Texasman Triathlon - Olympic 5.5.19

After competing in Caveman a few weeks ago I had to ramp up my training for this race to get me ready and it has not been easy to say the least but it’s what I had to do.  With getting only a few long runs in and two long bike rides I was not feeling as ready as I usually do, which for me is difficult.  I love going into a race feeling over prepared not under prepared so I really wasn’t sure how this race would go but I was hoping for the best.  Depending on what distance I’m training for I always train for the next distance for example when doing a sprint distance I like to train at an Olympic distance instead that way I’m ahead of the game and when I race I don’t feel so exhausted. 

The Thursday before the race I went and picked up my packet with the girls in Keller, I was very excited as this was the first open water swimming race of the season out at Lake Ray Roberts.  I had done a different distance race last year at this same course but this time it was still cool enough for my wetsuit so I was absolutely thrilled as I love wearing my wetsuit for races. After getting my bib and awesome new riding jersey I went home and started laying my stuff out for the race, I also tried on my wetsuit to make sure it still fit and looked it over for any damages or issues.  

It was a long weekend for all of us as my husband was in a golf tournament that Saturday before my race and was gone most of the day, my girls both had soccer games so I was running around town with my in-laws who were here visiting all of us.  Then that Saturday night we had a graduation to attend to which by the way was awesome.  So by the time we got home and settled in for the night it was after 9pm, at that point I was exhausted and knowing I had to be up by 4:30am the next morning made it even worse.  I was just hoping I would pass out and get some rest as I tend not to sleep well before races due to nerves.

4:15am my alarm went off, I did hit snooze one time as I knew I had a few extra minutes to spare with all my stuff being packed and ready by the front door I was good to sleep a few extra minutes.  My older daughter slept in our room on the floor as she wanted to come to my race with my husband, bless her little heart for getting up that early to come and support me, may I also add that she is not a morning person so for her to get up on her sleep in day to come and support me meant the world to me.  My little one stayed home with my in-laws so they could all spend time together which was totally fine by me, plus I didn’t want to drag them out that early in the morning and have everyone stand around for hours by a lake just waiting for me.  We left the house around 5:20am with a 45 minute drive to the race I had lots of time to think in the truck and mentally prepare myself, the weird part is that I wasn’t freaking out like I normally do even knowing I was not 100% ready for this race I think since I had done this event before I knew what to expect and that brought me a calming feeling. We arrived to the race around 6am which was a good thing as it still gave me plenty of time to get all my stuff ready in transition and down to the water as transition was closing at 6:45am with the first swim start at 7am.  Walking from the truck to transition, the air felt crisp yet not a breeze in sight with not one cloud in the sky which meant it was going to be an amazing day for racing.  This was much different then my last event here which was raining and windy that is Texas weather for ya, you just never know what’s going to happen so you always need to be prepared for any conditions that may occur. Once I was body marked with my number I entered transition found my rack and set up all my gear, that’s when the nerves really started to set in and I had to go find a bathroom quickly..hahah. After that was taken care of I went and got my wetsuit, goggles, ear plugs and swim cap and headed down to the lake.  Walking down with my husband and daughter and seeing how calm the lake was while watching the sunrise was something magical, that’s when I took a deep breath and thanked my lucky stars that I was healthy making it to the starting line.  As athletes we train so much and so hard that if we can make it to the start line of any race healthy we are always thankful as now we can have fun during the race and leave it all out on the course. 

