Worlds Here I Come

In case you forgot, or missed a post somehow (shame on you!) I was in Chattanooga in May for the 70.3 Half Ironman. When I left without a World's Qualification slot, I was sold on the fact that September would be reserved for the full Ironman on September 24th with a solid group of friends. But, plans change..

When I took this picture in May, I never suspected I'd be back TWICE in September

It's been quite an adventure to get where I'm at today. So let's take a look back really quick..

• June 23rd, 2013 - The day of my first ever triathlon. A sprint triathlon in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. A race I had 0 preparation for. I had a bike, I could swim enough to get me through, and I'd been running since I was in grade school. But put it together? Back to back to back? Nawwwww. That's not me. I signed up for this race 90% out of peer pressure from my Strugglebus friends and 10% out of curiosity. I wonder how I'll do? I raced in a swim suit and a borrowed 15 year old wetsuit. Tossed a pair of shorts on in T1 and called it a day. Oh, and bike shoes, what are those? Yea, I was that girl. I crossed the finish line and it was ugly. But.. I wanted a bit more. 

::face palm::

• September 9th, 2013 -  My 26th birthday. Also the day that I signed up for my 2nd triathlon. It just so happened to be a pretty big one. Ironman Wisconsin to be exact. Nieve would be an understatement. But I knew it was something I desperately wanted to do. I told myself I'd find help. That fast girl from high school, Jacqui Aubert. What's her name now? Giuliana? Something like that, she married a freaking fast Italian guy. I'll call her and ask if she can offer me any tips. I wish I could say I made this up, but it's true. Still did not own a wetsuit. Still had no idea that bike shoes/clipping into a bike would be something I'd learn to do. But why can't I just wear my running shoes on the bike? 

Legit clueless about what I was signing up for

• July 20th, 2014 - My first Half Ironman. I tackled a few bumps in the road. I had started a new job in early June. My father suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery only days later (the week before I started this new job). Thank God Mark was home from school that summer to help me take care of 2 parents while I trained for this Ironman business in the dark when I wasn't working or helping around the house. Oh, did I mention I fell off my bike a month before the race and sprained some tendons in my right arm (my braking arm on the bike, NO BIG DEAL GUYS)? I literally had no idea if I'd see the starting line, let alone the finish line. But.. I did. As well as the finish line. 

GUYS I'M ABOUT TO DO THIS TRIATHLON THING!

• September 7th, 2014 - The day I became an Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin. With BOTH my parents at the finish line. And brother. And Rob. And that fast girl from high school, Jacqui, and her speedy husband, coach Speedy Giuliano. To say I was emotional that day would be an understatement. 

I owe this photographer for capturing such an amazing raw moment

• June 11th, 2017 - IMWI 70.3. A whole lotta heat, wind, & hills. Oh yea, and a World's qualification for your truly. 

       

And damn, it was an ugly day...

• September 9th, 2017 - A look into the future. Four years to the day that I signed myself up for my first ever Ironman event, (lacking all the necessary equipment and knowledge) I'll be racing in the Pro's arena, side by side with them and best in the sport, from all over the world. All while I say Farewell to my 20's, a decade I'm emotional to say goodbye to. But I can't imagine a better way to welcome my 30's. I mean, how often do you hear of someone getting to celebrate a milestone birthday doing something like this?

And that fast girl, Jacqui Giuli-something and her super fast Italian husband? Remember them? They've grown into 2 of most amazing friends a girl could ask for. They're more than coaches and mentors. Over the years the 3 of us have laughed until we've cried. Ryan's wiped some tears from both our cheeks. We've raced side by side. We've spent countless hours next to each other on the trainer ALL WINTER LONG. We've found each other's strength in times of doubt and injury. Our sweat sessions/pool sessions have bonded us in a way that's almost indescribable. Because when we're able to share the course together and I spot one of them on the road, I get all kinds of emotional. I think of where I started and how far I've come. All thanks to this amazing duo. So would you believe me if I told you that they're joining me on race day as well? Talk about coming full circle.

The finish line of Ironman Madison - September 7th, 2014

That's right. The 3 of us get to celebrate my 30 years of life by doing what makes us feel most alive every single day.. swim, bike, & run amongst the best of the best. {Disclaimer, the women and men race on separate days. So after Jacqui and I race on Saturday, Ryan will be heading to bed early to prep for his Sunday race, all while Jacqui and I own the town with some liquid courage making sure to tell every foreigner that it's my birthday. If Ryan didn't have some serious potential to bring home a W, I'd make him join us.}

And that's just the beginning. The list of friends that will be in Chattanooga to support me this weekend makes me a bit tearful.

