TriAptitude Coaching

It has been a hot minute since I have written a blog and shared my thoughts here on my page. Yes, I have been delinquent with updates, and I probably could give you all a million excuses as to why I have not been writing. The biggest one on the list would be that I have been busy proof reading and copy-editing college essays for my youngest son Tommy who is in the throes of college applications. So, I have been putting some of my own personal writing off to the side in the hopes that I can help my kiddo get into the school of his dreams 😉 But, well, this weekend and this race deserve some writing and emotional processing through written word as it was so special for me in so many ways. So, here goes- you all know that I am not short on words so skim this, skip this, read this in its entirety- do whatever works for you- just please know how much I appreciate that you are even here and sharing my thoughts with me.

Ironman Indian Wells 70.3 was a deferral race for me this year since I could not race my early season 70.3 race in Galveston this April. I originally chose Indian Wells as a replacement because I felt like it was a new racecourse for me and one which several of my friends had really enjoyed. So, I chose this race hoping that I might convince a few of my buddies to go along for the ride and share the day with me. I was right- I had a great group of my Colorado friends with me this weekend and I also connected with several amazing women whom I had hoped to meet in person but knew mostly from online interactions. My wonderful coach Kathy retired after my IMWC race in Kona 2024, so I convinced Audra Adair to take me on as an athlete with Relentless Coaching in May and we started training together in June. The goal was to hit Indian Wells hard and qualify for Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain which takes place November 8, 2025. I had turned down slots to Taupo in 2024 and also Finland in 2023- so, I really wanted to go to Europe and race in 2025. I also knew that Tommy would be leaving for college in August, Greg and I would be empty nesters, and I would need a good, solid distraction for myself. So, Audra and I made a plan. I kept the plan pretty quiet. Whisper goals are good. I work best without a lot of pressure on me, so I tend to keep the big dreams to myself. Audra and I had a focus- as a coach, her focus was for me to not just qualify but win. I think her words were- “Why just set the goal to qualify- let’s just say you are going to win your age group”. My response was – “Okay. I’ll do my best to get there. But, I am 54 in the F50-54 age group so that means I am the oldest lady in this group.” LOL. Audra’s retort – as so true of Audra and her strength and beauty as an athlete and coach- “So what, Court. Whatever. You’ve got this.”

So, we hit training hard- harder than I have in a very long time. In fact, I texted Audra that first week and asked, “Ummm…..are you trying to kill me??” She believed in me and my ability to get big workouts done. Big dreams mean big workouts. Believe. Yes, she said that always and often. We had to navigate some changes as my own personal coaching added a lot of volume to my training and I was getting overly fatigued as I tried to balance activity as an athlete and also as a coach. But, as time went on, I found my groove, figured out that I needed to fuel A LOT more than I was on a daily basis, and I prioritized my rest and recovery as much as I could in my hours away from training. I did have a set back with an angry hip flexor which proved to be perhaps more of a mental stumbling block than an actual physical one. I started to doubt my run abilities with the pain and frustration I felt with that hip. Yes, those doubts started to creep into my mind. Audra reworked my plan- I did weeks of cross-training and water running, shorter high intensity runs, power and strength work, increased swim and cycling volume. Coming into race day, my hip was feeling better, I was feeling fit overall, and I just knew that I needed to go out there and give it all I had. I was ready to do that. I just did not know if that would be enough to wind up on top of W50-54.

I arrived in Palm Springs late on Thursday night and my close friend Annie came and picked me up at the airport. Annie was supposed to race this weekend but sadly broke her foot a few months back, but she came to support me anyway and she was invaluable to me. Annie has raced in Indian Wells twice before and knew the racecourse and the area well. She found us a darling Air BnB in a great location in historic La Quinta. I had great roads to ride on leading into the race and also a fantastic run trail right at the base of the mountains. We were also located between the swim at Lake Cahuilla and the finish line at Indian Wells Tennis Center. So, it was convenient to everything and cut down on our travel time a lot going into the race as we prepared gear bags and did drop offs on Saturday at the two transitions. Plus, Annie was a great sherpa and drove me all around- she knew the area well and I had not a stress in the world going into the race. Quiet time with a good friend, a house to prepare meals, just a stress-free prerace experience. It was invaluable to me mentally.

