#imwaco703

Never thought I’d say this. Like EVER. But I enjoy open water swimming over the pool. 😳 #whoamI . Other than that one tangle with the tree branch at the end, I felt incredible. 🤣 2 whole laps around the thing and if I had the time (and a taco 😜), I probably could have done more. . I’ve come a long waaaaaay, baby. . Thanks @coachjotridot for putting out the 🦇 call and getting my 🍑 in gear to get it done. #letsdothatagain 😃 . ***swipe to see how far I went the first time I visited this lake a couple months ago (that was the 1st time in open water since #imwaco703 2019 😳...needless to say, #ows is NOT my forte) . #fightgirlfight #justkeepswimming https://www.instagram.com/p/CDnATNSgzh9/?igshid=1h3yhc3dbfnmt

Covid19 has presented an amazing opportunity and challenge: by postponing and relocating Ironman Texas to Waco, the day before Ironman Waco 70.3. I am going to complete both races on consecutive days, for a two day total of 210.9 miles (3.6 miles of swimming, 168 miles of cycling, 39.3 miles of running). #anythingispossible #ironman #ironmanfoundation #imtexas #imwaco703 #triathlon #triathlete #trilife #swimbikerun #ultratriathlon #ultrarunning #endurance #behardonyourself #motivation https://www.instagram.com/p/B_kfZ6InJKW/?igshid=1pcbd50z5ruwv

It’s been over 3 weeks since #IMWaco703 and my body is still feeling the effects of the weather conditions that day.🥶 🌬 . I started a workout program a little over two weeks ago that unveiled how much strength I lost during endurance training. I *tried lifting here and there during #triathlontraining but honestly, there just wasn’t enough time (or energy) to keep up with it. . I’m already feeling stronger and noticing the positives of the endurance training particularly in the cardio or #Hiit days of my program. (No desire to puke to get through it! Yay!) . On the flip side, the tension that has been trapped in my muscles since race day has reared itself during my workouts. Upright rows and other shoulder exercises hurt or feel as though I’m going to pull something in my neck and my bad knee wasn’t exactly loving the lunges at first. . So....I paid another visit to my friends at @mhwashingtonheights with my favorite therapist Sharta. I had a 90 minute deep tissue #sportsmassage with added #dynamiccupping therapy. . I’m not going to lie, there were some tough moments in there! I’m sure she and I both can count that session as a workout! She concurred that my entire right side was just a bundled hot mess. She worked through in breaking it all down and I celebrated with an AMAZING run that evening that was 100% pain free! I had been feeling like I was carrying extra weight in my back from the tightness in neck & shoulders. I had a pep in my step, feeling light! . Thank you Sharta and @mhwashingtonheights ! I look forward to coming back to workjj no on it some more! . #bettysquad2020 #everyBODYisabetty #badassisbeautiful #trilife #endurancecouture #stylishAF #doepicshit #bettystyle a (at Massage Heights Washington Heights) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GYj0WA47h/?igshid=1edqw2rrata3v

As the 2019 Tri-season wraps up, I decided that rather than hanging up my goggles for good (which is what I was thinking throughout the last race), I’d instead, level the F up! . You know, triathlete amnesia set in! 😂But also, I learned that I made the Betty Squad for 2020! I found out about it just days after #IMWaco703 when I wasn’t feeling all that badass. I was in disbelief & thought at first that my selection must have been an error. I mean, me?! No way. But I’ve slowly been meeting and chatting with these women, and holy cow, what an incredible group of strong, empowering, kind and badass chicks they are! Surrounding myself with their vibe ever since has sparked a drive and motivation to make 2020 the best triathlon year yet. I AM A BETTY! Ahhh!!! I can’t wait to meet and race with your bad asses. Thank you @kristinnicolemayer & @noeyfroh for choosing me to be a part of this amazing squad and lighting a 🔥in my ❤️. 🖤🦋☠️ And with these sponsors, so many of who I already LOVE, it’s going to be an Epic year! #bettysquad2020 #everyBODYisabetty So, happy hump day and remember to only look back to see how far you’ve come. (Unless you’re checking booty gains 😉💪🏼🍑😂) #badassisbeautiful #trilife #endurancecouture #stylishAF #doepicshit #bettystyle #disrupttheracecourse @bettydesigns @everybodyisabetty @gatoradeendurance @theragun @on_running @wahoofitnessofficial @coola @jaybirdsport @ircbike_official (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B406nkMgEKb/?igshid=1gzeoiq70km9r

#racereport #imwaco703 T2, Run . Pt 3 I tried running through T2 but holding the handle bars on my bike while running in cleats was causing my neck/shoulder to tighten. I felt like it was starting to spasm so I walked in and STRUGGLED to get the bike up on the transition bar without pulling or straining a muscle in my neck. 😖 Everything else went smoothly, I lost the arm warmers, had a GU and drank some more. I had to do a mandatory bathroom break and lo and behold, a LINE at the portapotties. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I ran out of transition in typical trunk for legs form but as I approached the waters edge, I felt fantastic. The weather was perfect, I noted the change in the course. They spared us, I thought. Last time, less than a mile in, we were climbing up this surprise hill and we all looked at each other with a “WTF is this hill?” look. Now, fully prepared for said hills, they came later. But not much later. 😕 My pace quickly came to a screech even though I pushed to run up as much as possible. This proved to be a horrible idea. The tightness from the wind on the bike was not isolated to my neck, shoulders and back. It also made my hips, glutes and hamstrings so tight that my IT band was as stiff as a board causing my knee to inflict incredible pain on me. I probably could have bought some time (and distance) had it continued to be a flat course. But running up that first hill was enough to ruin what I thought would be an awesome run. I managed to run as much as I could, walk up the hills and fly down the hills until my knee just stopped liking the flats too. I tried stopping and stretching. Walking through aid stations (and beyond). There may have been some crying at about mile 7 when I thought I would have to walk the whole thing in. Now, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, I’ve run through an entire half marathon injured before. And PR’d! 😳The pain I felt I can best describe as someone pushing a screwdriver into the side of your knee. Lovely, right? I felt like if I pushed too hard, I might collapse and not be able to finish. And hell nah... Cont in comments (at Ironman Waco 70.3) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yqrSDgCGG/?igshid=8hl68ospxb3v

