5150 Muskoka

I competed in Huntsville, Ontario yesterday for the 5150 Muskoka Triathlon. This area of Canada reminded me quite a bit of being up north in Michigan. My family vacations in Cheboygan, MI on Mullet Lake every summer so I love that woodsy up north feel where there are small towns along the way. Muskoka had a lot of water around it too. It was a neat area. However, it was hilly! So the course had its own natural challenge built in. The swim was in quiet waters where we swam in Fairy Lake and then went up the Muskoka River. I do like those calm swims! :) It was a wetsuit swim so I wore my full-sleeve XTERRA vendetta, which worked great. I was comfortable in it and had no issues getting it off...yessss! I was 3rd out of the water for the pro women. The first 2 had amazing swims and took off right away. It had been awhile since I raced an olympic distance swim because the swim in the Kansas 5150 was cancelled ...so I had to find my groove again. Oh well, you go with what you got! As I did get into a groove-I felt solid and was able to keep adding in surges. I ended up swimming by myself as the field was pretty split up.
The bike was just up and down, up and down. I had to find the groove of shifting and once I did, I felt pretty solid on the bike! I tried to be as aerodynamic as possible on the down hills to utilize them wisely as I worked the up hills. I used my Torhans aero bottle for the first time. I felt like I had the best set up for being as aero as possible since I was on my Specialized Shiv (very aero frame), had my Rudy wingspan helmet, and then the new Torhans aero bottle. Oh, I also used the built in water system on my Shiv (there is a "bladder" built right into the frame!). So I was set! It was neat to have my hydration all set up where I could stay aero the entire time while drinking. I never had that before. Very efficient!
I passed one of the girls ahead of me on the second half of the bike. I was excited to find her out there! This put me in 2nd place off the bike. The 2 loop run course started right up a hill, but I felt pretty peppy and went for it. The run had some interesting components to it as it went down a gravel hill in the woods (it was steep and you had to turn! I just had to think of safety on that one). There wasn't much of a groove to get into on this run, I just tried to stay ahead and in the moment. My legs were getting pretty tired by the end--expected right? ;) So those last hills were a bit of a challenge, but I kept thinking of staying springy and light. I came in 2nd, which was exciting! I would recommend this course if you like those natural challenges...it sure keeps things interesting! You almost have to be looking just ahead to anticipate your effort changes...all while staying in the moment :).
Also, it was fun to have a couple other Michigan friends up there racing too! A.D., Kattie, Donna, Bev, and Jamie...fun times in Canada!

Deep Thoughts by Abby!

I have been reading the book, Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. What a challenging and encouraging book! Anyway, today I was reading about when things get hard. It can be easy to shy away from difficult things in life and wonder why things always have to be so hard! Can you relate? It seems like recently I have been challenged to have a different outlook when things look hard or in fact they truly are difficult. Here is what Joyce Meyer says, "Things get hard when we are trying to do them independently without leaning on and relying on God's grace. If everything in life were easy, we would not even need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. The Bible refers to Him as "the Helper." He is in us and with us all the time to help us, to enable us to do what we cannot do--and, to do with ease what would be hard without Him" (p.200). I thought this was so good to remember! I do notice that when things get to comfy I don't call on God quite as often or just forget to! That's not good! Joyce also suggests to spend more time with God when things get hard, but don't shy away from hard things or back down. Easier said that done sometimes! But beware of your thoughts and check if they are negative regarding the situation. If you have negative thoughts, the situation is only going to seem that much harder. We need to have positive thoughts and learn to lean on Him and ask for the strength that He so willingly gives us! Check your thought process sometime, the little voice in your head can take you places you don't need to go. Negative thoughts=negative attitude=a no fun downward spiral. Christ was positive so we can/need to be too!
Now, about those hard triathlon workouts...haha. I do find I need to draw on Him to infuse me with positive thoughts and a positive mentality to workout through some of the tough parts of the season and training chunks. I need that constant reminder that it is through His power that I am able to train and endure the challenges that come with the busy lifestyle of a triathlete! I always have to relate it back to triathlon...huh! ;)

Grand Rapids Triathlon!

Great local race today in Grand Rapids! The Grand Rapids Triathlon crew did a great job hosting the 3rd Annual GR Tri! Great crowd, very supportive. It was a fun day filled with friends and family. It is fun to race locally and connect with friends. I loved it. The race went well for me. I was victorious at defending my title of the sprint race so that was great. :) I came in calm and focused today ready to try out a couple mental strategies. I was happy with how I felt, but the swim was hard to jump into cold turkey without my normal warm up as I couldn't warm up in the water. I just had to get into it as best as I could. I didn't feel any sort of groove until the very end! I enjoyed the bike today. I felt solid and stuck to my targets. This was my second race on my Specialized Shiv and again, I loved it! I feel so comfortable on this bike! I was able to use just the "bladder" that fits inside the frame as my water source today since the race was shorter than my usual. Makes for even more aero advantage! I also got my new Rudy Project Wingspan time trial helmet and it was awesome. It is so light...so it was like it wasn't even on. I like that-comfortable and light so I don't even notice it! Anyway, I was ready to go for it on the run and it felt good...hard, but good! I was so happy since my last race in Kansas didn't feel like me at all. The run was such a struggle so it was great to come back focused and fierce. I realized I needed some sprucing up on my mental cues so I was glad to accomplish that. Also, it was wonderful coming across the finish line not dealing with the mental burden of an injury! Yay! I have been able to get some really solid training in and that is exciting. I am just getting started for the races so I look forward to my next 2 Olympic distances in June.

Ross raced the Olympic distance today and he toughed out a challenging day today. It is so inspiring to hear how he works through challenges of not feeling well in a race. He's tough and I learn a lot from him! He is just getting back into the racing so he is on his way to fine tuning to get to his peak later this season. It was inspiring to see/hear about all the people who were out there racing for their first time or trying new distances for an added challenge! Also, my brother-in-law, Chad, did his first triathlon back after having a major hip surgery last year--so fun to have him back! (He is my age and had hip surgery--that's not normal is it?) ;) He rocked it today without even being able to race the run. I know that was a big accomplishment for him today.

Thanks to all who supported and cheered! Great event!!