Merry Christmas!

I am excited to announce I will be doing Pay It Forward for 2015 again! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the past winners: Dan M, Cathy, Courtney & Alisa D.

If you are interested, I encourage you to apply. Here are the details:

1.) Applicants can apply via email to: jhtriathlon@sbcglobal.net from December 7th – December 31st 11:59pm CST. Feel free to be as creative as you want in the email application. (^{I do accept bribes. I love Chocolate & anything pink.}).

2.) For the Pay it Forward Athlete, I am looking for athletes that have overcome any type of hardship This can include , but not limited to: illnesses, financial or personal issues. This is also open to athletes who may not have any hardships but just have not been able to put together a solid year (s) of training due to inconsistency, lack of motivation, lack of focus/structure and need something new and challenging.

3.) You CAN re-apply if you applied before!

4.) You need to have at least one “A” race in 2015. Can be any significant race, but we need to have goals for 2015. All levels of athletes are fine.

5.) The coaching will start between 1/15/15 -2/1/15 and last until the end of your “A” race or 12/31/15, whichever one is first.

6.) You will have to blog about your experience and be an active member of social media (FB or Twitter).

This year, the 2014 Pay It Forward winner, Alisa Dunlap had a great year finishing with a 1+ hour PR at CIM Marathon. Alisa kept a blog and you can read about her experience here:

http://ambitiousaspirations.blogspot.com/

I encourage you all to apply, if interested. If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this blog or send me an email. I will announce the winner on January 5th, 2015. Looking forward to another great year of paying it forward to our great sport!

I took a little break. I ate Reese’s PB Cups in mass quantities mixed with pounds of M&Ms. I dyed my hair brown. I co-coached 75 kids to an undefeated Cross Country season. I spent an exorbitant amount of money on MAC makeup and Roden & Fields face creams. I spent some much loved time with my nearly 13 year old twins. I ate a lot. And, lastly I have been navigating myself through the start of a mid-life crisis. I will be 44 in January so I am truly in mid-life. None of this “I am turning 40 BS.” Please. The shit is getting real as I hit my mid-40s. I look in the mirror and think “WHO is this person?” The wrinkles, the dark circles. All there and all real. I know it is just a number, blah blah blah. The good news is that I FEEL GREAT. I may look like a hot mess, but I feel awesome.

Champions!

Of course, this was much needed break and I was able to re-charge myself a bit. After my last race of the season (September 7^th), I was desperately in need of a break from Triathlon. I took a few weeks off where I did not do too much of anything at all. FULL rest for 7-10 days and then more rest for another 10-14 days and then I slowly got back into things. I took 7.5 weeks off any structure, which, I think is a bit on the long side, but this year I needed it a bit more. In fact, I took 5 weeks out of the pool and that I have not done in eons. I just could not get myself to the pool and in fact, had no interest. So, clearly a big break was needed.

After my little break, I got back into the swing of things and that really meant MORE strength for me and NO TT BIKE. In fact, my TT bike is still in the bike box. Instead, I got out my Cross bike again and start exploring trails and different areas on it. I love my Cross bike. And, after doing 3 Cross races last year as a CAT 4 after I was done with Kona, I wanted to do the entire series this fall as a CAT 3.

The Cross scene here in Chicago is great. There is a race every weekend and there are a ton of talented riders who come out and race from Iowa, Wisconsin and all over Illinois. Making the shift from Triathlon to Cross racing is like watching an Elephant run versus a Cheetah. For me, I was the Elephant on the course. After last year I was thinking, “I am not too bad at this.” I got 2^nd at State and naively thought I would just roll into the series and do OK. I was so wrong. I got hammered. In fact, the best I have finished this year is mid-pack. Racing in the Elite women’s race (CAT 1-2-3) is humbling to say the least. At first I was so frustrated with myself because I could not get rid of my fear. I was just so scared. NOT nervous. There is a big difference there. Fear limits you. Nerves drive you. I was afraid because my bike handling skills were so sub-par compared to the girls I was racing against. AND people crashed. I crashed.

