Another year you made a promise....

As 2018 draws to a close, let the reflection begin!!

2017 was an amazing and unbelievable year. I accomplished things I never dreamed possible. I had lofty goals for 2018. These goals were not realized. Not any of them. I didnt make racing weight, I can't do a pullup, I didn't qualify for 70.3 Worlds or Kona, and I had a beyond disappointing IMWI. Where do we go from here?

We keep. Moving. Forward.

I moved to NC, I'm slowly getting into a routine with my new job, and I'm barely making friends, but while my folks were shoveling out of 12 inches of snow, I went for a bike ride! My schedule should be evening out soon, the last part of off season will be planned out, and season will be gearing up in just a few months. I'm ready.

In super exciting news, Wattie Ink Hit Squad!!! I applied in 2017 and didn't get accepted for 2018 season. Applied for 2019 season and they took me!! Even after what I thought was a worse season. I suppose that goes to show you that there are always victories, even in what seems like defeat.

As of right now, season is as follows:
Red Nose Half Marathon, January 5th
Virginia 70.3, May 5th
Ohio 70.3, July 28th
Ironman Chattanooga, September 29th (my love is also doing this one!!)

It is going to be an amazing season. I'm going to get back to the basics and fall in love with triathlon again. Less pressure, more fun, phoenix rising.

Gearing Up

It's just a month after IMMOO, I'm still slightly traumatized and not liking my bike or legs too much, and I've already got next season mapped out. #crazy

May 5th, 2019: Virginia 70.3
July 28th, 2019: Ohio 70.3
September 29th, 2019: IMCHOO

I'm shifting focus this year. No Olympic distance. All long course. I've got a lot of work to do, but I'm going to do it properly this year. I didn't allow myself enough recovery after IMMOO (did I mention I'm crazy?), but that all changes Monday. I've got a trainer to focus on strength training and nutrition. Less running, more swimming and biking (my poor knees need the break!). I know running is my weakness, but rather than continually pound and pound and pound the pavement, I think I really need to rest that particular area. We shall see....

Additionally, in just 18 days, I have health insurance again and can resume some therapy with the potential for anti-anxiety meds. I'm absolutely not opposed to such interventions if it is an additional measure for rest and recovery.

It's going to be tough, but I am tougher.

Off Season

As I sit here, just barely 3 weeks post IMMOO, I find myself wondering the same things. What should I do this off season? How can I get leaner and faster? What should my schedule look like next year? Can I take a realistic crack at Kona? Am I, yet again, putting too much pressure on myself? (It's no wonder I don't sleep at night).

I'm reminded, by a lot of people but specifically in this case by my utterly spectacular and wonderful S.O., that I am amazing. I'm an Ironman x2. I've picked up and moved across the country (oh yeah, I picked up and moved across the country), where I know no one. We've made a long distance relationship last for almost 10 months. I went to Germany for 2 weeks all on my own. I can do anything!!

So why do I still feel like a failure? Why won't my brain let go of all the things that have gone wrong instead of focusing on all the good? Am I doomed to perpetually believe I'm not enough? What happens when I qualify for Kona? Does my life change dramatically? Other than financially because I'll be broke af, no. Life will go on. Just the same as it always does.

I'm hoping this is all just the post-race depression talking. And the real depression from having left all my friends. I want to get back into a training schedule, I desperately crave that structure, but I am trying to balance recovery with training. I've yet to achieve that. Mayhaps that's what I should focus on this off season....

IMMOO Race Report

It's a week later and I finally feel I've recovered enough to write this report. Here goes....

IMWI September 9th, 2018

That morning dawned crisp and cool. In fact, I was freezing. Had just my swimsuit and my Star Wars onesie on while I was getting my bike ready, filling after bottles, etc, and was definitely shivering. And unfortunately, my sherpa wasn't allowed in transition. Needless to say, I hurried through far too rashly. My back wheel ended up getting slightly off, and I'm fairly certain the wheel was rubbing the brakes the whole ride. Oops.

