Season Wrap Up

fwfJust because I want to document my racing from this season and have it as a record for myself here goes.

This is so late in coming up because I just got distracted and sort of lost focus with my triathlon goals once I decided to move to Scotland for veterinary school. SO, finally, here it is, like 4 race reports or something.  I'm going to try and keep this super short. Good luck to me.

Tucson Muhoolaba (or something like that) Sprint Triathlon:
1-super tired going into this due to all of the AWESOME TriSports trifest activities but I got all set up and ready to race anyways
2-got to race against Kathy Tremblay who was on the Canadian Olympic team! She unfortunately had a crash and dropped out in London...but she was super nice and kicked my butt
3-bad bike ride but was actually able to catch second place on the run of all places!! I never do this so it was a nice confidence boost
4-had fun hanging out with my team mates afterwards and collection my prize for second female overall: a nicely monogrammed towel

St. Anothony's Triathlon in FLORIDA:
wooo hooo I had some high hopes for this race and in some ways they were met but in others not so much
1-had such a fabulous home stay with a great couple, seriously so welcoming and they were both racing so I got some insider tips!
2-got to spend a lot of time with fellow TriSports-er Steve who is hilarious and his wike is like so sweet so it was nice to have friends down there. Also got to hang with Brooke and Fred who are hilarious and was so happy to have them there, especially had fun post-race night!
3-I was able to swim in the ocean before the race which I was hoping would help a lot more than it did. In the days leading up on rides and runs and at the expo I saw SO MANY of the big name pros, that was awesome.
4-so the race...ummm the swim was awful, had those moments where I wanted to drop out, my wetsuit was burning hot and my shoulders wanted to fall off and I felt like I was drowning from the serious amounts of salt water I ate. My time reflected this struggle :)
5-My bike ride went really well, I was able to actually SEE the girls in my category because we started before the age groupers which was super helpful. So I just tried to catch as many as I could. I knew I was doing well at this point.
6-Onto the run: started to shut it down about 2.5 miles in because my stomach hurt, I knew I had had a good ride and to be honest I didn't feel like heading into the pain cave necessary. So like 4 girls passed me at the turn around but I didn't care much
7-Finished 7th or 8th (cant remember now) in the elite category but fastest bike split overall so I was super pleased with this part.

Memphis in May Sprint (in other words, head case)
1-Going into this one I tried implementing lots of mental training like signs in my room with goals, printed course maps with tactics, blah blah but did it work: No
2-the sprint race the day before went well, I just tried to go as hard as I could but I kept the run in check since I was racing the next day.
3-finished 2nd female overall, got a nice little plaque and filled up on some food afterwards and lounged in compression with Meagan.

Memphis in May Olympic:
1-Awful swim, just like kept having mini chocking attacks and coming up to sight...not too proud of myself but that's alright
2-tried to attack on the bike but seemed to loose my legs at some point, especially into the head wind
3-melted in the run and mentally just gave up from the beginning

Jeffersonville Triathlon Olympic
1-Nice, small local race just across the bridge from Louisville and got to race with many other Mideast Multisport Athletes which was pretty fun
2-Not so hot swim just sighting wise, I like had the foggiest goggles, had to clear them like 4 times and stop to look where I was going and lots of aphids in the water = ew
3-Good bike, it was really pretty but I was trying to be a bit conservative so I could test myself on the run
4-FINALLYYYYYYYY what I had been waiting for all season I had a good run! My time wasn't that stellar but I didn't have any stomach problems (my coach informer me I might be eating too many calories on the bike...once I looked I realized I was being a complete cow so cutting back there made a world of difference). More so I didn't give up mentally and just tried to push the pace the whole way.
5-First woman overall, which had a nice cash prize.

Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon Olympic
1-Got to stay with a college room mate which was so fun and great to see her. Also offered a wonderful distraction for the race.
2-Swim went very well. I think this was because I got 2 open water swims in the week leading into the race. I was super happy with my time here.
3-bike was interesting...super super hilly and a loop course you did three times so got to see multiple hills. I had a minor freak out attack when my rear derailleur broke 2 times so I had to dismount my bike twice. A guy with the race staff helped me get it right and going again. I might have cursed. I also had one of my aero pads collapse like onto my bars but that was ok, I just rode with a droopy elbow.
4-on the run into transition i accidentally followed a pro girl into the pro area so I took the scenic route to my rack. oops.
5-run went well for me, I was in the lead the whole time (thank goodness I can bike hills :)) and there were 2 out and backs so I knew the position of my competition the whole time. Pretty happy with how it went and again no stomach cramps.
6-Won the elite amateur wave and got 12th female overall (official results says 4th because a whole slew of female pros cut the swim course a bit short so they got DQ'd. I'm happy with 12th though)


So that's the season!! So I met my goal of qualifying for my pro card. I had planned on doing one more of the 5150 races, the Columbus Tri, but due to my lack of organization I tried to register too late and they were full. Oops. Now I am in Scotland and there don't seem to be too many races left over here. I really want to race one more time though, just too see how I can come up against people once more to see if I want to apply for that pro card or not. There are some pros and cons that I might post about later.

The plan now though is to fly back to the states for the Toyota Cup Championships (which I qualified for in Philly) in Dallas because I got a free entry into the race (thank you Toyota), I can fly there for free (thank you Mary) and I can stay for free (thank you Mimi Punchy and brother Willie!!), so it sort of makes sense. I will also have just had exams like 2 weeks before so school shouldn't be too insane.

YAY!! So with the help of my great coach to get me back on the training train (things got a little screwy preparing to leave for school and getting settled here) I can gain enough fitness to get myself to Dallas and perform how I would like to!

I will write a Scotland update later, I just really wanted to document my season a bit.

If you made it this far, my helmet is off to you.