Start Me Up - January 2022

Somehow more than six months have passed since I last sat down to write in this space. Some pretty great things happened in that time too: Kerrville Triathlon, DRC Half Marathon, Rockledge Rumble, the North Texas Turkey Trot, and Dallas Marathon Half. Maybe I will circle back and catch these sometime, but for now I am going to focus on more current times. I have missed blogging and I have decided to try to do monthly recaps in 2022 instead of individual race recaps. We'll see how this goes!

New Year's Day 

When you wake up to spring weather and January 1st is on a Saturday, you go and ride your bike! I hadn't been outside on my bike since late October so it sure felt great to hit the open roads with Mr K and Colleen. We had to take advantage of the mild morning because by nightfall temperatures had plunged to below freezing with a strong north wind. Insert cliche about Texas weather here....

Hotcake Hustle 10K

I had gotten away from running races even before everything was cancelled in 2020. I found myself in a pattern of racing one or two really BIG races each year and let many of the shorter, smaller races go by the wayside. Now that races are back, I realize how much I've missed them and I made it a goal to race at least once each month. January 8 brought the first race of the year: the Hotcake Hustle 10K. This is a longstanding local race, but I'd never run it before. The NTX Turkey Trot was the first 10K I'd run in years and my goal was to run it just a little bit faster than I'd run that race. 

I haven't done much speedwork, but I have been working on running steady, focused, and patient. The weather was in the upper 40s with a light rain - pretty good for running but pretty miserable for standing around before and after the race. I really enjoyed this course through Oak Point Park, especially after the turnaround in mile 4 because I knew that the there wouldn't be any more hills and that we would get a gentle downhill. This worked perfectly with my plan to keep things steady and controlled until mile 4 when I planned to let her rip. I got it done 5 seconds faster than the Turkey Trot so I took that as a win for the day. The biggest win, however, were the post race pancakes that I enjoyed with Mr K and Colleen.

Too Cold To Hold 13.1

On January 29 I ran the Too Cold To Hold half marathon at White Rock Lake. This was one of my favorite races back in the day and it felt great to get back to it after 7 years away. Where does the time go? Race morning was bustling as there was also a 5K and a 10K in addition to the half marathon and we saw many familiar faces. The weather was a perfect 35 degrees with big sunshine and very little wind. 

My plan was similar to the Hotcake Hustle - run steady through the first half and then gradually pick up the speed until mile 10 then let her rip. My goal was also similar: run just a little bit faster than the Dallas Marathon Half in December. This would be another step in regaining my running mojo, a process that I started back in November. I got off to a great start and ran smoothly and conservatively until the turn around just after mile 7. White Rock lake was simply gorgeous and it was easy to focus on the beautiful surroundings and just cruise. Once I got past the turnaround, I was able to focus on runners ahead of me to pick off while steadily dropping the pace. I was in such a good space mentally, it feels so good to break out of that negative headspace I had been racing in during the last couple of years. 

I executed this race exactly as I planned and crossed the finish line 2 minutes and 15 seconds faster than my run at Dallas Marathon half and over 6 minutes faster than the DRC Half in November. My comeback is well underway!  I also got to race in my Coeur Sports 2022 Ambassador Team kit for the first time. I feel fortunate for another year of racing on this team and I try my best to be a positive force on the race course. 

2022 Plans

What is coming up in 2022? I plan to run Cowtown Half in February and Grasslands Trail Half in March. That will take me into my favorite season - triathlon season - where I have some big plans. I'm super excited to be racing Musselman 70.3 in Geneva, NY this July! 

Several of my Coeur Sports teammates will be racing as well and I'm so excited to meet many of them in person for the first time. I will also be racing Kerrville Triathlon Festival 70.3 in September. 

I have been selected as a race ambassador for Kerrville Triathlon and I'm really excited to return to the Kerrvillle and "the most scenic triathlon in Texas"  You can join the fun - use discount code KennemerKerrTri2022 for $10 off your race registration. 