1. Nate and Trina Tamayo (TOMATO). You remember them from Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Texas, the night owls of the group. It was less than a day after I qualified for this race when Nate texted me, "You know that Trina and I won't miss this, right? We'll be there for sure." The most honest, tell it like it is, "hey, you've got toilet paper on your shoe!", kind of people. I laugh until my side hurts when I'm around these 2, truly a match made in heaven that will go to the end of the earth and back for their friends. "No man left behind." That's their motto. {Unless it's race day of course, then Trina's all like, "PEACE SEE YA LATA!"

Mr. & Mrs. Tomato enjoying some post-race breakfast in The Woodlands in April

2. Lauren and Ben Johnson. Lauren and I go as far back as dorm life in Champaign, IL. (I-L-L!) We were the 2 that would frequent a campus 5k more often than not (sometimes after closing the local watering-hole the night before). Her and her husband (who prefers the sidelines of a race, with his backpack full of spectator liquids) are both chiropractors that live in Nashville. And when they found out that this race was added to my calendar, I believe Lauren's response was something along the lines of, "Can't even think of missing this! I WILL BE THERE!" And I can't wait to celebrate such an amazing weekend with her and Ben. 

Lauren and I running a local 10k in college

Ben, Lauren, Myself, and Rob
Gosh we look like babies! circa 2011?

3. Beth and Jordan Conerty. Beth and I also go back to the college days, living together for 3 of our 4 years on campus. Her and Jordan made the trip to Chattanooga in May (coming from Knoxville) and promised me at the finish line, "let us know if you qualified, because we'll be back in September for sure." Well, I made them wait just a few weeks longer to start looking into travel arrangements. 

Beth, Jordan, and Rookie joined Rob to cheer me on in Chattanooga in May!

Beth runs too! But she's better at the post-race celebrations than I am
Nashville Half Marathon 2014

4. Mark & Rob. I mean, this shouldn't surprise you, right? These 2 amazing men mean more to me than I'm willing to express in words (because this could go on for a while and I don't feel like bustin' out the tissues right now) and their support for me over the years is something I'll never be able to repay. The early Saturday nights. The early EARLY weekends for race day or training. The lifestyle change that Rob hasn't argued with 1 iota. The bad training days that can mentally destroy you and your mood for days. The over-chatty Megan when my runners high just won't go away. The wonderful aroma of chlorine that has become my consistent perfume the last 4 years.The constant need to feed the Megan. {As Rob says, "alright, when was the last time you fed? Just so I know what my window is.} The time that Mark and I have shared next to each other on the road with 2 wheels under us. I mean, how does a girl begin to repay all of this?

Mark and I share a lot of time together enjoying sites just like this

And Rob has actually been mistaken as Ironman staff during a race and given persmission to access parts of the course only athletes (or employees) are allowed to be, all because he wears a traffic vest #bestspectathlete

And of course my support system doesn't end there. Mom and Dad will be cheering from home, along with everyone else that has joined me on this amazing journey over the years. I've had some pretty emotional conversations with a few friends lately. The whole "milestone birthday" paired with "racing with the best in the world" on the same day has me all sorts of high strung and I'm still struggling to find the right words for how I feel. I know I'm happy, grateful, eager, sentimental, and so much more that I can't just seem to pin point it at the moment.

I've been looking forward to this weekend since the second I signed the qualification papers back in June. But at the same time, my birthday weekend always signifies the end of summer, and I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to such a meaningful season.

Labor Day weekend in Chicago - cold enough for multiple layers 

Thankfully, I get to come back to this gem exactly 2 weeks later to double my race distance with my RyBread crew and a couple of my local Old Man Friends {picture above in orange, Bill Gagne}. September has only just begun and I can guarantee you it'll be one I'll tell stories about for years. Starting with this very second as Mark and I peel out of the driveway. 

WORLDS HERE I COME

Comforts & Fears, Highs & Lows, Success & Failure

Social media these days is oozing with everyone's success stories.

"I'm engaged!"

"My kid made the honor roll, I'm so proud!"

"Look at all the fun I'm having on vacation with my friends and family!"

And rightfully so. No one wants to air their dirty laundry in public. I'm guilty of it too. It's natural to want to share your most joyful moments with the world. But once in awhile, a little truth never hurt no one.

It's no secret that my life has been a tornado these past 3 months. Of course I decided that the beginning of the triathlon season would be the most perfect time to move and start a new job, all while racing and training for 2 pretty important races that are rapidly approaching in September. My life is far from glamorous. The standard weekday starts around 4:30-5am with a workout, followed by a full 9-10 hour day of work that involves finding a different sense of focus to learn and educate myself in a field I've never experienced before. But I'm gaining a sense of accomplishment and respect I've never had in the workplace before. As soon as I'm done learning (working) for the day, I head out for workout number 2. To say I sleep like a baby at night would be an understatement.