Photo courtesy of www.jayloo.com

The first Cross race I cold barely continue to push the gears on my Cross bike through the sand, mud and grass my quads would NOT respond at all. It was the longest 45 minutes of my life. I was breathing like I was racing a 5k run race…I was working that hard from start to finish. AND I was still in the back. In fact, one time I looked right after the start and I was DFL.

But, as the races went on I got a wee bit better (not much) and I started to have some fun with it and started to develop a camaraderie with the other riders that are always near me in races. They would scream behind me, “JEN, wider on those turns! STOP braking!” They were traumatized by my lack of bike handling skills but what I lacked there I made up in my strength and aerobic engine on the courses. In typical fashion, I got better as the the race went on.

Photo courtesy of www.jayloo.com

Many courses I would pre-ride and I could not even make the sharp turns in practice – but when the gun went off, my fear melted away and I was able to “fake it until I made it” out there. I will probably never be great or even good – but it has been fun racing with these girls and it has helped my bike handling and anaerobic threshold tremendously. And, the others had fun at my expense. I ride on the PSIMET team – super fast girls who are winning these races. At one race the Team Manager screamed at me while I was dismounting and carrying my bike over a barrier: “There are NO words.”

Suffering. Photo courtesy of Warren Cycling.

Apart from not killing myself at Cross, I eventually did get back into the pool. After 5 weeks out of the water I really could not fit into my shirts and bras anymore (too big!) – I thought about not swimming again ever, in fact. My muscles decreased and my lats and shoulders went down (yay!). The first time I swam after the break I was like Gumby in the water – I was awful. Could NOT engage my core. Reminded me to remind my athletes to always engage their core in swimming. I was so disconnected and therefore fighting the water. Not good! While I do not have my speed back yet- after 3 weeks of consistent swimming I am starting to feel normal in the pool again.

I also added MORE strength to my weeks – I never stopped Pilates (except for my few week break), which I do every Monday. Then I am now doing a TRX class this fall/winter every Wednesday that I love. And, then on Fridays I see Kate (strength trainer). Between Cross racing and strength this fall I am sore a lot. In fact, because of all the breaking and shifting on my bike hard and fast, I literally have an elbow and forearm that kills me. I am sure it is tendonitis at some level but some nights it just aches (back to my mid-life crisis here with achy bones).

And, during this time, we have had some fun times apart from sweating. We had an impromptu 25^th High School Reunion (back to my mid-life crisis) this past weekend. It was hilarious. One of the many reasons I like Facebook. We all just picked up like we see each other every week. They were playing Journey & big hair bands all night; I had too much to drink. It was a good time. In addition to partying like it is 1989 (the year I graduated HS), we are breaking ground this fall on a new house. I am SO excited. We need a change and while the house/lot is only about 1 ½ miles away, it will be a welcomed change and I have spent more time on Pinterest this fall than I care to admit as I Pin all my favorite bathrooms, toilets and kitchens. In fact, I need HELP (anyone an interior decorator?) But, fun and refreshing indeed.

Dark Hair & My 25th HS reunion!

I am off to Arizona this long weekend. Jerome is “participating” in Ironman Arizona. He has been in China for the past week and literally comes home and turns around to head to Tempe. Brutal! So that is why he is participating :).  It will be fun to get into the sun again and spectate some athletes I coach, friends & Jerome.  And, I may take a 90 minute detour south to Tucson for Thanksgiving & fly the kids out!

I cannot believe it is September already!  This fall I was asked to co-coach at Graham’s middle school for Cross Country.  I was so excited and I did not hesitate to say YES.  Graham, on the other hand, not sure he was as excited.  Having MOM there all the time really puts a crimp in his behavior and social life. Oh well…  I know that I only have a few years to do stuff like this with my kids, so even though I knew it would be a lot, I am so glad I decided to join the coaching team.