I couldn't ask for a better start to 2022! I'm looking forward to great year of training hard and racing happy. 

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.  

Tap...Tap....Is this thing on?

I always have the best intentions of blogging....then life happens and blog posts don't and you've heard this story before. I enjoy writing and I think it is important to look back over my stories from time to time so I'm going to make an effort to make this happen a little more often this year.  Deal? Deal.

So what have I been up to since Ironman Chattanooga and my last blog post? Let me get you up to speed on what has been going on the last few months.

Ironman 70.3 Waco - October 28, 2018
As I recovered from Ironman Chattanooga I was also ramping up for Ironman 70.3 Waco.  I wasn't so sure how this would go, but I took it easy for a week before dusting off the bike trainer and setting that ridiculously early alarm clock again. The training itself was not so bad, minus one awful trainer triple brick in the pouring rain. Rain. So much rain. That seemed to be the theme of fall training, we were barely able to get in Lake Grapevine the week before the race because the water was so high. Which leads us to race week and an deja vu all over again. Swim? No swim? Short swim in cold water? There was a ton of speculation in the days leading up to the race; however, in the end there was no swim.  How is it the year that I improved so much in swimming all of my swims would be canceled? Isn't that how it goes? I was really looking forward to doing a complete 70.3 because I felt like I had a great shot at a PR since I had improved at swimming and cycling since my last attempt in 2016.

I had a blast at Waco, so much so that I am strongly considering signing up again this year even though it will be just a month and a half post Ironman.  We had a great group hanging out in our bunkhouse, watching college football and the World Series, enjoying views, and cooking dinner in the countryside outside of Waco. It was just a fun, super relaxed vibe. It was also great to race so close to home because there were tons of friends on the course and cheering.

I had a couple of goals for the race here in Waco. I had the best day ever on the bike in Chattanooga, but I paid for it big time on the run so my goal was to still bike strong but not suffer so much on the run. My second goal was to make a quicker transition from bike to run. We had another time trial start and I focused on settling in and passing people as I needed to. The result was 2:51:43 and an average of 19.57 mph - a 20 minute bike PR over my last attempt. I also had a goal to transition quicker and I got in and out in 4:17, which is a huge improvement over all of my recent long distance triathlons. As soon as I stepped off the bike I could tell that I was going to have a much better run.  I knew that there were going to be some hills on this course and Cameron Park did not disappoint. I got hot and tired and slowed down a bit on the second loop and finished the run in - 2:20:32.  In all likelihood, it would have been a PR race for me but I will never know for sure. I am so glad that I did this race, not only did I meet my two goals for the day, but I was able to practice some of the things that I learned in Chattanooga.  That run was so hard, I'm glad that I was able to end the season with a better effort.

Dallas Marathon Half - December 9, 2018
Once I recovered from triathlon season, I focused on running.  I thought long and hard about doing an ultra distance race sometime during the winter, but sometimes the body has other plans.  I ran a lot in November, but always had a little bit of a nagging "something" going on in my foot.  Honestly, it had been an off and on thing for much of the year I was just always able to stretch and roll and make it work.  I ran three times the week of the Dallas Marathon Half and by Thursday my foot was super sore and I knew that it was not something I would be able to stretch or roll away.  I felt better with a few days rest and set out to run the half marathon.

I love this half course and I love being out with all of my fellow runners in Dallas.  It turned out to be a beautiful day - cold at the start with the clouds giving away to beautiful sunshine.  I started out super strong and it gave me hope for the day, but I began to feel sluggish in the middle miles and by the end I felt like I was working really hard for the paces. I ended up running 1:58, but it didn't feel like the usual effort for me. My foot was very sore by the time that I left the race and I could no longer deny that I had a case of plantar fasciitis.

Cowtown Half - February 24, 2019
I spent all of December, January, and February working through plantar fasciitis - running about half my usual mileage, swimming a lot, cycling some, and doing more strength training and high intensity interval training. I signed up for the Cowtown Half at the Dallas Marathon Expo and it was a goal of mine to be healthy enough by race day to run.

