GULF COAST 70.3 (69.1) RACE REPORT

I won’t lie, this has to be the most exciting race report for me to write up! This race was just over a month from Texas 70.3 and the first time I raced this distance with somewhat limited time between, but I wanted to get accustomed to racing more frequently and let’s be honest-I really love racing. One thing that was really great in this transition period from one race to the next is how seemingly easy it was to go from recovery to right back into work. Obviously I’m very lucky to have an amazing coach to make everything feel smooth! And of course looking back, I feel like I didn’t suffer that much through the build up to this race, but I know I did! I’ve just learned to love the training and the racing.

I knew I was coming into this race with great form and some serious confidence underneath me because I was crushing out some workouts that I had previously struggled a little more on. And this was the first time I actually let myself have confidence about a race and OWN that shit (pardon my language). As a female, or at least for me as a person, I have had a skewed look on confidence as most people can think you are just being cocky and so I never truly allowed confidence to seep into me completely. But leading up to this race, I wanted to win, and for the first time, I let the confidence run wild in myself and BELIEVED I could do it with all my heart. Of course some people would ask what my goal was and I replied “My goal is to win” and most of the time I would get a somewhat shocked “oh, you think you can do that?” I know they were not trying to doubt me or put me down necessarily, but those questions helped fuel my fire even more. Hell yes, I can do it.

This race was on a Saturday, so Jeffrey and I drove down to Florida on Thursday (about an 11 hour drive for us) and we made it in town in time to scooter over to pick up our packets early! I was very happy that Jeff decided to do this race to start the season, even if his race did not turn out to be a good day (but still probably good to get that one out of the way!). We had a great little condo only about 2 miles from the race start, so that was very convenient!

Friday morning we scheduled to swim with Dan Willson, a training buddy from Tyler, then check our bike gear out on the road, and a quick run to shake out before putting the feet up for the day. Jeff had never swam in waves like this, and this was my first time truly practicing in these huge waves-yes, the waves were very rough! Our first run through was turbulent and a little awkward, but after we got back to shore, we decided to run through a mock start a few times. I’ll admit, this was the first time I felt truly awkward in the water…dove face first into a wave from bad timing, stood up to laugh with the guys and got hit with another big one…but after a couple tries, I felt pretty dang legit and I was ready to crush the swim! The guys also had some oopsies: Dan immediately tripping on the beach running into the water and slightly scraping his knee, and Jeff jumping into a strong wave as well. But when Jeff went to get back to the water’s surface, he jammed his toe hard into the sand (there was a small sand bar not far out). We shrugged it off for the time being and rinsed off to get our other workouts done, knowing we all felt more confident in the turbulent water.

While we were getting our equipment ready to ride and run, Jeff took a closer look at his toe… it looked like an eggplant. Purple and swollen up. Not the best start to the day, but Jeff was keeping his head and spirits high. Out on the bike, I quickly decided I wanted to go with a shallower front wheel (let me tell you-it has been the year of the dang WIND!). Switched out with the shallower wheel and I felt ready to take on whatever came my way! My legs felt heavy on my run, so I kept it shorter knowing I would be ready for the day tomorrow. After our test run, we bought our evening food and headed back to the condo to relax for the rest of the day. I got a nice nap in, as usual, before checking in our bikes so I felt even more relaxed and ready! Jeff spent the time icing his toe which was not looking any better, but at the least he could bear weight on it. A storm rolled in just about the time we got back from bike check-in, so we enjoyed the rain as we ate and kept our feet up for the night. Because the race started early (no pros, so 6:00am rolling start), we got in bed earlier than normal, but I had no problem falling asleep!

Race morning I felt oddly calm and excited, rather than nervous to my bones. I’m slowly learning to channel that nervous energy into different outlets! We got everything ready pretty quick, especially since we didn’t have to pack up until the next day, and headed out to the race site! We got parked and started walking towards the transition area and oddly saw a number of people just kind of lingering or walking back to the parking lot. This became pretty clear when a group informed us that the swim was cancelled due to high waves and strong rip currents-making volunteers unable to even get out on the course. Because I always put an unnecessarily high amount of pressure on myself for the swim (a learning lesson here), I felt even more relaxed about the race now! And especially since I knew this was a time to prove my bike and run legs. We would do a time trial start, with the lowest numbers going off first. Another win for me as I was the second number for the day! Jeff wouldn’t start until over an hour behind me. A couple of people were in total freak out mode, while others were calm. I knew it would be a race of truth as many people would be smashing the bike way too hard. I also knew I just needed to follow my plan and race where I needed. I was ready to fly.