The Swim
Made my way down and donned my wetsuit to warm up. And huddled up against Sean to keep warm (he's basically a furnace). Per classic parents, they weren't there by the time I entered the shoot, but I did end up seeing them before I started. I couldn't get up to the swim wave I wanted to be in, which ended up being ok because I was drastically slower than I anticipated. Cannon went off, and it was go time! Entered the water and attempted to fall into my rhythm. Attempted being the key word. Some jerk punched me in the head every few strokes almost the entire race. He either didn't know or didn't care, but the rage was real. As was the chop. Couldn't sight properly, got way too tired way too early, and just wasn't feeling it. Not the best way to start a very long day. Finally made the last turn, powered through to the end, exited the water. Official time was 1:04.06. 5 minutes slower than IMFL. Luckily, I didn't know that....

T1
No salt water to wash off!! Definite plus. Couldn't catch my breath after running up the damn helix (look it up. Monona Terrace. It's awful). Probably should have taken my time, but I was in the zone. Or sabotaging myself. Either one. But it was on to the bike and I was ready.

The Bike
Oh just screw that wind and that course and everything about it. The stick out felt....ok. Especially considering I hadn't ridden it before. And then I got to the loops. Now I was in my happy place. I'd ridden them so many times. I knew how this was going to go. I was ready!

Had to be on the first loop. I still look good....

First loop, done. Alright. Special needs. Decided I absolutely needed to stop. More saddle butter. I was in agony! Unfortunately, my volunteers had no idea what I was talking about, so I had to do it myself. A minor inconvenience, but when I already felt terrible, this wasn't ideal. It was fine. Ready to do the second half. And then it really went wrong. 

I started feeling really....weird. Neck was getting stiffer than usual during my rides. Nose started getting beyond congested. And muscles started aching in worse than just fatigued way. As a nurse, and as someone who knows her body, I knew exactly what was happening. I was developing a fever. I had chills and hot flashes in turns the entire second loop and the stick back into Madison. The stick also had 16 miles of uphill headwinds. Awesome. I had more than one breakdown on that ride, tears streaming down my face, questioning how I was not only going to finish the ride, but do a whole marathon! Agony. Excruciating agony. Finally, finally, I could hear and see transition! One last hill as I climbed the helix, and I was done!! Official time was 6:38.56. Another ouch. 

T2

I almost fell getting off my bike, I was in that much pain. Apparently my brother noticed, he commented after the race was done, and he knew something was wrong. Powered through transition, and despite being dizzy, nauseous, and feverish, I felt decent. I was ready to tackle this marathon. 

The Run

First 5 miles? Awesome. Was able to power through by running to each aid station and walking through them. I wasn't able to ingest much on the bike, so I knew I was burning through too many matches, but I was still going to attempt to replenish my stores. Miles 5-8 got more and more painful. Started getting more and more dizzy, less and less stable. I'm not sure if I was weaving or not, but it felt like it. By mile 8, I was sure I was going down, so the walking began. It was brutal. There's nothing, I repeat NOTHING, wrong with walking, but it wasn't what I had trained for. My legs and feet weren't prepared for this. It was prolonging the pain, my whole family and my bf were there cheering me on (approximately 18 people total), and all I could think was I was letting them down. I made it to mile 11, saw my friend Melissa, and broke. Sobbing. Tears streaming down my face. Stating I was letting everyone down, that I was such a disappointment. That amazing woman, that angel, she walked with me, helped slowed my breathing, got my head back in the game. I wouldn't have made it another step without her and I'll be forever grateful. 