Cowtown is another one of those races that I never want to miss because it is such a great day of running and friends. Thanks Glenn and Muscle Activation Techniques at Live Free Fitness and lots of stretching and foot strengthening on my part I made it to the start line.  The weather has been pretty sketchy around here lately, but we were gifted with a beautiful, sunny, and cool race day. I ran about 15 minutes slower than my average half marathon time, but I had very little pain during or after the race.  I consider that a huge success! Being there with the crowds and the hype was just the shot of energy that I needed to start me back on my journey to rebuild my mileage.

Sooo....what's next?
We are headed to Wisconsin! Ironman Wisconsin on September 8 is the Ironman race of choice this year.  I'm really looking forward to training cranking up again, in the meantime I'm working on building a strong and healthy base so that I can reach some high goals that I will set for myself.  I'll do a few fun trail races between now and then - Grasslands Half in a couple of weeks, Coyote Run in April, and maybe Possum's Revenge in May.  Ironman Waco 70.3 is also a possibility as I had such a fun time at that race and I would love to be able to swim and get that PR. 

So there you have it, the quick version of what I have been up to since Ironman Chattanooga.  One of my many goals for the year is to blog more often - y'all hold me to it, okay?

Kerrville 70.3 Run: Texas Flood

(Welcome to Part 4 of my Kerrville 70.3 story - make sure you catch up with the Prelude, Swim, and Bike before you read the grand finale!)

I racked my bike in T2 and looked at myself for the first time all day and I saw a filthy mess! Cycling on those roads wet from rain left me with quite a bit of road grime.  My feet were also soaked from all of the puddles.  I had already planned on taking a minute or two to put Body Glide on my feet and change into my toe socks as I had some big blisters by the end of the run last year at Redman. Blisters can be a huge issue for me and I felt it was worth my time to take some preventative measures before I took off.  Looking back, this decision probably saved me a good deal of grief on the run.  As I stood up and began to hustle out of transition, I noticed that my right hip was still a little bit tight from the bike.  I stopped for a moment and stretched and then I was off.

As with the swim and the run, my plan was to ease into the run by starting at a pace I felt like I could hold "all day" and then stay there until the closing miles of the race.  Coach Frank gave told us that the run course started with a very long and very gradual false flat that would make things feel more difficult than they appeared.  I was grateful for that piece of information and kept it in mind as I headed off.  The course was two loops of 6.55 miles, which made it easy to divide up in my mind, and it was along a walk/run path near the Guadalupe River.  I filled my handheld (already loaded up with Tailwind powder) at the first aide station and then did not stop again until the turn around at the far end, somewhere around mile 3.

The weather had already been quite interesting and I could tell by looking at the skies that it was about to get a little bit wild.  The big, dark clouds that were in the distance were getting closer and closer to us.  I prepared myself to run through the rain and just crossed my fingers that there was no lightning or thunderstorms in those dark clouds.  I made it to the turn around and walked a few steps through the u-turn section at the very end before heading back towards transition and the rest of the loop.  It wasn't long after then that the skies just opened up and dumped so much rain on us.  I could hear grumbles from those around me, but I was not about to let the weather ruin my fun.  I couldn't help but to think of the famous quote: Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. This rain wasn't passing anytime soon and I was ready to dance!

I saw Mr K heading out on the run as I was making my way back and he called out to me that he lost about 10 minutes with a bike mechanical.  I was bummed to hear that since he is such a beast on the bike, but I was glad to see him safe and sound.  Racing with one's spouse can be worrisome as you just have to hope that they are okay and are having a good day because you often don't see them for hours at a time.

