Lubbock 70.3 didn’t disappoint! I was excited to return to Lubbock after last year. Relentless winds and temperatures were well into the high 90s by mid-morning. I love the elements, but boy, this race had me hitting my head at times!
I had some rough patches and had to push thru the negativity – focus on my breathing, numbers, anything I could think of to get thru them. Margie Shapiro was on a mission and she was a tough contender all the way to the finish. She had a stellar swim/bike combo leaving me almost a minute behind in T2.
Onto the run, I started to get a rhythm – albeit late in the race and was able to push for the pass at mile 10. At the finish line I was offered an IV! I love this race for that exact reason! You can go smash yourself and recover in less than an hour! (FYI – Mike and Marti Greer have these available for all the athletes every single year! They know it can get brutally hot out there and to have the option to receive an IV is something you never see anywhere else!).
Post-race I made a mad-dash to the truck, packed my bike and headed straight to the airport (flew out the same night). My homestay was awesome and let me take their truck to short-term parking for later pickup. Thanks Randall and Autumn. You guys made my weekend, and I hope you get to enjoy a night out on me!
Details of the race:
With an early swim start (6:30) and commute to the lake I was in need of a wake-up call. I didn’t sleep well and was wide awake at 11pm, 1am, 2am, 2:30am, every half hour until my alarm at 3:40. I opted to not have coffee and tested out having a RedBull 30-minutes before the start of the race. It was the pick me up I needed. Time to race!
Swim – With lake temperatures at 74degrees, I opted to use my sleeveless Helix. I was the only pro with a sleeveless and at the start line I thought to myself – either I made a big mistake or I’m the smartest girl out here! (Post-race I found out it was not the right choice. Apparently sleeveless is very similar to no wetsuit at all – and full on sleeves are the way to go!)… Either way, I always feel awesome in my wetsuits and was focusing on having solid form – something I’ve been working on since my time in Kona. I swam just behind a couple of gals. It was a small race and so it seemed like I had the entire lake to myself. I rather enjoyed it!
Bike – Right off the bat you’re hit with a solid hill. I lost some nutrition somewhere between transition and the first 100 yards as well. Unfortunately my bike’s derrailuer was a little buggered from the flight and the great mechanics at the race venue literally rigged it up so I’d have at least a few gears that wouldn’t jump and be able to use normally (Paul and I are not having good luck with TSA these days!). Nonetheless I was able to ride and can’t thank them enough!
The winds were insane. I’m glad the course had out-and-backs. We were hit with a harsh head wind and then had some reprieve with a sweet tailwind. Then there was the cross winds – worst I’ve ridden in for a while! It made for a tough race but the Shiv road solid and held ground.
It’s been a long month of training/travel. I kept trying to keep my head in the game. I made all sorts of promises to myself – if I can muster up a win, I’m going to buy new clothes, eat that ice-cream, have a burger, do nothing for two weeks. I had to think of everything and anything that would provide a little ounce of extra push! It was one of those races where I needed it.
Run – I believe I headed out onto the run a minute back. I love the run course – part of it is shaded thru a campground. You have a lot of bystanders that look at you like you’re crazy with dogs, kids and BBQ. After about three miles you’re hit with some big hills and then onto a 1-2 mile straight away with cross-winds that’ll blow you in the ditch out in the middle of nowhere. And then you head directly back where you came from.
I was in cruise mode and had to really fight to get out of it. It was a sauna out there and at every aid station, I literally grabbed every cup of anything I could get my hands on. It was hotter than Hawaii. By the turn around I could see where I was with Margie (leader) and pushed forward. By mile 10 I was able to make the pass and focused on getting to the finish line. I knew there, I’d have an IV waiting and I’d be like a pig in mud!
I’d have to say this was a difficult race for me – more in the mind than the body. I had to fight thru some negativity and I think I’m due for a little break to reset and prepare for the later part of the season. It’s always fun to win but I learned the biggest lesson I could today – be your best in your darkest moment. It was an off day and I know the fix – chocolate and a few good sleep ins!
A big thanks goes to my amazing sponsors: Redbull, Specialized, Pearl Izumi, Shimano, MarkAllenOnline, Standard Process, Xlab, BlueSeventy, Fuelbelt, SRM
And a shout-out to all those that support me:: Bonkbreaker, First Endurance, Phil Maffetone, Core Diet, David Darbshire, SableWaterOptics, All Pro Science, Yurbuds, The Feed!
I’m honored to have such a group of stellar people and companies behind me. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to be part of the team!