My next angel arrived in the form of my friend, spirit animal, and fellow Ironman Natalie. She was at the aid station at about mile 12.4. She took one look at me and knew I wasn't doing well. I broke again. More tears, more fears of disappointment, more agony. She walked me to special needs, where again, I almost went down. I knew the fever was getting higher, and unfortunately, the sun was starting to set. I hadn't anticipated being out there that late, so no warm clothes for me. My hands were starting to get very cold, the dizziness was horrendous, and I still had 13.1 miles ahead of me. Not ideal. 

I started a walk half mile/run half mile. Made it 3 miles doing that and then I just couldn't. More walking, trudging along, trying to power through. Saw my family and friends a few more times along the way. They gave me the strength to attempt running again.

The Lime Green shirts. Those are my peeps

I think I was to about mile 17 and I saw my angel Melissa again. I don't remember the exact words, but she kept me going. I was back to the run/walk and I was able to maintain it for about 5 miles. Miles slowly, slowly ticking away. Finally at mile 25. 1.2 to go. I could do this. I knew Natalie would pop out soon, and she did. She ran with me, as much as I could. She walked with me when I needed to. She pushed me to the last couple turns. Finally, I could hear it. The finish line. And then, I could see it!! It was beautiful. And in that moment, all my pain, my fear of being a letdown, of disappointing everyone, it vanished. I ran down that finisher's shoot like I had wings, high fiving every person I could, tears in my eyes. I saw my family, got to high five my mom and my love, and I heard him. Mike Reilly. The Voice of Ironman. "Heather Hermann from Chicago, IL. You are an Ironman!" 

What a shot!

Official run time was 5:51.05. Total time was 13:51.06. 

Obviously, there were many factors that led to this race physically and mentally destroying me. And they all sound like excuses. The wind, I had a fever, I was in pain, etc. But at the end of the day? It's on me. I didn't respect the course enough. I thought I was stronger than I was. I put too much pressure on myself. The anxiety of always needing to crush everything I do, making my family proud, getting to Kona. It all added up in spectacular form and I cracked. It wasn't the race I wanted or expected, but I think it was the race I needed. I think I needed to break, to be utterly defeated, to burst into flames and be destroyed. There's a reason I have a giant phoenix forever imprinted on my arm. From this demolition, I will rise again.

Six Days

Six days until go-time. Under a week. And as I type, Monday is mostly over (well, it is for me since I am actually 85 and want to be in bed by 9pm). So it's basically five days and some change. *attempts deep breath*


A lot has been on my mind the past few weeks of training. Like anyone tapering for an Ironman, I begin to question whether I have done enough. Did I do enough hill training on the bike? Probably. I rode the course a fair number of times, as much as schedule and money would allow. Did I do enough hill training on the run? Probably not. I think it's going to really hurt. Obviously any Ironman hurts, but I think it's really going to hurt. Bad. Did I get my GI issues worked out? Hardly. I am hoping and praying (as much as I do that anymore) that I can make it through and actually be able to run. As long as my legs hold out, anyway (see previous sentence).


The most frustrating part is that I find myself doubting almost every decision I made this season. I should have trained harder. I shouldn't have taken 2 weeks off to go to Germany. I should have trainer harder. I shouldn't have traveled to see my S.O. as much (but love!). I should have trained harder. The rational side of my brain knows I can do this. I have done the distances before, I know what it feels like to exercise for that long. But I haven't done these distances with these elevation gains. My thunder thighs can probably manage, but you never really know until you push to and past your self-imposed limits.


Another lovely stress added to all of this is naturally something over which I have no control--nature. It's almost as if climate change is actually a phenomenon with which we are contending. Madison and the surrounding area has been absolutely slammed with storms and rain. Parts are still flooded. Let me rephrase. Parts of the course are still flooded. It's looking very unlikely that there will be a swim of the triathlon comprised of Swim, Bike, Run. That begs the question: what then? Does it become a duathlon; run-bike-run? Do we just do a 138.2 (140.6 subtracting the 2.4 mile swim)? It's still a f#@king long way, but not nearly as impressive (it's still impressive, I'm just being whiny). I find my mind racing and my heart rate rising and my face flushing all over a scenario that may not happen! Because that's what anxiety does. This nasty little demon of mine...