The rain kept coming and coming, it was running ankle deep across the running path in several spots.  I was a little concerned about blisters and the fatigue that running in wet, heavy shoes would bring (not to mention that I hate wet shoes and socks), but I decided not to focus on that and just wait to deal with it if it happened.  This race is especially mean as you run past the finish line four times before you get to turn into the finisher's chute.  Right after the finish line there was a huge bridge and many spectators were huddled under it seeking shelter from the rain.  I later saw an update on Facebook instructing all of the spectators to head to that bridge during the downpour.  It was a fun area to pass through because it was super loud and packed full of good energy.  There was one small out and back after this bridge and then I got to pass through it again on my way to the second loop.

My pace felt great so far, not too fast and not too labored - it just felt like an all day kind of run.  I also saw that my heart rate was staying fairly steady and was in a great range for that point of the race. I was pretty pleased when I finished the first loop in just over an hour.  A quick round of mental math told me...oh, who am I kidding, I'm not great at math on a regular day...but I knew that I was on pace for a really great run and I was still hoping to negative split the second loop.

My run at Redman was just such a mess, I walked way more of it than I care to admit and that hurt my pride a bunch.  I like to think of myself as a strong runner and a 2:54 half marathon was disappointing.  I had some very encouraging brick runs during training and they went a long way to build confidence in my run.  I didn't really have a time goal in mind for this race, I just knew that I wanted to run it well and feel good about it when I crossed the finish line.  I honestly thought that anything in the 2:20 neighborhood would be pretty awesome.

Coach Frank was hanging out in the Tri-Now tent on the course and he made me laugh each time I passed.  My favorite might have been "Hurry up, MK! I'm getting wet here!" As I began the second loop, I told myself that there would be no stopping until that u-turn at the far end, then I allowed myself one very short walk break.  This was probably the longest part of the run, it felt like forever to get out to that u-turn.  It was still raining too, sometimes just a drizzle and sometimes it came down on us in sheets.  It was during this loop that I noticed that the aide station volunteers had all been pulled and the aide stations had become self-serve.  This was one run I would never forget!

I saw Mr K a couple of more times on the run and we cheered each other on each time.  He was looking steady and strong and that made me feel happy.  The second "out" section of this run was definitely the toughest for me mentally - as the middle miles in races usually are for me  - just past the halfway mark, but not close enough to be to the "almost done" part.  I was tired, but felt nice and steady, it was just impatience starting to set in - gotta calm the restless mind.  The nitty gritty, time to dig in and focus on the task at hand.  After what felt like forever I reached the u-turn at the far end and walked about 20 steps.  And guess what? Running felt a lot better than walking so off I went again.

I love the last time through a looped course because it feels a little bit like a victory lap to me.  There is something uplifting about knowing that is the last time you will see all of the landmarks.  The way back didn't seem as long as the way out and as I passed by the finish line I knew that the next time I came by I would be making that turn.  As I approached the final miles, I knew that I had to go for the LOFO (last one, fast one).  My buddy Stude (The Encourager, remember him?) raced up at Redman the day before and cranked out an impressive LOFO despite the rough conditions.  As I made the last turn around and heard mile 12 chime on my watch, I dug in and gave it all I had.  The people under the noisy bridge seemed to know that I was headed for the finish and they gave me extra loud cheers. These are the moments we live for!

Finally, the finish line.  I crossed that line knowing that I had executed the best possible race that I could. I had no regrets and knew that I left nothing out there, my training was solid, my mental game was strong, and my race came together perfectly. That finish was everything that my finish at Redman was not. I had been waiting a year for that redemption, to put together the race that I knew that I was capable of, to live up to my potential. My official time was 6:21:05 - an hour and seven minute PR! Placing in my age group was not a goal, but I was thrilled to learn that I was 4th.

A couple of weeks later, I was talking with Drum while we were running on the beach in Port Aransas.  She shared that she believed that an athlete gets a limited number of "perfect" races in their lifetime and when they happen they should really be savored.  I believe that she is right about this and I know that I experienced one of those dream races in Kerrville. I've been working hard to savor it before moving onto my next big goal.  In looking back over the day, I can honestly say there is nothing I would change or do differently. And most importantly, I had an absolute blast! I can't remember the last time that I had that much fun racing.  I found myself moping about a bit in the days following the race simply because it was all over.  I loved the training and the race so much that it left a bit of a void when it was all said and done.