We were given instructions for those of us doing the longer swim of 1 mile, they informed us that we were to swim to the big orange buoys and once we hit the shore we would need to get out of the water run along the beach and shore line pass through the timing chip area again and enter the water for lap 2...yes we had two laps to do that’s why my stomach dropped as I was so nervous about getting back out of the water running and then going back in to swim I was afraid it would throw me completely off but I had no choice but to just do it like everyone else.  Our group which was “Olympic Women” with the yellow caps was the last swim wave group to go off so we had to wait around quite a bit, watching everyone else go off and finish the sprint and then watching those doing the longer distance coming out of the water running along the beach and entering back in made me just want to start already, its the anticipation that kills me somethings.  Finally it was our turn to line up and get ready for the horn to go off, we all lined up said our finally good lucks and then the horn blew and we all ran into the water off the beach and away we went.  That water was cold and once it hit my face I froze and started to panic, the water was choppy from the other swimmers and I couldn’t breath I had never experienced this before with all my other open water swims I have done this really messed me up.  I just could not get in a rhythm at all, I tried to calm myself down and I used the buoys as my check points to get me through the swim, each time I passed one I would look for the next one and use that as my next goal to get my through.  For some odd reason I felt like I couldn’t breath as my wetsuit seemed very tight and with people kicking me and getting slapped in the face from other swimmers I just wanted out of that water.  Once I turned the last buoy and headed back to the shore all I could think about was I had to do this again..I don’t want to do this again...I can’t do this again...that was the first time I thought about even quitting in a race.  I finally made it to the shore line where I saw my husband and daughter I got out of the water and was crying cause of my panic attack, Rich walked with me on my lap asking me what happen and calmed me down as much as I wanted to quit right there he took me off the ledge and said “okay you have one more lap, you can totally do this!”. At this point I calmed down, took a deep breath crossed the timing chip area and entered back into the water for my second lap which was so much better.  I was able to stay calm and use my buoy’s as my check points through the second lap, by the time I did my last turn and headed back to the shore I was getting so tired I think all the panic and stress my first lap was getting to me and caused me to feel wiped out.  I finally made through my second lap and once again when I got out of the water Rich and Lindsey were waiting for me up the hill to strip my wetsuit off of me which was so cool then as we headed to transition I started crying again the swim had really messed me up.  Rich said once again “The worst part is over you have the bike and run, you have trained hard for this and you can do it.” I dropped my swimming stuff off switched to my bike gear grabbed my bike and headed out of T1 to the bike course.  I was feeling much better and knew I had to pace myself as this was not an easy course but again since I had done it already I knew what to expect.  I was about 3 miles in went to take a drink of my water while putting my bottle back in my holder I hit a bump and my water bottle flew out of my hand to the side of the road that’s when I yelled “oh shit” really loud knowing that I just lost my only water for the ride and I still had 21 miles to go...hahaha.  I still have to electrolytes bottle but that was my back up so I kept riding as there was nothing I could do about that.  I wasn’t gong to stop to pick up my bottle I just had to keep going.  I started to feel the heat and wind about mile 13 and my legs were starting to feel tired the hills definitely beat me up today which made me so frustrated as that is one thing I have been working on but today was just not my day.  I came into today’s race wanting to compete and get on that podium but at this point I was just hoping to finish the dang race and not come in last place.  By the time I got back to transition with my bike I was so do at this point I didn’t even feel like running I was completely exhausted both mentally and physically I wasn’t even sure I would finish this race at this point after having such a rough morning. I swapped out my bike gear for my running gear and out of T2 I went once again crying when I saw Rich as I was tried and sore and it was getting hot now in that sun.  He calmed me down once again and said he would see me on my second loop, now I have really stepped up my running training as I have a half marathon coming up in a few months so if this was the time I needed to shine I had to do it now.  I felt good once I left Rich and saw so many amazing triathletes on the course that gave me extra motivation, keep my breathing under control.  I had a really great run even on my second loop but I won't lie it was getting hot and I could feel the heat but I kept drinking my water, refueling at the water stations and going through the water showers they had on the course for us which was awesome.  Then came the turning point for the finish line and I was over the moon excited to see it and head home, as the turned the corner my girls were waiting there for me so they could run down to the finish line with me and cheered me on.  It was so wondering to have them next to me cheering me on and keeping me motivated, I love racing for that reason.  Setting an example for my girls means the world to me, there is not great joy than having your kids support you in your dreams and goals.  I have an amazing family and so thankful for all of them to come and watch me race at every event I do.  

Next was finding out if I made it in the top 3 for Athena 39 and Under, well I did it again I placed 1st in my group for the Olympic distance after everything I had gone through wanting to quit and give up I still pushed myself and still made it on the podium.  It was an interesting experience and something I will remember for a very long time but I'm glad this race is over, next up is my Half Marathon in June. 

Caveman Triathlon - Sprint Race 4.7.19

Yesterday I competed in my first race of 2019 at the Caveman Triathlon in the sprint distance.  Boy has it been a long and crazy journey to get to the starting line of this race.  I would love to say I was well prepared and was going to kill it on the course but that is far from the truth for this race.  I had signed up for this race in November after completing in the Best of the Best race so I was on cloud nine and ready for 2019 to be an epic year.  That was the case until I had to go and get an eye produce done which I thought was going to be a rather quick recovery to find out that it took me 4 weeks for my eye to actually heal and to be able to train, that really set me back and only put me 3 1/2 weeks to my race day.  I had to start my training at a much slower pace as my eye was still healing, I had to be careful being outside with the wind and all the stuff blooming to make sure it didn’t get in my eyes along with running and then wearing goggles in the pool.  I did what I could to get myself ready, I even went back on Whole30 for an extra round to get my nutrition spot on to get me through my training.

