Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....except this one time....

For the first time since September 2019, I got the opportunity to race a triathlon. There were so many obstacles between 2019 and this race day - a global pandemic that shut down racing entirely for most of 2020, a stress fracture that left me unable to run for approximately 8 weeks in early 2021, and severe thunderstorms on race morning - to say that I felt fortunate to race would be a huge understatement! Ironman Des Moines 70.3 was finally here!

The days leading up to the race were pretty terrific, I got to leave the state of Texas for the first time since February 2020 and go on an old-fashioned road trip with Erik across some states that I'd never seen before. The day before the race Erik and I met up with some of my Coeur Sports teammates for a short ride over part of the race course. Even though it was my first time to meet my teammates in person, it felt like seeing old friends again. The connections that we made during the pandemic year were invaluable and while it was a huge bummer that I never got to race in my 2020 kit, I wouldn't trade the friendships forged during a time of isolation and no races. The ride was fast and fun and it had me feeling really excited about the bike course that we would be racing the next morning.

Photo: Ruth Rickey

The forecast, however, was not looking as promising as that bike ride felt. I decided not to worry about the weather because it was beyond my control, but I really hoped that the race would happen, otherwise, we just took a really long drive to Iowa for a short bike ride.  The communication from Ironman and the race directors was spot on - we were never left guessing and our safety always appeared to be top of their mind. We received notification the night before that the race would be delayed approximately one hour, I really appreciated the extra hour of sleep. Upon waking on race morning, we received another notification asking us to stay in a sheltered location and wait an additional update coming by 7:30. Eventually I got dressed, ate some breakfast, and we headed to the race as the rain was still falling. Upon arrival, we learned that the race would start for age group athletes at 9:40 and that the bike course would be half of the usual distance (27 miles instead of 56). 

It was still raining as Erik and I made the one mile walk from the car to Transition, where my bike was waiting for me. I still wasn't sure that this race was happening and I felt nervous about riding on wet roads with all of those people (this race was huge with 2354 finishers!). I would be lying if I told you I didn't check the Ironman Lubbock website to see if they had openings for the next weekend (back-up plan, anyone?). But once I got into Transition, I found my groove and went about setting up my stuff. It has been so long since I've done this that I took a little extra time to double check everything. I left my sunglasses there as an after thought, not expecting to need them with continued rain in the forecast.

On the way out of transition, I ran into Erin who was also up from DFW for the race. It was great to have someone to talk to as we waited for our turn to start the swim and I also knew that Erik would enjoy hanging out with her husband Steve while we were racing. At 9:53 Erin and I found ourselves at the start line....at long last it was time to go!!

Swim                                                                                                                                        This was my first time to race the 70.3 Half Ironman distance since Ironman Waco in 2018 and the swim in that race was cancelled due to flooding...so going back from there this was my first time to race the 1.2 miles swim distance since 2016 (all my other race swims since then have been at the full Ironman distance of 2.4 miles). I have gained so much confidence in open water swimming since then, I was interested to see what my time would be. The lake was small and shallow and thanks to the recent heatwave, the water temperature was somewhere around 78 degrees. I heard from others that they felt there was a lot of contact in the swim, but I didn't think much about it while I was swimming. There were pockets that were more crowded and there were swimmers that I had to just get around because they were inconsistent in their speed and sighting. As I hit the halfway mark, I felt really grateful that I was not swimming the full Ironman distance that day. I was thrilled when I crossed the timing mat and saw 44:09 on my watch -- a 9:27 improvement! 

T1                                                                                                                                            I had my eye out for Erik as I began the run to Transition. I spotted him amongst the crowd and gave him a huge wave and smile as I began the very long run into transition....I'm not kidding when I say long run....it was .58 miles long! Maybe I should practice barefoot running straight out of the lake if/when I do this race again. When I *finally* made it to my bike I was grateful that I kept my sunglasses because the sun had come on strong while I was swimming. I got my bike and headed for the exit where I spotted teammate Elaina...10:47 later I was on my way to ride.

