Greetings from the SLC, It's been a minute since my last race I have been processing all that happened and quite frankly getting over it. A couple of weeks ago I raced the Ironman St George Pro Championships and dnf'd . For those of you who are not aware, dnf stands for did not finish ... Uh yeah. So allow me to explain.
Let me start by mentioning I have never not finished any race I have started so it was quite
devastating. My mindset has always been that If I never quit anything then well ...I will never
quit anything... If that's makes any sense. However, I have never looked down on, judged, etc..
anyone who has, because I know how hard and challenging these races can be. There are many factors that go into having a successful race or even to complete a race. I train very hard, I'm not only speaking of the miles swimming, biking and running that are put in. I'm talking about the mental focus, recovery focus, eating stretching, sleep etc that goes into trying to complete this level and in this sport, the race is the icing on the cake. The race is not the difficult part of being s triathlete... it is the day to day consistency of training. A race is a day to show what you've put into the sport and reward yourself after crossing that line. So when I had to call it quits , I wasn't as upset about the actual race as I was all of the hours I put in to get to that start line, the early mornings, getting nailed by slush running in snow all winter, the indoor trainer rides, just the non glamorous stuff that every triathlete can relate to.
devastating. My mindset has always been that If I never quit anything then well ...I will never
quit anything... If that's makes any sense. However, I have never looked down on, judged, etc..
anyone who has, because I know how hard and challenging these races can be. There are many factors that go into having a successful race or even to complete a race. I train very hard, I'm not only speaking of the miles swimming, biking and running that are put in. I'm talking about the mental focus, recovery focus, eating stretching, sleep etc that goes into trying to complete this level and in this sport, the race is the icing on the cake. The race is not the difficult part of being s triathlete... it is the day to day consistency of training. A race is a day to show what you've put into the sport and reward yourself after crossing that line. So when I had to call it quits , I wasn't as upset about the actual race as I was all of the hours I put in to get to that start line, the early mornings, getting nailed by slush running in snow all winter, the indoor trainer rides, just the non glamorous stuff that every triathlete can relate to.
My story is quite simple , I quit because I was freezing that day and I didn't feel as if it was a
smart decision to descend down into T2 with the way I was feeling. It was pouring rain and
about 49 degrees out and I found myself just too cold once I reached the top of snow canyon which is at about mile 45 of the bike . I decided that because of how out of it and numb I felt, that it would not be safe. This was a very hard decision for me, as I sat in a little hut at the top of the canyon, I shivered, cried, then debated getting back out there for about an hour. I know sounds petty pathetic but that's what happened. Eventually after mulling over my decision, with some occasional cheering in of other athletes a truck came a long picking up the people who had dropped out along the way.
smart decision to descend down into T2 with the way I was feeling. It was pouring rain and
about 49 degrees out and I found myself just too cold once I reached the top of snow canyon which is at about mile 45 of the bike . I decided that because of how out of it and numb I felt, that it would not be safe. This was a very hard decision for me, as I sat in a little hut at the top of the canyon, I shivered, cried, then debated getting back out there for about an hour. I know sounds petty pathetic but that's what happened. Eventually after mulling over my decision, with some occasional cheering in of other athletes a truck came a long picking up the people who had dropped out along the way.
The silent car ride back to the venue was pretty depressing I have to admit. Handing in my chip and watching everyone descending down into T2 toughing out the conditions while I sat in a warm truck made me feel super low. But I made the decision that once I got to town I would enjoy the rest of the day and cheer on everyone that I knew was out there. The rest of my day consisted of getting warm as then watching all of the other athletes and I actually had some fun doing it! Congrats to everyone who races and completed it in such horrific conditions.
After the race we ended up meeting up with friends and having a good time with some burgers and beers... What better way to cheer myself up. But it was really the amazing support from everyone that helped me get through it. They assured me I had made the right decision and I can't thank all of the people in my life enough for that. I truly needed a boost that day .
After the race we ended up meeting up with friends and having a good time with some burgers and beers... What better way to cheer myself up. But it was really the amazing support from everyone that helped me get through it. They assured me I had made the right decision and I can't thank all of the people in my life enough for that. I truly needed a boost that day .
Since St. George I have been back to training hard , gearing up for Ironman Boulder 70.3 on
June 11th, I'm hoping for a warm day out there !
June 11th, I'm hoping for a warm day out there !
A quick thank you to all of my sponsors, Porcupine Pub and Grille, CityWide Home Loans, Braveheart Coaching SLC, Elete Electolytes , The Healing Willow, and a new sponsor Aquaholics who keeps me geared up for all of my swimming! Most importantly thank you to all of friends and loved ones who had to hear me like a bumbling fool that day... You picked me up, brushed me off and got me back out there to try harder for next time .you know who you are !!
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