Thanks for getting us started tigerchik -- congratulations on the grant (woo STEM!) and on being in the homestretch for your dissertation. I am looking forward to Dr. tigerchik starting off our threads soon :)
I raced this weekend so I was on a lovely little taper, my goals were:
Quote:
... a swim, 2 bikes, a run, 2 yoga classes and lots of water, foam rolling, and p/rehab, and then a 70.3. I'm bummed to still be on this old road bike my plan is to put together three consistent legs, ideally all a little faster than I've gone before. And to have fun.
I swam once, ran once, biked twice, did yoga twice, was diligent with my pre-race care and p/rehab, and raced my third 70.3 on Saturday.
The race went great! I felt very consistent across all three legs and did all three "a little faster than I've gone before." My splits were 35/2:53/1:42 with 10+ minutes in transition (everyone's transitions were LONG -- it was more than a quarter mile up a boat ramp into T1 and 3 city blocks for T2). Overall, I'm thrilled with my performance and execution.
Swim: It was a lake swim that they changed at the last minute due to windy conditions. There was chop but nothing like the ocean has been tossing me around in for the last few weeks. My swim was comfortable and consistent and I felt confident. I usually avoid the buoys but braved the melee this time so I had very little extra yardage (but did take a good kick in the mouth and I ended up with a fat lip).
Bike: The bike course was beautiful -- there was 2K of elevation but mostly over rolling countryside around gorgeous vineyards. Since I was on a road bike, I charged up any climb I could find but there wasn't much. Some headwinds made being upright tough choice but I am very happy with my bike.
Run: My run was solid and I negative split the course. It was mostly shaded and had a few miles of trail which I loved. It was a double loop with silly tight little turns and cloverleafs around aid stations which I didn't love. I have a lot more to give on the run but I was too scared of imploding to really speed up until mile 9. This race was a very useful experience for building confidence in my pacing, nutrition, and strategy.
Results: I am in a very competitive age group (the top 3 women in my division were also the top 3 women overall and beat quite a few pros) and was ONE SPOT from qualifying for 70.3 World Championships. I have a lot of room for improvement but this weekend was encouraging and I am proud of my results! I think my road bike and I are going to look for a course with more climbing and try to grab a spot for Chattanooga at a race next month.
I feel great today but will probably take it easy most of the week -- 2 or 3 yoga classes, a little climbing, maybe some paddle boarding. I'll return to strength training later this week and then get back to triathlon-specific training over the weekend.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week.
(Formerly SoCalTricurious, now in the PNW).