Work Hard, Pay Hard

Me, Kyle, and some of his Tri-201 trainees at the 2010
Monster Tri following my first overall win. The RD
awarded me with a lifetime of comped entry fees.
Equally great- These guys are still racing!

I completed my first triathlon in 2007. It was a sprint distance- 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run, and cost my dad $30. I received a swim cap that I was required to wear, a tee-shirt I still have, post-race pizza, and an orange coffee mug for placing in my age group. The 200 participant race was a true grass-roots event, with great volunteers who were there to show their support of triathlon, its' athletes, and the beneficiary- Big Brother & Big Sisters of Decatur.


Over the years I've witnessed a shift in our sport. While some of those great grass-roots events are still around, there are more and more triathlons popping up from large production companies. They lure us to their events with their promises of swag & finishers medals. They shamelessly charge over $50 for an event you'll complete in less than an hour.
Some of us justify these expenses. To us, they're small sacrifices for our hours of training. And because we complete only a handful of races in a season, those sacrifices are just that- small. But to others- the ones who don't race for fun, but race to race- normal triathlon expenses are a burden. To them, triathlon is more than a hobby. They train hard with ambitions of one day "making it". The need to race frequently is not only their way to compete head-to-head with fellow athletes, but a means to track progress, to get noticed by sponsors, and very seldom, a chance to win prize money to fund race expenses.


The Elite Amateurs

When we think of the 'elites', we think of the professional triathletes who win world championships and make a comfortable living off of it.  The triathlete's dream: get paid to train & race. A living of luxury. Whether or not their lives are luxurious is debatable. What's not is the years of hard work & sacrifice it took to get to that point.

Most top-level triathletes were not nurtured as triathletes. They developed as swimmers, cyclists, or runners. At some point they transitioned into triathlons as a way to continue their athletic endeavors. They've worked hard to master all three sports. Training is a process, and it takes time become a high performance athlete. A lot of time. Most of them have spent years developing their talents to advance from 'finisher' to 'competitor', and ultimately to 'winner'.

Before the professionals were professionals and got paid for winning races, they were amateurs & didn't get paid for winning races. They might have found an odd race here and there with a modest prize purse, but the number of races that offer cash awards to elite amateurs is small. Only when they earned their elite license (or "Pro Card") would they be eligible to compete in races with prize purses. Consequently, every season is dedicated to qualifying for that license. The license doesn't mean a pay check, though. It just means there's an OPPORTUNITY to race for one. Unfortunately, since they've graduated to professional races, chances are they're not winning anymore. It may take years to advance enough to hang with the big boys and girls, and even then racing is complemented with coaching, writing, or both to make a living out of triathlon.

Done right, training is a full-time job. Each discipline demands consistent and quality training. Train for each sport as if the others didn't exist. Rest between workouts to make the best of each session. Train tired, ignore the fatigue, and know that tomorrow, the next day, and every day in the foreseeable future, you will do it again. Keep your eye on the goal and have faith that one day this will pay off. Sleep 8-9 hours and wake up for another day of training. The work load demands are high, so it's difficult to take on a job that pays well. You put your life (and career) on hold, because in 10 years the opportunity will be gone. Unless you have a flexible job, one that allows you to leave for hours in the middle of the day, training to perform to your highest potential is nearly impossible. Your workouts directly affect your mental state, and in the middle of a hard training period, you find yourself asking, "What am I doing with my life?"

Pay it Forward

The shortage of cash prizes in triathlon threatens the viability of our sport.
Not the participation (to the age grouper, triathlon will continue to thrive) but this situation in which our ascending athletes struggle financially hurts our ability to compete internationally.
How can we expect our future Olympians to perform when our current triathlon culture fails to support their endeavors?

The solution is simple: reward those who work hard to win. Encourage talented young athletes to invest in our sport by showing them we are willing to invest in them. Support proposals of prize purses in local & regional races, because it's one of the few breaks these athletes get. Understand the marketing potential of having a prize purse, and encourage RDs to raise the bar. Show your support to our sport by supporting your local & regional elites!

Christmas Ornament Giveaway

Who likes free stuff? This girl!

Follow my blog for a chance to win!

While searching the perfect Christmas gifts for my loved ones I stumbled upon Milestones Sports, an online shop that specializes in run & tri jewelry. I browsed around a bit & fell in love, so I subscribed to their newsletter. This week one of the deals was a free Christmas ornament with purchase. I normally drag my feet when it comes to spending money, but I'm always enticed by the lure of sales & free-bees, which means my Christmas shopping is complete a full week earlier than anticipated. Yes, I fully expected to wait until the week of Christmas to shop. I procrastinate. Don't judge me.

+Milestones Sports Jewelry  sent a tri ornament to offer as a giveaway to my followers. On Monday (12/23) I will announce a random winner from my followers. To be entered in the drawing, all you have to do is follow my blog. Best of luck!

To follow, simply mouse over the pop-up menu on the right. There are 2 options to follow: RSS or google+. 

Mighty Magnolia Triathlon Race Report

October 12, 2013
Hattiesburg, MS

It's been a busy several weeks of racing, so I  was anxious to wrap the season up with the local tri, Mighty Magnolia. Not only was this going to be a fun race with a lot of local friends & familiar faces (including long lost training buddy, Ginger!), but Mighty Magnolia was the GOAL RACE for Runner's High's first triathlon training program.

These are a few faces from the Runner's High Tri Program: (front) Joanne, Kelly, Todd, Michelle, Bradi, Alexis, Laura (back) me, Theresa, Pam, Carol, Kyle, Evan, Greg, Cayla, Kristina, & Brinn.

For 12 weeks we've been working with 21 beginners as they prepared for their first triathlon. Let me preface this by saying that the MMTri is NOT an easy beginner race. Each person in the program worked very hard. We gave them training plans for each sport, and many of them went above and beyond their 'prescribed' workouts in preparation for race day. Group training sessions included running form clinics, swim clinics for stroke technique, swim clinics for open water technique, bike clinics, bike maintenance workshops, transition clinics, open water swim practice... it was a BUSY 12-weeks jam-packed with information, practice, and training, but we got through it with beaming success. Out of the 21 starting participants, 19 were able to join us on race-day, and all 19 were successful in their completion! Here are some of the awards/rankings from our group:

• Hanna Knowles- 1st female beginner
• Greg Strange- 2nd male beginner
• Kyler Knowlers- 3rd male beginner
• Alexis Crosby- 2nd 20-24
• Pam Sumrall- 2nd F 50-54
• Carol Joplin (My super-tough MIL)- 1st F 55-59
• Becky Tew- 2nd 55-59

I have a lot of respect for each person who stepped out of their comfort zones and put their trust in us with this program. As a once-beginner, I understand how difficult and intimidating it is to jump head first into a sport like this. The difference is that I had a mentor (Rocketman) next to me for years and made sure I didn't do anything silly, like forget my swim cap, draft on the bike, sit down to put on socks... I absolutely LOVE this sport, and I love the people I interact with who have made it such a big focus in their lives. I love to see how much this sport has grown and embrace the opportunities to contribute to that growth.  Most of all, I love going to races and seeing people with different abilities, backgrounds, and challenges gathered at once spot to achieve the same goal: finish and do the best you can.