T1 & Bike #imwaco703 #racereport ...the walk, hobble to T1 was a blur. I couldn’t feel my feet and I was a little disoriented. As I crossed the street over into the grassy area and heard screams from the strippers to pull off my wetsuit. Thank goodness I heard them and they pulled that thing off like a tablecloth off a table covered in china. Effortlessly. Had I gotten to my bike with it on, I would’ve been screwed. I was shivering badly and I realized I couldn’t feel my fingers either. My teeth chattered and I was freaking out at how I was going to warm on the bike. And how I was going to put my socks and shoes on. 😳 I ate something. I don’t recall what...1/2 banana and GU maybe? Drank water with @nuun and put on arm sleeves, a throwaway hoodie and ear covers under my helmet. I put on a snot catcher and I can’t tell you how much I used that dammed thing. 🤧 . I clearly had some issues moving as I was in T1 for a short lifetime. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I remembered to turn on my Strava and looked at the time: 9:11. This would be the source of hours of math calculations on the bike. . None of which had any circumstance because once the wind hit, it was all she wrote for my goals. I held my bladder and my REQUIRED bathroom stop (thanks Mother Nature of this, so awesome gift first thing on race morning #saidnowomanever 😝) until the first stop at mile 15. At which point, I had cranked out as best I could to hit my calculated goals. I removed my layers, ate and was on my way. Honestly, the course was pretty and I didn’t mind the turns as they kept me occupied. I fueled and drank every 40 minutes according to my plan and pushed hard to keep my speed up. And then the wind. Oh that damn wind. Coupled with the rolling hills and the rough road at about mile 40...my happy go lucky demeanor was long gone. My ENTIRE body was tense. I tried to remind myself to loosen the grip on my aero bars but when the wind feels like it’s just about to sweep you off the road, you hang on for dear life. . My math equations fell apart. I couldn’t meet my goal or even match my last time at Galveston. It was turning out to be a super shitty time. BUT, I made it. Cont in comments... (at Ironman Waco 70.3) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4tj3FcgPIl/?igshid=oqhy81bmdh4p

Swipe to see the first of about 873 nose swipes on this race course. 🙄🤧😂 . Heck of a way to start a race report. Lol. #imnotnormal 🤷🏻‍♀️ . #IMWaco703 take 2...and also #3rdtimesacharm to get the distance completed. . To compare and contrast the same race, 1 year apart forced me to look past the day and more about my confidence and thought processes around each. . Last year, I couldn’t believe I was even there, that I actually had the courage to sign up for something more than a sprint, train and show up! I never dreamed of being capable of achieving this. Having the swim cancelled really took a huge load off of my anxiety and I crushed the rest of the race. I was shocked! . I tried again in Galveston earlier this year and the swim ended up being amazing. So I figured, add the galveston swim to the Waco bike and run and I’m GOLDEN next time around! I set my goals for each discipline. Aggressively. . So, less than 2 weeks ago, I tried not to think of the swim until I had to think about the swim. . And that was when we were lining up to get in the river. 😳 . It was COLD. For this South Florida, South Texas Caribbean blooded girl...48 is BRRRRRR 🥶. . I was wearing what you see here for almost 2 hours before the race (plus flip flops). The shivers and numbness was real. . But I found myself letting people pass and pass in front of us because suddenly, I wasn’t ready. I was scared! . I finally swallowed my fear and walked up to what seemed like a plank on a pirate ship and stepped down into the water. . Holy cow, I couldn’t put my face in the water. But I moved, I kept moving because I knew the people behind would plow me over if I didn’t. . After the first turn to the straight away, I started to panic. I looked around and ahead and those bouys down the river seemed endless! In a 10 second moment, I considered life, my abilities, how I could get out of the river and finally, how to find my breath again. I did what my kids were taught to do in swim class...flip on my back. . I back stroked at found it easy and remarkably calming. I was back stroking like a boss! . Cont in comments. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4nJfYWAXaq/?igshid=up5fypr7um4y

Starting to look forward to run days more now that I’ve made the switch official. . I’m a little risk adverse when it comes to running shoes thanks to a bout of #plantarfasciitis early in my running career? (Is that how you say it? 🤷🏻‍♀️) Anyway, that was 10 years ago and it sucked. I’ve stayed away from switching until my trusty sneaks became discontinued last year. I tried on other pair that was great but since getting gifted these a few months ago, I’ve slowly allowed them into my training and I’ve found that all the things I dread from my runs (tight shins, sore feet, hips and knees DURING) don’t exist with these guys here. . So now, they are my official #ironmantraining shoe getting me ready for #imwaco703 as the first stop. Check out my blog in the link in my bio for more background and details of my experience! . I’ve got both a 60 min or 2hr run to knock out in the next few days and I’m looking forward to it! If only they had the capability of making it cooler outside!! #miracles 😂 . Happy Friday, all!! We’ve ALMOST made it through the week (first full week of school for us 🤪) . Hope you all have an awesome weekend! ❤️ (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gkizEAHDm/?igshid=e1p2qwy4qt04