I recently traveled to Galveston to participate in the 5150 triathlon series. This was my final race for the season. I didn't orginially plan on this being my final race, but the 5150 race in Clearwater, FL to be held in November, was unfortuntaely cancelled. So I took the bull by the horns and decided to make this race a great one! I first have to mention that Galveston was a neat island. It had a tourist type feel...it is always fun for me to see houses on stilts along the shore. It's not everyday that I get to be around this type of scenery!
Anyway, the race course venue was nice and was also fun for me. The run was quite interesting with a lot of turn arounds. It was a 2 lap course, which allowed Ross to see me many times...yay for his cheering!
Well, this race couldn't have gone better. I was very calm leading up to the race, I knew I did all I could to prepare and the rest was in God's hands so all I had to do was stick to my own race targets and execute my plan through what I could control. The swim was great. It was in the Gulf so this was actually my first salt water swim for a triathlon. I kinda liked it-a little extra buoyancy can never hurt. :) I felt strong and calm in the swim and used opportunities to surge to test if I could hold a little faster pace. I came out of the water exactly with 2 other girls so we were 3rd, 4th, and 5th exiting. I had a quick transition and came out of T1 in 3rd. I ended up 4th off the bike, but got caught quickly again in T2. On the start of the run, I was able to keep the girl ahead of me in sight and didn't let her gain ground. I stuck to my race plan and didn't begin surging aggressively in the first run, but I saw I was slowly gaining on the girl right in front of me as well as another up ahead! I think I was in the zone because I continued to keep steady and not make a move too soon-it was like my body just knew what to do. As soon as I rounded the 2nd lap, I began a little build. I wasn't sure how much I would have left, but I took a risk and surged ever so slightly. I continued to gain on the girls in front of me and passed 2 of them! I was really excited. There was the 2nd place girl still a little ahead of me and I wasn't sure if I could catch her. I continued to try slight surges to test what I could do. I ended up passing the 2nd place girl and eventually ran my way into 2nd place. I was just thrilled as this was my first podium finisih as a pro! I had a big smile on my face and felt I raced a smart race. It was such a gift to have ended on such a high note after having a challenging race season having to drop out of races due to my injury and cut back on the run training. Reflecting back on the race, I will definitly take the strategies I used in this race to next season! I later found out that I ran my fastest 10K by over a minute. Wow! How fun!! Ross and I had a great time together and I have to thank him for all his help with such a quick trip down to TX and back. Couldn't have done it without his support. As my season comes to and end, I want to be sure and thank Barb, Shoreline Sport and Spine Phsycial Therapy, Train out Pain Chiropractic, and my sponsors for all their support in helping me have a great season despite its many challenges. And of course the Lord for making this all possible.
