The high from CDA continued the following weekend when my family went to Las Vegas to celebrate Dado’s 60th birthday! It was a blast. People always wonder why Vegas is one of my FAVORITE places to go and I remind them that these casinos have oxygen PUMPING thru them and thus I always feel wide awake there and usually have the best workouts (in the hotel gym that is, way to chaotic to run on the ‘strip!’).
I really enjoy the lively energy and VIBE in Vegas and it was amazing to share a fun weekend in honor of Dado! We wined, we dined, we pooled, we hit up a show, we casino-d…it was another amazing weekend of fun.
Once back from Vegas, we celebrated the 4th of July holiday with our SF pals, kiddos, doggies et all. A great way to end the festive weekend.
The following week, the CDA Iman Champ herself, Linsey Lou, was in town to visit her grandpa who lives in the bay area. We had a fun time training together for the week and I only wish we lived closer so we could do it more often!
Last weekend was Vineman 70.3. This race always creeps up since it is only 3 weeks after Ironman CDA. However, it is only 90 minutes away from San Francisco, so it is super easy to get to as I even drive up the day before the race….register, and drive back to the city. There is nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and chillaxing at home the night before a race and then we just rally up to the race at 4am race morning. It’s really easy!
Special thanks to Amy L. and the Vineman crew for executing yet another successful Vineman 70.3. FIRST CLASS.
As for the race itself: Whelp, it wasn’t my best day out there but what can you do? Sometimes it just doesn’t all come together but you can still learn a lot from it when you are in the moment.
The dets:
Swim: I felt great on the swim, it was super smooth. Dede, Leanda and I pretty much swam together side by side. It was very clean and kosher (us gals all started at the same time—easier w/out the men involved!) and I was honored to be in the same zip code as these two fast ladies. These girls can also transition a HECK of a lot faster than I can so they were off and I was still getting my skin suit off. Something to work on = speedier transitions!
Bike: NOT IDEAL. No other words to describe that journey. Physically and mechanically on the bike, I just did not have it. It was one of those times where your pedaling and “working” as hard as you can and NOT MOVING. A site for sore eyes. I was getting passed like I was at a standstill and there was that helpless feeling that there was nothing I could do about it. I went form 3rd to 8th in a matter of 30 miles. My bike wouldn’t shift to the small ring and my back wheel was rubbing again. The combo of these things plus not feeling like myself = poor bike split and by the time I got to the run, I was already out of the race.
There IS something positive about all this! After some self chats towards the last few miles of the bike, I was able to turn the frown upside down for the run.
Run/ 7th Finish: The win of this whole transaction was to be able to run a personal best split within a half ironman, finish with a smile and have FUN while running. It really just goes to show that at LEAST 70% of this sport is all mental and to never give up. I was just so pumped to have had it end on a good note mentally and physically. So the true victory was from within and that is what matters the most. I did the BEST I could in the moment and that is what I will put in my back pocket.
AK, my friends and the Kessler family were at the finish line and we had an amazing rest of afternoon in Healdsburg! Lunch, wine tasting and hang time was the perfect way to end the day.
The Kessler’s were visiting us for a week and we had a blast. We enjoyed many late night conversations, Kessler vs. Kessler euchre tournies, tasty dinners out on the town as well as super Claire Kessler’s delicious home cooked meals. She is quite the chef and she KNOWS her recipes.
Time spent with family and friends trumps any “not so great” race. It always puts things into perspective and re-reminds me that what I REALLY want, is what I ALREADY have. I am so lucky and I certainly don’t take it for granted.
Love,
MBK