PeasantMan 2023: Bittersweet Symphony

Without a doubt, this might be the toughest race report I have ever written.  I've thought about this the past 4 days and debated which version to give you - the unfiltered truth, or the proverbial sunshine and rainbows?

And I know which one is right - its the former.  This is a little bit of a different tone than you are used to from me, and I want to acknowledge that.  But if there's one thing I have been consistent about in this blog, on social media, and in real life - its - you get the real me.  The sunshine, rainbows, laughs, dancing - and also the raw and real struggles.  So buckle up, this one's a bit of a bumpy ride.

I have a little history with Peasantman (oooooh, do tell, Rae). It's a fantastic local race put on by one of my good friends, and he rocks it.  He's run the race for a decade, but up until last year, I had silly schedule conflicts that prevented me from racing.  Last year, I toed the line with a little "sweet" motivation and somehow won the Intermediate (Olympic-ish distance) race.  What??  

Somehow that guaranteed me free entry this year, and by the grace of who knows what bad decisions on is end, Joe, the RD, brought me on to help with the First Knight Racing team on social media and as some sort of athlete presence.  Bless his heart.  Either way, I had the feels about this race - it was such a fantastic day in 2022 - could we even measure up?

I've blogged ad hoc a bit about it, and will follow up with more non race report navel gazing - but it's been a tough go lately.  The training is there, but in a lot of ways, it's been a struggle bus since Texas.  Coming into this race, I knew I could cover the distance ( a bit over standard Oly distance - a one mile swim, 29.75 mi bike, 6.55 mi run) but I seriously was lacking in zooms.  Either way, I pledged to have a fun day - whatever it brought.

I knew a lot of friends were gonna be at the race, and with Greg doing the sprint, it was fun to be able to race together (we don't often get to due to lil guys).  A few days before the race, I got a text from a friend I hadn't seen in four years - who asked me if I was racing.  I laughed at some irony surrounding said friend, and then made a ridiculously foolish bet with him as to who could go faster (he is a sub 10 Ironman finisher - Rae, will you ever learn??  Nope).

Race morning, we made the trek to Penn Yan, with the weather at least on our side - it was a little windy, but after last years sideways rain, anything was better!  We racked early, got our gear, and I began the business of very seriously setting up to race screwing around and socializing like I always do.  Fast friend set up next to me, and I got a rather - um- eye opening lesson on wetsuit tricks involving plastic bags (thanks Derek!) After a few zillion selfies and laughs, we headed down to the beach to hop in the water and go!

Swim: 34:45 - 1:58/yd (WTF)

Where to go with this - I don't know.  The shape of the swim is a giant rectangle, and the buoys are set up to match your swim cap (yes, I checked this year before donning my tinted goggles).  The water was a little choppy, but not bad, with a slight current that would be against us on the way out, and with us on the way in.  Theoretically.  

Guys, I have no idea what I did here.  I sighted worth crap, straining to see kayaks that really weren't there to guide me. (Note that there were plenty of kayaks - I'm just not that bright). I possibly threw a tea party in the middle of the swim as my pace slowed to a crawl (not a forward crawl, which is an actual swim stroke).  I never felt bad, but I'll fully admit I got caught up in my own head and cashed in within the first few hundred yards.  I exited the water after what felt like a zillion years, a full three minutes slower than last year, and headed to T2 to get on my bike.

Bike:1:34:53 29.75 mi - 18.7/mi

As I mounted my bike, a volunteer asked me how the swim went and I laughed - it was wet, I replied, and thanked the weather gods that the bike did not look to be!  The first ten miles or so were pretty uneventful - we had some cross wind, but not bad, and my HR was pretty low. As was the effort,  Damn.  I was going about 19, and I should have been going faster.  I just....didn't care.  My heart was not in this, and it pains me to say it.  I love being on my bike (who am I??) and that part was there - but I had zero drive to race.  I felt...sad.  And just sort of unsure about the whole thing.  

After we turned out of Branchport, I brightened up a bit - this is the cool part of the course that is hilly, but gorgeous.  And, much like last year, filled with horse poop and buggies.  I slowed for a few, and played nice with the cars and horses.  I even got to ride next to a few Amish people on their way to church, and thanked them for sharing the road  (they probably thought I was crazy - I am).  This was definitely the best part of the course, and at mile 19 when we turned back onto the main drag, it was all headwind and either zoomy cars or horse poop, lol. I always think this is gonna be the fastest part of the course - nope.  I handled the bike well, took in a gel, and spun out into transition, a few minutes fast than last year, but without any vigor whatsoever.  

As I ran into T2, I was a little short with a volly ( I totally misunderstood her and felt horrible and apologized later) and asked Greg how his race went - he told me to get on with it and GO RACE!  I had zero idea what place I was in.  I passed two women on the bike, but with my shit swim, who knew....

Run: 6.55 mi 49:21 7:25/mi

As I got out on the run course, I saw my buddy Matt, who yelled something vaguely encouraging or flirty (who can tell) and I smiled briefly, but I was in such a funk.  My eyes kept wandering to the wide of the road, scanning the sides of the course without any really direction.  I felt so flat.  I ticked off miles 1 and 2 in about 7:35, and saw Derek heading in for 2nd overall (he beat me by like 25 minutes and it was a stupid bet but it made me laugh) - I counted one woman ahead of me by about two minutes as I it the turn around in 24:40.  Guys - I kind of gave up.  I grabbed some Gatorade, walked a hill, and just gave no shits.  Two minutes was a lot to make up in 3 miles.  At that point, the Outlaw rode past me (warm down bike - he did the sprint) and yelled at me for walking.  I wont repeat what I said, but I begrudgingly started up again.  Hit mile 4, and mile 5 and saw....first place woman right ahead of me.  WTF?  OK, then, we should race. I picked it up, gave her a "nice job!" and turned on the gas, going from 7:40s to 7:10 and 6:55....well then.  I passed my buddy Steve going out who yelled "I KNOW THAT SMILE" and I FINALLY turned it on.  For 11 minutes...I raced.  I hit the gas full force at mile 6 and sailed it in for a 3:01 finish time, for the overall female win.

