Ironman Florida

The Weeks Leading Up:

I’m not going to lie and say that the weeks leading up to IMFL were easy because they weren’t. They were awful. Mentally I was fried and just looking for a faster way to hibernation, and physically, my body was hurting. I was moving really fast in my HR zones but that eventually took a toll and things began to hurt worse. A lot of recovery, rolling, yoga and PT were necessary. Typically for me, overload is my favorite time out of the season because it produces great results for me, and I’m one that loves my workout data, but that was not the case this time around. My first overload and taper this year was before Raleigh 70.3 and I pulled so many PR’s…this time around, I pulled none. I did manage my longest rides and runs of the season, and was finally able to pull together a solid time in my 200 and 800 TT in the pool. I will say though, I could not have gotten through overload without the help of my amazing friends, Austin & Nicole, and my boyfriend, Chris. The three of them were there for all the laughs and tears that came with the long rides and Chris was by my side providing emotional support on my long rides every week. Going into overload, I didn’t think running a marathon was going to be possible for me. After overload, despite a broken down body and mind, I knew that I was going to crush that marathon. Taper was pretty uneventful, which is important. I consistently felt like poo which is really good (not sarcastic at all) to racing well. Having 8 years of high school and college swimming and tapers under my belt, I knew that if I didn’t feel like crap, it meant something was wrong. Crap feelings meant that I was going to rock it.

Shaving Party!! 

Week Of:

I am so incredibly thankful that I had Meghan and Chris to travel to Florida with. Last year I was a Sherpa for Meghan’s first ever Ironman and I absolutely loved it. Over the past two years, she has been a truly amazing friend, training partner, listener to all my whining about training, supporter and cheerleader. Having her with me during the race gave me a sense of calming since she knew the pain that I would endure come race day. Having Chris there was incredible, as well. When we first met about four months ago, he was taking a break from training and after talking, he started training again. However, he didn’t just start training, he started training with me. So many of my workouts were completed with my boyfriend by my side supporting me, cheering me and pushing me; in our three months together, I pushed more power on the bike than I have ever been able to and run a pace (while comfortably in zone!) that I didn’t think was possible in that HR zone. He knew that I had put in the work and it was time to show the world what I could do. My parents and aunt and uncle were going to come and join us in Florida later in the week. Also, knowing that I was going to be amongst some other Richmond triathletes, including teammate Graham Sheppard, and friend Danny Royce, made my nerves calm. While I’m giving shout-outs to people, the biggest thanks goes to Dan Szajta, my friend and coach. Without him, none of this would be possible. I’ve been his athlete for three years and I never once regret that decision. His coaching method has done absolute wonders for me and in that moment of getting to Florida, I knew that I was going to race the best that I could in that moment because he had prepared me so well.

We left for Florida at 5:30am on Wednesday morning and tackled the 13 hour drive together with lots of fun and laughter. Meghan told me to look at the GPS and notice when we would have 140.6 miles left in our drive and note that distance as that would be what I would get to accomplish on Saturday.

Food and exercise were in the forefront of our minds upon arriving to our amazing condo in Panama City Beach. The three of us went for an easy 3 mile shake out run before heading to Walmart for some food to cook.

What a stud

Thursday morning we were up and Chris and I went to ride and run a smidge just to make sure the bike was ready to roll and my legs were still feeling like crap. All systems ahead, things were feeling “good.” We had some brunch and headed to packet pick-up where the line was absolutely insane and took forever to get through, but the thought of swimming in the gulf afterwards made things worth it…until I got into the gulf. Let me start by saying that growing up in Columbus, Ohio, going to school in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then moving to Richmond, Virginia does not prepare one well to tackle the waves that the Gulf of Mexico have to offer. I was so frustrated so quickly into our “washing machine swim” and said so many times that I wouldn’t be able to do this. I think for me, I put so much pressure on myself, as a swammer, to excel in that discipline, so the thought that the waves were going to make it that much harder for me was not making me feel good. While Chris and I were flopping around, Meghan was on the beach talking to a local, who she asked if he could speak with us regarding how to get out past the break. “You can’t beat the waves, but you can go under the waves,” was one of the key points that I remembered from what he said. Get used to the rhythm of the waves and determine how many strokes it takes between them before diving under the wave. It’s all about the rhythm. Thanks for finding that guy, Meghan. The rest of Thursday was for bag prep and relaxing.

Friday was the final preparations. My parents came in that morning and got to experience Ironman Village (which is different from the atmosphere of Ironman 70.3) and bag and bike drops. The day was quickly warming up and I needed to get back to sitting (Dan’s orders!) so we returned to the condo and planned Sherpa routes, and played lots of cards.

Race Morning

The entire season I was unable to find my perfect race morning breakfast, but looking back on it now, I think the Belgian waffle that I had Chris whip up for me at 4:45am was on pointe; it filled my belly and gave me a starch to sit well. Alongside the waffle, one banana and my first (of so many) bottles of Salted Caramel Infinit.

Transition was a mad house, but I was thankful for the 25-29 year old women at my bike rack who were game to help me pump air into my tires and get some laughs in before everyone went their own ways. To say nerves were on my mind was an understatement. I was gripping Chris’s hand and begging that he wasn’t going to let go of it. We were waiting on the beach and I decided not to get a warmup swim in just because it was so dark still. I wanted to use that time to spend with my parents, aunt and uncle and Meghan and Chris. Typical race mornings I’m not nervous, I’m pumped, I’m ready to go, but a full ironman is something massive to wrap you mind around. My uncle hugged me and told me he was so proud of me that he could cry. I told him I could, too, but for other reasons. 

It was finally time to line up in the chute. I aligned myself in the 60 minute or less swim group, just behind Danny Royce. I said a prayer and the cannon sounded, designating the start of my first ever Ironman!

Swim: 1:01:26

For having to fight through the waves and the people until the break line, I am happy with this time. Sure, I could do faster in a lake or river, but Ironman is meant to test your body with the hard, not the easy. So, the waves and the sheer amount of people tested me. On my first loop of two, I honestly couldn’t see a single buoy the entire time. The sun had JUST rose, so it was dark, there were a lot of people splashing and the waves were still pretty big, making sighting the buoys nearly impossible for me. So, I did something I never do: I put my faith in the people in front of me and followed them. They, thankfully, knew where they were going.

I checked my watch as I hit the beach at the end of lap one: 28:52. Solid. I then proceeded to

take my time entering the water for the second time, allowing my HR a time to lower before settling into the swim again. This loop was harder than the first because I had the end of the train to pass, and many of them were swimming breaststroke, so I got kicked several times. About halfway into the second lap, in combination of being kicked and the waves, I actually got sick and threw up (I do get sea sick), but that didn’t stop me.