On to the race report!

Swim 7:37

Time trial format, seeding based on order of registration. This year Kyle and I registered early so we would be some of the first in the water. We were assigned bib numbers 30 & 31 out of 300+. The swim was wetsuit legal, the water felt borderline, but I welcomed any advantage that might help drop some time. Kyle has been working with Brinn and I on pacing, but that went down the drain AGAIN. I just get excited, and the fact that there were 250+ onlookers didn't help. I tried to make myself calm down, settle into a rhythm, and just GO. We've been practicing this course over the past several weeks, so we knew the EXACT path needed for a quick time: Swim STRAIGHT to the drain, curve left and hug the next buoy, then aim straight to the shore. Even though we were some of the first in the water, things got a bit congested around the drain. I was about to the next buoy when someone (BIG)  swam DIRECTLY OVER me! Weird, since I was passing several people at the time so it wasn't like I was creeping along... I got behind them and managed to draft along for a bit before dropping off. I later learned that this sea monster was fellow Team HAMR member Dave who swam in college. When my hands hit the shore I stood up and glanced at my watch -7:11. HUGE PR, woohoo! Official time after running up the hill to transition: 7:37.

It's funny to me how resistant most age-groupers are to getting in the pool and working! Kyle's masters swim group had 3 ladies who worked with him over the winter with the TOP 5 SWIM FINISHES! Me (1st, dropped :45), Brinn (2nd, dropped 1:35, HUGE!), Ginger (5th). WORK WORKS. And I am available for swim lessons.

Bike 45:30, 21.8mph
I had unrealistic expectations for this course. I've made huge improvements since last summer, so I had this ambitious goal that I would average 23mph. Even though I've practiced this course a couple times over the summer, I forgot how difficult the hills are when you're racing. Last year I was still pretty well trained for hills having just moved from Virginia, this year 95% of my workouts have been on the super flat & straight Longleaf Trace. While I'm so grateful to have the safety of the Trace in my backyard, I realize I need to do more hill riding if I'm serious about seeing speed improvements, especially on a rolling Course like MM. SO, not a TERRIBLE bike split, but not the improvement I was looking for- 21.8mph.

Run 20:40, 6:53/mile
While the bike course is tough, the run course is not easier. 3 miles of rollers, the worst of which are at the beginning right off the bike. There are a couple of out-and-back hairpins off of the main road which COULD be problematic (last year I heard a lot of complaints about cheating...). Fortunately this year there were some FANTASTIC volunteers on the course directing athletes where to run & making sure people hit those hairpins. I had some great motivation on the run: first off, you can see people right behind you on those hairpins, so I knew I was being chased. Second, I saw Brinn's husband Greg on the first hairpin; he was in front of me by maybe 200 yards, and I was determined to catch him. Third, half of the run course is shared with bikers coming back in, so I received some words of encouragement and convened myself that all those riders who started behind me were way too close!
Unfortunately, I never caught Greg. Talk about a guy with high pain tolerance. I've been working my butt off for a year to throw down a decent run at the end of a tri, and he starts training over the summer, looses a bunch of weight (no longer classified as a Clydesdale), has to take a month off of running due to an Achilles injury, then pops off a 22 minute 3 mile.

Final 1:14:58 1st Overall

I had one REAL goal for this race: Beat the female course record. I didn't share this with too may people because I know it sounds arrogant. Last year my time beat the record, but so did the woman who tied with me by A TENTH OF A SECOND and another who beat us by 5 SECONDS. Races are RARELY that close, and it was hard to look at the website's course records and see other names listed knowing that I was right there. I wanted to crush the record, I wanted to keep the female hardware local, and I wanted my name on the list. 3:23 faster this year, check it out! I'm also happy to report that my run is no longer a glaring weakness. If anything, it's become a strength. My bike used to be the only respectable leg when it came to racing, but now the swim and run combined are what make the difference.

I really enjoy local races. I like being around a bunch of people I see out on the trace or at other races and getting to socialize about all things triathlon. It was a GREAT day for Team HAMR (Hattiesburg Area Multisport Racing). It was so awesome looking at the post-race crowd and seeing so many bright blue team shirts. The group picked up a lot of hardware and we even gained a few new members. I'm proud to call these guys my tri family! Tri Optimum Performance had great success as well (between me, Brinn, and future athlete Ginger! 1st, 3rd, and 5th overall). Kyle was one happy coach. Lastly the Runner's High Tri Program did fantastic & we are SUPER excited about our next program (maybe for Girl Power/Guy Power in early spring?!?)

I feel like this race report wouldn't be complete without a shout-out to Brinn. She's been working really hard this year and is fairly new to the racing scene. She dropped 10 minutes off of her MM time from last year and placed 3rd overall! I'm REALLY excited to see what happens next year. All she needs is a little work on the bike and we are ALL going to be in trouble!

RESULTS HERE

Lifetime Tri Dallas: US Open Race Report

October 6, 2013

The Lifetime Triathlon Series is one of the largest triathlon events in the nation. Their homepage feed reads "The Greatest Races for the Greatest Athletes". Professionals and age groupers from all over the country travel to the Lifetime events to race for prize money and elite status, respectively. The top three amateur males and females gain eligibility for an elite license- THE GOAL! The Lifetime Dallas Tri was established in 2007 as the U.S. Open Tri, and is a championship event.

As I mentioned in my last report, Kyle and I decided last minute to hit the road and try our luck at the U.S. Open after learning that our scheduled race, Santa Rosa Island, had been canceled. My feelings about the race were mixed. On the one hand, I was not feeling confident since the whole reason why Dallas wasn't planned was because we didn't think I was ready. On the other, I WAS READY TO RACE. Perfectly trained, tapered, and mentally in race mode. After weighing the options, I knew that if we didn't go to Dallas I would regret it- it just seemed like the stars were lining up and pointing me in that direction; Dallas was the obvious choice.

Of course, the goals for this event needed to be adjusted. No pressure to place in the top three; that was probably not realistic. If it happened, GREAT; if not, no loss. This race was all about beating myself. I'm looking ahead to next year, so I just needed to set myself up for a positive winter. Get the bad taste of Rocketman out, end with a strong Olympic Distance going into the winter, show up in April with confidence.

K-Jop and I with 3x Olympian Hunter Kemper (NO BIG DEAL!)
JK JK yes, it IS a big deal!
 

We left Mississippi early Saturday morning and arrived to the expo at noon with the hopes of attending the open water swim clinic. As we drove into Dallas the sky quickly went from bright and sunny to dark and foreboding. Everything is bigger in Texas, and I realized that the oversized American flags on every other street corner were blown straight out. Of course after assessing the lake situation the race staff canceled the open water session due to the tremendous white caps that were forming. Instead we attended the pre-race briefing, walked around the expo, and got a photo taken with 3x Olympian, Hunter Kemper!