So there you have it, my Kerrville 70.3 story.  I'm not sure where I am headed from here, but I feel certain that it will involve a fast bike and a pair of running shoes.  Heck, I'll throw in some goggles and a swim cap too, if I must.  I know that this race was not a destination, but a fabulous experience a long the road.  I'm enjoying the ride and I'm waiting to see what is around the next corner.

Run: 2:06:03
2nd AG
Total: 6:21:05
4th AG

Kerrville 70.3 Prelude: Donkeys and Sunsets

Sometimes things just come together so perfectly that you surprise even yourself.  I've had a super strong training and racing year and my training for Kerrville 70.3 followed that trend.  I had more "life" happen during this training cycle than in most and I didn't get to follow my training plan down to the detail, as is my usual tendency.  Regardless, I felt so much stronger and more prepared than I felt heading into my first 70.3 triathlon exactly one year ago at Redman.  In fact, I felt downright chill and had a calm that was almost eerie.  I was so mellow about the whole thing that I started to worry that I was a little too calm.  Did my mind really comprehend what we were about to do?  I did the typical race weather stalking, but the forecast got worse with each peek that I took.  It started with a 60% chance of rain early in the week and ended with a 100% chance of thunderstorms by the time I looked on Friday.  I decided to stop looking at it or even thinking about it as it was something that was totally out of my control.  We would either race, or we would not race.  We would get soaked, or we would not.

Texas, y'all.

On Friday afternoon, Mr K and I packed up the car and headed towards Kerrville.  Driving through the backroads in the Texas Hill Country as it was bathed in the beautiful sunlight of the golden hour filled my heart with happiness.  Those roads and that scenery are like a love letter to my beloved state and seeing them looking so gorgeous really set my soul at ease.  As we passed through Hico, we saw a man walking with a donkey who was pulling a cart that said "will work for carrots." I hollered with excitement at Mr K "DONKEY! DONKEY! I THINK I SAW THEM ON CHANNEL 8 ONCE!!" Well, if you know Mr K then you know that he has never met a stranger and before I knew it he had pulled over on the side of the road so that we could meet them.  As chance would have it, I was right, Charlie and Smokey had been featured on a story on WFAA earlier this year (go watch the story here - it is a good one!). It was such an honor to meet them and talk with them for just a little bit.  As you might know, I consider the donkey to be my "spirit animal" and their random appearance along the road gave me an overwhelming feeling that everything was going to be alright.

We took it pretty easy on Saturday morning before meeting up with Coach Frank and his group from Tri-Now for a practice swim.  Many thanks to Frank as he was super supportive of Mr K and I all weekend and included us in some of their team events and the Saturday evening meal.  The place where we swam was all too familiar to me as I had been there on two prior occasions. Two and a half years back, when we were at a spring base camp with Tri-Now, I stood on the shore of the Guadalupe River and watched Mr K do his first ever open water swim.  I thought that those triathletes were so cool, but I couldn't imagine myself ever swimming like that.  The water didn't scare me as I spent much of my childhood in Lake Texoma, but the act of swimming itself seemed downright daunting.  I visited this same area later again that same year when the FIGJAM group came down to the Hill Country for a long bike weekend.  This time I watched Drum and Julie swim in those same waters and again, I thought that the were pretty awesome.  Now it was my turn, life is funny that way.  Mr K and I both did the practice swim in our wetsuits only to learn later that the water was too warm and it was not going to be wetsuit legal.  I'm not sure I've ever swum that far in the open water without my wetsuit and I tried not to let that worry me too much.