I rode the waves in as far as the sand would allow me to before standing up. A man behind me saw me reaching for my wetsuit cord and asked if I was taking it off, I nodded, and he helped, while we both moved up the beach, bring it down to my waist. Thank you kind athlete.

The wetsuit strippers were my next location and then I was off to transition.

T1: 4:51

I need to shout out to the volunteers of the transition, they took care of me! It all happened so fast, but I couldn’t have moved that fast without the lady helping me!

Bike: 5:31:09

Stick to your plan. Stay in your box. Don’t let the people around you influence what you are doing; three things that I remember always in my pacing plan and I stick to so well. This bike was on pointe in terms of my ride. I stuck to the plan and tried so hard to stay to my set HR (although it ended being a little higher) but I felt so good and knew I could hold that effort the entire way. The night before, Meghan had prepped my water bottles all so I knew how much I had to squeeze out at every aid station before squeezing a bottle of water into it. Having to carry fewer bottles was great (something Dan has been telling me to do for years now) and gave me another way to focus on how much fluid I should be taking in. I will say the one thing I did not accomplish on the bike was peeing. I spent all my long rides before the race trying to pee and I was unsuccessful. I drank so much liquid but I couldn’t get over that mental barrier of it. Other than being unsuccessful in that arena, I will say that is the best I have felt on the bike in a long time. I knew what I had to do and I executed that. I was also getting really annoyed by the amount of drafting that was happening around me. I made sure I was away from all the groups that passed me because the officials were out and penalizing people. It’s illegal, so why do it? I got so frustrated that I actually called a guy out for it and he immediately backed off. Penalty tents were full every time I passed them.

At special needs station; I looked at my time and noticed that I went my typical 70.3 split: 2:44. That’s what I needed to see. Grabbed new nutrition, a snickers bar and I was off. I contemplated using the porta potty but I didn’t want to waste more time doing that (I now regret that decision).

I had Chris out on course at a few stops and I loved having him there for the support. The bike was not at all spectator friendly, so having a familiar face cheering was great on the morale. Every time I saw him I yelled something at it, one, that Graham got a flat (sorry, man!) two, that I needed to go to the bathroom, and three, that I was going so fast (because I was)! Coming back into the city I was excited to get to use the bathroom and start my run to see the rest of my support on course!

T2: 3:50

Thank you rock star volunteers for the speediness of transition and cheering me on before I ran off to relieve myself (honestly a huge stressor in my race), and then I was off.

Run: 4:31:13

Prior to this race, the longest run I had ever done was 16 miles and that was a training run. Leading up to the race, it was clearly the most anxiety causing aspect of the race because I had to run another 10 miles onto that, but I was ready for it. Nutrition had been spot on, I knew my plan, and I knew that if I was hurting I could always look forward to the mandated stops at aid stations to collect myself before continuing on. My goal for the marathon was to not stop to walk, other than the aid stations, and I accomplished that. I do not for a second believe that I ran this marathon to the best of my ability but I do know how I can run it better in the future. It’s my first Ironman, I can’t be hard on myself for what I didn’t do and could’ve done better since it was my first. I see it as a learning experience for how to better myself next time (which will be IM Lake Placid).

I started off with my first mile being too fast. Dan warned me about this, so I quickly tried to reduce my pace in hopes that my HR would fall…I was unsuccessful until mile 8 or 9 and by that time, I felt like it was too late. Nutrition and aid stations were right on track, and I was still feeling good. I took water and poured it over my head and got ice to put down my sports bra every aid station in attempts to keep my body cool as the Florida sun warmed us up quick. I saw some of my support on the back half of the first loop and I saw my parents followed by my ridiculous boyfriend in a speedo and a green feather boa as I headed into special needs. I felt refreshed seeing them and going through special needs. I decided to take Advil at special needs because I knew I would start hurting later on, but it didn’t kick in fast enough. Around mile 14-17, the sunglasses came down from my head and onto my eyes. Before the race I prepped my support and said if the sunglasses were ever on my face, then I was hurting and covering up tears. I went into a dark place during that time and just pushed through as best as I could until I found Meghan. She knew and she began talking to me, telling me that she had spoken to Dan and he said he’s proud of me, to stay relaxed and keep getting nutrition in. By that point, my side stiches were overwhelming but I kept on shuffling. After several miles with Meghan, and shuffling 12:00/mile pace, the stitches went away and I was off and running faster, brining my HR back up. At mile 20, I knew that this was where the real race started. I picked it up the first two miles but decided it was too quick, so slowed down a tad and kept on running.

Everyone told me to smile and have fun, so my last 4 miles, despite the amount of pain my legs were in, I made sure I had a smile on my face and thanked the aid stations for being great to me. I made the turn to the finisher chute and I had the biggest smile on my face, I was going to be an Ironman and in a fashion that got me to the finish before the sun went down! I didn’t even hear my family and friends cheering for me…the red carpet and the bright lights were shining into my eyes and I couldn’t believe it. Margaret Rechel (they said my last name right!!!) YOU. ARE. AN. IRONMAN!!!!!

Final Time: 11:12:29

What an incredible experience. I had fun, I smiled, I learned a lot, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I had amazing support on course, including a few shirtless guys in speedos, and I accomplished something that I didn’t think I would be able to. I hurt badly afterwards but I knew immediately that I wanted to do more! I loved it. That is the challenge that I sought out when I joined this sport and it’s a good thing that I am signed up for another one, because I want another chance at it.

What’s next for me?
Hibernation. Mandated three weeks off of training, thank goodness. My mind and body need a time to heal and just do things I haven’t been able to do in the past 11 months of training—like sleeping in! Training starts back up the Monday after Thanksgiving and I will bury myself into the challenge that triathlon provides me, because just like swimming once made me the happiest, triathlon now provides me joy, bliss and happiness. It challenges my being to the core and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I have amazing friends in the sport with me to support me and train with me, I have an amazing boyfriend who is in the sport and has huge goals of his own and I have a coach that believes in me and pushes me to my limits because he knows I can do better. 2018 will be a great year. How do I know? Because 2016 was better than 2015, and 2017 was better than 2016. With GrnMchn Multisports, my success just keeps on growing.

Giddy Up! 

