose not to do a race in it’s inaugural year for that reason.  I think the added uncertainty of roads in Costa Rica, open water ocean swim and the heat and humidity of the country itself all added to the challenge of this course.  But, those challenges are what made this race so phenomenal!!  And, the Costa Rican people! Wow, what a fabulous group of spectators!!  We had so much support on the race course through volunteers and spectators that it was absolutely mind blowing.  At a race this distance, it is not possible to give your all for 5+ hours and stay strong physically and mentally without focus, positive self talk and fantastic cheering from the sidelines.  And, boy, did our Costa Rican friends provide that for us!  Pura Vida!!  Gatorade and Kholbi were exceptional sponsors for this race as well. It was well run all around. If you are looking for a destination race which has a real flare for adventure, this is the one for you.

Now, many of you know that there is nothing easy about traveling internationally as a family of five.  Add into that mix, making a journey to Central America and bringing along all of your race gear, transporting a bike and racing an Ironman race while you are here- well, let’s just say that the days leading into the race were a little bit more stressful than when I race locally in Boulder. There were reports of jellyfish at the swim site, unpaved roads on the bike course and I knew that the run was going to be brutally hot.  Not ideal conditions but certainly adventurous ones.  So, right away I made up my mind to take the stress out of it, accept what I did and did not have control over and make the best of this exciting opportunity. I focused on the pure fun of the event and the fact that I was so lucky to be in Costa Rica to enjoy this opportunity.   I started thinking of race day as my Ironman Xterra 70.3.  We had a lot of rain leading into race day so the transition area was one big mud bath.  Transition is a soccer field right on the beach so that grass and dirt became a muddy mess with the rains and all of the people walking/running through.  I brought some plastic bags to put on the ground to set up my gear on race morning but it did little to keep my stuff out of the mud puddles.  I just let that go emotionally and told myself, “Mud run- this is it. I got this.”  My game plan was to run though transition barefoot and carry my shoes along until I was on the pavement. Rinse my feet off, mount the bike and go. Same with the run. Grab my shoes and socks, sprint though transition to “run out”, dump a bottle of water on my feet, put those socks and shoes on and run. It actually was a lot of fun and added to the experience big time. LOL.  Okay- but I am getting ahead of myself.

The swim- 1.2 miles in the open water of the ocean off of Playa del Coco.  The course is clockwise with 7 buoys on the way out, 4 across the turn and then 7 buoys back to shore.  It was a beach start with our ladies running into the water through the waves and away we went out to sea.  The swim is non-wetsuit legal and the water temperature yesterday on race day was 84 degrees.  I wore my tri kit with my Roka Viper swim skin over.  I felt perfect in the water and the added buoyancy of the salt water led to a comfortable and fairly fast swim given that there was a little bit of choppy current and we had no wetsuit for added speed.  I was lucky enough to swim in the first wave after the pros went off. So, my race time started at 6:25 am.  It was beautiful and sunny at the start. We swam out to the West so the sun was not in our eyes until we made a turn so I sighted easily and stayed on course for the first half of the swim.  I started to feel the jelly fish out by turn #1.  These are little jelly fish and their sting feels more like a “zap” of electrical current.  As suggested, I had put a layer of Vaseline on over my sunscreen and then I added some additional sunscreen over that which had some ingredients which were suppose to deter those jellies.  But, they liked me anyway and I got zapped all the way around those turn buoys and on the way back to shore. Right around buoy turn #1, I started to notice a burning feeling under my left arm pit.  “Do I have a jelly fish stuck in there?”, I thought for a brief moment, “Or is that chafing from the sea water? Ouch, what is that?” But, I decided that there was not much I could do except keep swimming so I just tried to ignore it.  Certainly,  the jellies did not feel terrific but they were not that painful. And, after having three babies and a lot of dry needling done, I am not afraid of a little pain.  By the looks of things as I approached shore, I assumed that I was in the front pack of my age group so I felt happy about the swim and hustled up the shore, through the showers and into the muddy transition to grab my bike and go.  Swim time 35:27, no wetsuit, jelly fish. I’ll take that. I came out of the water #2 in my age group.

