2014 “Race Report”
Well actually a lot more than just racing…
Well actually a lot more than just racing…
Perhaps this should be called “Life Report”
Ok, so I’m a little late on this… and honestly I don’t know
that I have ever done a race report.
This is simply a story of my journey this year, for those who are
interested. Yes it is a little long…
My History
Before this year I completed two sprint triathlons and a
swim leg of a third sprint this year. I placed 5th
in my age group, 1st in age group and I didn’t drown on the last
one. I did the swim leg without any
swim training for a full year and jumped in to do an open water wet suit swim.
(very first wet suit swim EVER! Needless to say it was not pretty! Thanks a
lot Cori Moore and Joanna Gifford!)
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| Relay Team! |
I am strongest on the bike, which I am just now starting to
give myself a little credit for and embracing my potential. I was told by friends and fellow athletes
that I was a natural swimmer. And as
far as running goes… What is running?!?
Yeah it was that bad…
After qualifying for the FRESH Race team I dropped
everything! I stopped riding, working out…
Everything! My life became
consumed with getting our family certified to become a foster home. We wanted to grow our family through foster
to adopt. Something inspired by so many
families in our church and the heartbreaking situations I saw as a
teacher. We got certified and got a
placement of a 4-year-old little girl.
As with any foster situation, it takes a lot of time, effort and
love. This was not the time to focus on
me… We did not get to adopt her and
after a difficult and heartbreaking decision we decided not to continue with
fostering. It is a wonderful avenue for
some to grow their family or help children in need but Lexi still doesn’t
understand why she can’t see her sissy anymore.
It was not something we wanted to continue to put her though at such a
young age. (I was
not allowed to post on FB or talked much about this on social media)
When the New Year rolled around I was determined to create a
new ME! I made a list… Not a New Year
Resolution but a 2014-bucket list. Unfortunately, one that included more of what
I wanted from my body image and what I thought would boost my self-esteem, confidence
and worth… I basically started from scratch, and with no fitness base… I hit the ground running with an extreme (for
me) workout regiment and diet. I was
committed and busted my tail to get the results I craved so badly… One day I decided to compare my before pictures to a current one. Surely I had made progress, I had been so
committed and worked so hard and I DID feel different! The results were devastating… I saw no change! NOTHING!...
How could I keep up a strict diet and workout plan for this long and get NOTHING?! I quit, and I am not proud of that. I forced myself though an acceptance phase. This is me. This is my body. This
is ALL it will be. This is all it will be able to do... I put myself in a box and accepted my
“limitations”… Months went by and I
still did nothing. I didn’t ride my bike, didn’t workout and ate what I
wanted. By May I was just going through
the motions. Joe challenged me to either
enter a fitness competition or do a Half Ironman. I probably took this challenge the wrong way…
And I finally made the decision to get people off my back and just so I could say that I did
it… But my best friend Cori had been training for her half Ironman and
continued on to train for and complete a Full Ironman.
So she obviously encouraged me towards the half IM… This was a very difficult decision for me
because I didn’t want to quit something again. If I just said no, then I wouldn’t have to deal with admitting what I was doing publicly and risk failure or
disappointing others. In the end… I
honestly chose the half Ironman because the diet for a fitness challenge would
be too strict! With that decision I knew I didn’t want to try to train on
my own and that I needed to invest in a coach.
I had seen how both Ryan and Cori had benefited from having a coach and
knew that I needed to take that step as well.
I needed the guidance, encouragement and I needed someone to show me how
to freaking run! (I also found out just
how badly I needed to be shown how to swim!)
I hired Jeremy Brown with Mind Right Multisport for this challenge. On Tuesday, June 10th, 2014 I got
back on my bike to officially begin my Half Ironman training.
The first two weeks I seriously questioned my sanity… Struggling just to complete a core workout,
realizing I’m not the swimmer I thought… and pretty much walking most of track
mornings… But then the next core work
out was easier, swimming got easier and I was getting faster. There was less walking and more running. I started feeling stronger… I started feeling alive! Workouts and trainer sets started paying off
on the bike and my confidence grew. I
have had people tell me that I have potential but I didn’t believe them, I had
to see it for myself. I started leaping
over the boundaries I had set for myself mentally and physically. Somewhere in the middle of all that I forgot
about what my body looked like… I knew I
was making changes but I didn’t care anymore, I cared about what my body COULD
DO.
I remember one particular track morning where Jeremy
graduated me from just doing drills to actually doing the track set everyone else got to do. It was tough… I had never allowed myself to push past that
mental barrier of what my mind told me my body could do… That morning I did! I wanted to slow down, I wanted to stop, but
I didn’t! The discovery of what my body can do when I allow it, is a lesson
that can never be replaced. It was like
finding freedom… My box dissolved and I
saw no limitations… I turned my “I
can’t” into “I can!” and learned that the mind, when allowed can be
debilitating, OR it can be used to control and empower your body to its fullest
potential. I guzzled the Kool-Aid, dove
into the deep end and went for a swim in it!
