I had planned to return to race Eagleman this year, but due to a lot of changes taking place (stay tuned), I had to make some adjustments in the schedule. Travel for a race was no longer an option, so I turned to the local/regional favorite: The GA Rock ‘N Rollman Half Ironman in hot, sweaty, and sultry Macon, GA.

There is probably a reason why I never considered this race before.  Perhaps it has to do with the 5000% humidity, combined with the hilly course with zero shade.  Suck it up, Buttercup. I jumped in.

As a side note, I would just like to mention that the volunteers were awesome at this race. It’s not easy to get people out there in those conditions.   Volunteers can come in all shapes and sizes, and from any demographic. I thought I had seen it all . . . until I saw these guys.  They were awesome!  Hey, what’s more morale-boosting for an inmate than to get to spend the day with half-naked athletes?

There was not an official “pro field,” but rather an Open/Elite wave to qualify for the smaller prize purse; about half of the Open/Elites on the men’s and women’s side had a pro card. It’s a cool opportunity for amateur elites to also race for some prize money.  So it was a bit of a surprise, to say the least, to see Nina Kraft’s name on the start list.  I raced at Steelhead with her last year, and she stomped me on the swim (as did most), I passed her on the bike, and the returned the favor on the run.  I figured it would be a fun chase at the very least.

My coach, Matt Russ, has killer skills when it comes to motivational pep talks. Two days before the race, he was in top form when he delivered one of his best lines ever:  “Shut the ____ up and just get out there and race!” Girls can be so whiney (just sayin’).  He is pretty good at dealing with me.

Coming off of my wretched swim at Gulf Coast, my aquatic confidence was a bit shot.  So you can understand my delight to see my good buddy, Mark Maclachlan, at the swim start. I had no idea he was racing in the Open wave!  Mark and I are perfectly matched in the pool. We swim masters together and share a lane, and I have been known to actually beat him on occasion!  However, I am “open water special needs,” so I knew my best bet would be to stay on his feet and draft like a champ.

I am pleased to announce that Mark accepted my proposal and kindly came on board as my NEW SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR. I cannot believe I waited this long to pursue this important type of sponsorship.  He was FAB. I tickled his toes all the way around that gorgeous, flat-as-glass lake, and emerged from the water in a SHOCKING 28:24.  Shocking for me, that is.  My previous PR was 30+, and that was with a wetsuit and a current at Steelhead.  I didn’t care what happened the rest of the race; I finally wasn’t cussing coming out of the water, so it could only be a good day!

I jumped on my bike and screamed to Danny on the side of the road “CALL MATT AND TELL HIM MY SWIM TIME!!!”  — that was my only concern at that point. I wanted my coach to know the freakish swim performance I just miraculously pulled off.  Again, whatever else happened was a moot point.

I passed my good buddy April early on (another testament to the power of a Drafting Sponsor– April can crush me in the water and I didn’t expect to see her so soon) and yelled something to her cute pink ass about LET’S GO.  I had never ridden that course before but it was pretty much all up or down.  After about 40 miles I was irritated that I hadn’t caught anyone else, because I can usually reel in some more women by that point.  Then at mile 50 I caught Nina and it occurred to me–  I was 3rd out of the water.  This was like an act of God.   I put as much time on Nina as I could in the remaining 6 miles, and came into transition with a 2:30 bike split– very pleased as this was a tough course, and it was the fastest by over 5min.  As I rounded the last corner into Transition, I saw Danny, Sam, and Matt and they were all screaming and jumping up and down. I was cracking UP!! I don’t think they expected to see me come into T2 first– it was pretty cool.

I’d need that cushion, though (and more!), because the run was just miserable!  Macon is like The Trifecta of Hell:  Hot, Hilly, and Humid.  My goals of a run in the low 1:30s were soon dashed as I struggled to hold a pace at least 20sec off my goal pace.  No biggie– the conditions were very tough and I was still grateful to pull that off with the crazy schedule I’ve been maintaining the last few weeks.  I ended up with a less-than-stellar 1:37, and Nina beat me by just over 4min.  4:38 overall time and 2nd place.  Always the bridesmaid . . .  ha!

I’m actually thrilled. I’ve been juggling things like a circus performer lately with a LOT of changes going on.  This was a great race given the conditions and the amount of focus I’ve had on triathlon lately.  There is no such thing as balance in my opinion; it’s just a juggling act!