On to the bike- my favorite!!  The day before the race, we were notified that the course had been revised as the town of Playa del Coco was not able to pave one portion of gravel road as planned due to the heavy rain.  The change in the course made one of the out and backs shorter which meant that distance had to be added to another portion of the course. The only way to do that was to bring us all the way back into town before heading out on the second loop.  That also meant that our nice big hill out of transition, which we were originally suppose to climb only once, was now going to be ridden twice.  I actually embraced this change because 1) I live in the mountains of Colorado and hill climbing is what we do and 2) I do not like riding on gravel and was worried about safety.  So, this was a happy change for me but meant that I had to rework my pacing strategy a bit since I would be expending more energy on those hills than originally planned.  I use power on my bike so I simply stuck to my game plan with a few tweaks in my power pacing.  I held back enough on the bike that I stayed in good position and had a strong bike split but also so that I could run efficiently off the bike. In the past, I have pushed too hard on the bike and suffered on the run.  I have learned that I need to be more patient on the bike and allow myself the time to settle in to a sustainable power output so that I come off the bike with legs that can run well so that I do not lose position on the run.  I think I succeeded with that yesterday.  I held back just enough on the bike and I followed my plan.  I was happy with my bike and how things went out on the two loop course.  It was hard at times not to just hammer it because I knew that I had one girl in my age group in front of me on the bike and two behind me who seemed like they may be catching some time on me.  But, I held steady. I’ve learned that I can lose more time on my run by depleting myself on the bike than I can gain by pushing harder on the bike. So, it is a pacing and balancing act out there.  You don’t win a triathlon on the swim, bike or run alone- you have to pace all three and bring it all together to find success.  There are a lot of pieces which need to come together well for a great race day to be achieved.  Bike time: 2:34:27. I was pleased with this time given the course and my earlier worries about road safety and possible rainy conditions. Roads were dry for us on race day and we had sunny skies during my bike time.  The heat was picking up big time by the time I rode my bike back into Playa del Coco for the start of the run.

Time for fun on the run. The heat was picking up and I was a bit concerned about that since I struggle in the heat and have a hard time balancing my sodium intake to prevent cramping.  I had taken all of my Infinit on the bike and with that I had added some additional salt tablets into my blend to get the expected sodium amounts that my body needs to race in very hot and humid conditions.  I felt good on the bike so I hoped that would transfer smoothly to the run. And, it did for the most part!  Nutrition win on this one! Coming into T2, I ran right through all that mud, kicked off my bike shoes and stashed them, removed my helmet, grabbed my race belt, water bottle, socks and shoes and dashed off to “run out”.  The gal who was in front of me on the bike was still in transition, so I knew that we were close and I wanted to get out on the run pronto.  I sprayed off my feet, threw my socks on, got my shoes on and started running.

The run can be a real sufferfest so the cheering from the spectators was amazing to hear.  “Vamos, Courtney!!!”  It was incredible right from the start. And, let me tell you, those first 15 minutes running off the bike can be brutal so I needed all the positive energy I could get. This is my story on the run. For the past few years, I have been plagued by injury after injury- Achilles tendon issues, torn plantar plate, off set metatarsal with nerve pain. Running has become harder and harder for me as I have gotten older.  I started to tell myself, “I’m not a fast runner anymore. I’m getting older and my body is reflecting that.”  Yes, I know this is the negative self- talk that I myself tell everyone not to use!  But, as we all know, it is hard at time to shut up those inner voices of doubt.  At the beginning of yesterday’s run, I heard those little voices creeping in, “Good God, it’s freakin’ hot out here.  I do not want to run up that hill. What is that mud puddle doing in the middle of the path?  Where is the next aid station because I need a bucket of water poured over my head?  Do I have to smile at that photographer because that takes too much energy?”  My first mile went something like that.  I walked through the first aid station, grabbed some water and Gatorade, started running again and told myself to “shut up!”  I shut down that chatter in my head and reminded myself that I do this because I love it- focus on all the positives and run my race.  No self doubt- just get it done.  I used my aid stations as little breaks. The volunteers graciously gave me ice, which I promptly stuffed down my shirt, and poured water over my head.  I used the 20-30 seconds to reset my run form and I moved on with more positive self talk.  By mile 2, I was finding my groove a bit more and then I heard a sweet voice from the crowd yell, “Mom! Mom!  We’re over here!” and I looked over to see all my loves on the side of the road. I blew them a kiss and yelled hello.  That was a great motivator for me.

I ticked off mile by mile in the heat.  My new best friend on the race course is ice cold Pepsi Cola. I’ve never been much of a cola drinker while racing but maybe that’s been my problem. Because, I tell ya, that cola added just the right amount of sugar and caffeine in me to keep me moving at a steady pace mile to mile.  Our run was a 2.25 loop through the roads of downtown Playa del Coco, along the beach on a trail and through the neighborhood where Greg and I were staying with the boys. It was really spectator friendly and my boys saw me on the run 3-4 times and then finally met me at the finish.  It was a hillier curse than I anticipated.  Running through the neighborhood had some ups and downs- nothing huge but just enough that you thought, “Okay legs, keep moving, just keep moving.”  I took my walk breaks as needed on those hills just because I tend to speed walk faster up those hills than I do running so I allowed myself 30 second walk intervals on hills if needed.  It gave me just enough of a break that then I could pick my form and speed back up efficiently.

