The California 70.3 half Ironman came and went quickly…well, the race itself didn’t go quickly but the weeks since then have! Going into the race I was excited, but in the back of my mind I knew my endurance training (mainly running) wasn’t quite there; I didn’t have the miles logged that I would have liked going into a half. I did my best to push those thoughts aside and just get out and have a good race.

It was a chilly day in Oceanside, but the water temp didn’t seem to bother me (so I thought). I had a good swim, and then took time in T1 to pull on a shirt so I wouldn’t freeze on the bike. The 56-mile course through Camp Pendleton was hilly - it felt hard, but controlled. The bike seemed to go by quickly, and soon it was time to run. Getting off my bike and running through transition was like having pegs for feet! While on the bike, I didn’t realize my feet were frozen. Once I pulled my shoes on and headed out for the run, it didn’t take long for that numb tingling to go away. I settled into a pace, not real aggressive, but one where I was pushing myself at a pace I felt I could hold.

I was feeling good about my run…right up until about mile 10. At that point, there was an ever so slight upgrade (not even enough to call it a hill) and my legs just said NO MORE! Quad cramps set in, making the last 3 miles quite slow and painful. I saw a lot of girls fly past me those last three miles as I struggled toward the finish line.

At the finish, I didn’t have that excited, post race rush feeling - I was just glad to be done. Something wasn’t right, so I passed up the food tent (for the first time ever!) and checked into the medical tent. I couldn’t pin point the problem; I really just wanted to lie down. It turns out that my body temperature was down and hypothermia had set in. They got me warmed up and took good care of me.

It was a disappointing 14th place finish in the pro field, not quite where I had hoped to be.

By that evening, I had recovered enough to go see a baseball game at Petco Field. We got to see Japan vs. Korea in the semi-finals of the “real” World Series. OK, the true treat about going to the game…sitting in dugout seats right behind home plate and having all you can eat free food! No, not hotdogs and licorice, but sushi, dinner buffet, dessert table and everything else imaginable! Even though I didn’t have a race like I wanted, I still felt like I deserved some treats after a long five-hour race!

I had a week at home to recover from the half, and then I headed back to San Diego for training camp in Chula Vista. It was a great opportunity to train with some smokin’ fast girls and a chance to work with some great coaches. I got a lot of great feedback from the coaches and I left there with a long list of things to work on (running and swimming form and technique). The girls really pushed me. It was a demanding couple of weeks, both physically and mentally, but it was something my training definitely needed to help push me closer to the athlete I want to be.

After two weeks in Chula, I went straight to Arizona for the Timex camp. There, I met the team managers, other teammates and the fabulous team sponsors. Camp in Carefree, AZ (just north of Scottsdale) was beautiful and a nice chance to recover from the beat down in Chula. Timex and other sponsors were good to us, and sent us home with tons of goodies. The overweight baggage fee on the flight home proves it!

It is good to be home now (I missed Dave!), hitting the training hard again and preparing for a big season. St. Anthony’s is right around the corner (4/30), then Hawaii ITU (5/14), then Escape from Alcatraz (6/4) and Pro Nationals (6/25). I am focused and excited for the season, but I know I have a lot of work to do. That said…I better get out the door and onto my bike!