Sunday morning was chilly. We arrived at the transition area early to set up, warm-up, and get settled in. I stayed bundled up as long as possible before having to get into my wet-suit and get ready to race. I was feeling pretty good- a little jitters, but no panic. Even when we were lined up for our wave start (Which included both male and female elite amateurs combined!) I was in a happy place. No expectations, no disappointments... Just race!
 
Swim 25:25:08

Amateurs were not allowed a swim warm-up, so I tried to keep everything pretty loose while waiting and did a few out-and-backs while in the water waiting for the wave to start. After I lined up along the start line, I realized I was in the direct path to the turn buoy (score!). I also looked around at the group around me- all men. The guy behind me looked timid- like he was about to cry- so I decided to stay where I was. After all, I'm a decent swimmer by amateur triathlon standards, so there's no reason why I can't get in with a group of men and try to hold on.
I'M A DUMMY...
The horn blew and things got out of hand. Everyone took off sprinting, which was expected. I've done enough wave starts by now to realize that it gets a little chaotic, especially if you are trying to break away or stick with the break-away, but this was not just chaotic, it was violent. Obviously there is going to be lots of contact with a wave start, and that's fine.  BUT, I'm not a fan of kicking violently if someone touches your legs, throwing bows at your neighbor, or punching. Seriously, I got PUNCHED in the face... who swims with fists?!? I can only attribute it to the fact that the women where drastically outnumbered, and I'm concluding that men are crazy and outwardly aggressive. Seriously, when women race the focus is on getting away from the group, catch a draft, & swim fast. Men- "Swim hard & take out as many opponents as you can, we are at war!". FYI guys- There's a difference between hard & fast. In triathlon, fast is better.
After about 200m of this nonsense I realized that if I tried to continue to fight this crowd I would red-line from the chaos alone. I decided to back off to let the jokers go, then settled in and let them pull me. The course is a rectangular shape with 2 turns. After the first turn, the current became more noticeable (possibly because I fell off the back off the group). Although the wind wasn't nearly as bad as Saturday, the water was still choppy, and I could feel my body getting tossed around with the water. There was also a Coast Guard boat right off the course that may have been causing some of the wake... the water was rough. The last stretch is where I struggled the most. I had difficulty sighting with all the rough water ahead, and it was difficult to see where we were supposed to swim in. I ended up using people around & ahead of me to sight, which I felt uneasy about.  I also felt current pushing us to the outside... No doubt that on THIS day, the swim conditions were challenging.  Finish time 25:25:08. A little slow for me at this point, but under the conditions, not terrible. Goal for the winter- FIX MY STROKE so I'll be better equipped to deal with such conditions!

T1
I wanted to feel sorry for myself after looking at my watch, but saw another woman in my wave in T1, which made me feel better. Get out of the wetsuit and GO!

Bike 1:09:01 21.9mph
THIS IS NOT AN EASY COURSE! And there's a reason why they call this place "Rockwall". As you exit the transition area you have to climb up this monster hill to exit the Hilton parking lot. Let me be clear in saying that this hill would be a challenge in itself, however you are taking it on from ZERO momentum at the bottom RIGHT after you mount. For the first time in years I put my cleats on in transition area and chose to clip in over my flying mount.
Once you get past the transition hill, there's still a bit of climbing. For the most part the course is rolling, which is not TERRIBLE, but there are a few spots of longer, gradual inclines which caused most people to slow down considerably. The roads are not terrible. There are a few places towards the beginning and end that you have to watch out for roughage on the road, but the middle 12 miles or so are smooth and fast. This day wasn't terribly windy, so I chose to ride my race wheels (disc in the back), which I believe helped.
I obviously needed to have a good bike, but I also knew I didn't need to go out too hard for the first half because I would struggle on the way back in (there's a small decline out). I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course was more intimidating in the car than on the bike. I felt really strong until the last 2.5 miles- at this point there are a lot of turns and gradual inclines, so I just had a difficult time gaining momentum. The last half mile or so is downhill back into the resort area, so there was a lot of caution to avoid coming back in with too much speed.

T2
I didn't really notice that I was chilly on the bike until I prepared to dismount and realized I couldn't feel my feet! Ever seen the episode of The Office when Kevin shows up to Jim and Pam's wedding with tissue boxes on his feet because he lost his shoes? That's what I felt like trying to dismount my bike and run down the rest of that hill- fat Kevin trying to run with tissue boxes on.

Run 46:14 7:27min/mile
THIS REALLY IS NOT AN EASY COURSE!
You know that wall of a hill you have to bike up coming out of transition? Well you have to run up the other side of it with your Jell-O legs. I think this is one of the more challenging 10K runs I've ever done. The entire course is rolling- you are constantly going up or down, but oddly enough I don't remember the downs! The 10K is 2x 3 mile loops (plus some so it's REALLY a 10K), which I like. I was feeling fine until around mile 2.5 where there is a long steep hill immediately following a gradual incline. Both times around my legs wanted to give out, but the second time my right quad started to cramp and I took a few steps to walk it out. Run completed in 46:19- A PR ON A VERY CHALLENGING COURSE AT THE END OF A TRI! VERY excited!

Finish 2:24:53
What this race perfect? HECK NO! Are any of them? haha that's funny! BUT overall I am ecstatic about how things turned out. No doubt this course was the hardest I've faced this year, so I'm happy with how everything came together, especially the run.
The most valuable aspect of this race is what I learned: We don't train FOR ONE event. Our training may gear towards a good performance AT ONE, but everything builds on itself and the outcome of the ONE doesn't determine the outcome of our overall SUCCESS. I have a tendency of building things up in my head- like, "THIS IS IT, THIS IS ALL THAT MATTERS". I didn't have that outlook for Dallas, but had I been training FOR Dallas, I would have, and I would have been a nervous wreck. The buildup is not necessary; the focus IS. All that matters is the training and your preparation, and unless there is a freak accident (like the rare mechanical issue), things will come together. Will everything be perfect? Probably not, but the imperfections and the ways we overcome obstacles are what make this sport so dang fun!


You know what else is fun?

• Winning the Elite Amateur Division at a 'Championship-Caliber' race! Especially when you don't expect it.
• Racing on the same course as the pros we follow and read about.
• Cycling to your heads' version of  "Ceiling Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore, then seeing that same song performed at the awards ceremony.
• Meeting professional athlete & 2x winner of the Dallas Tri & Lifetime Series, CAMERON DYE.
• Indulging on Chipotle.

Complete Results here!

Up next: Mighty Magnolia Triathlon

The Moment I Realized that We Are Insane

For the past year There's been denial that I've transformed into one of the crazy, intense triathletes that my dad and I used to make fun of. After all, this whole tri thing is just recreational activity, great exercise, and a lot of fun, right? WRONG!