Once I hit my 4 weeks of healing with my eye I started to really put into my training, even doing double workouts to try and get me ready as much as possible.  I had my heart and eyes set on getting onto that podium like I do for every race so that meant doing everything I could to get myself ready.  My last week of training also know as taper week was a little rough for me as I wasn’t feeling as confident as I normally did in previous weeks leading up to the race but I kept telling myself that I made it this far and yes could I complete a sprint triathlon even if I had to crawl to the finish line.  After picking up my bag of goodies I started to get excited but also felt the nerves and the anxiety of my lack of training which got in my head a little.  Saturday rolled around and even though we had a busy weekend with soccer games it was a nice distraction for me to not think about my race, that afternoon I laid all my stuff out and go my bike and Tri bag ready for Sunday.  The weather at this point was looking iffy however the race was going to happy rain or shine that’s how they roll out here in Texas as you can never predict how the weather is going to be here.  I was prepared for a cool and wet race which is nothing new to me, I ended up packing extra things just in case I needed them.  I would rather be over prepared then under prepared especially for events like these.  I ended up going to bed around 10pm once everything was set up by the door so it was ready for me in the morning.

My alarm went off around 4:50am, hit snooze once then woke up by 5am to get myself ready.  I got myself ready and headed out the door around 5:35am to head to the Flower Mound Community Center which is where the race was being held.  I figured arriving early about when transition opened I would be good on parking...well that was not the case at all.  Me and 600 other people thought of the same thing and all showed up around the same time with no where to park but in the neighborhoods close by.  Once I found a spot I realized how far I really was and had to walk what felt like a mile with my bike and all my gear it was the perfect warm up before the race...hahaha.  I got to transition started my set up before my stomach went crazy and I had to use the bathroom I’m sure part of it was nerves but with also doing Whole30 I had to change up this races nutrition which was rather difficult for me.  After racing for the past few years I know what works and what doesn’t for me so having to change it up really threw me off.  For breakfast I usually do a banana and water first thing on the way and then a GU right before I get into the water well I couldn’t do that as GU has sugar which I’m not allowed to have.  So on the way to the race I had raw almonds and water and saved my banana for about 30 minutes before the race as my carbs and sugar.

We all gathered in the gym for a pre-race meeting to go over the weather conditions of the roads and start times for the swim, since we were doing an indoor swim with over 600 participants we had to go in small groups, I happen to be in the third group which was not bad considering a friend of my was in one of the last groups and almost started an hour after I did.  The pool area was crazy but nothing new, once I got into the pool it was like swimming for your life, there were so many people fast, slow and just complete craziness but I wanted to just get it done and get out.  I ended up passing a few people in the pool which is hilarious as I’m not a fast swimmer at all.  I got through my swim of 275 yards (10 laps of the pool) in 5:59 minutes not good but not as bad as it could have been.  Got into transition to get my bike stuff on and for some odd reason I was very slow and everything was wet.  My shoes, socks, sunglasses, bike, bib...everything so that was fun trying to get my long sleeve shirt on while being wet and it being wet.  My first T1 took me almost 3 minutes which was not good at all but I hooped on my bike with my family screaming and cheering for me and away I went for a 9.3 mile ride, it was slick and wet for sure but it was a pretty flat with some small hills so it was nice to ride.  I averaged almost 17 mph which is great for me again considering I didn’t have as much time to train as I wanted. My nutrition was off at this point I had a Lara Bar in my sack and took a few pieces to eat but it was so hard to chew it and breath with all the humidity that I didn’t even up finishing it before I was into my run which I thought could hurt me.  I made it through two loops in just over 30 minutes, got back to T2 again couldn’t get all my stuff off as it was wet and stuck to me.  I finally got out of T2 and headed out for my run, I went out strong in the beginning but then I hit the hills, I started running down a few knowing on the way back I would need to tackle these to get me to the finish.  I ran for the first 1.5 miles and then at the turn around point I started to slow down and had to walk a few times I just didn’t have it in me and I didn’t know why.  I kept hearing my husband in my head to keep pushing and walking wouldn’t get me on the podium, I did my best and keep pushing and then I turned the corner to see my first hill and walked again...now I was getting frustrated at myself as I never walked in any race..this was my lack of training right here and I knew it.  I didn’t give up I at this point did a run/walk to get myself through and within the last 1/2 mile I could hear the announcer at the finish line so I knew I was close, it was time to push myself even though all I wanted to do was rest and catch my breath but there was no time for that.  Once I turned the last corner I heard Rich screaming my name and I knew how close I was, that dang last up hill was a killer on both my knee and my legs.  I made it to the finish line even with a smile but I wasn’t sure if it was good enough to get on the podium.  Rich and my girls were there at the finish line screaming my name and cheering me on.  It was another great moment as I know what it took to get me here so I was proud to finish.