We practice every day – PM or AM for 60-90 minutes and meets are 2x/week!  However, it just lasts until October 10th, so it is a short season at this age.  We have 50+ 7th and 8th grade boys/girls.  There is just something so refreshing with working with kids.  And, they think I am cool (most of them) because I work with the U of I kids too – so at least there is some respect level – because we all know that there is NO way I could run fast or race fast at “my age.”  🙂

I was brought in to write the workouts and help lead all the workouts.  On the first day we did a super hard workout – hill repeats into 300m sprints.  I thought we would lose them all.  But, instead, they stayed and came back.  The next day,  I had them all write down their top 3 goals on an index card and share it with me.  I read them all and wrote a personal note to each of them AND a famous motivational quote on the other side – laminated them and returned them to each kid.  I wanted the kids to know that if they are going to make BOLD goals – we need to train hard to have a chance at hitting these goals.

Speaking of goals, my last Triathlon of the season is Sunday at Worlds 70.3 in Mt. Tremblant.  I am excited to race and am ready.  And, I am looking forward to an off season of Cross and pumpkin spice donuts starting on Monday.

After Muncie 70.3 I have raced a few times.  I raced a local, smaller triathlon:  Manteno Sprint Triathlon a couple of weeks after Muncie to shock my legs back into short course racing.  I love this race and did it the last time they had it in 2003 after having the twins.  So, when the re-instated the race this year, I jumped at it.  Here I am exiting the swim at Manteno.  Glad I was not serious or anything.

My friend and OA Male winner, Louie at Manteno Triathlon.

Then, I raced USAT Nationals Olympic and Sprint in Milwaukee in early August.  I was excited to race short course and race some friends and an uber competitive race.  Nationals is always competitive but then add in that this race qualified the top 25 in each AG for Worlds, which is taking place next September in Chicago.  How fun!
I spent the weekend in bed with Chris Wickard.  Well, only 1/2 the time.  We both raced the OLY on Saturday and the Sprint on Sunday.  I was nervous for the race but also excited to race some super fast women and see some old friends coming in to the race from all over the US.

For the OLY race, I came out of the water in the top 5 – felt great, fast and smooth.  I could only see a couple of girls up front – one of them Megan James – and I worked super hard to close the gap.  I loved the swim there – and LOVED having others with me.  Off on the bike – I felt good – worked hard and tried to keep things under control and keep myself in the mix.  I got off the bike still in good position and felt great.  My goal was top 10 and I was in the top 10.  I started running and felt great – then it felt like I was suffocating.  I was wheezing and not sure why?  It was humid but not deadly out there.  I just could not breathe well.  I have horrible hay fever and it usually starts in Mid-August – so who knows, all I know is that I was gasping for air but not running as fast as I could be.  AND if you are 1% off at Nationals you will lose your position in a heart beat.  AND that is what happened to me.  I went from top 10 to 14th in a snap.  I ran slow for me – 43 minutes – and if you run that “slow” at Nationals you will get swallowed up.  I managed it best I could and when I crossed the finish line I was disappointed but there was NOTHING I could do or would do differently – first time I had that issue.  And, on those days you just hold your head up high and move on.  And, get redemption at the next race.

Lucky for me the next race was the next morning!  Many of us decided to do the double.  Chris and I rested, ate and walked about 10 miles after our OLY race.  Ha!  The next day we did the same pre-race prep and lined up with a few hundred of our closest friends again.  This time, I felt like shit on the swim.  Ironically, the swim is where I felt the OLY race fatigue.  WEIRD — but it has been years and  years since I have raced back to back (for obvious reasons) so I had a handful of girls in front of me and I was swimming fine but had no snap.  So, I tried to draft and got out of the water in top 5 again.  One of my friends, Frank, shouted “she is 90″ up!”  NINETY SECONDS in a sprint race?  GOODNESS…this will be rough.  AND how did that happen?  WOW.  (Later I found out it was Heather W, who I have raced over the years and is a superb swim/biker).

