A Tale of Two Distances: Utah Half & Vegas Super Sprint

Eek!  First off, I must apologize for just how overdue this post is.  September seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye.  Two races, one bailed race, and a whole boat load of training later, here is a little update (the benefit of procrastination is you will be spared the boring details).

UTAH HALF

In late August, I ventured to Utah for my first half of the season, the Utah Half.  With the memory of disappointment and severe bonkage from last year’s Rev3 Williamsburg (passed in the last quarter mile and a 103 degree body temp at the finish) still in my mind, I was a little nervous as to how my body would hold up for a distance longer than my typical Oly.  However, Coach Mace is no dummy and I could tell his training had prepared both my mind and body far beyond where it was a year ago. 

Lucky for me, I was pampered while in Utah as I was able to stay with the amazing Schwanz family (Michelle was my elementary GT teacher, they were Wisconsin country neighbors, I babysat for a while, and went to high school with Lauren) who drove me around and fed me fresh/delicious meals.  Everything seemed to be perfect … until late afternoon before the race.  A nasty storm rolled in and brought with it lower temperatures and hours of torrential downpour.  I woke race morning to temps in the low 50s (arctic for my desert bones), thunder, lightning, and sheets of rain.  Once at the race site, we were instructed to stay in our cars and wait for the bat signal; weather had impeded transition/buoys from even being set out.  Fortunately, I’m a nerd who listens to audio books in the car so I passed the time with a little Janet Evonovich (which doubled in keeping my panic regarding the temperature at bay).  When the storm finally passed, we all herded to transition, ready to start the day. 

View from my accommodations wasn't too shabby

The morning was still chilly and the storm had cooled the water a good deal.  When the water had been checked a few days prior, it was determined that the amateur field could wear wetsuits but the pro field could not.  Bummer!  That water was COLD and the morning pretty frigid too.  Hopping on my bike I couldn’t see straight my head was so frozen and it took a good ten miles to stop shaking; I recall noting that I was finally of a comfortable body temperature just after the turnaround (28 miles in).  Despite the frosty start, the skies had cleared over a fast/flat course.  The race crew did an excellent job of cleaning gravel/debris from the course, I really don’t know how they did it so quickly! 

Coming out of the water, I had been told I was in the lead but didn’t really believe it until confirmed at the turnaround.  Second place was not far back though and I have been passed way too many times on the bike to feel confident in my lead.  I was pleasantly surprised to enter T2 still in front; not knowing if (or by how much) the gap had been closed, I took off running.  I held my lead through the run, bolstered by the encouragement of spectators and other racers, crossing the line with my first elite win, woohoo!  While I had come to the race alone, I ran into a lot of familiar faces (Kirstin McCay, Zara Guinard, fellow Hammer athletes Elliot Bassett and Andrew Drobeck, and the welcoming members of the SL Tri Club) who helped me celebrate the moment.  Back at the Schwanz house my excited super fans fed me and let me relive the fun!  After a much needed shower, I headed back towards Nevada for the next day’s visit from my big brother.  What a fun life I lead!

A few race photos: Top left, post-race with Kirstin (won her age group); with Andrew and Elliot (2nd and 3rd overall men); with Zara (who came to cheer on her teammates); on the overall women's podium. 

LAS VEGAS SUPER SPRINT

Somehow, my coach talked me into applying to race the Las Vegas Super Sprint, a Super Sprint Grand Prix event which just so happened to serve as the USAT Elite Sprint National Championship.  This race was a short, fast, multi-lap, draft legal event stacked with some of the fastest women in the world (of 21 women on the start line, 5 were Olympians).  The race was on a Thursday, so I showed up for the pre-race meeting the day before fresh off of my work day and was completely star struck; out testing the course was a hoard of my tri heroes, women/athletes I have followed and looked up to for years.  Holy intimidation and feelings of inadequacy Batman!  Fortunately, there were a few familiar faces (from sources other than magazines/TV) in the mix and the seasoned elite sprint diva Zara Guinard calmed my fears a bit.  Even better, after the meeting, I came home to a perfect home cooked meal and some pampering from my visiting mother.  The awesome crew over at Pro Cyclery let me borrow one of their fancy carbon Giant bikes (road bikes, not TT bikes, must be ridden in draft-legal races) so I was as ready as I was going to be!

This is how they put a pool in the middle of a parking lot in Las Vegas: too cool!

My race itself was far from excellent; I was lapped out and did not make the finals.  However, I wouldn’t trade the experience itself for anything!  On the start line, world champion Sarah Groff was directly to my left and I chatted/shared rubber bands with some other big wigs.  MP Multisport was in town so I had the support of Coach Mace and Coach Frosty along with visiting friend (Hammer athlete I met in Utah, also a really legit coach) Elliot Bassett and local friends Bree Thorpe (son Dash in tow) and Max Jones.  Even cooler was the evening’s final event; what athleticism and how amazing to watch! 

Checking out the course with Coach Mace (in my fancy Las Vegas Masters cap)

And we're off!

Out on the course

Women's Final

The next day, I was back to training, showing off the loop to Frosty and Coach Mace.  Since then , it’s been a solid block of training, highly supported by friends/training buddies/unwitting sounding boards Bree and Max.  I decided to skip out on the LA Tri (sorry Susan) in favor of a solid training weekend when it was changed to a draft legal sprint with a gender-neutral prize purse (not exactly my favor, as noted above).  With three weeks off the race circuit, I’m itching to don my kit again and am super jazzed to be racingChallenge Rancho Cordova (70.3) next weekend.  California, here I come!

Just another training day in gorgeous Red Rock Canyon! 

THANK YOU Blueseventy, Hammer Nutrition, and MP Multisport for supporting me through the highs and lows of training and racing!