Bike                                                                                                                                          The bike course was 27.1 miles, half the distance of a typical 70.3 triathlon, but I wasn't sure what part of the course they cut and I was hoping that the portion of the course we rode the day before was still included. I took it more conservatively in the beginning than I would have liked, but I found myself nervous around other people on their bikes. I credit that to not racing (or even being close to strangers) in over a year. Once I got out to the main road I settled in and pushed the pace a bit. Soon enough I recognized our route from the previous day and I felt even more settled. There were a few times that made me feel nervous as the crosswind caught my bike. Thanks to the recent rain in Dallas, I did not get the opportunity to ride much on my race wheels and didn't quite have the confidence on them that I would have liked. The course was an out-and-back and it was fun to cheer for teammates along the way. I hit the u-turn and saw some of my fastest bike splits on the way back. I didn't think much about speed or power and focused on having fun. It was a blast! This is a great course - roads are smooth and the route is fast! Again, I found myself riding more conservatively as we entered Water Works Park and neared the end of the ride. There is always something to work on for future races. I finished the bike in 1:25:05 with an average of 19.35 mph.

T2                                                                                                                                            Back in transition, I switched into my run gear and sprayed myself with sunscreen. I'm also thankful that I kept that with me, although it did not do much good as I still got a pretty good sunburn on my back. I definitely felt rusty in there and could have been more efficient. Fun bike was done and now it was time to run. Transition time 4:54 - another thing to work on for the next race.

Run                                                                                                                                          Normally running is my jam. I came into triathlon as a long time runner and it is the event that I feel most confident at....except lately. Recovering from a metatarsal stress fracture in mid-December set my running game back a bit. This was only my 2nd time to run 13.1 miles since the injury. My confidence for anything over about 8 miles has not returned and I don't think that my endurance is quite there yet either. My plan was to find a steady all-day pace, click off some miles, and walk the water stations that were located every mile or so. This worked fine for me during much of the first loop and I held a steady mid-10:00 pace through the first 7 miles. My fastest mile was 9:40 and came during mile six when I saw Coach Jess, Ruth, Erik, and Steve - those cheers helped me so much! The second loop turned into a death march with the heat and the sun beating down on me. There is precious little shade on this course. I was walking more than I planned to or wanted, but forward is a pace and I was still moving! Seeing Kecia, Michelle, Sarah, and my other Coeur friends on the course gave me a boost here and there. Those smiles go a long way! I got a little more pep in my step during that last mile and I was so excited to turn that last corner and head for the finish. I think that you should celebrate every finish line because they are never promised. Being on that red carpet, hearing the announcer and the crowd again was pretty incredible and I tried to take it all in and really appreciate it. How lucky am I that I get to do these things that I love?! Run time: 2:32:14.    

Total time: 4:55:51

As my friend Kecia so perfectly stated, we are so privileged that we got to race on Sunday in Des Moines. I'm happy with how I handled the weather delay and the change in the bike course. I'm beyond thrilled with how I swam and I had an absolute blast riding my bike. I'm grateful that I can run 13.1 miles because when I signed up for this race I wasn't able to run a step. I have a whole list of things to work on and I'm thankful for that too because the challenge will keep me engaged and focused. I am grateful for Erik's support and encouragement both on race day and beyond. He listens to me ramble on and on about this sport that I love, he loves to ride his bike as much (or more than) me, and lately he has provided excellent kayak support for our weekly open water swims. 

This race knocked off the dust and reignited my fire. My fire for racing and triathlon has been lit!  have a fun calendar ahead of me this summer and I'm ready to do the hard work leading into Kerrville 70.3 in September. It feels great to be back to doing what I love, I didn't realize how much I missed it.  

We now return to (somewhat) regular programming....

The last time that I laced up my shoes to race was March 1, 2020 at the Cowtown Half Marathon. I probably didn't have any business running that far on that day as it was only two weeks after my first ultra marathon at Black Canyon and I just wasn't recovered. I ended up walking the last two or three miles of the race with that same hip and knee pain that plagued me in the later miles of the 60K at Black Canyon. It was my personal worst half marathon time, but hindsight being what it is I'm really grateful to have been out there that day. I remember the crush of people during the post race celebration and laughing and talking with friends while being covered in sunshine. None of us had any idea what a stark contrast our world would be just two weeks later.

March 1, 2020 - my last live race

I kept myself entertained well enough during the remainder of 2020. I enjoy racing, but it is not the reason that I train and I stayed plenty active running, cycling, and swimming once the pools opened up again in June. I enjoyed having the fitness to go after any potential adventure or virtual race that came up. I rode my road bike all summer and ran trails once we started meeting up socially distanced in groups again. I signed up for TransTexas in July and I virtually ran and walked almost all the way across Texas before having to shut it down just a couple of weeks and less than 100 miles from the end. I ran the Dallas Half Marathon virtually on December 12 and had one of my strongest half marathons in a couple of years. I felt great, it was a great day - until later that night I noticed a tender spot on the top of my foot. Things seemed better until I went out for a run the following Tuesday morning and had to shut it down and limp home after 3 miles. It would appear that I had a metatarsal stress fracture, I found myself in an incredibly nerdy flipper shoe throughout the holidays and I did not run for 8 weeks.  

