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A Win, A Sufferfest and A Disaster.
It's been a strange year - it started off fantastically -then, abrubtly, it came to a close. Lyme, cold after cold from a weakened immune system...the year of promise was turned upside down. It was frustrating, but not enough to keep me from indulging in good food, libation and very little sleep - none of which helped heal me.
Fast forward: It's been 3 weeks since I started a Gluten Free Diet - now, don't get me wrong, this is not the be-all and end-all of diets, but it is working for me.
Getting healthy has been a process. Getting fit again has been a process and I've been nervous to express anything about getting fit or racing. I was and am unsure of my fitness level. I used to show up at races and think, "I'm going to win this." Yet this past weekend, I found myself nervous the night before a sprint. A SPRINT! Nervous driving the the start. It was a good sign - a sign that I CARED about the racing. I managed to pull off the fastest swim of the day, the 2nd fastest bike of the day and sadly, just the 3rd fastest run of the day.
The race was great - a full event with over 500 athletes - but with 5 waves of all mixed athletes, it was impossible to see who was where on the course (I stared 11 minutes after the first wave). I just went with it and in hindsight, I should have gone harder on the run. I crossed the line with athletes folded over in pain and realized I wasn't even breathing hard. YUP, should have gone harder. The best news? I smiled the entire time - finally getting back to being me.
The race was in the backyard of my friend Audrey and her hubby, so we went for a nice long ride post race. Audrey's hubby is an ex-pro and she herself is an incredible athelte; a Cat-1 rider after just 3 seasons. She is spectacular and I'm not sure she's ever used her small chainring. She and her hubby and an ITU hotshot dragged my sad bottom all over NY state - eek! I was DONE in a big way by the time we arrived back at the park.
Sam treated me to dinner Saturday night and then Sunday we swam farther than IM distance - did I mention how proud I am of Sam??!! That boy is going to rock it at Cozumel this Fall.
Be back tomorrow to tell you all about today's 2:45 run! Wahooo!!
ps. Congrats to Kate Pallardy on her 4th place finish at Ironman Wisconsin, Bill Keith for another impressive IM performance and to mister Jameson Bull who is now, officially, an IRONMAN!