Weekends consist of a bit more sleep, catch up sleep if you will. (If you can consider 6am sleeping in.) But by 7am I've mounted my bike for some serious road time. Mark and I depart Crystal Lake and venture off into the farmlands of Marengo, Hebron, & Union. Once in awhile the Barrington Hills call our name, and we make the best of our least favorite 25 mile loop. Occasionally we've been known to make pit stops at our favorite General Store in Greenwood for a fresh espresso. We've also detoured and found ourselves doing laps around Lake Geneva. Or better yet, climbing the mountains in Madison, Wisconsin.

Climbing big hills with Team RyBread in Madison

Because bikes and coffee just mix

New Team Wattie kits! #rocktheW

By the time Sunday morning arrives, my feet struggle to hit the floor in the morning. Everything is stiff and aching. Right, but Sunday is the day of rest. Not in the world of triathlon. I generally save my long run for mid day, giving my legs a chance to wake up a bit before I force them into an uncomfortable pace for 12-15 miles.

Like I said, it's a far from glamorous decision I've made. And I understand that. This is a decision I've made and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The day to day lifestyle of this sport isn't pretty, but the glimore of success on race day makes all that sacrifice well worth it. But Megan, what about your family? And Rob? That's so much time away! You're right, it is. But my family knows what I'm not without the sport of triathlon. I'm not Megan, I'm not their daughter, I'm not me. And Rob, he's the first one to understand. And right now, we're living opposite lives, literally. He's currently working the night shift 6-7 nights a week. Our goal is to spend every Saturday night together, and we're lucky if we get that opportunity. Our lives are literally pulling us in opposite directions right now, but our hearts couldn't be closer, supporting each other and understanding that isn't "forever." I need him to know that all the time I spend working out is for a reason, and with an end goal I hope to achieve one day. Just like I need to understand that he will likely be called into work at the last minute on a random Saturday night, ruining any plans we may have had.

PSA: I own more than workout clothes and Rob sees the daylight once in a while 😍

Rob won't be working the night shift forever. Just like I won't be racing triathlon forever. What!? Megan, YOU WON'T BE RACING FOREVER!? Shocker, right? I'm 29 years old, about to turn 30 in less than 3 weeks. A "spring chicken" as many at work call me. They're right, I'm young still. However, I've been running since I was in the 5th grade, never taking more than a few days off at a time. But I've been beating my body up pretty steadily for the last 10 years now. There comes a point when you wonder how long your body allow you to compete at the level you hope for. Waking up every day brings a new ache and pain, one that I hope is a result of a tough workout. But the older I get, the longer those aches and pains linger, making me wonder when my "old age" will come into play in this sport. On the super bad days, you start to think, "hell, maybe I've hit my peak already?" I do the best I can to recover as quickly as possible, I fuel my body properly, and I'm as focused as they come. But nothing can out play the plans that are already set for you.

Megan, are you going somewhere with this? I promise, I am. This summer I've stepped outside of my comfort zone more than ever. In all aspects of life. But when it comes to Swim, Bike, Run, I've been questioning myself lately. Ryan has done his job more than I could ever ask of him and has pushed me to my limits this summer. But my body and mind don't seem to be on the same level. One bad workout these days can send me spiraling down into a mental grave that Ryan has to dig me out of about once a week. But Megan, you've had bad workouts before! You are such a realistic person and know that those days are going to happen! Yes, you're right. But I'm allowed my bad days too ya know. In 3 short weeks, I'm about to be faced with the challenge of swimming UPSTREAM for approximately 900 meters, followed by literally climbing a mountain on a road that resembles a corkscrew, and then running 13 miles with an elevation map that looks more exciting than some roller coasters (props to Rob for that one!). I'm confident I can handle all 3 of these challenges... one at a time. But all strung together? Cue Megan's once a week freakout sessions: 

"Ryan, I've been swimming like crap lately. I'm never gonna even make it out of the water for Worlds. Literally I'm going to be pushed backwards." 

"Ryan, I just struggled through an easy indoor spin on the trainer. How am I expected to climb a frickin' mountain when I can't even spin my legs out INSIDE?"

"Ryan, I feel like I've never ran a day in my life and I'm 50+ lbs overweight. If I ever make it to the top of these hills I will be forced to roll myself down them." 

