Whirlwind Summer

I had drafted a post about 70.3 Rockford but never finished because I received the shocking news that I had been laid off. Setting aside the anger of it for a second, I'm thankful to not be working. I had lost interest in it and my heart wasn't there–but that doesn't mean I welcome the rejection!

I didn't have much time to dwell on it, thankfully. The race was fast approaching and the volume was adding up. The additional time to recover was absolutely welcomed.

70.3 Rockford

The weekend was a scorcher. It was something like 85º at 7:30am. I was prepared but not excited about it.

The down river swim was exceptional. I loved it. In hindsight I would've swam down the center of the river rather than crossing first. I didn't know the center had the fastest current. The swim was still fast and I felt quite fresh at the end of the leg.

Getting on the bike felt great too. The first hour I was on pace to go around 2 hrs. That sure changed when the tailwind became a headwind and the temp climbed over 90º. I could feel the heat on my back and even though I nailed nutrition, at times it felt like I was cycling backwards.

Off the bike I felt good and was on the target pace of 8:45/mile. I could feel my hamstrings tightening so I tried to get as much electrolytes in as I could. About 3/4 of a mile in there's a section that has zero wind and was baking. Coming out of that you get on some pavement and you could feel the heat coming up from the ground. At the moment I realized I needed to be in survival mode vs performance mode. The temps soared over 100º and every aid station became about cooling myself down. Ice in the kits, rag wrapped on my head and as much as I could stomach to drink and keep moving until the next station.

In the end I did it-I finished. Everyone else had the same conditions and so it felt like a huge win to come in 15th in my age group. Additionally, I qualified for 70.3 World Championships earning a slot to Marbella, Spain in November. While the race was brutal and the time is meh-the results are incredible.

I'm most proud of the grit and my ability to adjust my expectations on the fly. There were several instances where I'd yo-yo with people who would run at 7:00/mi pace and then walk a ton. Eventually I'd leave them all behind holding steady at 10:00/mi. It was a race where I learned a lot.

Mid-season break + surgery

After the race I slowed down a lot. We drove up to northern wisconsin for some time on the chain of lakes and then in Green Bay. I did a few short rides but nothing strenuous. Upon returning I had surgery on my jaw which meant a bit more down time and lots of training on the trainer. With the kids home from school, this was great. I could spend time and not feel the weight of "training" in the back of my mind.

Sprint Block

This weekend is the Chula Vista Challenge. It's a sprint and the start line is about 1.5 miles from house. I'm excited to race fast and get after it. I ride/run the course for nearly every training ride and run I go on. It's quite flat with the exception of a small bridge and at the turn-around a tiny hill. Goal is sub 1 hour but who knows. It always depends on how well they measure the swim course.

My trainer broke (again) and it's being sent back to Wahoo so I've been doing all my rides outdoors. It's been kind of nice doing intervals outside rather than stationary in a hot garage. While it's a hassle, being outdoors feels amazing.

I started to feel some pain in my foot a couple of weeks ago but I got back on my activations and PT work as well as picked up some new shoes. Fortunately I'm not feeling anymore pain.

Up Next

After CVC I'll been doing the San Diego Tri Classic Olympic. This will be the last race before the build into World Champs. It will be tricky with so much going on with kids in school, soccer, and I'm helping out a friend with their website. All good stuff just a bunch to manage.