I had way more fun at the Sprint that day – less pressure and while I was pissed about my OLY race, I still felt pretty darn good on Sunday.  I was able to maintain contact with the top 5 and came off the bike panting for my placement in 6th.  I was not afraid of having the breathing issue again.  Sure, deep down inside I was a little worried but it is so rare for me and it did not seem as humid that morning, so I went for it and if I blow up, then so be it.  But, in a Sprint race at Nationals, you have to take the gamble – if, not you will get hammered in a blink in an eye.  It is just so fast.

I got off on the run in 6th and I could see 5th place in front of me.  I had ONE goal….top 5 (Podium).  I was going to ruin myself to get that spot.  I hunted her down.  I knew who it was and felt like she was not running as well as she usually does…..so I calculated my position, my pace and effort and made my move after mile 1.  I knew I would have to REALLY go or she would latch on to me and that would be more painful.  I heard her breathing – I was too but kept it silent as I passed her – and went by her and I was now in 5th at mile 1.5 of the 5k.

I had another painful 2.5 miles to run.  I was running probably 6:40s, maybe 6:30s to make the pass and on the 2nd day of racing, that was not easy.  However, I felt way better today than for my Oly  race (grrrr)….Behind me were literally hundreds of fast girls charging us down.  I could see Chris Wickard about 45″ in front of me ….I focused on her while I did my best to hold these girls off.

I could see one and she was flying – WAY faster than I was running.  I literally had to find another gear or she would catch me within yards of the finish line.  She looked about my age and I was doing everything I could not to vomit all over myself.  I sprinted to the finish line and held her off and ended up 5th in the AG!  I was SO happy and redeemed my bad self from the OLY race.

Lo and behold the gal behind me was the 45-49 AG winner – so she was not in my AG but she was flying and did look my age, I was right!  Glad she kept me honest!

Here is the 40-44 Top 5 Podium.  I am in 5th and Chris Wickard in 4th:

What a great weekend of racing!  I had so many friends and athletes race so well there and q-fy for Worlds in Chicago.  I will race both the Sprint and OLY next September and I am looking forward to it and not traveling!

It took me awhile to recover from that double.  My chest hurt.  My heart hurt and every muscle was fatigued.  I was exhausted.  I got some good rest and pushed into my final prep for Worlds 70.3.  I went up to Madison and rode the course, I ran hills, I swam hard.  Personally, I was getting the kids ready for school and getting athletes ready to race & started coaching XC and the U of I was back in session.  AND Jerome was in China traveling this whole time.

Then, I had a little “HELP ME” moment.

I had to step back for a couple of days or risk getting sick.  I know when I hit my limit and I needed a couple of days to re-group.  I had to cut back on my social obligations (boo) and just focus on myself, my work and my family.  After a few days of getting my sh*t back together I was fine and bounced right back to carry on with my bad self.

Now, we are at race week for Worlds.  I went camping this past weekend with my family and we had a great time. I am in a good place and ready to race on Sunday and then ready for some R&R afterwards!

I am so glad I went down to Muncie 70.3 and raced.  I cannot believe I have never done this race and it is only 4 hours from me.  It falls at a weird time of the summer with my kid’s activities & camps – and it is usually 100F degrees in the shade…But, this year I really wanted to race a 70.3 in mid-season and Muncie scared me a little bit (which I need).

Matt Peterson & Jenny Hayes, two friends and athletes that I work and I with stayed with Matt’s parents who live about 45 minutes from Muncie.  I was so glad I had the opportunity to stay with them.  They were SO accommodating, super supportive and hospitable.   It was so relaxing and set us all up for a great race day.  Here is Jenny with Matt and Matt’s dad.

