Chicago Triathlon

It was a fun weekend in Chicago! Ross and I's parents came down so that was great to have them around and their support. Our annual Chicago dinner tradition continued with Kattie, AD, and Eric Zane's family...except we went to the Cheesecake Factory 2 nights before the race insteady of Gino's. Man, Cheesecake Factory has something for everyone...ya know???? I did get some great Gino's deep dish pizza AFTER the race. That was so worth it! Anyway, how I about I tell about the race? It was a later starting race (11:30). Since there are so many people participating they have the pros go later in the day when the bike course is more clear. Ross raced first thing in the morning with the elite amateur group so he was gone early and I got to hang out in the hotel for hours later. That is hard to do sometimes by yourself when you have nerves! haha. Anyway, weather was looking good in the morning, but we knew they were calling for rain-it was just a matter of hours before it was supposed to roll through. Of course, at the start of our race came some rain. Well, the swim felt great for me this time. I got reved up in the warm up and felt confident in my plan. I was in the next pack of girls back behind the top 4. I felt like I could throw in surges when I needed to so that was great! There is a long run to transition...believe me...it is long. I lost some contact with people on that run to the bike. I just couldn't get my legs under me! I put shoes on (like many others) coming right out of the water for the long run and was glad I did. Once I got on my bike, I settled in and went for my targets. I know this bike course well (it is a simple out and back one-2 loops on Lakeshore Drive) so I knew when I wanted to build and put in any kind of surges. It did start to rain and got a little windy towards the end of the bike so that was challenging at some points, but I remained focused and looked at it as an adventure. I haven't done many big races in the rain! My Rolf Prima wheels seriously worked well. I didn't have any real big issues with the wind and rain, which was great. I think the rain decieved me as far as how hydrated I was. I didn't go through all my water on the bike, which was probably not a good idea. I was concerned I was going to be sloshy in the stomach on the run and I wasn't sweating (so I thought) so I cut back.  I think I needed more though. Anyway, I held my spot of 7th on the bike and set off for the run. I can't say I felt too peppy coming off the bike. I had to stick to my mantras and committ to my targets and surge where I planned to. I did stick to my targets, but it sure didn't feel like I was surging. The run just felt hard, but I stayed focused and committed. I am glad I was able to take some risks and see if I could dig a little beyond...it just gives fuel for upcoming races. My run training has been ramping up for about a month now since my latest hip injury. So I think I am still a little behind yet with my runnning gears. I am just looking foward to getting more run training under my belt so I can finish the season off strong. I kept my spot at 7th and was about 50" behind 6th place. I am happy with how I did considering the stacked field that was there. It was fun overall despite the painful run...haha! Again, it was so great to have family and friends at the finish line to hug afterwards. :) Thanks for all your support!