I want to take a moment to talk about gratitude. I came home yesterday afternoon after a whirlwind trip to USA Triathlon National Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. From the very start of the trip, I was surrounded by the positive energy of friendship, support, kindness, encouragement, love and inspiration. I recognized going into this race that I had not had the chance to train specifically for the Olympic distance this summer. I was suppose to race Olympic events twice earlier in the summer. Once, I had to reduce my race to an aquabike due to an upper respiratory infection which kicked in my asthma. The second race, I had been sick upon our return from Costa Rica and I had some family priorities which took precedence for me. So, my earlier races at this distance did not happen. We had a wonderful family vacation planned for the weeks leading into Nationals to celebrate my mother in law’s 80th birthday and I was originally not even going to race in Omaha this summer. I decided about two months ago that I would indeed make the trip and use it as a good hard practice for ITU Worlds in Rotterdam in September.
I was a little worried about my lack of structured bike and swim training the weeks leading into the race but I did not stress over it. Our family trip to Wisconsin took priority and it would just be a run week for me. Life is meant to be lived! You make the most of the opportunities handed to you! Last year, I was lucky enough to be in the top 25 in my age group in the nation for the Olympic distance at Nationals. My #21 spot got me a place on Team USA for this year’s ITU Worlds race in Rotterdam. It can be a complicated process to make Team USA. First off, you need to place in the top 20-25 in your age group to have a shot. But, then, calculations have to be made to see what your age group placement is based on the younger women aging up into your current age group and also the older women who age up into the age group above for the following year. Last year, there were quite a few 49 year olds who aged up out of the top slots in AG 45-49 and there were not many 44 year olds aging in. And, I was lucky enough to get a spot! I was thrilled and unexpectedly surprised given that I am not a super speedy runner off the bike due to past injuries. But, going into this year, I fully understood that I would once again be close to the cut even on my best run day. I always try to go in with realistic expectations of what I can personally accomplish and what it means to have a good race for me given the strength and speed of these women. When you are racing against the best of the best in the United States it is a truly humbling experience.
My race plan was simple- embrace the day and make the most of it. Give my best and understand that I can not compare myself to other ladies who specialize in this distance. And, accept that my personal limiters are exactly that- simply things to which I must adapt and use to redefine who I am as an athlete. It’s easy to put a ton of pressure and stress on yourself in this sport. And, as a result, it is also easy to suck the fun right out of it by making it so serious that you lose the joy of the race experience itself. I refuse to do that. My choice is to grab every opportunity and make it the best one for me and for those around me. And, in this case, I drove to Omaha with one simple goal – meet some new friends in person for the first time, support and encourage the friends I knew already from home who were racing on course, dig deep into every inspiring moment of the experience and race the best race I could on Saturday.
Now, what is the definition of a “best race”? For some it might mean a personal record or a course record. For others, it may mean being in the top 10 and being on the National podium. Or maybe, it might mean doing well enough to get a spot on Team USA for world competition the following year. Perhaps it means simply going out there and setting yourself up for a happy, positive day no matter what the time, placement or qualification outcome. I had friends racing in Omaha for all of those reasons. Many had specific race goals for which they had trained all season. Others were thrilled to be competing on the National level with the best in the country for the first time. Some were racing at the last minute because they decided it would be an experience they did not want to miss regardless of the outcome. Honestly, I think I was racing this year because I still feel so grateful every year that I qualify to race the Olympic distance with the fastest women 45-49 years old. I know that I am never going to be a super speedy lady running 6-7 minute miles off the bike for a 10K. But, I do know that I can come, feel proud of my accomplishments and give it all I have in the tank to represent on a national level. Last year, I finished my race disappointed with a slower run split time. I beat myself up over it and came home from Nationals feeling sad and picking apart every part of my race. This year, I had promised to focus only on the strengths and positives in my efforts and to recognize how my accomplishments as an athlete only complement those of being a mother, teacher, wife, daughter, sister and friend.