Race day:

It was a good weather day in Muncie.  For once it was not 100F or scorching.  We got a gift and it was upper 70s….very humid, but not oppressive.  I registered for this race late, so I was not racked with the girls in my age group and that was FINE with me.  I had no idea who was there as I never looked at the start list.  I wanted to just fly in, race hard and see where the cards land.  I was super excited to race and woke up on race morning before my 4am alarm SO excited to race!

Swim:

Unfortunately, the water was wetsuit legal.  Really, it was so hot I almost ripped my wetsuit off in the lake.  Honestly, it does not matter to me if we wear a wetsuit or not.  I just want the swim to be hard and aggressive and fair.  The wetsuit surely makes it 100% easier and I can just drag my legs thru the water so I always feel so much more fresh on the bike after  a wetsuit legal swim.

My goal in the swim was to come out of the water in 1st.  Didn’t care what time that was.  I lined up just to the left of the start buoy – picked my line of sight and when the gun went off I went out HARD.  200-400 m as hard as I could swim (well, within reason) and we still had clear water until we caught the other waves.  I wanted some feet so I could chill and draft, but I was solo.  No one went with me.  So, I relaxed a little bit and keep swimming strong.  I felt SO good – fluid, light and feeling like I was not putting out a lot of effort.  Then, I got REALLY hot.  I had to grab my wetsuit at my neck every couple of minutes to put some of the water into my wetsuit so I would not over-heat.  And, then I purposely slowed down even more – super easy.  I kept it chill to keep my core body temp under control.  If I had to go with another swimmer, I would or could, but I just held my position and got the hell out of the hot tub.  I was out in 30 minutes and did not see anyone behind me – I ran like hell into T 2.

BIKE:

I was having one of those days where it was all coming together.  One of those race days that are almost magical.  AND when and how these happen, we never know 100% why.  But, when they happen, you go with it and capitalize on it…and know you can take some risks!

I loved this bike course.  Sure, some of the road conditions are really crappy.  AND they changed the bike course so there were 40 miles OF TWO loops with 2000 riders on it.  AND my Age group was in the 2nd to last wave…so the bike course was a HOT MESS.

I got out onto the bike and knew I was leading my AG.  I rode hard but smart.  By the time I hit 50 minutes on the bike I had gone through 2 bottles on my bike alone.  I had to drink a ton to ensure that swim did not catch up with me later in the day as it got hotter.  We had some cloud cover on the bike and I knew that was my “get out of jail” pass to take some risks and push this course harder than I could if it was super hot.

At mile 15 the 2nd place girl went by me.  Ok!  Time to race – I kept my legal distance but kept her in my sights.  She was riding very well.

Around mile 30, I heard the Marshalls driving up.  I was passing a ton of riders – and this is tricky.  Some of the riders were riding 3-4 abreast AND I had no room to pass.  AND if I did pass a man, he would re-pass me and that did NOT help the situation at all.  I was riding as clean as I could – we all were.  I did not see any major drafting out there (I am sure there was some though) on a course that is silly for 2000 athletes.

Then, BAM….the Marsall flashed his RED card at me.  Then, drove up and did the same to others.  Then, others…it was really the silly.  I even said to him, “WHAT do you want me to do when I don’t have ‘clear line of sight!!?'”

As an age grouper, we do not have “clear line of sight” – this  means you can ride to the LEFT of the athletes (think more middle of the road) and go by everyone faster & NOT get called for BLOCKING.  PROS have this.  BUT I was doing this but then getting over to my right as quickly as I could.  I was in and out of people all day.  ANYWAY, I got a red card for this.  AND because this was my 1st penalty ever, I did not remember (remember I am racing and not thinking clearly) what a RED card meant.  I just had to report to the penalty tent and stand down for FOUR minutes.  I thought I was being DQd.

TO SAY I WAS Pissed would be an understatement.  I went through the initial PISSED OFF emotion & then the “NO way I can have a good race now – FOUR MINUTES is a lifetime!”  I thought about stopping and saving myself for another race the next weekend.  SILLY things that you think about.  THEN about 2 minutes later I re-grouped, put my head down and used that set back to ride even harder.