Post Race

Post race I caught up with my athletes (LAURA YOU ROCK!) and hung out, having some beer and recounting the day.  Turned out, most people had a shit swim - the water wasnt great, but I know deep down I let my head get to me. I was knighted by the queen and got my award, which I am super grateful
for, and a big thanks to First Knight Racing for putting on an amazing event, as always.

I know this is a weird report - and after the race, when I tried to explain it to my best friend, he gave me some good ribbing about feeling this was about a win.  And I am so grateful for the win.  But I also know in my heart I did not show up for this race like I should have, and I'm disappointed in that.

We move on.  Next up is the Rochester tri on August 26 - I'll be doing the sprint, which I have zero zooms for but I am excited to give it all I've got and spend the morning with some good friends.  Onward!

Musselman 2023: It's Been A Year

Sometimes, the best stories take a while to tell.  (Nah, I just made that up - really, I'm just incredibly behind at telling this tale of Musselman, but since its fun to get down, here we go!).  A few weeks ago (five, to be exact), I toed the line at our "local" Ironman branded 70.3 (That was a way cooler race when it wasn't Ironman, but that's not todays story).  This was my seventh crack at the race since my first half iron in 2008, and the race always generates the feels for some reason or another.  Back in 2008, it was my first half ever - and an epic thunderstorm.  2009 featured the double mussel and a fall on my face that was the damned coolest redemption story ever (and I got a free wetsuit out of it!).  In 2012, I won an entry because I am a wannabe writer (don't y'all know it), 2014 was my return to long course after having a kiddo, 2019 my return to tri after the debacle of 2018, and 2022....well, we will just smile at Musselman 2022's beautiful serendipity and leave it at that. What a race.  What a day.  :)

This year - as has been most things in 2023 - was all about embracing the unknown.  I signed up las year for "reasons" and while the course of my life has changed so drastically since then, returning to Geneva one year later seemed  incredibly fitting.  Plus, ya know, since most of my friends were doing it.... if they all jumped off a cliff....sure, sounds fun to me!  I had an athlete racing her first 70.3 (she killed it) and a loose bet with my old coach about who could beat who (story coming) - what was not to love about a morning spent with the best people doing what I love best? Sign me up!

Post Texas, I have been through the complete gamut when it comes to training - and life - but in a nutshell - I have chilled TF out about a lot of things, racing included.  While I will never, ever forget the incredible span of August 2022-April 2023 where I raced my little heart out and did epic things - it took its toll on me.  Mentally and physically.  I have since wisely pivoted to the pure enjoyment of the sport - with the KQ and BQ secured, it was the time to let any lofty goals out the window and have a blast - doing what I love.

With that being said, I had intentions to race smart - last year I seeded horribly, and paid for it.  This year, I played it a little wiser.  I came to Geneva on Friday to check in - AWA for the win - and secured a fantastic racking position.  Met a few new people - that - as always - followed with me through race day.  A cancer survivor.  Her best friend, doing her first half.  Both in their 60's.  Bad ass women.  As always, I am in awe.

From there, we played a little bit.  Saturday was bike racking - and a fantastic super serious pre race run shakeout crazy run through Geneva in our undies for charity (I love my people - sorry Dad!), socializing (what I do best) and then home for some family time and chill.

Sunday was up and  at 'em at 2:30 - (which, because of the early training I've put in, wasn't a huge deal!).  En route to the race, I smiled, thinking of all the fun times Musselman has brought - and armed with my stuffie mussel and my requisite racing good luck charm, ready to make some wonderful memories of the day.  As I arrived, I embraced the day fully - smiling and laughing with new friends and old.  Loaning out my bike pump and joking about the price of air and inflation.  Getting a sunscreen shot from Kathleen's husband, who was randomly on the sideline and became my race photographer for the day - and a homestay offer if I ever race Ironman Florida!  Sweet.

Pre race, I seeded myself with the 35 minute swimmers and hung out with a few RATs.  I looked out at the water and smiled, thinking of how darn lucky I was to be there.  And then with a deep breath, we were off!

Swim: 37:13, 1:46/100 yd

The swim for this year was a bit different, with a semi dive start off the docks.  The big news for Mussel 2023 was the water temp, which for the second time in 20 years, hovered on wetsuit legal.  Thankfully, someone dumped a bag of ice found a cold spot to make it just legal.  I don't much care about it one way or the other, but for my first time peeps and nervous swimmers, I was happy.  I didn't have much in the way of an overall race goal, to be honest - I was thinking somewhere along the lines of :37-:39 swim, 2:50-2:55 bike and a 1:50 run for a 5:25-5:30 finish.  I had delusions months ago about breaking 5, but was realistic about where my body was - after basically being "on" since December 2021, it was tired.  And even though PR setting is fun - I knew it wasnt that kind of day. 

The swim was pretty perfect, to be honest. Some chop, perfect temp, right seed.  I passed few people and few people passed me.  Mid swim, I realized I forgot my lucky charm in transition had had a moment - then remembered that I had my own magic within and laughed a little (then promptly drank the lake, because I'm cool like that. ) The swim design was a giant triangle, and the best part about Ironman swims are without a doubt the number of sighting bouys.  I swam 2112 yards - which is pretty freaking spot on.  Exited the swim right on the money, and ran to T1 to grab my bike and go!!

Bike: 2:49, 19.99 avg (WTF)

In T2, my old coaches' wife was cheering, and I promptly gave her a few poses for the camera, complete with butt wiggle (I will never, ever regret seconds "wasted" like that) and then I was off!  The first few miles of the bike are always congested, and this course is worst than most since its coned single lane and tough to pass.  I settled in and got comfy, and about 3 miles in, started to do the work.  Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of this course - its changed a few times over the years, and while I dont miss the five miles of bump that used to exist via Sampson State Park, the new course has way too many turns where you lose a lot of speed.  With that being said, I signed up for it and knew what I was getting into - the main goal here was to bike smart, not blow my load (thats what she said) and not wuss out.  We started out the bike with some nice headwinds (and by start, I mean the first frickin 35 miles).  I held my own pretty well and focused on HR and power - I got passed by a few RATs I expected to get passed by - Mike and Brett - (I got my revenge on one, and Ill let you guess who!). 