My teammates rocked it out in the Sprint race and it was just awesome to race (again) with so many friends and acquaintances out on the course.

Dr. Sadri and super ultra-marathoner bad-ass, Jennifer Vogel, of First Choice Healthcare, were there to take care of all the athletes in all their nastiness. These guys are the best and I have Sadri to thank for keeping me injury free since 2008.  If you are an athlete in ATL, definitely seek them out.

Of course, a huge shout-out to my sponsors (ha!), especially my SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR, Mark Maclachlan, for really taking one for the team.  I’ll be adding your logo-face to my website shortly . . .       Here’s my new sponsor and I post-race.  And yes, there are about 50 cold towels, a visor, AND a ghetto-style, backwards hat full of ice on top of my head.

My former marketing professor from my MBA program, Dr. Jim Linck, has since taken the dive head-first into this crazy sport, alongside his equally awesome twin brother, Paul Linck.  I ran past Paul at one point and wasn’t sure which one it was . . . it was funny.  “Go Ji… go Pau. . . GO LINCK!” These guys are a trip and it was great to see them out there.

Last year I did mostly all big 70.3 races and nothing local.  This race was a great reminder of how much fun a local race can be.  Pretty low-key, but surprisingly VERY well run, despite four different races going on at the same time.  A big thumbs-up to GA Multisports and SetUp Events.

Of course, thank you to my kick-ass coach, Matt Russ. We’ve been through it all and I feel like he knows me so well (more than he’d probably prefer to) and I wouldn’t trust anyone more than I trust him.   If you have a great coach helping you achieve your goals, don’t forget to show them some love.  When it clicks, it clicks.  I feel very lucky.

ps: I’ll be accepting applications for a FEMALE Swim Draft Sponsor moving forward to fulfill my sponsorship needs in the pro wave of most bigger races.  Please submit your proposals as soon as possible; I expect this to be a very competitive application process.

So sorry to torment you all with so many sleepless nights, anxiously awaiting a new blog post.  Actually I am a bit irritated from my own lack of presence on my very own website, but alas, life gets (very) busy, I start juggling, and the triage process begins.  And the blog falls to the back.  Hey, I never claimed to be a “real” pro; I’m a workin’ girl and the blog doesn’t pay the bills.  But I’m back on the wagon — promise.

And then I have one of those races that just doesn’t seem worthy of a race report.  But, a deal’s a deal, and I am a race reportin’ kind of girl.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the (horror) show.

Ahhh, the return to Gulf Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach. What is it about the Redneck Riviera that I find so enchanting?  With its white sand beaches, beer coozies, airbrushed tshirts, long hair (on men), and nascar-esqe parasailing, it just draws me back for more–  what can I say.  GCT was my very first half ironman back in 2004, as a Team In Training member.  I had so much fun that I came back for more in 2006.  And then I won the race as an amateur in 2008, which was a big surprise for me, and even more awesome because I got a picture of this fab car decor on the way back home.

BEST PHOTO EVER.   How many races can keep you this entertained? Of course I had to go back.

I had the best couple training blocks I’ve ever had leading up to the race, and I was FIRED UP.  I was ready to break some personal barriers.  I had a very busy week leading up to the race with work and travel and not the ideal amount of sleep, but I was still confident, excited, and happy to be there as I warmed up the day before.

I even pushed aside my (valid! valid!) fears of being ripped apart by one of the testosterone-fueled bull sharks that calls the Gulf “home” . . . and got into the water for an (albeit very short) swim the day before the race. It is no secret that I am terrified of untimely “encounter” with a man-eating beast.  I know what you’re thinking– but it could happen!

I absolutely fell in love with my new XTERRA Vendetta wetsuit.  I can’t believe I’ve been wearing the most ghetto wetsuit all this time.  I feel like I have been driving a Ford Pinto for years, and someone just gave me the keys to a Lamborghini.  (Proof:  I never smile like this when in water.  Wrap me in flexible, buoyant rubber, though, and you can’t wipe the grin off my face.)

Unfortunately, the Lamborghini stayed parked in the garage on race day, as only the age groupers were allowed to wear wetsuits.

