Valley Girl

Well, I finally made it to the big race. I completed the Valley Girl Triathlon on Sunday and it was a blast! What a treat to be able to race with so many people I know! Jessi, Katey, Katie, Leni, Kathi, Kim, Jen, Trish, Nola, Deanna and quite a few Tri Fusion ladies were all there. It really put me at ease to know so many women at the race.

This was Katey and Katie's first triathlon with a lake swim and they rocked it!

Pictured below is me, Kathi and Mac. Special thanks to Kathi who sold me a new bike seat at a screamin' deal. Believe me when I say it has done wonders for me! Kathi also set me up with a sponsorship with Vitamin Water! How awesome is that?! You all think I'm totally hard core now don't you? ;)

Randall and I sport our Tri Fusion tattoos before the race. We are convinced that they, along with our awesome visors made us faster!

The swim started in waves since there were so many women (500+) so we were separated by age group. My age group was in the first wave to start the race which I was happy about. Standing on the beach watching other people start and not being able to myself would have raised a lot of anxiety for me. My swim went really well. Even though I went slightly off course, I was really happy with my time.

Here is a pic of me in my transition from swim to bike. Gotta love some serious sand in your socks! I just convinced myself it would give my feet some well-needed exfoliation.

Up next was the bike. I really wanted to push myself on the course and I achieved my goal. Fewer people passed me in this race than ever before (helps not having men out there!) and I felt really strong the entire time. Other than a serious head wind during a small section, my ride went really smoothly.

My transition from bike to run went well. Unfortunately, both of my calves felt like they were about to charlie horse and I had to stop and stretch them. As you can imagine, this is very frustrating in a race! This is a problem that I have been dealing with for my last 3 races, so I'm hoping to find the root of it soon. After I was done stretching, I felt pretty good. It was really hot, but I did a great job with my hydration and felt good. The last mile was really tough for me, but some good music got me through. I started sprinting to the finish a bit too soon, but I gave it my all and finished the race in 1:19. Here I am crossing the finish line. I look like an idiot because I'm trying to tell my mom to move because she is blocking Jake who snagged this shot.

A special thanks to my sweet sister who made these awesome signs for me and to my parents who braved the heat to come and cheer me on. I love you guys!

After some delicious Qdoba and hanging out it in the park, the day was over. I absolutely loved everything about it! This was my last race of the season and it couldn't have been a better race to end with. My goals for next year: trim my transition times down, improve my times in the races I did this year when I do them again if only by one second, and complete at least one olympic distance triathlon (gulp)!

I regret not getting pictures with more people at this race. It's hard to remember when you are so caught up in the moment. However, I want to tell Katey, Katie, Leni, Jen, Kim and Trish how proud I am of all of them. We embarked on this journey together and it was thrilling to see it happen. Congrats to all of you. You all had amazing races! Same time, same place next year?

And then there's my coach. Jessi, I know I have thanked you before, but I will never be able to say it enough. I was so scared when you signed me up for this race last year. I swore it would be the only one I would ever do and then I would be done. Somehow, you knew that wasn't going to be the case. I completed 5 triathlons this year and there is no possible way it would have happened without you. Words cannot express my appreciation and gratitude for everything you have done to prepare me mentally and physically for this sport. Thank you for the countless hours you spent and still spend on making me a personalized training schedule. Thank you for calming me down and talking me out of crapping my pants before races. Thank you for ALL of the incredible gear you have given me!!!! Thank you for helping me with my nutrition both daily and for races. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement and for inviting me into Tri Fusion which was out in full force cheering at this race. Thank you for your hugs after races and for telling me you are proud of me. Thank you for the chance to tell all of my high school friends that I'm a triathlete when I see them at a wedding in a couple of weeks! I love you beyond words and am so looking forward to all of the tri memories we will make together in the future!