This was my second time racing Augusta 70.3. In 2013, it was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and no wind – and I wasn’t in an Ironman build. 2015 was different. Not only was the bike course altered but the weather was rainy and suffocatingly humid. But finding the positive in everything, it wasn’t hot and there was no chance of getting sunburned.
“The Only Thing That Matters Is NOT Quitting”
Ironman South Africa 2015
Hi, my fellow friends in sport! It’s me, Organic Cherry Pie Girl! This time I come to you with a slightly different story. This is my story about my most recent Ironman journey. This time, it happened to be Ironman South Africa. Now, to understand the beginnings of this adventure, you have to understand my attitude about life. I’m just over five feet tall and probably compensating for the lack of height with these giant adventures. I have an “OH YEAH! I’ll show them!” attitude about things. I’m also not one to take the easy way out on anything either. Yes, I have huge goals, but I don’t want to achieve them by doing a triathlon in my backyard. I have a compulsion to find success in the hardest of things. It’s a test of my will. A test of my heart. A test of my endurance. It’s my way of telling the world that when things aren’t perfect, aren’t going right – I choose to fight back! On top of that, there was a little part of me that was laughing at the idea that I was actually going to the place where they film Air Jaws for shark week. What can I say, I’m a sarcastic little thing too 🙂
Ironman Coeur d’ Alene 2014
When are you most in your element?
When I do Ironman, I’m in mine. The long hours of training fulfill my need to be in constant motion, give me a sense of peace, and I feel a sense of accomplishment after each epic workout.
After my first three Ironman’s, Coeur d’ Alene in 2010, Lake Placid in 2011, and Arizona in 2012, I decided to spend 2013 improving my fitness. I began 2014 in good health, and continued to worked hard to strengthen my weaknesses while maintaining my strengths.
At my previous Ironman in Arizona, I’d placed sixth, largely because of some mishaps coming out of the swim. Mishaps always happen, some bigger than others, but this one really cost me and it was hard to recover emotionally. This time around, in Coeur d’Alene, my goals were simple: to get on the podium (top 5), stay in the moment, and race my own race.
Four weeks before IMCDA, I raced Raleigh 70.3. I hadn’t tapered well (intentionally) and was fighting a cold. I plowed through and kept my head up, but my workouts the next week really suffered. [Read more…]