After almost two hours of climbs and wind, the tides turned in our favor and the last twenty miles of the bike were fantastic and zooooomy!  I made sure to drink, take in calories and gave a whoop at the last aid station manned by RATs, and stretched my legs out in anticipation of the run.  I tried to pee the last few miles with zero success - I thought I mastered this one last year at Peasantman but apparently my skills are a little lacking.  The things I write.  The things you read.  I know.  I feel your pain :-P  Finished the bike almost right on the money at 2:49, with a 19.99 average and cursing my coasting to unsuccessfully pee which cost me that precious .01 mile avg to be like the cool kids and hit 20 (or at least I tell myself that).

Either way, it was time to RUN!  (After I peed in transition.  Damned waste of a minute but what can you do). 

Run: 1:44, 7:58 min/mi pace

As I ran outta T2, I saw Greg and the kids which made me smile - it was TBD if they were gonna come and I was so happy they did!  Greg yelled out - "You're 4th in your AG!" and I was like....WHAT?  Must have misheard.  There is no way I'm 4th here - what is going on?  I never expected to try to place (Which I have never ever done in an Ironman branded race) but now we had a goal!

The run for this race was changed again from last year to eliminate trains (sorry, guys, I did have a hand in that.)  It was two loops, an out and back with a lollipop for the second piece.  The good news?  Great crowd support!  The bad news?  Well, see above...  I started out super steady about 7:45 pace, and waved and smiled at the RAT's on course, the aid station, my old coach's wife, and my buddy Russ (who informed me to move it along, this was NOT Ironman LOL).  I felt great - taking in aid every other station with the old ice in the bra trick - until I saw the new part of the course.  Where we used to run under a tunnel was now this giant ass mountain of 5 & 20 we had climb.  Shit.  The turn was so sharp to climb I saw one dude slingshot it off a garbage can (sick move) and I trudged up the hill, slowing my pace and apologizing to Ironman in my head about the bitching constructive feedback on the course relative to train tracks.  

I saw Gary (old coach) about here, and he looked to be about 15 minutes ahead of me - not catchable.  Damn-o.  Nonetheless, we had an AG spot to keep, which, without body marking, just meant I should not let any woman pass me.  Done.  About mile 5, I saw the DIDO's and gave a fist bump, then a Towpath kit ahead.  I laughed, because this same thing happened at Musselman 2022 - except this time, I actually asked the guys name instead of pretending I knew who it was (I was wrong last year anyways).  This was Cody, who was killin it, and we slapped high five as I passed and wished him luck (we caught up post race, and he's new to the scene and gonna make some waves -watch out!)  The rest of loop one passed pretty quickly, with a sweet downhill to make up for that dumb mountain Ironman put in.

Then we got to do it again.  Loop two was just as great - I slowed somewhat, but kept a steady 8:00ish pace and to my total shock, caught up and passed Gary at mile 8, who called me a Goddess (yes, I want that in writing thanks).  Up the mountain, around the lollipop, high fived Matt Kellman who called me a rockstar (flattery will get you everywhere!) and before I knew it, I was rounding home!  I slapped high five to my awesome fam and ran into the finish for a 5:17 (my de rigeur) - 4th place in my age group and 22nd female out of about 800.  Success!

Post Race

After the race I got some awesome hugs from my fam and hung out and watched my friends and athletes finish.  I met up with some new friends from Keuka (hey Sarah and Brittany!) and hung out with Marcus and the RATs and waited for awards.  It was crazy being on the Ironman "podium" (there wasn't one, so I was safe) and both Marcus and I laughed because we both came in 4th and had our first podiumat the same race!

After the awards came the Worlds Slots - this race was a qualifier for 70.3 Worlds which will be in Taupo, New Zealand - how cool is that??

And Guess who's going to Taupo?

....Not me :)  I did end up qualifying, but the race is in December 2024.  Across the world.  And while I am still in complete awe at the crazy results I have gotten over the past year of racing....I have somewhere else to be on December 14th.  Making Christmas.  At home.  With my littles - who won't be little for very much longer! And speaking of which - as is now our post Mussel tradition....when I got home from the race, Rob was waiting for me, helmet in hand.  "Hey Mom - wanna go for a bike ride?"  He asked.

Yes, buddy, I do.  I always do. 

Thanks for a great race, Musselman!  I'll be back - this is absolutely a lifestyle and I love it all.  Up next - Peasantman Olympic (ish) distance on August 20th - it'll be hard to top last year's race but I am jumping in with all I've got, as is my style :)

Keuka Tri 2023: Till Ya Legs Hurt

So, apparently I am the slackiest slacker for race reports post Texas - lets see - uh - 3 weeks ago, I did a lil Olympic local race.  Whoops.  I'm fully aware that most of you use this as a mechanism for insomnia, but for the sake of shits and giggles, I like telling stories anyways :) Let's roll!

The Keuka Lake Tri is an awesome local race located in Penn Yan, about an hour away.  It was a mainstay for us back in the beginning days, but the last time i raced it was 2019  - and the last time I did the Oly was prep for Ironman Lake Placid 2018.  Seems like a lifetime ago - and it basically was!

New management took over the race last year - my buddy Joe, who also runs Peasantman, and was clearly out for the lease on Keuka Lake - which is fine by me!  He asked me to be part of his "First Knight" racing team as a nod to his medieval theme, and I was so down to do it!  Put me in a kit and direct me toward your start line - I can't promise anything serious but I will sure have fun and smile the whole way!

Pre Race was pretty uneventful - I helped prep the day before, then Greg and i got up at o dark thirty to travel to the race.  Typical me, I set up shop then threw a party, finding all my like minded crazy people and giving out hugs, high fives and celebrating like the party it was.  Oh we were here to race?  My bad.  I'll never learn or change, and am totally fine with that.  I got to hang out with a few of my awesome athletes, my coach (who keeps trying to keep my eye on the prize, god help him), my old training buddies, and a few new people!  A few girls caught up with me to say hello and thank them for helping them through their first tri back in 2021, which is always so cool to hear - we are such a fun family as triathletes and when people have a good time and good experience and come back for more, it makes me smile!

I waited for the swim start with my friend Blair, who is part of Team USA and sick fast.  She's also ridiculously nice, so any evil plotting I have in mind is moot - I want to see her kick butt and she does the same for me....she just happens to kick it a little faster lol.  I had few expectations for this race - I wanted to give it my all, but really haven't done much with speed since Texas, and was cognizant of that.  With the water a balmy 58 (BRRR) and almost zero hills under my belt (with a HILLY bike) what could possibly go wrong??