Rev3 Westfields Sprint

Leading up to this race, I went through some big life changes, such as me figuring out the life of a vet tech wasn't for me. It certainly is not for a lack of love of the animals, but rather a disconnect between different learning styles and something I was not familiar with. Having been a social science major in undergrad was very research and writing focused and trying to switch to a very fact bases science was too stressful for me--leading to tears nearly everyday. People at work treated me as if I were an idiot and I didn't feel the promised "family dynamics" of the work place. The anxiety and stress of it all became too overwhelming to handle, so I withdrew from school and put in my two week notice at the hospital, and began applying to the recreation-aquatics field.

The day before the race, Dan and I went to Lake Anna for a Peluso Open Water clinic for newbie triathletes. It was my first clinic co-coaching and I loved it. Dan and I joked that this could be the life we life - I'd honestly be okay with that! Form the clinic, we had lunch at an amazing Mexican place, then I continued up to NOVA to packet pick-up. Rev3 races are very personal to me since I know a few of the workers from masters, and it got even more personal when my boss, and the national race director of Rev3 told me that I had an interview with SwimRVA (a place I had just applied to), which was so very exciting!

Race Morning
The morning of the race, I had a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter, two bananas and a bottle of Infinit. I met Katelyn, my teammate, at transition and we went about with our morning race routine. I lined myself up at the front of the swim line (which was a mistake) and waiting for the start.

Swim (3:17: 250 yards)
I was the 8th person into the water, which was clearly a mistake. Apparently when I have flip turns taken away from me, I don't know how to swim...or this time was just very very off. I pissed a lot of the guys behind me off and when I got our of the water, there were a lot of them cursing at me.

Transition (1:39)
We had a nice run from the pool to the transition and in that time I allowed myself to look at my watch to see my HR, which I have never done upon getting out of the swim: 145, a solid Z1 effort, not bad. Little did I know that would be the lowest it would be all day. Transition was a quick one, did what I needed to do and I was out.

Bike (33.04: 11.8 miles)
The things about me and how I race is that I have the speed but it develops over a long period of time, so these twelve miles was pedal to the metal and it hurt bad. The whole things was so rushed, I was just pedaling as fast as I could and enjoyed the few people I was around for my first lap of the course. It was so quick that I only was able to take in half a bottle of Infinit.

Transition (0:39)
This was quick. I can honestly say that the biggest help to my transitions was when in middle school, I acted as my sisters triathlon coach. I remember heading to the middle school track, having her set up her bike and run gear and practicing transitions over and over again. Having that knowledge and the "think slow, act fast" mantra that Dan preaches, I was able to get out fast.

Run (22:26) 

Oh crap that hurt. Nothing like springing for 3.1 miles. That's what I call flat line on the max heart rate. I was so happy to finish and was so close to breaking 1 hour.

Overall (1:02:04) 

I've always said, before racing a sprint, that it's "just" a sprint. I apologize to anyone who does those on a regular basis because the appropriate phrase is "just a heart attach" in a race. There is nothing easy about a sprint, it's just all out until you hit the finish line. I placed first age group and 7th woman overall. It was great being on the podium with a friend and teammate and allowed me to get in a solid mindset for overload and taper, my next training block.

Ironman Florida 70.3

I'm back to race reports, which means it's my favorite time of the year - triathlon season! I love competing and always trying to better myself, so with every race, I get to see the progress made from the previous block.

The block leading up to this race wasn't ideal for me as I started back at physical therapy, for my hip this time, which has been having some weakness and stability problems (I hear that's a very typical runners problem). So, with limited running I couldn't be getting in everything I needed. However, my swimming and biking had been getting real strong. Last season, I complained about how lonely it was to be riding and training by myself during weekend workouts, but this season I have been extremely blessed to have found two amazing athletes who I now consider great friends and training partners. Nicole, a swammer from University of Richmond, has trained with me in all three sports but has really meant a lot to me on long rides! I met Austin through giving private lessons to him under Endorphin Fitness and he has become a friend and great cycling and running training partner to me; his first triathlon ever is quickly approaching, as well! Austin also bought Zeke, my old TT from me, so I enjoy keeping that bike in the family! So, in terms of having company, competition, fun and friends in the sport, I certainly have advanced from last year! I certainly cannot forget my swim buddies, as well. Solo swimming is so challenging, but both Jay and Jessie from Peluso Open Water Masters stay after their own practice to get another 3-4k LCM in with me. Having the two of them have been great in whipping my butt back into shape!

Continuing the theme from last years rest and test weeks, the week leading up to Florida was finals week for school, but was thankful that I only had one, so the stress levels were great...other than me getting bit by an unvaccinated cat at work...that was fun. Good news was that I didn't have to get my rabies vaccine!

The Friday before the race, Meghan, Katelyn and I packed the bikes and car up and were on the road at 4:00am to begin our 11.5 hour drive to Florida. Somehow, with fun, laughter and music, the ride didn't feel that bad, as we were all very excited to get there. I had gotten a house on airbnb for all of us, which was awesome and huge! It was the perfect house, I thought. Meghan, Katelyn and I cued our inner child to sleep in the Spiderman bedroom. On Friday evening, when everyone had made it safely to Florida, we had a bike maintenance and cleaning party, Kahu was looking real sexy and ready to roll!

Saturday 
We got to check in promptly at 9am, then proceeded to get all our final spins and jogs out before heading to the water for a practice swim. While everyone crammed into their wetsuits, I went into the water in just my swimsuit and never felt so good, however, knew that the next morning would have to wear one. After a swim, bike and run, we all piled into the car so that we could drive the course and we determined it would be a fast course! In the car, you never quite get the feel for how hilly the hills are, so we clearly misjudged the back half of the course until we were actually on them.
All exhausted, we headed back to the house and went our own ways in preparing for the little swim, little bike and little run that we had the next day.

Race Day
I strayed away from the famous banana bites that I typically have before races and had two cinnamon raisin bagels, three bananas and one bottle of Infinit and called it a breakfast. Race mornings are different for everyone, I try to stay quiet while I prepare my things in transition, then let loose and allowed the excitement and nerves to go through my body. My excitement came out when we were walking to the lake and I saw my aunts and uncles waiting for me! This was their first ever triathlon and I loved that they were there! We got some photos in the wetsuits before breaking up between the swimmers vs non swimmers of the group. The swimmers went to warm up at the outdoor pool before heading back to the lake for the start of the race.

