I know that the tradition of triathlete blogs is to give a riveting race report, taking the reader step by step through the grueling endurance event. Maybe that’s why I’ve put off writing this post, because I don’t want to just tell all of you how my race went, I want you to experience it for yourselves! The Lake Havasu triathlon this year marks the two year anniversary of my very first triathlon. In 2010 I was just happy that I finished! I remember thinking, wow, this is really hard and everyone keeps passing me on their bikes, but I still smiled the entire race. I was so excited to be racing in my first triathlon and knew that once I finished I could finally call myself a triathlete!

It is difficult to put into words the adrenaline, and power felt, the pain pushed through and the sense of overwhelming accomplishment when you finally stagger across that finish line. I was lucky enough to start this race with a powerful reminder from my wonderful new friend and inspiration, Scout Bassett. A truly amazing athlete whose story of strength in overcoming adversity is as beautiful and incredible as she is! Scout reminded me that the sport of triathlon is not just about faster run splits, a cleaner transition or PR’s. Its about doing what you love. The race is just another part of the whole. Its the day you get to see what dedication to consistent training, motivation and setting goals really means. Then there is the pure exhilaration of moving and moving FAST! Falling into that zone where it is just you and your body, pushing yourself past where you thought your limits were, if it weren’t for pictures documenting that your feet touched the ground, you would have thought you flew.

It was an awesome race and a total blast. I was first in my age group and the 3rd female overall. Now I’m even more excited for this season, I want to see where exactly those limits of mine lie and how much farther I can push past them. My next opportunity is only 11 days away at the Nautica South Beach Triathlon in Florida on April 1st. You know that there is something not quite normal about a girl when she can count down to her next race but has to think about the fact that her 21st birthday is in…oh yeah, 8 days! Power hour? Bar hopping? No thanks, give me an ocean, my bike, run shoes and you have one happy birthday girl. I could think of worse ways to celebrate my 21st than in (hopefully) sunny Florida with my amazing mommy and grandma Gigi. Then to make it even better, my coach Trista Francis will be there too!

Only 11 days till next race day!

This is my favorite photo from Saturday. Blasting out of T2!