Swim - 1523 yds: 30:14 (1:51/yd)

The swim went off in two waves for the Oly (YAY for no time trial start!) and the women were part of wave two.  The Olympic swim was two loops, and not terribly technical but man was it COLD.  I did the standard - double cap, blew bubbles, etc., but the fact of the matter is, I am not great with cold water.  I have Reynaud's and get cold so quickly, so a chilly swim can kind of mess with me.  Nonetheless, the race conditions were the same for everyone, so you go at it with what you have!  The course was kind of triangular, and there was some decent chop going out, but it evened out after about a third of each loop.  I pulled my Rae special and swam super comfy, and as straight as I could - and mostly alone.  Someday I will find feet.  Today was not that day.  I exited the water in 28 minutes and change, but the run to T1 was pretty long and up some wet stairs where you had to watch it, so the official swim time was just over 30 minutes.  Carry on.

Bike: 25 miles: 1:21:30 (18.5)

The sprint course for Keuka is this wonderful 14 mile out and back, with one climb and some fast sections.  I am an idiot and signed up for the stupid race double the fun.  The Olympic bike starts out much like the sprint, then turns right for a 5 mile uphill portion from miles 10-15 that has about 800 feet of climbing and makes you wish you had hella more gears.  In training for Texas, I rode....very few hills.  And i knew this going in, telling myself that maybe they wouldn't be as bad five years later.  News flash - I am still a moron.  I spun it out the first 10 miles, hovering around 20 mph, then turned right and watched my little bike computer tell me I could run faster (I'm not kidding, guys, there were portions where I was riding 8mph, and see ahead for my run pace LOL).  I played leapfrog with a dude here that would pass me, and then I would spin up and pass him.  After the third time, I asked him if he had done this race before and he said no, so I offered him a pro tip to not blow his load on this section of the course - to spin it easy and then give it hell at the turnaround.  I joked with him that we were not in the same AG and he laughed.  (He found me after the race and thanked me for this - see, not all decisions I make are bad!)  The rest of the bike was uneventful - I made the climb to the turnaround and saw Blair about a zillion miles ahead of me, a few fast bike friends and then as I hit the zoom back, I flew anywhere from 25-35 on the way home (in aero - WEEE!!)  As I hit T2, I laughed at myself, as my avg speed was exactly what it was for Peasantman, in the rain.  Whoops.  Maybe you want to work on some hills and not average Ironman power, Rae?  Good talk, thanks.

Run: 6.23 miles: 45:36 (7:19/mi)

As always, the run is my fave!  I grabbed my water bottle, shucked my tri top and was off!  (Running in a sports bra is just hands down the best, and if the rules allow it, I'm down.)  I had zero idea where I was in the shake up, but was pretty sure I was 4th woman.  The course was tough as we were mixed with the sprint folks, and no one had body marking, so hey, this is what we do.  I saw my old coach heading in from lap one (dude smoked me on the swim and bike, as usual), and a bunch of RATs I danced with.  My athlete and friend Maria was at the turnaround (this was a 2 looper out and back) so I danced and high fived her.  My goal for the run was to be consistent and pick it up if I could - I was averaging about 7:15-7:20 for the first loop and it felt great.  As I hit the second loop one of the spectators commented "You're just gonna run down the field, aren't you?"  And I laughed and said - I'm trying! 

I'll admit, loop 2 was a challenge, but my mantra during the run (and actually, the whole race) is to just have fun and give it my all.  Hit the vollies at the turnaround and danced and high fived and they laughed and said - there she is - smiling again!  Bet your ass I am.  I ran down two women in the second lap that I thought were in the Oly (I was right) and the second pass was with a mile to go, so I hit the gas!!  Passed my crew that did the sprint on the way in, swapped high fives, and ran it in for a time of 2:40 - and a 10k time that was faster than my standalone 10k 3 weeks ago (I am such a triathlete LOL)

Post Race

Post race was just a continuation of the giant party - I came in 2nd female, and since 1st place female won OVERALL, I couldn't be grumpy about it (Go Blair!)  2:40 was about 3 minutes of my Oly PR, which is soft, but since I don't race them that often, I wasn't upset.  We stayed for the awards, caught up with our peoples, and called it a day.

Overall, a decent race - I need to work on Open Water swimming and biking hills and I know this, and I'm cool with it.  Since Texas, I haven't done a crazy amount of focused work, and I'm at peace with it.  When I toe the line at a race, I always try to give it all I've got, but they aren't all A races - and this was not.  It was a Sunday among good friends, doing what we love best - and sometimes, that IS the goal!

Up next - Musselman Half Ironman on July 9.  What's the goal here?  Darned if I know, but we will soon fund out!

Lilac 10k: Beautiful Mistakes

 Because why would we do rational things after Ironman?

This race write up/post Ironman blog is kind of a few weeks behind - the  actual 10k was May 21, but still worth noting, mostly because of the epic shitshow that it was.  You think I poop rainbows and sunshine?  Hah! Read on, folks!

So, after Texas, I did all the wrong things.  (Are we shocked?)  I knew it.  My coach knew it.  My coach knew that I knew it, but like the good guy he is, he only intervened when he got nervous.  I didn't train, but I certainly didn't recover, either.  I did what I wanted, when I wanted to do it, and how I wanted to do it - namely in the form of shit swim yards, shit bike miles, and shit run miles.  Some of those shit miles were super fun, mind you, but all shit.

I looked toward the summer with a few goals in mind - namely, swim form and getting my bike to operate the way I wanted.  I've talked a bit with a swim coach, and picked up a few tips to try (some I'm better at following than others) and also played a lot with my bike in terms of adjustments for fit and fixing the damned auto chain drop.  Felix (that's my bike) has been playing well on his own terms, and it took me far too long to get the hint that maybe I was the problem.