Towne Lake Olympic Triathlon
(For my non triathlete readers that is a 1500 meter swim,
25 mile bike and a 6 mile run)
My coach had told me about this race and thought it would
make for a good prep race. I had never
done anything longer than a sprint, so I kept my eye on this race as a
potential stepping-stone. My
procrastination kicked in and I waited until two weeks before the race to sign
up. I set some time goals for
myself. My time would have put me in the
top 5 compared to last year’s results.
I knew my run time would be tough to get but thought it was doable. Here is what I sent my coach.
That would put me right at finishing in 2 hours and 40
minutes.
I had a great cheer and support team with me. Cori Moore was a huge help with calming my nerves
and helping me get myself straightened out the night before and the morning of
the race.
Kristin Blaise and I had been talking just the week before
about her coming down and doing the race as well (another fellow procrastinator).
I never got a response back from her on if
she was coming because it was that same day that she was hit by a car on the
Elite ride. I was sad that my fellow
racer was lying in a hospital barely able to move, instead of out there racing… I had told her I would race for both of us
and I intended to keep that promise.
When I felt tired or a twinge of pain, I wanted to remember her. Remember that the pain I felt was nothing
compared to hers. To keep her in the
forefront of my mind I decided to add a little something visual.
A special thanks to my temporary tattoo artist Cori Moore!
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| Waiting on the swim start - Towne Lake |
I am thankful to have, who I joke around and call husband
#2, Ryan Moore, who let me use his 808 and disk wheel. I also had Cori’s aero helmet. It is great to have such supportive friends
who like to share!
I wanted a pace of 20mph on the bike, which is not something
I have seen before so I was counting on a little race adrenalin and that
fact that this was a flat course, as I am used to hills. I had also just recently got my Felt DA 4
and a Garmin 910 watch! I was definitely
excited about all my new toys and hoped they would help a little. This ride was only my second ride on my new bike,
along the second time to EVER run an 808 and disk.
I had planned on using the new Garmin 910 to help me watch
my pace on the bike. Lucky for me it was
stuck on looking for a power meter the entire bike leg! I say lucky because the fact that it didn’t
work made me listen to my body and hope for the best. And it was for the best! I ended up averaging 21.3mph average on the
bike! This ended up saving me!
Ryan had challenged me to a little game of counting how many
guys I passed on the bike… I gave up
somewhere between 25 and 30. The bike
was two loops and very flat. It is a
huge confidence boost to pass so many on the bike. However, I knew my weakest leg was still in
front of me. The two loops allowed me to
see my cheerleaders Kat, Spencer, Jeff, Ryan, Cori, Sean and Joe more than once! Not to mention the chalk graffiti on the bike
course letting me know along with all the other riders that East Texas Triathletes had my
back! I also got to see Rachel Olson
pass me on the bike. She doesn’t know it
but I made it my goal to keep her pace and stay (legal distance) behind her all
the way back in. She was on her second
loop while I was on my first. I never
lost sight of her until she went into transition! Thanks for being a rabbit Rachel! I also thought of all the riders who had been
recently injured by being hit by a car or crashed. I repeated their names over and over in my
head “Kristin, Janice, Mark, Michael” I
found joy and appreciation in having the ability to ride my bike at any pace, because
there were those who could not ride at all. I was thankful to be racing.
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| Bike - Towne Lake 2014 |
T2 went fast and my brain totally missed the fact that there
were so few bikes racked. I will reflect
on this later, as all the female age groupers were racked together... I had no idea I was in the lead. But I did leave without
my run nutrition. As soon as I come out
of transition I see Jeffery Mayhall and Spencer Atkinson yelling and snapping
pictures! Cori with lots of love and
encouragement soon greets me. She did
and amazing job chasing me around the run course, cutting corners and meeting
up with me again to cheer me on! However,
I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to maintain the pace I
wanted. I kept trying to pick up pace
and maintain it but I just couldn’t… It
was a hot run with little shade and all I wanted was the next water
station. I finally slowed down, walked a
section with no spectators and threw a small pity party. I settled back into a slower but challenging pace. I regretted
not having that nutrition. Also, my feet went
tingly and numb (I needed different shoes!) I noticed that even in the heat I felt
cold and got chill bumps and my face felt tingly (that was new, and somewhat
concerning…) But I pushed on. I found a
rhythm and zoned out. I actually started
chanting Kristin Blaise with every strike of my foot on the ground. “Kristin Blaise, Kristin Blaise, Kristin
Blaise” became my run mantra. It was a
very mentally challenging run for me.