Yes to the above, but there's more to it. Kyle AND I have been working hard together for the past year. When we opened the running shop, we came to an agreement that one of us needed to be a hardcore athlete (being a couch potato and owning an endurance shop is LAME), and I had potential to make that happen with his coaching. While racing will probably never pay the bills, coaching can. Since then he has taken on excess responsibilities: coaching the local masters team, leading a weekly speed work session for me and  my friends, and voluntarily assuming the role as coach for other local athletes. 

Naturally, when you work hard to achieve something it's easy to become consumed. Some may call it obsession. To each his own. I look at it as setting a goal and having a very strategic plan on how to accomplish that goal. Along the way you have benchmarks, in our case, races. Each one carries it's own weight of importance because the desired endpoint is different. Things rarely go exactly according to plan, so you adapt to overcome those obstacles.

Earlier in the year we planned to race the Lifetime Fitness U.S. Triathlon in Dallas.  In order to make the trip worth our while, I needed to race under a 2:20 for an Olympic distance tri. Unfortunately I got injured and took the first half of the summer off from running to nurse my ITBand, which set me back a bit. Music City was close at 2:25 on a challenging course.  I expected to shed some time at Rocketman, but hindsight realized that I needed to change my plans to have a strong finish to the season. Instead of Dallas, I would do Girl Power and the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon. 

4 weeks, 4 races: The Crusader 5k, Girl Power, Santa Rosa, and Mighty Magnolia. The first two are in the books and this week was prep for Santa Rosa. Unfortunately, I received an email Thursday afternoon with news that the event would be cancelled (or postponed until further notice) due to tropical storm Karen. On a competitive standpoint I was disappointed because I was ready to race. This was my A race; I should hit my season peak, I'm perfectly tapered, and I was in race mode, so the news was defeating.

After spending some time thinking about what we were going to do, Kyle informed me that it wasn't too late to go to Dallas. After weighing the options, I couldn't think of a legitimate reason to NOT go...  other that the fact that traveling 7 hours each way at the last minute for a race I haven't been planning for is COMPLETELY insane! I should point out that any other serious racing team would do the same!

Girl Power Race Report

September 29, 2013
New Orleans, LA

Team Tri Optimum Performance

The Girl Power Triathlon is a super-sprint distance (300m pool swim, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run) that takes place in March & September of each year. I competed in this event last spring with some exciting results, so naturally I wanted to return this fall to quantify this summer's progress. Unfortunately Ginger wouldn't be doing this one since she moved to Shreveport (WE MISS YOU GING!), but teammate Brinn Strange was able to compete, which meant New Orleans was going to see some fast Mississippi girls!

Brinn and I battle for the podium.

The four of us (YEAH, the husbands went as our cheerleaders!) left early Sunday morning and arrived at the University of New Orleans pool with plenty of time to pick up our packets, warm up on the bike & run, and get some brief swimming in before the race started. We were assigned low numbers, 3&4. Since the top two women from the spring were given #'s 1&2, I assume they just assigned these based on current standings. Again, they announced that this was going to be a "seed yourself" time trial start. I knew from last spring that people LIE, so Brinn and I took our claim at the front of the line behind some competitors we KNEW would outswim us. We entered the water as 4th and 5th.

Swim 4:42 1:26/yd
Last week most of our practices consisted of sets to learn pacing. We also worked on pool entry & under-the-lane-line turns. I got a bit excited when they told me to go, and while I THINK my entry was ok, the turns were not nearly as smooth as I practiced and the pacing went to crap. I took off too fast and didn't allow myself to settle into our much practiced pace. Of course Kyle was there with his stop watch and afterward reported that my splits were slower with each 100.

Bike 26:11 22.9mph
I knew if I was going to make up ANY ground on the women ahead of me it needed to be on the bike. Kyle told me to just hammer and if I felt like I was going to red-line, back off (pretty good strategy, huh?). The bike course is FLAT with a few overpass bumps. The last time I rode this course I had some difficulty with navigating- a lot of the roads split off into forks and you ride through a few traffic circles. It's not extremely well marked, and you frequently don't know where to go until you ride over an obscure arrow. Fortunately I didn't have a problem, but I know a few women did. Hopefully in the future there will be some volunteers out there directing the flow a bit better to help with the confusion. Other than that, it's a fast course with a beautiful view along Lake Pontchartrain.

Run 13:18 6:39/mile
I knew coming out of T2 that I was in 2nd, but I also needed to work hard to keep that position. Kyle yelled "30 seconds back", which I assumed to mean that whoever was chasing me was not far behind. Since this was a short 2 mile run, there was no room to loosen up and settle into a pace; JUST GO and hang on! I saw the 1st female on my way out and thought "Well crap, she's gone!", and saw another one on my way back and told myself I needed to move it if I didn't want to get caught. "Just a 1200, 1000, 800... push it in!". I finished with BY FAR my best run at the end of a tri, a huge success!

Finish 45:57
I completed the race nearly 2 minutes faster than the Spring, which is a lot of ground to make up for a race this short. Unfortunately, the 1st place female ALSO dropped 2 minutes, but I'm stoked to have finished 2nd and take home $400!

Top 5 at Girl Power. 2nd Overall and 5th Overall from Tri Optimum Performance. Not too bad for Hattiesburg!

Rocketman Triathlon Race Report

Rocketman Triathlon
1500m swim, 24.8mile bike, 6.2mile run
August 25, 2013
Huntsville, Alabama

The sport of triathlon is continually evolving, and to me that is REALLY exciting. One thing that impresses me about the Louisiana races is that MOST of them are wave starts, some of them even have elite/open waves, and most of the time there is prize money up for grabs.

The first year my dad took over Rocketman & lengthened it to an Olympic Distance Race, the local pro triathlete told him he should consider making it a wave start, or perhaps do an open wave for the more competitive racers. At the time, I was not a fan of this idea. Like most age-groupers, wave starts are intimidating, chaotic, blah blah blah. Most triathletes like to race THEMSELVES, and want to do it in the time trial formal to avoid any unnecessary contact with other athletes. But I now see the benefit of waves:

• Head-to-head racing with your competition. No guessing on where you are in the race, and no surprises of getting beat by .5 second or tying by a tenth of a second with your competitors. In other words, it's an actual race!
• Benefit of drafting. Kyle has us practice this useful skill in masters. If your able to draft, you may be able to get on the toes of someone slightly faster & put in a great time. You could come out of the water slightly less fatigued and be able to throw down a great race.

This spring I asked Rocketman to revisit the idea of an elite wave. In its 4th year as an Olympic Distance,  the Rocketman Tri is one of the more competitive events in the south. A large handful of strong athletes race every year, most of whom would probably PREFER to race in a wave format. After sending out some inquiries, Rocketman approved the Elite Wave!

Local stud Brinn & I left Saturday morning so that we would arrive in plenty of time to get to the expo, attend the race briefing, and get in a short brick. It was a long day, but we got to refresh a bit in my mom's pool (I haven't just PLAYED in a pool for YEARS!) & enjoyed a delicious grilled meal.

