|
Mid-summer racing update!
It has been a busy and successful season so far. I have completed 3 of my 5 scheduled Triathlon events for 2024. Each race has netted a new achievement in my athletic career, and I have really enjoyed competing in the different cities and against different fields of athletes.
Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast was in May, and was a "racecation" destination in Panama City Beach, Florida. An early start, we kicked off the swim at 5:40 AM to beat the heat. The ocean was angry that day, my friends. I battled choppy waves and got stung by a jellyfish. It was so difficult to see during the swim, and I landed on the shore more than 100 feet away from the actual swim exit. I had to swim sideways along the beach just to get closer. The bike was flat and fast, and I was hauling at ~23 mph (37 kmph) with a nice tailwind on the Florida state highway. The run was a 3 loop affair around trashy ass Panama City Beach and I got to bake in the hot sun for a while. I really struggled getting a solid pace, as I had to deal with processing the carbs I took in on the bike, and succumbed to a stomach cramp with half a mile to go. However, I had a good enough bike and run to land me under 5 hours, which was a milestone and a new PR for me. A solid start to the season!
Next up was USAT Multisport Nationals in early June. My father and I traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to compete in the National Championships for a variety of multisport events. It's a week-long festival containing more than 11 races to choose from. I raced against the country's top triathletes in the Open Water Swim (750m), Aquabike (1500m swim, 40k bike), and Aquathlon (1000m swim, 5k run). I really wanted to lean into my best event, the swim. I placed 3rd overall in the Open Water swim, and 2nd in my Age Group for the Aquabike and Aquathlon. It was an honor to be on the podium 3 times in a National level event! I gained a lot of experience in Open Water swimming, and loved the short course races.
Last weekend was Tri Louisville, the annual triathlon in my hometown. The athletes in my city are no slouches, and the field in the Olympic category was quite competitive this year. There are two main categories, however, one being the Sprint, which is half the distances of the Olympic triathlon (Olympic is 1500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run). I won the Sprint category overall and my teammate won the Olympic category for females. We both became Kentucky State Champions for 2024. This is my second overall win in a local triathlon. It's a real honor, and I'm so grateful that I stayed healthy and trained hard all off-season.
I've been through a lot this year so far, and these events have been great distractions. I have two more races, Ironman 70.3 Louisville (another hometown showcase, this time the Ironman distance and what is bound to be a scorching hot run) and USAT Age Group Nationals (in New Jersey, Olympic distance). I have been fighting burnout a little bit, but my team has ballooned and we have doubled in size as more athletes want to join and race in our kits. I'll post another update at the end of the season. I know you all are just random trance music fans but you weirdos are family to me and I wanted to share  .
___________________
Set Archive | TA DJ Challenge
|
