I signed up for the Women of Steel triathlon. I have done the same triathlon for years (TirathaMOM) and wanted to add a new race to my repertoire. It is at the beginning of the race season. I was excited to see how this training would differ from my mid to late season races. Training was a bit hard. It was mostly indoor. Like most training it was a roller coaster through confident and scared emotions. Once I went biking on the actually terrain I felt better. I didn't swim as much as I wanted to (only once) but I made the most of it. All in All int was a neat experience and organized race.
I would definitely do it again.
I made this collage to keep me focused and motivated. This is a collage of all the "Women of Steel" in my life. :)
I like to put my long hair in braids.
Transition area set up
They accidentally put the wrong number so I had them fix it with a smiley face. Quite fitting.
Race Report:
I went to my Mom's house to spend the night, she lived closer to the race place than my house. My husband was out of town so she was also helping me with the kids which I appreciated so much. The logistics of packing for the race were a little more to handle with getting the kids packed too but it was what it was and it all worked out better than I expected in the end.
We ate pizza for dinner, I had oatmeal just before bed. I drank a lot to start getting hydrated. I slept deep and good but did wake up a few times to poop (those morning race poop nerves get me every time). I woke at 5:30 am, stole a kiss from the kids, said Good Morning and Goodbye to my Mom, grabbed my stuff and snuck out. I got to the race area WAYYY early at 6 am but I couldn't sleep anymore. I parked and sat in the truck, ate my banana and peanut butter sandwich, jammed out to pump up music, and waited for the transition area to open up.
I got my stuff set up, got my body marks, and took my time. I walked around and did some more pooping then stretching for the next hour. Eventually we all lined up in our seeded area to start our swim. I had only swam once for training so I seeded myself in the 9 minute section. It was cold waiting so I danced around and chatted with the ladies around me before jumping in the pool. I started swimming and honestly it was probably my worst race swim. I got in my own head with swimming and tried to change too many things up in the middle of the swim when I should have just done what I know, even if the technique is off. I am not mad at how this part turned out. Just learning and growing. I swam with the breast stroke, regular swim, and back stroke. I finished it with a 11:30 time. I was having fun but glad to move onto my favorite part, the biking. I ran to transition and get all done up and mounted on my bike and took off.
This race had two 6 mile loops. One side was up hill and the other side was downhill. I felt like the hills grew in between the loops. LOL. I LOVE bike riding and it was hard because of the hills but I rocked this, especially going downhill #nofear. While transitioning from the bike to the run I saw my kids and family. I hollered at them and they waved to me. It gave me more fire to run fast. I also listened to a podcast the day before that gave great advice on treating race day like race day and not a training today. I kept reminding myself that this was a race day EFFORT and I pushed myself! The run was similar to the bike, up hill one way, down hill the other but just 1 loop. The best part was the finish line at the bottom of the loop. I ran through it and was given my medal while hunched over catching my breath, then found my family to hug them.
I went to my Mom's house to spend the night, she lived closer to the race place than my house. My husband was out of town so she was also helping me with the kids which I appreciated so much. The logistics of packing for the race were a little more to handle with getting the kids packed too but it was what it was and it all worked out better than I expected in the end.
We ate pizza for dinner, I had oatmeal just before bed. I drank a lot to start getting hydrated. I slept deep and good but did wake up a few times to poop (those morning race poop nerves get me every time). I woke at 5:30 am, stole a kiss from the kids, said Good Morning and Goodbye to my Mom, grabbed my stuff and snuck out. I got to the race area WAYYY early at 6 am but I couldn't sleep anymore. I parked and sat in the truck, ate my banana and peanut butter sandwich, jammed out to pump up music, and waited for the transition area to open up.
I got my stuff set up, got my body marks, and took my time. I walked around and did some more pooping then stretching for the next hour. Eventually we all lined up in our seeded area to start our swim. I had only swam once for training so I seeded myself in the 9 minute section. It was cold waiting so I danced around and chatted with the ladies around me before jumping in the pool. I started swimming and honestly it was probably my worst race swim. I got in my own head with swimming and tried to change too many things up in the middle of the swim when I should have just done what I know, even if the technique is off. I am not mad at how this part turned out. Just learning and growing. I swam with the breast stroke, regular swim, and back stroke. I finished it with a 11:30 time. I was having fun but glad to move onto my favorite part, the biking. I ran to transition and get all done up and mounted on my bike and took off.
This race had two 6 mile loops. One side was up hill and the other side was downhill. I felt like the hills grew in between the loops. LOL. I LOVE bike riding and it was hard because of the hills but I rocked this, especially going downhill #nofear. While transitioning from the bike to the run I saw my kids and family. I hollered at them and they waved to me. It gave me more fire to run fast. I also listened to a podcast the day before that gave great advice on treating race day like race day and not a training today. I kept reminding myself that this was a race day EFFORT and I pushed myself! The run was similar to the bike, up hill one way, down hill the other but just 1 loop. The best part was the finish line at the bottom of the loop. I ran through it and was given my medal while hunched over catching my breath, then found my family to hug them.
My Mother, sister, and kids came out to support me. I loved having their faces and voices there. My son was hilarious and pointed at his tooth that fell out that morning as I ran through the finish line. (Lars was out of town on business, thank you Mom for helping me with the kids.)
I am pleased with my time.
Checking out the ceremonies afterwards
Roan was so sweet. He asked if he could stand with me on the podium if I won. I didn't win but we still took pics.
The kids and I celebrated afterwards by hitting up The World's Greatest Corn Dog Food Truck.
It was an awesome way to celebrate my Mother's Day. I am grateful for my body and the time to train and push my limits. Ya know in doing a lot of self reflection the last few weeks regarding motherhood and triathlons, I think I really started to take better care of myself when I became a Mom. I know this isn't true for every woman but for me it is. When I became a Mom I rediscovered how loved I am, not just relied on by these little kids, but they love me and from that I relearned that I deserve to give myself that same love. If I want to teach my kids to love themselves then I need to start by loving me too. Doing triathlons is one way I show myself love. I love how training and races makes me feel. I love my body and am so grateful for this journey on seeing all that my body and mind can do, especially when they work together and respect each other. It is a process and it is hard but so worth marking myself a priority and doing it. It has poured out positivity in all other aspects of my life. :) YA for learning and growing!