Yeah, he's gotten all of this plus more over the last couple of months. What it comes down to is this:

1. Lately, I have more fears than comforts. I fear a bike crash more than ever. But that's because I've allowed myself to get a bit more aggressive on the bike and do things I promised myself I'd never do. I fear a calf cramp in the upstream swim in 3 weeks because I'm going to have to kick so hard just to make it out of the water alive. I fear the thought of walking up a hill crossing my mind because I'll be damned if I'm going to be competing against the best in the world and WALK up a goddamn hill. I fear being one of the last to cross that finish line because in the back of my mind I know that my qualification was a roll-down slot, so maybe I'm not truly meant for this race? Call me crazy, but the realist in me has thoughts like this running through my mind on repeat multiple times a day.

2. My highs are just as high as my lows are low. And they come equally. Four days ago I was texting Ryan about how unconfident I am in this sport lately. I feel I'm running out of steam. It's taking more and more energy to keep my spirits up when I start to falter, and I'm running on E more than ever. In the same breath, I woke up on Saturday morning and had my most successful 100 mile ride to date. I hopped off that bike and logged 4 miles on the run and never felt better. The ride was far from flat, touching the high and low end of Bull Valley, the high point of Lake Geneva, and ending the day with a double climb up Deerpass and Collins Road in Marengo. I'd be lying if I said I wanted to stop my ride when I did. I immediately texted Ryan about my workout high and he responded to me, "I'm sorry, this is the same girl that claims she's terrible at triathlon?" Yup. That's me.

3. In order to succeed, one must fail. Isn't funny how at certain stages of life you have a pretty good idea of where you'll be in the next year? Or the next 5? And how often is it that that plan actually plays out and your life looks exactly as you had planned. Spoiler alert: it never does. And neither does this sport. I can't believe how far I've come in this Swim Bike Run world. But I also can't believe how much farther I still have to go. I've had failed workouts this summer. Failed races. Hell, I've had failed days in general where workouts don't even make it to the table. (One of those being yesterday. I never made it to the lake for my open water swim because my lower extremities told me if I attempted to do anything besides sit with a cup of coffee in hand, they'd likely seek revenge on me in the form of injury.) And all of those failed experiences are necessary to get me where I want to be. I've got more lessons to learn and miles to log (all while consuming as much red meat and craft beer to fuel those miles as possible).

Spot. On.

So there's my confession. I'm fearful and running away from comfort zones, all while experiencing as many successes and failures as I can during my times of highs and lows. There's your dose of honesty and reality from me. 

The next time we meet, it'll be almost go-time 😉 #worldshereicome

Running through Clouds, Puddles, and Popsicles

You know how sometimes you have a moment where a fabulous idea strikes you and you get all excited? You play out the the wonderful idea and suddenly you find yourself thinking,  "Maybe I've had better ideas in my day.."

The Amita Health Fit America Half Marathon is usually a race that is run in the late afternoon, when the sun is generally at it's peak heat. And when your body has been up and moving around all day, so racing when my mind is thinking about dinner isn't the best way to guarantee some fast miles. But this year, the start time shifted 10 hours earlier and suddenly my ears perked up. Challenging course? Yep. Morning start? Yep. Had I recently nailed my last 4 long runs, shocking myself week after week? Yep.

Sign me up.

I sat on my idea for a few days before I pulled the trigger. When I did, I recruited some friends to join me. {More like, "Hey Kati, I'm signing up for this race, I'll send you the link so you can register too." Mark was harder to convince, he signed up 12 hours before the gun went off.} If you live anywhere in the Chicagoland area/Midwest/US of A, you know that we've received an ungodly amount of rain in the recent months. These storms come through with a vengeance and don't understand mercy. There are only so many places for the water to go in the Northwest Chicago suburbs, and as a result I've seen many families without a place to live, people spending their Sundays stacking sandbags along the river in efforts to save their homes, roads closed for weeks on end, and the forecast isn't letting up. The night before this particular race we had another scary storm blow through. I was convinced I'd be waking up to water up to my knees.

My suspicions weren't too far off. Instead of waking up to puddles that resembled small ponds, my first steps out the front door had me convinced I was walking among the clouds. Chicago sees all the seasons, and to an extreme. We can give the south a run for its money in the summer months, but this was a humidity I'd only ever felt south of the Mason Dixon line. Holy hell Sherlock, I'm gonna run out of the glucose and sodium before my warmup is over. Forego the coffee this morning, someone pass the salt. 

The 3 of us arrived at the race site and said nothing about the weather. That is, until we made it to packet pickup and our feet instantly sank into the ground and we had wet shoes, socks, and toes in a split second. I mean, I love standing at the starting line of a race with drenched feet, it's not like blisters happen or anything. 

