Timberman Reflection

Wow! I havent written for nearly 3 months. Needless to say, alot has changed since post IMTX, but I also raced again so its time to blog! Last week I headed up to the New England area to race the Timberman 70.3. I added this race to the schedule for a variety of reason, but the main one being it was in a category of its own in that I now live on the East Coast and its time to start racing what the east coast has to offer! I Had heard plenty of good things about this race, and knowing its a big point/money race, it always has a big Pro turn out. Timberman did not disappoint and I fully recommend this race to anyone looking for a new race to try. I plan to do it again next year. Absolutely Beautiful and stunning course!

A Beautiful hike I took post-race.

So lets back up a bit and talk about my lead up to the race. This bumpy road was probably my worse lead up ever. I moved cross country after IMTX, started a new job, and needed to learn to cope with the new stressors of hilly terrain/a new work schedule/and a new area in general. NEVER underestimate the stress that life can throw at you, and that on top of the physical abuse you are already putting on yourself with workouts. While I was fully excited to check out the new area and was loving the new training grounds, my body was super unhappy. I could MAYBE pull together 2-3 good days and then crash and burn for numerous days trying to recover. I really only rode 1x- 3hr ride and completed 2 long runs in the 3 months post IMTX, leading into Timberman. This was surly different from the past. Coach David assured me I would be fine based on the tempo and quality work I had done. I was also not questioning my fitness leading into the race (in fact I was really excited to race and see what I could do after a long Hiatus), but I think I was  just being honest/fully aware of the consequences of not having enough volume in the legs late in the race(much less on a hilly course).

Lucky enough, I seemed to get my act together during the taper week leading into the race. I started to rest REALLY well, felt fresh, and hit some really good numbers. Rest Up, Confidence up. I flew out Thursday after work to Hartford, CT, where my best friend from youth, Kate picked me up. She just bought a new house and I havent visited in ages. She agreed to be sherpa for the weekend so I took advantage of this, but also had a wonderful trip visiting her! Friday was typical, lay low and hang out. I ended up teleworking half a day which is a good way to make yourself sit on the couch. We went to the grocery store and gathered all the pre-race foods we needed and cooked in that night since we knew we would be eating out the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning we made the 3 hr drive from CT to NH and got to the Expo for the 1130 pre-race Pro meeting. Who decided on 1130? Beats me. We all sat there live-streaming the womens Olympic triathlon on our phones. Then I ran over to TriBikeTransport and picked up my fully assembled bike and off we went. This was the easiest thing ever, and so nice to not have to travel through the airport with the big bulky bike box.

I took my bike out for a short spin on the course, made sure it worked, and scoped out the course swim venue/transition area. Back at the hotel, we had  a small 25yd pool so I hopped in for a couple laps. Now the rest of the day was basic rest and recovery, dinner, and sleep. I was probably the most calm I have ever been before a race.

The Swim Venue, Pretty cool for spectators as they can have  beach day! The picture does not give the mountains justice in the background.

Race Morning!
I got up at stuipid-thirty (3:30) to eat breakfast and make coffee. My old TX roommate, Caitlin was staying with us too so we ringed her before the race to check out if their was a coffee pot in the room and there was not. We brought a mini keurig so that we could all make coffee, and BLASPHEMY! We forgot the filter to hold the little K-cups in place. This was going to be my first race not having coffee. I was sad and cold, but not worried this little cup of coffee mishap would mess up my day. I am always SUPER cold on race mornings, as thats how I know the adrenaline is kicking. The morning was a beautiful 68 degrees (perfect), but this Texan was freezing!

Swim:

Calm before the storm.

Since I didnt have coffee in the morning I decided to have one of my caffeinated gus pre-swim, and also keep a caffeine gu on my bike. Generally I would stay away from the extra caffeine as it can jack my HR up, but since I didnt have any that morning this was my best bet. It seemed to do its a job and I was sprinting fast at the sound of the cannon in the beautiful 72 degree (non-wetsuit for the pros) swim. I wore my Blueseventy swim skin and a group us formed quicker then I thought and we just settled in. I felt GREAT and was focused and determined to stay with the pack. After the 700m buoy we turned right to head into the sun. They always say, to never trust the lead swimmer, so I took a couple extra looks to make sure I was heading in the right direction and thats when I started to loose the gal in front of me. However, I pushed on and exited the swim in sub 28 (not sure where the mat was that was reading out chips but the clock said 27 when I got out!) and in 5th position out of 17. A solid solid swim and defiantly one of my best. I even got my first Ironman Tri Shoutout. Ha!

Bike:

 As I was giving myself silent high-fives running into T2 I thought to myself,lets see how long we can keep this. A few of us all mounted our bikes at the same time, so I now saw that I was leading a  group behind me and doing all the work! The first 11 miles of the bike is fairly hilly before entering a flat out and back stretch. I was happy to report I was able to hang in the climbs/descents but as soon as we hit the flats, I lost it. My power meter blew out and I had no numbers. It was hard to stay focused, and typically I always struggle on the flats. I tried to push all negative thoughts aside and just ride my ride. Around the 2 hr mark I could fill the hills catching up to my legs and I focused on regaining calories for the run. I was in no mans land for most of the bike and was discouraged at the fact of being alone. Needless to say, I slowed not just a bit, but alot.

Run:
The run started out fairly solid. I was really surprised at how hilly it was and knew that the second lap was going to be torture. My legs felt heavy but not terrible and my calories were totally in check. My goal pace was 715 and I seemed to be settling in at 730. I Was OKAY with this, given the course, as long as I kept moving. 9 miles passed and I Was just clicking away until my legs literally felt like they might seize and I would drop over. They were not cramping just yet, but I felt like one step in the wrong plane and I would cramp and be on the ground. Someone yelled to me "NICE CALVES", and I literally laughed out loud because thats where I felt they were about to snap. I began to walk to try to minimize the pressure. I was upset I resorted to this. I was on pace for atleast a 1:38 run and I walked too much and really delayed my arrival to the finish.

FINISH LINE!

Despite the negatives, I cant explain to you how happy I was to cross that finish line. Yes, not my ideal race, but so many positives. First off: finishing. After my IMTX DNF, this was a huge mental boost. I knew I could do it. I nailed my nutrition. I got to visit a new part of the country. I had the best swim of my life. I banked a solid day of training toward my goals this fall.

So much of the pro life is being hard on yourself because you are racing for money. We have to do everything perfect and there is no room for mistake. This means, sleep, eat, recover, train, EXECUTE. However, Even as pro we have to remember to celebrate the little things. Years ago, when I first started triathlon I remember the elation of doing my first half ironman. Why does it have to change now? Even with a "bad" race its still a huge accomplishment and feat. Instead of being down on myself I actually come away from the race encouraged, determined and more focused then ever to start my fall season prep. Long are the days of post ironman blues, the what-ifs, and the doubts, and here are the days of the present and the live and learn.

Here is the rest of of my fall schedule if you choose to follow:
Nations Tri 9/11
Savageman 70.3 9/18
IMAZ 11/21

One of my favorite quotes right now. Be in charge of what you can control.