It seems I am destined to fall behind in the “blogging world” and the ironic thing is that I have so much I want to share. I sit at my computer so much during the work day that I got twitchy about sitting in front of my computer “after” work too…silly since I have friends to email, schedules to write and my own workouts to log. How can I be so stubborn sometimes? Anyway… The end of my 2010 triathlon season came fast and flew right by me. Last spring Barry had suggested that it would be “fun” to do all 3 national championships in the fall. I hadn’t thought about it up to that point and I had to agree…it did sound like fun. And it was!
Between travel for work and tris the months of August and September were pretty crazy
and I appreciate everyone’s help at helping me get to and from with great roomies and awesome road trips!
The first race of the 3 was my “A” race. Olympic distance nationals in Tuscaloosa followed the very next day by the sprint race. The best part of nationals for me is always hanging with friends, laughing and watching everyone excel. This year was no different. Although we were a smaller group we were a focused and funny group. Michelle Ford was injured, Tyler was also travel weary, Cheryl was MIA, Jewels and Sandi wanted Worlds slots BADLY, Barry and Priscilla needed vacations badly and Anthony and Michele were trying to squeeze in a wedding anniversary celebration. Apparently none of us make it “easy” and our version of relaxing includes jamming a #1 race in the middle of the weekend! Ha!
Admittedly I was frustrated when John decided 1 month out that he wanted to go to nationals…and I was so thrilled he was there. He is my biggest fan and is always there with a smile, a hug and a laugh when I finish.
I felt like I was calm and focused for the Oly. I knew my butt and hip were at ab
out 75% and my goal was to relax it as much as I could and drag that leg around the course as fast as I could. Since May I have been fighting an imbalance injury that had my left hip, butt, flexors and psoas so jacked up there were days I couldn’t walk straight. Going back to lifts in my shoes and addressing a “big toe” thing seemed to help however I never really stopped training long enough for my body to adjust…so I toed the start line rebalanced and in pain. It sucked but it was not going to stop me from racing.
The other “little” nuance to my race was my 
brand new TT bike that I had ridden 3 times before race day! Yahoo! My amazing sponsor, MRae Creations, provided me with a generous gift to buy a new bike, wheels and whatever else I need to get to the next level. I really struggled with when to buy and what to buy and if I should actually race on it at nationals. Then I remembered that I DO NOT get paid and I WILL NOT get paid for my results and I should race that new bike no matter what!
My new Giant Trinity Alliance is incredible. Thank you Margaret. Once I am healthy and can push that new big gear I will be able to KILL the ride more so than I do now! I have to say I was no slouch at the Oly although there were moments on the ride when I had to pull back for fear of my hammie completely shutting down. I could feel it pull and then really pull so I would back off and stay steady and strong. It was a good plan as I still had 2 more races to complete!
Sadly the swim was my weakest event again. I am still sick about it. I have worked so hard on my form and was so excited to have a strong swim…but I could feel the current pull me and I had no power to counter it. Ugh! I could see caps pull away and I had nothing. It wasn’t as bad as last year and my swim was FASTER than my run this year but that is about all I can say for my swim. Grrrr.
The ride was solid and set me up for a strong run. My left side was shot by the time I hit the hills so I backed off just enough and started to reel all those pesky swimmers in one b
y one. It was a hot day and people were starting to fade. Since I was in the last wave again I really started to see the heat impact people. I love the heat and it never seems to impact me as badly as others and I continued to roll. Michelle and I had warmed up on the bike path and when I hit that section in the race I knew where I was so I tried to push it as much as my leg would let me. When I crossed the finish line I knew I had raced well and that my results, unless I got a penalty, would garner my biggest goal of the season. TeamUSA in CHINA 2011! I was 7th in my age group and I was pleased with that. What I was most excited about is that I KNOW I can race all 3 events faster and I WILL next season!
This year’s Oly nationals was so wonderful and 
unique for me. Not only were friends from Colorado with us, my friend Christine and her family were there too! Chris is the reason I am so passionate about this sport and I was so proud to race with her and see her rock her race! She is truly an inspiration to me in so many ways! I loved seeing Jim and Jimmy and meeting their daughter-in-law and new baby granddaughter, Elizabeth Christine! What a beautiful name!
The other thing that made this year unique was it was my first nationals as a USAT coach. 
I know full well that Tyler, Barry and Jewels would have raced at nationals with or without me so I take no credit. What I take credit for is the amazing joy and gratitude I felt for all of their successes! I have always loved watching people reach goals, succeed and feel proud of an accomplishment. It’s the reason I always wanted to become a coach. I have to say that watching THIS CREW was extraordinary because I admire and love each of them very much. Each works so hard at family, friends and work and still manages to show up for themselves as triathletes! This is no easy feat! I was proud to listen to their race reports and all the feelings that came with each stroke and stride! You guys rock and I can only hope to grow my coaching experience with more athletes like you! Thank you!
The afternoon and evening after the Oly race was a freaking blast! We played in the pool at the hotel, drank some beers (OK, I didn’t but John drank enough for both of us!) and 
had a great dinner with the whole group. The Mellow Mushroom! Check it out! Awesome food and there is one in Denver now! We ate, drank and ate some more! Regaling stories of the day and kidding each other about our races always makes me laugh! Tyler agreed to go for a late afternoon ride with me so I could spin out my legs before the sprint and we somehow happened onto the Pros Race! OMG! They are just incredible to watch ride. I love to watch them work, push and blaze by!