But the "race" (yes, thats in air quotes for a reason)- that came first.  Let's talk about it.  After two weeks of bullshit post Texas, I started back up with training - training lite. ….about half the volume of Ironman build. It wasn't crazy intense, but my metrics were way off (are we shocked?  its amazing how smart I can be with my athletes yet so stupid myself.  Yes, I own this). I wasn't failing anything, but my body without a doubt was reminding me that I pushed hard for a Kona spot for 4 months.  And then....a Boston spot for 3 months before that .  Basically, I had been going since November 2021 with a whole whopping 4 week break.  Duh.  I, of course, as "May Rae" did not grasp this yet, so when my running buddies suggested the Lilac 10k two days before the race I said...sounds terrible....what time??  LOL

Race day - on the heels of one of the most shit -tastic weekends I've had in years, I woke up with very few expectations.  I might know how to run low and slow, but I hadn't raced an open 10k since....2012??  My PR was a 44:01, a split from a half marathon.  Welp, let's see what we can do!  

My coach offered only two words of advice - "Get em".  With scientific instructions like that, I added in my own complicated variables of little sleep, a wicked stomachache, a super messy life, and zero speedwork and we were gonna go for anything under an 8 minute mile. Aim low, have fun - right?

 Very fittingly, I went to the race with my bestie, Laura (said fellow dumpster fire friend - though lets not kid ourselves, she nailed the race and I am not worthy for her coattails (yes, that's a joke)).  Regardless, she had me laughing and ready to have a blast - which was the point and so much needed - I love that girl!

The actual race?  Oh you wanna know about that?  Well, lets call it a beautiful mistake.  The 10k course was about 1.5 miles of downhill, a few rollers, and then a gradual climb to the finish.  I lined up behind Dumpster Fire Dave and his friend Inga (who regularly run mid 6s) and took a few super serious selfies with Laura's sister, Megan.  I had zero expectations other than a great pain face at the finish, which, with my current mental and physical state, was probably the smartest goal I set.  Before I knew it - we were off!

And, as follows, is my race - otherwise known as how to epically F*ck up a 10k.  We can do this one in
ten easy steps - its much more fun that way!

1.  Run the first mile out of the gate as fast as you can.  Hit the mile marker in 6:32 - realizing this is your second fastest mile ever in a race.  Realize that this is very, very bad.

2.  Make casual conversation with the runner that you tried to outkick at Running of the Green as you're gasping for breath, and she is ya know - actually racing.  Wave cheerily as she takes off.

3.  Throw down high fives and dance moves at the RRC tent and join the party.  Wait, I'm supposed to race?

4.  Hit the 5k point in 22:01 and realize that you have fully, and completely, run out of gas.  But you....signed up for the 10k. Shit.

5.  Walk the next two hills like the sucker you are, playing Maroon 5's "Beautiful Mistakes" on repeat on your ipod.  This song was made for me.

6.  Take a deep breath and laugh at your idiocy for this race and enjoy the sunshine - smile and realize that even though your life is an epic disaster there is really...nowhere else in the world you would want to be (I think part of this has merit!)

7.  Take the final mile with a smile and hand slap those wonderful RRC folks again!

8.  Throw down crazy pain face, complete with jazz hands, to your own personal photographer thats yelling crap at you as you try to run to the finish (Thanks Brian!)

9.  Cross the finish line, dry heave, and wonder why in the hell you paid $50 for this.

10.  Find all your awesome friends at the finish who talked you into this shit and remember....exactly

why.

With a finish of 45:50, and 3rd in my Age group (how the hell did that happen) Lilac 10k was a wrap.  With a pace of 7:22, it was uh....slower than half marathon pace, but hey, sometimes life is best experienced by just saying "F*ck it - let's do this" and even though it hurt - I don't regret it. (That may, in fact, bey life motto).

And thankfully, it finally opened my eyes to actually get my shit together for the rest of the season!  The goal posts have been moved a bit for June and July, but I'm FINALLY getting my groove back - thank goodness.  Up next is Keuka Lake Tri - an Olympic race that I haven't done since 2011 - check this out for a laugh!)  Goal?  Legit, to have fun!  The water will be cold, the bike hilly, and the run a blast - and with so many friends there, its definitely gonna be a party!!  LET's GO!

IMTX: Post Race/Lessons Learned

Alright, where were we?  In the vein of "when the hell will this freaking race report EVER end - rest assured.  This is it.  This is the true navel gaze post - we have already run through the day's swim, bike and run - and now its time for what happened next!

Aside from the fact that I was in total disbelief about my time, post race I just walked around like a
zombie (a really freaking happy one!).  I called my coach and one of my best friends and responded to all the awesome congrats messages (you guys ROCK - THANK YOU for all your love and tracking on race day!).  We grabbed my bike and crap, and headed to the post race tent for some food - which I totally could not eat.  No shocker.  I was totally spent and quite honestly, a mess - but a happy mess! There weas zero doubt I left it all out there on that run course, and that was the goal!

We headed back to the Air BNB for a shower and clean up, and then we passed out hit up the country bar.  What???  I didn't stutter.  There was this awesome looking bar in downtown Houston I was dying to go to, and I promised myself that if I could walk - I would go!  Confession - I am a huge fan of line dancing, and basically any kind of dancing.  What other time to go than post 11 hour race???? (We call this celebratory - and also - Rae is an idiot.  But you knew that).

Honestly, it was a blast.  I jumped in and tried some new dances, and then saw - they had a bull.  OMG.  I have never ridden one, and in the midst of bad decisions, I decided to give it a go!!  I lasted 64 seconds and honestly - once I got on, the realization that the only way off was to fall off was the worst part.  It was a great night and I regret zero of it.  At the end of the day, its all about fun, am I right??

The next morning I was up at stupid o clock (I can never sleep after these things) and started packing up and pulling things together.  The awards banquet was at 11 - and I was kind of unsure if I wanted to go.  It was such a weird feeling - I was so jazzed about my time, and any other year it would have netted me at least top 10.  But with an 18th place finish out of 99 women - I just wasn't sure.  Early odds predicted that there would be about 15 Kona slots (remember this was a championship race) - and this race was perfectly situated for people to accept their slots.  It was 6 months out from Hawaii (perfect timing), an early season race, and clearly everyone had the same mindset.  What the hell - I could take a few hours to have some lunch and cross my fingers!

The ceremony was pretty awesome - if a bit lengthy!  We got to see all the winners, the previous days video, and all the AG winners.  They did World slots for the men first - which took FOREVER - it will be interesting to see how this Nice Worlds goes, but from what I saw, basically, if you wanted in, you were in.

