That is how my season is going, it just keeps going…..on and on. I knew it would be a long haul with my last race in November. However, I am not burnt out. Mentally I am very much motivated and happy and grateful to be putting in the work. Even when we had 10 straight days of 50s and pouring rain. That is past us and we’re in this stretch of weather right now that makes living in WI totally worth it-75 and sunny, no wind, (compared to the wind advisories last week that had me gripping my bike for dear life) for the next 8+ days. Unheard of, and it’s October!
I added another race for October and wanted to choose one that would really test my fitness and give me a good idea where I was and what I needed to work on before Vegas. I chose Rev3 due to how they treat the athletes (like gold) and the difficulty of their courses. Rev3 Anderson was perfect timing and less than 2 hours from my parents house in SC. I had a great time and Rev3 did an awesome job as always.
Rev3 is so unique and they treat the athletes so well. Everything right down to the transiton areas are just that much more thoughtful that other races, including the “70.3″ races, especially so. I flew into Augusta to stay with my mom for a bit and then we drove up to Anderson. Check in was a breeze and I made sure to attend the pre-race meeting due to the 2 transiton areas. Glad I listened because they clued us in to a potentially tricky hill and the logistics of setting up the two seperate transiton areas. One was at the lake of course, one being back in town to start the run.
It was not difficult and it worked out quite well. No drama setting up the bike and I was happy to find a restaurant offering a great gluten free menu. Not exactly a relaxing day as usual, but I got to bed early and after the party at Hooters next door to the hotel broke up (note to self to not stay next door to a Hooters next time) we had some peace and quiet and I actually got some pretty good sleep. And as usual, the 3:45 am wake up call was rough.
I was actually hungry when I woke up and was able to eat a huge breakfast which was awesome, no doubt it helped my race!
I got to the race start WAY too early (transiton opens at 5! Shuttle buses start at 5:15!), it was so easy to set up T2 so I got to relax in the car until the shuttle brought us over to the lake. The swim was cool! We started on one side of the penninsula and swam around it, landing on the other side.
I decided to line up front and center, it was a running start and I knew from my warm up the lake got deep very fast, so it was run a few steps and dive. I looked back about 15 seconds before the gun went off, finger on the “start” button on my watch and thought “I am going to get the crap beat out of me”! Good thing I lined up in front because I got a pretty good start, I always struggle with the swim start.
The gun went off, I ran hard, dove in and got a pretty good position.
I was having a good swim and could tell I was moving well and they buoys were placed so well, even with all the turns. I was trying a new wetsuit for the first time in a race and it’s a keeper. I hated how I felt in my other wetsuit, like a big beached whale that had no feel for the water. Like I was bobbing way on top of the water just flailing my arms. I have never felt a wetsuit like this new one (Xterra Vector Pro) WOW!! It just moves with you like you’re wearing nothing. It’s amazing.
I got to my bike and stuffed my wetsuit in the morning bag (which Rev3 promptly had back at the finish waiting for you) and jumped on my bike. The bike was amazing, really beautiful and really hilly. It took me 34 minutes to do the first 10 miles, luckily I was able to pick up the pace throughout the bike. The hills were not crazy steep, but relentless. I remember thinking once for about 2 minutes “holy crap I’m in my big chain ring!”. But that did not last long. I ate my mini snickers and gulped my Liquid Shot (which I now LOVE) and felt pretty good!
Towards the end, this guy pedals up to me and says in a really concerned voice “ARE OUR MORNING BAGS AT TRANSITION??” It struck me as the weirdest question and I had no idea why he was even thinking of this. I said “that is the last thing I’m concerned about right now”. Turns out he had no idea we were NOT going back to the lake and left everything at said lake. Poor guy! I hope he found his shoes! I would have been nicer had I known why in the world he was asking me in the first place.
So, I rolled into T2 and knew I had an okay ride-nothing out of this world, definitely not bad at all. 1 or 2 girls passed me in my AG but I was confident I could outrun them so I did not kill myself since with the hills, it could come back to bite me. I could not tell where I was but there were not many female bikes there yet. However, I had no idea if we were racked by age group. I grabbed my second flask of liquid shot and took off and was so happy my legs felt great. I knew it would be a hilly run. I also knew I had been doing countless repeats on the beast. Bring on the hills!
When I encountered a hill, I literally thought “you are nothing compared to the beast” ha! Whatever gets you through. And the ribs? They hurt badly and I had to modify my breathing. I also knew I had a couple girls to run down and could worry about it later.
I passed one quickly and it took me about 6 miles or so to find the other one. It was a lonely run after we broke off from the Oly race. I just focused on anyone to pull in and counted people on the turnaround. The support was great and I really enjoyed the course. We has some cross country course action, downtown and hills!
Just as I crossed the finish line, a TV crew started to interview “The Bachelor” which I was a little confused about. My finish line photo shows me looking to the side and I have a look on my face like “huh?”. My mom said “great race! They are interviewing the bachelor!”
I stuck around and enjoyed the post race activities and awards-the half awards were held later in the day and not a ton of people stayed. I had a good race! Pretty high up overall and 2nd in my AG. There is ALWAYS room to improve but I saw some great improvments on a tough course. As we know, not all races go well so you have to enjoy it and appreciate it when they do.
Post race food: great! Panera had cookies, sandwhiches and chips for us. Rev3 had pulled pork, funnel cakes, etc. Fun stuff for the spectators!
Countdown to Vegas….
