In 2010 I was the Boulder Irongirl winner and was comped an entry into the 2011 race. Since Irongirl was one of my strongest performances in 2010 I decided I would definitely be back to defend my title.

Two months before Irongirl 2011 I found out about a GOTRIbal contest to have dinner with Chrissie Wellington on August 26th, the night before Irongirl. I was one of 10 winners chosen. Two weeks before Irongirl I found out I could stay at my friend’s house in Steamboat so I registered for the Steamboat Triathlon. The race was August 28th, the day after Irongirl.

The Trifecta weekend. Friday night dinner with Chrissie, Irongirl Sprint Saturday followed by Steamboat Olympic Distance Triathlon Sunday.

I drove to Boulder Friday afternoon, enjoying a long chat with Dave Ward, Diamond BeachBody coach, then stopping to pick up Dura Race Wheels in Berthoud from my Timex Teammate Kim Hager. Thanks Kim! I picked up my race packet at the Boulder Reservoir before heading to Bacco for girls night out with Chrissie. There, 10 wonderful GOTRIbal women shared stories, laugher and friendship (refer to blog post Dinner with Chrissie).

Saturday morning I headed to Boulder Rez to race the Irongirl Sprint Triathlon (400 swim, 17 mile bike, 5k run). Coming off Ironman Lake Placid on July 25th and the Horsetooth
10k Swim the previous weekends, I did not know what to expect when it came to racing a sprint, since I have not been doing traditional speed workouts***.

The Irongirl course is the same at the Boulder Sprint Triathlon course expect only a ¼ mile vs ½ mile swim. I was in the 4th wave and seemed to have passed most women in the first 3 waves. It felt good to run to t1, no nagging ankle or calf pain. The bike course was fast, I averaged 23.5 mph. Quick t2. Again if felt so good to run without any injuries holding me back, quick leg speed and calm breathing. I knew I was gonna have strong finish and was blown away by my 19:29 5k time. I was pleasantly surprised with the results of my race on Saturday. I beat my time from 2010 by 2 minutes.

After awards I quickly transitioned to my car. Drove 75 minutes to Fort Collins, lots of traffic, to let the dogs out. Then picked up my husband Don on my way up Poudre Canyon, 3 hours to Steamboat. After arriving in Steamboat, packet pickup, dinner with friends, the leg fatigue was setting in. I spent $6 for 20 lb bag of ice followed by a 20 minute ice bath, the ultimate recovery before bed. https://running.competitor.com/2011/08/videos/recovery-the-ice-bath_15966

My legs felt great Sunday morning. I had no expectations for my race performance other then to do what I could on that day. I was having a great weekend already.

Racing Steamboat on Sunday was my first time doing the entire triathlon. I had been there the first year and swam as a team which made me aware of the weeds in Catamount Lake. The bike and run course is rolling, a fair course for those that are strong climbers and those that prefer flat lands. The rollers were not that steep, short enough to sit or stand and power over. I had some moments on the bike that I was not pushing myself, the thought that someone might pass me on the bike kept me focused to push harder when I caught myself slacking. I was surprised to average 23.2mph even more surprised how good my legs felt on the run. The most difficult part of the run was the steep hill at the turnaround. In the end, I raced my fastest finish time for an Olympic distance triathlon and was the overall winner of the Steamboat Triathlon.

The weekend ended with a drive back to Fort Collins from Steamboat Springs. Two days, two distances, two wins, plus an amazing dinner with a world-class leader and triathlete and a great group of peers.

Here are pictures and a video from the race. The weather was perfect Sunday.
https://www.steamboattoday.com/photos/galleries/2011/aug/29/2011-steamboat-springs-triathlon/

*** My “untraditional” approach to speed work consisted of Insanity the Asylum, a 30-day BeachBody program I started on August 1st. I had completed Insanity and P90X in the winter 2010 and spring 2011 as an injury resistance program then stopped in May to focus on Ironman training. After completing Insanity, the next step in the progression is Insanity the Asylum. Having some left leg pain from from Ironman Lake Placid, I was able to minimize the pain in August spending some time with adjusting my bike fit and strengthening my glutes/core with Insanity the Asylum.
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