*attempts another deep breath*

Age Group Nationals

Saturday, August 11th

Racing on a Saturday is always a little foreign to me. IMFL was on a Saturday because of daylight savings (don't get me started on how stupid that is!), but this one was on a Saturday so that Sprint distance could be Sunday (so they get done earlier and can still go to work Monday? Sure. Let's go with that).

I was graciously offered a bed at a friend's house in lovely Cleveland, OH. The alarm went off at approximately 0415 after a solid almost 7 hours of sleep. Considering my normal levels of insomnia combined with pre-race anxiety, that's a lot of sleep for me! My friend is so sweet that he was already awake, brewing coffee, and boiling water so I could make my race breakfast of oatmeal with bananas and peanut butter. Once that was slowly consumed, mostly due to nerves, it was time to change and make our way to transition. I had a pretty good spot in transition and easily re-found my bike after racking the day before. The ladies around me were...intimidating, to say the least. I knew I was going to be slightly out of my league, but seeing these strong badasses with their Worlds' kits from the previous year and their team kits with sponsors really hit that message home. What had I just gotten myself into?!

The Swim
Awful does not even begin to describe how the swim went. It really didn't look all that choppy. At least not from shore. And then I began swimming. I hate getting motion sickness from a swim. The swim is supposed to be my happy place, my strength, my calm before the storm. Instead, this storm threw me around like I was a ragdoll! An Olympic distance is supposed to be 1500 meters--I ended up doing over 1800 because of waves and lack of being able to sight. Not good. Time was 28.45. Ugh. 1:30 pace if you take into account how much I actually did, but official pace said 1:55 (because they only time for 1500 meters). Brutal. Slowest swim ever.

T1
Felt good. Super fast. In and out, despite needing to remove my wetsuit. It helps when you only have to bike for just under 25 miles and know you won't need that much hoo-ha glide and nutrition!

The Bike
Love, love, LOVED this course. One big "hill," but the rest of it was flat and fast! I went into this race with the mindset that I was really going to drop the hammer on this bike. I wanted to see just how fast I could push over this distance, even if that meant my legs might not be totally decent for the run. I was under no misconceptions that I was going to qualify for Team USA, so why not use this time to experiment and a solid training session? Challenge accepted! I managed to beast mode my way to a 1:11.43 for an average of just under 21mph. Not too shabby for this former fat kid!

T2
Also felt surprisingly good for how jelly my legs were and how hot the sun was getting. And with no shade on the bike and very little on the run, knew I needed to reapply the sunblock. Skin cancer is no joke! So downed some more of the fuel, sunblocked it up, hat on, and began running while clipping the race belt. Getting way better at that too! Tiny victories!

The Run
I wanted to drop the hammer on the bike. And I did. And then the hammer turned into a pendulum, swung back around, and slammed me into the ground. Or at least that's what it felt like. Right out of transition, bam! Hill. go a little further along, bam! Another hill. For good measure? Let's do another hill! Oh, and by the way, do that loop again. Suckers! I know it was good practice for Madison. I needed it. But I didn't really want it. At all. Some buzzes of my watch were awesome, some were not. It was fairly decent balance. I ran next to an awesome woman with a "Go Vegan" kit on, and we chatted until she flew past me. I ran next to an awesome woman with hair very similar to mine,  I complimented her as I flew past her. Balance. Finally, finally, I could see the finish line! Oh wait, run up this weird constructed ramp. Then run down it while it's wet and wobbly and your legs have become even more jelly-like. Great, I'd love to! Crossed the finish line with a 54:10 run time for a total of 2:41.40. Not a PR on Olympic distance, but a damn spectacular way to swan song my Olympic distance career.

Rockin' It Out

Love the guitar pick!