It was so nice to see so many familiar faces out there on the course. I had my Tribella girls Nicki and Tonya on the course with me with smiles and cheering as we biked and ran past each other.  And, I had my own athlete Rick out there racing so I loved seeing him on the course whooping some ass. I also had six Betty Design team mates with me in Costa Rica so it was absolutely fantastic to have so much team support on race day.  Seeing all those ladies on the run made it more fun, more motivating and overall more special.  Before I knew it, I only had two miles left in the run and I had not seen anyone in my age group pass me.  That alone is a huge accomplishment for me!!!  I have struggles sticking that run in the end of the longer races so this was a big deal for me.  In fact, the finish line kind of creeped up on my unexpectedly.  I ran across the beach, through a creek of water, smiled at the photographer and boom- finisher’s chute was right there.  I ran down that chute with a huge smile and high fived every little hand I saw. There were Costa Rican children everywhere cheering and asking for high fives.  It was phenomenal.  Then I heard my own familiar little voices and one big voice, “Goooooo Court!”, “Mom, Mom, way to go!” and I looked over to my right to see my own family cheering me on to the finish.  It was a really happy moment.  Run time: 1:56:59.  I have to say that I was happy to break two hours on that run. It was hot, hot, hot.

When I finished, I stopped my watch but did not look at my time, Honestly,  I was just so thrilled with my experience in general that I did not care a lot about my time. I felt good about how I raced and the whole shebang.  Matthew, my son told me ten minutes later that my time was 5:11 which surprised me as I never thought I would PR on this course given the conditions. But, later when I checked, he was absolutely right and I found out that I had a 13 minute PR at the 70.3 distance and that I had actually won my age group.  Amazing day all around.

It takes a lot of support to make something like this happen and I am blessed with many incredible people who give me that support, love, TLC, motivation and inspiration.  Some of them are family and friends, some are coaches, some are nutritionists and some are therapists- but they are all friends to me and special people in my life.  I said a little prayer to my Dad yesterday morning before the race and I really think he was looking over me yesterday on the course. I felt his presence with my every step of the way.  So, Dad, thank you for guiding me mile to mile yesterday morning. Thank you to my husband Greg and my sons. I know that it is not easy nor always fun to spend a full day on a race course to see only a glimpse of me bike or run by you but it means the world to me to know that you are there and it adds a lot of importance to the experience for me to feel you with me. I love you all with all my heart and my life is what it is today because you are it- you are my life. I love you.  Thank you to my coach Kathy Alfino for her friendship, insight, motivation and positivity.  I saw her right before I left for Costa Rica and I asked her, “So, Kath. Any last minute words of wisdom for me?”  Her response, “Court, you’ve got this. Go out and race your race, race your pace.  I am not sure what else to say because you know all this and you will be great.”  Obviously, Kath knew I was ready and had the belief in me that I was not sure I had in myself.  Thank you for that, Kath. We have been together for three years now and I feel like it has been a terrific journey of growth.  Accomplishments do not happen over night. It takes patience and dedication and time to work towards those goals. And, we have done that together.

Thank you to my Mom, Sally Monroe.  When I first started doing triathlons, I think she thought I was a little crazy but mostly I think she was worried that I would wear myself out training on top of raising my family and doing all of the busy things we do. As time has gone on, she has seen how much love and passion I have for this sport through coaching and my own racing, and she is one of my biggest fans- obviously.  I got a sweet message from her yesterday saying, “Hi, honey. Just thinking of you on race day and Greg on Father’s Day.  Love you. I hope it is a safe and wonderful day. Call me and let me know it went okay.”  It was so nice to hear her voice on the message after I finished the race. It means the world to me.  Thank you to my sister and my brothers for not making fun of me all the time about triathlon.  I know they could tease me to no end about all the swimming, biking and running I do but they resist and tell me that they love me even though I am a bit compulsive. LOL.

Thank you to my friends who keep me sane- those who race triathlon and those who do not.  They all keep me grounded and keep me happy. I am grateful for my special peeps and I hope you know who you are!!!  Thank you to Mile High Multisport for the coaching and for having me on staff as one of your coaches!  I am thrilled to be here in Costa Rica not only racing myself  but also coaching one of my athletes, Rick Stockreef, who had a spectacular day!!   That you Kristin Mayer for having me on the Betty Design race team this year.  It has been an amazing experience with incredible people. I am so happy to have shared this adventure with Melissa, Susan, Sue, Misty, Jessica and Laura.  I love my tribe.

Thank you to Toby Crisp for my massage therapy, Paul and Susan Fontana for my chiropractic needs and Josh White at Vertical Motion for my physical therapy for keeping my body in check and healthy. My back was bothering me the weekend before we flew out to Costa Rica and all three squeezed me in for appointments to make sure it felt better and race ready.  It worked. You all are the best!!  Thank you Dina Griffin for helping me tweak my nutrition last fall in the hopes that I could be race ready for Costa Rica and prevent any cramping issues in the heat.  I am happy to say that I went almost completely cramp free until the very end!  That is huge for me!!!

I had some quiet time this morning t write while all my boys are sleeping.  It is raining now but as is true here in Costa Rica, it will stop and we are headed to Playa Conchal today to snorkel and celebrate my husband for Father’s Day since he spent his day yesterday cheering for me. I’ll be back with more blog posts about Costa Rica but I think that is all I have for this morning!!!  Thanks again for all of the support!!