Being on the podium at nationals was something I have dreamed about for 7 years. Every 
year I’ve been at nationals it seems as though it was just out of reach. Swimming off course, torrential storms, 50 MPH current…it just seemed as though I was never going to get there. As I type this I have to admit that swimming has more often than not been the cause…more work for 2011!! When Tim called my name and I went up on the stage I’m sure it looked anticlimactic to many. The crowd was loud and distracted and self-absorbed…oh what a shock. But I KNEW RIGHT WHERE I WAS and inside I was doing hand stands! 7th place for me…working, traveling, new coach, coaching…and there I was…ON THE PODIUM. From Shreveport to Bhama...well worth the wait!
What are the odds…Sunday morning for the Sprint was cool and wet. It rained as Barry, 
Jewels and I dragged our butts down to the transition area on our bikes. Priscilla, forever our biggest fan, was right there with us while we warmed up, goofed off and got ready to race again. This race was not critical for me so I was relaxed and ready to try the swim in the nasty river again. While we were in the water getting ready to go a woman next to me was sharing her story…she would start her 2nd round of Chemo the next day and she wanted all of us to race for her. Oh my…I was overwhelmed with her bravery and balls. Later that morning I saw her get her award…bald and beautiful and a total inspiration to all of us at the race.
Enough about another mediocre swim…the ride was wet and a blast. It doesn’t occur to me to worry about the wet or weather so I rode as hard as my butt would let me. It was sore, tight and inflexible by the time I hit the run but it was only 3.1 miles…I have in my head that I can ALWAYS run 3 miles no matter how bad the pain. And I did. It was so much fun splashing through mud puddles and cruising past people. If only I was healthier I would have comfortably covered the distance at a 7 minute pace. I had to be happy with 7:20s! I can live with that.
I never even thought about winning or placing at the Sprint. It was really for fun and to get the blood pumping. Turns out I won my age group and I am a national champion. How amazing is that? I was stunned. Proud and stunned. In the pouring rain Barry, Priscilla, John and Jewels came to watch me on the TOP of the podium. No shit! Better yet, Jewels qualified for Worlds! Yahoo! And Barry qualified for Worlds at BOTH distances! I am SOOOO proud of him as he had a tough training year with bike crashing and knee pain!
Sunday night John and I shacked up with Barry and MP and we hung out to watch the Broncos get beat and relax! Then back to the Mellow Mushroom for dinner with Jim and Christine so we could really talk and catch up! It made my heart feel sooooo good to see them and reconnect. We swear we will get together for a race next summer but I will believe it when I see it! Maybe we will at least play golf!
The next week is all about our rainy Myrtle Beach vacation and on the Halfmax for my 3rd and final national championship race. I will post a separate blog about our vacation as it was a blast!
Halfmax was on Saturday and as I mentioned, it was Barry’s idea to do all 3 races. Sadly 
Barry’s mid-season bike crash prevented him from going long so I ended up being the only one to do all 3. Cheryl was there too but we never connected until race morning and then she was already in her zone and I didn’t want to bother her. And, she completely kicked ass in the race and achieved her goal too! I LOVE that!
The race was along the intercoastal waterway at a beautiful hotel in MB. All things were fine until race morning when they had to announce that the swim was canceled. Apparently the 5 days and 21 inches of rain had dragged too much crap into the water and the Ecoli levels were too much for us to swim in! THANK YOU USAT for that decision! I was ready to swim again and see if I could do better but the thought of slogging through the water AND getting sick made me a believer! We started the race at the boat ramp and sprinted to the transiti
on area and jumped on our bikes. It was weird but we all did it so GAME ON! Holy crap the wind was wild! I was on my new bike thankfully as I think I may have blown away on my road bike! I was down low, low down and flying as best I could. The wind made it hard to hear anything so I was ultra cautious about the Officials on motorcycles. Plus it was the beginning of bike week so there were bikes everywhere! After Musselman I am paranoid so I kept my distance and pushed as hard as I could. By the time I hit the run my back, butt, hip and flexors were DONE! Just done! I didn’t think I would be able to pick it up and put it down for 13 miles. Around mile 7 my feet started to hurt as I am sure I was compromising my form. So I stopped and took off my shoes, stretched my feet and body and locked and loaded again…off for the last 6 miles. I got low, forward and focused on relaxing my back and butt. My leg turnover was strong and high and I felt like I would conquer this race after all. The start was a TT start so when I crossed the start line I had no idea who was racing in my age group or where they were. And I have to say I have no idea how old anyone is by looking at them. The BEST PART OF THE DAY was that my father, Walter J, and Betsy were at the race. They drove down from Ho
mer to stay for the week and watch me race. I don’t think my father will ever know how much his interest in my life means to me. For most of the last 20 years I have been the daughter who couldn’t keep a job or a husband and who had some really useless hobbies…like trail running, cycling and triathlons. Oddly, if I were golf pro he would think the world of me! J Having he and Betsy at the race and cheering me on and understanding the event is more than I can ever ask for. Thanks Pop. I really love you. I only wish Elvira could have seen me race in person. She would have glowed for months after my races whether she understood why I raced or not! I look at so many of my friends whose spouses, kids, parents, in-laws, neighbors and grandkids cheer them on and I hope they know how lucky they are! John and I both wish our parents and families were more 
interested! Good thing we have each other! (Please note this does not include my sister who is MY BIGGEST FAN EVER!)
Coolest thing about the HalfMax results was that Barry was 3rd and on the podium for the Oly! Not only was it his 3rd race in 7 days it was his fastest and last in that age group! What a rock star! Great effort to stay focused and finish the season strong! Yahoo!
Halfmax 2010. I placed 4th by 1 FREAKIN SECOND! Really? If she had been in front of me she wouldn’t have been for long! 1 second off the podium! Ha! No matter! I finished and can finally start to heal. Ahhhh. Good bye racing and hello Dr. Ken!
I couldn’t be happier with me results this season! So many changes and so many great results. Thank you so much to John, Kaytee and my family and friends for caring and supporting me! You guys rock!
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