The next day we arrived at the race site as soon as transition opened. Good thing, I was getting really stressed with my bike. The night before I put my race wheels on & tried to transfer my bike computer to the new front wheel. As I was tightening it, the stupid thing snapped in half. I went through 4 cycles of super-gluing it & having it snap on me again! That morning I FINALLY got it on, but then when I tried to pump up my tire it would not inflate. Fortunately, Steve with Madison Cycles (who sold me my bike) was set up at the race site for bike support. He was able to inflate my tire to at least 100psi. He guaranteed that with my small(-ish) frame 100 would be just fine. I took it out for a warm-up spin and everything felt ok.

Swim 28:18
We gathered at the race start where the open wave would be taking off first. They called our names one at a time & we jumped in and waited for everyone to be called. Since there were about 20 racers total racing in the open wave, they decided to combine the men & women. As we were treading water, I noticed that I kept getting pushed back- there was a decent current! Some others remarked about it as well. The swim course is 550m against the current, then 100m across the Tennessee river and finishing the last 850 with the current.
As the gun went off we took off, and of course it was chaotic. Fortunately I've been swimming enough that I now feel extremely comfortable in the water and getting kicked & splashed is no longer a problem. I jumped on someone's feet & tried to maintain the draft at a higher intensity than I really felt comfortable with, but at the same time I knew that the longer I could stay on board and let them break the current the better off I would be. I stuck behind them for about 200m, then fell behind. As I worked against the current alone, I could tell that I wasn't getting nearly as much distance per stroke as usual- I was using the bank and my feel for the water as a gauge. I starting swimming a bit choppier, shortening my stroke and turning over a bit faster. It wore me out, but I think it helped be in the long run.
I'm not sure what the distance of the swim was, but I was told by several people wearing GPS watches that it was long. That, combined with the current, made the swim very difficult for most people. I forgot to start my watch so I had no idea what my time was coming out of the water during the race, which was probably a GOOD thing. I do know that there was one woman right in front of me and another right behind me from the wave.

T1 :40 (fastest!)
Quick QUICK QUICK! (seriously, this is how Kyle and I strategize)

Bike 1:10:21 (21.2 mph)
I knew I needed to have a strong bike. Relative to the female open field, I was one of the stronger cyclists, so if I wanted to hang I would need to get in front on the bike & just hang on for the run. All did NOT go according to plan. I felt like I was dealing with a lot of resistance. What was it? Wind? Well then EVERYONE is dealing with it! Rubbing? I heard a lot of screeching, but since I was using a disc that is still fairly new to me I assumed it was normal. I just felt like I was working a lot harder than normal and just not getting my speed up, or wasn't able to maintain it. I contemplating getting off and checking my wheel, but decided against it because I thought it would cost too much time.

T2: 1:01


Run 53:39
The Rocketman run course is challenging. The first 2 mile you run off road and through some trails. You then run over these gravel mounds, get back on the main road, then enter another gravel looped road with some elevation change. After that you run on flat pavement for a bit, then finish going back over those mound things. There's not a ton of shade coverage, and even though it WAS windy there were trees blocking most of the breeze.
I got off my bike and knew I was in for a tough run. I tried to get past it mentally, but my legs were pretty burned out. I stuck to the plan- take half a mile to get my cadence up, work the stiffness out, then maintain a good pace. I felt ok for about a mile, but by mile 2 things got bad. My stomach started cramping up, my Achilles started throbbing,  and I had a hard time getting my legs to cooperate. My dad rode along beside my on a mountain bike for a while to cheer for me, which I appreciated. I tried to get past my frustration with the bike & just finish ... 53:39, pretty rotten!

Finish 2:33:57
A year ago I would have been ecstatic. My goal was to go under 2:20, which I still think was realistic. Music City was definitely a harder course, and my run (AND BIKE) have improved since then. I ended up finishing 5th in the Elite Open wave. After the race was over I spun my back wheel and it was DEFINITELY rubbing. UGH! Time to re-evaluate my plans... I am now going to finish the season strong with  Girl Power, Santa Rosa Island, and of course, Mighty Magnolia. This winter will be the time to work towards the Olympic Distance & improve my run. Then it's time for FAST RACING in the spring!
The moral: use your disappointments to keep moving forward!

Results here

UP NEXT: Girl Power!

Music City Race Report

Music City Triathlon
1.5km swim, 40 km bike, 10km run
July 28, 2013
Nashville, Tennessee

Last week I completed my first Olympic Distance of the season, the Music City Triathlon. I was really looking forward to this race for several reasons. For one, my mom would be joining me. Two, would be enjoying a few days off from the grind at Runner's High. Three, I expected to do well at this race, and felt confident that I was going to CRUSH the PR from my last Olympic Distance a year ago. As an added bonus, college rowing buddy Nathan Green contacted me Thursday asking if I were doing the race as well, which allowed a much needed reunion!

I left Mississippi early Friday morning and arrived in Huntsville mid-day. I needed to get a swim in, and got to use a 25 yard OUTDOOR pool, a great opportunity to work on my tan. Nothing crazy with the swim, just a bit of a warm-up, a short set to get my heart-rate up, and several 50's working on hitting 1-mile pace. I felt great in the water, was comfortable with my pacing, and left looking forward to the longer open water river swim (shocking!).

My mom and I left the next day for Nashville. Let me first say the her offering to join me is a HUGE honor. Races are boring; there's not a lot to see and most of them are not extremely spectator friendly. She is a busy woman, so to have a supporter willing to spend their weekend giving in to your diva-like demands & suffer through the boring event was a big deal to me. PLUS, it gave us some much needed quality time.
We arrived in Nashville without any issues & went straight to the race site. As soon as we got out of the car, I saw some familiar faces- THE REEVES SISTERS! Of all the participants, we happened to arrive at the same time and run into each other. Pretty cool. We picked up our packets and my mom helped me find my bike rack then we went to check out the swim course. She stuck her foot in the water & shook her head saying we were all crazy for wanting to swim in that. It's true, we are all crazy.
Afterward we found our hotel- practically in the LP Field parking lot! Seriously, not even a half mile from transition. It was perfect. I put my bike together then took a short ride around the parking lot a few times to loosen my legs up and make sure everything was working right and followed it with a short run. I met up with Nathan at packet pick-up, then the three of us went out for our last meal before the big event.

Again, first Olympic Distance of the season. Moment of truth. I've been doing pretty well at the sprints this summer, but that hasn't really been my focus. The goal is to put up a respectable time for an Intermediate Distance race, and this would be the first test to show how far off track or how on target I am. Since I've been training specifically for this, I was looking forward to having a good race. I knew the run would be a struggle, but even so I was expecting to crush my last PR's in each discipline. Gaging by last years' competitors, I expected to finish near the top, however I was also very aware that the competition would likely be steeper than what I normally face in the Mississippi/Louisiana region, so I was not expecting a podium finish. I had to remind myself of that on Saturday. I saw a tent setup for wetsuit rentals and was told the water temperature was 72. I had every intention of brining my wet-suit (in the off chance it was wetsuit legal), but upon arriving in Huntsville realized I'd forgotten to bring it. I started freaking out about it, thinking I'd come all this way and had inadvertently sabotaged my race (go figure!)... how I'd be at such a disadvantage not being in a suit(yeah, it could make THAT big of a difference over a 1500!)... That night I asked Kyle if I should suck it up and rent one, but he said NO. He said even if it caused me to miss being in the top few, the goal of this race was to go for time.

I woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty good. Since we were practically on top of the race site, I did my bike warm-up from the hotel & rode around the parking lot for about 15 minutes with some pick-ups. I then arrived at the transition area with plenty of time to set-up, relax, and begin my run warm-up (about 20 minutes). The awful part: I got cold! There were two races going on, with the Sprint preceding mine. that meant after the transition area closed, I ended up having an hour and a half to do nothing! So I sipped on my water bottle, snacked on chomps, and caught up with Nathan. I saw my mom right as the Olympic Distance was starting, so I had a few moments to visit with her before my race started.

The Race:

Swim: 21.25
The swim course was a rectangular shape which started and ended with you swimming against the Cumberland River current. The strategy was to swim aggressively during that time. I felt strong on the way out- NO WAY that water was 72 degrees! I was en route across the river after the first turn when I swam head first STRAIGHT INTO A LOG! A BIG LOG! The combination of it hurting my head and knocking off my goggles startled me, but I got them back on quickly and kept swimming with some anger. I was doing great until that last turn to go back upstream. I hadn't noticed the current as much on the way out, but coming back I started to get frustrated on how little distance per stroke I felt I was getting. I didn't notice anyone passing me throughout the entire swim, and even went by a few people on this last stretch, but I felt like I'd slowed down a bit. When I got out of the water and saw 21:30 on my watch, I was pumped. Great swim, 2 minutes faster than my predicted 23:30!

T1: 2:04
Slow because there was a long run up a hill from the swim-out dock to the transition area.

Bike: 1:13:24
Since we drove the bike course the night before, I knew exactly what to expect: 2 out-and-back loops of a long gradual ascent out, then down it back. Courses like this make it difficult to just "hammer". I tried to ignore my speed going out (it was low!), and just kicked it into gear on the down stretches. I knew I was struggling, but I also knew others would be too. "I'm a strong biker, hills are my advantage", I kept repeating this to myself, and in race situations I usually even believe these lies.

T2: :57
Pretty typical.

Run: 47:26

As I left the transistion area, I heard people screaming at me "2nd female!". Of course in a time trial start it's impossible to predict where everyone is in the race, but I since I must have passed a lot of people I used it as encouragement anyway. I knew, however, that I would struggle on the run & that 2nd place wouldn't stick. The run was tough, and that's not just because I'm not in running shape. It was a 2 loop course taking us over the Nashville pedestrian bridge & up two larger hills in downtown Nashville. I felt good for the first 2 miles, but I lost it going up the second monster hill. My legs were just tired from the bike, not in ANY kind of running shape, and I was hot. I got passed by a lot of people on the run, and there was NOTHING I could do about it. No adrenaline rush as the girl who would take my 2nd overall finish ran by me with the exact same Mizuno Wave Mushas that I was wearing. After I got past the very last hill, I kicked it in gear, mainly because Kyle said if I went slower than 50:00 I didn't need to come back, and I felt that was a legitimate threat!

Finish: 2:25:15
I crossed the finish line in 2:25:15, a challenging but significant PR. Overall I was pleased with my performance. Great swim, solid bike, & a not-so-bad but sure-to-get-better run. I finsished 5th overall, missing 4th by 1 second and 3rd by 2 minutes. Won my age group by 9 minutes. Now that I'm injury-free, it's time to get to work on running!

Music City Triathlon Results HERE

Up Next: ROCKETMAN!

 

Music City Pregame

The triathlon season is winding down for most people, and while I'm past the halfway point in my race season, the next couple months carry a lot of weight. Tomorrow a.m. I will be competing in my first Olympic Distance race of the season: Music City.

Why is this race so important? I've been racing sprints all season, but my training since April has been focused on the international distance. My goal for this season has been to travel to Dallas in October to race in the U.S. Open- a competitive USAT race that qualifies the top 3 finishers for their elite license. Yes, I'm still hung up on that. I realize that I am currently a competitive amateur, and that if I become a professional I will be bringing up the rear, and I'm ok with that. It feels great to do well overall, but I'd rather go for it & be a mediocre pro than not try & be happy as a fast age grouper.

Being a professional doesn't really pay, it just enables you to enter pro races where there may be more opportunities to win prize money. But the real incentive is that this would be a great business opportunity. Kyle & I own a running/ multisport store, so we need to be the experts, & what better way than to have a professional triathlete & her coach running the show? Not to mention, our coaching services are starting to take off, & being on the next performance level will be great for business. The bottom line is Kyle is an awesome coach, he's very knowledgable & passionate about what he does, & his methods WORK.

Back to the race...
Music City will be kind of a checkpoint race to assess my progress & where the focus needs to be in the coming months. The ultimate goal is to go under 2:20 by Rocketman. If I can't get into the 2:teens, there's really no reason to waste the time or money going to Dallas. I don't have those expectations for tomorrow, but I should have my best Olympic Distance race yet. I've never been this well prepared going into this distance before, so I'm EXTREMELY excited to see what I'm capable of. I've been working on pacing for the swim, & I know exactly what 1:20 per 100yrds feels like, so I anticipate being out of the water between 23.5-24 minutes. The goal for the bike is to average 23, and that needs to happen. While the run will be considerably weak compared to the other two legs (I've never broken 50:00 in this type of race-sad!), I've never been I this good running shape going in to this race, & I expect to finish around 48 minutes.

Wish me luck!

Sunfish Tri Race Report

Busy transition area as athletes prepare for race start.

This weekend a bunch of the Hattiesburg Triathletes went to Meridian to participate in the Sunfish Triathlon. H'Burg was well represented! Had some great overall finishes, a grandmasters winner (I got beat by an old guy), age group wins... oh & let's not forget simply FINISHING a tri is a HUGE accomplishment! Team HAMR is looking awesome!


Meridian is only an hour and a half away, but we stayed in one of the host hotels so we could get to the race site early & not have to worry about travel.

The race was sponsored in part by our coaching business, Tri Optimum Performance. We gave participants business cards with race promotions- 3rd month free when they sign on for 3 months. Overall it was a HUGE success. Picked up a few athletes at the race & had a great overall finish- FIRST FEMALE.

In previous years, the race has been co-directed by Lori & Shannon. Lori took over this year, & from my perspective the transition was flawless. She was really awesome about letting us sponsor the race, took the time to meet me after the race was over (RD's have a lot going on race day) & just put on a great event. The race is well supported- LOTS of volunteers on the course. The bike turns are visible and on the run course the volunteers are energetic & helpful. There was a lot of energy between the spectators & volunteers, especially at the finish area, & I think the volunteers really set the tone for creating that atmosphere.