Swim (30:15) 
The last thing Nicole said to me before the horn sounded was that she's not great at swimming in a straight line, and after the horn sounded, I got to witness that first hand. The first 300 yards or so were a blood bath between the two of us (which she was oblivious to) and the other girls around us. Nicole whacked my head and my right side of the goggles slid down my face a bit, but thankfully didn't come off. I tried to find some feet to draft off of, because Dan says that's the best way to do a swim, but I was unsuccessful in doing so. For most of the swim, I was next to a swimmer in my age group. It became apparent very quickly that I couldn't get into a smooth stroke by the amount of people that were in front of me. I was just gobbling up all the colors of the rainbow in front of me, including swimming over and kicking a few while I was at it.
I swam until I couldn't swim anymore and I stood up and not soon after that, the volunteers were shouting that there was a dip before the exit of the lake and I sank down into almost quicksand, which slowed me down quite a bit. No wetsuit strippers, so I was on my own for taking my wetsuit off, which is definitely an area that needs improvement.

T1: 2:48 
I think transitions are something that I do very well at (other than the wetsuit problem) and I don't spend unnecessary time in there. I did have to sit to get the wetsuit off before throwing is against the fence, grabbing Kahu and moving out of transition.

Bike: 2:44:20 
Nothing like a 2 minute PR on the bike to start out your season! The first few miles out of transition on this course were rough just by the amount of turns, so I wasn't down in aero much, but once I knew I made the last turn for awhile, I settled into my aero bars and went to work. It didn't seem hard that first half though, I just made my way a long the course, passing some people and staying within what my plan told me to do. The one thing that was bad during this was my second nutrition bottle that was questionable. So, as you know, I have very serious food allergies, so the night before the race I made sure to pack all my bottles with my nutrition, and made it a point to not use team GRN MCHN bottles so there was no doubt that my bottles were mine while everyone else was using the team bottles. On the bike, I grabbed for my second bottle and tasted it, and I can say without a doubt it was not Infinit. I had a battle between myself on the bike then and there; do I drink it and risk reacting a few days later, or do I not and risk bonking. Clearly in the heat of the race, I decided I wasn't going to bonk, so I drank the mystery nutrition that was in my bottle...three days later I had a reaction, but I made it through my bike and in record time (for me)! The back half the bike was rough with the wind and the hills, but seeing my aunts and uncles on one of the hills was such a hoot and got me smiling and working harder! I spent the majority of the ride with the same 44 year old man, we were back and forth with each other for probably the back 40 miles, so mentally that was good to have for me.

T2: 2:23 

This was a struggle for me, and I surprised that I got out as quickly as I did. After I dismounted, I began my run into transition with my bike, when I slipped and Kahu came crashing down on the ground and I caught myself before I hit the ground. The spectators loved it and I tried so hard for it not to affect me. I got to my bike rack and noticed that I was the second back on my rack. Tried to hang Kahu up and he fell, again, and so did the chain. I put him back up, more secure, grabbed my shoes and other run things and set out in the heat for my run.

Run: 1:59:10 
I'll be totally honest and say that I'm not in the slightest happy about this run. But I do have to remember back to my block leading up to this and how I wasn't running much and I could feel it. The run was a three loop course and every loop started with a great big hill that started for me at an 8:00/mile pace to a 9:30/mile pace to a 10:15/mile pace. I was just making it and I dug so deep within in me to not stop and walk up the hills. I was hot and my legs wouldn't move anymore than they were, and that's how my whole run went. I told myself just push through until you see your family, who were strategically spread out over the 4 mile loop. They knew I was hurting, so every time I saw them, they cheered louder. I stayed positive and I encouraged the athletes who were walking around me and I did the best that I could do. Stating that, I have to be happy with it, as in that moment, my body couldn't do any better, I just have room for improvement.

Overall: 5:18:56
Overall time, 5 minute PR off of my fully tapered time from last fall, so huge improvement from a non tapered, sore and hurt body, that's not bad! I definitely have my things to focus and work on come Raleigh time, but I am excited that I opened up the season with a bang, and had family there to support me! I couldn't have done any of what I do out on that course without Dan, so I owe huge thanks to him. Also, a huge thanks goes out to my family for coming and cheering and for Nicole, Meghan and Katelyn for being great friends, great teammates and great training partners. The sport wouldn't be as fun without all three of you!

I have Rev3 Westfields Sprint coming up in two weeks and then taper season will start for Raleigh 70.3 and my big goals that come with that race. I thank everyone for the support they continue to give me. Giddy up!

2017 Season Goals

I'm not sure why sharing goals is so hard for me to do. I remember back in high school, I'd write my goals for just me to see on a note card and keep it on my bedside table. In college, I wrote them down and posted them on my bulletin board behind my computer, so that every time I sat down to do homework or use my computer, I'd see them staring at me. What I've come to realize is that if I don't share them, they could always change and I could settle for a time that's not quite what I wanted to go, but it would do. By sharing my goals, I am keeping all of you accountable for me; I can't change them once I publicize them, I can only train hard (the right way!), stay focused on my goals and if they're meant to be, they'll be achieved. So, this year, I have some big goals I'm going after, and I hope that each and everyone of you will continue to support and challenge me, the way that I do for most of you. Let's begin.

1) Stay Healthy
     This was my first goal that I set for myself last year and I think it's really important, especially for an accident and injury prone athlete, like myself. This goal is broad, so I'll break it down.
       A) Knee: Sometimes I think that because my knee doesn't hurt when I run, I don't have to do physical therapy, then weeks later, I get pain and realize, oops, should've done PT, then have to play the catch up game. I want to make the time to do PT AT LEAST 3 times a week. I can't use the 'I'm too tired' or 'I have to do homework excuse.' I can easily do my PT while I listen to a lecture or electronic reading. I can't sacrifice my hard work for something I could've prevented.
       B) Nutrition: Dan tells me I can't go as far as I want if I continue to eat the amount of sugar and sweets that I do. So, I have worked out a great plan that I've done well with over the past few months. I don't eat sweets during my block, but after each and every test/race, I get to reward myself, the Monday after, with a Pearls cupcake. One cupcake every month, I can handle that.

2) Be the motivation and inspiration that my friends need me to be
My athletic career isn't dependent on my success; a lot of it is driven by being there and being an inspiration and help to my friends who are in it with me. They have supported me when I have needed it most, so I wish to do the same thing to them. :)

3) Ride Sub 2:38 in 56 miles
This goal is back in action. The closest I got in the 2016 season was 2:46, so I have my work set out for me, but I'm up for the challenge. With my power based strength workouts, as well as steady Z1 rides, I am excited to see what this season brings in bike improvements. I've felt that I've only made small drops and improvements the past few years and am ready for a solid performance on the bike.

4) Run Sub 1:40 in Half Marathon
Without believing I could, I ran a 1:44 at the Richmond Half Marathon. With the same training and the confidence and belief that I can, I'm excited to see this goal come to life.