I will show HIM (aggressive, I know b/c “HE” doesn’t care)…..!   About 20 miles later I got to the penalty tent (it was packed) and I started my FOUR minutes – Tick tock tick tock…..I ate, drank and peed while standing there.  I refused to look at anyone passing for fear I would see 10 girls in my AG pass while I stand there and pick my ass!  AFTER 4:23 (that is the total time I was idle) I took off.  AND goodness did I ride hard.  I knew I was taking a gamble but I was going to kill myself to re-gain my lead OR die trying.  I had nothing to lose now.

I averaged close to my Olympic watts on the miles after my penalty.  AND my ride was 22.8 mph on the way home, which was not flat like the loops.  Again, I was taking a gamble.  I came off the bike 3rd in my AG and was on a mission to go and find these girls.Bike time was 2:34 with penalty.  2:29:xx actual ride time.

RUN:

I FELT amazing.  Another “Oh my gosh I feel amazing!”….There are just not too many long races where you feel unstoppable – IN YOUR WHOLE season or seasons – but I was feeling like that so I went with it.  I was confident in my fitness and preparation and knew I could run hard and be fine.  And, my head was in the game.  I had fought the vomit coming up on the bike several times on the bike – and am feeling the same thing on the run – but I was in control of this – so was just over/under that magical red line.  It is a slippery line, but I was loving it and having fun.

The run at Muncie is rolling.  It is a hard run and open and in between corn fields with NO movement in the air – humid and suffocating.  I had my salt, gels and flask to drink.  I took ice at every aide station.

Then, it started to happen.  I see 2nd place up the road and she is not looking good.  It is like the switch – that was already flipped to crazy – went DEEPER into the crazy pain cave and went after her.  I passed her hard and went to find #1.  I am at mile 5 now, so it is all fun and games thus far.

I get to the turn around at 6.5 miles and I see her coming the other way.  She has at least 2 minutes on me.  THAT is a lot of time for a 10k…..but she did not look that good.  And, that is all I needed – a glimmer of hope that I was running faster than her.  I counted her foot strikes & it was low – she was suffering more than me.  AH!  I will get her.

I dug deeper – the hills coming home were brutally hard…now I am at mile 8, where in a 1/2 IM you are really just wanting to vomit or die.  But, I wanted to win more.  I went to Muncie to win or kill myself trying.  I had almost given up.  I had almost resigned to 2nd place because “that is good enough – I did have a 4 min penalty after all” that is the shit that goes on in your head when your mind does not want to suffer anymore.

AND that is when you control what you can and forget the rest.  I AM in control of my mind and that mind controls my body.  SO once I told my legs and lungs to shut up, I picked up my cadence and took pop at every aide station (suffering now) and went to a very dark place.  Honestly, I may have been foaming at the mouth.  I could not talk – I just grunted at anyone that said HI.

At mile 9-10 I see her and she is the only thing between me and my goal.  AND today is the day to make this happen – I still felt awesome (all things considered) and I had other gears on that run course still, I was not maxxed out quite yet.  I had no idea what paces I was running – I did not have a watch.  I mean, who cares – as long as I am in the lead, it doesn’t matter.

I came up on her shoulder, drafted on her for about 1 minute and listened to her breathing.  IF she was not breathing I would have to run with her to the finish line (UGH).  IF she was suffering, I would go past her so hard so could not go with me.  It ended up being the latter.  My fast at this point was probably not that fast really, but I felt it BIG TIME.

I surged (I did say something nice to her) and went by her right up a hill.  I continued to put time on her and was never so happy (always) to see the finish line.  I was a little sad this race was over though because I know that races where you feel THIS good are rare and happen so rarely you want to bottle it all up.   I felt almost unstoppable.

I ran hard through the finish line and was DONE.  I wanted to vomit, but instead I had this huge sense of relief and was like: ” YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  Complete satisfaction.  I was SO happy.  That is why I race – for that competition and to bring out the best in myself and see where that best leads me.

