I have been racing for going on 6 years. And every single year I am a better athlete than the year before in one way or another. Some year its speed. Other years its mental toughness. Other years it's just learning how to race and maintain my sanity. 2019 is another year of monumental gains for me in several areas of my racing. I am part of an incredible team of people on the Elite Wattie Ink team for starters. And knowing that group for the last year has given me more inspiration than I have had in the last 6 years combined.
However, this is not a race report. If you are looking for one, here is a summary: It was hilly. The run was super hard. I thought I was going to die at the end. (Pretty sure thats how I have summed up every race I've ever done in my career.)
But this race was so special for a lot of reasons. It was seriously the whos who of Midwest triathletes. Like if there was a pageant for the best looking, fastest people who are all super duper nice, this was it. I guess you could say the talent was pretty monumental out on the course!
I also had a ton of friends there racing, including several of my Wattie Ink family from both Elite and the Hit Squad!! Every time I turned around I had someone I knew cheering and supporting me! So thank you to everyone who was there. It was so so so amazing.But ultimately what ended up happening at this race was that I became stronger, more level headed, and even more determined to perfect my racing. I hit the watts that I wanted to on the bike, pushing myself to numbers that I had never seen myself due in any race thus far! So going into the run I had a feeling that coming off of a tough bike, there was a definitely possibility of an explosion at some point. And don't worry, it definitely happened at mile 6 or so. But it didn't ruin my day! I pushed forward. I climbed the hills. I drank all the Coke. And I got to that finish line like I had intended to do. (Word to the wise, the finish line at this course is 3 annoying switchbacks up a hill. So if you are absolutely blacked out and spent like I was, buckle up.)
I have never crossed a finish line with absolutely nothing left in the tank like I did. I had to sit down and just get my bearings before I could even fathom trying to get up and figure out where I was at. And, man, was that a good feeling. I gave that race everything I had. And I saw some really great personal growth as an athlete on top of that. So, yeah, I only finished top 13 in my age group. And yeah, I didn't get a spot on the podium. But I had a great day, surrounded by the people I love, and I smiled more times than I can count on that course. I can 100 percent say I walked away knowing I gave it my best.I am going to take this race as a chance to know that I am capable of hard things. And I am going to take that training into Ironman Lake Placid in 6 weeks. Because all I can ask of myself this year, and every year after this, is how bad do I want it? And the answer will always remain the same: More than everyone else.