The 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championships is a race I won't soon forget. What the race day athlete tracker didn't show:
1. The ugly crying just an hour before my race start.
I will save the gritty details for story time another day. In the end, there is always someone crying on race morning & I got to be that person this time around. Lesson learned: every race deserves the utmost attention to detail and planning, especially when it's on the other side of the world. Sprinting into transition with only 3 minutes to spare is not the way to set yourself up for a successful race.
2. How lucky I felt to line up on this particular start line.
The level of athleticism on the world stage is pretty incredible- it felt like such a gift just to be there. After the stress tears stopped & the sun was rising over the Pacific Ocean, I was able to soak in what this day was really about. I hope I never lose that sense of true gratitude.
3. The process goals in the swim that lead to my strongest ocean swim to date.
I am a learned swimmer (& will be learning my whole triathlon career!) What I have really focused on over the last few months is thinking more about process goals while I swim vs. a goal time. Instead of trying to manage pace in open water, I race by effort with a focus on technique and very specific process goals. This allowed me to only lose a minute and change from my CdA lake swim to my Worlds ocean swim.
4. The true championship nature of the course.
An unpredictable ocean swim, a bike course open to the elements with a 20% grade climb, a run with beautiful ocean vistas, and the longest transition area ever made this course worthy of the championship title. Thank you Sunshine Coast, Queensland for the challenge!
5. How hard traveling internationally to race was on my body.
Crossing time zones, acclimating to a new sleep AND meal patterns added a new layer of race preparation. Australia is an incredibly beautiful country & it's also reeeeally far away from home in Utah.
What a 20% grade looks like the morning after.
The best and worst thing about triathlon is that it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get 😊 If you know me well, you know I LOVE chocolate and a good challenge, but I'm also a grade-A planner. There are aspects of a race you can plan for, but so many you can't. This race tested me mentally & physically in a lot of new ways. I'm tucking those mistakes made & lessons learned away in the race memory bank.
If you followed my race last Sunday, THANK YOU. If you gave me a card or a gift or sent me a text or a Facebook message, THANK YOU. It meant SO much to me. I felt so much electric magic out there on course & I know it was all the support I continue to have for this crazy sport I love. We were also fortunate to have some of the BEST hosts in both Gold Coast and Sunshine Beach, their gracious hospitality blew me away. A huge thank you to Brett, Danny, Annette, Chris and Sonia for opening your doors & showing us your country!
Cheers to the magic.
XO.
V