After I finished we stuck around to cheering on two of my friends who were competing for the first time so it was fun to watch them pass by and encourage them on their journey as they both completed the race.  I know this sport is hard but it’s amazing to see others join and push themselves to greatness.

Then it was results time, I waited in a long line of people to get to the computers to look up my time and overall placement.  Once I pulled up my name and saw 4th place I just wanted to fall to the ground and cry.  This was my first race that I didn’t actually get on the podium and I was devastated to say the least.  I knew I had a shot but I also knew it would have been hard with my lack of training too so seeing my time and knowing I was 2 minutes shy of that spot was very hard considering my T1 and T2 times were not very good.  After looking at their times the run is what killed me, they just had faster times on the run which is how they won and I know that from all my previous races.  I had a great bike split but my run killed me, lesson learned for me and this is giving me the fire to train harder and get faster on my bike and run for sure.  Overall it was an awesome event and I’m glad I finally did it as I have been wanting to do it since I moved to Flower Mound.  I finished the race with  a smile on my face and in 4th place that is a big victory for me and I’m very happy with how everything turned out but next time I will be on that podium as one of the top 3 finishers for sure.

The good news is the next day I got an email from the racing company that I did qualify for the Best of the Best Triathlon race in November which I killed last year so that is going to be on my list again to step up my game and slay it again this year.  Next race is coming up in a few weeks an Olympic Triathlon on May 5th at Lake Ray Roberts and then a 15K scheduled on May 11th for a Women’s Run in Keller so it’s time to continue my training and ramp it up for the next few weeks to get me ready and prepared for this upcoming races.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support me, for all the text messages, phone calls and Facebook messages, I’m very grateful for all the out pour and positive thoughts.  I’m one lucky girl to have an amazing family who supports me and comes to cheer me on during these long events.

“The Best of the Best” Final Triathlon of the 2018 Season

The Best of the Best Triathlon has finally arrived, I qualified for this race 6 weeks ago and I’m so excited.  This is the first race I have ever qualified so it really means a lot to me in so many ways.  I have taken the last few weeks to really step up my training and push myself even harder to get to this point, my last race I wanted to just finish but this race I wanted to kill it and be on that podium as #1 for Athena 39 and Under to end my 2018 triathlon racing season.

It was a rather calm and strange taper week leading up to Sunday’s race, now don’t get me wrong that’s what it’s suppose to feel like but I always seem to stress myself out and worry...did I do enough, did I work hard enough or long enough on my training workouts, did I follow my nutrition plan like I was suppose to, did I drink enough water...the list goes on and on.  However after getting my race bib with all the goodies and laying all my stuff out the night before I was still feeling really good with no anxiety or stress, it helped staying busy that weekend so I didn’t have too much time to think about it.  I kept telling myself I was ready and at this point there was nothing else I could do, I put in all the hard work and did everything I wanted to do to get myself here.  I went to bed at a reasonable time to make sure I got some enough sleep as I usually don’t get much the night before any race.

Race morning arrived...my alarm went off around 7am which was so nice, since the race was starting later than normal races due to the time of year and weather I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get myself ready.  I woke up feeling great, not only did I sleep 9 hours it was a good solid 9 hours I have not felt this good on race day I think ever in the last 4 years I have been doing this.  That was a sign to me that it was going to an amazing day.  After getting ready I had some down time to gather my thoughts before leaving the house and that’s when the nerves kicked in.  My husband and coach talked with me and reminded me why I was doing this and that both him and my kids were proud of me no matter what and then he told me that I had this and to kick some butt on the course today.  Just hearing those words and having that support meant the world to me as that is exactly what I needed to hear.  I loaded my bike and my Tri bag and headed out the door around 7:50am, I drove on my own as my family was going to leave a little later so that way they didn’t have to wait around all morning.  I cranked up the music in my truck and sang the whole way to my event, this kept me calm yet focused for the day.

