Rev3 South Carolina Race Report

I was fortunate enough to head up to beautiful Anderson, South Carolina a few weeks ago with my good friends Chloe, Kristen, Summer, Ryan Oilar and of course the Rev3 crew. Although I'm an east coaster, I have never been fortunate enough to spend much time in this area. And let me tell you it is gorgeous! I've never seen more cotton fields and confederate flags in my life :)

Going into the weekend with a severe grade II calf strain, I changed my OLY distance race to an aqua bike half. Not worth taking a chance in my opinion. For awhile, I was contemplating on whether or not I should even do anything. I kept reminding myself it was ONLY a training weekend. In the back of my mind, I though the Miami 70.3 was still in my future. I had high hopes that it would still happen.

Anyway it was an amazing weekend with great friends. It definitely didn't feel much like a race weekend....more of a girly-triathlon weekend. In fact, there isn't really much to say about the race itself. My mantra was "take-it-easy... DO NOT race... don't let your ego hurt your calf". It worked for the most part.

Both my swim and bike were pretty slow. And as I ran barefoot through T1 I experienced a few sharp calf stabs that quickly reminded me that I was still hurt. Those few sharp pains successfully created enough fear going on to the bike to hold back the adrenaline. But wow was it humbling.... I have never done a race half-heartedly or hurt before. Luckily the beautiful, challenging, and somewhat technical course helped distract me..... and helped me focus on enjoying the training day and gorgeous creation around me. After the first half of the course, I was pain free and sick of getting passed and decided to kick it up a small notch. In the end, my time was still embarrassingly slow. On a larger scale, I stuck to my plan and didn't hurt my healing body. I would call it a "W" for the day.

If you are looking for a late season half I highly recommend this race. The swim, bike, and run course are all gorgeous this time of year :)

Although this definitely wasn't my race, I'm thankful for the quality time I was able to spend with these rockstar ladies ;)

Race-cation

Over the past weekend I headed west to the Gulf of Mexico in search of white sands, blue water, and sunny skies to celebrate my 8th anniversary, spend time with friends, and to race a little sprint triathlon of course. Thankfully my husband and friends were there, because the pristine blue water, sunshine, and gorgeous beaches were definitely missing!

The race was went ahhh ...so ....so?? I won't waste your time with silly details except for that it hurt really bad, the swim felt like swimming through hell plus nasty seaweed, and that I need work in all 3 disciplines before Rev3SC/FL and Miami 70.3.  Who wants to read another triathlete type bragging about themselves :) ? I sure don't...

Anyway I was super stoked to be in Destin to meet up with my long lost New Orleans friends and my training BFF's Chloe and Mary. I love these girls! These are the people that always remind me why I continue to be such a big fan of this sport....

The weekend extravaganza also included dinner at the best place in Grayton Beach (Red Bar), paddle boarding with friends, shopping of course, way too many pina coladas, and ended with scott kicking my butt on the beach via lunges, push-ups, and sprints.

Although conditions didn't turn out as planned, the people were what made it a great weekend. Until next year....I love these little race-cations! Do you have an annual race-cation? Do you focus more on the race or the after party?