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| Run Selfie with Ryan Moore - Towne Lake 2014 |
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| Towne Lake 2014 FINISH |
We didn’t stay long because it was hot and we were all
tired. (Cheering is hard work too!) I looked for results but didn’t want to wait
around forever for them. Accepting that
there was no possible way I made it on the podium, we left to get some
food. So all my supporters and I loaded
up and went to eat. We were checking
online regularly for results to see just how close I got to my time goal. As we were leaving I took Lexi to the
restroom and about the time I got into the bathroom, Cori comes flying through
the door yelling, “You won!” I simply look at her in total confusion… Again “You won your age group!”
I needed proof... I
dove for her phone to see the evidence myself!
I think I screamed, probably grabbed her and did a little jump up and
down squealing hug before flying out of the restaurant with little regard for
the swinging and banging doors I left in my wake. (Or my child I left standing in the bathroom
with Cori) I think I left a few shocked
and worried employees in my path. As a
barreled out the front of the restaurant I screamed at my unsuspecting supporters
“I won my age group!!!” Which was met by
another look of confusion before I clarified and yelled again “I got first
place in my age group!!!” I had missed
the awards and podium picture… But I was not giving up on getting my hands on
my trophy! The mad dash began to claim
my victory! We raced back to the event
to see if it was still there. It
was! Joe and my Dad had beat us there
and found it. We had to have to forklift
back away from the podium so that I could have my victory photo with my trophy
in hand.
Oh and I made my time goal… 2:40:43!!!
If it fits into my schedule next year, I will be returning
to Towne Lake. Not to defend my title,
as I will be in a new age group. But I WILL be reducing that time goal substantially!
After Towne Lake I was feeling great about how far I had
come in my training. But it was done and
I needed to press on and look to my next race…
As the training sets and bricks increased in time and
distance I was attacking each one with determination. Defeating and conquering each one became an
addiction. It was fed by my need to
overcome it physically and mentally. To
know I had still escaped that box and those limitations I had left behind. So much of training is mental…
On one particular day I needed to run 10 miles. A group was going to go run the 12-mile bike
course for Rose City. I decided to join
them. This is a hilly run and I do not
do well on hills but I was feeling strong and determined! By mile 6 I was hurting. I have had IT band issues in the past but
nothing that kept me down for long. By
mile 8 I couldn’t run anymore. It felt
like my IT band had totally seized up.
After a quick text to my coach I called for a rescue car to pick me
up… 4 weeks out from my half, I had
finally done something stupid… Pushed
too hard, didn’t keep up the stretching and rolling like I needed… I would not fully recover from this before
my race…
Two weeks until Austin 70.3
I decided to visit Lora Popolizio in Austin and have her
drag me around the bike race course, so that I could get an idea of what I was
dealing with. Lora showed me a great
time and I fell in love with Austin… The
bike course was brutal! It had rained
all morning, pushing our ride into the afternoon. It was windy and rough. Lora and I both took a beating. Around mile 35 I really started to hate life… I dropped off and let Lora take some distance
in front of me so I could try to find my big girl panties to put back on,
because I was deep into a pity party at the moment… I let my mind regain some of the doubt and
control; I let it tell me I couldn’t… I
was momentarily back in my box… I am so thankful
that Lora was there, because she is the reason I couldn’t let myself be
defeated… Call it pride, but I was not about to let her see me that way! I took a gel, knowing part of my problem was
nutrition, and pushed on. Thank God that
we finally hit some down hills and smooth pavement! We finished and I survived, but it took some
pep talking from Lora to keep me from panicking. I was worried I would not be capable of my
18mph goal for the race. After being
talked off the cliff by Lora I was extremely grateful for having done the
ride. I had a game plan! Knowledge is power and I was going to embrace
it! The only downfall is that now my
left glute (and hip) was hurting. I
figured it was related to the IT band issue. Instead of going on one of the local bike
shop rides the next day, we decided to take it easy and do an easy ride around downtown. Again… LOVE Austin!
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| Lora and I on our ride in downtown Austin! <3 |
Ironman Austin 70.3
The weekend had arrived.
I spent the last two weeks in Dr. Santo’s office trying to get my IT
band issue resolved. Almost all running had
been removed from my training to allow it to rest and to prevent re-aggravating
my IT band. Dr. Santo had also told me
that the pain in my glute could actually be Bursitis in my hip. I was headed to my race knowing I was not
100%. Funny, but that actually put me at
ease. Because even though I had a time
goal, I can only do what my body could do, and I accepted that. I was as ready as I could be. I would not
have felt ready without having a coach behind me, I would not have had that
confidence!
Race Day
I was pleasantly surprised at how at ease I was. No nerves whatsoever… I was there to do work, I knew it is going to
take time; I knew I would hurt but I knew I WOULD do it. I had no doubt that I would finish.
Yes we took a wrong turn on the way… Again! I took it as a good luck sign!
