After IMAZ and the work that went into that race and my PR there…I decided to keep 2012 fun and lighter.  NO IRONMAN and possibly not even any 1/2 IMs…even though I have since changed my mind.

This weekend, I have kept my promise and had another FUN and competitive weekend.  I raced in a Sprint Triathlon up in Whitewater, WI where the swim was in a POOL!  Gasp.  Actually, I have done this race 5-6x and it is just fun, low-key and cold.  A perfect combination for me.  Race day did not disappoint..it was barely 40F when I started.

This race is a 500 y pool swim, 14 mile ride and 3. something off road cross country run.  NO pavement.  It is so fun!  Lots of beginners and a splash of some really fast athletes.

Best part?  The fastest wave starts at 11am!  I did not have to set an alarm and myself and Mia, Karen, Stacie and Jaynie all left my house at 8am.  Lovely.

And, it was fun to see familiar faces, catch up and kick off the official Triathlon season here.

I was so calm.  As, I really should be for a race like this.  But, truth be told, I was SO unsure of my run fitness.  I really was concerned I would be running SUPER SLOW and get passed 1000 x.  My times are so-so right now, but I respond VERY quickly to the track and I have been on the track all of April and despite Dave thinking I am sucking wind right now (he is always right) I am getting my legs back under me slowly.

Anyway, they started my wave, #35, 20 minutes early!  (Who does that? lol) and there were 3 in my lane, lane #4. The look on these kids’ faces were priceless.  They entered a very fast time for their 500 and I was with them!  And, my entry time was theirs too!  They had on their ITU racing suits…they were probably HS age.  Anyway, I passed one of them and the other put 25y on me.  GOOD lane!

But, that was not my competition.  My competition was Lauren Jensen..someone who I am happy to race against this year after a horrific bike crash 2 years ago killed her friend and injured her.  She used to race PRO, but now is back to AG racing and she is 44!  Us Masters kick butt!  While she is nice, I am still there to beat her.  I beat her out of the pool and out of T1.

I rode and rode…14 miles – please.  I was breathing so hard you would have thought I was a smoker.  That is how I race Sprint races…so hard that I can not possibly drink anything or do anything but focus on breathing and not the pain in my lungs or fire in my quads.

Lauren is a great cyclist.  All 110 lbs of her…and she passed me.  WITH a tail wind – so she was going over 30 mph and we were hauling ass.  Anyway, I held on as tight as I could to her and she was only able to put about 40″ on me ….I was coming into T1 and she was coming out.  I flew off my bike and thankfully did not kill myself and hopped into my shoes and off I went (I almost forget how to do the dismount after IM training!). 🙂

I love Sprints.  I am not saying I am the best Sprint athlete out there (ha) but I surely like the animistic feel of racing a Sprint.  Nothing but myself and the clock…and every second matters.  The last triathlon I did was an Ironman, so this was so fun.  I found myself having fun and smiling (I never smile when I race b/c I am working so hard) but I was doing what I wanted:  having fun and hunting 1st place down.  I was working my TAIL off…running fast.

I was in shock. NOT only did I feel like I was floating on air, I was racing Cross Country style through flags and hay and single track and hills and sand..it was AWESOME and different.  I was closing the gap on her but not enough…I could see her, I was huting and I never let that string break between her back and my eyes.  I needed another 1/2 mile…and it would have been an interesting finish.  And, I could hear someone breathing behind me…and not leaving.  !!!  I turned around and there was a girl!  Not that I should be surprised but it is J Hawk not St. Anthony’s, so I kind of knew where I was all day…even though there are 100 waves…and she was tough.  I give her a ton of credit, she did NOT give me an inch. (come to find out she was moving b/c she was part of a relay, but I did NOT know this at the time).

I never let up.  I was fighting the vomit back in my throat…I had to close my eyes on the flatter grassy areas so I would not explode.  I never took a drink or sip of anything.  The race only took me 1:08, I couldn’t afford anything that would not move me forward.

I finished 2nd OA and with my best time EVER on that course???!!!  The course has never changed, but the winds have over the years….this year it was windy but not as bad as last year.  But, the best part?  My swim was the same as last year (of course, it is only 500y) and I had the fastest swim of the day and the 2nd fastest bike (after lauren) and was 3 minutes faster than last year and pretty close to my fastest there and the best news where I walked away and smiled:  I had the fastest run…and my best run time there EVER.

That, my friends, is a Christmas MIRACLE.  I have been chugging along with my running in training….and training on tired legs and swimming then running, you know…

But, for me, I have this switch when I race.  I like to race more than I like to do pretty much anything in this sport, so when that flag drops, the sh*t stops and I suffer.  It is like I enter this zone where I am so focused, so plugged in, that I rise above where my training has been.  Gosh, that feels so good.  Ironically, everything came together for this little sprint.  HA…and I did not rest for it (of course) coming off the bit rest I did for the State swim meet last weekend.  I even rode 50 miles on Friday.   Hmmm.

I will say this:  I was not stressed all week, I ate well (except my normal chocolate), I slept over 8-9 hours every night…and that helps me a ton.  And, I was with friends and fun people.  That really is the icing on the cake for me.

Congrats to everyone who raced and to Stacie, Mia, Jaynie and Karen who traveled with me and hit the diner with me afterwards (the best part).  And it was great to see Gina, Tracy and John Lorenz who raced well and their kids (Justin/Alex) who raced well and the MMS Kids Team with Chris Palmquist who was up there racing.  Just a great day!

Keeping it fun, as I promised myself!