Pre-race
Shoes were already soggy mess 

We kept it lighthearted, and even blamed Ryan for the weather. Somehow, he was to blame right?

I mean, it's not like he advised against this race or anything..

After a RyBread Indian Run warmup to show off our skillz and recruit new RyBread athletes/friends, we made our way to the starting line. I was dripping lots of sodium already, at 7:20am, without a lick of sun. Pure humidity sucking the life out of me. Somehow, I was still pretty optimistic and had some ideas about how I wanted this race to play out.

Just hangin' out in the background 

The first couple miles of the race were simple enough. Small out and backs throughout the Amita Health campus. Small inclines, small declines, humidity still present, but I never like I was in trouble. I didn't realize it at the time, but my saving grace was running on the road. I was about to be steered into the forest preserve, where the air stands still. I entered the forest and my heart rate skyrocketed. Somehow, the air was even heavier. I did the best I could to maintain pace, but my lungs were suffering. By mile 6 I told myself I needed a "slow" mile to allow my lungs to recover inside the Amazonian land. I took my slow mile and when I jumped back into my uncomfortable pace, my watch never adjusted pace. Well, I'll be damned. It's gonna be one of those days, ain't it? 

Just before I hit the forest preserve

After mile 6, the entire race kind of blurred together. All the long loooooong inclines blended into one. I passed Mark and Kati on multiple out and back sections. I even took one opportunity to figure out where Kati sat in the lineup and was able to tell her {under some serious labored breathing} that she was sitting in 9th place at one point in the race. Somewhere along the 2nd half of the race, Mark and I passed each other and he found enough oxygen to yell at me, "You've got work to do!" Brothers, they're the best, ain't they? Yea kid I know, I'm currently dying so once I pick up a spare lung I'll work on that for ya.

During the early miles of the race, one of the pacers ran side by side with me and pretty much talked me off a ledge. "I can tell by looking at you, this ain't your first rodeo. You're a strong one, I'll see you at the finish line," he told me. I was hurting, bad. My feet were prunes hitting puddle after puddle on this path, creating blister heaven on my toes. My breathing made me sound like a I was next in line for a lung transplant. My legs grew achy and heavy after these slow, miserable climbs. By mile 10 I was significantly struggling to keep my miles close to an 8 minute mile. Finishing in one piece became the new goal.

I made it to the last half mile and soon I spotted Kati on the side of the road, medal around her neck and carrying multiple popsicle sticks. I wanted to smile for her. I wanted to express some sort of emotion. But all energy was focused on one foot in front of the other.

I would have rolled down this hill if it was socially acceptable

"I hope there's an IV cocktail on the other side of this finish line"

I reunited with Kati and she immediately directed me towards the free popsicles that were pure sugar and about to rock my world. We made our way back up the final hill of the course to wait for Mark, and soon enough he trudged down the hill in a much better mood than I did.

Kati's finish wasn't super glamorous either

WHY ARE YOU SO BIG
#igotjipped

Soon, the 3 of us sat on the curb and devoured more than 3 popsicles each. Our bodies were craving all the nutrients, and sugar was on top of that list. Kati claimed her award, I snapped a picture, and as we were about the walk away a nice man with a camera walked into my face and asked if he could ask us a few questions. We primped the best we could {aka tucked away our frizzy hair behind our ears and put our sunglasses on to hide the pain} and smiled for the camera. I'm sure we made RyBread look like a hot mess 😑

We honestly lost count.
Maybe this was #2?

so sweaty. so furry. so nasty.
#brotherforsale

I could walk away from this and tell you how disappointed I am that all my recent work in my favorite discipline faltered on this disastrous race day. I could even tell you that my 3 previous long runs were all faster and more successful than this race. Hell, the weekend prior I ran my long run on the Ironman Racine 70.3 run course and rubbed shoulders with Andreas Raelert and Andrew Starykowicz while Ryan was out racing and throwing the hammer down on the bike. I ran off to the side, but watched as one by one these pros blew past me, making it hard to run slow. And none of this would be a lie. I was a bit disappointed. My more recent long runs were all faster. And 7 days prior I had shared the road with some of the sport's most decorated athletes. But today, today just wasn't made for me.

This stepping stone was exactly that, another learning experience to what will be the September of a lifetime. In case you forgot, I've got just under 6 weeks until the Half Ironman World Championship race, a day I dream about every single day. You likely won't see me on the course for the next 6 weeks. I plan on taking advantage of every single day before race day. Qualifying is half the battle for these kinds of things. Part 2 is showing up, ready to represent among the best in the world. And if I wake up on September 9th and the humidity resembles the Amita Health Half Marathon race day, I'll know what I'm in store for and take it on the best I know how. Chances are it'll be a bit warm and humid in Chattanooga on my 30th birthday, so we'll consider the Amita Health Half Marathon a bit of a "practice run" instead of a "full on half marathon disaster."

