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So yeah... surprise!  I decided to take my pro card again this season after a year of exploring different areas of triathlon.  Last season I raced XTERRA triathlons in two different states, including my dream of completing the PanAm Championship in Ogden, Utah, and crossed Ironman off my bucket list.  As last season came to an end, I had multiple conversations with my family and my coach about taking my pro card again.  I talked over the pros and cons with them for months, but in my heart I knew I wanted to race in the pro field again because I kept coming back to the thing that no amount of money can buy: the experience.  Racing in the pro field, even at the back of the field, is exhilarating, amazing, an honor and, above all, it's hard.  Knowing I'm going to step up to the start line with these women is incredible and hard to describe.  It gives me that extra push in training.  It encourages me to give that last little ounce of strength and push for that faster interval in the pool, to throw all of my power into hitting that higher wattage on the bike, to push myself harder and find that speed on the track.  It inspires me.  People have asked me how I do "it," how I train and work full time.  How I get up before 5 am to train, then come home from work and train again.  My answer is typically something along the lines of "I love the training, I love triathlon."  That's true... but only most of the time.  The rest of the time I pull from what inspires me to get up when the alarm goes off and all I want to do is push that snooze button.  

But I want to add this: racing pro isn't, by far, the only thing that inspires me.  When I watch Ironman races my favorite part is the end.  I love to see the people who have worked so hard in so many different ways to make it to that finish line. I am inspired by the mothers I see waking up early when their kids are still sleeping or who train late at night when their kids are in bed.  I don't have enough time in one blog to give mothers (and fathers!!) all the credit they deserve, that would take many, many blogs!  But every time I see a post from my incredible program coordinator, Danielle Murphy, from one of her runs it inspires me!  When I see Danielle Korson posting about her training and her beautiful little girl I'm just amazed!  And who could forget Kathi and her incredible and inspiring time at the head of the Oak Park YMCA Triathlon Team?  All while raising two incredible kids.  I have no clue how they do it and all three women are raising the most amazing kids.  So yes, I can roll my butt out of bed and get to the pool.  I hope that one day (maybe soon!) when I have a child that I will be a fraction as amazing as these two women and the many other mothers I see out there training and being amazing.

Nothing but smiles at the pre-race bike racking!  And yes, the mountain biking definitely stuck and I rock my mountain biking trucker hat now!


Along with what inspires me and pushes me, I want to write about the importance of listening to your coach!!!  That explanation will come later... so on to the race!  Well, race morning was FREEZING!  The air temp was in the low 40's and I wasn't sure how I could possibly get on my bike soaking wet.  But as I was getting ready to race, I discovered one of the most amazing benefits of racing in the pro field: porta potties!!  The race director had set aside TWO porta potties for the pro athletes to use and with a field of over 3,000 athletes, this was just about the best benefit I could ever think of!  After pulling on my wetsuit as quickly as possible (did I mention it was freezing?!), I headed down to the water for the start.  Everything seemed to happen very fast from that point forward.  Next thing I knew, I was in the water and the gun was going off.  I had forgotten how fast the pro field starts and I was quickly feeling lost in a tangle of arms, legs, waves and spray flying everywhere.  I ended up in the middle of a group and got stuck there, unable to open up my stroke and swim at my usual pace.  After we rounded the first turn buoy the water was more calm and I was able to move to the side and begin to work my way forward.  I passed one woman and then another and then another.  Then I looked forward... nothing.  The next group had pulled well.  I buried my head and got to work, trying to shrink the gap but couldn't make up any time on them.  I rounded the last buoy and began kicking my legs harder because I knew a 0.25 mile run to transition was next... straight up a boat ramp.  



Cheesing it up at the practice swim with my training partner Sara!

I came out of the water with a group of about 5 women.  When I reached my bike I began to fumble into my arm warmers and gloves, but quickly gave up on my gloves when I saw the other women taking off.  They either have ice in their veins or they are just BA!  Or both!  I jammed my things into my bag and took off after them.  The first couple miles of the bike were a terrifying descent.  It was so steep that the race director had announced anyone caught riding that section in aerobars would be disqualified.  Yeah... there was no way I was taking those steep curves in aerobars!  After the descent I set to work, trying to settle into my rhythm and my watts.  After about 10 miles I was feeling very confused... my watts were right on but my speed seemed... off.  I had been passed by two women and unable to stick with them, despite feeling that was a speed I had trained to ride.  Maybe it was the cold, but a part of my mind registered that my back disc was making more noise than usual, but I just figured it was nothing.  