The rest of Saturday was spent hustling around town, dropping off bikes at the first transition area and bags of running stuff a couple of miles down the road at the second transition area.  I've never done a tri with a split transition before and it takes a little bit more pre-planning.  There is just so much stuff involved - thank goodness for check-lists! Everyone was optimistic about the forecast since the thunderstorms had been taken out and the rain was scheduled to come in later in the day.  This thing just might happen after all!  I don't think that I have ever had such a happy and positive feeling before a race.  I wish that I could bottle it up because it was a pretty amazing feeling.

Vivace and I were ready to tango.

We enjoyed a nice dinner with the Tri-Now folks and soon it was time to head off to bed.  The big day was finally (almost) here and I could hardly wait for my alarm clock.

Redman 70.3 Act II: The Ride of My Life

Welcome to Act II of my Redman 70.3 story!  We pick up here right after the worst swim ever (okay, maybe not the *worst* since I am alive to tell the tale...but I digress).  If you missed it, click here.

Bike -  3:16:01 -  17.1 mph
I was still shaking my head a little bit as I came out of the water, but there was no time to dwell on what had happened there.  I had a long way to go still and was looking forward to getting on my bike. After the most awkward wetsuit stripping ever, I stuffed my pockets full of food and gels and hit the open road.  I spotted Mr K and the gang and knew that he must have been worried because that swim took much longer than expected.  It is always a boost to see "your people" out on the course!  I also spotted a hot dog and a shark and it took me a second to realize I KNOW THEM!  TPG and Robert always bring the smiles with their clever costumes.  It was a nice shot of energy as I headed out for my ride.

Team Hot Dog - Shark were awesome (Photo: Drum)

I can't remember a ton of specific details about the bike course itself.  There were no monster climbs or super rough roads - just a fast course on some country roads.  I passed a few people in the early miles and then settled in, focusing on my eating plan and keeping an eye on my heart rate.  I had heard so many stories of people ruining their race by going too hard on the bike and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen to me.  I'd also heard many stories of people bonking because they didn't eat on the bike....also did not want that to happen to me.  I did not have the speed displayed on my watch screen, just time and heart rate - although I could get a feel for it as my watch chimed every five miles.  This chime was also my signal to eat and I alternated between Honey Stinger waffles and Shot Blocks.  I tried to drink like it was my job, but I'm thinking that I could have done even more of that.

My face when I saw Team Hot Dog - Shark (Photo: TPG)

I had a yucky "burpy" feel that I've never had before, and I assumed that it was a result of my wild swim.  I've never done any swim to bike bricks and that might be something that I want to consider in future training.  It made eating and drinking a little less desirable, but I powered through. The bike course was mostly an out-and-back and early on I started to see people on their way back.  Some of these people were fellow 70.3 athletes who were finishing up their ride and some of them were doing the 140.6 or the full aquabike and would be starting their second loop soon.  I had an eye out for my friends who were also racing, but I didn't see anyone until I saw Debby heading back out as I finished my ride.

I've probably never ridden more than about 25 miles without getting off my bike and taking a break and I wondered if I would be able to make the whole ride on race day.  I made it my goal to go as long as I could go without stopping, but knew that I might need a minute to refill my bottles or stretch my body.  My right hip started to feel tired and a little tight, like nothing I have felt before.  It wasn't that bad, just annoying and I decided to pedal through it.

The volunteers at the aide stations were so friendly and welcoming, I tried to say thank you to all of them as I rode by.  Somewhere before the halfway point I grabbed a bottle of water as I passed a volunteer and I filled up my aero bottle while pedaling....and this made me smile SO BIG!!!  I FILLED MY BOTTLE WITHOUT STOPPING!! This was a good day, indeed!!

I got such a boost at the turn around part - halfway done and I'd already seen most of the course.  I was having one of my best bike rides ever!  I worked very hard on my cycling during training as I knew that I needed to make huge improvements.  I've ridden a bike for several years now, but I've never really "trained" on the bike like I did this summer.  Bike was always something that I did for recovery or for fun so I was able to make big improvements when I started doing the work.  I could tell that I was having a strong ride while keeping my heart rate in a good working range.