Race morning was authentically PCB.  We were sitting in the hotel lobby wasting time and contemplating why I got up so damn early when I glanced a few tables over and saw two guys who were clearly not battling race day nerves.  What is it about these two strapping chaps that gave me a sneaking suspicion that they were perhaps not about to embark on an endurance adventure?  It could’ve been the overwhelming stench of alcohol that made its way across the room. Or perhaps their joyous, almost raucous approach to ripping into an ice cream bar and a RockStar Energy Drink at 5:44am.  Everyone has their pre-race nutrition plan; you just never know.  They were clearly endurance junkies, as they had been on a marathon of an evening and weren’t about to DNF before the sun came up.  I cracked up and asked them, “You guys are probably not racing, right?”

They enjoyed my amusement and were clearly not camera shy.  This, my friends, is what I love about Panama City Beach.

You know how they say you can’t win a race with a great swim, but you sure can lose it with a bad one?   Let that be the theme of this race report.

The waters were particularly rough (easily 3ft waves), so much so that I literally stopped four times to ask the guys on the wave runners where the hell the buouys were.  Yep– couldn’t see anything.  Nor could I see any other athletes.  Now, nobody’s ever accused me of being Amanda Beard, but I was counting on a swim in the low-30s — consistent with my swims over the past year.  So you can imagine my horror when I came out of the water in 37+! I was shocked.  Almost 8min slower than my previous race.   Given that I didn’t know where I was going, couldn’t see the buoys, and generally suck at swimming in rough open water, I am pretty sure that I took the scenic route back to shore.  We later learned the the top men came out of the water in 30min, so everyone’s times were off.  Mine was just ghastly.

I got on the bike and was ready to make up some time. As soon as I started riding, however, my aerobottle started bouncing around and I felt like I was in a slow motion horror show, trying to catch it with one hand while balancing my bike with the other, yet knowing that someone or something was going down soon.  Then it flew off and slid across the road, and I had to stop, circle back, pick it up, stop swearing, and secure it so I could get back to work.  I did all the above but stop swearing.  Just kidding.

The only good thing about this photo is the caption that was unintentionally captured at the top.  The sign was clearly referring to the go-carts, but I do love that it mysteriously landed in my photo.

I picked it up and had a good bike ride (time-wise), posting the fastest female split around 23+mph.  But it was about 10-15 watts below my typical race wattage the last 2 years.  Weird.  The only explanation for this was that the rough, long swim took way more out of me, and I was just depleted.  I don’t really care about my time or my speed. I know what I can put out wattage-wise, and I didn’t hit the mark.  I need to get stronger in the water, period, if I want to do what I can do on the bike and run.  This swim sucked the life out of me.

My tough swim was like the gift that kept on giving.  If I didn’t have it on the bike, I REALLY didn’t have it on the run.  While I’m pleased that I still finished 2nd overall, I was darn lucky to do so, because I was not where I wanted to be, where I trained to be, or where I expected to be.  BUT that’s why it’s a race; the best man (or woman) can win on any given day– and it just wasn’t me that day!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how awesome it was to be running the back half of the half-marathon and have so many athletes, just heading out on the start of their run, high-fiving and and giving me encouragement.  There is a sense of solidarity, regardless of our goals or our times, knowing that everyone is out there doing their best and supporting each other.  So while I knew I was having a crap day for me, I also knew that I was lucky to be there, was feeling the love from the other athletes which I appreciated so much, and owed it to myself and everyone else to keep on truckin’.

Perhaps as a way to LOCK IN a fun race day, about 100m from the finish line, with the homeland in sight, I get stopped by the officials to “stand down for two minutes” for mis-racking my bike in T2.   Are you kidding me?!  As if this run isn’t bad enough– now you’re going to add time to it?! Horror.

Progress is exciting, but it also raises our expectations and our perceptions of success.  That is not lost on me. I am still grateful for finishing 2nd — something that I never could’ve imagined when I ran that same course with the purple Team In Training jersey years ago.  That makes me smile, even if it’s not the same thing I expected or wanted in 2010.

PERSPECTIVE!

That’s why I love racing, and what keeps me coming back. It keeps you on your toes, working hard, and hungry for more.

Well, I’m on my toes and I’m still hungry! 

Lastly, I would like to give a shout-out to Panama City for providing the flattest, most gorgeous water — 24 hours AFTER the race!  A day late and  a dollar short — but still very pretty.

I haven’t seen the last of GCT.  I want to battle that race (or myself) again, and I will.

OK, the truth is that I want to buy a coozie, an airbrushed tshirt, and see my two RockStar guys one more time!