Once I arrived I went into transition set up my bike and all my gear for the race.  It was rather chilly in the morning as it was the beginning of November, I questioned myself a few times wondering what I was doing racing in this cold weather but I don’t back down from a challenge especially when it involves racing.  I went inside to pick up my tracker for my ankle and check out the pool as this was my first time racing at an indoor pool, I think that is partly why I felt a little calmer as the swim is always the toughest thing for me and since I had been training in a pool I felt pretty good.  It’s the open water swims that make me crazy and nervous as you just don’t know the water conditions but in a pool it’s easy as it’s always the same.  After getting everything set up my family arrived to greet me and cheer me on, it was so awesome to see them and have them come out on this cold morning.  My husband Rich talked me through my set up in transition to make sure I was set and ready, then we all walked into the pool area where I was able to go and warm up before just jumping in and starting.  I felt good getting in and doing a few laps and making sure my cap and goggles were good.  Since it was an indoor pool swim everyone had to stand in one long line based on your bib number as not everyone starts at the same time.  They had one person go at a time with 10 seconds in between, the swim start was based on previous swim times from the race that you qualified for to get here.  After asking the lady in front of me and behind me on their swim times I was in the perfect place to start. 

Once it came to my turn, I sat on the edge of the pool until I was told to go, once he said go I started my watch and away I went in the pool.  It was a 250 yard swim which was 10 laps of the pool, now the fun part was turning at the wall under the buoys as I don’t flip turn so I had to figure out how to go under the water and not hit my head when turning to go to the next lane.  The first few times I think I swam too deep which messed me up and I was losing my breath which is not good when your racing and trying to get through it.  So I calmed myself down and pushed through each lap, the final two laps were the toughest as I knew I was almost over and had to go out into the cold next.  I jumped out the water in 5:16.6 which was a good time I wanted to be under 5 mins but I was very happy with that time. Once I hit the door to run outside I felt the cold kick in but I was thankful for the sun and ready to go and dry off a bit to get my long shirt on.  I saw my girls and my husband cheering me on while I ran into transition to get myself ready for my 16.5 mile bike ride.  I was in and out of transition in 2:31.1 and off I was on my bike ready to kick some butt.

The first few miles were cold as I was still wet but once again I calmed myself down, got comfortable in aero with my arms in front and stayed focused.  I kept an eye on my time as I wanted to make sure I was following my nutrition plan and hydration every 15 mins I knew this would make a difference as I struggled with that in my last race so it was very important this time around.  When I approached my first hill I backed off my hard gear sat up and pushed hard up the hill, I couldn’t believe how calm I was and how great I felt.  I was passing people while go up hills, I have never done that ever so that was a huge victory to me and I didn’t stop there I stayed focused and continued to push through the hills while enjoying the downhills.  I got to the half way turnaround point in 28 minutes which is where I needed to be in order to have any shot for the podium, with that being said I knew I would have to work hard and really pump on my way back to get under 1 hour for my bike but I knew it was definitely achievable.  Heading back we had some strong head winds which is never fun so now I had to dig deep and really use my legs, which made me nervous as I was afraid if I used my legs too much I would not have anything on my run but at that moment I knew I just had to give it all I had and not leave anything out there.  I would figure out my run when I got to that point, so I pushed and pushed and turned the corner to head to transition in which I looked at my watch and saw how close I was to getting under the one hour mark, then I saw Rich and the girls waiting for me and once I looked at my watch I saw 59.46.2 minutes I was so happy I couldn’t believe it.  Rich kept telling me nice ride and said okay this is when it really counts is on the run.  I switched from my bike gear to my running gear and off I went on my run.

Rich began my run with me and helped me stay focus on where I was and what I needed to do to keep myself on this momentum.  I looked down at my watch at one point as saw a 8:30 pace which was insane and had to back off a bit as I didn’t want to go too fast and burn myself out.  I felt really good the first mile but then I started to get hot as I forgot to take off my long sleeve shirt so I rolled it up and kept running.  I did keep checking my watch to make sure I was on pace to what my A goal was which was to be under 30 minutes for my 5K, once I rounded that second loop I knew I would have to kick into high gear to keep up my pace to once again have a shot for that podium...oh yes that podium was on my mind the whole day that is what I trained for and that is why I was hear today so there was no way I was going to forgot about that.  I saw Rich and the girls a few times on the course but this was my last time seeing them as I was on my way to the finish line and I was killing it at this point, the look on Rich’s face and all the excitement made me so happy as I knew I was going to have a great time for my run and overall time.  I pushed around that last corner and headed for the inside of the football stadium, one final corner and there it was the finish line I gave it all I had by passing a lady and finishing strong.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect day as I saw my girls and husband waiting for me at the finish line with hugs and tears of joy as I just killed that course!

