2014 Age Group Nationals ~ Olympic Distance

While Milwaukee isn't normally a city I would vote to spend a weekend, with Age Group Nationals taking place there I wouldn't have asked to be anywhere else.  And at 9:18 am I joined 150 other women from the ages of 25-29 in Lake Michigan for the biggest race I had ever been a part of. 

 Friday 08 August 2014

The day before my parents and I met up in Chicago, IL, them from Hood River, OR and myself from Spokane, WA, and made the drive up to Milwaukee.  It was a relief to finally check in at our hotel as it had been a long travel day filled with very early morning flight, small thunderstorm, delayed flights, and lack of food.

The day before a race is always a little hectic and this one was non the different.  With 3700 participants people were everywhere; athletes running around picking up packets, bikers and runners weaving in and out of the crowds, spectators milling around the expo, and officials trying to keep the schedule moving forward.

After packet pick up I donned my new Volt X-Terra sleeveless wetsuit and hopped in the water to check out the swim course.  The water was perfect! At least 70 degrees making my new sleeveless wetsuit the perfect attire.  My dad heard from a local that we were extremely lucky for if the wind had been blowing out of the west instead of the east the water would have been in the mid 50s instead of 70s. 

At that time it was time to get the bike all racked up, which as with many pre-race extravaganzas turned out to be more of a hassle than wanted.  When I went to add air to the tires I discovered that the valve to my back tire had sheered off and while it seemed to be holding air that was not a chance I wanted to take.  So off we go in search of a new tube/the tools in which to change it.  Fortunately one of the bike reps took pity on me and he quickly changed it along with giving my bike a good once over.  Thank goodness otherwise it was going to be a two hour wait, and by that time I was hungry, hot, tired, and I must say relatively cranky.  

 FINALLY!! The bike was all racked up in rack J spot 2683 we could head back to the hotel, whew!

 Saturday 09 August 2014

So for time and your sanity I am going to skip ahead to race day. You don't need to hear about what I had for dinner and the process of scrambling around trying to find everything I had stuffed into my travel bag.

5:45 am and race numbers on!

Despite my wave not going off until 9:18 am we still had to arrive at race site by 7:00 am as transition closed at 7:30 am. This was something new for me as normally once transition closed I was jumping in the water within 15-30 minutes, not two hours.  Once all my gear was set up in transition I walked out and prayed that I hadn't forgotten anything. Now all I could do is wait and watch.

Swim

There was  definite buzz in the air during that long two hour wait.  You could feel the nerves, anxiety, and excitement radiating off the athletes.  After all the hours put into training for this it was time to see if it all paid off and everyone couldn't wait for their turn to see what they were made off, I know I had enough nerves for at least two people.  

At exactly 9:18 am the gun went off and my and 149 other young ladies my age took off in a froth of foam, waves, arms, and legs.  While it wasn't one of the most aggressive or brutal starts it was one of the most difficult starts I had ever been a part of.  People were every where and you could barely see in front of you (made sighting very difficult).  

1500 m never felt so long.  With each stroke I kept wondering if I was ever going to make it to the out ramp and worried that this swim was going to be one of the slowest I had ever done.  As the out ramp came closer I dug a little bit deeper praying that I wasn't as slow as I felt, turns out I had put in my fastest swim to date (which isn't saying much as I still came out of the water 91st).  

Bike

With no clue where I was in the field I struggled my way through T1--could not get my bike shoes on to save my life--and took off for a 26 mile ride.  The bike course was relatively flat with a three mile out and back to the north and then around an 8-9 mile out and back to the south.  When I came back around from the first couple miles and was about to head out for the meat of the race all I remember is my dad yelling at me to "bike faster".  He's such a wonderful cheerleader :)  

So I settled in and pushed as hard as could trying to make up the time I know I needed to make up.  I  kept my eyes on the person in front of me using them to pull me forward.  Each time I passed someone I would search for the next person in front and repeat the process.  

Run

By the time I got off the bike I was on track for my goal time and feeling pretty good.  I took off on the run at a steady 6:32 min mile pace.  At this time it was starting to get very warm and you could feel the sun beating down on your head.  After every aid station I would immediately wish there was another one right after.  I was able to maintain that 6:32 min mile pace for roughly three miles when all of the sudden I hit a wall.  My stomach started to growl, throat was on fire, breathing got ragged, and legs started to feel hungry.  I was feeling the affects of having taken my second GU much earlier than I normally do and was seriously wishing I had another one.  My 6:32 pace dropped to around 7:30 and while I continued to pass people it was at a much slower rate.  After running close to a mile at this much slower rate I told my self to stop being pathetic (my verbiage was much less politically correct) and start running.  