We lined up for the bike and waited for us to be sent off. And my most embarrassing moment of the day happened when I got on my bike-I could NOT clip in my cleats to save my life. It felt like an ETERNITY! Even Jeff said later that he was cringing at me. But I took off over the bridge to head out! My new race-day friend, Katie, started just ahead of me and of course I wanted to make a move around her to lead the race (she also told me she was battling plantar fasciitis and today would just be a test of how it felt).  I came around her a couple miles in and I will admit, I was so excited! I had the lead motorcycle, I was leading EVERYONE! Then, quite literally, I was immediately passed by the first male smashing the bike. It was fun while it lasted. The wind was strong on race day, and I was very happy I made the front wheel change. After the first 6 miles, we got out to our long stretch of highway to really start the bike. I was passed by the chick who started just behind me, but I knew I would see her again and I did not chase. The day was young and we currently had a tailwind. The battle would be on the return leg of the bike. Really, this race was relatively uneventful. Nothing crazy happened, I didn’t get caught up in any drafting pack, and I just kept myself pushing forward and followed my nutrition plan. Probably the most exciting thing was how freaking awesome I felt staying in aero. I felt strong and comfortable and didn’t feel like I needed a break out of my position. Even on the return leg into the wind, I felt so solid. It was the first time I felt like I could hunker down and fight the wind while also keeping a strong pace.  I felt comfortably uncomfortable (a great place to be). There was one other female competitor lingering about my pace for the whole race and I figured if I were to have competition on the run, it would be her. She looked like an all-star triathlete with a stellar run. Tall, slim, decked out in a Timex kit. But I also knew I was stronger than I looked. I may be just 5’2”, but I knew I could run!

Heading into the bike, the Timex female and I caught up to the chick who smashed past me at the beginning of the bike. Like I had told myself before-I would see her again. The three came into transition together, battling to be the first female out of T2. The chick next to me threw her bike on the rack, and I watched it swing and then come crashing off the rack. Her boyfriend (husband?) yelled from the sideline to just leave it and go. So my competitive edge kicked in and I threw the rest of my nutrition in my hat and took off out the run exit with her on my heels. I was the first female out and I did not dare to look back. I kept my head forward and trucked on. I was a little nervous at first because that first mile and a half felt a little rough…but after that, I felt ready to rock.

Another first and exciting moment for me was having a lead out biker for the run! And she was so amazing! I told her I wanted to win so she may have to yell at me a little if things got dark (luckily, that moment never came). We chatted through each mile, making it feel like it was nothing. Every mile I noticed I was on track for a 70.3 run PR and from what myself and my biker could tell-there was no one in my zip code to challenge me. Instead of letting up, this only fueled my fire even more and I pushed the pace further than I ever have before heading into the final lap. I felt a little dehydrated going into the last lap, but made sure to actually take in more water at the next couple aid stations instead of just dumping it on me and coupling that with Gatorade. After a mile and a half, I felt good as new.

Halfway through that last lap, it finally occurred to me that this race was mine. I had it, I just knew it. The rush of emotions and endorphins pushed aside any pain that was creeping up and my pace didn’t falter one bit. I kept getting faster and more excited. At the final turn into the finish and hearing my lead biker radio in that the lead female was coming into the finish line, I got even more emotional and fought back happy tears (literally I cry at everything) and kept pushing my legs to the limit just to make sure to put more time between myself and any potential competitor, but deep down I knew that this was my day.

 Running up to that finish tape was hands down the most rewarding feeling in the world. I had put so much into this and I wanted it so bad and here it was, in my hands. For real. This was no dream. I pictured this moment over and over before it became the reality and it was so sweet. I had a couple of double-chin, fighting back tears photos, but the emotion was so real and so raw, I cannot even be upset. This moment was so great and it has fired me up to chase even bigger dreams. I had a huge time PR on both the bike and the run and that in itself was almost as exciting as getting the finisher banner. The volunteer at the finish asked me if I wanted to keep the banner, and I excitedly said “UM, YES! ABSOLUTELY!” Once the results were all in, my suspicions were clear: I won by 9 minutes.

(Yes, I plan on buying these!)

I could literally go on about how wonderful this day was (and the 16oz dippin dots I got after the race), but really the takeaway for me was that my confidence in myself and my determination to make my dreams a reality created the day I was dreaming of.  Siri has unleashed a whole different athlete within myself, and I am just getting started.