After stopping my watch and crying I couldn’t believe how well I did and how amazing this day was for me.  I worked really, really hard for this race and everything clicked for me from the very beginning to when I hit that finish line.  Now it was time for the results to see how I stacked up with the other athletes.  I couldn’t go and look at the sheet so Rich went over for me to take a picture...as he was walking back I literally felt like I was going to fall over as I was so nervous on how I placed then he showed me his phone and I placed 1st in Athena 39 and Under, not only did I place first in my age group but first overall with the best time of all Athena’s.  I was so happy and excited I could have yelled from the roof tops at this point.  Then Rich looked at me and said "Are you really that surprised???, I’m not as you killed it out there today!”.  This moment was huge for me in so many ways, from beginning my weight loss journey back in March to training and qualifying for a local race and getting myself back to being healthy and happy again.  This validated everything I had worked so hard for.  I finished with a final time of 1:40:04.0 which is my new Personal Record for a Sprint distance triathlon.  This has really put a fire under me for next year and reminded me how much I missed competing and racing.  Training hard and following a Paleo lifestyle really changed how I race and how fast my body recovered, I’m very excited for next year as I think I’m finally onto something great.

Thank you to all those who have supported me this year with my weight loss and training journey, there were ups and downs but overall it has been a great eye opening experience for me.  I’m so close to a big mile marker of losing 50 lbs its within arms reach so I will be updating you all once I hit that goal which will be soon.  Now it’s bring on the holiday’s and some much needed rest and downtime!

Disco Triathlon Race - Olympic Distance Complete

Sunday September 23rd, 2018

11 weeks of training and my race is finally here, I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  I started my weight loss journey back in March when I began my first round of Whole30 and I have not looked back since.  I knew I needed to sign up for a race to keep me on my journey and I was ready to put myself back out there again.  It's been over 3 years since I have competed in a triathlon and now that I'm gaining my confidence back I wanted to really push myself again.  I looked at a few different races and found the Disco triathlon, it looked like so much fun and was rated one of their top races of the year but I couldn't get myself to sign up right away.  It took me a good week to make the decision as I was so nervous, I first thought about signing up for the sprint distance but I really wanted to challenge myself and with all that I have learned from my new nutritional plan I decided to sign up for the Olympic distance which would consist of a 1 mile open water swim at Lake Ray Roberts, 23 mile bike ride and then a 10K (6.2) mile run.  After I signed up for it I thought what the heck did I just do and did I take on too much???  

Well I made it to RACE DAY!!!  It's been a long 11 weeks of training but I'm so proud of myself for giving it all I had to get me to this point.  I had good and bad training day's but I never gave up and kept reminding myself why I was doing this.  I packed all my stuff in my tri bag the night before and set up my breakfast before going to bed as I knew I probably wouldn't get much sleep.  I went to bed around 9:30pm, it as a long night as I tossed and turned most of the night.  Only getting about 2 hours of sleep my alarm went off at 4:40am which I hit snooze one time as I was feeling pretty exhausted.  I finally got up just before 5am gathered myself and got ready, it was a little chilly out and drizzling which was expected.  I knew it was going to be a tough day with the weather as it's been raining for a few days now and today was no different, I was extremely nervous the whole morning getting ready as I have never raced in any other weather but sunshine or wind.  Rich and the girls all got up around the same time as me and go ready for the day, my bike was put in the back of our truck covered with a trash bag to help from getting too wet and we all piled into our truck and left the house around 5:25am.  I tried to stay calm on the way as Rich drove but as usual I stressed myself out and started to panic as if I had anything to worry about.  The hardest part for me on any race is the "unknown" factor the things I don't have control over it's also the scariest thing for me.  It's always very emotional before I start as I work so hard to get to this point and I want to leave it all out on the course that's the competitiveness in me.