I was able to bring the pace back down to under 7:00 minutes and though I hated every minute of it started picking people off again.  It was a long long run.

With a mile to go the feeling of pain and hurt dissipated and adrenaline kicked in.  It helped that once again my wonderful cheerleader of a father was out at 1 mile to go yelling at me to "Run Faster" and "Pick more people off.  Pass more people."  At least he caused some people to laugh while they were out there, and I must say as always his cheering helped to spur me on.  

I want to say thank you to the guy on my left in the above picture, I don't know who you are but he kept me going in the last 500 m.  In fact at one point I think he even said "come on let's go" as we both raced in to the finish line.  I came in at a time of 2:24 and a 31st Age Group Placing. 

Despite coming in with my fastest time yet I was a little disappointed.  I believed I was able to make the top 25 and qualify for worlds and I was so close.  I needed to shave off two minutes and I would have done so.  I kept thinking to myself two minutes I could have shaved two minutes off, if I hadn't have had that slow mile or if I had pushed a little harder on the bike so many what ifs. 

Then I had to remind myself that I have only been racing for one year.  I have been doing all of the training on my own, making up workouts on my own, forcing myself to get out there and go for long rides by myself, paying for everything, and while I have an amazing support team I have mostly been figuring it out the process on my own.  I also had to realize that I was should be proud of what I had accomplished. I went from 91st place to 31st in a span of two hours.  I worked very hard the past year not only with my training but with work and life.  

Looking back this last year has been a crazy one.  In the past year there has been a lot of change; with moving, starting a new job, finishing some classes, applying and getting denied from physical therapy school, racing, and most importantly meeting the most amazingly wonderful man I could ever dream of.  I am grateful and blessed for the opportunities that I have had and the chance to experience them with the people that I love most.  

My AMAZING family who came out to cheer me on

So if I take a second and actually look at everything that I have accomplished I cannot say that I did not succeed; because in reality I have more than succeeded in the things that are important to me. If 31st is the best place that I ever accomplish then it is the BEST place there could be because I know I gave everything I had and did it with the people that I love.  I have grown and learned every step of the way and that is success.  Where I placed at Nationals is only a number, and while it would have been fantastic to qualify for World's I am not done yet and there is always next year.  So triathlon world you better watch out because I am coming for you.  

I know this was long one and if you made it all the way through it I hope I did not bore you to much. 

Next up for me is the Black Diamond Long Course 70.3 and my first ever marathon in Tri-Cities.  

Did you race this past weekend? How did it go? What is up for you next the rest of the season? 

10 day "You" Challenge: Seven Wants

                                     

As I sit here in the Denver International Airport watching the hustle and bustle of employees in bright yellow safety vest moving bags from cart to plane, as planes come taxing by my window, and the air tower gives the go ahead for the plane on the tarmac to take off I wonder if I can actually come up with seven wants.  While a much brighter subject than the eight fears of the last challenge sometimes it can be hard to categorize what you actually "want" versus what is merely a desire.  There are many things that I want, from new shoes to winning the lottery but when thinking of my wants I am realizing that what I actually want is more than just a new pair of shoes or nice dishes in the kitchen.  

So here it is..... my seven wants:

1. I want to take my dad heli skiing.  It is the one thing he has never done and has always wanted to.  Growing up he never hesitated when I needed new skis, a trip somewhere to go racing, and every year (sometimes twice a year) he and I would watch the weather find out where it was snowing, pack up the car and take off to go ski the steep and deep.  He has been my number one ski buddy since the day he put skis on my feet at the young age of two and since I can remember I always told him that when I made it big I would take him heli skiing.

     

2. Help my mom go back to school.  My mother loves to learn and grow.  She is constantly doing whatever she can to gain more knowledge and has ALWAYS wanted to go back to school. 

3.  Pay off my student loan.  Graduating from Gonzaga University left me with a decent sized loan, while I am luckier than some it still is large enough that I can't really afford to pay it off.

                          

 

4. Travel.  There are so many amazing places out there. I would love to be able to easily visit them.  To be able to participate in triathlons all over the world.  These events are held in some of the most serene and beautiful places and it would be my joy to be able to participate.

5. Spend the rest of my life with the people that I love.  Yes, this may seem silly and you are probably thinking well duh who doesn't want that.  But there are some amazing people in my life, people that every day I look forward to seeing and talking to.  Their presence has made my life better and I want more than anything to continue spending ever day with them.

                         

6. Continue my education and growth through my career.  I just recently started a new job that I love.  It is challenging, I am constantly learning and growing with it and look forward to continuing to do so.