Did this race mess up my training for IMWI? Possibly. A weird forced taper due to an injury followed by a week of illness that again kept training down may sabotage me come September 9th. But would I have changed this season? No. I wanted this experience, I wanted to see what I could do against some stiff competition, and I accomplished those goals. Life is about living with no regrets and that's what I'm doing.

Up next? Ironman Wisconsin. It's race week. Seven days to go time. Bring in on, hills!

And Time Slips Away

Was my last post really my 70.3 race report? Almost 3 months ago? (Or whatever date that was....). I'm lame. I know.

It's been a crazy few months. I got back from Germany, a bit heavier than when I left, because BEER, but by getting back to my normal fueling and training, I leaned down fairly smoothly. Minus the perpetually not smooth tummy. Ugh. Whatever.

Training went and continues to go well. Weight training never really started again, anxiety continued to tick up and up and up, and I began preparing for Age Group Nationals!! Olympic distance. Quite a shift from Ironman training (because why not make life as difficult for myself as humanly possible). Tweaked my sartorious muscle in my left leg related to hills and hills and hills, but did get some solid hill workouts in. You gotta take the good with the bad, right?

Age Group Nationals race report to come, in addition to the freak outs about Ironman Wisconsin. Waiting with baited breath, I know....

Ironman Wisconsin 70.3

Also known as, Mud Fest, 2018! (Or at least that's what I'm calling it).

June 10th, 2018. Woke up too early to the sound of pouring rain. It was about 0345 and I decided to be a real masochist and look at my weather app. "Road conditions: ponding." As in there were ponds on the road! As if my anxiety disorder doesn't get out of control before a race, let's add ponds to the already technical bike course. Awesome.

I hadn't come that far to only go that far, so I proceeded with my usual pre-race routine. Oatmeal with PB and banana, coffee, water. Seems like a lot, but by the time I get to transition, I usually need a snack anyway. Mixed up my Infinit (I'm not being paid, I just really love it) nutrition in my frozen H2O bottles, packed up the car, and made my way through the deluge to transition.

Mud, mud, and more mud. I'm not sure what time the rain started overnight, but it was enough to make transition a mess. I found my bike, through my stuff in somewhat order in a garbage bag, and grabbed my wetsuit. I was soaked and freezing, so I put it on right away. Sleeves would have been nice. So many goosebumps!! Down to swim start I went, shivering and angry all the way...

Race ended up being delayed until 0730 because of weather, so we all stood around in the rain, waiting. And shivering. And complaining. I was really nervous about my carbon brakes in the rain. Or lack of brakes. But I had to survive the swim first! 0720, they finally start getting us in corrals. Woo! It wasn't cancelled!!

Swim. Felt ok. For how choppy it was, I felt pretty strong. I was passing dudes like crazy! Which is easily one of my favorite things. Oops. Felt like forever, though. I had only 1 OWS prior to this, so it really was a good test swim, I suppose. Popped out of the water onto the beach. Official time 32.25. Not too shabby! Felt faster, but ended up being good enough for 3rd in my AG. I'll take it!

T1. God I hate T1. Wetsuit strippers help, but I'm so disoriented, my breathing and hr are way too elevated, and I'm a mess. It's fine. Run through the mud, find my baby, see the tires still look and feel ok, fumble through soaked garbage bag for bike shoes, sunglasses (it had stopped raining and was almost light!), pop on the helmet, let's do this! I almost fell in the mud going up a hill out of transition, didn't, got to the mount line, and I was off!

Bike. Then I was almost actually off my bike. I was right about the brakes not liking the rain. First turn was a hairpin and I almost crashed because my brakes didn't work. Oh good, I needed a further elevated hr! Snap out of it, woman! You can do this! Settle in. Miles start ticking away. Hills continue to loom, over and over and over again. But, no dropped chains! And I'm not maxing out on every hill. My legs feel ok. Not amazing, but way better than on the training ride. I can do this! I'm getting passed more than I am passing, which stresses me, but I also am starting to accept that that might just be what happens for my tri career. Mental fortitude? Finally, I recognize where I am and know I'm almost back. Yes! The hills are done! Official time of 3:05.02. Dropped to 6th in my AG, but for that insane elevation, I was thrilled.

