Oceanside 70.3: Finding Aloha in Racing

Before I get into my race, I'd like to brag a minute on my husband.  He began working with Coach Hillary April 1st last year, approximately one week after Oceanside.  In the last year he has worked really, really hard and the gains, particularly on the bike, have been impressive.  He finished the race with a bike PR and was able to race the entire half marathon, something he's not been able to do in a very long time.  I have no doubt we will continue to see great things as the year progresses!

Oceanside is our favorite race.  We have for sure raced it 7 times, though it might actually be 8... I'd have to go back and look at results.  It is an absolutely beautiful venue, with a challenging bike course.  I don't know if it's the casual beach vibe, or the fact that it's the first race of the season after a long winter, but the energy is absolutely electric.  From the fans and the athletes.

Sunset from our balcony.

Going into Oceanside I didn't have a particular goal in mind, but the last thing Hillary said to me after camp was "there's no reason you can't PR at Oceanside".  Knowing that she had faith in my abilities despite having only 3 weeks of real bike training under me gave me the confidence I needed to just go for it.

I don't know how to put into words what I experienced racing on Saturday.  I was nervous in the morning, like I always am.  Anticipating the day and all the things that *could* go wrong.  When we lined up at the swim buoy before the gun went off I had butterflies in my stomach.  The minute we were released for take off, all the anxiety disappeared and I just executed.

Exploring Oceanside on 2 wheels.

From start to finish, I raced with so much joy and passion.  I felt... Free.  It was such an amazing feeling that the longer I raced, and the harder I pushed, the happier I felt.  I was experiencing the true joy of pushing my body without any expectations whatsoever.

Some thoughts that floated through my head during the race looked like this:

***During the swim, I always go out hard (balls out, baby!) to get clear of the crowd.  I was on the feet of one girl in my age group, with another girl just off to my right when we made the first half-turn to head into choppier waters.  Almost instantly I dropped them both the minute we were no longer in smooth waters.  "I'm a pretty strong swimmer!" I thought to myself, and continued to push hard putting 90 seconds over the next girl in my age group by the time we exited the water.  (Thank you band-only swimming!!)

***At mile 10 of the bike, my Smash-Dimond teammate and superstar cyclist Emily rode by me.  She beat me by 12 minutes on the bike leg at IMAZ, so when she passed me I expected to be dropped.  Only, I wasn't.  For the next several miles I was having an internal debate about whether I was riding too hard because I was staying with Em.  I shouldn't be there, but I was.  In reality, her off-season probably included just as little biking as mine did as she is also targeting Kona in October and we entered Oceanside equally fit.  But on the day, it was another confidence boost.

Power pose!  I love my gem.

***At mile 31 (half-way through the hills) I had another debate about how hard I was riding.  I was over the power numbers coach and I had agreed upon.  I knew I should probably back off, but I was having so much fun.  Riding hard, and feeling strong was something that I missed during running season.  I absolutely love my bike.  It's hard to even put into words how much I love to ride my gem.  And I was riding with so much joy and just loving every second.  It was sort of an epiphany because for so long, I identified as a runner (despite the fact that I am merely an average runner).  For the first time I thought, I am a triathlete!  I don't want to back off from riding hard!  So at that moment, I decided that I didn't care if I was going too hard, I was going to just keep going.

***Coming off the bike I was so excited to start running and see what I could do.  Right away my legs didn't feel fresh, but I fed off the energy from the crowd and I feel like I was smiling the whole way.  I cheered for my Smash friends and TriScottsdale teammates on course and the miles just ticked by.  At one point around mile 6, I ran down the pier onto the strand.  The view of the pier with the perfect-blue waters all around absolutely took my breath away.  Goosebumps broke out on my arms and I felt so incredibly grateful to be there.  It is such a gift to be healthy and able to race at this level.

On the run course!

***By mile 9 I was starting to slow down.  In my struggle I heard the words of the coach in this video that was shared by my friend Steve a few weeks ago.  Your very best!  Your very best!  Your very best!  I wanted to give my very best no matter how much I was suffering.  I thought of Steve and his daily battle and I felt even more blessed and I wanted to honor that feeling with my very best effort.

***In the last mile of the run, I flipped screens on my Garmin to show me the total time.  I realized for the first time all day that I was going to have a massive course PR.  I raised my arms as I crossed the finish line and could not stop smiling.

At the finish line.  Celebrating the DB and Coach Hillary!

I ended up with a 9 minute course PR finishing in 5 hours and 53 seconds.  I had my fastest bike split on this course by 5 minutes, and followed it up with a solid run.  I was first in my age group out of the water, and first off the bike.  I ended up second in my age group and 10th female amateur out of 645 female finishers.  (I was also 228th overall out of 2463 athletes total).  Good enough for a spot on the podium.  My highest finish at Oceanside.

2nd Female 40-44 age group.

It was literally the. best. day of racing I've ever had.  I think that the goal of #findingkona which has been my sole purpose for the last 4 years has been met and a weight has been lifted.  I felt free.  On Saturday there was no more fear.  No fear of failure.  No fear of what-if?  No more questions, no more doubt, no more worry.  I was able to focus on doing what I love, which happens to be triathlon.  I know I have said it before but I truly love this sport.  I love greeting the day with a swim, bike or run.  I love how hard it can be to accomplish certain workout goals.  I love feeling my muscles burn and ache with effort.  I love running on a trail in the early morning darkness and knowing I'm the only one at that moment that is appreciating the full moon lighting the path in front of me.  I love being out on my bike all day on Sundays and feeling the sun gradually warm my skin and my bones.  I love how great an ice cold coke tastes after hard intervals.  And racing is the icing on the cake.  It's the reward for every drop of sweat, every tear, every Sunday afternoon when I struggle to stay awake past 6 pm, every 4 am wake up call.  If I can race in October with as much joy, and as much passion as I did in Oceanside.... It's going to be an amazing day.

No words needed.  #findingkona