Dusting off My Running Shoes and Sharpening My Spectator Skills

After the Lake In the Hills Triathlon, I told you there was going to be a small racing hiatus. And there is... from triathlon. But jumping in a road race every now and then isn't out of the question. Testing out the speed in my slow twitch, over tired, triathlon heavy trained legs (mid-season) doesn't sound like the best idea, but let me tell you.. it's turning into one of my favorite things to do.

I recently told Ryan that I wanted to hit up the track once in awhile these days. I usually do 1 speed workout a week on the road, but why not narrow it down even further and see what my high school 400 meter dash legs can pull off these days? And lemme tell ya, that track is a lung buster and instant leg trasher. But how many people do you know that got faster simply by running the same speed.. every.. single.. day. I'll wait while you come up with a list.

America's birthday is a great day to jump into a road race. I've run the Family Fitness 10K in Barrington every year (with the exception of last year, dancing the night away on top of Mount Werner in Steamboat Springs celebrating my cousin's marriage). But this year, I was hoping to bring some speed to the table! It's a pretty challenging course, considering it takes place in Barrington Hills. The first 2 miles are a pretty steady downhill only to punish you the last 4 miles with some mini mountains to climb. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda enjoy hills. To an extent. I tend to run well on them and it mixes up the monotony of a flat road. And I've run this race alot so I know the course pretty well. Or so I thought....

Hi my name is Megan and I'm awkward at start lines

Screen shot taken from a video: can you spot me!?

I toed the line and noticed that the start wasn't in the same spot as it was in years prior. It was pushed back a couple hundred feet around the corner. Oh well, they must have remeasured and realized they've had it wrong in the past. The gun went off and I was surrounded by a lot "sprinters" who were running the 5K and who happened to run out of steam very quickly in the first quarter mile. And as soon as we sped through that quarter mile, we took our first turn.  WAIT! THIS ISN'T THE COURSE! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO RUN THE FIRST 2 MILES ON THIS ROAD, AND THEN TURN! 

Yea, apparently you miss some stuff when you take a year off from the race. So here I am, running a course that I'm completely blind to (haven't even seen a course map so legitimately running blind, something I NEVER do) and hoping to do really well. In case you're curious, any race plan I had in my head went out the window and I instantly had to resort to survival mode. Before the first half mile was over we had already successfully completed an aggressive downhill as well as a nasty uphill. This should be fun Megan. 

So if you want my race report for this one here it is: hills. Rolling hills. Lots of them. More hills. Up and down and down and up. At one point we took a right hand turn onto Otis Road, which happens to be a road that I bike on occasionally. Oh! This is a good downhill! Perfect! I tried the best I could to utilize the downhills and stay strong on the climbs. After Otis Road we ran parallel to the railroad tracks and soon I saw the race leader heading back towards me. Nice! Now you can see what place you're in! Soon I saw the female leader and she was seriously truckin'. I instantly thought that I'd MAYBE see the top 10 considering this lady's speed. 2nd place was about a minute or so behind and then the women just stopped. I kept waiting to spot 3rd place.. but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Next thing I knew I saw the turn around and realized, Oh, that's because you're in 3rd place. 

I took the turn and was ready to see how far back my competition was! Sadly, 4th, 5th, and 6th place were all within 1 minute of me. I did the best I could to maintain pace (currently holding 7:15's with potential for a super close PR).  Just as I expected, we soon turned back onto Otis Road heading towards the finish, and the lovely downhill I had once appreciated quickly turned into a steady climb. And within a mile of the finish line, 4th and 5th place found me and passed me as if I was standing still. I'm still convinced that their legs weren't trashed from a pretty nasty training weekend on the bike and run.

At this point I remembered why I usually stick to longer distances
#everythingisburning

Mark was waiting for me at the finish line and it took every ounce of oxygen I could muster to explain to him that the course had been changed on me. His eyes got all big and wide as he asked me what scary hills I had to climb. I responded with: All of the them.

Alas, I was pretty happy to walk away with 5th place overall female, considering my Ironman legs aren't made for speed these days! I missed a PR by 18 seconds, finishing in 45:18. Days like today are meant to see where you're at, figure out how much work you still need to do, put some hair on your chest, and remind you to never run a 10K again because they hurt...

