The Road to Raleigh

Remember this?

And then there was this:

 

So in July, after much thought and searching for other 70.3 races, I did this:

 



After the events of last June, there was no doubt in my mind that I would return to the Raleigh 70.3 starting line this year with a new confidence, different training, and an unbreakable spirit. 

The road to Raleigh wasn't without potholes and roadblocks.  There were setbacks from injuries. I was forced to take 8 weeks off from running at the start of 2014 due to a nagging injury that occurred during marathon training.  I saw my  Chiropractor more than my hubby some weeks as I worked through impingement syndrome in my shoulders that kept me out of the pool for a month.  Although I had to work through physical issues to get to the starting line on June 1 (and in turn, come back stronger), I never let doubt creep into my training.  If I couldn't run on the road, I would run in the pool.  Couldn't swim?  Ramp up the miles and hours on the bike trainer.  Daily stretching, compression sleeves, and rest became part of my routine.  My training was solid, focused, and manageable, but I did not let it take over my life.  I found a balance that worked for our family (hubby was training for Raleigh, too), and my kiddos were present and involved with the majority of my training time--I swam laps with the Reporter, pushed The Little Guy in the jogger as the Reporter rode for bike for miles as I ran, and I relocated my bike trainer to the patio for many Sunday afternoon rides while the kids played in the yard for hours on end. 

With a bitterly cold winter (Polar Vortex, anyone?), Jordan Lake's water temperature hovered in the chilly range for months, making Open Water Swim practice unbearable.  I worried that I wouldn't get the time in the lake that I needed before the race, but I also said a prayer everyday that the water temperature would stay low enough to read 76 degrees or lower on June 1, ensuring a wetsuit legal swim. 

The first Open Water Swim of the season for hubby and me was on May 10, less than one month until race day.  Earlier that week we decided to register for The Jordan Lake Open Water Swim Challenge (1.2 miles for me and 2.4 for the hubs).  I mean, there's nothing like making your first OWS of the season a 1.2 mile race, right?  Luckily I was able to wear my wetsuit, and after checking in, I calmed the fears that were beginning to bubble up by getting in the water, without hesitation, for a quick warm up.  At that moment, I knew that this year was different.  There was no fear, no panic, no drama, and no tears.  When my swim wave was called to start, I calmly approached the starting line, counted to 10 after the starting horn sounded, and swam without fear for 58 minutes and 20 seconds.  I only paused to sight along the way (the buoys were spaced pretty far apart) and I didn't meet a single kayaker or lifeguard.  As I emerged from the water, I realized that this swim had given me the confidence I needed to get to the starting line on June 1.  Between May 10 and June 1, I did two more short open water swims with friends, but I knew that I was ready for Raleigh.

 

Most of my training rides for Raleigh took place on the trainer this year, both out of necessity and fear.  Over the past year, my eyes have been opened to the danger of the road with several friends suffering injuries from crashes on training rides.  Because of that, and my two sidekicks, I put in hours upon hours on the trainer.  While I found it frustrating not to log the big miles on the road, I knew that I was getting in much needed saddle time (2, 3, 3.5 hours at a stretch) and building mental stamina.  My first road ride for 2014 was over Easter Weekend (less than 6 weeks before the race).  It started out strong, riding with my dad and the hubby, but before the halfway point, I lost it.  Cars felt too close, the wind felt too strong, and the miles felt way too long.  There was a tantrum on the side of the road, that may have involved tears.  But when you are 15 miles from home, you don't have much of a choice about riding. . .  you have to get home.  As I completed the final 25 miles of that training ride, something happened.  I vowed to let my faith be bigger than my fear, and I began to see the payoff of all those Sunday patio rides.  Faster pacing, consistent cadence, increased steadiness. . .  I just had to find it on that road to find my confidence on the bike.  I only completed three more rides on the road prior to the race --2 on the first 35 miles of the Raleigh 70.3 course and 2 rides posting my fastest average pace on the bike ever.   I finished that last ride with a new outlook and a positive mindset.

Running proved to be a hurdle this year, as well.  While it is usually the strongest of the three disciplines, for me (even though I am far from speedy), starting 2014 on the sidelines didn't bode well for training.  While I was training for my first marathon (a blog post I really should've written), I began feeling soreness in my shins that resulted in multiple trips to the Sports Med doc, two different visits to orthopedic specialists and, finally, a series of Active Release (ART) treatments.  Once I was cleared to run, I had to start low and slow and I was worried that the build up to 13.1 for Raleigh would be too much.  However, I stuck to the plan, employed a run-walk method and added lots of stretching and strength training.  On April 26 I ran the Tarheel Ten Miler, unsure that I would finish with a smile on my face.  My paces had been significantly slower since returning to running and I knew that the course was challenging, as I had run it in 2012.  After a two mile warm up (the plan called for 14 that day, but I was being conservative), I ran the fastest pace that I had clocked in months.  Not back to my speed that I found last summer, but a satisfying sub-10 pace for 10 hilly miles.  After that boost of confidence, I continued logging miles toward half-iron training, many with my favorite cheerleaders in tow. 

 

 

As the date for Raleigh 70.3 grew closer, my confidence grew and my fears lessened.  I knew that I had done everything I could do to prepare for redemption. 

 

But had I done enough?