The Swim
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| Swim Start - Austin 70.3 ~ Pic by Jeffery Mayhall |
I was able to get some practice swims in with my borrowed
wet suit from Lora. I am confident in my
swim abilities so at 8:25am I walked into the water ready.
I felt like I got a good position treading water at the
start buoy and waited for the count down!
The first 100 meters I knew I was in trouble, something was off.
My breathing was wrong, my rhythm was wrong, and a mild panic started to
roll in my stomach. The harder I tried
the worse it got. I was back at day one,
in the pool with my coach, trying to teach me how to breathe… All the things he told me replayed through my head as I tried to regain control... I was fighting off hyperventilation and
panic, yelling at myself “this was supposed to be effortless. If I can do anything I can swim dammit!” I turned over and started back stoking just
to try to calm myself down… I was
embarrassed… Backstroking didn’t help at
all, I rolled over and tried swimming
again with no success. I finally just
started breast stroking, keeping my head above the water… I watched the swim caps glide past me… I took another good 100 meters to pull myself
together. Once I caught my breath and
got my heart rate back down, I started to swim.
It was there… the rhythm, the breath, and there was that feeling I love
so much when I swim in open water… I
probably wasted the first five hundred meters but the rest of the swim was MINE! And I took it! I passed back many of those swim caps along with
several new colors not in my wave. I
stayed calm and I came out of the water only two minutes past my goal. It was valuable time lost but not enough to
keep me down… I was off to my best leg
of the race! The BIKE!
The Bike
T1 went by with only a slight issue with my helmet. I had to
carry my bike out due to stickers and not wanting them stuck in the tires. I mounted my bike and I was off! I wanted an 18mph average pace. The wind was not near as bad as when Lora and
I rode. Not to mention we had made a few
changes to my bike set up to account for the rough roads. I had an 808 on the front with a disk in the
back and tubular tires with sealant and it made all the difference in the
world! I saw so many flats on the side
of the road and I was thankful I had the added security of the sealant to offer
a little salvation if needed. When the
bike is your strong suit, it makes for a fun race! I spent the entire 56 miles
passing one person after the other. I
had a few that passed me back and then drop off only to try to pass again. I won’t say I didn’t get passed, because I did! However, 56 miles goes by fast when you have
so many rabbits to chase! I was
thankful for the preview ride with Lora.
I knew what to expect, I knew where the rough spots would be mentally
and physically. My hip tried to give
me some issues but I ignored it… Half way through
the ride I forgot all about it… Another thing that helped is this was probably
the first ride that I truly nailed my nutrition on! Following my coach’s guidance!
Needless to say, I once again underestimated myself on the bike. I ended with a 19.05mph average! 13th fastest on the bike for my age group of 105 female athletes! And I need to add that Joe never caught me! His swim start was 15 minutes after mine. (yes Joe did this race as well, but this isn’t his race report! LOL)
The Run
I came into a quiet T2, took my time, and
headed out on the run. My loving,
awesome crowd of supporters quickly found me!
They were not hard to miss with Ryan’s bright orange fro and Cori’s long
blue wig! Cori ran beside me for a
minute to see how I was feeling and to tell me I killed it on the bike. With some words of encouragement and a quick
selfie pic she left me to do my work.
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| Run - Austin 70.3 ~ Pic by Ryan Moore |
I actually really enjoyed the 3 run loops that so many complained
about. Because I knew what was ahead of
me, I knew I would let myself walk this part, probably see Joe at that spot,
and see my supporters at another… I
could count down, only two left, only one left… The second
lap was the hardest, I had heard mile 7 would be hard and it was… but by the time I reached the end of the
second loop I knew I could finish and I wouldn’t accept anything less than to leave
it all out there on the course. So I
picked up the pace. Pulled up my knees
and went for it. Moving faster actually
seemed to help. I imagined taking a pair
of scissors and severing the nerves that run from my leg to my brain, telling
my body I no longer received its complaints.
After the turn around on the last lap I had conquered the mental control
over my body and ran the last 2-2.5 miles to the finish line. I zoned out, I didn’t see anyone anymore all
I could do is feel the pull of the finish line and I let it pull me. Even with the slow, difficult run... I crossed the finish line with my cheerleaders scramming, taking pictures and videos... I had finished... FINISH TIME 6:14:48!
I did it! I made it in my time goal of 6:15! The bike had saved me again!
I did it! I made it in my time goal of 6:15! The bike had saved me again!
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| Cori and I at the finish! - Austin 70.3 |
The finish line is not a stopping point for me. It is a moment to catch my breath and look back at how far I have come in so many ways, and smile. But I won’t stay long because this is only the beginning of my journey.
“The person I thought I was is no match for the person I
really am.”
~Crystal Self
What does the future hold?
Well, a FULL Ironman!... duh!
Ironman Texas 2015 here I come!