The women- were different.  They started with the oldest AGs and these women were FREAKING fast.  The slowest woman in the 55-59 AG that got a spot finished in...12:30.  Holy moly.  They also - weren't rolling at all.  There was one spot that rolled down in the AG in the 50s and that was it.  I was so nervous.  When we got to my AG there were 16 slots and my heart was totally in my throat.  First place took her slot.  Second place....was last years Kona AG winner and already had a slot.  OMG.  Third place (former pro)....had a slot from qualifying at Arizona 2022.  AND HOLY SHIT..... I WAS IN!!  I'll be honest, everything else was a freaking blur.  When my name was called, I squealed and accepted in a heartbeat!!  I later found out it rolled one more in my AG - and the last woman accepted finished in 11:16.  So I qualified with 5 minutes to spare.  You guys - never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.  And the time I needed... still baffles me. Honestly - if you told me I needed an 11:15 to qualify back in August, I never would have signed up.  Facts.  Sometimes what you DONT know really is key!  IT'S HAWAII TIME BABY!

The past few weeks have been a return to normal.  We drove the 23 hours home (that was super fun!) and since I got home, I have had the most wonderful friends and family celebrate with me.  Rob told the whole school and my neighbor Kelly told the whole town, so apparently anyone that wants in on October 14, I'm just renting the Island :-P Come party with us LOL!

Its surreal.  The past few weeks I have ditched formal training and am now just easing back into it - I have a few mid season races then its time for the big dance!

There are ways to improve, and I can pin point them easily.  I struggled a little bit on the bike because it was such an early season race - I didnt get a lot of outdoor rides in - and I dont ride in aero on the trainer.  I gave up some time because I had to shift in and out of aero the last half because my neck hurt a ton.  This will change as the season progresses - I froze my zwift account and only ride outdoors from May-November (sorry coach). 

The heat was also a factor - we had a few warm days in NY, but for all intents and purposes I went from 40 degrees to mid 80s.  I think I handled this pretty well, but post race it absolutely slayed me and I felt like crap for quite awhile, 

I also only hit open water swimming twice - for short amounts.  The swim didnt bother me, but my new resolution going forward is to...uh...learn how to swim.  After 15 years its about time.  I can motor through this segment but I leave a decent amount of time on the table due to shitty form.  Luckily, I have a friend at the Y who is willing to laugh at me and also help my technique (in that order, duh) and since he's a legit former D1 swimmer...and a fun dude... we listen to him.  I also have another friend who offered to give me lessons - I've sent him a video for feedback, and there was plenty (suffice to say it was NOT an ego boost lol).  Swimmer Dude also knows what he's doing - he coaches and is also former D1 so I have plenty of support (and apparently, plenty of "Dudes" in my life that tell me what to do - you guys are the best. Truly.). 

Overall though, I am really pleased with this race - I would be anyways - and the fact that its only April makes me even more excited for the rest of the season.

The whole Kona goal...was a ridiculous moonshot.  If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have laughed at you.  And then - I gave it my best shot.  My all. The past 4 months have not always been easy, but they have been laser focused on a goal, and when things went wrong, remembering the goal, having a back up plan, and having the belief that it could be done was key.

I couldn't have ever done it without my amazing support team, and I thank every single one of you.  You know who you are.  And if you don't....yep, you're on the list.  I'm blown away by the love and help I got this time around - and.....I wish I could just charter a jet for us to all go on vacation.  I'm working on that lotto dream, stay tuned. It would help if I played, wouldn't it?

I have no deep secret success tips for this one.  I was lucky enough to have so many things fall into place race day - which is never a given.  I trusted the plan my coach gave me, and when I had questions, he answered them.  He gave me guidance and support and a kick in the ass when I needed it.  On my end, I did the work.  The early mornings, late nights, snowing runs, and juggling work, family and life in between.  It was incredibly hard, and incredibly worth it.  I'll be glad to play for a bit and then focus back on long course with the goal of HAVING FUN in Hawaii - though don't I always do that?

Stay tuned for the road to Kona - its gonna be wild, crazy, and I hope - amusing :)

IMTX Run: Livin' on the Edge

Where were we?  Oh right, In installment 3 of the longest race report ever (I'm almost done, folks, you can only milk it so far).  So far, we had a pretty solid, snakey swim, a decent bike, and now it was time to RUN!

Weird fact - even though the run is my forte, I have never been able to pull together a solid Ironman effort.  Jury is still out why - I suspect that for the first 3, I sucked so bad on the bike that I had nothing left.  As for Des Moines, well, I'm gonna just blame it on the weather - though Texas wasn't a ton cooler!

No mind, I dismounted my bike and had to sweet talk a vollie to take it (guys, I didnt pee on it, I swear, and thats a problem!) With that done, I sailed into T2 and grabbed my bag, dumping it out to run prep.  I was graced with a vollie to help (YES!!) and I put her to work slathering me with sunscreen.  I had decided to ditch the jersey for the run and do my sports bra and tri shorts, which had plenty of pockets for gels.  Again, I was efficient, but the lack of peeing on the bike caught up with me and I had to double back to the porta potties by the bikes for a pit stop.  T2 time - 7 minutes, for an elapsed time of 7:20.  My real goal for the race was an 11:30 - I tried to break 12 last year, and that was acceptable, but I felt pretty confident with my training that if I could execute well, that an 11:30 was possible.  Goal for the marathon - 4:00 (well, 3:59:59 LOL).  

My instructions out of the gate were to start mid 8s and stay in zone 1.  I saw Greg, who told me I was in 34th place in my AG and 39 minutes behind 10th place.  I spent a good ten minutes convincing myself I misheard him - WTF was this?  With the Kona spread, I knew there would be anywhere from 14-16 slots in my age group, and wanted to run into 10th place if I could.  I knew I would be coming out of the bike further down, but I was not expecting this far down....  Apparently the elite world had shown up to race - and it was go time!  Pre race, I had four scenarios in my head about this Kona goal....

A quick tutorial - when trying to Boston qualify, for the marathon, you need to run a time based on your age - mine was 3:39.  It doesn't matter the weather, terrain, etc., the time is the goal.  So going into Philly, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  Snow, rain, tsunami - cross the line in 3:39 or better.  Check.  

