Pigman Sprint Race Report

The race was on June 2nd, but it felt like April 2nd. Cold, cloudy, and very windy. My race did not go well. The swim went ok, though I was faster two years ago. The water was 64 degrees, it a great temperature if you like wetsuits. I was leading the swim and out of T1. After exiting T1 I had trouble getting my feet in my shoes because my hands were so cold they didn't work quite right. For the first quarter of the bike I felt alright, felt like I could actually race. The last three quarters of the race I just felt flat and tired- I'm working on changing my bike position and a few other things to try and get this straightened all out-hopefully very soon! One very important thing to factor into racing and training is life stress. I had underestimated life stress that kept building throughout the month of May, and by race day I was spent. It was so evident on the bike with inability to even feel like I could find 'race gear'. Never underestimate the impact life stress has on you. Many endurance athletes are type A and want to complete all their scheduled workouts. This may look good on paper to see you successfully completed all your workouts, but it may co


me at a cost to your body if you are not listening to it. And, like happened to me in this race, it will become glaringly obvious at exactly the wrong time.

By the end of the bike I was in 6th place, but thankfully, no longer cold. My flat and tired feelings continued on the run. There was really no one super close to me to really race (try to catch or stay ahead of) either, so I didn't really feel pushed, nor like I needed to push as I knew it was going to be an all-around slow race for me. It was a very bad race for me but has reminded me that I must do something about my bike fit, rest and recuperate.

I had planned on doing Kansas 70.3 the next weekend, but by Thursday before decided not to go and take the long weekend to rest and re-energize. It turned out to be an awesome decision. I got plenty of sleep, did not feel stressed, and even had some great training.

Thanks to all my sponsors who make this all possible!

Next is a local sprint race, Copper Creek on June 23. Then Racine 70.3 in July.

Something I was able to work on my days off!