Saturday was a bit of a tough day. My swim was a little of course, my bike was strong but my run was slow. The ladies 45-49 were in a late wave to start at 9:04am and then USAT delayed the race by 30 minutes. So, our start time was rescheduled to 9:34am. That is a late start when you get out of bed at 3am and you get to the race venue to check into transition at 5am. The morning started off on a stressful note when I got into transition and realized that my bike tire had a valve issue and went flat when I tried to pump it. Luckily, I had plenty of time to sort through that issue. I got all of my gear in order and then I left transition to hang out in my car and stay warm for awhile since I had hours to wait. It was definitely hard to stay focused and warm up properly with this type of waiting game going on. My distractions of choice were my Betty Design team mates and photo opportunities, laughter, camaraderie and general fun. I think we would have all preferred to be racing in earlier waves but we made the best of the time we had together.
In a nutshell, my race went like this. I felt flat on the swim and got confused by the turn buoys which were not in the location they were expected to be in so I swam a little bit off course and made this a longer swim. As a result, I came out of the water 2 minutes slower than I expected. Running into transition, I felt a little bit dizzy but not much more than I normally do. I found my bike, put my helmet and sunglasses on but struggled to get my right foot into my cycling shoe for some reason. I think the disorientation from the swim was impacting me here a bit. But, I finally got it done and ran for “Bike Out”. This was a slower than normal transition for me. It did not flow well at all. But, on to the bike I was….and I think that segment of the race went really well. I stuck to my race plan and my power output as I had planned and came into transition right on time with the expected average watt power output. Note to self- long transition runs need to be done without my cleats on. I definitely have to practice some flying mounts and dismounts. It saves so much time if you can get comfortable doing them. And, if you do them correctly without wiping out. Finally, my run…..uuuugghhhh……so many of you know about my run and my issues with it. I wrote about it after Ironman Costa Rica 70.3 so I am not going to bore everyone with all the details again. But, as a reminder, I have an offset metatarsal in my left foot which pinches the nerve at 2/3 metatarsal when I run at higher speeds and for longer distances. I have managed to train on it well this season without surgery but I have had to be conservative with my run training and I can not do much speed work. We all know that to be a fast runner off the bike, you need to work on speed. And, this is especially true on short course events. I was hoping to hold on to a 8-8:15mm pace for this race. It would not be anywhere fast enough for me to get into the Top 15 but it would get me close. Anyway, my run started off well and I was holding pace for the first 2 miles or so but it just got so hot and my left hamstring started cramping. I had to stop several times to stretch that leg out and slow my pace. So, I came in with an average pace of around 8:25. I was a little disappointed in this but you have to just take it and move forward. I finished #22 out of 92 in my age group. I would have preferred Top 18 but like I have always said, anything can happen on any given day. You have to embrace your efforts, learn from the experience and move forward with a positive attitude. I am grateful that I have been able to do that and reflect back on this weekend as nothing but a complete win for me. I came in higher in placement than I ever have at Nationals. I feel like I gave everything that I had on that specific race day. I had a wonderful time seeing friends and cheering team mates on at the event. I made many new friends this weekend and had the time of my life with my race team.
Now, that’s not to say that I did not have a few Monday blues today as I reflected back on my race itself and wondered if I could have pushed harder and faster. But, deep down inside, I know that I really gave my all out there and on that particular day it was just what I had in my tank. I had a good chat with my coach and she helped me sort through some feelings I was having about my performance overall and encouraged me to look into some mental strategies to tackle those rough moments on the run. I am not necessarily thrilled with my race results but I am with my experience as a whole. It was fabulous. I was surrounded by incredible people who gave so much support and positivity to each other. I felt like truly part of a “team” the entire weekend – part of my Mile High Multisport friends, part of my Team Betty race team, part of the Colorado triathletes as a whole, part of friendships and inspiration and encouragement and support. I drove home to Colorado yesterday feeling grateful- grateful for everything I have in my life and the ability to continue to build new relationships. I met some special people in Omaha this weekend for the first time in person and I felt immediately bonded to them. These ladies were all amazing and simply made the weekend one to cherish. So, my take away from USAT Nationals this year may not have been a speedy run off the bike but it was a winner of a weekend and one I will look back on with great memories.
Next up is Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday September 9th. Once again, I will be racing with the best of the best and it is a real honor to have this chance. I am sure that this will also be a humbling experience as I race next to the best triathletes in the world at the half Ironman distance. I am just grateful to be amongst them all at the start line and I will once again go out there and give it my all. And, at the end of the day, that is all any of us can do. Be proud of what you accomplish. Be realistic about your personal goals but never give up on your dreams. Learn from the days which may fall a little short and use them as experiences to build on in the future. Be vulnerable, be real, be honest and be true to yourself.
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