Friday, I did the usual stuff- I checked in for the race, Annie and I drove the bike course, I packed my transition bags, I did a check out ride on my bike after I rebuilt it, and we did a swim at the Palm Desert Aquatic Club. That night, we met Tracy, Kirsten, Lara and Kim for dinner and had a lovely time. Saturday was pretty stress free as well- I loved that! My bike worked well the day before, so it was ready to check in at the lake at 9am. I did my check out run early at 7am on Saturday morning so I had that done also. We headed to Lake Cahuilla at 8:30am, checked my bike in and decontaminated my wetsuit, double checked my bike gear bag and then headed back to Indian Wells to drop off my run gear and T2. We were done by noon- it always takes longer than you think! We hit Whole Foods for dinner food and ran a few errands and headed back to the house. All went smoothly! Annie and I laughed out loud all night long at Lucy Lui on Why Women Kill, I fell asleep on the sofa and Annie made me go to bed at 8:30pm and that was about it for Saturday. It was almost time to race. I felt calm, I felt ready, I did not feel overly worried about anything- just a few of the normal prerace nerves which we all expect leading into a big race and which I usually only feel before the swim portion of an event.

So, let’s just get to the nitty gritty of this race. It went pretty darn close to perfect for me. I felt great on the swim and I seeded myself in a great spot for the rolling start. I felt comfortable and in pace with the swimmers around me. I lost a little time coming back to the swim finish for the last 500 meters as the sun was bright and right in my eyes, so I had to site more frequently and slow my pace to make sure I was on course. It was hard for me to identify our swim exit as well on the beach, so I had a harder time getting back into a rhythm and staying in it that last portion of the swim course. I came out of the swim in 5th place W50-54 at 36:10 which is a bit slower for me but the top 5 of us were all within about a minute or so of each other so I was not far off the lead. I ran up shore, grabbed my Bike Gear bag, had a wet suit stripper pull my wetsuit off, put my helmet on and clasped it, decided not to wear socks, arm warmers or gloves, stuffed my wetsuit into the bag, handed it to a volunteer and took off running. My bike shoes were in my left hand, I ran as fast as I could to my bike rack, washed my feet with water to get the sand off, unracked my bike and ran as fast as I could barefoot to Bike Out. When I crossed the mount line, I put my shoes on and jumped on my bike and got going. T1 time 4:45. It was quick enough to move me up from #5 to #1. I was in first place. But, I did not know this. I just started to ride.

Bike Time 2:36:42- Second fastest bike split of my age group. Just shy of #1 bike split by about 30 seconds. I lost a little steam coming into T2 and reduced my pace because I was having some tummy upset and needed to slow my pace and get my heart rate down a little. The ride was uneventful, and all went well. The Thermal Club racecourse was an amazingly fun part of the course- flat and very fast. Some bumpy roads for sure down by the lake on the roads but all in all the course was flat and fast. I stayed in aero most of the 56 miles and took my Infinit Nutrition in on my regular schedule. I felt strong on the bike to the end with the exception of the stomach pain the last 10 minutes. That dissipated in T2 and I felt good to go for the run. I saw Annie as I was coming into T2 and she told me that I was in 1st Place by 30 seconds or so at that point. So, I knew that I needed to transition fast and find a sustainable pace for the run.

Ran my bike into transition, racked it, took off my helmet and cycling shoes, changed into my run shoes and I was gone. T2 time 3:45. My legs felt solid running out across the timing mat, and I was hopeful they would hold up for the next 13.1 miles to the finish.

This run is deceptively hard. The majority of it takes place on a golf course path which undulates and rolls up and down continuously over the course of 4 miles. This is a double loop course, so you have a few miles of flat and downhill/uphill leading into and out of the golf course. It is very hard to find a consistent pace on this type of terrain, so it definitely taxes the body more and fatigues the legs. This was the part of the race I was a little worried about- would my hip hold up after mile 9-10? Could I keep a consistent pace and maintain form? Would I fall apart?? I tried to push all those doubts out of my mind and focus on one mile at a time. And, each mile was successful, and I continued to feel strong. Before I knew it, I was looking at Annie at mile 11 and she told me that I had a good lead and to run it in strong. It was a marvelous feeling coming into that finisher’s chute knowing that I had perhaps just executed one of the best races I have in my 12 years as a triathlete. My final run time was 1:54 and was the fastest run of my age group. I finished the race in first place at 5:16 with a 13-minute lead. What?? YES!!! I am headed to Marbella Spain for World Championships!!

Lots of thank yous go out to my family, my friends, and my race teams. The biggest thank you of the weekend goes to Annie Fox for being with me every step of the way on this weekend adventure and also to my coach Audra Adair for getting me ready for an epic race. I know I have said it before, but these results don’t just happen in triathlon. It takes consistency, dedication over time, support and understanding from loved ones, a great support crew on the ground on race day- but also all the amazing humans behind the scenes- my coach Audra Adair, my massage therapist Kent Gaither, my chiropractor Susan Fontana, my physical therapists at vertical Motion PT. It is truly a team effort and I thank everyone on my team. I have great peeps in my corner, and they have helped me reach for and find great success over the years. Thank you guys!!!!