I'm Lazy

I have been really lazy about keeping up with this lately. Its crazy to think that the last post was about collegiate nationals and Hy-vee is already here! Here is a very brief report on the last few races:

Bluff Creek Triathlon.
This was one of the most difficult races so far. The heat, wind and course were all challenging. I ended up coming out of the water a lot better than I had in the past and was sitting in good position starting the bike. About half way through the bike Mark Harms passed me and proceeded to pass Nate White. Coming in off the bike I already felt a little drained and was hoping to have an ok run and not lose too much to the other guys. That was a pretty bad understatement. Ended up having a HORRIBLE run and getting passed by 2 other guys. 5th place on the day and dont really want to think about this one anymore!

Snake Alley Criterium:
I like to throw in some bike races throughout the year. They are a nice retreat from the usual triathlons. It is also interesting to do something that is out of the ordinary and see the different sport "culture." The purpose of this race was a mental game. Coach Liz wanted me to go out there and have someone push me and have to dig deep to get what I want. The problem with this is I have not competed in enough cycling races to move up categories and am still a Cat 5. I started pretty far back because I signed up late and was probably 15th or 20th after the first lap. Lap 2 was a little weaving in and out of some people to 5-10th place. At the end of lap 3 there were only a few guys in front of me and was catching them on the downhill. At the end of lap 4 I was racing myself and didnt even want to look back to see if there was anyone close. Ended up winning by about 45 seconds. It was definitely a challenging race to even complete and hope to do it again in the future.

Pigman Sprint
The story of this race starts the Tuesday night before the race. I had been on the waiting list for a long time since I procrastinated signing up and this one fills up quick! Tuesday night the race director calls me and asks if I wanted in. Since the training schedule had already been written for the next week I didnt know if racing it would be a problem. After talking with Liz she said I should do it so Wednesday I was in. Thursday night I ended up getting T-boned by a dog on a ride and ended up with some road rash on the right butt cheek and a super sore hip. Up until I stepped on the starting line it was up in the air if it was going to happen or not. The swim went well, came out of the water 4th. The ride went alright. Kevin Oconnor, Brian Bich and I were close for most of the ride and Bich and I came out of transition together. I was able to put together a decent 5k and stay ahead of Bich to finish 3rd on the day and qualify for the Best of US race. The top 3 finishers from Iowa qualify for the race which is in LA. Might have to clear the calendar for that one.

So that has been the last 3 weekends and this weekend is Hy-Vee. This one definitely has a stacked field and am hoping to do well.

I wish I had some pictures for this post but cant find any.