5) Qualify for 70.3 Worlds
It's a lofty goal, but I believe if I get my training right and my head in the game I can get close enough to one of those spots. First chance will be in April, not a lot of time, but just have to trust the process, trust the coach and put in the work. Dream big, right?

6) Compete an Ironman 
Clearly it's a big season, but I'm prepared for everything that it has to offer. I want to continue to build on the awesome season that 2016 provided and not only try and qualify for worlds, but also compete in my first ever Ironman...nothing says dedication like a late season Ironman of Florida!

7) Be the best Student Athlete I can be
Not only do I work full time and train 18-20 hours a week, I am a full time student. I'm crazy busy but if I wasn't, I wouldn't have the grades that I do. Whether this means I make

time limits on when workouts must be done with before starting homework, or giving up an outdoor ride so that I can camp out on my trainer while I listen to hours of lectures, I will do it. I don't just want to be the best athlete that I can be, I also want to be the best student that I can be. The two marry very well, if you have the patience and time management for them, and that will be a challenge, but I'm up for it!

Conclusion
I have a long season ahead, but I'm going at it as smart and as hard hitting as I can. I mean business with my athletic, student, and friend goals. I want to be the best version of me and even if I don't accomplish the goals listed here, I will know that I tried my hardest and I gave it all I had. But for now, we have four months until Ironman Florida 70.3. Giddy up!

End of the Season Reflection of Goals

It's taken me a long time to get to the point of being able to write down my thoughts of this past season. It's been a long one, a challenging one, an emotional one, an amazing and successful one, so I find it's hard to write everything into one, so I decided the best thing to do was to review the goals that I had set for myself this time last year. I think that this season broke down my fear of sharing goals to the public because I don't think I ever let my friends or my coach down, and that's my biggest fear when I publicize my goals.

1) Get Healthy
        1a) Knee: I would say that this was a raging success. This time last year, I was running stairs in place of road running because my knee was not in a place to be running. However, with the help of Lori Strobl, and Dan, I was able to get to a place where the stairs simply became a distance between up and down, and I was full on running long workouts on the road. Although I faltered sometimes I knew if I went back to basics, my knee would strengthen on up.
        1b) Nutrition: For those of you who keep up with my blog, you know that this is a struggle for me, both in self control and my body rejecting nearly every kind of processed food. The list, of my allergies, grows all the time so I have to always be on top of what I consume and what happens when I consume it. Nutrition will always continue to be a struggle with my allergies but as long as I stay diligent about checking the labels, and properly fueling, I should be okay.

2) Run a 10k without stopping
Prior to this season, I had never run anything over 5 miles, without stopping, in my life. Typically swimmers aren't great runners, and I never had a desire to go out and try to run more because I was slow and I hated it. With the "get healthy, knee" goal, I was able to not only run a 10k, but run several training runs that were more than this, and ran two half ironman races and a stand alone half marathon. I would say that's pretty well accomplished!

3) Run faster than a 1:50 half marathon
Attempt 1: 2:34:32. My first ever half marathon was that awful race called Eagleman. I knew when I saw my sister, walking, on the course, I was in for a rough go and that it was; I cried, several times during it. 
Attempt 2: 1:59:32. Rev3 Cedar Point. The goal for this race was to run sub 2:20, and I ran sub 2:00, it was amazing! 
Attempt 3: The Richmond Half Marathon. It was a rough few weeks leading up to this. My friends and teammates were all in overload as they were tapering for this, and I wasn't. I was just resting, and not to mention, my final exams were the week before. I was stressed and I thought I wasn't going to do well because I wasn't tapered. My goal was to go 1:52 because that's the best I thought I could do with everything and my doubts. I took it out more conservatively than I usually do in running tests, but saw that my first mile was a 7:40. I panicked, that was a little quick for my preference, however, kept going. I held that pace for the next 8 miles and just held on tight for those last 5 miles. Attempt 3, when I thought I couldn't break a 1:50, I went 1:44:49. Not only did I blow my goal for that race out of the water, I also did my goal for this season. I was so happy, and it just makes me think with this training, what can I do next year?

4. Sub 2:38 Bike Split for 56 Miles
Attempt 1: 2:48:52 Eagleman 
Attempt 2: 2:46:09
Despite not achieving this goal, I still count is as a win. I was able to shed two minutes off a characteristically fast course at Eagleman for a hillier version up in Sandusky, Ohio. I believe that through hard work, I can get this goal in the 2017 season. 

5. Work on My Stubbornness and Trust the Process
I'm a stubborn person, I always have been, but this year I tried really hard to work on it as I know it hurt, offended and annoyed a lot of people. Stubbornness will always be with me, however, for someone who once doubted the process, I can say that I now fully trust the process. Dan's coaching philosophy works...and works very well. This time last year, I was running stairs, and now, I'm running long distances and faster. For the Richmond Half Marathon, I was training in HR zone around a 10:30/pace but was able to hold my max, or near max, HR for 7:59/pace. The process works and I will trust it no matter where or what I am racing. 

Summary
It's been a great season and I have come so far, both mentally and physically. I, of course, couldn't have done any of it without GrnMchn Coaching, and Dan Szajta, my awesome friends and teammates and those who support me in all I do. I think for having this be my first year ever to complete an olympic and a half ironman triathlon was just the beginning of something awesome and I look forward to continuing my journey in the sport that I have come to grow and love. I look forward to setting new goals, being a source of motivation for my friends and continue to make them and coach proud.  

Taper Blues, Rollercoasters and Records: Rev3 Cedar Point

The block leading up to this race was not all bubblegum and rainbows; it was actually really challenging. School started back up leaving me with four classes I needed to do homework and study for, changes in my personal life caused some stress and hurt in which was shown in my workouts, and taper began.

Taper was a three week long process in which the weeks were divided into light, heavy and ultra light. It was in those three weeks that the above challenges happened, but I was able to put those emotions and stress aside to lay down some of the best workouts of the season. My running was doing great, my power was the highest it had ever been and I was actually doing some open water work to prepare me for the race that was approaching.

The one light week leading up to my race, I felt like a pile of poo. However, having 8 years (with tapers) of competitive swimming under my belt, I had enough knowledge to know that if I felt like poo, I was doing great. If I was ever feeling great, than something was wrong.

Sunset driving to Ohio

After weeks of recruitment to find someone to make the journey to Ohio with me, Julie and Soller (the dog) finally agreed to join me. So, we began our journey Thursday night after work. It was then when I realized that my front race wheel was dead flat. I panicked. This was the first flat of the season and it happened before a race. I didn't have the safety blanket of EF or Dan around to fix it, so my I was putting my fate in the hands of a tiny bike shop in Columbus, the next day. We got home around noon on Friday and had the day to do workouts, study, go to the mechanic and get my hair cut!! Meghan's Ironman phrase of "If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you race good," led me to get 3 inches of my hair cut off. I was certainly "race pretty."