We arrived at Lake Ray Roberts around 6:20am found a parking spot close to transition which was nice, once we parked we all got out of the truck and felt the cold and rain that is when I began to shake from being cold and wondering what the heck was I about to do and was this going to safe.  Then I looked around and saw all these other athletes who parked and piled out of their vehicles to do the same thing I was doing....so I wasn't the only crazy one then.  Before entering into the transition area to get my stuff set up I had to get body marked which was fun as me and every other person were all doing this at the same time you can imagine how fun that was..hahaha.  Once I entered I found a spot that was as close to the spectators as possible so Rich and the girls could help me find my bike and running stuff.  I set up my (Rich's) good luck blue towel along with all my bike stuff and running stuff as I wanted to be ready.  The weather was just not cooperating that is when the race director announced that the water was not safe for the longer swim distances and that they would need to shorten the swim for those racing the Olympic distance and X-50 distance.  Instead of us swimming 1 mile they reduced it to a sprint distance of 500 meters, I was so happy when I heard that announcement as that was the scariest part for me even though I have done a few open water races I still was very nervous.  This also pushed our start times back which meant instead of me going into the water at around 7:45am I would enter around 8:15am or 8:20am which was not fun considering I was shivering from the cold but there was nothing I could do about that.

Once transition closed we all headed down to the water to prepare the wave starts, that is when my friends showed up with awesome signs and lots of hugs and encouragement.  I could not tell you how excited I was to have such amazing people in my life who came to support me in the rain on a rather chilly day.  Once I got to the starting line my stomach sank and the nerves set in once again, I got in the water to test out my goggles and I surprised how warm the temperature of the water really was someone said it was above 80's which was so wonderful.  I spent several minutes just hanging out in the water to stay warm before my wave went off.  After watching everyone go off in their wave it was finally my turn and I was so ready to get this race going.  We all walked to our starting position which was standing on the beach ready to run into the water and start swimming, the best part is my daughter Lindsey was the one who got to blow the horn for our wave since I was racing that made me so proud and lucky to see that.  Once she blew that horn we were all off and running like crazy people into the lake and off we went for the swim.  It was horrible as the waves were so high and hard to get into a grove, then I swallowed a bunch of water which made me almost throw up 2 times on top of getting kicked in the face and tugging on my arms and legs.  Oh yes it was so much fun..lol.  I really struggled getting into a grove all I kept doing was looking for points like the buoys to get me through.  Once I turned to head to land I felt so much better and mentally pushed my self to just finish up strong.  I came out of the water around 12 mins

which was not a good time for me but considering the water conditions and 3 year gap of racing I was glad to have just finished that swim.  My support crew was standing by the water cheering me on as I came out and began to run up the hill to transition, I found my bike put on my socks, bike shoes, helmet and glasses and away I went for a 23 mile bike ride.  Rich was running all over the place coaching me of what to do next and what I needed to do to get my self on that podium, to some people it seemed like he was crazy and who was this guy yelling at me but to me it my motivation and encouragement to push myself to my goal.  

Once on the bike I was off and going, I felt cold for most of the ride and the weather was horrible.  The clouds were thick which made it that much harder to see, I had my dark lenses on which is good for riding with the sun but not when it's cloudy out, I should have changed them out to my yellow or clear lenses.  I needed to wear them due to the rain and avoid getting bugs or rocks in my eyes...note to self for next rainy race change out lenses.  I felt good on the bike but I did ride more cautiously due to the weather, I also saw many people with flats on the side of the road which scared me as I didn't want to have to change a flat in these conditions.  I kept myself calm and just kept riding, it was an up and down

course which is what I was use to training on so that was no surprise.  At one point I hit a hill and looked down thinking I just need to hold on for dear life and hope I don't crash or die I hit 29 mph going down that hill and I made it safe and sound.  It was so scary but so much fun, Rich always told me to leave everything I have on the course well I sure did that.  As I came around my last corner I saw my support crew holding their signs and screaming my name as I finished up my bike and headed to transition.  It made me feel so good and really helped push me for my run.  I found my stuff racked my bike took off my helmet, changed shoes put on my visor, grabbed my water bottle and away I went for my next sport.