All smiles after my virtual Dallas Half - if I only knew

I've never been more thankful to be a triathlete and poured myself into swimming and cycling while I was not able to run. I joined up with the Coeur Velo live cycling workouts via Zoom and it was one of the best things to happen to my cycling fitness. See? There is always a silver lining if you keep your mind open! I'm still enjoying these workouts super early on weekday mornings and the structured long trainer rides on Saturdays got me through until the weather got nice enough to ride outside again. I am thankful for the community that the Coeur Virtual Cycling Club has brought into my life. The swimming and cycling kept my fitness nice and strong and I even got a little bit of a jump on training for my next big race - Ironman 70.3 in Des Moines coming up this June.

Coming back from a stress fracture is not as easy as they make it sound. I started limited running in February and slowly rebuilt from there. After a various tweaks and pains (not in my foot) related to a compromised gait, I finally started to feel like myself again. I wanted to put a race on my calendar and the Cowtown Half on May 8 worked out perfectly. It would give me something to aim for and would be a good benchmark on where my running is heading into the last block of training for my 70.3 in Des Moines.

After 60 weeks.....race day was here. I've run 13 miles more times than I can count, but I felt the familiar pre-race jitters as we drove to Fort Worth early Saturday morning. I was not expecting a fast race, but I was hoping for a healthy race. It would be my longest run since the injury in December and I just wanted to cover the distance without any pain other than fatigue. The course was modified from the usual course, we ran in reverse with some new sections that I'd never seen. The Cowtown Half is a challenging race to begin with, but they promised us even more hills in this edition.

Start lines these days are very anti-climatic. It is common for a race to give you a start time and you simply walk up and cross the line when it is your turn to go. Erik and I walked up together and then we were off! I watched him disappear into the distance as I settled into an easy pace to start the race. It was my hope to run a relaxed pace and then kick it up at the end if I had anything left. Spoiler alert: this did not happen. 

If felt so good to be running in a live race with other people! I made sure to thank every police office directing traffic and as many of the volunteers as I could. Miles 1-5 were my fastest then things started to slow down from there. I think that it was a combination of the humid weather, the strong winds, the course, and my rusty mental racing game. Sundance Square and the Stockyards are my favorite parts of the Cowtown course and we were through them by mile 6. I also noticed that I didn't feel much wind during any of the early miles, which told me we would have to face it eventually - likely in the later miles. And we did! I started to walk up some of the hills at this point, thinking that it would save me some energy for the flat stretches.

Around mile 9 we entered a park and it was my least favorite part of the course. The path was long and somewhat narrow, the air was heavy, and there just wasn't much to see. I think that this is where my rusty mental game started to get me as I lost focus through here. I was ready to be done! I was also reaching past my longest mileage in months and I know that my endurance isn't quite where it needs to be. I stopped to walk out a brief but sharp side stitch when my Coeur teammate Christa ran by and called out to me. It gave me a boost and I got back to it. 

There was one more long and steady hill to climb and I hiked up it with as much purpose as I could muster. It is amazing how much better I felt knowing that the hills were done and I was able to pick up the pace in that final mile. I found myself with a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I crossed the finish line. I looked around and tried to take it all in and feel the moment. We have all been waiting so long for these moments that feel so "normal" to return. I will never take a start or a finish line for granted again. Not only were races cancelled for a year due to the pandemic, I was physically unable to run at all just a couple months ago. I am so lucky that I GET to do these things that I love so much! 

The post race hangout was not quite the same, but it was nice to see so many faces that I haven't seen in person for so long. I cannot say enough positive things about the Cowtown race officials and their attention to detail to provide a safe racing environment for us. I'm so appreciative that they made it happen despite the delay on the calendar and the multitude of other challenges I'm sure that they faced. It was the perfect "comeback" race for me and provided closure and a fresh start to the gradual return of normalcy. 

Next up - Ironman 70.3 Des Moines. My first 70.3 since 2018 and I can't wait!