Saturday
My dad and I got up to Cedar Point around 2pm. Because we got up so late, I was unable to get a practice swim in, however, they had to shut the swim down because of the storm that was rolling in. I was also bummed that I couldn't ride any of the roller coasters, as we were in the roller coaster capital of the world, because I was resting my legs. The weather was horrendous; it was windy, storming and pouring down rain. Due to this, they removed the "mandatory" from the bike check in and said it was optional, thus why I didn't take my warm up ride, I thought I could do that in the morning. I got all checked in, heard the athlete meeting and got to talk to all three of my POW people who wished me luck and provided last minute info, such as arriving early for the swim start and being careful on the first and last stretch of the bike.

Cute little KOA Kabin

Dad and I got back to our KOA Kabin (3 miles from transition) around 5:30 p.m. where he provided very helpful Sherpa skills of helping me get ready by packing and filling nutrition bottles. It was so relieving having him there. My dad has always been our #1 Sherpa (although he has taught Rachel, for me, and Tim, for Julie, his ways). It was just so much fun having him there in our tiny little cabin, helping me get ready, watching the Ohio State game and doing (or trying to do) yoga with me, and complaining about the tiny little cabin. He even asked me what my pace plan was so I went over it with him. Power on the bike, HR on the run. He asked me what my goals were. Dan doesn't like us putting times/paces on our races, so I just don't make them known, but I'm a swammer, I still make goals.

My secret goals:
1) Sub 5:45
2) Run goal: Sub 2:20
3) Bike goal: Sub 2:48 (Eagleman time)

Before going to sleep I had one last phone call with Dan about my race and then went to sleep.

Race Morning
For breakfast I had several pieces of gluten free bread, a hard boiled egg, two bananas and a bottle of Infinit.

It was so cold race morning and the wind was whipping making it that much colder. Not thinking, I took my bike into transition to get air in my wheels then turned around to take it out for a ride...I was denied. They were refusing people to leave transition with their bikes because of the "darkness" and the unsafe nature that the dark created. I called crap on the situation because it was bright out, but apparently a pro, the previous day, wrecked his bike in the dark and couldn't race. However, they did, after I seemed too distraught, let me ride my bike around transition to set my gears.

I went for a jog around the parking lot to warm up both my legs and literally, because I was shivering. I was hoping that because I didn't have a bike warm up, I would make up for it with a long swim warm up--ugh not happening. Due to the wind, the swim course had to be changed from the lake to the sheltered marina, a very small area. Since there were full athletes in the water already swimming, there was no area to warm up in without getting in their way.

So, not bike warm up and no swim warm up. I didn't try to be a bitch about this, but I think I put that vibe off. Going into every race, I have a plan on how I do things and when those plans change, I don't adapt well.

Swim: 30:55
Because of the marina swim, swim waves were out the window, so we were doing time trial starts. Every two seconds, two swimmers entered into the water. Via text, Dan and I were trying to figure out where I should go in that line-up. I opted for near the front. I was about 12th in the water.

The first ten minutes, or so, felt good. I was on some one's feet and with some long catch up strokes, I sort of treated that as a warm up. I made my first turn and I started feeling it. My back cramped, my legs cramped, my arms felt like they were being suffocated by my wetsuit...everything hurt. About halfway I thought I was not going to be able to finish. I seriously thought about DNFing. I was searching for a kayak to swim to but kept telling myself to keep pushing. It was the worst I had ever felt on a swim and I hate that my mind was so weak during it. Finally, I got out and I heard Jay say 'nice job'. I ran to the wetsuit strippers and I was off.

Transition 1: 6:05
I made a game time decision to not have shoes at the swim exit to make my 800m run to transition. Bad decision. The 800m was across a parking lot...in bare feet. It did, however, make me very aware of my run form and my right heel sticking on the pavement...I'll need to work on that!


Made it to transition, first woman in and thought slow, acted fast. Shoes, helmet, glasses, salt, gone.

Bike: 2:46:09
With having started so early in the swim, I knew that I was going to get passed quite a bit, but I didn't let that affect me. The first 5 miles were just a goal of survival. The road leading out of cedar point contained so many pot holes and bumps; it was hard to stay in aero while maneuvering around them all. I saw that one woman passed me, but didn't let it bother me, as I was going to stick to my plan. The plan being to follow power, however, that's very hard to do when your power meter isn't registering. I was in for 56 miles of blind riding.

The ride was lot more rolling than anticipated; I had thought that it was pancake with one big hill, but that was not the case. It was a lonely ride, I didn't see too many people, but I saw the greatest Sherpa on his bike three times! I put my head down and rode, can't speak too much about it.

However, about 8 miles out from transition, a young girl passed me, at which was the time I was beginning to hurt, so I was motivated to keep this girl in my sight. The 5 mile stretch back to roller coaster land hurt my butt real bad...the amount of pot holes just about killed me. In the last 500m, I passed the girl in front of me, did my second ever flying dismount and ran to transition.

Transition 2: 1:06
Another game time decision: socks! I've never put them on during a race before but usually blister so threw on a pair before passing Jay and darting out of transition.

Run: 1:59:32
Now this is what I'm talking about. The goal was sub 2:20...how about sub 2:00?

Mile 1: 8:18
I took this mile out just finding a comfortable speed that I determined that I could run for the whole 13 miles. The plan for this run was to stay in Zone 1 and working my way up to Zone 3, however just as I found myself blind on the bike, I found that I was going to be running blind on the run without a heart rate monitor. I freaked out a little and constantly tried to adjust my heart rate strap, and remember thinking how could I know when I had to push and when I had to reign myself in if I needed, but decided it was going to be all by feel. Aid station 1 got me in a better place, they were a church group and they were jamming to Jesus jams, my kind of music. Dan had mandated walks through the aid stations, so I walked, shot my Infinit nutrition and drank water then found myself on my way again.

I can't accurately tell splits for my run, unfortunately, as my Garmin only picked up 12 miles...darn you garmin. I was running really well. I felt great and just kept asking if I could hold this pace, and I thought that I could. At least I know myself.

On my second loop of the run, the big mass of people were on their first lap, allowing me to finally be around people. As people would come up and pass me, they would say "Giddy up!" which would always put a pep in my step. Downtown Sandusky provided one slight hill and by my second loop of it, I knew I was getting tired because I tripped over my own feet and nearly landed on the ground, and that mile split was my slowest of the whole, at a time of 10:01.

