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Triathlon Reflections: 2015


Video Above: Katlyn Evans (Me), Ironman Arizona 70.3 Finish, 2015. Video by Johann Warnholtz.

Hello, 2016!

It's been a while since my last post. Last year was full of new experiences and challenges - a test of endurance, determination, love, passion, persistence, resilience, and sacrifice, but ultimately representative of accomplishment. In 2015, I ran in snow for the first time; I finished my first 50 mile trail run; took my first spill on the trails, became a larger part of an epic running community (www.dirtbagrunners.com), completed my first triathlon and followed it by a half-ironman, added two beautiful nieces to my role as Aunt Katie, AND graduated nursing school with honors! Phew.

While it was difficult to keep up with my blog alongside the rigor of my nursing program, and I did not write race reports for the triathlons the way that I normally do for my running races, I do have a few highlights of my triathlon reflections to share.

My first triathlon EVER was the olympic distance at the Life Time Tempe Tri. I was nervous for the swim because of my breathing (a vocal cord dysfunction called a laryngospasm), but knew that I was strong enough for it. I ended up swimming a bit too far on the outside at first, and had to work my way back inside prior to the turn around, but it afforded me time to find my groove. After the swim, I ran excitedly into the bike transition, and it was relatively seamless thanks to learning an impeccable transition setup from a fellow racelab athlete (and true badass!), Ashley Robota. The bike course zigs and zags through Tempe. In retrospect, I went a little too hard on the bike portion of this race; I was excited! Fortunately, there is leeway in an olympic distance. I still had my legs when I got to the run, and the run is my jam! I remember beaming the whole way. I burst through the finish chute, finishing in 3:03:25, 10th in my age group.

A month later I completed the Ironman Arizona 70.3! Again, I was nervous for the swim, but following the advice of my coach, Johann Warnholtz, I planned to start closer to the inside line this time. The water was choppy, and I battled a few swimmers who couldn't swim in a straight line, but I did not drift as far to the outside, thankfully. First improvement, check! I came out of the water strong and transitioned to the bike. The bike course was three loops, and had familiar zigs and zags. I focused on sticking to my race strategy and staying in my heart rate zones so that I wouldn't expend all of my energy early on. The first two loops felt great! I successfully managed to glide through the bike aid stations, exchanging water bottles without falling over; win (considering I had never practiced this)! The racelab cheer squad was loud and proud, and it was a surge of encouragement every time I passed them. By the third loop, I was tired and my hip flexors were sore. By the time I saw the "mile 50" marker, I thought, "only...six...more...miles." I was ready to get off the bike; my quads were screaming. As soon as I put on my running shoes and headed out of transition, I was grinning ear to ear: happy little runner girl. I have experience running on exhausted legs, so this was just another long run in my mind. On cloud 9, I started out on the run quick and had to dial it back a notch. Regardless, I felt like I was cruising, especially considering the majority of the people around me were walking. The sun was out; it was a typical warm October day in Arizona, and many people had pushed too hard on the bike. This is where training all summer on the trails came to my advantage. Many volunteers shouted, "You look great! Keep up the pace!" I pushed through the first loop of a two loop run course. By the second loop, everything hurt, right down to my ankles. It was a different kind of pain than I'd felt previously in ultrarunning, most likely due to combining use of different muscles in swimming and biking. I had to dig deep mentally to push aside the pain, and I knew how to do it - one foot in front of the other; relentless forward motion. With less than a mile to the finish, I put my track practice into action - shoulders relaxed, elbows back, high knees, PUSH! I finished in 6:41:37, 13th in my age group with the 7th fastest run in my age group. Not too shabby for my first half-ironman (and second EVER triathlon)!

I mention that I had the 7th fastest run in my age group specifically because this was an important revelation for me. Immediately following the race, and in the first few days after, I was hard on myself, thinking and feeling that I was a stronger runner and I could have performed better during the race. Then it hit me: the Ironman Arizona 70.3 was the furthest distance I had conquered yet. I physically propelled my body over SEVENTY miles!!! Once I let this information sink in, the pride followed. I trained hard, despite being in school, and I enjoyed the experience of the race immensely. I can call myself a triathlete.

On that note, my second revelation and important reflection from my triathlon experiences was just that - experience is key. While you can lace up your running shoes, grab some water and food, and hit the road (or trails) for a run, there is a different level of preparation and strategy involved in triathlon. From combining three sports, to transitioning, to managing your energy expenditure, triathlon is a different beast from running, even ultrarunning (although there are similarities, don't get me wrong). Practicing the strategy is part of performing well. I look forward to practicing the strategy and improving.

Post race, I focused on finishing the last few weeks of nursing school, graduation, and enjoying time with family and friends over the holidays. I mostly ran and got back to cross training at the gym regularly. It felt good to just run...and run...and run some more, for a while. Shortly into the new year though, the itch returned, and I've been back in the pool and on the bike recently. I haven't been "training" per say. I need to take a step back. I need to focus on building a strong base again, not only physically, but mentally, too. And for now, swimming and biking are cross-training as I enjoy building back my trail running strength, but there is certainly another tri in my near future.

Cheers!

(But that cheering though! Listen to the video; racelab ROCKS!)

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