Sunday, August 20, 2017

Race Report CDA 70.3

A whirlwind summer has left me catching up on race reports. It's now mid august and CDA 70.3 was almost 2 months ago. Where has time gone?

Before I even go in to detail about this race I have got to say Coeur D'Alene is probably my favourite 70.3
I am so deeply saddened that the Full will no longer take place after this year. 

Leading up to CDA I was unsure how this race would go for me. After a terrible attempt at my first stand alone marathon (you can dig into my previous post for that doozy) and having to take some time off of training and missing a good chunk of essential training I really had no idea what I was going to pull off. 
I worked a full week of work leading up to the race and headed out on the Friday for our big drive out east.
I grew up just north of CDA and we frequently holidayed in the area. Cocolala was our go to camping spot where I even learned how to water ski. Sandpoint is our stopping point whenever we head home for a little holiday. So to say CDA is a bit nostalgic for me is an understatement. I truly love this part of the world.

After a very long drive we pulled into IM village at around 4pm where I went over to get my race pack and to connect with some Base teammates.


I have to say going in to this race I was more excited about connecting with my Base and Soas teammates then I was about actually racing.
I knew I was going to have some fun.

After some hellos we headed over to our overpriced 2 * hotel to checkin and get settled. At least our room was clean. That was all I could ask for. 
We got some dinner and settled in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be busy.


Saturday was a bright and early start to the day with my big girl turing 10. So we opened presents in the hotel and took her out for breakfast. We returned to hotel so I could ride my bike down to bike check in, do a little flushout run and get everything settled and in order so I could get back to celebrating my daughters birthday.

At bike check in I ran in to one of my fabulous Soas sisters Heather.


We had a quick little catch up and confirmed our plans to meet up later on with some of the other ladies from our tea. 


I reconnected with the family and had a quick dip in the lake to test things out. Water temp was perfect!
Back to some family time of exploring a bit of CDA. The vibe in the town was over the top amazing. All of the local business's were so welcoming. The weather was gorgeous and I was starting to get excited to race.
I met up with the rest of my Soas sister crew right before we headed off to the birthday dinner.
These ladies are seriously amazing. So genuinely friendly, kind, open, and honest. I am just thrilled to be a part of such an amazing group of strong women.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel so I could do the final touches on my race prep. Nutrition was in order, alarms were set, gear all laid out. I was ready!

I woke up feeling great on race morning despite a super early rise. My little birthday girl wasn't feeling well so my mind was a little preoccupied with her well being rather than me going to race. 

We had our coffee and oatmeal and wondered down to the race site where I left the family to do final touches in transition. They patiently waited for me as I came back out ready to start.
The swim was fantastic! The course was set up by a friend of mine who's I've worked with on another race. He puts everything in to his swim courses to ensure they are the safest they can be. 
Tim, you did a great job! Loved the rolling start, siting was easy. 

Swim was okay, not my best but not my worst. I came out 20th in my age group. Felt great and was ready to ride.

Bike course was tough. CDA has some good long climbs. I am not a climber. Add in some crazy heat on fairly fresh asphalt and I was feeling bad things. I carried on and saw plenty of my teammates. I was having so much fun out there. Despite the extreme heat I was doing pretty good.
I stayed on top of my nutrition. I made sure to finish my 2 bottles of Nuun as well as my combo calorie drink of Carbo pro and Endura as well as a Munk Pack oatmeal squeeze. I also had Base salt which I took every 30 minutes.
 

Once I handed off my bike I headed out on the run course only to discover I left a spare bike tube in my back pocket. Doh! It was so friggin hot I really did not like the idea of carrying anything extra that I didn't need. There goes a perfectly good tube into the trash.
I continued to stay on top of my nutrition using Base Salt as well as Base Rocket Fuel. I knew the heat could potentially bring me to me knees so I had to race smart. 
I was so thankful I had my awesome new 1 piece speed suit from Soas. I can't recommend this kit enough. I absolutely LOVE it. 

I slowly picked off a few ladies in my age group to move me up into the top 40 in my age group.
 The last 6km were starting to feel tough. People were looking pretty rough. Thank goodness the locals were so awesome that they were hosing us off at a few points on the course. Wow, the Coeur D'Alene people are seriously amazing. With only 2 km to go I threw my Base Salt at some poor soul who was dealing with some wicked legs cramps. He obviously needed it more than I did. I really hope it helped him.
                                                

I was so happy to finish this race. It was the hottest weather my poor white body has seen this year. It was hot!
Immediately after crossing the finish line, I made my way back to the lake and dove in. It felt so good.




I have to say there were no PR's for me today but I really had a great race. I had a few hiccups this year in my training since the marathon and missed a large chunk of essential training. I had to go in with a mindset that if I don't get a PR I needed to be ok with that. 
Honestly, I was pretty happy with my day. It was hot, I wasn't as fit as I had hoped and I place in the top 20% of my age group. I'd say that's a pretty good day.


To celebrate me being done my race and big sis's birthday we spent the next day at Silverwood. Best theme park in the Pacific Northwest. We love the water park.




After some good racing, some great theme park adventures and of course some fabulous coffee we ended our trip on such a great note. Coeur D'Alene I am so saddened that you won't be hosting the full Ironman anymore because it was always my dream to do it. Regardless we will be back.


Big thanks to my fabulous family who always support me. My fab coach Dusty for keeping me honest. My awesome training partners, you know who you are, and of course my amazing friends who continue to inspire and support me. Love to you all.

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