7. Keep improving my strength and times in my triathlons.  I have put a lot of work into them and as I am still fairly new to the sport I want to continue improving.  Maybe stand on the podium with a 1st place in my hand.  Oh and also I want to complete an Ironman before I am thirty/before I have kids. :)

        What are some things that you want??  What are some goals that you have???

10 Day "You" Challenge: Eight Fears

I must apologize I know this is a little late in coming.  Between work, training, trying to maintain a semblance of a calm with Age Group Nationals coming up in a week, and living the pretend social life Brandon and I have life has been busy and the thought of taking ten minutes to think about my fears became low on the list.  Though in reality I may have just been a little lazy preferring to sit on the couch watching the Food Network or the Mariners play at the end of the day instead. :) So now I must stop being lazy and spend a little time delving into my fears.  

You hear the word fear and you instantly start thinking of spiders, being afraid to speak in front of crowds, or not taking chances because you are afraid.  There is another way to address fear and that is as a challenge.  An obstacle that by jumping over you become stronger.  Not to say that you may not still have a aversion to that particular fear but the self pride you gain upon accomplishment of that said fear is worth it.

Alright, I will get off my soap box and give you my eight fears.  These are not in any particular order and I pray that, if I haven't already done so, I will conqueror these fears.

Needles: A fear that has haunted me since I was little.  My parents will attest to the challenge and chore it was to give me my shots when I was little. There is something about the idea of a needle entering my muscles that just makes my stomach churn. This may seem a little bit crazy as I have two tattoos and do plan to get more so it is often, especially from my loving mother, that I get the question "how did you get those if you are afraid of needles?"  There is no answer from my part for that question, I just did it. The difference may go back to me not liking the thought of the needle actually going deep into my skin verses just grazing the surface.  

Not being able to see: Since the 3rd grade I have been legally blind (couldn't even see the Big E on the eye chart) and it continued to get worse as I aged. While my vision has stabilized the idea of going completely blind terrifies me.  Every time I go into the eye doctor I breath a sigh of relief when they tell me everything looks good.

Disappointing people: If I was to categorize my fears or rank them I would probably have to say this is my greatest.  There are so many people out there, my family, friends, people I have worked with and grew up with, Brandon, and his family that believe in me and I am so afraid I will not live up to their belief.  These people have put their trust, time, support, love, and more often than not money into me for so many different reason the thought of disappointing or not living up to who they believe I have the ability to be can be suffocating.  I strongly believe in failure, and it is not something I fear as it is a part of growth, but more that I will fail all those who have been there for me.  

Having children (the whole darn process)/children in general: Now this may seem a little bit crazy and most people when I tell them this give me this look like I am seriously deranged. Supposedly I am supposed to have this maternal instinct that when I look at babies, hold them, see them, etc. instead this extreme panic and uncomfortable feeling fills me.  What if I break it? What if I ruin my own children? Those are just two of the millions of concerns that run through my mind.  Yes I do want to have children, someday--in the fairly far off future, but oh my goodness it is a terrifying idea and right now it gives me heartburn :).  I guess if it something that is meant to be I will have to take my own advice, face the challenge head on and hopefully jump over this obstacle.  I guess we will eventually find out for right now I will stick to riding my bike, running, training, and living life to the fullest.

Scary Movies: Will not watch them.  They give me nightmares.  Watched the "Walking Dead" one time and woke up seeing Zombies in my room, it was not pleasant.

Airplanes: It is not necessarily the flying that bothers me, except for take off and landing.  But the being so close to other people.  They just cram you into those things, everyone breathing the same recycled air and smelling each others body odor.  Combine that with the headaches they give me its just not a pleasant experience. I swear I am going to be trapped in one one day.

Not being able to exercise:  I understand that I will not be able to continue pushing my body as hard as I do now for the rest of my life but I pray that I will be able to continue being active for the rest of my life.  Running, biking, swimming, lifting, etc gives me such joy, peace, and fulfillment that the idea of not being able to do them definitely unnerves me.

The dark: I am not necessarily afraid of the dark where I have to sleep with a night light (anymore) but more that I am uncomfortable in the dark, especially when I am alone. The second the lights go out my balances gets off kilter and my vision starts doing funny things.  Shadows become more pronounced and noises become a lot louder (hence the heightened senses concept) and I do not enjoy it.  That being said whenever Brandon is traveling for work I sleep with the closet light on and always have a light on when I am in a room.   

Well that was a little bit of a dark challenge.  No one likes to talk about the things they are afraid of.  I hope to be a little bit less lazy the coming week, though my nerves in regards to Nationals next weekend may get the best of me, for a little more light hearted subject "Seven Wants" and a pre/post race recap of Age Group Nationals!!! 

Stay tuned and have a wonderful weekend

What have you done to overcome your fears?