2015 Race Season Update

My 2015 racing season has been different from past seasons due to vacations and my hubby’s race schedule. That said, it’s been a great summer and my IM training going very well. I did have some opportunities to get in a few early season races with a focus on shorter distance and speed.

In May, I completed the Summer Open triathlon. Since I don’t swim well in cold water, this was a gamble for me. My swim has improved so I wanted to get in the water and test the mental demons that seem to come out in cold water.

Since it was “just a sprint,” I decided that I didn’t need to worry about breakfast, as long as my muscles were fully loaded with glycogen the night before. To top off the glycogen tank, I added a sweet potato to my dinner of chicken and cooked vegetables.

On race day morning, I had coffee with flax milk, along with some amino acids, and headed to the race site. I loved the simplicity of it and not having to force food into my system when I have no appetite. 45 minutes before the race I had a packet of VespaPower to boost the fat burning system. Right before the swim, I took in half a serving of X2 Performance.

I was nervous about the cold water so I made sure I got my face into the water and warmed up. It actually didn’t feel that bad. The cold race in Grand Junction last year was much worse, in my opinion. The swim went well and I was feeling good as I headed out on the bike. I took the second half serving of X2 Performance and went as hard as I could. It was my first race on my new bike, which, at that point, was still not a good fit for me. I ended with a 21.2 mph pace, which was good, but not a PR. The run felt amazing, maybe it was just because my feet were numb, but I went with it! I averaged a 7.33 pace, which I felt good about. I ended with first in my age group, 4th fastest female on the bike and 5th fastest female on the run. Clearly, I still need to work on that swim, but I was happy!

Later that month I went to WI for my nephew’s graduation. There was a local 10 mile race so I thought why not?! I stuck with the same morning and pre-race nutrition. I could see there were some serious runners, which got me excited about the competition. I took off and tried to hold the pace of the other lead women. I dropped a few back, but kept pushing at a pace that is faster than I typically run at this distance and I felt really good! It was a light mist, but much lighter rain than Boston so this just seems to be the weather for me this year.  I took the second serving of X2 at mile 5 and a serving of amino acids at mile 7.5. I knew I was pushing my legs so wanted to be sure the muscles were not getting catabolized. The last 2 miles were grueling but I did not want to drop my pace. I was ecstatic with my result of 1:13:43, which was a big PR at 7:22 pace. I was 4th overall female and first in my age group. Plus, we got cheese curds at the finish and the best part was my brother Eric at the finish line!

In June, we had an amazing vacation with my husband’s parents in Lanzarote, to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday. It’s a long trip but well worth it! We stayed at Club La Santa, which is a playground for the adult and child athlete. Any sport we wanted to participate in was available. And the food? It was fresh and tasty! One of the restaurants in Club La Santa even had their own farm to ensure they were able to serve locally grown vegetables without harmful chemicals. 

I took the opportunity to make it a training camp and my coach did not disappoint me with a challenging schedule. After a long week of training, I had the opportunity to run the Lanzarote Wine Run 13.1. So again, why not?! Luckily, I did not know what I was getting myself into. It’s a race that runs directly through the vineyards of Lanzarote, which are in LOOSE LAVA… and uphill!

It was a tough race, but gorgeous! I knew this would not be my best with tired legs but I gave it what I had and enjoyed the scenery. The reward at the end is a wine festival with lots of local wine and food. Most impressive was my father-in-law, who completed the 12K and my mother-in-law, who completed the 12K walk (and also windsurfed on her 70th birthday!). It was a fun day for all of us.

Now that I’m back and buckled down in my IM training there have not been any races, but I’m keeping my eye on the prize in IM Wisconsin and can’t wait for September!