The more positive energy I put out there, the more I could feel it coming back to me.  I tried to thank all of the police officers who were helping with traffic and most of them had a positive word for me in return.  The volunteers on the course were so overwhelmingly positive and I tried to thank all of them.  I also made an effort to say a positive word to the other athletes when I passed them and most all of them had a positive word in return.  I love that about races!

Sometime in the last 15 or 20 miles I found myself stuck behind an 18-wheeler.  Two other cyclists and I were back there for a few minutes, hoping that the truck would turn or speed up.  The truck was "stuck" too as there were bikes before and after him.  We joked about drafting and patiently waited until we were safely able to pass him.  Another first for me!

It was so easy to wish those final 10 miles away, I was growing impatient and my body was tired of being on this bike for approaching 3 hours.  It was then that I attempted to focus and be grateful for the strongest bike ride of my life.  I could hardly believe that I'd done the whole thing without stopping and I was doubly thankful that I had no mechanical issues.

Finally I found myself back on the dam and pedaling towards the transition area.  I marveled at those who were headed out for a second loop, I couldn't imagine doing the whole thing again.  Regardless of what happened on the swim or what was about to happen on the run, I knew that I could be really proud of this ride.  I have improved so much and have so much more confidence on the bike then I did when training started in June.  As a runner, I would have guessed going in that the run would be my favorite part of the day...but I'm certain that the bike was my favorite.

Redman 70.3, A Story in 3 Acts: Act I - The Swim

At long last Thursday afternoon arrived and it was time to head towards Oklahoma City for Redman 70.3.  Race week had left me a bit scattered, I think that it is my least favorite week of the whole training cycle (not counting race recovery...ugh.).  I was terribly distracted all week and had all kinds of thoughts, doubts, dreams, and nightmares.  What was I thinking when I signed up for this?  Do you realize how far 70.3 miles is?  What have I done?!  Add to that apprehension over allergies and a developing cough and I was a hot mess.  By the time we arrived in OKC, I had chills and felt like I was fighting off an illness.  Cue the frantic trip to CVS where Mr K and I purchased all of the decongestants, a Netti Pot (and bless Mr K's heart for helping me use this thing for the first time ever), and Emergen-C.  No time for illness!

I woke up feeling cautiously better on Friday morning and we headed out to the practice swim.  I wanted to see the course and feel the water before the rush of race morning.  It was also the first time I had the opportunity to swim in my wetsuit.  (Nothin like last minute!).  I'm thankful that Mr K was there to help me put it on, I'm sure that looked like quite the scene.  The water temperature was in the mid to low 70s, not super cold but much chillier than the warm lake I swam in during the summer.  It took my breath away at first then I settled in and had a nice swim.  I was one of the last people out of the water at the practice swim and apparently I stumbled upon a wedding as I came out of the water. Who gets married at a triathlon practice swim?  Crazy triathletes, that is who.  My friend Debby, who was also out at the practice swim, pointed out that a 70.3 or 140.6 triathlon would be the worst honeymoon ever.

Big smiles at the practice swim (Photo: Mr K)

I took Friday super easy and was able to nap and rest at the hotel for a good part of the afternoon. I was excited to go to race check-in and tried to just soak it all in.  Athlete meeting, money spent at the expo (all the Redman gear!), and it was time to rack my bike in transition where it would be waiting for me the next morning.  We enjoyed a feast of pizza at Hideaway Pizza, one of our Oklahoma favorites, before heading back to the hotel.  When we returned our buddy Stude stopped by for a pre-race visit and pep talk.  Lights went out early, but sleep was elusive at times.  I felt like I woke up every couple of hours and we ended up getting up before the alarm.