Happy Birthday America!
💙💓💙💓

The fun didn't stop on this special race day Tuesday. 72 hours later, I departed my driveway with Mark and Jacqui, bikes and gear in tow, for Muncie, Indiana. Ironman 70.3 Muncie is a fun, local, fast half ironman that Mark and Jacqui decided to race at the last minute. Considering how much racing I had already done this season, I packed my Sherpa bags (camera, snacks, and road bike to cruise the run course) so I could give them all the support they've both spread to me over the years. Add in the fact that Kati was also racing, and I was ready to really see what my Sherpa skills were made of!

I won't go into great detail, just know that the minute we arrived to check-in on Friday afternoon, the monsoon arrived and check-in was immediately closed and wouldn't re-open until race day at 4am. Jacqui and Mark didn't blame me for the weather at all. Our wake up call was suddenly bumped to an hour earlier, on top of the Eastern time zone hour that we lost. I'll save you the math headache and just let you know that our day started at 2am Central time on Saturday morning. And being the Sherpa, I wasn't allowed to hand off the the wheel. What the racers need, the racers get. And if that's a bit more shut eye pre-race, or a world record time arrival to the Albanese Candy Factory after awards, that's what I'm there to do.

The storms blew over with plenty of time for the gorgeous weather to settle in. Seriously, I was so jealous I decided not to race because the wind was minimal, humidity non existent, sun shining beautifully, and the heat never exceeded 78 degrees. In case you're unaware, that's the most perfect racing weather.

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Mark, Kati, and Jacqui took off for the start and I was officially alone for the entire race until one of them crossed the finish line. I had been two-stepping most of the morning, holding my pee like a fiend so that the athletes could have first go at the porta potties, but as soon as my crew left for the start, I was officially ready to tackle anyone blocking me from the nearest porta pottie.

First thing you don't realize as an athlete: Sherpas sacrifice UTI's for the athletes and it's borderline unhealthy

Mark started 25 minutes before Jacqui and Kati, so soon after I said goodbye to the girls, I was ready to start looking for Mark to come out of the water. And soon there he was! I snapped as many photos as I could and then took off sprinting UPHILL towards the bike out. I zigzagged around transition and saw a huge open field that I could cut through. I learned quickly why it was so empty. Mud. I dodged the mud as best I could and made it to bike out with less than 60 seconds to spare before BFG appeared. I was still panting when he zoomed by me.

Second thing you don't realized as an athlete: Sherpa-ing is a hard workout and I'm panting already

As soon as Mark took off I was back to the drawing board and at the edge of the water to wait for Jacqui, just so I could repeat this entire workout. And as soon as I saw Jacqui head out of T2? Time for Kati! And she was KILLING this race and she was just out of the water! I screamed my throat raw and sent her off on the bike with a joyful heart. At this point it's barely 8:15am, I've been awake for 5+ hours and I feel like I've been doing wind sprints for hours.

Mark out of the Water!

Jacqui heading out on the bike!

Kati already crushin' PR's for the day!

But at least now they're on the bike so you can take a little rest! It's like you forgot that this is a Saturday and I'm not racing. Hence, I have my own workout to do. I headed to the car, threw on my run clothes and took off along the bike course to log my weekend long run while the 3 Musketeers were biking. It's not like I was starving, my car was blocked in, or had minimal caffeine/coffee in my system for the day. Yea, a 10 mile run sounds like a great idea right about now.

I took off and imagined my run being one of the worst to date. But less than a half mile into it I found my groove and for the 3rd weekend in a row, I nailed my long run and hit my splits like I was on autopilot. I was beyond thrilled and with only a mile to go, the race leaders were starting to pass me heading back to transition. This meant I had less than 30 minutes until I saw Mark off the bike. So much for any downtime after my run.

Third thing you don't realize as an athlete: the race lasts 5+ hours but there is very little downtime for Sherpas.

I got back to my car, dumped a bottle of water on my head to cool/rinse off, changed my shirt so I was RyBread appropriate, grabbed my road bike and was ready to see the crew on the run. 

I rode out onto the bike course less than a mile just to see if I could maybe catch the tail end of their bike ride. When I was least expecting it, Mark came out of nowhere and just like that, it was time to stalk the run course. 

Mark started in the 2nd start wave, so when he hit the run course, it was still fairly empty. I had plenty of space to ride around on the road alongside the athletes. Going through aide stations was even fun because volunteers tried to hand me water. We had a chance to talk and laugh with each other. I tried to get him to keep up with me on the bike and he laughed in my face. He did have a chance to pose for a photo though.

Coach is this aero??

