This year’s start to the season began with
Rev3 back
in Knoxville for an Oly.
Fortune smiled
and I was entertained by teammate Holly Fraccaro on the ride.
With 5 triathlons under my belt in 2013, I am approaching this year in a
much more relaxed fashion … perhaps too relaxed.
I forgot my helmet and had to stop at Dick’s
to get a new one before Sunday.
As I
write, I’m cringing to think my coach will ultimately read this….
@tribirdie
Friday we rolled into town early enough to reconnect with our Rev3 team and
help with the Glow Run.
Zoe Dix, the
spunky and delightful daughter of Jamie Dix, was kind enough to let us be her
entourage as she ran
the mile Glow Run.
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| Dix Family- Post Successes |
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| Glow run Antics |
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| Obligatory run warm up...or something |
Friday night found us out on Gay Street in downtown Knox where a table full
of Team Rev3 kept me in stitches until it was time to retire. Thank you again
Jeff Vanis for picking up my jacket!
Saturday I rolled out of bed pretty late, hit the Kids Tri in time to see
some pretty terrific and inspiring family memories being made – experiences to
be remembered by both parents and kids.
Jamie’s son did the tri and was the picture of persistence right down to
the finish chute where a big hug from mom waited.
After the Kids Tri wrapped up a couple of us
hit a local bike shop for some tweaks and then on to the
SBR sponsored practice
swim.
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| GOberg at Bearden Bike in Knox |
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| Post bike run through Saturday |
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| who's that in Shimmer Suit ?! |
WOW
- what a difference this year,
from
58.5 degrees in the water to
pushing 70, still wetsuit legal but not breathtakingly cold.
With almost a sense of giddiness I jumped in
for a quick swim to the first bridge to get a handle on the currents and feel
of the water this year.
Gentle reminders
are the best -- open water swimming requires more of my brain than the
pool.
Post swim a couple of us took a
quick spin on the bike to shake out the legs and run through gears.
I figured the 1 mile “race” the night before
gave my legs a good feel for the run.
Transition was in a slightly different place
this year.
Last year it was in the
parking garage and while that was excellent for last year’s bad weather, I
prefer the openness and sunlight of a parking lot.
I got transition all set up except for a few
add-ons Sunday morning.
Mellow Mushroom was the spot of
choice for dinner and with the late arrival of Dave Callahan there were laughs
to spare.
We all went to bed with the
geriatrics…
All in all Sunday was pretty uneventful.
And with a face like Oilar's and a big hug to see you off how could you not have a solid
showing !?
I found the swim cooler than I anticipated and the current was not my
friend.
I swam better in 2013 but I
continue to work on sighting in the open water.
Transition to the bike this year was phenomenally
better, not only is the distance shorter in the open parking lot, my feet weren’t
frozen so I didn’t feel like I was running on chipped glass.
Shout out to teamie Lana Burl for saving my
A$$
with
Powerblends.
Not only did I forget my helmet but I also
forgot my nutrition.
I was pretty
excited this year for a dry ride to see how successfully I could ride the
course and I’m guessing by the guy that yelled at me on the run for passing him
on the downhills (he outweighed me by a solid 20lbs) that I did alright.
Starting late in the game this season my
speed wasn’t where I wanted it to be but my nutrition was spot on.
Since I know I can hit the speed by the end
of the season with focused training, I’m happy to start to feel like I have the
nutrition piece in hand.
Bike to run was
again uneventful and I as usual I should have been more aggressive in the run,
keeping too much in the tank kept me from under a 9 min mile which despite the Achilles
issues this year should have been doable.
I improved my time year over year so I’ll take that in hand and look to
continue to push the edges, with a strategies around staying in that
uncomfortable Z4 and realizing that relaxing and letting it ebb and flow like
the tide is what racing
is all about.
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| Packing up for the ride home |
I have an ever evolving view of triathlon, what it means in my life and who
graces my life as a result. That's you Wolf family!
The continuous focus on discipline and
incremental success drives me to greater places more reflective of my true
self.
As a long time member of the sailing community I have high expectations of
an athletic community. I am continually rewarded by my Rev3 Team mates
and Race Directors at the caliber of competitors and race production
quality! What a fantastically fun weekend!!!