I ended up 1st AG/1st Master, 4:50 (that includes the 4 minute+ penalty).

And the first text I saw post race was Elizabeth’s –> “You are the grittiest person I know.”

I thought it was “prettiest” at first…and I was like, “she is losing her mind!”  – (when in fact, I was!).

I stayed for Awards because Amanda W (2nd AG/2nd OA), Jacqui G (2nd AG/4th OA), Jenny Hayes, Ali R (4th AG) did so well… and I got to catch up with Beth Shutt who was 3rd PRO  (she has a fun pic of us on her blog –  I don’t have it b/c it is on her phone)!   I also took the Worlds 70.3 slot.  I did not take it at Eagleman, mainly because it is IM WI weekend and I have never missed IM WI – but this year, it is time for a change.

Here is Ali Rutledge and I getting our awards.

Great times in Muncie and a hard reminder on NEVER EVER give up because you just NEVER know. 🙂

Thanks Lululemon and PowerBar for the support!

Goodness, where to start.  I have not been good at blogging for many reasons.  I love to write and love to journal (my blog) but as the years go by I struggle with IF people are really interested.   I think everyone blogs now – so the “uniqueness” of the blog is gone.  And, I struggle with laying out my races and “I kicked ass!”  or “I had an off day.”

And, I spend my days & nights talking Triathlon – and keeping athletes focused on what really matters –>  Progress, growth, consistency and accountability.  So, when it comes to me blogging about ME.  I am light on ideas and excitement.  Internally I am driven and motivated, that is not what I mean.  But, as I get older, I almost become more private and selfish on WHY I race.

Let’s step back…In May I did one of my all time favorite races in Galena, Illinois.  My sister’s BF and a sorority sister of mine has a house there and a few of us head up, race and have a nice little overnight trip.  I am not sure, but think this is like my 10th year racing Galena.  I was SO excited to race.  It was cold, water was COLD and after our winter, I could have raced naked and not noticed.  Also, it is so good to see so many friends and athletes here – It is what makes me come back every year.  I felt AWESOME and had a good race finishing 2nd OA to my friend, Jenny Garrison.  And, the comments continue with the Garrison/Harrison connection.  We have fun with it.  As Jenny and I cooled down we were laughing that a few years ago we finished 1-2 as well.  JUST a fun race and I was super happy with my day.

I continued to train and train through the Elgin 10 miler.  I did a long brick (swim,bike, run) the day before and wanted to execute a solid run on tired legs.  On race day I accomplished what I wanted to do and it was a great confidence boost for my “A” race of the early season:  Eagleman 70.3.  I ran this course as fast as I ever have – another confidence boost in my race prep for EM.

This year has been odd for me.  I realized that in 2015 it will be 20 years of racing for me and only ONE  year I did not race & that was in 2001 when I got pregnant and was pregnant w/ the twins.  Every year I have to decide IF I am going to race some of the same races I do frequently.  And, Eagleman is one of them. Can you imagine doing races for 20 years – and a lot of the same ones – AND trying to maintain that edge?  HA.  That is my private challenge within myself.  I don’t necessarily feel slower and my times are not that much slower and this year I was only 6 minutes off my all time PR at EM…. & I PRd my IM at age 42….so it is NOT time that motivates me nor is it a PR – could care less.  What motivates me is competition.  I crave head to head racing.  I always want to race the best 40-44 girls – ALWAYS.  That is what drives me to races like Eagleman, which are fiercely competitive.  Or Kona, Or USAT Nationals….if I want to rise to the occasion and challenge myself, I want to race the best.

I was uncharacteristically nervous for Eagleman.  Weird because I was prepared 100% perfectly with Elizabeth’s help…and I was injury free, excited, etc.  But, I did feel a little pressure coming off 2nd last year & the Kona slot.  This year, I have no interest in an IM, but my desire to win is never gone, of course.  I knew a few girls competing and frankly, that is all I needed to know.  The reigning champ was racing (Kristin) and so was Ange B, a good triathlon friend of mine and an athlete I coached for a couple of years – so I KNEW exactly what she was capable of.  If I wanted the competition, I was going to get it.

