The Chicago Triathlon was last sunday and it went well! It was definately windy in the "windy city." It was so fun to have family and friends there with Ross and I for the race. Thanks for all the cheering...it was so encouraging!
Leading up to the race, I was experiencing some hip issues again, which made me pretty nervous due to my recent stress fracture. Even race morning during my pre race run warm up I had issues with feeling tightness that wasn't going to go away. I said lot of prayers leading up to the race that everything would be okay and that I would be able to get through the run okay. It's amazing how God gives you the strength when it's needed.
Anyway, here's the breakdown of the race: The swim was rough. It was quite wavy and most of the swim was back into the wind so that meant battling those waves. It was one of those swims where I wondered if it was ever going to end! I was able to be with a solid group of girls for the swim, but had to really work hard to stay there with the conditions. Well, besides the conditions there were fast swimmers there too...haha. I felt pretty water logged afterwards and it was challenging to get into a good groove. The swim is pretty neat though because we swim by the yacht club right along the breakwall there so people can walk by you the whole swim. I heard my dad yell, "go abbs!" in the middle...cool! After the swim, I quickly forgot about how hard it felt as I transiioned to the bike. I knew I had a little ground to make up for having a swim that was a little off. I felt strong and solid on the bike though. I was able to pass a few girls, which helped the adrenline rush! I really enjoyed the ride. I ended up having the 5th fastest bike split, which was exciting for me! I came off the bike ready to have a good run. I took a few minutes to establish my form and find my groove. I knew a couple girls were right on my tail so I was going to have to work hard to hold it! I did get passed by a couple girls, but I also passed a girl. It was really windy coming back on the run so that was challenging. I pushed with what I had and used my positive mantras to help me fight through. I could see several girls ahead of me, but didn't end up being able to catch them. I ended up in 9th place and was within 20-40 seconds or so of a few other girls and just over a minute from 5th place. Overall I was pleased with my results, especially with having my hip issue. It was a fun day. Now I have to address my hip issue and if all goes well I wiil be geared up to race locally in the Reed's Lake Triathlon next!
P.S. Congrats to the "Zane" family, Ross, Kattie, and AD for their races too!