I saw my dad at least 5 times on the run, every time I shouted at him that this was going to be a big PR, and his response was that I just needed to keep pushing and go hard.

Overall the run felt great and nutrition was solid and there was never a time I didn't think I could handle the pace. A huge accomplishment for me was that I never stopped to walk (other than aid stations), which was indeed an accomplishment seeing that at Eagleman, in June, I walked about half of the half marathon. When I hit the 13 mile marker, I saw 1:59 hit my watch, so I put everything I had left into my run and crossed that finish line with sheer shock of my final time.

Overall Time: 5:23:48

I was elated, I couldn't believe what I had done and my first thought was that I had to call Dan and tell him, after receiving my hug from Tremper and my Dad. My legs hurt so bad, but I knew I had to walk them out, so I did, while I called Dan. His reaction was priceless and it made me so happy that he was so proud.

I was 2nd in my age group and the 5th woman overall, something that still seems so unreal. If this was what I could do after a whole year off of running, what does next year for me look like? This race shows what happens when you stick with it after wanting to DNF early on. This race also shows what hard work does...that was a 34 minute PR and only the start.

Thank You

Tiny bunk bed that Dad slept in

I want to say thank you to my awesome Sherpa Dad who planned his cheering route, slept in a tiny bunk bed, attempted triathlete yoga and supported me throughout the whole weekend. Thank you so much, and I love you!

Thank you to Julie and Soller (the dog) for driving up to Ohio with me and providing great care entertainment and encouragement. Thank you to my momma for providing support and delicious food when home to help me fuel up for the big event!

I certainly couldn't have done any of this without my friends and training partners. Rides and runs wouldn't be as fun without you all. Thank you for your full support form the day that I met you, to the time I struggled in any of the disciplines, was frustrated with Z1 runs, to being there for me to bounce ideas off of, to vent, to help me when lacking in motivation and providing not just a training partner, but a friend. All of you make my triathlon experience so much more fun and make me want to be that much better.

A special thanks goes to Dan Szajta. I think this race was close to the one year anniversary of me taking him on as my coach. When I started, I was skeptical and stubborn and I voiced that after almost every workout. His response: touch love and just kept repeating "trust the process." This year has been emotional with my knee, school beginning and relationships, but Dan was open to talk about everything. He understood that sometimes things take precedent over training, but others don't, so he'd let me know of that. He pushed me enough and supported me more than I could ever ask for. A year with Dan as my coach and this race was the direct result of it. He's not only a great coach, he's also a great friend and co-worker. Thank you, Dan, for all you do, for pushing and believing in me, I look forward to continuing to work with you!

What's Next? 
The week after my race was miserable--exam week, but I turned my focus back to training the best I could after my exams, all leading up to my power test on the bike, my 8k TT a few weeks later and the Richmond half marathon in November.

Final Rest & Test Week: Rev3 Poconos Mountains Olympic

This Block
Dan knew my goal for this block: Do better than last block in terms of getting my workouts done and getting them done right. Well, I did somewhat better, but there were times were there was frustration relayed in the still lacking efforts in this block. It wasn't for lack of trying, it was more because it was also the block leading into my final exams in school. If you've known me for awhile, you'll know that I am a horrendous test taker, so exams are not a great time for me. I'm not awful at all tests, I am great at essay and short answer exams, but when you give me a multiple choice exam, I feel very anxious.

Along with the exams, also came witnessing my first ever in person Ironman. I got up to Lake Placid, NY on Friday, July 22, just in time to plunge into the crystal clear mirror lake with the soon to be Ironman herself, Meghan Wright, along with Dana, Dan and some of Dan's friends also running the race. The lake was gorgeous and the sighting line under the water provided a great alternative to picking your head out of the water in order to see the bouys. I could have swam in that lake forever. The rest of the weekend was comprised of being the support that Meghan needed, as well as riding the course for myself...including the horrendous climb that White Face Mountain provided. If riding one loop of the Lake Placid course wasn't enough, Dan and I headed to White Face Mountain to ride...straight up a freaking mountain. 10% grade the whole way up...I was in the smallest gear I have
and I was going 3mph, thinking that I would tip over at any moment. I made it half way up before I tapped out and got in the car with Meghan, Dana and Meghan's mom, leaving the rest for Dan to tackle by himself. Once at the top though, the view was worth the pain that endured and then the fastest descent, according to Dan, came after that...I was scared. I was scared during this descent but not the Keene descent on the IMLP course, I think because this was straight down, my brakes weren't great and there was some wicked wind.

The next morning we were up middle of the night to walk Meghan over to transition and wait for the swim start. Dana and I ran around together, cheering for Meghan and cheering for everyone, ensuring that we didn't have voices that night. People were definetely hurting on the course, so our goal was to try and bring smiles and joy back to those people, and I think we achieved that!

Overall that weekend was amazing and it fueled me for wanting to do IMLP!

Rev3 Poconos 
After passing all of my exams, I headed up to New Jersey to stay at my Godparents house for the Friday before the race. It was a great time to get things done and enjoy not working, and not being in school...it was very much a lounge day for me.

Ashley's GREAT note to me! 

Saturday morning I left New Jersey and drove the one hour to Shawnee on the River, PA and got a solid practice swim in before heading to the expo and back to the hotel for Olympics watching and final race prep. We went to dinner at the Shawnee Inn with the whole Endorphin Fitness crew, as it was a team race, before heading back to the hotel for more Olympics and an early bed time.

Morning of the race was very strange for me. Both of my hotel mates were racing the half so when I had gotten up, they were already gone. This was my first race of the season where I didn't have a support system there with me. The night before I had planned out when I would leave the hotel to get to Transition 2 before getting on the shuttle...but because I was alone, I panicked and left early. I got to Transition 2 right as it opened for Olympic athletes, put all my run gear at my area and got on the bus to Transition 1 down the road.

Due to the fog, there was a delay in start time by 11 minutes, pushing back all of the start times including the olympics, so I had a LONG time to wait. I set up my area, took my bike for a quick spin, went for a quick jog and spent a pretty decent amount of time in the water warming up and talking. I wandered back over to the start and hung out with Eric, Ed and Elizabeth.