I did this race last year, just 2 weeks after moving from Virginia, and I was NOT used to the Mississippi heat. It really affected me... walked A LOT on the run. This year was MUCH better- felt a nice breeze while running over the dam at the run start & am now used to running in 95degree heat + high humidity. This has been my first repeat race since I started training consistently a year ago, so I was excited to be able to track my progress & compare results. Just a preview: this year 1:19:58, last year 1:26:10. That is a HUGE jump for a sprint tri!

Swim: 9:28 1/3 mile OR 530 meters
Sunfish does a time trial start, seeded by registration date. I AM NOT A FAN OF THIS FORMAT! I registered in April or May, so had a relatively low number, 48. It just creates unnecessary chaos, and a lot of races around here do it. I think maybe the idea is to get people to register early rather than later, which I understand, but I feel that having price increases would be more beneficial. It's not extremely difficult to seed by swim time, & it would make the quality of the races SO much better.

I expected the swim to take me right around 8 - 8:30, which would be about 1:20/100yd. The 9:28 time would put me at 1:38/100yd... MUCH slower than anticipated. Last year I did a 9:53, and I've been working hard enough to make better progress than 25 seconds over a 500. Training buddy Brinn Strange came out of the water within seconds of my time, so I feel we were pretty accurate in our pacing (we should be, we've been working on it!).  I think it's safe to say the swim was long this year.

Bike: 47:05, 21.4mph
The bike course for this race is really hilly, which I don't mind so much, but that combined with the terribly rough roads make for an rough ride. They do a pretty good job of marking the larger craters, but there are so many small holes & cracks & rough pavement changes that you just can't get away from it. Last year I saw A LOT of people on the side who flatted out, and this year was no different. My bike was rattling really bad most of the ride, I felt like it was going to break down on me!

Last year I did a 48:47, 20.7 mph on the bike. Needless to say I am disappointed with this years' split. I've been working really hard & have been spending a lot of time in the saddle, doing lots of power work, and I've made huge jumps. I've averaged 22.6 & 22.8 at recent races, averaged 24 at a local time trial, and have continued to build strength. This race did not reflect that, and it wasn't just because the course was difficult. I told Kyle my legs just felt tired, which is hardly an excuse since I've had days to recover from my last hard workout. At this point, I have about 2 weeks to get it together because I have an Olympic Distance in Nashville which is not going to be any easier, and 21's are just not going to cut it at this point.

Run: 22:26, 7:26/mile
As I ran out of T2, Kyle yelled, "FIND YOUR LEGS AND EMPTY THE TANK!". The tricky part about this run is that you can see the entire course. You run over the reserve, go around the lake, then come back over the reserve to finish. It can either be a mental challenge or a strategic advantage. I chose the strategic advantage approach this year. Took the first .5 mile to get into my rhythm, maintained for 1.5, picked it up for the last mile and focused heavily on the 800's we frequent in speed work to get through the last half mile. I was the first female coming out of the water, so there were only men around me. For the last mile, though, I saw some pretty quick women moving along, & I was nervous the might catch up to me with the time trial format. Overall I was pretty pleased with my run time. It's a little slower than earlier in the season, but I haven't lost a ton of speed from the couple weeks I took off to nurse my injuries. Looks like I'm back to where I left off, which means the running can only get better!

Again thank you to all of the volunteers who helped at today's race and thank you to Lori for keeping this great race going, I believe they said this was Sunfish's 27th year.  Congratulations to all the finishers and I'll see you at the races!

 

 

Sunfish Tri Race Results

Up next: Music City Triathlon (Olympic Distance) in Nashville July 28th.

 

Offer a Girl Donuts & She Can Do Anything

So here's the latest from this morning:
A few months ago Kyle had Elizabeth & I do a 1 mile predictor set: 30 x 100 on 1:30. I was able to do 1:19's for ALL of them- a HUGE milestone for me. Since then, I can do that pace on a moderately-hard effort most days, but haven't been able to really pull it together for a longer set.
This morning: 8 x 300's, descend 1-4 & 5-8. I had a big weekend, so I was feeling a bit tired & pretty much blew off the first several (not that I'm stubborn, but fatigue just wears me down mentally as much as physically). Needless to say the descents were larger than they should have been. The last few I started feeling pretty motivated. The 8th 300, I knew I was pushing pretty hard, & I convinced myself that if I went under 4:00 Kyle might let me have donuts for breakfast. I descended to a 3:56!! That's right, 300 under 1:19 pace. K-Jop was PUMPED, and I was treated to Krispy Kreme.

I AM L-A-Z-Y...or maybe I just work too hard! I am way behind on blogging. At first I didn't feel bad, but then one of our customers at Runner's High came in and asked me to do a better job of maintaining my blog. It seems some people actually enjoy reading about my experiences & following the progress!

Here are some updates:

• Half of my Hattiesburg friends have moved away over the past month. First Ginger, who I spent 50% of my workout times with. I didn't realize how much time we actually spent together until she left. I have other training friends that I'm grateful to have, but losing Ginger has been a huge blow. After that, Shelly & Nicole. Both have been awesome coaches for our 5K training and great friends. Lauren is next. Sad to loose friends, but excited for their opportunities ahead! Then Doug, who I didn't realize was moving until he visited the shop to say farewell on his way out of town. I don't know why, but this one made me tear up. Probably because I think he works the hardest out of ANYBODY at masters, and I felt like I was losing someone who would inspire me on the days I just didn't want to work (which is 90% of the time at the pool, which is why I need him!). Doug trained throughout the winter & missed very little workouts. He worked hard to be a distance swimmer, but was a strong sprinter. Kyle would seed us in comparing abilities to race when we have to do sprints, & Doug & I frequently swam in opposing lanes. I could swim circles around him in longer sets, but he usually beat me in sprints, then would fist bump me & say thanks for pushing him. I will miss his attitude!

Now for the positive:

• Team HAMR: Hattiesburg Area Multisport Racing. This was Hattiesburg's Tri club, which I was somehow appointed to get restarted. We had our first meeting last week with what I consider to be a successful turnout. Since then several people have expressed interest in the club. Team HAMR is joining forces with Hub City Velo, the cycling group. We're forming a combined organization with 3 racing teams: Hub City Velo, Team HAMR, & Hub City Mountain Biking. I'm excited to see the collaboration among organizations, and am more pumped to see endurance athletes in this city unite to try to do some great things. It's gonna be a fun ride!
• Inaugural Epley Challenge 10 mile TT & Du: Some of the guys active in the community organized a grassroots training effort here over the weekend. The event was free, $10 donations accepted, so it was an awesome (cheap) way to get a race in. Best of all, they're trying to make a series out of it. I see great potential in this event! I participated in the 10 mile Time Trial. I was nervous going into it because I registered kind of late & was 3rd position from going last, with a "time trial specialist" following me. Oh yeah, & I was the only girl, so I thought it would be really uncool to be the very last one on the course. I actually didn't do half bad. I passed several guys in front of me, and finished with a time of 25:43. I was told the course was short, which would have put me at 22ish mph- not bad, but not stellar. The official results have it listed as 10.3 miles, which puts me RIGHT at 24. I'll go with the latter. This chick is pleased. Results here. P.S. Training partner Brinn Strange kicked butt at the du. First female!
• Tri Optimum Performance has kicked off! Team T.O.P. uniforms are in, and they look SHARP.
• We just started back with speed work sessions last nigh. I didn't feel great, but I'm happy to be back to working hard, & running pain-free!
• Music City Tri coming up. MY MOM IS GOING WITH ME! I'm excited to get some girl time with her, & it should be a great race for me, so she'll get to see what I can do!

