Welcome to the Big Leagues: Thoughts from My Inaugural Pro Race

There is a moment I remember with distinct clarity: dressed in a loose-fitting borrowed jet-ski wetsuit and following a poorly sighted line through Lake Michigan during my first triathlon I was struck with a thought of, “I can’t believe this is real, how amazing!”  The same sense of wonder came over me on Memorial Day as I rounded a turn buoy (this time equipped in my snazzy Blueseventy Speed Suit) at Lifetime CapTex in Austin, my first official race as a professional triathlete.

Race weekend was wonderful as friends, family, and perfect strangers reached out to make everything run as smoothly as possible.  After not seeing one another for five years, I was able to temporarily move back in with my roommate from sophomore year in college, Brianna (if the whole PhD thing doesn’t work out for her she has a definite career as a Race Sherpa – talk about accommodation!) and my aunt and uncle drove up from San Antonio just to feed me a pre-race dinner.  I’ve said before how much I love Lifetime Tri events (see Minneapolis and Oceanside) and I feel fortunate to have chosen to begin my next chapter with a series that cares so much about its athletes.  The pro coordinator, Shawna, graciously answered all of my silly questions and, knowing it was my first race, the race officials sought me out specifically in order to ensure that I understood all of the pro rule differences.  Events staff and crew cheered throughout the race and checked in on me post-race; even the announcer Dave Kappas took the time to hear my story (and learn the proper pronunciation of my last name).

Pre-race dinner with my Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy

Shhh I'm totally not sneaking in to the closed lake for a little swim ... 

Enjoying the view from the top of the Hyatt - you can see the buoys out already!

Celebrating post-race in true Tex-Mex fashion with Brianna

 The race itself was humbling; those women are phenomenal athletes and I feel so inspired by them.  As anticipated, I got my butt totally kicked (and didn’t mind a single bit).  In a field like that, there is nowhere to hide and my weak areas were presented to me with stark reality; I definitely know what I’ll be working to improve for the rest of the season!  Overall, though, I was happy with my results.  Dressed for success in my Blueseventy kit/speed suit and fueled by Hammer Gel/Heed I raced to an 11^th place finish, including a one minute run PR which was good enough for the 5^th fastest run split.

As I hobbled through a short cooldown on a wooded path along the river, I was suddenly overcome with emotion as I reflected upon the past few years.  Four and a half years ago, I had barely even heard of a triathlon.  I was sedentary, exceptionally unhappy, partying far too much, and pushing 190 pounds; I didn’t like who I was and had no direction in my life.  Now, I’ve finished my first race as a professional athlete.  It hardly seems possible it’s not all a dream; I am filled with happiness and humility at the blessings I have been granted in abundance.  I may not have won the race yesterday but I sure as heck feel like I had a big win at life.

A huge thank you to my parents for their encouragement, my incredible coach Jon Mason with MP Multisport for getting me here, and my rad sponsors Blueseventy and HammerNutrition for their continued support.  I am so excited to keep pushing forward and to see all that the future holds!