Swim 20:00 (ish)
*Now I say "ish" because there was a timing discrepancy, so all the swim times were combined with T1 time, so I know what my Garmin says, and 20:00 is about accurate.
The swim, like Williamsburg, was an in the water start, with a bit of a current. The start was brutal for me. I got elbowed in the goggle so one of my eyes was leaking river water the whole time, granting a pretty uncomfortable swim. However, we had a few different options of how we could swim this: 1) Close to the shore and have less against the current but more river weed gross stuff or 2) Swim close to the middle of the river and have more against the current, not river weed and less people. For me, and my freaked out nature of anything touching me in open water, I chose option 2. Far less people chose this option, as well, granting me an easier time passing people. I remained in option two ever after we made our turn and headed down the river with the current but found myself being encompassed by so much river weed. I could see it, I could feel it all over me and I was not pleased. I swam even harder. Per usual, I was passing all the colors of the rainbows in front of me, and swam as far as the boat dock would let me before I stood up and had a volunteer help me out of the water. I saw Jay there and he said something like "Great swim, go get 'em" which motivated me even more to go kill my long transition run.

Transition 1: 4:15 (ish)
This was a pretty long run from the water to transition and it involved running in my wetsuit and on grass. I tried to take it at a good speed while lowering my heart rate but that didn't go over well. I passed Ed who told me to "go get 'em" and I continued on to transition. I had a GREAT bike location! Because it was an EF team race for the half, I was placed in the EF rack, so by the time I got in, I was the only bike left which made finding it super easy. The one thing I didn't like was the lack thereof wetsuit strippers. I spent probably 45 seconds trying to get out of my wetsuit...TRISLIDE was my next purchase after this.

Bike: 1:22.16
When I told this time to Dan, he asked what went wrong. I told him it was horrendous. The day before we had driven the course and yes, there were hills, but hills in a car are so much different that hills on a bike. It is for this leg of my race that made this blog so hard to write. In the athlete guide for this race, it states that it is a "rolling hills" course. Understatement of the year. Around mile five, there is a mountain that you just keep on climbing. I was in my smallest gear, alternating between standing and sitting and going 3mph. Very reminiscent of White Face Mountain if you ask me. People were cursing, people were dismounting and walking up and no one was happy. After this mountain, we got a tiny downhill before plenty more climbing. I spent the whole ride playing cat and mouse with a guy on a road bike (he clearly got the memo about the climbing). I was actually really thankful I had him because it gave me something to look forward to every time I went up a hill, someone to pass me on the way down. My thought process is that what goes up, most come down, but I swear, there was so much more up than actual down. However, for the parts of the course that were down, there were not the easy Keene descent that I had experienced earlier. They were fast, pot-hole filled, technical turn filled hills going down...not ideal conditions, especially with squealing rear breaks. Let's just say I was more then happy to be off my bike and on to the run.

Transition 2: 0:43
That's a damn good transition if you ask me! Once again, there weren't many bikes back in transition for the half athletes, so I had plenty of space. Bike racked, helmet and shoes off, shoes on and ran out while putting on my race number, visor and nutrition in the back pocket.

Run: 53:28
Can we first just admire the massive PR that is the time I put in! Regardless of my legs feeling awful from the ride, and the hard course that was coming up, I threw down and put a great run in...now if only everything else on that run felt great. After transition, I ran out and took in the cheers from the crowd as I began my run. I knew after Williamsburg last month that I wanted to make some changes and not flop like that month.

Mile 1: 8:39
Really? Was that a mistake, Garmin, are you sure? I must be going too fast, I won't be able to hold this pace. Were all thoughts in my head. I hadn't had a first mile run this fast in a long time, and I didn't want to blow up, but I felt so good.

Mile 2: 8:36
I was using a new flask, one with a twist top and after using it at the aid station at mile 1, I must not have closed it all the way because at mile 2 aid stop, I had nothing left in it. Oh shit. So I was just going to run the next 4 miles with no nutrition, I mean, I do that for training runs, right?

Mile 3: 8:58
It was during this mile that I started approaching signs that warned me of caution, slow down, loose gravel (because we were running on a gravel path), to only see a STRAIGHT DOWN the mountain hill on all gravel. Well, this was going to be fun to run up. I couldn't even go hard down it as I would slip on the gravel and trip and fall (If you know me, you know this is entirely too accurate).

Mile 4: 9:06
I can't remember if this is the mile that I went up the hill. I am assuming it was. I started strong on trying to tackle the hill, but just like the people in front of me, I succumbed to walking up it. I was HURTING really bad during this mile. All I could think was to watch the people going the other direction and keep my eyes focusing on something, as I began to start seeing stars and began getting very disoriented. With no nutrition and only water, I was starting to feel like I would pass out at any moment. Not to mention my knee. The knee pain came strong during this mile, but I knew I was doing really well and I wanted to finish just like the way that I started, so I kept pushing.

Mile 5: 9:29 
Margaret, literally all you need to do is finish. I know everything hurts, but you are so close. This was a dark dark place for me.

Mile 6: 8:35
I started to see people on the road beginning to cheer me on and I think I could hear the announcer during this stage. So many stars, feeling so light headed and a throbbing knee on me lead for one motivated girl coming into that finish.

Finish Shoot:
I learned from Williamsburg and my stone cold face that I need to have more fun when I cross the finish line, so, knowing that Ashley was going to be waiting for me with a cold towel and a hug, I put on the biggest grin I could do with the given state I was in, and ran through the finish line...to a cold towel and a hug.

Aftermath: 2:40:43

So I went the same time that I did in Williamsburg...I had a solid run, a painful ride and a painful but super quick run! Despite the hard course, I was able to bang out the same time from that of a flat course; I think that says something! After crossing the finish line and talking to a few people, I found myself sitting on a cot in the medical tent, due to my severe light headedness. Nurses, EMT's and doctors were swarming all around me asking if I was okay, running tests for my blood glucose level and blood pressure to ensure I wasn't bottoming out. They forced me to keep drinking water, and before I knew it, I was so cold despite the near 90 degree temperatures outside. I was shaking and loaded with goosebumps, their solution: foil space blanket. I remained in medical for about an hour or, more before I was released and able to walk about with Rachel and Charlene. So thankful I had them because despite being released, wasn't feeling good. I wore the blanket until the award ceremony....where I was at the top of the podium, something I was surprised but so happy about. I beat the second place girl by 4 minutes!
Immediately upon getting back at home, I sent Lori Strobl, my PT and e-mail about my knee. I'm so grateful for her. This e-mail hasn't been the first in my paranoia and terror that I have about my knee. I asked Dan what I should do instead of running and he told me aqua jog but my fear of ever having that pain that I had last year again shut me down for wanting to do anything running, so I loaded up on PT during that time.

I'm now in overload phase and it's been going a lot better than I had thought it would! The workouts are hard but the time off of school has helped! School starts tomorrow, and I'm back at the hard work: all in workouts, work and school!

Rev3 Cedar Point coming up on September 11!