Tri Nationals 08 - Wow That Went By Fast!

Here we are again, flying back to Denver from Portland Oregon. Nationals in our rearview mirror already…

What a fantastic weekend for friends, family, racing, site seeing and adventure. Admittedly I went to Portland with one goal in mind; to have the very best race of my life. To “knock it out of the park” as they say. I can honestly say I did just that. At 44 years old and 5 years into triathlons I put all the moving pieces and parts together to have a stellar day. Not only was it the best race I have ever had I finished knowing that I can still go faster in all 3 events. That is the truly the most amazing part of the outcome for me. I couldn’t have gone any faster on Saturday however with the right training, a little more time in the water with a healthy shoulder and my perpetual kick butt, bull-dog attitude and I know I can go faster.

It is a weird race season when I can say that I had PRs in every major race; 5430 Sprint and Boulder Peak, Lake to Lake and Nationals and yet my placements were more varied. It is a testament to the caliber of women entering the sport as well as to my ability to get faster and older at the same time. At one point this summer I really felt like maybe I was “starting to feel my age” with a sore shoulder, sore hip whine whine whine…and then a couple friends reminded me that many if not all of those issues can be overcome by consistent medical treatment and a focus on how really incredible my body feels and performs every day. Every day for the last 5 months I have demanded more and more and every day I rise to the occasion. How cool is that!

Saturday September 20th was the culmination of a very long 10 months and I couldn’t be prouder of how I accomplished all my goals and I am still smiling! The truth is that I wouldn’t have made it this far without John, Paula, Noell, Margaret, Scot, Steve, Christine, my dad, Barry, and the Practical Coaching crew to name a few. My gratitude for their commitment to my efforts whether at work, home or with triathlons is over flowing.

Back to Nationals weekend; it was so AWESOME! OMG!!! I tried really hard to remain quiet and calm the days and hours before the race. Staying with John and not with the crew, although hard for the playful side of me, was better for my race head. I had plenty of play time and enjoyed every moment with my Tri Family. I think my side hurt more from laughing than my legs did from racing.

The race course was as I remembered; challenging and made for me. I have always loved to climb up hills; either on my bike or my feet. It always seems so much more rewarding to reach a “peak” and then fly down the other side. This course did not disappointment. In fact I think the swim was up hill too. I really did swim my heart out and yet I could see too many green caps pull away. I knew the swim would challenge me so I just put my head down and pulled. 27 minutes later I was blowing through transition and hopping on GOGO. I felt smooth and strong on the hills. It was a bit cool at first but I stayed low in my aeros and managed to stay close to Steve for a while. It was awesome to have someone to chase as it forced me to stay engaged and focused. The 2nd loop on the bike was equally strong and I felt great rolling into T2. I was freaked out when a video camera man followed me into T2 and taped me trying to slam my numb feet into my racing shoes. I am pretty sure no one will ever see that coverage based on my truck driver language but I was so frustrated that I couldn’t feel my feet! The run just came to me. The day before the race I heard Steve telling another teammate to “let the race come to him” and I don’t think I knew what that meant until I hit the hill out of T2 and there it was…pain, but not too bad, and knowing it was only going to get worse I relaxed and let it come to me and then pass right through me. With each hill climb I dug deeper and felt stronger. I only remember that same feeling when I ran the Colorado Trail and I had little choice but to keep digging and I always found more. The down hills were by far my greatest small success as I really leaned into them and let my body go and recover at the same time. I could still learn to run down hill faster but this was a huge success for me!

The only teeth grinding, fist clenching part of the day for me was when I began to recognize the women in my age group headed back to the finish line in front of me. I knew the first few by looks and then I realized that there were more than there should be and that the swim really took its toll on my placement in the group. When I crossed the finish line I knew that I had nothing left to give and that it may not have been good enough to make the Worlds team. There were just too many gals in front of me who had solid swims and I just never caught up.

Before I finish this tale let me assure you that my swim, although pokey, is exponentially stronger than it has been in years and if I hadn’t had shoulder surgery I would be a duathlete at this point in my athletic career. The surgery was necessary and perfectly timed…now I just need a full winter to find a stroke that is consistent, strong and makes me cruise through the water like my most recent idol, Michelle Ford.

I was bursting with excitement as we watched the pro women and men race on a really tough course. Matt Reed’s wife could definitely raise an issue with our stalker mentality but honestly it is out of admiration as much as lust! He is simply amazing. I was in awe of all the pros; especially those that finished in the middle of the pack at sub 2:15! Unbelievable!

Noell’s birthday party/team party at the hotel hot tub was a blast! It was so much fun to see everyone busting with pride about their race! Across the board we all gave it 200%! Anthony, Michelle and Sonja all qualified for the Worlds Team with great races! Now they just have to decide how badly they want to visit the Gold Coast of Australia! I couldn’t have been more excited for Noell as she raced her guts out and had great results. And best of all I think she’s realized what a terrific athlete she really is! Back to the hot tub…after too much sugar and hot water I decided to leave the boys to their own devices in the tub…it sounds like they continued to have a great time! John and Tyler were able to have a nice run the next morning so I guess it couldn’t have been too wild!

Sunday we went to the coast with Barry, Priscilla, Anthony and Michele. We had lunch at Mo’s right on Cannon Beach and then we cruised up to Astoria where we met Steve, Andrea and Sonja at Gunderson’s Café for an awesome dinner. I loved walking on the beach and checking out the cool things that get washed up. We saw a lot of jellyfish; Anthony said they were whale snots but I think they were jelly fish! We saw some big crabs, birds and ships but no whales. It was the perfect day after a big race. Relaxing and fun.

Now it is time to rest for a minute or two and then start to think about the next 12 months…