Apparently it has been a long time since I have written a
blog. For those of you that regularly
read it I am sorry. I’ll try to keep up
on it more often. Before I get into my
last race at Rev3 Portland I’ll do a quick update of the last few weeks. Lots of really good training, an all right
race at Philadelphia (6th place), an awesome homestay for
Philadelphia (thanks Geoff!), and probably one of the most amazing experiences that
I will ever have. My best friend, Scott
Weltz, (@swimweltz) made the US Olympic team in the 200m breastroke while setting an Olympic
Trials meet record. I was fortunate
enough to be there at the trials to watch him race and thanks to my coach,
Grant Holicky, I was able to be on deck to watch the race and to congratulate him right after the race. I can’t describe
how proud I am of what Scott has been able to accomplish and the sacrifices
that he has made. He deserves this more
than anyone that I know. 
Back to triathlon. This past weekend I raced my second Rev3 race of the season
and my first half iron distance race of the year in Portland, OR. I was pretty excited to do my first half
because my training has been going well and I enjoy the half
distance. Thanks to my friend Lauren
Goss, (who rocked it and finished 3rd), I was able to see the bike
course a few days before the race. The bike course for this race was new this year and it was advertised as being really
hilly. I have to say that after driving
the course, I was pretty intimidated. In
the end the course was amazing.
Challenging, but not over the top, and just a lot of fun to ride. Apparently we were clocked on one of the
descents going 55mph. Which would be the
fastest I’ve ever been on a bike!
Unfortunately, the majority of the run wasn’t as much fun for me. After running the first 4 miles right where I
wanted too, feeling great, and more importantly closing some time on the guys
ahead of me, I started to have some GI distress (to put it politely). After dealing with this for a few miles and a
few trips to the on course porta potties; I was very close to pulling out of the
race. But with this being my first half
of the season, (along with still being in the top 10) I decided I would learn
more about where my training and fitness were by finishing. In the end I was proud of my effort and my
decision to stay in the race. I finished
the remaining part of the run with what I had left in my body that day and was
able to take away a lot of positives.
Still frustrating to not have the overall result that I thought I was
capable of; but, it gives me confidence moving forward through the season. Each race has been better than the last and
hopefully that trend continues.
I would like to thank Rev3 for putting on another great
race. It is obvious that they truly care
about the overall race experience for all athletes and I look forward to doing more of their races throughout the year.