West Point Lakes F1 Challenge Race Report

Several weeks ago, as I was scouting the Internet for races with prize purses (a girl's gotta make some money to fund these races!) I came across a NEW draft legal race at the West Point Lakes Tri. West Point Lakes is right outside of Auburn, and it was this race that I completed my first Olympic Distance four years ago.

Naturally, this caught my attention. The long term plan is to continue to get faster and compete in the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge next year. In order to be successful in my endeavors, a couple things need to happen: 1) build a stronger run [doable] 2) keep working on the swim so I can come out of the water with the lead group 3) get some draft legal tri racing under my belt.

I saw this as an opportunity to get #3 without having to sacrifice a huge trip and days away from the store. Unfortunately, this event is for youth/juniors and collegiates ONLY, and I am neither. I immediately emailed the RD to request permission to race.

Hi Jim,
 I contacted you a few weeks ago about participating in the West Point Lakes draft legal race in April, and just wanted to follow up on the status of that. I am a competitive triathlete regionally and am trying to earn my elite license. Next year I plan on competing in the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge and the East Coast Triathlon Festival, both U25 developmental races with licence eligibility for the top 3 finishers. I would really like to participate in the West Point Lakes race for the experience and because the draft legal format is what I'm specifically preparing for in the near future. I'm really not interested in any type of award if I were to do well; if I'm allowed to compete in the collegiate race, I would like to forfeit my placement in advance (assuming I do well in the field).
Thanks for your consideration.
 Denise Joplin

The response:
We reviewed your request and you can enter the race however you will not be eligible for any awards.

I'll take it. Unless it's cash, I care less about awards as I do EXPERIENCE. After 4 years I would be returning to West Point Lakes. I didn't mention that West Point Lakes was the only tri I ever fell at... (that's another story, and it's a silly one!) Well my riding has gotten significantly better since then.

Here I am RIGHT AFTER my Aerocat arrived. This bike is stiff and LIGHT. It handles great, is super-fast, and I love it! This guy was my closest friend over the winter when most of the triathletes were hibernating. HUGE THANKS to Aerocat for the sponsorship and sending me this sweet ride!

On to the race strategy: That's right, draft legal racing requires strategy, a plan, and quick decision making in a race situation. Hence the importance of my participation. Kyle and I predicted that the field would be considerably smaller. The goal for this race was to have a good swim and feel comfortable in the water. Practice drafting, if possible. Quick T1. Should be tired when I start the bike, but take a couple seconds to spin, get my heart rate under control, and see who's around me. Chances were I was NOT going to be first out of the water, but I needed to catch the lead girls if there was going to be a chance of doing well. And if I was the lead girl, I needed to use my strength (the bike) to break the group up and try to wear some of the runners out. So I basically needed to hammer the bike, preferably with some help. Goal time for the run was ~22:00. This race was just as much about reacting to the various race scenarios & seeing where I was time-wise by the end of everything as it was about the actual drafting.

On race morning I was greeted by Kathleen Johnston, coach of the USAT southeast junior elite tri team. She old me that in addition to my registration, there was only one junior and one collegiate (an Auburn gal- War Eagle!) in the race, so the plan was to combine the 3 of us and send the junior & collegiate men out 5 minutes behind us. The hope was that by combining all the races, the guys would catch up with us and we would have an opportunity to get in on some draft legal racing.

Kathleen was awesome. She led the pre-race meeting, and took extra time to fully explain the rules of draft legal racing. I appreciated her knowledge and dedication to make this a learning experience. Most of the kids at the race were her athletes from the USAT junior team, but she took the time to talk to me and get to know my background and experience. It was simply affirming to see someone so passionate about growing our sport and dedicated to developing young talent. I could tell she was definitely a driving force behind the race, and it was inspiring. I left feeling inspired and excited for what we could achieve in our own community!

SWIM- 11:41
This was a race, which meant the first 200m would need to be quick- stay with the group or get ahead. Settle into a rhythm, then pick it up towards the end. I felt surprisingly comfortable in the water (but I also had a good warm-up). The water temp was in the high 60's- warmer than my last open water swim. I made myself feel comfortable in the water during the warm-up, and practiced a few pick-ups. I think it paid off. This race was also a good opportunity to get used to being aware of swimmers around me. The junior athlete and I were together during the swim the whole time. I attempted to draft off of her towards the beginning, but she struggled to stay on course. It wasn't until the last 250m that I realized she had jumped on my feet, so we had a nice race coming out of the swim.

T1- :37
First out of the transition. Nothing sexy, just fast.

BIKE- 34:54
3 loops, and hilly compared to Clermont.The junior and I found each other at the start of the bike and began working together. She jumped in front of me and I stuck on her wheel for a bit. After a while I told her to get on my wheel. She said ok, and I picked up the speed a little. After a few minutes I looked back, and she was no longer behind me. At this point I decided I needed to do my own thing- have a solid bike. After all, this was a race, and chances were she would be able to run me down. I ended up doing most of the bike alone since none of the guys caught me (well one did, but he flew by so there was no drafting involved...)

T2- :23
Dropped the bike & helmet. The sock liner in my left flat got all bunched up when I stuck my foot in! I wasn't going to stop and fix it, which meant my foot fell asleep within the first mile...

RUN- 22:52
2 Loops. The strategy was to take the first quarter mile or so to get into my rhythm and feel my legs. Midway through the first loop I started to burp nuun (blah!). At this point I was thinking about being in terrible running shape, and wanting to come back the H-burg and get back to work (I always feel super motivated during a race...). I had a pretty good run. Nothing spectacular, but not terrible, either. I received a few Auburn cheers (I wore my Auburn kit)!

Even though I didn't get to draft a lot, I'd still say the race was worth the drive (6 hours!). Although I didn't get the draft experience, I went into the race with goals and an idea of how I would react in various situations. To me, that is where all the anxiety of this style of racing lies, so I was grateful for the experience. I thought my run was going to be faster, however I've yet to feel that 5K track intensity at the end of a tri, which tells me that even though I'm tired, I'm not quite racing at the intensity that I should. I know where my weaknesses lie, I know what I need to do to get better, and now it's time to get to work!

Up Next: Crawfish Man! (the party race- Cinco de Trio)