I had a hard time sleeping into Eagleman.  Just this pit in my stomach for most of the week.    I think one thing that athletes do is chase times on specific courses.  When I put together my race plan, I barely mention times.  Instead my focus is –>  BE IN THE MIX and race the best I can that given day – so that I can walk away and say, “I DID my best.”  Whether that is the pointy-end of the podium or not.  In 2013 I had a magical day, everything was easy and I felt AWESOME.  This year, I felt tired – not because I was not rested, but because I needed to take a nap!  🙂  Regardless, I kept to my plan and besides a slower bike for me than usual, I gave it my 100%.  It was a real nail biter of a race!  I wanted to come out of the water with Ange or keep the gap 30″ and I did that – I was happy with that.  I had to swim hard to do that, but that was the plan.  I felt a little flat and hot on the bike…but managed it best I could.  And, I felt AWESOME on the run.  I was hotter than hell, but nutrition was great and I ran as hard as I could – even negative split my 1/2 marathon by 2 minutes – I was definitely chasing these girls.

When I crossed the finish line I was HAPPY.  And, it is VERY important that you keep that feeling as you digest the race as the days go by.  I worked hard to get on that podium and once I knew 1st and 2nd were out of reach for me – it was a race between 3-6th and I absolutely gave it my all.  It was the best I could do on that day and for that, I was satisfied.  I was on the podium with some great competition and left Eagleman as, “that was the best I had that day.”  I could not have given more.

As the days went by I grew frustrated with my 5th place and had a few blah days.  To keep it in perspective, it is NOT that 5th is not good.  But, it is funny because even though I like to win – I really hate to “lose” more.  And, my goal for EM was top 3 AG.  And, I fell short of that goal.  I can’t remember the last time that has happened.  It has been years and years.

Jerome kept it real and was like, “really Jenny,  Please.  Get over it. It is ONE race.”  And, I did.  I rolled right into my favorite race of all time – Lake in the Hills Triathlon.  It has 400 athletes and is run on the course I swim on, bike train on, it is awesome.  I was super tired coming off Eagleman so I knew this was going to really hurt.  But, it is a local race with a LOT of my friends, athletes and even neighbors there.  I look forward to it every year.  Lululemon even came out and had a full support /cheer section.  It was awesome.  I felt like ass most of the day but rallied and was the first woman across the finish line.  It was like I won Kona.  Seriously, everyone was so fired up and the crowds there are awesome.  (After the race was over one girl (literally a 14 year old) ended up going faster (20 seconds) than me but she did not race in the Elite wave).

It has been a fun couple of months of racing.  My goal is to keep healthy and race super hard and try to always be competitive.  I do a lot of things right.  In fact, I do most things right.  And, let me tell you, it is never easy.  It is not easy for anyone.  Competition gets tougher and it is all the little things that REALLY matter as we try to compete at a high level.

After this cycle of racing, I had to decide what I wanted to do next.  I am signed up for USAT AG Nationals and am excited to race there (talk about competition!) but I really LOVE the 70.3 distance (my fav) so I changed to race to Muncie 70.3 in July.  I have always wanted to do Muncie – god knows why it is hotter than hell…but it is a midwest race and I am excited to race next month there.

Here are some pics from the last few races.  They make me happy.

Ange and I day before Eagleman

The last 2 are from Eagleman – Chris W, Amanda and I at awards and the last pic of the 40-44 AG Podium minus Ange.  I like that podium pic because I worked my ass off to get my ass up there. 🙂  Animals.  And, I will always remember the PURE satisfaction of that moment.  And, that is why I keep going back.  A huge sense of accomplishment, even if you are a little short on your goals.

Like I always say, “Onward and Upward!”