Wildflower

Wildflower. A beautiful and challenging course. I, much like Charisa, believed in my heart that this had the potential to be a great race for me. Everything in preparation for the race went well. I was strong in all three disciplines and I knew that if things came together on race day I would reap the benefits of my hard work this winter and spring. However, as can happen in sport, things did not go as I had visualized. Maybe I could have been mentally stronger when I started feeling crappy on the bike. Maybe I should have pushed myself to stay with the girls who went by me instead of being too strict and sticking to my race plan. I need to have a plan and there needs to be some limits but I also need to just freaking RACE! I am a better cyclist and runner now and I need to have the confidence to try and stick with my competitors. I also think I need to have the confidence to put it all out there and take the chance of completely blowing up.

So, instead of making this a report on why I am not happy about my race I am going to tell you the positives.

*I started and finished the race strong. My swim was much better. The last 5 miles of the run I found a bit of energy and finished feeling like a runner instead of just hanging on. This is an improvement from my first race in San Juan--solid.

*The volunteers were awesome. I was in a dark spot at the beginning of the run and just hearing them scream how awesome you were and saying things like "you rock" really did help.

*I made it to the start line and crossed the finish line. Things happened in between but at the end of the day, I finished what I started. This is always a good thing!

*I did not get blown over by the cross winds on the bike.

*My transitions were great. Except for the rock in my sock in T2. I took 5 seconds to dig that sucker out because I not running 13.1 miles with that underneath my foot---I was enough pain.

*Even though I shed a few tears in the middle of the run and yelled at my husband to please "say something positive to me" I really did enjoy myself on race day. Every step forward is a step in the right direction. Therefore, challenges on one day will help me down the road.

*I learned a lot.

Escape from Alcatraz is next on June 5.