T2. Oh my God how did it get more muddy?! After removing bike shoes and helmet, it was time to put on soggy socks and wet shoes. Great. And then I almost lost my shoes in the mud! Not the best way to start my weakest leg....

Run. Wait wait wait. I thought the hills were done?! They weren't. The run course was so much hillier than I was expecting. My legs were not prepared. At all. But, I love me some pain, so let's do it. One foot in front of another, breathe in and breathe out. Over and over again. Many comments on my sleeve, which was appreciated, and many comments on my kit and how I looked in it, which were definitely not appreciated. (Men can't even stop with the creepy factor during a race? Seriously?!). Miles were ticking away here, too. Lost my bottle with nutrition, but it wasn't tasting good anyway. Too warm and foamy from shaking. Things to be fixed. All of a sudden, it was mile 12. Really? Oh man, 12.5! 13! 0.1 to go--ARE YOU KIDDING THERE IS ANOTHER HILL?!?! The crowd was quiet, all I could here was my breathing, so I begged them to help me. Raising my hands, weaving side to side for high fives, many pathetic "woos," and I made it up that f#@king hill. The finish line!!! Official time was 1:58.56. I ran sub-2 in a 70.3!!!!!! 7th in my AG!!!!!

Overall time was 5:44.18. Not technically a PR, but easily one of the best and worst races I can remember. I almost DNS, my anxiety was through the roof, and I was unprepared for the weather. But I powered through, had a PR on the run of a 70.3, and was so, so proud of myself. Friends and family joined, the celebration began and ended, and another race was in the books. Bring it on, AG Nationals!!!

P.S. I am in Germany as I write this on a much needed vacation and birthday celebration. The training begins again, 7/1, with 10 weeks to IMWI.

Soldier Field and after

Last Saturday, May 26th, I did my second Soldier Field 10 Miler. It was awesome! Said no one who actually did the race. It was approximately 15 degrees warmer than it had been, and the humidity shot up about 40%. I started way too fast and realized by mile 3.5, I knew I had made a huge mistake. It was rather awful. There was more than one instance in which I almost gave up. I had to walk up hills, walk on flats, just so much more walking than I was used to. My head was just not in a good place. But I did it. I finished. 30 whole seconds faster than last year. It was rather deflating, considering my runs has been so fast, but I wasn't used to the heat (a good excuse, I know), and my headspace wasn't right. That happens. It's what you do moving forward.

Sunday, May 27th. Bike the Drive! After 6 years in Chicago, I was finally able to do this event. It was awesome. All of Lake Shore Drive shut down to cars and open to bikes. Weeee!!! Got in a solid 50 miles on another blistering day. It was surprisingly perfect. I was the asshat on a tri bike, but no one was rude to me, other cyclists were so courteous, and it was just awesome.

Monday, May 28th. First open water swim!! The lake was 57 degrees. I made it a whopping 15 minutes before I decided I needed feeling in my fingers and toes. But at least I got one in? My swim is solid, I'm not too worried about it for WI 70.3, but it would have been nice to have a couple more....

Summer colds are dumb. Allergies are dumb. So much is dumb! The past week was brutal. I got all my workouts in, but felt terrible. Life goes on.

Saturday, June 2nd. WI 70.3 bike course. A friend and I went up to see just how bad these hills are. They are bad. 2700 feet of elevation over 56 miles. Dropped my chain a couple times, but am slowly getting better at learning to ride hills. Worried I'm going to burn too many matches, but we will see. At least I know what to expect. Averaged almost 16mph. Pretty solid considering we got lost a few times, had to stop for traffic, and overall just stopped a few times for breaks. I'm ready.

