70.3 World Championship

70.3 World Championship - Bike

Good thing there weren't any hills in the lake (swim report here) because once we hit dry land there was not a flat spot on the entire bike or run course! I heard that there was something like 5,000 ft of climbing on the bike. Bring it on! I am a fan of hills on the bike. The more - the better. I had already had the pleasure of racing on it during the RAGE triathlon back in April and fell in love with the course - smooth roads, little traffic, big rollers, fast downhills. What's not to like?

I passed Beth right at the beginning and then Sarah Piampiano and I thought: "Holy cow! I am in front of these super stars who are supposed to win this thing! Yikes!" Of course I knew it was not going to last but it sure was fun! Sarah passed me back just a little while later and she was gone. When Beth passed me at mile 15 I figured I would have to let her go as well but I was wrong! We were actually in close proximity for most of the ride and I was stoked. Beth is a super nice gal and always had something nice to say when she passed.

I really tried hard to stay on top of my nutrition and even purchased a bento box the day before the race. I never thought the day would come that I would carry a picnic basket on my TT bike. Well, it has. I was having a blast cruising along the beautiful shore of Lake Mead, basking in the sun, and choosing which treat to consume next. The race photographer even caught me with my hand in the lunch box:

Once I hit mile 45, I have to admit I was pretty done. I had been pushing hard and was getting tired. I also assumed that the last 10 miles into Henderson would be mostly downhill but I was so wrong. It was either up or a false flat. I actually started looking forward to the run...

Finally T2 came into sight and a nice volunteer grabbed my bike, but not before I ripped the Garmin off and stuffed it into my chest pocket:

Some good-looking dude following me with a camera. Sweet!

I had good intentions of finishing this race report today but it is just not happening. Time flies when I write and it is getting late... Sorry! You will have to stay tuned for what happened on the run. At least I hope you do!

Comments

I am so lucky

I feel the need to write. My thoughts are all jumbled. Can I make sense of them on paper? Writin g gives me perspective and makes it easier to let go. Last weekend I was very frustrated, mad, self-centered, unhappy , wallowing in self-pity. This weekend I was more balanced, a little more patient, trying to be less selfish, happy . How did it happen? I have had to deal with myself for almost 30 years now and, luckily, have figured out a few things on the way. Like how to feel at peace with myself , my family , my life . It shouldn't be complicated to be happy in my circumstances. I realize that. But sometimes it still is. Sometimes being a mom and wife doesn't come easy to me. Sometimes I think everyone would be better off if I wasn't a mom and wife. Sometimes I wish it was easier to just take off and do nothing but swimbikeruneatsleep for a week or two. It's not helping that my German teammates are doing just that. Right now. On a beautiful island. In the warm...

Feat of Fortitude - Half Triathlon

The alarm went off way too soon on Sunday morning. 4 am? Really? Well, it was time to move my butt out of bed for Feat of Fortitude Part II: the Mountain Man Half Triathlon . Why did I choose to run a Half Marathon one day and do a Half Triathlon the next? Because the prize for the fastest combined time of these events was free entries to both events next year! Considering our financial situation, I had to give it a shot. I knew I was not going to have enough time on race morning but I just could not handle the thought of waking up at 3:30 am. And I paid for it. I forgot to tape a couple of GUs onto my bike. Lesson #1 : No matter how early the race starts, I need to be there at least 2 hours early . Most people don't need that much time but I do. I always have. I like to get a good spot, set everything up perfectly, take my bike for a little spin (when allowed), run, stretch, chat, etc. Those might be my favorite 2 hours of race day! The swim was great! I was loving it...

NO Race Report: IRONMAN LAKE TAHOE 2014

This is how gorgeous it COULD have been... I wake up at 3:30 and I smell smoke . Inside the house through closed windows. CRAP! No need to even take a peek through the blinds. I knew there was a good chance this would happen after seeing the smoke roll back in the night before but I was hoping for the best... only to wake up to the worst. Thursday , when we rolled into town, the air was terrible. Like the-minute-I-got-out-of-my-car-I-got-a-headache terrible. But there was hope because, hey, winds change and firefighters are hard at work and there were more than two days left before the race! This is what Thursday evening looked like down by the lake: I didn't do much that night. Just a a very easy little jog along the beach to shake out the legs after a day of driving. And super short swim because I couldn't wait any longer to swim in that beautiful lake !!! But then, of course, I got wimpy again...

Sarah Borst Jarvis

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