On the
afternoon of Sunday, June 28th CoachMace said to me, "Enjoy this
afternoon, you're going to remember today forever." I have a feeling he was right. That morning, I swam, biked, and ran my way
through a small but mighty field of women at Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake to a 5th place finish, earning my
first WTC (ie Ironman Corp) podium slot.
I hadn't initially planned to attend this race but was finally convinced
after hearing nothing but good things about the venue and race directors. Those in the know turned out to be right,
this was a fun weekend and an event not to be missed!
As I wasn't
sure how I'd be feeling after the last few races and training camp, I didn't
officially decide to attend IM 70.3 BSL until about a week out. As a result, flying was pretty much out of
the question so the weekend was bookended by a 13 hour drives through the desert
(hooray for audio-books), what fun! Upon
arrival, I was thrilled to not only have an absolutely fantastic host family
(thanks Pat and Wendy) but to share my homestay with friend and fellow athlete Joe Umpenhour. Joe and I had a blast hanging out with our
hosts, checking out the race course, getting hit on by age-groupers, and making
multiple pilgrimages to Sprouts. At the
race expo, I was pleased to run into several friends including former CSU Tri
teammate/officer Chris Leiferman.
Surprise house-mate Joe!
Wondering which bike I should take, mine or my hosts?
With a 6:30
start time, race morning began even earlier than usual (which is always nice
once the heat of the sun sets in). After
a speedy swim (new PR, yay), it was off on one of the toughest bike courses I
have ridden. Most of the roads were a
bumpy chip seal as we encountered steep climbs, technical descents. Fortunately, both the wind and temperatures
were fairly mild. Besides, a tough
course beats being bored for 56 miles any day!
The challenge didn't stop as we trod the two loop run course: a
particularly brutal hill in the middle seemed to slow just about everyone to a
near walk. While the first loop felt
particularly rough, the energy of the other participants in conjunction with
the realization that I was holding my fifth place slot powered me through the
second loop to the finish where I crossed with what may have been the widest
smile of the day.
It wouldn't be race morning without a colorful lower half!
Speedy run out of the swim in my new Blueseventy Speed Suit!
Following
the race, athletes were treated to what I'm pretty sure was the best post-race
care I've ever received. In addition to
a delicious spread of fresh fruit, the TexasTech Physical Therapy and Nursing students were on deck (in mass) to assist
with any need and to provide tired/dehydrated athletes with IV's of
fluids. I wish we got that treatment
after every race, I've never felt better!
After making our way back to our home, Joe and I headed out on our bikes
for a "cooldown" spin to Chipotle and Sprouts before cleaning up and
heading to awards. This was a fun event
with fresh, catered food, a live band, and one of the most
passionate/enthusiastic race directors in the business. It was especially great to hang out with Jackie Hering (the day's overall winner
and my bus buddy from IM 70.3 Raleigh)
and to chat up the Timex Rep.
Enjoying the podium with Haley and Jackie
Congrats on your 2nd place finish Chris!
Love my new Timex!!!
Since the
race, it's been a bit of a whirlwind, arriving home late Monday only to head
out again Thursday for my friend Teagan's wedding in Montana (where I probably
adventured a bit too much but I'm pretty sure it was worth it). Now, another short week before I venture to
wine country for the last of my "Try not to die" race block (assuming
I finish it'll be four Half Ironman's in 7 weeks, five in 11 weeks, and six
total races in 12) at IM 70.3 Vineman. Bring on the next 70.3 miles!
Montana fun
Thank you so
much to my generous sponsors and supporters for getting me to this milestone,
I'm excited to see where we can go together!
MP Multisport, Blueseventy, Hammer Nutrition, Pro Cyclery, ProMotorsports, Riplaces, HIE Cycling, It's Your Choice Training, Las VegasMultisport, Duro Tire
No comments:
Post a Comment