The second half of the bike felt significantly worse.  My legs just felt tired and I felt drained, despite sticking to my nutrition plan perfectly.  The rough roads were beginning to wear on me and the constant hills seemed to drain my energy.  A brief scare where my chain came off and, somehow, I managed to coax it back onto my crank without having to get off the bike, rattled my nerves.  I took in extra gel with caffeine looking for a boost.  I remembered talking with my coach about how pushing too hard on the bike might make your bike split a few minutes faster, but could cost many, many more minutes on the bike.  So I slowed, decreased my watts and focused on nutrition.  I was relieved to see the transition and ready to run!  

Those first 5 minutes of the run always seem like a toss up... are my legs going to recover or will I feel this terrible for the rest of the run?  My watch beeped for my first mile and I looked down... 7:15.  All right!  Now we are in business because I felt like I could hold on to this pace for a while!  I held that pace through 2 miles, then 3 and 4 miles.  Then there were no more mile markers... and my GPS watch was more than a little off on distance because of the tree cover on the trail.  So I kept pushing by feel, trying to hold that pace and hoping my mile laps would be somewhere around 7:30, which was my goal pace.  With around 3 miles left my quads began to tighten up.  I kept thinking "don't cramp, don't cramp, don't cramp" and trying to relax my body by singing songs in my head.  With two miles to go I felt like it was a race against my quads to see if I could finish before the cramps came.  At the last little turn around I had spotted a pro woman behind me and kept telling myself to keep pushing or she would pass me any second.  So I pushed.  And I sang in my head to the rhythm of my stride.  Up the last incline I pumped my arms like they were attached to my feet by strings and would move my legs no matter what.  Down the second to last stretch I spotted my husband, Todd, who had passed me on the bike after my head start on him.  I swore I could feel the pro behind me breathing down my neck so, as I passed him I remembered the night before when we had been joking with our friends how I would come flying past on the run looking like I wasn't even winded and I would shout "choo choo" as I passed him.  Well, I certainly didn't shout!  But I smiled and breathily said "choo choo" as I begged my legs to carry me to the finish.  And, thankfully, my legs obliged and I crossed.  And, even more thankfully, I did NOT go to the med tent!  Woohoo!  I finished with a time of 5:01... just missing my goal of being under 5 hours.  


Hanging out with my number one supporter, my hubby Todd, before the race!

Now, back to that earlier part about always listening to your coach... yeah.  That little "extra" noise my back disc had been making?  It was my brake rubbing.  Yeah.  And what did I not listen to my coach about?  To never make last minute changes.  I always use my cork brakes with my disc because the disc is wider than my training wheels and the cork brakes are thinner so the wheel has enough room to not rub on my brakes.  But I had been worried about that first descent and, at the last minute, I decided to swap my cork brakes for composite brakes which have more stopping power than cork brake pads.  Unfortunately, those composite brake pads leave only a narrow sliver of room on either side of my disc and a bump during the descent had knocked my back brake over just a bit, but it was enough to rub.  Well, lesson learned there!!  But, since that is probably not a super helpful bit of advice to most people, I will pass along the other most amazing tidbit from my coach: a plastic grocery bag.  She had assured me a plastic grocery bag, positioned bottom up, in the front of my trisuit would help to insulate against the cold.  I was pretty skeptical, but my coach, who happens to be an Olympic triathlete, is a very smart lady so I decided to try it.  It was AMAZING!  That little layer of plastic insulated without adding weight!  And, since I could tuck it into my trisuit before the race, it didn't take any additional transition time for that extra warmth.  So, my Michigander friends, since our racing season weather can be unpredictable, throw that one in your back pocket!

This race wouldn't have been the amazing experience it was without the company of my training partners!  Despite my words of "encouragement," my husband was kind enough to still talk to me after the race and congratulate me on a great run split.  Despite some serious quad cramps, Todd had a great first half Ironman and, I'm sad to say, he finally took the win in the Kennedy Marriage Battle for long distance races.  We are now 2-1 (I took the win at IM Louisville and the XTERRA in Arkansas last year).  I'm hoping he will grant me a rematch!  He finished 10th in his age group!  Eric Abbott had a great race for 3rd in his age group, although I think we all hated him a bit for his ability to bound up stairs the day after the race!  My bestie and #teambetty2018wannabe partner Sara Dumich continues to shock me with her ability to post a sub-6:30 half Ironman... which was her 6th triathlon EVER.  Yeah.  She is crazy and I love it!  A huge thank you has to go out to Eric's parents and his sister and brother-in-law.  His parents were amazing sherpas and his sister and brother-in-law were the most gracious host a party of traveling triathletes could ever ask for.  


What else do you do post race in Santa Rosa, California than go wine tasting with your besties?!  I hear grapes have antioxidants... great for recovery or something like that...

Well, next race is more local with the GR Tri!  I'll be going back to a little shorter racing with the Olympic distance at that one, but there is another half to come this season!  Happy training and here's to a great race season!