Shortly after Mark hit the road, I spotted Jacqui off the bike and she was lookin' mighty strong. You see, Jacqui was coming off of injury and was using Muncie as a way to see where she stacked up for Ironman Lake Placid 2 weeks later. She had a couple other goals in mind as well, one that had me thrilled that she'd even consider. If she qualified, Jacqui was going to take the 70.3 World Championship slot so that we could race together with Ryan in Chattanooga, on my 30th birthday. Being a teacher who saves all of her personal/sick/paid time off for Kona every year, she was WILLING to take a potential day of no pay to help me celebrate my birthday doing what we love together. Well damn, that makes me want to tear up a bit. If that doesn't scream friendship, I don't know what does.

The pieces are falling back into place 💛💙💚💖 

To make a long story short, I made my way up and down that run course ALOT. I easily biked the entire course 3 times. Between Mark and Jacqui and trying to find Kati (whom I never found on the run and am still kicking myself for) I was a little upset I didn't wear bike shorts for this part of the day. And I was absolutely starving. I hadn't eaten a thing after my run and also forgot my water bottle in the car. I was ready for one of these guys to finish so I could get some of that athlete grub.

Fourth thing you don't realize as an athlete: Sherpas need water and food too.

At this point the run course is getting very crowded and biking/weaving between the athletes at times is no longer fun. Aide stations also become a hassle because you want to make sure that the athletes get what they need and that you don't run over them or piss them off. (Not always easy)

Jacqui was the first to find the finish shoot so I made sure to peal off the course and head to the finish shoot (riding through nasty mud the entire time). I snapped her finish, gave her a quick hug and was back to find Mark! He was less than 10 minutes behind Jacqui to finish so I had to work fast! I was having some serious anxiety about missing Mark and worried something happened to Kati since I never saw her on the run. Mark hit the finish line and just as I was starting to lose my mind thinking something happened to Kati, Jacqui spotted her coming down the finish shoot! THANK GOD! 

Fifth thing you don't realize as an athlete: OMG stress. Anxiety. Nerves. Holy Hell.

We all reunited and reminisced while we scarfed down food and chatted with friends. Once I had some food in me and sat down for the first time since about 5am, I realized how tired I was. I could have fallen asleep on the ground no problem. 

Sixth thing you don't realize as an athlete: it's more tiring at the end of the day than racing.

"I just want to go home"
Casual 30+ min PR, NBD

All the calories.

We showered in the public park showers because we were all smelling something funky. We snuck out to get gas station yum yumz (fountain soda, chocolate, and popcorn. Duh) We stuck around for awards so that Jacqui could officially grab her slot to the 70.3 World Championships. (SO EXCITED!) And then we raced to the Albanese Candy Factory for more post-race treats (but Jacqui wasn't allowed to pee and I wasn't allowed to drive the speed limit because well, priorities. And the Candy Factory had a closing time we had to beat.)

BFG! 20 minute PR!

30+ minute PR for this girl. WHAT! SO AWESOME!

CHATTY HERE WE COME!

Mark took off his jersey and realized he still had some sponges he was hoarding.

She could have us all fooled and really had a one and only goal of making me stop at the Candy Factory on the way home and we'd never know.

By the time my chariot pulled into my driveway it was pushing 11pm. And my head hit the pillow just before midnight. I closed in on a 22 hour day, didn't race, and woke up the next morning and felt like I was hit by a bus. Which brings me to my next point. I owe ALOT to Rob. This guy has Sherpa'd in the heat, in the freezing cold, in nasty wind, on courses that didn't allow him any sort of viewing ability. He's put up with overactive athlete bowels (while he holds his own), anxiety and fear of where I'm on at the course, and very little downtime to beat me to the finish line. And he's never failed at it.  He's got this whole thing down to a science and I'm SO glad the roles aren't reversed. Because my overactive nerves wouldn't be able to handle this kind of pressure on a regular basis. 

So on that note, I'm gonna go back to training. We're under 60 days until 70.3 Worlds and if I'm gonna show up on race day, I need to make sure I have my head down and focused. I've been spending a lot of time up in my newly constructed loft, sweating away the mornings before work. I promised you a picture once complete, and I didn't forget: 

Of course I added Christmas lights :)

So from now on when I talk about the pain cave or the loft, you know exactly where I am. Between training for 70.3 Worlds, the full Ironman in Chattanooga 2 weeks later, and my new job (yes, you heard that correctly), you could say the 2nd half of this summer will not disappoint. But Megan, new job on top of all of this!? The move! The back to back to back races! Yea, I know, tell me about it. But it was time and when opportunities present themselves, you don't deny them because you're too busy. You embrace it and see where it takes you. 

Cheers.