The Land of Oz (Kansas 70.3)

This past weekend we flew to Kansas City, MO and drove over to Lawrence, KS for the half ironman. This was a bit of a last minute decision for us because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to race Boulder 70.3 in August, which I'm already signed up for, because of a work conflict. I really wanted (and needed) to get in a 70.3 before Ironman Canada in August. I also really love this distance. I have not been on my bike as much as I would have liked because I've just been too busy and traveling allot with work. I wasn't very confident going into the weekend but kept reminding myself it was a tune up and a good way to see where my fitness lies 10 weeks out from Canada. A solid training effort, if nothing else. After all, it was the first race for me this season.

Race morning rolled around and the forecast was calling for thunderstorms. On the way to the race site Sunday morning we could see lightening off in the distance and I was confident they would cancel the swim. Which would suck for me because I need the swim to gap my competitors on the bike. Fortunately, the storms moved the other direction but unfortunately the wind was blowing pretty hard.

I was hoping for a 28-29 minutes swim but as soon as we took off I knew it would be slow because it was super choppy. I started with 2 other girls and held on strong for the first 1/3 of the swim. We started to catch some of the slower folks and I lost their feet while swimming over a bunch of men zig zagging across the lake. Knowing my bike wasn't up to par I knew I was going to have to push the swim and run if I wanted a chance on the podium. After the final buoy turn, and getting knocked all over the place by some big waves, I put my head down and hammered to shore. When I stood up I looked at my watch at saw 32 minutes. WTF...No way! I knew I was in the top 3 of the women out of the water and I had pushed it harder than I usually do. Seems everyone was 3-5 minutes off of the predicted swim times so the wind was already taking it's toll on the day.

I was excited T1 with one girl right on my heels. I wasn't sure what I could do on this leg but I decided I might as well lay it all out of the line. The first 20-30 minutes we were flying 28-30 mph and I knew the way back was going to suck with the wind in our face and I was starting to doubt if the disc wheel was the smartest idea. Sure enough we made our first few turns and it seemed that the wind was at our side or head on for the rest of the ride. I felt like I was crawling and possibly pushing the pace a bit too hard to knock out the type of run split I was hoping for. I hadn't passed any girls in my AG yet and none had passed me. I wasn't sure exactly what place I was in but I assumed top 3 still. Finally, one girl passed me and I simply couldn't stay with her. Through a stiff head wind we finally made it back to T2 and I was happy with my time and ability to hold my position in the field.

Off on the run, it was a fast course with only 1 hill that we had to do twice on the 2 loop course. I was holding a solid 7:00-7:10 pace and felt comfortable, besides really tight glutes. I knew I shouldn't go out too fast because it always feels easy right off the bike. I have been loving the run this year and was having a blast at this point. I felt great and the miles were ticking by. My pace was slipping a little bit by mile 9-10 but not enough for me to care. No one had passed me and from what I could tell on the out and back sections, no one was really close to sneaking up on me. I pushed through and crossed the line in 4:56 and in 3rd place, 18th overall female.

Given how early this race was for me and where my biking is (or is not, really) I am thrilled with how it went. I felt great the entire day and was able to PR on my run (1:36). I decided to take a slot to the Half Ironman World Championships now that it is in Las Vegas. I'm not 100% sure if I'll go if I end up getting a Kona slot in Canada but I think it would be pretty sweet (or stupid) to race Canada, Vegas, Kona all within 6 weeks.

The season is off to an unexpected great start! Next race is Sunday in Boulder and I can't wait to throw down.

Not the best picture but it's all we got...I look like I'm going to sneeze.