Cancun Ironman 70.3 Champion!

Hallelujah!  I did it, I won my first Ironman 70.3!!  I can't explain how exciting it was to 'break the tape' and even better to be able to do it with Randy right there with me!

I went down to Cancun with confidence after a really good training block and finally starting to feel fully recovered from surgery.  I knew it was going to be stinkin HOT and HUMID, so I had done some heat acclimazation in the weeks leading up to the race, thank goodness for that!  In the days leading up to the race, more and more names started to appear on the startlist, the race line up was looking tough.  Rather than focusing on who was going to be there, I shifted my focus to what I was capable of doing.  If I went out and did what I was capable of, I could be in the mix.

Race morning started of dark and early.  As we were setting up tranistion it was pretty windy and there was a bit of sprinkling rain.  I hoped I'd made the right decision to use my disc.  (Glad I did!)  Since it was already pretty warm, I did a super light jog and then headed down to the water early.  I wanted to do all of my warming up in the water to stay cooler and still get loose.  Before I knew it, it was time to line up at the start.  Let's get going!

I had a quick start: a mix of running, dolphin diving, and floundering around but quickly took the lead and got to the first bouy and started to find my rhythm.  The water was warm and my swim felt a bit off...I just felt like I was slugging through mud.  Tried to keep my focus and effort high so I could get a good gap on the girls that would be chasing.  Out of the water, run on the beach, then run through Wet 'n Wild, then to transition.  I totally took off in the wrong direction and the crow was yelling for me to turn around, opps! Finally go where I needed to go and on my bike.  I just put my head down and trusted my legs would do their thing.  The course seemed pretty shaddy and not too hot at the start, but it slowly warmed up like an oven.  Then the wind picked up and I was pushing the pace solo.  On the second lap we started to mix in with the age-grouper and it was great to have bikes to chase!  I knew the other ladies were chasing hard so I tried to keep the pressure on the gas.  What an exciting T2: the crowd was going crazy!  I tried to carry all that energy out on the run course with me.  The run was 2 out and back loops and thank goodness there were aid stations every kilometer!  As I was coming out of transition the sky got really dark and I was like, sweet, its gonna rain!  It rained for a little bit and then that was the end of that...it just sparked a wave of humidity and the heat was rising.  I focused on running from aid station to aid station, trying to keep my cadence up and rhythm relaxed.  I wanted ice so badly at the aid stations, I kept yelling, "Hielo, Hielo" and they would say "Agua, Agua"....they didn't have the ice there yet!  Finally I went through one station and the bucket all the water bags were in was full of ice, so I made a quick stop to put a handful of ice in my hat and in my short...ya gotta stay cool out there!...and I think that shocked the kids working there!  I finally got my method down and it was a relief to see the water/cooling oasis every little bit.  I kept the pressure on all the way home because ya never know what will happen...but boy, it sure was fun to turn the corner and see the finishing shoot!  I was so excited and had the hugest SMILE on my face...I had done it!  What an awesome day!!!

Enjoy the slideshow....

Awards Ceremony

Dang, they sure do get excited about triathlon in Mexico!   Not only did we have a podium ceremony at the finish line, but there was also an awards ceremony at the host hotel that evening.  It was pretty exciting to be able to stand on top and say a few words :)   And I got a sweet trophy and triathlon painting, so cool!

Cancun!

Randy and I just got back from quick but FUN trip to Cancun!  We flew out on Friday and arrived to the hot and sticky weather of beautiful Cancun.  We got checked into our hotel, the all inclusive Royal Solaris, and then jumped right into race stuff...packet pickup, driving the course, building my bike, getting a few workouts in...   Randy enjoyed the delicious foods, while I would vicariously taste everything he tried while I munched on bland (non stomach irritating!) rice, pasta, and bread.  But don't worry...after the race, I ate like a champ and tried everything!!!  We didn't have alot of time to hang out, since this was a "business trip" afterall!  Post-race we headed down to the beach and wouldn't ya know...the storms rolled in...those darn hurricane rains sure do seem to be following us this year!  It cleared up a bit and we couldn't help but jump in the ocean and play in the waves, such a good time!  Then on Monday before heading to the airport we decided to drive downtown in search of the plaza market.  Well, we never actually found the market but did have a bit of an adventure...Randy was driving and I was navigating and I told him to take a left and before we know it we are in the middle of a riot/demonstration traffic jam!  We look to our left and there are the local police in the back of a truck with thier humongous guns up and ready!  Then some motorcycle cops go whizzing by us on the sidewalk.  Thank goodness we only had to go about a block (at snails pace of course!) before we were able to turn off and get out of there.  Such a relief to make it to the airport in one piece :)  

First Amercican State Bank Fitness Festival

Thanks for coming out and seeing me today at the First American State Bank Fitness Festival, it was awesome to see ya'll!

Congrats on your race!

Check out photos from today by clicking here: IMAGES from First American State Bank Fitness Festival

Have a SUPER DAY!

Fun in San Francisco

ALCATRAZ!

Wow!  I got to swim Alcatraz, how cool is that?  As a swimmer, it's something I've always wanted to do, and now I have, yeah!  Race morning we were loaded up on a boat and taken out to Alcatraz island.  As the pros got their 'swim instructions' to follow the lead boat, the lady told us the water was warm this morning...since when is 59 degree water warm?  Anyways, due to currents and tides, we had to follow the lead boat...or we'd be swept away and most likely not make it to shore anywhere near the transition area.  We jumped off the side of the boat and away we went.  I did not sight for the first 30-40 strokes and then looked up and couldn't even see the lead boat, it was crazy, we'd moved so far with the current while swimming straight!  Needless to say, this made for an adventurous swim that I loved!!!  I came out of the water first and was met by the cool air temps.  I'd worn arm warmers under my wetsuit, so I was good there.  I also had gloves hooked to my bike to put on and then toe warmers inside my toe covers (and my feet were still cold!)  Once on the bike, it was time to tackle the hilly and technical course.  Towards the midway point of the 1st climb, Tenille and I engaged in our battle royale that would last until the finish line.  I would pass her uphill and she would fly by my on the descents (guess I need some work there, especially on the tri bike!)  There was a flat out and back portion and I put my head down and put a gap on Tenille.  Back on the hills, I knew she was chasing hard as were all the other women out there.  I came into T2 with about 20sec lead and took off running on numb feet.  I didn't get a chance to check out the run course prior to the race, so I was running a bit blind.  Around 2miles, Tenille came running up, passing me on a climb but then on the long downhill before reaching the sand ladder I flew past her (just the opposite of the bike :)  )  We started the sand ladder together and man, she took off!  It was my first ever encounter with the sand ladder, and hindsight tells me I might have taken the wrong approach by trying to use the rope?!  Anyways, once I reached the top, Tenillle had a decent gap on me, so I charged on hoping I would close the gap by the finish line.  I was reeling her in and had the gap down to about 10sec and was closing fast...but the finish line was also approaching fast.  I tried to take it up another notch, and BOOM!  I totally tripped over my own feet, instinctively did a somersault and then did a bit of a face plant right in front of millions of people.  In the scramble, I lost ground and more importantly my momentum...but I jumped back up and gave it my all to the finish line.  A close 2nd place finish!  All in all, a great day out there, and a reminder that I am on track coming back from surgery and a crazy summer!  Can't wait to break the tape though!!!  Congrats to all the girls and guys who raced out there!

Huge THANK YOUs to Terry Davis and his Tri-California crew for putting on a phenomenal event and to Bear and his girls for hosting Randy and I...we had a blast with ya'll!! Hope to be back again soon.