Skip to main content

Race Report: MOUNTAIN MAN HALF-IRON



Goal #1: Win the darn thing. 

Goal accomplished! I was able to live up to my bib number and win this race for the third time in a row.   Even after throwing caution into the wind on the last two miles of yesterday's half marathon... Usually I love me some good competition that kicks my butt. But today I was hoping to have a big enough lead after the bike that I could just run my own pace and not worry about other girls breathing down my neck. 


Goal #2: Finish under 5 hours. 

Barely made it. My time was 4:58:14. A minute or so slower than in 2011 and 3 minutes faster than last year. Definitely not a breakthrough of any sort but nothing wrong with consistency. (If you ask me, that is. If you ask my Coach she would tell you otherwise.) I wasn't wearing a watch that showed total time so I had no idea. Having the boys leap frog me in the car, cheer for me, and spray me with their water guns over the last (incredibly long and lonely) 5 miles certainly helped! Thanks, guys! 




Goal #3: No panic attack in the water. 

Wetsuit + open water + race +  high altitude + not acclimatized = a pretty big chance of a panic attack. 
So I played it safe. A little too safe. But I never felt like I was going to suffocate and I count that as a success. I saw a girl in front of me the whole time but couldn't catch up to her. I remember thinking toward the end: Wow. I am feeling pretty good. I wonder if that's because I am going pretty slow. The answer is: Yes. 


Goal #4: Bike faster than previous years. 

Well. That didn't happen. 2011 - 2:38, 2012 - 2:39, 2013 - 2:40. No. I hope that is not a trend or an indication of my current (apparently non-existing) bike fitness. 
I have two (lame) excuses: 
1. I couldn't use 3 of my gears in the back and thus had to coast a lot more than I ever have. 
2. They chip sealed about 3/4 of the bike course this summer. That means they dump a whole lot of gravel onto the road and ... leave it there. It is awesome. Not! 




Goal #5: Chick as many guys as possible. 

Ok. That wasn't really my goal. I don't race the guys. I just use them as motivation. And since I made it into the Top 5 overall, there were only 4 of them that didn't get chicked. I'll be honest: It's kinda fun. But, clearly, the field in this race was not very large or deep. In case you hadn't noticed... 


Goal #6: Have fun!

I had a blast. I love hometown races and want to thank all of the many friends and fellow athletes cheering for me! It means a lot and never goes unnoticed! Thank you!

Congrats to Josh Terwoord, who won the race by an incredible margin and set a new course record. He is the man and we will miss him now that he moved to Texas! Wishing you the best in Austin and Kona! 



Thank you to all of you, my awesome coaches Heath and Mahogani, my family, and TriSports!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New PR at a High Cost

St. George Halfmarathon Report I have a feeling that this is going to be long . Even though I am going to tell you about the rest of the weekend in my next post. So. Sit back and enjoy, if you are interested. A few days before the race, I told Karl that I have two options : 1. Run the way I usually race. Conservative . Start out at a decent pace, log negative splits, finish feeling strong and in control. 2. Start out faster than usual, hang onto that pace for as long as possible, die a slow and painful death. Karl just laughed . He knew how unlikely it was that I would choose the second option. But, to be honest, the idea kinda grew on me. It was a running event, after all. No pressure. Simply a way of testing where my fitness is at. On my way to St. George, I called Coach M . She told me I was going to choose the second option. Oh, how I love to have coaches! No need to try to figure things out in my own little head. I just ask and do as I am told. There was ju...
10 comments
Read more

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...
10 comments
Read more

Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

(Grab a chair and get comfy, cause this might be kinda long.)  Left Thursday morning with my questionable travel companion , Nate, who turned out to be awesome. Who wouldn't want to go on a road trip with a nice guy who is a Coach, about to turn Pro, happens to have worked as a bike mechanic, and likes things low-key before a race? Score !  I was super excited to see my friend, Carlee , as soon as we got to the hotel. She provided plenty of entertainment! Both nights I went to sleep with a smile on my face and had to force myself not to look at her or I would bust up laughing (again) for no apparent reason. She is that cool and funny !  I was super duper excited to see the ocean ! I had not been in a few years and it was my first visit to Oceanside. I had been envisioning myself in a beautiful beach town bathing in warmth and sunshine all winter long. This was going to be the reward for many treadmill runs, trainer rides, and bricks in freezing temperat...
5 comments
Read more