Denver Tri, done. 3rd Age Group, 7th Overall Female (excluding Elites).
Loveland Lake 2 Lake Tri, done. 2nd Age Group, 5th Overall Female.
Boulder Peak Tri, done. 2nd Age Group, 10th Female Overall (excluding Pros/Elites)
Next up: State Games of Colorado Tri - last tune up before Nationals.
It's been a busy summer of intense training; but it's all paying off. There's nothing sweeter than reaping the benefits of long hours of sweat and hard work...and it's not over yet.
A month from today, I will be in Burlington, VT hopefully getting some sleep before the big race. I've tasted Victory at every one so far and it's just fueled my fire for more - given me the drive to continue to push.
Boy, am I pushing. 3 more weeks of work. One week soft taper. One week full taper. Now is the time to really be smart - or really, to STAY smart. Listen to the body. Optimal nutrition. Rest. Hydrate. Recover.
At the end of the day, I am accountable to myself, and I'm a pretty hard judge. I can't say that it's easy when the alarm goes off at 4:45am Monday and Wednesday mornings, to fling myself out of bed and hustle to the pool. It's not. It's hard. I tell myself, I went to bed at a reasonable time. I may be tired, but I can still do the workout, and I won't regret it after it is done. I WILL regret not going if I sleep in though... and more likely, will toss and turn feeling guilty if I don't get up anyway. So, might as well get up and go through the motions. It's habit now. Routine. This is what I do, so I just do it... but good thing I pack my back the night before or I would show up with no suit on, knowing me. Thank goodness I know me.
Was it easy to wake up at 5:45am this morning to do hill repeats on the bike? Nope... but I did it. Easy to go out in the heat of the day at lunch to get mile repeats in so I didn't have to do them after a late work day at 7pm? Nope, but I was out there. And it will show next month, because I am out there when others are not. Are others out there when I am not? I'm sure some are, but I am doing the best I can; that is what it's about and what counts.
I'm thankful to my friends and family for standing behind me and believing in me, and I am eternally thankful to The Colorado Running Company and John O'Neill for the continued support - it wouldn't have been as successful a season without your help.
Moving forward, excited for what the next few weeks hold in store... and excited to see what I can really do.
