Greeley Triathlon 2013

          I have to say that yesterday was a fulfilling day for me. The past week was far from easy. About a week ago I was puking my guts out and spent 34 hours in bed from food poisoning, losing 6 pounds over night. I tried my best to recover quickly so I could be ready for my first race of the summer with my team PEAK Multisport. One of the team mom's was nice enough to take me to get an IV over the weekend, and I think that was what allowed me to jump back into training last Monday since they gave me two full bags of fluid! Although early in the week I had no appetite, I forced myself to eat smaller meals more consistently to get the calories I needed in me, since I was still training the same amount (after taking a few days off). Monday, I felt terribly during our track workout. My heart rate was around 200BPM, so any normal human being would have some difficulty breathing, but I didn't quit and I pushed myself; even though my times were about 5-10 seconds slower than usual. My coach, Ken Axford helped me keep things in perspective when I became a bit frustrated. This allowed me to stay motivated and keep moving!

       I gradually started to feel stronger throughout the workouts in the week, and my appetite increased, so I could eat more, therefore have more energy for my workouts. Last weekend I thought there was no way I would be ready to race at Greeley, given all the struggle I had been through with being sick. I gained confidence during the week, especially on our team's long ride, when I noticed my energy didn't fade and I stayed relatively strong the whole time. By Friday I was so excited because I knew I was ready to race, and I was looking forward to going to the first race of the summer season with my team.
        We left Saturday morning for Greeley, and the car ride was pretty entertaining, listening to Matt and Ken's funny Southern accents as they played it up. We arrived at Promontory Park, the race venue, and did all of our pre-race swim, bike, and run. That was the best I had felt all week, and in fact, the best I had felt in a long time.  Having the kids around and being in the team environment, made racing much less stressful for me, plus having my Coach Ken there always comforts me because he definitely knows how to guide me through any type of racing (crits, running, and triathlon), and he covers everything I need to know, so that gives me the confidence to know I am ready to race.
      Race day woke up at 4am not feeling too great, probably because it was 4am :)  I went about my warm-up rituals and my legs felt heavy and tired but I reminded myself that it is called a "warm-up" for a reason. I focused on staying loose and getting a sweat so I could be warm for the race. It is always nice to see familiar faces at races, and I really enjoyed getting to see my Colorado Triathlon coach, Mike Ricci in transition and throughout the day. I did not really have a lot of competition in this race, since not many girls were registered, so I knew I had to focus on only myself and time trial the whole race. Coach told me my goal was to break an hour, and to really only focus on myself during the race. I had a pretty good swim. Was only about 30 seconds behind the better swimmers in our group; I was mostly just happy to have Andie Turner, one of my teammates in sight, because she is an incredible swimmer.
     I think I had a pretty good transition and smoothly did my flying mount, which was exciting :) I felt great on the bike and found a comfortable position in my aerobars that I could hold for most of the race. I got a rhythm on the bike, and it seemed to feel effortless; this doesn't just come, it came with all the hard training I've put in on the bike, and the fact that my bike fits me well. I want to thank Cafe Velo for helping me get this incredible bike last August; I think I'm in love! I began to feel more confident, but I reminded myself to stay grounded and not get too excited because it's easy to blow up in a race. I went into the run, legs felt very heavy and feet were a bit numb, since the air was chilly and I have bad circulation in my feet. The first 1.5K was a little slower than usual because I was trying to manage my heart rate and breathing. I saw my sister Caroline and my Dad at the turnaround and that really gave me a boost in energy. I finished the 5k relative strong, running a 20:02. My teammate Chris Athey and I took home the U23 Male and Female Champion title and I took the overall female win for the day, which was exciting. I also got the U23 Female Course record and tied the overall course record with a 54:38...so close! Matthew Ison took home the overall male win and Coach Ken placed second overall, Adam Mckittrick took fourth in Juniors, Yana Brown third in Youth, Liberty Ricca fourth in Youth, and Nadia Duncan sixth in Youth!  I honestly was so appreciative that I could race healthy, and that I had all the support on race day. Last week reminded me that I am stronger than I think. Although it's cliche, Chris told me before the swim "If you think you can or if you think you can't you are right." I think this quote is appropriate for anyone in sports or life. Nothing comes easy, you have to want it, fight for it, and never give up. Most importantly, you have to take every life experience (whether good or bad) as a stepping stone in the process of your endeavors. It is rare that everything goes your way everyday, so I think it's important to take everything as it comes. I feel blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life, and I'm excited for this summer of training and racing! Go PEAK!