Once again Rich was coaching me as I left transition to my run of a 10K the last leg of my race.  I had been working so hard on my running so I was hoping for a good run, well I'm sad to say that's not what happen.  I messed up my nutrition on my bike due to the weather so I ended up playing catch up which was not a smart thing to do and that really affected me on my run.  I got around mile 2 and started to feel sick so I kept drinking water as I wasn't sure what was wrong, at this point the rain had stopped and the humidity set in so now I was wet and sweaty with

stomach issues....perfect!  This is when I had to mentally push and coach my way through this, I started to come around to the half way point for my second loop and heard my crew cheering people on until they saw me and started to scream and jump up and down and told me to keep going and that I was doing such a great job....that meant the world to me and it was exactly what I needed to hear at that time.  Rich also told me I was about 3 minutes behind from the possible leader and that I needed to step it up if I wanted to get on that podium.  The next 3 miles I struggled more than I should have, I wanted so bad to go faster I just could not breath and my stomach was still not right at that point I was doing a walk/jog just to keep me going.  I did a lot of those on the up hills and then ran on the down hills.  I came around the same last corner and heard my crew cheering me on, that is when I saw my girls waiting for me to help run with me down to the final stretch to the finish line.  I finished the race and I was so proud of myself, I worked 11 hard weeks to get me here and the joy of sharing that finish with my daughters and husband meant everything to me.  My total over all time was 3 hours and 1 minute, I was extremely proud of my time and finishing that race I just wasn't sure if it was enough to place me in the top 3 for Athena 39 and Under.

After the race I went and gave Rich a big hug and cried it out for a minute and thanked him for all his support along with my kids.  I then found my friends who came over and gave me lots of hugs and congratulated me for finishing.  I thanked them a million times for all their support and cheering that is what truly made me finish today.  Now it was time to wait and see the final results of where I placed, when they announced Athena 39 and Under they called my name as second place...I was shocked and yet so happy that I did it.  I stood on that podium as a very proud and accomplished person it reminded me of why I worked so hard and how bad I wanted it.  Not only did I get a

finishers medal for the race but also go a trophy for 2nd place, it was a tough day with crazy conditions but I made it through by pushing myself and concorded what I set out to do and that was finish an Olympic triathlon after not racing for over 3 years.  I set out on this journey to get myself back into shape and do what I love doing which is competing and I got so much more out of it.  I got my confidence back, my drive to work hard and my will to push myself, including losing weight and getting healthy.  I now have the triathlon racing bug again and it feels amazing, since this season is almost over its time to step up my off season training so I'm ready for next year.  I have 6 races already picked out that I'm so excited for...let the off season training begin!!!

MY FAMILY AND SUPPORT CREW! 

GO TEAM WEISS!

Qualified for the "Best of the Best" Triathlon Championship...

After competing in this past weekends race, I woke up yesterday morning wondering what was next.  I have been on such an amazing journey that I don't want it to stop, I have come too far to stop now or even think about slowing down.  Since the triathlon season is coming to an end I was looking at two different half marathons coming up and then I received an email last night from Dallas Athletes Racing company which is the group that hosted this past weekends race, that had a subject line of "You Qualified" as I opened the email it said Congratulations....based on my 2nd place finish from the Disco Triathlon I qualified for the Best of the Best Championship Triathlon which is local end of the year race in November.  This race is an invite only for those who qualify throughout the year at certain races based on placement in age groups and I made it!  I could not believe it when I saw this email, I worked so hard for my last race and really wanted to be in the top 3 for the Athena group 39 and Under.  I knew I would have a shot if I worked hard and gave it all I got but I never knew that would lead me to qualifying for a bigger local event.  I was so excited I told my husband and asked him if I should do it?  He looked at me without hesitation and said what are you waiting for you better get signed up and get back to training tomorrow...hahahah the best part is that's what I was hoping to hear from him.  He has been my coach and rock through all of this training so having him believe in me means the world.  

Last night I signed up and received my confirmation that I was registered and I'm ready to go in the Athena 39 and Under age group for November 4th.  That means that my husband is back to the drawing board to create my new training schedule for the next 6 weeks, it's going to be tough with lots of hard work but I'm so ready to do this once again and compete.  While my husband works on my training schedule I will be working on my next set of personal goals, nutrition plan and menu and completing a daily journal.  

The nice part is that this race is in 6 weeks out and is a sprint distance so I will be doing a 250 yard swim at an indoor pool, then riding my bike for 12.5 miles and finishing with a 5K run.  I'm going to continue training for a longer distance so I'm more than ready for the shorter race.  I'm so excited to compete as I want to place in the top 3 again for this championship race, this will give me the drive to work even harder and the confidence to get me back into the triathlon racing world.  Let the countdown begin.....1 month, 9 days and 23 hours to go....Go Team Weiss!!!

LOVE MY SUPPORT CREW...GO TEAM WEISS!