For Kona, its all based on who shows up.  There are a certain number of slots allocated to each age group, and if you finish within those slots, you get to go.  For IMTX the last few years, a sub 12 would have done it with the slots they allocated for 2023 - which was a championship race.  Championship is usually a loose term - you don't need to qualify to race TX - but apparently, every elite woman had the same thought I had - and raced Texas!  (I later found out there were 3 former pros, the 40-44 AG winner for Kona 2022, number two ranked 40-44 amateur in the US and a few more bad ass women that have won 70.3s in my AG).  So, it was crazy competitive - and if I wanted in, I would have to give it my all!

My four scenarios were this -  I would have a fabulous PR and Kona Qualify (YAY!), I would have a fabulous PR and NOT Kona Qualify (this would be great but also a little let down), I would have a non PR and Kona Qualify (again, some weird feels here) or the worst - a poor race and no KQ.

I was prepared to handle any scenario and the be all end all was to just do my best and run my own race, leaving no regrets out there.  If I thought too hard about it, 39 minutes for a 26.2 mile run was ridiculous to overcome.  And at mile 3, as I digested this, I hit a low spot.  My first two miles were low 8s, and the 3rd mile, the sun hit and my emotions hit.  It was not good.  I was tired.  Why was I trying?  Who cared about this - if I ran a 4:10, I would beat my goal.  If I ran a 4:40 (my de rigeur) I would still go sub 12.  That was good enough.

HOLD THE FUCK UP Rae.  This was NOT what we came to do.  And again, I thought of my coach, who reminded me that I had NO idea what people ahead of me were doing, or what kind of race they were having.  Why was I making assumptions?  Do I throw in the towel?  NO!  I did a body scan and realized I was a little tired so I took the marathon fix it - coke.  Yep, a few sips of caffeine did the trick (and I continued doing this every other mile for the rest of the race).  I also turned off my run time and put my watch on HR - with the goal to stay in zone 1 until mile 23, and not get caught up in the minutiae of pace.  This works two ways - I wanted to not overcook, but also a rational metric to assure myself that if I was tired but my HR was in the right spot, it was mental. And on we went.

The rest of lap one was smooth sailing, miles clocked between 8:30-8:45 and Greg told me I had moved up to 27th and that everyone ahead of me was running high 9s.  Sweet.  I didn't get too much in my head about the math, I just kept at what I was doing - half mile run, quick walk break up the hill, half mile run, quick aid station ice and water and every other a half gel and coke.  Perfect.  As I passed several people, I had no idea who was in my AG (man do I miss body marking!) so I just kept my pace steady and reminded myself what the goal was.  About mile 12, I passed a bunch of residential neighborhoods with the best crowds - a lot of people told me I looked great and that my form and stride were awesome (I love it when people lie to me 9 hours into an event!)  Hit mile 13.1 in 1:54 and change and felt good about this 11:30 goal - I was tired but not dead in the slightest, and the combo I had of run/walk and nutrition was working well, so we keep at it!  

I had another slight moment around mile 15, when I saw Greg and he told me I was still about 20 minutes back, but that I was in 23rd place.   At this point in time I passed Kyle, who was having a tough day due to an injury flare up, but still smiling. I saw Greg again at mile 16 and stopped for a hello, and a minute later Kyle ran by and yelled OMG Rae Run!  So we ran together for a bit.  I was still feeling good but laughing a bit about how I was having a banner day - but that it wouldn't even matter because every fast woman 40-44 had showed up.  I again tuned into my coach's words - How bad do you want this?  Pretty damned bad.  And with 10 miles to go, I knew I was gonna give it hell and go down swinging with all I had.  At the start of lap 3, I was in 21st place and Greg told me everyone ahead of me was blowing up and to GO!  True words?  who knew but they worked. 

The rest of lap 3 was kind of a blur - as I moved on to mile 20, I knew I could go 11:15.  Totally surreal. I still felt strong, though!  By mile 22, I knew I could go under 11:15...OMG.  With 5k to go, I wound up and just gave it all I had, and the last two miles were kind of a blur (in a sexy, sub 8 way LOL).  I changed my watch to overall time and saw 11:10 as a thing....and then the actual finish line (which was off of an uphill because of those sadistic Texas f*ckers). 

....I was totally and completely beyond comprehension.  I ran through the finish, my hands pumped, and post race completely collapsed in a fit of sheer disbelief.  My total run time was a 3:50, with a 1:56 second half (HOLY SHIT, almost freaking even split an IRONMAN MARATHON), and a 54 freaking minute run PR for a total time of 11:10 - an hour and 8 minute Ironman PR, baby!

And ironically, 18th place in my AG, out of 87.  Wow.  I knew in my heart there would not be a Kona spot for me, but like one of my goals - the feeling was still unreal.  I had absolutely shattered any goal I had, and was completely and utterly comforted in the fact that I 100% laid it all out there with everything I had.  

And that, was Ironman Texas.  Since this post is, of course, getting long, I'll save the post race shenanigans and lessons learned for part 4 of this years long saga.  Stay tuned!

IMTX Bike: What it Takes

And its time for part two of Ironman Texas recap - the bike!  Thanks for your kind words on part 1 - you never know if this navel gazing induces huge eye rolls or legit interest, but for everyone that wants to follow the story, I'm grateful for it.  As a side note, I write these race reports for a few reasons - one, to relive the day, two - to help future Rae and anyone else help learn from my mistakes (there are plenty!) and three - to help anyone racing the particular race learn from the course and my recounts.  End aside - where were we?  Oh yes - about to mount the bike!

As I ran into the change tent, I was amazingly efficient for an Ironman - my swim was a few minutes slower than I wanted (but within the range of 1:10-1:15 so all good) and so I wanted to MOVE!  Ironman transitions are a bit slower than your typical tri - you grab a bag with all your bike stuff, head to a change tent, and move like a Nascar pit crew.  Sometimes you get a volunteer to help, sometimes you fly solo - and for this one, I flew solo.  No mind.  I put on my bike shoes, helmet ( yes, THE RIGHT WAY - check!) glasses, and stuffed my jersey with my gels, slim jims and paydays - and was off to grab my bike!  Again, the beauty of my AWA racking meant I had much less further to run with my bike, which was an amazing perk.  I grabbed Felix (that's my main man, my bike, and I love him, even though he was being difficult pre race) and we were off!  ...well....kinda.  As anyone knows, I am not the most graceful gazelle with my bike, and NO, I did not fall down.  Hit power up on my bike computer and lost control of the steering and almost knocked the bike over as I ran to the mount line (stay classy, Rae) - and of course, the amassing crowd was all there to witness my idiocy impressive bike save.  There was a gasp (I am not kidding lol) and I yelled out - I got it,  I'm good!! (which says a lot) and everyone laughed. I mounted my bike and was off for a cool 3 minute T1 - which was awesome!