And then today happened. I had a long run, about 2 hours, on the schedule. My legs were sore, but not too bad, after the ride. Biked 3 miles to the lake and started my run. And it was tortuous. I think it felt worse than Soldier Field. Legs were screaming, lungs were on fire, and horrible headspace again. Now I'm worried. Have I lost my edge? Am I just overtrained? Will taper make that much of a difference? So much anxiety building and I need to find some better coping mechanisms....

Keep. Moving. Forward.

Where does the time go?

And just like that, it's 3 weeks until WI 70.3 and 16 weeks until IMWI. Oh my goodness gracious how the anxiety is building....

It's been a good training block thus far, minus the not lifting weights any more, only having been able to ride outside a handful of times related to the never ending winter, and my first OWS will probably be on race day. Those are significant details, are they??....

But in all seriousness, it hasn't been too bad. My running has been spot on. I PR'd a half marathon on a random long run one Sunday, I got to ride and run down in Georgia to attempt to simulate hotter weather that may or may not appear, and yesterday, I got to ride one loop of the IMWI course!! So hey, that's something!

I'm feeling much more confident, but I have a long way to go over the next 4 months. And 3 weeks, if I'm being honest. Things I've come to terms with:

1: I do not understand how to ride hills and still save something in my legs for a run
2: I do not intake nutrition nearly consistently enough on the bike
3: I really love riding with other people, but am not confident enough to actually be in a group
4: I do not know enough about my baby  (my bike--those words are interchangeable)
5: I have the greatest SO in the world for all his love and support from 800 miles away

Let the countdown begin!!

Rock and Roll Half Marathon

First race of the season! And while my official training hasn't begun (t-minus 16 days!), it's close enough. And what better way to start things off than with a bang in Nawlins!! It was the Rock and Roll Half Marathon and I was coming for it.

The longest run I had done was 9 miles. But it was 9 miles in the Chicago winter, bundled up, and usually rather cloudy. This was going to be 13.1 miles in the New Orleans sun and humidity. I was more than slightly apprehensive. Based on how my training runs had been going, I was pretty sure I would be able to pull of a 2 hour time. I had only ever done that last year in training for IMFL, and never during a 70.3, but I was fairly certain that in a stand-alone half, I was capable. But again, weather was weighing on my mind. Shocking that a triathlete would be obsessed with the weather, I know!

I arrived in Atlanta, GA, and then got a ride down to Columbus, GA on the Friday before. It was pretty great to get to see my S.O. again (long distance is super, super dumb in case you didn't realize). I'm not sure what we were more excited about, our first race together, our first vacation together, or just being together again for 5 whole days! Four of us made the six hour car ride to New Orleans on Saturday, checked in, continued eating all the food, and then it was off to bed early to get ready for the big day on Sunday.

Unlike typical me, I actually slept surprisingly well. I rarely sleep well to begin with, and a night before a race? Forget it. But call it the calm of the S.O., the joy of being on vacation, or the yummy seafood digesting in my tummy, woke up refreshed and ready to run. My knees and hips were feeling remarkably loose as well, especially considering sitting in a car for so long the previous day. We made our way to the start line, did the pre-race rituals, then said our brief goodbyes as we split to our separate corrals. (As an aside, I probably should have moved back to start with him, but he was so incredibly supportive about my goal time and wanting me to run my own race--truly a unique experience to have such unconditional support!).

