TriAptitude Coaching

Hi gang! I am back at home after a whirlwind adventure in St George! Wow, that was so fun and brutal at the same time. My day did not go as planned and I had to pull off the course about 14 miles or so into the run due to strained ligaments in my left knee. That was a bummer. It was an awesome day full of challenges and I had a great swim and bike on course. I just had issues with my knee after those big climbs.  So, I wanted to share some lessons I learned from my own experience this past weekend:

1) Ironman- both the 70.3 and the full distance- is a long journey. The accomplishment and success you will have in training should be acknowledged and respected- anything can happen on race day. It is one day of the experience and although we all want it to be perfect, it rarely is. Be adaptable and be positive. Embrace what goes well and what doesn’t. There are always lessons to learn- even from disappointing days.

2) Expect the best but always plan for the unexpected and realize that some things are just out of your control.  I was prepared in every way on Saturday to finish that course. Sadly, it only took one mishap to throws things off for me. By mile 65 on the bike, my knee started to feel sore and strange. This had not happened to me in training, and everything had checked out fine on the bike leading into the race. But, somehow, post-race when my coach and I were looking at my gear to figure out why my knee had blown up on the run, we noticed that my left cleat was out of alignment. Riding for over 6 hours that way was the cause of the issue.

3) Sometime, the hardest part of the race is assessing what is best for you mentally vs what is best for you physically. It was much harder for me to walk off that racecourse at mile 14 than it would have been to finish- but it also would have meant injuring myself further and taking me out of my “A” races later this year. Although this was labeled a “World Championship” event- I had not qualified for it but had rather been deferred into it as a default last year from Couer D’Alene. So, risking long term issues which might derail the rest of my year was not in my best interest. Had my personal goals been different, then I would have strongly considered trying to run on that knee for a finish. I decided to suffer disappointment rather than injury.

4)Surround yourself with the best support crew you can on race day!  It makes all the difference leading into the event and also on course when the going gets tough. I was blessed to have my closest friends with me, and they really did an outstanding job of keeping me calm, focused and having fun. They were also exceptional at taking care of me post-race when I was not feeling great and was feeling a bit blue.  I can’t thank them enough.  Find your go to people and make sure they shower you with positivity to fuel you for race day!

5) Have realistic expectations and focus on your personal WHY. Why are you here at this start line and what is driving you to compete with yourself over the duration of this swim, bike run?  Knowing your intrinsic motivation will help fuel you successfully to reach those goals.

Not every day is going to be a best training day or a terrific race day. Even though I did not finish my race last Saturday, I learned valuable lessons along the way during those 11.5 hours on course.  I am strong, I am persistent, I am a great swimmer in cold water and can zig zag around slower swimmers like a champ, I am a great bike handler when 30 mph cross winds hit me on scary descents, sticking ice down my race kit always feels refreshing, I prefer to race smart and not reckless, not finishing a race does not define me as an athlete but does make me human and perhaps a more compassionate person and coach. When you struggle and endure, it gives you a better perspective in supporting others in life and sport. All fantastic lessons and I embrace those for the next adventure.