My first 70.3 was also the US National Championship (Photo: Stude)

Race day was finally here!!  We got parked in plenty of time and made the one mile walk to the start area.  The morning was cool-ish, compared the the hot summer mornings, with temperatures in the 60s.  The dark lake looked like glass as there was barely a breeze.  You just can't ask for better weather in late September.  So much excitement in the air, it was going to be a good day.  It was my friend Alicia's third time to do Redman 70.3 and it was nice to see that her bike was racked pretty close to mine.  The transition area was so busy - just bustling with athletes preparing their bikes and running gear for the day ahead.  I checked and re-checked my stuff and then headed out to meet up with Mr K and get into my wetsuit.  Mr K was so patient and helpful as I checked and rechecked my gear. I could hardly believe that it was about to go down!

With my beastly Iron friends Stude and Debby (Photo: Mr K)

I am such a lucky person as I had the best cheer squad out there rooting for me.  Mr K was joined by Drum, Baha, Ninja, Fi, TPG, and Robert - most of them getting up at an obscene hour to drive from Dallas to Oklahoma City in time for the start of the race.  It is a pretty incredible group of friends that I have and I'm especially reminded of this in moments like this.  I got some final good luck wishes from Mr K, the Ninjas, Drum, and Baha just as I was heading into the water.  Alicia and I laughed and talked as we waded into the lake.  It was go time!

It is impossible to look cute in a wetsuit & swimcap (Photo: Drum)

Swim - 1:06:53
I found myself fairly calm heading into the swim, just wanted to get through it as evenly and smoothly as I could. No drama, no wasted energy.  I was glad that I went to the practice swim on Friday because I knew how the water would feel, how it was shallow enough to touch in places, and how my wetsuit could help me out if I worked with it.  My swim leg was next-to-last so I didn't have to worry too much about a pack of faster swimmers swimming over me.  I got off to an okay start - the water was colder than I was used to and their were people all around me.  I tried to find my little "bubble" of swim space.  The course was shaped like a big rectangle that was sitting parallel to the shore.  I was just starting to find my rhythm when a couple of swimmers came around me.  One of them made contact with my face and that is when things went terribly wrong.  My nose clip disappeared into the murky waters and I knew that my race had just taken an interesting turn.  I never, ever swim without a nose clip.  I have plugged my nose since I was a kid, it is just something that I do.  I know that I should have been better prepared and I even had a spare clip....in my bag on the shore.  Womp. Womp.  Never again will this happen to me - huge lesson learned right there in that moment!

And we are off! (Photo: Mr K)

Sooo.....here I was, early into my swim and with no idea how I would finish.  I looked out at all the buoys and had a brief "oh my gosh this is impossible" moment before I took a deep breath and went back to work.  I swam with my head out of the water for a little bit, but that was quite difficult and tiring.  Then I decided to put my face in the water and give it a shot.  It was terribly uncomfortable as I am not used to breathing this way, but I was making progress.  I saw a kayak near the first turn and made it my goal to get to the kayak so I could take a break and regroup.  The kayaker was great, told me that I had great form and talked about how special it was to be doing a race like this, and that he and his daughter did the full 140.6 distance at Redman the year before.  I took the time to catch my breath and gather myself for more swimming.

The look of "what just happened?"

I swam to the next turn (the short side of the rectangle) and took a moment at the next kayak.  While here I heard myself making a terrible cough, you know the kind that sounds like it might be a precursor to barfing? I'm thinking that I was swallowing some of Lake Hefner.  I saw the next kayak 100 yards or away and reasoned that I could just swim kayak-to-kayak all the way through.  A few minutes later I was frustrated and winded and I flipped over on my back to take a break. This is when I discovered that I could make good progress whilst backstroking....so backstroke I did.  I was actually holding a pretty good pace compared to the swimmers around me and those turn buoys were getting further and further away.  Not ideal, but forward progress is the name of the game!

I worried that I might be killing my shoulders for the bike, but kept on going. I think that I might have had a more decent swim time if I'd figured this out earlier. All those hours of training spent swimming and I backstroked half of my 70.3 swim. Ridiculous!  I was never so relieved to get out of the water and found myself laughing and shaking my head as I stumbled to the shore.  What the heck just happened?  No time to dwell upon it because it was time to ride my bike!