The gun went off and I was on my way! My watch buzzes every half mile and at first buzz, I was a t 4:19. Way too fast! I knew I wasn't going to be able to sustain that. But I felt good, so I didn't want to overthink things too much. Backed off a little bit, and half mile after half mile ticked away. And so did aid station after aid station. I was thrilled to get to the first one and get some water. The humidity was really starting to get to me after only 1.8 miles. Uh oh. Second aid station was supposed to have SIS (some sort of sport gu electrolyte thing), but the boxes were empty. NO!! I was worried. I didn't have any nutrition of my own as I hadn't really started training with anything yet, so I was really relying on that. Deep breaths. It was only 3.5 miles in (or something like that--I can't actually remember the exact distance). I had run way longer on way more dehydration. And I still felt good, so keep on keeping on. My half mile times were slowly ticking faster until I was evening out at a solid 4:25 pace. Unfortunately, I was doing math the whole damn time. "If I go this fast, I can make this time, but if I blow up, then I will only do this, and blah blah blah blah blah." Instead of shut up legs, it was shut up brain!

Halfway through. The SIS gu!! Next aid station had it and holy crap I was so excited to squeeze shitty fake chocolate flavored gu into my gullet. It was the bolt of sugar (and whatever else is theoretically in there) that I needed. I felt refreshed and ready to hammer out the last half. Buzzes were still consistently coming every 4:25 and I was still hanging in there. Sun was getting hotter, humidity was getting stickier, but the wind was also picking up a little bit and cooling me off. So was the water I was dumping over my head at every chance I got. All of a sudden, I was at mile 9. How did that happen? Then it was mile 10. Wait, I only have a 5K left? That's it? Done. Easy. No problem.

And it wasn't! My times were getting faster. My legs felt spectacular. My lungs weren't pleased with my pace, but I was also telling them to shut up! Mile 12, last aid station. Woo! 1.1 miles to go. That's a walk in the park. I knew what I had left, so I started picking it up. Passing people like it was my job. Half mile to go, let's go even faster! Mile 13. All. Out. Sprint. Well, as much as a sprint happens at the end of a half marathon. But there it was, the finish line! I did it!!! With a spectacular time of 1:56.14. Beat my goal by 4 minutes!!! Oh the ecstasy. There was no ugly crying, thank God, just a lot of catching my breath and chugging water (don't worry, beer came later).

We're ridiculously goofy and adorable, I know.

As much as I loved the race, getting to see my S.O. cross the finish line, jump into his arms, and share all of this with him was even better. We celebrated with beer, beignets, hurricanes, and love. And it was everything I wanted from a first race of the season. 

Off Season

Per typical off season rules, I've not only been lazier about workouts, but also about posts! How could I?!

It's been an interesting off season thus far. I've become a gym rat again, which is somewhat exciting. And by exciting, I mean oh my goodness does it test my patience as far as people are concerned! Yes, I am a nurse and therefore care about people, but it amazes me how inconsiderate and disgusting members of the human race can be. Stop grunting, wear more clothes, and for the love of all things holy, wash your damn hands! I could go on and on, but luckily, this isn't a post about gym etiquette. I am making gains in increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat percentage, and in that regard, the weight lifting is a success! The real test will come once the season "begins" and I feel pressured to do more swim/bike/run and less strength training. I know it will help, so I also know that I need to keep on keepin' on.

Another Development

Additionally, this off season led to another step forward in my triathlon career. Ironman All World Athlete, Silver! Last season, I was bronze, and with some truly spectacular performances this past season, I have stepped it up another notch. I am beyond thrilled. Not only are the bragging rights really spectacular, but it's just so rewarding to know that my hard work is truly paying off. I have a long ways to go to get to Gold (at least I am assuming I do?), but I'd like to think that I am doing it properly. It's all about putting in the work.

Speaking of putting in the work....

Wahoo!!

So pumped to add this beauty to my training regiment. With the help of a Christmas bonus and my folks, I was able to afford this bad boy. I'll get to simulate some of the IMWI course during this ridiculous Chicago winter before I go up and ride in Madison, I've finally done an FTP test (I mean, I guess I did it? I used an app and it gave me data, but it all seems very confusing to me still), and and hot damn is it a workout! Not that my old trainer wasn't great, but I am working so much harder and I can't wait to see it translate into gains this season.

I. Am. So. Ready.