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| 2015 Medal Count |
I suppose it's going to be a mini wrap around season (more on that later) but I finished racing triathlons in July. I finished up with the Twin Cities Marathon in early October. I have been resting since then.
I didn't do any race reports this year, I probably should have. It was my best season so far. Not because of my places - I placed in more races last year - but because of my overall fitness. I came into the season after my January vacation without doing any biking or swimming over the holidays. I did get a Garmin Forerunner 920XT, so that got me out running the day after Christmas, but I only ran a mile to make sure my watch worked properly and I had to go outside to set the time because it uses GPS for everything. I highly recommend this watch. I have to give my uncle Marvin some credit, he works for Garmin so we got the family discount.
Races completed
Cardiff Kook 5k - my local annual run, motivation to start running with a group - I joined the LetsgoRun group - great local group with some amazing runners and awesome Coach Cindy. Check out the instagram and facebook pages. @letsgorungroup
The Desert Triathlon - Olympic distance this was a super windy race, my time was horrific, like starting from scratch, but I know I can do better - I think this was my worst time ever at this competition, three years running.
Spring Sprint - San Diego race, always a fun time - this was my first race with my Tri Bike (it worked!) I had a great bike time this day on an updated course - lots of turns and not at Fiesta Island.
Girls on the GO half marathon - No crowd support whatsoever - not recommending this race. It's run in a non populated area of San Diego - they literally had to clear the homeless people off the course before we could start.
The OC triathlon - Olympic distance - this was a very challenging course, I have never walked in any triathlon until this day. The run is a BEAR! I was happy with my swim time and the bike course was beautiful. You learn something in every race. In this race I learned not to look around during the swim. I was forced to focus on myself because the race started in very dense fog - there was nothing to see except legs under the water.
The San Diego International Triathlon - I've done this course before, this year I was fully prepared. I lost 2 of 3 water bottles on the course this year, but I have always been told to take extras. I lose something on every course, but usually it's just gels, this was no exception. I was super happy with my results and ready for my 'A' race.
Jonkoping 70.3 - Half Ironman distance in Sweden! It was a great race. They had fantastic crowd support for the entire bike leg. No cars on the roads. I guess in other countries they can close traffic to several towns and since no one could leave their homes all they could do was cheer for us. I got extra cheering since I looked different from everyone else on the course. It was super motivating. This is a highly recommended race. I improved on my 70.3 time from last year by 24 minutes! My swim was slower, but I crushed the bike portion and the run time was really good. I learned that I can travel with a bike and it's not the end of the world. You have to work around the fees, but it all worked out for me. My advice is not to use a lock on the hard case. They never bothered to open mine. My friend used a lock, they opened hers both ways and actually lost a bolt on the way home (thank goodness it wasn't lost on the way to the race)
Twin Cities Marathon - Loved It! I don't think I'll be doing another marathon until I hit my next age milestone. It makes me think qualifying for Boston is possible. I finished in 4:02.51, I don't know that I want to do Boston, I may want to try for NYC. There's always the lottery. The marathon was really hard, but I stayed with it mentally, I just lost it a little bit on the physical side, not for lack of trying.
That's my year in review. I do plan on completing a sprint in Palm Springs in 3 weeks. This race will be with my hubby. He has been on a health kick for about 6 months now. He has stopped eating glutens and has lost about 25 pounds. His joints are much improved and he can run again. The nutrition talk is for another blog, but this will be more a fun run for me since I am not in any specific training for this race, plus our pool closes in a week for about 6 weeks. We'll be swimming in the ocean or at another outdoor pool where we have to pay.
I believe in taking a break after the season is over. I am usually mentally burnt out and I don't want to exercise every day. I have enjoyed my break this year and I have been swimming occasionally. I might need a massage because something in my leg hasn't been right since the marathon, but I'll get that sorted out soon.
Do you take a break after your 'A' race?
Do you plan on improving year over year, or does age factor in?
Why do you race? I have just recently learned that people race for different reasons. Not all of them positive.
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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