I didn't race a ton this summer, that was by design. I was coming off an injury early this year (actually 2), so Coach Jen and I decided best to focus on Ironman Wisconsin (being my A race) and take it easy on racing lots of hard/short stuff. Instead I trained a TON which was a nice change up from last year. Between Galena and Wisconsin I raced 3 times, all very different races. Here goes the clif notes...
Lake in the Hills Sprint Tri - 6.16.13
This was my second year racing Lake in the Hills. I fell in LOVE with it last year. It's a small local event with a laid back feel. No egos, no crazy rules...just a fun race. This was also the first race that I qualified for the Elite wave from my results in 2012. AWESOME!!!! This meant that I was in the first wave = nobody in my way :) There were roughly 30 athletes in the Elite wave...this also included men. Crap. They are SO aggressive. I wanted to get out of the water the minute we started. Luckily it didn't take long before they passed me, after that small chunk of time the race went GREAT! This was a major confidence boost going into the summer. I wasn't sure how I would do in the race since I still wasn't 100% healed, but I was able to PR by 5 minutes!! I took a significant amount of time off my swim AND my run on such a short course. All the work I was putting in at Smelts was paying off and somehow I was holding on to my run fitness even though I had taken off some time from running. Overall, SUPER HAPPY with this race.
3rd Place Age Group, 8th Overall Female
Ironman Muncie 70.3 - 7.13.13
This was another repeat of 2012. I had to do it, they cut the course short due to the extreme heat so I wanted to actually do the full race + they gave 2012 athletes a discount. "Deal!" This course is meant for me...it's hot, a flat bike course, and hilly run. I'm in love. In a nut shell this race was bomb. Going in to the race I wanted to break 5:30, my best time at a 70.3 was 5:32. I knew I was going to have to work hard. I had the fitness, but could I mentally stay with it?
The swim went well, I was out of the water a few minutes ahead of schedule...sweet! My goal was to break 2:50 on the bike...I came close but missed it by a few minutes, smh. Why can't I get my sh** together on the bike? Forget about it, time to do what I do best...RUN!! That I did. I zoned out, focused, and pulled out a run that smashed my time goal. I ran a 1:42 half marathon...holy crap! That beat my open half marathon PR from last year by a minute, and it was during a 70.3.
Overall, I finished in 5:18...YEAH!!!! Honestly, what I was most happy with was how much effort I was able to put out during the run. Having the ability to push myself to suffer, work hard, and just go on auto pilot was such a big win for me. Learning how to stay with it mentally at this distance was another big boost that I needed going in to my big training blocks for the summer.
5:18 with Bib #518
PRs for both of us :)
Sisters Lakes Olympic Tri - 7.20.13
Yep...second year in a row I raced Sisters Lakes ha! I can't help it, I LOVE this race too!! I love it for many reasons. Just like Lake in the Hills, it has that small town, laid back feel and it's a short bike ride away from my family's lake house in Michigan. I had to do it :) I get to spend the weekend with my family hanging out on the lake, eating a ton of food, and racing. Some of my favorite things in life.
Just like Muncie this is a hot, non-wetsuit race, flat bike course, and hilly run. I had another amazing day...took time off my swim and my bike (finally!) and PR'd by 4 minutes!!!! This one hurt, it was a week off of Muncie, but I expected it to feel that way. What did I learn? Again, I can race HARD. This is something that I've been learning over the past two years from Coach Jen and it feel so good to be able to put out another strong effort with great results. The last key race to help mentally get me ready for the Ironman Wisconsin build.
I have no pics from the race, but I do have one from the lake AFTER the race ;)
My way to recover!
So that's the short version of my summer racing. I'm not done yet...one more to go for 2013! This one is a little different for me though. It's taking me out of my comfort zone in a big way. Later this month I'll be heading down to Tucson, Arizona for Duathlon National Championships. I'm beyond excited about it, but also really nervous. It's the first time I'll be flying with my bike, putting it together, breaking it back down, etc.
First things first...before Arizona comes Hawaii!! Yep, I'm going to Kona...not to race...but to vacation and learn and watch really awesome athletes race :) My week in Kona will start out with going through my USAT Level 1 Coaching Clinic and end with spectating Ironman World Championships.
Love my life <3
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