Work Hard, Race Hard, Play Hard

Work Hard, Race Hard, Play Hard

Friday, March 8, 2013

IMAZ Update and 2012 Review


Here we go again…another long overdue post!  In my defense I have been on an extended offseason and have taken a complete break from all things triathlon related since IMAZ (well really since Kona..)…and that includes writing about it!   As I have mentioned many times, blogging isn’t really my thing. Why you ask? Well I like to consider myself more of a “do-er” and not a “writer”.  I don’t like talking about myself and blogging requires me to do that.  I also don’t have much free time in my life…so blogging is the thing that falls to the bottom of my “to do” list.  

As I mentioned in my last post I was experiencing some burn out post Kona.  I took some much needed time off to just enjoy “life” in NYC.  The timing of this break was perfect as it coincided with the Holidays, winter in NYC, a nagging foot injury and allowed me time to get Lasik Surgery (finally! no more contacts and glasses – Amazing!) without having to worry about the required time off of training.

I left off filling you all in on my dilemma as to whether or not to race IMAZ.  Before I go into my day, I first want to give a big shout out to Sissy for completing her first Ironman!!  She had an amazing race, beating her goal time by almost an hour!!   Sooo proud of her and so glad to share the experience with her.  Xox
As for me, once in Arizona I made the final decision to race. I figured why not, I’m entered, my bike is here, Sissy is racing, and I could end my season for good after a 140.6 mile “workout.”  Let me backtrack for a minute…IMAZ has always been a race I wanted to do. And when Sissy decided that this was to be her “first and only” Ironman to celebrate her 40th birthday, I decided to sign up as well. This would be my first time doing two Ironmans in one year, let alone 6 weeks apart. But, I love a challenge and I love Fall Ironmans as it gives me the opportunity to try and get my Kona qualification over for the following year.  However, after Kona, I started my offseason and spent little time on S/B/R (one swim, 2x on bike, 5 runs to be exact), and if it wasn’t for Sissy racing IMAZ, I would have definitely pulled the plug on this race.  But since I would be flying to Arizona anyway to watch my Sis, I figured since it is a 3 loop bike/run course, it would be fun to be there with her during morning transition and the swim start.  Then would see her out on the bike and run course multiple times and also be there when she crossed the finish line!  Perfect plan!  I was also able to get to a place mentally where I had little expectations of myself on the day and was going to go out there and just “have fun”!  Well, all went according to plan until I realized during the first loop of the run that it was 3 figure eight loops and it was not likely I was ever going to see Sissy on the run.  Not Cool!   So after one loop of the run I decided to call it a day.  I didn’t drop out because I was having a poor race, my decision had nothing to do with my race but everything to do with Sissy’s race.  I was actually having a decent race (which I found out after the fact since I wasn’t paying attention to my time and place at all, was just focused on Sissy and having fun!) - I got off the bike in a good position, ran my way to 3rd by end of first loop, and since running a strong marathon is my strength, I’m confident I could have landed on the podium and with a Kona slot.  But, that wasn’t the point of this race, I was there to support my Sister.  Sissy has been to every major athletic event of my career.  She was at every Ironman, running around cheering like a lunatic, tweeting/updating friends, taking photos, and I wanted to be able to do the same.  How could I miss out on what could potentially be her One and Only Ironman!   So after one loop, I saw my Mom, told her I was done, and to not even try to talk me out of it.  So off we went to see Sissy on her 2ndand 3rd loops of the run, and we were there to see her cross the finish line.  It was so much fun to be out on the run course, cheering and encouraging her, she looked so strong and happy and it made us so proud. And at that moment, I knew I made the right decision and I haven’t regretted it since.


                                            Sissy and I at the race expo

                                        Sissy and I checking in our bikes!

                                        Sissy and I post race...soooo proud!
First (and only?) Ironman done...looking good Sis!
                                              Race Morning with Sissy

                                       IMAZ awards morning with Mom & Sissy


2012 Review

This past year was a struggle for me…I was really frustrated with my work schedule and trying to fit training in around it.  I was always exhausted and constantly feeling like I wasn’t doing enough.  I know my training, focus on rest & recovery and nutrition is less than optimal and certainly less than majority of my competitors.  I have had this same job and schedule since I got into the sport but still somehow I have been lucky enough to pull off some good race results despite this.  But with the growth of this sport and the amount of time that everyone else seems to be able to spend on triathlon, my life situation has really started to wear on me mentally.  I talked briefly about this in my last post, and I’m not going to dwell on it further.  My goal for 2013 is to just focus on doing what I can within my control and block out all the “noise.”

Even though 2012 didn’t go as I had hoped, and I fell short of some of my goals, after having some time to reflect on the season I realized I was probably a little too hard on myself and there were some good results after all, soI thought I would share some highlights and races that I am most proud of:

1.  Ironman Cozumel 2011….I know this is 2011 and not 2012, in my mind it was the start of the 2012 season, and one of my proudest athletic accomplishments and this is my blog so I’m going to include it J   I was 1st Female Amateur Overall with a PR of 9:57 (3:14 marathon which I’m also proud of!).  This race is a good reminder to me that when my head is in the game, I can get after my goals! I had a rocky 2011 and then in Sept. decided to sign up for Ironman Cozumel, get focused and with exactly 2 months of training, I pulled off this win.  This was a huge goal of mine and I was so incredibly excited and proud to accomplish this goal at my 3rd Ironman attempt.

2.  Carlsbad Marathon 2012 – Overall Female – 2:53 (PR).  Winning a marathon was another big goal of mine and I was ecstatic to start 2012 with this Win.

3.  NYC Half Marathon – 1:21 (PR).   I hadn’t run a standalone half marathon in a few years so I was excited for a PR in this distance. 

4.  Ironman Racine 70.3 – 1st 30-34 AG….after a few 2nd place AG finishes at the 70.3 distance, I finally pulled off a win.   I was surprised and happy after coming off an injury that kept me from running for about 8 weeks.

5.  Rev 3 Maine – 1st 30-34 AG – this was my first Rev 3 race and was thrilled to win my AG at this race.

6. And last but truly the highlight of 2012, although its non-triathlon related, this was a huge 2012 highlight, my first nephew and godson,  Eamon James Kenney was born in September.  And I am totally in love with this cutie.

                                        Just love this picture...total Heartbreaker!
                                            Christmas Morning with Eamon
                                           Stylish Eamon! Love!
                                                   NY Giant Fan!
                                            First minute with Eamon
                         My brother Sean - proud Daddy. Sweet moment :)


I’m excited to report that after almost 4 months of off season, I am FINALLY starting to miss triathlon and l am looking forward to racing again.  I am still working on my race schedule and will likely be starting my season later than usual this year.  I will update on this once I have it all squared away.

I am also really excited about old and new sponsors that I am working with this year and will update soon on this as well.

A huge thank you to all my 2012 Sponsors/supporters: My Family, Tribike Transport, Health Warrior, Lululemon, Sai Systems, Tripower Multisports, Terrier Tri, Bicycle Planet.  Your support means the world to me, thank you!

I hope everyone is having a great start to 2013 and hope to see you all out on the course soon!

Xo
C