I originally signed up for this triathlon for the medal... and because I think I found my motivation and love for the sport again. After a mentally draining running season last year, I decided to take a break. I think I was experiencing what Matt Fitzgerald mentioned as depression, for an endurance athlete. I almost didn't enjoy doing anything anymore. I didn't want to run. I didn't even want to sign up for a race. I found more joy in antigravity fitness and other activities that didn't require rigorous training... until I ran Kearns Indoor tri series, and met more of my Salt Lake Tri Club family. They are super supportive, and made me feel alive again!
The last series of Kearns, which I didn't blog about, turned out to be great! I felt better on the swim (although my distance stayed the same), but improved on the bike and the run. I've progressively felts stronger through the series. Which leads me to Ice Breaker. Like I said, I signed up just to have the medal in my collection. I hadn't really trained, but I figured I'd go for it anyway, being just a sprint and all. I could manage that. We got our tri kits the week of the race, and they turned out awesome! I felt amazing to be fitting in this suit from all the weight I've been losing. It's almost a little big!
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Race Day.
It snowed the night before, so the weather forecast expected a low of 32 that morning. My training buddy, Alberto, came to pick me up and we headed down to American Fork for packet pickup. As we drove down, we saw looming grey clouds above the area we were to be racing. It just looked cold outside.
When we got to the race site, the wind was blowing. It was freezing! I'm just grateful there was no snow, unlike what the residents of Tooele were experiencing that morning.
We got our packets and proceeded to set up transition. We saw Chris...
And my running friend, Cevan (who was also the 2:40 pacer at the Dino Half last year, which I ran) was running his first tri! We set up right next to each other!
Our bikes became friends too! Meet Sparkle and Helga!
Being so cold and all, it was really difficult trying to figure out what to put out for transition.
Brandy and I got all tatted up and ready for the swim!
We headed into the pool, where we started our tri. The water was nice and warm, but was a little too warm for me to breathe well. Cevan and I swam next to each other for our 300 meters! The run to T1 was so cold! I was so cold, I just wanted to get on my bike and go. I did forego my SmartWool leggings, but put on my jacket. The bike felt great, with the exception of the big hill and my frozen feet. I wished I would have found my inhaler before starting the race, because I felt like I couldn't slow my breathing, and my throat was so dry I couldn't swallow any spit to relax my throat. We went for two 6 mile loops around the American Fork fitness center. I felt quite strong on the flats. My feet were freezing by the time I dismounted and ran into T2. When I got back, Kenya and Landin (Arnett) happened to be heading out, and they noticed my helmet was backwards! Hahahaha... that has never happened to me before! I guess I was so cold that I just wanted to get everything on and get going, that I didn't even bother noticing that it was backwards! I did feel, however, my helmet being a little loose during the second loop, but paid no mind.
After getting my shoes on, I decided to go without jacket. The sun was out, so it was bound to warm up! My feet, however, were still frozen blocks of ice. It hurt to run. I walked up the big hill, waiting for my feet to thaw out. As soon as I got halfway up the hill, they started to warm up. I began my run. My legs felt heavy at first, but I kept going. I did a bit of a run/walk for awhile, until my lungs felt ready to keep a steady pace. I was trying to keep up with a man who had been in front of my for the run. At some point, my body felt good enough to maintain a steady pace. I ended up passing him. I also caught up with Michelle! I was so glad to see her! She was doing great, but told me her legs were cramping (in the place that I usually cramp too - on the inner quads, right near the knee). I kept going... and finally saw the finish line. I checked my Garmin and picked up my pace. I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 1:45.
Checking my time from 2 years ago, I finished 12 minutes faster! I was pretty excited about that! I felt so much better too!
A lot of my SLTC fam ended up making the podium! Here's my friend, Andrew, taking second in his age group!
I waited for Alberto to finish up too! So excited he joined me, even without training! He's a beast! This tri was just what I needed to really re-solidify my enjoyment of triathlon! I'm signing up for more races!
Thanks to my friends for being so crazy as to join me on this "Ice" Breaker! And to my SLTC fam for being such a huge support in my tri life!
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