The bike course was made up of 3 main parts - 20 miles around town to get to the Hardy Toll Rd - then two out and backs of Hardy (20ish miles each) and then the final 10 or so coming back.  The course was pretty flat (I got 2,200 ish ft gain total) but was wide open to the elements - both the sun and wind.  Race day temps hit the low 80s, which is not bad for Texas, but I knew it was gonna be a hot bike and would need to stay on my nutrition.  One of the big changes that Mean Dude implemented (we are gonna talk alot about him for the bike and run recap) was to beef up my bike nutrition - I was not eating or drinking nearly enough.  Sweat test prescribed 40 oz of liquid per hour, which sounds like A TON but in the heat, it was key.  I also ate 400ish calories an hour on the bike, which, compared to last Ironman, was twice the amount.  To get in the 2000ish cals I needed, I had Skratch Super fuel (1200 cals), 4 gels (400), 2 pay days and two slim jims - to break up the flavor and get a little salty (thats what she said).  I took in salt every half hour, and ate on the hour, while sipping skratch every ten minutes, and grabbing a new water bottle every 20 miles or so. Check.

The first 20 miles or so were pretty sweet, effort wise - I got my HR right in zone 1, and settled in as
best I could - there were a lot of turns in the beginning, but easy to navigate as long as you sat up and paid attention.  I saw my friend Linz about 6 miles into the bike and yelled out a big hello, and my other Rochester friend Kyle passed me about mile 17 and we did a verbal high five - he looked awesome!  At mile 20, I was averaging about 19.5, and my A goal for the bike was 5:45, so I was right on target.

Then I tunred onto Hardy Toll Rd. (BTW - Actual signage on the course to the left) and was hit in the face with wind!!  The Hardy Toll Rd ran North/South, and past race history proved again this year, it meant a headwind for miles 20-40. (and 60-80). The road also boasted no shade whatsoever and a few crazy overpasses that weren't hard climbs, but windy AF.  It also featured some cool cross road names like "Riley Fuzzel Rd" which was hilarious to me two hours into a race (ok fine, I would laugh anytime.) 

 I knew logically that miles 20-40 were gonna be tough.  My speed slowed dramatically - and the rational part of me knew that when I turned around, I should get some free speed.  But, as I will always say - Ironman is mental.  (And for the mentally insane).  Your mind will tell you "No" way before your body does.  And at mile 30 of the bike - I hit a low.  I was mad.  I was tired.  I didn't want to.  And 3 hours into an event that can take 12 plus hours to do - is NOT where you want this.  Then I remembered some of the strategies Mean Dude and I talked about - when I felt like this, it was either nutrition or pacing issue. I knew my effort was good, but the mph was messing with me, so I switched my bike computer to just read power.  I also knew I had a caffeinated gel in my bento, so I took that for an energy hit.  Worked like a charm.  The next ten miles were not the most fun, but I was back out of my own head and ready to rock! YES!

Which I did at the turnaround, going from about 16-17mph to a cool 22-23mph with little effort.  WHEEEE!!!  I was racing trains as they took off in the median (thankfully those little suckers never crossed over and made me stop) and was loving every second.  I accidentally swallowed my gum, and grabbed my spare piece out of my jersey, which would not come out of the foil.  Hell.  I tried to dislodge it with my teeth and ended up with some lovely mint aluminum foil gum.  (Foil DOES NOT taste good but hey, its Ironman!). 

 About mile 60, we turned back and were headed for more headwind.   This time I was ready - I knew to focus on power and get through the next hour or so.  The winds had picked up to about 20mph, but I distracted myself by playing leapfrog with a dude in front of me - I would pass him climbing and he would pass me on the flats.  My form fell apart a bit here - since I hadnt ridden outside a ton, aero was a little harder to hold here, and I also knew that I was getting hot.  The wind messed with my nutrition a bit, and when I looked down, I saw salt tracks on my arms. Shit.  Not good. I was almost four hours in and hadn't peed since the swim (sorry guys), which was not good, so I took in a few more salt tabs and grabbed a bottle at the next hand off (these were not super easy to navigate - it was really congested, but I knew I needed them, even if it slowed me down).  As I dumped my bottle into my aero mount, I hit a snare in the road where there was a perpendicular crack, and my wheel got caught.  FUDDDDGGGEEE.  Thankfully it squeaked out and I stayed upright, and other than a minor freak out about wheel damage, I was good to go (there were a ton of crashes due to these - I paid attention but had missed this one due to fiddling with nutrition.  lesson learned). 

The next hour or so was uneventful, save for me and leap frog dude, who had "On Pace" written on the butt of his kit, which made me giggle.  We would chat every time we passed each other, and I made a joke out of staring at his butt (he was in the 50-54 AG, I later found out, so score one for the dude getting teased by the younger woman, and check off my requisite dude in his 50s I hang with for a portion of a race.  Thanks #1779!).  Whatever the reason, it made those painful 20 miles go by much easier, and at mile 82, we flew back again toward transition!  Those 20 miles felt awesome, and I spun out, fueled, and tried to pee again with no luck (dammit).  At mile 102, we pulled a u-ey and headed back toward home, and for approximately 30 seconds of the 112 miles, rode through shade (it does exist in Texas!)  Looking down at my data, which I reverted back to time, it looked like I could pull a 5:50ish bike split, which was great with me!

The last ten miles were uneventful - more turns, a few grumpy gung ho men passing on the turns (thanks guys) and a few leapfrogs, but mostly just sucking in the rest of my skratch and spinning out for the marathon ahead!  I finished the 112.1 miles in 5:52, for a 19.1 average, (a nine minute Ironman PR)  and was off to T2 to RUN!!