Peaking at Boulder

The Boulder Peak Triathlon is a well-known Olympic Distance race that draws athletes from all over the country.  Boulder is of course a great vacation destination, and the mountains nearby offer lots to do for families of athletes before and after race day.

We are so proud of our adopted Aussie son, Tim Reed, who went into the Boulder Peak saying he didn't expect to make the top ten among the pro's - and ended up SECOND behind Tim O'Donnell.  Tim had such a strong performance and we are very excited for him.  His adorable girlfriend Monica (aka "Amanda") arrived here in Boulder on Friday and raced the Peak as well - and it was great that she was here to share in Tim's great day on Sunday.  We know he has "heaps" of good races ahead of him in the months and years ahead.

My greatest competition on race day locally typically comes from the many strong women in my age group right here in Colorado. It's usually the same familiar faces that show up on the podium.  Many of  these women have been Age Group All-Americans for many years.  They were collegiate athletes usually in running or swimming, and they routinely kick each others' butts at races all over the country.  My goal this year has been to get a little closer to their golden performances, and to try to figure out what they are doing that I'm NOT doing, in hopes of improving.

I did have the good fortune of finishing third in my age group at Boulder Peak yesterday. I pushed a little harder on the bike from the beginning of the ride, up a gradual incline before a really big steep climb on Old Stage Hill.  My quads were already aching before I even got to Old Stage...oops, bad news.  Turned out ok though.  I am loving my Kestrel Air Foil bike so much these days.  Had a blowout in my front tire coming down a steep descent this week, and was able to keep it in control - feeling very comfortable on this bike.

While I had the fastest run of the age group by over a minute, and the third fastest bike, that fact is diminished by a swim that was 7 minutes slower than #1, and 12 minutes slower than #2.  I did swim a few minutes faster than the last time I did this race in '09, but it's ridiculous, really, that I try so hard on this swim thing and get such small improvement.  Obviously the things I'm trying aren't the things that will get me faster in the water.

It's a little frustrating how the swim comes so easy for some people.  Geez, they even look forward to swimming and smile when they know it's a swim training day.  I don't hate it anymore and sometimes it's pleasant with good mojo, but I'd MUCH rather be running along enjoying the trees and the sun even when it's a hard run workout - than scooting along with my face in the water.  One thing I do differently now is making sure I have the right attitude before going to the pool or the lake to do what needs to be done, and work on staying positive.  Maybe one day it will be fun. :-)  I have hope.

This coming weekend I'll be doing the Alcatraz Challenge.  It's a 1.5 mile swim in the bay, followed by a 7 mile run across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I'm trying to be positive about it, as jumping into a cold ocean doesn't seem anything close to fun to me.  I'm also trying not to think about it and seeing it as a way to toughen up, in keeping with my mission to to expand my comfort zone with challenging endeavors. Warren has promised to swim with me the whole time.  Not really.  I expect him to swim off and leave me within seconds.  I just gotta be a big girl and suck it up.  And I am not afraid to cry if I need to.